Bayern's Eberl defends Kim Min-jae's health amid transfer speculation

Bayern Munich's position remains unchanged. Max Eberl, the sports director, once again drew the line regarding the controversy surrounding Kim Min-jae (29) and his excessive workloads.

'Sky Sports' German edition reported on the 13th (Korea time) that 'Eberl mentioned all issues, including potential sales candidates. He talked about Florian Wirtz, Leroy Sane, Jonathon Ta, and Kim Min-jae,' during a press conference ahead of the FIFA Club World Cup.

According to the media, Director Eberl denied the criticism that he failed to protect Kim Min-jae from injury risks. He stated, 'Kim Min-jae is struggling a bit with an Achilles tendon injury. However, we have never put his health at risk by making him play. We have always controlled everything.'

Eberl continued, 'Now Kim Min-jae is saying he really wants to get healthy. He will return to training in a few days,' adding, 'Then the competition will become fierce. There are Dayo Upamecano, Ta, Yosif Stanisic, and Hiroki Ito. Our defense is very well organized. Kim Min-jae will also have to overcome the competition.'

Kim Min-jae is facing the possibility of parting ways with Bayern this summer. He has played a total of 43 games, accumulating 3593 minutes in all competitions while wearing the Bayern uniform this season, with 2289 minutes played only in the league. He has the second most playing time on the team after Joshua Kimmich.

In particular, Kim Min-jae has been burdened with an Achilles tendon injury since October of last year. Despite needing rest, he has not been able to rest properly due to a string of injuries among his teammates and has continued to defend Bayern's back.

Thanks to this, Bayern reclaimed the Meisterschale (the Bundesliga championship trophy) that they lost to Bayer Leverkusen last season. Kim Min-jae has also become the first Korean player to conquer two of the top five European leagues. After lifting the Serie A championship trophy with Napoli in the 2022-2023 season, he successfully claimed the Bundesliga title.

Despite this, Bayern is considering parting ways with Kim Min-jae. There has been criticism locally in Germany regarding excessive mistakes in the second half of the season. The Bayern board wishes to send Kim Min-jae abroad if they receive a suitable offer, and they have already acquired center-back Ta from the German national team.

However, the fact that Kim Min-jae has played excessively at the risk of overwork is not being considered. He became an 'icon of overwork' to the extent that the International Federation of Professional Footballers (FIFPro) expressed concern in April. In fact, he is reported to have developed a cyst while continuing to play with Achilles tendonitis.

At that time, FIFPro highlighted the issue with the title 'Kim Min-jae in the increasing whirlwind of overwork,' stating, 'Kim Min-jae has been playing since the beginning of the season with Achilles tendonitis. This is related to overload injuries associated with excessive appearances.'

As a result, Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the South Korean national football team, made a deliberate remark. He pointed out that since Kim Min-jae was unable to join the A match in March due to the effects of his injury, 'I feel a bit disappointed that Bayern Munich should have taken preventive measures to protect the player. There have been continuous signals regarding the injury risks for Kim Min-jae.'

'Bavarian Football' also empathized with Coach Hong Myung-bo's criticism. The media remarked, 'It seems like a sharp criticism regarding Kompany. It's a valid point. There were ample opportunities to give Kim Min-jae rest,' and added, 'However, Kompany has overused Kim Min-jae and Upamecano this season. If there had been a more cautious approach from Kompany and Kim Min-jae, they might have prevented things from getting this far.'

Nevertheless, Bayern is pushing for the sale of Kim Min-jae while refuting the overwork controversy. With Kim Min-jae on the transfer market, many big clubs are showing interest in him. Premier League teams Liverpool, Chelsea, and Newcastle United, as well as Serie A's Juventus, AC Milan, Inter Milan, and clubs from Saudi Arabia are consolidating with him.

In particular, Serie A teams, who cannot forget Kim Min-jae's performance during his time at Napoli, are sending love calls to him. Kim Min-jae joined Napoli in the summer of 2022 and immediately showcased wall-like defense, earning the nickname 'The Blue Pillar.' He led Napoli to the league's fewest goals conceded and their first Serie A championship in 33 years with world-class performances throughout the season.

Saudi Arabia is also strongly seeking Kim Min-jae. According to local media, Al Nassr, which features Cristiano Ronaldo, has prepared Bayern's asking price of 50 million euros (about 78.7 billion won). With oil money behind them, Saudi Arabia can match Kim Min-jae's high salary, unlike other European clubs.

For now, Kim Min-jae is scheduled to participate in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup wearing the Bayern uniform this month. He has already moved to the United States to keep up his condition. Bayern is grouped with Auckland City (Australia), Boca Juniors (Argentina), and Benfica (Portugal) in Group C for this tournament.

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