Month: September 2020

New Chelsea signing Timo Werner scored for Germany before Spain rescued a point with a 95th-minute equaliser in the Nations League in Stuttgart.

Werner showed why the Blues have paid £54m for him when he drilled past David de Gea inside the penalty area.

Leeds United’s club record £26m signing Rodrigo missed two fine chances for Spain before heading into the path of Jose Gaya, who made it 1-1.

The Valencia defender scored with almost the last kick of the game.

It was a dramatic end to an eventful match.

Both teams were returning to international action for the first time in almost 10 months.

It was the first game of Luis Enrique’s second spell in charge of Spain and there were several positives for the former Barcelona boss, not least the performance of new Manchester City signing Ferran Torres.

City’s £20.87m winger produced a confident display on the right before switching wings after 17-year-old Barcelona player Ansu Fati came on for his senior international debut at the start of the second half.

In contrast forward Rodrigo wasted a glorious chance at 0-0 when he took too long to get his shot away in front of a gaping net before having another chance blocked by keeper Kevin Trapp after getting behind Germany’s defence.

Spain keeper De Gea produced several fine saves including a flying stop to keep out Leroy Sane.

This was the first competitive meeting between the two European powerhouses since Spain overcame Germany in South Africa on their way to winning the 2010 World Cup.

Germany’s side was largely deprived of players from Bayern Munich following their Champions League triumph in Portugal last month.

Andy Robertson has declared that he doesn’t want Lionel Messi “anywhere near the Premier League” amid speculation he will quit Barcelona.

The Argentine told the Catalan club he wanted out following almost two decades on their books.

Manchester City have been the side most heavily linked with his signature given their financial might.

It would also allow Messi the chance to team up with Pep Guardiola once again following their historic four years together at Barcelona.

That would give Premier League fans the chance to watch Messi on a weekly basis, but after Liverpool ruled themselves out of the running for his services Robertson hopes he doesn’t come to England.

He joked: “I think Liverpool have ruled out that we could sign him so I don’t want him anywhere near the Premier League and hopefully it stays that way.

Troyes have become the 10th club purchased by the City Football Group (CFG).

CFG owns Manchester City and is backed by the Abu Dhabi United Group, which was formed to buy the Premier League outfit in 2008.

The group also has stakes in New York City, Melbourne City, Yokohama F Marinos, Montevideo City Torque, Girona, Sichuan Jianiu, Mumbai City and Lommel SK.

Its latest acquisition is Troyes, who finished fourth in Ligue 2 last season.

The French outfit have bounced between the top two tiers in recent seasons, most recently suffering relegation in 2018, having played in the UEFA Cup – now the Europa League – after the turn of the century.

Troyes were reportedly the subject of interest from Olympiakos and Nottingham Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis earlier this year.

CFG managing director Ferran Soriano said: “We have been interested in French football for some time and have long admired ESTAC.

“We are therefore delighted to have completed the acquisition of our 10th club and to have a permanent presence in France.

“This is an important milestone for City Football Group, which proves that our model continues to adapt and develop in a relatively short period of time.”

The Premier League has terminated its TV rights deal with China, its biggest overseas contract, leaving a huge hole in clubs’ finances.

The deal with Chinese broadcaster PPTV was worth around £490m and had lasted only one of its three years. The conflict is said to have been around a fee of £160m that the Premier League was owed in March but did not receive.

“The Premier League confirms that it has today terminated its agreements for Premier League coverage in China with its licensee in that territory,” a spokesman said on Thursday. “The Premier League will not be commenting further on the matter at this stage.”

It is not known if the conflict is based purely on money or involves the escalating political tensions between China and the UK government.

Boris Johnson announced in July that Huawei, the Chinese telecoms firm, was banned from implementing the rollout of the country’s 5g network. The prime minster has also publicly opposed security laws initiated in Hong Kong.

A statement from PPTV said: “After many rounds of talks, there remain disagreements on the value of rights between PP and the Premier League. Regrettably we have not reached an agreement with the Premier League.

“Despite PP paying more than the copyright cycle fee to Premier League in advance, as agreed, PP will terminate its cooperation with the Premier League.”

China is one of the biggest overseas markets and many clubs are going to great lengths to expand their brands in the country.

Three clubs are currently under Chinese ownership. Southampton are 80 per cent owned by Gao Jisheng’s Lander Sports Development, Wolverhampton Wanderers are owned by Chinese investment conglomerate Fosun International and newly-promoted West Bromwich Albion are 87.8 per cent owned by Guochuan Lai, a Chinese billionaire.

Manchester City’s owners, the City Football Group, also received £265m for a 13 per cent from Chinese investors, China Media Capital, in 2015. At the time, City chairman, Khaldoon al-Mubarak said it would “leverage the incredible potential that exists in China”, adding that “the exponential growth pathway for the game [in the country] is both unique and hugely exciting”.

In December, Arsenal distanced themselves from criticism of China’s persecution of Uighurs in Xinjiang by Mesut Ozil, their highest paid player.

In July 2019, the Premier League played their preseason Asia Trophy in China, in which Newcastle United, Wolves, West Ham and Manchester City competed.

Real Madrid captain Sergio Ramos has revealed he hopes Lionel Messi stays at Barcelona for the good of Spanish football.

Messi continues to be linked with a move this summer, with the Argentinian of the belief he can leave for free as per the terms of his contract.

Barcelona, however, insist a release clause of £625million has to be paid if he is to leave the Camp Nou.

Manchester City are the favourites to sign the six-time Ballon d’Or winner should he depart the Catalan club.

But Ramos is hoping that deal won’t materialise as, despite Messi being a thorn in the side of Real Madrid for over a decade, he wants him to stay in La Liga.

When asked for his thoughts on the situation ahead of Spain’s Nations League clash with Germany, Ramos said: “With regards to Messi, I think it’s not an issue that concerns us. He has earned the right to decide his future.

“I don’t know if he is doing it in the best way, but of course, for Spanish football, for Barcelona and for us who like to win while being the best, we would like him to stay here.”

Talks between Messi’s representatives and Barcelona are set to continue on Thursday. The player’s father and agent, Jorge Messi, met with club officials on Wednesday but the two parties were unable to find a resolution.