The 2024-25 Bundesliga season begins on Friday when champions Bayer Leverkusen visit local rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach. Leverkusen's unbeaten league and cup run has been a thorn in the side of perennial champions Bayern Munich, who are once again Germany's big moneymakers as they seek a return to the top flight. Champions League finalists Borussia Dortmund, along with RB Leipzig and Stuttgart, have also been strengthened. Here, AFP Sport takes a look at five new faces to watch in the Bundesliga this season:
Michael Olise (Bayern Munich)
Olise, the Bundesliga's most expensive new signing (reportedly 53 million euros), is Bayern's new striker. He is quick on the wings and a constant threat in front of goal.
The 22-year-old impressed with 10 Premier League goals and six assists in 19 games for Crystal Palace last season.
London-born Olise won a silver medal with France at the Paris Olympics and is expected to be called up for the first time by national coach Didier Deschamps soon.
Olise arrived in Munich this summer along with Portuguese midfielder Joao Palhinha and defender Hiroki Ito.
Pascal Gross (Borussia Dortmund)
The arrival of the 33-year-old Gross may seem unusual for a club known for attracting promising young talent, but the German midfielder could be exactly what Borussia Dortmund need this season.
Dortmund have had some of the best young talent in football in recent years, but they lack creativity and maturity in midfield.
Gross, a midfielder with a knack for scoring goals, leaves for Dortmund after seven years at Brighton, where he was twice named player of the season by the Premier League club.
Gross was a Dortmund fan as a child and made his debut for Germany at the age of 32. He was part of national coach Julian Nagelsmann's squad for the 2024 European Championship.
Gross had no trouble providing two assists in the first half as Dortmund beat Phoenix Lübeck 4-1 in the first leg of the German Cup.
Aleix Garcia (Bayer Leverkusen)
Not only have Leverkusen kept the players who led them to their first Bundesliga title, they have also brought in Spaniard Garcia.
Garcia was the midfield maestro who ensured Girona finished a surprising third in La Liga last season and offers coach Xabi Alonso extra security in midfield.
The 27-year-old was captain of Girona and despite playing as a defensive midfielder, he scored three goals and provided six assists in 37 games.
Garcia could also take the pressure off midfielder Granit Xhaka, who played more minutes than any other outfield player for Leverkusen last season.
Deniz Undav (Stuttgart)
Although not technically a newcomer (Undav spent last season on loan at Stuttgart), he signed a permanent deal with the club in the summer, leaving Brighton.
Undav was one of the players who excelled under Sebastian Hoeness last season, helping Stuttgart rise from relegation champions to second place, one place above Bayern.
With Serhou Guirassy and Waldemar Anton now gone to Dortmund and defender Ito to Bayern, German forward Undav will be even more important to Stuttgart's return to the Champions League after a 14-year absence.
Undav has already impressed this season by scoring just a minute after coming on as a substitute in Saturday's Super Cup match against Leverkusen.
Stuttgart lost the match on penalties, but Undav was named man of the match despite only playing 28 minutes.
Antonio Nusa (RB Leipzig)
RB Leipzig are known for discovering a string of future stars and will hope the arrival of Norwegian forward Nusa will compensate for the departure of Dani Olmo in the summer, who left for Barcelona.
Nusa, 19, joined Leipzig from Club Brugge in August for a reported €22 million transfer fee, a year after a €37 million move to Premier League club Brentford fell through.
The winger scored on his debut in Leipzig's 4-1 victory over Essen in the German Cup.
“I know Dani Olmo was a great player at the club. I want to fill those gaps and shine in my own way,” he said.
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