'I was not smart!' - Bayern Munich director admits Thomas Muller mistake as he reveals how Vincent Kompany & Co decided against offering new contract to club legend

In January 2025, when Bayern icon Muller had entered the final six months of his contract, club chief Eberl had confidently said, "He doesn't need to negotiate extensively. If he says he wants to continue, then we'll look each other in the eye, take a look at the squad, and then we'll move forward." Things, however, have significantly changed since then, as the veteran German forward announced earlier this week that he will leave his boyhood club at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

Following Muller's announcement, Eberl has now admitted to his mistake as he told Sky Sports Germany: "I made that statement in January, and everything is rightly building around it. I have to say, I may not have been that smart to say that. But I also wasn't that smart because I was also just emotional, because I couldn't imagine a Bundesliga and FC Bayern."

The Bayern official added: "What unfortunately happens in sports happened. Thomas' playing time was still extensive in the first half of the season, but then it dropped rapidly. And then we in the sporting management, together with Christoph Freund and Vincent Kompany, thought about what the squad should look like for the future, how we should deal with players, and whose contracts we wanted to extend. At some point, we in the sporting management made a decision where we said, okay, we don't want to extend the contract."

There was no word on retirement in Muller's farewell post, suggesting he will continue beyond his Bayern days. A move to Saudi Arabia or the MLS may be in the cards for the German. For now, he will aim to end his journey with the Bavarian club with at least one trophy, with Kompany's men in contention for the Bundesliga and the Champions titles.