At the Legends Cup, Uli Hoeneß once again presented himself with a strong opinion – not only as a Bayern patriarch, but also as an objective critic. His statements on transfer policy contain clear flashbacks to last summer’s criticism.
In the summer, FC Bayern was often questioned for its personnel decisions. In an interview with MagentaTV, Hoeneß recalls the headlines: „In the summer, we were still described as poor transfer specialists, supposedly we had done nothing and spent no money.“ Today, with an eleven-point lead over Borussia Dortmund and impressive international appearances, this assessment is outdated.
In his view, the squad planning was well-considered – even if it looked different in the autumn. „We were ridiculed because the squad was supposedly too small,“ Hoeneß says in retrospect. But it was precisely this bottleneck situation that opened up opportunities for young players, he emphasises. The club made a conscious decision not to make expensive last-minute additions, even if the media assessed it differently. „If all the players who were offered to us had come, there would be no room for these young players today.“
One example of this is Lennart Karl. The 17-year-old is currently attracting attention with his courageous performances and is one of the beneficiaries of the deliberately narrow squad structure. Without this planning, his breakthrough would hardly have been possible.
Hoeneß on disappointed Kompany: „He rolled up his sleeves“
The transfer decisions were not always easy, even for coach Vincent Kompany. According to Hoeneß, however, he reacted professionally, even if he was disappointed by some failed transfers: „He rolled up his sleeves – and we can see the results now.“
The summer of transfers in 2025 was initially seen as mixed in the media. Missed signings such as Florian Wirtz and Nick Woltemade, late changes of direction and the expensive loan of Nicolas Jackson caused unrest. However, Hoeneß does not see these as mistakes, but rather targeted decisions. Above all, he sees the adherence to a leaner squad and the trust in talents such as Karl, Tom Bischof and David Santos Daiber as success factors.
His conclusion is clear: „We deliberately kept the squad small and did not bring in the many expensive players that were demanded by the media in particular.“ A clear statement and a look back at a course that has more than proven itself so far in January 2026.
