Football
Stephan Uersfeld, Germany correspondent 9y

Bayern Munich finance director: No player has turned us down

Bayern Munich finance director Jan-Christian Dreesen has told German football magazine kicker that no player has turned down a move to the Bundesliga champions during his time at the club.

Dreesen, 47, joined Bayern in February 2013, during the season that saw them become the first German club ever to win the Treble.

That period also saw a dramatic increase in financial turnover, which rose from €373.4 million in 2012 to €528.7m two years later -- a 41 percent rise he called "just incredible."

"Up to now, we have signed every player we wanted to sign," Dreesen said. "I have not seen one wish [of coach Pep Guardiola] that we have not fulfilled.

"My impression is that the coach's input on which players fit here is very important."

He stressed that the departure to Real Madrid of Toni Kroos -- a player Guardiola reportedly wanted to keep -- had not been decided "over Pep's head."

"He was involved," he explained. "In the end, two trains landed in two separate dead ends. I believe that we had some cash in the purse, but sometimes you have to set yourself limits."

#INSERT type:image caption:Bayern Munich finance director Jan-Christian Dreesen says Pep Guardiola has been able to sign every player he has wanted. END#

When the new Premier League TV contract arrives in 2016, Bayern -- who, according to kicker, are set to receive a Bundesliga high of €68.7m in television money this season -- will face an even bigger discrepancy with their English counterparts.

Dreesen warned: "It can't be that the land of the World Cup winner, with a highly attractive league, has the worst TV revenue from the five big European nations.

"In the long run, we won't be competitive internationally.

"The Premier League will have some €3 billion per season through the new TV rights deal, and this means that salaries will not get smaller."

He said that meant Bayern -- although they "have the funds to sign a player for €100m" -- would "maybe fail to sign someone who only wants to maximise his salary."

Asked about potential future growth, Dreesen explained that Bayern's system was based on TV rights, ticketing, merchandising and sponsoring.

He ruled out an increase in ticket prices, saying: "We can only influence two, maybe three of those pillars.

"The value of the league is based on the fact that a stadium visit remains affordable for those from all walks of life."

He said the greatest growth could be expected to come from overseas merchandising, with Bayern's main target being the Chinese market.

"We have incredible potential," he added. "We have some 100 million followers globally. Why should we not see that in merchandising?"

^ Back to Top ^