FC Bayern have officially confirmed for the first time that they made a concrete move for attacking player Antony on deadline day. Christoph Freund spoke openly with Sky about the turbulent last day of the summer transfer window – and explained how close the Munich club actually came to signing the Brazilian. While Antony has since signed permanently with Betis Sevilla, a look back shows how active Bayern were once again shortly before the transfer deadline.
The final hours of the summer window were some of the most hectic in the record champions‘ recent history. „It wasn’t a completely quiet time. A lot happened,“ said sporting director Christoph Freund, looking back. For the first time, he publicly confirmed that Antony’s name was high on Munich’s list. „We looked at a few players, Anthony was also on the list. There was also a conversation, but that’s in the past.“
Freund thus confirmed what had already been leaked in recent days. Antony himself had revealed in an interview that there had even been a personal phone call with Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. „Yes, the transfer window closed the next day at seven or eight in the evening, if I’m not mistaken. On the last day, when everything was going so well here at Betis, the call from Bayern Munich also came,“ the 25-year-old reported.
Kompany’s call, Antony’s decision – and Bayern’s conclusion
However, the winger was already on the books at Betis Sevilla at the time, having joined the Andalusians permanently for a transfer fee of €22 million following his loan from Manchester United. Munich had to react accordingly and opted to loan attacker Nicolas Jackson, who arrived from London shortly before the transfer deadline, later that evening.
The fact that Vincent Kompany called Antony personally shows how serious the German record champions were. Nevertheless, Bayern were ultimately unsuccessful – not because of financial discrepancies, but because the player had already made a clear decision. The Brazilian felt comfortable at Betis, the sporting prospects and the appreciation were right. FCB were therefore only left with a change to plan B.
Despite the failed move, Freund is positive about the summer transfer window. „We’re very happy with how the squad is currently set up. We know what that time was like, but in the end we came out well and are satisfied,“ he explained. The statement fits in seamlessly with the current sporting situation: Bayern remain unbeaten in all competitions this season and are stable and variable under Kompany.