by Oliver Trust

BERLIN, Sept. 2 (Xinhua) -- After a tense deadline day, goalkeeper legend Oliver Kahn has called for new structures in German football and urged more risk-taking and long-term thinking in the sport.

While the English Premier League broke its 2023 transfer record during the 2025 summer transfer window, the German league and other European leagues lost ground. Even the EFL Championship clubs, England's second division, spent around 309 million euros this summer.

In comparison, the Premier League is expected to end with a transfer income of 2.04 billion, while the German league is projected to gain revenues of 1.03 billion.

Former Bayern keeper and German international, Kahn, claims German football plays it safe far too much and "has unlearned to take manageable risks."

The 56-year-old, a 2001 UEFA Champions League winner and former Bayern chairman (2020-2023), said the German league is content with its role as a runner-up.

"German football is maintaining its status quo, while the Premier League is playing its leading role," the 86-capped player added in a LinkedIn posting.

From his perspective, the Premier League is offering quick fixes, as approval from 14 of the 20 clubs is sufficient; Germany's 36 clubs (first and second division) generate little consensus rather than progress.

After losing several key players, including Florian Wirtz, Nick Woltemade, Xavi Simons, Granit Xhaka, and Hugo Ekitike, German media called the country's first division a "farmers league."

Leverkusen CEO Simon Rolfes mentioned that German clubs ultimately fell short of withstanding the Premier League's dominance "as there is no chance to keep a player wanting to depart."

Bayern board member for sports, Max Eberl, explained Bayern's restrained approach with "financial farsightedness."

Former Borussia Dortmund CEO and German Football League Association vice-president Hans-Joachim Watzke mentioned a salary cap in European football, and said German football missed developments because "we like to stew in our own juice."

Rolfes said the future of the German league depends on "the development of top-class players educated by the clubs."

Kahn called for better governance, higher investments, and improved international marketing. "Bayern is maintaining its national leading position but is slowed down on the international stage."

Due to the worrying transfer trend, German football is reigniting the debate over the country's 50-plus-one rule, which requires clubs to hold a majority of shares and prevents foreign investors from taking over. ■