The England youth international does not have a wealth of experience at Chelsea, but still gives the Bavarians plenty of options in the future

When Bayern Munich made their first offer for Callum Hudson-Odoi in early December, the teenage winger had not started a Premier League game for Chelsea.

The Bavarians are currently in a transitionary period, having appointed a young head coach in Niko Kovac to help develop the next generation of superstars at the Allianz Arena as their experienced winners reach the ends of their careers.

They seamlessly replaced club legend Philipp Lahm with Joshua Kimmich, while Xabi Alonso’s midfield mantle was taken on by Leon Goretzka. However, the club are still figuring out how best to replace veteran wingers Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery, who both will leave this summer after winning everything there is to win at the club.

Bayern expect to not only win the Bundesliga every season, but also to compete for the Champions League. As a result, they need to have mutliple options in each position.

Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry and Alphonso Davies will battle for the wide positions next season, but the double exit of Robben and Ribery was the reason they decided to pursue Hudson-Odoi so heavily. Coman and Gnabry are both injury prone, meaning that extra depth on the wings is crucial if Bayern are to challenge in Europe.

Hudson-Odoi has only played a handful of times for Chelsea, but Bayern Munich liked what they saw of him at international level for England as he helped them win the 2017 Under-17 World Cup and finish as runners-up in the European Championship at the same age level. There, he shone alongside Jadon Sancho, who earned a move to Borussia Dortmund from Manchester City as a result.

Bayern have the belief that Hudson-Odoi can replicate Sancho’s impact in the Bundesliga, deciding to make the 18-year-old their third most expensive signing ever and make him their next Robben or Ribery. Which player’s shoes he will step into is the big question in Munich, with Kovac having many options on how to line up in the future.

Bayern fans have become accustomed to seeing an inverted winger cut in from the outside and shoot with his opposite foot and score. Hudson-Odoi’s two Europa League starts for Chelsea were both on the left wing and he could be deployed in this position by Kovac.

Hudson-Odoi’s only goal for the Blues was a mirrored Robben-style finish from the left side of the box on his right foot. He would step into Ribery’s role for Bayern, battling it out with Coman to be the preferred left winger.

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Both Coman and Gnabry have played on the right this season for Bayern Munich, while previous managers have also used Thomas Muller there.

Kovac prefers Muller more centrally in an attacking three in support of Lewandowski, meaning Hudson-Odoi would be an option on the right following Robben’s exit from the club.

Fellow teenager Davies primarily played on the left for Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, so Hudson-Odoi could play opposite him in a very young wide attack for Bayern.

With Phil Foden and Sancho playing further forward for England’s underage sides, Hudson-Odoi was often deployed on the left of a midfield trio. He lined out in this position for the Three Lions as they reached the final of the U17 European Championship, allowing him to help build attacks from deep.

This approach could also see Kimmich moved from right-back into midfield, playing either as the holding midfielder or on the right of a midfield three to allow him to get forward and support the attack.

Summer signing Benjamin Pavard regularly plays at centre-back for Stuttgart, but achieved his greatest success at right-back as he helped France win the 2018 World Cup.

Much of Hudson-Odoi’s experience to date has come with Chelsea’s U23 side in Premier League 2. Here, he has played in a variety of positions, including in support of the striker.

Kovac previously used a three-at-the-back approach at Eintracht Frankfurt and could decide to bring that to Bayern, with Hudson-Odoi competing with Muller or James Rodriguez – should he remain in Munich – to play just behind Lewandowski.

Once again, Kimmich is deployed further forward to utilise his crossing ability more often, while the midfield trio would be interchangeable depending on the strength of the opposition.

The forward has been the subject of a £35 million offer from an unnamed Chinese club this month and was reportedly unhappy negotiations broke down

Marko Arnautovic training at West Ham without any problems, claims Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini, and could return to action against Wimbledon in the FA Cup on Saturday. 

Arnautovic appeared set to leave London Stadium this month but a proposed move to the Chinese Super League failed to materialise.

The 29-year-old Austria international was omitted from the Hammers’ 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth last time out but Pellegrini believes he is ready to play once more.

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Beyond that, however, the ex-Manchester City manager is unsure how the transfer saga will play out.

“[On Friday] we will see the squad and which players are involved in the squad list. He is working with us without any problem,” Pellegrini told a news conference.

“It is impossible for me to know the future. As a manager you worry about any different issue you have in your squad.

“When you don’t have any worries it is better but things happen in football and we know we must try to resolve as soon as we can.

“I speak with all the players every day so I know what they want.”

Repots suggested Arnautovic was disappointed the move to China fell through, with the Austrian’s brother hitting out at the Hammers for not accepting the £35 million ($45m) offer.

The forward has also been linked with moves to Chelsea and Manchester United in the past —  former West Ham boss David Moyes revealed this week that he thinks Arnautovic would flourish at Stamford Bridge  — but he looks set to stay put for the rest of this season at least.

Pellegrini has received a boost, however, as Argentina international Manuel Lanzini is back in light training with West Ham for the first time since suffering the anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out of last year’s World Cup.

“We have had the good news that Manuel Lanzini has started working with the squad,” Pellegrini added.

“He is just working for part of the warm-up with the squad but the important thing is that he feels good and his knee is the correct way.”

After they take on Wimbledon, United will face a tricky trip to Wolves next Tuesday. 

Reports emerged that the club asked for a fee from the forward’s transfer, though the Ligue 1 outfit dismissed those claims

Bordeaux have denied demanding a fee for missing striker Emiliano Sala following his move to Cardiff City.

Sala completed a club-record transfer to Premier League side Cardiff before the plane he was aboard went missing en route to the Welsh capital from Nantes on Monday.

The search for Sala – who had been back in France bidding farewell to his team-mates at Nantes – was ended by Guernsey Police on Thursday, though the 28-year-old’s family are determined to resume the operation.

Amid the heartache, reports have emerged that Bordeaux asked for a fee from Sala’s transfer, believed to be 50 per cent following his spell at the club from 2012 to 2015, though the Ligue 1 outfit dismissed those claims.

“FC Girondins de Bordeaux formally denies the information published in the Presse Ocean newspaper that the club claimed its ‘due’ on the occasion of the transfer of Emiliano Sala,” Bordeaux said in a statement.

“In today’s sad circumstances, Girondins de Bordeaux express their support for Emiliano Sala’s family and friends.”

Sala’s family reached their €300,000 crowdfunding target in their bid to resume the search for the Argentine forward.

Search and rescue efforts had spanned three days without a trace of the Piper Malibu aircraft before the authorities opted to call a halt to their scanning of the area.

A GoFundMe page was created by non-profit organisation Sport Cover on Friday, with “its sole purpose” being to help continue the search for Sala and Ibbotson.

The pot surpassed the €300,000 mark on Sunday, with a donation of €30,010 from Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe helping it over the line.

Eddie Howe has allayed fears about the striker’s long-term fitness despite the latest injury blow

Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson was ruled out of Wednesday’s Premier League match against Chelsea after having minor knee surgery.

Cherries boss Eddie Howe confirmed the England international underwent the procedure to “clean it out”.

Wilson is Bournemouth’s top scorer this season with 11 goals in all competitions.

The 26-year-old has suffered two serious knee injuries in recent years and news of this latest operation is bound to raise concern.

But Howe was eager to play down any fears about Wilson’s long-term fitness.

“Callum just had a very, very minor knee operation, just to clean it out. He will be out around about three weeks we think, so not too serious,” said Howe before the game.

Wilson, who joined from Coventry for £3 million in 2014, ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September 2015 and was ruled out for seven months.

Then, in February 2017, Wilson suffered the same injury in his left knee and was out for a further eight months.

Despite that double blow, Wilson made a successful return to action and has starred for the Cherries this campaign.

His performances in a black and red shirt earned him a call-up to the England squad, where he scored on his Three Lions debut in a friendly against the United States at Wembley in November.

Wilson’s impressive displays also led to speculation regarding a January transfer – with Chelsea heavily linked with a move.

However, Maurizio Sarri’s side instead went for Gonzalo Higuain on loan from Juventus, who made his Premier League debut at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.

Bournemouth made a flying start to this campaign but have endured a tough few months.

The Cherries were as high as sixth after a 3-0 win at Fulham at the end of October, but their form has dramatically tailed off.

Howe’s side have lost 11 of their last 15 matches in all competitions to slump further down the table and go out of the FA Cup at the hands of Brighton.

However, the Cherries rebounded with a 4-0 win over Chelsea on Wednesday behind a double from Josh King. 

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The Spanish defender has committed to a four-and-a-half-year deal at Molineux after impressing for a team catching the eye in the Premier League

Wolves have completed a club-record £18 million ($24m) deal for Jonny, with the defender’s loan switch from Atletico Madrid turned into a permanent transfer.

The Spaniard has signed a contract at Molineux through to 2023.

The 24-year-old first arrived in England last summer, with a season-long agreement taking him away from his homeland.

He slotted seamlessly into the fold under Wolves boss Nuno and is delighted to have committed to a long-term stay with a team holding their own among the Premier League elite.

Jonny told the club’s official website: “I’m very happy to sign for Wolves. The last few days we spoke about it and now it’s official, I’ll be at Wolves for the next four years.

“I’m really happy to continue to be involved with the team. I am very happy here, the truth is that it was very easy to decide.

“They are treating me very well, there are great staff, great team-mates and great supporters. It is a big club and, really, I am very happy to be here.”

Jonny added on the transfer talks which resulted in a big-money agreement being struck: “We’ve had conversations for a while, but everything has been very fast.

“The clubs reached an agreement and asked me what I thought and really from the first moment I said yes to Wolves because the truth is that I am very happy to be here.

“I really like this league, I really like Wolverhampton and I’m really happy to be here.”

On his hopes for the rest of the season, Jonny said: “The same as the first, but even more.

“I think we have to think about continuing to improve, the team is working well but there is always room for improvement.

“I think that if we continue at this level we can be in a high position in the league.”

Wolves currently sit seventh in the Premier League table.

Jonny, who has mainly figured in a left wing-back role, has made 22 appearances for the club to date.

His efforts have not only been noted by those at Molineux, leading to him being snapped up on a full-time basis, but also by those back in Spain.

He earned a first senior international cap for his country back in October during a friendly clash with Wales.

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Pep Guardiola always said it will be almost impossible for his side to catch the Premier League leaders if they dropped points – and now they have

Pep Guardiola has said a few times that if his Manchester City side dropped points the Premier League title race would be “almost over”.

And, while the amount of games left may offer the Blues some hope that they can still overhaul Liverpool, optimism will not be the overriding emotion after a damaging defeat at a Newcastle side managed by former Reds boss Rafa Benitez.

It will feel as if the roof has fallen in on a campaign that promised so much. A wobble over Christmas saw City’s slender lead over Liverpool turn into a seven-point deficit, and with the Reds set to play Leicester on Wednesday it could now be restored to seven – effectively eradicating City’s victory when the two sides met early in January.

City have a couple of issues to address after their fourth defeat of the season but they can do nothing about their biggest problem: the fact that Liverpool just keep winning.

This was an opportunity to cut the Reds’ lead to just one point, an opportunity to pile even more pressure on a team that has got their fans dreaming once again.

And when City scored after 26 seconds it looked to all the world as if the juggernaut would just keep rolling on. City’s defeats over Christmas owed much to injuries in key areas and since then they had picked themselves up in impressive style, scoring 33 goals and conceding just two in their eight games leading up to the clash at St James’ Park – a final as Guardiola billed it on Monday.

Yet they could not capitalise on that early advantage, their moves breaking down thanks to sloppy passes or loose touches. Newcastle did not offer an awful lot going forward but their situation forced a bit of urgency and they made life hard for City by getting in their faces and reducing spaces.

They were still in the game at the hour mark and when City failed to clear their lines it was no surprise that Salomon Rondon made them pay.

That need not have been the end of the world for City, who threw on Gabriel Jesus for the expected onslaught, but on another Newcastle foray forward the hosts caught out Fernandinho, who feinted past one man inside his own box but did not expect the other, losing the ball and compounding his mistake by conceding a foul and a penalty.

Matt Ritchie slammed it home, and even with plenty of time left, it was game over.

Is it title race over, too?

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It is surely too early to say that, but so far Liverpool have given no indication that they are going to slip up. They are winning the tight games and the open games, and the rest they seem to win comfortably.

Guardiola did not want to get too much into the idea that this game was an opportunity to crank up the pressure on the Reds but he did admit that City would basically need to win all of their games if they are to win the title.

He does not expect Liverpool to slip up. Jurgen Klopp does not expect City to slip up either, and in fact he even said he expected them to beat Newcastle.

As for Klopp, he has not got much wrong in the last few months and even when he does err it goes Liverpool’s way.

That’s just the way this season is panning out.

The Manchester City winger has been likened to an iconic figure from the past, but the German concedes he has a long way to go to be in that bracket

Manchester City winger Leroy Sane concedes he is “not nearly” at the level of Ryan Giggs despite drawing comparisons to the Manchester United legend.

The Germany international is considered to be most of the most destructive wide-men in the Premier League.

Giggs once held a similar reputation during his time in Manchester, with the Welshman enjoying a trophy-laden career at Old Trafford.

As Sane boasts many similar attributes to the Red Devils icon, it has been easy for his game to be likened to that of a figure from the past.

The 23-year-old City star is flattered to be earning such praise, but claims it is far too early for him to be placed into a talent bracket alongside an all-time great.

Sane said of the Giggs talk: “Comparing him to me – I can’t do it at all! 

“If you see the kind of player he was, he’s a legend for Manchester United and the Premier League. 

“How he played was special and how many titles he won, I’m not nearly there! 

“Obviously, I’m pleased that people do it because it means I’m doing some things well and I’m really happy about it.”

Sane contributed 10 goals and 15 assists to City’s record-breaking title triumph in 2017-18.

He has found the target a further eight times this term, while teeing up nine efforts for grateful team-mates.

That contribution has Pep Guardiola’s side in contention to defend their English top-flight crown, with the Blues enjoying the challenge of trying to chase down Liverpool after securing domestic dominance at a canter last season.

Sane said: “I think it’s kind of more enjoyable because it motivates you to say we want to be first, we can put pressure on them and it makes you want to work harder.

“Liverpool have a lot of players with a lot of experience. Even last season, they reached the Champions League final so they know how to do it. 

“We all know what we did last season, we’re still doing it this season and we all know exactly what we have to do and that’s the important thing.” 

City sit four points adrift of Liverpool at present but can close that gap on Tuesday when they travel to Newcastle, with the Reds not in action until Wednesday evening when they play host to Leicester.

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The Russian side have completed a deal for the Colombia international, who has previously been linked with a Premier League move

Zenit have signed Wilmar Barrios from Boca Juniors to replace Leandro Paredes following the midfielder’s sale to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Colombia international has signed a four-and-a-half-year deal with Zenit, who did not release details of the fee paid to Boca.

The 25-year-old had been linked with a move to the Premier League after his strong performance at last summer’s World Cup, with Chelsea and Tottenham rumoured to be keen. 

Instead, Barrios joins up with Zenit, who currently lead the Russian Premier League by one point ahead of second-place FC Krasnodar. 

Barrios was a key part of the Boca side that reached the final of last year’s Copa Libertadores, but he was sent off in extra time as River Plate triumphed in the second leg of the Superclasico at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Barrios is the latest player to be prised away from Boca after their Libertadores run.

Lisandro Magallan joined Ajax and his fellow defender Leonardo Balerdi was bought by Borussia Dortmund.

Overall, Barrios has earned 17 caps with the Colombia national team, which includes three appearances at the World Cup.

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The Barcelona superstar was expected to return to the Albiceleste squad in March, but Lionel Scaloni is giving nothing away at this stage

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni admits it has been “a while” since he last spoke to superstar Lionel Messi.

Messi last played for the national team at the 2018 World Cup, but is widely expected to make his return in March.

Goal revealed in January that plans are being put in place to bring the 31-year-old back into the Albiceleste squad.

Scaloni said at that time: “We will speak with Leo in the days before the March list. When the time is right we will speak.

“I hope he can be here but more than that, we want him to be happy. I have a good feeling.”

The Argentina boss has, however, conceded that efforts to welcome a mercurial talent back into the fold have gone no further since then.

“I have not talked to Messi for a while now,” he said.

“He has a match in a few days and we’ll see if he can play.”

Messi is currently nursing a thigh problem picked up during a La Liga outing for Barcelona against Valencia.

His club manager, Ernesto Valverde, has said of that knock ahead of a Clasico clash with Real Madrid on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey: “[Messi] has a small problem.

“I don’t know exactly what he has.

“We will have to wait to see what medical staff say. If he’s in good shape, he’ll play on Wednesday.”

Ahead of a Copa America campaign later this year, Argentina are scheduled to face Venezuela and Morocco in friendlies next month.

Messi is enjoying another fine season for Barcelona, scoring 29 goals in 27 games in all competitions.

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The two sides may be separated by eight points after 22 games, but the Madrid boss is confident they can catch up before the end of the season

Real Madrid will never give up on their hopes of winning La Liga this season, coach Santiago Solari has vowed despite the eight-point gap between them and leaders Barcelona.

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Solari’s side are third in the Spanish top flight, but edged slightly closer to their main rivals on Sunday by beating Deportivo Alaves 3-0, capitalising on Barcelona’s 2-2 draw with Valencia and second-placed Atletico Madrid’s 1-0 defeat at Real Betis.

Having recovered from their early-season inconsistency, Madrid are now on a four-game winning streak in the Spanish top flight.

They still have a sizeable deficit to overcome if they are to beat Ernesto Valverde’s reigning champions to the crown, but Solari insists they will keep up the fight.

“Madrid never give up,” he said at a press conference. “Always until the very end, and when I say the end I mean until the last game of the season.

“We showed hunger to cut the gap in points and we did it. Same as last week and the week before that. We will always go out to win the game, regardless of the mathematics.”

Vinicius Junior was among the goals for Madrid on Sunday, doubling his side’s lead in his 11th La Liga appearance since the 18-year-old’s move from Flamengo last summer.

And Solari was full of praise for the Brazilian, who has now scored three goals in all competitions this season.

“He had a great match. He was applauded for it. He is responding very well,” he said.

“We are delighted with his arrival and his progress. He always has the support of the mature players in the squad. They take care of him, love him and advise him.”

Madrid face fierce rivals Barca at Camp Nou on Wednesday for the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final tie before resuming league action with a trip to city neighbours Atletico. The following Wednesday, February 13, they will return to their Champions League campaign, taking on Ajax in the first leg of their last-16 clash.