RB Leipzig
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...
Report: Agent confirms that Man Utd and Liverpool target is close to deciding on his future
RB Leipzig star Dayot Upamecano’s future appears to be moving closer to a resolution. Manchester United and Liverpool have both been linked with the centre-back, while Bayern Munich have been pushing hard to secure his services. However, according to German football reporter Florian Plettenberg, the player’s agent has confirmed that a deal is close to being agreed. The French defender is available for just £38 million this summer due to a release clause in his contract. SL View Upamecano’s impressive performances for Leipzig have understandably drawn admiring glances from Europe’s top clubs. Both United and Liverpool have been linked with the 22-year-old, although Bayern appear to have stolen a march on the Premier League duo. The defender’s representatives held talks with the German giant...
Italian giants set to sign Chelsea ace on loan till the end of the season
Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori set to join AC Milan on loan According to the reliable journalist, Fabrizio Romano on Twitter, Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori is all set to join Italian giants AC Milan on loan. The Serie A giants were keen on securing the 23-year-old if they failed to land Strasbourg defender Mohamed Simakan. The 20-year-old is also on Chelsea’s radar. With RB Leipzig also now pursuing Simakan, competition for his signature has gotten tougher. Milan, meanwhile, appear to have settled for Tomori. The defender has found opportunities difficult to come by at Chelsea. So far he has made just four appearances and is the club’s fifth choice centre-back. He will now spend the remainder of the 2020/21 campaign at the San Siro. The Rossoneri are currently top of Serie A as they chase...
Liverpool move for Upamecano “absolutely impossible”
Transfer window specialist Fabrizio Romano has ruled out the possibility of Liverpool signing RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano in the current January transfer window. Upamecano joined Die Roten Bullen in the January window of 2017 from RB Salzburg. He has since become one of the world’s most sought after youngsters, garnering plenty of attention for his performances in last season’s Champions League campaign as his side reached the semi-finals. Upamecano competes with Thomas Muller for the ball The Frenchman has been strongly linked with a move away from the Red Bull Arena, with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United among many rumoured to be interested in the centre-back. Meanwhile, Liverpool have been in the hunt for a central defender following this season’s injury crisis. Virgil...
Jadon Sancho happier at Borussia Dortmund after Manchester United transfer saga
Jadon Sancho says he’s feeling happy and settled at Borussia Dortmund. Sancho has insisted he has put his Manchester United transfer saga behind him and is “raring to go” again at Borussia Dortmund after scoring in the weekend win over RB Leipzig. The 20-year-old winger missed out on a summer switch to Old Trafford as United refused to meet Dortmund’s £108million asking price. “Obviously this season has been very difficult for me personally,” Sancho said. “So I knew when I went away, I just focused on my game and came back raring to go. “I’m working hard every day in training and on the pitch so I’m just happy to get my goals and assists.” After the match, Dortmund boss Edin Terzic discussed Sancho’s contribution and outlined his hopes for further improvement to come. “We spoke a lot but J...
Will Leipzig and Leverkusen mount an effective title challenge to Lewandowski and co?
After a curtailed winter break, the Bundesliga is back. The story of the season so far has been one of fairy-tale overachievement for some, spectacular underachievement for others, teams struggling to score, scoring at will and drama on and off the pitch. The Rückrunde is set to be no different. Here’s a preview to whet the appetite. The title race: new challengers? Despite Bayern Munich going into the Christmas break top of the Bundesliga table by two points and looking to win their ninth consecutive Meisterschale, this year could very well see other clubs knock them off the top spot. The Rekordmeister have certainly not been fully firing this term when you look at last season’s treble-winning campaign. Worries over Bayern’s pre-season squad depth have only intensified throughout th...
Tottenham Lining Up Marcel Sabitzer as Tanguy Ndombele Replacement
Tottenham Hotspur are looking at RB Leipzig’s Marcel Sabitzer as a potential replacement should Tanguy Ndombele leave the Lilywhites, according to Mundo Deportivo. Ndombele arrived at the North Londoners in the summer transfer window of 2019 from Lyon in a deal worth up to £63m – a club record. His time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has been mixed, with some standout performances, but also extended periods of time out of the starting XI. A feud with manager Jose Mourinho did little to help his cause. Ndombele has not had an easy ride in North London Nonetheless, the Frenchman is still a man in demand. Reports in May suggested that Barcelona were ready to make a move for the midfielder should Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal leave the Camp Nou. Both players departed, and neither were adequa...
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...
Neymar: No place for racism
Paris Saint-Germain and Istanbul Basaksehir played their Champions League match to a conclusion on Wednesday, 24 hours after it had been suspended, with Neymar scoring a hat-trick before saying both teams had felt compelled to make a stand against racism in what was an unprecedented protest over an alleged comment by an official. PSG won the game 5-1 after it restarted where it had stopped the previous day, in the 14th minute, following a touchline argument over accusations the Romanian fourth official, Sebastian Coltescu, had described Basaksehir’s Cameroonian assistant coach Pierre Webo as “black”, or “negru” in Romanian. “Sometimes in extreme circumstances these things need to be done to see if the world can change a little,” said Neymar, who together with other players and the new team...
Predicted Man Utd XI v RB Leipzig: Solskjaer to make two changes to his lineup
Manchester United travel to Germany for the final group game against RB Leipzig in the Champions League this week. Manchester United, RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain are all capable of making it to the knockout rounds of the competition and the Red Devils will be desperate to secure a win on Tuesday night. All three sides have picked up 9 points in the group stages so far and it remains to be seen which two sides come out on top. RB Leipzig are coming into this game on the back of a thrilling 4-3 win over Istanbul Basaksehir and they will fancy their chance against the Premier League outfit at home. Furthermore, the last time these two sides met Manchester United picked up a 5-0 win over the German side and the hosts will be looking to avenge their defeat this week. RB Leipzig will be w...
UEFA Announce Team of the Year Nominees
UEFA have revealed the nominees for the 2020 fans’ Team of the Year. The 50-man list is comprised of five goalkeepers, 15 defenders, 15 midfielders, and 15 forwards. Rather unsurprisingly, treble winners Bayern Munich are the most heavily represented side in the nominations, boasting ten candidates. Bayern completed the treble with a win over PSG in August Runaway Premier League champions Liverpool and Champions League finalists Paris Saint Germain also hold a high percentage of the nominees, possessing eight candidates each. It was a disappointing turn out from the La Liga giants, as Real Madrid and Barcelona only managed one nominee each, while Atletico Madrid had just two. Germany were the most represented nation with six, with France one behind. Argentina, Portugal, England, Brazil, Sp...
Arsenal revive interest in Ibrahima Konate
Arsenal have been linked to RB Leipzig centre-back Ibrahima Konate once again, according to Spanish site TodoFichajes.com. The Gunners have not made an ideal start to life in the 2020/21 campaign, currently languishing in 14th place after ten games. Their last outing exposed some defensive frailties, as Pedro Neto and Daniel Podence struck to seal a 2-1 victory for Wolverhampton Wanderers at the Emirates. Arsenal have been underwhelming this season In contrast, RB Leipzig have been rock solid at the back this term, conceding just six in the league – only Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad have let in fewer from Europe’s top five leagues. Konate himself has only been playing for a few weeks, having missed the start of the season with a hip problem. TodoFichajes.com reports that Arsenal ...
