Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has revealed how a four-hour telephone conversation helped convince him that Vincent Kompany was the right man to succeed Thomas Tuchel, despite the Belgian coach’s relegation with Burnley in the Premier League.
In an interview published by Bayern’s official 51 magazine on Thursday, Eberl described Kompany’s appointment as a decision driven by his footballing philosophy, personality and potential rather than the disappointing outcome of his final season in England.
Kompany joined Bayern in May 2024 after Burnley finished 19th in the Premier League and returned to the Championship, having won promotion from the second tier with 101 points the previous season.
Eberl acknowledged that presenting the former Manchester City captain as his first-choice candidate might initially have attracted scepticism, given the circumstances surrounding Burnley’s relegation.
“If I had presented Vincent Kompany as my very first choice, I don’t know what the reaction would have been. The manager of relegated Burnley as Thomas Tuchel’s successor?” Eberl said, reflecting on how the appointment might initially have been received.
The sporting director explained that Bayern had assessed several candidates before turning to Kompany. Julian Nagelsmann was among those considered but opted to take charge of Germany’s national team, while Ralf Rangnick also pursued a different direction.
Eberl said the reports he received about Kompany, then Burnley’s young manager, were consistently positive. He eventually decided to contact the Belgian directly before Bayern’s Champions League semifinal against Real Madrid.
The conversation lasted approximately four hours, ending only when Eberl had to leave for a team meeting.
“I hung up and thought: Wow, this feels good! He’s a real character,” Eberl recalled, explaining that he subsequently asked Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund to conduct his own assessment. Freund returned equally convinced, according to Eberl.
Footballing philosophy outweighed Burnley’s relegation
Eberl said Bayern viewed Kompany’s approach to football differently from those who might have judged him solely by Burnley’s relegation.
After earning promotion with 101 points in the 2022–23 Championship season, Burnley struggled in the Premier League and finished 19th in 2023–24. But Eberl saw the team’s commitment to an ambitious style as a positive rather than evidence that its manager could not adapt.
Kompany, he argued, wanted his team to compete proactively against opponents with greater financial resources instead of retreating into a defensive approach simply to secure a draw.
“He has a clear footballing philosophy,” Eberl said. “He wanted to win games, and I saw that as a positive.”
The Bayern executive added that he understood Pep Guardiola regarded Kompany as a potential successor at Manchester City when the Spaniard eventually decided to leave his post.
According to Eberl, Bayern’s leadership discussed the appointment with club figures Jan-Christian Dreesen and Herbert Hainer involved in the process. He proposed that former Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and honorary president Uli Hoeneß contact Guardiola, with whom they had a good relationship.
Eberl said the response came approximately two hours after that call: “Okay, let’s do it!”
Late-night negotiations in Manchester
The final stage of the process took Eberl and Freund to Manchester for a meeting with Kompany.
Eberl recalled that the discussion continued until around 3 a.m., when Kompany said he wanted to sleep on the decision and speak to his wife before committing.
The Bayern executive joked that he lay down on Kompany’s sofa and told the coach that Hoeneß had instructed him not to leave the house until the deal was signed.
Kompany agreed to join Bayern but insisted that he first needed to speak with his wife. Eberl said the coach eventually managed to usher him out of the house, recounting the episode with laughter.
Bayern officially appointed Kompany on May 29, 2024, confirming that he had signed a contract through June 2027. The appointment followed Tuchel’s departure at the end of the 2023–24 season.
Eberl’s account offers a detailed explanation of the thinking behind a decision that initially appeared unconventional: Bayern looked beyond Burnley’s relegation and focused on the coach’s ideas, character and long-term potential.
The sporting director’s recollection also highlights the role of direct conversations and internal assessments in the recruitment process, with the eventual appointment emerging from a combination of personal conviction, staff support and consultation with trusted football figures.