BERLIN (AP) — Bayern Munich chief executive Jan-Christian Dreesen says they have enough work for two sporting directors after presenting Max Eberl on Tuesday.
Bayern had already appointed former Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund to replace the fired Hasan Salihamidžić last September, but that hasn’t prevented it from handing Eberl a three-year deal through June 2027 to oversee a major shakeup.
Dreesen said on Tuesday he had spoken with Freund, “a real team player,” about Eberl’s potential signing last September.
“There is work, plenty of work for two, and I am sure that it will work brilliantly as a team,” Dreesen said.
Eberl said he will work with Freund “as equals” and they will also have support from Dreesen, club president Herbert Hainer and former club leaders Uli Hoeneß and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who are on the supervisory board.
Eberl previously worked beside others when he was sporting director at Borussia Mönchengladbach from 2008-22 and Leipzig more recently. “It’s not possible to lead such clubs alone,” he said.
He played 146 games at Gladbach from 1999-2004 before turning to management. He quit as sporting director at Gladbach because of burnout. Eberl said he made use of an eight-month break from soccer to reflect, talk, and “grow very much as a person.”
He joined Leipzig in September 2022 but was fired a year later for “his failure to commit to the club” amid the rumors linking him with the Bayern job.
Though he wasn’t involved, Eberl said Bayern’s decision not to continue with coach Thomas Tuchel beyond this season was the right one. However, he still believes the team can win a title this year.
Bayern is eight points behind Bayer Leverkusen with 11 rounds remaining in the Bundesliga, while it must overturn a one-goal deficit to Lazio to reach the quarterfinals of the Champions League.
“We’re in the role of chasers, which is somewhat unaccustomed for Bayern. Eight points sounds like a lot, but there are enough games,” Eberl said.
He will then need to find a new coach, with Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso among the favorites. The Spanish coach has taken Leverkusen from the relegation zone, when he took over, to Bundesliga leader in his first senior management job.
Eberl tried hiring Alonso at Gladbach in 2021 but the former Real Madrid, Bayern and Liverpool star turned down the coaching offer because he said it was too soon. Alonso was a reserve team coach at Real Sociedad at the time.
“We have to find the appropriate coach and then the appropriate players. Preferably as soon as possible,” said Eberl, who didn’t name any favorite candidates.
Eberl will also need to clear the futures of Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich, whose contracts expire next year. Davies has been linked to a move to Real Madrid and Kimmich has looked unhappy in recent games.
“These are all talks that we have to have now,” said Eberl, who starts officially on Friday.
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