With Bayern Munich set to sign Chilean midfielder Arturo Vidal from Juventus for a reported fee of €40 million, the question needs to be asked whether this move truly addresses the shortcomings in Pep Guardiola’s squad. Could the sizable sum have been used more effectively to make Bayern a European Champion once more?
Pep Guardiola and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge are feeling the heat a bit in Bavaria. And no, it is not only a result of the sun beating down on them from the European sky, but also the impact of Bastian Schweinsteiger’s move to Manchester United. The German was so much more than just another player, synonymous with Die Roten. He was the embodiment of a club that had known the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. As Die Welt put it, Bayern had “Lost their soul”.
Scarcely a week after Schweinsteiger traded one iconic red shirt for another, Bayern have all but secured the services of Arturo Vidal. The Chilean starred for his nation in their recent Copa America win, as well as winning plaudits at Juventus over the past couple of seasons for some top-class performances. Yes, Vidal is an excellent player but does a €40-million move for a 28-year-old midfielder with a history of knee problems represents value for money? Indeed, one could also question whether the signing of another midfielder in an already packed area of the squad was necessary.
What I don't get about Vidal to FCB: they sold a club "legend" because he's injury prone and getting old, only to buy a 28y/o without knees.
— Luca Gierl (@LucaGierl) July 16, 2015
According to reports, Juventus are willing to let Vidal leave, with recent well-publicized arrest for driving while under the influence proving to be the tipping point. Intriguingly, former Bayern President Uli Hoeneß claimed Vidal “broke his word” in 2011, when Die Roten were set to sign the then-Bayer Leverkusen man, only for him to make his way to Turin instead. So, why go back? Is Vidal so obviously the final piece missing from the puzzle that Bayern swiftly forgot the past to make a deal happen? That is debatable, given the quality Bayern already have in midfield. However, it could be a sign of desperation from Guardiola, who has been seen mostly as a failure in his time at Bayern due to their failures in the Champions League. To many, the Spaniard’s constant chopping and changing of players has seemingly ruined a team that looked set to become the dominant force in world football under Jupp Heynckes.
Perhaps Guardiola feels he does not have the luxury of hoping that youngsters like Pierre-Emile Højbjerg turn out to perform as well as their talent suggests. With his contract expiring in 2016, immediate success is now the priority for Guardiola. Vidal’s signing promises the finished article, a proven performer at the highest level, and a medium-risk signing that promises high rewards, even though his fee is perhaps €10 million too high. The Chilean is an upgrade on Schweinsteiger, but not by as much as the casual fan would think in the context of how Guardiola plays his football. The latter was allegedly not to the Spaniard’s taste due to not being quick enough in distributing the ball but is Vidal truly so much more dissimilar to the Bavarian icon? He certainly doesn’t have the quick feet of Thiago Alcantara, for example, and can barely be described as a midfielder with lightning fast passing transitions from one side of the pitch to the other. Granted, he is more combative, but since when has Guardiola really worried about adding that quality to his style?
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But, all in all, that is all slightly beside the point. Should Bayern not have rather invested in proven, top-class back-up or competition for the oft-injured Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery? When both those two players were injured last season, Bayern’s campaign on all fronts collapsed. Yes, Douglas Costa has been brought in, but he is still very much unproven at the highest level and in one of Europe’s top five leagues. Would it not have been better to take the €30 million spent on Costa and the €40 million to be spent on Vidal and go after an Antoine Griezmann or Angel Di Maria? In the case of the latter, Bayern could have used Manchester United’s desire to sign Schweinsteiger as a bargaining chip to get the Argentine attacker in a part-exchange deal, offering, let’s say, €50 million odd plus the German World Cup hero. Given Louis Van Gaal’s reported indifference in attitude to Di Maria, Die Roten could have gotten the player they need to win a sixth European Championship. What happens this season if Ribery or Robben are out for any extended period once again and Costa needs time to adapt to a new league, a new team and a new style? Mario Götze being left out of a number of key games last season spoke volumes of his standing in the team, so he surely wouldn’t be the one Guardiola looks to for inspiration. In ignoring this fact, Bayern are taking a massive risk that could come back to haunt them once we come to the do-or-die stages of the season.
This promises to be one of the more fascinating moves of this transfer window, and the jury is out. On feels that there is a lot riding on this deal, and the question is whether Rummenigge and co. will be hailed as geniuses come the end of the season, or something not quite as flattering.
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