FC Bayern signed four new players with four different role profiles in the last transfer window. Accordingly, the balance of Dayot Upamecano, Marcel Sabitzer, Omar Richards and Sven Ulreich after a third of the season is very different – an overview.
Dayot Upamecano: FC Bayern paid 42.5 million euros for the services of the centre-back, who came from Leipzig. Only for Lucas Hernandez (80 million euros) and Leroy Sané (almost 50 million euros) did the record champion ever pay more. Expectations are accordingly high for the 23-year-old, who is expected to shape and lead the record champions’ defence in the coming years.
Upamecano has endless potential, which is also well known in his home country; on Saturday evening he was in France’s starting eleven against Kazakhstan. Convincing under Julia, there is room for improvement in the Bundesliga (3.33). Strong performances still alternate too much with glaring blunders, exemplified at the Cup-0:5 in Mönchengladbach With a view to the future, the Bavarians have probably made a very good choice despite their current lack of consistency.
Marcel Sabitzer: Nagelsmann also knows the Austrian from Leipzig, but the midfielder has not been able to take advantage of that so far. The 27-year-old has to be given credit for the fact that he joined the squad very late, only at the end of August, and the competition in his preferred position with Joshua Kimmich and Leon Goretzka, but also further forward with Thomas Müller, is extremely high.
So far, Sabitzer is only a supplementary player, he has only been in the starting eleven in two competitive matches, he has not been able to contribute a goal or an assist, and he seems little integrated in the offensive game. He gained confidence with a goal in Austria’s 4-2 win over Israel in World Cup qualifying. Sabitzer will get his chances as the season progresses, it would be far too early to make a final judgement.
Is Richards still going places?
Omar Richards: The Munich club signed the 23-year-old Englishman on a free transfer from second-division club FC Reading. No wonder the left-back needs time to adjust to the much higher level. He came in as a back-up for Alphonso Davies, but has only been in the starting eleven once in three Bundesliga appearances. Add to that two substitute appearances in the Champions League and 90 minutes in the first round of the cup at Bremer SV.
Will he ever become more than a part-time alternative? Richards should not be written off prematurely; Davies, too, only took off after a certain start-up time. However, Richards’ advanced age of 23 speaks against this.
