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Archive for the ‘Bundesliga’ Category

Losing Franck Ribery would not weaken Bayern Munich, according to former Germany captain Matthias Sammer.

Former Borussia Dortmund coach Sammer claims the Frenchman, who has been hampered by injury this term, should not walk back into the Bayern team when the Bundesliga starts up again next month after the winter break.

The 1996 European Footballer of the Year feels Bayern coach Louis van Gaal has created a side which is strong enough without the winger, who has been linked with a move to Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as Spanish giants Real Madrid.

‘Of course the class of Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben is undisputed, but to build them into the team is going to be a huge task for Van Gaal,’ Sammer, who led Dortmund to the Bundesliga title in 2002 and is now responsible for youth development with the German Football Association, told Munich’s Tz newspaper.

‘Bayern have found a settled team who can always play their best and they showed that in Turin (against Juventus), without Ribery.’

Reports in Germany today claimed Ribery and Bayern have already agreed terms with Real over a transfer in the summer should the 26-year-old choose not to commit himself to a new contract by the end of the season. Read the rest of this entry »

Carlo Ancelotti will make a transfer window U-turn by offering a British record £45million for Franck Ribery.

Chelsea boss Ancelotti has told fans he will not be signing anyone and vowed to run naked around the club’s training ground if he was lying.

But the Italian has previous when it comes to misleading statements and People Sport can reveal that Bayern Munich star Ribery is his No.1 target.
Blues owner Roman Abramovich has given Ancelotti the cash and wants him to spend big as the Premier League leaders look to strengthen during the lifting of their transfer ban.

And Ribery is now the first-choice target as Chelsea know he will go elsewhere if they do not land him in the New Year – with the FIFA suspension hanging over their heads and possibly kicking in from next summer.

Bayern also know Chelsea’s cash is bigger than any that their rivals are offering – and that Ribery shows no sign of signing a new contract with them and will go for less if he does not move in January . Read the rest of this entry »

Louis van Gaal WILL remain the coach of Bayern Munich – at least until the Bundesliga’s winter break.
But after that the Dutchman’s position in Bavaria could very well be a case of Louis van GONE.

Many fans are calling for the veteran coach’s head following Bayern’s 1-1 draw against league leaders Bayer Leverkusen on Sunday.

It was the latest in a series of poor results in the Bundesliga and Europe.

And the words emanating from the club’s chief executive Karl-Heinze Rummenigge (54) sound like those from April – shortly before he fired van Gaal’s predecessor Jurgen Klinsmann… Read the rest of this entry »

West Ham United are in advanced talks with the Bayern Munich striker Luca Toni about bringing the Italian World Cup winner to Upton Park in next month’s transfer window. Any move may be dependent on how soon Carlton Cole returns from injury. The England striker limped out of West Ham’s 5-3 win over Burnley at Upton Park on the weekend at half-time after suffering knee ligament damage, having earlier scored a seventh goal of the season.

Initial reports suggested he may be ruled out for four months. Yet after these were scaled down to around six weeks, the club’s website confirmed tonight that, though Cole will miss Manchester United’s visit on Saturday, the 25-year-old, “having being closely assessed in recent days, will start his rehab soon”.

Yet even if Cole does return over the coming month, Gianfranco Zola, the West Ham manager, may still move for Toni, with the club having engaged in talks with the player and his representatives for the past two weeks. As reported in the Guardian, the 32-year-old was a summer target for Zola, who is a friend of the former Fiorentina centre-forward. Read the rest of this entry »

Italian want-away striker Luca Toni can leave German giants Bayern Munich in the January transfer window, coach Louis van Gaal said Thursday, but club bosses are hoping the pair can be reconciled.

Toni earned himself a €25,000 fine on Wednesday for telling the Italian media his relationship with van Gaal “is as good as over” following just four league appearances since the Dutchman took over in July.

With his 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ place on the line, Toni has said he wants to return to Italy during the Bundesliga’s winter break in January in a bid to win back his place in the national team. “The player has indicated he wants away. Then he must look for a club,” van Gaal told German channel Sat 1 after Bayern’s 1-0 win over Maccabi Haifa in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.
Bayern’s team manager Uli Hoeness – who was set to replace Franz Beckenbauer as president of the German giants at the club’s AGM on Thursday – said Toni’s behaviour must change, but is hopeful the pair can patch up their differences. Read the rest of this entry »

In-demand Russia boss Guus Hiddink is being tipped for the Bayern Munich hot seat amid growing unrest at the Bundesliga giants.

Louis van Gaal could lose his job if the German side are knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night.

Bayern are third in Group A with just four points from four games as they prepare to face Israeli side Maccabi Haifa. Things are not much better in the German league, in which Van Gaal’s seventh-placed side have won just five of 13 matches.

The poor performance has led to criticism of former Barcelona boss Van Gaal from directors and senior players such as Philipp Lahm.

Bayern accept that star player Franck Ribery and others may leave if they cannot compete with Europe’s finest and former Chelsea boss Hiddink has been identified as the man to turn around their fortunes. Read the rest of this entry »

Bayern Munich general manager Uli Hoeness says Franck Ribery will leave the club if he does not believe they are ambitious enough. Read the rest of this entry »

In a surprise move, Lucio has terminated his contract with Bayern Munich in order to join Inter, announced the German club.

“After a trophy-laden five-year spell at Bayern, Brazil captain Lucio is leaving Munich to join Italian champions Inter Milan,” read a statement on their website.

“On Thursday, the centre-half and the FCB board of directors agreed to cancel the player’s contract ahead of its scheduled expiry on 30 June 2010.

“The 31-year-old, who will sign a three-year deal with the north Italian club coached by Jose Mourinho, moves for an undisclosed fee.”

Lucio has been with Bayern since joining from Bayer Leverkusen in 2004, taking the Bundesliga and Cup double in 2005, 2006 and 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

The three most sought after players in the world are in varying states of transition, and a lot can happen between now, the end of the current season and the summer when any number of world-class players will be trading one top team’s kit for another. But a report in The Guardian on Tuesday that Manchester United has offered €70 million … £62.5 million … $93.7 million (a staggering amount of money in any currency) for Bayern Munich midfielder Franck Ribery should Cristiano Ronaldo leave Old Trafford for Real Madrid has added a new urgency to the pontification. Read the rest of this entry »