Golden era to brand new dawn
BERLIN: Bayern Munich’s seventh successive Bundesliga title win on Saturday marked both the end of a golden era and the dawning of a new age.
The 2019 title crowned what has been a glistening decade of success for Bayern, as iconic players such as Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben picked up yet another gong in their final season at the club.
Yet it also heralded the emergence of a new generation under coach Niko Kovac, with the likes of Leon Goretzka and Serge Gnabry establishing themselves as first team regulars.
As they look ahead to next season, Bayern are not only on the verge of a generational shift, but also of what club president Uli Hoeness has called “the biggest investment programme in our history.”
Bayern have already completed the signings of World Cup winning French defenders Benjamin Pavard and Lucas Hernandez for €35 million (RM163 million) and a club record €80 million respectively.
RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, Ajax defender Matthijs De Ligt and Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel have all also been linked to the club in recent months.
Though Hoeness said on Saturday that Bayern would not break any more transfer records, they are expected to make several more signings, with CEO KarlHeinz Rummenigge setting his sights on a new winger.
“Because we are losing Robben and Ribery, we need another good alternative alongside (18year-old Canadian) Alphonso Davies,” Rummenigge told Bild newspaper last month.
That alternative could be Chelsea talent Callum HudsonOdoi, for whom Bayern made an unsuccessful bid last January.
The first choice successors to Ribery and Robben, however, will be 22-year-old Kingsley Coman and 23-year-old Serge Gnabry, whom Hoeness has described as “the biggest surprise of the season.”
Other stars of Bayern’s golden decade have also seen young players emerging behind them this season.
Niklas Suele, 23, has muscled past Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng to become first choice centre-back, while Thomas Mueller has faced competition from newcomer Leon Goretzka.
In a recent interview with Munich newspaper TZ, president Hoeness said the young players’ success was proof that Bayern had begun their overhaul at just the right time.
“We have gone through a transition at the highest level. We already have five or six young guys in the team and we will add a few more,” he said.
How much the successful transition is down to coach Niko Kovac, however, remains a bitterly divisive question at Bayern.
Despite winning a gruelling title race in his first season at the club, it remains to be seen whether the Croatian will be the man who leads Bayern into the new era.