Why do Bayern Munich want Vincent Kompany?

Vincent Kompany’s emergence as the leading contender for the vacant Bayern Munich job must rank as one of the season’s more surprising stories.

Bayern — recently deposed as Bundesliga champions by Bayer Leverkusen — have been searching for a replacement for Thomas Tuchel for three months and have made precious little progress.

So what have they identified in Kompany to convince them he could restore them to the top of the German, and European, game?

How big a shock is it that Bayern are considering Kompany?

Relegation with only 24 points is not a great pitch to clubs looking for new managers. Twelve months ago, Kompany’s stock was at its peak after guiding Burnley to a dominant 101-point Championship-winning campaign. However, after a very poor season in the top flight, that seemed to have dropped.

It is a surprise that a club of Bayern Munich’s stature would be prepared to take a risk on Kompany, given he is yet to manage at the highest level. Then again, it is also true that the Germans appear to be rapidly running out of options in a search that began when Thomas Tuchel’s end-of-season departure was announced in February.

Xabi Alonso, Julian Nagelsmann, Ralf Rangnick, Hansi Flick, Unai Emery, Erik ten Hag, Oliver Glasner and Roberto De Zerbi were all among the reported targets. Bayern even brought Tuchel back in for talks about continuing.

Kompany is far from the German side’s plan A, more like plan J.

However, one season should not define a manager and the 38-year-old remains one of the exciting up-and-coming managers in Europe, and one who was considered by Chelsea and Tottenham last summer.

He has learnt a lot from this season, but only time will tell if he uses that positively and can bounce back from a difficult campaign. He certainly carries an elite mentality and knows what it takes to play and win at the top level.

Was Burnley’s relegation entirely his fault?

No, but he played a large part in it.

Burnley’s free-flowing, exciting attacking style is a philosophy Kompany was keen to maintain when entering the Premier League. That was laudable but also naive. The Belgian’s inexperience was exposed tactically as his side looked undercooked in the early stages of the campaign when they were dominated by better teams.

He stuck to his principles but did adapt his tactics, moving from a single pivot 4-3-3 to a double pivot 4-2-3–1. This brought more defensive stability — although not clean sheets — and made them tougher to beat. But it took until the final 10 games of the season to move from being competitive in matches to actually securing results.

Kompany plays a key role in recruitment and has the final say on all incomings. After a successful first summer when 16 new players arrived for around £26million, Burnley spent big — by their standards — as 15 signings were made last summer for over £90million but only a handful (Sander Berge, Dara O’Shea and Wilson Odobert) contributed. Some were left frustrated that more investment wasn’t available to help them compete.

Kompany likes to reference controlling the controllables and while he assembled the squad, he could not plan for Arijanet Muric committing two terrible errors against Brighton and Everton. He was also helpless to counter poor refereeing decisions against his team in crucial games with relegation rivals Nottingham Forest and Luton Town.

What’s his style of play and is it compatible with Bayern?

When Kompany arrived at Turf Moor he described his core values as hard work and togetherness. Alongside that was an expansive, attacking philosophy that aimed to create a goalscoring opportunity from anywhere on the pitch whether that be a goal kick or a throw-in by their own corner flag. Those principles remained consistent.

Kompany’s side played irresistible football in the Championship. The 4-3-3 set-up he settled on became a 3-2-5 in possession. They dominated the ball, pressed better and harder than any other team, and suffocated opponents into submission. Players are given roles with individual instructions to carry out rather than positions to retain flexibility and not be too predictable.

Comparing the third-best team in the Bundesliga to the second-worst in the Premier League clearly has limited value but the graphic below contrasting their styles shows that both sides have the same possession-orientated approach. The difference in the quality of players is obvious in the poor defensive and attacking numbers.

You could argue that Kompany’s approach is best suited to better players, and therefore Bayern Munich (and Burnley in the Championship) are a better fit. The numbers would probably match up to that.

Kompany worked under Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, who is one of the key influences and Burnley were essentially a mini-version of the Spaniard’s side in the second tier. Guardiola, who once said that Kompany would one day become City manager, clearly sees something he likes in his old player.

Is he equipped to handle big talents?

Kompany carries an aura when he enters a room and his success at City, and at international level, ensures he is well respected in the game.

His role as City captain saw him deal with a lot of big characters. He would be a sounding board for unhappy players who were not getting the game time they wanted and faced many high-pressure situations when fighting for trophies.

He has not handled every situation perfectly at Burnley, irking some players and supporters by discarding some of the key squad members from the promotion campaign. However, despite the difficult season, the dressing room retained belief that they could pull off an improbable survival mission. He is a workaholic, putting in 12-14 hour days. Meetings are frequent and packed with information.

Training is challenging and demanding. That was not a problem last season, but the intensity, coupled with the poor results, took its toll on some of Burnley’s players.

Vincent Kompany was a colossal figure at Manchester City (Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

What other factors might make him appealing to Bayern?

German is one of the many languages that Kompany can speak. He learned it when playing for Hamburger SV during the early part of his career. He spent two injury-hit seasons there before moving to Manchester City. Knowing the language is believed to be essential to whoever takes the Bayern job.

Kompany also carries a high-profile brand. He is one of the more well-known young managers coming through, and is well connected and regarded within the game.

Ultimately, however, his name means a lot. A Burnley manager not called Vincent Kompany would almost certainly have been sacked for overseeing a season that saw the club finish below Luton.

One interesting element to his possible appointment at Bayern is that Kompany will not carry the same power and control that he does at Burnley, where he oversees almost every part of the football operation. At Bayern, where big figures are locked in a near-constant power struggle, he would not have that kind of power.

Will Burnley make it hard for him to leave?

Burnley do not want to lose Kompany, who has built the club in his image and is central to how it operates. Having navigated them to promotion in his first season, the hope was that he would stay and replicate that success and then be better prepared for a second shot at the Premier League.

The club even released an interview with him yesterday morning where he spoke about his plans for next season.

However, it is difficult to stand in the way of him taking the Bayern job because of the significant step up it would represent. For the Belgian, it is too good an opportunity to turn down.

Burnley understand their position in football’s food chain. A key part of getting Wout Weghorst to sign for them in January 2022 was chairman Alan Pace agreeing informally that, if the striker could not help save them from relegation, he would be allowed to leave to help his World Cup ambitions.

Pace has aimed to change the perception of the club since his arrival. He has wanted Burnley to be a place that helps managers and players go on to achieve their dreams.

There was always going to come a point when a bigger club would swoop for Kompany because he does have the tools and profile to manage at the highest level.

Burnley are fighting hard for compensation, however. Kompany signed a five-year deal last year, so has four years remaining on the contract. There is no indication a release clause is included in the deal so Burnley will be well compensated if they lose their key man.

(Top photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)