Douglas Costa: Ersatz Ribery or Not, Bayern Munich Will Demand Immediate Results

Bayern Munich completed their first big-money signing of the summer transfer window on Wednesday, as Douglas Costa put pen to paper on a five-year contract, via the club's official website, after being released from his previous deal with Shakhtar Donetsk for €30 million, per Transfermarkt.

The fee paid for Costa's release was more than Bayern had paid for superstars like Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben and marked him alongside Mario Gomez as the third-most expensive signing in club history (Javi Martinez and Mario Gotze being the only others who commanded a higher fee).

Yet despite the great cost of Costa's transfer, sporting director Matthias Sammer was quick to quash claims that the Brazilian was meant to replace Ribery. The 32-year-old Ribery is not only aging, but currently is unable to train due to an ankle injury that saw him miss much of last season and, according to L'Equipe (h/t the Metro), is considering early retirement.

Sammer, per Goal.com's Luke Sheehan, "slammed" assertions of Costa being Ribery's replacement as "disrespectful" to the Frenchman, but at present it's unknown if and when Ribery will return to training and for how long (if at all) he'll be able to deliver at a high level. If not intended as an immediate replacement, Costa is at least an insurance policy.

In this regard, Costa's signing is very different from that of Xherdan Shaqiri in 2012. Then, the Swiss was unquestionably Ribery's understudy: a player who at the time was still 19 years of age and had a long way to go in his development before taking the torch from Ribery, who at the time was still in his prime.

Costa, by contrast, will have to deliver from a very early stage. Ribery is unlikely to be fit for the start of the season, and the Brazilian could well be given a role in Pep Guardiola's first XI. The club invested significantly in Costa, and he's not a "young prospect" anymore: He's a fully formed footballer who will turn 25 years of age a month after the season begins. 

At the same time, it's still conceivable that Bayern could move for a player like Angel Di Maria before the end of the transfer window. In such a case, Costa would likely fall to the bench to be used as a multipurpose back-up attacking midfielder, much like Shaqiri was before his sale to Inter.

The Brazilian certainly has the versatility to play in multiple attacking roles. But if used at least initially as a back-up, again, the pressure to produce will be great. At his cost, and considering that Shaqiri was moved along quite quickly after the question of quality turned to one of potential, Costa must deliver.

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Ribery joined Bayern not long after his 24th birthday and for a number of reasons was an enormous success. Part of it had to do with his emergence as a hero for France at the 2006 World Cup, just a year before his move to Munich. Part of it was that he was needed, and the team was built to accommodate him. Part of it was that he was already fully mature physically and well into his professional career. And part of it was due to his character.

Costa hasn't had the same kind of international success that Ribery had; he was a substitute for Brazil at this summer's Copa America, with the likes of Roberto Firmino, Fred, Robinho and Diego Tardelli all starters at one point or another. He also won't be needed as Ribery was, as Bayern have a wide variety of other talented attacking players. He will have to adapt to the team, not the other way around. This was too great a hurdle for Shaqiri and is one of the reasons Gotze has struggled in two years at the Allianz Arena.

On the other hand, Costa's age will help him adapt as Shaqiri could't and Gotze hasn't. Ribery and Robben were older when they joined Bayern, and Costa might follow in their footsteps in making a smooth transition. His age means there is less untapped potential but should provide not-to-be-underestimated maturity that could help him settle quickly.

The big variable regarding Costa is his character. Ribery was always a fighter, a player who made it to the big stage only after a yeoman's effort. But despite taking some time to reach the height of European football, he played a huge role in deciding the 2013 Champions League final and was unlucky only to come third in Ballon d'Or voting. He's a prime example of what can come from diligent work and at least in that regard, a great role model.

Costa faces a real challenge as he begins his Bayern career. In a new country and a new league with far superior opposition to that he faced in Ukraine, he will have to raise his game in a hurry—especially given the intense competition at Bayern. Costa, nonetheless, will likely be an asset at least in the Bundesliga. Whether he's the man to lift Bayern back to the very top of European club football remains to be seen. 

@Mr_Bundesliga