FC Bayern has gradually rebuilt its roster over the past two years. Sporting Director Max Eberl believes the club has made significant progress along this path and has now explained the philosophy behind the current roster planning.
With the signings of Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari, as well as the targeted development of its own youth talents, FC Bayern is pursuing a clear plan for the future. This process began two years ago—and, according to sporting director Max Eberl, is now well underway.
On the sidelines of the Audi Summer Tour in Jeju, the 52-year-old explained what the club’s leadership prioritizes when putting together the roster and why flexibility plays a central role in the process.
Eberl prioritizes quality over quantity
“There are situations, there are games, there are moments when the coach will have to react. And it is precisely this flexibility that we wanted to give the coach, so that he has the options to bring different ideas to life,” Eberl explained.
This versatility extends far beyond the defense. “It’s present in defense and midfield, but also in the attack. There, too, we have different types of players who can adapt to different opponents and different systems.”
The Bayern boss made it clear that this exact squad structure had been the goal from the very beginning: “The goal has always been to have 15 or 16 professionals. The rest should be young guys who push from behind and, to a certain extent, breathe new life into the squad. Just like Lenny did last year.”
Eberl was referring to Lennart Karl, who earned a spot in the first team last season thanks to strong performances in training and preseason friendlies. The record champions hope to continue down this path with other young talents in the future.
For Eberl, however, it was always clear that the rebuild couldn’t be completed in a single summer: “When I started, I already said that what we’re beginning and what we have in mind will take a little while. It can’t be done in a single transfer window—it’s going to take a little while.”
Now, two years later, the sporting director believes FC Bayern is on the right track: “We’re two years down the road now and have already implemented a great deal of what we envisioned.”
These statements underscore Munich’s long-term approach. Instead of relying on the largest possible roster, FC Bayern will focus in the future on a smaller group of established professionals, supplemented by promising young players from the academy. This is intended to give head coach Vincent Kompany maximum flexibility—while also regularly giving young talents the chance to prove themselves for higher-level roles in the long term.