French Ligue 1
JUST TWO WEEKS ON THE JOB, NEW PSG COACH CONTRACT CORONAVIRUS
Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has tested positive for Covid-19, the French champions said on Friday (Jan 15), just two weeks after taking up his job.
The 48-year-old Argentine will “respect isolation and is subject to the appropriate health protocols”, PSG said on Twitter.
His assistants Jesus Perez and Miguel D’Agostino will take charge of the team for Saturday’s trip to Angers.
Three PSG players had already tested positive for the virus in the last week – Brazilian Rafinha, Germany’s Thilo Kehrer and French youth international Colin Dagba.
Former Tottenham coach Pochettino has overseen three PSG games so far, notably winning the Champions Trophy in Lens on Wednesday thanks to a 2-1 win over bitter rivals Marseille.
Pochettino took over from Thomas Tuchel and signed a contract until June 30, 2022 with an option for an additional year.
Tuchel was sacked on Dec 24, reportedly for comments viewed as critical of the Qatari owners despite having led the team to a maiden appearance in the Champions League final last season.
Pochettino also played for the Parisians from 2001 to 2003.
France has reeled from more than 2.8 million Covid-19 infections and 69,313 deaths, according to official figures.
From Saturday, a nationwide curfew, starting at 6pm, will be introduced.
Meanwhile, relegation threatened Lorient’s home game against fellow strugglers Dijon was cancelled on Friday after a virus outbreak in the Breton side.
The postponement of Sunday’s game is the first in Ligue 1 since Marseille’s meeting with Nice on November 17 was called off.
“Following advice from the national Covid commission, it was decided to postpone the match due to the absence of more than 10 of 30 Lorient players after positive RT-PCR tests,” the French Football Federation announced.
Under protocols agreed at the beginning of September, matches are postponed if a team does not have 20 players with negative tests available.
Lorient also confirmed their training centre would close for a minimum of 10 days after positive tests from youth players and management.
There are fears the virus may have spread after the Lorient youngsters played a recent friendly against Nantes.
Lorient sit 19th in Ligue 1, are winless in five games, and are two points and one place behind Dijon.
Strasbourg’s match with Saint-Etienne, scheduled for Sunday at the same time as the Lorient versus Dijon game, is also under threat of postponement.
Several players and members of the management team at Saint-Etienne have tested positive, said the club.
“The PCR tests carried out Tuesday and Thursday revealed many positive cases for Covid-19 among the players and members of the management of the squad,” said the club in a statement.
Saint-Etienne are currently in 16th place in the table, five points off the drop zone with Strasbourg a place and a point better off.
-AFP
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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