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World Cup winner and former Borussia Dortmund star Mats Hummels has confirmed he will retire from football at the end of the season.

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• Mats Hummels to retire from football
• Defender won 2014 World Cup
• Played for Bayern and Dortmund

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The defender, currently at Roma, announced on Instagram that this campaign will be his last, pulling the curtain down on a stellar career. He wrote that he is "struggling with emotions" at the decision to call time on his 19-year stint at the highest level.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Hummels came through the Bayern Munich academy and returned to the club from 2016-19 but will be best remembered for his legendary spells at Borussia Dortmund, where he won two Bundesliga titles and reached the final of the 2013 Champions League. He and Dortmund were back in the final in May 2024, losing to Real Madrid 2-0, while Hummels' greatest triumph is surely being part of the Germany team that won the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

• WHAT HUMMELS SAID

  In his Instagram post, Hummels said: "I'm struggling with emotions right now. Now comes the moment no footballer can avoid. After more than 18 years with so many things that football has given me, I'm ending my career this summer."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR HUMMELS?

  There is still plenty for Hummels to play for this season, with Roma aiming to qualify for the Champions League under the management of Claudio Ranieri. They are four points off fourth position with eight matches to play and take on Juventus in a huge game on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur drew 2-2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday afternoon, undoubtedly placing more pressure on boss Ange Postecoglou.

Goals from Brennan Johnson and Rodrigo Bentancur weren’t enough for Spurs in North London after Jorgen Strand Larsen fired home a late equaliser for the visitors.

The point leaves Postecoglou’s side 11th in the Premier League table at the halfway stage of the campaign, 11 points off the Champions League spots, with the dream rapidly fading away week after week.

The draw leaves Spurs chasing their first win in three matches, losing two and conceding nine goals in the process, with the defensive injuries causing havoc once again.

However, such issues shouldn’t excuse the performance levels of numerous players who once again failed to deliver at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs’ disappointing performers against Wolves

Striker Dominic Solanke has often been the man to provide the goods within the final third this season after his club-record £65m transfer from Bournemouth in the summer.

The Englishman has scored six Premier League goals in 2024/25, but was unable to add to his tally this afternoon, looking wasteful in possession throughout the score draw.

He only completed one of his four attempted dribbles in North London, whilst also winning just six of his 16 duels and losing possession 11 times in the process.

As for goalkeeper Fraser Forster, he was once again unable to pull up any trees as he covered for the injured Guglielmo Vicario between the sticks.

The 36-year-old made his tenth appearance of the season earlier today, but wasn’t able to add to his clean sheet tally, conceding two or more for the fifth time.

He was beaten by a sensational strike by Hwang Hee-chan for the opener, but certainly could’ve done more to keep out the visitors’ leveller, being beaten way too easily at his near post.

However, one other Spurs player failed to produce once again despite continued faith shown by Postecoglou, with the Aussie needing to take action ahead of the next league clash next weekend.

The Spurs player who was as bad as Forster against Wolves

Spurs captain Heung-min Son has for so long been the player to cause havoc for the club in attacking areas, but in recent months has struggled to produce the goods on a consistent basis in 2024/25.

The South Korean attacker has only managed to notch five goals in the league to date, with this afternoon another one of his displays to forget in North London.

He featured for just 64 minutes before being replaced by Timo Werner, but his withdrawal was understandable given his lack of impact during his hour on the pitch.

The 32-year-old only registered 27 touches of the ball, only completing 15 passes – losing possession six times and looking wasteful throughout the draw with the relegation-threatened side.

Son also missed his spot kick in the first half, with Postecoglou’s side undoubtedly going on to claim all three points had he managed to find the back of the net.

He also failed to complete any of his three attempted crosses, unable to succeed in dribbling past the opposition, looking a shadow of his former self, with his days at the top level undoubtedly numbered given his recent showings.

As a result of his dismal showing, he was handed a measly 4/10 match rating by Football London’s Alasdair Gold – highlighting how disappointing he was once more.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Given his failure to deliver once again this afternoon, Ange simply must drop him from the starting lineup in the next meeting with Newcastle United next weekend.

It’s been sad to see a fan-favourite decline given what he’s done for the club over his decade in North London, but ultimately, the Aussie needs to be brutal to save his job and take the Lilywhites back to the top end of the table.

He's like Rice: Spurs could finally axe Bissouma by signing £21m sensation

He could be Spurs’ answer to Declan Rice

By
Joe Nuttall

Dec 28, 2024

Ange Postecoglou lashed out at VAR again after Tottenham's defeat at Chelsea was marred by 12 minutes of "clear and obvious" goal checks.

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• Spurs' crisis deepens after Chelsea loss
• Postecoglou furious with the role of VAR
• Believes AI could take over refereeing soon

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Tottenham’s struggles in the Premier League continued on Thursday night as they slumped to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea secured all three points thanks to a second-half strike from Enzo Fernandez, leaving Ange Postecoglou’s men languishing in 14th place in the table, with just ten wins in 30 matches.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The result, however, was quickly overshadowed by another contentious VAR intervention, which saw Tottenham’s potential equaliser ruled out after a lengthy review. The incident occurred in the 69th minute when Pape Sarr thought he had brought Spurs level, only for referee Craig Pawson to be summoned to the pitchside monitor. Following a painstaking six-minute delay, the goal was eventually disallowed for a foul in the buildup – a decision that left Postecoglou fuming.

• WHAT POSTECOGLOU SAID

  Speaking after the match, the Australian manager did not hold back his thoughts on the use of video technology, questioning the entire direction football is heading.

  "But see that's the problem, whether I think it's a foul or not, what does it matter? What matters is, VAR was called in for clear and obvious errors," he told reporters.

  "I’ve said this a few times already. We all sat on our couches last night and watched an incident where I reckon if I did a straw poll and asked: ‘After the first replay what did you think?’ How long did it take tonight? Six minutes. For a clear and obvious error."
  He added: "Who cares if it was a foul or not? There were so many incidents out there. What does it matter? What’s the point of having a referee then? Clear and obvious means you go to the screen, standing around for six minutes. Not me, because I’m very vocal about it, we all accept it. It’s going to be refereed by AI soon. Like I said, we might as well dispense with the players at some point when some genius comes up with a game with no participants at some point. Referees aren’t refereeing.

  "If anyone believes when VAR was brought in we would be sitting around for six minutes with a microscope. It’s irrelevant if it’s a foul. It’s totally irrelevant. Then they will say they came there with a decision. But that’s irrelevant. Jarrod Gillet was on VAR tonight but maybe if he had been on VAR last night maybe he would have come to a different outcome. I don’t like it, mate, I’ve never liked it, I don’t see how it’s benefitted our game."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TOTTENHAM?

  Tottenham are set to face Southampton on Sunday, a match that will likely be seen as a must-win given the Saints are at the bottom of the standings. Following the domestic fixture, Spurs will turn their attention to European competition, hosting Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final next Thursday.

Chelsea have made contact over signing a very highly-rated striker, who’s drawn comparisons with Galatasaray star Victor Osimhen, coming after Enzo Maresca’s side failed with a late summer move for the Nigerian.

Chelsea draw up striker shortlist after botched Victor Osimhen deal

During the latter phase of the summer transfer window, Chelsea held late talks over signing Osimhen from Napoli, but the move couldn’t come to fruition.

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Chelsea were directly Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli for his services, but neither team could come to terms on both a fee and terms for Osimhen, who later settled for a season-long loan move to Super Lig champions Galatasaray.

The African superstar’s deal with Galatasaray is rumoured to include a break-clause, meaning certain interested sides, including Chelsea, can elect to activate it and make a swoop for Osimhen in January.

According to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, the 25-year-old remains on Chelsea’s striker shortlist for 2025, alongside the likes of Liam Delap, Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Boniface, but it is unclear whether they’re keen on bringing him in for January.

Nicolas Jackson is leading the line superbly right now, and Chelsea are currently the Premier League’s top goalscorers, with both Christopher Nkunku and Cole Palmer already hitting double figures across all competitions.

That being said, if Chelsea were to move for him in the summer, there is every reason to believe Osimhen would be keen on a switch to Stamford Bridge.

“I know what Victor wanted,” said ex-Chelsea midfielder John Obi-Mikel on Osimhen’s eagerness to join Chelsea earlier this year.

“Both sides really played their part in terms of getting the deal done, and I commend Chelsea for that, because I can see their ambition of where they want to take this club now, and also on Victor’s side, how much he really wanted to come to the club.”

The desire to join Chelsea is clearly there, but BlueCo may not even elect to go back in his direction next year. There are many different options on the table for Maresca’s side, and one of them is RB Leipzig starlet Benjamin Sesko.

Chelsea make contact over signing RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko

Chelsea had an offer rejected to sign Sesko mid-way through the summer window, alongside both Man United and Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano), with the Slovenia international choosing to remain and sign a new contract with Leipzig.

Sesko’s fresh contract is rumoured to include a new release clause set at around £63 million, and he apparently has a gentlemen’s agreement that he can leave Leipzig in either 2025 or 2026.

The prospect of an exit for the 21-year-old is very much alive, with journalist Rudy Galetti now sharing an update on his future, which involves Chelsea.

Indeed, writing for TEAMtalk, he says that Chelsea have made contact over signing Sesko from Leipzig, as they hold talks with the agents and intermediaries of numerous striker targets who they believe could reinforce their attacking options.

“Benjamin Šeško is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player,” said interim Man United recruitment director Christopher Vivell, formerly of Leipzig.

“He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6’4″) is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile.”

Interestingly, Football Transfers have also called Sesko a “similar” striker to Osimhen.

Wrexham’s rise up the leagues has been extraordinary, with owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney transforming the Welsh side both on and off the pitch.

Reynolds and McElhenney have splashed the cash on a number of signings since arriving in 2020, with the Red Dragons eventually hoping to be playing Premier League football.

But who is the current record signing at the Racecourse Ground? We’ve taken a look at Wrexham’s most expensive signings in their history, with the help of Transfermarkt and news reports.

After several months of intense speculation, Mohamed Salah is staying at Liverpool after committing to a new contract at Anfield.

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• Iconic forward was heading towards free agency
• Extended stay at Anfield has been agreed
• Ready to chase down more major honours

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Egyptian superstar was set to see his previous deal expire in the summer of 2025. That led to regular rounds of rumours regarding his future. Free agency has been avoided, with the 32-year-old forward sticking around at Anfield.

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• WHAT MOHAMED SALAH SAID

  Salah told Liverpool’s : "Of course I’m very excited. We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football.

  "It’s great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it’s going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career.

  "I would like to say to [the fans], I am very, very happy to be here. I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together. Keep supporting us and we’ll give it our best, and hopefully in the future we’re going to win more trophies."

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Salah joined Liverpool from Roma in the summer of 2017. He has gone on to register 243 goals for the club through 394 appearances, breaking countless records along the way. He has helped the Reds to Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup glory.

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• WHAT NEXT?

  While Liverpool have merely stated that Salah’s new deal "will keep him with the club beyond the 2024-25 season", it is claimed that fresh terms are tying him down until 2027 – allowing a decade of loyal service to be completed.

Bournemouth star says USMNT must understand the stakes and 'can’t be taking a World Cup for granted on home soil'

• Adams stresses competitive mindset for every match
• USMNT star calls for return to basics, improved execution
• Recent losses raise concerns about World Cup readiness

• AFP
  

  WHAT HAPPENED

  Following disappointing results in the 2025 CONCACAF Nations League, where the USMNT lost to both Panama and Canada, many critics have questioned the mindset of the players.

  Tyler Adams acknowledged the criticism, and the midfielder said that the team's inconsistent mentality and lack of competitiveness need immediate attention.

  “For me, more than anything, it’s just the belief,” Adams told Men in Blazers. "We have to believe before we go out on the pitch that you’re able to win, able to compete with any team. I don’t know if the little bit of success that we’ve had – whether it’s Nations League or the opportunity to play in World Cups at a young age – that we’ve taken it for granted. But the mindset needs to shift and it needs to shift quickly. Because with a World cup on the horizon, we can’t be taking a World Cup for granted on home soil.”

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  WHAT TYLER ADAMS SAID

  Adams stressed that the team, coached by Mauricio Pochettino, needs to "get back to basics."

  “I don’t think it’s a ‘naïve’ mindset, I don’t think it’s 'we’ve had too much too soon’ mindset," he said. "I just think we need to get back to the basics. And the biggest thing for me is just compete at a high level. You know we don’t need to play the most beautiful game of football, it doesn’t need to be Guardiola-esque football. We don’t have the time for that, we have the time to compete.

  “I think we need to understand that not everyone gets the opportunity to represent your country so I think in the next camps leading up to the World Cup, people need to represent their country in the best way.”

  The Bournemouth midfielder also touched upon comments made by Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey post-Nations League about the lack of passion and pride on display.

  “They definitely know the struggle of what we’re dealing with and they’ve definitely all dealt with times in the national team career as well that has been difficult," he said. "But I wouldn’t disagree with anything that they’re saying, and the way that we’ve played and the way that we competed, 100 percent it looks like we don’t care. I mean how do we go out in some of these games and not have the attitude to be ready to compete? We need to show that mindset, show that we care and show the character that we have and who cares about the football anymore? Show that we want to be there and want to compete.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The USMNT have endured a tough few months especially after many expected them to lift the Nations League especially after they won the previous three editions. However, Pochettino’s side fell short as they lost 1-0 to Panama in the semifinals and then lost 2-1 to Canada in the third-place game.

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  WHAT’S NEXT?

  The USMNT will play Turkey and Switzerland on June 7 and 11 respectively. Following that, Pochettino’s team will compete in the 2025 Gold Cup, which they are co-hosting alongside Canada.

Fair to say, Celtic’s Tuesday night visit to Dens Park was a lot more eventful than anyone could’ve forecast.

When Celtic midfielder Luke McCowan headed home the opener against his former club inside five minutes, most assumed the champions would cruise to a comfortable victory in the City of Discovery.

However, Dundee hit back not once, not twice but three times, Cameron Carter-Vickers the scorer of an unfortunate own goal mere seconds after Yang Hyun-jun had nodded the Hoops in front, the visitors thereby requiring a 93rd minute Arne Engels spot-kick to salvage a draw.

Brendan Rodgers was clearly fuming at full time, but the two points dropped has little tangible consequence, with Celtic now 16 points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, ahead of Rangers’ clash with Aberdeen on Wednesday night.

When asked for an update about January transfers post-game by Sky Sports’ Luke Shanley, Rodgers said “nothing as of yet, I’ll probably find out over the next couple of days”, so could the Celts’ first signing of the window be imminent?

Celtic chasing a highly-rated teenager

As first reported by Mark McCadden of the Irish Mirror, Celtic are “leading the race” to sign St Patrick’s Athletic striker Mason Melia.

This came after Melia visited Glasgow last week for talks, having accepted a similar invitation from Tottenham before Christmas, while Serie A side Bologna are also mentioned as “eager” to sign him, with further interest from Bundesliga and Belgian clubs.

So who is Melia, and why is he so sought after?

Mason Melia's record at youth level

Still only 17-years-old, he’s made 54 appearances for League of Ireland side St Pat’s, scoring ten goals, helping the Red Army finish third last season.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Back in November 2023, he came off the bench as St Patrick’s Athletic beat fierce Dublin rivals Bohemians 3-1 in the FAI Cup Final.

The match was played in front of 43,881 supporters at the Aviva Stadium, a record-breaking attendance for an Irish cup final, with Melia becoming the youngest-ever player to feature in a FAI Cup Final, doing so at the age of just 16 years and 50 days.

Journalist Conor McEvoy described Melia as a “terrific talent”, with Mark Gallagher of Extra Ireland believing he is valued at €1m (around £835,000), which would smash the League of Ireland record, currently held by Liam Scales, who joined Celtic for €600,000 from Shamrock Rovers in 2021.

As noted by Football Insider, due to Brexit regulations, Melia cannot join a British club until after his 18th birthday, meaning no move will take place until January 2026 at the earliest, but that does not mean Celtic, or anyone else for that matter, cannot agree a deal now.

How Mason Melia would fit in at Celtic

Should the teenager choose to make the move to Parkhead, he would face tough competition for a starting spot from fellow strikers Kyōgo Furuhashi and Adam Idah.

Idah became an instant Celtic hero by scoring a 90th-minute winner against Rangers in last season’s Scottish Cup Final, but has not lived up to these lofty expectations since his move from Norwich was made permanent, at the huge cost of £9.5m.

He came in for scathing criticism from Sky Sports pundits Kris Boyd, Neil Lennon and James McFadden after Tuesday’s game, with Boyd saying “he doesn’t seem to be the same player” as last season, adding “he needs to do more”.

So, perhaps there would be room in the squad for Meila to make an impression?

Regardless of current form, Idah, as well as the aforementioned Scales, are simply the latest in a long line of Irish Celtic players, 22 have made a senior appearance to be exact, some of whom are amongst the club’s biggest legends.

Some all-time legends are on this list, none more so than Pat Bonner, only five players have made more appearances than him in the club’s entire history, while Roy Keane and Robbie Keane are at the other end of the scale as football greats, if not so much when bedecked in green and white hoops.

So, if Melia does move to the Scottish champions, he’ll be following in the footsteps of plenty of Irish legends… and Shane Duffy, but we don’t mention him.

Palma replacement: Celtic plotting to sign Hooper 2.0 in club-record move

Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the talented English forward.

By
Dan Emery

Jan 14, 2025

A new Galacticos unit has been formed at Real Madrid featuring sporting GOATs Simone Biles, Novak Djokovic and Mondo Duplantis.

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• Blancos famed for recruitment policy
• Forever interested in the best players
• Sporting GOATS assembled in Spain

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  La Liga giants at Santiago Bernabeu have become famed for their recruitment business under club president Florentino Perez that sees the best players in the world targeted in each passing transfer window.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Down the years, the Blancos have acquired the likes of Luis Figo, Brazilian phenomenon Ronaldo, David Beckham, Zinedine Zidane, Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kylian Mbappe.

• THE GOSSIP

  Perez has now assembled a different kind of ‘Galacticos’ team after welcoming more iconic sporting stars to the Spanish capital. Gymnastics legend Biles forms part of that unit, alongside tennis great Djokovic, pole vault world record holder Duplantis, record-breaking American surfer Kelly Slater and history-making Brazilian gymnast Rebeca Andrade.

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• TELL ME MORE

  They were all welcomed to the Bernabeu for a meeting with Athletic Club. They saw Federico Valverde net a dramatic 93rd-minute winner for Real as they claimed a narrow victory and kept their Liga title dreams alive.

After suffering a disappointing 2-0 defeat away at Middlesbrough, Tony Mowbray might well have been fearing a potential banana skin clash with Portsmouth as his second game back at the helm of West Bromwich Albion.

The 61-year-old didn’t need to fear anything after all as his Baggies side swept the floor with Portsmouth in devastating fashion in a 5-1 victory, as the Hawthorns masses afterwards sang Mowbray’s praises after such an exhilarating performance.

Mowbray had made a number of changes for this contest to try and get a reaction out of his troops, with the decision to play Grady Diangana up top working an absolute treat.

Diangana's stunning performance vs Pompey

This was only the ex-West Ham United attacker’s eighth start of the season in the Championship, and based on what he offered up versus Pompey, he will be a shoo-in for more starts moving forward.

His campaign had been disrupted by injury when Carlos Corberan was still in the building, but under fresh management, Diangana could really kick on and get back to his previous best.

The cool finish above saw Diangana pick up a brace on the day to gift his side a bumper 4-0 lead, with the Congolese ace also turning provider in the one-sided affair with two assists next to his name come full-time.

Praised after the full-time whistle by Mowbray for his ability to “dance on the ball”, it will be intriguing to see if Diangana can put in more breathtaking displays like this in games to come, as the 26-year-old attacker goes about trying to win himself a new contract at the Hawthorns.

No doubt goal-laden performances such as these will ensure contract talks whir into motion, with the potential for Diangana to cause more havoc alongside a new recruit.

West Brom looking at "powerful" striker

As per a new report by Football Mercato – relayed by Sport Witness – West Brom still remain in the hunt to snap up St. Gallen forward Willem Geubbels this window.

But, they may need to move quick in order to strike up a deal with the potent Frenchman as Luton Town are now reportedly in ‘advanced talks’ themselves over winning the 23-year-old’s services.

Regardless of any new developments, the Baggies will presumably try to tempt Geubbels to call the Hawthorns home over Kenilworth Road, with the potential there for an imposing 6 foot 2 striker to form a deadly relationship in attack with a reinvigorated Diangana.

After all, this season playing out in Switzerland, Geubbels has helped himself to a reasonable six goals from 13 league contests, with only an injury-stricken Josh Maja scoring more at 12 in the current Baggies ranks when glancing at the league numbers.

There’s plenty more to be encouraged by when delving deeper into his Swiss Super League statistics too, with a healthy scoring frequency next to his name of every 145 minutes, whilst his tag as a “powerful” attacker – as he has been billed in the past by The Rangers Journal – is also apparent with 3.7 duels won per league game.

In contrast, Diangana – although he can be nippy and direct – comes in just short with 3.6 for the season, with the 26-year-old’s trickery and creativity away from his ability to be imposing meaning Geubbels could immediately hit the ground moving to England.

Whilst losing Corberan was demoralising in the moment, West Brom look to have bounced back now with the popular appointment of Mowbray, who will aim to get even more out of his group after such a fantastic victory on Saturday.

West Brom have struck gold on "animal" who is worth more than Isaac Price

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