Month: May 2019

A free agent since leaving Fulham, Ryan Babel has had a number of approaches but is tempted by Galatasaray’s offer.

Ryan Babel has admitted that he is tempted by the prospect of joining Galatasaray after being released by Fulham. 

With Fulham not retaining his services following their relegation from the Premier League, the Netherlands international is looking for a new club.

The 32-year-old has been strongly linked with a return to the Turkish Super Lig, where he won the title with Besiktas in 2016-17.

It appears that Babel is set for a return to the country, and he has no problems with joining one of his former clubs’ main rival, though he says a decision on his future has yet to be made.

“They have the best offer at the moment. I don’t have to make a secret of that,” he told Algemeen Dagblad when asked about the rumours linking him with the Turkish champions.

“But there are also discussions with other clubs.

“It wouldn’t be the first time in football or my own career for things to go differently than expected, so I will just have to wait and see.”

Whatever the destination, Babel will be joining his eight club, and it will be the fifth time in his career he has changed teams for a free transfer.

He left Besiktas in December and joined Fulham in January on a short-term deal.

Sporting a colourful haircut, the winger scored five goals in 16 league appearances for the Cottagers, though he couldn’t prevent them for returning to the Championship after just one season away.

A big wage bill after a summer of huge spending meant that Fulham have been forced to cut back ahead of their return to England’s second tier, and Babel was never likely to remain in west London.

The former Liverpool wideman, who scored 22 goals for the Anfield club between July 2007 and January 2011, is fond of Turkey having spent three seasons with Kasimpasa earlier in his career. 

In an interview with the Guardian at the beginning of the year, Babel confessed that “for a lot of different reasons I didn’t fulfil my potential.”

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Turkey appears to offer him a safe haven, having scored 36 goals in the country’s top-flight and Galatasaray look set to be the next beneficiaries of his talent and quality.

 

The Bianconeri executive denied approaching the Citizens boss, and said his club would wait until all competitions were concluded to get a new coach

Juventus have not approached Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to replace outgoing head coach Massimiliano Allegri, according to sporting director Fabio Paratici.

Guardiola had reportedly been heading to Turin but the executive denied any contact had been made, saying the Bianconeri would wait until all competitions had been wrapped up before they’d approach potential candidates.

Allegri will leave the Allianz Stadium after their final Serie A game with Sampdoria on Sunday, and Paratici said the club had clear ideas of who would replace him.

“I think we live in a strange world,” Paratici obsereved in an interview with DAZN ahead of Sunday’s match.

“We didn’t have any contact, we never even thought about it, because [Guardiola] is under contract, for a thousand reasons.

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“It all seems very strange to me.

“We have clear ideas, we have already said it, we are doing our evaluations, and there are still many competitions in progress. Until all the competitions end, it seems to me right, out of respect for everyone to remain in this situation.”

Paratici also said that his club were in no hurry to sign players, and would wait for a coach to join to allow him to set transfer strategy.

“We will act according to what the new coach’s directives will be.

“Before we move on, we will wait, very calmly. We try to improve every year.”

The sporting director also moved to quell speculation that Paulo Dybala would be moved on this summer.

Rumours are swirling that the Argentina international will leave as Juventus look to ally Champions League success to their domestic dominance.

Allegri’s final Serie A title is the club’s eighth in a row, but they are still searching for glory in Europe’s premier club competition, which they last won in 1996.

Paratici views Dybala as crucial in that quest, and insisted the player, who signed a new five-year deal in 2017, is going nowhere.

“He is one of our players, we have great confidence in him, the investment we made four years ago and the renewal of the contract is proof of this.

“Dybala is a Juventus player, a very important player for us.”

The 19-year-old will feature for the senior Portugal team in June’s Nations League and a former Premier League boss sees greatness on the horizon

Joao Felix’s immense potential is incomparable to other rising stars in Portugal, according to former Sheffield Wednesday manager Carlos Carvalhal.

The Benfica ace is one of Europe’s hottest properties right now after a spectacular season in which he scored 15 times and contributed nine assists as his team secured the Primeira Liga for the fifth time in six seasons.

Called up to the senior Portugal squad for the upcoming Nations League finals in June, which take place in his home country, the 19-year-old could line up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo.

And the forward is being rated as the country’s most exciting footballer since Ronaldo’s emergence – though Carvahal believes his qualities reflect a Brazilian, not his compatriot.

“His characteristics are more near Kaka in my opinion, the way he drives the ball, connects play and his goals,” Carvalhal, who also managed Swansea, told BBC Sport.

“Bernardo Silva is one of the best players in the world at this moment. But at 19, he did not show the talent that Felix is showing in this moment at 19 – so imagine what kind of player we are talking about.”

Felix, who signed a new contract last November with a release clause of £106m ($135m), has understandably attracted the interest of Europe’s elite club, and it is thought both Manchester City and United are favourites to prise him away from Benfica.

The interest isn’t a shock to Carvalhal. He added: “Why is he so special? He’s a mix between a nine and a 10, he plays like a second striker. He is a good header, even if he is not a massive player physically.

“He knows how to find space well in the last line of defence, that is why he scores a lot and he shoots well with both feet. When he must connect the game between attack and midfield he does so very well. He’s a very good technical player.

“What makes him different is he is a No.9 when he goes to the last line of defence and he scores goals. But he is also a very good player to connect the game between the lines, to assist and pass.

“That is why we are talking about the big clubs being interested in him. It is not a surprise to me because since the beginning we have been looking at a talented player.”

The former Arsenal and Manchester United star reveled in the praise from the ex-Dortmund boss and said the admiration was mutual

Robin van Persie has revealed the greatest compliment he ever received as a footballer came from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Van Persie, who played for Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League, said that Klopp praised him after he starred for Arsenal against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League in 2011.

The former Dutch international scored the opening goal in a 1-1 draw in the group stage of the competition that year, one of 37 he bagged in all competitions that term, but it was his versatility that caught Klopp’s eye.

“Jurgen Klopp has given me the nicest of compliments, saying ‘I’ve never seen a player playing in three positions at the same time,” the ex-striker told Voetbal International, as reported by Goal.

“I fell back in the game, went on the wings, was in front,” Van Persie reminisced.

“The team adapted to my playing style, they’ve played for me so that’s the only reason I scored the goal and delivered an outstanding performance.”

Under Klopp Liverpool have gone from strength to strength. They face Spurs in their second consecutive Champions League final on June 1, hoping to erase the pain of last year’s defeat to Real Madrid.

In the Premier League they pushed eventual champions Manchester City all the way and only lost one game all season.

They fell agonisingly short, being pipped by one point in the final standings. The 97 points they amassed was the third highest points tally in the history of the competition, behind only City’s 98 this season and 100 last term.

Van Persie, who ended his playing days at the conclusion of the Eredivisie season, said how much he enjoyed watching Klopp’s team play.

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“They play with four at the back and before that two blocks of three and those two blocks constantly cover each other at the back,” the 35-year-old continued. “It’s nice to see how that works together, there must be heaps of work, there is no other way.

“They have to trust each other, those players. If one goes, the others must be at his back, and another at his back.

“For Klopp, it must also be cool to see that his philosophy is really in that team.”

 

The Brazil international worked with the Gunners boss briefly in France, and their time together left him with a positive impression

Chelsea defender David Luiz remembers his time working with Unai Emery at Paris Saint-Germain fondly and warned his team the Arsenal boss ‘knows how to win’ the Europa League ahead of their showdown in Baku on May 29.

Luiz and Emery crossed paths in Paris only briefly, with the Spanish manager joining the Ligue 1 club shortly before Luiz left to rejoin the Blues in 2016. Emery joined from Sevilla where he’d won the Europe League three times.

That short period left an impression on the Brazil international and he praised Emery’s impact in north London.

“They have done great because it’s never easy to change the manager after many years that Arsene Wenger was there, and then Unai came trying to build a new philosophy and trying to get the trust from the players and the club and the fans, and I think he’s doing amazing,” the 32-year-old told Chelsea’s official website.

“I had the opportunity to work a few months with Unai and he is a great guy, a great coach and a great person and especially in this competition he knows how to win so that is why Arsenal is [in the final], that is why Unai is there at the end, so that is something to realise and take in the right way to beat Unai and Arsenal in the final.

“He is passionate about his work. He builds the team with spirit and passion for the game, I think it was great for him to be at PSG and now also Arsenal because he can speak French and all the top players from his team now, they speak French and it is great to connect with players.”

Luiz, who is in his second spell with Chelsea, believes the English game has improved since he started in the Premier League in 2011.

He believes the change in style of play of English clubs vindicated his playing style which once saw Gary Neville memorably refer to him as a ‘PlayStation footballer.’

“Now in modern football the first striker is the goalkeeper with his feet, and the first defenders are the strikers,” he continued.

“I love that and it is the evolution of football. I remember when I started no one wanted me to play from the back, no one wanted me to kick the ball long and it depended on the style of the coach, but now everyone understands.”

If Chelsea win in Azerbaijan, Luiz will add a second Europa League winners medal to his collection from Stamford Bridge, which also includes Champions League and Premier League titles.

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The Italian giants have claimed the Scudetto already but with no wins in the last four, can they sign off from 2018-19 with a return to winning ways?

Juventus may have sealed the Serie A title once again with room to spare, but they will hope to put their few naysayers to bed with a final day visit to Sampdoria as they look to reverse a middling run of form and send coach Massimiliano Allegri out on a high.

The 51-year-old exits the Allianz Stadium having reclaimed the Scudetto but with no victories from their last four games, questions could be raised about his team’s recently faltering steps.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival in Turin certainly saw the Portuguese bring some of his typical flair, but a failure to romp home late on and limited success in Europe means that the 34-year-old has not strictly seen the all-encompassing impact he might have hoped for.

Their hosts remain out of form, too, with no victories since mid-April, but their hopes of sealing a European berth have long since faded as well despite Marco Giampaolo’s best efforts this season.

Game	Sampdoria vs Juventus
Date	Sunday, May 26
Time	5:00pm BST / 12:00pm ET

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TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

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In the United States (US), the game will be broadcast on Rai Italia America and is available for streaming on the ESPN+ channel.

US TV channel	Online stream
Rai Italia America	ESPN+

In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on Premier Sports 1.

UK TV channel	Online stream
Premier Sports 1	N/A

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Squads & Team News

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Position	Sampdoria players
Goalkeepers	Audero, Belec, Rafael, Cabral
Defenders	Tonelli, Colley, Ferrari, Tavares, Bereszynski, Sala
Midfielders	Ekdal, Praet, Jankto, Linetty, Vieira, Barreto, Ramirez, Saponara
Forwards	Caprari, Defrel, Gabbiadini, Quagliarella, Sau

Sampdoria starting XI: Rafael; Bereszynski, Ferrari, Colley, Sala; Barreto, Praet, Linetty; Ramirez; Defrel, Quagliarella.

Position	Juventus players
Goalkeepers	Szczesny, Pinsoglio
Defenders	Chiellini, Cancelo, Spinazzola, Barzagli, De Sciglio, Sandro, Rugani, Caceres
Midfielders	Pjanic, Matuidi, Can, Cuadrado, Bentancur
Forwards	Ronaldo, Costa, Dybala, Mandzukic, Kean

Juventus starting XI: Pinsoglio; Caceres, Rugani, Chiellini, De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Bentancur, Can;  Dybala, Kean, Pereira.

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Betting & Match Odds

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Juventus are the favourites to end the season with a win and are priced at 17/20 with bet365 . Sampdoria meanwhile are available at 14/5, as is a draw.

Click here to see more offers for the game, including goalscoring markets, correct score predictions and more.

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Match Preview

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With the Serie A title long since wrapped up, all that remains for Juventus is for them to find a return to winning ways following a few weeks of soft form – not just to end the year on a high but to also send one of their most successful coaches off into the sunset with a fine farewell.

After half a decade at the helm, Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed that he will depart the Scudetto holders at the end of the season, with the club preparing for a changing of the guard at the top.

Arriving from Milan in 2014, the journeyman midfielder turned to management in 2003 and hasn’t looked back since, going from strength to strength during his reign.

In just five years, he has brought just shy of a dozen trophies to the club, taken them to the final of the Champions League twice and overseen the arrival of major talent such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Joao Cancelo in the last year alone.

Allegri however has perhaps never been quite afforded the respect of his forerunners in the position despite his success, particularly after he replaced hallowed club legend Antonio Conte.

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Former Bianconeri boss Alberto Zaccheroni  sung the praises of the outgoing 51-year-old , stating that he felt fans would come to appreciate his achievements – namely winning the domestic title in each of his five seasons in charge – for what they were worth with time.

“Allegri has been great,” he said . “You can achieve success in different ways, but Allegri wants balance and looks after the defence and the attack, just like Antonio Conte. Maybe there are differences in intensity.

“Conte has always been a Juventus icon and managed to take Juventus back to their level and this leads to the fans loving him more than Allegri. Juventus fans will love Allegri in the future.”

A host of major names have been linked with the position in Turin, such as Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri and Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola – though club directors of the latter have rubbished such reports .

The Netherlands prodigy has been caught up in a whirlwind of speculation thanks to his commanding performances for Ajax this season

Ajax sensation Matthijs de Ligt admitted he still does not know what the future holds for him as reports of a bidding war between Barcelona and Manchester United for his services intensify. 

De Ligt, 19, was the cornerstone of Ajax’s defence in their thrilling run to the Champions League semi final, where they lost out to Tottenham. 

His defensive abilities and assured manner on the ball have made him one of the world’s most valuable youngsters, attracting interest from two elite clubs. 

Barca appeared to have the inside track on his transfer after landing team-mate Frenkie de Jong, but United have hit back this week with a renewed push to sign the teenager. 

But De Ligt, currently on international duty with Netherlands, is not looking beyond his current commitments with the Oranje.

“Where do I see myself? Well obviously the Premier League is a big competition, Spain also, but you have other competitions, it’s not just about those two,” he explained in Sunday’s press conference.

“I still don’t know anything about where my future is, so I’ll see how it goes. First we have to play two games and after that I will see what happens next.

“Of course there is some interest from clubs, but I don’t want to say some names who are interested, but what I will say is I am now focused on the national team and after the national team I will see what the future brings.”

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De Ligt made his international debut in 2017 and has gone on to make 15 appearances to date as he also heads an exciting generational renewal in the Netherlands set-up. 

After the disappointment of missing out on the 2018 World Cup the side coached by Ronald Koeman has come back with a vengeance, beating both Germany and world champions France to finish top of their UEFA Nations League group. 

The Oranje now face England in the competition’s semi final, to take place in Guimaraes on June 6; with the winner moving on to meet either Portugal or Switzerland in June 9’s final.

The Uruguayan took to social media to underline his professionalism a day after sitting out his team’s painful reverse at the hands of Valencia

Luis Suarez has issued an angry response to questions over his commitment to Barcelona after he missed the Copa del Rey final due to knee surgery.

The Uruguay striker opted to have an operation on a meniscus problem in his right knee just days after the Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Liverpool.

It meant the 32-year-old could not play in Barca’s last two LaLiga games of the season against Getafe and Eibar and also sat out the Copa del Rey final on Saturday, in which Valencia claimed a 2-1 win.

There have been suggestions Suarez chose to have treatment in order to be fit for the Copa America in Brazil and would not have done so had Barca reached the Champions League final, but he has slammed those suggestions.

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In a statement released on social media, Suarez described the day after the loss to Valencia as a “day of sadness and disappointment” but insisted he was “very proud of all of [his team-mates], who tried everything possible to give our fans a joy”.

He then explained: “I am not much of clarifying things that are said about me and that reach people, but this time I see myself with the obligation to do it, since I believe that many of the things that are being said are with bad intention and question my professionalism.

“This year I started the season with discomfort in the cartilage, which many people already know, and with the GREAT WORK of the club’s medical staff I managed to endure without any problem. To all of them, thank you very much for your work and dedication.

“That is why I want to clarify, especially to all those who seem to want to hurt me, that the injury that led me to undergo surgery has absolutely nothing to do with the cartilage, but because of a meniscus tear that I suffered in the tie against Liverpool. That is why I was forced to go through the operating room and miss the final yesterday against my will.

“I have shown every day since I arrived at this club that I am 100 per cent involved, I give it all in every training [session] and in every match for this shield [badge]. Because it has always been and it is my dream to be here!”

The defender looks set to move on after eight years in Bavaria, while coach Niko Kovac received a vote of confidence from the chief

Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has delivered some friendly advice to Jerome Boateng: leave the Allianz Arena and seek a new challenge elsewhere.

Boateng has been a fixture in the Bayern squad since joining from Manchester City in 2011. 

But in recent seasons he has become less important to their plans, and now sits firmly behind Mats Hummels and Niklas Sule in the club’s defensive pecking order. 

At 30, the Germany international has only a handful of years left at his prime; according to Hoeness, he would be better served spending them at a different club. 

“As a friend I would advise him to leave the club,” the Die Roten chief signalled to Sky. 

“He needs a new challenge, he has seemed to be out of place recently.”

One man who is set to stay at the Allianz Arena in 2019-20 is Niko Kovac, who survived a difficult start to life as Bayern coach to deliver yet another Bundesliga title after seeing off the challenge of Borussia Dortmund.

“It should be taken for granted that our coach next season will be Niko Kovac,” he added.

“A team wouldn’t be able to play such good football if the understanding with the manager wasn’t good. The [dismissal reports] were all fairy tales.”

“Will he stay? One hundred per cent, yes.”

Kovac, however, should not be expecting a blank cheque when it comes to recruitment, with Bayern planning to spend sensibly if the right targets are identified.

“[Sporting director Hasan] Salihamidzic has to find players which fit us. And then we’ll talk about money.”

 

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Dortmund missed out to Bayern by two points in the Bundesliga title race this season, despite leading the way for much of the campaign

Borussia Dortmund chairman Hans-Joachim Watzke says it would be great for the Bundesliga if Leroy Sane were to join Bayern Munich, despite his team missing out to the seven-times champions in this season’s title race.

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Dortmund narrowly lost out to Bayern in the title run-in after topping the table for much of the campaign.

Lucien Favre’s team led the way until early April, before a 5-0 hammering at the Allianz Arena against their great rivals cost them the initiative and dealt a setback from which they were unable to recover.

And despite watching the Bavarians snatch a seventh straight title from under his team’s nose, Watzke says he would be delighted to see Germany international Sane return home – even if it means strengthening Dortmund’s biggest rival.

“I think it would be great if Bayern brings Leroy Sane back as a German national player, because that would further increase the appeal of the league,” the Dortmund chief told Bild.

“I am the first to congratulate them [on their title win].

“We want to become champions, but Bayern is like Mount Everest.

“You can try to defeat it once – and we want that too. I think even Germany needs that again soon.”

Watzke continues to face questions regarding the future of winger Jadon Sancho, with the England international the subject of ongoing speculation that he will join one of Europe’s top clubs in the summer.

But the Dortmund chief insisted that, whilst the 19-year-old’s long-term future likely lies elsewhere, he will still be at Signal Igunda Park next season.

“It’s safe to assume that Jadon will not be playing at BVB for ten more years, but we have clear agreements about the present,” said Watzke. “Jadon is not on the market and will be playing at Borussia Dortmund next season.”

Juventus striker Mario Mandzukic has also been linked with a move, with Dortmund touted as a likely destination for the Croatia international.

“We do not have to talk about Mandzukic,” said Watzke. “He’s currently a Juventus player, he plays in Turin, and as I know Mario Mandzukic, he’s a striker so ambitious he always wants to play.”