Bundesliga Transfer Update

It’s now late July and the club teams which make up the Bundesliga only have one more month to sign, trade, and transfer new players for the 50th campaign of the season. Overshadowed by the EPL and La Liga transfers, the Bundesliga has already made exciting and intriguing signings that have gone under the radar in the soccer world. In no specific order, here are some of my favorites:

 Luuk De Jong to Borussia Monchengladbach

If there is any benefit to the departure of Marco Reus from the squad, it’s the the new funding that Monchengladbach has received to sign new, fresh talent.  Luuk De Jong is no exception, he signed for 15 million Euros on a five year deal earlier this month. De Jong knocked in a whopping 25 goals in 32 appearances last year for FC Twente during their regular season, adding in an extra 7 in other tournaments. Although he was linked with Newcastle, De Jong stated that Monchengladbach was the club for him: “I’ve told Twente that I only want to go to Gladbach. Borussia are playing in the qualifying round of the Champions League, and it’s best for me to take the next step in my career. The Bundesliga is one of the best leagues in Europe. I need to go there in order to take the next step with the [Dutch] national team.”
Transfer Rating – 7/10
A great finisher, and also great in the air, De Jong has much potential. Although he was one of the best in Holland, De Jong has admitted that it will be more difficult for him to become a star player in the Bundesliga because of the level of play. If he can overcome the minimal issues going against him (pace of play, movement off the ball), he should be able to shine for Monchengladbach.

Marco Reus to Borussia Dortmund

 Reus turned down Bayern Munich to join Dortmund for 17.5 million Euros on a five-year deal. Reus, who was recently voted as the Bundesliga player of 2011-2012 by the German players union, is coming off his best season to date with 21 goals scored in 37 appearances for his former Borussia Monchengladbach side. Along with this, he also had a short, but impressive two games with the German national team during the most recent Euro tournament. Between 1996-2006, Reus played on the Dortmund youth squad, cementing a fondness for the club which would later make the current transfer an easy one.

Transfer Rating – 9/10

Unfortunately for Reus, his name will soon (if not already) become synonymous with Shinji Kagawa. The hole that Kagawa will leave at Dortmund will be huge. Reus was signed on as an obvious replacement for the Japanese international who just signed with Manchester United. Marco will have very high expectations but should be able to fulfill these. He’s an intelligent winger who is quick, a great dribbler, and deadly with one-on-one attacks.

Xherdan Shaqiri to Bayern Munich

The quick and speedy Xherdan Shaqiri will be sure to hear plenty of jokes after signing on with Bayern Munich. Last year’s Champions League match-up between FC Basel (including Shaqiri in the line-up) and Bayern ended in a one-sided 7-0 win for the Germans. Shaqiri, after playing on the losing side, has interestingly enough signed on this year to help the Bavarians win a title. The 20 year-old self-proclaimed “street footballer” committed to a four-year deal for 11.6 million Euros. After the signing, Shaqiri stated that he would not partake in the Olympics for the national team from Switzerland: “I have to integrate into my new team. It was clear to me from the start that I was inclined towards Bayern, even if every player dreams of competing at the Olympics…it would certainly have been a great experience, but I can only integrate fully if I’m 100 percent here.”

Transfer Rating – 8/10

Shaqiri is still very young but has provided much success in the past for his former club. With 38 appearances and 14 goals for Basel last year, Shaqiri will be itching to make it onto the starting 11. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery aren’t getting any younger, so the addition of Shaqiri will definitely have a positive effect on the squad. Whether his “street football” style will be able to work with the current Bayern style of play is another question.

Dante to Bayern Munich

 It’s going to be tough for Monchengladbach after losing Reus and now Dante. The Brazilian defender, who signed for 4.7 million Euros, had this to say about the trade: “Bayern are one of the world’s biggest clubs and there I can have the chance to play at the very highest of levels and win titles…I am now 28 years old and want to take that next step in my career…Borussia tried all they could to keep me and give me a new contract. I’ve been here for three and a half years now and I’ve had a wonderful time. For that I’d like to thank everyone at the club and the fantastic supporters. It hurts to leave but decisions like this are a part of every player’s career.” 

Transfer Rating – 7/10

Bayern were prone to small, yet important mistakes in the back last year. These mistakes cost them their chance to win the Champions League title, the cup final to Dortmund, and the league title. Boateng and Badstuber will more than likely start over the Brazilian but if he proves to have a season similar to his most recent one, we might see him starting regularly over them.

  

Granit Xhaka to Borussia Monchengladbach

Signing from FC Basel for only 8.5 million Euros, Xhaka might be the steal of the tournament. The 19 year old has the intelligence of a player ten years older than him and was even considered the best in Switzerland by the former Basel coach Thorsten Fink: “Xherdan Shaqiri is the best talent in Switzerland…after Granit Xhaka.” With the ability to create sublime long passes while also playing a great defensive game, Xhaka has been named the “young Schweinsteiger.”

Transfer Rating – 9/10

There is plenty of hype about Granit and he should be able to follow through. His only weakness might be his occasional risky decisions which have allowed for counter-attacks, but this shouldn’t be too detrimental to the squad. He has a consistently high pass completion rate, has a mature playing style and is aggressive defensively. Look out for this guy next year.

Mario Mandzukic to Bayern Munich

After a very impressive showing for Croatia during Euro 2012, Mario Mandzukic signed with Bayern Munich for 13 millions Euros from Wolfsburg. With the addition of Mandzukic, Bayern will have three deadly players (Pizarro and Gomez) who will be able to play as strikers. Mandzukic netted 20 goals in 56 appearances for the Wolfsburg side and will be sure to add more (he just scored against his old club in a pre-season game) for the Bavarians this season. According to Mandzukic, the trade was an easy decision: “I had other offers, but I want to win the title with Bayern. That is why you play football. The decision was not difficult. I cannot wait to finally get started. I must perform well in training and will use all my skills to play regularly. I look forward to playing alongside Claudio Pizarro and Mario Gomez – it will make me an even better player.”

Transfer Rating – 8/10

With Olic out, Bayern needed somebody to replace him. Mandzukic may not start over Gomez, but he definitely has the potential to become a better player. Unlike Gomez, Mandzukic plays a larger role in the creation of plays. Pizarro will more than likely be more of a sub providing guidance to a potentially deadly Mandzukic and Gomez combination. If the Croatian international performs the way he did at the Euros, he will be well worth the trade.

More important signings (honorable mentions):

-Phillip Wollscheid (Nurnberg to Bayer Leverkusen)

-Bas Dost (Heerenveen to Wolfsburg)

-Theodor Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec to Werder Bremen)

Adidas Finale 12 UEFA Champions League 2012/13 Match Ball

Adidas brings across the textured TPU casing, which improves grip for both ‘keepers and outfield players in wet weather, and helps to stabilise flight.
Sporting a striking ‘circuit’ design in Black and Yellow, the adidas Finale 12 will be used by all competing clubs in the Champions League 2012-13 season (with the exception of Chelsea, who as Champions retain the right to use the Finale Munich in all their home games) until the knockout stages.

Borussia Dortmund 12/13 Puma Football Shirts

For the 12/13 season Puma offers the usual home, away and third football shirts, and when BVB plays against international opponents in the Champions League, the players will wear the striped shirt.

Bayern Munchen 12/13 Adidas Third Football Shirt

The new kit will be used in the Champions league. The three stripes and adidas logo are coloured silver, while the stripes on the chest symbolize the roof of the Allianz Arena.

Petr Jiráček

Petr Jiráček (born 2 March 1986) is a Czech footballer. His position is midfielder. He currently plays for German club VfL Wolfsburg.
In September 2011, he made a national team debut in a match against Scotland. He scored his first goal in a 1–0 win against Montenegro in the Euro 2012 qualifier play-offs.
Jiráček made 100 league appearances for Viktoria Plzeň between 2008 and 2011. In December 2011, Jiráček signed a four-and-a-half year deal with German Bundesliga side VfL Wolfsburg.

International goals

#	Date	Venue	Opponent	Score	Result	Competition
1.	15 November 2011	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica	Montenegro	1–0	1–0	Euro 2012 qualifier play-offs
2.	12 June 2012	Municipal Stadium, Wrocław	Greece	1–0	2–1	UEFA Euro 2012
3.	16 June 2012	Municipal Stadium, Wrocław	Poland	1–0	1–0	UEFA Euro 2012

Manuel Neuer

Manuel Neuer (born 27 March 1986) is a German footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bayern Munich and the German national football team.

Personal life

Neuer was born in Gelsenkirchen, North Rhine-Westphalia. He attended Gesamtschule Berger Feld, like many other notable footballers, such as Mesut Özil. His brother Marcel is currently a football referee in the Verbandsliga. He got his first football when he was two. He had his first game on 3 March 1991, 24 days before his fifth birthday. Neuer's hero and idol as a child was fellow German and former Schalke goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.
In November 2011, Neuer won €500,000 for his foundation on Wer wird Millionär?, German version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?

International career

Youth Teams

After progressing through the youth teams, Neuer made his U-21 debut on 15 August 2006 against the Netherlands. He won the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship with the Germany national under-21 football team in Sweden and kept a clean sheet in the 4-0 win in the final against England.

World Cup 2010

Neuer was called-up on 19 May 2009 to the senior Germany squad for a tour of Asia. He made his debut on this tour in a match against United Arab Emirates on 2 June. He played in the November friendly against the Ivory Coast that ended 2–2. Although he took responsibility for the first goal conceded, manager Joachim Löw refused to blame him and instead commended him for doing his best
The death of keeper Robert Enke in November 2009 saw him elevated as the second choice goalkeeper under René Adler. However, Adler suffered a serious rib injury which ruled him out of the World Cup. Neuer then became Germany's first choice goalkeeper ahead of Tim Wiese and Hans-Jörg Butt for the upcoming tournament.
Neuer was selected as Germany's number one goalkeeper for the World Cup in South Africa. During the group stages, he only conceded a single goal, a close range shot by Jovanovic in the match against Serbia. He provided the assist for Klose's opening goal against England, winning 4–1. He played in all of Germany's World Cup matches apart from the third-place game against Uruguay, when Hans-Jörg Butt was rewarded with a spot in the starting lineup.

Euro 2012

He played every single minute of every match in the qualification campaign for Euro 2012, helping Germany to secure 10 wins out of 10 games and top their group. After Germany's 3-1 away win against Turkey he was especially praised for his 'sensational' performance. He retained a close range volley shot by Hamit Altıntop, and then he quickly threw the ball to the halfway line into the feet of Thomas Müller, who immediately provided the assist for Mario Gomez's opening goal. Neuer then set up the second goal, under pressure by Turkish attackers he fired a precise long range shot to Mario Götze deep in the opponents half, who found Thomas Müller on the edge of the opponents penalty box to score.

Euro 2012 football shirts are "toxic"

The EU consumer watchdog BEUC have announced that testing has shown that nine of the sixteen first choice shirts of the Euro 2012 finalists contain "worrying" levels of chemicals and may pose a health risk.

Six of the shirts - Spain, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, France and Italy - were found to contain lead, a heavy metal, with the Spanish and German shirts (both adidas) carrying an amount exceeding the legal limit for children's products.  The Portugal and Holland shirts (both Nike) were found to contain nickel.
The most dangerous shirt was that of Poland, with the BEUC statement saying that it should be "banned outright" as its levels of an organotin compound - included to reduce sweat odour - could be toxic to the nervous system.

adidas and Nike produce the majority of these shirts - four each - and Puma the only other implicated manufacturer, in the form of the Italy shirt.  The only Euro 2012 manufacturer unaffected is Umbro, producing the playing wear of England, Ireland and Sweden.
BEUC director-general Monique Goyens said: "Football fans pay up to 90 euros (£73) for the shirt of their favourite team. The least they should expect is to have a quality and safe product.

"It is inexplicable that heavy metals are used in mass consumer products. It is clearly foul play by manufacturers to use substances harmful to both people and the environment.

"Our members' test results are a sad reminder that Europe's chemicals legislation is unfit for the purpose of banning dangerous substances from consumer products."

Ms Goyens said a plan to deal with "endocrine-disrupting chemicals" would be an opportunity for the EU to be on the offensive against harmful chemicals."