- Newcastle sign Woltemade in €85m deal from Stuttgart
- Kompany admits money is key reason players choose PL
- Financial gulf poses long-term challenge for Bundesliga clubs
Bayern manager Kompany offered a brutally honest assessment of the Premier League‘s financial power after long-term transfer target Woltemade opted to join Newcastle. According to multiple reports, the Stuttgart striker is set to move to St James’ Park in a deal worth a reported base fee of £74 million ($100m), despite previously agreeing to join the Bundesliga champions.
Newcastle’s record signing of Woltemade follows a trend of Bundesliga stars moving to the Liga Premier in recent windows. The Magpies’ investment could also accelerate Alexander Isak’s anticipated move to Liverpool. For Bayern, it marks another missed opportunity after they saw Florian Wirtz join Liverpool instead of the Bavarian giants. Kompany and sporting director Christoph Freund both acknowledged the financial disparity, with Freund stating the Premier League is “in a different league” financially.
Asked why so many stars are picking the Premier League, Kompany said: “Money. But the truth is, I remember when I got promoted to the Premier League with Burnley. And then suddenly the TV money comes in, and that’s €100 million. For newly promoted teams. From a budget of €25, €30 million, you suddenly get €125, €130 million. That’s how much the Bundesliga teams in the top eight and top six get. And suddenly, we, Burnley, are competing with Frankfurt and Wolfsburgo for players. If Sunderland is now negotiating with Leverkusen and bringing in players from AC Milán. If you get to the Premier League with €100 million, that doesn’t mean anything, because the others have even more. It’s not just a debate for FC Bayern, but for the entire Bundesliga, how to stay competitive. The players who go to the PL didn’t have five or six good years, but one or two.”
Freund added: “It simply says a lot when you see how many top players have moved from the Bundesliga to the Premier League in the last twelve months and also in this transfer window, the sums of money that are flowing there. The Premier League has brutal opportunities. Not just one, two, or three clubs, many clubs. Newcastle is a good club, but not in the top tier. The amount of money circulating there is enormous. How much money has flowed from the Premier League to the Bundesliga, but also how much quality has moved to the Premier League.”
After missing out on Woltemade, Freund confirmed that Bayern are still active in the market, stating he “wouldn’t rule anything out” with four days left in the transfer window. The club are reportedly finalising a loan move for Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson. On the pitch, Kompany’s side will look to continue their unbeaten start to the season when they face Sandro Wagner’s Augsburgo in the Bundesliga on Saturday.
