David Alaba backs Hasan Salihamidzic’s work at Bayern Munich
David Alaba has heaped praise on Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic for the impact he has made since joining the club.
Bayern Munich are not expected to make any changes to their leadership structure in the next few years. Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness have already extended their contracts, despite talks of Oliver Kahn assuming a leadership role at the club. The last major appointment in the club’s administration was the appointment of Hasan Salihamidzic to the role of sporting director in 2017.
There has been a lot of criticism directed toward Salihamidzic this season. The major talking point has been Bayern’s lack of signings in the past two transfer windows. The Bayern bosses, meanwhile, have supported Salihamidzic during this barrage of criticism. Speaking to Spox, David Alaba also praised the former Bayern midfielder for the progress he has made since taking over as sporting director. Alaba added that Salihamidzic has a great understanding with all the players due to his experience playing at the highest level.
"“In his first season, he had other things to do. Now everything has become routine for him and he is taking on more and more tasks. He is doing a very good job and has settled very well.“The communication between him and us is very regular. He knows when he has to intervene. If he has something to say he approaches the players and searches for a chat. You realize that he has experience as a player. He’s able to see things from a player’s point of view very well.”"
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Die Roten have already signed Benjamin Pavard for next season, and they are actively pursuing both Lucas Hernandez and Callum Hudson-Odoi. Bayern are also reportedly looking for a young holding midfielder to add to their ranks. The club was able to beat various European clubs to sign Leon Goretzka and Alphonso Davies last summer, but they made no other moves.
Alaba praised his club for targeting younger players in the market. However, he believes that younger players are not going to be the only focus of Bayern in the summer.
The Bavarians have always believed in nurturing young talent rather than going all-out for superstars. Joshua Kimmich and Kingsley Coman are a few prime examples of this policy.
Salihamidzic will be very busy in the summer trying to secure his desired moves. He worked hard to sign Hudson-Odoi in January, as Bayern made four bids for the teenager, but Chelsea held firm in their stance that the teenager was not for sale.
The likes of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are set to leave in summer, while there is some uncertainty around the future of a few other senior players. Brazzo will have to find a perfect strategy to find good replacements for these veteran players.
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The former Bayern midfielder has become more and more vocal with the media after recent games. He was criticized for not speaking to the press frequently, instead allowing Rummenigge and Hoeness to speak instead. Salihamidzic is always in the dugout during games, though, and he is slowly getting accustomed to the responsibilities of his position. Seeing what players renew their contracts at the club and who is brought in will allow for better judgment of just how well he is performing in his new role.