Eberl revealed on Wednesday that he had been in touch with Olise "again and again" during the World Cup, before detailing two specific exchanges. "He sent me a nice photo with Manu Kone, whom I brought to Gladbach back then, where the two of them were standing arm in arm in the dressing room," Eberl said. Olise and Kone, now at Roma, reached the World Cup semi-finals with France but lost there to eventual world champions Spain.
Eberl also offered Olise the chance to switch squad numbers: "We asked him whether he wanted to have the number 11, as at the World Cup. Then he said: No, he would like to keep 17."
For France, Olise currently wears the number 11, while at Bayern Munich it belonged last season to loanee Nicolas Jackson. After Jackson left and Olise turned it down, the 11 went to new signing Nathaniel Brown, who was officially presented on Wednesday.
Eberl tired of Olise rumours: "I'm glad now"
As Olise and Eberl exchanged messages about Manu Kone and squad numbers, the football world was debating a possible move for the 24-year-old exceptional talent from Bayern Munich to Real Madrid. Despite repeated denials from both clubs, the rumour mill kept bubbling away merrily.
"You could understand it, because the World Cup was on and Bayern Munich and Real Madrid are among the biggest clubs in the world. That gets clicks," Eberl said. "At some point it then became tiring, when this thing just kept being pushed further and further. Even though both Real Madrid and we stated our position that there is absolutely nothing in it. I'm glad now that the issue is hopefully almost gone." Real's targeted signing of RB Leipzig's Yan Diomande should end the rumours at the latest.
Olise is currently on an extended World Cup holiday and will return to team training after the Asia tour from 1 to 8 August.