How Brazzo was able to splurge on transfers during the summer window at Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić probably forgot what it felt like to have enough cash to splurge in the transfer market like the club did during the summer.

After securing Sadio Mané, Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, and Noussair Mazraoui, though, Salihamidžić saw the depth on his squad become extremely strong. The club was able to support the moves financially through conservative transfer windows during the pandemic — and selling off players whose value had risen.

“We couldn’t spend money we didn’t have before. We don’t do crazy things at this club. We don’t have that sense of there being a fixed first XI. When I look at the training and it’s 10 vs 10, I’m not sure which ones are the starters. That’s cool,” Salihamidžić told journalist Raphael Honigstein of The Athletic. “For us, it was clear during the pandemic that we would buy players who gave us the option to sell them if it didn’t work out for them. A player like Marc Roca might not have made it here but he’s still a very good and interesting player, a starter for Leeds United, who helps them beat Chelsea. Generating these sales allowed us to get some top players in and put together a squad that’s deep enough for everyone to play a part.”

Are there more “Rocas” on the current roster? We might find out next summer.