What are Bayern playing at?

[LeTallecWiz]

Last year, they were the best team but Dortmund could play with them ... They match Goetze's release clause, keeping him out of the UCL final basically, when there was no real need for him in the team. They've been after Lewandoski for the past 12 months, and now that they have him, they're going to leave Dortmund lacking the best striker in the Bundesliga. They're also constantly plucking the best u21 players in the Bundesliga ...

Now there's nothing wrong with this tactic - their right as the biggest name in the country, and probably the club with the most money.

However, what does this mean for the Bundesliga?

Can a '1 club league' really maintain the fans' interest long term?
Will Germany's best young talents look to move elsewhere in look for a more competitive league?

[article=http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1673493/matthias-sammer-bayern-munich-deserve-more-respect-robert-lewandowski-transfer?cc=4716] The Bavarians confirmed on Saturday that Robert Lewandowski will arrive at the Allianz Arena on a free transfer at the end of the season -- a move that has received a mixed reception.

Alex Grimm/Getty ImagesRobert Lewandowski will become the second Borussia Dortmund star to join Bayern Munich in a year after Mario Goetze's move.

While most media outlets felt Bayern had achieved a major coup in acquiring one of the Bundesliga’s finest attacking talents on a free transfer, some have questioned their motives in depriving Dortmund of one of their best players for the second season running following the signing of Mario Goetze last summer.

On Tuesday, the Augsburger Allgemeine Zeitung joked that to avoid bad signings Bayern had outsourced their scouting department to Dortmund, commenting: “Lewandowski changing sides marks a turn of eras. After decades of laughable transfer business, Bayern have now found something every lottery player dreams of: a surefire system!”

A number of other publications echoed that sentiment but Sammer told Bild that he sees no reason why the signing of Lewandowski should adversely affect Bayern’s popularity.

“We have to be firm and sustainable,” he said. “Why should that be unlikeable? One could also pay us some respect and say: ‘They don’t do a bad job.'”

One of the greatest fears in Germany is that Bayern’s dominance of the Bundesliga will continue unabated -- a kicker poll on Monday showed nearly half of players in the German top fight fear the league will turn into a one-horse race.

“Sure, you can discuss this, but not with us,” Sammer said. “I am only interested in what we do and how good we are at it. And we should not be lured away from our determination -- our determination is exemplary.”[/article]

 

[Oncy]

Sooooo can we have Shaqiri?

 

[Dirkus_Circus]

Bayern aren't competing with the Bundesliga, they are competing with Barca, Real, Man City, Chelsea, PSG, etc.

 

[keniget]

Wasn't Goetze injured for the final last year or was that just a story?

Anyways, Utd pretty much did this for years, didn't they?

I can't imagine competitiveness of their rivals is that much of a concern. As one of their directors said a few years ago when Ribery joined - Bayern enjoy a special status and that's why they can sign top players. That's what they'll be interested in maintaining.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Interesting story from Honigstein on the Lewandoski signing:

[article=http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/bundesliga/id/392?cc=4716]It's safe to say that Robert Lewandowski is the most expensive free agent ever signed in the Bundesliga, perhaps even in global terms. The total package for the five-year-deal, once sign-on fees and agent commissions are included, will be north of 70 million euros.

Of course, Bayern Munich know all about star players changing clubs after running down their contracts. In 2006, Michael Ballack moved to Chelsea in the wake of a transfer saga that was equally unpleasant. When their attempts to renew the Germany captain's deal at the Allianz Arena failed, the bruised Bavarians publicly withdrew their offer at the club's annual general meeting -- to much applause -- and pretended that the decision to part company had essentially been theirs. (Which wasn't the case).

With that in mind, the 11 months since Rafael Buschmann of Der Spiegel broke the news that Lewandowski had agreed to join the eventual treble winners have seen even more intrigue and face-keeping exercises.

At first, it actually seemed like a pretty straightforward affair. The Polish striker and his advisers thought that they had a verbal agreement with Dortmund that the player would be allowed to leave in the summer of 2013 if an offer of more than 25 million euros was lodged.

That, incidentally, was the figure Alex Ferguson had bid for the forward after watching him and Shinji Kagawa destroy Bayern 5-2 in the 2012 German Cup final. Dortmund sold the midfielder but much to Sir Alex's surprise, they turned down the offer for Lewandowski, having rebuffed a similar advance from Bayern before. Dortmund’s categorical "Nein" was mistaken as posturing by many that summer, including Frantisek Smuda. The Polish national manager confidently declared that Lewandowski was off to Old Trafford after Euro 2012.

Dortmund, however, stood firm.

Contrary to reports, that was the closest the forward ever came to a move to the Premier League. Sources close to the player confirmed that there were "incessant" calls from interested English clubs throughout 2013, but they all had come too late: Lewandowski had made up his mind by January to join Die Roten.

The news didn't come as much of a shock to Dortmund. They knew the striker saw his future elsewhere -- their attempt to extend his current deal (worth 1.5 million euros per year) beyond 2014 had proved unsuccessful -- and initially seemed willing to release him last summer. But the equation changed when Bayern triggered the release clause of Lewandowski's teammate Mario Götze in April. Dortmund were shaken by that surprising defection, and attitudes towards Lewandowski hardened as a consequence.

Then in the summer, it got interesting -- and a little dirty.

Lewandowski was told he wouldn't be allowed to leave for Munich. The player went public with his frustration and Dortmund, in a sense, tried to pin the blame on Bayern. CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke maintained that a written offer for Lewandowski had never come in from Rummenigge and Co. and that he was therefore not in a position to put the matter to the board. Bayern later explained that their bids for players were never made in writing out of principle, but a perception arose that the treble winners didn't push all that hard to get their man. Many wondered: Did Pep Guardiola even want him?

ESPN FC can now reveal that Bayern did indeed make a very significant offer -- not once, but twice. Rummenigge bid 31 million euros at the beginning of the summer, and both Dortmund and Lewandowski were officially told that the offer was still valid a couple of months later. Bayern were pushing but with time on their side, they didn't try a third time.

All of this still begs the question why Dortmund didn't simply cash in. Defiance in the face of Bayern's raid on their team was certainly a factor, as was sending a message: Dortmund did not want to be seen as a selling club. But there were more pragmatic reasons as well.

First, they hoped Lewandowski could still be sold abroad. There was a precedent: in 2011, Leverkusen's refusal to let Arturo Vidal move to Bayern had resulted in Juventus hijacking the deal and the player changing his mind. Dortmund must have felt that the Pole and his agents could be swayed in a similar manner. They thought: Why wait another year for Bayern -- and a big pay rise -- instead of moving to Spain or England immediately? But with Lewandowski and his camp not entering any negotiations with clubs other than Bayern, Dortmund made a decision that he'd be kept on for another year regardless.

Difficulties with finding a suitable replacement -- Edin Dzeko, mentioned as a possible recruitment by Jurgen Klopp, proved simply too expensive in terms of wages -- will have influenced their choice. So too would a simple calculation: With Lewandowski in the squad, the 31 million euros they missed out on would most likely be recouped by renewed qualification for the next Champions League and advancement to the knock-out rounds of the current competition.

To temper Lewandowski's disappointment, his wages were trebled. 11 goals in the league and four important goals in the Champions League later, Dortmund's stance has largely been vindicated.

In December, Real Madrid tried their best to stage a daring eleventh-hour raid, making an "indecent proposal" (says Lewandowski's agent, Maik Barthel) of 81 million euros, covering all fees and wages over a six-year-period. "A declaration of war," fumed Bayern president Uli Hoeness, according to Der Spiegel. But once again, Lewandowski kept his word.

The length and value of his contract with Bayern should leave little doubt as to Guardiola's true views of the player. What's more, the close proximity between the Catalan agreeing to join Bayern and Lewandowski doing the same suggests that the latter -- not Götze -- was actually Pep's first "signing" in the new job.

Robert Lewandowski will cost a few euros and will increase fears of the Bundesliga turning into a one-horse-race. But that's a price Bayern are willing to pay for the one man, they feel, who can still improve a squad that looks nigh-perfect already. [/article]

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Sooooo can we have Shaqiri?

We're getting his Egyptian half-brother Salah instead mate.

Anyways, Utd pretty much did this for years, didn't they?

I can't imagine competitiveness of their rivals is that much of a concern. As one of their directors said a few years ago when Ribery joined - Bayern enjoy a special status and that's why they can sign top players. That's what they'll be interested in maintaining.

Utd never signed so many u21 stars from English teams ... They also always had teams who could compete with them, be it Arsenal, Chelsea or now City. The league was never close to being a 'one horse race'. Bayern have basically taken the two best talents Dortmund have in the course of 12 months and have dropped them from a potential challenger to a team that won't compete with them. They need a rival, it's important for them, their players and the league.

 

[keniget]

Which U-21 players have Bayern signed? I haven't been following them.

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Which U-21 players have Bayern signed? I haven't been following them.

They signed two this summer Jan Kirchhoff & Mitchell Weiser. I think they've loaned them both out as neither plays.

(I've obviously not included Goetze, though he could have played for the u21s last year)

 

[Holle]

Nothing new there.

Bayern have always done this.

Whether it was Basler and Herzog from Werder Bremen, Effenberg from Borussia Mönchengladbach or Kahn, Scholl, Fink and Tarnat from Karlruher SC.

Always been the same.

 

[hmmmmm1]

They signed two this summer Jan Kirchhoff & Mitchell Weiser. I think they've loaned them both out as neither plays.

(I've obviously not included Goetze, though he could have played for the u21s last year)

Scum have won the league 5 out of last 7 seasons, in same time bayen have won it 4 times.

No one will moan about this until, Germany stops producing outstanding international sides.

 

[King Binny]

On a sidenote, nice gesture from Bayern.
[article=http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/arsenal-shown-how-its-done-as-bayern-munich-announce-plans-to-subsidise-champions-league-tickets-by-75000-9048798.html]Bayern Munich look set to continue their manner of showing the rest of Europe how it’s done by shelling out £75,000 to subsidise the cost of tickets for their fans’ trip to the Emirates Stadium when they take on Arsenal in the Champions League last 16.


As part of a project to thank fans for their support during last year’s record-breaking season, the current European Cup holders will pay a proportion of each ticket when they travel to London for the first leg on February 19.

With Arsenal setting the price for tickets at £62 (€75) each, Bayern will pay £24.60 (€30) for every fan that makes the journey. Given their allocation for the fixture, which is a rematch of last year’s encounter at the same stage, was 2,974, the Bavarian club received more than 18,000 applications for a ticket.

In response, the club posted a messaged on their official website explaining the decision to give something back to the supporters for their continuous loyalty.

“For the 2,974 tickets made available by Arsenal, we have received 18,000 orders. The ticket price asked by Arsenal is £62 (€75) each,” the message explained.

“The terrific support of the fans lifted Bayern (last year). Particularly noteworthy is the large number of Bayern fans who not only supported the highlights, but were at every game.

“The fact is that this loyalty at such a high number of games does not only take up a great deal of time, but it also tears a big hole in the wallet.

“Bayern has therefore decided to subsidise the tickets for the away game at Arsenal with nearly €90,000.

“Thus every Bayern fan who buys a ticket for the game in London on February 19 will pay only €45 (instead of the regular €75).

“This is intended as a small thank you for your great support in 2013.”

Fans will be hoping for a repeat performance from their last trip to London, having won the Champions League final at Wembley Stadium thanks to a 2-1 victory over rivals Borussia Dortmund.

They also triumphed on their last trip to the Emirates, with the 3-1 win over the Gunners giving them enough to progress in the last 16 despite a 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the return fixture at the Allianz Arena.

The gesture indicates the latest move to give something back to the fans – something that German football has proven itself to lead the way in – with cheaper ticket prices at the fore of the generosity.

Tickets for this season’s second leg are priced between £12-£50, and fans could get their hands on a season ticket from as little as £104 at the beginning of the season – something that is unheard of for the leading clubs in the Premier League.

Club president Uli Hoeness said: “We could charge more than £104. Let's say we charged £300. We'd get £2million more in income but what's £2m to us?

“In a transfer discussion you argue about that sum for five minutes. But the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan.

“We do not think the fans are like cows, who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody.

“That's the biggest difference between us and England.”[/article]

 

[red_maradona]

Lovely gesture. I have read in the past that Bayern helped Dortmund out when they were in financial crisis and also another german club (who I forget) by buying players or arranging games. It did surprise me as I had a different view on them.

 

[rurikbird]

Club president Uli Hoeness said: “We could charge more than £104. Let's say we charged £300. We'd get £2million more in income but what's £2m to us?
“In a transfer discussion you argue about that sum for five minutes. But the difference between £104 and £300 is huge for the fan.
“We do not think the fans are like cows, who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody.
“That's the biggest difference between us and England.”

Somebody should print this quote and post it on FSG's office wall.