Stoke’s hopes of securing a January deal for long-term target Mame Biram Diouf have been dealt a blow, with Hannover confident of extending the striker’s stay in Germany.
The Potters tracked the ex-Manchester United man for much of the summer, but were unable to tie up a deal for his signature.
Despite having secured a number of new arrivals since taking control at the Britannia Stadium, new manager Mark Hughes is still thought to be keen to bolster his options.
Diouf – whose current contract expires at the end of the season – was still thought to be on the former Manchester City coach’s radar ahead of a potential move once the transfer window reopens.
However, Hannover sporting director Dirk Dufner has ruled out selling the 25-year-old and is hoping to tie him down to a new contract soon:
“Mame has said he is comfortable here in Hannover and we want to make him understand that we place great emphasis on him and believe in his quality,” he is quoted by talkSPORT.
“Our goal is to keep the player and possibly extend his contract.”
Diouf was unable to make an impact on the first-team at Manchester United, but has blossom in Germany.
A return of 20 Bundesliga goals since his arrival in 2012 has seen him develop a reputation as one of the division’s top marksmen.
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Derbies – they are part of what makes not just the Bundesliga but football in general great. It’s there where all of the passion is poured out onto the pitch by both fans and players. This weekend the Bundesliga had no less than four of them on show. Not all of them were necessarily local – Bayern Munich and Stuttgart for instance are 136 miles apart.
The pair nevertheless make up the Southern derby (not to be confused with Nuremberg v Fürth which is the South derby). With Borussia Dortmund drawing with Nuremberg on Saturday, it was a great opportunity for Bayern to take an early lead over the Champions. They did just that, but not before Stuttgart were made to realise that Bayern are like the Incredible Hulk – you wouldn’t like them when they’re angry.
The Swabians hit the bar early on and then took the lead through Martin Harnik’s superb volley on 25 minutes. By half time, Stuttgart were trailing by two after Müller, Kroos and most spectacularly Luiz Gustavo, gave the Bavarians the lead their fans expected. In the second half, it continued with Müller (again), Mandzukic and Schweinsteiger ensuring last year’s runners up were 6-1 up just six minutes after half time. That’s how it stayed but there was still time for Vedad Ibisevic to be sent off, completing a bad start in the Bundesliga for the Bosnian after last week’s horrible miss.
Perhaps not for the last time this season though, Bayern went to the top of the Bundesliga. Still, they weren’t the only side to enjoy a Sunday roast. For the Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony) derby was more like the demolition derby as Hannover thumped Wolfsburg at the VW Arena.
This in itself was a surprise. After all, Hannover hadn’t won in Wolfsburg since 2006 and they weren’t great on the road last year, picking up just two away wins all season. The Wolves have also been tipped to do well this season and were expected to build on last weekend’s win at Stuttgart.
Still, Hannover are not a side to be underestimated, as they showed. Their star was Szabolcs Huszti. The Hungarian, who returned to the club after three years at Zenit St. Petersburg, set up all four goals for “The 96.” Karim Haggui and Artur Sobiech made it 2-0 before the break. In the second half, Leon Andreasen and Sobiech completed a fantastic day for Mirko Slomka’s men. Wolfsburg also had substitute Robin Knoche sent off in the second half and it was unsurprising when coach Felix Magath apologized to the fans after his side’s tame performance. After all, the Lower Saxony bragging rights were firmly with Hannover.
It wasn’t as clear cut in the Niederrhein (Lower Rhine) derby as Fortuna Düsseldorf and Borussia Mönchengladbach renewed rivalries in the Bundesliga for the first time in over 15 years. Yet neither was able to find a winner in a tight affair on Saturday evening. The match belied the ever entertaining nature of Fortuna Düsseldorf whilst for Gladbach, you can’t help but feel it was the sort of game they might have won, if they still had a certain Marco Reus. Still, the Foals look well set for the season, something which cannot be said of Hamburg.
HSV travelled to Werder Bremen in the Nordderby (North derby) but were outclassed for a second week running. With new signing Rafael van der Vaart watching on having returned from Spurs, Werder picked up from their encouraging performance at the Champions on the opening night of the season. Aaron Hunt had one penalty saved by René Adler, a definite positive for Hamburg in the new season. However, Adler was beaten by a second Hunt penalty in the second half and then by a Nils Petersen strike, ensuring that Werder and Hamburg were looking in different directions going into the international break. BILD even questioned after the result whether van der Vaart’s contract extends into the 2.Bundesliga – a cheeky and slightly premature jibe. Time is on their side but HSV’s start has been far from inspiring. Patience is thin on the ground with fans, as it is with many supporters these days. Passion runs high which is what makes derby matches and indeed what made this weekend’s Bundesliga matches special.
However, we must be careful, especially after what happened to Kevin Pezzoni this week. Pezzoni was a player at another big club who have been going through hard times, that being Cologne who were relegated from the Bundesliga just a few months ago. He cancelled his contract this week after being threatened outside his home by a group of angry Cologne fans – an appalling development. So while fans displeasure at results is understandable, the Pezzoni incident certainly helped to put into context where football’s boundaries for passion lie.
For more on the Bundesliga, follow @archiert1 on Twitter
Matchday 2 Results:
Mainz 0-1 Fürth
Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 Freiburg
Hoffenheim 0-4 Eintracht Frankfurt
Nuremberg 1-1 Borussia Dortmund
Schalke 3-1 Augsburg
Werder Bremen 2-0 Hamburg
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According to The Sun, Liverpool could land Juventus midfielder Sami Khedira this summer, with Emre Can moving in the opposite direction.
Can will be out of contract at Anfield at the end of the season, and the German midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to the Italian champions.
During the negotiations, Liverpool have reportedly been made aware that Khedira could be available at the end of the campaign.
The World Cup winner recently hinted that he would be open to a move to the Premier League, and it is certainly worth noting that his current Juventus deal expires next summer.
According to The Sun, Liverpool are seriously considering a move for Khedira as they look to boost their squad for the 2018-19 campaign.
Khedira, who has won league titles in Germany, Spain and Italy, is also believed to be a transfer target for Manchester United.
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The Liverpool fans have been reacting to the transfer report, and it would be fair to say that they are split when it comes to whether the German would be a good signing.
A selection of the Twitter reaction can be found below:
Louis van Gaal and co. have had a busy few days. Manchester United recently snagged the signatures of right-back Matteo Darmian, midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, and Morgan Schneiderlin, following the early summer deal for Memphis Depay, to truly get their transfer plans going.
Red Devils fans are understandably excited that Van Gaal is finally getting more aggressive in obtaining his transfer targets and beginning to rebuild after a 2014/15 capaign which, although finished with the desired result, was a little underwhelming. To help see how big of an impact each player will have on the squad this season, here are Manchester United’s summer signings so far, ordered from least to most impressive according to Football FanCast:
4. Bastian Schweinsteiger
The German captain has an impressive CV, with eight Bundesliga championships and over 100 assists in 500 appearances for Bayern Munich. There’s no doubt he knows how to win. However, he is approaching his 31st birthday and has been slowed by injury recently, making him a short-term signing instead of the long-term investment United need.
3. Matteo Darmian
The 25-year-old right-back arrives at Old Trafford on a four-year contract ready to contest Antonio Valencia for a starting spot. Darmian registered a career-best five goals and four assists for Torino last season, and was also in Italy’s World Cup squad last summer. Despite his slim frame, he led Torino with 2.6 tackles per game, and hopefully he will be able to compete physically in the Premier League.
2. Memphis Depay
United’s first summer signing fulfilled a major need: goalscoring. As a winger, Depay has impressive speed and dribbling skills, as well as long-range shooting (57 percent of his shots were from outside the box last season). But the 28-goal PSV star also played as a striker for the Netherlands, scoring three goals in 17 international showings, and Van Gaal plans to test him up top alongside Wayne Rooney.
1. Morgan Schneiderlin
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Schneiderlin enjoyed a stunning 2014/15 season in which he started 28 out of the 30 games he played for Southampton and maintained an 89.3% pass success rate, while leading the Saints midfielders in interceptions. The Frenchman scored a career-best five goals and notched one assist, but had a stellar defensive contribution as well with 3.7 tackles per Premier League game, more than any United player.
Let’s chalk this one off as pure speculation, because if it were true, Real Madrid need to take a long walk and think about what they’re doing. Actually, that can be applied to Tottenham, too. Daniel Levy has maintained that Gareth Bale is not for sale at any price, even the reported £85 million – a figure that sprung up this past weekend. At that price, Tottenham would be insane to turn it down.
I get it, Tottenham are trying to maintain a reputation against the ‘bullies’ in European football. Levy wouldn’t want to shake from his position, even when it’s Real Madrid at the other end of the line. But in what world could any club turn down £85 million and come off looking like the lesser of two teams?
[cat_link cat=”tottenham” type=”list”]
The biggest point from all this is that Gareth Bale isn’t worth £85million. To Tottenham, yes, he’s worth probably double that. But a club’s own value and need for a player doesn’t always translate to the market. Is it worth bringing up the discussion as to whether Bale is an equal to Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi? It’s been done to death at this point.
A big team from the Premier League could call Swansea this summer and demand to know their value of Michu. “£30 million,” they’d probably reply. Ok, fair enough. He scored bags of goals and helped them win the League Cup. On the open market, however, and in terms of everyone else’s value, he’s simply not worth that.
Gareth Bale has more than carried Tottenham this season, only enhancing his reputation in England and further promoting his talent as either a rising star or a readymade superstar, depending on who you ask. This isn’t to debunk his qualities, as even regular English pundits have him down as the complete package in world football, with some even daring to suggest that he’s better than Ronaldo. There’s something about Bale doing in it a lesser team that seems to legitimise that argument.
It shouldn’t matter what Tottenham’s plans are for the immediate future with Bale, because if Real Madrid or any other team offer a figure in or around £85 million, you tear their hand off and take it. Does that mean Tottenham will have lost the war? No, in fact they’ve probably won it. Because at no other point will another bid close to that number come in, largely because, as I’m suggesting, he isn’t worth it.
So where do Tottenham go from there? Actually maybe it should be where do Real Madrid go from here.
A bid of £40million could reportedly get you Luis Suarez. Depending on what your stance is, some would say Suarez had the better season, regardless of personal awards. What about players in the mould of Mesut Ozil? In that title-winning season with Madrid, Ozil bagged 20 assists in all competitions and set himself up as one of the team’s most important players. He arrived for £15million from Werder Bremen; his contract situation is irrelevant. Marco Reus joined Dortmund for €17million last summer and contributed in 22 goals this season to Bale’s 25 (goals and assists). Then there are names like Edinson Cavani, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, James Rodriguez, who have either gone or could go for far less than £85million. Again, depending on who you ask, some of those names are better than Bale.
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So about Tottenham. With numbers so ridiculous that there can be only one answer, the matter is open as to whether Spurs want to be a team who rely heavily on one player or a team who have three or four game changers who could comfortably replace and outdo the contributions of Bale. The argument about Champions League football could come up, but James Rodriguez, Cavani and Radamel Falcao won’t or haven’t be involved in the Champions League this season or next season. With that sort of money, this Tottenham team can be transformed in the way some of the bigger teams in Europe have been, but obviously with a calculated approach and the knowledge that there isn’t a bottomless pit of cash.
Throwing around transfer figures like that, as they have been in the Spanish press, just reaffirms Real Madrid’s absolute desire in capturing Bale. It was much easier to assume that the La Liga club would never reach a fee so lofty for Bale, as other than Ronaldo, there is enough evidence to show that the selling club doesn’t always get what they want. But if this is what it’s come to – and you really have to hope football hasn’t gone this mad – then Tottenham simply need to cut ties and accept what is a once-in-a-lifetime offer.
Liverpool are potentially interested in German goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, and will make a move for him in January according to Mirror Football.
Reds no.1 Pepe Reina has made a number of high-profile errors in the first three games of the new Premier League season, and as such Brendan Rodgers is thought to be considering bolstering his options in goal.
The young stopper has impressed for Borussia Monchengladbach, and was unlucky not to be included in Germany’s Euro 2012 squad after making his international debut earlier in the year.
Tottenham and Manchester United have also been linked with a move for the youngster in the past, and Liverpool are said to be considering selling Reina and investing in the Monchengladbach prospect.
Rodgers is believed to have also considered a move for Birmingham’s Jack Butland, but views the England international as too expensive given his lack of first-team experience at the highest level.
By Gareth McKnight
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Everton fans are mercilessly bashing Yannick Bolasie, after the winger put in yet another woeful performance against Southampton on Saturday.
Yannick Bolasie’s Everton career has been pretty miserable so far, and it’s probably best he stay off social media for a while after Saturday’s showing.
The 28 year-old winger was an exciting addition when he joined the Toffees, but he has barely had a chance to showcase his dazzling skill set due to a lengthy injury layoff.
Since returning to the side this year, the DR Congo international has made virtually no impact in the final third, not something fans expect from a £25million signing.
Bolasie’s only goal of the season was a consolation strike in the 3-1 loss to Manchester City, and he struggled massively in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Southampton.
The 28 year-old was hauled off after 45 minutes, having managed just 19 touches in the first half, completing zero dribbles, one cross, and just five passes.
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If fans were annoyed by his lack of end product before, they certainly aren’t pulling any punches about a £25m winger completed just five passes in 45 minutes, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
One deal is done and dusted, with plenty more action to occur for Manchester United over the coming weeks and months. But there could be as many players going out as there is coming in. Without realising it, have we seen some Manchester United players play their final game at Old Trafford?
There is a massive air of uncertainty surrounding David De Gea’s future at Manchester United. Rumours have been rife for months that Real Madrid are interested, and De Gea is willing to go. Team mate Juan Mata is unsure over de Gea’s future, as is the boss.
Louis Van Gaal addressed the situation: “He is Spanish and his girlfriend is Spanish and he can go to another great club, so it is difficult for him to decide.
“David De Gea shall not leave us so easily because we are a great club and he wants to participate.”
This is the first real indication Van Gaal has given that De Gea’s time as a Manchester United player is up. When Real come calling, it is hard to turn down. But could De Gea handle the pressure? Or will he even get the minutes ahead of Iker Casillas?
Radamel Falcao looks more certain to leave Manchester United. Based on the fact his contract is a season long loan deal with the option to buy, but the price tag is up in the air. At the beginning of the season, it was thought to be around £43million, but with Monaco in a financial situation with Financial Fair Play, it could be dropped.
[ffc-gal cat=”manchester-united” no=”5″]
Even if his fee came at a cut price, it would not be enough to justify his season. Just four goals to his name is not enough for a world class striker, and you cannot just throw money at a player who will not deliver.
Or else, you take the risk and hope it pays off. As they share the same agent, it had been said that Falcao’s United future had to be linked with De Gea’s. Falcao waved off fans, presumably for the last time, as he was subbed off for another player who could be leaving.
That player being Robin Van Persie. He walked into the team in the first half of the season, despite suffering from a ‘World Cup hangover’ – seeing as he played under Van Gaal then, you can see why he was chosen. But with injuries, and an improved team performance since he hadn’t been able to play, things haven’t looked so good in the second half.
Louis Van Gaal also needs to be realistic. Van Persie, while he is still a good forward, and should be commended for his season despite his hardships, is at an age where the clock is ticking on his career. Rumour has it Juventus are interested in the Dutchman.
It just hasn’t been Angel Di Maria’s season, but the dream isn’t over just yet. He may not have many goals, but he has plenty of assists (second behind Fabregas for the season), and his recent comments suggest he is determined to prove himself at his new club. He has admitted he has struggled to adapt to English football, but he wants to become “part of the history of Manchester United.”
With a hefty price tag – the most expensive in English football – it’s easy to see why he wants to stick it out and prove himself. Fleeing off to PSG would put di Maria in the history books as a huge waste of money.
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He didn’t feature in the game, nor did he even make the bench, which gives a pretty clear indication that Jonny Evans will be playing elsewhere come August. The six match ban brought an incredible run of form for Manchester United, and highlighted how weak a link Evans is at the back. V
an Gaal has given more opportunities to younger players who have shown potential, while helping to push Evans out the door.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is set to axe at least 12 players from his squad this summer as he looks to rebuild for next season according to The Times.
Mancini is not happy with a number of players’ effort levels this season as the Citizens surrendered their Premier League crown to their nearest and dearest without so much as a fight.
Equally poor performances and results in the Champions League has taught the Italian boss a thing or two about a number of his players and he won’t be pulling any punches when it comes to letting players go.
Samir Nasri, Edin Dzeko, Scott Sinclair, Jack Rodwell and Alexander Kolarov are among the dozen players that Mancini is looking to move on in order to bring in fresh blood to make a fist of success next season.
Uruguayan Edinson Cavani is top of City’s wish list to replace the departing players and reports suggest a deal could be on the verge of completion.
The new FFP rules will prevent City from a 2011-esque spending spree but an overhaul of the squad is just the start of the Etihad club’s long term plans.
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Joey Barton has revealed that he only wants to play for Marseille, as The Daily Mail state that the midfielder has offered to tear up his contract at Loftus Road.
The controversial battler is serving a 12-match ban after being dismissed for violent conduct in the R’s final game of last season against his former club Manchester City, and as such Mark Hughes is thought to want to sell him.
After training with Fleetwood Town, Barton has expressed his desire to move to the Ligue 1 side, who have been accredited with an interest in a loan move for the midfielder.
Barton has told his Twitter followers that he wants a switch to the Stade Velodrome side to be wrapped-up before the close of the transfer window.
“Marseille won again as well. Allez les Marseillais. Maybe I’ll see you all this week?” he stated on the social networking site.
“I am hopeful that things will be sorted out soon. Other clubs are in but I only want to play in Marseille. This is the place for me.
“Hopefully QPR and Marseille can finalise the deal in the next few days. My heart is already in the Velodrome,” he expressed.
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