Hoeneß hails Eberl after Bayern transfer success and apologises for ‘naive’ remarks over future

Uli Hoeneß says he has personally apologised to Max Eberl for publicly casting doubt on the Bayern Munich sporting director’s long‐term future, and now believes there is “100%” certainty he will remain in the role.

The Bayern honorary president had previously put the chances of Eberl staying beyond this summer at “60 to 40” in comments made before the DFB-Pokal final against Stuttgart, despite the sporting director being under contract until June 2027. Those remarks were widely interpreted as a public questioning of Eberl’s position at the Allianz Arena.

Speaking to German broadcaster SPORT1 on Thursday, Hoeneß admitted he misjudged both the timing and impact of his interview with magazine Der Spiegel.

“First of all, I have to say I was very angry with myself,” he said, explaining that he had assumed the interview would appear a week later. He described that assumption as “naive”.

According to Hoeneß, the magazine decided to publish the piece on the morning of the cup final. “Obviously they liked my comments a lot, so they were published on Saturday morning,” he said. “That meant I didn’t treat Max properly before the cup match, and I apologised to him for that as well.”

Hoeneß now says there is no doubt in his mind about Eberl’s future at Bayern. Asked about the sporting director’s prospects of remaining in his post, he replied: “At the moment, I think it’s 100%.”

Transfers strengthen Eberl’s position

Hoeneß highlighted Bayern’s recent work in the transfer market as a key reason for his satisfaction with Eberl.

He pointed to the club’s summer business for the second consecutive season, stressing the role played by Eberl and fellow sporting director Christoph Freund in securing what the hierarchy view as important signings.

Hoeneß singled out the arrivals of Nathaniel Brown and Ismail Saibari, describing them as players Bayern “needed”, and noted that the supervisory board had approved both deals “with great pleasure”.

The Moroccan international Saibari, Hoeneß revealed, first caught his eye on the biggest stage. He said the midfielder had particularly impressed him during the World Cup, prompting Bayern’s move.

Brown, who has joined from Eintracht Frankfurt, was described by Hoeneß as “a tremendous talent”. He underlined the 19‐year‐old’s commitment to Bayern by saying: “He had offers from England, but he never considered them. He was desperate to join Bayern Munich. I love players like that.”

Sales bring in significant funds

Hoeneß also praised the club’s outgoing transfer business, emphasising the financial returns achieved from player sales this summer.

He listed Noel Aseko, Daniel Peretz, Alexander Nubel and Jonah Kusi-Asare as examples of deals that had generated important income for Bayern, underlining the effectiveness of the club’s current recruitment and sales strategy under Eberl and Freund.

The 72‐year‐old’s public endorsement marks a notable shift in tone from his earlier reservations, which had created uncertainty around Eberl ahead of the domestic cup final.

Hoeneß’s latest comments appear aimed at drawing a line under that episode, restoring internal backing for Eberl and underlining Bayern’s confidence in the sporting leadership now shaping the squad for the coming seasons.