Bayer Leverkusen sign goalkeeper Janis Blaswich from RB Leipzig
The 34-year-old, who hails from Willich on the Lower Rhine, signed a contract with Leverkusen that runs until June 30, 2027. Blaswich joins as a replacement for Lukas Hradecky, who has transferred to AS Monaco. He is expected to play the number two role as a back up the newly acquired Mark Flekken.
"It is a huge pleasure for me to follow such a charismatic colleague as Lukas, who has become a legend at Bayer 04," emphasizes Blaswich. The 1.93-meter-tall goalkeeper was loaned from RB Leipzig to top Austrian club Red Bull Salzburg last season. "Now playing for Bayer 04 Leverkusen, the most prestigious club in my home region and one of the best clubs in Germany, is outstanding. I'm absolutely thrilled about what's in store for me,' said Blaswich.
In totality, Blaswich made 47 appearances for the Red Bull team, covering for the injured Leipzig No. 1 Peter Gulacsi. He then moved to RB's sister team Salzburg in the Austrian Bundesliga. Before his Bundesliga stints, the German goalie also played 110 games for Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo before moving back to Germany in the 2022/23 season.
He has also been called up to the national team mix on occasions by Julian Nagelsmann but is yet to make an appearance for Die Mannschaft.
"With Janis Blaswich, we have found a top-class successor in the goalkeeper position. This allows us to continue working on the goalkeeping team without any loss of quality," said Bayer 04 Sporting Director Simon Rolfes. "In addition to his individual talent, Janis brings extensive international experience. We are delighted to have been able to complete this first-class transfer."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
8 hours ago
- United News of India
Arsenal sweats on Havertz knee injury that could see transfer market return
London, Aug 20 (UNI) Arsenal faces an anxious wait to see the extent of a knee injury striker Kai Havertz has suffered and the problem could lead the club to make a late move in the transfer window. Havertz missed Wednesday's training session at the Emirates Stadium due to the problem, but the club medical department reportedly needs to allow the injury to settle down before it is able to make a complete diagnosis and estimate how long he will be sidelined. The German was unavailable for 20 games last season, suffering a minor knee issue in December followed by a hamstring tear in February that kept him out of action until early May. Arsenal signed Viktor Gyokeres over the summer to give more firepower in attack, but he has still to adapt to the club. Meanwhile, Gabriel Jesus hasn't played since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury in January and is still several months away from returning. Leandro Trossard can play in a central striking role, but missed much of pre-season with a groin problem, but although midfielder Mikel Merino showed he can play in a striking role last season, if Havertz's knee issue proves to be serious Arsenal will probably move to bring in a new player. Real Madrid's Rodrygo has been named as a possible target, with the Brazilian playing only a bit-part role in the Club World Cup and the 24-year-old was an unused substitute as his side debuted in La Liga with a 1-0 win at home to Osasuna on Tuesday night. UNI/XINHUA BM
News18
10 hours ago
- News18
Leon Bailey Leaves Premier League, Joins AS Roma On Loan From Aston Villa
In a statement, Roma said that they have an option to make Bailey's one-year loan move permanent, reportedly for a fee of 22 million euros AS Roma have signed Jamaican international winger Leon Bailey on loan from Aston Villa, the Serie A club announced on Wednesday. Roma stated that they have an option to make Bailey's one-year loan move permanent, reportedly for a fee of 22 million euros ($25.6 million, £19 million). Bailey, 28, arrives in Italy after four years at Aston Villa, where he scored 22 goals in 144 appearances. Now coached by Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma aim to qualify for the Champions League for the first time since 2018. They host Bologna on Saturday in the opening round of fixtures in the 2025/26 Serie A season. Paris FC sign Trapp German international goalkeeper Kevin Trapp returned to France for a second spell on Wednesday, signing for newly-promoted Paris FC from Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. The 35-year-old, capped nine times, has signed a three-year contract with Paris FC, who are backed by the Arnaults, one of the world's wealthiest families. They opened their campaign — their first in France's top flight in 46 years — in disappointing fashion with a 1-0 defeat away at Angers on Sunday. 'Paris FC is proud to welcome Kevin," the club said in a statement. Trapp previously played for their city rivals Paris Saint-Germain from 2015 to 2018, and was a regular in the side that won the Ligue 1 title in 2016 before gradually falling out of favour. He returned to Eintracht — for whom he had played from 2012 to 2015 — on loan in 2018 before signing permanently. Trapp played in the side that won the Europa League in 2022, and was man of the match in the final against Rangers. He then helped Eintracht finish third in the Bundesliga last term, the first time they had made the top three since 1993. He will bring the experience at the top level that for the moment is lacking in 22-year-old Obed Nkambadio, who was first choice last season and played in the Angers game. Paris FC's next challenge is away in the febrile atmosphere of the Stade Velodrome at Marseille, who also lost their opener 1-0 to Rennes. (With inputs from AFP) view comments First Published: August 20, 2025, 21:01 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
The Hindu
12 hours ago
- The Hindu
Chennai Grand Masters 2025: Vincent finds the key to future greatness
German Grandmaster Vincent Keymer remembers following the 2013 World Chess Championship final as an eight-year-old. In a landmark clash, Magnus Carlsen took down reigning champion Viswanathan Anand to claim his first world title. 'It really stuck with me as a memory,' says Keymer. Nearly 12 years later, Keymer had a chance to be at the site of Carlsen's coronation – the Hyatt Regency – while competing at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025. 'I've been to India a few times. What's special this time is that we are playing in the same hotel where Vishy and Magnus played,' says the 20-year-old, who steamrolled through the event to win by two points – a surprising margin in a Super GM tournament. Keymer, who entered the tournament as the third seed, led from start to finish, subduing his opponents with a relentless attacking game. He ended his campaign unbeaten, winning five of his nine games. Dutch GM Anish Giri, who finished joint second in Chennai, opined that freestyle chess has unlocked a more potent version of Keymer. The German GM had started the year with a remarkable win at the Weissenhaus Freestyle Grand Slam, where he toppled some of the world's best, including Carlsen. 'Freestyle will probably be remembered as the thing that turned Vincent into a monster. Because I feel he has discovered that he was always very reliant on openings. Keymer believes that this is his biggest win in a classical chess tournament. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ 'So, in freestyle, Vincent must have seen that even without any openings, he's very good. Now, he plays completely differently. He's no longer as predictable. He won a lot of games with Black here,' said Giri. Keymer's storming run in Chennai earned him over 20 rating points, helping him enter the top 10 in world rankings (live rating) for the first time in his young career. While Keymer cruised through to what he believes is his biggest win in a classical chess tournament, the Indian contingent mostly struggled to cope. Top seed Arjun Erigaisi fell away after a strong start, hampered partly by an illness which took hold midway through the tournament. Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi offered glimpses of brilliance but were limited by their inconsistency. Karthikeyan Murali, though, provided a silver lining for the Indian angle. The 26-year-old GM, roped in as a last-minute replacement in the main draw, battled hard to finish joint second – only Keymer managed to beat him in the tournament. 'I think Karthikeyan was excellent. He showed a lot of ambition despite being thrust into the Masters section at the last minute. It is a very noteworthy performance,' said Indian Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan, the chief organiser of the Chennai Grand Masters. Karthikeyan's confident performance also underlined the event's central objective, as worded by Srinath. 'The very fabric of the tournament is to provide an opportunity for those who wouldn't otherwise get it and for it to be a stepping stone towards reaching much higher heights. We wanted to make a difference in the careers of certain players and to provide that missing opportunity,' said Srinath. The 31-year-old was content with how the third edition of the Chennai Grand Masters unfolded, while suggesting a desire for it to get bigger. 'I think we have improved on several aspects from the previous year. And similarly, we certainly want to keep improving in every aspect – the field, playing hall, spectator experience, the media experience, the broadcast experience – and every small and major thing. We want to keep making it better,' said Srinath. An obvious way to scale it up would be to rope in even bigger names, feels leading Indian chess coach RB Ramesh. 'I think this tournament is very good from the Indian perspective. Maybe the next step is to have most of the players foreigners, with only two or three Indians. Like, Magnus, Hikaru [Nakamura], all these guys. 'So maybe out of ten, there will be seven such players. And maybe three or four Indians. Get the very best players here in a classical format. Even this time, if [R] Praggnanandhaa, [D] Gukesh, Arvind [Chidambaram] were here, it would have been amazing,' adds Ramesh. Srinath confirmed that this is something they are considering for the next edition, while asserting that the tournament will continue to retain the current playing field balance. Top seed Arjun Erigaisi (right) fell away after a strong start, hampered partly by an illness which took hold midway through the tournament. Nihal Sarin and Vidit Gujrathi (left) offered glimpses of brilliance but were limited by their inconsistency. | Photo Credit: R. Ragu 'We will try to schedule it much more in advance next year so that we get better player availability. [But] There is no intention to reduce the number of Indian players. 'We usually have four Indian players and six foreign players, and we are definitely not reducing it to fewer than four. But we will try to have a stronger field,' added Srinath. In tune with the expansion plans, Chennai Grand Masters 2025 garnered a riveting response from the local fans. Throughout the nine-day event, fans thronged the commentary/viewing area. This included young, aspiring chess players, who constantly engaged with the commentators and participants, discussing possible moves and complex positions. The competing Grandmasters, after each round, were often greeted by eager fans waiting in serpentine queues for autographs and photos. As expected, Keymer was an in-demand figure in the fan zone. His allure only grew throughout the tournament as he enthralled nearly everyone with a quality of chess that whispered world champion potential. Back in 2023, India's D Gukesh banked heavily on a win here at the inaugural edition of the Chennai Grand Masters to qualify for the Candidates. He would then go on to win the World Championship, with Keymer pitching in as one of his seconds. With his title win at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025, at the same venue where Carlsen assumed his throne, Keymer is lining up the pieces for a parallel that won't be too difficult to trace. Published on Aug 20, 2025
