His work has received a lot of criticism from both within and outside the club.
All may not be well for Max Eberl at Bayern Munich.
Eberl took charge as the director of sport at Bayern in 2024, after tenures at Borussia Mönchengladbach and RB Leipzig in the same position.
His tenure at Gladbach ended after he informed of his decision to quit, citing exhaustion. Leipzig terminated their contract with him after a year in 2023, alluding to his ‘lack of commitment to the club’. A few months later, in 2024, Bayern would take him up as a ‘permanent’ replacement for Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić, who was terminated from his position in May 2023.
With several rumours flying of Eberl and Ehrenpräsident Uli Hoeneß’ conflicts, a recent report from Kerry Hau and Florian Plettenberg from Sky Deutschland per @iMiaSanMia added further context to the series of events regarding Eberl.
PR troubles
As it turns out, the supervisory board has been critical of Eberl’s work since last year during the search for a replacement for Thomas Tuchel. The likes of Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, and Ralf Rangnick had turned down the offer. This forced Uli and Karl-Heinz “Kalle” Rummenigge to intervene and put out the fires. After all, the media has a keen interest in Bayern and such matters are meant to be handled as discreetly as possible.
Internal conflicts?
Despite Eberl’s years of experience in Gladbach, nothing could prepare him for Bayern, where the board’s word has always been final. Eberl reportedly feels that the board undermined his standing. This was prompted by the fact that it was Uli and Kalle who would deal with the transfer of Florian Wirtz, with Uli known to have initiated talks with Wirtz’s father weeks ago.
Pricey extensions
Additionally, some in the board felt that Eberl failed to negotiate a feasible deal in the contract extensions of Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Joshua Kimmich and Alexander Nübel — forcing the club to pay them exorbitantly. Further, there were accusations that Eberl made commitments regarding potential salaries and contract terms with Musiala, Kimmich and Davies without obtaining approval from the board.
In the case of Leroy Sané, it is alleged that Eberl is holding discussions privately, despite the board’s non-approval for they do not want another costly extension. There is massive pressure on Eberl to cut down on wages of certain players even if he wasn’t responsible for the wages promised on their contracts.
Jonathan Tah’s transfer to Bayern, which was later blocked by the board too had been negotiated by Eberl with Pini Zahavi without the board’s approval.
Thomas Müller’s contract has been a focal point of discussion for the past week now. At this point it has been confirmed by multiple sources that finances were the primary reason. This was to compensate for the multiple contract extensions that put a hole in the club’s pocket.
Interestingly enough, Eberl has delivered no public statements that things were coming to an end with Müller. It was in fact, Uli whose comments of Müller being a “substitute” that initiated the public discussions of the Raumdeuter’s departure.
New signings, but none from within
Behind the scenes, there has also been criticism of new signings like João Palhinha, Bryan Zaragoza and Sacha Boey who are considered too pricey. Reportedly, the latter two were brought in by sporting director Christopher Freund.
Though Eberl is credited with bringing in Michael Olise, the fact is that former chief scout Markus Pilawa had scouted Olise even before Eberl’s entry and it was Pilawa who orchestrated the way for the transfer.
Another point of criticism is the poor state of affairs at the Campus. The stagnant development with barely any talented players making the first team, and too little talent being discovered is being pointed back to Eberl. Comparisons were drawn to Brazzo’s pivotal role in the discovery of Musiala and Davies. Additionally, the likes of Josip Stanišić and Aleksandar Pavlović were brought in from the campus during Brazzo’s tenure.
Eberl’s silver lining is the edge of the Meisterschale
The only saving grace per the board is Eberl’s signing of Vincent Kompany, a coach who is perceived internally to fit the club well and handle his public appearances with confidence. Additionally, in his favour, it is also true that none of the players who were supposed to extend have decided to leave the club.
It is being said that the only thing that can completely ensure his position is Kompany winning the league, which looks extremely likely.
