Bayern Munich has received plaudits over the last 12 months for being proactive in the contract renewals of key players. The Bavarian club also had a brilliant summer transfer window. They managed to address key areas quickly and brought in funds through sales of fringe and wantaway players.
The key man behind the squad planning at Bayern in the last year or so is Hasan Salihamidzic. Bayern’s sporting director has managed to silence his critics by doing a fine job in building a quality squad that can compete across all fronts under the coaching of Julian Nagelsmann.
Hasan Salihamidzic was rewarded for his work as sporting director on Monday. The AG supervisory board unanimously agreed at a meeting on Monday to extend Salihamidzic’s contract until 2026. The former Bayern midfielder’s current deal was set to expire at the end of next season.
In an official statement from Bayern, club president Herbert Hainer insisted that Salihamidzic has done a great job of keeping the team competitive in the last five years. Hainer also praised Salihamidzic for maintaining high sporting standards amidst testing financial situations.
"“During his five years in the FC Bayern management, Hasan Salihamidžić has done an excellent job. He is constantly advancing the sporting side of our first team and young talents, both structurally and personnel-wise. As well as our targets on the pitch, he always keeps in mind the financial conditions.”"
Salihamidzic had to weather the storm in the last two summer transfer windows. The Bavarian club was reluctant to spend heavily due to financial losses incurred due to the pandemic. The approach in the transfer market was slightly chaotic, which brought a lot of scrutiny to Hasan Salihamidzic.
After fans returned to the stadium last season and things got back to normality, Bayern was very active in the current transfer window. They completed ambitious deals to bring Matthijs de Ligt and Sadio Mane to Bavaria. Die Roten also managed to sign some of the best young talents in Europe (Ryan Gravenberch, Mattys Tel, and Noussair Mazraoui).
Salihamidzic also made sure that Bayern dictated terms while negotiating the departure of Robert Lewandowski. Rekordmeister ended up getting a club record fee for the Polish striker. Bayern does not have enormous financial backing like state-owned clubs, so they must be efficient and smart in the transfer market.
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Hasan Salihamidzic has grown into the Sporting Director role in the past five years. Die Roten has managed to win all possible trophies during this period. The former Bayern midfielder will be hoping to emulate similar success in the next four years. The contract renewal is a well-deserved accolade for Salihamidzic, which will motivate him further to improve sporting standards at the club.