Bayern’s sports director Max Eberl verbally rolls out the red carpet for club legend Thomas Müller regarding a possible contract extension. Now things could happen quickly.
Only one person will decide on Thomas Müller’s future at FC Bayern – Thomas Müller himself. This was announced by sports director Max Eberl at the Munich press conference on Friday. “With Thomas, that will probably be the shortest conversation,” said Eberl about the upcoming negotiations with the Bayern stars, whose contracts expire at the end of the season, including Müller. “We have already spoken to him and postponed it until the future,” revealed Eberl. “We’ll then look each other in the eye and say: Are you still up for it? Do you want to? What role do we have? And then we’ll move on.”
Eberl made it more specific: “Thomas doesn’t need to negotiate too much. If he says he wants to continue, then we’ll look deeply into each other’s eyes, look at the squad and then we’ll move on,” said Eberl. “And if he says, ‘I don’t feel like it anymore’, then things will continue for us too. Then we have to see if we can somehow get Thomas to help us.” But that is “a conversation that is still a long way away,” said Eberl.
At the moment, the 2014 world champion is still needed as an important player in the squad. It is quite possible that Müller will replace the ill Jamal Musiala in Gladbach on Saturday. Head coach Vincent Kompany emphasized again at the press conference that Müller is much more than just a substitute player for him.
“Thomas is not a back-up. He is an important part of our squad. These players are always important when he plays and when he doesn’t play,” said Kompany. “You’ve earned this role over the years. In the last few months he’s often played when Harry Kane or Jamal weren’t there. That’s not a gift either, he’s earned it.”
Eberl also emphasized Müller’s importance once again: “It is forbidden to talk about Thomas, he is a figure of identification. Thomas is extremely important. He has experienced everything here, from A to Z.” Everything seems ready for a possible contract extension. Now Müller just has to look Eberl in the eyes again and say yes to FC Bayern.