Neil Jones cited one potential obstacle Liverpool may need to overcome if they’re to lure one reported sporting director candidate to Anfield.
In recent days, Christian Falk claimed that the Reds are interested in hiring Max Eberl for the role if Jorg Schmadtke leaves in 2024, although Bayern Munich are also ‘in talks’ with the former RB Leipzig chief.
Speaking to Empire of the Kop’s Substack, the journalist highlighted that the pull of the Bundesliga champions for a man who came through their academy and played with them could pose a challenge for LFC.
Jones stated: “Eberl has a really good reputation in Germany. I know it didn’t end well for him at Leipzig but he’s got a very good reputation as one of the best executives going in the Bundesliga.
“If he is on the market – and if Liverpool are in the market for a longer-term sporting director, which they are! – it makes sense that they are at least asking the question.
“We’ll see if anything develops on it, but Bayern Munich’s involvement definitely muddies the water a little bit. He’s a Bayern Munich guy, as well, isn’t he? He came through their youth system and he’s played for their senior side, albeit briefly! So you can understand if he felt a real pull towards Bavaria.”
Within Germany, many players who impress in the Bundesliga are duly snapped up by Bayern – Serge Gnabry, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Götze, Philipp Lahm and Michael Ballack are among some of the prominent examples going back through the years.
It may well be the same at boardroom level, with the country’s most successful club boasting a natural lure for plenty of footballing figures, either on or off the pitch.
That, and Eberl’s previous ties with the Munich giants, could put them in a strong position to get their man, although Liverpool may have one significant edge over the German giants.
As Jones pointed out, the role of sporting director is considered the top job in the Anfield hierarchy, whereas that isn’t the case at Bayern.
As the man who brokered signings such as Yann Sommer and Marcus Thuram during his time at Borussia Monchengladbach, along with Xavi Simons at Leipzig, Eberl has an established track record for masterminding standout transfers.
That makes it easy to see why a pair of six-time European Cup-winning clubs are believed to be keen on hiring him. Time will tell as to whether Liverpool can make a strong enough case to entice him to snub his former club in favour of eventually taking over from Schmadtke.