Douglas Costa Signs with Bayern Munich
Douglas Costa, who has spent the last 5 years playing at Shakhtar Donetsk in the Ukrainian Premier League, has signed a 5-year contract with German giants Bayern Munich. The Brazilian attacking midfielder was an instrumental part of Shakhtar’s midfield, helping them win the Ukrainian title 5 seasons in a row following his arrival, including 3 domestic league and cup doubles.
Current Bayern players got a good look at Costa during this past season’s UEFA Champions’ League, as they faced Shakhtar in the round of 16, running out 7-0 winners on aggregate.
Equally adept with both his left and right foot – though more well-known for his powerful left foot shots – Costa will fit right into manager Pep Guardiola’s plans on a squad with plenty of depth but also with injury issues. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery will be the main competition for places in the starting lineup for Costa, and both are injury prone, with Ribery already ruled out for the beginning of the coming season with a nagging ankle injury.
On the transfer front, the move could trigger a chain reaction across leagues, as Guardiola may elect to move a midfielder or two, with Bastian Schweinsteiger the player most often linked to a transfer move this summer.
Costa scored 29 goals in 141 league appearances (38 overall) for Shakhtar, and he will bring a unique blend of creativity, pace, and finishing ability from a midfield position.
The 24-year old will be eager to make a big first impression on the Bayern fans following a forgettable Copa America campaign with Brazil, where the joy of scoring his first goal for his country in the group opener against Peru was overshadowed later in the tournament with his miss in the penalty shootout loss to Paraguay in the quarterfinals.