"We must succeed in weeding out the cut-throats": Bayern boss Uli Hoeneß takes a dig at agents

"If a player goes abroad or comes from abroad these days, he needs an agent. There are plenty of reputable agents, and there are plenty of cut-throats. We all need to be able to weed out the cut-throats," Hoeneß railed.

For the 74-year-old, the crucial point is "that the agent doesn’t think he has to earn more than the player. In some cases, ten million is paid for three lunches – that simply cannot be right," said Hoeneß, who announced his intention to take action against the sometimes exorbitant demands of certain agents.

"We have also discussed this issue very controversially within our own ranks and will try over the coming months to develop a plan so that we no longer put up with this. In the G14, we once tried to introduce a salary cap. That lasted exactly four weeks; after that, I believe AC Milan breached it," explained the FCB honorary president.

In the past, Hoeneß has repeatedly clashed verbally with the agents of Bayern players. Among other things, he described Pini Zahavi, David Alaba’s agent, as a “money-grubbing piranha” during talks about a contract extension in 2020.

There had also been complications surrounding the signing of centre-back Dayot Upamecano. At the time, Hoeneß explained: “In the Upamecano case, the agents either wanted to drive up the price with us or push him to another club, and as a thank-you, we were supposed to pay them a signing bonus. That is a contradiction in terms, which we should no longer accept.”

After tough negotiations, Bayern finally withdrew their offer – thereby prompting Upamecano to reconsider.