After the game against his former club Leipzig, the path for Max Eberl to FC Bayern is now clear. Those responsible at Munich express themselves unanimously and clearly.
Julian Buhl reports from the Allianz Arena
Max Eberl wasn’t even there yet – and yet he was omnipresent on Saturday evening after FC Bayern’s 2-1 win against RB Leipzig. His commitment as FC Bayern’s new sports director is now imminent. The president and chairman of the supervisory board, Herbert Hainer, did not yet confirm this personnel following the German record champions’ success against Eberl’s former club RB Leipzig. However, his statements, like those of CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, left no doubt about the expected decision.
“We announced early enough that we were looking for a sports director again. And now we will discuss it on Monday. And when we have decided, we will also inform you,” said Hainer in the Allianz Arena. The FC Bayern supervisory board meets on Monday and decides on the appointment of board members. Sport is at the “front row” at the club, said Hainer: “And that’s why we should have someone on the board who is responsible for sport.”
Dreesen, who succeeded Oliver Kahn as CEO in May, is expecting a new colleague to succeed Hasan Salihamidžić. “If it turns out the way we all think it will, we will have a new sports director next week,” said Dreesen. “More competence and quality in management” can basically only be good. “I believe that we will achieve a lot together as a team,” said the 56-year-old.
Eberl: Bayern wanted to avoid an explosive reunion
Eberl’s commitment has been apparent for a long time. FC Bayern and RB Leipzig have agreed for some time now, including on the transfer fee. It should be less than five million euros. It is no coincidence that the explosive duel with Eberl’s former club was still awaited. As can be heard, Bayern wanted to maintain a certain “decency” from Eberl’s exit in Leipzig and avoid a direct reunion of him as the new Bayern boss with RB.
In August and before that in May, Eberl appeared as RB manager in Munich and won both games with Leipzig, 3-0 in the Supercup and 3-1 in the penultimate game of the season. Now he should become FC Bayern’s new strong man. Eberl would work with sports director Christoph Freund in Munich. “It’s not that far yet,” said Freund. “If that’s the case, we’ll work well together as a team.”
When asked about Eberl, Freund said: “A very experienced man, a good guy. If that’s the case, I’m looking forward to working with him.” Leipzig parted ways with Eberl at the end of September before the top game against FC Bayern. From the RB bosses’ point of view, the reason was Eberl’s lack of commitment to Leipzig. The 50-year-old previously worked successfully for Borussia Mönchengladbach for many years.