Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer says he wants to leave his mark on the future of the club but he needs “at least three or four years” before he can be judged on his success in establishing a top-class youth system.
Sammer, who joined the Bavarians in his current role last July, is confident that he can safeguard the club’s long-term future and guarantee many more Bundesliga titles.
Speaking in an interview with Welt am Sonntag, the 49-year-old German discussed the scope of his plans for the set-up at the current league leaders.
“It is my intention to establish youth in order to better manage a sustainable and long-term performance,” he said. “It will take at least another three or four years to properly evaluate. Then hopefully what I’m doing here will be recognisable.
“That does not mean that I do not feel any pressure. I view pressure as something positive. The pressure of working with such outstanding personalities as Uli Hoeness, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Karl Hopfner and Jupp Heynckes is phenomenal.”
Bayern currently sit top of the Bundesliga with 42 points from 17 games, nine ahead of Bayer Leverkusen, but Sammer believes that focusing on this season’s title alone is the wrong path to success.
“It is important in my opinion to understand the mindset of the players,” the 1996 European Footballer of the year added.
“If we continue to work on the performance, implement the most demanding training programme with conviction, then the title will come to us.”