Chelsea want to keep the forward despite his request to join Bayern, but why not let a talented player develop in Europe?Callum Hudson-Odoi’s decision to lodge a transfer request this week after Bayern Munich’s £35m bid is a sign of changing times and a growing trend for young players at big Premier League clubs. Hudson-Odoi is trying to follow the path that has taken a lot of young English players abroad in recent years thanks to the success of Jadon Sancho at Borussia Dortmund and club partnerships with European sister clubs.Three or four years ago it would have been rare for a young player at a top Premier League club to request a transfer to go to a European club....
The Bayern Munich forward has been vilified for his display of wealth in Dubai but that ire would be better directed at the excesses of the game rather than those who play itIn his book This One’s On Me Jimmy Greaves describes the pre-match meals of his playing days in the 1960s. At West Ham it was all down to Moody’s cafe for a full roast dinner and apple crumble for pudding. As an England player Greaves records, with some reverence, the pre-match habits of Gordon Banks, who in line with the sports science of the day would prepare himself for a game with a huge steak served with both boiled and roast potatoes, all washed down with “a large...
The main issues arising after Bayern’s win over Leipzig were about possible incomings and outgoings, rather than the matchThe fare at the Allianz Arena was befitting the time of year, with the excitement around the occasion perhaps more gratifying than the content itself. “We’ve played much better this season and not won,” said Joshua Kimmich, “but in our situation, I would much rather take this.”A Bayern Munich midweek meeting with RB Leipzig almost has the feeling of a typical seasonal treat, with the lords of the manor and the upstarts meeting in this slot for the second time in three years – and as with that 3-0 win for the champions two years ago, this had its moments of raw...
Borussia Dortmund’s victory despite an impressive Bayern Munich performance shows how far they have come and how competitive the German league is this seasonThe 95 minutes-plus of Der Klassiker – and every extra second of the 47 over the 95, which was felt keenly by Borussia Dortmund’s coach Lucien Favre, pushed up tensely on to the edge of his technical area, waving his arms maniacally – were part of such a dizzying swirl of fluctuating momentums and emotions that it’s hard to pick a moment to distil it.If we were going to try, though, how about 13 seconds before Paco Alcácer’s winner hit the net as Dortmund, typically for a Favre side, tore Bayern apart at the seams on the...
If the purpose of Friday’s club address was to make the champions seem less vulnerable, you have to question its valueIt was as tumultuous as anticipated, only in a totally different manner than anybody had expected. When Bayern Munich called a Friday press conference with the president Uli Hoeness, chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, coach Niko Kovac and sporting director, Hasan Salihamidzic, all confirmed to be present, it was clear they wouldn’t just be talking about the forthcoming weekend visit to Wolfsburg and delivering injury news updates.The rumour mill swirled into some weird places. Was Arsène Wenger about to be appointed as coach, notwithstanding the highly unlikely scenario of Kovac being present at his own dethroning? Was Kovac going to be...