B/R Gossip Roundup: Podolski's Days Numbered and Lampard in the Spotlight
As we head toward the January transfer window, some major names have been linked with possible moves.
This week, it's not just players who are hogging the headlines, with talk of managers being on the move also coming to the fore.
There are also big-name players whose futures could be decided in the coming weeks.
Jurgen Klopp Going Nowhere, and Neither Is Brendan Rodgers
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This is not a period Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will be enjoying after the 3-1 Premier League defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend.
After just missing out on the title last season, the Reds have fallen on much harder times this term and endured a difficult start to the campaign.
Indeed, after the loss at Selhurst Park, Anthony Chapman of the Daily Express claimed that Borussia Dortmund head coach Jurgen Klopp was being lined up to replace Rodgers at Anfield.
According to the article, the Liverpool hierarchy will move for the Westfalenstadion boss if they decide to part company with Rodgers.
The crucial part of that sentence, of course, is the word "if."
Rodgers has plenty of credit in the bank for his achievements in guiding the Merseyside club to within a whisker of a first title in 24 years.
And the loss of star striker Luis Suarez did not make his hopes of mounting a challenge this season much easier.
True, few expected Liverpool to be flailing as they are, but Rodgers will be given more time by the Fenway Sports Group.
Klopp's Dortmund have also struggled for form this season, and the team is currently in the lower reaches of the Bundesliga.
However, after restoring the club to former glories with two titles and a Champions League final appearance in recent years, Klopp also has more than enough credit in the bank with his employers.
Believability Meter: Very Low
Neither Klopp nor Rodgers will be leaving their respective roles in the immediate future. But we can expect this story to reappear over the coming months if either manager continues to struggle.
Ilkay Gundogan Not Ready for January Transfer to Manchester United
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Without doubt, one of the good-news stories of this season has been the return of Ilkay Gundogan.
The Borussia Dortmund midfielder returned to action in October after 14 months out of the game with a back injury.
The 24-year-old Germany international's absence from Jurgen Klopp's team was, arguably, one of the reasons Dortmund were unable to mount a serious challenge in the Bundesliga last season.
Gundogan is attempting to rediscover his form, but with the team struggling in domestic action, it has not proved to be an easy task.
Before this week's games, the midfielder had only completed one full match for the Westfalenstadion side this season.
All of which makes the claim of Daily Mail reporter Kieran Gill on Tuesday all the more surprising.
According to Gill, Gundogan has alerted Manchester United after voicing a desire to play in the Premier League one day.
The midfielder was quoted as saying:
"Real Madrid made an offer for me but my club refused it.
At the time I had two more seasons on my contract. But also, my injury wrecked everything. I couldn't play for 14 months.
Now I want to look forward and make up for lost time with sporting success.
Playing outside Germany is one of my big goals. If one day I leave here, I'd like to play in Spain or for one of the big teams in England.
"
Jack Watson of Squawka.com reported that Gundogan had rubbished the speculation, but his recent inactivity will have ensure Louis van Gaal remains cautious about making a move.
Prior to his absence from the game, it would have been understandable that the Old Trafford club—and other major European sides—would have had an interest in the player.
As it stands, though, Gundogan still has plenty to offer but must rediscover his form and fitness before any move will be contemplated.
Believability Meter: Low
Gundogan was one of the finest midfielders in Europe before his injury problems, and he will be one to watch in the coming months.
But talk of a switch is far too premature.
Carlo Ancelotti and Manchester United Talk Lost in Translation
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Talking of Manchester United, it wasn't just Ilkay Gundogan who was linked with Old Trafford this week.
According to Metro, United have offered Carlo Ancelotti £270,000 per week to make the switch from Real Madrid.
The article claims that the Old Trafford hierarchy are not convinced by current manager Louis van Gaal and are looking for the Bernabeu boss to replace him.
There is no doubting Ancelotti's quality as a manager; the Italian has time and again proved himself at some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
He has won the Champions League three times and possesses countless other awards to his name from a glittering career. But then again, so does Van Gaal.
The Dutchman only arrived at United in the summer after guiding the Netherlands to the World Cup semi-finals.
And the report of United's interest in switching Ancelotti for Van Gaal is undone by the money already handed to the current Red Devils boss and the lack of time he has had to restore the team's fortunes.
United will be reluctant to remove another manager from the club so soon after sacking David Moyes after less than a season at the helm.
It is also a strange time for United to be thinking of a change in manager, with Van Gaal and the team enjoying an upturn in fortune that has propelled them into the top four of the Premier League.
Ancelotti, meanwhile, has only been at Real for one full season, although, admittedly, clinching the Champions League and ending the club's 12-year wait for La Decima was quite a statement to make during a debut campaign.
Handily, this story emerged the day after Ancelotti revealed that he had twice turned down the Manchester United job, as Rhys Turrell of the Daily Star reported from another story by Jose Felix Diaz of Marca.
A third offer is highly unlikely. We can only assume something must have been lost in translation in the Metro article.
Believability Meter: Very Low
There is nothing in this story with substance, and it seems to have been a case of mistranslation from the Marca article.
Liverpool Should Leap on Availability of Bayern Munich Winger Xherdan Shaqiri
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It may not be the easiest of seasons for Liverpool and Brendan Rodgers, but one piece of news this week should be of interest to the beleaguered Reds.
Nicholas Godden of the Daily Mail was among those to report that Bayern Munich president Franz Beckenbauer had claimed that Xherdan Shaqiri will probably be allowed to leave the club in January.
The former West Germany international was quoted from an interview with Sport1 as saying:
"Bayern have already sent out a signal and indicated to him that he can probably go in the winter break, when he wants.
I think it's a shame because he is a great talent.
"
Those words should be music to the ears of Rodgers, and Godden also notes a link between the Switzerland international and Liverpool.
With talents such as Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery ahead of him in the Bayern pecking order, the writing has been on the wall for Shaqiri for some time.
And Beckenbauer's words were merely confirmation of the inevitable for the winger, who, at 23, still has the majority of his career ahead of him.
Rodgers claimed earlier in the week that he would not be contemplating any transfer moves in the January window, as Vaishali Bhardwaj of Metro recorded.
But with a reported fee of £15 million reported by Godden, it would be unwise of the Reds manager to dismiss a move for Shaqiri without serious consideration.
With Adam Lallana and Lazar Markovic yet to find their form after their summer arrivals, the Swiss star could be the answer to Rodgers' prayers after a dismal Premier League campaign so far.
Believability Meter: Medium to high
A move for Shaqiri must be high on Liverpool's agenda in January—certainly for the transfer fee quoted in the Daily Mail article.
However, much may depend on the amount Rodgers has available to spend on players after his summer spree.
Manchester City and New York City Owners Face Tricky Decision over Frank Lampard
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It must have seemed like such a simple equation for the owners of Manchester City: sign Frank Lampard for their New York City FC franchise and let him spend a bit of time at the Etihad Stadium to keep him sharp.
However, the former Chelsea and England midfielder has confounded expectations for Manuel Pellegrini's team this season.
Witness his form in the late Champions League victory over Bayern Munich and his late equaliser against his former employers in September and you realise that Lampard still has plenty to offer.
According to Ian Herbert of The Independent, the 36-year-old could be set to extend his current loan deal with City beyond its current expiration date at the end of January.
After being released by Chelsea at the end of last season, few could have envisaged the effect the veteran has had during his loan spell with City, but there can be no doubt that Lampard has more than proved his worth with the Premier League champions.
But City's owners now have a dilemma.
Along with David Villa, Lampard was signed by New York City FC as a marquee player for their debut MLS campaign.
However, following his form for Manchester City, Pellegrini would be understandably keen to keep the midfielder in his squad for what he will hope is a successful title defence.
Lampard has experience of winning the Champions League, unlike the majority of his City team-mates.
On the flip side, though, Sheikh Mansour and his Abu Dhabi United Group—owners of City and co-owners of New York City—are eager for their United States venture to succeed.
And the possibility of going into their debut MLS campaign without one of their major acquisitions will significantly lessen the glamour of the team's launch.
City now have the unenviable task of deciding whether Lampard should stay with City to help their quest for Premier League and Champions League success or link him up with New York for their MLS debut.
Believability Meter: High
This really is a tricky situation for the Manchester City hierarchy, but it is one that must be resolved swiftly for the sake of both clubs, Pellegrini and Lampard himself.
Podolski Heading for Emirates Exit?
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Lukas Podolski's days at Arsenal appear to be numbered.
The 29-year-old forward has yet to start a Premier League match for the Gunners this season. Recent comments attributed to him by German magazine Kicker (h/t Daily Telegraph) suggest a move away from north London is possible this winter.
"I like London, I like the club, but I don't like the situation," Podolski is quoted as saying. "I'm not some clown who can sit out his contract in the stands."
Podolski joined Arsenal from Cologne in 2012. According to the Telegraph article, his contract runs until 2016.
Believability Meter: High
Podolski just doesn't seem to fit at Arsenal or perhaps with manager Arsene Wenger's plans. As B/R's Allan Jiang has noted, Podolski is something of a square peg in a round hole at the club. Citing Podolski's disappointing spell at Bayern Munich, Jiang criticises Wenger's decision to sign the forward in 2012:
"A bench warmer at Arsenal, it is deja vu for Lukas Podolski, as he was also a misfit at Bayern Munich.
His passive-aggressive behaviour is why he has become a square peg in a round hole at his second major European club.
...
It was prisoner of the moment thinking from Wenger to believe Podolski's drama-filled and resentment-riddled tenure at Bayern would not resurface at Arsenal in the face of adversity.
"
Podolski's exit from Arsenal seems inevitable. The main questions focus on when it will happen and which club he'll join.
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