Bayern Munich is racing towards another hectic end to the summer transfer window.
Kingsley Coman. Thomas Müller. Leroy Sané. Three stalwart veterans have exited the Bavarian ranks in attack and only Luis Díaz and academy starlet Lennart Karl have arrived. Couple that with Jamal Musiala’s horrific Club World Cup injury and the ranks are looking thin, indeed.
But Bayern legend, honorary president, and current supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß raised eyebrows by suggesting that the club focus on loans
rather than permanent signings at this stage of the summer. Going by reports, that’s exactly what the Bayern board has decided and it has caught the sporting management by surprise — though, as always, take that with a grain of salt.
Former Bayern technical director Michael Reschke, for his part, has come out firmly in Hoeneß’ camp and explained the reasoning behind the decision.
“In the interplay between football and economics, very few people can truly judge which solution is the right one for Bayern,” Reschke noted in comments captured by Sport1, via @iMiaSanMia. “Uli Hoeneß, on the other hand, definitely can.
“As a member of the supervisory board, he has insight into all economically relevant processes. I think the idea of loaning a player is completely legitimate — ideally, with an option to buy. That’s what we did with Kingsley Coman when we realized our squad wasn’t deep enough. At first, Uli Hoeneß was extremely skeptical, because we paid a loan fee of €7m for two years. But later, it paid off. Maybe that transfer is still in the back of Uli’s mind.
“If you sign a player permanently who is needed more because of the current [injury] situation, but who will no longer be as important when the injured players return, then you will still have to cover his salary for years to come. The situation on the transfer market changes from day to day. Chelsea currently only wants to sell [Christopher] Nkunku, but if they don’t find a buyer who meets their demands by August 29, they’ll probably be willing to loan him out.
“Bayern’s current transfer situation is a balancing act. If at least one or two more signings don’t materialize, the squad will be significantly too thin. If everything goes wrong, you have to hope to survive the first half of the season well and react in January.”
Reschke’s detailed breakdown of the situation serves as a valuable inside perspective into how a club like Bayern approaches transfers. And he’s right — as of writing, Chelsea’s suitors for Nkunku are reportedly only for a loan.
The hardest thing to do is wait. But it’s all Bayern fans can do as the deadline draws closer. The Bavarians do appear to be intent on adding at least one more player to the squad. Who will that be, and on what terms? Sit tight, folks. We will know soon.
