Anatoliy Tymoshchuk's transfer to Bayern is confirmed for 1. July. But what is it that makes the blond Ukrainian so interesting for the Munich outfit, and what will the transfer mean for Mark van Bommel?
Many in Munich argue that Hoeneß is buying Tymoshchuk only because of Zenith St.Petersburg's stellar performance during the 2007/08 Uefa Cup, which Zenith eventually won. Tymoshchuk was the catalyst of that Zenith team, but as a matter of fact he has been a great performer for a number of years. He joined Shakhtar Donetzk at the tender age of 18 in 1997. At Shakhtar he soon became the captain and the most valuable player of a team that dethroned Dinamo Kiev as the number one team in the Ukraine. He won three Ukrainian Championships, three Ukrainian Cups, and one Ukrainian Super Cup at Shakhtar.
It was during that time that Tymoshchuk became a regular starter for the Ukrainian National Team. The Ukraine managed to qualify for the World Cup 2006 in Germany, with Tymoshchuk providing the support from midfield. Unlike Ukrainian superstar Andrei Shevchenko, Tymoshchuk is the real heart of the Ukrainian squad. Tymoshchuk's outstanding performance enabled the Ukrainians to go as far as the Quarterfinal, where they were defeated by the eventual champion Italy.
After the World Cup, Tymoshchuk became Russia's most expansive player when he was transferred to St. Petersburg for €13 million. He was also rumored to have offers from Juventus, Feyenood Rotterdam, Celtic Glasgow, and AS Roma. The transfer to Zenith came as a little bit of a shock to the established football clubs, and is seen as the entree of Russia as a football power house financially. In his first season there he helped Zenith win their first Russian Premier League Championship in 2007 and their first national Championship since the Soviet Top League Championship in 1983. The following year Zenith went one further winning the Uefa Cup.
Now the move to Bayern, in essence Klinsmann is getting a player that Bayern has been lacking since the transfer's of Michael Ballack, and Owen Hargreaves. Tymoshchuk is both defensively stable and very dangerous in front of the net. On the field he acts as an engine and can slow down or speed up a game. He also reads the game well and seems to be one step ahead of the opposition. Unlike van Bommel, Tymoshchuk has not a bad record with referees, but is instead known as a disciplined player, who leads his team by example. The transfer makes sense, seeing that Ze Roberto is not the youngest anymore, and that his future in Munich is in doubt. Van Bommel has also questioned, if he will remain in Munich. Furthermore, Van Bommel's record of having arguements with the referee and his guarantueed yellow card in every game have weakened his position. With Tymoshchuk, Bayern is not only getting a new game maker for the midfield, but perhaps also a new captain.
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