Erik ten Hag has already 'annoyed and upset' ex-Arsenal star Granit Xhaka
Erik ten Hag has upset Granit Xhaka with his period of silence after being named the new Bayer Leverkusen boss which has caused the Arsenal star to question his future
Erik ten Hag has already managed to annoy Granit Xhaka since being appointed as Bayer Leverkusen boss, according to reports in Germany.
The Dutch coach returned to the dugout after several months out of the game following his Manchester United sacking. He's inherited a squad from Xabi Alonso that won the Bundesliga title this time last year with Xhaka a crucial cog in their midfield.
The ex-Arsenal man has proved a huge hit in Germany but he and the new manager have not struck it off on the right note. Bild claim that Ten Hag made a deliberate effort to give his new Leverkusen players time and space before touching base for the first time.
However this approach has not been universally well received with Xhaka among those to take issue with the new manager's idea. Ten Hag only made contact with the former Arsenal midfielder three weeks after his appointment. That lack of communication has seen the Swiss star question his future.
Ten Hag has been keen to underlined how important he felt the 32-year-old would be to his plans moving forward, but the period of silence looks to have backfire on the new manager.
Xhaka was an integral part of Alonso's remarkable Bundesliga-winning side that went unbeaten all year and claimed the German Cup. He has a contract at the BayArena until 2028 but AC Milan are circling. It's claimed a deal could be sealed if Milan make an offer in the region of £12.8million, despite Leverkusen initially holding out for a fee of £34m.
The German side have already seen a host of their leading lights leave, putting Ten Hag on the back foot as he begins his tenure. Florian Wirtz has left for Liverpool in a British-record deal that has banked the club more than £100m.
Jeremie Frimpong has also joined him in moving to Anfield whilst defensive star Jonathan Tah has moved to arch rivals Bayern Munich on a free when his contract expired. It does leave Leverkusen with money to spend however after finishing second in the Bundesliga.
Ten Hag had been tipped to return to Ajax, only for him to reject the Eredivisie outfit in favour of a move to Leverkusen when they came calling. He signed a two-year contract and will look to prove himself once again after a poor end to his spell in charge in Manchester.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Liverpool ready to battle Man Utd and Arsenal for Viktor Gyokeres with Alexander Isak transfer looking doomed
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LIVERPOOL look set to battle Manchester United and Arsenal for Viktor Gyokeres with their pursuit of fellow Swede Alexander Isak looking doomed. Reds boss Arne Slot is desperate to sign a top striker ahead of their Prem title defence — and has the two Scandinavians in his sights. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Viktor Gyokeres is now wanted by at least three Prem giants Credit: Getty 4 Alexander Isak could be too difficult to lure from Newcastle Credit: Alamy But No 1 target Isak, 25, is proving difficult to lure away, with Newcastle preparing to make him the highest-paid player in their club's 132-year history. Isak earns £130,000 a week but Toon want to reward his 27-goal season with a bumper £200,000-a-week deal. Meanwhile, £60million-rated Gyokeres, who has hit 97 goals in 102 games since arriving in Portugal from Coventry two years ago, has been on Slot's radar for months. The 27-year-old was United's top summer target after boss Ruben Amorim took him to Sporting. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS LEAF IT OUT Ex-Premier League manager wins battle with neighbours over 7 'nuisance' trees But he wants to play in the Champions League and the Red Devils have no European football. Arsenal have already had a £55.3m bid rejected by the Portuguese champs and are likely to return with a second offer. But they now face stiff competition from the Kop. Gyokeres is at war with Sporting president Frederico Varandas over his selling price and has warned he will not return for pre-season training. 4 BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He has an £85m release clause but Sporting could sell for £20m less. Slot wants to bolster his options up front as Darwin Nunez is close to joining Napoli in a £42m deal. Is Darwin Nunez set for £50m Serie A switch? Atletico eyeing Robertson? | Transfers Exposed While the Reds continue to pursue Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi and are confident of landing the 24-year-old defender — in the last year of his contract — for £35m. Guehi would fill the void left by Jarell Quansah, 22, who is set for a £34m switch to Leverkusen. 4 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
Daily Record
an hour ago
- Daily Record
The Celtic transfer untouchable who can't be sold at any price as Premier League clubs swirl
Charlie Mulgrew knows the importance of having a mainstay at the back Celtic have splurged millions trying to replace Carl Starfelt. So Charlie Mulgrew shudders to think how much it would cost to fill Cameron Carter-Vickers' boots. The Hoops have chopped and changed their backline since Swedish stopper Starfelt quit for Celta Vigo two years ago. An eye-watering £13million has been shelled out on unconvincing trio Auston Trusty, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Maik Nawrocki, while Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh have also had auditions. Yet the only ever present at the heart of the rearguard has been the colossal figure of CCV. Aside from his injuries, the USA international has been one of the first names on the teamsheet for Brendan Rodgers. And that's why, despite interest from Premier League threesome Leeds United, Sunderland and West Ham United, Mulgrew thinks the £20million-rated defender should be one of the club's untouchables. Asked how important it is to keep the 27-year-old, he said: "I think that's massive. I don't think they'll want to let him go. "Obviously, everybody has their price, but I think his will be high. "I think he's arguably one of the most important players and most important player at Celtic. "With not having a regular beside him, he's the one, the mainstay, that's there. "It's who's going to play beside him. I think holding on to him will be worth its weight in gold and like a new signing. You'd never want to get rid of him." Carter-Vickers has never ruffled the feathers during his four trophy-laden years at Parkhead. Mr Consistent enjoys life in Glasgow and has committed his future to the club until 2029. Yet there's absolutely no doubt in Mulgrew's mind that the ex-Tottenham man is capable of playing at a higher level. The former Hoops favourite said: "Could he play in the Premier League? 100 per cent. He's quick, he's strong, he reads the game well. "He's proved at Champions League level that he can play and compete. Maybe the only question mark would potentially be over his height. "He's not a tall centre-back, but I don't think many teams play the ball in the air. It's not like the Premier League in the 90s, where you had big Duncan Ferguson challenging you. "A lot of balls are on the ground and it's a lot of reading the game. I think that the Champions League showed that this year." Despite Celts coughing up £6m to land Trusty from Sheffield United last summer, Mulgrew senses that Carter-Vickers isn't entirely happy partnering up with his fellow American Bhoy - or Irishman Scales. That could see boss Rodgers dip into the market again as he searches for the final piece of the defensive puzzle that already includes Alistar Johnston, CCV, and Kieran Tierney. Mulgrew said: "I get the feeling that he's not completely satisfied with Trusty or Scales. But then it can change. "I really like Scales. Trusty's shown he can be a good player as well. They'll come back this pre-season and they might just hit the ground running. "The way football works, they could be the main centre-back next year. Football's a mad game. "It happened to myself. The year I got Player of the Year, I came back and I wasn't in the team for the first two games. "Then I played the majority at centre-back and got Player of the Year in Scotland. Anything can happen. "I'm sure Brendan Rodgers will be assessing that and seeing who's the best fit to play. "That's the good thing about Brendan Rodgers, he's always keeping people on their toes by knowing if they don't perform, they'll be replaced. "As a player, you want to be kept on your toes and not be resting your laurels." Signed for £4.3m, injury-plagued Polish ace Nawrocki has barely had a sniff under Rodgers. The ex-Legia Warsaw star has hardly put a foot wrong for the four-in-a-row champions whenever he's been fit - leaving fans scratching their heads as to why he hasn't been used more often. Rodgers has made it clear he wants a left-sided defender to play alongside right-footed Carter-Vickers. And as a leftie himself, Mulgrew admits the manager's reasoning makes total sense. He added: "I completely understand it. Celtic have a lot of possession in their half. "As the ball comes across to the left-centre half and he steps in, it opens up more angles of the passes to put it through the lines. "Right-footed players will tend to come back onto the right and go backwards and it closes the game off on one side. "I played in a Scotland team with three left-sided centre-backs in the back three, so when you don't have a lot of possession, you can get away with it a bit more, because it's a bit more about defending rather than having the ball. "But when you have possession, to step in and be on your side especially when you're left-sided, it can open up the passing angle so I completely understand it. But left-centre backs aren't easy to get." Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Liverpool ready to battle Man Utd and Arsenal for Viktor Gyokeres with Arne Slot prepared for £320m transfer splurge
LIVERPOOL will battle Arsenal and Manchester United for Viktor Gyokeres after growing frustrated in their pursuit of fellow Swede Alexander Isak. Reds boss Arne Slot is desperate to sign a top striker ahead of their Prem title defence — and has the two Scandinavians in his sights. 3 3 But No 1 target Isak, 2 5, is proving difficult to lure away, with Newcastle preparing to make him the highest-paid player in their club's 132-year history. Isak earns £130,000 a week but Toon want to reward his 27-goal season with a bumper £200,000-a-week deal. Meanwhile, £60million-rated Gyokeres, who has hit 97 goals in 102 games since arriving in Portugal from Coventry two years ago, has been on Slot's radar for months. The 27-year-old was United's top summer target after boss Ruben Amorim took him to Sporting. But he wants to play in the Champions League and the Red Devils have no European football. Arsenal have already had a £55.3m bid rejected by the Portuguese champs and are likely to return with a second offer. But they now face stiff competition from the Kop. Gyokeres is at war with Sporting president Frederico Varandas over his selling price and has warned he will not return for pre-season training. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK He has an £85m release clause but Sporting could sell for £20m less. Slot wants to bolster his options up front as Darwin Nunez is close to joining Napoli in a £42m deal. While the Reds continue to pursue Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi and are confident of landing the 24-year-old defender — in the last year of his contract — for £35m. Guehi would fill the void left by Jarell Quansah, 22, who is set for a £34m switch to Leverkusen. 3
