Bayern Munich and their head of scouting, Nils Schmadtke, have agreed to part ways prematurely. Schmadtke will leave the record champions on January 31, 2027, almost two years before his contract was originally set to expire.
Sporting director Max Eberl praised the 53-year-old's work. He said Schmadtke had been a very large support in the area of scouting and in planning the licensed squad over the past two years. Schmadtke also commented, stating, "Working for FC Bayern was a special task and a great honour."
Background to the Departure
The decision follows longer-standing internal criticism of Schmadtke's leadership style and his handling of staff. The son of former Wolfsburg manager Jörg Schmadtke moved from Borussia Mönchengladbach to Munich in autumn 2024 to rebuild the scouting structures under Eberl. Despite the public praise from the sporting director, the decision to end the collaboration early matured over recent months.
The search for a successor is already underway. Sporting director Christoph Freund and AG managing director Jochen Sauer are tasked with finding a replacement. Among the candidates linked to the vacant role is Christopher Vivell, who has been Head of Recruitment at Manchester United since 2024. There is no official confirmation for these rumours. There is also speculation about the potential departure of another scout, Florian Zahn, who has worked for FC Bayern since 2020.
Current Sporting Situation
The personnel reshuffle behind the scenes comes at a time when the team leads the Bundesliga table. However, Bayern's recent form has been mixed. From their last five competitive matches, they have only one win, two draws, and two defeats. Their most recent game ended in a 2-2 draw against Borussia Dortmund last Saturday. The goals for Bayern were scored by Konrad Laimer and Dayot Upamecano. The full overview of recent results and the current standings is available online.
Next up for Bayern is a key away Champions League fixture on Tuesday against group opponents Atletico Madrid. Munich will hope a positive result can end their inconsistencies and continue the positive development under manager Vincent Kompany. The team's top scorer this season so far is Michael Olise.
With Nils Schmadtke's departure at the end of the month, Bayern Munich plan a restructuring of their scouting department. The club's decision-makers aim to set a new course for upcoming transfer periods.
The original report is at Kicker
