Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl has been around the block a few times, but never in his time as an executive has he had the kind of resources that he had in 2025 with Bayern Munich.
Money, connections, appeal…Bayern Munich has a lot going for it when it comes to attracting players or retaining current squad members. Eberl understands that and even under difficult circumstances last summer was able to work within a much tighter financial framework than expected to put together a squad that might
end up being the best in the world this season.
For Eberl, though, the plan had been in motion since the end of the 2024 summer transfer window and included some important contract extensions that he knew were “must have” players.
“We’ve been thinking about it since the end of the 2024 summer transfer window to be prepared for all scenarios. As you know, in addition to squad planning, my responsibilities included reducing the salary level. Therefore, we initially focused on ‘internal transfers’ which are contract extensions and youth players – and only then on external players, players we want to sign,” Eberl told 11FREUNDE (as captured by @iMiaSanMia). “Jamal (Musiala) and Phonzy (Alphonso Davies), plus Jo Kimmich as the future captain. These three are important cornerstones for FC Bayern’s sporting future. Keeping them was a fundamental decision for the club, and one for which we were willing to spend money. We were open to extending Leroy’s contract. We held discussions to find out what his expectations were, both financially and in terms of his career, so that we would be prepared. Because: The problem isn’t that a player leaves, but rather that he doesn’t have a replacement.”
One of the biggest moves from last summer actually turned out to be a subtraction from the squad — Leroy Sané. Eberl was prepared for it, though, as talks throughout last winter and spring, there was no progress between the two parties.
At the time, Bayern Munich was linked to several other wingers, but Luis Díaz was the choice and has proven to be the right fit for the team.
“Leroy told us at the end of May that he didn’t want to stay. That was one of the reasons why I flew back from the Club World Cup to discuss with the supervisory board who could replace him. We had already intensively scouted Luis Díaz and a few others and agreed during the talks that we wanted to sign him,” Eberl said. “I won’t reveal any names )who were considered), but we looked at a lot of players. Some of them appeared in the media, others not.
“The decisive factor was that the new signing was a good fit for us, and to achieve this we considered parameters such as running stats and injury record. In addition to his footballing quality, these aspects also led us to focus on Luis Díaz. Not only does he score a lot of goals and assists, he also covers between 11 and 13 kilometers per game – that’s exactly what we wanted for our game. That’s why we as a club decided to sign him. Decisions like this are always about probabilities. There are no guarantees. But at the moment it is apparent that Harry Kane, for example, is blossoming even more when playing alongside Luis.”
Finally, Eberl was asked about the involvement of Uli Hoeneß in the Florian Wirtz pursuit, which ultimately proved to be one that the Bavarians missed on — but did provide the opportunity for Lennart Karl and Serge Gnabry to standout.
“Christoph Freund and I know the market, and we discuss in close consultation with Vincent Kompany and the scouting department which players might be suitable. We determine what they would cost and whether they would like to join FC Bayern. If we want to sign someone, we discuss the details with Jan Dreesen and then present the potential transfer to the supervisory board led by Herbert Hainer, where, in particular, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß, we also have sporting expertise,” said Eberl.
Yes, some of how it all played was luck, but some of it was also about keen eye for players who could make the existing team better, while not breaking the club’s salary budget. From that standpoint, Eberl — a figure who has still not been widely accepted by the majority of fans — was very successful.
Song of the Week: “Got the Life” by Korn
Nu metal as it was called, raged for a moment then became a meme.
Yup, it happened that quick.
Despite the ridicule it took in the years after it was popular there was some good music that came out of it, including this gem from the 1998 album, “Follow the Leader” titled “Got the Life.”
Korn, given their longevity, and hard-edge sound might have reclassified genres over time, but in that period, the group was firmly in the mix of nu metal
That period of time (late 90s, early 00s) was a really bizarre time in music. Radio stations were entering their last “power phase”, but were quickly becoming less and less about rock and metal. Nu metal was there to rope in the younger generation, who was looking for something post-grunge, not as a deep as real metal, and newer than what the old heads were listening to.
I am not here to debate the merits of it, but there was some at least some good music that came from that brief period, so enjoy:
Entertainment Rundown
Stranger Things
The final season will split hardcore fans — some will love it, others will despise it. I liked the final season and loved the ending. Before we get to that, though, let’s dive in:
- Everyone who grew up in the 80s knew someone exactly like Dipsh*t Derek, who was one of the few characters to join a popular show late in the game and add to it.
- So…was the Will reveal ill-timed because of the stakes of what was ahead? Maybe (the world was potentially ending), but the writers did tie in reasoning to it (overcoming fear to unlock your full potential was prevalent for several characters in the final episodes). Even if it did feel a bit forced into the final scenes of the second chapter at that exact moment, it was a part of how they planned to pull off their final victory. Honestly, it was much ado about nothing with all of the online rage. (Author’s Note: It would have been cheap to not address it here, but for obvious reasons, this won’t turn into a forum on anything aside of discussing the timing/fit into the pacing of the show. We’re not going to debate social issues in the comments, so be mindful of your comments. The Entertainment Rundown part of the WWU is just a fun time-killing discussion, not a deep dive on much else.).
- Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) was one of the great characters I can remember. Ditto for Hopper (David Harbour). Just amazing character arcs for both. It was also good to see Joyce (Winona Ryder) get her due as well.
- That’s not a knock on the kids either. They were great throughout, but even Will (as tormented as he was by Vecna, The Mind Flayer, etc. — Noah Schnapp was the actor) had a simpler arc…much easier to manage (and for good reason overall, they were all just kids started this show when it started).
- From a casting standpoint, I still contend that they just freaking nailed every character. People despised Dr. Kay, but that was the point and Linda Hamilton played the part perfectly.
- As much as the final season strayed from the core characters (the D&D kids) at times, the finale did bring it back full circle to really be about them once again.
- We can be honest about the writing — it was not at always its best or most sharp in the final season, but it kept the feel and theme of the show throughout — even if this season was more iffy than most with execution, but it was still good to me. When you get this far into a show, some details can get overlooked or even forgotten. Through the editing, things do get lost in the shuffle and some fans compiled a multitude of bullets points that were unresolved issues or plot-points. For as much as some of those might be valid, a few things happen on every show: Characters talk off-screen (not everything needs to be shown), characters move on, and not every plot-point over five seasons needs a direct resolution.
Spoiler section
- The big reveal with Henry/Vecna had some things that just felt…not tied up — especially when going back to the origin of how Henry became Vecna. The whole Mind Flayer twist, again, could be picked apart with some finer details maybe not fully meshing, but it worked enough to be reasonable for this story.
- At one point, it looked like we were going to get a redemption arc for Henry/Vecna, but I am glad it did not happen.
- Dustin’s graduation speech was epic…Iron Maiden was coming in hot with that! Gaten Matarazzo was really the only kid who still looked like a kid by the end.
- The actor who played Henry/Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)…wow. Just a tremendous job.
- Joyce getting in those final whacks was fitting and worked for me.
- The end of Stranger Things with Mike (Finn Wolfhard) typing and maybe being an author to tell the story gave off maybe Stand by Me vibes. That had to be a callback to that.
- Some of the complaints about the ending were absurd — no, not every character has to end up in a relationship with another one.
- As for Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the ending being open was proper for that character. Normally, I hate when showrunners and writers do not take accountability for leaving things open, but in this case, it worked. I feel like this could be a generational thing as well, as some younger folks (maybe including one who lives in my house, was not a big fan of that part).
- In the end, this was a quintessential 80s ending — and I think that is what so many people missed. There was this crazy desire for blood and deaths of important characters, but that rarely happened in the 80s. Everything about this show was for that time period, for people who wanted to reminisce about that period — a time that was a lot more simple.
- I have to reiterate it, the fact that so many people felt like they needed to see death from a main character, shows that no one really understood the whole 80s feel to this. Having them all survive, still be friends, and learning what the future holds for them is about as 80s as it gets. Plus, having a little mystery still left in how it all played out…it just worked for me.
- It is really hard to win the finale game these days. People want the perfect ending and there almost is not one. Breaking Bad came very close to achieving it (and for my money was the most fitting ending for any prestige show). However, this ending for Stranger Things accomplished all I wanted to see — a proper ending to the main story and a glimpse for how everyone moves on from the great trauma or experience that they went through, For me, the Duffer Brothers nailed it. We could definitely bicker about some plot-points, some timing, and definitely about how long it took to film this series, but in the end, they accomplished the things I am sure they wanted to accomplish. For me, I would not have wanted it any other way.
- Overall, I rate Stranger Things very highly on my list of prestige TV shows. It roped me with the nostalgia, it kept me with the innovative storytelling, and it gave me an ending that I could relate with as a child of the 80s. Watching the show was time well spent.
Season Rating: 8.25/10.00
Finale Rating: 9.75/10.00
Series Rating: 9.50/10.00
All that said, I know there are generational differences and that it did not necessarily click with everyone. While I want to hear from everyone who finished it up in the comments, I especially want to hear from those who did not enjoy the finale…and why you didn’t.
I also know I owe you my review of The Terminal List, which will be in next week’s Weekend Warm-up!
Odds and Ends
It has been a tough time in the world of entertainment of late.
(Author’s Note: Before we get going, we are leaving all politics out of the discussion…this isn’t the forum for that — plus, I really do not feel like breaking stones this week!)
First, Rob Reiner was murdered and while he was known for his acting (Meathead in All in the Family), he was more famous for his directing. Reiner directed many movies (some loved by the masses), but the one that hit home for this author was Stand by Me.
Stand by Me is the coming of age adaptation of a short story by Stephen King called “The Body” and it is — maybe — the best coming of age film for any boy entering adolescence because it masterfully captures the innocence of pre-adolescence with hard facts that things inevitably change as you grow up — including the friends and activities you once considered to be the most important things at the time.
That flick was so well done and it has hit home for me from the first time I saw straight through until now. In a lot of ways, it was a non-science fiction Stranger Things. It was an instant classic and helped launch or further the careers of actors like River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Keifer Sutherland, John Cusick, Will Wheaton, and Jerry O’Connell.
The story is perfect and told in a rich way, while the actors essentially nailed each and every character. It is sort of a lost gem to the younger generation, but should be mandatory viewing for any kid for the way things used to be and also for what they eventually become as you grow older.
Another big hit this was the suicide death of James Ransone, who had many acting credits, but might have been best known as Ziggy Sobotka on The Wire or Eddie Kaspbrak in It: Chapter Two. Ransone was a tortured soul, who was — allegedly — sexually abused as a kid, leading him to a life of problems with alcohol and heroine.
While many lambasted and hated Ransone’s character of Ziggy, he was one of the most integral and best acted characters in season two of The Wire (my favorite season). Ziggy represented a lot of kids…not tough enough or resourceful enough to be his old man (or from his old man’s generation), while constantly seeking approval and hoping to dig out of the seemingly hopeless hole that his life was.
Ransone played the part perfectly and was brilliant in portraying Ziggy as a wannabe criminal, who ultimately just wanted to be like his dad…only he couldn’t because they just weren’t built the same (as the kids say). Anyway, that performance always led me to checking out Ransone’s work and even if a show or movie he was in was not great, he stood out. Flatly, it sucks that he felt like he had no choice, but to end it.
Finally, Isiah Whitlock Jr. — another famed actor from The Wire (he also had a brief appearance in Goodfellas, too, which might be my favorite movie ever) also passed away. How good was he as Clay Davis, the slimy politician from The Wire. Nothing short of excellent.
Damn it sucks getting old.
So to end this Entertainment Rundown…let’s say it all together one last time:
Prediction Results
This is where we stand at the break…
- Total: 332-177
- Perfect Picks: 32
- Bundesliga Last Matchday: 4-5
- Bundesliga Overall: 80-55
- DFB-Pokal: 45-11
- World Cup Qualifiers/Friendlies: 99-45
- Champions League: 65-43
- Club World Cup: 39-23
- Club Friendlies: 3-0
- Franz Beckenbauer Supercup: 1-0
If you are looking for more Bayern Munich and German national team coverage, check out the latest episodes of Bavarian Podcast Works, which you can get on Acast, Spotify, Apple, or any leading podcast distributor…
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