Over the past few days, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola might have been busier than usual. The Spanish star coach is said to have kept a close eye on his mobile, checking incoming calls to help old companions struggling to find a new coach.
Former Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge made no secret about the involvement of the former Bavarian and current Sky Blues coach when it comes to the 2020 treble winners’ intended signing of Vincent Kompany.
“The former Bayern coach Guardiola has praised Kompany’s coaching talent,” Rummenigge added. “He knows him very well and we count on the expertise of Pep,” the supervisory board member reported, mentioning that only small details are to be resolved.
“Our board has decided to employ Vincent Kompany as our new head coach,” Rummenigge said.
The current Burnley coach is expected to sign a contract until 2027 with Bayern after the German side agreed on a compensation payment of up to 12 million euros (Sh1.7bn) with the relegated Premier League side.
“I am happy when Bayern is making the right decision. I have the greatest admiration for Vincent,” Guardiola said.
The former Belgian international and Hamburger SV and Manchester City player’s signing ends a burdensome search for a successor to Thomas Tuchel, who is departing after a season without a title.
Reports indicate that Leverkusen’s Xabi Alonso, German national coach Julian Nagelsmann and Austrian national coach Ralf Rangnick rejected Bayern’s offers. Benfica coach Roger Schmidt and Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner were also mentioned.
Kompany’s appointment might come as a surprise given his relatively short coaching career at Anderlecht and Burnley and his young age of 38. The former defender is known to favour a forward-oriented 4-2-3-1 tactical system.
Bayern’s new coach faces the challenge of reorganising the squad and is expected to lead the team back to international glory and revitalise the club in the national campaign.
“He has collected a lot of expertise and knowledge from great coaches he played under, but he will need the full support of Bayern’s leaders. I am sure he can be a wake-up call for Bayern after darker years,” former German international and TV pundit Stefan Effenberg said.
Bayern icon and star striker Thomas Muller commented from the pre-tournament training camp of the German national team ahead of the 2024 Uefa Euro. “I am happy we have a coach and the planning for the new season can start,” Muller said.
Before joining Manchester City in 2008, the Belgian played for two years with Hamburger SV and has been speaking German since then. In his eleven years with Manchester City, Kompany won the Premier League title four times, in addition to earning 89 caps for Belgium.
