- Tah's absence leaves Eberl with an irresistible attraction towards cocoa.
Following an unsuccessful last-ditch effort by FC Bayern Munich to acquire football star Jonathan Tah, the German champions will forego additional signings during this transfer period. "We're absolutely thrilled with our current squad," stated sports director Max Eberl before Bayern's home Bundesliga game against league leaders SC Freiburg, set for Sunday (5:30 pm/DAZN).
Eberl, now in his 50s, sought to clarify the Tah situation, which has been widely publicized, including his involvement in the talks. According to Eberl, he's felt as if he's been "thrown under the bus and portrayed in a light not representative of the private negotiations" over the past few weeks.
Leverkusen's timeline and asking price were incongruous
"It goes like this: Bayer Leverkusen gave us a deadline three and a half weeks ago – 'Listen, pay that amount by then!'" Eberl recalled writing to Leverkusen's sports managing director, Simon Rolfes, "Simon, thanks for the deadline and the amount, but we can't deliver on either." That, according to Eberl, signaled the "real story" behind the transfer saga.
Reports suggested that Leverkusen asked for up to 30 million euros for Tah (28), whose contract would expire in a year and may allow him to depart Leverkusen for free. At a Leverkusen fan club event, Bayer's CEO Fernando Carro stated, "I have no regard for Max Eberl, none at all, and I wouldn't engage in talks with him." Carro later apologized to Bayern Munich for those remarks.
Leverkusen failed to reply to that
Eberl revealed on Friday that he had contacted Leverkusen again in the closing hours of the transfer period, inquiring if Bayern could still make a sale and thus recoup funds for Tah. "Leverkusen didn't respond to that," said Eberl: "It's just part of the process, discussed, negotiated, tried."
Eberl further emphasized that Bayern too must generate funds through transfer operations, while balancing their expenses. So far, Bayern have spent more on new players than they have made through summer transfers, racking up a total of over 120 million euros in investments.
Speculation surrounds potential player departures in the twilight of the transfer period, with winger Kingsley Coman being mentioned as a possible last-minute transfer destination, perhaps in Saudi Arabia. Another possibility under consideration is loaning 20-year-old attacker Gabriel Vidović.
Despite Leverkusen's CEO apologizing for his harsh remarks towards Bayern Munich, the German champions were unable to reach an agreement with Leverkusen for the transfer of Jonathan Tah, with the latter asking for a high fee that Bayern could not meet. In light of this unsuccessful transfer pursuit, FC Bayern Munich will not be making any additional signings during this transfer period.
