Bayern’s costly renewal, Max Eberl tries to justify himself
In the course days Bayern Munich announced the contract renewal of Dayot Upamecano, which came at the end of a very long negotiation that at several moments came very close to blowing up. The deal with the French defender was not very cheap for the Bavarian club but Max Eberl, interviewed by Sport1, tried to justify himself.
“Of course, contract renewals cost money, however, it costs even more to have to buy players as strong as Joshua Kimmich, Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies or Dayot Upamecano, assuming you can find them. For example, Jérémy Jacquet of Stade Rennes would have been a very good player for us, but when we saw that he was going to Liverpool at 19 for an estimated 70 million euros, we had to evaluate what was best for us. And our answer was to go for Dayot’s renewal. He knows the club, he is in the prime of his career and is one of the best central defenders in the world. Both from a sporting and financial point of view, it was the right decision”.
Most of all, it was the signing bonus, a practice that Bayern Munich is forced to grant often, that was discussed: “The sums involved have certainly changed and, in this market era, there is more and more talk about it – continued Max Eberl. However, bonuses have always played a role in these negotiations, especially since the Bosman ruling in 1995. Many years ago, a player was usually available on a zero-parameter basis only if deemed redundant by the club, now many players simply take the risk of entering the final year of their contract and see what happens. This gives signing bonuses a special significance”.
In the negotiation with Dayot Upamecano, the crucial role of players’ agents, who often demand sky-high commissions from clubs, emerged once again: “Agents are not a new phenomenon, and perhaps players increasingly feel they need to protect themselves. Contracts now have 30 pages or more. They cover marketing, rights and more. The agent business has therefore developed because, in addition to performance on the field, many other factors have come into play” Eberl said.
