Barcelona
West Ham United Linked With Move For Barcelona Defender
West Ham United are reportedly preparing a move for Barcelona defender Junior Firpo, as claimed by Mundo Deportivo journalist Miguel Rico (via Sport Witness). Firpo came to the Camp Nou in 2019 after spending five years at Real Betis, in a deal possibly rising to €30m. It was hoped that he could be Barcelona’s long-term replacement for the ageing Jordi Alba. Firpo’s move to Barcelona hasn’t worked out However, faith in the 24-year-old seems fairly low at the moment, and manager Ronald Koeman has given him just 29 minutes in the league this term. This has led to several rumours about his future, with reports suggesting that the Catalan giants would be willing to let the player go. West Ham United have been named as potential takers for the Spanish left-back, with journalist Miguel Rico stat...
Champions League Round of 16 Draw Announced
The fixtures for this season’s Champions League round of 16 have been announced. Borussia Monchengladbach will play their first-ever Champions League knockout game at home to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, while last season’s winners Bayern Munich will travel to Lazio. Atletico Madrid meet Chelsea in a repeat of the 2014 semi-final, which the Spanish side won. Jurgen Klopp will return to his home country to bring his Liverpool side to RB Leipzig, while it’s also a homecoming for Cristiano Ronaldo, who visits his native Portugal to face Porto. The most enticing tie of the round came when Barcelona were drawn against French giants Paris Saint-Germain. Last time the two sides met, Barcelona won 6-1 at the Camp Nou, completing an incredible comeback after losing the first leg 4-0. Rounding o...
PSG confirm Neymar’s ankle injury
Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain say an initial assessment of key forward Neymar’s ankle injury has been “reassuring”. The Brazilian striker was stretched off in Sunday’s loss to Olympique Lyonnais, with the Paris side saying on Monday that he had sprained his left ankle, adding that further examinations will be carried out in the next 48 hours. In the extra time of the tie, the 28-year-old went down screaming in agony and clutching his ankle after a poor challenge from Lyon midfielder Thiago Mendes, who was thereafter sent off with a straight red. “The medical examinations carried out on Neymar are reassuring following his twisted ankle in Sunday’s game against Lyon,” PSG said. The club, and Neymar in particular, will hope the damage is not too deleterious and does not rule him out of t...
Barcelona reignite interest in Chelsea centre-back Antonio Rudiger
Barcelona have struggled this year with the absences of Gerard Pique and Samuel Umtiti on their backline. With just two centre-backs currently who are fit in Clement Lenglet and Ronald Araujo, the La Liga giants are ready try their luck in the January transfer window in the hopes of bringing in another defender. According to ESPN, Antonio Rudiger is on their radar. Rudiger has recently fallen out of favor at Stamford Bridge this term thanks to the partnership of Kurt Zouma and Thiago Silva, which has left the 27-year old desperate for minutes. Barca were previously keen on Rudiger in the summer, but a deal never materialized. The German has made just four appearances this season under Frank Lampard and has been linked to a move away from London for several months now. Calciomercato claims ...
Where Next For Barcelona’s Superstars?
The last 18 months at Barcelona have been turbulent to say the very least. A rare trophyless season, humiliation in the Champions League for the third year running, Lionel Messi’s transfer request, mass protests against the club president, three different managers. And, at the end of it all, a worrying financial situation. Last summer, several of the club’s biggest names departed, including Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez. The upcoming transfer windows are expected to be no different, with a number of players rumoured to be nearing the exit door. Of course, the question remains: where will they go? Let’s have a look. Lionel Messi Messi almost left the Camp Nou last summer Lionel Messi dropped a bombshell on the world of football last summer by announcing that he wanted to leave Barcelona. Ho...
FIFPro Announce 2020 World XI Nominees
The shortlist for the 2020 FIFPro World XI has been announced. Every professional footballer around the world was invited to vote for the best player in each position. The ones with the most votes made it into the 55-man shortlist. The goalkeeper with the most votes, as well as the top three defenders, midfielders, and forwards, will be inducted into the FIFPro World XI. The remaining spot will go to the outfield player with the most votes. Bayern Munich are the most represented team in the shortlist, boasting 11 players. Title winners Real Madrid and Liverpool come in joint-second with eight players each. Bayern completed the treble with a win over PSG in August Despite going trophyless last year, Barcelona and Tottenham Hotspur both make it into the top five, with six and five candidates...
Bayern Munich Plotting Move For Barcelona Midfielder
Bayern Munich are eyeing up a move for Dutch midfielder Frenkie de Jong, according to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo. De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax in the summer transfer window of 2019. Since then, he has had a mixed time at the Camp Nou, often showing flashes of brilliance without ever consistently producing his best stuff. Nonetheless, there is no denying that the Dutchman has immense potential, as proven by his stellar performances at Ajax. De Jong has impressed on the international stage and at Ajax Treble winners Bayern Munich are said to be interested in the 23-year-old, with Mundo Deportivo claiming that he could be sold in order to raise funds during financially unstable times for Barcelona. Barcelona’s financial situation is no secret, with interim president Carlos Tusquets ...
SL VIEW: UEFA 2020 Fans’ Team of the Year
Earlier this month, UEFA revealed their 51 nominees for the Team of the Year and it was unsurprising that Bayern Munich had the most players on the list. The Bavarian giants won the Bundesliga, DFL Pokal Cup and Champions League treble for only the second time in their history last term and they did so in stunning fashion with a 30-match unbeaten streak which included 29 wins. Since 2001, UEFA have allowed fans to vote for their Team of the Year on their official website. As always, the final result will be announced in January and here are my picks for the 2020 Team of the Year. Formation: 4-3-3 Goalkeeper: Manuel Neuer – Bayern Munich: The 34-year-old was almost ever-present for Bayern between the sticks as they went on to win another treble. The club-captain kept 23 clean sheets in his ...
Report: Everton keen on 27-yr-old La Liga player who could be available in January
Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti could be allowed to leave the club when the transfer window reopens in January. The French World Cup winner has fallen down the pecking order at the Spanish club after recovering from his knee problems and the La Liga outfit are looking to get his wages off their books now. According to Sport, Everton are interested in signing the defender. The Toffees could use some depth in the centre back position and Samuel Umtiti would be a handy signing for Carlo Ancelotti. Currently, Everton have Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey as their centre back options. Samuel Umtiti was considered as a world-class talent when he moved to Barcelona and the player still has his best years ahead of him. Carlo Ancelotti is a top-class manager who might be able to help the ...
Inter preparing offer for Junior Firpo
The name Junior Firpo continues to be on the Inter agenda. According to the newspaper ‘Sport’, the Italians will try again for the Barca player in January: they are studying a six month or year and a half loan with option to buy. Inter Milan haven’t forgotten about Junior Firpo, one of their big alternatives for down the left. The Italian outfit are still interested in the Barcelona player and are reportedly studying a six month or year and a half loan with option to buy. All of this while the 24-year-old LB continues to not be in Ronald Koeman’s plans, as the 192 minutes that he has played this season demonstrate, which increase the rumours about his possible exit. Junior is under contract at Barca until June 2024 and his market value is around 12.3 million euros. According to the newspap...
Centre-Back Duo Return For Barcelona Ahead of Juventus Clash
Centre-backs Samuel Umtiti and Ronald Araujo have been named in the matchday squad for Barcelona’s final Champions League group stage fixture against Juventus. La Blaugrana have suffered a bit of a defensive crisis of late, losing several central defenders to injury. Veteran Gerard Pique was the latest casualty, suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury which is expected to keep him out for most of the season. Pique suffered an ACL injury against Atletico Madrid For a while, manager Ronald Koeman was left with Clement Lenglet as his only senior available centre-back. Youngster Oscar Mingueza had to be fast tracked into the starting XI, while midfielder Frenkie de Jong also deputised in defence. But now it looks like the backline worries are coming to an end, with both Samuel Umtiti an...
Miralem Pjanic Admits Frustration at Playing Time
Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic has spoken out about his game time at Barcelona, admitting that he is unhappy with the situation. Pjanic arrived at the Camp Nou during the last transfer window from Juventus, in a move which saw Brazilian midfielder Arthur move in the opposite direction. He has made just one start in La Liga so far this season, although he has been in the starting XI for all five of Barcelona’s Champions League games. La Blaugrana play their sixth and final Champions League group stage game on Tuesday – against Pjanic’s former club, no less. If the Catalan giants can avoid defeat by two or more goals, then they will finish top of their group. Pjanic’s move to Barcelona has not gone to plan Ahead of his reunion with his former teammates, Pjanic spoke to La Gazzetta Dello S...
