Florian Wirtz can roar back to action for Germany for the World Cup and end a testing year by starring at Qatar 2022, according to Oliver Bierhoff.
The 18-year-old attacking midfielder sustained a major knee injury during Bayer Leverkusen s defeat by FC Koln earlier this month, with a torn anterior cruciate ligament guaranteeing a long-term absence.
But speaking at a news conference ahead of friendlies against Israel and Netherlands, national team managing director Bierhoff believes Wirtz has both the incentive and the physical attributes that mean his prospects are positive.
The teenager has already earned four senior caps for Germany, having made his debut last September after dazzling at club level.
There is no doubt Wirtz is a beneficiary from the W…
West Ham United are interested in signing Amine Gouiri from Nice in the summer transfer window, according to. It has been reported by the Italian news outlet that Premier League outfit West Ham are among the clubs who are keeping tabs on Gouiri.
Gouiri has been on the books of Nice since the summer of 2020 when he joined from French rivals Lyon. The 22-year-old striker has made 21 starts and four substitute appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season, scoring 10 goals and providing seven assists in the process. The Nice no. 11 scored 12 goals and gave seven assists in 31 league starts during the 2020-21 campaign. The striker also scored four goals in five Europa League matches last season.
West Ham are fifth in the Premier League table at the moment with 42 points from 26…
Free agent Emmanuel Adebayor has slammed Lyon and the club s coach Bruno Genesio for pulling out of a move to sign him, describing their explanation as a ridiculous excuse .
The Togo striker, who last played for Crystal Palace, flew in for talks with Genesio on Friday after the boss at Parc OL had indicated a deal was close to completion.
However, Lyon announced they had decided to back out of the move on Saturday, citing Adebayor s involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations next year and his ineligibility for the Champions league group stage as their reasons.
But the 32-year-old – formerly of Metz, Monaco, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Real Madrid – hit out at that statement, saying he felt shocked by his treatment and some strange questioning from G…
Goalkeeper Diego Benaglio announced his retirement from the Switzerland national team on Wednesday.
Benaglio, 30, had been Switzerland s number one keeper since Pascal Zuberbuehler retired in 2008 and started all four of the country s matches at the World Cup in Brazil.
But after 61 caps following his debut in 2006, Benaglio decided to call time on his international career as he turns his attention to the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg.
First of all, I m not getting any younger and want to focus more on my club career, Benaglio said in a statement released by the Swiss Football Association.
I m in good shape, but once you re over 30, you need just a little bit more time to recover than you used to.
I also want to spend more time with my family.
…
Everton are interested in signing Harry Maguire from Premier League rivals Manchester United in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that Maguire is struggling for playing time at the moment, and that the Toffees could try to bring him to Goodison Park in the middle of the season.
Maguire is a peripheral figure at United at the moment and is unlikely to get into the first team anytime soon. The 30-year-old England international central defender has played just 23 minutes in the Premier League and has played just once in the Carabao Cup for Erik ten Hag’s side so far this campaign.
Everton are 15th in the Premier League table at the moment with four points from six matches, just three points above the relegation zone. Meanwhile, United cur…
Jeonbuk Motors won the AFC Champions League for a second time on Saturday, overcoming Al Ain 3-2 on aggregate after a 1-1 draw in the second leg of the final.
Han Kyo-won put the South Korean visitors in front on the half-hour mark at Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium, Lee Myung-joo levelling for the home team just minutes later.
Douglas then missed a penalty that would have levelled the aggregate scores and, during a tense second half, Al Ain proved unable to force the goal they needed to take the game to extra-time, leaving Jeonbuk to lift the continental crown again, 10 years on from their first success in this format of the competition.
Jeonbuk opened the scoring, largely against the run of play, when Han, on as an early substitute for the injured Ricardo Lopes, thun…
Real Madrid end their Liga season against Espanyol on Saturday but all eyes will be on another capital versus Catalunya clash at Camp Nou.
A run of three games without victory has ended any hopes Real had of winning La Liga, so their meeting with Javier Aguirre s side represents little more than an undercard clash ahead of the title-deciding bout between their arch-rivals Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, which kicks off two hours later.
Carlo Ancelotti s men have taken just two points from their last three league fixtures, meaning they have gone more than two Liga games without winning for the first time since May 2009.
Real s poor run of domestic form has followed their stunning 4-0 UEFA Champions League semi-final second-leg demolition of Bayern Munich.
And it is…
Liverpool have opened the talks with the representatives of Mohamed Salah about the Egyptian signing a new contract, according to James Pearce of .
The Merseysiders have already handed fresh terms to several key players, namely Trent Alexander-Arnold, Fabinho, Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk, and an agreement in principle has been reached with captain Jordan Henderson as well. The priority is now to tie Salah down beyond the expiration date on his current deal, which is June, 2023.
The 29-year-old has already secured a place in Liverpool s folklore, breaking the Premier League record in his first season at the club with 32 strikes, and playing a vital role in their Champions League and Premier League conquests in 2019 and 2020.
Salah assisted Diogo Jota and R…
FIFA president Gianni Infantino says it was his job to seek solutions instead of kicking clubs out of competitions following accusations UEFA let Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain avoid more severe Financial Fair Play (FFP) sanctions when he was the organisation s general secretary.
There have been claims this week by French outlet Mediapart and primarily reported by Der Spiegel as part of a Football Leaks investigative series that Infantino discussed deals with PSG and City when working for UEFA.
Both City and PSG are accused of having extra money pumped into them from their ownership groups through over-valued sponsorship deals.
The two clubs reached settlement agreements with UEFA in 2014 for FFP breaches, but it was claimed by Der Spiegel that Cit…
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Real Betis and Sevilla prepare to lock horns in El Gran Derbi this Saturday, the highly anticipated fixture in the calendar for both sets of fans. The hosts have already secured a place in Europe next week and will be out to deny their local rivals a chance to join them in the Europa League.
Real Betis
Trailing behind their local rivals Sevilla over the past couple of seasons, Real Betis are looking to grab more than just bragging rights this term. Los Beticos sit fifth in La Liga with 59 points to their name and at least a Europa League playoff spot already in the bag.
They are currently five points ahead of the bitter rivals and will be keen to extend the gap on Saturday and register yet another E…