Former Schalke midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng has taken aim at former team-mate Benedikt Howedes and admitted he could not stand the defender right from the moment he walked through the door at the Bundesliga side.
Boateng joined Schalke from AC Milan in August 2013, but eventually left the club in December 2015 when his contract was terminated after spending six months on the sidelines due to an internal suspension over his poor attitude.
He re-joined Milan in January and has few good memories of his time with Howedes as Schalke.
I never came to blows with Howedes. That never happened, Boateng told Sport Bild. That just goes to show how much nonsense people wrote about me.
But it is true that we could not stand each other right from the beginning.
Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars insists Matthijs de Ligt will not leave in January, yet he offered no assurances over the teenage defender s future beyond this season.
Netherlands international De Ligt, 19, has been linked with Barcelona, Roma and Manchester City ahead of transfer windows across the continent reopening again in the new year.
De Ligt signed a four-year contract extension in 2017 and Overmars has confirmed he will not be leaving in January.
The percentage that De Ligt leaves Ajax in January is zero per cent, Overmars told LaRoma24.it.
However, Overmars was less certain on De Ligt s future past this season.
Asked whether the defender could be sold in June, Overmars replied: Yes, I confirm it is a possibility.
10 Matth…
Juventus striker Gonzalo Higuain has warned his team-mates that Barcelona will not have another off day like the one that put them on the brink of elimination to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16.
Barcelona were beaten 4-0 in the Parc des Princes and needed a miraculous comeback in the return leg to book their place in the quarter-finals, with Sergi Roberto eventually rounding off a stunning 6-1 win well into stoppage time.
Luis Enrique s men now face Juventus, and Higuain thinks Barca will be brimming with confidence ahead of Tuesday s first leg in Turin.
Football is so changeable, and a team that everyone thought was knocked out went through to the quarters. They will be full of confidence, Higuain told UEFA s official website.
Barca had an off da…
Harry Kane reached his half-century of European goals with an Allianz Arena double as Bayern Munich turned around their Champions League tie against Lazio to reach the last eight of the competition.
Kane scored twice and Thomas Muller added another to overturn Lazio’s first-leg lead in style and give Bayern a comfortable 3-0 victory in Bavaria.
Lazio’s resistance lasted 38 minutes, but there was only one outcome after Kane levelled the tie on aggregate with his 50th goal in European competition.
Bayern comeback
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague)
Bayern boss Thomas Tuchel sprang a surprise before kick-off by preferring England defender Eric Dier at centre-back to big-money summer purchase Kim Min-jae.
Lazio were aiming to r…
Gundogan still undecided about his City future
Making major history on Saturday night as he lifted Manchester City’s first Champions League crown, has certainly cemented his place as one of the Etihad’s favourite sons.
However, while Pep Guardiola’s side might have made it clear that they want the ex-Borussia Dortmund midfielder to extend his stay in Manchester, Gundogan stated after Saturday’s final in Istanbul that he is yet to decide on what the future holds.
Playing a crucial role as City became the first English club since Manchester United in to be crowned treble champions, the German international has just days remaining on his current deal at the Etihad.
While Gundogan might still be making up his mind on where he will be playing next season…
Paris St Germain can go top of France s Ligue 1 on Saturday, but it could be a brief stay with league-leaders Lille set to play on Sunday.
Antoine Kombouare s Paris St Germain trail Lille by just one point and on Saturday host Monaco, who are battling for top-tier survival in 17th place and level on 15 points with relegation zone residents Caen and Lens.
Lens and Caen also meet on Saturday in a crunch game for both sides, with the winner hoping to put some valuable breathing space between themselves and the bottom three.
Fourth-placed Stade Rennes could pull level on 31 points with Lille when they welcome 16th-placed Valenciennes, and Brest could also improve on their sixth placing when they travel to take on Nice.
St Etienne play host to bottom side Arl…
Jorge Jesus paid tribute to everyone involved with Benfica after they lifted their 33rd Primeira Liga title on Sunday.
A double from Lima secured a 2-0 victory over Olhanense at the Estadio da Luz that ensured Benfica cannot be caught with two games remaining.
With excitement building prior to kick-off in Lisbon, Benfica fans had to wait until just before the hour to officially start the celebrations, when Lima netted twice in three minutes.
Nearest rivals Sporting Lisbon are seven points adrift and Jesus was quick to praise a team effort in securing a first Primeira Liga title since 2010.
I think it will be an unforgettable night for us, the head coach told Benfica s official website. This was our major goal and we are all to be congratulated.
I was confid…
Seeing Kasper Schmeichel play for Manchester United would be a dream for his father, Old Trafford icon Peter.
The Leicester City goalkeeper has been touted as a potential replacement for David de Gea, a reported target for Spanish and European champions Real Madrid.
Schmeichel Sr won five Premier League titles, three FA Cups and the Champions League during a hugely successful eight-season spell with United.
He said it would be fantastic to see his son – also a winner of England s top flight in 2015-16 – turn out regularly at Old Trafford, though he does not believe a departure from Leicester is required at the moment.
It would be a dream , Schmeichel Sr told talkSPORT when asked if he would like to see his son in a United shirt.
For me, tr…
Arsenal defender Calum Chambers
Arsenal defender Calum Chambers has come off the back of an impressive campaign for club and country, having impressed on loan at Middlesbrough in the Premier League and England U21 in this summer’s U21 European Championship.
The young centre-back return to Arsenal for pre-season where he’ll bid for first-team football in 2017/18, but the stiff competition may see him subsidiary under manager Arsene Wenger. So would a loan move be beneficial to Chambers?
Experience last season has greatly boosted his development
This time last season, Chambers was at a crossroads in his Arsenal career. He had racked up just over 300 minutes of Premier League football in 2015/16, featuring more heavily in the FA Cup, and his future at t…
The Frenkie de Jong transfer rumour mill is heating up once again as we get closer to January, with Chelsea and Liverpool reportedly set to join Manchester United in the pursuit of the Barcelona midfielder.
De Jong, 25, was one of the most ubiquitous names in the most recent transfer window, with United and Barcelona in regular communication as Erik ten Hag tried to recruit his former Ajax pupil.
After deciding to remain at Camp Nou, despite the LaLiga club urging him to leave to help ease their finances, De Jong has started six out of 14 matches for the Blaugrana so far this season.
With their Champions League campaign looking headed for an early exit, and more playing time likely on the table in the Premier League, it may seem more palatable for the Dutch inter…