New Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany stressed that having the job at the German record champions is "not an achievement" by itself and doesn't want club bosses and fans to be convinced of him beforehand.
"Having the job is not an achievement. Achievement is being successful with the job," Kompany said during his official presentation on Thursday.
"I don't want everyone to only be convinced of me beforehand, but also of my work on the pitch during my time here," he added. "I know what a big club Bayern is. I'm proud, but also very motivated to be here. As far as I'm concerned, the season can start straight away."
End of a long search
Bayern announced Kompany as new coach on Wednesday, ending an at times farcical months-long search for a new helmsman with around half a dozen men led by Xabi Alonso saying they weren't interested, and past coach Thomas Tuchel also not staying after all.
"We had a long decision-making process. But we all agreed that Vincent Kompany was the right man for the job," Munich CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen said.
Bringing in Kompany, who this term couldn't save Burnley from relegation in the Premier League, is a huge bet for the Bayern bosses. They now hope to settle down with a coach for a longer period, which has been an issue for the club for a while.
Their most recent coaches Julian Nagelsmann (dismissed in March 2023) and Tuchel didn't reach the two-year mark with the team.
"We've had a high turnover of coaches recently. We want to change that, the coach is a very important person at the club. We have a great opportunity to row back on a few things and become a unit again," Bayern board member for sport Max Eberl said.
Bayern already start planning for next season
Eberl added that the club has already started the squad planning for the upcoming season.
"We've already talked intensively about players and the squad. Christoph (Freund, sporting director) and I have of course already worked on the squad planning. We're probably a bit further along than you might think," he said.
Kompany said that he was "convinced by Max and Christoph of their ideas for the future" and that's why he decided in favour of Bayern.
Asked about what does he bring to the table, the new coach said: "I coached one of the youngest teams in Belgium and one of the smallest teams in England. What I bring to the table are things that will help the players to improve. I have a clear vision and will also implement it here in Germany."
Bayern will be aiming to play another Champions League final at home next season, after a heartbreak in 2012 when they lost to Chelsea. But Kompany warned: "We won't achieve that by talking about it, we'll have to work hard for it every day in training."
