Overview
- Multiple German outlets report this week that FC Bayern plans to remove chief scout Nils Schmadtke and has informed sport director Max Eberl that the personnel change is tied to his contract renewal.
- Schmadtke joined Bayern in autumn 2024, overhauled the scouting department and pushed an expensive, live on‑site scouting model that critics inside the club say has produced few major discoveries.
- Internal complaints reported by several outlets include concerns about cost, Schmadtke’s conduct and allegations that the scouting unit leaked club personnel plans, a charge described in coverage as a 'Maulwurf' suspicion.
- Christopher Vivell, currently head of scouting at Manchester United and formerly at Salzburg, Leipzig and Chelsea, is named as a possible successor, though his contract in Manchester is reported to run until summer 2027 and would require negotiation.
- If confirmed, the move would mark a visible shift in Bayern’s sporting power structure by reducing a close Eberl ally’s influence and could change how the club identifies and values transfer targets going forward.