The CEO of Bayern Munich, Christian Dreesen, gave an interview to TZ (Munich Daily), in which he stated that Bayern was very dissatisfied with last year’s performance, which is why the team invested in new signings. The reason being that the club does not pursue economic profit but rather success on the field.
In the summer, Bayern brought in Olise, Palhinha, and Kompany from England, adding to Kane who was previously signed. Why did Bayern choose to bring in new players from the Premier League, where salaries and transfer fees are relatively high? Dreesen pointed out, “We dare to make major transfers because we are confident. However, I still don’t want people to compare us with Premier League teams. First, Premier League teams lead us by light-years in terms of TV broadcast revenue; secondly, their ownership structures differ greatly from ours. In contrast, we must operate without state or wealthy individual funding, seeking funds.”
With no trophies for Bayern last season, would this impact the club financially? Dreesen noted, “We were not satisfied with our sporting performance last season, but it didn’t have a significant economic impact, although we lost some additional sponsorship income. Is Bayern’s brand strong enough to achieve financial success without championship titles? No, I don’t think that could ever happen. For our image, appeal, international influence, and fans, the most important thing is sporting success, which is the core and foundation of everything. We can cope with a year without a title, but if there is no success for several years, it will negatively affect our medium to long-term economic strength.”
Talking about the new signings, Dreesen said, “Olise is an exciting winger. Palhinha should have transferred to Bayern last year, as the saying goes ‘there are always two chances in life,’ which proved true. Yuto Itoh is undoubtedly one of the reasons why Stuttgart conceded fewer goals than us last season.”
Regarding the goals for this season, Dreesen stated, “Our goal is the same as every year before, to fight for the possibility of winning everything. The longest and most honest trophy is the Bundesliga, but we also have ambitions in the DFB-Pokal and the Champions League. We have invested a huge amount of money, aiming for the best possible results this season. What Bayern pursues is not the greatest profit, but the greatest sporting success!”