Oliver Kahn responds to criticism about wage bill at Bayern Munich

Former Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn responds to criticism regarding the wage bill created at the club under his reign.

Bayern Munich have endured a difficult last few months when it comes to transfers and the search for a new head coach. The Bavarian club couldn’t land their top target to replace Thomas Tuchel. Bayern eventually took a gamble on Vincent Kompany. The Belgian head coach joined Die Roten after experiencing relegation with Burnley in the Premier League last season.

In terms of transfers, Bayern chiefs have failed to land two top targets- Xavi Simons and Désiré Doué. They had to do the balancing act in the market by selling players to make space for new signings. The club hierarchy wants to bring down the wage bill by getting rid of big earners in the squad.

Bayern fans have been critical of the state of the wage bill at the club. The criticism has been aimed at previous club officials who sanctioned big deals for Leon Goretzka, Joshua Kimmich, Leroy Sane, and Serge Gnabry. All four players are expected to stay in Munich this season. Barring Sane, Bayern were open to listening offers for these players during the summer transfer window.

Former Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn was at Bayern when big deals were agreed for the above-mentioned players. While talking to Kicker over the weekend. Oliver Kahn insisted that contracts offered under his tenure didn’t disturb the financial balance at the club.

“The salaries were always coordinated and approved with the CFO and the supervisory board. Everyone agreed. As in the past, the ratio salary costs to turnover was below 50%. This is a top value compared to other European clubs, where it’s sometimes 80% or more. Every club that has won the Champions League in recent years has far higher salary costs than FC Bayern.”

Bayern have offered big wages to new signings this summer

Bayern have found it difficult to sell players like Goretzka and Gnabry this summer due to their current wages. Both players want to stay in Munich and fight for a place in the team. The Bavarian club is trying to push Goretzka out of the club, but the German midfielder is not planning to leave Munich before the deadline day.

Bayern should have looked to streamline the wage structure this summer. However, they have continued to pay big wages to new signings. Michael Olise will reportedly earn £220k/week after arriving from Crystal Palace.

Joao Palhinha and Hiroki Ito are not likely to be in the same salary range as Olise. The Bavarian club has managed to make space for these three signings by selling Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui.

De Ligt was also one of the big earners in the squad. The Bavarian club had to sell their most reliable defender to make way for new signings. To avoid such a situation in the future, Bayern should try to bring down the wage bill in the next couple of transfer windows and introduce performance-related incentives in new contracts.