"Uli Hoeneß is and remains a manager legend of German football... However, I cannot understand these statements." Alexander Wehrle, 51, used that line in comments to SPORT1 to push back at the Bayern Munich honorary president after Hoeneß, 74, questioned VfB Stuttgart's transfer risk a week earlier on BR's Sonntags-Stammtisch.

Wehrle's response to Hoeneß

Wehrle's central point was simple. He said Stuttgart did not sell a single regular starter in the summer transfer window and argued the club had invested significantly in the squad. He also pointed to the arrival of Dennis Seimen, whom he described as a homegrown player who can be Stuttgart's number one for years to come.

His wider rebuttal was aimed at the idea that Stuttgart should be pushing harder for Champions League football. Wehrle said the club had never proclaimed that target internally or externally, which is a direct answer to Hoeneß's criticism that Stuttgart should take more risk.

The numbers around Stuttgart give Wehrle some cover, at least in the short term. VfB Stuttgart sit 8th in the Bundesliga with 12 points from 9 matches, and they are 14th in the Champions League with 7 points from 4 matches. That is not a profile of a side under steady top-four control, but it does show a club still trying to balance ambition and stability.

The Woltemade dispute behind the row

The argument sits on top of the Nick Woltemade dispute that has already shaped relations between the two clubs. Hoeneß's comments came after Bayern had offered up to 60 million euros for Woltemade in summer 2025, while Stuttgart insisted on at least 75 million euros.

That gap explains why the exchange has lingered. Hoeneß says Stuttgart cannot keep selling their best players and expect Champions League qualification, while Wehrle is insisting that the club kept its core together and still backed the squad. Bayern München are top of the Bundesliga with 21 points from 9 matches, so the criticism is coming from a club that has no shortage of authority. Wehrle's reply is that Stuttgart have already spent, kept their starters and are not pretending to be something they have not said they are.

The row is unlikely to disappear quickly, because it is tied to a failed deal as much as a public exchange of opinions. What Stuttgart do next in the market will matter more than the verbal sparring, but for now Wehrle has drawn a clear line under Hoeneß's complaint.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →