Rummenigge Criticizesโข Premier League Spending as Bayernโ Munichโ Backs Away From Woltemade โPursuit
Munich, Germany – โSeptemberโฃ 29, 2025 โ – Former FC Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge โขhas โsharply criticized the escalating transfer โขfees in modern football, specifically citing the Premier League’s โacquisition of German striker Nick Woltemade as an example of “idiotic” spending. Theโฃ commentsโ come asโข Bayern Munich reportedly declinedโข toโค compete financially for the 23-year-old,โ who โคultimately moved to Newcastle United for a reported โฌ90 โmillion.
Rummenigge revealed โhe advised against pursuing Woltemade, arguing the potential transfer fee โคwas unacceptable. Speaking on โBavarian Radio Sunday evening, he stated, “I said: We come in in order of magnitude, Iโ no longer find them acceptable. We shouldn’t meet all demands.” He shared this stance with current Bayern leadership includingโ Uli โHoeneร, Herbert Hainer,โ Maxโข Eberl, and Jan-Christian Dreesen, before Woltemade’s move to โขEngland. “I can only congratulate them in Stuttgart โthat theyโ have now found one – I now say in quotation marks – idiots who paid so much money – because we โwould โnot have โassured that in Munich,” Rummenigge added.
The escalatingโค costs are โขprompting callsโข for intervention from football’s governing bodies. Rummenigge urgedโข FIFAโ and UEFA to initiate a dialogue to address the issue. “You โare responsible โfor โขall โthe transfer topics. We cannot keep going every year,โ moreโฃ and more, and faster,” he โฃstated.
Bayern also missed out on another German talent this summer,with Florian Wirtz opting forโ a move to Liverpool FC โfrom Bayer Leverkusen. “We โactually feel a bit sorry for Florian as he is a great player and I โขthink he wouldโ have suited โus perfectly โtoo,” Rummenigge commented, noting Wirtzโ has experienced a challenging โstartโ with his new club. Woltemade, meanwhile, โhas scored two โgoals โinโ his first five appearances โฃfor Newcastle United.