Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has attributed the Premier League’s superior financial might as key to the Bundesliga’s recent exodus of top stars, with Nick Woltemade on the verge of a move to Newcastle.
The 23-year-old Stuttgart striker has been a target of Bayern throughout the summer after impressing at the European Under-21 Championship with Germany, ending the tournament as top scorer.
But with the transfer deadline closing in, it’s the Magpies who have appear to have won the race for the frontman, agreeing a reported £69m deal for Woltemade.
He follows a number of notable players to make the jump from Germany to England this summer, including Florian Wirtz, who joined former Bayer Leverkusen teammate Jeremie Frimpong at Liverpool, Benjamin Sesko, who moved to Manchester United, and Hugo Ekitike among others.
When asked what has triggered this flurry of departures from the Bundesliga, former Burnley boss Kompany answered: “Money?
“The truth is I remember going with Burnley to the Premier League. All of a sudden you have TV money coming in and it’s £100m for promoted teams.
“So you go from a budget of £20-25m to £120m or £130m which in the Bundesliga you would compete with the top six, top eight.”
Kompany, currently in his second season at Bayern, led Burnley to the Premier League in 2023 after winning promotion, but was relegated the following campaign.
German clubs in the top two divisions will share just over €1bn a year under a new deal for the next four years. Premier League clubs alone will share more than three times that amount per year.
“When Sunderland are buying players they are buying from Leverkusen and they are competing with AC Milan,” Kompany added. “That’s the financial reality. It is the nature of what they have been able to develop over many years, especially with the TV money.”
Additional reporting from Reuters
