Harry Kane has his first Bundesliga title to the second time to ask and while his contribution to Bayern Munich can be measured in goals – 36 and counting this season – those who have contributed to signing him believe they have brought more to the team.
The former technical director of Bayern, Marco Neppe, played a significant role in bringing the captain of England to Bavaria and still considers Kane, signed for over £ 100 million in the summer of 2023, as one of the most memorable acquisitions during his decade at the club.
“You can’t change the market, you have to accept it and find the best way for your club. Yes, you have to be careful to increase the value of your team, but it’s about making those short and medium term calculations,” says Neppe Sky Sports.
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Look at Harry Kane of Bayern Munich celebrating his first senior team trophy
“You may have players at the beginning of their trip. You may have a player who know that in two years he will deserve this place in the team. A big signature can carry things on their shoulders while allowing some of these young talents to grow in the shade.
“With Harry, he made the players feel as if they could score even if we were under pressure. They see Harry in the locker room and know that it is a player who can change the game in a second. It doesn’t need five meters. Just one second and score.”
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See the best of the goals from 2024/2025 by Harry Kane for Bayern Munich
Explained the technical director
Neppe left Bayern at the beginning of this season after a decade at the club, the former footballer made his way from a scouting role to that of the technical director. “At 80 or 90 % of other clubs, the role would have been called sports director,” he says.
But what is a technical director in his opinion? “I came to the side of the recruitment, but there is not only one way. I suppose it is a bit like playing between the lines because you have to be very close to the locker room and understand that energy,” he explains.
“Do not underestimate this. We are talking from 50 to 80 people around the first team in these great clubs. In the end, these are players, who expect to perform, but we must protect that environment that surrounds them. This is how I understand the role.”
Neppe, still only 38, includes that role better than most, having been part of a highly successful era for Bayern. The team that won six trophies in 2019/20, including the Champions League, was built at a relatively modest cost for a super club.
For Neppe, the recurring theme of our conversation is the message that it is not a simple recruitment, the act of identifying the most talented players. The role concerns the management of the team, the treatment of a game staff such as a living organism, a constant balance.
“We played all of these managers games on the computer when we were teenagers. It was easy. You simply click here and click there. But it’s not just a case of”, we need a right back, here are the best five right diplomas. “It’s a cultural thing.
“Are there any update opportunities? Are there any profiles that you miss? And then, it is the decision -making process, the times and imagination to see what every player will add to your team, what will mean for energy, style. And this is super complex.
“For example, do you have to hear the locker room. There is not enough pressure? There is too much pressure? It could be that you miss an accommodating boy, a Brazilian guy who is relaxed before that great game, someone who can help the boys breathe.”
Memorable Musiala Meeting
Jamal Musiala del Bayern Munich has impressed Marco Neppe since the first meeting
Kane, an expert player signed for a Bundesliga transfer record fee, is truly an exception. Most of the Neppe focus was to bring some of the best young talents in all of Europe, feeding the continuous success of Bayern. But not all business comes out.
He chased the Yamal Lamine in Barcelona and tried to convince Jude Bellingham to sign when he was still in Birmingham City. Jamal Musiala joined Chelsea while he was still a teenager, even if Neppe admits he felt like what was interviewed.
“With Jamal, it was a different conversation from all the others before, especially given his age. I don’t remember a conversation like this in my life. You expect different answers when you meet a 18 -year -old person in a person of 30 years or other.
“He surprised me how clear it was with his goals and ambitions. He was sure of the next step, of what he needed to improve, in which the world cup in which he wanted to play, and I was like, wow, this personality that I did not expect. Everything was so clear with him.
“It was so prepared. This is a conversation with the technical director of Bayern Munich, so these are my questions, these are my answers. It came from his heart but was so concentrated. On the plane to Munich, I was like, wow, you will remember.”
Sweat on the tip of Kimmich
Joshua Kimmich was Marco Neppe’s first recommendation when he joined Bayern Munich
The first signature of Neppe who claimed that Bayern should do could remain at its best. Joshua Kimmich had played in the second level of the Bundesliga, but identified something in the current captain who continued to win the title nine times in Munich.
“My shirt was sweating that day when the boys asked me:” Do you really think that Bayern Munich should sign Kimmich? “We were starting to change the strategy, signing the younger players.
He made his fruits. “We strongly believed in him. It is a signature that I will always remember.” But there have been many. “I will remember Jamal Musiala, Alphonso Davies, Harry Kane. It’s not always the great. Mathys Tel was a really interesting signature. Noussair Mazraoui.”
He never doubted Gravenberch
Ryan Gravenberch remained only one season at Bayern Munich before joining Liverpool
Some signatures become legends, others must go on to find their path. At first glance, few would consider Ryan Gravenberch as one of the best purchases of Bayern, having remained only one season, but Neppe is not surprised by his subsequent success in Liverpool.
“I am super happy for Ryan. It’s a special midfielder. When we signed it from Ajax, we were 100 %convinced. And honestly, we never doubted its qualities. We knew that one day he would see exactly what he is showing Liverpool.
“But sometimes it is also about needing a little patience. Even in his first season in Liverpool, it was not easy. It is a momentum. There are so many stories in football in which great careers begin due to an injury to another player and risk the opportunity.
“He looks at Alphonso Davies, the beginning of his career in Bayern is due to the fact that David Alaba and Lucas Hernandez were injured at the same time. He had his opportunity. But it’s not lucky. In the long term, these players will always show their level.
“We are talking about players but I prefer to talk about human beings, how they think, what are their triggering factors, their goals? How much are they invested in their success, in the team? How much are they resilient in order to overcome the difficult moments of football?”
Neppe can still celebrate Bayern’s success, but underlines that football always concerns the next signature, the next game. “In football, you don’t have time to look back. Maybe when I’m 65 with my grandchildren.” For Neppe, it is the next work now.