After securing deals for Vincent Kompany, Michael Olise, Luis Díaz, Jonathan Tah, and Tom Bishof, one might assume that Bayern Munich board member for sport Max Eberl is in good standing with the club.
Maybe not.
According to a report from Sport1 journalist Stefan Kumberger, Eberl’s future is — at least — somewhat in doubt:
While contract extensions for Dreesen and Freund are considered a mere formality behind the scenes, Eberl has to fight – and not for the first time. Since taking office in March 2024, he has been under close scrutiny from the club’s management and has repeatedly faced criticism – even publicly.
The 52-year-old was accused of, among other things, excessively expensive contracts and repeated unilateral actions. He was also criticized for lacking a healthy approach to conflict resolution. This culminated last autumn when club owner Uli Hoeneß accused the sporting director of being “rather sensitive” on the SPORT1 Doppelpass program.
So, after such good successes in signing new players, why is Eberl under scrutiny? It has to do with his work on contract extensions, where the supervisory board feels that Eberl gave up too much ground in negotiations. Recent contracts for Jamal Musiala, Joshua Kimmich, and Dayot Upamecano were rumored to be criticized internally:
And even now, Eberl is viewed critically by some members of the supervisory board. According to SPORT1, internal discussions suggest he is too easily swayed by advisors. Instead of asserting himself in negotiations, the sporting director is said to be too conciliatory. This has led to unnecessarily expensive contracts and damaged the club’s reputation.
However, Eberl will have a chance to prove himself this summer as the club will not sack him right now:
The fact is: Eberl doesn’t have to worry about his job right now. According to the club’s bylaws, discussions about his future can’t begin until one year before his contract expires. In addition, the board of directors wants to give him the chance to prove himself during the upcoming summer transfer window.
But the fact is also that he has to deliver, because squad planning ahead of the current season didn’t go smoothly. Insiders describe it as “somewhat chaotic”—and that’s setting aside the failed signings of Nick Woltemade and Florian Wirtz. Here, too, the criticism is that Eberl is too lax with the club’s money. His transfer ideas—had they been implemented—would have led to a veritable explosion in costs and an overcrowded bench, say his critics.
Pressure makes diamonds, eh?
Eberl’s track record for finding talent has been great, but the contract extensions he doled out in the last two seasons are going to continue to come under close scrutiny as the club looks to invest in its roster and balance cost vs. depth.
While outsiders will never know fully what happens within the walls of Säbener Straße, it does appear as if the there could be issues with interpersonal dynamics, which could be working against Eberl as well.
It might be fair to wonder if Eberl, who has experienced burnout in the past, will want to continue onward after his deal ends in 2027 as well. While maybe not a hostile work environment, it does appear to be one that can be difficult to navigate.
Clearly, both the club and Eberl will have to decide if the partnership is going to continue onward after the 2026/27 campaign.
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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