Max Eberl admits sleepless nights ahead letting Bayern Munich “legend” Thomas Müller go | OneFootball

Bayern Munich’s Max Eberl had his chance to comment on Saturday’s blockbuster news concerning Thomas Müller. The club’s board-member-for-sport spoke on the departure of the German footballing legend on Germany’s famed Sunday footballing roundtable Doppelpass.

Many German football lovers found themselves shocked by the news that the German giants would not be renewing with their club icon. Leipzig full-back David Raum echoed the sentiments of most German fans in his post-match comments yesterday.

Eberl struck a humble tone when commenting on the situation, admitting that he had made several mistakes along the way. Eberl noted that, after Müller’s departure was unanimously approved by the board, offering Müller a “mini legacy contract” proved a painful ordeal.

“I slept very badly for three days [ahead of the conversation],” Eberl said. “I know that Thomas didn’t want a symbolic contract. I completely understand that Thomas was disappointed after the conversation. It was very emotional for him personally. It wasn’t nice for me either.

“[The issue of Müller] has been rapidly degenerating since January,” Eberl also noted. “We thought it over intensively. It’s complicated because Thomas is not an ordinary player, but a legend. We had to hurt a legend. At some point, we made the decision not to extend and the board backed it.“

Eberl’s reference to January referred specifically to a controversial statement he himself made on Müller’s future three months ago. The FCB personnel chief seemed cold when he flatly suggested that Bayern would “move on” if the circumstances didn’t fit.

“There’s been a lot of talk about that statement,” Eberl said on Sunday. “And rightly so. I wasn’t a clever statement from me. But I simply wasn’t clever at the time. I was emotional. At that point, I couldn’t envision either an FC Bayern or a Bundesliga without Thomas Müller.“

GGFN | Peter Weis