Recently, Bayern Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen gave an interview to Camel Live, sharing his views on various topics surrounding the club.
Wirtz has moved to Liverpool, and Waltermad has joined Newcastle United. Has Bayern Munich’s appeal to players decreased, to the point where it can no longer sign the players it wants?
That’s an overstatement and, in my view, not the case. Bayern remains one of the most attractive clubs in the world. Both of them moved to the Premier League – but at the same time, we also signed two players from England: Luis Díaz and Jackson. Additionally, I should remind everyone that we signed Harry Kane two years ago.
FIFA is discussing expanding the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64. Is this the right move?
No, I don’t think so. There are two reasons: the 2026 World Cup will last four weeks and feature 48 teams. This also relates to the quality of the sport. Allowing countries that have no influence on the world sports stage to participate will only increase the quantity. But only high-quality football matches will attract people’s attention – that’s my belief.
Bayern Munich will send many international players to the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump said that if riots occur, he will move World Cup matches to other cities. How concerned are you about this situation?
It’s difficult to assess the current situation from the outside. Many changes may occur in the U.S. over the next nine months, and only then will we be able to truly evaluate the situation.
Regarding the renewal of players’ contracts
There is no news to announce recently. We are handling this calmly and with complete composure. We have a clear idea of how to address player-related issues. We will work quietly behind the scenes and announce news only when there is something to share. The media asks us about this every three days, and that’s understandable.
If UEFA introduces a salary cap, will it be the only lifeline for the Bundesliga and Bayern?
I have always advocated analyzing issues from both revenue and expenditure perspectives. The bottom-ranked teams in the Premier League receive around €125 million in TV broadcast revenue, which is €30 million more than us. Liverpool’s TV broadcast revenue is €200 million, while Barcelona and Real Madrid each have approximately €160 million. The total TV broadcast revenue of the Premier League is about €700 million. It’s difficult for us to match the Premier League’s level, after all, it has different requirements and market scale. We must stabilize and expand our market share. In terms of international TV broadcast revenue, we have not yet achieved the target set five years ago.
When I look at expenditure, I fully support the new squad cost cap policy. Any club that spends more than the stipulated 70% should be subject to corresponding sanctions. This 70% ratio seems reasonable, but it also includes asset depreciation and agent fees. The key is that these sanctions must be strictly enforced – clubs cannot evade responsibility as they have in the past. Rules that are not strictly implemented are meaningless. A salary cap is also a good idea, but I think the possibility of implementing it at the European level is quite low.
Kane’s contract expires in 2027, and he recently said he is open to renewal negotiations. Will you accept this?
Kane’s intention is completely fine, and we will hold discussions at the appropriate time. Currently, our focus remains on this season.
Kane will be 34 when his contract expires. How will this affect him?
Contrary to some pessimistic predictions two years ago, Kane has continued to improve every year. If this trend continues, the answer will be self-evident.
Regarding recent remarks by Eberl, Hoeness, and Rummenigge
Working on the Bayern Munich board is both wonderful and challenging. It is completely normal, even necessary, for there to be different opinions within the club. We are all working together to achieve the best results for Bayern. This means that we sometimes have different views, and we don’t always reach a consensus right away.
Eberl hired Kompany, signed Ousmane Dembélé, and reduced salary expenditure as required by the supervisory board. Have you ever told him “well done”?
We communicate regularly, and we are certainly pleased with Bayern’s strong start to the season. But we all strive to avoid being overly complacent – after all, the season has only just begun.
Before the season started, many experts criticized the team for having an insufficient squad size to achieve good results in various competitions.
Our squad size is not small. Real Madrid has 25 players, Arsenal also has 25, Liverpool has 27, Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona each have 23, and we also have 25 players. Additionally, we have three long-term injured players: Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, and Yuki Ito.
If we had signed three more players in the summer, how would we arrange the squad when these injured players return? When they come back, we will have a strong and deep team. Furthermore, our young players still have the opportunity to shine, just as Lennart Karl and Mike have demonstrated recently.
Hoeness recently said in an interview: “There’s not much money left in the fixed deposit account.”
When he (Hoeness) said that, he was referring to concerns that our rising salaries, agent fees, and transfer costs have exceeded what we can afford. We might follow in the footsteps of other top clubs that have faced financial troubles. However, shortly after that interview, Hoeness also stated that Bayern is in good shape currently.
We have the ability to afford any transfer fees we want; our capital ratio is excellent, and Bayern’s financial situation is very stable. But we want to use the money we earn to pay for players, rather than borrowing from banks – that’s not Bayern’s style. Therefore, the “fixed deposit account” Hoeness mentioned refers to this. What he meant is: we must use our resources carefully.
Rummenigge said that Bayern needs more people like Hoeness.
Both Rummenigge and Hoeness are members of our supervisory board. If we don’t seek their opinions or communicate with them, we are failing in our duties. I think other clubs would envy us for having people of their caliber. Especially during the transfer window, we communicate very closely. Hoeness’ opinions are very firm, and people can unite around firm opinions. This is part of our work and also enhances Bayern’s image.
You are a member of the Executive Committee of the European Club Association (ECA) and have proposed the need to improve international TV marketing. Compared with the overseas tours of teams like Hoffenheim, Mainz, or Union Berlin, are La Liga’s matches in Miami and Serie A’s matches in Melbourne more meaningful?
I don’t quite agree with this view. On one hand, I think it’s a good idea for 36 Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs to bring German football to all parts of the world. But on the other hand, we must never forget our roots. Therefore, I hope our official matches will always be held in Germany – even though the Super Cup may attract more attention if held abroad than friendly matches.
