Big titles without an unconditional arms race: Bayern Munich’s CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge wants to take an alternative transfer path with the German record champion – and still play internationally at the top.
The strategy in the competition with the elite from England, Spain or Italy must be to “fill the positions 17, 18, 19 and 20 in the squad in the future with young people” who “do not cost horrendous transfer fees – and earn normally”, the 63-year-old told the Bild am Sonntag.
Of these four players, “we have to be able to get one or two players through every year who are able to play in the squad of the first team,” said the ex-national player: “We have to find our own philosophy. We’re not going to go through all the crazy stuff.”
Rummenigge looks with concern not only at the explosion of the transfer fees, but also at the salaries.
“The development is called: netto! You have to be careful not to upset the salary structure. The orders of magnitude are already enormous,” says Rummenigge: “For example at Griezmann – in the tens of millions. Per year. Net! You have to take two, because the club pays the taxes. You’ll get a nice backpack strapped on.”
Rummenigge pointed out that FC Bayern was still a club of enormous attraction. “We are still number three in the UEFA rankings, making us one of the best clubs in Europe. The city of Munich is top, we have a beautiful stadium. The bottom line is that we offer a very attractive overall package,” said the 1980 European champion.
In view of the sluggish development in the recruitment of more top players in the current changeover period, Rummenigge declared: “There will still be transfers, for sure.”
Rummenigge also reaffirmed that he wanted to fulfil his contract, which is valid until the end of 2021: “I enjoy the job, it is very interesting and involves a lot of responsibility.”
He ruled out a premature resignation, which in the case of Bavaria’s president and chairman of the supervisory board Uli Hoeneß is considered to have been decided, from today’s point of view: “This is not planned”.
Hoeneß himself will inform the supervisory board on August 29 about his future position in the offices. According to Bild und kicker, however, the 67-year-old has already decided not to run as club president again in November.
