Offers came in some were rejected by the club, some by me, others jointly, Mendieta recalls to FourFourTwo. The most famous was from Real Madrid. When they became interested in 2001, I knew Valencia wouldn't let me go for less than my release clause, which was 60 million, and Real weren't going to pay that for me. If they had triggered it, the debate would have shifted: would I have gone? But it never got to that point.
During my time at Juventus, the number of foreign players allowed went up from two to three, Laudrup tells FourFourTwo when asked how his move to Barcelona came about. Platini retired, Ian Rush came in, and then one season later they also signed Rui Barros and Oleksandr Zavarov. That made four, and since I'd been there the longest, I thought that I'd be the one they'd let go. I was a little disappointed, but PSV were interested and had just won the European Cup.
I think that's always very positive, for the players as well, because that means they have to raise their standards in training, Arteta said. The next day you don't know how many minutes because the moment we want to change the game we're going to have options. In the last few years that's something we haven't had for different reasons. And it's something that, once we have it, we have to make sure that we're using it in the right way to be a better team.
Wolves have rejected a bid from Leeds United for striker Jorgen Strand Larsen. The offer fell well below Wolves' 40m asking price and came a number of days ago. Wolves are willing to sell the Norway international, who has struggled in the Premier League this season, if they receive an acceptable offer during the transfer window. Bottom of the Premier League, Wolves are looking to reshape their squad ahead of an expected relegation.
When Alexander-Arnold made the move to Real Madrid, expectations were sky-high. His arrival was seen as a statement signing, with the club securing one of Europe's most recognisable right-backs without paying a transfer fee. However, the reality of his first season in Spain has fallen well short of what both parties initially envisioned. More concerning for the player is the fact that he has failed to establish himself as an undisputed starter.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Tunkara is set to sign his first professional contract with FC Barcelona this Friday. Tunkara is already a well-known name among followers of Barcelona's youth system. Last summer, he made a significant leap straight to Pol Planas' Juvenil A team, bypassing standard age progressions.
If anyone didn't take our ambition seriously, I hope they really do after this window, because it shows what we're pushing for. Amy Merricks was answering a question about Birmingham City breaking the second-tier transfer record to sign Wilma Leidhammar from Norrkoping, but the head coach's words could easily sum up the English January transfer window as a whole, as teams in the Women's Super League, and in WSL2, demonstrate where the financial power lies in the women's game.
West Ham are close to signing the Venezuela winger Keiber Lamadrid and plan to keep Callum Wilson, who has been in talks to leave five months after joining. Wilson scored West Ham's winner at Tottenham on Saturday after coming on as a late substitute. The 33-year-old was understood to have grown dissatisfied with life under Nuno Espirito Santo and had been seeking a new challenge but the club, five points adrift of safety, intend to hold on to him.
Said El Mala has burst onto the scene at FC Köln and he's quickly become a transfer target for several top clubs across Europe including Bayern Munich. His profile has been compared to that of Lennart Karl and Jamal Musiala with his pace, dribbling abilities, and finishing, but he's his own player and, by the looks of things, has quite a high ceiling ahead of him.
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill admitted he did not learn much about his squad after a laborious Scottish Cup victory over sixth-tier Auchinleck Talbot. Only captain Callum McGregor kept his place from the team that edged out Falkirk on Wednesday, as O'Neill handed opportunities to some of the fringe members of his squad. Stephen Welsh made his first Celtic appearance since December 2024 having been recalled from his loan spell at Motherwell, winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha was brought in out of the cold,
I think there's a strong possibility he could leave, especially now following the arrival of Antoine Semenyo. It's pushed him even further down the pecking order in Pep Guardiola's plans. He's injured at the minute, so that might put a question mark over his possible departure in the January transfer window, but I don't think it's a serious injury. I think for Oscar Bobb himself, he probably needs to be playing regularly after a couple of injuries and seasons which have delayed his development.