Arturo Vidal not necessarily the right man for Bayern Munich after Chilean signs
Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, who was heavily linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer, has made a reported £28m move to Bayern Munich, 5/1 Champions League chances with Coral, though is this a move which makes sense for the Bundesliga champions?
The Chilean box-to-box midfielder arrives after almost two years of consecutive football for both club and country and there are concerns that he is suffering from burnout.
Having sold long-serving Bastian Schweinsteiger to Manchester United, the club were relatively light in central midfield, though the German operated as a deep-lying playmaker. Vidal, by contrast is more of an all-action type of player and it remains to be seen whether he would be a good fit for Pep Guardiola.
His ill-discipline may be a threat for the club as he does have a hot head on his shoulders which does tend to cause him to lash out irrationally at times.
Also at 28, Vidal is only two years younger than Schweinsteiger and considering Bayern also have 33-year-old Xabi Alonso and 31-year-old Philipp Lahm operating in midfield, lack of youth could be worrying.
Admittedly, they have Javi Martinez and Thiago Alcantara, 26 and 24 respectively, however the Spanish duo both have poor injury records, which just leaves 24-year-old native Sebastian Rode in this position.
Vidal’s signing could mean a change in tactics for Bayern, with Guardiola previously insisting his players strike a balance between passing and attacking at speed, with defensive aggression thrown in when the occasion calls for it.
Latest events and murmurings surrounding the club recently suggest that change is afoot, with ageing wingers Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben possibly moving on and one of either Thomas Muller or Robert Lewandowski linked away as well.
Furthermore, Mario Gotze reportedly expressed his unhappiness earlier in the summer, which means Guardiola needs to think seriously about what his transfer plans are and how he sets his team up next season.