Tag: France

Barcelona even stronger now without Neymar, says Ter Stegen

The German goalkeeper has hailed the signings of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele but also had words of praise for the PSG forward

Neymar’s €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain has only served to make Barcelona stronger this season, says goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

The departure came at a time of perceived institutional crisis at Barca, with fan anger at the running of the club compounded by a thrashing to Real Madrid in the Supercopa de Espana.

However, Ernesto Valverde has led a serene march towards La Liga glory this season, and Barca are unbeaten after 24 league games – a run stretching back a club-record 31 league contests – with a healthy lead over Atletico Madrid in second.

Though Barca’s fabled ‘MSN’ strikeforce of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar has been broken up, Ter Stegen believes the squad as a whole has stepped up after the latter left, inspiring their success this term.

“The quality of Ney, you can’t explain it,” Ter Stegen told ESPN . “Because he was super important for us, as a person [and] in the team, as a footballer.

“Now, everyone needs to understand what he did because maybe he wants to win something else, also personally.

“His decision only he knows but in the end we had to compensate all this and this is not easy because he had so much quality, but we did it in a different way and now we have a very, very strong team.

“I think we’ve got some new players who have made us even stronger and hopefully they feel good and comfortable in the team and they adapt very fast.”

Two of the players drafted in to compensate for the loss of Neymar are Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho.

The pair joined in deals that could be worth over €300m, but Ter Stegen says both deserve time to show they can fill the Brazil star’s boots.

“Dembele didn’t play very often because he was injured [and] Coutinho just came,” Ter Stegen said.

“We always need to give them time and be patient because they are young and they have some great years ahead.”

Barca travel to Chelsea on Tuesday for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie. Valverde has named the strongest squad possible, with only the suspended Nelson Semedo and ineligible Coutinho missing.

Source: www.goal.com

Evra completes West Ham move

The 36-year-old has joined the London Stadium outfit on a deal until the end of the season after being released by Marseille in November

West Ham have completed the signing of former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra.

The France international joins the Irons on a free transfer having been released by Marseille in November after he attacked a supporter ahead of his side’s Europa League match with Vitoria.

Evra has signed a deal that will keep him at the London Stadium until the end of the current campaign as David Moyes’s side look to fend off the threat of relegation.

The 36-year-old will wear the No.27 shirt and becomes Moyes’ third signing since taking over from Slaven Bilic after the arrivals of Joao Mario and Jordan Hugill in the January window.

“I’m really happy to be a Hammer, to be back in the Premier League and I love this game!” Evra, who has won seven league titles and the Champions League during a career that has also seen him represent Monaco and Juventus, told the club’s official website.

“It’s amazing to be back and I am thankful to West Ham for giving me the opportunity to do my job.

“When I wake up I know I am going to work hard, to have fun with my team-mates and give my best on the pitch.

“I’m just happy to be here, it’s really simple. You don’t realise how lucky you are and just to wake up this morning and know I am going to train with my new team-mates made me smile!”

Evra was also linked with joining Everton, but opted to reunite with Moyes after he played under the Scot during his short tenure at Old Trafford.

“It happened really fast. My agent called me and told me I needed to come back [from Dubai] to London as quick as I could and I had a nice meeting with the manager, who I know from Manchester United, of course, and I met the chairman, so it was really easy.

“When you have to make a deal and money is not the issue, the deal could be done in five minutes. The main thing was for me to join West Ham and to help my team-mates to win as many games as we can.

“It was the fastest thing I have done in my life, because both parties wanted to work together, so it was very easy to make an agreement.”

Evra could make his debut against Watford on Saturday, with fellow left-back Arthur Masuaku suspended for a further four matches after being sent-off for spitting against Wigan Athletic in the fourth round of the FA Cup.