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The rumors had been circulating for months and months. Sammer was getting an extension. Sammer was not getting another contract. Sammer had a conflict with Pep Guardiola, so he was getting fired. And on and on and on.
With a contract set to expire at the end of the 2014-15 season, and no official announcement on an extension, journalists had been free to speculate on what would happen to the 47-year old sporting director.
Will He Stay?
Some were saying that it was just a formality, and the extension was about to be signed. Based on titles accumulated during his tenure (the domestic double of Bundesliga titles and DFB Pokals in both years, plus the long overdue Champions League title in 2013 to complete the first German triple in history, among others), it was hard to question his record.
Or Will He Go?
Others saw the hiring of Michael Reschke as Technical Director in June of this year as the beginning of the end, predicting that Reschke had been lured away from Bayer Leverkusen in order to replace Sammer. This side would argue that Sammer had little to do with the recent success, and was just profiting from the acquisitions made by his predecessors and others in the management team, like Uli Hoeness and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
He's Staying!
Well, the time for speculation (some call it "wild-ass guessing") is over. Today, FC Bayern president Karl Hopfner announced that Sammer's contract has been extended for 3 years, through 2018. His responsibilities will remain the same, or, as Hopfner put it "...setting the lineup is the coach's job, but everything else around it is up to Matthias."
Roster Questions
While they were at it, Sammer answered some questions from the reporters on what, if anything, Bayern was planning on doing about compensating for the injuries, including the latest one to Philipp Lahm. The short answer? Nothing! In his opinion, the roster is deep enough that they can absorb the absences (eight long-term injuries so far this season), and Bayern will not be making any moves.
When prompted about the recent reports about Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Xherdan Shaqiri looking for a move away from the club, Sammer acknowledged that people will talk about stuff like that, but that this is now a chance for them to show their worth.
No Pressure, Matthias!
Karl Hopfner couldn't help but pile on some pressure on Sammer at the end of the press conference, saying that in the coming four seasons, it was possible to average four titles per season. He added with a chuckle, "A little pressure is good." Get to work, Matthias!