VERMAELEN DEFENDS HAZARD, SAYS HIS INJURY CRISES NOT HIS FAULT

When Eden Hazard opted to leave Chelsea and fulfill his dream of playing for Real Madrid over signing a contract extension at Stanford Bridge, while Chelsea fans were in tears that their talismanic forward was leaving, Real Madrid fans were in high spirits as they knew who was coming.


However, it has been more of a nightmare than the expected fairytale for Hazard upon his signing for the Spanish giants. During the summer in which Hazard moved to Madrid, the Belgian forward joined his new teammates appearing overweight, and that’s where all the criticism started from. Continue reading VERMAELEN DEFENDS HAZARD, SAYS HIS INJURY CRISES NOT HIS FAULT

THOMAS VERMAELEN MAKES STRANGEST TRANSFER LIST

 

Vissel Kobe defender Thomas Vermaelen has been named on the list of the strangest transfers as compiled by renowned media portal Bleacher Report. The former Ajax Amsterdam and Arsenal player made the list for the top 11 strangest buys.


The Belgian international was 11th on the list for his transfer from Arsenal to Barcelona in the summer of 2014. The Spanish giants paid £15m for the 34-year-old left-back cum centre back despite the fact that he was recuperating from surgery to correct a thigh problem. He had sustained the thigh injury during the 2014 FIFA World Cup tournament in Brazil.
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Tielemans names Belgian compatriot as Premier League’s best midfielder

 

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has named compatriot Kevin de Bruyne as the best midfielder in the Premier League. De Bruyne has built his reputation as one of the most consistent players in the English top-flight and he has been in superb form this term with nine goals and 16 assists from 27 league games.


He is on his way to potentially breaking the Premier League assist record (20) held by Thierry Henry and Tielemans has no doubts regarding his countryman’s quality, he told The Athletic: “I think the best in the Premier League is De Bruyne. He stands out. He is the complete midfielder. He is physical and runs a lot. Technically, he keeps it very, very easy. Tactically, he is very good as well. He’s got everything.”
Continue reading Tielemans names Belgian compatriot as Premier League’s best midfielder

Youri Tielemans heaps praise on Belgian compatriot Kevin de Bruyne

 

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has heaped praise on Kevin de Bruyne, who has enjoyed a superb season on a personal level with Manchester City. The Belgium international endured a frustrating 2018/2019 campaign with injuries, but he has been able to make amends during the current campaign with numerous goalscoring contributions.


Tielemans has played alongside his compatriot for the national side on a number of occasions and hailed the Belgian as an ‘unbelievable player’, he told: “He’s an unbelievable player. It’s pretty obvious what he accomplished at this club and I’m not trying to compare myself to that. What’s important for me now is winning games and having an impact for my team. I’m really happy I can do that as of recent and my style is always going to continue to be that very attacking-minded and creative kind of player. I’m happy I can help the team any way I can.”
Continue reading Youri Tielemans heaps praise on Belgian compatriot Kevin de Bruyne

Lukaku insists Inter Milan need to prepare well for Europa League semi-final

 

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has said that the team must prepare well for the semi-final clash of the Europa League. The Belgium international was on the scoresheet in the 2-1 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the last eight of the competition, but the margin of victory could have been greater, had the Nerazzurri taken the chances at hand.


A number of chances were squandered over the course of the 90 minutes but ultimately, they managed to seal the victory which sees them into the last four of the competition. They are scheduled to face either Shakhtar Donetsk or Basel in that game and prior to that, Lukaku feel his team must be ready with good preparation.
Continue reading Lukaku insists Inter Milan need to prepare well for Europa League semi-final

Martinez suggests De Bruyne could leave City because of European ban

 

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez believes Kevin de Bruyne could consider a fresh challenge away from Manchester City, suppose the club fail to overturn their two-year ban on European club competitions. The Citizens were imposed with the embargo earlier this year after they were deemed to have breached UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.


Pep Guardiola’s side are expected to appeal against the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport this month but there are suggestions that the ban may not be completely overruled. In such a case, the Citizens may be without Champions League football for the 2020/21 season and Martinez believes De Bruyne could consider his future with the club.
Continue reading Martinez suggests De Bruyne could leave City because of European ban

Thomas Meunier says he wants to remain with PSG next term

 

Belgium international Thomas Meunier has revealed that he wants to remain with Paris Saint-Germain next season and the club are aware of the same. The right-back’s contract with Les Parisiens is due to expire at the end of next month and so far, there has been no progress over an extension beyond that period.


Les Parisiens are likely to keep hold of him until August at the least due to their Champions League commitments but it is unclear whether he would sign a new deal thereafter. Speaking to a French outlet, Meunier said that he has the ambition of staying with the French champions and the same has been communicated to the club through his representative.
Continue reading Thomas Meunier says he wants to remain with PSG next term

Martinez confident Eden Hazard will return stronger with Madrid

Belgium manager Roberto Martinez is confident that Eden Hazard will return stronger following the ankle injury sustained in February. The Belgium international made the high-profile move to Real Madrid from Chelsea last summer but he has since endured a difficult campaign where he has missed 36 games through injuries.


As a result, he has bagged a meagre tally of one goal from 10 league appearances but Martinez is sure that the attacker will make a positive impact on his comeback, he told: “I know he is recovering well. He is not far from running again and there are no complications. Everything went well with the operation, but you also hope that everything goes well in the four to five weeks afterwards without complications, and there were none. We know he will return stronger. We were also fortunate, of course, to have his surgery take place just before the coronavirus outbreak. Otherwise he would not be able to travel or be treated outside of Madrid. I have a positive feeling that Eden will be back soon.”
Continue reading Martinez confident Eden Hazard will return stronger with Madrid

Alderweireld admits Mourinho convinced him to sign new Tottenham deal

Belgium international Toby Alderweireld has revealed that manager Jose Mourinho played a key role in convincing him to sign a new contract with Tottenham Hotspur. The versatile defender was initially expected to leave the north London side on a free transfer in the summer but he is now contracted to the club until the summer of 2023.


Speaking to The Mail, Alderweireld hailed the man-management skills of Mourinho and said that he was convinced with the approach from the Portuguese tactician. He added that he has always remained committed to Spurs and the same was the case when Mauricio Pochettino was at the helm earlier in the season.
Continue reading Alderweireld admits Mourinho convinced him to sign new Tottenham deal

Martinez says De Bruyne is committed to City despite European ban

Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez has said that Manchester City’s European competition ban may not urge Kevin de Bruyne to head through the exit door. The midfielder has been a key player in the Citizens’ trophy success over the past few years but there has been the speculation that he may consider a departure, should the club fail to compete in next season’s Champions League.

Speaking on BeIN Sports, Martinez acknowledged that the reigning Premier League champions are facing a tough situation at the moment and they may not feature in the Champions League for the next few years unless they win their appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He added that a two-year absence from the competition could have big implications at the club but believes De Bruyne won’t push for an exit.

Continue reading Martinez says De Bruyne is committed to City despite European ban