Eberl reveals how Bayern landed Kompany after Nagelsmann and Rangnick turned them down

Bayern Munich took a gamble when they appointed Vincent Kompany as Thomas Tuchel’s successor in 2024 – and it has paid off handsomely.

Kompany has enjoyed considerable success since arriving at the Allianz Arena, leading Bayern to two Bundesliga titles, the DFB-Pokal and two DFL-Supercups.

However, given he had just been relegated from the Premier League with Burnley in 2024, Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl admits that the 40-year-old was not initially the obvious choice in the club’s search for a new head coach.

“I joined the club at a time when it was already clear that the coach wouldn’t be staying on after the end of the season. And now, with the benefit of hindsight, I can say this: if I’d put forward Vincent Kompany as the very first candidate – I don’t know how people would have reacted. The coach who was relegated with Burnley as Thomas Tuchel’s successor?” Eberl told FC Bayern's club magazine, “51”.

Bayern explored several options before settling on Kompany. Julian Nagelsmann and Ralf Rangnick were both considered, but neither took the job. Eventually, Eberl decided to contact the former Manchester City captain himself – and came away hugely impressed by their conversation.

“Naturally, we worked through a list of candidates. Julian Nagelsmann was one – that’s no secret. I had a very good rapport with him, but he opted for the national team. Ralf Rangnick also decided to pursue other opportunities. We meticulously analysed the market at the time – and everything we heard about the young Burnley coach was positive," Eberl explained.

“At one point, I said: ‘I’m just going to give Vinnie a call.’ We spoke on the phone before our Champions League semi-final in Madrid. After four hours, I had to say: ‘Sorry, it’s six o'clock, I have to go to the team talk.’ I hung up and thought: Wow, that feels good! He’s a genuine character. Then I asked Christoph Freund to form his own opinion. He came back and was convinced too.”

Former Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola also played a key role in the appointment. The 55-year-old, who was managing Manchester City at the time, gave his approval of Kompany, having previously coached the Belgian coach during his time as a player.

”Vinnie had been promoted with Burnley on 101 points and then relegated again. You could have thought: ‘He can’t get it right; he doesn’t adapt.’ But we saw it differently. He has a clear vision of football. He didn’t want to sit back with eight men at the back in the Premier League against the billion-pound squads of Manchester City and Liverpool, just hoping to pick up a point. He wanted to win matches; for me, that was a plus," Eberl said. 

"What’s more, I knew that Pep Guardiola had Vinnie on his shortlist as his successor should he ever step down as City coach. During all these discussions – in which Jan-Christian Dreesen and Herbert Hainer were always involved – I suggested that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeneß should simply give Pep a ring, as they have a good relationship with him. Two hours after that phone call, the response came: ‘Okay, we’ll do it!’”

Once Bayern had settled on Kompany, the final negotiations took place in Manchester. Eberl travelled there with Christoph Freund to meet the 40-year-old in person, and their discussions continued well into the early hours of the morning.

“Then I flew to Manchester with Christoph for the final meeting. At three o’clock in the morning, Vinnie said, ‘Right, I’d like to sleep on it and discuss it with my wife.’ I lay down on his sofa. He asked, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘Uli said I’m not allowed to leave your house until you’ve signed.’ Then he said, ‘Right, Max, I’ll do it. But I need to talk to my wife first.’ He ended up pushing me out the door after all,” Eberl recalled with a laugh.

Kompany is currently unavailable to Bayern after collapsing on the training pitch last week.

Eberl confirmed on Wednesday that the 40-year-old has been diagnosed with meningeal irritation and will continue his recovery at home after being discharged from hospital.