Geschäft Review: Awards for Bayern Munich’s business from the season of 2009/10

After the let-down that was the 2008/09 season, Louis van Gaal was brought in and would allow Bayern Munich to ascend from the fringes of the top level of Europe to return to their spot at the very pinnacle of club football, winning the Bundesliga and DfB Pokal, and making it to the Champions League final where they would painfully lose to 2-0 to Internazionale.

Before we look at the stand-out moves, let’s first recap the window in its entirety.

Arrivals

• Mario Gómez from VfB Stuttgart for €30m
• Arjen Robben from Real Madrid for €25m
• Anatoliy Tymoshchuk from Zenit St. Petersburg for €11m
• Danijel Pranjić from Heerenveen for €7.7m
• Edson Braafheid from Twente FC for €2m
• Ivica Olić from Hamburg SV for free
• Alexander Baumjohann from Borussia Mönchengladbach for free

Departures

• Lukas Podolski to FC Köln for €10m
• Lúcio to Internazionale for €7m
• Mats Hummels to Borussia Dortmund for €4.2m
• Alexander Baumjohann to FC Schalke for €1m (winter transfer)
• Tim Borowski to Werder Bremen for €750k
• José Sosa to Estudiantes on a one season loan
• Luca Toni to AS Roma on a six month loan (winter transfer)
• Edson Braafheid to Celtic on a six month loan (winter transfer)
• Andreas Ottl to FC Nürnberg on a six month loan (winter transfer)
• Breno to FC Nürnberg on a six month loan (winter transfer)

Other

• Diego Contento, Mehmet Ekici, Holger Badstuber and Thomas Müller are promoted to the first team permanently.
• David Alaba makes his professional debut.

Leiterkletterer: Diego Contento

Photo by Oliver Hardt/Bongarts/Getty Images

It is insane to me that as of writing, Diego Contento is only 32.

Honestly, the class of 2009 wasn’t anything special, Contento being the cream of the crop. The Italian would fail to make his mark in the first team, eventually leaving Munich for Girondins Bordeaux for a fee of €1m in 2014 before finding his home in the German second tier with Fortuna Düsseldorf and later SV Sandhausen.

Überschuss: Lukas Podolski

Photo by Boris Streubel/Getty Images

Lukas Podolski’s Bayern Munich career would end after a stagnant three years in Munich for a fee of €10m, going on to have an excellent spell at FC Köln before once again losing steam after leaving Köln for north London and Arsenal in 2012.

His career would take a dive from there, but he would still enjoy a strong period right after leaving Munich.

Sehr Vermisst: Mats Hummels

Photo by Team 2 Sportphoto/ullstein bild via Getty Images

After a short loan spell at Borussia Dortmund in which he established himself as a top Bundesliga centre back, Dortmund would purchase Hummels permanently for a fee of €4.2 million. Hummels would become the most consistent centre back in the league in his seven year stint at Dortmund, winning multiple Bundesliga titles on Bayern's head and a World Cup during that period.

Reue des Käufers: Danijel Pranjić

Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images

Bayern Munich’s marquee transfers were all successes in the long-term, so I’ve gone with a lesser transfer in Danijel Pranjić. The Croatian would join Bayern from Heerenveen for €7.7 million, but would struggle for game time behind Anatoliy Tymoshchuk, Philipp Lahm and even Holger Badstuber at left back. Pranjić’s debut season in particular was marred by a lack of appearances, with Badstuber being the starting left back, and Tymoshchuk taking the starting spot soon after as Badstuber transitioned to the centre of defense. Pranjić’s four year contract would never be extended, with him leaving for Sporting Lisbon on a free in 2012.

Neue Legende: Arjen Robben

Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images

Mr. Wembley was one of the first players I remember being mesmerised by live. The other half of the greatest wing partnership of all time (I am talking of course about himself and Douglas Costa during the 2015/16 season), Arjen Robben will go down as one of the greatest right wingers of all time and possibly the most iconic left foot of all time minus one Argentinian. Cutting in with venom from the right, Robben would accumulate 144 goals and 101 assists in 309 appearances, an unreal record. He would be named Footballer of the Year in Germany in 2010 and would continue to be world class throughout his decade in Munich, although admittedly his injury record hampered his consistency a lot.

All this would happen after the Dutch international was reportedly forced out of Real Madrid by club president Florentino Pérez, who sold him to Bayern for €25 million to make space for the new Galacticos in Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaká. Thank you Papa Pérez and your obsession with overloading attacking positions!

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What do you think of Bayern Munich’s transfer business from 2009? Should Mario Gómez have gotten a mention? Let us know in the forum below.

...and no, Gómez shouldn’t have. Don’t you tell me about his contribution. Robben is clear.