Monday Football
01 December 2008
by Jerrad Peters
Espanyol coach sacked
Bartolome Marquez has been relieved of his duties as Espanyol manager. The 46-year-old was pink-slipped this morning after the Barcelona side were handed a 1-0 loss at home to Sporting Gijon. The defeat was the Periquitos' fourth in a row and leaves the club in 17th place in La Liga, just one point above the relegation zone.
"It was a painful decision," stated president Daniel Sanchez Libre upon announcing the decision. "He is Espanyol through and through, and a good man."
The sacking ends a 16-year relationship between Marquez and Espanyol. After representing the club for six years as a player, he served in a coaching capacity for more than a decade. Fitness coach Xavi Pedrero was also fired.
The club have not named an interim manager, although assistant coach Oscar Perarnau oversaw today's training session. Sanchez Libre has indicated that he will wait until at least Wednesday before replacing Marquez.
Bayern to sell Podolski
Bayern Munich will sell Lukas Podolski in the summer, admitted Uli Hoeness on ARD Television. In an interview on Sunday, the Bayern general manager stated his intent to wait until July before transferring the 23-year-old out of Allianz Arena.
"Even I can well imagine him leaving at the end of the season," said Hoeness. "If we can find a replacement for him, I imagine we will be able to grant his wish of going to Cologne. We have six months."
Podolski, currently recovering from a back injury, has failed to make an impact at the Bavarian giants since arriving from Cologne for approximately 10M-euros in 2006. At the time, he was considered one of the world's up-and-coming young strikers. At the last World Cup, he scored three goals and was named the tournament's Best Young Player. In total, he has scored 31 goals in 60 appearances for his country while managing just 21 goals in 89 matches for Bayern.
Manchester City and Real Madrid have already been linked with Podolski. Madrid, with an eye to replace injured striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy, are widely thought to be the frontrunners for his signature.
If he was to move in July, or even January, Podolski's value on the open market would approach upwards of 14M-euros.
Chelsea won't sell Drogba
Didier Drogba will be a Chelsea player until at least July. Blues chief executive Peter Kenyon dismissed any notion of the striker's departure on Monday, stating, "Didier's under contract with us for the next 18 months. He will be going nowhere in January.
Rumors of Drogba's exit intensified after the 30-year-old Ivory Coast international was spotted at a Fulham restaurant with Inter Milan sporting director Marco Branco and Jose Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes.
When asked to comment on the matter, Kenyon simply remarked, "I don't know whether he did or didn't."
Drogba, currently serving a three-match ban for throwing a coin into the stands during a Carling Cup match with Burnley, has yet to make an impact under new Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari and has been keen on a move to Inter for over a year. He threatened to quit the team after Mourinho was sacked in September, 2007 and is thought to be keen on a reunion with the new Inter manager.
Capel to leave Sevilla
After coming through the youth ranks at Barcelona, Diego Capel debuted for Sevilla as a 16-year-old in 2004. He led Spain to the Under-19 European Championship in 1996 and earned his first senior cap in August against Denmark.
Capel is on the fast track to stardom and may opt to leave Sevilla during the January transfer period. Tottenham Hotspur made a futile attempt to sign the 20-year-old in the summer. Nevertheless, the left-winger would like to play in the Premier League and Manchester City are thought to be readying an offer-sheet.
"I am happy at Sevilla," said Capel. "But if a good offer arrives from abroad then I need to study the details.
City would be willing to pay approximately 12.6M-pounds to bring Capel to Eastlands from Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
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