Bundesliga
Munich transfer questions: Eberl doesn’t want to “blow money away”
Bayern sporting director Max Eberl is pushing ahead with the squad restructuring. Photo
© Tom Weller/dpa
The restructuring of the Bayern squad is underway. Ito comes from Stuttgart, there is speculation about a champion. Eberl reveals how the long search for a coach might have helped.
Looking at the thrilling start to the tournament of the German national team around the Munich football magician Jamal Musiala, Bayern’s sports director Max Eberl feels confirmed.
“I really have a lot of faith in us,” said the 50-year-old about Germany’s prospects at the European Championships before the 5-1 win against Scotland. And if it’s up to Eberl, Musiala won’t be the only one to take on one of the tournament’s main roles. Eberl is currently driving the restructuring of the squad together with sporting director Christoph Freund – European Championship appearances could play a role in the arrivals and departures.
Will it work with Palhinha this time?
After a season without a title, the club is set to make a comeback under new coach Vincent Kompany. “We definitely want to change things and we were able to initiate this very, very well in the background during the search for a coach,” Eberl assured last week at the “The Future of Football” event organized by the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” and “Stadion der Träume München”. They are already “a few steps further,” Eberl added.
Before the first European Championship appearance of the Portuguese João Palhinha (FC Fulham) on Tuesday against the Czech Republic, there was speculation that the midfielder could come this time after the transfer failed a year ago. There were also rumors about Xavi Simons (21), who won with the Netherlands on Sunday and was on loan from Paris Saint-Germain to RB Leipzig, or DFB supplementary player Chris Führich (26) from VfB Stuttgart.
What will become of de Ligt?
Bayern have now signed Japanese international player Hiroki Ito (25) from VfB Stuttgart for the defense. There is speculation about German international player Jonathan Tah (28) from Bayer Leverkusen.
The same goes for the departure of Matthijs de Ligt (24). De Ligt is considered the most lucrative candidate for sale in central defense. In the Netherlands’ 2:1 win against Poland on Sunday, de Ligt, who cost around 70 million euros two years ago, was unable to make it onto the EM showcase as a bench warmer. Manchester United in particular is said to be interested. Chelsea FC is said to be another interested club from the financially strong Premier League.
The departure of the often error-prone Dayot Upamecano (25) could also be a possible transfer option given the large selection in Munich’s central defense. Upamecano left his future open before the start with vice world champion France on Monday.
Financial balance
“I haven’t spoken to my managers yet, I’m currently fully focused on the European Championship,” he told the French sports newspaper “L’Équipe”. South Korean Minjae Kim (27) is scheduled to start the new season, especially given Bayern’s trip to his home country in the summer and only one year in Munich. The same goes for surprise regular defender Eric Dier (30), who wouldn’t bring in a large transfer fee anyway.
“We can’t run around the country and blow money away as much as we want. And then we’ll become German champions and forget everything else. I think every club in the world has to balance that out,” said Eberl. He and Freund want to increase the importance of their own campus. “Real Madrid does it with young players. Manchester City wins the young players – of course on a different financial level than we do,” said Eberl, “but our young players definitely have their skills too.”
“Creating new faces”
The record champions extended the contract of midfielder Aleksandar Pavlovic, who was disappointed after missing the European Championships due to health reasons, by two years until June 2029. The cooperation with Josip Stanisic, who is returning after a loan spell with Leverkusen that was decorated with championship honours, is also to be extended long-term. Negotiations with Musiala could become more complicated at some point, although his contract is still dated until 2026.
“Players like Jamal, like Aleks, who has played a role this season, take on responsibility, are present on the pitch – and they become faces again,” said Eberl. Thomas Müller also grew into this role. “You also have to go down the path of creating new players, new faces.”