Uli Hoeneß, a member of Bayern Munich's supervisory board, stated that trainer Vincent Kompany and sporting director Christoph Freund visited him at Tegernsee in the summer of 2025. Their purpose was to convince the honorary president to approve the signing of former Leipzig player, the 22-year-old Dutch attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who is now at Tottenham. Hoeneß said he denied their request and informed Kompany that while he could have a piece of apple pie, the player would not be approved, because the club's desire was for Kompany to utilize young players.
Kompany later confirmed the meeting and the attempt to persuade Hoeneß, explaining that he, Freund, Max Eberl, and Jan-Christian Dreesen are a motivated group that always tries to convince people respectfully as part of a normal process. The coach added that he told Hoeneß during the meeting that Hoeneß would have pushed just as hard at their age, after which they ate apple pie. Kompany also noted that transfer packages valued at over 50 million euros must always be approved by the supervisory board. Simons has 34 caps and 6 goals for the Netherlands, and his contract at Tottenham is valid until 2030. In the 2025/2026 Premier League season, he has registered one goal and four assists in 26 appearances.
