Hoeneß opens up on Müller exit: “He wasn’t prepared for that”

In an extensive interview with Welt am Sonntag, Uli Hoeness has opened up about Bayern Munich’s decision not to extend Thomas Müller’s contract.

Around a week ago, Bayern Munich officially confirmed that club legend Thomas Müller will leave when his contract expires this summer.

Since then, Müller has voiced his disappointment at not being offered a new deal – a reaction that Bayern supervisory board member Uli Hoeneß says is entirely understandable, particularly in light of earlier comments from board member for sport Max Eberl.

Back in January, Eberl said that “if (Müller) wants to continue, we’ll look each other in the eyes, and it will happen” – but things didn’t unfold that way.

“The early talks gave Thomas the impression that the club was open to continuing with him,” said Hoeneß in an interview with Welt am Sonntag.

“He went into more concrete discussions with Max Eberl and sporting director Christoph Freund, only to be told a different message – one agreed upon by all of the club’s decision-makers. He wasn’t prepared for that. He expressed that in his statement, and that’s completely understandable.”

Hoeneß also noted that Eberl later apologized for his January comments and took responsibility.

“Decisions like this are always dependent on the sporting situation. Max admitted his mistake and reflected on it, which I think is a sign of strength. You also have to keep in mind that Thomas was playing much more regularly in the first half of the season. So back in January, the situation looked quite different.”

Another factor behind Müller’s departure appears to be the club’s financial position, which has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months.

“If Bayern’s financial situation were the same as it was, say, three years ago, the decision on Müller might have been different,” Hoeneß admitted and pointed to a more cautious approach moving forward.

“There’s not much left in our savings account. We have to rethink our financial strategy.”