Bayern Munich have appointed Vincent Kompany as the club’s new manager after negotiating his departure from Burnley, the clubs have announced.
ESPN reported on Saturday that Bayern agreed a £10 million deal ($12.7m) for Kompany, who will replace Thomas Tuchel at the Bundesliga giants despite being unable to prevent Burnley from being relegated from the Premier League this season.
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The move completes a troubled recruitment process for Bayern who initially announced in February that Tuchel would depart at the end of the season.
“I’m really looking forward to the challenge at FC Bayern,” Kompany said in a statement. “It’s a great honour to be able to work for this club — FC Bayern is an institution in international football.”
Max Eberl, Bayern’s sporting director, added: “We’re delighted to have brought in Vincent Kompany to FC Bayern. We were immediately on the same page in our discussions with him. He clearly showed us how much the job at FC Bayern appeals to him and that he is keen to take it on.
“Vincent Kompany is hungry and brings everything to the table: as a player, he was already a leading figure in top international football and is also leading the way as a coach.”
Bayern were linked with moves for Bayer Levekusen boss Xabi Alonso and their former manager Julian Nagelsmann before both announced they would be remaining in their jobs with Bayer Leverkusen and the Germany national team, respectively.
They were also in discussions with ex-interim Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick, but he turned down Bayern after deciding to continue in his role as Austria head coach.
There were then reports that Bayern’s sporting directors Eberl and Christoph Freund were negotiating with Tuchel to reverse their joint decision from February. However, Tuchel confirmed before the club’s final game of the season that it would be his last match in charge of the club.
Tuchel’s original contract ran through to 2025, and reports suggested he was looking for an extension through to 2026 if they agreed on him staying.
This follows a turbulent season where Bayern’s 11-season reign as Bundesliga champions was brought to an end by Leverkusen. They were knocked out of the DFB Pokal in the second round to Saarbrücken and exited the Champions League in the semifinals to Real Madrid.
Still, Kompany’s appointment represents a surprise given the 38-year-old’s limited experience in top-level management and his difficult season with Burnley, in which they recorded just 24 points and five wins from 38 games to finish 19th in the Premier League, eight points from safety.
In a statement of their own, Burnley said: “Whilst we were initially confident in retaining our manager, the changing dynamics of the situation made this impossible.
“We understand the allure and prestige of a club like Bayern Munich and respect Vincent’s ambition to explore new opportunities. We wish only the best for Vincent and would like to put on record our appreciation for his dedication every single day he was a part of this football club.”
Bayern will instead be hoping the former Belgium international can rediscover the results that saw him lead Burnley to promotion and the Championship title in his first season in charge at Turf Moor.
A former captain and four-time Premier League title winner with Manchester City, Kompany left Pep Guardiola’s squad in 2019 to begin his managerial career with Anderlecht.
Kompany has experience with the Bundesliga after spending two seasons at Hamburg during his playing career.