Max Eberl spoke about the new Bayern coach Vincent Kompany and admitted that he was not necessarily the first choice – and he also revealed what is now expected of the Belgian in Munich
FC Bayern Munich’s search for a coach dragged on for months before a solution was found in the shape of Vincent Kompany. The Belgian has been given a three-year contract at Säbener Straße until 2027 and has since turned his attention to pre-season preparations. “Everyone at the club agrees that Vincent Kompany is the right coach for FC Bayern and we are very much looking forward to working together,” said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen on the signing of the 38-year-old.
However, it is also clear that Kompany was not Munich’s preferred solution following Xabi Alonso’s decision to stay with champions Leverkusen, Julian Nagelsmann’s extension with the DFB team and Ralf Rangnick’s surprising rejection, including a commitment to Austria – and that has now been admitted by sporting director Max Eberl. Kompany was “not at the top” of the list, Eberl confirmed during a round of talks with the Süddeutsche Zeitung on Friday evening and also pointed out that the Belgian’s career to date had “not automatically led him to FC Bayern.”
Promotion, relegation, departure
After the end of his playing career, Kompany took his first coaching steps in Belgium with RSC Anderlecht and then in England with Burnley FC. With the Clarets, he rose to the Premier League in dominant fashion thanks to an attacking style of play, but was then shown his limits and immediately relegated again. Kompany himself, however, was spared the trip to the English lower house because FC Bayern signed him.
And for good reason, as Eberl emphasized: the record champions had “found someone who works, who is hard-working, who has a vision. He embodies what suits Bayern: Success.”
The 50-year-old also revealed that there had always been discussions among the decision-makers in Munich regarding potential coaching candidates and that they had always asked themselves whether something was right.
People catcher and not a teacher
Now they have decided on Kompany – and Eberl also explained what they expect from the Belgian. “We don’t want to revolutionize, we want to evolve,” he said, referring to a stronger focus on their own young talent, i.e. the FC Bayern Campus and the talent there. “You also have to have the coach for that. We want to bring in youngsters who will be the faces of FC Bayern in the next five or six years.”
In addition to promoting talent, Kompany will also be required to act as a motivator. Eberl speculated that the team had “lost a bit of willingness” after the many successful years within the team, in other words: Kompany should ensure that FC Bayern becomes greedy for success again. For this to succeed, Kompany must “be a bit of a people catcher” and not act like a “teacher from above”. Kompany is not to be left alone with this task, however; rather, Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund want to take the 38-year-old by the hand as a “companion.”
