Bayern Munich: Uli Hoeness urges Thomas Tuchel to change approach for transfers
Bayern Munich had an eventful summer transfer window. They broke their transfer record by signing Harry Kane from Tottenham Hotspur. The English striker was the top target for Bayern in the number nine position after losing Robert Lewandowski to FC Barcelona in 2022.
The Bavarian club also managed to get a club record fee for Lucas Hernandez, while a significant profit was earned on the sale of Ryan Gravenberch. Bayern ended up having a positive net spent in the summer. However, the summer transfer window ended with disappointment due to failure to get deals over the line for a holding midfielder and versatile defender.
Bayern worked on a deal to sign Joao Palhinha from Fulham. Everything was agreed, but Fulham’s failure to get a quality replacement for the Portuguese midfielder scuppered the move. The record Bundesliga champions also failed to sign Trevoh Chalobah or Armel Bella-Kotchap to replace Benjamin Pavard.
Thomas Tuchel was disappointed with the way the transfer window ended for Rekordmeister. The German coach publicly insisted that the squad was thin for the first half of the season. While talking to RTL this week (via iMiaSanMia), Uli Hoeness urged Tuchel to stop making transfer demands in the media.
"“Those statements are a feast for the media, especially for the tabloids. Some, including the coach, made unwise statements – because I shouldn’t make my own team look bad by saying our squad is too thin. When you see what kind of players we have on the bench every weekend, then we don’t have a thin squad.”"
Hoeness is not expecting Bayern to be busy in January, but the club’s hand is likely to be forced in the winter transfer window. There is currently an injury crisis in the defense, as Matthijs de Ligt and Dayot Upamecano are on the sidelines. Kim Min-jae is the only fit senior center-back, so a new center-back needs to be signed in January.
Meanwhile, Tuchel has only three options in the squad for two midfield roles in his preferred 4-2-3-1 system. Konrad Laimer is one of the midfield options who had to play regularly in the right-back position this season. The German coach wants to sign a defensive midfielder since he believes Kimmich is more of a eight than a number six.
Tuchel wanted to send out a statement to Bayern’s board by openly talking about transfers in the media. He may eventually get the players, but it is a dangerous game to play at a club like Die Roten. It will be much better for everyone if transfer discussions or problems are resolved internally.
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Hoeness also confirmed that Bayern decided against offering a contract to Jerome Boateng due to his involvement in legal cases. Die Roten considered signing Boateng in the past couple of weeks due to injuries to other senior defenders. The German defender continues to train at Sabner Strasse until he finds a new club.