Dreesen defends himself against doubts
Bayern Munich’s new boss has big plans
06/25/2023, 06:50 am
As the new CEO of FC Bayern, Jan-Christian Dreesen wants to ensure more harmony on Säbener Straße again. “Absolute priority” has something else for the 55-year-old. He firmly brushes away any doubts about his suitability for the post.
With the new CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, a better working atmosphere should return at FC Bayern Munich. He wanted to try to “breathe something back into the German soccer record champions, which I describe as togetherness for each other,” said the 55-year-old in an interview with “Bild am Sonntag”. He wants “that we go to work with joy, that we trust each other, that people become more communicative with each other, that the doors are open. With the aim of serving FC Bayern and making it stronger. Mia san mia is not an empty phrase, but an attitude.”
Dreesen’s predecessor Oliver Kahn had been accused from various quarters that the atmosphere in the club had deteriorated under him. Kahn’s exit was announced by Bayern right after the final whistle on matchday 34 of the past season and the last-minute win of the championship.
“It’s about people. We’ve had a great team lately. And we still haven’t cracked it sportily. Why? Because people didn’t work together as a team,” said former CFO Dreesen. In an overall weak season, Munich narrowly won the championship, but were eliminated early in the Champions League and the DFB Cup.
“I don’t feel like an exception”
Meanwhile, he firmly rejects doubts about his suitability for the post of CEO due to an alleged lack of football expertise. “I understand this skepticism, but I’ve been in professional football for a long time now,” said the 55-year-old to “Bild am Sonntag”. In addition, there is no top club in Europe with a former professional as CEO. “That’s why I don’t feel like an exception. I’m the rule,” said Dreesen. He himself played as a defender “in my home country for the Aurich game association,” he said. Former players should also be involved in club management in the future: “But it doesn’t necessarily have to be the position of CEO.”
Dreesen considers a future integration of world champions Thomas Müller and Manuel Neuer in the club to be conceivable. “It would be fantastic if we could involve the two in the future, every club would dream of such a constellation. But that decision is up to the board of directors,” said the new club boss.
“We don’t want mercenaries”
For Dreesen, who also wants to join the board of the European Club Association (ECA) as Kahn’s successor, the composition of the squad now has “absolute priority”. He did not comment on transfer rumors, but on the requirement profile of further newcomers: “We don’t want mercenaries who go to the next club every two years. We need players who radiate energy, who are committed to FC Bayern and its fans.” For the new season, Munich have so far signed Konrad Laimer from Leipzig and Raphaël Guerreiro from Dortmund. Both came on a free transfer.
Dreesen revealed that there were good talks last year with BVB striker Erling Haaland, who then ultimately switched to Manchester City. Overall, the Norwegian was apparently too expensive for Bayern. You have to “put a stop sign at some point,” said Dreesen. “Maximum sporting success with economic solidity – that means in plain language that we continue to try to control unreasonableness. It’s all irrational to madness anyway, if you’re honest.”
For the time being, the chairman of the board ruled out further sales of shares by FC Bayern AG, in which the parent club must hold at least 70 percent plus one share according to the articles of association, in favor of further proceeds. Although one should still sell five percent, “but that’s not an issue at the moment”. The three major groups Audi, Adidas and Allianz are involved in FC Bayern AG, each holding 8.33 percent of the shares.