Life is not about to get any easier for Bayern Munich’s head of sport, Max Eberl.
The 51-year-old emerged relatively unscathed from his latest serious meeting with the club’s supervisory board.
He now lives to see another transfer window with the Bundesliga winners. But the German won’t be allowed to stay for too long in his comfort zone.
Max Eberl left sweating over Florian Wirtz transfer
You have to sympathise with Eberl amid the ongoing battle between FC Bayern and Liverpool for the signature of Florian Wirtz.
It seems unlikely that the Bundesliga chief will receive much, if any, of the credit if the Bavarians manage to sign the Leverkusen attacking midfielder. That’s not entirely unfair, of course, given he was excluded from negotiations as a matter of necessity due to burnt bridges with Leverkusen.
Yet, expectations remain high. Max Eberl must address Bayern’s lingering need for a defensive leader (with Jonathan Tah touted as the most ideal solution, as things currently stand). Then there’s Leroy Sané’s relatively complex contract situation, not to mention the currently intolerable wage bill.
In short, there’s a lot the former Gladbach executive must get right this summer – his very job depends on it.
“The feeling is now that he has until after the next transfer window to show how good he really is. His contract is until 2027, but Bayern will judge him based on his work during the summer,” Christian Falk exclusively informed CF Bayern Insider.
“Last summer, they didn’t allow him to sign Jonathan Tah (a mistake, in my view). Now, they believe in the transfer and say, “Okay, do what is best for this squad.”
“But, of course, everyone has their eye on what’s happening with Florian Wirtz. It’s a strange situation for Eberl, because work on the deal was started by Uli Hoeneß, the godfather of managers. He’s still involved in the game, even as the honorary president on the supervisory board.
“The feeling is that if it works, everyone will say it was thanks to Hoeneß – and if it doesn’t, everyone will say it’s Eberl’s fault. So, he can’t win!”
Why Eberl has a difficult relationship with Bayer Leverkusen
Eberl was left in a bit of a sticky position last summer after making assurances that a deal would be made for Jonathan Tah.
Bayern’s head of sport, however, didn’t get the green light from the advisory board – they were not prepared to sanction a €25m fee. Certainly not without Max Eberl first selling a player.
This left Leverkusen in the lurch, with Tah now set to leave on a free… and potentially join German top-flight rivals Bayern this summer.
It certainly explains why Uli Hoeneß has been leading negotiations for Wirtz, and why Eberl has only recently come into the conversation.
Judge Bayern’s window on two items
Given our head of sport wasn’t really heavily involved in talks to bring Florian Wirtz to Munich, he can’t really be dealt the lion’s share of the blame if it doesn’t go to plan.
Where he can and should be judged, however, is on his ability to fix Bayern’s defensive deficiencies and bring sustainability back at the core of the club’s wage bill.
Succeed here, and he’ll have fulfilled the club’s most important objectives, in our view.
The rest with Wirtz is up to Bayern and Uli Hoeneß.
The Bayern Insider: Munich fears Liverpool in Florian Wirtz transfer poker
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