Bayern Munich legend and current sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic has been one of the most controversial figures of the club since he became the club’s sporting director in 2017.
Every sporting director has their bad and good records, although, the criticism towards Salihamidzic is mainly attributed due to the fact that over the years, he had allowed himself to make rookie mistakes, which he himself would slowly fix them. Inside the club, it’s hit or miss. There are players who love ‚Brazzo‘, there are players who don’t, after the quarrel which happened with former head coach Hansi Flick last year in 2021.
Another issue that sees Brazzo in a critical eye is the squad planning, so we will be looking at his best transfers ever. One can argue there have been bad ones, now we will see how many he’s got good, in no particular order.
Leon Goretzka
The German international joined Bayern Munich on a free transfer from Schalke 04 in the 2018-19 season. After a decent first season at Bayern under Niko Kovac, Goretzka was finally able to establish himself as a regular player and one of the pillars of the Bayern squad starting from 2019-29 season where he created an amazing pair with Joshua Kimmich and Thiago Alcantara on the way to the Treble. Goretzka used to be one of the most sought-after talents before his move to Bayern took shape. The performances at the 2017 Confederations Cup with Germany deservedly earned him a lot of recognition and was widely labeled as the rightful successor of 1990 World Cup winner Lothar Matthäus due to the similar style of play. Goretzka can play as an attacking midfielder and defensive midfielder, apart from playing box-to-box in his natural role. Since joining Bayern, Goretzka has scored 28 goals and made 29 assists in 139 games for Bayern. In the summer of 2021, Hasan Salihamidzic was instrumental in the extension of the German international.
Jamal Musiala
The English-German native joined Bayern Munich youth squad in the summer of 2019 from Chelsea’s youth sector. Musiala had an underwhelming start at Bayern, having played very little for both the amateur squad and the youth teams. In the 2020-21 season, the attacking midfielder made his breakthrough as he scored his first goal for the professional squad against Schalke 04. Musiala was mostly used in the super-sub role and is on his way to gaining even more match practice. Musiala’s signing is mostly accredited to Salihamidzic and former chief scout, now technical director, Marco Neppe. Musiala has mesmerized not only the Bayern fans but also the football fans all around Europe. The skills and the ability might remind people of Ronaldinho, and it is quite fortunate not only for Musiala but also for Bayern and Germany followers that he chose the German national team.
Lucas Hernandez
The Frenchman is the most expensive transfer in the history of Bayern Munich, having cost 80 million euros after joining the club in the summer of 2019-20 season. Unfortunately, Hernandez was not able to establish himself in the first season due to another long term injury that kept him out until February. With the COVID19 pandemic having postponed the professional football games, Hernandez was able to gain few playing minutes and few matches as a starter, as David Alaba was occupying the left side of the central defense. In the second season, he was able to showcase his football skills and his warrior attitude, but even that was limited due to his bias from Flick toward Alaba. Hernandez has finally been able to get the regular starting position since the coming of Julian Nagelsmann and the departure of Alaba. Although he has cost quite a lot, Hernandez is quite a solid defender and will be one for the future as his mentality and the fighting style fit the Bayern attitude perfectly.
Benjamin Pavard
Another French international who joined Bayern Munich in the same season as his compatriot Hernandez. Pavard joined Bayern from VfB Stuttgart in 2019-20 and has been a regular starter in 85% of the time. Pavard, who can play right-back and centerback, was one of the most reliable players on the way to the Treble win. His road would be cut short three weeks before the Champions League season which was postponed in August due to the COVID19 pandemic as he suffered an injury. He was able to participate in the final squad against Paris Saint-Germain where he was famously photographed motivating the team. The injury and the COVID infection from 2020 onwards 2021 would affect his performances greatly. Pavard won Bayern the FIFA Club World Cup trophy against Tigres by scoring the only goal of the game, but the club still needed a right-back. After Nagelsmann established the back three system, Pavard was able to play to his best abilities, where he is now labeled to be Niklas Süle’s successor.
Alphonso Davies
Last but not least, perhaps Brazzo’s greatest signing he’s ever made at Bayern Munich as the sporting director, Alphonso Davies. The Canadian joined Bayern in 2018 from Major League Soccer’s Vancouver Whitecaps for a sum of 10 million euros. It was lucky that Davies chose Bayern as he was searched by a lot of top clubs in Europe. Davies was finally able to join Bayern officially in November of 2018, few months later he’d score his first goal for Bayern against Mainz 05 after coming as a substitute. Little did we know that he would become one of the most important players for Bayern after Hernandez got injured. Davies, who was initially bought to be the future winger, switched as a left-back at the end of October 2019 against VfL Bochum in the DFB Pokal, where he scored an unfortunate own goal. What followed after was a series of countless wonderful matches and performances from the Canadian, including the performance against Borussia Dortmund in November 2019 which finished 4-0 for Bayern, and the infamous assist for Joshua Kimmich against FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarterfinals, as he made several Barca players especially Nelson Semedo sit on the pitch. Finally, Davies has become an absolute regular starter and one of the greatest left-backs of his generation. Definitely, it is the greatest signing Brazzo has ever done as a sporting director. He really struck gold with such a transfer.
