Max Eberl’s job upon arriving at Bayern Munich in 2024 was, without question, a difficult one. Bayern’s new board member for sport was tasked with reducing the wage bill while rebuilding a Bayern team that went the latest season trophyless and integrating young talent from the Bayern Campus. How does one make a team better and more successful while spending less money?
It has required some creativity, time and one clear goal that everyone worked towards, but the fruits of the labor are already starting
to become clear as Bayern shed some high earners from the wage bill, integrate youngsters such as Lennart Karl and show immense improvement from the past season. How exactly was this plan put into action, though?
“My task is clear: you should reduce the wage bill, maintain quality, and integrate the Campus – that sounds simple enough. But achieving it requires a lot of work, composure, and clarity,” Eberl explained in an interview with German news site Tzmuenchen, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “Precisely because we’re integrating the campus, established players will become high performers even faster, because they have to set the direction even more. We have young players pushing – and “older” players who are ready to take on leadership roles. That’s invaluable. I enjoy putting the squad together.
But I admit that the tasks we’ve faced and continue to face are significant,” Eberl admitted. “Nevertheless, I can confidently say that we’ve already accomplished a lot. We consciously work in parallel, not sequentially: demanding a reduction in squad costs while simultaneously ensuring our sporting strength. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are today. We in the sporting department have always strived for everything we believe is achievable We’ve certainly sailed close to the [financial] edge at times. But we’re on the right track, even if it’s a rocky one. A path that, by the way, includes controversial discussions. Personally, I can say that they always take place in a respectful and constructive manner.”
It is never easy to make one’s voice heard in the messy environment that is FC Hollywood, but it is clear to see that what he is doing is working. Now the question is whether he can continue to do this work beyond 2027.
