Instant transfer hits: Part II
Cologne - The 2015/16 Bundesliga season is only three matchdays old, but a number of players have already made a splash at their new clubs.
Click here for Part I
In the second part of this series, bundesliga.com looks at a quartet of new signings to have made the biggest impact so far…
Arturo Vidal (FC Bayern München)
Signed on the back of Chile’s maiden Copa America triumph in the summer, midfielder Vidal has already established himself as a key part of the Reds’ ultra-competitive midfield. The 28-year-old has provided the bite that the Bavarians have sometimes lacked in the middle of the park without long-term injury victim Javi Martinez, attempting 97 challenges and enjoying 98 touches of the ball per game.
He has also supported the forward players with late arrivals into the box in the mould of his predecessors Bastian Schweinsteiger and Michael Ballack, and he evidently values his flexibility: “In midfield I’m now the best player in the world.”
Max Kruse (VfL Wolfsburg)
Nicklas Bendtner and Bas Dost may have dominated the headlines for VfL Wolfsburg so far this term, but the arrival of Max Kruse has added a new dimension to the Wolves’ attacking weaponry. He assisted his team’s first goal of the season against Eintracht Frankfurt and although he has yet to find the net in the league himself, he has made an important contribution all round.
There is also surely more to come from the Germany international. Kruse scored 11 times for Borussia Mönchengladbach last season, a league-high eight of which were strikes that opened the scoring. He may endure goal droughts now and then but the 26-year-old has a useful habit of finding the net when it matters.
Admir Mehmedi (Bayer 04 Leverkusen)
The Swiss international has yet to score in the Bundesliga since joining Bayer 04 Leverkusen from SC Freiburg, but he has nonetheless made quite an impression. Mehmedi won a penalty in the DFB Cup first-round clash against Sportfreunde Lotte and laid on Bayer’s opening goal of the campaign against TSG 1899 Hoffenheim on Matchday 1.
The biggest feather in his cap, however, has been his first competitive Werkself goal, which came against SS Lazio to help Roger Schmidt’s charges reach the group stages of the UEFA Champions League.
Aron Johannsson (SV Werder Bremen)
Despite a shortened summer break on account of his exploits for the USA at the 2015 Gold Cup, Aron Johannsson has settled in very well at Bremen. After coming off the bench on Matchday 1, he started his first league game against Hertha Berlin and scored his maiden Bundesliga goal from the penalty spot against Borussia Mönchengladbach on Matchday 3.
The former AZ Alkmaar man looks to be ideally suited to the rigours of the Bundesliga, happy to chase down lost causes and possessing the requisite pace to play in Werder’s counter-attacking system. Along with strike partner Anthony Ujah, Johannsson is already making fans forget the departure of last season’s star attacking duo Franco Di Santo and Davie Selke.
