Bayern Munich are at a crossroads this season. That is especially the case, since the chaos in and around the club over the last few years has caused serious harm to the seemingly untouchable giants of German football. Last Word on Football gives you a look at what this season means for the Bavarians in the context of the overall health of the club and its future.
Bayern Munich Problems
The Transfer Market
Ahead of the 2024/25 campaign, Bayern were expected to clean house and get rid of players who have become too comfortable after more than a decade of continued success. Yet, for different reasons, the Bavarians have been unable to sell anybody apart from Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui to Manchester United. Furthermore, in the case of the Dutchman, getting rid of him is seen as a major mistake by fans and pundits alike, as he was by far the best central defender in the squad.
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Meanwhile, the vast majority of actual players on the chopping block are still with the side. In fact, a trio of inconsistent performers over the years are going into their last season under contract with Bayern, with neither a sale nor an extension being anywhere on the horizon. The three players in question are Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich, and Leroy Sane.
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All of them are important, despite their recent ups and downs in form. The danger of losing all three on free transfers next summer looms large, which would be both a financial and a sporting disaster. It is clear, that many of the major Bayern Munich problems are down to transfer policy, though not all are.
The Board
All of Bayern Munich’s problems really come down to the turmoil of the board over the last few years. Sporting director Christoph Freund has held this post for around a year now, while his immediate superior, sporting CEO Max Eberl has been on the job since only March of 2024. This duo in theory work together on transfer policy and key areas concerning the first team.
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Then there is club CEO Jan Christian Dreesen and also club president Herbert Hainer. The latter has a supervisory board on which Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Uli Hoeness and other influential members sit. They oftentimes get directly involved in club policy, especially when they disagree with those currently in charge. That creates problems for agents of prospective players and coaches, who often don’t know who is truly in control of Bayern.
The Coach
Vincent Kompany is without a doubt a talented coach with innovative ideas to bring to the club. The big question is, if he will be given time to work with his players, as Bayern have shown in recent years especially, that they do not give coaches any room for error.
Freund and Eberl are quick to point out that they are new at the club and had nothing to do with that policy, but then again are they really the ones in charge? Furthermore, even if they are, it is clear that Kompany was not one of their top four or five candidates to take over the first team.
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Regardless of what happens on the pitch in the short term, these Bayern Munich problems, will at best always linger in the background until they are addressed.