“You can’t go into the season with 45 players,” Bayern director Max Eberl mocks Chelsea for buying ‘too much players’ ahead of 2024/25 season

Bayern Munich director Max Eberl humorously criticized Chelsea's 44-man squad while explaining the club's decision to sell Matthijs de Ligt.

“You can’t go into the season with 45 players,” Bayern director Max Eberl mocks Chelsea for buying ‘too much players’ ahead of 2024/25 season

Bayern Munich director Max Eberl took a playful jibe at Chelsea's inflated 44-man squad ahead of the new season (via Forbes/YouTube)

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl took a dig at Chelsea over their bloated 44-man squad, while also explaining the German club’s decision to sell Matthijs de Ligt. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has been struggling to manage such a large group of players.

Bayern Munich has been quite active in the summer transfer window, bringing in and letting go of several key players. After shockingly missing out on the Bundesliga title last season, the club aims to reclaim the trophy under newly appointed manager Vincent Kompany. They have added EPL talents Palhinha and Michael Olise, along with Japanese defender Hiroki Ito. At the same time, they parted ways with two key players, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.

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Ahead of their season opener against Wolfsburg, Bayern director Max Eberl explained that the recent transfer moves were driven by concerns about potential issues with an overly large squad. Moreover, he also emphasized the importance of maintaining a healthy, well-planned team throughout the season and giving young players opportunities to develop.

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Inflating a squad is not good.... You can go through the season like Chelsea with 44 players, but that becomes difficult for the coach to manage. Then you have to steal jersey numbers, but we don't do that at FC Bayern.
Bayern Munich director Max Eberl on Chelsea (via The Mirror)

The Bayern chief also took a cheeky dig at Chelsea’s recent transfer dealings and their massive squad size, humorously suggesting that Chelsea players might have to ‘steal’ jersey numbers just to secure a spot in the team.

Additionally, the 50-year-old Bayern director spoke about the financial considerations of their transfer activities, noting that the club has sold talents worth €70 million this summer. Eberl stressed that all decisions were made purely based on the club’s strategic needs.

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Media reports indicate Bayern Munich director Max Eberl wanted to sign Jonathan Tah, despite board reluctance

German media outlets recently reported that Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl was highly interested in signing Bayer Leverkusen’s Jonathan Tah, despite the board’s reluctance. The potential transfer of the 28-year-old could have bolstered Bayern’s underperforming defense.

Max Eberl Jonathan Tah
Bayern Munich director Max Eberl wished to sign Jonathan Tah, despite board’s reluctance. (via FC Bayern)

Bayern Munich board members were reportedly divided over the potential transfer of the player from Leverkusen. Max Eberl was, however, keen on signing the defender. Despite Eberl making a final offer, the Bavarian giants did not pursue the transfer further. The 50-year-old director still remains interested in the German star and could potentially try to sign him on a free transfer next summer.

Additionally, further reports suggest that the club sold Dutch center-back Matthijs de Ligt to Manchester United this summer to make way for the German defender’s transfer, but the deal failed to materialize.

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