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Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeneß gave an extensive interview on the club's own television channel in which he touched on everything from his future at the club to what sparked the rumours of a swap deal involving Podolski and Olic..
Hoeneß, who celebrated his 57th birthday at Bayern's training facility in Dubai at the beginning of this week, admitted that he is feeling really good about how things are starting to shape up under Jürgen Klinsmann, citing the palpable group unity as key.
"You always know when a team's functioning well, when the chemistry's right. Looking at things here, I think it's obvious a very, very good group has developed over the last six months, and that the players have grown very close together," he told FCB.tv. "That's been reflected in our performances, and it's raised expectations for the next three to four months.
"You sense everyone's grown together," he added. "There was initial scepticism, turmoil, curiosity, all from outside. The daily rhythm has changed completely, and that needed time. The feeling now is that everything's come together, and that it's been like that for a while."
On the subject of the recent rumours that Bayern were ready to swap Lukas Podolski to Hamburger SV in order to bring Ivica Olic to the club sooner, Hoeneß said: "This speculation started because Hamburg coach Martin Jol thought aloud in a news conference. We can't say anything, because we're not doing anything in that direction. If HSV found a solution with Lukas Podolski, and were prepared to release Ivica Olic this winter, and the clubs could agree a sum, it might be something to think about. I personally give it a less than one percent chance."
The general manager went on to reveal why the club had chosen Dubai as a training location this time around.
"We've always had excellent conditions here, and we also have to consider the money," he explained. "We paid for the whole lot in Marbella, it was cost pure and simple for us, so we did want to earn a bob or two this time. The financial crisis won't stop just for us. That's why we chose to come to Dubai. First of all, we have fantastic conditions, and second, we have the friendlies in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, so at the end of the day, we'll have superb conditions and money in the bank. [Finance director] Karl Hopfner will be delighted."
Finally Hoeneß commented on reports that this will be his final year as manager of the record German champions.
"I'm not even thinking like that for now," he insisted. "We're totally focused on the vital period ahead of us. We're still in three competitions, and we have a team which can still develop. And I'm not going to go deeper into the subject for months yet, because I'm not drawing my pension, nor am I fleeing the country. I could well switch from being a hands-on manager who appears every day, to a club President who – hopefully – appears very frequently and remains close to the team. So I don't regard it as a major break for me."
Hoeneß, who celebrated his 57th birthday at Bayern's training facility in Dubai at the beginning of this week, admitted that he is feeling really good about how things are starting to shape up under Jürgen Klinsmann, citing the palpable group unity as key.
"You always know when a team's functioning well, when the chemistry's right. Looking at things here, I think it's obvious a very, very good group has developed over the last six months, and that the players have grown very close together," he told FCB.tv. "That's been reflected in our performances, and it's raised expectations for the next three to four months.
"You sense everyone's grown together," he added. "There was initial scepticism, turmoil, curiosity, all from outside. The daily rhythm has changed completely, and that needed time. The feeling now is that everything's come together, and that it's been like that for a while."
On the subject of the recent rumours that Bayern were ready to swap Lukas Podolski to Hamburger SV in order to bring Ivica Olic to the club sooner, Hoeneß said: "This speculation started because Hamburg coach Martin Jol thought aloud in a news conference. We can't say anything, because we're not doing anything in that direction. If HSV found a solution with Lukas Podolski, and were prepared to release Ivica Olic this winter, and the clubs could agree a sum, it might be something to think about. I personally give it a less than one percent chance."
The general manager went on to reveal why the club had chosen Dubai as a training location this time around.
"We've always had excellent conditions here, and we also have to consider the money," he explained. "We paid for the whole lot in Marbella, it was cost pure and simple for us, so we did want to earn a bob or two this time. The financial crisis won't stop just for us. That's why we chose to come to Dubai. First of all, we have fantastic conditions, and second, we have the friendlies in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, so at the end of the day, we'll have superb conditions and money in the bank. [Finance director] Karl Hopfner will be delighted."
Finally Hoeneß commented on reports that this will be his final year as manager of the record German champions.
"I'm not even thinking like that for now," he insisted. "We're totally focused on the vital period ahead of us. We're still in three competitions, and we have a team which can still develop. And I'm not going to go deeper into the subject for months yet, because I'm not drawing my pension, nor am I fleeing the country. I could well switch from being a hands-on manager who appears every day, to a club President who – hopefully – appears very frequently and remains close to the team. So I don't regard it as a major break for me."
