The standards at Bayern Munich are absolute. Less than an hour after the Bavarians unbelievably won the Bundesliga title, courtesy of Borussia Dortmund, news broke that Bayern had sacked CEO Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic. While the latter’s successor has yet to be chosen, Jan-Christian Dreesen has been chosen to succeed Oliver Kahn.
So who is Jan-Christian Dreesen, the man tasked with returning Bayern Munich to undisputed dominance after a disastrous season? Here’s a look at the new Bayern boss
Who is Jan-Christian Dreesen?
For Jan-Christian Dreesen, a longtime fan of Bayern Munich, this is a milestone in a career that has not always coincided with football.
Dreesen began his career as an advisor at Bayerische Vereinsbank in 1995. In 2006, he became a member of the board of directors of Private Banking at HypoVereinsbank.
After another two short but successful spells at two banks – Swiss bank UBS and BayernLB, Dreesen caught the attention of FC Bayern Munich.
In 2013, Jan-Christian Dreesen was appointed chief financial officer of Bayern Munich. He replaced the highly regarded director, Karl Hopfner.
Under Dreesen, Bayern Munich experienced their most successful financial period in the club’s history. Since 2013, the Bavarians have won the Bundesliga title every season. This sporting success was skillfully used by the financial team led by Jan-Christian Dreesen.
Bayern was head and shoulders above every other club in the Bundesliga in terms of financial power and was able to regularly compete with state clubs that were not subject to any restrictions in terms of ownership and spending.
Dreesen’s performance was rewarded with increased accountability. A year later, in 2014, he was appointed vice-president of the club’s management board.
By 2016, he had become the voice of the club, regularly representing the interests of Bayern Munich in the Ligaverband, the parent company of the German league.
His ascent through the club’s ranks reached its peak with the announcement that Dreesen was named the club’s next CEO, succeeding Oliver Kahn at the end of the 2022/23 season.
Read more:
Dreesen’s challenge
Jan-Christian Dreesen knows firsthand how high standards are at Bayern Munich. Julian Nagelsmann was sacked despite the club being in all three competitions. Oliver Kahn and Hasan Salihamidzic didn’t even get a chance to celebrate their title before being informed of their sacking.
That’s because this championship title hides a lot of dysfunction behind the scenes. Under Oliver Kahn and Salihamidzic, Bayern just went through the most nervous Bundesliga season in years.
Moreover, they had to endure the disgrace of being sent off by SC Freiburg in the quarter-finals. Manchester City knocked them out of UCL as they barely looked like an equal to Pep’s side.
Dreesen now faces the challenge of refreshing a roster that has a core full of older players whose skills no longer match the impact they have on the team. With his extensive background in finance and experience working in the football industry for nearly a decade, his appointment could not have come at a better time.
Read more: Meaning of Mia San Mia and its importance to Bayern Munich
The upcoming transfer window will be the most important in a decade for Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel has never been a coach who wants to get too involved in transfer decisions, so the onus is on Dreesen and Co. to assemble the next batch of superstars.
From there, the challenge will be to retire the senior core respectfully without causing disharmony within the team.
The winds of change are blowing at Bayern Munich, and Jan-Christian Dreesen is as good a navigator as the Bavarian could hope to find in the coming era of upheaval.
