The Ultimate Football Thread 2013-2014 Vol. 4 EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A etc

-Tottenham are ready to open talks with Lille over a move for former Chelsea forward Salomon Kalou, 28. (I know he's not a superstar, but I've always like Kalou, I'd be happy to see him back in the Prem.

-St Etienne youngster Kurt Zouma, 19, claims he has spoken on the phone to Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, dealing a blow to Liverpool and Manchester United's chances of signing the defender.

-Arsenal face an uphill battle to land Real Madrid striker Alvaro Morata, 21, after Italian giants Inter Milan and Juventus both registered their interest.

-West Ham are prepared to sell midfielder Ravel Morrison, 20, to Fulham for £10m after rejecting an initial bid for half that amount from the Craven Cottage club, who have stopped manager Rene Meulensteen from discussing any transfers in public.

-Everton boss Roberto Martinez faces a fight with Benfica for Standard Liege's 20-year-old Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi.

-A host of Premier League clubs are facing disappointment in their efforts to sign Blackpool winger Thomas Ince, 21, as Monaco have emerged as favourites to recruit the England Under-21 international on a free transfer. (wait, wut??!?!?)

-Juventus midfielders Arturo Vidal, 26, and Paul Pogba, 20, are on Manchester United manager David Moyes's shopping list. Pogba is also being courted by Real Madrid and French side Paris St-Germain. :|

-David Moyes watched Paris St-Germain's 21-year-old forward Lucas Moura this week with a view to landing the £30m-rated Brazilian

-Manchester United are monitoring Napoli forward Marek Hamsik, 26

-West Ham are in further talks to sign £7m Southampton striker Rickie Lambert, 31.

-After failing in a bid to sign John Obi Mikel, 26, Napoli boss Rafael Benitez hopes to sign another Chelsea midfielder, 31-year-old Michael Essien.
 
Transfer rumors being what they are, it would be a coup if Wenger was able to land Morata & Draxler... Although it sounds like the Spurs have made Drax's move to the Emirates a little harder by blocking Lewis Holtby's loan or transfer to Schalke.

Glad Neymar's injury isn't as bad as "the internets" was saying. Maybe Tello will get to play on that left side now... If he does, I hope he seizes this opportunity to shine like I know he can.

Glad to see Bartra signed an extension. He looked really good against Getafe yesterday. He looks better & better with each game. Playing in the center for Barca is a little different from other teams, a little more technical but he seems to be embracing every moment. Really hope Tello follows suit should be get playing time.
 
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I've thought this for a while now, for some reason I've always saw Pogba going to Real. Zidane being a big influence, I think he's going to manage Real after Carlo leaves. So that rumor does not surprise me. PSG could break the bank tho.

Pogba nor Vidal are going to Man U. No way :lol
 
I'm still wondering who Moyes was actually watching.

Was Marchisio playing? That would make a bit more sense since there was some interest a little while ago.
 
Looks like Zaha won't be going out on loan this month. I was curious to see how he would perform given regular playing time
 
From espnfc.com...


Wanted by Germany and the U.S., Green focuses on Bayern
Posted by Raphael Honigstein

Seven months since Julian Green’s promotion to Bayern Munich’s senior squad, the 18-year-old still struggles to believe what is happening at times.

He expected to be allowed to train with the treble winners this season -- players from the club’s under-23 team generally do -- but his progress has been more rapid than anyone could have anticipated.

Seven goals in preseason friendlies for Pep Guardiola’s side, as well as strong performances with the U23s in Germany’s fourth division, have earned the United States-born forward a professional contract, a cameo in the Champions League, a lot of praise and the opportunity to represent two national teams.

“It’s a dream to play with this side,” he told ESPNFC.com with genuine enthusiasm from his hotel room in Doha, where Bayern were training during the Bundesliga winter break last week.

Green was on target again for the treble-winners during the trip to the Gulf, in friendlies against Sudanese champions Al-Merrikh (2-0) and Al Kuwait (8-0).

The reaction back in Germany was muted, though, because fans and the media have become used to Green, who stands 1.72 meters tall, looking totally at ease at this level.

The son of a community outreach officer at Eckerd College in Florida and a German mother, Green modestly insisted that he hadn't "achieved anything yet" but also admitted to feeling encouraged by Guardiola's continued support. "I know I can hold my own at this level," he said, proudly.

His superiors and teammates concur. For example, Thomas Mueller has declared himself a fan:

"He’s very strong for his age, fast, very hard-working and technically very good," said the Germany international. "I like him."

Bayern sporting director Matthias Sammer praised Green as "clued-up," "brave" and "well-integrated," adding "we hope that he’ll continue on this path."

Mueller and Sammer also could have mentioned his goal-scoring instinct, his versatility -- Green can play wide, as a centre forward or "in the hole" behind another striker -- or the one quality you cannot teach: He is a player who boasts real "Spielintelligenz," as Germans call it, which means he possesses a real football brain.

"Green is a Pep player," wrote Suddeutsche Zeitung in gushing article last month, "and he's a players' player, too. Professionals quickly notice when a rookie doesn’t play like a rookie in training, when he’s at their level, when they don’t have to fear that he’ll ruin the next attacking move."

Guardiola agrees. The 43-year-old has been won over by Green’s "movement into space" and his "discipline."

Earlier this week, the obsessively perfectionist coach spent five minutes explaining the correct pace and trajectory of a short, simple pass to midfielder Thiago, a player of supreme technical ability.

Green said that he benefits from the same attention to detail. "[Guardiola] knows exactly when to talk to a player, and how much or how little needs to be said. I get a lot of great input from him. Mostly, he asks me to make runs beyond the defenders, he likes that. He told me: 'Go and bang them in.'"

As a junior player, Green has to carry the odd the kit sack and move the goalposts in training but Sabenerstrasse, the club’s headquarters, has become a much more welcoming place for talents over the past decade or so.

Canadian-born Owen Hargreaves was deliberately subjected to bone-crunching challenges by the established players when he came through as a teenager, and before Louis van Gaal's arrival in 2009, promising youngsters were rarely given a chance.

Like his former coach and mentor at Barcelona, who promoted the likes of Müller, Holger Badstuber, David Alaba and Diego Contento, Guardiola is quick to trust in-house products. "There’s no old or young here, only a question of being good enough," Green said.

He singled out Thiago, Mario Goetze and Franck Ribery as the team-mates he most enjoys playing with. "You only get a true sense of the power, pace and technical skills of these guys when you’re on the pitch with them," he said.

A bigger surprise, however, was the work ethic he encountered: "They’ve won the treble but no one is easing off. Everyone is trying their hardest in each session, there’s a real sense of hunger here."

Green’s own dedication has been rewarded with a three-minute outing in a 3-1 Champions League win at CSKA Moscow, a cameo he described as a "dream come true" and "the highlight" of his career so far: "You hear the anthem, you sit on the bench and suddenly, you’re playing in the Champions League. It was incredible."

Competitive game time will remain hard to come by in the light of Bayern's squad depth and the arrival of Robert Lewandowski -- "a super player," says Green -- next season will not exactly enhance his chances either.

However, Green is unperturbed. "They have given me a professional contract [in November], that showed me that the club have faith in me. My goal is to repay that," he said. It’ll be interesting to see whether Bayern will contemplate a loan-deal next season.

In the meantime, there’s the small matter of a tug of war between Germany and the United States for his services.

Tampa-born Green moved to rural Bavaria with his mother and brother in 1997. He holds dual citizenship and is in close contact with his father Jerry, who enthusiastically follows every Bayern game from afar and regularly takes to Twitter to document his son’s exploits, on the pitch and otherwise.

His father hasn’t put any pressure on him to declare for the U.S., Green explained. Jurgen Klinsmann has been in touch, however. Suddeutsche Zeitung reported that the U.S. men's national team coach wanted to invite him to play in two friendlies for the senior team in the autumn and promised a possible call-up to the World Cup.

"To play at a World Cup at my age would be something," Green admitted, "but I haven’t heard anything to that effect." For the moment, he added, he was committed to playing in the European Championship qualifiers with Germany's U19 team.

Green also revealed that he had spoken to friends and family about making a decision between the two nations, albeit not with any of the other German-Americans, such as Jermaine Jones or Fabian Johnson, in the Bundesliga.

Bayern, too, have told him that the choice is up to him but, in Sammer, a former sporting director at the German FA, Joachim Loew has a very powerful ally.

"Travelling to all these games [with the United States] could be a problem," Sammer has said, and Green got the feeling after talking to him that the club would prefer that he stuck with the Germans.

"There’s no deadline though," the teenager added. "And in any case, my priority is to move forward at Bayern. Everything else will fall into place, I’m sure."
Click to expand...
 
If Jürgen is able to sway Green into suiting up, playing, and cap tying him for the US side, that would be one of the biggest upsets in awhile for the USMNT and would only add to the splendor that is Jürgen Klinsmann.
 
He's lived in Germany since he was 2-3 years old. He ain't playing for the US. Especially with the German players he's surrounded by.
 
Agreed.

But I think all the German-American players were all born and raised in Germany, so if we are going by that Green may have more "American" in him than any of our German-American players 
laugh.gif


Who knows, Green is obviously on another level in terms of future prospects and the DFB obviously values Green>the JAB, Fabian Johnson, Chandlers of the world 
 
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If he was smart, he would play for USA. USA is starved for a superstar player in europe. Imagine if he becomes a world class player. Instantly becomes an elite name over here
 
I would say he should play for the US since Green would be given every opportunity afforded to him to succeed/fail/play. See Jozy.

With DFB, who knows when his chance to shine will come.
 
Congrats to Xavi on playing his 700th game for the Blaugrana this week. I can't say I have an absolute favorite player of all time but if I were pressed, I might have to say Xavi. Such a great footballer in every way & someone that seems like a gentleman.
 
St. Etienne vs Lille about to come on (beIN Sport)... 4th place vs 3rd. St-Etienne just missed the CL last campaign & it seems they're intent on getting in this campaign but they'll have to play one of the best defensive teams in Europe in Lille. That Lille goalie is the truth too...Lille trying to contend for that Ligue Un title too...
 
I'd love for him to play for the US. It would suck for him to just get a few caps with Germany and then never get called up again. I have seen too many players born in France from African parents get 2-3 caps and never featured in tournaments that matter when they could have been regulars in Africa. I'd love Gnabry to play for the Ivory Coast.
 
Jermaine Jones grew up in Germany and plays for the USA, so why not Green ?

Btw good luck with Jermaine Jones and Felipe Santana.

If they're good enough to play for the USA , you're winning nothing.

JJs work ethic is great but thats it.He sucks and so does Santana.
 
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Green's situation is different than other US born players mentioned like Jones. First & foremost, he has more talent. Enough that Pep brought him up to the first team at 18 which says something.

He'll also be learning from one of the greatest managers ever while also playing on an immensely talented team where he will learn from the best. If he's earning his stripes for Bayern & Pep, there will be no doubt he'll get to play on the NT.

Also, not sure if his ambition is to play this WC or not. That may of course change things.
 
psk2310 said:
Green's situation is different than other US born players mentioned like Jones. First & foremost, he has more talent. Enough that Pep brought him up to the first team at 18 which says something.

He'll also be learning from one of the greatest managers ever while also playing on an immensely talented team where he will learn from the best. If he's earning his stripes for Bayern & Pep, there will be no doubt he'll get to play on the NT.

Also, not sure if his ambition is to play this WC or not. That may of course change things.
Click to expand...

Of course he wants to play this WC. :lol No player is going to say "nah i'm good i'll wait another 4 years for the next one"
 
Nice goal by St. Etienne's Brandao... putting the home side up 1-nil at the 54 min mark...

Edit - Wow Tabanou puts St. Etienne up 2-nil & Lille's MFer Balmont is sent off.
 
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