Douglas Costa, Julian Weigl, Yoshinori Muto and Johannes Geis (l. to r.) have all made an immediate impact at their respective new clubs
Douglas Costa, Julian Weigl, Yoshinori Muto and Johannes Geis (l. to r.) have all made an immediate impact at their respective new clubs

Instant transfer hits: part 1

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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.

In part 1 of this series, bundesliga.com looks at four of the new signings to have made the biggest impact so far…

Douglas Costa (FC Bayern München)

Bayern are second in the standings as they bid for a record fourth straight Bundesliga title, and it is difficult to look beyond Douglas Costa as their standout player so far this term. The 24-year-old Brazilian has been involved in five goals and at least one in every competitive game, scoring once and assisting twice in his three league appearances.

Costa has also delivered 15 of the record champions' 31 crosses and has been involved in a shot on goal every 13 minutes. In the continued injury-enforced absence of fellow wing wizard Franck Ribery, the ex-FC Shakhtar Donetsk man provides an equally potent weapon on the flanks to service the likes of Thomas Müller and Robert Lewandowski.

Julian Weigl (Borussia Dortmund)

Since impressing in Dortmund’s first competitive game of the campaign at Wolfsberger AC in the UEFA Europa League play-offs, former TSV 1860 Munich midfield dynamo Julian Weigl has seized his opportunity in Thomas Tuchel's first team and not looked back.

The 19-year-old has started six of Dortmund’s eight straight wins this season and not missed a minute of league action, keeping the likes of Sven Bender and Gonzalo Castro out of the side. He also has a 93 per cent pass completion rate and has covered 11.4 km on average, both team best-marks. From becoming 1860’s youngest-ever captain last season, Weigl’s extraordinary development has continued unabated.

Yoshinori Muto (1. FSV Mainz 05)

Mainz lost a prolific, hard-working and technically adept Japanese international in Shinji Okazaki in the summer, but to sporting director Christian Heidel’s great credit, they have unearthed another in Yoshinori Muto.

The new arrival from FC Tokyo was a blur of intelligent movement in the 05ers’ first win of the season away at Borussia Mönchengladbach and scored his first Bundesliga goals a week later against Hannover 96. In doing so, he made history by bagging a brace earlier into his Bundesliga career than any other Japanese player. Okazaki, by comparison, required 72 matches to find the net twice in one game.

Johannes Geis (FC Schalke 04)

After forging a reputation at Mainz as one of the league’s most efficient, tidy and gifted central midfielders – with an experienced head on his young shoulders – Germany Under-21 international Johannes Geis has slotted in seamlessly at new club Schalke.

Scoring one and making another on his competitive debut in the DFB Cup at MSV Duisburg, he delivered yet another commanding display on his Bundesliga bow for the Royal Blues in a 3-0 win at SV Werder Bremen. Geis has played every minute in the league this season and is already a key component of the side that new coach Andre Breitenreiter is constructing.