The first answer Vincent Kompany gave at his unveiling press conference at the Allianz Arena on Thursday was in fluent German. Barely a day after signing for FC Bayern, the Belgian had already gained many positive impressions and met lots of nice people, and is now highly motivated to tackle his new role: ‘As far as I'm concerned, the season can start straight away,’ said the 38-year-old, who asked for understanding that he could not yet answer every question in German. But it quickly became clear: this new FCB coach will not need long to settle in Munich.
Kompany was officially unveiled to the media representatives alongside CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen and board member for sport Max Eberl and came across as likeable, confident and well prepared - but also quite quick-witted: the fact that he's here now shows that the officials at FC Bayern have "done a good job", explained the new coach with a smile, and spoke on behalf of everyone involved in the transfer with his jokey remark.
Dreesen: "The right man for the job"
"We've found one of the most interesting coaches in Europe," confirmed Max Eberl, who, like Jan-Christian Dreesen, was delighted the search for a new head coach had now been brought to a successful conclusion. "We had a long decision-making process. But we all agreed that Vincent Kompany is the right man for the job," revealed the FC Bayern CEO. Eberl added that he and sporting director Christoph Freund are sorry "that we didn't hold the talks [with Kompany] six weeks ago", as the search for a coach would have been wrapped up more quickly. But, said Eberl: "You save the best for last!"
From now on, the plan is to implement Kompany's vision of possession-based football at the German record champions. ‘I'm very excited about working with everyone,’ said the former world-class defender, explaining that part of his style is for his players to "have courage", "be aggressive" and "be a team". The new coach went on to say that this also reflects his own character. Max Eberl could only agree with this: Kompany "has an incredible personality and his idea of the game suits FC Bayern perfectly: we want to play dominant football," demanded the 50-year-old.
Eberl demands unity
Kompany should be able to feel the full backing of FC Bayern in his day-to-day work. For Eberl, it's crucial "that we as a club stand behind our coach and give him the support he needs. We as Bayern Munich can only be successful, like every club in the world, if we stand together. We have to achieve that."
It will be 1 July before Kompany officially starts his new job at FC Bayern, but the anticipation is already written all over his face. He'll get some rest over the next few days, but then it's time to get to work: "I'm going all-in, it can't start soon enough," concluded the new boss.
Find out all you need to know about Kompany's appointmernt here:
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