Borussia Mönchengladbach have never been one of the Bundesliga's big spenders, but this season they have opened their wallet. In addition to the usual budget buys which bring a mix of youth and experience, the summer of 2018 has seen the club break the 20 million Euro barrier for the first time.
Alassane Pléa (OGC Nice, €23m)
Borussia Mönchengladbach have never been known as big spenders. Until this summer, the biggest number in the ledger had been the 17 million Euro for Matthias Ginter. Now the record stands at 23 million, on what is arguably a massive gamble.
When a club signs a player for that much money, you are usually expecting to see either a seasoned veteran looking to wind-down, or an up and coming talent with a couple of international caps in the locker. Which makes French striker Alassane Pléa a slightly bizarre pick.
At 25 years of age, Pléa has just one Under-21 cap to his name. Last year for OSC Nice in Ligue Un, he scored a decent but not earth-shattering 16 goals in 35 matches, with six assists. But Gladbach have definitely seen something.
Maybe it was the goal he scored against them in a friendly last season. Or perhaps they received a tip off from former coach Lucien Favre, who spent a season in the south of France before moving to Borussia Dortmund. For the sake of Die Fohlen and coach Dieter Hecking, let us hope that the gamble pays off.
Andreas Poulsen (FC Midtjylland, €4.5m)
Gladbach's second most expensive incomer does tick all the "promising youngster" boxes. 18 year old Andreas Poulsen arrives from Danish champions FC Midtjylland, with just eight senior appearances under his belt. At 4.5 million Euro, one might again wonder if the club are paying just a little too much.
With countryman Jannik Vestergaard departing for Southampton in the English Premier League, the young left-back will hope to keep the Danish flag flying in in the Gladbach back line.
Statistically, there is not much to analyse. In addition to his eight games in the Danish Superliga, the eighteen year old has played ten times for the Danish Under-19s, scoring an impressive five goals. Not bad for a defender.
Michael Lang (FC Basel, €2.8m)
Right at the other end of the scale is seasoned Swiss international Michael Lang. After spending his entire professional career at home with St. Gallen, Grasshoppers Zürich and FC Basel, this is the 27 year old Lang's first venture abroad.
Lang is a tried and tested right-back, who has plenty of experience on the international stage. He has played Champions League football with Basel, and has collected 27 caps for the Swiss national team since making his debut in 2013, scoring two goals.
At just 2.8 million Euro, Lang is something of a bargain. He should be at his peak, and to pick up an established international and veteran of two World Cups is an excellent piece of business for Hecking and co.
For more Bundesliga fun stuff, check out my Little Bundesliga Book project. Copies of the 2016 pocket book are still available, with the aim of raising funds for a new edition at the end of this season.
Comments