‘The squad now offers a lot more options’

Bayern’s start to the season has been anything but perfect, making the 3-0 victory over Wolfsburg ahead of the break for internationals and the packed autumn schedule all the more important. Interviewed by FCB.tv, Director of Sport Christian Nerlinger reviewed the early weeks of the campaign, the spectacular swoop for Arjen Robben, and his first two months as a senior official at the club.

Interview: Christian Nerlinger

fcbayern.de: Christian Nerlinger, are you pleased the transfer deadline has passed without Bayern being involved?
Christian Nerlinger: “You’ve got to differentiate between media speculation and our actual plans for the club. We’re thrilled about bringing in Arjen Robben before deadline day. It was a bit stressful: he had to appear on the official transfer list by midday on Friday in order to play on Saturday, but we’ve all seen what an outstanding player we’ve brought to the club. Otherwise, we knew it would be quiet here. The squad now offers a lot of options, and we’re very well equipped.“

The Robben deal was done at breakneck speed. What’s the board’s point of view on the transfer?
“We sat down and analysed pre-season, the first few games of the new campaign, and the lessons from last season. What we saw is that we lacked a vital component whenever we didn’t have Franck Ribery in the team, especially as most Bundesliga teams do nothing but defend against us. So we decided to bring in another creative player, a player who can beat his man and score goals. We worked hard on the deal, although it all happened very fast at the end, and the player didn’t hesitate for a second.“