"That becomes difficult" - Bayern Munich director takes cheeky shots at Chelsea
Bayern Munich director Max Eberl has taken a thinly veiled dig at Chelsea for their bloated squad after another busy summer transfer window. The Blues have made a whopping 11 signings for a reported £230 million.
That includes Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker Pedro Neto arriving on a reported £54 million deal. The Portuguese has been handed Raheem Sterling's No. 7 jersey, with the Englishman now facing an uncertain future at Stamford Bridge.
Offering his take on the situation, Eberl said that Bayern don't make too many signings - unlike the Blues - making things difficult to manage for their head coach. He said to Sky Sports (via Florian Plettenberg):
"As a club, you also have to bring in money somewhere. You can go through the season like Chelsea with 44 players, but that becomes difficult for the coach to manage. Then you have to steal jersey numbers, but we don’t do that at FC Bayern."
Under their current owners, the Blues have now spent over £1.5 billion in transfers, with the club targeting young players. The strategy hasn't been successful, though, as the Blues finished sixth in the Premier League last season after spending nearly £450 million in the 2023 summer transfer window.
They have treaded down a similar path under new boss Enzo Maresca, resulting in a bloated squad that needs trimming before August 30 when the transfer window closes.
What's next for Chelsea?
Chelsea made a losing start to life under new boss Enzo Maresca - who arrived to replace Mauricio Pochettino - after leading Leicester City back to the Premier League on their first attempt by winning the Championship.
Goals from City striker Erling Haaland and former Blues midfielder Mateo Kovacic either side of the break were enough for Pep Guardiola's men to open their quest for an unprecedented fifth straight Premier League title with a win.
The Blues, though, registered their first win of the season in midweek, seeing off Swiss side Servette 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off first leg on Thursday (August 22). Christopher Nkunku and Nodi Madueke scored in the second half as the Blues eye a place in the finals.
Next up, Maresca's side lock horns with Wolverhampton Wanderers away on Sunday (August 25). The Blues lost this fixture 2-1 last season, with Nkunku scoring a late consolation in the 96th minute in December. They also lost 4-2 at home in the reverse fixture in February.