Probably a great deal for everyone. James gets playing time at a world-class club, Real maintains ownership, and Bayern gets an incredibly expensive player for peanuts.
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The 2017-2018 Football Thread
- Thread starter Lord Blackadder
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Probably a great deal for everyone. James gets playing time at a world-class club, Real maintains ownership, and Bayern gets an incredibly expensive player for peanuts.
USA B team with a thrilling 3-2 win over footballing giants Martinique. I suppose Bruce got the result he wanted with a second string side, but the fact that we needed a 3rd goal in the 75th minute is not exactly a ringing endorsement for USA's squad depth...
...contrast that with Germany, who can apparently win tournaments even when resting their best 22 players.
...contrast that with Germany, who can apparently win tournaments even when resting their best 22 players.
Yes, but - unlike the 1950s, for example - (and, even then, the Germans won - remember the powerful movie "The Marriage of Maria Braun?") the Germans are not intimidated - or overcome - by the weight of either expectation or history.
Simon Kuper - in his excellent book "Football Against The Enemy" - has a fascinating chapter on the German Dutch (footballing) rivalry of the 70s and 80s. Again, (the burden of) history (and historical emory) seemed to weight somewhat more heavily on the Dutch, than it ever did on the Germans.
It's easy not to be intimidated when you're, you know, reeeeeeeeeeally good at football.
USA under Bruce Arena are just running in place as far as I'm concerned. He'll get credit for young players coming through that were probably either developed in Europe, or by reforms Klinsmann implemented. He's a solid man-manager but I don't expect any innovative tactical work from him.
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Sad news for such a young guy.
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has suffered "serious and permanent brain damage" after collapsing during a pre-season friendly, the club has said.
The 20-year-old Amsterdam-born player received emergency treatment on the pitch during the match against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, where he was put into an induced coma.
The club said a brain scan and other neurological tests had "not detected any anomalies" but that his brain function could not be accurately tested while he was being kept asleep.
On Thursday, the club tweeted to say it was "deeply saddened" to confirm Nouri "had been diagnosed with serious and permanent brain damage".
Image:Nouri will be transferred to a hospital Amsterdam for further care
They added: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones in this difficult time."
The club also released a statement, saying: "Nouri's brain functions have been further examined over the last few days at a hospital in Innsbruck. The diagnosis is that a large part of his brain is no longer functioning and that the chance of recovery of these crucial brain functions is nil.
"This is most likely due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain after the midfielder became unwell during the Ajax - Werder Bremen match in Hippach.
"It is now expected Nouri will be taken to a hospital in Amsterdam in the near future for further care."
Earlier in the week the club said Nouri had experienced heart arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat - during the match.
Nouri made his debut for Ajax in September last year, when he scored during a Dutch Cup match against Willem II.
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has suffered "serious and permanent brain damage" after collapsing during a pre-season friendly, the club has said.
The 20-year-old Amsterdam-born player received emergency treatment on the pitch during the match against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, where he was put into an induced coma.
The club said a brain scan and other neurological tests had "not detected any anomalies" but that his brain function could not be accurately tested while he was being kept asleep.
On Thursday, the club tweeted to say it was "deeply saddened" to confirm Nouri "had been diagnosed with serious and permanent brain damage".
Image:Nouri will be transferred to a hospital Amsterdam for further care
They added: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones in this difficult time."
The club also released a statement, saying: "Nouri's brain functions have been further examined over the last few days at a hospital in Innsbruck. The diagnosis is that a large part of his brain is no longer functioning and that the chance of recovery of these crucial brain functions is nil.
"This is most likely due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain after the midfielder became unwell during the Ajax - Werder Bremen match in Hippach.
"It is now expected Nouri will be taken to a hospital in Amsterdam in the near future for further care."
Earlier in the week the club said Nouri had experienced heart arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat - during the match.
Nouri made his debut for Ajax in September last year, when he scored during a Dutch Cup match against Willem II.
Sad news for such a young guy.
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has suffered "serious and permanent brain damage" after collapsing during a pre-season friendly, the club has said.
The 20-year-old Amsterdam-born player received emergency treatment on the pitch during the match against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, where he was put into an induced coma.
The club said a brain scan and other neurological tests had "not detected any anomalies" but that his brain function could not be accurately tested while he was being kept asleep.
On Thursday, the club tweeted to say it was "deeply saddened" to confirm Nouri "had been diagnosed with serious and permanent brain damage".
Image:Nouri will be transferred to a hospital Amsterdam for further care
They added: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones in this difficult time."
The club also released a statement, saying: "Nouri's brain functions have been further examined over the last few days at a hospital in Innsbruck. The diagnosis is that a large part of his brain is no longer functioning and that the chance of recovery of these crucial brain functions is nil.
"This is most likely due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain after the midfielder became unwell during the Ajax - Werder Bremen match in Hippach.
"It is now expected Nouri will be taken to a hospital in Amsterdam in the near future for further care."
Earlier in the week the club said Nouri had experienced heart arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat - during the match.
Nouri made his debut for Ajax in September last year, when he scored during a Dutch Cup match against Willem II.
I read this extremely sad story in The Guardian earlier this evening. What a tragic outcome.
Sad news for such a young guy.
Ajax midfielder Abdelhak Nouri has suffered "serious and permanent brain damage" after collapsing during a pre-season friendly, the club has said.
The 20-year-old Amsterdam-born player received emergency treatment on the pitch during the match against Werder Bremen on Saturday.
He was airlifted to a hospital in Innsbruck, Austria, where he was put into an induced coma.
The club said a brain scan and other neurological tests had "not detected any anomalies" but that his brain function could not be accurately tested while he was being kept asleep.
On Thursday, the club tweeted to say it was "deeply saddened" to confirm Nouri "had been diagnosed with serious and permanent brain damage".
Image:Nouri will be transferred to a hospital Amsterdam for further care
They added: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his loved ones in this difficult time."
The club also released a statement, saying: "Nouri's brain functions have been further examined over the last few days at a hospital in Innsbruck. The diagnosis is that a large part of his brain is no longer functioning and that the chance of recovery of these crucial brain functions is nil.
"This is most likely due to insufficient oxygen supply to the brain after the midfielder became unwell during the Ajax - Werder Bremen match in Hippach.
"It is now expected Nouri will be taken to a hospital in Amsterdam in the near future for further care."
Earlier in the week the club said Nouri had experienced heart arrhythmia - an irregular heartbeat - during the match.
Nouri made his debut for Ajax in September last year, when he scored during a Dutch Cup match against Willem II.
How sad.
Unfortunate. Even more so at just 20yrs of age.
Meanwhile Manchester City continue to their fetish for defenders. The latest being £50m for Kyle Walker. Thats now Otamendi, Mangala, Stones, Clichy, Walker, Kolarov for combined £220m
Meanwhile Milan land Bonucci for £35m granted he's older but better in every other aspect.
2 markets priced accordingly; english market, then rest of europe.
Meanwhile Manchester City continue to their fetish for defenders. The latest being £50m for Kyle Walker. Thats now Otamendi, Mangala, Stones, Clichy, Walker, Kolarov for combined £220m
Meanwhile Milan land Bonucci for £35m granted he's older but better in every other aspect.
2 markets priced accordingly; english market, then rest of europe.
And so, Manchester City have managed the feat of assembling the world's most expensive back four without having acquired any of the four best defenders in the world...
Both of the Manchester teams are unimaginably wealthy, and have laid out astonishing sums on surprisingly underwhelming squads that are each somehow less than the sum of their parts. Perhaps this season one or both will finally click, but even if they do they are hardly good value for money.
EDIT: Some news for Apple fanboy as Joe Hart comes to West Ham on loan from Man City.
...but yawn, still not much to talk about. Little transfer activity. The top European clubs are all playing in boring, fake "tournaments" in the US and China; The Gold Cup has been a contest of B squads so far and USA won't win anyway; MLS teams are all depleted due to international commitments so the games are also B squad affairs.
...but Columbus Crew SC just beat Eintracht Frankfurt 1-0 in a friendly yesterday! Yay! [Neither club posted a video stream, we had to make do with an audio stream and I couldn't be bothered].
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Morata looks set for Chelsea which must infuriate Mou. For 70m, its quite clear Real just didn't want to sell to him. Will be interesting to see which of the 3 big forwards signed this window delivers in the upcoming season.
PSG activating Neymar's release clause is both everything thats wrong and interesting about contemporary football.
PSG activating Neymar's release clause is both everything thats wrong and interesting about contemporary football.
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£196 million is a gigantic amount of money. It just goes to show how much of a joke FFP is now. The balance of probability still seems to lie in the direction of Neymar staying at Barca, though.
That is a large amount of money! The temptation is in the air.
Looks like a few of the rumours are starting to turn into reality.
Stoke winger Marko Arnautovic set for West Ham medical ahead of a potential £24 million move.
Busy week for the hammers.
Stoke winger Marko Arnautovic set for West Ham medical ahead of a potential £24 million move.
Busy week for the hammers.
That is good business IMHO. Don't think I would want him starting week in, week out, but a dangerous option to bring off the bench at the very least.
Lukaku looked fantastic against City last night. That kind of confident finishing was sorely lacking at United last season.
Trouble is we already have a striker who is good but you can't rely on to play 90 minutes every week!
The Virgil van Dijk saga has taken another turn, with the player effectively going on strike at Southampton. Rumor has it that he still wants to force a move to Liverpool.
While he looks to be an upgrade to our squad, and while Klopp clearly made him a priority target, 1) Southampton's relationship with Liverpool is likely to be soured for the foreseeable future and 2) if the player is sold to Liverpool, Southampton will surely jack up the price as high as they possibly can. Probably north of £60 million, which is mindblowing.
Meanwhile, Barca have been sniffing around Coutinho, allegedly have a £72 million offer turned down by Liverpool. I can't see Phil leaving at this point, he's a guaranteed starter at a club in the Champions League and seems content. If Klopp plans to improve the squad this summer, he cannot afford to lose Coutinho.
While he looks to be an upgrade to our squad, and while Klopp clearly made him a priority target, 1) Southampton's relationship with Liverpool is likely to be soured for the foreseeable future and 2) if the player is sold to Liverpool, Southampton will surely jack up the price as high as they possibly can. Probably north of £60 million, which is mindblowing.
Meanwhile, Barca have been sniffing around Coutinho, allegedly have a £72 million offer turned down by Liverpool. I can't see Phil leaving at this point, he's a guaranteed starter at a club in the Champions League and seems content. If Klopp plans to improve the squad this summer, he cannot afford to lose Coutinho.
Yes, I spotted the Virgil van Dijk story reported in the Guardian; hm.
As I recall, Liverpool had been slapped on the wrist earlier in the summer for having attempted inappropriate advances, advances - it is now clear - that the player in no way seems to have discouraged.
Agreed, the relationship between the two clubs is likely to be quite strained irrespective of how this turns out.
I'd love one of the clubs to let a player who goes on strike to let them rot in the reserves for a few years.
Never going to happen though.
Agree Southampton versus Liverpool could be a little frosty.
No, not going to happen; a few weeks, or months at most is all both sides will risk in such circumstances.
There were a few interesting articles published in the Guardian describing how the Premier League, 25 years old (or young) this week, actually came into being. Well worth looking at.
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