Ligue 1
French club ‘agree to sell’ Liverpool target, United fans get excited
The ongoing saga over Sven Botman’s future took another interesting twist on Sunday evening. According to Get French Football, Lille have agreed a deal to sell the defender to an unnamed major European club for between €40-45 million this summer. However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, there is still no agreement in place. Sven Botman will certainly be a key player in the summer transfers market, but there’s still no agreement with any English club as of today. “Fake news”, agent Bruinenberg comments. Tottenham and Liverpool were interested in January but he’s never been close to leave Lille. 🔴 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 14, 2021 SL View Botman’s performances for Lille have led to him being linked with a big-money move this summer. Liverpool have be...
Neymar out for four weeks; will not feature in Barcelona v PSG
Neymar left the pitch last night during Paris Saint-Germain’s 1-0 win over Caen in the French Cup after he was fouled multiple times early in the second half. Clearly injured, there was concern over whether the Brazilian would be able to recover in time for PSG’s Champions League second-round tie with Barcelona next week. L’Equipe had initially announced that Neymar was certain to miss the Tuesday game against Barca, with PSG later confirming (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson) that Neymar will be out for a period of four weeks with a left adductor injury. This will come as a serious blow to PSG’s Champions League hopes as until now, they had considered themselves favourites in the upcoming tie with Barca given the off-pitch turmoil and injuries plaguing the Catalan club. Given that&nb...
PSG still favourites for title but can Depay or David engineer a stunning upset?
Out of Europe’s big five leagues, Ligue 1, the top division of French football, gets overlooked the most. While some people have been bored of Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance in the league over the last few years, that hasn’t been the case this year with this season set for a dramatic climax. At the time of writing only six points separate first to fourth, so here is an in-depth analysis of all the teams in the race for the French title. AS Monaco – current position – 4th The underdogs at the moment in the top four, principality side AS Monaco have pulled themselves back into the reckoning for the French crown this season. AS Monaco are the only side to have prevented PSG from claiming the title since the 2012-13 season with their success in the 2016-17 campaign. While the current Monaco s...
Report: Villas-Boas left Marseille after club decided against signing Hammers star
According to The Sun, French manager Andre Villas-Boas left Marseille after the Ligue 1 outfit decided against signing West Ham United midfielder Manuel Lanzini on loan during the January transfer window. Sportslens View The French top-flight side brought in Celtic star Olivier Ntcham instead, and the former Chelsea boss offered to resign the next day after the transfer deadline as a result. The club parted ways with him just a few hours later, but that might not have happened had they granted his wishes and snapped up Lanzini. With Morgan Sanson on his way out, Villas-Boas tried to swap the Hammers man for the club’s former star who has since joined Aston Villa. The Frenchman went back in with a late loan offer after a swap deal with West Ham fell through, but Marseille were not keen on L...
Report: Manager wants to resign because club signed Celtic star on loan
Marseille manager Andre Villas-Boas has tendered his resignation this morning after the club signed Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham on loan. Breaking | Marseille manager André Villas-Boas announces that he has offered his resignation this morning after the club signed Olivier Ntcham when he didn’t want him. More follows. — Get French Football News (@GFFN) February 2, 2021 Vilas Boas: We signed one player in the transfer window. It wasn’t my decision. I only found out this morning. It’s a player I said no to. As a result I handed in my resignation. https://t.co/d2srkv7h9F — Jeremy Smith (@jeremysmith98) February 2, 2021 The Frenchman joined the Ligue 1 outfit for the rest of the season with an option to buy in the summer, and that could now prove costly for the club. Ntcham was more than k...
Arsenal clearout, last-ditch Liverpool – the best of January transfers across Europe
It’s been a rather quiet January transfer window. Previous years have seen the likes of Bruno Fernandes and Virgil van Dijk make big money moves, but nothing of that magnitude happened this time around. Nonetheless, while there wasn’t a headline-making move, there were still some exciting deals being made. Here’s a look at the best signings of the 2021 January transfer window. Mesut Ozil (Arsenal to Fenerbahce, free transfer) Ozil in his first training session at Fenerbahce Once one of the world’s best playmakers, Mesut Ozil’s time at the Emirates had gone sour, having been left out of Mikel Arteta’s 25-man squad back in October. Sitting on a contract estimated to be worth £350k-a-week, the World Cup winner couldn’t be left to sit in the reserves much longer. Along came Fenerbahce, who off...
Marseille suspend Andre Villas-Boas after outburst over loan signing from Celtic
Marseille have confirmed that they have suspended manager Andre Villas-Boas through a statement on their official website. Earlier today, the 43-year-old sensationally tended his resignation after the club signed Celtic midfielder Olivier Ntcham on loan when he was not interested in him. Les Phoceens have now released a formal statement confirming that they have suspended the Portuguese from the head coach role with immediate effect. The club added that his comments against general manager Pablo Longoria are ‘unacceptable’ and possible sanctions will be taken against him after disciplinary proceedings. Sportlens view: Marseille have been burdened by financial concerns and their league form has been dreadful of late with just one point gained from four games. Amidst this, the fans have...
Barcelona presidential candidate hits out at Paris Saint-Germain over Lionel Messi
Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has hit out at Paris Saint-Germain amid their pursuit of superstar Lionel Messi. Messi has been strongly linked with a move away from Barcelona in the coming months, with his contract set to expire in the summer. His transfer request last summer is still fresh in the memory, and Barcelona’s financial situation makes a player of his fame more difficult to keep hold of. Messi could be on his way out of Barcelona soon PSG, along with Manchester City, have been the club most heavily linked with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Sporting director Leonardo Araujo recently confirmed that his side were keeping an eye on Messi’s situation, while unconfirmed reports that the player was learning French added fuel to the fire. Barcelona presidential candida...
Euro club offer World Cup winner as part of deal for 24-year-old Spurs man
Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain have reached an agreement over a loan deal for Dele Alli, but the move may not be completed. According to Le Parisien, the England international will join PSG until the end of the season if Spurs manage to sign a replacement before the January transfer window closes. Negotiations between the two clubs began last summer, but PSG have been unable to broker a deal with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. His PSG counterpart, Leonardo, tried to include Idrissa Gueye and Julian Draxler in a swap deal, although a source close to the German player dismissed the suggestion that he would move this winter. SL View Although Alli has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs, manager Jose Mourinho has told the Telegraph that he does not expect him to join PSG. However, t...
Joan Laporta: PSG have been disrespectful in Leo Messi pursuit
Paris Saint-Germain have been “disrespectful” in their pursuit of Lionel Messi, according to Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta, who has threatened to report the Ligue 1 champions to FIFA. PSG have been strongly linked with Messi ever since his decision to hand in a transfer request at Camp Nou at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. The 33-year-old ultimately decided to see out the final year of his current contract with Barca after opposition from club officials and La Liga, but his long-term future remains up in the air. Parc des Princes has been mooted as the most likely next destination for Messi, and PSG sporting director Leonardo publicly sounded out the six-time Ballon d’Or winner earlier this month. “Great players like Messi will always be on PSG’s list,” said the Brazilian...
Ligue 1: Samuel Kalu helps Bordeaux overcome Angers
Samuel Kalu was in action and helped Bordeaux to a 2-1 home win against Angers, in the French Ligue 1 on Sunday. Bordeaux have now won their third consecutive game. Kalu who was in the starting eleven against Angers was later replaced in the 61st minute while Josh Maja was benched. A brace from Ui-Jo Hwang in the 8th and 11th minutes secured the win for Bordeaux. Angelo Fulgini reduced the deficit in the 39th minute but Bordeaux held on for the win. They climb to seventh position on 32 points in the French topflight league table. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewar...
Ronald Koeman defends Lionel Messi after late red card
Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has come to the defence of club captain Lionel Messi after the Argentine received a late red card in the Supercopa de Espana defeat against Athletic Bilbao. Messi was given his marching orders right at the death following a VAR check. Replays showed that the six-time Ballon d’Or winner had struck Bilbao forward Asier Villalibre in the back of the head off the ball. Messi exits after a moment of frustration The superstar is now set to serve a suspension, which could range from two to four games depending on how the authorities view the incident. He will miss Thursday’s Copa del Rey fixture against Cornella and Sunday’s trip to Elche at the very least, with the following meetings against Athletic Bilbao and Real Betis also in jeopardy. Barcelona currently sit in ...
