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Football News: Bayern Injuries Force Training Pitch Rethink, Southampton Aim For Champions League, And More

Bayern Injuries Force Training Pitch Rethink, Southampton Aim For Champions League, And More
Image from: zimbio.com

1. Transfer round up
Gershon Koffie, Vancouver Whitecaps to New England Revolution, trade
Lorant Olah, Szeged to Ujbuda, free
Darko Matic Beijing Guoan to Changchun Yatai, free
Gyula Illes, SZTK to Nyirbator, free
Rodrigo Gral, Concordia Atletico Clube to Operario, free
Eidur Gudjohnson, Shijiazhuang Ever Bright to Molde FK, free
Hugo, Thespakusatsu to Juventude, free
Edinho, Al-Sailiya to Desportiva, free
Richard Ekunde, GAIS Goteborg to Trollhattan, free
Sebastian Flores, Huracan to Rampla Juniors, free
Stephen DeRoux, San Antonio Scorpions to Indy Eleven, free
Marko Perovic, Sime Darby to Operario, free
Csaba Csizmadia, FAC to Ujbuda, free
Steinthor Freyr Thorsteinsson, Viking Stavanger to Sandnes Ulf, on loan
Ruslan Fomin, Atyrau to Apollon Smyrnis, free
Everson Lima, Dynamo Ceske Budejovice to Osasco, free
Rodrigo Crasso, AA Anapolina to UR Trabalhadore, free
Krzysztof Michalak, Polonia Bytom to Legionovia, free
Mario Leitgeb, Austria Vienna to FC St Gallen, free
Jheimy, Sampaio Correa to Criciuma EC, free
Jukka Raitala, Aalborg BK to Sogndal, free
Fedor Boltunov, SKA Energia to FK Bratstvo, free
Vladimir Yurchenko, Dinamo Brest to Dnepr Mogilev, free
Reinaldo, Sao Paulo to Ponte Preta, on loan
Toni Markic, KuPS to Zawisza, free
Erik Figueroa, IK Sirius to AFC United, free
Ben Speas, Columbus Crew to Minnesota United, free
Florent Pepsi, Dardania BS to Rapperswil-Jona, free
Caio Eltink, Rio Branco to Flamengo, free
Tomislav Barisic, Velez Mostar to NK Rudes, free
Andrey, Botafogo to Cabofriense, on loan
Mael, ABC to Icasa, on loan
Wojciech Jurek, GKS Katowice to Polonia Bytom, free
Bogdan Chira, Bihor Oradea to Metalul Resita, free
Gyorgy Viscsak, Balmazujvaros to Felsotarkany, free
Leandro Ribeiro, Sport Club Internacional to Gloria, on loan
Zsolt Pataki, Balmazujvaros to Felsotarkany, free
Vili Lankinen, PK-35 to FC Futura, free
Andrew Blake, Wellington Phoenix to Hawke's Bay, free
Alin Dudea, Dinamo Bucharest to FC Brasov, on loan
Nenad Djukanovic, FK Mladost to Kom Podgorica, undisclosed fee
Milos Djalac, FK Lovcen to Mladost Obarska, undisclosed fee
Andrei Sidorenkov, Sillamae Kalev to Kalju Nomme, undisclosed fee
Baco Nikolic, Mladost Obarska to Mornar Bar, undisclosed fee
Elvis Alfredo Dure, Independiente FBC to CD Santani, undisclosed fee
Marko Djurovic, Mladost Obarska to Mornar Bar, undisclosed fee
Eduardo Echeverria, Resistencia Sport Club to Feirense, undisclosed fee
Lazar Martinovic, FK Sutjeska Niksic to Kom Podgorica, undisclosed fee
Rodney Strasser, Lupa Castelli Romani to NK Zagreb, on loan
Nikola Vitorovic, Agiou Tychona to Metalul Resita, undisclosed fee
Dianzuo Liu, Guangzhou R&F to Guangzhou Evergrande, undisclosed fee
Petar Jovovic, OFK Petrovac to Kom Podgorica, undisclosed fee
Nedim Oglecevac, Celik Zenica to Bosna Sema, undisclosed fee

2. Oviedo signs new Toffees contract
Everton's left sided defender/midfielder Bryan Oviedo has expressed his delight after agreeing a new contract, tying him to the Merseyside club until 2019. The Costa Rican international has suffered with injuries, which have limited his time on the pitch for the Toffees, including a broken leg a couple of years ago.


 

3. Badstuber out for the season
Bayern Munich and Germany defender Holger Badstuber is to sit out the rest of the season after fracturing his ankle in training on Saturday. Badstuber is to be out for three months, which could also mean the centre back is a doubt for the European Championships in the summer. Badstuber has already undergone an operation to aid his recovery. This is not the first long term injury Badstuber has suffered in his career, missing nearly two whole years from December 2012 after an anterior cruciate ligament tear while facing Borussia Dortmund. On his return at the start of last season, he tore a thigh in his tendon. The end of last season saw him sat on the sidelines with a hamstring tear, which he only returned from in November. Bayern are already without Jerome Boateng and Javier Martinez through injury, as head coach Pep Guardiola aims to lift the Champions League before he leaves for Manchester City.

4. Gignac shows a touch of quality
Everyone questioned Andre Gignac when he left French football to play in Mexico, but this goal showed he still has quality

 

5. Koeman aims for Champions League
If Leicester City can win the Premier League, then Southampton can finish in the top four, or at least that is what Ronald Koeman stated after seeing his Saints side get a 1-0 win over Swansea City. Southampton are currently in 6th, a point behind Manchester United in 5th, but a full 7 points behind Manchester City in 4th, who have a game in hand against Tottenham Hotspur to play today. The Saints are in good form, having won five and drawn one of their last six games, which has led to Koeman's bullish mood. "If Leicester can win the title, then we can finish fourth or fifth," the Dutchman said. "We are only one point below Manchester United after today and my team is looking very comfortable. We had a difficult start to the season and a difficult period in December, but we are back fighting and looking to finish as high as possible in the table."

6. Leicester owners show the way
It is not just on the pitch that Leicester City are leading the way. The table toppers have also got an owner who has shown modern owners that it is possible to have success without milking the fans and how to unite fans behind the club they love. While other owners look to treat fans as customers, though without right to address our grievances or ask for money back when we are delivered an inferior product, Foxes' owner Khun Vichai has included fans as a part of the club. While the club's wage bill is growing, Khun Vichai converted the club's debt into shares in 2013, all £103m wiped off in one go. Off the pitch, coach travel through the club to away games is capped at £10, no matter where the team are playing. Clappers are placed on every seat for home games, at an estimated cost of between £12,000 and £15,000, per game. Three times now fans have been given a free beer just for attending. To think, when they got promoted in 2014, Khun Vichai was laughed at when he said he would £180m to break into the top 5 within 3 years. It looks like he will have got them there a year early for a lot less money, all without the ridiculous fan rip off that characterises most of the English Premier League.

 

7. Darmian ruled out for 'several weeks'
Manchester United's injury problems have taken a turn for the worse as Italian international right back Matteo Darmian has been added to the list of players unavailable to beleaguered manager Louis van Gaal. Already missing Luke Shaw, Marcos Rojo, Phil Jones, Guillermo Varela, Ashley Young and Antonio Valencia, the full back options are becoming even more limited due to Darmian's dislocated shoulder, suffered in the 2-1 defeat to Sunderland. Nineteen year old Cameron Borthwick-Jackson has already become a regular, due to the injuries, yesterday saw 21 year old Donald Love make his debut at right back, after coming on to replace Darmian.

8. Some keepers just are not cut out to be sweepers

 

9. Speaking of goalkeeping errors:

10. Bayern to remove hybrid turf pitches after just two years
In the summer of 2014, German giants Bayern Munich invested around £800,000 on a new hybrid turf system for their training pitches. Since then, the players and staff have reported injury concerns, such as Javi Martinez and Holger Badstuber being ruled out for lengthy spells. The players are concerned that the pitches are too firm for them to properly play on, placing stress on the players' joints. This summer will see the training pitches ripped up and replaced.

Written by Tris Burke February 14 2016 11:51:35