#I don’t know if he still does…but for a while he still owned Bochum season tickets while at Bayern

[leonsliga]

the text from vfl bochum to leon 😍🥰, they love him so much. I really hope that at the end of his career he will play there

Their tribute to him was so beautiful 🥹

Translation:

💪🏼🥰 He is a 5️⃣-time German champion, Champions League winner, 2️⃣-time DFB cup winner, national team player, AND he is a #playerofbochumcharacter.

👉🏼⚽️ Leon Goretzka was born on February 6, 1995 in Bochum and grew up here. From 2001 to 2012 he progressed through all the youth teams at #talentwerk and was trained here. In August 2012, Leon made his debut in the 2. Bundesliga in the #myVfL shirt! 👕🤩 On match day 1 of the 2012/13 season, he was directly in the starting eleven under the then-coach Andreas Bergmann and scored his first VfL goal in the 52nd minute against Dynamo Dresden at the Vonovia Ruhstadion! 😍💙 in the end, VfL Bochum won the match 2:1 and celebrated their first 3 points of the season with Goretzka! 🦾😎 from then on, Leon’s career picked up speed: the native Bochumer made a total of 36 appearances for VfL before transferring to Schalke 04 in 2013. Since 2018, he has been a national team player and under contract at FC Bayern! 👏🏼🥰

🥺🙌🏼 We are very proud to have trained Leon and accompanied him on his journey. He is and remains a player of Bochum character!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Out of all the clubs he’s played for, I think we can all agree that his boyhood club, VfL Bochum, is his number 1 fan :) They’re so proud of him and everything he’s gone on to achieve. It’s clear they see him as a wonderful representative of the club and the city, and I, for one, couldn’t agree more 🥰 he represents them with honor and integrity.

When it comes time for Leon to retire, I’d love to see him retire at Bochum too. I don’t think I could fathom a happier ending to his career than that—than him finding his way back to the people and the club that raised him. I have a feeling that they’ll welcome him back with open arms ❤️

[jacksbutland]

ChriKra did an amazing interview, I think they overran by an hour, but it was sooooo funny...!!! They had people ask him questions. Jonas Hofmann asked "Hi Chris, it's Jonas. I'd really like to know: Do you like your own dressing style?" and Chris replied Yes! He does! He's aware he's a very boring dresser, with his trousers and basic t-shirts and long-sleeve shirts, but he's comfortable and that's his priority. "I sound like I'm > forty, don't I? WHO CARES!" interviewers: So the others in the

dressing room have more swag?“ Chris "I mean *obviously*! Just look at Ibo Traoré! He can pull off *everything*! To be honest, I’d love to be able to wear that, all that glitz and glam and gold that he does, but if I tried that people would say ‘look at the lanky German, what does he think he’s doing?!” He says some nice and wise things as well, and spends a good deal gushing about Thorsten Mattuschka, which is so cute. “To me it was love at first sight!”

He also he says he currently “can’tstand Dieter Hecking” for benching him. The reporter’s obviously a bit shocked and CK says “That’s normal, isn’t it?” and says he and Hecking get on really well personally; though you can tell he’s really miffed, & that Hecking’s not giving him good reasons for it (Hecking was actually asked about that statement by Chris and said he understood him perfectly & that it definitely wasn’t Chris’ fault. A bit weird.) 

His former Bochum coach asks a question, Kießling and Leno, Lars and Ginter, Knippiand Mattuschka and a comedian and the ZDF presenter that he did the world cup stint with (Breyer, who starts out “Hi my favourite colleague, 1st question, when will you hang up your boots and join me full time?”). HAHA! He’s asked if there are people who just know him as TV pundit, not as a footballer, because apparently Mehmet Scholl mentioned that once. CK “Well I can say, my presenting went over well with the ladies over sixty. I’ve got many elderly ladies telling me know what a cute littlelittle thing I am. I trace that back to the ZDF work, rather than football…” Apparently the cashiers in the supermarket say that to him “And I have to say I love it, every time! It’s the best compliment!" BILD reporter "It’s obvious, by the way, that you are quite well liked by your teammates and other colleagues, since every single person we asked to participate and send in questions agreed to do so immediately. Well, one exception. We also asked Max Kruse and he said he'd do everything for Christoph Kramer, but not for BILD. Which, well, ok, fair play to him, I respect that." .... 

oh, he's still keeping that diary. Düsseldorf game entry goes something like "sat on the bench again and it sucked, really annoyed. On the other hand we won 3-0, still up in the table, yay." Also he does NOT complain constantly about not playing "that would be really shitty for my teammates who do play, wouldn't it?" and the atmo in the team's apparently great, and heloves them all. Would he rather play for Dortmund or for Bayern? Neither, he wants to stay in Gladbach. What was the best offer that he seriously considered before deciding against it? Ever since 2014 he's repeatedly been approached by Italian clubs and he did consider it once, during the season at Leverkusen, but then Gladbach contacted him and everything else became irrelevant. 

"You learned to play the guitar -" "No stop it, shut up, I didn't." "What?" "Well. I can't. I really tried but I... I can't. It really hurt on my fingers as well, I was so told it was supposed to, but no. You know, if you have ten lessons and still can't play a single chord, you have to face the truth: you're not made out to play the guitar. I'll take up piano lessons soon, but I'll fail that, too." "Is that really the spirit?" "Oh, I definitely won't be able to play two-handed, but, you know, maybe with one hand. Actually I just want to be able to say, "care to hear a song?" and then play one." "Oh, so we'llsee you on stage soon on the piano." "No, you definitely won't. I have not a single musical bone in my body. Probably once my football career is over, when I can focus all my energy and concentration on music, I'll try really hard and learn to play the recorder." HAHAHA. He's really quite funny. 

Leno asks why, even after he left, there was a pair of shoes of his hanging in some room of the Bayer 04 premises. And he gets all emotional: those were his FAVOURITE shoes! A pair of white adidas running shoes, he loved them so much. And he stepped in dog shit with them!! "So, dissolved in tears, I ran into the showers with them and spent ages trying to clean them, but the material, and the surface structure was such..." He couldn't get them clean. Or rather, they looked alright, but they still *smelled*. He should have thrown them away, but he *really didn't want to!!!* So he hoped that if they could just air out they'd be alright & so he hung them on a hook in some little back room."So if, by chance, anybody from Leverkusen is listening and, hoping against all hope, those shoes are still there: I'd REALLY like them back!! ...But you've probably long thrown them away and I really can't blame you..." He is soooo funny, and really likable. 

The thing with the podcast is that he gets a squeaky toy (or whatever) and when he doesn't want to answer he can use it, he gets that option 2x2 times (2 for each part of the podcast) and he does use it once. The reporter starts "A littlewhile ago someone tried to blackmail you with pictures - oh ladies and gentlemen, there it is-" "[squeak]" Do you want to hear more? The entire thing is priceless. To the interviewer's great surprise, he's recently taken up golf. "Yes, well, my parents are both newly retired and to stop them from bashing each other's head in spending all that time together at home, I had to think of sth I could do with my dad so I gave him golfing lessons for his birthday. And it's much more fun than expected.""What about your mum?" "Her birthday's not been yet. But I have to think of something. I hope I will." 

The first part is about sports, Gladbach, Bundesliga, fans/ultras, world cup 2014, world cup 2018, his career, the second part is more personal. I don't know how long it's supposed to be, but in the first part, at some point, the interviewer says "to be honest we've already run far overtime but I actually have no intention of stopping you, I'm having so much fun...". It's called phrasenmäher (pun on "Phrasen" and "Rasenmäher") and I'd never heard of it before, but going by the reactions on twitter, ChriKra's was the best one yet and much more entertaining than the previous one with Lahm twitter com/DreiMannSturm/status/1062081498998824960. It's really extremely entertaining! (They also talk about some serious stuff, btw. I was quite happy with the big majority of his responses. But all in all, he's really very likable!)

thank you for sharing this interview w me honestly chris is such a babe and i really like that his personality really comes through in interviews like these

also lmfao at max drawing the line at bild but it’s so nice to see that theyre still close

i cant believe he’s getting on the golf bandwagon

kinda wanna know wha the question about the pictures is about but if he doesnt wanna talk about it fair play to him

maybe i’ll take a listen though i probably won’t understand much so honestly massive thanks to u for making me aware of his interview n translating stuff for me (one day ..... one day i’ll be able to understand enough german to listen to interviews and read articles but for now i shall have to rely on u my lovely anon)

[footballghana]

Partey, Willian and the players on Arteta's wish list

It is going to be an intriguing off-season at Arsenal.

The need to improve the squad is clear, but exactly how the cash-strapped Gunners are going to manage it remains a bit of a mystery.

Mikel Arteta has not hidden his desire to bring in new additions, something he believes is essential if Arsenal are to start closing what he describes as the "enormous" gap that exists between themselves, Liverpool and Manchester City.

“You can see how [Liverpool] build their squad and there is no magic,” said the Spaniard. “You need to improve the squad with quality, quality players. And we need a bigger squad to compete in this competition. That is the challenge.”

But with Arsenal’s finances in a very difficult position due to the coronavirus pandemic and with Champions League football beyond them once again next season, money is going to be exceptionally tight - especially if they fail to beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final and miss out on European football altogether.

There is a cloud of uncertainty hanging over the Emirates at the moment, one that will not be lifted until after the Wembley showpiece on August 1 and until the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is decided one way or another.

“If you ask me if I know right now what do I have and how can I do it, I'm sorry but I don't know because there are a lot of questions that we can not resolve right now with the situation we have,” said Arteta.

“One is financially and the other one is because we do not know if we are in Europe and because we have players that we don't know what's going to happen [with them]. That's the reality.”

Arsenal's likely summer transfer signings

Arteta is looking at his midfield as the key priority this summer.

He wants to add a box-to-box midfielder, one who can offer the defence some real protection, but who can also get the ball moving forward to get Arsenal on the front foot.

Thomas Partey is his primary target, with the Atletico Madrid midfielder having long been identified as a player who could make a significant impact in north London.

Arsenal were interested in the Ghana international last year before Arteta even arrived, and the Spaniard is more than happy for that chase to continue this summer.

The issue for Arsenal is his price tag. Partey has a release clause of £44 million ($50m), and that is a figure that Arsenal will struggle to pay unless they sell first to help raise funds.

There is an option to try and include a player in some sort of swap deal with Atleti, with the Spanish side having held a long-term interest in Alexandre Lacazette, who has two years left on his current deal.

Matteo Guendouzi, who has been training alone at London Colney following the fall-out from his clash with Neal Maupay at Brighton, could also be of interest to Atletico. Lucas Torreira is another player Arsenal could potentially look to include to tempt Madrid into doing a deal.

Partey is well aware of Arsenal’s interest and is understood to be open to the idea of moving to Arsenal, which is why he has so far held off signing the new contract that has been offered to him by Atletico.

The next few weeks will be key in terms of Arsenal landing their number one target this summer.

Arteta is also keen to bring Dani Ceballos back to the club for another season, with Arsenal currently talking to Real Madrid about another season-long loan for the midfielder, who has been in fine form in recent weeks.

A permanent move is unlikely at this stage, but Arsenal are confident of sealing another season-long loan for the 23-year-old.

Another midfield option could be Porto's Danilo Pereira, who has welcomed reports linking him with a move to the Emirates.

“(Arteta) is doing a really, really, good job there,” Pereira told Stats Perform News. “He is a really good coach and Arsenal play very good football.

“The style…I think I can fit there (at Arsenal). Of course, I like to be here in Porto, to be here in my country, but I want to be in a better league like the Premier League.”

As well as looking to bolster the engine room in midfield, Arsenal are hoping to add some extra creativity in the attacking areas.

Orkun Kokcu was a target, but he has now signed a new long-term contract extension at Feyenoord.

Willian, meanwhile, is a player of interest and is set to be available on a free transfer, providing he does not make a late U-turn to sign a new deal with Chelsea.

The Brazil winger is happy in London and it would not be a surprise if he were to follow in the footsteps of David Luiz in making the switch from Stamford Bridge to the Emirates.

Philippe Coutinho continues to be linked, with Barcelona desperate to get the former Liverpool playmaker off their books. But a permanent deal would be impossible for Arsenal given the finances involved, and even a loan would be unlikely, given the Brazil international’s £250,000 wages.

Arsenal are also looking at bringing in another centre-back this summer to go along with the arrival of William Saliba, who has spent the past year on loan at Saint-Etienne.

Dayot Upamecano has long been admired in north London and could be on the move this summer, given he only has a year left on his contract with RB Leipzig and the German club have been adamant they will not allow the centre-back to leave for free in 2021.

He has a release clause of around £54m ($69m), but Leipzig are likely to accept less than that at this stage due to his contract situation. Arsenal would still be unlikely to afford their asking price, however.

They do have other options, with the club having held talks with free agent Malang Sarr, who has just left Nice. The Gunners have also watched Axel Disasi on several occasions and have contacted Reims about his availability.

John Stones, who could become surplus to requirements at Manchester City should Pep Guardiola sign a new centre-back, has also been linked.

Whether Arsenal look to bring in a new forward depends on the futures of Aubameyang and Lacazette. If one leaves, then a replacement will need to be brought in.

Gunners scouts have watched Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard on several occasions this season and have enquired about Gent’s Jonathan David, although a move to France or Germany looks likely to be the Canada international’s next move. Moussa Dembele at Lyon is another player who is admired in north London.

Arsenal's likely summer transfer exits

Matteo Guendouzi is looking increasingly likely to leave north London this summer having fallen out with Mikel Arteta.

The French midfielder is currently training on his own and has not featured since the defeat at Brighton on June 20 when he clashed with Seagulls striker Neal Maupay soon after the full-time whistle.

Sources close to Guendouzi insist the player is just concentrating on getting through to the end of the season when a decision on his future will be made, but Arsenal are believed to have been offering him to various clubs around Europe, either for a straight fee or as a part of a swap deal.

Lucas Torreira’s future remains unclear, with the Uruguay international yet to nail down a starting spot under Arteta. He was substituted after just 45 minutes against Aston Villa on Tuesday and has several clubs in Italy keeping tabs on his situation.

Arsenal would love to move Mesut Ozil on and get his £350,000-a-week salary off the wage bill, but the German playmaker has always been adamant he will see out his current deal, which expires in 2021.

The future of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will dominate the headlines until he decides whether or not to extend his stay with the Gunners. If he does not, then Arsenal will have to decide whether to cash in this summer or let him leave on a free transfer in 2021.

Sokratis, who has played just one minute of football since the restart, would be allowed to leave, though sources close to the player insist at this point he is happy to stay, with one year left on his current deal.

Arsenal would also be willing to let Sead Kolasinac and Mohamed Elneny depart should suitable bids arrive, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles has been linked with a move away - although Arteta insists he wants to keep the academy graduate.

It is likely Jordi Osei-Tutu will move following his impressive loan spell with VfL Bochum last season. He has now returned to England, but will not want to go back to Under-23s football.

Highly-rated young forward Folarin Balogun is also expected to exit the club after talks over a new contract broke down.

How Arsenal could line up after the transfer window

If there are to be significant changes in the Arsenal XI for the 2020-21 season, they will more than likely come in the midfield areas.

If they can get deals done for Thomas Partey and Willian, they would come into the team, while William Saliba will slot into the backline following the end of his loan spell with Saint-Etienne.

One interesting sub-plot to follow will be who gets the nod in goal.

Bernd Leno was the undoubted No.1 before his injury, but the exceptional form of Emiliano Martinez will give Arteta a difficult decision to make ahead of the new campaign.

Source: goal.com

source: https://footballghana.com/