Karl-Heinz Rummenigge says Bayern Munich will be making personnel changes

There’s no disguising the fact that Bayern Munich had a rocky start to their 2018/2019 campaign. However, Niko Kovac’s men have enjoyed a bright finish to the Hinrunde, having won 5 matches, drawn one, and boasted an impressive goal difference of +15 across competitions in December. Once again, they’ve had unfortunate luck with injuries in what seems to be a recurring theme every season, which has certainly made life difficult for Kovac at times.

Moving forward, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has confirmed that the club does, in fact, plan on making some additions to the squad in the coming winter and summer transfer windows. In a recent interview with kicker (via Sport1), Rummenigge revealed that Bayern is more than ready to make some personnel changes in the coming months:

We have to make a change — which affects the squad as well as the management level. FC Bayern is stable both on the field and economically. We’ve been allowed to celebrate everything the team has won for a long time. We want to continue to write this story of success.

Bayern has been linked in recent weeks with potential winter transfers, namely Atletico Madrid’s Lucas Hernandez, who would likely cost Bayern around €80m. If the juice is worth the squeeze, so to speak, Bayern would be ready to pounce on the opportunity, but Rummenigge says they have no intention of spending as much money as some of Europe’s other elite clubs have been spending:

You can’t make the mistake of being in a financial race with clubs like Paris, Man City, and Liverpool. Bayern has no fear of spending money, but will not take financial risks. These new players have to bring top quality and make the team better. I don’t want to stray from the path of being known for financial stability.

What Bayern has to do better with than its European competitors, Rummenigge continued, is maintain the speed at which they identify and sign new players and develop younger players:

We have to be quicker with the new players than our competition is. Our scouting department is well-built to get talent quicker than clubs in Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester, or elsewhere. The quality and players that we get need to align with the goals of our changes. We’ve already started this in phase one, by introducing a significant number of young players.

Moving forward, Rummenigge said that a majority of personnel changes will occur in the summer and beyond. The club is in a really good place financially, and he said that they’re ready to make the necessary changes for the betterment of Bayern as a whole:

The change is largely going to take place this summer. In case we need a third phase, it will occur the year after, as contracts expire. We’ll work through these changes. I’m not afraid of that. I’ve experienced more difficult years in 2007 and 2012. Today, the club is significantly better off financially than before.