Grading Corentin Tolisso’s transfer to Bayern Munich

Corentin Tolisso is a Bayern Munich player, with the former Lyon man signing a 5-year contract with the German champs. The 22-year-old midfielder joins for a fee of €41.5 million, with a further €6 million in bonuses tacked on to that. 

A versatile, energetic player, and one of France's brightest young prospects, Tolisso joins Bayern as they lose the iconic Xabi Alonso. Just how good of a buy is he, though?

A prototypical modern player, Tolisso combines physicality, technical ability with astonishing versatility. He's a center midfielder by trade, typically most comfortable in a box-to-box role where he can use his athleticism to contribute on both sides of the ball, but can also play in defense as well, with the ability to line up as a right back in a pinch. He's extremely comfortable in possession, and gets in the goals too, chipping in with 14 strikes and seven assists for Lyon across all competitions last season.

Blessed with a howitzer of a shot and a fantastic eye for a pass, Tolisso is a danger from anywhere on the pitch, and his skillset allows him to be effective in a number of midfield roles, ostensibly able to play as a 6, 8 or even as a 10.

He's only 22 years old, and still rapidly improving, but Tolisso's biggest weaknesses is on the defensive side of the ball. He's a hard worker and doesn't shirk his responsibilities, but hasn't proven to be a hugely effective influence in that respect. He averaged just 1.7 tackles/game in Ligue 1, with just 1 interception a match, with those statistics getting even worse in Champions League, as he averaged 1.5 tackles and 0.8 interceptions/game in that competition, respectively. 

He's not an especially effective dribbler either, but with his game largely predicated on getting the ball off his foot quickly, it hasn't proven to be a big issue thus far. 

Bayern Munich are known for doing good business and getting it done early, and this is yet another example of that. Die Bayern fought off rumored interest from Chelsea, Juventus, and a host of other big clubs to land their man, and he'll immediately compete for a starting spot in their midfield. At just 22 years old, he's got the world at his feet, and has already shown he has the potential to be one of the best midfielders in the game. There's no way around it: this is a stellar signing for the German giants.