Michael Olise, João Palhinha and Bayern Munich's top 5 summer transfers so far
Bayern Munich have already been busy in the summer transfer window, signing Michael Olise, João Palhinha and more. bundesliga.com aggregates their five best bits of business…
Surrendering the Bundesliga title isn't a regular occurrence for Bayern. Indeed, Germany's record champions had won 11 on the bounce until Bayer Leverkusen beat them to the punch last season, with Stuttgart sandwiched in between them.
Vincent Kompany has been drafted in as the new head coach at the Allianz Arena, and the former Burnley boss and Manchester City legend already has some shiny new toys to play with. Here are five of the best:
Michael Olise
Signed from: Crystal Palace
Age: 22
Country: France (Olympic & U21 caps)/England/Algeria/Nigeria
Position: Right winger/attacking midfielder
Key stat: 16 direct goal-involvements
Watch: Olise signs for Bayern
Michael Olise arrives from Crystal Palace as an attacking player whose career trajectory is firmly in the ascendant. His 16 goal-involvements last season came from just 19 Premier League games, and were plundered at a rate of one every 80 minutes he played.
Olise might have played many more games had a hamstring injury not disrupted his progress, but at full flight there will scarcely be a more fearful sight for opposition defenders next season, with the left-footed right winger already drawing comparisons with Bayern legend Arjen Robben.
João Palhinha
Signed from: Fulham
Age: 29
Country: Portugal (31 caps/2 goals)
Position: Defensive midfielder
Key stat: Five tackles per game
Watch: Bayern unveil Palhinha
Want more Bundesliga Action?
Bayern have had a long-standing admiration for Portugal's defensive midfielder João Palhinha, and for good reason if his performances in Fulham's engine room over the last two years are anything to go by.
Last season, the former Sporting CP man averaged five tackles per 90 minutes played across the Premier League, FC Cup and EFL Cup, as well as two each for interceptions, blocks and clearances - just the kind of grit Bayern need to underpin all of their attacking talents.
Hiroki Ito
Signed from: Stuttgart
Age: 25
Country: Japan (19 caps/1 goal)
Position: Centre-back/left-back
Key stat: 60/40 split between positions
Hiroki Ito joined Bayern in June after an impressive season with Stuttgart, helping the Swabians back into the UEFA Champions League after a 15-year hiatus with a one-point cushion on the champions, who finished third.
The Japan international was key to Sebastian Hoeneß's style of play, just as comfortable operating at centre-back as he was left-back in the former Bayern academy coach's preferred 4-3-2-1 system. Indeed, the defender started 14 games from the former position and 11 from the latter.
Nestory Irankunda
Signed from: Adelaide United
Age: 18
Country: Australia (2 caps/1 goal)/Tanzania/Burundi
Position: Winger
Key stat: Youngest-ever A-League hat-trick
Nestory Irankunda has exploded onto the scene with Adelaide United and Australia, snatching a host of records on his ascent into senior professional football. The Tanzania-born winger is the second-youngest scorer for both, and bagged the greenest A-League hat-trick when he helped Adelaide to a 4-1 win over Western United in March.
Capable of playing off either wing, Irankunda - whose July arrival was announced last November - can be expected to feature from the bench at first, but the recent experiences of teenagers Mathys Tel and Aleksandar Pavlović suggest plenty of minutes could soon be his.
Eric Dier
Signed from: Tottenham Hotspur
Age: 30
Country: England (49 caps/3 goals)/Portugal
Position: Centre-back/defensive midfielder
Key stat: 20 Bayern games
Eric Dier was already a Bayern player last season, but making the England international's loan deal from Tottenham Hotspur permanent this summer is not insignificant.
Harry Kane's former clubmate had fallen out of favour at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but pulled ahead of Kim Min-jae and Dayot Upamecano in the central-defensive pecking order at the Allianz Arena, forming a partnership with Matthijs de Ligt that helped Bayern to last season's Champions League semi-finals.
Related news
5 OOP players to consider in Fantasy
We take a look at the five best players who could take your Fantasy team to the next level by picking up points out of position.
João Palhinha: "Bayern move a dream come true"
bundesliga.com spoke to Bayern's new midfield enforcer ahead of their top-flight opener in Wolfsburg...
The Bundesliga summer transfer XI so far
Bayern have already made big signings, while Leverkusen and Dortmund have also strengthened, and some talented youngsters have been on the move...