BERLIN (AP) 鈥 Bayern Munich鈥檚 transfer chief, Max Eberl, delivered an impassioned defense of his work Friday after being accused by club power broker Uli Hoene脽 of being 鈥渜uite sensitive.鈥
贬辞别苍别脽, , still wields considerable power at the club after spending more than 40 years at its forefront in an official capacity. But he鈥檚 also known for his blunt manner and for antagonizing and alike.
Hoene脽 told a TV talk show last weekend that Eberl, the club鈥檚 board member for sport, was struggling with the demands of such a position.
鈥淪uch a tough job leads to disagreements,鈥 Hoene脽 told broadcaster Sport1鈥檚 Doppelpass. 鈥淜arl-Heinz Rummenigge and I often had furious arguments, but as soon as the door went behind us, it was OK again. Max is quite sensitive about that.鈥
Hoene脽 suggested that Eberl was dealing with much larger sums of money at Bayern than he was used to from his time at Borussia M枚nchengladbach.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 want to be solely responsible for that as a manager,鈥 Hoene脽 said. 鈥淚t would also be good for Max if he finally understands that it鈥檚 spread across several shoulders. I do think he has his problems with that.鈥
鈥業t鈥檚 all about feeling鈥
Asked about Uli Hoene脽鈥 comments on Friday and his own personal reaction to them, Eberl defended the manner of his work.
鈥淚 started here 16 or 17 months ago in March and it was certainly no straightforward situation,鈥 said Eberl, who had to find a new coach to replace the departing Thomas Tuchel.
鈥淲e鈥檙e talking about 鈥榮ensitive.鈥 First, we have to define the word. It means to perceive or feel. For me it means to be ready to fight for something. If you don鈥檛 feel, if you just do your job, then that鈥檚 very cold. I think the whole world and our whole society is very cold and ruthless, especially when we talk about people who make decisions in the world today. They鈥檙e very ruthless and selfish people. And for me, it鈥檚 all about feeling, because I do what I do with passion. I鈥檓 passionate about it. And that鈥檚 basically how I started the job.鈥
Eberl鈥檚 decision to appoint for Tuchel鈥檚 successor has proved astute as the Belgian led Bayern to the Bundesliga title last season and brought a sense of harmony to the team after friction under Tuchel.
Loan complication
Eberl has since overseen contract extensions for key players like , , and , but his plans to bolster the squad over the summer were complicated when Hoene脽 announced the club should only sign players on loan following . Bayern ultimately signed Senegal forward on the last day of the transfer period.
Eberl had already failed to sign Germany players and , while Bayern has a smaller squad after the departures of , and .
鈥淲e鈥檝e started to bring down costs and to generate income. That鈥檚 what I stand for and that鈥檚 what we鈥檙e working for,鈥 Eberl said.
Before he joined Bayern in March 2024, Eberl was after management there felt he wasn鈥檛 committed enough amid Bayern鈥檚 interest. He previously spent 23 years at Gladbach, but quit as the club’s sporting director in January 2022 .
Not leaving
Eberl on Friday denied reports he was thinking of leaving Bayern.
鈥淢y heart is here. I鈥檝e never considered quitting because I still have far too much to do,鈥 Eberl said.
鈥淚 want to be successful with Bayern Munich. That鈥檚 what I get up for every day, that鈥檚 what I fight for every day. And everyone can debate my feelings as they wish.鈥
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