Four Takeaways
January 4, 2015
With their season having spiralled down the football equivalent of that toilet from the film "Trainspotting," second-to-last Dortmund inked Slovenian offensive midfielder Kevin Kampl before they had even rung in the new year. Many people asked: Kevin who?
Turns out that the 24-year-old has scored 29 goals and had 54 assists for Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg. He 's also known as a good forechecker, which should make him a natural fit for Jürgen Klopp's system which is based on...er...good forechecking.
The downsides to this transfer are that it's a huge step up from the Austrain first division to the Bundesliga and Kampl is just another addition in a position that's already pretty crowded in Dortmund. Most fans would prefer to see the yellow-and-black bring in a top-notch striker.
And spending 12 million euros ($14.35 million) on Kampl smacks of a desparate roll of the dice. Leverkusen manager Rudi Völler hinted at that when he told the "Rheinische Post" newspaper, "We were interested in Kevin as well, but only this summer, when he would have been a lot cheaper."
Bayern corral Kimmich
Another Red Bull club, RB Leipzig from the German second division, were also on the providing end, when Bayern Munich swooped in to secure the services of U-19 European champion midfielder Joshua Kimmich as of the start of next season.
Kimmich is a product of Stuttgart's excellent youth academy and is know for his fantastic ball-handling skills. Still, many a head was scratched when this 19-year-old from division two was touted as one of Bayern coach Pep Guardiola's most-wished-for players.
It wouldn't be surprising to see Kimmich go straight out on loan, but his signing shows the extent to which Guardiola and the rest of Byern management are thinking years down the road. As all-crushing as the Bavarian maw of death is at the moment, changes are in the offing, with Philipp Lahm, Xabi Alonso, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben all on the wrong side of 30 or thereabouts.
Bayern seem to be stockpiling young talent in an attempt to avoid the down years Munich previously used to go through between title series. Why not? They can afford it.
Bremen eject Elia
Another team focusing on the future is Werder Bremen, who don't really have a choice given how bleak their present is. With that in mind, impecunious Bremen's focus in the early part of the transfer window has been on shedding baggage from the past.
With new coach Viktor Skripnik giving a chance to homegrown youngsters like Davie Selke, Werder loaned out winger Eljero Elia, who has a reputation for being difficult, to English side Southhampton.
Four goals and eight assists in 66 matches is a terrible return for a player who commanded one of the largest salaries in the squad, so Bremen can count themselves lucky to be rid of the expense - at least for six months.
Indeed, it's puzzling why the Saints would make a bid for the 27-year-old Dutchman, who has rarely shown any sort of initiative since his breakthrough season in Hamburg in 2009-10.
Freiburg borrow Petersen
Continuing their housecleaning, Bremen also sent striker Nils Petersen on loan to cellar-dwelling Freiburg. This is a deal that makes sense for everyone concerned, especially Petersen himself.
Not so long ago the forward was the leading goalscorer in the German second division, which earned him a transfer to Bayern Munich and had many calling for him to be capped for Germany. But he couldn't break through in Munich, and his tally for Bremen has been a mediocre 18 goals in 72 matches since moving there in 2012.
Freiburg have the joint second-worst offense in the Bundesliga and will hope that the 26-year-old can find a bit of his old form. Meanwhile Werder have a better option up front in Franco di Santo.
What gives this transaction a bit of spice is the fact that Bremen and Freiburg are likely to be direct competitors in the battle to beat relegation. If Petersen gets hot for Freiburg, Bremen could rue the day when they shipped him south.