Felix Magath s second stint at Wolfsburg has come to an end after leaving the club on Thursday.

Wolfsburg lie bottom of the Bundesliga table and after four consecutive league losses, chairman Dr Francisco Garcia-Sanz has decided to look elsewhere for a head coach.

Lorenz-Gunther Kostner will be in charge of the team temporarily until a suitable replacement is found to take the helm at the Volkswagen Arena.

Felix Magath took the first step in explaining to the board of directors that the club has a predominant place in his heart, a statement on the club s website reads.

He therefore offered to be relieved of his duties since he did not want the club to suffer.

The board regrets that this situation has arisen, although both parties had tried eve…

Real Madrid defender Marcelo has supported Cristiano Ronaldo, after he missed out on the 2012 FIFA Ballon d Or in Zurich on Monday.

The Portugal international had to settle for second spot behind Barcelona star Lionel Messi, who won the individual award for the fourth time in succession, but Marcelo has stressed his team-mate remains an extraordinary player.

Cristiano Ronaldo was not able to win the Ballon d Or but we know he is a fantastic player and capable of anything, Marcelo told the Madrid website.

Cristiano helps us a lot and I wanted him to win the prize. I am sure he will bring us a lot of joy.

Meanwhile, fellow Madrid colleagues Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas offered similar words of encouragement for the former Manchester United man.

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Palermo president Maurizio Zamparini feels Paulo Dybala has what it takes to follow in the footsteps of Barcelona star Lionel Messi and believes the Juventus forward is worth €150 million.

Zamparini brought Dybala to Italy in 2012  signing the Argentine forward from Instituto  and he became a key figure at Palermo before earning himself a €40m move to Turin in 2015.

Dybala has received some criticism in recent weeks for his lack of goals, but Zamparini feels it is crazy to downplay the attacker s performances as he prepares to take on his former team in Serie A on Friday. 

Whoever criticises Messi is crazy. We are talking about the new Messi. He will become a player like Messi and he is already at that level, the Palermo supremo told Tuttosport.

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Caretaker manager Alan Curtis has issued a rallying call for Swansea City to continue demonstrating the improved character on show against West Brom when they visit Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Monday.

Swansea picked up their first win in eight league games at the Liberty Stadium on Boxing Day thanks to Ki Sung-yueng s close-range finish against Albion.

It marked a rare bright spot in a Swansea season that has already seen popular former manager Garry Monk depart, with Curtis men now out of the bottom three.

Amid a hectic festive period, Curtis warned of the need for another battling display as the wait for Monk s permanent successor continues.

Asked if the win could prove a turning point in Swansea s season, Curtis said:  You hope it woul…

Olivier Ntcham wants to leave Celtic and thinks a move to Marseille would elevate his game to another level.

Scottish champions Celtic rebuffed interest from Porto before the start of last season but it appears their resolve will again be tested after midfielder Ntcham outlined his desire for a new challenge.

The 23-year-old former Manchester City man named France, Germany and Spain as desirable destinations following two seasons in Glasgow.

Marseille appear to be the frontrunners for his signature, with Ligue 1 rivals Lyon also linked.

Celtic have given me a lot, but it s the best solution for my development, Ntcham told L Equipe.

We can play as many matches as we want but, with all due respect for my team-mates, if the level of opposition is n…

Victor Mollejo has set himself the target of becoming a regular for Atletico Madrid after breaking into the first team last season.

The 18-year-old winger featured four times for Atletico in the second half of 2018-19, although each of those appearances came from the substitutes bench.

Big things are expected of the academy product, who became the first player born in the 21st century to play for the Spanish side when used by Diego Simeone in a friendly win over Leganes in August 2017 at the age of 16.

And Mollejo, part of Spain s European Under-19 Championship squad, expects more first-team chances to come his way this coming season in what is shaping up to be a new era for Atletico.

Last session of the week complete
We’ll be back on Monday! 
 

Virgil van Dijk said Manchester United are not at the same level as Real Madrid as he offered transfer advice to his in-form Netherlands team-mate Cody Gakpo.

PSV forward Gakpo scored in each of the Netherlands three group-stage games and played alongside Van Dijk as the Dutch defeated the United States 3-1 to reach the World Cup quarter-finals on Saturday.

With nine goals in 14 Eredivisie games this season, Gakpo s stock has continued to rise in Qatar and rumours of a switch to United have exacerbated since the Red Devils terminated the contract of Cristiano Ronaldo.

LaLiga heavyweights Madrid have also been registered with an interest, while Liverpool are also reportedly monitoring the situation.

Van Dijk has no doubt Gakpo is ready to take the next ste…

Antonio Conte is 100 per cent sure that Tottenham must improve if they are to close the gap to the Premier League s leading teams.

Conte replaced Nuno Espirito Santo as head coach on November 2, winning six, drawing three and losing two in 11 games at the helm so far. 

Spurs are sixth in the Premier League – although they have games in hand on all the teams above them – and are into the semi-finals of the EFL Cup, with Conte s former side Chelsea their opponents.

Tottenham also crashed out of the Europa Conference League at the group stage after their final game against Rennes – in which they needed a win – could not be rescheduled after the initial fixture was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

Conte knows the club will not be able to …

With it officially confirmed that will be leaving PSG this summer, the French giants are getting ready for life after their attacking icon.

With the future Ballon d’Or winner now set to sign a record-breaking deal with Champions League finalists , Luis Enrique’s men are expected to save a fortune.

Suggested this week that could be set to save in the region of €200million, the former Barcelona boss has also made it abundantly clear that the reigning Ligue 1 champions will be heavily active during this summer’s transfer window.

Ahead of what looks set to be a frantic summer behind the scenes in Paris, we have taken a look at who are the potential targets that could be set to replace Mbappe in the French capital.

Victor Osimhen Napoli

With makin…

Wales international Aaron Ramsey was instrumental as Arsenal made to the group stages of the Champions League with a 5-0 aggregate victory over Fenerbahce

Arsenal progressed into the group stages of the Champions League last night with a 2-0 victory over Fenerbahce, to win their play-off tie 5-0 on aggregate.

Over the two legs arguably the best player on the pitch has been young Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey.

Criticism

The Wales international has come in for horrendous criticism from the Gunners fans in recent seasons, at times rather undeservedly.

He has been made a scapegoat when Arsenal have produced poor performances and even booed by some Gunners fans.

Underrated

I have to say I think that Aaron Ramsey is now underrated, but …