Real Madrid News
Newly-appointed Super League CEO teases inauguration for 2024/25: “It’s reasonable”
European Super League committee has recently appointed Bernard Reichart as their new CEO, who spoke to the Financial Times and Reuters about the prospects of the competition in the coming years.
Reichart confirms the ESL project is being led by the president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, along with presidents from Juventus and Barcelona.
“The presidents of Real Madrid, FC Barcelona and Juventus have recently set out their views on the problems facing the sport. I think they are asking the right questions and personally, I would like to hear many different voices to that the European football community can jointly find the right answers”, Reichart said (h/t MARCA).
The ESL CEO went on to suggest the possibility of potential dialogue with UEFA in the matter, adding: “We don’t want to work against anyone, we want to work for football.”
Reichart does not want to repeat the mistake of the first attempt at starting ESL, where ‘the dialogue was neglected’. “For my part, I ensure an open and transparent dialogue,” he added.
“We want to reach out to stakeholders in the European football community and broaden this vision. Even the fans will have a lot of sympathy for the idea. It’s a blackboard in white. The format will never be an obstacle,” Reichart said when asked about the ESL format that received a lot of flak last year.
Reichart continued by criticising the current UEFA Champions League mode, which, according to him, is not sustainable at all.
“The system has become quite unstable, it can no longer stand on its own. I think the clubs should be able to decide their fate because they also bear all the (financial) risks. Most clubs agree that you can’t continue like this,” he said.
Reichart even teased a potential starting date for European Super League, suggesting that the competition could begin from the 2024/25 season onwards.
“Start in 2024-25? It’s reasonable, I’m optimistic,” says Reichart, who was the former CEO of the RTL Deutschland Group.
Incidentally, the new format of the UEFA Champions League will kickstart from the 2024/25 season, where the bigger teams are expected to gain additional quirks. However, with European Super League also in the air, it will be interesting to see how things transpire in European football over the coming years.
Real Madrid News
Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool monitoring 19-year-old Bundesliga wonderkid – Romano
According to Fabrizio Romano, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all monitoring Bayer Leverkusen and Germany wonderkid Florian Wirtz.
After recovering from his ACL injury, the teenage sensation has been slowly working his way back to his best form. So far this term, Wirtz has managed to rack up a tally of two goals and six assists from 13 matches in all competitions.
The 19-year-old’s talent and potential have never been in question and hence it does not come as a surprise that elite clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Liverpool are all keeping tabs on the German international.
A versatile attacking midfielder, Wirtz is capable of playing anywhere in the final third of the pitch and backs up with top-notch end product. Be it as a false-nine or in a more withdrawn role, the youngster has excelled for Bayer Leverkusen, catching the attention of top teams.
Real Madrid, for their part, are also understood to be among Wirtz’s admirers. Given the situation surrounding Karim Benzema’s fitness and the lack of backup at the top, the youngster could be an option, as he has shown potential while operating through the middle.
But Barcelona also have a strong interest in the teenager with reports even suggesting that they have already made contact with his father to enquire about his situation.
At the same time, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is understood to be a huge admirer of his fellow German and with Roberto Firmino on his way out, Wirtz could be lined up as a possible replacement.
However, Romano adds that the expectation is that Wirtz could stay at Bayer Leverkusen for one more year and depart Germany once the UEFA Euro 2024 is out of the way.
For now, there have been talks or negotiations with any clubs, but Real Madrid, Barcelona and Liverpool are all tracking Wirtz and his progress in Germany.
