Although much of the transfer speculation surrounding Borussia Dortmund this summer has been based around those supposedly leaving the club, there have been suggestions that Thomas Tuchel may in fact sign some more talent ahead of the new season. 

One such name that has popped is Adem Ljajic from Roma. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was reported to be a transfer target for Dortmund, according to Italian newspaper Il Messaggero (h/t Football Italia), as a possible replacement for the departed Ciro Immobile. 

The Serbian international may have once been well regarded in the Italian capital, yet of late he’s found himself on the outskirts of Rudi Garcia’s team and could potentially favour such a move. But what exactly would Dortmund be getting for their money?

Ljajic wouldn’t come into Dortmund’s squad as a direct replacement, considering the fact that he’s more of a wide player or central, attacking midfielder, yet that doesn’t mean he couldn’t be of some use to Tuchel‘s new-look side. 

Over the course of the pre-season we’ve seen Dortmund bend to new shapes and sizes under their new manager, which has in turn meant the likes of Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and others have had to begin playing different football in different positions. 

As such, it would suggest to most fans that if Tuchel were to bring in another forward, he would indeed need to be capable of playing across a front line. Luckily for this Serbian international, that’s exactly what he can do. 

In Serie A last season, Ljajic regularly started one game on the right only to spend the next match on the left with little difference in his performances or what he brought to the side. A clear sign of what he could offer Tuchel in terms of options in attack. 

Unfortunately, that’s probably where Ljajic‘s positives run out in terms of what he’d offer Dortmund this season. 

The first negative to attach to the Serbian midfielder from a Dortmund point of view is the simple fact that the Bundesliga side probably don’t need him. Another striker may indeed be useful to cover Immobile’s old spot, but when it comes to attacking midfielders, Tuchel is all but sorted.  

If the club did indeed sign the Roma star, he’d be fighting it out with Reus, Mkhitaryan, Kevin Kampl, Jonas Hofmann and Jakub Blaszczykowski for just two spots in the team. Not an ideal situation for the player and a terrible allocation of resources from the club. 

There is also the fact that Ljajic didn’t have the best of seasons last year, despite playing in quite a large portion of Roma’s games throughout the Italian league campaign. According to Transfermarkt, the Serbian international picked up just eight goals and two assists in 32 Serie A games last season. Not a terrible return but certainly not one to prick the attention of Dortmund.

We also have to consider the fact that once we dive into those eight goals and two assists, it doesn’t reflect too well on the kind of player Ljajic seems to be. The vast majority of the goals and assists came against lesser sides in the league, such as Atalanta, Torino, Chievo and Cagliari. 

In fact, the only two games that could suggest Ljajic is indeed cut out for the big games were his assist against Inter Milan and goal against Fiorentina, but aside from that we saw very little from the player whenever Lazio or Juventus came to town. 

Add to that a history of turmoil and petulance at every club he’s ever played for, and there is very little about Ljajic that should interest Dortmund in his signature. This Roma talent may one day become the player he was expected to be, but he’s far too much of a risk for Tuchel‘s squad this season. 

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Bayern Munich have well and truly gone global. 

The club’s official YouTube channel posted a video of the team arriving in China, and a huge crowd was on hand to welcome them. 

Bayern will play three games in the country against Valencia (in Beijing),  Inter Milan (in Shanghai) and Guangzhou Evergrande (in Guangzhou).

[YouTube: FC Bayern Munchen]

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Arjen Robben will miss Bayern Munich’s pre-season tour of China with a muscular problem.

The prolific Dutch winger was absent for much of the 2014-15 campaign with injuries and will be hoping to post a successful club season ahead of the Netherlands’ possible participation in Euro 2016.

Continue for updates.

Robben Ruled out of China Trip

Thursday, July 16

Bayern’s official Twitter account confirmed Robben is one of five first-team players who will miss the club’s initial preparations for the Bundesliga season, while Sky Sport News HD‘s feed revealed the reason behind his absence.

Goal’s Stefan Coerts reports Robben will remain at home as a “precautionary measure” and that his muscular injury can be considered “minor.”

As such, Robben will not participate in matches against Valencia, Inter Milan and Guangzhou Evergrande during the whistle-stop journey through China.

He made just 20 Bundesliga starts last season, recorded by WhoScored.com. Robben’s season ended in April as a result of a calf injury, having previously been sidelined in March with an abdominal tear.

Despite this, he racked up 17 goals and seven assists along Bayern’s route to the German title, per WhoScored. Robben remains an explosive player and someone who can turn the game on its head with a moment of skill.

Bayern boss Pep Guardiola has plenty of options to choose from while he recovers, even considering Franck Ribery’s spell on the sidelines. Guardiola will likely utilise the likes of Thomas Muller, Mario Gotze and new signing Douglas Costa on the flanks in China.

Robben’s main objective must be to get himself fit for the 2015-16 campaign. He is destined to play a key role in any potential Bayern success if he can maintain the sharpness that regularly sees him rip through opposition defences.

Unfortunately for the Dutchman, this is proving an increasingly difficult challenge as he heads toward the latter stages of his career.

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Inter Milan warmed up for the new season with an entertaining 4-2 win over fellow Serie A side Carpi, with Hernanes’ backflip celebration following a sumptuous free-kick providing the highlight of the game.

Rodrigo Palacio gave Inter an early lead before Kevin Lasagna equalised for the hosts. Mauro Icardi restored the Milan side’s lead before Hernanes whipped a dipping free-kick over the wall and beyond the ‘keeper in the 33rd minute.

Goal celebrations are normally somewhat reserved in pre-season, but that didn’t stop the Brazilian midfielder launching into his impressive trademark backflip to mark the strike.

[h/t LiveScore, Clippyville] 

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Leicester City have appointed former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri as their new manager following the recent sacking of Nigel Pearson. 

The Italian returns to Premier League management over a decade after he was relieved of his duties at Stamford Bridge in the early years of the Roman Abramovich era.

The Foxes announced their appointment of the 63-year-old Ranieri on Monday:

The former Juventus and Inter Milan boss has signed a three year deal with the east Midlands outfit, per the club’s website.

Ranieri’s most recent post was as manager of the Greece national team. His brief tenure was an abject failure, and he was sacked following a 1-0 home defeat to the Faroe Islands in November 2014, per ESPN FC:

However, his record in the Premier League is very strong, and Leicester will be hoping he can bring that experience with him to the King Power Stadium, per Opta:

Leicester pulled off a miraculous escape from Premier League relegation in the 2014-15 term as Pearson led them to seven wins in their last nine matches.

However, the 51-year-old was sacked at the end of June and the reins have now been handed to Ranieri for the upcoming season.  

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Liverpool remain in the hunt for another striker, and a shock move for Manchester United‘s Javier Hernandez could be on the cards, per the latest rumours.

According to Suhayl Al-Sammari of Forza Italian Football, Portuguese newspaper A Bola is reporting that Liverpool are among the leaders in the race to sign Hernandez but are also facing competition from Juventus and Inter Milan.

Chicharito spent last season on loan at Real Madrid after manager Louis van Gaal deemed him surplus to requirements and looks likely to move this summer in search of regular football.

When benched for Real’s Champions League semi-final clash with Juventus, Hernandez admitted he was not content to be used only as a super-sub. Per Joe Short of the Express, he told Spanish broadcaster TVE, “Look, a benched player is not a happy player.”

Largely used as a sub and playing just a few minutes at a time, the 27-year-old scored eight goals and made four assists in all competitions.

As WhoScored.com notes, Hernandez maintained an excellent conversion rate in La Liga:

Real Madrid TV’s Phil Kitromilides was full of praise for the Mexican in one of his rare starts:

The striker is a potent threat in the penalty area and comfortable joining in with buildup play.

Though Liverpool are more in need of a striker who can lead their line each week rather than just making an impact from the bench, Hernandez has shown on the international stage what he can do with a significant run of starts, scoring 40 goals for Mexico in 74 appearances.

Whether Reds fans would welcome a United player remains to be seen, but Hernandez could add to their strike power up front.

Reds Consider Gary Medel

According to Chilean outlet La Tercera (via Jon Harvey of Metro), Liverpool are “weighing up a move” for Gary Medel.

The Inter Milan midfielder started all six matches in Chile’s successful Copa America campaign, and a potential move to Liverpool would likely tempt him.

With Geoffrey Kondogbia’s arrival at Inter, Medel could find himself lower in the pecking order, should he remain in Italy.

This should not dissuade Liverpool from signing him, however.

As WhoScored.com illustrates, Medel is incredibly reliable in possession:

According to Squawka, Medel was Inter’s second-highest performer in Serie A last season, maintaining a passing accuracy of 92 per cent and creating 28 chances for his team-mates.

He also won 59 tackles and 53 per cent of his headed duels and can competently fill in at centre-back as well as in midfield.

Though Medel is far from a replacement for Steven Gerrard, the Chilean Pitbull could make a strong option in midfield alongside James Milner and Jordan Henderson.

The 27-year-old has international pedigree, having made 80 appearances for Chile, as well as experience in La Liga and, more importantly, the Premier League from his time with Sevilla and Cardiff City.

While fans would likely prefer for the Reds to sign his younger team-mate Mateo Kovacic, Medel could represent yet another strong piece of business for Liverpool if acquired for the right price.

His experience, metronomic passing and bite make him well-suited to Premier League football, and Liverpool would benefit from his presence in midfield. 

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Atletico Madrid have already been extremely busy in this summer’s transfer window, snapping up Jackson Martinez, Luciano Vietto and Yannick Carrasco to significantly bolster the club’s attack. Now, manager Diego Simeone is turning his attention to his side’s defence. 

According to AS, Simeone and Atletico have identified Monaco’s Aymen Abdennour, Fiorentina‘s Stefan Savic and Stuttgart’s Antonio Rudiger as three possible options to reinforce the club’s defensive depth, following the sales of Miranda and Toby Alderweireld to Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. 

So who’s the better fit for Los Colchoneros?

Given Atleti now only possess one experienced centre-back in Diego Godin, who’s currently partnered by the 20-year-old Jose Gimenez, the club needs to recruit an established defender rather than a long-term project. Additionally, Atleti’s defence has been defined by its strength and physicality, lending itself to aggressive and combative centre-backs who impose themselves on opposition forwards. 

As such, Abdennour, 25 and strongly built, has the edge over the less powerful Savic and the younger Rudiger, and he would represent a logical signing for Atletico Madrid. 

Below, we take a close look at what the defender would bring to the Vicente Calderon. 

Statistical Overview

Playing Style 

If you were to compare Abdennour’s playing style to some well-known centre-backs in La Liga, you might say he’s similar to Sergio Ramos and Nicolas Otamendi. That, of course, is not to argue the Tunisian is on the same level as those stars—he’s not—but he does look to utilise a similar approach to the Spaniard and Argentinian. 

Indeed, the 25-year-old is a powerful and aggressive defender with a front-foot mentality. Not one to sit back and play conservatively, the Monaco man looks to be proactive and break up opposition attacks by stepping up to meet the play and making strong, robust challenges.

Strong in the air, fierce in one-on-one battles and quicker across the ground than your average central defender, Abdennour was an important cog in Leonardo Jardim’s extremely tight Monaco outfit in 2014-15 and enjoyed some of his better performances in the Champions League against Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St. Petersburg, Arsenal and Juventus.

Abdennour also possesses a surprisingly crisp left foot and can be effective in starting attacking moves from the back. In that regard, he’s far superior to the now-departed Miranda, whose distribution from defence was often shaky and wayward. 

Because of that strong left foot, the former Toulouse defender can also provide cover as a makeshift left-back, which will be very appealing to Simeone given Atletico’s difficulties at that position throughout last season following the departure of Filipe Luis and the arrival of Guilherme Siqueira.

But as is often the case with aggressive centre-backs, Abdennour and his bold approach can leave him susceptible to moments of questionable positional discipline, sometimes forcing him to use his excellent recovery skills to track down forwards who’ve gotten in behind.

Simeone may feel, however, that Abdennour would complement the rock-solid Godin nicely, giving Atleti a centre-back pairing of suitable contrast. 

Why the Small Number of League Appearances?

Eighteen appearances in Monaco’s 38 league games certainly isn’t a great amount, but Abdennour’s 2014-15 season had numerous interruptions. 

In September, he suffered an hamstring injury on international duty with Tunisia, which, kept him out for a month. He suffered a repeat of the injury in May. 

Additionally, Abdennour was on duty with Tunisia at the Africa Cup of Nations during January. 

Are There Any Concerns?

When AS first broke the news that Atletico Madrid were interested in Abdennour, there were concerns the Tunisian’s signing would be problematic because he would take Atleti past UEFA’s quota for non-EU players, given the club already has Martinez, Gimenez and Angel Correa. 

Now, however, AS is reporting no-such complications exist and that Abdennour is definitely Simeone’s preferred option over Savic and Rudiger. According to the European Commission, Tunisia is a partner country within the European Neighbourhood Policy for the period 2014-2020, possibly helping facilitate the potential of a deal for Atleti.

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Real Madrid‘s pre-season schedule gets under way on July 18, with Los Blancos taking part in the International Champions Cup in Australia along with Manchester City and Roma. 

After two games at the colossal Melbourne Cricket Ground, Real Madrid will then travel to China to join AC Milan and Inter Milan for the second stop in a three-part pre-season tour that will eventually conclude with matches against Tottenham and Bayern Munich in the Audi Cup in Munich in early August. 

Interestingly, the pre-season matches represent significant opportunities for a number of Real Madrid’s players, with new manager Rafa Benitez expected to experiment with different systems and lineups to those the team has used over the past two seasons. 

Thus, the tour is a chance for rarely used players to stake their claim, and it’s also a chance for established stars to reinforce their worth to a new boss who has new methods and new ideas. 

Across the following slides, we examine eight Real Madrid players to watch closely this pre-season.

Begin Slideshow

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The 117th pre-season of Bayern Munich’s history begins in July, with the Bundesliga champions pitted against a host of great opposition. 

The Bavarian club are due to face Spanish, Italian and Chinese opponents in the coming weeks, with the pre-season games beginning on July 12 in the Telekom Cup against local rivals Augsburg.

The team will travel to China for an extended tour—where they are due to meet Valencia and Inter Milan. The players then return to Munich to host the Audi Cup, featuring AC Milan, Real Madrid and Tottenham Hotspur.

Here is the full schedule for FCB‘s upcoming practice matches as they prepare for another year of action, per the club’s official website, including current available viewing details:

Douglas Costa Fulfils Bayern Dream

After being mentioned in passing with the elite clubs of European football for an extended period, Douglas Costa has finally made the jump—becoming Bayern Munich’s major new signing for 2015-16. 

The Brazilian international is set to link up with the FCB squad on July 11—the day before the Telekom Cup—and could potentially make his Bayern debut just 24 hours later, per the Associated Press via the Daily Mail.

Costa has been a burgeoning talent for many seasons, but his performances at Shakhtar Donetsk have elevated in the past couple of years.

The attacker has also returned to the international fold, appearing three times at the recent Copa America, per WhoScored.com. However, he missed a vital penalty in the shootout against Paraguay as Brazil departed proceedings.

Costa was clearly delighted at joining the historic German team, per the Associated Press: “A dream has come true for me today. I’m proud to become a player for Bayern, following in the footsteps of so many magnificent Brazilian players.”

Douglas might be viewed as the long-term heir apparent to Arjen Robben, who is prone to constant injury concerns, but the Brazilian has much to live up to in order to meet the Dutchman’s standards.

Robben started only 20 Bundesliga games last term, but he returned a stunning 17 goals and seven assists, per WhoScored. 

It is unlikely Costa is ready to meet this lofty standard at present, and he will need to be broken into Pep Guardiola‘s setup with a gentle hand.

Bayern defender Rafinha supported this train of thought after the announcement of Costa’s €30 million transfer, speaking to the club’s official website (h/t Stefan Coerts of Goal.com): 

Douglas Costa is a quality player, but with all due respect to the Ukrainian league and Shakhtar, Bayern are a different world, and Bundesliga opponents are better, more dynamic, more physical and quicker. He’ll spot that straight away. We’ll certainly have to give him time to settle in.

I’m delighted we’ve signed another Brazilian, but the coach decides who plays where. I only know Douglas Costa from our matches against Shakhtar last season. However, when Dante and I flew from Brazil to Germany last week, he was coincidentally on the same flight, although he was seated a fair way away from us and we couldn’t talk a lot. As a result, I can’t really say a lot about him yet.

Guardiola needs to bring fresh blood into Bayern‘s operation, and Douglas is a player who can bring this element.

He is a talented player who is no longer just a kid with potential, but it will be a transition over the next 12 months.

The expectations at Bayern are huge, and Costa will have to adapt his game to German football. Diminutive players of the calibre of Xherdan Shaqiri have failed to make the jump at Munich, so Costa must bring his “A” game with him, when he settles in Bavaria.

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The extremes to which Dani Alves divides Barcelona supporters highlight his status as the club’s most frustrating player.

Anyone who watched Alves play in the first half of last season and then again in the second half could be forgiven for thinking they were watching two different players.

And that’s not just a comment on how Alves changes his fashion style so regularly that he must have a wardrobe bigger than Barcelona’s trophy cabinet.

Alves‘ role in helping his side lift La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa del Rey hardware last season is further confirmation of his unpredictability.

If he played like he did between January and June for Barcelona all the time, there would be no question marks over him.

It’s important to say that any doubts over Alves stem purely from some of his performances—not because of any other misgivings.

Alves is loved like he came through Barcelona’s youth system, despite signing for the club from Sevilla in 2008.

They way he speaks so frankly and openly endears him to the club’s supporters, with the most recent example being his press conference as he tried to get Barcelona to give him a new deal. Alves managed to explain his frustration with the club while simultaneously stating his commitment to the team itself.

“I’ve had to put up with a lot this year and this is the reason why I’m speaking out. I feel a lack of respect and I have limits,” he said, per Press Association (h/t the Daily Mail).

The fans appreciated his position, and the overall feeling in the city was one of delight when he put pen to paper on a new deal at the end of the season.

Alves had gone further still, crying as he told supporters at Camp Nou that he would always be one of them after the Champions League final win over Juventus, making it seem like he was certain to leave. Having lifted the treble, club president Josep Maria Bartomeu decided to surf the wave of goodwill and extend Alves‘ deal.

The 32-year-old agreed a two-year deal with the Catalan giants, but which Alves we will get next season remains to be seen.

As Barcelona closed in on their three targets last season, Alves stepped up and delivered time and time again in big games, as his contract wound down.

But now that he is tied down, could his form drop again? With Martin Montoya off at Inter Milan, the only competition Alves has in the first half of the season is Douglas.

Barcelona have signed Aleix Vidal from Sevilla, and when he is eligible to play from January onwards, he will be more of a threat to Alves. Until then, the Barcelona defender may choose to coast, like he did at times under Tata Martino in 2013-14.

Under the Argentine coach, Alves produced a lot of unsuccessful crosses, and that continued until Luis Enrique changed tack partway through the season.

Sport’s Marti Perarnau explained how Alves played a lot smarter in the second half of the season.

In January, Luis Enrique began to make some modifications to the way Alves was asked to play. He now played in a more reduced area, where his runs were less frequent but more direct and just as dangerous.

He played better and his all-round performance—in attack and defence—became much more effective.

On his day, Alves is unbeatable at the back and a truly exhilarating presence going forward. When he is not playing well, he is a danger to his side.

Opponents can exploit the gaps he leaves, and if Alves‘ crossing is out of sync, it can be dreadful.

Barcelona supporters will hope and expect the player who finished the season with them to turn up again in August, but from a detached perspective, it’s impossible to predict whether he’ll be at the top of his game or off it.

And that is what has made him the club’s most frustrating player.

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