Bundesliga clubs have developed a reputation for doing astute business. This season was no different.
Bundesliga action has largely come to a close after a remarkable season. While Wolfsburg’s fate will have to wait for the relegation playoff, Heidenheim and St. Pauli have been relegated, and seven clubs have booked their spots in Europe next season. And, like most seasons, Bayern Munich have returned to the top of the league, clinching the Meisterschale with a whopping 89 points.
There have been some great stories this year. Hoffenheim, for instance, navigated boardroom turmoil to finish fifth and qualify for the Europa League. Freiburg will play Aston Villa in the Europa League Final, and have already clinched a spot in Europe next season. Stuttgart have returned to the Champions League. Both promoted sides, Hamburger SV and 1. FC Köln, avoided relegation.
Behind all these, and all of the Bundesliga, are some great signings. The 50+1 rule prevents Bundesliga teams from spending as much as their English counterparts, but as a result, German clubs have become experts in the transfer market. This season is no different, with some spectacular signings made this summer. But who were the best?
This list only includes permanent transfers (no Luka Vušković) and, to make it more interesting, no free transfers. Jonathan Tah and Tom Bischof were both fantastic signings, but those were clear bargains at the time. Big money signings also won’t be here. Luis Díaz and Jarell Quansah were both good moves, but, given their price tags, they were expected to make a big impact. This is about signings that overachieved only considering their Bundesliga impact.
GK: Janis Blaswich, Bayer Leverkusen
Blaswich moved to Die Werkself from RB Leipzig for a reported €2 million in the summer. The 35-year-old was coming off a rough season with RB Salzburg and was supposed to be a veteran backup presence behind Mark Flekken. However, Flekken, signed the same summer from Brentford, dealt with injuries this season, and Blaswich was forced to step in.
He filled in admirably, keeping three clean sheets and losing just two of eleven games to keep Leverkusen alive in the race for Europe. Arguably, Blaswich was better than Flekken: he averaged more saves (3.97 v 3.34), fewer goals conceded (0.87 v 1.61), and had a significantly better save percentage (82% v 67.5%). Flekken ended the year as the starter, but Blaswich’s contribution can’t be ignored.
RB: Saël Kumbedi, VfL Wolfsburg
Kumbedi joined Wolfsburg on loan from Lyon, which became permanent in January for €6 million. The 21-year-old had shown flashes in France, but failed to lock down a starting spot. In Germany, he quickly became a key player, making 20 starts for a side that has struggled all season. Of the nine games that he has missed since joining, Wolfsburg have won just one.
Kumbedi became increasingly important down the stretch for Wolfsburg, playing 90 minutes in each of the club’s final three games. The Frenchman has been an asset in both attack and defense, chipping in with five assists. If he can help keep Wolfsburg in the top flight, he has certainly been worth the fee.
CB: Nicolás Capaldo, Hamburger SV
All you really need to know about Nicolás Capaldo is that he’s part of the 55-man shortlist for Argentina this summer. The defending champions are considering bringing an HSV defender to the world’s biggest tournament. While he may have been overshadowed this season by the rising Luka Vušković, he certainly deserves it.
Just how much HSV paid to sign Capaldo from RB Salzburg has been disputed. Some say it was €2.1 million, while others claim it was as much as €4.5 million. Regardless, that fee looks like a bargain. The 27-year-old quickly became the club’s captain and a fan favorite, shining in multiple positions. Ultimately, it’s as a center-back where he’s made his biggest mark, though, and has kept the club comfortably away from relegation.
CB: Albian Hajdari, Hoffenheim
Believe it or not, this is not the last Kosovan Hoffenheim player in this XI. Remarkably, Hajdari wasn’t even supposed to join at first. Hoffenheim signed center-back Koki Machida in the summer, but he went down with a serious knee injury in the first half of his first Bundesliga game. The club went back to the market and brought in Hajdari for a reported €5 million from FC Lugano.
It worked out better than anyone could have imagined. Hajdari immediately became a key player for Hoffenheim, who fell just short of Champions League qualification. Ultimately, Christian Ilzer’s side finished 5th and qualified for the Europa League just one year after being in a relegation battle. Hajdari has been one of the best center-backs in the Bundesliga and is now being linked with some of the biggest clubs in the world.
LB: Daniel Svensson, Borussia Dortmund
This is technically cheating. After all, Svensson spent half of last season on loan from Nordsjaelland with Borussia Dortmund and was a regular for Niko Kovač. However, Dortmund didn’t sign the 24-year-old permanently until the summer, when he joined for just €6.5 million. We’re counting it.
The Swede has unsurprisingly again played a big role under Kovač, starting 27 games. He nearly burst the title race wide open against Bayern Munich when he assisted Nico Schlotterbeck for the opener and scored a late equalizer, but a late Bayern goal denied Dortmund a point. Interestingly, his role shrank later in the season as Kovač preferred the more attacking Maximilian Beier, but for what Dortmund paid, Svensson has been more than worth it.
CDM: Leon Avdullahu, Hoffenheim
And the other Kosovan Hoffenheim star. Avdullahu, like Hajdari, joined from a Super League club, with Hoffenheim signing the midfielder from Swiss champions FC Basel. Like Hajdari, he made an immediate impact, starting 32 of 34 matches this season. In the lone match he missed, Hoffenheim fell 5-0 to RB Leipzig.
Unsurprisingly, he is now worth well more than the €8 million he reportedly cost, and big clubs are reportedly interested. He has been one of the best midfielders in the Bundesliga and was essential to Hoffenheim. Only four players in the entire Bundesliga covered more distance than the Kosovan this season.
CM: Ibrahim Maza, Bayer Leverkusen
Maza is a name that few would have known outside of Germany before this season. In Germany, though, he’s long been recognized as one of the country’s most promising talents, although he’s no longer eligible for Germany. After showing potential in the 2. Bundesliga with Hertha BSC, this year in the top flight has been his real breakout season.
The 20-year-old has been key for Bayer Leverkusen this season, not only in his traditional attacking midfielder position, but also in deeper-lying roles. His three goals and four assists in the Bundesliga don’t tell the full story of how essential he has been to Kasper Hjulmand’s side. Paying reportedly just €12 million for Maza already looks like a real bargain.
CM: Wouter Burger, Hoffenheim
Ok, last Hoffenheim player, I promise. But Hoffenheim really had an incredible transfer window, which they needed. Last season, the club flirted with relegation, finishing just three points above the relegation spot. On top of that, several key players left at the end of the season, especially in midfield, where Anton Stach and Tom Bischof moved on.
Burger joined from Stoke City for a reported €5 million after two solid seasons in the Championship. Before that, he played for FC Basel, so there is another Swiss connection for Hoffenheim — he even played with Avdullahu. Signed to replace Leeds-bound Stach, he has been very capable in midfield and chipped in with four goals and five assists. He’s also in the Bundesliga Team of the Season on EAFC 26, so do with that what you will.
RW: Ayoube Amaimouni-Echghouyab, Eintracht Frankfurt
Amaimouni-Echghouyab really came from out of nowhere this season. The 21-year-old winger bounced around from lower league academies and teams in Spain and Germany before landing at Hoffenheim II in 2024. This season, Amaimouni-Echghouyab tore up the 3. Liga, scoring nine goals and assisting six in half a season. Then, in January, Eintracht Frankfurt paid a fee reported to be just €200k to bring him in.
He has been fantastic since joining. On his debut, the promising winger scored off the bench in a 3-2 loss to VfB Stuttgart. Like Maza, he often played a more defensive role than in the past, slotting in as the right-midfielder in Frankfurt’s 3-4-2-1 at times this season. Amaimouni-Echghouyab may not be a household name just yet, or earn a big move this summer, but he is certainly on his way to doing so.
LW: Yan Diomande, RB Leipzig
Odds are, you already know who Yan Diomande is. The Ivorian has been a revelation for RB Leipzig, with twelve goals and eight assists this season. His mesmerizing dribbling has given him fans all over the world, and several top teams are said to be eyeing a massive deal for the 19-year-old. That would, in all likelihood, require a fee north of €100 million.
But this transfer was not a risk-free deal for Leipzig. Diomande had played only ten games in Spain with CD Leganés when die Roten Bullen spent a reported €20 million to sign him. While expensive (at least, by Bundesliga standards), this transfer has worked out in a big way. Diomande is set to star for Côte d’Ivoire this summer in a tournament that could raise his star even more.
ST: Igor Matanović, SC Freiburg
Striker was the trickiest position to decide. There were several good candidates here, such as Bayer Leverkusen’s Christian Kofane and 1. FC Köln’s Ragnar Ache. However, in terms of impact, the answer can only be Igor Matanović. The Croatian scored eleven goals this season, nine of which came in 2026, to help propel Freiburg up the table. Freiburg ultimately finished seventh, good enough to clinch a spot in the Europa Conference League next season.
On the final day, Freiburg won 4-1 over RB Leipzig to secure Europe, with Matanović scoring the eventual winner and assisting the clinching goal. And, while this just considers the Bundesliga impact, he has a chance to lead Freiburg to the Europa League title on Wednesday against Aston Villa. For a player who reportedly cost just €8 million from Frankfurt, that’s not a bad deal.
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Image via RB Leipzig (Facebook).
