Max Eberl visited the Leipzig Christmas market more or less unnoticed, found an apartment and dealt with the history of the Saxon trade fair city - but now his full attention is on football and his new club RB. After a week of acclimatization, you can feel his desire to tackle things again, to change, to be successful.
Eberl is sitting in front of an RB sponsorship wall when he is presented and would like to think about football after the World Cup in Qatar. "These are absurd quantities that are no longer tangible for all of us and that repel people to a certain extent," says Eberl. The top official warned that football should not exceed certain dimensions. The Qatar World Cup would have strengthened him in this view. "Football must remain accessible and understandable for people."
Eberl: "I just want to look ahead"
Eberl (49) talks quickly and a lot. The eleven-month break after leaving Borussia Mönchengladbach for health reasons has apparently done him good. He is now ready, both physically and mentally, to get back on board. Not in any way or anywhere, but as a sports manager at one of the really big German clubs and thus also as the new face of the DFB Cup winner.
The club that is often perceived in the fan scene as a marketing product, which Eberl strongly criticized during his Gladbach days and which he accused of unfair competition. Now he is looking forward to greater financial opportunities. There was heavy criticism from the Gladbach fan scene after his abrupt departure and above all because of his move to Leipzig. He left the background noise behind, says Eberl. "I just want to look ahead." The Mönchengladbach chapter is finally over.
"These eleven months were a great journey that I made," says the new Leipzig sports director and once again justifies his exit at the time. "At some point you got to the point where you were dead, when you were tired. It was a time when I had to stop as a person," says Eberl. The break was an "extremely interesting process" for him. "I've had the best time of my life," says the 49-year-old.
For a moment he even worried that he had broken with football. But then he realized that the game continued to inspire him. "Football plays a crucial role in my life. I'm extremely happy to be back," says Eberl, who took up his post at RB in early December after having signaled his arrival to Oliver Mintzlaff in late August and early September. The new chairman of the supervisory board, Mintzlaff, who was appointed one of the managing directors of the Red Bull group, and the current Austrian national coach, Ralf Rangnick, had a decisive influence on the fortunes of the club.
Eberl wants to "fight" for the Leipzig players
The upcoming transfer and contract negotiations for top performers Christopher Nkunku (25), Konrad Laimer (25) and Dani Olmo (25) will be a major challenge. "That there is extremely great interest, that's the way it is. Accordingly, something is threatening," says Eberl. The currently injured French international Nkunku has a contract until mid-2026, but there was speculation about a possible move to Chelsea next summer.
Eberl admits that it is very likely that midfielder Laimer will be replaced on a free transfer after the end of the season. Nevertheless, he wants to try everything to persuade the Austrian to stay. "He hasn't made up his mind yet. If it were only one percent, I would fight for that one percent," says the 49-year-old. According to media reports, Laimer is about to move to Bayern Munich.
The big Spanish clubs are also interested in the Spaniard Olmo. "He's an exceptional player," says Eberl and announces that he will also fight for him. The new sports director is currently ruling out transfers during the winter break.
