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Tag: Bundesliga

  • How to Watch Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen: Live Stream Bundesliga, TV Channel

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    Bayern Munich will take on Bayer Leverkusen in this German Bundesliga matchup on Saturday at Allianz Arena, and you can catch all the action with ESPN Select.

    How to Watch Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen

    • Date: Saturday, November 1, 2025
    • Time: 1:30 AM ET
    • TV Channel: ESPN Select
    • Stream: ESPN (watch now)

    Bayern München will once again lean on the finishing prowess of Harry Kane, who continues to rack up goals at a striking rate and poses a constant threat in the final third. His movement and composure give Bayern a cutting edge in attack. Meanwhile, Leverkusen’s key man is Patrik Schick, whose recent form, especially in the Bundesliga, has shown him to be lethal when given space and service. In recent form, Bayern have been dominant at home and scoring freely, whereas Leverkusen have impressed with their pressing and positional discipline, even when not winning.

    In terms of head‐to‐head and team momentum, Bayern holds a historic edge in wins over Leverkusen. Still, interestingly, Leverkusen have often frustrated them in recent meetings and remain unbeaten in several of the latest clashes. Bayern are chasing consistency to reaffirm their status and will aim to start strong, dominating possession, while Leverkusen will look to stay compact and capitalize on counterattacks or exploit set pieces. The key will be whether Bayern can break down Leverkusen’s structure early, and whether Leverkusen can resist Bayern’s early surge before making their move.

    This is a great Bundesliga matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

    Live stream Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen with ESPN Select: Start your subscription now!

    ESPN+ offers a wide array of matches throughout the season, including every Bundesliga match during the 2025-26 season.

    Regional restrictions may apply. If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation.

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  • How Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall became the envy of European football

    How Borussia Dortmund’s Yellow Wall became the envy of European football

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    Nobody is quite sure about when the largest grandstand in Europe earned the name it is now famous for, though it is certain it happened more recently than most people think.

    The Yellow Wall at Borussia Dortmund’s Westfalenstadion was described by German author and writer Uli Hesse in 2018 as the thing that Bayern Munich, the most successful and powerful club in that country, did not have: “a massive terrace that seemed like a throwback to football’s golden age”.

    This architectural beast can hold 24,454 spectators for Bundesliga games — more than twice as many as Celtic’s fabled ‘Jungle’ did in the 1960s, and only slightly less than the maximum capacity of the Kop at Anfield during the same period, a golden age in Liverpool’s history.

    “Unlike the Jungle or the Kop, the term Yellow Wall is not very old,” Hesse stressed, using Kicker, the most popular football magazine in Germany, as a reference point for its relevance. Only in May 2009 did the description ‘Yellow Wall’ appear in its pages for the first time and that was because of the reflections of Dortmund’s then goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller when he found out 10,000 of the club’s fans had travelled to a game against Eintracht Frankfurt.

    “It’s incredible; even when we are playing away from home, the yellow wall will be there,” Weidenfeller said.

    Yet another 21 months would pass before Kicker started to use the expression regularly, helping it become an established term in the global football language.

    This was around the time Dortmund won the Bundesliga two seasons in a row under the management of Jurgen Klopp, who had transformed underachieving giants into a club competing for domestic and also European honours.

    His Dortmund side would lose the Champions League final to Bayern at Wembley in May 2013.

    This weekend, the club have the opportunity to win, at the same London venue, the same trophy for the first time since their only triumph in the competition in 1997. On this occasion, Real Madrid are the opponents and Dortmund, who finished fifth in the Bundesliga this season, 27 points behind champions Bayer Leverkusen, are a talented side but not quite in the same state of rude health as 11 years ago.

    Klopp’s charisma and achievements helped Dortmund become the second club for lots of football supporters across Europe. Yet iconology was also a significant feature of Dortmund’s attraction.

    Their popular former manager, who left Liverpool in May after almost nine years, described the experience of seeing the Yellow Wall as you emerge from the Westfalenstadion’s bowels as an almost out-of-body experience.


    Dortmund fans say farewell and thank you to a departing Klopp in 2015 (Patrik Stollarz/AFP via Getty Images)

    “This dark tunnel, it’s exactly two metres high (just under 6ft 7in), and when you come out it’s like being born,” the 6ft 3in Klopp said. “You come out and the place explodes — out of the darkness, into the light. You look to your left and it seems like there are 150,000 people up on the terrace all going completely nuts.”

    Weidenfeller was a leader in Klopp’s team: “If you are the enemy, it crushes you, but if you have it at your back as a goalkeeper, it’s a fantastic feeling.”

    This view was supported by Bayern’s Champions League and World Cup-winning midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger, who later played for Manchester United and MLS team Chicago Fire. When he was asked whether he was more worried by Dortmund’s players or their manager, Klopp, he responded: “It’s the Yellow Wall that scares me the most.”

    The sheer scale of the structure offers an array of vantage points. “From the front of the lower tier you can almost scratch the goalkeeper on the back — while way up high below the roof, where there is an inclined angle of 37 degrees, it’s like a ski jump,” concluded the German news magazine, Der Spiegel.

    According to Hesse, Daniel Lorcher, born in 1985, was “more or less responsible” for creating the Yellow Wall term. In 2004, when Dortmund were facing doom on and off the pitch and as their financial position became bleaker, the club’s largest ultras group produced a mosaic that paraphrased an Oscar Wilde aphorism, “Many walk through dark alleys, but only a few are looking at the stars.”

    Lorcher was a leading member of The Unity, who stood in the centre of what was then known simply as the Sudtribune, right behind the goal. It was their job to make as much noise as possible but Lorcher felt there were greater possibilities at Dortmund, due to the size of that stand. If the ultras could involve other fans, persuading them to dress in bright yellow while holding flags and banners of the same colour, say, the effect would be startling, helping Dortmund’s players, as well as potentially creating more of an intimidating atmosphere for opponents.

    This not only required a huge amount of fabric, but it all had to be in the right shade of yellow.

    Lorcher and other ultras contacted a Danish retail chain which had stores all over Germany. “They sold us more than three miles of cloth and we produced four thousand flags,” Lorcher told Hesse. “We rented sewing machines for weeks on end and then had to learn how to use them. It was hard work, but we had lots of fun.”

    As the 2004-05 season reached its finale and Dortmund avoided oblivion, “the flags bathed the entire stand in yellow” before a home game with Hansa Rostock, Hesse wrote in his book, Building The Yellow Wall.

    One of the banners read: “At the end of the dark alley shines the yellow wall,” and another said: “Yellow Wall, South Stand Dortmund.”

    Since 2005, the Westfalenstadion has been known as Signal Iduna Park after the club decided to use a sponsorship deal to reduce a debt, which was eventually paid off to bank Morgan Stanley three years later.

    There were lots of contributing factors towards Dortmund’s precarious financial state during that period and one of them was the demand for stadiums to be converted into all-seater venues in the wake of the 1989 Hillsborough disaster in England.

    In the summer of 1992, the Westfalenstadion’s north stand terracing was converted into a seated area, reducing the overall capacity from 54,000 to less than 43,000. The club’s directors realised they could charge more money for a comfier experience but there was a reluctance to subject the southern Sudtribune (as it is still referred to by older Dortmunders) to the same treatment after discussions with fans, who made them realise the terrace was the club’s only real marketing tool.

    After Dortmund beat 3-1 Juventus in Munich, securing the Champions League title in May 1997, the south stand was doubled in size. As the stadium became bigger and safer, Dortmund spent more money than ever on players. But more success did not follow and, by 2005, there was a real chance the club might go out of business.

    Today, Dortmund’s ground is the biggest in Germany, while their mean attendance in the Bundesliga is greater than any other Bundesliga club — including Bayern: this season, Dortmund averaged over 81,000 and Bayern, at their futuristic Allianz Arena, were at 75,000. Between Dortmund and the third- and fourth-placed teams (Eintracht Frankfurt and Stuttgart), the drop was nearly 26,000, which is only slightly more than the capacity of the Yellow Wall alone, a terrace that could accommodate the population of a reasonably-sized town.


    The Yellow Wall salutes Marco Reus at his final home game this month (Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)

    Though the stadium’s capacity is reduced to make it an all-seater stand on European nights, the three clubs with the lowest average attendances in the Bundesliga (Union Berlin, Darmstadt and Heidenheim) could get their entire crowds onto the Sudtribune with room to spare; yet the club have not really sought to capitalise on it economically in a direct way.

    Hesse even suggests the Yellow Wall “hurts” Dortmund in this sense, because ticket prices have been kept so low.

    On average, season-ticket holders pay €14 (£11.90/$15.10) per match, but if Dortmund put seats there and charged more, the club, according to Hesse, would lose a sense of their soul.

    The fact that, according to the financial experts at Forbes and Deloitte, Dortmund are not even in the top 20 clubs in Europe when it comes to matchday revenue (when they have one of the biggest stadiums on the continent) is a reflection of the attitude that exists in their region, the industrial heartland of Germany. Instead, there is a residual monetary benefit from the Yellow Wall, with businesses including chemical company Evonik, brewer Brinkhoff’s and pump manufacturer Wilo keen to be associated with a creation that is authentic to a working-class region of the country.

    The Westfalenstadion has become a tourist destination but the Yellow Wall remains unaffected for the time being.

    The biggest decision for visitors, says Hesse, is whether to join the party on the terrace, or watch its radiance from afar.

    (Top photo: Alex Gottschalk/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • How do you know if a football manager is actually good at their job?

    How do you know if a football manager is actually good at their job?

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    An important thing to remember about Andre Villas-Boas is that he had ridiculously good hair.

    You don’t spend a record-shattering €15 million (£12.9; $16.3m) fee to sign a rookie manager away from Porto unless you’re pretty sure you know what you’re getting, and one thing Chelsea knew for certain, back in the heady days of 2011, was that the man with a swirling, fox-red side-parting looked impossibly cool getting tossed in the air during trophy celebrations.


    Villas-Boas at Porto in 2010 (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)

    Hair like that had sexy new ideas — a philosophy, perhaps. It had the sort of rakish sweep that could command a press conference, smouldering volcanically above the jagged peaks of an unbuttoned collar. But when the 33-year-old prodigy conducted his first interview as the world’s most expensive manager, all of the glamour quickly drained away.

    “Don’t expect something,” Villas-Boas warned gently, “from one man.”

    True to his word, he was sacked by March.

    Villas-Boas to Chelsea might have gone down as a historic blunder if not for all the other managers teams have squandered transfer fees on in the last few years alone: Marco Rose to Borussia Dortmund (€5 million up front for one lacklustre season); Adi Hutter to Borussia Monchengladbach (€7.5 million, ditto); Julian Nagelsmann to Bayern Munich (€25 million for 19 months); Graham Potter to Chelsea (let’s not talk about it). These were the cream of the crop, the head coaches clubs couldn’t afford to wait around for, yet in their new jobs they had the shelf life of a bunch of bruised bananas.

    How do we know if a manager is good? The question sounds almost too obvious to ask — anyone down the pub will be happy to explain it to you loudly over a pint — but professional organisations with millions at stake whiff on it every year. Apparently the answer isn’t great hair. It can’t be trophies, either, since those are pretty much only available to managers already at top clubs. If the study of up-and-coming coaches can be called a science, it remains a largely theoretical one.

    “We’ve done work with football clubs and leagues, actually, around what predicts head coach success and it’s very, very hard,” says Omar Chaudhuri of the sports consultancy 21st Group. “There are very few strong predictors.”

    Everyone loves a winner, so it makes sense that employers would start by looking for coaching talent toward the top of the table. But we also know that in the grossly unequal world of European football, wage bills are destiny for most teams, no matter who’s in the technical area. The managers we admire most are the ones who find a way to punch above their weight.

    To pick out those overachievers, we can start by modelling the relationship between squad strength and success using crowdsourced “market values” from Transfermarkt, which are a decent proxy for player quality when you don’t have wages handy. We’ll average this season’s values with last season’s, where available, to give coaches some credit for player development, then weight the values by minutes played to account for absences.

    For the performance side, we’ll use a 70/30 blend of non-penalty expected goal difference and actual goal difference, which captures team strength pretty well and puts more emphasis on the parts of the game coaches are likely to have some influence over (creating and denying chances) than the parts they probably don’t (finishing, saving shots, successfully lobbying for penalties by doing the VAR rectangle thing with their fingers).

    The results are striking. Over the last seven seasons across Europe’s top leagues, our simple player quality model can explain around 80 per cent of teams’ success.

    But what about the remaining 20 per cent — who should get credit for that?

    When we look at the outliers on the chart above, it seems fair to say that Gian Piero Gasperini’s freewheeling style helped elevate Atalanta’s mid-budget squad into a Champions League contender a few years back, and the whole platoon of head coaches and interim guys who oversaw Schalke’s disastrous 2020-21 campaign probably weren’t so hot at their job. Maybe performance over squad value is a fair measure of what a manager brings to the table.

    Reassuringly, this season’s list of top teams for adjusted goal difference over expected is a veritable who’s who of coaching legends and the game’s hottest up-and-coming managers.

    Xabi Alonso has turned down overtures from Bayern Munich and Liverpool to stay at German champs-in-waiting Bayer Leverkusen, while Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi, whom no less an authority than Pep Guardiola called “one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years,” remains a strong contender for both jobs.

    In Catalonia, Barcelona have been making eyes at Girona’s Michel. Sebastian Hoeness, Paulo Fonseca, Thiago Motta and Will Still have flocks of admirers, and maybe we should all be paying more attention to whatever Eric Roy’s got cooking at Brest.

    So is that it — have we cracked the not-so-secret formula to finding Europe’s next top manager?

    Well, hang on a second.

    One important trait for a good sports stat is stability, or how much it varies from season to season. If last year’s performance can’t predict next year’s because the number is too sensitive to context, you probably don’t want to make it the sole basis for any expensive hiring decisions.

    By that standard, our manager metric is a bust. For head coaches who change jobs, there’s no correlation whatsoever between the previous year’s performance above or below expectations at their old club and their first season at their new club. Even though goal difference added seemed pretty good at identifying this season’s hottest managers, it has zero predictive value for new hires.

    When Chelsea spent £21.5 million to sign Graham Potter, he was coming off one of the best runs by any head coach in the last seven years: in 2020-21 and 2021-22, Brighton finished 22 and 13 adjusted goals better than expected. His seven months in London went, er, not quite as well.

    Brighton, meanwhile, signed Roberto De Zerbi even though his final season at Sassuolo had been about average compared to their squad value. He’d had a pretty good season the year before that, and a respectable stint outside the top five leagues at Shakhtar Donetsk in between, but nothing that might have hinted that his first season at Brighton would be the fourth-best out of hundreds in our dataset.

    What can explain the difference between these two very different hiring stories? Maybe there’s a clue in how Brighton’s famously analytical owner Tony Bloom explained his process. “I am confident,” he said of the De Zerbi hire, “his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly.”


    De Zerbi (facing camera) and Potter in 2022 (Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

    Smart clubs don’t just hire successful managers in hopes that they possess some innate knowledge of how to win. They’re careful to match a coach’s tactics to the players they already have, knowing that changing styles will cost them money and time.

    “I don’t want to have to replace 15 players or something like that over two years,” says one veteran analytics consultant, who requested anonymity to protect client relationships. “Because then it becomes a project of just kind of cycling through players and hoping things work out.”

    Not every club is as careful about this step as Brighton. Chaudhuri explains that searches often start with a “performance piece” to determine whether managers are making the most of their current squad, but “then you have a playing style piece, which clubs generally tend to be quite vague on how they want to play. They say, ‘We want games to be attractive and exciting,’ whatever that means. And then you go, ‘Okay, tell us what you think that looks like.’”

    The other consultant agrees. “I had this meeting yesterday, I gave five candidates, like, ‘What do you think of these five?’” he says. “And he was like, ‘Well, I like these four.’ But I said, ‘One of these four is actually not the style you said you want.’”

    Figuring out which managers have exceeded expectations is the easy part. You can watch their players flinging them into the air at a trophy celebration and envision your club doing the same next season. But success, on its own, is fickle. It also tends to be expensive. The right question isn’t “How do we know if a manager is good?” but “How do we know if a manager will be good for this group of players?”

    The secret ingredient in hiring the right coach is style — and not just the kind that comes with really good hair.

    (Header photo: Lars Baron/Getty Images)

    The Athletic recently profiled six of European football’s most innovative up-and-coming managers.

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    The New York Times

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  • The Briefing: Will Haaland’s form cost Man City? Cole Palmer: MVP? Xabi Alonso’s power move

    The Briefing: Will Haaland’s form cost Man City? Cole Palmer: MVP? Xabi Alonso’s power move

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    Welcome to The Briefing, where every Monday during this season The Athletic will discuss three of the biggest questions to arise from the weekend’s football.

    This was the round when Newcastle snatched victory from the clamped-shut jaws of defeat against West Ham, Liverpool went top of the league after an early scare against Brighton, Manchester United went 1-0 up in the 96th minute and still didn’t win and Sheffield United threw away another two-goal lead.

    Off the back of all that and more, we will ask if Erling Haaland is playing poorly at the worst moment for him and his club, if Cole Palmer is the Premier League’s most valuable player and whether Xabi Alonso turning down Liverpool and Bayern Munich to stay at Bayer Leverkusen is the real power move…

    Is Haaland’s bad form at the worst possible time for City?

    There were 84 minutes on the clock of Manchester City 0-0 Arsenal when the ball fell to Erling Haaland at the far post. For a split second, the hopes of the neutral were raised: we’d sat through an hour and a half of turgid rot by then, but at least we might be rewarded with a goal — any goal — for our heroism.

    But Haaland scuffed it. Actually, he barely even scuffed it: he just about missed the thing completely. And the really weird bit, if you watch it closely: it looked like he was trying to square the ball to Ruben Dias, a centre-half, rather than attempting to ram the thing home himself.

    This merciless goalscoring machine, presented with a chance four yards out, tried to pass it to a defender…

    In some respects, it summed up the game neatly. Not just an all-timer of a snoozefest made all the more acute by Liverpool’s more entertaining 2-1 win over Brighton earlier in the day and the 29 goals scored across the eight fixtures on Saturday, but a match devoid of anything approaching quality finishing, just three shots on target combined from the two attacks.

    You could also say Haaland’s blank was a triumph for Arsenal’s central defenders William Saliba and (especially) Gabriel Magalhaes, who kept the big Norwegian quiet for the second time this season; across those two Premier League games, Haaland didn’t manage a single shot on target.

    But perhaps there’s something broader at play. Haaland hasn’t seemed quite right since returning at the end of January from two months out with a foot injury.

    In that time, he’s scored four goals in eight Premier League games — for a normal striker, a healthy return, but for Haaland, it’s well off the pace. He has six goals in other competitions, but they were the five he got in that freak FA Cup win over Luton Town and one in the closing stages of a Champions League stroll against FC Copenhagen. Again, writing off any goal at this level is harsh at best, but it’s also valid and speaks to a concern about his form at a crucial part of the season.

    The deflating thing for the rest of the Premier League about City having Haaland is that, on the occasions when they’re not quite on their game, he can be there to stick a chance away and hoover up those points they might have otherwise missed. Last season, he scored home and away against Arsenal, bursting the balloon of their nascent title challenge ruthlessly. Not this season, though.


    (Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

    Haaland was similarly ineffective against Liverpool just before the March international break. He scored against Manchester United a week earlier but only after missing a clutch of chances and his celebration was more informed by relief than joy.

    To clarify, this is not to say Haaland is bad now. Nothing like it. Clearly, he’s still if not the best centre-forward in the world, then one of them. There’s every chance he could go on a tear for the rest of the season, score twice a game and lead City to a fourth straight title and successive trebles.

    But at the moment, he doesn’t look himself — and it’s happening at the worst possible time for City.

    Is Palmer the Premier League’s MVP?

    Now is around the time when people start to seriously think about which individual player has been the best in the Premier League this season.

    There are plenty of candidates. Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard at Arsenal. Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool. Rodri and Phil Foden for Manchester City. Ollie Watkins, James Maddison, Lucas Paqueta, Ross Barkley, Bruno Guimaraes… it’s all subjective, everyone will have their choices, none less valid than the rest.

    Who’s the most valuable player in the division, though? That’s a slightly different thing: “best” is self-explanatory, but “most valuable” is more about a player’s importance to their team. Which player would leave the biggest hole if they were removed from their side?

    The answer to that has to be Cole Palmer.

    There are a few ways to measure his importance to Chelsea. Goals and assists are the most basic: he has 13 of the former and eight of the latter, which you don’t need us to tell you are the highest numbers at the club.

    The caveat is that six of his 13 goals have been penalties, but they still need to be scored, and Palmer has been flawless from the spot so far.


    (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)

    Another very crude way of looking at it is if you removed his goals from Chelsea’s results. This is flawed, because it assumes that whoever replaced him in this thought experiment contributed absolutely nothing, but take his goals away and they would have 10 fewer points. That would have them on 30 from 30 games: near to relegation form in any other season.

    But beyond these simple statistics, Palmer’s value is that he has given Chelsea something to get excited about in an otherwise chronically bleak season. Even with the penalty against Burnley on Saturday: an audacious, floating Panenka when a more standard penalty would have been fine. It might look like needless showboating, but when there’s been nothing else to stir the passions, that sort of thing becomes important.

    go-deeper

    GO DEEPER

    Panenkas, shootouts and action bias: the best place to aim a penalty

    “We got too comfortable,” Palmer said after the 2-2 home draw with second-bottom Burnley, who had 10 men for 50 of the 90 minutes. “Same story, we kill ourselves every week. It’s got to improve from us as players. We need consistency.”

    Palmer used “we” and “us” there, but he would have been within his rights to separate himself from the rest of the Chelsea team.

    He’s doing his job, and then some. How many other Chelsea players can say anything like that?

    Is staying at Leverkusen the real power move for Alonso?

    We already know what an extraordinary achievement winning the Bundesliga this season will be for Bayer Leverkusen, but here’s another thing to emphasise it: even after their 2-0 home defeat against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday, champions Bayern can reach 81 points, 10 more than they achieved last season in taking their 11th straight title, yet are still likely to finish second by a double-digit margin.

    After the announcement that Xabi Alonso would be staying at Leverkusen beyond this season, his putative suitors have tried as best they can to style it out — he was only ever an option, they are conducting a thorough process, no approaches have been made et cetera — but even if they knew what was coming, the news will have caused consternation at Liverpool, Bayern and whoever else fancied a change this summer.


    (Hesham Elsherif/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

    Alonso’s decision has been mocked by some as ‘wimping out’; taking the easy option of sticking where he is rather than showing ambition. Does effectively turning down Liverpool and Bayern show he doesn’t have the ‘cojones’, that he isn’t confident in his abilities, as has been suggested?

    Well, in short: no. Quite the opposite, in fact.

    Alonso’s stock will, in all likelihood, never be higher than now, amid the afterglow of this minor miracle Leverkusen are performing. He will probably never again have the choice between two giants, both of whom he has an emotional history with.

    But what he’s doing is the true power move: a coach with the self-awareness to say that he needs at least another season of experience after less than two of them in the senior game but with the confidence to think that his reputation will stay high enough in the future to attract a big job the next time one comes up.

    Alonso is doing things on his terms, in his own time. He hasn’t ignored the attention of Liverpool and Bayern because he’s scared of a top job. He’s done so because he isn’t scared that this will be his only chance at one.

    Coming up…

    • Easter. A time when English football has for years come together and absolutely rinsed its players for our viewing pleasure as if they had limitless energy: to whit, today (Monday), there is a full round of EFL fixtures in all three divisions (apart from one game each in Leagues One and Two tomorrow), just like there was on Friday. Things to keep an eye on: the Championship’s extraordinary automatic promotion tussle, with three clubs separated by two points, but we’re also getting to the point where things can be decided. Rotherham United could be relegated from the second tier, likewise Carlisle United from the third.
    • Then there’s a complete round of midweek Premier League games. The Tuesday slate of five isn’t mega-interesting: although it will be interesting to see how West Ham United bounce back from the weekend collapse at St James’ Park when they welcome Tottenham Hotspur, while Nottingham Forest need a win at home against Fulham, Newcastle United host Everton, it’s Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace and Wolves go to Burnley.
    • Wednesday’s group of three has a tiny bit more pep to in its step: the standout is City vs Aston Villa, but there’s also Arsenal against Luton and Brentford vs Brighton & Hove Albion.
    • Then on Thursday, the round is completed by leaders Liverpool hosting last-placed Sheffield United and a theoretical big one, but not really because they’re both a bit rubbish this season: Chelsea vs Manchester United.
    • Finally, in off-pitch fun, Everton should find out the verdict for their second PSR breach of the season, which we can all agree is exactly the sort of thing we got into football for.

    (Top photos: Getty Images)

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    The New York Times

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  • The big stars with contracts expiring in 2025

    The big stars with contracts expiring in 2025

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    What do Mohamed Salah, Neymar, Kevin De Bruyne, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Lionel Messi have in common? Their contracts are all expiring in 2025.

    While the summer transfer window looks set to be headlined by Kylian Mbappe and the saga of his potential switch from Paris Saint-Germain to Real Madrid, the world’s biggest clubs will be on alert as they attempt to navigate the contract situations of some of the best players in the world.

    Who might move? Who looks likely to stay at their club? Which teams are interested in Alphonso Davies and Joshua Kimmich, whose contracts also expire in 2025?

    The Athletic explains below.

    Mohamed Salah

    Who is the player most synonymous with Liverpool’s success during the Jurgen Klopp era, if not Salah?

    The Egypt international is out of action after suffering a hamstring injury during the Africa Cup of Nations. Still, he remains as important as ever to his club as they aim to win their second Premier League title.

    The 31-year-old was the subject of significant interest during last summer’s transfer window, with Saudi club Al Ittihad testing Liverpool’s resolve with a bid of £150million ($188m), and this saga appears likely to continue into next summer providing the prolific forward does not sign a new contract.

    GO DEEPER

    Salah, Van Dijk and Alexander-Arnold contracts: What we’re hearing

    Sources close to Al Ittihad indicated they had not given up hope and were prepared to pay up to £200million for the most famous Arab footballer on the planet — a move that would place him alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar as poster boys for the Saudi Pro League. The package offered, understood to be worth around £1.5million ($1.9m) per week, around four times his current salary, would help grease the wheels, too.

    Salah appears to be in his prime years, unlike Fabinho and Jordan Henderson, whom Liverpool sold to Saudi clubs last summer, and has shown no signs of agitating for a move. However, with Liverpool’s future uncertain in light of Klopp’s upcoming summer departure, Salah may want to wait for key roles to be addressed before committing his future to the club.

    Mohamed Salah, Liverpoool


    (John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

    Neymar

    All is not well for Brazil’s biggest star in Saudi Arabia.

    Two months after joining Al Hilal from PSG in an £80million ($102m) transfer last August, he suffered an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and meniscus in his left knee, requiring surgery. The 32-year-old is not expected to play again this season.

    In recent weeks, he has addressed claims from Saudi supporters that he has put on weight during his injury rehabilitation, with Neymar responding in Portuguese, “Overweight, great. But fat? I don’t think so!” in a video posted on Instagram.

    Due to his unfortunate start to life in Saudi, Neymar’s long-term future is in the air. With the World Cup coming to the United States in 2026, Brazil’s record goalscorer may want another attempt to win one of the only trophies that has evaded him, potentially opening the door for a return to Europe to ensure he plays at the highest level before the tournament. A homecoming to Brazil cannot be ruled out either, nor can staying with Al Hilal, where Neymar is due to earn an estimated $300million (£235m) over two years.

    Lionel Messi

    Fresh from being named men’s player of the year at the FIFA Best Awards in January, Messi is travelling the world on a pre-season tour with Inter Miami and a few of his best friends — Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba.

    His decision to depart Europe for Major League Soccer before staying with PSG, returning to Barcelona or following in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo and going to Saudi Arabia looks like the right one.

    While his move has been an undoubted commercial success, the prospect of rejoining his hometown club in Argentina, Newell’s Old Boys, retains its appeal.

    Messi will be 38 on the expiry of his contract, leaving the prospect of staying in Miami, returning to Rosario, or even retiring as genuine possibilities. As is customary for MLS players, his contract expires in December (the end of the American soccer season) rather than June, with an option to extend his deal until 2026, which would take him to the age of 39.

    Lionel Messi


    (Francois Nel/Getty Images)

    Joshua Kimmich

    Before Harry Kane’s arrival, Kimmich was arguably Bayern’s most important player.

    Since joining the club in 2015 from RB Leipzig, the 28-year-old has made 248 league appearances and won eight Bundesliga titles, as well as the Champions League once. With Manuel Neuer and Thomas Muller approaching the end of their careers, all seemed set for Kimmich to take over the mantle as club captain and play the remainder of his career in Bavaria — which makes it more surprising that his contract situation is not yet sorted.

    Manchester City are exploring a move for the midfielder as they look for someone to play alongside Rodri, as well as providing cover for his position, but they know a deal will not be straightforward. If Kimmich does not sign a new contract with Bayern in the coming months, with negotiations yet to begin, the German giants are expected to put him up for sale in the summer. That would be a shocking development for a player that former club executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge described as “the embodiment of world class” in 2021.

    Like in 2014, when Toni Kroos was allowed to depart for Real Madrid, Bayern could lose a top-class player in his prime for under market value.

    Trent Alexander-Arnold

    Like Jamie Carragher or Steven Gerrard — up until his late-career move to the LA Galaxy — it is difficult to see Alexander-Arnold, who grew up a 10-minute drive away from Anfield, ever playing for a club other than Liverpool.

    Having been promoted to vice-captain by Klopp before the start of the season, Alexander-Arnold has grown under the extra responsibility and he looks set to wear the armband permanently in the future. With 18 months remaining on his contract, Liverpool will look to tie down the 25-year-old to a long-term deal that reflects his importance to them.

    While the departures of Klopp and his staff may complicate things slightly, given the German coach gave him his debut and has retained faith through more challenging moments in recent seasons, Alexander-Arnold is a bedrock for Liverpool to build on when they enter a new era.

    Alphonso Davies

    Alongside Kimmich and Leroy Sane, Davies rounds off the trio of world-class talents whose contracts are set to expire with Bayern in 2025.

    Still only 23, Davies broke into Bayern’s first team in 2019 at 18 and has since won five Bundesliga titles and a Champions League. He’s already considered among the best full-backs in the world and there are few players, if any, who can replicate his pace and attacking quality in his position.

    Bayern are expected to put him up for sale in the summer if they cannot agree a contract extension beforehand. Many clubs will be interested in a move this summer and Real Madrid are monitoring his situation. Considering he has started in all but one of the 27 games he has played for Bayern this season, they will not let him depart easily.


    (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

    Kevin De Bruyne

    Despite missing half of the season through injury, it has not taken long for De Bruyne to find his best form. In his first appearance since suffering a hamstring injury on the season’s opening day, he scored and assisted in City’s 3-2 win against Newcastle United in January.

    On January 31, in his first start back, he assisted Julian Alvarez as City made light work of Burnley in a 3-1 win. For almost any other player with De Bruyne’s injury history, a club with City’s resources would likely be searching around Europe for his immediate replacement. Still, the Belgian is arguably the best midfielder in the world and any alternative in the same position would be a certain downgrade.

    Given De Bruyne’s age (32) and injury history, it would be irresponsible for City not to be preparing alternatives. With most clubs in Europe unable to offer a salary he would demand, there are very few realistic options available, particularly if he can put his recent injury woes behind him, and City will be keen to keep their star creator.

    Leroy Sane

    After three years in Munich, Sane has found his best career form under Thomas Tuchel. In 20 Bundesliga matches this season, he has scored eight goals and laid on 11 assists, an excellent return for the wide player who has adjusted brilliantly to the arrival of Kane.

    Yet if his contract is not renewed in the coming months, Sane will likely be put up for sale in the summer. Expect Bayern to be keen to renew his deal, given his immediate connection with Kane, but the former Manchester City man will have suitors.

    The prospect of attracting the versatile 28-year-old — a left-footed wide player capable of playing on either wing — at a cut price means top European clubs will keep an eye on his situation before this summer’s transfer window.

    Son Heung-min

    Following the departures of Hugo Lloris and Kane from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer, Son has taken on the mantle as club captain and star player this season. Under Ange Postecoglou, the South Korea international has put last season’s struggles behind him — scoring 12 goals and adding five assists in 20 league games.

    Son signed his most recent deal in 2021, a four-year contract with an option to extend by a year — something Tottenham are expected to do. But this will likely be Son’s last major contract as he will turn 34 in 2026.


    (Julian Finney/Getty Images)

    Virgil van Dijk

    Since being given the captain’s armband by Klopp in pre-season, Virgil van Dijk has quietened suggestions that his prime years are behind him with some dominant performances at the heart of Liverpool’s defence. But with 18 months remaining on his contract, he and Liverpool are caught in a dilemma.

    Van Dijk is one of the Premier League’s greatest centre-backs, combining athleticism, technical quality and defensive anticipation in a way that few have ever done, making Liverpool’s decision whether to invest heavily in the future more challenging.

    He is turning 33 this summer and there will be question marks on whether he can replicate his best form as his physical qualities decline, particularly as Van Dijk is one of the club’s highest-paid players.

    With Klopp’s departure this summer, Liverpool’s future is still being determined. Asked whether he sees himself as part of the next era, Van Dijk responded: “That’s a big question. I don’t know.” He later clarified that he is still “fully committed to the club”, indicating he is not considering his long-term future while Liverpool remain in the hunt for four trophies this season.

    Ivan Toney

    It seems the right decision for all parties for Toney to depart Brentford this summer. After serving an eight-month ban for betting offences, the England striker has returned to action in excellent form, scoring two goals in two league matches — immediately picking up where he left off last season, where he was one of only three players to score 20 Premier League goals or more.

    Fortunately for suitors, Toney has made it clear he sees his long-term future away from Brentford several times.

    “You can never predict when the right time to move elsewhere is but I think it’s obvious I want to play for a top club,” Toney told Sky Sports in January. “Everybody wants to play for a top club, (one) fighting for titles. Whether it’s this January that is the right time for a club to come in and pay the right money, who knows?”

    In January, Brentford head coach Thomas Frank said it would take an “unbelievable price” to take Toney away from the west Londoners. Still, with one year remaining on his deal in the summer, it would be in the club’s best interests to facilitate a move, with their star striker seemingly seeing his future elsewhere.

    Warren Zaire-Emery

    PSG are known for producing some of the best talent in Europe. Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot, Christopher Nkunku, Patrice Evra and Nicolas Anelka have all graduated from the Parisians’ academy in the last three decades. Zaire-Emery could turn out to be the best out of the lot.

    The 17-year-old has already made his international debut, becoming the youngest player to be called up for France since 1914, scoring a goal in a 14-0 win over Gibraltar. As a versatile midfielder capable of playing as a No 6, 8 and 10, he has drawn comparison to Jude Bellingham, three years his elder. Zaire-Emery is a different type of player but they share world-class potential.

    So PSG, who are preparing for the eventual departure of Mbappe, will be keen to tie Zaire-Emery down long term. Born in Montreuil, an eastern suburb around 6km from the centre of Paris, he is the ideal face of a post-Mbappe PSG. If discussions stall, however, expect all of Europe’s top clubs to react quickly.


    (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

    Weston McKennie

    For those who followed Leeds United’s relegation from the Premier League last season, it might be a shock to see McKennie starting regularly for Juventus. Under Massimiliano Allegri, however, he has developed into a critical cog in Juventus’s midfield as they compete to win Serie A.

    With a home World Cup in 2026, McKennie will want to play regular club football to ensure he retains an important role for the United States. Clubs needing a high-energy midfielder will monitor his situation if he falls out of favour. Until then, though, McKennie looks settled and happy in Turin.

    Thiago Almada

    If Almada departs Atlanta United this summer, he will likely become the most expensive player to leave Major League Soccer in its history. The record is Miguel Almiron’s transfer from Atlanta to Newcastle United for £21million ($27m) in 2019, and Almada, already a World Cup winner with Argentina, is expected to fetch around $30m.

    Like Toney, Almada is keen to secure a move to a top European club. Eager to take advantage of a franchise-altering fee, Atlanta will facilitate a transfer, providing a club meets their valuation. They will have slightly more time than Brentford, however, as the 22-year-old’s deal expires in December 2025. Still, given the potential for a big sale, the MLS outfit will be keen not to let the value decline by allowing Almada’s contract to run down.

    Conor Gallagher

    At the beginning of 2023, Chelsea tried to sell Gallagher to Everton. Last summer, Chelsea rejected a £40million bid from West Ham. Tottenham were interested in January but a move never materialised. If Gallagher’s future is not sorted before the summer transfer window, his future may lie away from Stamford Bridge.

    As the England international is an academy-trained player, a fee received for Gallagher will count as pure profit in the club’s accounts. Having spent over £1billion since Chelsea’s owners took over in May 2022, the money will help when it comes to Profit and Sustainability rules. However, Gallagher has played regularly under Mauricio Pochettino and has worn the armband several times this season — indicating the manager’s trust in him.

    A potential departure may upset Chelsea fans, who have seen academy graduates depart frequently in recent seasons, but if there were a decision to part ways, the 23-year-old would not be short of suitors.

    (Top photos: Getty Images)



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  • Which players can now sign pre-contract agreements for Bosman moves?

    Which players can now sign pre-contract agreements for Bosman moves?

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    Follow live coverage of Liverpool vs Newcastle in the Premier League today

    This season’s winter transfer window is now open, meaning clubs can officially start the scramble to add reinforcements or offload players deemed surplus to requirements.

    Premier League sides can do business until 11pm GMT on Thursday, February 1 — and, following discussions with the major leagues around Europe, that will also be deadline day in La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy), Ligue 1 (France) and the Bundesliga (Germany).

    But while clubs who want to sign players under contract must negotiate and, usually, pay a transfer fee during a FIFA-determined transfer window, wise forward planning allows ‘pre-contract agreements’ in some circumstances.

    The Athletic explains what these are and which players due to be out of contract in the summer could now step up transfer plans…

    What is a pre-contract agreement and when can players sign one?

    A pre-contract allows clubs to get ahead with their recruitment, with a player and an interested club able to commit to a move before that player’s current deal expires.

    Talks can begin up to six months before a contract expires — meaning January 1 is a key date for the many players whose deals end on June 30 — but only with teams other than the one the player concerned is currently registered with (their parent club if presently out on loan).

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    Domestic transfers are regulated by each country’s football association as opposed to world governing body FIFA — and in a further restriction, the English FA cuts longer pre-contract timeframes in a bid to avoid conflicts of interest in the event a player might face their future club before leaving their current one.

    Any player looking to move from one English team to another as a soon-to-be free agent can only open talks a month before their contract expires.

    Which notable players can sign a pre-contract agreement?

    Note: Some players below have club options in contracts that are yet to be triggered.

    Premier League

    Raphael Varane

    Manchester United have a decision to make about a player who has won one World Cup final, played in another and won the Champions League four times. Varane’s contract expires this summer, with the option of an additional year to extend his stay until 2025.


    Varane is in the third and final year of his contract (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

    Thiago

    Thiago’s consistent injury problems played a part in Liverpool signing four new midfielders in last year’s summer window. He rejected offers from Saudi Arabia at that time but, as things stand, it seems more probable he will leave Liverpool after this season rather than stay.

    Jorginho

    It is common for clubs to include the option of an extra year in a contract and Jorginho, who was signed by Arsenal for £12million on deadline day in January 2023, is no exception, with an option to extend the Italy midfielder’s stay at the Emirates by an additional year should Arsenal choose to.

    Thiago Silva

    Chelsea are heavily reliant on Silva, despite his age. The 39-year-old remains a regular starter halfway through their first season under Mauricio Pochettino. It is not yet known if Silva will be offered a new contract. Chelsea’s current centre-back options beyond the long-time Brazil captain include Alex Disasi, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah, Bashir Humphreys and Malang Sarr.

    Fabian Schar

    Having started all 19 of Newcastle’s Premier League games this season, Schar looks set to stick around beyond June when his current contract expires. Newcastle are expected to offer him a new deal in the coming months.

    Eric Dier

    The Tottenham defender was offered to Bournemouth and Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window but ended up staying in north London. Dier has featured in only four Premier League games this season, starting one, and seems likely to continue as a backup option who rarely plays under Ange Postecoglou.

    Anthony Martial

    Martial became the world’s most expensive teenager when Manchester United signed him from Monaco in 2015 in a deal worth £36million, potentially rising to £58m. He then signed a five-year contract in 2019 with an option of an extra year. But, like David de Gea, who left in the summer despite having an optional year on his deal, United do not intend to prolong Martial’s stay under the terms of his current agreement.

    Ivan Perisic

    After featuring in all but four of 38 Premier League games last season, with 23 starts, Perisic, who was originally signed for Tottenham by his former Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte, had not featured as much during the current campaign even before an ACL injury in September. Spurs are not expected to offer him a long-term extension.

    Joel Matip

    “I’m pretty sure the club will show their class,” manager Jurgen Klopp said in December when asked if Liverpool plan to offer Matip a new contract. Originally signed on a free transfer in the summer of 2016, Matip has a long-term knee injury that means he might have already played his last game for Liverpool.

    Seamus Coleman

    Coleman is now into his 15th season at Everton after signing an extension last summer. The 35-year-old defender is club captain but is now a peripheral figure in terms of the first team, having made just two Premier League appearances this season.

    Willian

    Like others, Willian was offered the opportunity of a pay rise via a move to a club in Saudi Arabia last summer. Al Shabab were willing to offer the now 35-year-old Brazilian winger a salary of £200,000 per week. In the end, he signed a new one-year deal at Fulham, which includes the option to extend by an additional 12 months.


    Willian could yet extend his stay in London (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)

    James Milner

    Jurgen Klopp was interested in keeping Milner last summer but Liverpool opted against it, which paved the way for Brighton to swoop in and sign him as a free agent. With more than 600 Premier League appearances under his belt, the ever-present midfielder continues to be an important player under Roberto De Zerbi.

    Mohamed Elneny

    Arsenal’s longest-serving player signed a contract extension in February 2023 that will keep him at the club until June. Opportunities for first-team action this season have been limited, with Elneny making only four appearances in all competitions; just one as a substitute in the Premier League.

    Adam Lallana

    If Lallana, who turns 36 in May, decides to call time on his playing career, a pathway into coaching with current club Brighton could be his next venture. During the international break in September last year, Lallana joined up with the England Under-21s squad in a coaching capacity, and Brighton have a reputation for hiring former players in coaching roles.

    Serge Aurier

    Following the recent appointment of Nuno Espirito Santo, it remains to be seen if Aurier will feature as prominently for Nottingham Forest as he did under predecessor Steve Cooper. If Forest do want to keep the now-31-year-old full-back, they have an option to extend his current agreement by an extra year.

    Idrissa Gueye

    Everton brought Gueye back to the club from Paris Saint-Germain in summer 2022, three years after he left them for the French side, and signed him to a two-year contract. The midfielder has featured in the majority of Everton’s games so far under Sean Dyche.

    Danny Welbeck

    As one of Brighton’s most senior pros, Welbeck’s contributions extend beyond what happens on the pitch. Despite not being a regular starter, he is still considered a valuable player at Brighton.

    Tosin Adarabioyo

    Tosin was on Tottenham’s radar last summer and with his contract now running down, he is likely one of most coveted free-agents-to-be over the coming months. Signed for a bargain fee of just £1.5million, Fulham could lose a player they thought they would be able to make a sizeable profit from, for free.

    Felipe

    The Brazilian defender was signed on an 18-month contract a year ago after moving from Atletico Madrid to Nottingham Forest. It was expected that he would be a key player during the current campaign, but Felipe has made only four appearances during 2023-24.

    Nathaniel Clyne

    Clyne, an academy graduate at Crystal Palace, has signed successive one-year contracts during the past two seasons having returned to them in 2020 after three years with Southampton and five at Liverpool. His latest agreement is set to expire soon. The former England full-back, who will be 33 when the season ends, has featured sparingly (nine league appearances with six starts) but could still be retained for the seniority and leadership he offers.

    Lukasz Fabianski

    In 2022, Fabianski signed a one-year contract at West Ham with the option to extend it by an additional 12 months. That option was activated last summer. The goalkeeper has predominantly been used in cup competitions this season, with five appearances in the Europa League group stage and two in the Carabao Cup to go with three Premier League starts.


    Fabianski has been second-choice at West Ham this season (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

    Ben Mee

    Brentford are expected to keep 34-year-old defender Mee at the club beyond this summer’s expiry of his current contract. Mee, signed on a free transfer from relegated Burnley after the 2021-22 season, is considered to be a leader under head coach Thomas Frank.

    Aaron Wan-Bissaka

    Wan-Bissaka has a 12-month extension clause in his current contract, but Manchester United are yet to announce if they will trigger that option or not. The defender became United’s fifth-most-expensive signing when he moved from Crystal Palace for £50million in the summer of 2019.

    Bertrand Traore

    Traore spent last season on loan at Turkey’s Istanbul Basaksehir and finds himself on the fringes of Unai Emery’s Aston Villa squad in this one, with just two Premier League appearances – both as a substitute. It is expected that the winger will be allowed to leave in the summer once his contract expires.

    Michail Antonio

    West Ham’s longest-tenured player signed a two-and-a-half-year contract in January 2022 that included the option of an extension to 2025. The forward came close to leaving the club last January — Wolves and Nottingham Forest wanted to sign him permanently, and Chelsea submitted a loan offer.

    Ryan Christie

    Bournemouth have a few players whose deals will expire at the end of the season. Of that group, Christie, who has featured prominently this season under new coach Andoni Iraola, seems the most likely to stick around. Other players whose contracts run out in June are Darren Randolph, Ryan Fredericks, Emiliano Marcondes and Adam Smith.

    Will Hughes

    Hughes joined Crystal Palace for £6million in the summer of 2021 and finds himself entering the final few months of the contract he signed upon arrival from Watford. His team-mates Joel Ward, Nathan Ferguson, Jairo Riedewald, James Tomkins and Remi Matthews are also set to become free agents when this season comes to a close.

    Dele Alli

    The former Tottenham and England midfielder is yet to feature for Everton this season, after spending the previous one out on loan at Turkish club Besiktas. Any future contract extension will likely depend on how often Dele features during the latter half of the season.

    Adrian

    Goalkeepers often spend the final part of their career as the third-choice at a club, providing intangible contributions for others. Adrian falls into that bracket. “I know the situation and my role in the squad,” he said during an interview with The Athletic in June. He is firmly behind Alisson and Caoimhin Kelleher at Liverpool and his contract situation is assessed on a year-to-year basis at the end of each season.

    Jonny Evans

    Northern Ireland’s fourth-most capped player originally signed a short-term contract back at Manchester United before the deal was extended for the duration of the current season on deadline day last September. The 35-year-old defender has made 12 appearances in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.

    Josh Brownhill

    Having started all but three games for Burnley this season following their return to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany, it would seem likely that the club will activate the option to extend Brownhill’s contract by an additional year. Jay Rodriguez, Jack Cork and Charlie Taylor are also set to be out of contract, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson has an additional one-year option.

    Josh Brownhill


    Brownhill has been a regular for Burnley (Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

    Vladimir Coufal

    West Ham are in negotiations with Coufal to keep him around beyond the summer. Aaron Cresswell and Angelo Ogbonna are also set to be out of contract, but the club are unlikely to offer them new deals.

    Chris Wood

    The loan agreement Forest had in place for Wood was made permanent for £15million because of a clause in the agreement with his previous club Newcastle. Eighteen months later, the striker finds himself out of contract soon, alongside Ethan Horvath, Cheikhou Kouyate, Ola Aina, Wayne Hennessey, Willy Boly, Scott McKenna and Harry Arter.

    go-deeper

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    La Liga

    Luka Modric

    A staple of Real Madrid’s dynastic run in the Champions League that yielded five trophies between 2014-22, Modric does not have much left to accomplish at club level. Croatia’s record cap holder is out of contract soon, turns 39 early next season and received offers from clubs in Saudi Arabia last year.

    Toni Kroos

    Modric’s long-time Madrid midfield partner finds himself in a similar position, but there is an interesting difference between the two players in terms of their contracts. When Madrid gave Kroos a new deal last summer, they wanted to sign him until 2025. But the 2014 World Cup winner, who’ll turn 34 this week, opted to sign just a one-year contract instead.

    Sergio Ramos

    In April 2022, Ramos said he wanted to play at the top level for another “four or five years”. Basic maths tell us the former Real Madrid defensive stalwart, who is now back at his first pro club Sevilla, is intent on extending his career until 2026 at the earliest, which suggests retirement is not on the cards in June.

    Koke

    Atletico Madrid are the only club Koke has ever played for. The midfielder, who turns 32 in a week, still features regularly for Diego Simeone’s side, which would suggest he may be set to continue his career in Spain’s capital.

    Serie A

    Olivier Giroud

    Giroud is still making meaningful contributions at AC Milan, having scored eight goals to go along with five assists in Serie A. The now 37-year-old signed a new contract in April that runs to the end of this season. Given that he is still in good form, he will not be short of suitors in a few months.

    Adrien Rabiot

    Manchester United have tried to sign Rabiot twice in the past two years. Last summer, he chose to remain at Juventus for another season instead. The terms of that agreement will see the France midfielder again become a free agent in June.


    Rabiot has been courted by Manchester United (Isabella Bonotto/AFP via Getty Images)

    Leonardo Spinazzola

    An Achilles injury during Italy’s triumphant European Championship finals campaign in summer 2021 derailed Spinazzola’s climb towards becoming a household name across the continent. Since his recovery, the Roma full-back has continued to deliver under coach Jose Mourinho and was part of their side that won the first Europa Conference League in 2022.

    Alexis Sanchez

    Sanchez left Manchester United for Inter Milan, initially on a season’s loan, stayed two more years, left for Marseille, then rejoined Inter 12 months later last summer. With just two goals, both of which came in the Champions League, and zero assists in 13 overall appearances at age 35, his value to Simone Inzaghi’s team appears to be declining.

    Ligue 1

    Kylian Mbappe

    When Mbappe signed a new deal with Paris Saint-Germain in 2022, it was for two years with the option of an additional one. Usually, it is the club who decides whether or not to extend an agreement. But in this case, Mbappe has the final say. That contract is set to expire at the end of this season and he is yet to announce if he will activate the option to stay in Paris for an extra year.

    Keylor Navas

    Navas left PSG on loan last January in search of first-team football but after that spell with Nottingham Forest now finds himself back on the bench in Paris, and without any first-team appearances so far this season. A move away would seem probable, given that he is now 37 years old and Gianluigi Donnarumma, 24, is unlikely to be displaced as the club’s undisputed starter.

    Bundesliga

    Marco Reus

    Having spent more than a decade of his career at Borussia Dortmund, a logical assumption would be that Reus would be more interested in staying put rather than playing elsewhere. For now, there is no official word about where the midfielder, who turns 35 in May, will play next season, if at all.

    Mats Hummels

    Hummels’ next move has not yet been decided either but his age does not appear to be limiting his opportunities. The now 35-year-old continues to feature regularly for Dortmund and he was also named in new coach Julian Nagelsmann’s first Germany squad this past October.

    Which other players will soon be free agents?

    (Top photos: Getty Images)

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  • Marie-Louise Eta – Union Berlin's quiet Champions League trailblazer

    Marie-Louise Eta – Union Berlin's quiet Champions League trailblazer

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    This season, The Athletic is following Union Berlin, a Bundesliga club from the former East Germany who were playing regional-level football less than 20 years ago, on their inaugural Champions League journey for our series Iron In The Blood.

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    As Union Berlin’s players drifted down the tunnel and the stands in Braga’s Municipal Stadium emptied to the tune of one last song over the PA system, Marie-Louise Eta stood alone by the side of the pitch for a moment, lost in her thoughts.

    Union had just picked up a second successive point in the Champions League on the road — that was the good news.

    The bad news was that Union had carelessly squandered a lead against a team that had played with 10 men for more than an hour, leaving the Bundesliga club’s hopes of finishing third in Group C and qualifying for the knockout stage of the Europa League, hanging by a thread.

    On top of that, Union’s winless run had been extended to 16 matches in all competitions and the team’s mental fragility was painfully exposed after Braga equalised. For a period, it felt like Braga had the extra player.

    Eta had plenty to ponder in that respect.

    But there was another storyline for Eta to try to take in: the 32-year-old had just created history by becoming the first woman to be part of a coaching team in a men’s Champions League match.

    Promoted to the role of interim assistant coach just over a fortnight ago after Union and their long-serving manager Urs Fischer agreed to part ways, Eta has become a trailblazer for the small but increasing number of women working in the men’s game.

    Her presence in the dugout alongside Nenad Bjelica, Union’s new coach, felt like a personal triumph for a woman who has been obsessed with football ever since she was a small child, and a landmark moment for the sport.

    “It’s not a conscious decision (to appoint) a woman. That almost discredits this decision,” said Dirk Zingler, Union’s president. “She is a fully qualified soccer coach and that’s exactly how I see her, whether it’s a woman or a man.”

    Promoting Eta to work with Union’s first-team squad was straightforward in the eyes of Zingler. Marco Grote, the club’s under-19 coach, had been asked to take charge of the first team on a temporary basis following Fischer’s exit after five years at the helm, and Eta was Grote’s assistant.

    Logic dictated that Eta, who has held a UEFA Pro Licence since April and had coached youth teams at Werder Bremen and within the German Football Federation since retiring from playing at the age of 26, would step up with Grote.


    Eta was a history-maker for Union Berlin on Wednesday (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

    Except it soon became clear that not everyone outside of Union saw it that way.

    It felt telling that when Kicker magazine ran the story about Eta’s new role on their Facebook page, they turned off comments.

    Old-school opinions (that’s a polite way of putting it at times) still make a lot of noise in football, particularly on social media, where some people felt that it should be the best man for the role of interim assistant coach at Union, rather than the best person.

    Maik Barthel, the chief executive of the agency Eurosportsmanagement and a former representative of Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski, was among those who held that view.

    In a social media post that led to one of his leading clients terminating his relationship with him, Barthel accused Union Berlin of making German football “look ridiculous” by giving Eta, who was a Champions League winner with Turbine Potsdam in her playing days, a role with the first team.

    Responding on Twitter to Union’s announcement about Eta, Barthel posted: “An assistant coach has to be in the locker room Union? Please don’t make German football look ridiculous. It was already enough that the team’s hierarchy was completely destroyed with transfers.”

    It turned out that Barthel was out of touch with how his own players felt, let alone the views of Zingler and Union Berlin.

    Although Barthel subsequently deleted the message because of the backlash and posted another — “I have to rephrase it. Making a co-coach an issue will not help Union to put the destroyed team hierarchy back in order” — the damage was done.

    Kevin Schade, the 22-year-old Germany international and Brentford forward, terminated his agreement with Barthel with immediate effect.

    “I parted ways with my agent because I absolutely do not share his attitude and views,” Schade said. “I stand for openness, equality and diversity. And that’s how I want to feel represented.”

    Barthel has since apologised and said it was never “my aim to make Ms Eta the focus of my message or to discredit her”. He did, however, go on to say in an interview with Kicker that he believed Union were trying to “generate good press and distract attention from their own mistakes”. In other words, promoting Eta was some sort of publicity stunt.

    This week, it transpired that Barthel has lost another client — Maximilian Beier, the talented Hoffenheim forward and Germany Under-21 international. Beier has not spoken about his reasons for changing agents but people will join up the dots.

    It is not surprising that Union have been inundated with interview requests for Eta over the last fortnight. It is also not surprising that Eta has no desire to say anything right now, making the point to club officials that assistant coaches wouldn’t normally speak to the media.

    Instead, Eta has quietly gone about her work on the training pitch and on matchdays — she oversaw the ball-related work in the warm-up against Braga and was giving tactical advice to Kevin Volland during a break in play in the first half — while leaving others to answer questions on her behalf.

    Marie-Louise-Eta


    Eta takes Union Berlin’s warm-up (Octavio Passos/Getty Images)

    “The collaboration with Marie-Louise Eta is on an equal footing,” Grote said before Saturday’s Bundesliga match against Augsburg, when Volland scored an 88th-minute equaliser to lift Union off the bottom of the table and end a run of nine consecutive league defeats. “There are no big differences. We divide it up completely.”

    Asked about the significance of gender, Grote replied: “In the coaching booth, it’s all about a human fit. Whether someone is a little taller, maybe has a bigger belly or what T-shirt they wear, long hair, short hair — I don’t give a damn.”

    That Augsburg game was a milestone for Eta and the Bundesliga.

    “The day has finally come for us to see a woman in the male domain of football, “said Julia Simic, the TV pundit and former Germany international. “She definitely has the expertise to fill this role.”

    Although Grote returned to his under-19 position following Bjelica’s appointment on Sunday, Union announced that Eta would continue working with the first team until assistant coach Sebastian Bonig, who has been given a period of extended leave for personal reasons, returns to his post.

    Women have held senior positions in men’s teams before, albeit generally operating at a lower professional, or semi-professional, level.

    When my colleague Oliver Kay wrote about League Two Forest Green Rovers’ decision to promote Hannah Dingley to interim head coach last summer, he listed several similar examples going back over the last couple of decades, including the case of Imke Wubbenhorst.

    In 2018, BV Cloppenburg, then struggling in Germany’s fifth tier, appointed Wubbenhorst as their head coach. She had previously played for the club’s women’s team where, coincidentally, Eta was one of her team-mates.

    In that sense, Wubbenhorst has an insight not only into Eta as a person (“very calm”) and a player (“very intelligent”) but also the world that she is stepping into — a place that can throw up some strange questions at times.

    At Cloppenburg, Wubbenhorst was once asked whether players are forced to cover themselves up when she enters the dressing room. She replied sarcastically: “Of course not. I’m a professional. I pick the team on penis size.”

    Speaking more recently, in an interview with Deutsche Welle last week, Wubbenhorst was candid about the challenges that women such as Eta are confronted with in the men’s game.

    She described how players “are not impressed with your career from the beginning” when you are a female coach, talked about football being “a man’s game” in Europe, and said that significant change will take time.

    “When you are the first person to do something, it’s hard because the media look at every word you say… but when you are the second or third, it will be so much easier,” Wubbenhorst explained. “The management of the clubs have to see that it works. So they will (then) decide more often to choose a woman for this position.”

    Eta’s own path has not been straightforward. “I noticed that some people treated me differently compared to before, and that is not always comfortable,” she told UEFA last month in an interview, which took place before her promotion at Union, about her coaching journey.

    “But I’ve always tried not to think about that and to focus on the important things. I’ve always tried not to put the focus on the fact that I am a woman. It’s not about women or men, or whether a man is good for a women’s team, it’s always about diversity.”


    Marie-Louise Eta alongside interim head coach Marco Grote (Boris Streubel/Getty Images)

    According to Grote, Eta was quickly accepted by Union’s under-19 players when she arrived in the summer, and the word is that it has been no different with the club’s first-team squad.

    Perhaps the more relevant question, given some of the wider reaction, is whether Germany is ready to embrace a female coach operating at this level.

    “Definitely Germany is ready,” says Stephan Uersfeld, a reporter for ntv.de. “You have to brush aside all the stuff you see on social media. We’ve had female coaches in the minor leagues before — they weren’t successful. But she (Eta) has got all the skills, she’s done all the courses that male coaches do.

    “If you speak to the people at the club, they are convinced she can do it. And it’s a club like Union Berlin, which is quite the opposite of what has been mostly reported in the international media — it’s quite a conservative club. So if they say she’s ready, you’ve got to trust them. And why shouldn’t you trust a woman with this job?

    “The culture is changing. You see it on TV — we’ve got female pundits everywhere now. Football is opening up. There are two final barriers — women coaching in the men’s game and the homosexual players who still remain silent. Those are the final barriers to fall to see football arrive in the 21st century.”

    (Photos: Getty Images; graphic: Sam Richardson)

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  • Brenden Aaronson interview: ‘It was tough… I felt I was letting the fanbase down at times’

    Brenden Aaronson interview: ‘It was tough… I felt I was letting the fanbase down at times’

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    “It’s just been tough to get a rhythm,” Brenden Aaronson says. “And I think that’s everything for a footballer — it’s just finding your rhythm and confidence.”

    “Tough” is a word Aaronson uses a lot right now, which is not surprising in the circumstances.

    It is Thursday afternoon, less than 48 hours after Union Berlin were knocked out of the DFB Pokal by Stuttgart, condemning them to an 11th straight defeat in all competitions. On Saturday, against Eintracht Frankfurt, that losing streak was extended to 12 matches, leaving Union third from bottom in the Bundesliga.

    For Aaronson, who joined Union on a season-long loan in the summer on the back of suffering relegation from the Premier League with Leeds United, it must feel like a never-ending cycle of misery.

    In fact, the 23-year-old could be forgiven for saying he’d rather not talk about any of it — whether that be Union Berlin, relegation with Leeds or losing matches.

    Instead, Aaronson offers a warm handshake, pulls up a chair in one of the sponsor’s suites at the Stadion An der Alten Forsterei, Union’s home in the east of Berlin, and answers every question.

    Aaronson talks about a loss of confidence at the end of last season, about being told by his coach that he was putting too much pressure on himself, about hitting the gym to build his strength, about how proud he felt representing the USMNT at the World Cup finals, about letting the fans down at Elland Road, about still loving Leeds, about ignoring social media, and about Union Berlin’s incredible supporters.

    More than anything, Aaronson talks about refusing to allow what has happened since moving to Leeds for £25million ($30.8m) from Red Bull Salzburg last year define him and about his determination to use the remainder of this season to turn things around at Union Berlin (who The Athletic has been embedded with this season) both for the club and for himself.

    “It’s like I always say, the show must go on,” Aaronson adds, reflecting on his recent disappointments.

    “You have to pick your head up.

    “I like to look at videos of guys speaking about the downs in their career. I think (Wilfried) Zaha said something recently about when he was at Manchester United and he wasn’t going to let his failure at Man United destroy his career.”

    Aaronson smiles briefly.

    “I feel like, mentally, I’ve grown so much,” he adds. “I could maybe be more negative in a situation like this, but I feel really positive. I feel like I’m still trying things on the pitch and just waiting for my chance again to show that I can play.”

    Darmstadt, August 26, 2023

    It is the second match of the Bundesliga season and Union are leading 1-0 when Aaronson is shown a second yellow card.

    Despite playing with 10 men for 70 minutes, Union went on to win the game 4-1, but news of Aaronson’s dismissal (which seemed incredibly harsh) caused a stir on social media.

    A stir is being polite. A Twitter pile-on would be a better description after Leeds United fans — and clearly not all of them feel this way — peppered Union’s account with messages.

    Union decided enough was enough and posted a message of their own.

    “Brenden Aaronson is a superbly skilled footballer and a young man who doesn’t deserve any of the s*** being thrown at him here. Keep it to your own sites, please.”

    Aaronson looks surprised when that tweet is read out to him two months later. He didn’t know about it at the time and, until now, nobody has mentioned it to him.

    Jacob Sweetman, one of Union’s media staff, is sitting in on our interview and was responsible for posting that message.

    Aaronson looks across the room at Sweetman. “Thanks for defending me,” he says, his voice quiet and sincere. “I appreciate that.”


    A frustrated Aaronson after his red card, following which he was defended by the club (Jörg Halisch/Getty Images)

    Social media can be a brutal place at times and it is easy to understand why Aaronson and so many other professional footballers these days choose to ignore what is posted on there. It feels as though there is more to lose than gain by reading what everyone thinks of you, especially for a young player who has become a lightning rod for criticism.

    “The good things and the bad things I don’t want to know about — I don’t care,” Aaronson says. “All I care about is my dad’s opinion, my agent’s opinion, and my inner circle and, of course, the coach.”

    “Aaronson has shown glimpses of skill and nobody behind the scenes at Leeds has anything but warm words for a young player who one staff member described as the ‘ideal son-in-law’, adding that he stays after training every day to rehearse set pieces and finishing. The staff member added, however, that the emotional toll of the season has weighed heavily on his shoulders and he has, at times, overthought matters as confidence ebbed away from his play.”

    Aaronson listens to that extract, which is taken from an article that was published by The Athletic in May, when Leeds were on the brink of relegation from the Premier League and the post-mortem was already underway at Elland Road.

    The “ideal son-in-law” reference prompts Aaronson to chuckle. As for the wider sentiment, he nods in agreement.

    “I would say that’s a fair quote,” Aaronson replies. “The glimpses, I think, are true. I think I showed in the first half of the season why I was proud of the way I played. And I think everybody in my inner circle was thinking that I might have a little bit of a harder time getting used to the league. The first couple of games, I played really well and then I had some other good games in there, too.”

    Aaronson pauses for a moment. “At the end, it was really tough, confidence-wise, to go out there. I didn’t feel like I was playing my best. I feel like I was letting my team-mates down, I felt like I was letting the fanbase down at times.

    “You’re thinking all the time. You’re not just playing. And I think when I’m playing my best is when I’m enjoying the game and I’m in a flow state. There’s no thinking, there’s just playing and just doing what I feel and that creative side comes out when I’m in the flow.

    “Even this season, I feel like I’ve had many times where I’ve been in the flow, but the goals and assists just haven’t popped in yet. But they will.

    “I think that’s kind of like what the season was like for a lot of the guys (at Leeds). It wasn’t just me.”


    Aaronson felt he started positively but later lost confidence at Leeds (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

    When things were going wrong at Leeds, Aaronson’s response was to stay out after training and practise even harder. Another bag of footballs, another shooting session.

    Away from the pitch, he was preoccupied with football, too, especially his stats — he finished the season with one goal and three assists in the Premier League.

    “You’re driving yourself crazy about scoring and assisting, then it starts to take over your mind and that’s all you care about,” Aaronson explains. “So then the other things, like the (general) play, starts to go down because you want to score so bad, you wanna assist so bad.

    “I remember talking to Jesse (Marsch, the former Leeds coach) about it. He was like, ‘You’re putting way too much pressure on yourself. You’re so focused on it all the time, about scoring goals and getting assists, that you’re not letting yourself just play’.”

    Perhaps all of that is to be expected. Aaronson, after all, was only 21 years old when he signed for Leeds — for a fee that, he says, never bothered him, but arguably raised expectations among the fanbase to an unrealistic level.

    Looking back, it was a chaotic season for Leeds full stop. The team was led by four different managers — Marsch, the then-under-23 coach Michael Skubala, Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce — and Leeds registered only three Premier League victories after the season resumed in December following the World Cup in Qatar.

    For Aaronson, who came off the bench in all four of the USMNT matches in Qatar, the biggest sporting event on the planet passed by in a blur.

    “I’m proud to be an American and to represent my country in the World Cup is the biggest thing I’ve ever done in my life. To have my family name on the back, it was honestly a dream come true,” he says.

    “But when I look back, it feels like it’s a fever dream because it just went by like this (clicks his fingers). And then I’m flying (out of Qatar), I had three days off after the World Cup and then I was back in Leeds, already getting ready for the next Prem game.”

    Last season was relentless in that respect. Aaronson started every Premier League game until Nottingham Forest away in February, when he somehow made the substitutes’ bench despite spending the lead-up to the match in hospital with appendicitis.

    “I was watching the (San Francisco) 49ers (on TV) because I’m a 49ers fan and just going to bed like a normal night and then all of a sudden I wake up and I’m rolling in pain because I have appendicitis,” he explains. “The next thing I know, I’m going to the hospital and I’m in for three days. They were deciding whether or not I should take it out. They said I could. But they said that if I don’t, then you can just take medication and it will be better. It was just a crazy time. I came out of the hospital, trained one day and then was in the squad for the next game.”

    That desire to carry on playing is typical of Aaronson. Whatever criticism is thrown at him, he could never be accused of not trying his best — something his father ingrained in him from a young age, when Aaronson would return to pre-season with a demand to win the bleep test (a continuous running exercise that measures fitness levels).

    A natural athlete, Aaronson covers a phenomenal amount of ground in matches, pressing and chasing down lost causes, as he demonstrated when he forced the Chelsea ’keeper Edouard Mendy into a mistake early last season, leading to the midfielder’s only goal for Leeds.

    But there were questions around other aspects of Aaronson’s game at Leeds, in particular his physicality and whether he was strong enough to play in the Premier League.

    Aaronson knows this topic well. He has been here before — probably more times than he cares to remember.

    When he was coming through the academy at Philadelphia Union, Aaronson’s size — he was a late developer and much smaller than the players he was up against — threatened to hold him back. “You have no idea the therapy sessions in that car,” Rusty, Aaronson’s father, told The Athletic two years ago.


    Aaronson says his body is not naturally a “Prem-type” player but believes he adapted (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

    That backdrop leaves you wondering whether Aaronson will roll his eyes when the topic is brought up again now, but that’s not his style at all.

    Instead, he responds candidly when asked what he thinks about the idea that, physically, it may have been too big an adjustment to expect him to go straight from the Austrian Bundesliga to the intensity of playing every week in the Premier League.

    “I think that it’s fair,” Aaronson says. “I have a body type that’s not, I guess, a Prem-type player. I’m not the biggest, I’m not the most physical. But I disagree that I think that it makes the biggest difference. If you look at the best players in the world, (Andres) Iniesta, Xavi, (Luka) Modric, they’re strong guys, but they’re not like Virgil van Dijk.

    “I think since that last year I’ve gotten stronger because I’ve been in the weight room a lot more. I work on it every day. I try to get stronger every single day. But I think that I learned a lot more because I’ve always been the smallest one. So I’ve always had to be between the lines and be smart.

    “Also, during parts of the season last year, I was trying to draw fouls around the box and people thought, ‘Oh, he’s going down too easy’. But that was just me trying to get fouls. So it’s a little bit of both. But I think I can definitely get stronger.”

    Relegation was a collective failure at Leeds — the owners, board, coaches and players all have to take some level of responsibility — but every person will have dealt with the experience in their own way.

    For Aaronson, who had come from a totally different culture at Salzburg and Philadelphia, last season sounds like it was a shock to the system.

    “I think going through something like that and being as young as… I mean, I’ve never been in a situation like that in my life. I came from Philadelphia Union, then I was in Salzburg; we won everything in Salzburg. I was never used to losing. Even in my MLS career, we were always winning.

    “I came to Leeds and it was just different.

    “But I think that at the end of the season when you get relegated… you just feel like you’ve let a lot of people down.”

    There were three scenarios for Aaronson in the summer: stay with Leeds in the Championship, go out on loan or move permanently.

    A clause in Aaronson’s contract — and he was one of many players at Leeds in this position — enabled him to join another club on loan provided his salary was covered in full.

    Union Berlin, who had finished fourth in the Bundesliga and qualified for the Champions League for the first time in their history, were quick to show interest — at a time when Leeds were without a coach and going through a period of upheaval behind the scenes. On the face of it, Aaronson and Union’s style of play felt like a good fit.

    “As soon as the season was over, Union came in, probably three days after (Leeds) being relegated,” Aaronson explains. “Right away, they wanted me. And as a player, feeling wanted is probably the biggest thing in where you wanna go.

    “That’s another reason why I went to Leeds — they wanted me really bad. From that January when Marcelo (Bielsa) was there, to when Jesse came, they stayed in contact.”

    Aaronson is under contract with Leeds for another three years after this season. Could he return and play for them again?

    “For sure, it’s possible. It’s not done and dusted or anything like that,” Aaronson says. “I love the club. I love the guys that I was there with, the connections I made. It was just tough the way it ended.

    “I felt like this was the best decision that I could make — playing in the Bundesliga and playing in the Champions League — to help my career and get me better. So that’s why I made the decision.”

    Aaronson’s affection for Leeds comes across as genuine. From his point of view, there is no friction or ill-feeling because of how last season played out. In fact, the only time he looks mildly annoyed during this interview is when a question is asked about the aftermath of relegation and the clear sense that a section of the Leeds fanbase had turned against the U.S. influx at Leeds, bearing in mind Marsch has previously been coach and Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie played alongside Aaronson last season.

    Was Aaronson aware of any of that tension?

    “No, I didn’t hear anything about it,” he replies. “Excuse my language, but I don’t give a s***. It doesn’t bother me. I don’t really care what other people say. I don’t care if it was an American thing or anything like that. It’s just noise.”


    Aaronson was part of an American influx at Leeds (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images)

    Aaronson, in short, was focused solely on what happened on the pitch at Leeds and nothing has changed now. He is still in touch with his former team-mates and delighted to see that Leeds, who are third in the Championship, are on the up again.

    “I try to stay in contact with all of the players as best I can,” he says. “I texted Cry (Crysencio Summerville) the other day for his birthday. I see a lot of guys doing great there right now, so I’m really happy for them. I don’t have any bitter thoughts or anything like that because I just pride myself on being as positive as I can and rooting for my friends and the team I played for last year. It looks like it’s clicking right now and it’s awesome to see.”

    Unfortunately, it’s a different story at Union. A landmark season that promised so much has unravelled in a way that nobody could have imagined. The narrow Champions League defeats against Real Madrid and Braga felt particularly cruel — Union conceded 94th-minute goals in both games — but the club’s domestic form is alarming.

    Aaronson’s game time has been limited until now — five starts and 416 minutes across 12 appearances. On Saturday, he briefly came up against his younger brother, Paxten, who was brought on in the closing minutes for Eintracht Frankfurt; a proud moment for the Aaronson family and a storyline that would have been celebrated far more on another day, but not when Union were 3-0 down.

    It is hard to escape the feeling that Aaronson and Union, who face Napoli away in the Champions League tonight (Wednesday), both need a little bit of luck and one of those moments in front of goal on which a whole season can turn.

    The header Aaronson nodded agonisingly wide in the 85th minute against Braga, when the game was tied 2-2, springs to mind.

    “That’s kind of been the story for me so far, as I’ve had a lot of good chances, but I just haven’t converted yet,” Aaronson says. “I’m working on my finishing every day, I wanna get better. But that’s what happens as a footballer; you’re going through things like this and you just have to keep telling yourself, ‘I know I can score goals’, and they’ll come.”

    That Aaronson neither looks nor sounds downbeat says much about both his mentality and the way Union operate as a football club. There is disappointment but not panic, where the club’s president has given his unequivocal backing to the coach Urs Fischer. As for the Union fans, their support of the team is unconditional.

    “Unconditional is the perfect word,” Aaronson says. “It’s unbelievable. You try to say as a footballer sometimes that you’re not focused on outside things, like the fans or stuff like that, but when they’re behind you all the time, that is for sure a positive.”

    As the interview draws to a close, Aaronson thinks about the days and weeks ahead, the exciting fixtures on the horizon — Napoli, Braga and Real Madrid in the Champions League — and the opportunities to change the narrative rather than dwell on the past.

    “There’s not a lot of doom and gloom,” Aaronson adds. “You have so much time in the season left, so it’s not the end of the world. We have so many amazing games coming up.

    “For me, I know that I’m going to continue to work hard day in and day out to get into the team, into a rhythm and, like I said, the flow.

    “So I’m really happy to be here.”

    (Top photo: Stuart James/The Athletic)

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  • Why everyone wants Xabi Alonso as their next head coach

    Why everyone wants Xabi Alonso as their next head coach

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    From the relegation zone to being level on points with Bayern Munich at the top of the Bundesliga, Xabi Alonso has led Bayer Leverkusen on quite the ride in his 12 months as manager. Some sort of rebound was almost inevitable given the team’s talent, but the complete change in the team’s attitude under the Spaniard has been nothing short of remarkable.

    Ever since the club acquired the unwanted “Neverkusen” moniker following three runners-up spots in 2002, Bayer had been a byword for underachievement and lack of resilience. Now though, they are coming back from a late goal away to serial champions Bayern to score an even later equaliser and generally play with a swagger that befits the most balanced, confident team in the league.

    Sporting director Simon Rolfes makes no effort to underplay the manager’s role in this transformation. “There’s a seriousness and maturity in our football that reflects Xabi as a person,” the 41-year-old tells The Athletic. “He’s a natural competitor and winner. He’s instilled a battle-hardened attitude and a fighting spirit in the side.”

    Rolfes points to February’s knockout-stage win against Monaco in the Europa League as a key game in lifting spirits last season. “We were the better team in the first leg at home but lost 3-2 because of two late goals.

    “In Monaco, we were again the better team and should have won it in 90 minutes. But we had to go into extra time and then to penalties — after we had missed the last seven spot kicks in a row. It was all set up for another unlucky finish. Things looked like they were going against us all season. But we scored all five and won! That was an important moment for the team and all of us.” Bayer went on to narrowly lose against Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the semi-final.

    Tactically, Alonso has drawn from many of the different ideas he encountered playing under Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafael Benitez. His first move was to stabilise the defence, playing counter-attacking football. Once they were more solid out of possession, Alonso put his attention to improving Leverkusen’s quality on the ball. They have taken another big step forward this year, becoming more and more watchable, and they are now playing the best football in Germany.

    “Xabi is not a dogmatic manager,” Rolfe says. “When necessary, the team know how to defend or be pragmatic in certain situations, it’s not always the beautiful build-up from the back. Finding a way to win is what matters to him, more than anything.”


    Alonso relays instructions to Jonas Hofmann (Christof Koepsel/Getty Images)

    However, there is a sense that Alonso’s philosophy is firmly rooted in his development at his boyhood club, Real Sociedad. He had his first playing and managerial opportunities at a club that has an emphasis on producing technically gifted players to play controlled, possession-based football.

    go-deeper

    He took La Real’s B team to promotion to the Spanish second tier for the first time in 60 years. Although they were relegated at the end of that campaign, there are caveats, namely his youthful squad, which had an average age of 21.4 years). His inexperienced team still topped 70 per cent possession in seven separate games.

    At Leverkusen, their steady improvement has coincided with the increased control in their build-up across the last calendar year, with their blistering start to the season built on pass-heavy attacking moves.

    As the scatterplot below illustrates, no side have averaged more passes per sequence throughout the opening five games. They have even more than Bayern. Leverkusen’s slightly higher ‘direct speed’ (how fast the ball moved upfield) suggests that they can be quick and incisive when the space opens up too.

    Summer recruitment has also accelerated Leverkusen’s progress, with tactically versatile players allowing for a new system.

    Wing-back Alejandro Grimaldo has given Alonso an attacking threat down the left-hand side — after generating 12.7 expected assists (a measurement of the quality of chances a player creates) last season at Benfica, a figure that only five players in Europe’s top-seven leagues could better — along with defensive solidity, which allows Leverkusen to shift into a solid back-four shape in the build-up.

    Centre-backs Edmond Tapsoba, Jonathan Tah and Odilon Kossounou all move over, allowing the dangerous Jeremie Frimpong to push on with more freedom.

    In the middle, the experienced Jonas Hofmann is a talented technician who can combine with Frimpong and cover defensively for his live-wire team-mate, while Granit Xhaka has reinforced a solid double-pivot, encouraging the creative presence of Florian Wirtz to roam across the attacking third in search of the ball, as below.

    Leverkusen scored their second goal against Heidenheim with this exact structure at the weekend, as Hofmann darted in behind to receive a perfect through pass from Exequiel Palacios.

    There’s also the relentless Victor Boniface, who has averaged an incredible 7.6 shots per 90 minutes since joining the Bundesliga, to go alongside his explosive off-the-ball running. Leverkusen are a potent attacking force.

    go-deeper

    “Having a deep theoretical understanding of football and a superstar aura from winning everything as a player is a ridiculously powerful combination for a manager,” one senior Bayer official tells The Athletic on condition of anonymity, maintained to protect relationships. “He’s done it all but he has the work ethic and humility of a total novice.” Alonso is the first one in and last one out every day, brooding over tactical details for hours on end.

    An employee who saw him address the annual staff meeting described him as “a rather dry” orator who’s not a natural entertainer nor a tactile ‘Menschenfanger’ (catcher of men) like Jurgen Klopp. Unlike some of his predecessors at Bayer, he has shown little interest in club departments that don’t directly impact football. He only really cares about the game.

    But that sort of single-mindedness has also inspired staff members at a club that has sometimes been mockingly described as a ‘Wohlfuhloase, an oasis of comfort, due to the relative lack of pressure to succeed. Alonso has managed to energise Leverkusen staffers with his professionalism, charm and hunger for success. “You just sort of believe every word he says, because of who he is and the way he says it,” the employee says. “You believe that he will bring success. Because he does.”

    go-deeper

    The players are similarly entranced. It doesn’t hurt that Alonso is still the best footballer on the training pitch six years into retirement. He regularly pings 50-metre diagonals that land on the intended blade of grass and plays vertical passes that cut through lines like a freshly sharpened yanagiba knife, all without breaking a drop of sweat.

    Some people in the club were initially concerned his fantastic technique might intimidate the team, or worse, rub them the wrong way. They recalled 1990 World Cup winner Pierre Littbarski, in his role as assistant coach to Berti Vogts in Leverkusen in 2001, showing off his free-kick-taking skills, teasing the players for falling short of his standards. “You have to take out the shoe trees from your boots,” the former midfielder used to joke. Until one day, one Bayer player sought revenge — and ‘accidentally’ scythed down Littbarski in a training game.

    That won’t happen to Alonso, and not just because he’s too slick to get caught by a mean-spirited tackle. The team respects and admires him far too much. “There are some former pros who try to impress players with their skills on the ball, since they don’t have much else to offer by way of coaching,” the senior club official says. “Xabi doesn’t need that. He just plays a killer pass to get his idea across — like somebody would draw an arrow on the tactics board — and to raise the quality of the training exercise.”


    Alonso’s glittering playing career earns him respect (Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

    There’s an air of focus and commitment to the cause that hasn’t always been observed on the training pitches just across from the BayArena stadium. Alonso moves a lot, talks a lot and sometimes shouts if he feels that a specific message needs emphasis. Recently, he set his team a challenge to be more effective from set pieces. When they duly improved, he rewarded them with two days off.

    “He’s a very clever man with sensitive antennas that pick up all sorts of signals,” says another Bayer source who works with Alonso on a daily basis. He points to the manager making sure that some players whose contributions are in danger of getting overlooked by the public receive their due share of the limelight and a bit of extra attention from him.

    Alonso isn’t the sole reason for Bayer’s positive momentum, obviously. He has a strong relationship with Leverkusen’s Spanish CEO Fernando Carro and Rolfes, a former central midfielder who’s the same age as Alonso and shares many of his footballing convictions. His ideas are closely aligned with Leverkusen’s transfer policy, too.

    The club’s scouting has been formidable for decades, but last summer they were especially smart. Selling French winger Moussa Diaby to Aston Villa for €60million (£52m, $63m) enabled them to invest in a couple more seasoned pros to complement the array of talented youngsters.

    Former Arsenal midfielder Xhaka and Germany international Hofmann, both 31, have added character and mentality as much as quality to the dressing room. Grimaldo, 28, is also being mentioned as a hugely positive influence behind the scenes. And on top of that, it’s always useful to add a dynamic goalscorer in Boniface (six goals in five league games), signed for €20.5m from Union Saint-Gilloise.

    Picking the right club to succeed is a coach’s most underrated skill. Alonso has been especially careful in that respect. He took this time to learn the trade in three years at Real Sociedad B and turned down a chance to coach Borussia Monchengladbach in the spring of 2021 — he knew from his time at Bayern as a player (2014-2017) that Leverkusen were a better fit.

    Bayer are a relatively wealthy club committed to attacking football but they don’t operate in a cacophony of media noise, due to the small size of the city. It’s an ideal place for a young manager to make his next steps. The only question now is how long Bayer can keep up with a manager who’s going places.

    Rolfes says they are not worried about reports linking Alonso to the Real Madrid job. “I never mind rumours about our players or coaches. If they’re good and successful, others will take note. In April, there were plenty of stories that Alonso would leave this summer. Didn’t happen.” Instead, he signed a new contract until 2026.

    Bayer are not naive. If Alonso gets offered the Bernabeu job for next season and decides he’s ready to take it, the Germans won’t keep him against his will and will try to manage that process in a way that minimises disruption. But there’s still hope it won’t be over come May. Bayer have received no indication that Alonso wants to move on. And from everything they’ve seen so far, he’s not a man in a hurry.

    (Top photo: Getty Images)

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  • Why Manchester United did not sign Harry Kane: Ten Hag’s top target but scouts pushed back

    Why Manchester United did not sign Harry Kane: Ten Hag’s top target but scouts pushed back

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    There were staff at Manchester United who believed signing Harry Kane would transform their team into title challengers. Erik ten Hag’s thinking was along the same lines. That’s why, as striker options were being assessed towards the end of last season, Kane was top of the United manager’s list.

    But on Wednesday night, when United face Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena to start their Champions League group campaign, Kane will be playing for the serial German champions rather than Ten Hag’s side, giving immediate cause for reflection about why the much-touted transfer never happened.

    United had looked at a move for Kane at various stages over the last few years but, back in May, the stars finally seemed to be aligning. Kane was about to enter the final year of his Tottenham Hotspur contract, and United had qualified for the Champions League while Spurs missed out on Europe altogether.

    United were aware Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy had two choices in the summer window: sell Kane, or somehow get him to sign a new contract. Losing Kane for nothing at the end of the 2023-24 season was not an option for the north London club.

    Kane made it clear he would decline to extend his deal until the new season was well underway and he’d had a chance to assess what life was like under new Spurs’ head coach Ange Postecoglou. So that left a sale as the likeliest outcome, and even though Levy let it be known he would be against allowing the England captain to join any of their domestic rivals, Ten Hag wanted United to test the waters.


    (Photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)

    By mid-June however, United had decided to go for Rasmus Hojlund as their big signing up front rather than Kane.

    For a start, football director John Murtough always felt it was unwise to get drawn into a protracted negotiation with Levy that had no guarantee of reaching a compromise, having been stung by the extended pursuit of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in 2022 that ended in disappointment for United.

    Murtough believed Levy would not sell Kane to another Premier League club and preferred to focus energy on more realistic targets. There were, though, people close to United who thought the only way they would truly find out on that was by asking the question to relevant people around the player and Spurs.

    Yet there was a more fundamental issue.

    In United’s model, either the recruitment department or the manager has the right to veto targets, and scouts pushed back against the idea of signing Kane.

    Ultimately, co-owner Joel Glazer and chief executive Richard Arnold decided going for Kane was not a reasonable use of resources when factoring in his age. United had been told Kane was seeking £30million ($37.1m) in annual wages, about £500,000 per week, and after adding in an expected transfer fee of more than £100million, the club ruled the cost to be too high for a 30-year-old.

    Ten Hag may not have agreed with that calculation, given Kane’s proven pedigree, but he accepted the decision in the context of the budget once the realities of financial fair play had been mapped out to him. But Ten Hag stayed full of praise for Kane whenever asked about the player.

    In August, as Kane’s move to Bayern for more than €100million (£86.4m, $110m) was being confirmed, Ten Hag said: “He’s a great striker, clear, a goal-maker; and apart from that he has all the conditions and abilities that you want to see in a striker. It’s a miss for the Premier League, absolutely.”

    By that stage, United had agreed a deal worth £72million with Atalanta for Hojlund. While the Dane’s transfer fee was closer to Kane’s than had been anticipated, his salary was much lower, which became a major factor. At 20 years old, so did his age. Ten Hag has spoken glowingly about Hojlund’s abilities.

    Despite all the anticipation over Kane in April and May, there were never any real talks between people at United and Tottenham, or with the player’s representatives, led by his brother Charlie.

    Harry Kane


    (Christof Stache/AFP via Getty Images)

    Instead, there was an approach from Saudi Arabia, with a club there indicating they were prepared to offer a scale of transfer fee that Tottenham would instantly accept. But Kane’s camp declined talks as they didn’t want to be disingenuous about his intentions. He wanted to continue his career in Europe.

    And three of the continent’s biggest clubs were interested.

    Real Madrid put together a £60million bid, and Paris Saint-Germain also made an approach. But it was Bayern who engaged with Levy to negotiate over several weeks, leading to an announcement on August 12. An agreement was reached the previous midnight for a fee of more than €100million, although there was one late bump in the road when the Germans were asked to pay another £20m at 2.30am. Spurs insist there were no further negotiations.

    Bayern had booked a plane for Kane to depart to Munich at 7am, but at 5.30am Bayern executives instructed him not to fly. Kane told Spurs he was prepared to turn up to training with them instead if it wasn’t sorted.

    Ultimately the price originally agreed was kept and Kane, having barely slept, flew to Germany later in the day.

    Read more: Secret meeting and late tension – the inside story of how Harry Kane left Tottenham for Bayern

    If that kind of 11th-hour gamesmanship was predicted by United, some close observers felt the club could still have used Bayern as a stalking horse, sensing a rare opportunity to bring in a player of singular talent. Their argument was that once Tottenham had agreed a fee with Bayern, United should have matched it. If Levy had then refused to sell, it could have been a case of restraint of trade for Kane.

    But that prospect was over once United signed Hojlund, who was also on Bayern’s list before they pressed ahead for Kane.

    There was an element of irony in United’s pleasure at getting their transfer work done earlier than is usually the case. Kane ended up making his debut for Bayern three weeks before Hojlund played for United owing to the Dane arriving with a back issue.

    Kane might not have chosen United anyway. He was open to moving up to Manchester but he also made enquiries about the state of the club and was not sure it was the right place for his next step, especially amid the uncertainty over their ownership. Bayern, as genuine Champions League contenders, were a more appealing prospect. So too was the chance to experience a new country.

    “Over the summer I know there were some talks between a few clubs in the background,” said Kane. “Bayern were a team I was really interested by, excited by; there weren’t really too many other discussions once they came in.

    “It was down to Tottenham and Bayern. Manchester (United) are a great club, a really big club, but I decided to come here and am really glad I have.”

    The reaction has been seen across Germany.

    The Bundesliga’s Twitter account posted about Kane’s availability for their fantasy football game and to date Bayern have sold 220,000 shirts bearing his name, with an annual target of one million.

    “It’s a big thing, we took the skipper of England out of England,” said Bayern manager Thomas Tuchel. “Anyone looking for a (No) 9 would’ve been happy to have Harry in the team. He makes the team better and gives you what you want from a nine.

    “I’m not sure what’s going on at other clubs, but we’re more than happy that he finally took the decision and came to make us better.”

    For Kane, the Bayern move was as much about respect as anything: taking on a fresh challenge and having the pressure of needing to win. He has made a good start, scoring four goals and assisting once in his first four Bundesliga games.

    “There is a reason that Bayern Munich brought me to the club,” said Kane. “They were eager to get back to winning the Champions League. They feel I can be a big help and I feel I can help the team as well.

    “Time will tell how the game (against United) plays out. We have to first focus on the group stage and starting well tomorrow will be important. That is why I am here, I want to play in competitions at the highest level.”

    Kane has not ruled out the possibility of returning to play in England again. He believes he has seven or eight years left at the top level in Europe, and breaking Alan Shearer’s Premier League scoring record (he trails by 47, 213 to 260) by playing a couple more seasons is plausible.

    For now, though, he has the opportunity to show United first-hand what they could have got had they taken the plunge.

     (Top photo: Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

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  • PSG facing familiar Champions League fate after first-leg defeat against Bayern Munich | CNN

    PSG facing familiar Champions League fate after first-leg defeat against Bayern Munich | CNN

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    CNN
     — 

    It may be the start of a new knockout phase in the Champions League, but it looks to be the same story for Paris Saint-Germain.

    The French side has failed to progress beyond the round of 16 four times in the last six seasons and could be facing the same fate this year after a 1-0 first-leg defeat against Bayern Munich at the Parc des Princes.

    Kingsley Coman, who also condemned PSG to a 1-0 defeat in the Champions League final two and a half years ago, scored the only goal of Tuesday’s game in the French capital, putting Bayern in control of the tie ahead of the second leg in Munich on March 8.

    The German champion controlled possession for most of the contest and saw that dominance rewarded early in the second half when Coman, unmarked in the PSG box, volleyed Alphonso Davies’ cross under Gianluigi Donnarumma.

    PSG responded by bringing on star striker Kylian Mbappé, who had been carrying a thigh injury ahead of the game.

    Pushing for an equalizer, Mbappé, the top scorer in the Champions League this season, used his pace to get behind the Bayern defensive line but had a shot saved by the face of goalkeeper Yann Sommer.

    He then had the ball in the net minutes later, only for the video assistant referee to rule that Nuno Mendes was offside in the build-up.

    By now, PSG had started to come alive and Mendes was proving a lively presence on the left wing. With six minutes remaining, the Portuguese international evaded Serge Gnabry and Joshua Kimmich and found Lionel Messi free in the box, but a brilliant block from Benjamin Pavard denied the equalizer.

    As the chances kept coming for PSG, Pavard was red carded after receiving a second yellow card for a late challenge on Messi. Although it made no difference to the scoreline, it does mean the defender will miss the second leg in Munich in three weeks’ time.

    “We said we had to take the positives, it’s a two-legged tie,” Mbappé told reporters after the game. “We can’t change what happened in the first leg. We will go there to qualify. We know that there is a possibility. There is always a good possibility to qualify.”

    While the defeat conjured up memories of PSG’s past shortcomings in the Champions League, fans did also get a glimpse into the future with Warren Zaïre-Emery becoming the youngest player to start a knockout stage game in the competition at the age of 16 years and 343 days.

    The midfielder was born in 2006, more than a year after the 35-year-old Messi made his Champions League debut.

    Zaire-Emery (left) takes on Davies at the Parc des Princes.

    After defeats against Marseille and Monaco, PSG has now lost three matches in a row for the first time since 2020 and faces Lille in the league on Sunday in a bid to get its season back on track.

    Bayern, meanwhile, has won all seven of its Champions League games this season and will feel confident about reaching the quarterfinals ahead of the second leg.

    “Overall, we did a good job,” said manager Julian Nagelsmann. “We’ve taken the first step and want to follow it up by taking the second.”

    In Tuesday’s other Champions League game, AC Milan defeated Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 at the San Siro thanks to Brahim Díaz’s early goal, giving the Italian side the advantage in its bid to reach the quarterfinals for the first time since 2011.

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  • Senegal forward Sadio Mané a doubt for World Cup with injury

    Senegal forward Sadio Mané a doubt for World Cup with injury

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    Senegal forward Sadio Mané is in doubt for the World Cup after Bayern Munich said Wednesday he would miss the last league game before the tournament with a leg injury.

    Bayern said the two-time African player of the year had an injury to the head of the fibula bone in his lower right leg. Bayern didn’t specify how serious the injury might be, saying only that Mané would not be available to play Schalke on Saturday.

    “Further examinations will follow in the coming days. FC Bayern is also in contact with the medical staff of the Senegalese Football Association,” Bayern said in a statement.

    Mané was in clear discomfort after a blow to the right leg early in Bayern’s 6-1 win over Werder Bremen on Tuesday and was substituted in the 20th minute.

    Mané scored the winning penalty to beat Egypt in a shootout in the final of the African Cup of Nations in February. He joined Bayern from Liverpool in June in a deal which could end up being worth 41 million euros ($41.3 million), depending on performance-related bonuses.

    Senegal plays its opening match the World Cup on Nov. 21 against the Netherlands in Group A. Host nation Qatar and Ecuador are also in the group.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Germany goalkeeper Neuer set for return ahead of World Cup

    Germany goalkeeper Neuer set for return ahead of World Cup

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    MUNICH — With the World Cup only weeks away, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer is set to return to action with Bayern Munich for the first time in nearly a month following a shoulder problem.

    Neuer has not played since a 2-2 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Oct. 8 but Bayern coach Julian Nagelsmann said Friday the keeper will play against Hertha Berlin in the Bundesliga on Saturday as long as there are no setbacks in the last training session ahead of the game.

    “We waited for as long as needed for him to be pain-free again. There’s always a certain risk but he and the doctors have given the green light,” Nagelsmann said. “Something can always happen. Soccer is a contact sport.”

    Neuer revealed Wednesday he was previously treated for skin cancer and had to undergo surgery.

    Nagelsmann added that Germany forward Leroy Sané and France defender Lucas Hernández will also return to the squad after recent injury absences but will only be involved off the bench. Sané had a thigh strain in the 5-0 win over Freiburg on Oct. 16 and Hernández has not played since tearing the adductor muscle in his left thigh against Barcelona in September.

    Two other Bayern players with World Cup ambitions remain out of the squad. Nagelsmann said Germany forward Thomas Müller is in line to return next week after various minor injuries and illnesses which have restricted him to only brief appearances over the last month, while Netherlands defender Matthijs de Ligt missed training with a knee issue.

    Germany coach Hansi Flick is scheduled to announce his squad Thursday. Germany’s opening World Cup game is set for Nov. 23 against Japan.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Tottenham, Frankfurt advance in CL; Bayern stays perfect

    Tottenham, Frankfurt advance in CL; Bayern stays perfect

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    On a topsy-turvy night, Tottenham and Eintracht Frankfurt both came from behind to win their respective games and secure their places in the last 16 of the Champions League.

    At halftime in the final round of group matches on Tuesday, Marseille and Sporting Lisbon were going through from Group D.

    But instead it was their opponents which progressed as a stoppage-time winner from Pierre-Emile Højbjerg saw Tottenham beat Marseille 2-1 to top the group and Frankfurt won by the same score in Lisbon to secure second spot on its Champions League debut.

    The top two finishers in the other groups on Tuesday had already been decided, although not necessarily the order.

    Porto beat Atlético Madrid 2-1 to snatch top spot in Group B after Club Brugge was held to a 0-0 draw at Bayer Leverkusen.

    Napoli kept hold of first place in Group A despite dropping its first points in the Champions League this season in a 2-0 loss at second-place Liverpool.

    Bayern Munich did manage to progress with a perfect record as it beat Inter Milan 2-0 to make it six wins out of six. The four places in Group C had already been decided with Inter having secured second spot ahead of Barcelona.

    FINAL DAY DRAMA

    In a rare occurrence for a group, all four teams had entered the final round of games with a chance to advance.

    And which teams would go through and in what order changed several times over the night.

    But Højbjerg scored with the last kick of the game at Stade Velodrome for a goal that lifted Tottenham to the top of Group D above Frankfurt, which was in first place until the Denmark midfielder’s goal.

    That goal also meant Marseille finished in last place and will have no involvement in European competition in the new year.

    Clement Lenglet had headed in the equalizer for Tottenham in the 54th minute after a woeful first half from the English side which didn’t have a touch in the opposition penalty box before the break. Tottenham had fallen behind on the stroke of halftime when Chancel Mbemba headed in a corner.

    Frankfurt also came from behind, with Kolo Muani scoring a 72nd-minute winner for the visitors. Arthur Gomes had put the hosts ahead in the 39th and Frankfurt equalized with a penalty kick converted by Daichi Kamada in the 62nd.

    NO CONSOLATION

    Atlético Madrid doesn’t even have the consolation of the Europa League playoffs.

    The Spanish team was the heavy favorite to progress from its group but was left lamenting a last-place finish after losing at Porto, which secured top spot in Group B.

    Few expected Porto to even advance after losing its first two Champions League matches this season but the Portuguese team had already secured its place in the last 16 with a match to spare.

    And first-half goals from Mehdi Taremi and Stephen Eustáquio helped Porto win its fourth straight Champions League match to finish a point above Brugge.

    Brugge’s Canadian winger Tajon Buchanan hit the crossbar in the opening seconds of the second half.

    PERFECT AGAIN

    It’s back-to-back perfect group stage records for Bayern.

    Benjamin Pavard headed the German side in front in the first half and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting sealed the win against Inter in the 72nd minute with his seventh goal in his past six matches.

    Barcelona ended its disappointing Champions League campaign with a 4-2 win at Viktoria Plzeň, which — in contrast to Bayern — fell to its sixth straight defeat.

    Ferran Torres scored twice and Marcos Alonso and teenager Pablo Torre grabbed a goal each for the Catalan club. The hosts got on the board with a pair of goals by Tomás Chorý.

    NOT SO PERFECT

    Napoli was looking to become the first Italian team since AC Milan in 1992 to have six straight wins in its group.

    However, late goals from Mo Salah and Darwin Nunez ended the Italian side’s unbeaten start to the season in all competitions.

    Liverpool finished level on points with Napoli but second on the head-to-head record after losing 4-1 in Italy in their Champions League opener.

    Rangers was left with an unwanted record after losing 3-1 at home to Ajax, which secured a place in the Europa League’s qualifying playoffs.

    Rangers finished Group A with six straight losses and a goal difference of minus 20 — the worst group stage record ever.

    ———

    AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP—Sports

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  • Bayern Munich Announces Profit For Third Pandemic Year In A Row

    Bayern Munich Announces Profit For Third Pandemic Year In A Row

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    Bayern Munich has once again announced a positive financial year. Germany’s biggest club announced a turnover of €665.7 million ($647.13m) and a profit before tax of €17.1m ($16.2m), up from last year’s profit of €5m ($4.86m).

    The financial result means that Bayern remains the only club in the Bundesliga to make a profit in all three years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, with the Bundesliga opening its doors to fans during the second half of the 2021/22 season, the club also managed to increase its turnover by €21.8m ($21.19m) compared to last year.

    “This is a strong result,” CFO
    CFO
     Jean-Christian Dreesen said in a club statement. There is hardly any other top European club that, like FC Bayern, has been able to report consistent profits over the past three years despite the pandemic.”

    Although the club made a profit throughout the pandemic, the financial numbers were trending down. That course has now been reversed, and the club anticipates a further increase in turnover in the ongoing season.

    Bayern also announced at the annual general meeting that among Europe’s major clubs, they, together with Real Madrid, were the only club to make a profit throughout the pandemic. “It’s amazing that, despite the competitive disadvantage in terms of TV money, we put a powerful team on the pitch every year that the whole of Europe respects,” Dreesen said at the AMG. “We have set new records in each of the past three years. I’m very proud of all of us.”

    Backed by the club’s solid financial numbers, Bayern Munich put together a strong transfer window spending $151.25m on new players—which ranks the club among the top ten biggest spenders this last summer. But the club’s transfer window also underlines Bayern’s financial strategy as they also earned $114.51m in transfer sales.

    “That mainly has to do with FC Bayern’s DNA: we never spend more than we earn,” Dreesen said. “All of our employees played their part in the successful conclusion of the past financial year.” Added club president Herbert Heiner: “FC Bayern is completely debt-free, and what’s more: we own 100% of the Allianz Arena and the FC Bayern Campus; everything is paid off.”

    Another positive number has been the club’s increase in membership. Bayern Munich now has 295,000 members, making them the biggest membership club on the planet.

    Furthermore, with pandemic restrictions lifted, Bayern Munich anticipates a further increase in revenue for the 2022/23 season. “We will very likely be able to achieve a new record turnover of at least 770 million euros in 2022/23,” Dreesen, who will leave the club at the end of the season, said at the AGM. “It’s amazing that, despite the competitive disadvantage in terms of TV money, we put a powerful team on the pitch every year that the whole of Europe respects. We have set new records in each of the past three years. I’m very proud of all of us.”

    That, however, does not mean that everything was positive at the club. Many fans remain critical of the club’s continued partnership with Qatar Airways, and Bayern’s decision-makers were reluctant to make a statement regarding the sponsorship deal.

    “We will continue to discuss the topic intensively with our partner Qatar Airways after the World Cup,” Bayern Munich CEO Oliver Kahn said. “We will weigh everything, and then we will find a solution for FC Bayern. “

    Bayern Munich earns €20m ($19.4m) from the Qatar Airways deal. That is less than 10% of the €224.2m ($217.94m) revenue generated through sponsorship and marketing.

    “If you want to change or initiate something, you have to meet people, talk to them, and exchange ideas instead of excluding them,” Kahn said at the AGM. “You have to listen, understand and explain. We’re doing that within our partnership with Qatar Airways.”

    Overall, the Qatar Airways deal was less of a contentious issue at the AGM than last year when there was significant opposition to the agreement. The club has launched an open dialogue with its fans and wants to come up with a positive solution. Still, ultimatelyy, the future of the contract will depend on whether Bayern can find an alternative sponsor willing to pay a similar amount.

    Manuel Veth is the host of the Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast and the Area Manager USA at Transfermarkt. He has also been published in the Guardian, Newsweek, Howler, Pro Soccer USA, and several other outlets. Follow him on Twitter: @ManuelVeth

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  • MATCHDAY: Madrid, Man City seek 3rd wins in Champions League

    MATCHDAY: Madrid, Man City seek 3rd wins in Champions League

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    A look at what’s happening in the Champions League on Wednesday:

    GROUP E

    Chelsea is one of the top teams in early trouble in the group stage heading into a double-header against AC Milan, with the first match taking place at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea has just one point from its first two games and has a recently hired manager, Graham Potter, who is still working out his best team and best formation just two matches into his tenure. In the 1-1 draw with Salzburg in the second round of group games, Potter went with a 3-5-2 but reverted to a 4-3-3 for the win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Saturday. He has some tough choices in defense, with Kalidou Koulibaly — one of Chelsea’s many expensive offseason signings — yet to play a minute under Potter and the likes of forwards Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech pushing for starts. Marc Cucurella could return from illness. Milan leads after collecting four points from games against Salzburg and Dinamo Zagreb, who meet in Austria in the other game.

    GROUP F

    Real Madrid can take full control of the group with a home win against Shakhtar Donetsk, which would give the defending champions a five-point lead after only three matches. Madrid got off to a perfect start to the season in all competitions but was held 1-1 at home against Osasuna in the Spanish league on Sunday for its first setback. Leipzig hosts Celtic for a clash between the two bottom teams in Group F. Leipzig is bottom after losing both of its games so far, but new coach Marco Rose has restored some confidence and overseen a marked improvement since taking over. Leipzig warmed up for Celtic with a 4-0 win over Bochum at the weekend.

    GROUP G

    Manchester City can move to the brink of qualification for the last 16 with a home win over FC Copenhagen and might not need Erling Haaland to do so. The Norway striker, who has taken the Premier League by storm with 15 goals in eight games, played the entire match in the 6-3 win over Manchester United on Sunday while a number of key players were brought off midway through the second half. Haaland may be kept fresh for bigger matches ahead, while City manager Pep Guardiola has injury concerns over right back Kyle Walker and holding midfielder Rodri. City has already beaten Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund in the group stage and would advance with back-to-back wins over Copenhagen. Dortmund is in second place on three points and travels to Sevilla in the other match.

    GROUP H

    With Presnel Kimpembe out injured for several weeks, Paris Saint-Germain coach Christophe Galtier doesn’t have many options at center back for the trip to Benfica for a match between two teams on a maximum six points. After missing out on signing Milan Skriniar this summer, PSG has to deal with makeshift solutions until the next transfer window opens, with midfielder Danilo Pereira or right back Nordi Mukiele available to play alongside Sergio Ramos and Marquinhos. In contrast, Juventus has zero points after losing its opening two Champions League matches for the first time. Massimiliano Allegri’s side travels to Maccabi Haifa, which is also pointless. Juventus is also struggling in Serie A but appears reinvigorated after the international break and beat Bologna 3-0 this past weekend.

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