January transfer window: Besiktas snap up Kagawa on deadline day
January 31
– Shinji Kagawa has completed a loan switch from Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund to Turkish club Besiktas until the end of the season. The Japan international had looked set to join Monaco until the move broke down on Wednesday and was linked with Hannover on deadline day, but Kagawa opted for the move to Turkey.
Kagawa helped Dortmund win the league and cup double in 2012 before spending two years at Manchester United. He then returned to the German club in 2014, but has fallen out of favor under coach Lucien Favre.
– RB Leipzig have signed 18-year-old English midfielder Emile Smith-Rowe on loan from Arsenal for the rest of the season. Smith-Rowe scored three goals in six competitive appearances after making his Arsenal debut this season. The England Under-19 player usually plays on the left wing.
Leipzig are fourth in the Bundesliga and bidding for Champions League qualification for the second consecutive year. They were keen on securing an option to buy the player at the end of his loan deal but that was turned down by Arsenal.
–Schalke have brought in central defender Jeffrey Bruma on loan from Wolfsburg until the end of the season.
“In particular following Benjamin Stambouli’s injury, it was important for us to have another option in defence,” Schalke coach Domenico Tedesco said.
“Which is why we are happy to have signed an experienced central defender, who knows the Bundesliga, in Jeffrey Bruma.”
The 27-year-old has made 25 appearances for the Netherlands.
– Eintracht Frankfurt have reached an agreement with Augsburg to bring in the out-of-favor defender Martin Hinteregger on loan until the end of the season. Augsburg had fined the 26-year-old Austrian as a result of a statement he had made about coach Manuel Braun following their 2-0 defeat in Mönchengladbach on Saturday.
“I can’t say anything positive about him and also won’t say anything negative,” Hinteregger said of Braun.
In Augsburg’s press release announcing the loan move, Hinteregger said he regretted the developments of the past few days and thought it best to focus on “a new challenge.”
– Eintracht Frankfurt on Thusday also announced the signing of 19-year-old Brazilian defender Tuta from Sao Paolo, who can play either in a central role or out on the right.
–Schalke have brought in central defender Jeffrey Bruma on loan from Wolfsburg.
January 30
– Schalke have signed 18-year-old winger Rabbi Matondo from Manchester City with the Wales international penning a contract until 2023.
Matondo has already trained with his new teammates after completing a medical at Schalke, who face Manchester City in the last 16, first leg, of the Champions League on February 20.
“It’s a great adventure for me – I already knew a lot about Schalke: Mesut Ozil, Ivan Rakitic and Leroy Sane all took important steps in their careers here,” said Matondo, who joined City from Cardiff City’s academy in 2016.
“The Bundesliga is a great league and Schalke is the right decision for my footballing future.”
– After Tuesday’s rumors comes Wedensday’s confirmation. Sandro Wagner has left Bayern Munich for the second time to make a lucrative move to Chinese outfit Tianjin Teda.
The club confirmed the news with a tweet thanking Wagner for his service. The 31-year-old striker rejoined the club he played for as a youngster last January as a backup to Robert Lewandowski, after impressing during a spell at Hoffenheim.
Opportunities have been particularly thin on the ground this term, with Wagner on the field for just 138 goalless minutes over seven league appearances, only one of which was a start. His sole strike this term came against lower league side SV Rödinghausen in the German Cup. The powerful striker also retired from international duty last year after being left out of Joachim Löw’s initial World Cup squad.
“Sandro Wagner came up to us and asked for release from his contract,” explained Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic. “He has a very attractive offer from China and we have accepted his request. We thank Sandro for his time at Bayern and wish him all the best for his future in China.”
Wagner’s departure leaves Bayern lacking a natural backup to Lewandowski once again, though Thomas Müller has often played upfront when required. With Callum Hudson-Odoi now set to stay at Chelsea it remains to be seen whether Bayern will replace Wagner before the transfer window shuts on Thursday evening.
January 29
– Sandro Wagner looks to be on his way out at Bayern Munich. The 31-year-old hasn’t featured in a matchday squad since the start of the second half of the season and the German record titleholders are expected to make an official announcement on the player’s future this week. BILD, meanwhile, are reporting that the striker is on his way to China to sign for Tianjin Teda.
– The latest twist in the tale of Bayern Munich target Callum Hudson-Odoi could be the last during the January transfer window. According to reports in England, Chelsea have told the 18-year-old that they are unwilling to sell him after receiving the player’s transfer request.
Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic told the press on Sunday: “If I have something to say then it’ll be tomorrow.” With no news from the club on Monday, it may be safe to assume that the move is off the table for the time being at least.
– After annoucing his decision to leave Bayern Munich at the end of the season, Arjen Robben is on the verge of signing for FC Tokyo according to Nippon Sports. The Japanese news outlet have claimed that “several Japanese clusba are interested, but Tokyo are the closest to securing a signature”.
However, the Dutchman’s father has spoken out on Sky Sports News HD claiming that the reports are nothing more than rumours: “He wants to get fit first and a decision has not been made on his future yet.”
January 28
– With just a few days left in the transfer window, Callum Hudson Odoi‘s much touted move to Bayern Munich is still far from a done deal. The 18-year-old English talent has handed in a transfer request at Chelsea amid a reported €35 million bid from the German champions but the west London club seem keen to hang on to the teenager, who scored in their FA Cup victory at the weekend.
“We want him to stay,” said Cheslea assistant Ginafranco Zola. “We were singing it as well. We are playing him. We believe in what he can do to this team. In training his attitude was excellent, he scored a fantastic goal.
– One man who is on the move, though not until the end of the season, is Fabian Lustenburger. The Swiss defender will return to his native land with Young Boys Bern at the end of the current campaign after 12 years with Hertha BSC.
January 25
– Bayern Munich have made American teenager Chris Richard‘s loan deal permanent, giving the defender a contract until June 2023.
The 18-year-old center back, who originally came to Munich on loan from US partner club FC Dallas last year, has become a regular in Bayern’s under-19 team, making 21 appearances and even scoring two goals.
Richards, from Hoover, Alabama, said: “I always dreamed of playing at a big club in Europe one day. Now I’ve actually joined one of the top clubs. I’m really very happy.”
Jochen Sauer, the head of Bayern’s youth academy, added: “Chris has given a good account of himself here over the last half year, and we’re confident he will continue to develop very well at FC Bayern. We see a lot of potential in him.”
– Borussia Dortmund forward Alexander Isak has joined Dutch Eredivisieside Willem II on loan until the end of the season.
The Swedish teenager joined BVB from AIK Solna in 2017 in a €9 million ($10.2 million) deal which was allegedly completed without the knowledge of former coach Thomas Tuchel.
Since then, the 19-year-old has only made sporadic appearances for the first team, but he has scored five goals in 11 games for Dortmund’s reserve team in the fourth division this season.
Sporting director Michael Zorc said: “We consider Alex to be a huge talent and we want to give him the chance to get as much game time as possible at a high level.”
January 23
RB Leipzig are set to complete the signing of offensive midfielder Hannes Wolf from sister-club Red Bull Salzburg, according to several media reports in Germany (BILD) and Austria (Kurier, Krone).
The 19-year-old has made 23 appearances for the Austrian champions this season, scoring five goals and assisting nine more. He was part of the Salzburg franchise which knocked the Leipzig franchise out of the Europa League this season.
After making use of an exit clause in his contract, which was dated until 2020, Wolf is set to sign a new contract in Leipzig until 2024, making him the 16th former Salzburg player to move to Leipzig since 2012.
January 22
Kevin-Prince Boateng (31) has made a shock loan move to Spanish giants Barcelona until the end of the season. The Berlin-born Ghanaian international has been under contract at Italian side Sassuolo since leaving German Cup winners Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer but the La Liga club have signed the forward on loan until the end of the season – an agreement which includes an €8 million($9 million) option to buy.
Journeyman Boateng has played in all of Europe’s top four leagues, including spells at Hertha Berlin, Tottenham Hotspur, AC Milan, Schalke and Las Palmas.
January 18
Florian Kainz has left Bundesliga side Werder Bremen for second division Cologne. The Austria midfielder has caught the eye at times in his three years at the Weserstadion but at 26, he has moved to secure first team football.
January 17
Fortuna Düsseldorf have dipped into the transfer market to add more experience to their ranks, signing former Ingolstadt left-back Markus Suttner on loan from Brighton Hove Albion for the remainder of the season. The Austrian international made 49 appearances in Germany’s top flight between 2015 and 2017 for Die Schanzer.
January 17
Teenager central defender Ozan Kabak (18) has signed for Stuttgart for a reported club record fee of €11.5 million ($11.5 million). Kabak joins from Galatasaray has signed a deal until 2024 and arrives in Stuttgart with Champions League and international experience having played four games in Europe’s top club competition and 11 for his country, Turkey.
January 13
Borussia Dortmund have completed their first signing of the January transfer window with Argentine youngster Leonardo Balerdi swapping Boca Juniors for BVB. The 19-year-old centre-back, also coveted by Barcelona, arrived in Dortmund on Monday and, after completing the precursory medical check, has signed a “long-term deal” according to the club.
“The signing of Leonardo Balerdi is a transfer with the long-term in mind that was due to be completed this coming summer, but has been brought forward. Leonardo is an intelligent centre-back who’s good in the tackle and in the air. We’re delighted he’s signed for us and are convinced that he’ll be able to use his talent to help us in the future,” said sporting director Michael Zorc.
Balerdi is due to miss the start of the second half of the season to represent his national team in qualifying for the Under-20 World Cup in Poland this summer.
January 12
Second division side Köln have splashed the cash to sign a new holding midfielder and have pulled off a real coup with the signing of Johannes Geis from Schalke. The former Germany U-21 international boasts a wealth of top-flight experience and is hoping to breathe new life into his career after struggling to establish himself in Gelsenkirchen.
“The goal for the rest of the season is clear: we want to get promoted. I have real desire to make this happen and play my part in achieving our goal.”
January 12
Fortuna Düsseldorf have bolstered their options between the sticks with the signing of Jaroslav Drobny from Werder Bremen. The shot-stopper, who has 200 Bundesliga appearances to his name, is yet to feature in 2018/19 and has joined on a six-month deal until the end of the season.
January 10
Another day, another Bayern Munich rumor. After the Benjamin Pavard signing, and with rumors continuing to swirl about Callum Hudson-Odoi, reports in Germany and elsewhere are suggesting that Bayern are looking to hijack Barcelona’s deal to sign PSG midfielder Adrien Rabiot on a free.
The German champions are said to be keen on the playmaker and willing to stump up in January in an attempt to beat the Spanish side to Rabiot’s signature.
January 10
Amid the noise surrounding Benjamin Pavard’s future move, Stuttgart tied up a deal for a familiar Bundesliga face. Swiss international Steven Zuber has joined the struggling Swabians on a loan deal that runs until the end of the current campaign.
The wide player has fallen out of favor at Hoffenheim of late after 82 league appearances for the club and welcomed the chance to move on.
“I had good conversations with head coach Markus Weinzierl and the leading figures at the club. From the very first second they convinced me about making the move to VfB Stuttgart,” Zuber said.
“Our aim is to stay in the Bundesliga – we want to achieve that as quickly as possible. I want to play my part in celebrating as many wins as possible with the brilliant fans in the second half of the season.”
January 9
“This is a young player who is a world champion, we are very happy and proud”, Bayern’s sporting director, Hassan Salihamidzic told reporters following the announcement on Wednesday. Benjamin Pavard is to join Bayern from Stuttgart on July 1st 2019 after his €35-million ($40 million) release clause was activated.
Bayern have long been admirers of the 22-year old defender, whose stellar performances throughout last season earned him a call up to the French squad in the lead up to the 2018 World Cup. He played an integral role in France’s successful campaign in Russia, playing every minute of the knockout stages, including the 4-2 win over Croatia in the final. He also won goal of the tournament for a sensational strike against Argentina in the last 16.
Despite Stuttgart’s defensive shortcomings this season – they share the Bundesliga’s second poorest record for goals conceded – Pavard is widely regarded as one of the best young defender’s in Germany and the transfer is sure to be seen as a coup for the club as they look to refurbish an aging squad. His versatility will also have been appealing. Pavard plays centrally for his club but full back with the national side.
Pavard joined Stuttgart, then in the second division, from Lille in 2016 for around €5 million He played 21 games in Stuttgart’s promotion-winning campaign, before cementing his place in the side over the past two seasons in the Bundesliga. He has played 48 Bundesliga games for the club, scoring once.
January 4
Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola, now assistant to coach Maurizio Sarri, has urged highly-regarded young English forward Callum Hudson-Odoi he’d be better staying with the Premier League club, after Bayern Munich reportedly bid €33 million for the 18-year-old.
The England youth international’s contract expires in 2020 and Zola is keen to keep one of England’s brightest prospects.
“I know Bayern is very interested in him but we’re interested in him, as well,” said Zola. We’ve proposed with him a contract for quite a while so we’re waiting to see what he thinks about that.
I’ve already told him: ‘It’s not a waste of time. It’s a time in which you can really get better because you are pushed to do more.’ “I hope Callum is using this time in a wise way and hopefully he’ll sign a contract with us.”
Hudson-Odoi has made a handful of appearances for Chelsea but is likely to move down a slot when Christian Pulisic arrives from Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
January 3
Former Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski has been allowed to leave Wolfsburg on a free transfer and is now searching for a new club in his native Poland. The 33-year-old made 235 Bundesliga appearances and won the league twice with Dortmund in an eight year spell. But after failing to make an appearance for the Wolves this season, club and player decided to end the relationship.
January 3
Naldo’s 13 year stint in the Bundesliga is at an end after the 36-year-old Brazilian center back agreed to join Ligue Un outfit Monaco, signing a contract until the summer of 2020 after falling down the pecking order under Domineco Tedesco this season.
The former Werder Bremen and Wolfsburg man enjoyed something of an Indian summer last term as Schalke finished second, with a dramatic last gasp equalizer in the 4-4 Ruhr Derby against Werder Bremen a particular highlight.
“My two and a half years at Schalke had many big moments, there will always be the best memories,” Naldo said.
He faces a tough task in the prinicipality, with Thierry Henry’s side second from bottom of Ligue Un and struggling to cope with the deaprture of a number of key players over the last few years.
January 2
– Borussia Dortmund announced in a statement on Wednesday that they had reached a deal to sell Christian Pulisic to Chelsea for a transfer fee of €64 million ($73 million). As part of the deal he has been loaned back to Dortmund for the remainder of this season.
“It was always Christian’s big dream to play in the Premier League. That definitely has to do with his American up bringing, and as a result it wasn’t possible for us to extend his contract,” Dortmund’s sporting director, Michael Zorc, said. “In view of this, and the short time remaining on his contract, to accept an extraordinary, lucrative offer from Chelsea.”
Pulisic’s contract with Dortmund had been due to expire at the end of the 2019/20 campaign.
January 1
– Nicolai Müller has joined second-from the bottom Hannover on loan until the end of the season. The 31-year-old winger, had been struggling to get playing minutes since moving to Eintracht Frankfurt from Hamburg in the summer.
December 30
– Alex Meier has reportedly found a new club. According to BILD, the 35-year-old striker will return second division side St. Pauli, the club where he started his professional career. The 2014-15 Bundesliga top scorer has suffered from a series of injuries over the years, and Eintracht Frankfurt chose not to prolong his contract after it expired at the end of last season.
December 27
– Sebastian Rode is an Eagle again. Eintracht Frankfurt announced this Tuesday that the 28-year-old midfielder would return to the club on loan from Borussia Dortmund until the end of the current season. In his previous spell in Frankfurt, between 2010 and 2014, Rode made 108 appearances in all competitions, scoring five goals
Article source: https://www.dw.com/en/january-transfer-window-besiktas-snap-up-kagawa-on-deadline-day/a-46899974