Werder Bremen Look To Hijack Celtic’s Samaras Deal

Samaras is currently under contract to Manchester City but has spent a successful loan spell at Celtic after falling out of favour at the City of Manchester Stadium.

The 23 year old does not want to return to the Premiership club, and Celtic are reportedly lining up a £3 million bid for him to make his loan spell permanent.

Samaras’ agent is set to meet City chief executive Alistair Mackintosh to obtain a definitive answer on his future but it seems likely the Greek striker will be allowed to leave.

Celtic are leading the race for his signature as the player capped an enjoyable spell at Parkhead by clinching an SPL title medal on the final night of the season when Celtic beat Dundee United.

However, the six crucial goals Samaras scored and the positive contribution he made for manager Gordon Strachan while in Glasgow has alerted other clubs with Werder Bremen high on the list.

Celtic and are in a position to offer Samaras Champions League football next season.  However, Bremen coach Thomas Schaaf could also dangle that carrot in front of Samaras after they finished runners-up to Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.

Schaaf is understood to have put the Greek on his target list after it was confirmed he will lose key hitman Ivan Klasnic this summer.

The Croatian international has told Bremen chiefs he will be quitting under freedom of contract and the 28-year-old intends to put himself in the shop window at the Euro 2008 finals.

Klasnic’s impending move will put a gaping hole in his squad and Samaras is in contention to fill the void.

Belgian outfit Standard Liege have also expressed an interest to the player’s advisors and the international attacker will have a host of options available if City, as expected, give the green light for him to depart for the agreed fee.

source: goal.com

The Bundesliga’s goal-machine

Werder took time to get going and struggled with a lot of injury problems.

Still the Green-Whites went into the winter break level on points with leaders Bayern, only to fall behind again in 2008. But a strong run-in at least secured second place and direct qualification for the Champions League.

Top facts from Werder’s season:

• Werder once again offered the best attack, scoring 75 goals.
• No team had more efforts at goal than Werder (629).
• Werder won seven and drew one of their last eight games.
• Werder substitutes came up with an unrivalled 13 goals.
• Bremen took a 1-0 lead in 25 matches, Bayern managed that in just 20 games.
• Werder were the only team without a single goalless draw.
• Werder scored with 14.6% of their shots – third place. It had been first place in 2006/07.
• No team had more players sent off than Werder (seven). Not a single Werder player had been dismissed in 2006/07.
• 20 different players were on target for Werder – an all-time Bundesliga record.
• Bremen scored the most goals inside the last 15 minutes (18) and from outside the box (15).
• Per Mertesacker was the best Bundesliga player in one-on-one duels, winning 72.5% of these.
• Fellow defender Naldo had 76 shots at goal, way more than any other defender.

Player of the season: Diego, playmaker and goalscorer

• Diego was the Bundesliga’s most prolific midfielder, just as in 2006/07 (13 goals each).
• The Brazilian scored with four penalties, but was denied by Hanover’s Enke in round 33.
• He had the most shots at goal of all Werder players (79), 55% of those were on target.
• Diego created ten goals and set up 111 shots, both unsurpassed by any other Bundesliga player.
• The 23-year-old had more touches (2289) than any other Werder player.
• The Werder playmaker tried more dribblings (163) than anyone else.
• No Bundesliga player was fouled more often than Diego (166 times), for the second successive season.

source: bundesliga.de

Diego takes USA by storm

Diego was out spreading the joy of football again at the weekend. In a friendly international between Brazil’s ‘Selecao’ and Canada (3:2) in Seattle, USA, the Green-White’s playmaker and his old friend Robinho (Real Madrid) were back together again and enjoying their football just as they did in their early days at FC Santos. Diego set up the win for Brazil with a perfectly placed shot into the corner after just four minutes to put his side in front.

Robinho, who had proven provider for the first two goals, got on the score-sheet himself in the 63rd minute to snatch Brazil’s third of the night and Seville’s Luis Fabiano later finished off the scoring for the five time world champions. Canada’s captain for the tie was former Werder full-back Paul Stalteri. Before the Brazilian’s carry on with their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup against Paraguay (15.06.) and Argentina (18.06.), the ‘Seleco’ will take on Venezuela in a friendly game in Foxboro, USA on Friday, 06.06.2008.

source: werder.de

‘Merte’ ends his brief trip home to Pattensen

On Tuesday morning, Per Mertesacker’s brief trip home to Pattensen came to an end. He was back for just two days. And two important days they were too, with the Werder Bremen centre half taking the opportunity to recharge his batteries before Euro 2008 begins: “I met up with all my old friends and family, or at least those who were available. That was very important for me. I will be away from them for almost four weeks if the team are to achieve the target we have set ourselves. We intend to stay in the tournament until the last.”

The blinkers are on now for the lofty defender and only what’s ahead remains in view: “Now only the tournament counts. We are all working very concentrated towards the first game. I think the course of things from now on will be very different to how they were on Mallorca, where we had a lot of variation. Now the focus is on the finer details,” explained the 23 year old, who enjoyed the varied training after a long, hard season.

“We had everything thrown in there, handball, beach-volleyball, basketball – they are all sports I can hold my own in. On the volleyball court I was in an almost unbeatable team with Kevin Kuranyi. He practically grew up on the beaches of Panama as a kid and is really good. Our opponents, who were mainly Schalkes Westermann and Jones, didn’t stand a chance,” joked Mertesacker.

Now he is looking to link up with his other Werder team mates, Torsten Frings, Clemens Fritz and Tim Borowski to take the big title and there is no one in Bremen who would have too much against that outcome!

source: werder.de