August 24th 2024.
During this summer transfer window, Matthijs de Ligt made the move from Bayern Munich to Manchester United. While many fans were excited about his arrival at Old Trafford, Bayern Munich couldn't resist taking a not-so-subtle jab at Chelsea when explaining their decision to let de Ligt go.
De Ligt was not the only player from Bayern to join Manchester United, as his teammate Noussair Mazraoui also made the move in a double deal worth £60 million. The Dutch defender had previously played for Ajax and Juventus before his time with Bayern Munich. However, according to Bayern's sporting director Max Eberl, the decision to let de Ligt leave was made in order to bring in a different type of defender.
Eberl explained, "We have to make decisions that we believe will lead to the greatest success. We made these decisions together with Vincent Kompany. De Ligt has consistently performed well, but we wanted to add a left-footed player, which is why we brought in Hiroki Ito. This is all part of squad planning, and as a club, we also have to earn money. We were transparent with the players and made decisions based on that, which is how we ended up with the squad we have now."
Speaking of squad planning, Eberl also took the opportunity to make a sly dig at Chelsea. He stated, "When planning a squad, our goal is to have a squad free of injuries. Having an inflated squad is not ideal. We have a good squad size, and we want to give our young players a chance to shine at the highest level. Our coach Vini works well with them, and they have the opportunity to train with the top players. Of course, it's not ideal that two new or returning players, Stanisic and Ito, have been injured. It doesn't feel like we're reacting well at the moment."
Eberl's comments were in response to Chelsea's current situation, where they are still trying to offload several players after a busy transfer window. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, however, has denied that the situation is a mess. He said, "I am currently working with a squad of 21 players. Today's training session had 20 players, and yesterday's had 21. The other 15-20 players are training separately. It may seem like a mess from the outside, but that's not the case."
Maresca also added, "I don't see it as a problem. We have a good group, and everyone is working hard together. We have a plan, and we are sticking to it. That's all that matters." Despite Eberl's comments, it seems that Chelsea is not the only club dealing with squad management issues. However, Maresca remains confident in his team and their ability to succeed this season.
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