Has Douglas Costa Delivered Value for Money on His €30M Transfer?
Bayern Munich will not meet every objective they set before 2015/16 began.
While winning two domestic trophies would be great, the Bavarian club wanted a UEFA Champions League title in Pep Guardiola's last season.
The Spanish manager is leaving the Allianz Arena for Manchester City this summer, with (potentially) three Bundesliga titles, but little European reward. Debates about whether the former Barcelona boss' tenure in Germany was successful will rage into the offseason, and likely follow him in perpetuity, but what cannot be denied is the team he is leaving behind.
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Perhaps Thiago Alcantara or Juan Bernat will follow Guardiola to the Etihad Stadium, but the majority of his current team should remain.
One of those newer pieces, and possibly the flashiest, is Douglas Costa.
Recently bought from the Ukrainian Premier League's Shakhtar Donetsk for €30 million, the Brazil international has made 40 appearances for Bayern—scoring seven goals and assisting 12 in all competitions.
Known for his trickery, crossing and dribbling, many wondered whether the Bundesliga was too large a leap from Ukraine's Premier League—even more so being thrust into the world's best footballing side not named "Barcelona."
Douglas, though, has performed well.
Taking over for oft-injured attacking mainstays Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, the Brazilian has found opportunities to play, and he has not disappointed in "replacing" his world-class predecessors. Proving competent on both flanks, as shown at Shakhtar for six seasons, Guardiola using the 25-year-old's interchangeability has become invaluable.
"Some Bayern fans dreaming about this XI under Ancelotti:
— Home Bayern (@HomeBayern_) April 27, 2016"
Neuer
Lahm Boateng Hummels Alaba
Martinez Vidal
Costa Müller Sanchez
Lewandowski
In that respect, paying €30 million for an assumed rotational player, who has turned into a near-automatic starter, is great business for a club like Munich—but it seems premature to declare the entire experiment an absolute success.
For all Costa's positives, what his game lacks is goals.
This was not a mystery in Ukraine—the most league goals he scored for his previous employers was six in 2011/12. He makes up for his lack of goalscoring by assisting and beating helpless defenders, creating space for himself and team-mates, but can the heir apparent to Ribery or Robben be more facilitator than cold-blooded assassin?
Carlo Ancelotti must decide that balance. Maybe the Italian (who has a way with attacking wingers) will be tasked with phasing the over-30 crowd of Ribery, Robben, Philipp Lahm and Xabi Alonso out—leading to increased roles for Douglas and his younger counterparts.
In any event, the third year of Guardiola's reign has shown Costa's potential value (even when he played badly) to the defending German champions moving forward.
That said, a €30 million transfer fee cannot be understood as "value for money" after one year.
Proving that would be impossible and/or fortune-telling, but after signing a five-year deal, it can be said that Douglas was certainly worth €6 million for 2015/16. Munich would gladly pay the same amount again to rent the Brazilian in 2016/17—as would almost every club in European football.
Improved goalscoring, more time to mesh with his team-mates and Ancelotti's arrival should make €30 million seem like a bargain come the 2019/20 campaign, but 2016 is too soon for concrete announcements.
For now, we can just acknowledge that if this is Costa's basement, then Bayern were expertly shrewd during last summer's transfer window.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase where not noted.
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