Bayern Sought Guardiola’s Advice Before Appointing Kompany – Eberl

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has admitted that he turned to Pep Guardiola for validation before appointing Vincent Kompany as the club’s head coach.

Despite initial scepticism surrounding his arrival from relegated Burnley, the Belgian tactician has silenced his critics by delivering back-to-back Bundesliga titles and Champions League progress at the Allianz Arena.

Speaking to German broadcaster ZDF, Eberl explained the pivotal moment that secured the 40-year-old the job.

“When the question came up whether we were really sure, I said to Kalle [Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, former Bayern chairman]: ‘Kalle, you’re so close to Pep, aren’t you?’ Call him and ask what he thinks of Kompany. That was the breakthrough,” Eberl stated.

The appointment of Kompany was seen as a gamble by many outside the club, and Eberl was honest that the Belgian was not the initial top choice to replace Tuchel.

The club had spent months searching for a successor, facing high-profile rejections before circling back to the 40-year-old, whose managerial pedigree was still being questioned in Germany.

“I did get the feeling that there were initially some question marks and surprise when I put forward the name [Kompany],” Eberl admitted. “Of course, we had received rejections beforehand.

“It’s no secret that Julian Nagelsmann was a possibility, that we spoke with Ralf Rangnick, that we spoke with Oliver Glasner. Some also wanted Hansi Flick back. We don’t need to beat around the bush about that. As I have said before, Vincent Kompany was indeed already on our list. But to be honest – and I am being completely open about this – I didn’t dare propose Vincent Kompany first. Instead, we first approached top coaches with name and fame.”

The decision has been vindicated by silverware and a renewed sense of resilience within the squad. Kompany has since led Bayern to successive Bundesliga titles and a German Super Cup, and they currently find themselves in the semi-finals of the Champions League and final of the DFB-Pokal.

His ability to manage big personalities was recently on display during a dramatic turnaround against Mainz.

Midfielder Leon Goretzka recently highlighted the manager’s forceful nature, revealing that at half-time, they got a proper telling-off after falling 3-0 behind. Kompany himself noted the importance of passion over systems in such moments, explaining that a comeback of that magnitude is driven as much by emotion as by strategy.

He said: “I’ve experienced moments like that myself during my career, I’ve been in that dressing room when it’s 3-0 down at the break, and it feels like the game is over. But you have to channel anger, refuse to accept defeat, then go full throttle and keep pressing the opposition until the final minute. That’s exactly what the lads did.”