In addition to explaining why Bayern Munich sold Matthijs de Ligt, sports director Max Eberl poked fun at Chelsea for having an overly large roster.
Bayern Munich, who lost out on the Bundesliga title in the 2023–24 season, will be determined to win the title back in the 2024–25 season under new manager Vincent Kompany. Kompany and athletic director Max Eberl spoke to the media the night before their season opener.
“Obviously, you want to have a squad free of injuries when you plan a squad,” Eberl stated in an interview with media. Boosting a team is not a good idea. We want to offer our young players the chance to demonstrate their abilities at the highest level, and we have a good-sized group. When Vini and them work together, they may train at the highest level. Naturally, it’s unfortunate that Stani and Hiroki Ito, two recent additions or returns, have sustained injuries. We don’t feel like we’re responding appropriately right now.
“A club needs to generate revenue in some way. With 44 players, you could finish the season like Chelsea, but that would be challenging for the coach to oversee. Then you have to pilfer jersey numbers, something FC Bayern does not practice.”
The official said, “We have to make decisions where we feel we can have the greatest possible success,” in response to a question on De Ligt’s transfer. We collaborated with Vincent Kompany to make decisions. Matthijs de Ligt has shown himself to be a very reliable performer. We brought in Hiroki Ito because we wanted another left-footer. That’s squad planning. After we make a purchase, the club must make a profit as well. We had extremely open discussions with the players before making selections that led to the current roster.”
On Sunday, Harry Kane and company will play their first away game of the new Bundesliga season against Wolfsburg.