VfL Wolfsburg

Wolfsburg have issued a statement regarding the potential sale of Germany starlet Julian Draxler, with the club denying they are prepared to let the attacker leave the team this summer.

The statement was published on the club's official website and addressed recent rumours surrounding the player after he made it known he would like to move on from the Bundesliga outfit.

The statement read:

The Supervisory Committee and the Board of Directors at VfL Wolfsburg Fußball-GmbH feel the need to comment on the interview with Julian Draxler which was published in the 'BILD' newspaper, in order to clarify the current situation and dispel any possible resulting rumours.

VfL Wolfsburg wish to make it absolutely clear that at no time did those responsible at the club make either written nor oral commitments on the transfer of Julian Draxler within the current transfer period, which is due to end on August 31st, 2016. This is reiterated by a contractual release clause agreed upon with Julian Draxler and his management, which does not come into effect until summer 2017.

VfL Wolfsburg will not be selling Julian Draxler during the course of the current transfer period.

The Wolves confirmed they have held discussions with their player and are solid in their belief he will not leave the Volkswagen Arena in due course. They added they expect Draxler to return to duty and continue his participation in their squad, per the club's official statement: 

In joint discussions with Julian Draxler, VfL Wolfsburg again made it clear that they would not be granting the player’s wish to make a move. We now consider any possible uncertainties to have been eradicated and that all parties can revert back to a professional and responsible collaboration for the good of VfL Wolfsburg and, in particular, for our fans.

Draxler told German newspaper Bild (h/t ESPN FC's Stefan Buczko) he is ready to fly the nest and find himself a new challenge at a bigger club after coach Dieter Hecking said the prodigy would be staying under his watch.

Draxler said: "One could have talked to me personally before making public declarations. After the Euro 2016 I clearly said to [Hecking] that I want to leave Wolfsburg. The coach is aware of that for the past three weeks."

Arsenal have long been linked with the winger and were rumoured to be preparing a major bid for the 22-year-old as recently as July, per John Cross in the Mirror.

Here is a video of the player in action:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv_Jr4WArgQ

The player produced mediocre numbers last season, scoring eight goals in the Bundesliga and Europe after his transfer from Schalke, according to WhoScored.com.

However, he has been one of Germany's best prospects for a number of years, and his stock has grown over an extended period.

Draxler is ready for a new team, despite his short time in Lower Saxony, and the dazzling lights of the Premier League may await his skill set.

The Wolves will struggle to hold onto the player if a superclub come calling, and Draxler is a commodity the top sides in Europe desire.

Wolfsburg have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Jakub Blaszczykowski, who has agreed to a three-year contract with the Wolves, keeping him at the Volkswagen Arena until the summer of 2019. 

The club announced the transfer on Monday via its official Twitter account:

VfL have secured the services of Jakub Blaszczykowski from @BVB. Kuba has signed a deal with VfL until 2019. pic.twitter.com/BYorCT7Tjn

— VfL Wolfsburg EN/US 🇬🇧 🇺🇸 (@VfLWolfsburg_EN) August 1, 2016

The move sees fan favourite Kuba leave Signal Iduna Park after nine years with the Black and Yellows. He racked up 253 appearances for Dortmund since joining the club in 2007, per Transfermarkt.

Blaszczykowski, 30, has lost a regular starting place in the Dortmund squad over the past two seasons, although OptaFranz highlighted him as one of the club's key figures since making their rise in recent years:

35 - Jakub Blaszczykowski set up more Bundesliga goals for @BVB than any other player since 2007/08. Thanks. pic.twitter.com/8bHfhsF49Q

— OptaFranz (@OptaFranz) August 1, 2016

The Poland international was a prominent member of the Black and Yellows side that ran to successive Bundesliga triumphs in 2011 and 2012 and collected runner-up medals in 2013 and 2014.

ESPN FC writer Stefan Buczko sourced German newspaper Kicker and reported the transfer fee was a modest one:

Kicker write that Jakub Blaszczykowski will transfer to VfL Wolfsburg for €5 million. #BVB

— Stefan Buczko (@StefanBuczko) July 31, 2016

Blaszczykowski spent the 2015-16 campaign on loan with Serie A outfit Fiorentina, although he managed to make just 20 appearances for the Italians during an injury-riddled tenure.

Wolfsburg's announcement fell on the same day that Dortmund announced former Wolves winger Andre Schurrle had completed his medical with his new club, having moved in the opposite direction in July:

😃😃😃 pic.twitter.com/V5SBFjXwkf

— Borussia Dortmund (@BVB) August 1, 2016

Blaszczykowski could effectively end up as a direct replacement for Schurrle at the Volkswagen Arena, and he'll hope to bring a title-winning mentality to his new club, who finished eighth in the Bundesliga last season.

The player's arrival marks the latest attacking recruit to join Wolfsburg, with the club having already signed Real Madrid striker Borja Mayoral on loan as well as Dinamo Zagreb forward Josip Brekalo and FC Cologne playmaker Yannick Gerhardt.

The Wolves have also signed Atletico Madrid midfielder Josuha Guilavogui on permanent terms after his successful two-year loan spell at the club.

Blaszczykowski will hope to land a primary place in the plans of manager Dieter Hecking as Wolfsburg look to make their rise back through Germany's top flight and reclaim a spot in European football.

Wolfsburg terminated Nicklas Bendtner's contract with immediate effect on Monday, the German outfit announced.

The Bundesliga side released a statement revealing he "is no longer a VfL Wolfsburg player" on their official website, adding Bendtner "had not trained with the team for quite some time and was recently exempted from participation."

The Dane scored just nine goals for the club in 47 appearances. Per the Guardian, the news brings to the end a torrid time, where he has been sanctioned for "oversleeping and missing training among other indiscretions."

Bendtner's contract was to run until the end of next season, but in their statement, Wolfsburg nevertheless describe the cancellation of his deal as an "amicable solution." Further, they shared a comment from director of sport Klaus Allofs:

Both Nicklas and ourselves had high hopes of his engagement at VfL Wolfsburg, but after two years, we have had to ascertain that the expectations were neither fulfilled for him nor for us and a continued cooperation made no sense for either side. For that reason, the mutual decision to end our association prematurely is thus the best solution for all parties.  We wish Nicklas all the very best for his future career.

The striker has featured for just 541 minutes this season with just three outings in 2016, and he last netted for the club on October 31.

After showing promise in his early days at Arsenal, where he netted 15 times in his second full season with the first team aged 20, the forward's career has since been in a tailspin.

Several poor campaigns at the Emirates Stadium and loan spells at Sunderland and Juventus—where he made just 11 appearances and failed to score—preceded his move to Wolfsburg, and he has evidently been unable to reignite his career there.

Bendtner now faces the task of finding a new club this summer when he should be in his peak years as a striker having turned 28 in January.

After bagging just 19 club goals in his last five seasons combined and considering the disciplinary issues he had at Wolfsburg, he may find it difficult convincing a team to take a gamble on him—particularly one of the calibre he's played for thus far in his career.

He will be a free agent, though, and if he's to salvage what's left of his career, he'll need to grab the next opportunity that comes along with both hands.

Real Madrid are coming to town, and Wolfsburg are preparing a party.

Spanish newspaper AS has revealed that the German club have stocked up with 11,000 litres of beer for the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday, with home tickets for the 30,000-capacity Volkswagen Arena completely sold out.

This is the first time Wolfsburg have reached the last eight of Europe's premier competition, and they'll be keen to extend their run of four successive wins, despite the calibre of the opposition.

Zinedine Zidane's Real, meanwhile, will be looking to pick up where they left off after an impressive Clasico win over Barcelona on Saturday.

One thing's for certain—win, lose or draw, the beers will be flowing in Wolfsburg as fans look to make a considerable dent in the 11,000 litres just waiting to be enjoyed.

[h/t AS]

Wolfsburg and Gent's round-of-16 UEFA Champions League tie may not have been the glamour match of the next stage in Europe's biggest showcase, but Julian Draxler put on a show in Belgium. 

The German scored two classy goals as he helped Wolfsburg to an early 3-0 lead, which proved vital as Gent scored two late goals to keep the pressure on. 

As a result, he's Bleacher Report's Champions League Man of the Week. 

Other standout performers were Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, who scored a dazzling goal in a 2-0 win, and Sergio Ramos, who helped the Madrid giants keep a clean sheet in Rome. 

[Design: @emranovic7]

Dream job?

David Bytheway's been playing FIFA at a professional level since he was 17 https://t.co/tvm3XgZoOa pic.twitter.com/5rYRh5Q6OT

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) February 4, 2016

It's the dream of football fanatics the world over, and Wolverhampton's David Bytheway is living it.

The 22-year-old was signed to be a professional FIFA player with German club Wolfsburg in January and will represent the club at tournaments and in online streaming.

"It's absolutely massive for me the fact that a team like Wolfsburg have gotten involved with gaming," Bytheway told the BBC's Tim Hague. "It was just something I was doing at home to start with, just playing my friends and wanting to be the best out of them, and all of a sudden I'm a part of a football club."

Happy to announce I have signed with @VfL_Wolfsburg as their official FIFA Player

— David Bytheway (@DaveBtwFIFA) January 19, 2016

As one of Wolfsburg's two professional FIFA players, he is still living in the Midlands and says he plays "at least four to six games in a day" as practice.

He's been playing professionally since he was 17 years old and has travelled as far as the United States and Brazil to compete, and he represented England at the FIFA Interactive World Cup last year.

He hopes this is the start of a major growth for E-sports.

"It's a new market for them. E-sports is growing so much every year with all the viewers it's generating. Wolfsburg can see the potential and so they want to be the first to do it," he said.

He's optimistic that Premier League clubs might start following suit in "less than a year."

"Right now [my signing with Wolfsburg is] not exactly historic, but in five years' time, when we look back at this we'll think, 'Wow they really started something here,'" Bytheway said. 

Meanwhile, he is the envy of gamers all over the planet.

[BBC]

Former Arsenal striker Nicklas Bendtner could be on his way back to the Premier League with Crystal Palace after rumours suggested he will depart Bundesliga club Wolfsburg.

Continue for updates.

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Potential Eagles Loan For Dane

Thursday, January 21

Dominic Fifield of the Guardian speculated on social media the former Gunner could return to England with Palace: "And the latest striker to be considered by #cpfc is... Nicklas Bendtner of Wolfsburg. Presumably as a loan."

Local sports reporter Mark Ritson quoted Eagles manager Alan Pardew talking about the forward and confirmed he is investigating prospective signings:

https://twitter.com/MR_LWMedia/status/690169128888442881

Bendtner exited the Emirates Stadium in 2014, taking in loan spells at Birmingham City, Sunderland and Juventus during his time on the Gunners' books. His time at the three clubs were far from fruitful, but he negotiated a switch to Wolfsburg once his contract with Arsenal expired, per the Press Association (via the Mail Online).

Despite the fresh link to the south London side, the Guardian's Ed Aarons was skeptical about a deal:

Would take Palace's interest in #Bendtner with a massive dollop of salt #cpfc

— Ed Aarons (@ed_aarons) January 21, 2016

Ben Hunt of the Sun declared Pardew might form a trio of ex-Arsenal players in his attack, combining the talents of the experienced Denmark international with former team-mate Emmanuel Adebayor, with both potentially joining Marouane Chamakh at Selhurst Park.

The 27-year-old has primarily been used as a substitute by Wolfsburg this term, making seven of his 10 Bundesliga appearances from the bench, scoring twice, according to WhoScored.com.

Bendtner was a talented youngster when under Wenger's control from 2005, but he did not develop into the rounded figure Arsenal fans hoped he would become.

He is a player with a spiky attitude, and supporters do not always take to him. But if he arrives at Palace and scores goals, he will be welcomed into the Eagles family. 

One of Germany's brightest young talents is moving on, as former Schalke attacking midfielder Julian Draxler has been signed by Wolfsburg.

Wolfsburg confirmed the news of a completed transfer via their Twitter account.

Schalke revealed Draxler has signed a five-year deal with the Wolves, and although the fee remains undisclosed, it represents a club-record transfer fee received by the Royal Blues.  

Here is what Wolfsburg supporters can look forward to from their new acquisition:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOZhwW30BeY

Draxler wasn't at his best in the 2014-15 season, as injuries limited him to 15 Bundesliga appearances, two goals, an assist and an 6.86 average match rating from WhoScored.com. Still, between injuries in the past two seasons, he has flashed his otherworldly talent.

Before rupturing a tendon in January of 2014—he had been out of action since early December at the time—the then-20-year-old was having an excellent 2013-14 campaign for Schalke. In 14 Bundesliga appearances, he had scored a goal, added four assists and earned a sparkling 7.76 average match rating from WhoScored.com—11th best in the league at the time.

He returned from injury that February, but he wasn't quite as effective, scoring a goal and adding two assists in 12 Bundesliga appearances down the stretch in the 2013-14 season.

Draxler is a versatile forward capable of playing on the wing, behind a central striker or even as a centre-forward, though it's not a role he's generally been utilised in to this point.

There will be a clear void for Draxler to fill at the Volkswagen Arena after the departure of Kevin De Bruyne from Wolfsburg. The Belgian was a creative force for the Bundesliga runners-up last term, and now the onus will be on their new acquisition to be equally as incisive in the attacking third of the field.

Indeed, Marcus Christenson of the Guardian thinks Draxler must start fulfilling his undeniable potential:

Schalke's Julian Draxler joining Wolfsburg for €35m. Huge season ahead for the 21-year-old. Time to step up.

— Marcus Christenson (@m_christenson) August 31, 2015

At 6'1", he certainly has the size for the position, and he is a terror with the ball at his feet for opposing defenders. He also scored 10 goals in the Bundesliga as a 19-year-old, so it isn't hard to see him developing as a consistent finisher if he's moved to the striker position on a more permanent basis.

But Draxler is more than just a talent, as Ed Malyon of the Daily Mirror noted last January:

As well as the technical ability, Draxler has a brilliant attitude. European football expert Andy Brassell mentioned it in his superb piece about Schalke earlier this season, noting, "In the early weeks of the season—notably when scraping through a fraught Champions League play-off against PAOK—Draxler seemed like the only one with stomach for a fight."

There are few things more appealing than a footballer whose ability is only matched by a positive attitude and a desire to win.

The youngster has electric talent and should thrive in this new move. His versatility, size, footwork and finishing will serve him well, and though injuries have derailed what felt like his inevitable rise to superstardom, his potential remains tantalising. 

Expect nothing but big things for Draxler moving forward. The best is surely yet to come.

  

Borussia Dortmund will be hoping to give it one final push on Saturday as Jurgen Klopp arrives at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin for his final game at the club in the DFB-Pokal final against Wolfsburg. 

There, Dieter Hecking's bruising, conquering side will be waiting for them with licked lips and an appetite to once again prove their worth as the new power on the German football block. 

The Wolves finished second in the Bundesliga with a healthy 23-point lead over their opponents on Saturday, and despite finishing below Dortmund for the past few seasons, they will go into the cup final as favourites. 

Dortmund, in contrast, may yet favour the underdog status in the conclusion to a season that has seen them implode whenever pressure or stress has been applied. 

Date: Saturday, May 30

Time: 7 p.m. BST, 2 p.m. ET

Venue: Olympiastadion Berlin, Berlin

Television: BT Sport (UK only), Gol TV (U.S. only)

Streaming: BT Sport app (UK only), Gol TV online (U.S. only)

Form

Dortmund	Wolfsburg
Werder Bremen - Win	Cologne - Draw
Wolfsburg - Loss	Dortmund - Win
Hertha Berlin - Win	Paderborn - Win
Hoffenheim - Draw	Hannover - Draw
Frankfurt - Win	Gladbach - Loss

Expected Lineups

Dortmund may well start with Mitch Langerak in goal, with Erik Durm, Neven Subotic, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer set up as the back four. 

In midfielder we should see Ilkay Gundogan line up alongside Sven Bender in the middle of the park, with Marco Reus on the left, Shinji Kagawa in the middle and Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the right. That leaves Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang through the middle as a lone striker. 

Hecking will have Diego Benaglio in goal with a back line of Ricardo Rodriguez, Timm Klose, Naldo and Vieirinha at right-back. 

This will leave the usual pairing of Luis Gustavo and Maximilian Arnold in the middle of the park while Kevin De Bruyne, Daniel Caligiuri and Ivan Perisic will play behind Bas Dost. 

Key Players

Marco Reus

There may be players with more goals, more assists and more appearances for Dortmund this season, but in a cup final against such an opposition, Klopp can look no further than Reus for inspiration on Saturday. 

The German forward has always thrived on the biggest of stages and will have high hopes of grabbing this game by the teeth and wrestling it into submission. 

Kevin De Bruyne

According to WhoScored.com, nobody in the Bundesliga has as many assists as De Bruyne. In fact, it doesn't even come close. With 20 in 34 appearances this season plus 10 goals to boot, the Belgium international has been like a one-man demolition machine.

No player has looked so potent in attack in German football this season. Dortmund beware.