When Liverpool’s new sporting director Richard Hughes received a phone call from the agent Inaki Ibanez this week, it only served to confirm what he had long since expected: Xabi Alonso would be staying at Bayer Leverkusen this summer. News of Alonso committing his future to the Bundesliga club on Friday was a blow for … Read more
Real Madrid and Alphonso Davies have reached a verbal agreement for the Bayern Munich left-back to join in 2024 or 2025. The La Liga club — led by chief scout Juni Calafat and director general Jose Angel Sanchez — have been in contact with Davies’ camp for some time and have asked him since the … Read more
Andreas “Andi” Brehme wasn’t supposed to be the hero of the 1990 World Cup final. Striker Rudi Voller was down to take penalties, but didn’t want to when the time came because he had been the man brought down in the box; in the eyes of referee Edgardo Codesal, at least. German football superstition had … Read more
“It feels like a never-ending horror film,” a shell-shocked Leon Goretzka said after the final whistle. Bayern Munich’s 3-2 loss at mid-table Bochum on Sunday certainly capped off a nightmarish week of three consecutive defeats for the perennial German champions that have plunged the club into deep crisis. Now eight points adrift of still-unbeaten Bayer … Read more
Crystal Palace are set to sack manager Roy Hodgson, with former Eintracht Frankfurt head coach Oliver Glasner the leading candidate to replace him. Hodgson, 76, will leave Palace 15th in the Premier League table, just five points above the relegation zone after three wins in the last 19 games. Glasner has been out of work … Read more
Follow live coverage of Nigeria vs Ivory Coast in today’s Africa Cup of Nations final The clash with unbeaten league leaders Bayer Leverkusen was a game for “pulling down (our) trousers and putting the cards on the table,” buoyant Bayern Munich head coach Thomas Tuchel had said. But instead of the desired show of prowess, … Read more
Nottingham Forest have agreed a deal with Borussia Dortmund to sign USMNT international Gio Reyna on loan until the end of the season. Reyna will fly to Nottingham ahead of the move being completed, while the option to purchase figure for the attacking midfielder is still being discussed. The Athletic reported earlier this month that … Read more
Liverpool have confirmed the return of Fabio Carvalho to the club following his loan spell at RB Leipzig during the first half of the season. The Athletic reported earlier this month that Liverpool were in talks to bring Carvalho back amid his lack of minutes in Germany, with the 21-year-old likely to head out on … Read more
If 777 Partners did school assemblies, last Thursday’s would have been amazing. After the usual messages about litter and tucking shirts in, headmaster Josh Wander would have turned to the school’s sporting exploits on Wednesday and reeled off win after win, prompting raucous cheers from the pupils and satisfied nods from the staff. The Miami-based … Read more