This Saturday at 02:45 Beijing time (CEST), Bayern Munich will host Stuttgart in their first home Bundesliga match of the new season. Ahead of the match, Eberl attended the team's press conference and discussed the club's transfer plans, the future of Serge Gnabry, Sacha Boey, and other matters.

Are you still feeling excitement or nervousness before the start of the season? What does everyone feel before the first match?

Even after countless seasons as a player and winning countless trophies, that sense of anticipation at the start of a season never goes away. It's something special; you genuinely look forward to the season starting, and the long summer break finally ends.

Although players' vacations are different from previous years now, that strong feeling of anticipation and accompanying tension are always present. I remember last year's opening match against Leipzig, where we won 6:0 away; that was an outstanding victory.

But success never comes automatically. As Kompany said, all achievements require us to fight for them again. The rhythm and form we had last season need to be gradually rebuilt from scratch.

Even if most of the squad remains unchanged and players still have their abilities, the most important aspect is building strong mentality. Starting a new season, we must never take past achievements for granted. All results are achieved through hard work. The biggest challenge at the start of the season is getting off to a good start, thereby creating momentum for future ambitious goals.

After watching the German Cup final, everyone knew you were in a bad mood for obvious reasons. But within just a few weeks, you've recovered from that low by 100%. Congratulations. How do you assess the emotional journey of the past few weeks? What is your current situation?

The last two years at Bayern Munich have been very intense. The German Cup final was just an intermediate stage. Although the joy was somewhat overshadowed by certain events, the club handled all subsequent challenges very well.

Bringing the German Cup trophy back to Munich after ten years filled me with genuine elation. On the night of victory, I even enjoyed a cigar as a reward for myself. It was a well-deserved reward, and I fully savored the joy that this victory brought.

Over the past two years, I have worked hard for Bayern Munich. I have collaborated with Freund, Dreesen, and others with the goal of building a team capable of achieving great results in the 2024-25 season. This is my mission.

I am fully committed to this work and hope to prove myself through my achievements, working toward contract extension. This has been my sole objective for the past two years. During this time, I tried hard to ignore external distractions and trust only in the club's core inner circle. Ultimately, the value of my work was recognized, and I was given the confidence to continue my role. For this, I am genuinely grateful.

With only a few days left until the transfer window closes, can you be 100% certain there will be no new signings?

As long as the transfer window is open, I will never give a 100% definitive answer. What if at the very end of the transfer window a top-class free agent suddenly becomes available and I can't sign him because I previously said with 100% certainty there would be no new signings? That would be a missed opportunity. So at this moment, regarding transfers, I'm giving it a 99% probability that there will be no new signings.

In your view, how did the transition occur from initial external dissatisfaction with your work to the current high level of recognition? Looking back at when you first took the position, you were unfamiliar with Bayern's internal environment, but now much has changed. According to reports, the board now communicates more smoothly with the supervisory board; the management structure has changed, with only one chief financial officer remaining instead of two, which may provide you greater support. Moreover, most of the new signings you initiated, including the head coach, have been successful. How do you view all of this?

In answering your question, as a sporting director, an excellent track record and several successful transfer operations undoubtedly help cement one's position. Objectively speaking, we have shown very good results in building the squad.

My biggest realization over two years at Bayern Munich is that you can gradually master the professional skills of a sporting director and refine your abilities at any club. But for Bayern Munich, you can never be fully prepared in advance.

Only when you're there can you truly understand what this club means. Nobody can tell you beforehand what will happen here. You must fully commit yourself and personally experience everything at Bayern Munich to be competent in this role.

It also requires a long adaptation period among the management team. In the past, there were several personnel changes at the board level: first I and Michael Edinak took office, then Ruben Kasper joined, and Dreesen was on the verge of leaving but ultimately decided to stay.

Everyone needs time to adapt and come together as a team. I decided to focus on my responsibilities and humbly accept advice from others. I know that nobody is born knowing how to navigate Bayern's ways; all experience can only be gained here through doing.

By performing my job to the best of my ability, I gradually came to understand Bayern Munich, and this is one reason why I was able to secure a contract extension. However, I want to emphasize that this contract extension is by no means a gift, but rather the result of hard work and step-by-step effort. My contribution was recognized, and I have earned the trust, for which I am immensely grateful and proud.

This summer the team recalled Serge Gnabry, initially planning for him to be a backup to Luis Díaz, but recently there have been reports that he may leave. Can you confirm this rumor? Second question: Sacha Boey was absent from the team photo session at Oktoberfest, and the club stated he is not in plans for the new season. Are there any new developments on this matter? Is it likely his departure will be completed soon?

First, regarding Sacha Boey, from the outset we made it clear both externally and to the player and his agent that he will not be part of the team's plans for the new season. Therefore, he will not participate in any club marketing activities. This is the plan, and the final outcome will be known after the transfer window closes on September 1.

As for Serge Gnabry, he had a very impressive season on loan at Heidenheim last season. We appreciate his intensity and development, which is why we recalled him this summer. He fully participated in preseason training and received plenty of playing opportunities.

However, it is currently quite difficult for him to establish himself in the squad, so the club is open to options: if a mature and viable offer appears that benefits both sides, we are prepared to let him go. But even then, there is still a 99% probability that we will not be signing new players, as I already mentioned.

Переведено ИИ.

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