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Gladbach hint keeper Ter Stegen on his way to Barcelona
Mon Jan 6, 2014 7:22pm GMT
Germany's goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen walks off the pitch after his international friendly soccer match against the USA at RFK Stadium in Washington, June 2, 2013. REUTERS/Jason Reed
(Reuters) - Borussia Moenchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl has hinted Marc-Andre ter Stegen will replace Victor Valdes at Barcelona at the end of the season after the Germany goalkeeper rejected a contract extension.
The 21-year-old, who has been consistently linked in German and Spanish media with a switch to Barca, has a contract with Gladbach until 2015 but Eberl said he had rejected a new deal and the Bundesliga club had decided to allow him to join "a top European side where he can be number one".
Valdes announced last season he was quitting because the pressure of being Barca's first choice for a decade had taken its toll and he wanted to experience different cultures and different languages.
Speculation has mounted in recent weeks Valdes could accept a lucrative offer from Ligue 1 side Monaco or English Premier League club Manchester City.
"Marc has informed us that he won't accept our offer and therefore will not extend his contract with us," Eberl said on Gladbach's website (www.borussia.de) on Monday.
"It's a great shame from our point of view but we must accept it," he added.
"We suspect that he will join the club (Barca) about which there has been a lot of speculation.
"I fully expect that we will have to find a new keeper for next season."
Valdes, who returned from injury in Sunday's 4-0 La Liga win against Elche, has made a host of vital interventions this season that helped avert an early setback to the Spanish champions' bid for a fifth La Liga title in six years.
He has been praised by coach Gerardo Martino and team mates for his professionalism and his form has prompted calls for Spain coach Vicente del Bosque to give him the keepers' spot ahead of captain Iker Casillas.
His decision to leave Barca, where he has spent his entire professional career, means they will need a replacement with similar ball playing skills who can fit in with the club's style of playing the ball out from the back.
Eberl said Gladbach had given Ter Stegen, who has a market value of 11 million euros ($15 million) on website Transfermarkt.com, assurances when he extended his contract two years ago that he could leave if a "top club" came calling.
"This situation now seems to have arrived," Eberl added.
"I expect we will come to an agreement with this club on a transfer.
"Borussia is not in a position to ignore exorbitant fees. We must see it as an opportunity and bring in new players with the proceeds."
Ter Stegen made his debut for Germany in a 5-3 defeat against Switzerland in May 2012, the first of three appearances including a 4-3 loss against United States last June when he scored a bizarre own goal.
He suggested he would remain with Gladbach until the end of the season.
"It was not an easy decision," he told the club's website.
"I have an unbelievable amount to thank the club for and I still want to put in more effort for them. We want to perform well as a team in the second half of the season."
(Writing by Iain Rogers in Madrid, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
Adler sent back from Hamburg training camp with injury
Tue Jan 7, 2014 10:53am GMT
Germany's Rene Adler holds the ball during their international friendly soccer match against France at the Stade de France stadium in Saint-Denis, near Paris, February 6, 2013. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
(Reuters) - Hamburg SV goalkeeper Rene Adler will be sent back from a mid-season training camp after aggravating an ankle injury, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday.
Adler, one of several goalkeepers battling for a position as understudy to Manuel Neuer in the German national side, sat out Hamburg's last two Bundesliga games before the winter break with the injury.
"I've tried everything to be fit again as quickly as possible," Adler told Hamburg's website (www.hsv.de).
"We thought that it would be fine after the 10 day (Christmas) break, but it got worse during the very first training session."
Hamburg said that Adler would fly home from Abu Dhabi, the second stop on their winter getaway after Indonesia, for further examination and treatment.
Adler, Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Ron-Robert Zieler in the mix for the two reserve positions in Germany's World Cup squad behind Neuer, the undisputed first choice.
Adler missed the 2010 World Cup after suffering a broken rib before the tournament. He was Germany's number one goalkeeper at the time and Neuer has never looked back since taking his place in South Africa.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by John O'Brien)
Schalke have agreed a €2.5million deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen attacker Sidney Sam at the end of the season.
Sam, 25, is in the midst of a sterling campaign for Leverkusen, scoring 11 goals in 19 appearances in all competitions.
However, Sami Hyypia's men are set to lose the Germany international, with Schalke taking advantage of a buy-out clause in Sam's contract to get him on the cheap.
The former Hamburg man has signed a four-year contract with Schalke, which will keep him at the Veltins Arena until 2018.
Sam features as part of an exciting attacking trio at Leverkusen that also boasts Stefan Kiessling and Son Heung-Min.
And he is poised to join another highly talented side, linking up with the likes of Julian Draxler, Kevin-Prince Boateng and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in Gelsenkirchen.
Still, with Leverkusen seven points adrift of Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich in second, Sam insists he will remain committed to his current employers until the end of the campaign.
"I will give my all up to the last game for the team and the club," he told the Leverkusen's official website.
"Bayer 04 is a great club which I owe a great deal. It is with them that I earned my place in the national squad after all."
Schalke general manager Horst Heldt expressed his delight at the signing, and is confident that Sam will be an exciting addition to coach Jens Keller's attack.
"Sidney Sam has proven, not only with his strong performances this season, what kind of attacking stimulus he can be," Heldt commented on Schalke's official site.
"He can be used in many positions, is very ambitious and wants to achieve much with Schalke, we are glad that he chose the Royal Blues."
Borussia Dortmund are to invest in new players at the end of the season, but will not panic in their bid to replace Robert Lewandowski.
Striker Lewandowski is to leave Signal Iduna Park following the culmination of the 2013-14 campaign and will link up with Bundesliga rivals Bayern Munich after agreeing a five-year deal with the Bavarian outfit.
Dortmund spent heavily in the close-season, bringing in the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to fill the void left by Mario Gotze, who departed for Bayern in July.
And the eight-time German champions are poised to enter the market once more as Jurgen Klopp's side aim to bridge the gap between themselves and Bundesliga leaders Bayern next season.
"We must, we want to and we will invest in the summer," chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke told Sport Bild.
"We're not going to panic about finding a suitable successor to Robert Lewandowski and we're not going to put ourselves under any pressure either."
Dortmund are currently 12 points off Bayern in fourth place in the Bundesliga and resume action on January 25 with a home tie against Augsburg.
Having lost last season's UEFA Champions League final to Bayern, Klopp's side continue their European campaign against Zenit St Petersburg in the round of 16.
Sebastian Kehl does not expect Borussia Dortmund to overturn Bayern Munich's 12-point lead and has given up on winning the Bundesliga.
Pep Guardiola's defending champions are the only side in the German top flight to remain unbeaten after the first half of the season, and Kehl admits it will be "nearly impossible" to catch them in the title race.
Dortmund fell further off the pace after a disappointing December that saw them take one point from a possible nine, leaving them fourth going in the mid-season break and battling with Borussia Monchengladbach and Bayer Leverkusen for a top-three spot.
A second-place finish is what Kehl is now targeting and the midfielder believes Dortmund have what it takes to achieve it.
"The big comeback? Well, it's nearly impossible to catch up with Bayern but our target is to be in second place," he said.
"All in all we are pretty convinced we will be there at the end of the season.
"There are many objectives we have as a team. Being more successful, getting back to the football we used to play, climbing up in the standings.
"These are the objectives we have as a team, but also everybody has personal ones. Their health is one of the biggest wishes.
"We have a lot of work ahead of us. There will be a lot of training. That's why we can be excited to have an intensive time and then to get started all over again."
Dortmund return to league action at the end of January against Augsburg, and face Zenit St Petersburg in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Borussia Dortmund defender Mats Hummels is progressing well from his ankle injury, according to sporting director Michael Zorc.
Hummels has not played since suffering the setback in Germany's 1-0 win over England in November, causing a defensive headache for coach Jurgen Klopp, who has also been without Neven Subotic due to a cruciate problem.
However, following the news that Subotic will not require further surgery on his knee, Klopp could welcome back Hummels sooner than expected.
Zorc told Bild: "Mats will increase his program now more and more. He also is on a good path."
The absence of Hummels and Subotic, as well as injuries to the likes of Ilkay Gundogan and Marcel Schmelzer, have contributed to a dip in form for Dortmund prior to the mid-season break.
Klopp's men have won one of their last six Bundesliga matches and sit fourth in the table, 12 points off leaders Bayern Munich.
Midfielder Sebastian Kehl thinks the eventual return of Hummels and Subotic will help Dortmund climb the table in the second half of the season.
"We will soon have more quality on the pitch," he said.
"Our goal is second place, I'm sure we can achieve it."
Borussia Dortmund are hopeful that defender Neven Subotic will not need another operation as he recovers from a knee injury.
Subotic has been out of action since suffering torn ligaments in Dortmund's 2-1 defeat at Wolfsburg in November.
The Serbian international is expected to miss the rest of the Bundesliga season because of the injury, but Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp recently revealed that the 25-year-old is making good progress in his recovery.
And Klopp's stance was supported on Thursday as the Signal Iduna Park outfit confirmed that Subotic may not require further surgery.
A statement on the club's official website read: "An examination of Borussia Dortmund defender Neven Subotic's knee by Professor Strobel this afternoon (Thursday) revealed a positive picture.
"Therefore there is reason for optimism that Subotic, who seriously injured his knee and tore his posterior cruciate ligament in the game at VFL Wolfsburg, does not need to be operated on again.
"Further investigation of the joint will follow during the next week."
HSV looked to be on the up following Bert van Marwijk's arrival at the helm, but a bad run of results prior to Christmas has seen the club slip back down the table
Rafael van der Vaart says Hamburg are lacking in quality after a disappointing first half of the season that sees them sat in 14th spot in the Bundesliga.
Bert van Marwijk replaced Thorsten Fink in the Imtech Arena dugout in September, leading them to three wins from his first seven games in charge.
But four winless games, including three consecutive defeats, brought a disappointing end to the first half of the campaign, leaving them much closer to the relegation scrap than the push for Europe.
A goalless draw with Eredivisie outfit Vitesse continued Hamburg's mid-season friendlies on Friday and while Van der Vaart hopes for attacking improvement, he is enthused by a solid defensive platform upon which they can build.
"I've had the feeling these days that everybody understands we have to do more," the Dutchman said in Kicker.
"Everybody realises what is at stake.
"We had a good period, but then we had those games against Augsburg and Mainz (defeats that sandwiched a loss at Bayern Munich) which were embarrassing.
"That is why we're sitting here with such a rubbish feeling and it certainly isn't only down to bad luck, we're lacking the quality to take the next step.
"We didn't play very well against Vitesse, but we were very solid and that is one of the priorities in a situation like ours."
FIFA World Coach of the Year 2013 for Men's Football nominee former coach of Bayern Munich Jupp Heynckes of Germany smiles during a news conference ahead of the FIFA Ballon d'Or soccer awards ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich January 13, 2014. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann
(Reuters) - Jupp Heynckes, now retired, was named coach of the year by FIFA on Monday after leading Bayern Munich to an unprecedented treble last season.
The 68-year-old ended a 48-year career in the sport by guiding Bayern to the Bundesliga, German Cup and Champions League titles.
"It means a lot to pick up an award right at the end of my career," Heynckes said at the awards ceremony. "Normally in team sport it is often difficult to put things together like this.
"It isn't just down to me, this is down to the whole club, Bayern Munich, everybody that has been working with me during this period."
He won the award ahead of former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson and fellow German Juergen Klopp, coach of Borussia Dortmund.
Heynckes began as a player with Borussia Moenchengladbach in 1965 and spent his entire career there, apart from a three-season spell at Hanover 96.
As a coach he led Moenchengladbach, Athletic Bilbao, Eintracht Frankfurt, Tenerife, Real Madrid, Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen, as well as three stints with Bayern.
(Reporting by Brian Homewood, editing by Ed Osmond) nL3N0KN3Y0
Jupp Heynckes received the prestigious FIFA Coach of the Year award after guiding Bayern Munich to an unprecedented treble in 2013.
The 68-year-old led his side to domestic glory by lifting the Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal titles, as well as conquering Europe with a 2-1 triumph over Borussia Dortmund to lift the UEFA Champions League in May.
Heynckes, who departed the Allianz Arena at the end of the season, fended off competition from Dortmund's Jurgen Klopp and former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson at the FIFA Ballon d'Or ceremony.
Silvia Neid collected the Women's Coach of the Year, after guiding Germany to the UEFA Women's Championship in a 1-0 triumph over Norway in July.
Elsewhere, Paris-Saint Germain striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic took home the Puskas Award presented to the player from the men's or women's game to score the best goal of the year.
The 32-year-old collected the trophy for his audacious overhead kick for Sweden in a 4-2 friendly victory over England in November 2012, with Ibrahimovic scoring all four goals in the win.
Benfica's Nemanja Matic and Barcelona's Neymar were also on the three-man shortlist, the former for a stunning volley in Benfica's 2-2 Primeira Liga draw with Porto, while Neymar was recognised for a fierce volley in Brazil's 3-0 victory over Japan in the FIFA Confederations Cup.
The FIFPro XI, consisting of the 11 best players of the year, had a strong contingent of Barcelona and Bayern Munich players, with the former having four players, while the latter had three.
Spanish champions Barcelona had Lionel Messi, Dani Alves, Andres Iniesta and Xavi included, while Franck Ribery, Manuel Neuer and Philipp Lahm represented Bayern.
Incredibly it was the first time the FIFPro XI had representation from the Bundesliga and Ligue 1.
FIFPro XI in full: Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Philipp Lahm (Bayern Munich), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Andres Iniesta (Barcelona), Xavi (Barcelona), Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich), Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (PSG), Lionel Messi (Barcelona).
Borussia Monchengladbach's Luuk de Jong does not feel his situation at the club is likely to improve under coach Lucien Favre.
The Netherlands international has been linked with Premier League sides Stoke City and Newcastle United in recent months after finding first-team opportunities hard to come by at Borussia-Park.
He made a reasonable start to life in Germany during his debut campaign last season, scoring six Bundesliga goals in 23 appearances.
However, he is yet to start a game this term and admits he may have to look elsewhere, having been frozen out by Favre.
"The coach doesn't make me feel like he likes me and wants me to fulfill my potential," De Jong told Bild.
"He hardly talks to me.
"I would like to forget the last half a year. I can see my position not improving anytime soon."
De Jong won both the Eredivisie and the KNVB Beker during his three-year spell at Twente, scoring 25 league goals in 33 starts in his final season there.
Schalke look set to be boosted by the return of striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar in the second half of the Bundesliga campaign.
The Netherlands international has not featured for the club since August, having been dogged by cruciate ligament injuries for much of the current campaign.
However, the 30-year-old is primed to return to full training with the club ahead of their first fixture of 2014 - a trip to Hamburg on January 26.
"My longest preseason ever had finished," Huntelaar said on Twitter.
Jens Keller's side have been hit hard by injuries so far this season, with defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos and midfielder Marco Hoger among those to have have joined Huntelaar on the sidelines.
Captain Benedikt Howedes also missed much of December with a thigh injury but he feels the recovery of Papadopoulos and Huntelaar are promising for Schalke.
In terms of his own recovery, though, the defender wants to take his time before returning to action.
"I'm delighted we can count on those guys (Papadopoulos and Huntelaar) again," he said.
"It'd be great if I could come back against Hamburg but I shouldn't rush things.
"It's difficult to say when I'll be back, in fact, as I've only done light training so far, without any sprints or tackles."
Schalke are yet to receive an offer for highly rated midfielder Julian Draxler, according to sporting director Horst Heldt.
The 20-year-old has been the subject of much speculation during the transfer window, with reports linking him with a big-money move to Arsenal this month.
But Heldt has moved to cool talk of a switch, insisting the club has not yet been contacted by any potential suitors.
"There are no offers from not a single club," he told Sky Sports.
However, Heldt also admitted to Bild that Schalke will have no choice but to sell their prized asset should a club meet his release clause, which is believed to be set at €45.5million.
"We are still hopeful Julian is to stay on at Schalke, however there are certain arrangements we cannot change," he added.
Draxler, who is currently sidelined with a ruptured tendon, has been open in the past about his desire to move on one day, telling Kolner Stadt-Anzeiger in October: "I can honestly say that it is my dream to play for one of the big clubs at some point."
The Germany international has scored five goals in 24 appearances in all competitions for Schalke so far this season.
Schalke will not renew goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand's contract when it expires in June, the Bundesliga club confirmed on Thursday.
The 34-year-old has been at the club since 2011 and has made 20 appearances this season in all competitions.
However, Schalke will not be offering Hildebrand a new deal, with Schalke general manager Horst Heldt praising the Germany international's impact at the Veltins Arena.
"He has an important share in the successes of the past two-and-a-half years with third and fourth place in the Bundesliga, the first knockout round in the Champions League and reaching the quarter-finals of the Europa League," Heldt told Schalke's official website.
"In addition, he has always identified with FC Schalke 04 and this was made unequivocally clear.
"Our task, however, is to mainly affect decisions for the future. I am quite sure that this will not change his impeccable commitment to Schalke 04."
Hildebrand has been a regular under Jens Keller this season, helping the club to seventh in the Bundesliga, with Schalke also qualifying for the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League.
Arsene Wenger has likened sightings of Julian Draxler at Arsenal to those of people seeing UFOs, before bemoaning the transfer window.
The Schalke midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, with some claiming to have spotted the highly rated 20-year-old at the club's training ground earlier in the week.
However, when quizzed on the subject at his weekly media conference, Wenger insisted that Draxler had not been at London Colney, and that he was no closer to becoming an Arsenal player.
"Like with the unidentified flying objects, some see them everywhere," he joked. "Are we close to signing anybody? I would say no.
"The January transfer market will not be busy, it is a low-key market this year.
"I would sign for the January transfer window to be scrapped completely."
Wenger also stressed that the club had made no approach for Dimitar Berbatov, who could line up against Arsenal for Fulham this weekend.
The former Manchester United striker is another player believed to be on Wenger's radar, although the Frenchman has played down such talk.
"Do I rate Berbatov as a player? Highly. Have we made any approach to sign him? No," he added.
Wenger was also cryptic on the chances of extending his own deal with the club.
Wenger's current contract expires at the end of the season, with reports suggesting that he has all-but agreed to remain in place.
"There's a point where you decide and a point where you make it public," he said. "You can take that sentence how you want."
He was more positive, however, about extending the contracts of defensive duo Per Mertesacker and Bacary Sagna, adding: "We are making good progress and hopefully we can announce something soon."
Hamburg have signed winger Ola John on loan from Benfica until the end of the season.
John, 21, moves to the Imtech Arena after falling out of favour with Benfica, making just eight appearances for the Lisbon club this term.
The switch sees the former Twente man reunite with Hamburg coach Bert van Marwijk, who worked with John during his time in charge of the Netherlands national side.
Hamburg were dealt a huge blow last week with the news that forward Maximilian Beister will miss the rest of the campaign with a knee ligament injury.
Van Marwijk is confident that John will be able to fill the void left by the 23-year-old and boost a Hamburg side that sits 14th in the Bundesliga.
"I am familiar with Ola and assume that the player will be able to take us forward quickly," Van Marwijk told the club's official website.
John could make his debut for Hamburg when Van Marwijk's side host Schalke on January 26.
The club have also confirmed Ousaim Bouy, another Dutchman, is to undergo a medical on Saturday with a view to completing a loan move from Juventus.
Ji Dong-Won, who agreed a short-term contract with Augsburg on Thursday, will join Borussia Dortmund at the end of the season.
The South Korean's disappointing spell at Premier League Sunderland came to an end when he sealed a return to Germany with Augsburg, where he spent time on loan last term.
Dortmund have now confirmed Ji will move to Signal Iduna Park when his deal with Augsburg expires, completing a sensational 24 hours for the forward.
The 22-year-old has signed a four-year contract, with the news announced on Dortmund's official website.
"Dong-Won Ji is a professional who is used on the offensive in several positions," said sporting director Michael Zorc.
"We are pleased to be able to undertake this talented player (on a) free transfer to the new season."
Ji made four Premier League starts during his time in England, scoring two goals.
Wolfsburg have confirmed the signing of attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne from Premier League side Chelsea.
De Bruyne moves to the Volkswagen Arena on a deal until 2019 following a two-year spell at Chelsea in which he failed to break into the first tream.
The Belgium international, signed by Chelsea in January 2012, was immediately loaned back to Genk upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Werder Bremen, scoring 10 goals in 34 appearances during his time at the Weserstadion.
However, De Bruyne has played just nine times for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho this season, and will hope to secure a regular place in Wolfsburg's starting XI ahead of the FIFA World Cup in June.
After his move was confirmed on Saturday, De Bruyne told Wolfsburg's official website: "For me it was clear from the outset that Wolfsburg is my first port of call when Chelsea gave me the release.
"Therefore I am very pleased that my change has come about. (Sporting director) Klaus Allofs and (head coach) Dieter Hecking have built a very good team with great development potential."
Allofs added: "We are delighted that Kevin will come to us.
"Kevin is convinced of the sporting perspective of VfL Wolfsburg and he has the potential to play a major role."
The sentiments of Wolfsburg's sporting director were echoed by Hecking, who said: "Kevin is a player with outstanding ability. I am very happy that he has chosen the VfL."
De Bruyne could make his debut for Wolfsburg in a home game against Hannover next Saturday.
Mainz have announced the signing of South Korea captain Koo Ja-Cheol from fellow Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.
The 24-year-old joins for an undisclosed fee and has penned a four-and-a-half year deal at the Coface Arena, bringing an end to a three-year stint at Wolfsburg.
Koo - who has made 10 league appearances thus far this season - boasts 12 goals in 35 appearances for South Korea.
"He is a very tough, versatile player with exceptional technical qualities and a high work rate," said Mainz coach Thomas Tuchel.
"His way of playing football and his character make him a very good addition to our team. I'm very happy that we've managed to complete this transfer, as he can give our team an extra boost."
Koo was loaned out to Augsburg from January 2012 until the end of the following season, scoring eight times.
He began his career at K-League outfit Jeju United before making the switch to Germany.
Koo's departure from Wolfsburg is offset by the arrival of attacking midfielder Kevin De Bruyne, who completed his move from Premier League Chelsea on Saturday.
Bayer Leverkusen attacker Robbie Kruse is likely to miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee.
The Australia international sustained the injury to his left knee in training and will go under the knife next week.
As well as ending his season, the injury looks likely to cost him a place at the FIFA World Cup in Brazil with Australia.
A Leverkusen statement read: "Robbie Kruse suffered a tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in training and thus is likely to be missing for Bayer 04 in the entire second half of this season.
"The Australian International picked up the injury on Friday at training, today (Saturday) an MRI scan showed the worst results."
Kruse moved to the BayArena from Fortuna Dusseldorf in the close-season and has made 21 appearances for Leverkusen this season, scoring three goals.
Sami Hyypia's side will resume their Bundesliga camapign at Freiburg next Saturday, sitting second in the German top flight.
