Following the departure of Pep Guardiola, Bayern Munich appointed new manager Carlo Ancelotti as their new head coach in the summer. The Italian hinted about the quality of his new team and the fact that Bayern won’t be making any massive transfers in the summer. However, the Bavarians did manage to lure in some classy players and in this article, we will rate the newest additions for Die Roten.
Renato Sanches
Among all the other signings, the transfer of Renato Sanches to FC Bayern was one of the most eye-catching transfers in the summer window. The 18 year Portuguese international was long marked as the main target for Bayern Munich. Sanches showed his capability initially for his previous club SL Benfica.
He made his debut against Tondela in November last year, from then on, the rugged midfielder had never stopped improving. Renato made 24 appearances in Liga NOS but what lured the interest of the record champions was his performance against themselves in the quarter-finals of last year’s Champions League.
After the end of the season, Bayern Munich were quick to sign the young talent, even before the European Championship started. That prove to be a masterstroke at the end, as the Portuguese came out as one of the best players in Euro 2016. Helping his team win the competition and featuring as one of three best young players in the cup proved what a coup it was for the Bavarian giants.
Renato kept his form in the friendlies as well but since then, things have not gone the way as he would’ve liked. Struggling to get into the star-studded lineup of FC Bayern, Sanches has appeared in only 12 games for Carlo Ancelotti’s side this term.
He, in fact, is yet to play out the entire 90 mins yet this season. Playing just 336 mins of league football, the Portuguese has also failed to lure attention in the Bundesliga, while his national team partner Raphael Guerreiro has turned out to be arguably one of the best signings this season. That’s in a Borussia Dortmund shirt of course.
In Carlo’s preferred 4-3-3 formation, Renato has mainly been used as an attacking midfielder alongside either of Thiago, Kimmich or Vidal while in Benfica, the 18-year old had a more defensive role. Also, Bayern’s completely different gameplay is affecting his performance.
In Benfica’s counter attacking play, Renato usually was the one to make the transition, to bridge the attack and the defence but since Bayern already has those types of players in Xabi Alonso or Thiago Alcantara, he is forced to make the more offensive contribution.
Overall, we could say that the signing of Renato Sanches has been a failure so far. But of course, with a tender age of just 18 years old, he has time on his side and with the ageing Xabi Alonso, Renato is fitted for the role to replace the midfield veteran.
Score: 6/10
Mats Hummels
The final of the two Bayern newcomers this season, and clearly, the more controversial one. Mats Hummels actually rejoined Bayern, after he was a youth player at the club before he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2009. His transfer back to Bayern has been one of the talking points of this season.
The former Dortmund man, in fact, used to mock Bayern after they fired his father as the head coach of Bayern’s youth team. Saying “I’d rather win one title with BVB, then to win six at Bayern” – Where did that go I wonder?
However, there are reasons behind his decision to rejoin Bayern Munich. Firstly, it was the fact that the 27-year-old spent his entire youth career at Bayern Munich, the city where he grew up in.
Secondly, he maybe, just maybe got affected by Dortmund’s trophyless status for quite a long time now, and most importantly, his wife, Cathy Fischer (now Hummels), is actually a former miss Munchen and played a key role in his decision to go back to Bayern.
Now how did the move pan out? Well, until now, Hummels is proving to be a great signing for Bayern Munich. The former Dortmund captain has been an even present figure in Carlo Ancelotti’s defence this season. Even though his side has lately conceded too many goals, Hummels’ performances have been fairly remarkable.
Mostly contributing to Bayern’s offensive play, Hummels has completed 1,001 passes this season, with an accuracy of 89%. He has also attempted 44 tackles this season, with a success rate of 59% and boast an incredible headed duels won ratio of 78%.
Apart from that, the German International averages five defensive actions per game, totalling 30 interceptions and 38 clearances. These numbers evidently suggest Hummels’ dominance in Bayern kit this season. The defender also scored his first Bundesliga goal in a Bayern kit, in their 2:1 win over Leverkusen, we can call that a cherry on top!
Score: 8/10
Stats Credit: Squawka
