Bundesliga brings the band back together in Premier League's shadow / Photo: Ronny HARTMANN - AFP
Bundesliga brings the band back together in Premier League's shadow
As the cashed-up Premier League spent billions in another record-breaking transfer window, many Bundesliga clubs were forced to improvise, bringing back former players on cut-price deals.
RB Leipzig brought back Christopher Nkunku and Orjan Nyland, Bayer Leverkusen re-signed Moussa Diaby and Niclas Fuellkrug returned to Werder Bremen.
After a shock injury, Borussia Dortmund were reportedly considering renewing vows with Jadon Sancho a third time, but instead opted for Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri on loan.
The moves -- many of which are loans -- are indicative of a need to be creative as German clubs try to stay competitive in the face of growing Premier League wealth.
Nkunku, Diaby and Fuellkrug all had sub-par spells in England after leaving Germany on big-money deals, but will be hoping they can pick up where they left off by rekindling their Bundesliga loves.
- 'Back home' -
As the transfer window slammed shut on Tuesday evening, FIFA figures showed the Premier League had spent more than $3.02 billion (2.6 billion euros), more than three times the Bundesiga's $904 million.
Those financial realities were key to German clubs bringing back those ageing former starst.
Three years after he left Leipzig for Chelsea for a reported 60 million euro fee, 28-year-old France forward Nkunku has returned to the Red Bull Arena.
Nkunku was named Germany's footballer of the year in 2022. He helped Leipzig to back-to-back German Cup titles in 2022 and 2023, the Red Bull-backed side's first meaningful silverware.
After selling Yan Diomande to Real Madrid for a reported 130 million this summer, Leipzig have the financial resources to bring Nkunku back outright but instead opted for a season-long loan.
"From the very beginning of our conversations, I could feel just how much the people in charge here still value me and the faith they have in me," Nkunku said in a statement.
Early signs are good for Nkunku, who set up a goal just two minutes after coming on the pitch on Saturday.
In his final season at Leipzig, Nkunku shared top Bundesliga goalscorer honours with Fuellkrug, another Bundesliga returnee.
After leaving Bremen for Dortmund and making the 2024 Champions League final, Fuellkrug moved to West Ham but endured a torrid time, scoring just three times in 29 matches.
In January, he joined Nkunku at Milan on a six-month loan but scored just once.
With West Ham relegated, Fuellkrug returned to Germany on a season-long loan with a task of helping Bremen avoid sharing the Hammers' fate.
A traditional German powerhouse, Bremen are now unable to compete domestically let alone internationally.
Instead, Bremen sought to appeal to Fuellkrug's heart-strings. In a statement, the 33-year-old admitted to taking a paycut on his Bremen return.
He will hope to push himself back into Germany reckoning, where he has 14 goals in 24 appearances.
Fuellkrug scored in his first game back, immediately matching his tally from six months in Milan.
Leverkusen will hope for a similar story with Diaby, who scored 49 goals and laid on 47 assists in 172 games.
Diaby left Leverkusen in 2023 for Aston Villa for 55 million euros, around double what the German club paid to bring him back this summer from Saudi side Al-Ittihad.
In a slick video announcing his return, Diaby, who is still just 27, said he was "back home" and said his "story is not finished" at Leverkusen as both he and the club hope to pick up where they left off.
P.Nabil--CdE
