Christoph Freund becomes the new sporting director of FC Bayern. This was reported by Sky and Picture– Newspaper on Tuesday according. The 46-year-old has been working in the same position at Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg for eight years, having previously been sports coordinator and team manager there for a number of years. Initially, there was no confirmation from FC Bayern.
According to his Sky post, the Austrian, who played in the lower leagues in his home country, is scheduled to succeed Hasan Salihamidzic, who was released after the end of the season, on September 1st. He still has a contract in Salzburg until 2026, so a fee might be due. In April 2021, Freund was traded as the new sports director at Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt.
In September 2022, Freund was also courted by Chelsea FC. However, Salzburg did not give him the go-ahead. “As I have already confirmed in interviews, Chelsea FC was interested in me. When such a big club asks, it not only honors me and the work of FC Red Bull Salzburg, it is of course also a circumstance that reflects personal considerations entails,” said Freund at the time, but decided to stay at RB: “But I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m in the best hands with FC Red Bull Salzburg and that a change is out of the question for me.” FC Bayern was apparently more successful now.