FC Bayern: Pirmin Schwegler on scouting and transfer of Mathys Tel

Today professional director at TSG

Mathys Tel contributed five goals and one assist for FC Bayern this season. At the age of 18, the offensive talent is already beginning to confirm the great expectations that were placed on his €20 million signing last year. One person who shouldn’t be surprised by the French U19 international’s development is Pirmin Schwegler, now director of professional football at TSG 1899 Hoffenheim under Alexander Rosen and previously Munich’s chief scout. He once observed Tel for squad planner Marco Neppe himself and remembered it Interview with “Spox” and “Goal” to it.

“That was one of my first trips ever for FC Bayern, it was to a friendly match with the French U18 national team in Italy,” said Schwegler. Tel, then 16, had previously been noticed by Bayern at a youth tournament, but he only saw him when the French beat the “Azzurrini” 3-0 in L’Aquila, the capital of Abruzzo. The former Bundesliga professional continued: “After a few minutes of play, it was clear to me that this could be a very meaningful journey. It was the first and only time in my career as a Bayern scout that I called my colleagues at half-time.”

The 20 million euros that Bayern transferred to Stade Rennais a few months later is the second highest transfer fee for a player in the U20 age group in the club’s history. Only the then 18-year-old Renato Sanches cost more than Tel in 2016 at 35 million euros. He recently set his sights on scoring 15 goals this season and said: “That’s very ambitious. But I am a competitor. If I can’t do it, then I haven’t done everything right.”

Ex-FC Bayern scout Schwegler: Transfer market “naturally exciting” for the public

Schwegler expressed his understanding in the debate about the increasing media coverage of transfers in recent years: “Of course it’s exciting. The sums that are now circulating are moving people. I see this interest as largely positive. We also depend on people talking about us and reporting on them.”

However, it is important that there are no wild speculations without any factual background: “An example: In the summer, shortly before the transfer deadline, there was suddenly news that our player Ihlas Bebou was in Cologne – but it was here at that very moment past me at TSG. Within a very short time he was bombarded with thousands of messages. Then, to clarify, he had to share a selfie with our club grounds in the background. This is unpleasant and does something to the people affected. In my opinion, more care is required here.” The “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” reported on Deadline Day about Bebou’s supposedly impending transfer to 1. FC Köln – the broadcaster “Sport1” denied it shortly afterwards.

Schwegler: The buying spree in Saudi Arabia can “also offer opportunities”.

Schwegler doesn’t want to fundamentally demonize the record investments in the Saudi Pro League – the amount of money coming onto the European market is perhaps an opportunity to develop further: “Perhaps such changes also offer opportunities. When England made big purchases in recent years, we brought a lot of young players from there to Germany, for example.”

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