Salihamidzic: Bayern Munich unlikely to go for winter transfers, despite support for Flick

Bayern Munich’s sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic gave an extensive interview to Bild in which he discussed Hansi Flick’s comments about the need for two winter signings. Flick explained his remarks after Salihamidzic expressed surprise that the interim coach had seemingly pushed for transfers by using the media.

Salihamidzic said that he did not view Flick’s request as criticism of himself and obviously wants to move on: “No. But the subject is closed for me. And my impression is that it is for Hansi, too.” Salihamidzic also confirmed that the club has ended its search for a coach for the present — “Of course!” He added:

We just extended with Hansi for half a year, and it’s quite obvious that we will use all our strength to support him.

There are limitations to what the club can do, though. Salihamidzic confirmed that Bayern Munich will not bring Leroy Sané to Munich in January — “That is not an option for this winter,” he said. He also explained Bayern’s dilemma in searching for reinforcements in the winter transfer window, despite Flick’s wishes. He said,

Hansi has the full support of the club. But transfers are always tied to two factors. The financial framework has to fit and — even more important — the quality of the player must be right. It is not easy to reinforce our team sensibly. The transfer market is moreover thin in the winter.

Despite Bayern’s shortage of fit first-team players, especially on the wings, Salihamidzic does not view the season as in jeopardy. He said emphasized in-house solutions, but left the door to a winter transfer at least open a crack:

We currently have a phase in which there suddenly are players out, which cannot please a coach. In such a phase, you have to stand together especially closely and thing jointly about what is best. And often then solutions emerge from unexpected ways: for example, young players who are thrown in the deep end and surprise you, or position changes that were not planned, but function. Or a transfer. We have to see.

Salihamidzic stressed the balancing act he must perform to maintain Bayern’s ambitions without sacrificing the future of the club:

Our task is to manage the present and simultaneously plan and guarantee the future of FC Bayern. We try to set up and optimize our team so that we also have the chance to win the Champions League. I think we’re very much on track.

We have to continue to manage to build a competitive team in the Bundesliga and Europe within the framework of our economic possibilities, so that we stay financial sound.

That is the task that he is now undertaking together with Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and now also Oliver Kahn. “We not only want to show the spectators soccer, but also spectacular sport.”

Easier said than done!