End of Transfer Window Roundup (rest of Bundesliga edition)

Well that does it. It’s the end of silly season. Klopp’s least favorite television show around- the “D-Day show” where “people sit there in front of the television all day waiting” is probably over too. With the Bundesliga, La Liga, and Ligue 1 all wrapped up, in addition to the Premier League and the Serie A, the transfer business for the biggest five leagues are completed. The Danish, Scottish, Turkish, Dutch, and Russian transfer windows close within the next week, but the Portuguese window lasts for another three weeks (looks like Sporting is going to need it).

Now that roster changes are, for the most part, unlikely, here’s a look at the business that’s gone on in the Bundesliga this summer (in order from promoted sides, then last year’s league table in reverse).

1. FC Nürnberg (-€1.2m net spend)

In:

Timothy Tillman - loan (from Bayern)

Out:

Kevin Möhwald - free transfer (to Bremen)

The addition of the talented Timothy Tillman on loan is a big plus, but will have to fill the void of Möhwald, who scored 11 and assisted 14 in his last two years with Nuremberg.

Fortuna Düsseldorf (-€5.4m net spend)

In:

Marvin Ducksch - €2m (from FC St. Pauli)

Alfredo Morales - free transfer (from Ingolstadt)

Davor Loren - €750Th. (from Dynamo Zagreb)

Out:

Nobody of note, although several loans of former starters did end.

The addition of the former BVB starlet will help them fight to get out of the relegation dogfight this year, as well as Dejan Lovren’s younger brother Davor, and Alfredo Morales, the German American, who helped lead Ingolstadt to a moderately successful stint in the Bundesliga for a couple years.

VFL Wolfsburg (-€36m net spend)

In:

Daniel Ginczek - €14m (from Stuttgart)

Wout Weghorst - €10.5m (from AZ Alkmaar)

Marcel Tisserand - €7m (from Ingolstadt)

Felix Klaus - €3m (from Hannover)

Out:

Daniel Didavi - €4m (to Stuttgart)

Wolfsburg spent heavily in an attempt to avoid the drop zone for the second year in a row. Whether their massive gamble on Ginczek pans out or not is questionable, and pinning their season on him to bear the load with 10-15 goals is unwise.

SC Freiburg (+€10.63 net spend)

In:

Luca Waldschmidt - €5m (from Hamburg)

Dominique Heintz - €3m (from Köln)

Philipp Lienhart - €2m (from Real Madrid)

Out:

Caglar Söyüncü - €21.1m (to Leicester)

Marc Oliver Kempf - free transfer (to Stuttgart)

Freiburg lost two very important center backs in Söyüncü and Kempf, so let us see if Heintz and Leinhart are up to the challenge of filling the void they left behind.

1. FSV Mainz 05 (€27.3m net spend)

In:

Jean-Philippe Mateta - €8m (from Lyon)

Pierre Kunde - €7.5m (from Athletico Madrid)

Moussa Niakhate - €6m (from Metz)

Out:

Abdou Diallo - €28m (to Borussia Dortmund)

Yoshinori Muto - €10.7m (to Newcastle)

Suat Serdar - €10.5m (to Schalke)

Mainz’s spine was heavily raided, losing a center back, forward, and midfielder for large fees. They replaced all three players for moderate fees, and are hoping that the new spine can replace each of their counterparts.

Hannover 96 (-€3.25m net spend)

In:

Walace - €6m (from Hamburg)

Genki Haraguchi - €4.5m (from Hertha BSC)

Kevin Wimmer - Loan fee €1.5m (from Stoke)

Bobby Wood - Loan fee €1.2m (from Hamburg)

Takuma Asano - Loan fee €1m (from Arsenal)

Out:

Salif Sane - €7m (to Schalke)

Felix Klaus - €3m (to Wolfsburg)

Martin Harnik - €2.25m (to Bremen)

Hannover has juggled a lot of pieces around this summer, losing Sane for cheap to Schalke, but plugging a lot of holes with players on loan, like the veteran, Kevin Wimmer, the American, Bobby Wood, and the Arsenal prodigy, Asano. The purchase of Walace from Hamburg could be a steal if he manages to perform to his potential for Hannover.

FC Augsburg (-€4.15m net spend)

In:

Andre Hahn - €3m (from Hamburg)

Fredrik Jensen - €3m (from FC Twente)

Julian Shieber - free transfer (from Hertha BSC)

Felix Götze - free transfer (from Bayern München)

Out:

Moritz Leitner - €1.5m (to Norwich)

Marwin Hitz - free transfer (to Borussia Dortmund)

Augsburg attempted to solve some of its scoring problems this summer, recruiting Andre Hahn from Hamburg, continuing the mass exodus from the port city. Schieber, the former BVB forward, joins further recruit Jensen to help rebuild that front line for Augsburg. The addition of Felix Götze seems like an interesting addition, and at the age of 20 needs to start getting first team Bundesliga minutes. The loss of the Hitz to BVB, seems like the greater loss compared to former BVB starlet Leitner heading to Norwich.

SV Werder Bremen (-€1m net spend)

In:

Davy Klassen - €13.5m (from Everton)

Jan-Niklas Beste - €250Th. (from BVB)

Claudio Pizarro - free transfer (from Köln)

Martin Harnik - €2.25m (from Hannover)

Yuyu Osako - €4.5m (from Köln)

Josh Sargent - free transfer (from USA)

Nuri Sahin - €1m (from BVB)

Out:

Thomas Delaney - €20m (to BVB)

Zlatko Junuzovic - free transfer (to RB Salzburg)

Jerome Gondorf - €1.3m (to Freiburg)

The loss of three very sturdy and defensively resolute midfielders is a problem, and while Klassen is an impressive get, especially for the attacking play, the steel that was there last season is most likely gone. With the addition of BVB club legend Sahin, Bremen add more playmaking potential, although Sahin’s lack of pace and defensive vulnerabilities might force Bremen to add a player next to him for protection. Another problem is that with the additions of Osako, Sargent, and the 39 year old club legend Pizarro, there are five forwards on Bremen’s roster, showing a rather large squad imbalance at the current moment.

Hertha BSC (€5m net spend)

In:

Valentino Lazaro - €6.5m (from RB Salzburg)

Marko Grujic - €1m loan fee (from Liverpool)

Lukas Klünter - €2m (from Köln)

Pascal Köpke - €2m (from Erzgebirge Aue)

Out:

Mitchell Weiser - €12m (to Leverkusen)

Julian Schieber - free transfer (to Augsburg)

Genki Haraguchi - €4.5m (to Hannover)

The loss of Weiser is a huge negative for Hertha, but they look to replace him with Klünter, while also hoping that Köpke can step into Schieber’s shoes from last season. The addition of Grujic will increase the overall quality of the squad, as he will look to elevate the game of his teammates.

Borussia Mönchengladbach (€250Th. net spend)

In:

Alassane Plea - €23m (from Nice)

Andreas Poulsen - €4.5m (from Midtjylland)

Michael Lang - €2.8m (from Basel)

Keanan Bennetts - €2.25m (from Tottenham)

Out:

Jannik Vestergard - €25m (to Southampton)

Vincenzo Grifo - €5.5m (to Hoffenheim)

BMG replaced Grifo with the highly rated Plea, who was very good for Favre at Nice in the last couple of years. The addition of former Basel captain Michael Lang is a huge get, while youngsters Poulsen and Bennetts are great buys for very reasonable prices. Bennetts continues the trend of younger English players coming to the Bundesliga in an attempt to get first team minutes, and further develop. The loss of Vestergard is big, and despite how good Ginter has been for BMG, that back line looks slightly void of quality.

Eintracht Frankfurt (-€13.3m net spend)

In:

Carlos Salcedo - €5m (from Chivas)

Evan N’Dicka - €5m (from AJ Auxerre)

Filip Kostic - €1.2m loan fee (from Hamburg)

Kevin Trapp - loan (from PSG)

Frederik Rönnow - €2.8m (from Bröndby IF)

Out:

Marius Wolf - €5m (to BVB)

Omar Mascarell - €4m (to Real Madrid [buyback clause] and resold to Schalke)

Kevin Prince Boateng - free transfer (to Sassuolo)

Lukas Hradecky - free transfer (to Bayer Leverkusen)

The big story with the current DFB Pokal holders is the loss of their manager, Niko Kovac, to Bayern, as well as losing a key core of starters, namely K-P Boateng, and keeper Hradecky. Rönnow wasn't an inspiring replacement, but Kevin Trapp coming back to Frankfurt is an interesting storyline. Frankfurt definitely shored up their back line with the additions of Salcedo and highly rated French youngster N’Dicka.

VFB Stuttgart (-€17.8m net spend)

In:

Pablo Maffeo - €9m (from Manchester City)

Nicolas Gonzalez - €8.5m (from Argentinos)

Borna Sosa - €6m (from Dinamo Zagreb)

Gonzalo Castro - €5m (from BVB)

Daniel Didavi - €4m (from Wolfsburg)

Marc Oliver Kempf - free transfer (from Freiburg)

Out:

Daniel Ginczek - €14m (to Wolfsburg)

Jerome Onguene - €2m (to Salzburg)

Julian Green - €200Th. (to Greuther Fürth)

Stuttgart spent heavily in an attempt to push for Europe this season. The addition of Gonzalez from Argentina is a steady addition, as well as highly rated youngsters in Kempf and Maffeo. Castro and Didavi are schrewed pickups who will help increase the attacking output of the side, especially from the midfield. Ginczek is a big loss, but by plugging in a quality replacement and strengthening other areas of the pitch, Stuttgart look to take some by surprise this season.

RB Leipzig (€31.05m net spend)

In:

Nordi Mukiele - €16m (from Montellier)

Matheus Cunha - €15m (from Sion)

Marcelo Saracchi - €12m (from River Plate)

Out:

Naby Keita - €60m (to Liverpool)

Bernardo - €10m (to Brighton)

Leipzig lost the engine of their midfield in Keita, and will rely on the attacking prowess of the rest of their squad to make up for his absence. The loss of Bernardo at left back is minimal with the addition of Saracchi. Leipzig also added another young forward to their squad, with the highly rated Brazilian forward Cunha.

Bayer 04 Leverkusen (€5.6m net spend)

In:

Paulinho - €26.4m (from Vasco da Gama)

Mitchell Weiser - €12m (from Hertha BSC)

Lukas Hradecky - free transfer (from Frankfurt)

Out:

Bernd Leno - €25m (to Arsenal)

Benjamin Henrichs - €20m (to Monaco)

Stefan Kießling - retired

Leverkusen did not do much this summer, but made a couple impressive moves. The addition of keeper Hradecky is an upgrade on Leno, who secured a move to Arsenal shortly thereafter. Weiser will bring some consistency to their outside back positions, and Monaco, in turn, snapped up Henrichs for a bargain, as he realized he couldn't be garuanteed the game time he needs to develop further. Paulinho will complement a young, but impressive winger core consisting of Julian Brandt and Leon Bailey. Also, a note that the club legend Stefan Kießling finally retired, and that he finishes his career as one of the best Bundesliga forwards in the last decade.

TSG 1899 Hoffenheim (€-25.6m net spend)

In:

Kasim Adams - €8m (from Young Boys)

Leonardo Bittencourt - €6m (from Köln)

Ishak Belfodil - €5.5m (from Standard Liege)

Vincenzo Grifo - €5.5m (from BMG)

Reiss Nelson - loan (from Arsenal)

Joshua Brenet - €3.5m (from PSV Eindhoven)

Out:

Mark Uth - free transfer (to Schalke)

Serge Gnabry - end of loan (to Bayern)

Hoffenheim continues its policy of losing key players and replacing them with mediocre or developmental talent, and hoping that Nagelsmann can throw something together and making it work. This year is the same case, as Gnabry and Uth were two of Hoffenheim’s most important players last year, and are supposed to be replaced by a combination of Belfodil, Bittencourt, Grifo, and Nelson. The addition of Nelson is intriguing, as another English youngster comes to the Bundesliga for first team minutes. The shrewd business of Brenet and Adams for cheap gives Nagelsmann defensive reinforcements that have been badly needed for at least a season now.

FC Schalke 04 (-€10.55m net spend)

In:

Sebastian Rudy - €16.5m (from Bayern)

Suat Serdar - €10.5m (from Mainz)

Omar Mascarell - €10m (from Real Madrid, played at Frankfurt last year)

Hamza Mendyl - €7m (from LOSC Lille)

Salif Sane - €7m (from Hannover)

Mark Uth - free transfer (from Hoffenheim)

Out:

Thilo Kehrer - €37m (to PSG)

Benedikt Höwedes - €5m (to Loko Moscow)

Coke - €1.5m (to Levante)

Leon Goretzka - free transfer (to Bayern)

Max Meyer - free transfer (to Crystal Palace)

Schalke lost a lot of midfield talent in Meyer and Goretzka (for free) and relied on the sale of highly rated young center back Thilo Kehrer to generate funds for the revitalization of the midfield. They’re relying on Rudy, Serdar, and Mascarell to make up from the lost output of two very quality players, as well as the addition of one of the best forwards in the Bundesliga last year in Mark Uth. A cool story line is Höwedes going back to Gelsenkirchen this year in the Champion League, as Schalke and Lokomotiv Moscow are in the same group.

Bayern München (€78.5m net spend)

In:

Alphonso Davies - €10m (from Vancouver)

Leon Goretzka - free transfer (from Schalke)

Out:

Douglas Costa - €40m (to Juventus)

Arturo Vidal - €18m (to Barcelona)

Sebastian Rudy - €16.5m (to Schalke)

Juan Bernat - €14m (to PSG)

Felix Götze - free transfer (to Augsburg)

Bayern used a series of shrewd moves this summer again, getting Goretzka on a free, and selling a rarely used Rudy and aging Vidal to unclog the roster. The sale of Douglas Costa to Juve finally went through after his loan, and Alphonso Davies looks to join the club in Bayern and be another youngster who can impress in the Bundesliga from North America.

What are your thoughts on the overall window in the Bundesliga, and which were some of the best or moves out there? What would be considered the most underrated move of the summer?