May 2016 - Soccer Wiretap

Jan Oblak Likely Out 3-4 Months With Shoulder Surgery
Jan Oblak was injured while attempting to prevent Jonathan dos Santos from scoring Villarreal's second goal.

As.com

Pep Guardiola Sticking By Methods Amid City's Slump
Pep Guardiola conceded that one recent Premier League match crystalized the English game for him.

Mark Ogden/ESPN

Nike, England Agree Upon 12-Year, $507M Extension
England have so far worn Nike kits at two major tournaments (2014 World Cup and 2016 Euros).

Press Association

LA Galaxy To Hire Curt Onalfo As Manager
Curt Onalfo was Arena's assistant in Los Angeles from 2011-14 before taking over LA Galaxy II, the club's reserve team, which competes in the American third tier.

Doug McIntryre/ESPN

Robert Lewandowski Agrees To Extension With Bayern Through 2021
Robert Lewandowski joined Bayern in 2014 from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund and was the league’s top scorer in the 2015-16 season.

Reuters

Dortmund Insists Christian Pulisic Not For Sale
Borussia Dortmund has again warned Liverpool they have no intention of selling Christian Pulisic.

Stephan Uersfeld/ESPN

Cristiano Ronaldo Wins 2016 Ballon D'Or
Cristiano Ronaldo has now won the award for the fourth time of his career, previously winning 2008, 2013 and 2014.

ESPN

Arsenal Vs. Bayern Headline Round Of 16 UCL Ties
Since they last reached the quarters in 2010, Arsenal has lost two times apiece to Bayern and Barcelona while also losing to AC Milan in 2012 and Monaco in 2015.

The Guardian

Klopp Credits Liverpool's Scouting For Cut-Price Firmino Transfer
Jurgen Klopp was on sabbatical when Firmino joined Liverpool in the summer of 2015 and has said no club consulted him over the Brazilian.

Andy Hunter/The Guardian

Cristiano Ronaldo Earned $240M In 2015
The earnings of Cristiano Ronaldo were published amid claims of possible tax evasion.

Ed Aarons/The Guardian

Olivier Giroud Won't Leave Arsenal In January
Olivier Giroud's contract with Arsenal runs through 2018 and has been linked to Juventus.

Ian Holyman/ESPN

Carlos Tevez Considering $42.5M Annual Salary In China
Carlos Tevez left Juventus to return to his boyhood club Boca in 2015.

ESPN

MLS Has More High-Earning Players Than Serie A
The Premier League amassed the majority of high earners over the €100,000 a week threshold (49%), with La Liga and the Chinese Super League both at 15%.

Luis Miguel Echegaray/The Guardian

Barcelona Invites Chapecoense To Play Friendly At Camp Nou In August
Nineteen Chapecoense players were killed in the crash on with club directors, coaching staff and journalists also among the victims.

Reuters

Arsenal Won't Sell Mesut Ozil, Alexis Sanchez
Arsenal has warned Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez that they will not be sold even if they don't agree upon contract extensions before their current deals expire in 18 months.

Press Association

Round Of 16 For 16-17 Champions League Set
Dortmund, Atletico, Barcelona, Arsenal, Napoli, Monaco, Leicester City and Juventus have won their respective groups.

RealGM Staff Report

West Ham Unlikely To Make January Move For Marouane Fellaini
West Ham are seeking a striker and a central defender in the January transfer market.

Peter O'Rourke/ESPN

Roy Hodgson Seeks Return To Management
Roy Hodgson has interest in returning to management several months after he was fired as manager of England.

Press Association

Everton Holds Transfer Talks For Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin
Memphis Depay and Morgan Schneiderlin are out of favor with Jose Mourinho and Everton has interest in both players.

Peter O'Rourke/ESPN

David Villa Named MLS MVP For 2016
David Villa scored 23 regular season goals for NYCFC.

RealGM Staff Report

Jurgen Klopp Takes Liverpool To Catalonia For Training, Watch Barca
Liverpool flew to Catalonia immediately after their loss on Sunday against Bournemouth.

Glenn Price/ESPN

Barcelona Turned Down Chance To Sign Luka Modric In 2008
Barcelona rejected a chance to sign Luka Modric in 2008 before he left Dinamo Zagreb for Tottenham Hotspur.

Samuel Marsden/ESPN

Mats Hummels Was 'Very Close' To United Move In 2014
Mats Hummels says he was "very close" to a move to Manchester United under Louis van Gaal in 2014.

ESPN

MLS XI Of 2016 Features Just Two Americans
The MLS has announced their Best XI for the 2016 season, which featured just two players from the United States.

RealGM Staff Report

Aguero Banned Four Matches, Fernandinho Out For Three
Sergio Aguero received a straight red card for his reckless challenge on David Luiz.

Press Association

Guardiola Apologizes For City's Behavior To Close Chelsea Loss
Pep Guardiola refused to criticize Sergio Aguero for his challenge on David Luiz and even said the tackle was "not intentional".

Daniel Taylor/The Guardian

Chelsea To Stick With 3-4-3 Against City
Antonio Conte switched to the 3-4-3 following their defeats in September to Liverpool and Arsenal.

Liam Twomey/ESPN

Ex-Chelsea Player Paid By Club To Stay Quiet About Sexual Abuse
Eddie Heath, who was the club's chief scout from 1968 to 1979, died before the allegations were made.

PA Sport

Mesut Ozil Open To Returning To Real Madrid
Mesut Ozil was sold by Real Madrid to Arsenal in the summer of 2013.

Dermot Corrigan/ESPN

Jan Vertonghen Signs Extension With Spurs Through 2019
Jan Vertonghen has been in negotiations since the end of last season and his new deal extends his commitment to Spurs by a year.

Press Association