Jan-Christian Dreesen couldn’t resist taking a little dig at former Bayern coach Thomas Tuchel. On SPORT1’s “Doppelpass,” the FC Bayern CEO was asked about recent reports suggesting that Vincent Kompany would have liked to sign another high-profile player this summer. Dreesen responded with a joke about Kompany’s predecessor.
In addition to Nathaniel Brown and Ismael Saibari, the Munich club had also signed Bara Sapoko Ndiaye over the summer. However, it was recently reported that Kompany had wanted another top-tier player for his squad.
The Belgian himself recently and firmly denied this account. Now Dreesen has also been confronted with the issue. In the process, the Bayern boss brought up Tuchel. “He would have said, ‘Why only three?’” Dreesen joked, referring to the former Bayern coach.
Dreesen recalls Tuchel’s transfer requests
Behind this statement lies a reference to Tuchel’s time with the German record champions. The current England coach had publicly and repeatedly emphasized his desire for a defensive midfielder in particular.
At the time, Tuchel wanted to sign a classic ball-winner for the center of the midfield. Over the course of months, the search for a so-called “holding six” became one of the dominant transfer topics surrounding FC Bayern.
Dreesen’s comment on “Doppelpass” was thus meant as a playful dig at the former Bayern coach. At the same time, the current discussion shows how differently the situation under Kompany is perceived.
Kompany himself refused to stand by reports claiming that the current Bayern coach had insisted on signing another high-profile player this summer.
Kompany clearly refutes the reports
“I’m totally surprised that this has made the rounds somewhere in the world. That’s a little crazy,” Kompany said in response to the reports.
The 40-year-old also emphasized: “I haven’t even woken up with that thought in my head once in the last three months.”
In doing so, the Bayern coach refuted the claim that he had pressed club officials for another major transfer. Sporting director Christoph Freund had also recently stated that he speaks with Kompany daily and that such a demand had never come up.
The Munich club deliberately opted for a comparatively compact roster this summer. In addition to the established pros, this is intended to give young players regular opportunities as well.