Bundesletter Podcast #6 — Stefan Bienkowski
On the German football media, Bayern's dominance in English-speaking coverage and transfer speculation
However, it's the work he does outside his nine-to-five that makes him a well-known name among avid followers of the Bundesliga. Alongside Manuel Veth, Stefan runs the Gegenpressing Podcast and Newsletter, one of the best English-language resources for understanding the German game.
Stefan has lived and worked in Germany. too. He was previously a football correspondent for Deutsche Welle, and has contributed to leading titles including The Telegraph and Guardian.
Here's what we covered:
Stefan's work with Transfermarkt, and the Gegenpressing Newsletter/Podcast (3:00)
The stories Stefan and his colleagues cover on Gegenpressing (5:15)
Stefan's experience of living and working in Germany (8:00)
The dominance of Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich in the English-language coverage of German football (10:00)
How the German media cover the transfer market (16:30)
The similarities between Germany's media and other major European footballing powers (23:30)
The idea that the Bundesliga has become a 'development league' for Europe's elite clubs (26:30)
Fan sentiment towards Bayern's dominance, and attitudes towards the 'financialisation' of football in Germany and other markets (33:30)
The stories from the 24/25 season which have been 'under covered' by English outlets (40:00)