Hasan Salihamidzic reflects on the caliber of Bayern Munich’s summer signings

While they all have started and played as many minutes as Sadio Mane has, the caliber of Bayern Munich’s signings this summer have greatly aided in Julian Nagelsmann building a more balanced squad from back to front, and he now has necessary added depth. Noussair Mazraoui, Ryan Gravenberch, Mane, Matthijs de Ligt, and Mathys Tel have added depth in every position bar goalkeeper, and while Mane has played the most of any of the new boys, they’ve all played a part in the strong start to the season. Had it not been for a Bundesliga record-setting performance from Borussia Monchengladbach’s Yann Sommer at the weekend, Bayern would’ve made it four wins from as many league matches.

Hasan Salihamidzic was at the heart of all of Bayern’s positive summer signings and he feels that, based on the evidence from the start of the season, that he’s help bring in players directly correlating to what Nagelsmann wants in his team. The mood around the squad is high and Joshua Kimmich had recently explained how much the energy levels have remained consistently high in both training sessions and matches; it’s clear for all to see. “If you look at the training sessions, it’s really fun,” Salihamidzic recently echoed regarding the mood around Sabener Strasse (Sport Bild).

Brazzo has also mentioned before how much time and strategic planning went into making the right decisions with who to bring in this summer, making sure it was “in line with the coach’s idea.” “That was also the task, that we all make the right decisions together. We’ll know at the end of the season if that’s the case,” Brazzo added. Judging off of Bayern’s start to the season, they’re well equipped to handle all of the challenges they’ll face this season as they push across three fronts.

“Not only are we up front, we are twice as good in every position. It’s difficult for the coach to field the starting eleven. But that’s the interesting thing. The season is long – we need everyone,” Brazzo said of the luxury Nagelsmann now has in who to start and who not to start for any given occasion. That was a luxury Nagelsmann didn’t have as much of last season, when depth ran really thin at times due to injuries, COVID infections and suspensions. Uli Hoeness has said it’s up to Nagelsmann this season to find that right balance in the squad this season and keep everyone happy, even when they’re not playing, but the demanding, congested schedule will surely call for rotations on a relatively frequent basis - players will get their chances.

The Bayern DNA is also something that gets embedded into every player the plays for the club and truly believes in the club’s values. Some players, of course, don’t quite fit right, but that’s something Brazzo said the club wanted to avoid in the transfer market this summer. “We made sure that the boys were good guys, that they had a top mentality and that they identified with FC Bayern. They were passionate about FC Bayern from the very first second,” he said of the crop of players they brought in.