The 2015/16 Bundesliga season starts on Friday when defending champions Bayern Munich host Hamburg. Here is a look at the German League’s top five off-season transfers:
KEVIN KURANYI (Hoffenheim)
The striker made the headlines for all the wrong reasons in 2008 when he walked out of a German friendly international in frustration at being left out of the match-day squad.
Germany’s World Cup-winning coach Joachim Loew said Kuranyi will never add to his 53 caps while he is in charge.
But the 33-year-old is back in the Bundesliga after a five-year exile with Dynamo Moscow in Russia.
He has joined perennial mid-table side Hoffenheim, who only just missed out on Europa League qualification last season and are targeting a top six finish.
With strikers Anthony Modeste and Sven Schipplock having both left in the off season, Kuranyi fills the criteria of an experienced and reliable goal-scorer.
He netted 111 goals in 261 games for Stuttgart and Schalke 04 before leaving Germany and after 50 goals in 123 games for Moscow, he has a proven pedigree.
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ANTHONY UJAH (Werder Bremen)
The Nigeria international has ended his three-year stint at Cologne to play for Werder Bremen.
He will lead the north German outfit’s strike-force with Franco Di Santo having left for Schalke and Davie Selke now with RB Liepzig.
The 24-year-old Ujah will pair up with USA international striker Aaron Johansson and impressed Bremen coach Viktor Skripnik with 10 goals in the Bundesliga last season.
Ujah soured his departure from Cologne by posing for pictures in Bremen before the end of last season with Cologne still in the relegation battle.
Bremen’s counter-attacking style suits Ujah, who will go into the season opener at VfB Stuttgart with a goal already under his belt after netting in Bremen’s 2-0 German Cup win over Wuerzburger Kickers.
ARTURO VIDAL (Bayern Munich)
After Bastian Schweinsteiger left for Manchester United, Bayern poached Vidal from Champions League finalists Juventus and the Chile international will bring some grit to the midfield.
A box-to-box grafter, Vidal will have t prove himself in Munich’s star-studded midfield with Xabi Alonso, Thiago, Javi Martinez, Philipp Lahm, Sebastian Rode and Thomas Mueller, not to mention World Cup-winner Mario Goetze, all vying for a starting place.
Fresh from winning the Copa America for Chile, the 28-year-old is at his peak.
Last season he won the domestic double in Italy and in his four years in Turin, Vidal scored 48 goals and provided 26 assists in 171 competitive games.
CHRISTOPH KRAMER (Bayer Leverkusen)
A Brazil 2014 winner who has little memory of the Maracana final having being concussed after 17 minutes and substituted when he checked with the referee whether he was indeed playing in a World Cup final.
Having spent the last two seasons on loan at Borussia Moenchengladbach, Kramer returns to Leverkusen as a fully fledged international.
His leadership qualities are needed in Leverkusen’s midfield with experienced trio Gonzalo Castro, Stefan Reinartz and Simon Rolfes all having left the Werkself in the off-season.
The 24-year-old’s eye-catching performances for Gladbach helped them qualify for the Champions League this season.
With an average of 12.7 kilometres covered per game last season, he eclipsed Bayer’s now-retired Rolfes.
FRANCO DI SANTO (Schalke 04)
His 13 goals in 26 appearances for Werder Bremen last season were a significant factor in their rise from the relegation places to challenge for a Europa League place before his departure to Schalke.
The Royal Blues are the sleeping giants of Germany and despite their 2010/11 run to the Champions League semi-final, they are regular under-achievers.
Schalke lost 10 of their 17 away games last season and Andre Breitenreiter takes charge after Roberto di Matteo was sacked last season when the Royal Blues slid out of the Champions League berths.
Argentinian striker Di Santo scored a goal for every four shots last season and Schalke need his prowess in front of goal.
Di Santo is arguably the biggest name to join Schalke this summer.
By AFP
