Ranking and Grading Bayern Munich's Summer Signings Halfway Through Season

Bayern Munich went to great lengths to revamp their team over the summer, investing heavily in the transfer market to bring in new stars.

The German giants spent €86 million on transfers (according to Transfermarkt), bringing Arturo Vidal, Douglas Costa, Joshua Kimmich and Sven Ulreich to the Allianz Arena on a permanent basis, plus Kingsley Coman on a long-term loan.

Going in the opposite direction were several sales, including Bastian Schweinsteiger and Dante, indicating a changing of the guard as Bayern looked to rebuild their team.

Overall, Bayern's signings have been quite impressive based on their performance balanced against the expectations that came with their signings. In this article, B/R looks at each of Bayern's summer additions, grading and ranking them in order of their performance relative to what was expected of them over their first six months in Munich. Click "Begin Slideshow" to commence the countdown with No. 5.

5) Sven Ulreich

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Sven Ulreich begins the countdown at No. 5. The 27-year-old was signed with no hope of being a starter, just a back-up for Manuel Neuer. And as the Germany No. 1 has been fit all season, it's meant precious little playing time for Ulreich.

The former Stuttgart goalkeeper has played just two games in all competitions this season: a 3-1 win against Nottingen in the DFB-Pokal in August and a 2-0 Champions League win against Dinamo Zagreb in December. There just isn't much data to go by in his case; Ulreich has met expectations, but the bar could hardly have been lower.

Grade: C

4) Arturo Vidal

Matthias Schrader/Associated Press

Arturo Vidal hasn't had an awful season thus far, but coming as Bayern's most expensive transfer of the summer (at a whopping €37 million), and as a player who had just reached the Champions League final with Juventus and won the Copa America with Chile, more was expected of him than he has brought to the table thus far.

At the half-way point in the season, Kicker (h/t @Lupin5) rated Vidal the 10th best player in his classification, miles behind the "world-class" Thomas Muller and "international class" stars Shinji Kagawa, Ilkay Gundogan and Yunus Malli.

Vidal has had his moments of brilliance, but his position in central midfield demands more in terms of all-round performances for 90 minutes. The odd wonder-goal is a positive, but the player needs to be willing to put in more effort more consistently. When he has in the past, he's been absolutely world-class.

Franz Beckenbauer slammed Vidal earlier in the season, telling Sky Germany (h/t ESPN): We don't need footballers who don't move, we have enough. The hope in him was higher. He can certainly play better. You can play bad passes and lose direct duels, but the effort has to be right."

In the second half of the campaign, Bayern will need more from Vidal. He's capable of so much more.

Grade: C+

3) Joshua Kimmich

Thanassis Stavrakis/Associated Press

Joshua Kimmich came to Bayern with hopes of becoming a star of the club in the long-term. To his credit, he's fended off some competition and now is probably the German giants' most prized central-midfield talent.

Pierre Hojbjerg was sent to Schalke for another loan spell in August, and Gianluca Gaudino followed earlier this month as he moved to St. Gallen. That left Kimmich, aged 20 years, as the only young, senior central player in the Bayern midfield.

Although he's only played 786 minutes, according to Transfermarkt, Kimmich has earned his status in the Bayern team. He wasn't expected to do much in his first season, but his dogged defending and assured distribution have been big assets. The fact that Bayern have won all six matches in which he's started, by an aggregate 20-0 margin, is surely not a coincidence.

In September, after Bayern hammered Dinamo Zagreb 5-0, Pep Guardiola sang praises of Kimmich (via Goal.com's Stefan Coerts): "Joshua has everything a player needs. He is very intelligent, always aggressive toward the ball, strong in the air, has an eye for free space, has superb vision and knows when to charge forward and when to sit back."

The trainer even went on to add: "For sure we will see him in the Germany squad one day."

With all things considered, that's pretty good for a player who still is very young.

Grade: B+

2) Kingsley Coman

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

Kimmich may have exceeded expectations thus far, but there is an even younger summer signing in the Bayern squad who has had an even greater impact, truly taking the Bundesliga by storm in his first term in Germany: Kingsley Coman.

Bayern only managed to sign the 19-year-old on loan at the end of the summer, but they are sure to exercise their option to buy Coman by the end of next season. The player scored four goals and gave seven assists in all competitions during the first half of the campaign, but his raw numerical output only tells half the story.

Coman started against Hamburg on Friday night, keeping Vidal and Arjen Robben (although the latter perhaps was not 100 percent fit) out of the lineup. His fine performances in the Dutchman's absence convinced Guardiola to keep him in the first team as a fourth attacking option, when illustrious stars like Vidal and Thiago Alcantara could easily have fit into the midfield in a 4-3-3.

That Coman has consistently started shows just how much faith the trainer has in his ability. And the ex-PSG and Juve man has gained enormous confidence as a result. Despite not having a part in either of his team's goals, he was perhaps the only consistent threat for Bayern against Hamburg. In such a competitive environment, especially given his age, it's incredible for a player like Coman to enter a new environment and thrive as he has. The Frenchman looks to have all the potential to be a star at Bayern for years to come.

Grade: A

1) Douglas Costa

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

The main reason Bayern's transfer campaign has been remembered as a resounding success is Douglas Costa. Arguably the best player of the first round, the Brazilian recorded assists in his first seven Bundesliga fixtures, and he ended the first half of the campaign having set up 14 and scored five in all competitions.

Yet just like Coman, Costa's performance has amounted to far more than just the raw numbers. Without a player of his qualities—his explosive pace, mesmerizing footwork and keen creative instincts—Bayern would have struggled to get so much out of forwards Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski. Both are having career seasons now, with many thanks to Costa, who has replaced Franck Ribery in becoming the catalyst of the Bayern attack.

Costa has proved to be an inspired signing, as Bayern declined to pursue more expensive options like Angel Di Maria, Antoine Griezmann and Raheem Sterling in favor of a rough diamond: The Bavarians paid (per Transfermarkt) a relatively modest €30 million to secure his signature. Since leaving Shakhtar, Costa has made good on the potential that once had him among Brazil's highest-rated exports.

Speaking to Brazilian TV channel Globo in December (h/t Bundesliga.com), Costa revealed his ambition: "If I continue the way I've been playing, I might not be the best in the world, but I want to be in the top five—or the top three. I think that's possible."

Any defender who has had the misfortune of facing him in a Bayern shirt will likely agree.

Grade: A