First call: Bayern Munich transfer window grades

The summer transfer window has closed and now it is time to give our instant reactions to what Bayern Munich managed to do.

Let’s take a look at each move, give the transfer a grade, and see where we land. You can play along, too! Drop your thoughts and ratings in the comments.

Remember...each transfer is being graded on an individual situation for how the player will affect the team’s performance, how much the player costs, and how the player will impact the roster’s depth.

Let’s do it!

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The Arrivals

Harry Kane, striker — Tottenham Hotspur

• Cost: €100 million
• Grade: 10/10
• Analysis: Sure, the cost was high, but Kane was the best player — in his prime — to change teams during the transfer window. This was a total win for Bayern Munich.

Kim Min-jae, center-back — Napoli

• Cost: €50 million
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: With Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernández leaving the club, this was a necessity.

Daniel Peretz, goalkeeper — Maccabi Tel Aviv

• Cost: €5 million
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: Yann Sommer left the club, Johannes Schenk and Alexander Nübel were inexplicably loaned out, and all-of-a-sudden, Bayern Munich needed a new goalkeeper. Peretz seems like he has great potential and was cheap. Simply put, it was worth any risk associated with the move.

Konrad Laimer, central midfield/right-back — RB Leipzig

• Cost: Free
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: Laimer is a good depth piece for the midfield and does bring a different look and style when called upon. His ability to play right-back is now especially important.

Raphaël Guerreiro, left-back/midfielder — Borussia Dortmund

• Cost: Free
• Grade: 7.5/10
• Analysis: A valuable depth piece, who had no cost. Guerreiro’s versatility should come up big at some point this season.

Overall Rating

• Cost: €155 million
• Grade: 8.3/10
• Analysis: Getting a top-shelf striker (Kane) and adding a starting caliber center-back (Min-jae) were absolute musts, and depth pieces like Laimer and Guerreiro were also key. Peretz’s potential makes him a very good prospect as well. This was an excellent purchasing window for the Bavarians.

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The Departures

Lucas Hernández, center-back — Paris Saint-Germain

• Fee: €45 million
• Grade: 5/10
• Analysis: Though some folks had figured Hernández would want to leave Bayern Munich after the season, many fans were shocked when the Frenchman opted for a move to PSG. The initial gut-punch could at least be softened by the fact that no one knows — at this point — if Hernández will ever fully get back to where he was before suffering a devasting ACL tear. However, only getting €45 million for the club’s former record transfer (€80 million) was quite the hit to take and knocked the grade on this one down a bit.

Ryan Gravenberch, central midfield — Liverpool FC

• Fee: €40 million
• Grade: 8.5/10
• Analysis: Gravenberch wanted out and Liverpool was willing to pay Bayern Munich €40 million just one summer after Bayern paid Ajax €18.5 million. This was fantastic business for a player that neither Julian Nagelsmann, nor Thomas Tuchel could find a role — or even minutes — for. The only reasons this is not a perfect 10/10 are because Gravenberch still does have potential to become a very good player and also because his exit left very little room for the squad to handle an injury to one of the central midfielders. You could argue, however, that Guerreiro and Jamal Musiala could drop into the center of the park and do an admirable job if needed.

Benjamin Pavard, right-back/center-back — Inter Milan

• Fee: €30 million
• Grade: 6.5/10
• Analysis: Pavard was a versatile and consistent member of the squad, who was a very good performer during his tenure. Knowing that, the fee seems awfully light, but Bayern Munich’s bargaining power was largely nullified because EVERYONE knew Pavard wanted to skip town as soon as possible. Moreover, because Bayern Munich sat on this for so long, it hampered its own ability to find a capable replacement. Unfortunately, the gap still remains on the roster, though Thomas Tuchel does have some less-than-ideal options he can use if needed.

Sadio Mané, attacker (in more ways than one) — Al-Nassr

• Fee: €30 million
• Grade: 9.5/10
• Analysis: Mané looks cooked and he was a mess during his only season in Munich. After a hot start, he sputtered, never got in sync with teammates on the pitch, and was a central figure in two major pieces of locker room drama. Good riddance...getting €30 million for him was a blessing because his days as a top flight player in a major league are long gone.

Marcel Sabitzer, central midfield — Borussia Dortmund

• Fee: €19 million
• Grade: 6/10
• Analysis: Sabitzer was really good for Bayern Munich and Manchester United during the 2022/23 campaign, but Tuchel had no interest in him. Selling him to a direct competitor was risky, but it is Dortmund after all. That said, the price feels about right, but his presence on this Bayern Munich would be valuable to have. It is a shame, Bayern Munich had no plan for what to do with the Austrian star when acquiring him in 2021.

Yann Sommer, goalkeeper — Inter Milan

• Fee: €6.75 million
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: Admittedly, it is tough to grade this one fairly. The fee is too low, but Bayern Munich had a “Gentleman’s Agreement” with Sommer, which allowed him to leave this summer if Manuel Neuer was tracking to play most of the season (as of now that looks to be the case). Given that, it was always going to be hard to any substantial fee for Sommer, who did exactly what he was supposed to do during his brief time in Munich.

Alexander Nübel, goalkeeper — VfB Stuttgart (loan)

• Fee: €1 million
• Grade: 9/10
• Analysis: Nübel wanted no parts of being at Bayern Munich, so the club found a good spot for him where it could closely monitor his play — and even get paid for watching! The only knock on this move is that the loan did cause Bayern Munich to have to pay for Peretz.

Malik Tillman, attacking midfield — PSV Eindhoven (loan)

• Fee: €1 million
• Grade: 9/10
• Analysis: Tillman had a successful loan with Rangers FC last season and had zero chance for playing time on Bayern Munich’s first team, so a loan was necessary. Getting €1 million was just icing on the cake. The only reason this was not 10/10 was because it would have been better to see Tillman prove his mettle in the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, or even Serie A.

Gabriel Vidović, attacker — Dinamo Zagreb (loan)

• Fee: €500k
• Grade: 9/10
• Analysis: Vidović did not have a good loan experience with Vitesse, so this should be a better landing spot for him. Taking in €500k for a player who had zero chance of playing for the first team is nice, as well. It is put up or shut up time for Vidović.

Daley Blind, defender — Girona FC

• Fee: Free
• Grade: N/A
• Analysis: Blind was likely always going to be a rental strictly for last season, but it seems like Tuchel had zero use for him. This is a tough one to grade because he might have been a good bench guy to have on the roster, but the sense is that he wanted one more run at being a contributor — hence the move to Girona. Blind has played 270 minutes in three games for Girona, so far. That would not have been possible at Bayern Munich.

Bright Arrey-Mbi, center-back/right-back — Hannover 96

• Fee: Free
• Grade: N/A
• Analysis: Arrey-Mbi had no future at Bayern Munich and was yet another player, who came to Bayern Munich touted as having great potential, but just did not see things click for him in Bavaria.

Josip Stanišić, defender/midfielder — Bayer Leverkusen (loan)

• Fee: Free
• Grade: 6.5/10
• Analysis: Theoretically, this is a very good move for Stanišić as he could see time at four different spots for Leverkusen. However, the loan did not leave Bayern Munich in a good position with depth. If Noussair Mazraoui gets hurt, Stanišić could have been in line for even more time at Bayern Munich than he will get at Bayer Leverkusen. So...good for the player, but maybe not so great for the Bayern Munich.

Paul Wanner, attacking midfield — SV Elversberg

• Fee: Free
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: This move should get Wanner playing time, but it is hard to discern whether or not he would have benefited more from a move abroad. It seems like Bayern Munich wanted to keep very close tabs on him and ensure he would get a chance to play as a No. 10 (his best position). The only “down the road” issue is that Jamal Musiala figures to have that position roadblocked for as long as he stays with the club. Regardless, that is a problem for another day.

Arijon Ibrahimović, attacker — Frosinone Calcio

• Fee: Free
• Grade: 8/10
• Analysis: You could really argue that Ibrahimović is in a better spot for his development than Wanner because he will be facing competition in a top flight league. That said, competition for playing time will be stiff and the 17-year-old needs to start to figure out where he fits as a player. At different points, he has been used as a winger, an attacking midfielder, and as a striker. Hopefully, he will be able to show he has the chops to play in a top league sooner rather than later.

Johannes Schenk, goalkeeper — Preußen Münster

• Fee: Free
• Grade: N/A
• Analysis: It is extremely tough to gauge if this move was worth it yet, so there is no reason to even try and attach a rating to it.

Overall Rating

• Fees Generated: €173.25 million
• Grade: 7.75/10
• Analysis: Bayern Munich made more money than it spent, but the club could have also let a few players go for too little. Regardless, it was a successful selling window in terms of cash, but the sales of some players left the roster very thin. The loans looking good (as of now) bumped the grade up a bit too much, but this is unscientific to say the least.

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The true grades on these moves will not be evident until the season’s end, but tell us what how you think Bayern Munich did during the summer transfer window in the comments below. There is no time to react like right now!

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Looking for more analysis? Then check out the newest episode of our newest Weekend Warm-up podcast! Chuck and INNN team up to react to the Champions League draw, the rumors about João Palhinha, the conclusion to the Ryan Gravenberch saga, Benjamin Pavard’s move to Inter Milan, and so much more! Listen below or on Spotify.

As always, we appreciate all the support!