Bayern Munich’s Christoph Freund unfazed by prospect of Max Eberl moving into club

You might think that Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund is fretting the situation surrounding Max Eberl’s potential arrival at the club.

Per Freund, though, there is nothing of concern to him.

“The talks and negotiations with Max Eberl have always been correct and good. We’ve known each other for a long time. Back when he was at Gladbach we worked on the transfers of Martin Hinteregger and Stefan Lainer. Max has been in the business for a long time and has a lot of experience. We’ve always had a good exchange. We were recently together in Boston for the DFB’s sporting directors tour,” Freund told Sport Bild (as captured by @iMiaSanMia).

For what it is worth, former Bayern Munich sporting director Hasan “Brazzo” Salihamidžić once said that he would not want a board member sitting above him in the club’s hierarchy. Freund, however, does not seem all that bothered about that prospect.

“That’s not my topic. The supervisory board decides about that. I feel very comfortable in my role as sporting director. The most crucial thing is that FC Bayern remains successful, constantly improve and be open to new paths. At the moment the cooperation with Jan-Christian Dreesen and the entire board is going well. I’ve always been a team player, and that will still be the case,” Freund told Sport Bild.

One reason why Freund might be at ease over the move is that his job is safe per Sport Bild journalists Christian Falk and Tobi Altschäff (as captured by @iMiaSanMia):

Bayern bosses don’t expect appointing Max Eberl to be a setback for Christoph Freund. The internal opinion about Freund is that he has so far been humble, willing to learn and reserved. The sporting director is currently working on meetings with agents over contract extensions and signings - the feedback from agents is that Freund is a pleasant person who listens well to his counterpart. Having an experienced man like Eberl sit with him on the negotiations table could be a welcome help for Freund. Both know each other well from working for the Red Bull group and negotiating Salzburg/Leipzig deals.

According to Ransport’s Martin Volkmar (as captured by @iMiaSanMia), Bayern could actually be reconsidering Eberl’s hiring given Freund’s performance this far:

The supervisory board has not made a final decision regarding Max Eberl. Christoph Freund made a very convincing presentation of his ideas and plans during the meeting and is now expected to be given time to implement them. In addition to the upcoming January transfer window, Freund is also expected to improve the integration of young talent in the first team. Eberl remains the top candidate for the vacant board member position, but it may still take a while before a decision is made.

Eberl is expected to be announced as a member of the club’s board in the coming days or weeks.