Latest news with #FCBasel
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Thierno Barry Villarreal transfer stance shared as Everton set for £34m talks - 'We want the player'
Villarreal appear open to negotiations over Everton target Thierno Barry but club chiefs believe they are operating from a position of strength. The France Under-21s forward is of interest to David Moyes this summer. He has a release clause of around £34m but the Blues are understood to be exploring whether the Spanish club is open to a lower fee. Advertisement According to comments made by the side's sporting director, Fernando Roig Nogueroles, they may be willing to countenance a compromise, particularly if Barry were to push for the move. But, he insisted: 'We want the player, and if he were to leave, it would have to be, if not for the release clause, something very close to it. If not, he won't leave." READ MORE: Everton sent encouraging message after luring key figure from Manchester United READ MORE: Hill Dickinson Stadium set for dramatic changes with Everton working to key date at new home On the future of the 22-year-old, Nogueroles said amid the interest from Everton: "In the end, it seems there's a shortage of forwards, and now we've been selling our centre forward for two years, and now it seems there's interest. Advertisement 'But at the moment, we have no proof of that, and we're counting on Barry for next season.' Barry struck 11 times in La Liga and provided four assists in his debut campaign in eastern Spain. He secured a move from Swiss side FC Basel 12 months ago - a deal Nogueroles acknowledged was a 'gamble' at the time. Moyes wants to revamp his attacking options amid a major summer rebuild ahead of the move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium. With Dominic Calvert-Lewin leaving and questions over the lack of senior minutes experienced by Youssef Chermiti, interest has grown in Barry. Should the club wish to bid for the forward then the pathway appears to be opening up . The new football financial year will start on Tuesday, a key landmark in Everton's progress away from regulatory problems. Barry's involvement in the U21s Euros culminated with France's semi-final exit at the end of the last week, removing another potential hurdle. Advertisement With his club boss Marcelino having publicly acknowledged he may lose his forward this summer, Nogueroles' comments to Radio Vila-Real, in an interview covered by the website Futbol Fantasy (H/T Sport Witness), suggest the side would not reject approaches out of hand. On the interest of clubs in several of his key players, he said: 'You should never be closed off, and you should always listen. It's another matter if an agreement isn't reached, or if the negotiations aren't enough, and no matter how much a player's will is, sometimes you have to say no. But hey, you always have to listen, and you always have to negotiate.' Reports have claimed Barry is interested in a move to the Premier League and should he express a desire to leave, that would influence Villarreal's position, Nogueroles said. But, he added, that does not mean he would become available at a cut price. He said: 'These aren't real estate deals. What you're selling here is a person with a strong will. When it comes to defending the club's interests, you have to listen to their will, always listen. You don't always reach an agreement, and sometimes you have to say no, but you always have to listen and negotiate. "Yes, the player's will is very important when it comes to any type of transfer, but, well, we're relaxed. We want the player, and if he were to leave, it would have to be, if not for the release clause, something very close to it. If not, he won't leave."
Daily Record
4 days ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
I know Celtic's transfer market strategy but it leaves Brendan Rodgers in the pressure pot again
Brendan Rodgers could not have been any clearer about the impressive impact last summer's pre-season work had on the way Celtic stylishly set about their business. Fast forward 12 months and I'd say it's even-more important this time around. Which is why I can understand some edginess that has been creeping into supporters as time ticks past with noise on the signing front remaining relatively quiet. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's at full volume in the background as Rodgers' recruitment team set about delivering the quality he wants. Benjamin Nygren's sealed deal says as much. A positive sign. I feel like I say this every year, but there really is no time to waste. Especially not this time with the sceptre of the Champions League qualifiers being back. Those games are enough to make you feel a bit queasy. I know, I've been there and I've been on the wrong end of them. It's not fun. As much as putting Ajax out for the first time was an incredible high, losing out to FC Basel was a kick in the guts, even if it did send us into the UEFA Cup and on a run to a final. Celtic didn't just hit the ground running last season. They absolutely sprinted into top gear from the first whistle. Granted, the signings weren't all in place by that time either with the likes of Adam Idah and Arne Engels arriving after the campaign was underway, but the work done in the build-up weeks was absolutely vital. That's not just me saying that, that's coming from the manager himself. Rodgers told us in no uncertain terms that the patterns of play used in the United States in games against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City were priceless when it came to going into the league phase of the Champions League. The way Nicolas Kuhn 's role was defined and perfected to ensure he began the season like an express train and barely stopped until running out of gas a bit near the end. Celtic won 16 of their first 18 Premiership matches and put the title to bed during that run, It was job done and Rodgers is going to want the same again. For that to happen in the way he plans, I'd be sure he wants many of the men he is going to be relying upon to be in the camp when they make their trips to Portugal and Italy. Look, again, I'm not daft. I understand how the market works. I'm fully aware that Celtic will have targets who, at this stage, might not be unavailable due to their own clubs not having made up their mind, or that agents are playing a waiting game and trying to smoke out the best deals, waiting to see if they can generate as much interest as possible for their client. Unless Celtic are going to start paying silly money, I'd imagine they may have to wait, perhaps even until the end of the window, for some of the key targets. But it still feels a little lacking to me at this precise point of proceedings and, at the very least, Rodgers will surely want the majority in his squad for the start of the domestic season. Having the unit functioning smoothly and working in tandem is vital. There are competitive domestic games before the qualifiers, but Rodgers has been in this movie before and he is going to want to be as tooled up as possible for when they come around. Yes staying top of the pile in the Scotland is the key. That's the bread and butter and it always has to be the priority. But I stood five yards from Rodgers on the pitch at Tannadice on the day Celtic clinched the title and you could not hide the excitement he had about the prospect of going back into the Champions League next season and kicking on from last term's efforts. Celtic got their pride back. It's what the manager wanted and now it's about building. But you can't do that if you aren't in it. Rodgers doesn't need me to tell him what it's like to have to deal with these qualifiers without a full deck of cards. He's been there. When he walked in the door the first time, the juggling act and scrambling to make it to the group-phase through the final qualifiers against Astana and Hapoel Be'er Sheva having lost a first-leg tie to Lincoln Red Imps shredded the nerves. Kolo Toure parachuted into the squad in the midst of it. Same the following year. Battling to get through, having to play Tom Rogic basically up front. Eventually, it caught up with Celtic when AEK Athens put them out in Rodgers' last attempt before he left. Now returned, he's back in that pressure pot and, at this stage, there looks like there's plenty to be done. Kieran Tierney has signed, but who is the back up with Greg Taylor leaving? Nygren now in with Ross Doohan, yet the new striker that was wanted in January when Kyogo left will still be wanted. Other areas of the side to be addressed. It seems there is much to do and there's too much going on the line for Celtic not to try and get as much of it done as soon as possible. Rodgers and his team are heading into that pre-season campaign shortly. For it to have the same maximum effect as it had a year ago, having some more of the targeted new faces on the pre-season flights wouldn't go amiss.
BBC News
4 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wycombe sign Basel striker Fink on permanent deal
Wycombe Wanderers have signed Swiss striker Bradley Fink from FC Basel for an undisclosed Switzerland Under-21 international began his career in the youth set-up at Borussia Dortmund in Germany, enjoying a prolific season in 2021-22 for the Bundesliga club's under-19 side when he scored 36 goals in 29 made his senior breakthrough with Basel in August 2022 and went on to make 41 appearances in the Swiss top flight, scoring six was also part of the squad that won the Swiss Super League last season."I think the fans will be really excited to see us bring someone of Bradley's pedigree to the club, and his experience shows he could be a hugely influential player for us," Chairboys head coach Mike Dodds said., external"He's a striker who can play in a number of different systems, and his height and goalscoring ability will be important attributes for us." Wycombe's director of football strategy, Tom Stockwell, called Fink's signing a "strong statement" about the club's direction."We must be patient with Bradley. He is a young man moving country to a different style of football, but he has all the attributes to thrive in the English game," Stockwell is Wycombe's sixth signing since the end of last season, following the signings of the summer, which included James Tilley, Dan Casey, Caolan Boyd-Munce, Armando Junior Quitirna and Taylor Allen.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
Women's Euro 2025: the complete guide to all the stadiums
Capacity: 34,250 Opened: March 2001 Home team: FC Basel Basel trivia: In 1938, the chemist Albert Hofmann discovered LSD in the city. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group A: Switzerland vs Norway, 2 July, 8pm (all times BST) Group C: Germany vs Denmark, 8 July, 5pm Group D: Netherlands vs France, 13 July, 8pm Quarter-final: Winner Group D vs Runner-up Group C, 19 July, 8pm Final: 27 July, 5pm It sits on the site of the Stadion St Jakob (playfully nicknamed Joggeli as a Swiss diminutive of Jakob), which hosted six matches at the men's 1954 World Cup and closed in 1998. St Jakob-Park opened in 2001 and hosted six matches at Euro 2008 (although a torrential downpour during that tournament led to the pitch having to be completely relaid overnight) and also has an in-built shopping mall and even a retirement home with a lounge that has full views of the pitch. If you can't get a ticket for the final at Joggeli on 27 July, Basel, the most northerly host city in Switzerland, is still well worth a visit. Join the locals in stashing valuables in a floating Wickelfisch swim bag (invented in Basel) and float down the Rhine. It's free, fun and a unique way to see the picturesque Old Town. A good place to enter the river is just by Museum Tinguely before a 3km bob on the current down to the Rheinbad Breite and St Johann bathing houses. Capacity: 29,800 Opened: July 2005 Home team: Young Boys Berne trivia: Albert Einstein worked out his theory of relativity while living there, while he was employed as a patent examiner at the patent office. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group B: Spain vs Portugal, 3 July, 8pm Group A: Switzerland vs Iceland, 6 July, 8pm Group B: Italy vs Spain, 11 July, 8pm Quarter-final: Winner Group B vs Runner-up Group A, 18 July, 8pm Originally branded as Stade de Suisse when it was built in 2005, it was renamed in 2020 in an attempt to return to the stadium's roots. The old stadium hosted the men's 1954 World Cup final, 'the Miracle of Berne', in which West Germany came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2, ending a 31-match unbeaten run for the Mighty Magyars, the legendary Hungary team led by Ferenc Puskás. The British band Muse said the stadium's name inspired the Wankdorf Jam, a popular instrumental used in their live shows. The ground has solar panels on its roof which produce a yearly yield of 1.2 million kWh (or 1.20 gigawatts). For reference, that's enough to fully charge more than 10,000 electric cars and is only just shy of the 1.21 gigawatts Doc Brown claims is needed to activate the flux capacitor for his DeLorean time machine in Back to the Future. Capacity: 29,800 Opened: April 2003 Home team: Servette Geneva trivia: Most of the drinking water (80%) in the city is extracted from the lake and no electricity is used from nuclear reactors or fossil fuels. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group C: Denmark v Sweden, 4 July, 5pm Group B: Portugal vs Italy, 7 July, 8pm Group A: Finland vs Switzerland, 10 July, 8pm Quarter-final: Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group B, 16 July, 8pm Semi-final: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF1, 22 July, 8pm Unusually, the Stade de Genève's sole owner is not a club, or a obscure billionaire, but a private foundation, acting alongside support from the state of Geneva. The Fondation du Stade de Genève acted as the project manager for the stadium's construction and inauguration in 2003 and runs the stadium to this day. 'Above all, it is a stadium of the Genevans,' claims the foundation, which means anyone can hire it, from a conference room to a 'VIP corridor' to the entire pitch, assuming you are willing to pay enough Swiss francs. The Stade de Genève's finest game is probably the men's Euro 2008 clash between Czech Republic and Turkey, in which the latter came back from 2-0 down to triumph 3-2 in the closing stages, aided by an uncharacteristic goalkeeping howler from Petr Cech in the Czech goal, spilling an easy cross to allow Nihat Kahveci to score an equaliser in the 87th minute. Nihat scored the winner for Turkey two minutes later, racing through on goal and curling a fine shot off the underside of the bar. Capacity: 22,700 Opened: August 2007 Home team: FC Zürich, Grasshopper Zurich trivia: As well as having a reputation for banking and watches, the city hosts Street Parade, the largest techno party in the world, often attracting more than a million attendees. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures Group C: Denmark v Sweden, 4 July, 5pm Group B: Portugal vs Italy, 7 July, 8pm Group A: Finland vs Switzerland, 10 July, 8pm Quarter-final: Winner Group A vs Runner-up Group B, 16 July, 8pm Semi-final: Winner QF3 vs Winner QF1, 22 July, 8pm Not only is Stadion Letzigrund home to the men and women's sides for two clubs, FC Zürich and Grasshopper, but it also hosts concerts (Metallica and Ed Sheeran are scheduled to play there in the next year) and elite athletics meets, with a running track surrounding the pitch. The distance between the stands and the pitch may not be popular with football fans but this place has serious athletic pedigree: on 21 June 1960, the German sprinter Armin Hary became the first human to run the 100m in 10 seconds flat. The judges were apparently so shocked, they said it must have been a false start, but Hary repeated the feat 35 minutes after his first record-breaking run. Arguably Zurich's most notable footballing structure is not Stadion Letzigrund but the nearby Fifa global headquarters, a zero-emission building which is mostly underground, with the meeting room for the executive committee hermetically sealed. 'Places where people make decisions should only contain indirect light,' said Sepp Blatter after the building's competition in 2006, 'because the light should come from the people themselves who are assembled there.' Sure. Capacity: 16,300 Opened: July 2008 Home team: St Gallen St Gallen trivia: Once the embroidery capital of the world, the first embroidery machines were invented in the city in the early 1900s. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group C: Germany vs Poland, 4 July, 8pm Group D: France vs Wales, 9 July, 8pm Group D: England vs Wales, 13 July, 8pm Arena St Gallen (or Kybunpark as it is normally known) replaced St Gallen's old ground, the Espenmoos Stadion, in 2008. The new stadium is unfortunately a few miles out of town, wedged in a retail park between an Ikea and a Decathlon. There is even a shopping mall underneath the stadium. If that all sounds a bit dystopian and an example of modern football eating itself, FC St Gallen are actually the second oldest football team in continental Europe (after the Danish side Kjøbenhavns Boldklub, founded 1876, who are now known as FC Copenhagen). Despite St Gallen's rich history, the men's side have only won the Swiss top flight on two occasions – in 1904 and 2000 – while the women's side, founded in 2017, are yet to win anything. If you are a meat eater, try the local delicacy, the St Gallen bratwurst. Dating back to the middle ages, it's a veal sausage cooked with bacon, spices and fresh milk, with each butcher and eatery in St Gallen guarding their own secret recipe. Metzgerei Gemperli, a restaurant on Schmiedgasse, is said to be one of the best places to find it. Capacity: 14,350 Opened: 1934 Home team: Luzern Lucerne trivia: The Chapel Bridge, built in 1333, is the oldest covered bridge in Europe and is 204m (669 ft) long, although much of it had to be replaced after a fire in 1993, widely thought to be caused by a discarded cigarette. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group D: Wales vs Netherlands, 5 July, 5pm Group C: Poland vs Sweden, 8 July, 8pm Group C: Poland vs Denmark, 12 July, 8pm Normally known as the Swissporarena for sponsorship reasons, this stadium has adopted the name of the old ground that was demolished in 2009: Allmend Stadion. It's a beautiful spot, overlooked by the huge Mount Pilatus in the Swiss Alps, even if the ground itself is a bit forgettable, although the Welsh and Dutch will surely get stuck in for their tournament opener here on 5 July. The official language is German but most locals speak an Alemannic Swiss-German dialect that is specific to the city: Lucerne German. The city is twinned with Bournemouth in England and Chicago in the US. Capacity: 7,750 Opened: August 1968 Home team: Sion Sion trivia: One of the most important prehistoric sites in Europe, the Alpine town's oldest trace of human settlement comes from 6200BC during the late Mesolithic period. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group B: Belgium vs Italy, 3 July, 5pm Group A: Norway vs Finland, 6 July, 5pm Group B: Portugal vs Belgium 11 July, 8pm The Stade de Tourbillon is the smallest of the tournament stadiums with fewer than 8,000 seats, but is one of the few grounds that has not been rebuilt or redeveloped this century, most recently getting a makeover in 1989. Remarkably, given its size, Sion does occasionally host the men's Swiss national side, most recently for a Euro 2020 qualifier against Gibraltar. Sion is a small town, and the second most southerly of the host cities (after Geneva). At the last count in 2020 it was home to just 35,000 people, so roughly half the size of Loughborough. One might not expect a cosy place beside a placid Alpine lake to have a surfing wave pool but Alaia Bay in Sion was reportedly the first open to the public in mainland Europe. Capacity: 8,100 Opened: July 2011 Home team: Thun Thun trivia: Switzerland is famously neutral, but Thun has one of the biggest army bases in the country and the largest Swiss military barracks. Women's Euros 2025 fixtures: Group A: Iceland vs Finland, 2 July, 5pm Group B: Spain vs Belgium, 7 July, 5pm Group A: Norway vs Iceland, 10 July, 8pm One of the few stadiums on this list to have artificial grass, the elite footballers at Euro 2025 will be wary of knee injuries, particularly on a dry, slow surface that is traditionally designed to protect against the wetter and colder winter Alpine elements. FC Thun's previous stadium, Stadion Lachen, was right on the lake but used to flood, so Arena Thun (or Stockhorn Arena as it is normally known) was built inland and opened in 2011. The town itself is considered one of the most beautiful in Switzerland, with dozens of bridges that link over the Aare as it feeds into Lake Thun. The idyllic Schadaupark is built in the style of an English garden, there is a large castle that looms over the town, while the nearby St Beatus Caves, carved into the mountainside, were created – legend has it – by the wandering Irish monk Beatus, who drove away a a mischievous dragon 1,900 years ago.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
'It's a fascinating situation' – Journalist provides interesting update on future of €14m Chelsea ace
Chelsea defender Renato Veiga is set to leave the club this summer despite only joining 12 months ago according to reports. The Blues signed Veiga for €14m from Swiss side FC Basel and were impressed by his versatility given he could play left back, centre back and in midfield. Advertisement Veiga made a good start at Chelsea and impressed in some of his early appearances, but the Portugal international decided in January he wanted to leave to play regular minutes at centre back. Renato Veiga set to leave Chelsea this summer Veiga made 18 appearances in all competitions over the first half of the season, in which time he became a Portugal international. The 21-year-old ended up joining Italian giants Juventus on loan and had an impressive spell in Italy with some eye catching performances in his 15 appearances. Veiga has now returned to Chelsea although he's not part of the squad for the Club World Cup, with his time at Stamford Bridge seemingly over. Veiga made 15 appearances for Juventus over the second half of last season. (Photo by) Advertisement It's been reported Veiga was unhappy at being left out the Club World Cup squad and journalist Graeme Bailey has now provided an update. 'It's a fascinating situation with Veiga, he was very surprised he wasn't included in the Club World Cup squad,' he told TBR Football. 'There were indications from Chelsea that he would get a chance in a left-sided centre-back role — but Chelsea have so many centre-backs it's staggering, and they still want more. 'But Veiga had a really good time at Juventus, playing at centre-back. And that's why he left Chelsea on loan in the first place, he didn't want to be a left-back, even if he was quite good at it. Advertisement 'Chelsea were happy with him on the left but he turned up at Stamford Bridge wanting to be a centre-back. 'Now he's gone to Juventus, played well and he thought he'd done enough to warrant a spot at the Club World Cup to prove himself as a centre-back. More Stories / Latest News 'It's a fascinating situation' – Journalist provides interesting update on future of €14m Chelsea ace 25th Jun 2025, 07:45am 'Strange signing' – William Gallas left baffled by one piece of Chelsea transfer news 25th Jun 2025, 07:15am 'Is not under consideration for Chelsea' – Journalist shuts down latest transfer rumours 25th Jun 2025, 07:00am Advertisement 'So keep an eye on Veiga, there's some Premier League interest and some on the continent — a lot of clubs were impressed by him at Juventus. 'But as it stands, he's going to be leaving Chelsea.' Premier League clubs interested Veiga won't be short of options this summer and is thought to have interest not only from the Premier League, but also Europe. Chelsea have reportedly set an asking price of €20m for Veiga, with Tottenham and Brighton both thought to have held interest. It will be interesting to see where the former Basel man ends up, and it's a shame his time at Chelsea hasn't really worked out, but the Blues will almost certainly make a profit.
