Site icon SBI Soccer

Tuesday Kickoff: Lewandowski staying put, Rangers face liquidation and more

Lewandowski (Getty Images)

Put a halt to the Robert Lewandowski-to-Manchester United talk.

Days after Poland national team coach Franciszek Smuda reportedly said that the star Polish and Borussia Dortmund striker was on his way to joining the Red Devils, Dortmund has refuted those claims, saying they do not plan to sell Lewandowski and that he will be with the club this upcoming season.

With Lewandowski and Poland slated for their second Euro 2012 match against Group A-leading Russia on Tuesday, Dortmund executive Hans-Joachim Watzke asserted that Smuda's comments were either off base or fabricated by Polish media and that the club's leading scorer would remain with the two-time defending Bundesliga champions.

Here are a few other stories to get your day going:

RANGERS FACE LIQUIDATION

The situation at Rangers is getting dire.

The legendary Scottish club is facing liquidation and a three-year European ban after Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs rejected the club's Company Voluntary Agreement plan — a partial payment plan that would have allowed Rangers to repay its massive debts over time.

Instead, HMRC is reportedly pushing for liquidation in an effort to recover the money that is owed. All of this comes a couple of months after it appeared that American businessman Bill Miller was set to purchase the club and bring it out of the red before pulling out of the deal. According to reports, liquidation would not mean the end of Rangers as a club, but the remainder of the Scottish Premier League teams would have to approve their place in the top flight.

Depending on how this plays out, Americans Carlos Bocanegra, Maurice Edu and Alejandro Bedoya could have new homes sooner rather than later.

QPR LINES UP OFFER FOR GIVEN

The door could be opening for Brad Guzan at Aston Villa after all.

According to reports from England, Queens Park Rangers are lining up a £3 million offer for Villa No. 1 Shay Given, one that would leave an opening at Villa for a starting goalkeeper. Guzan's contract expired at the end of the season, and while he did not rule out a return to Villa, he has also expressed his desire to be a consistent starter after backing up Brad Friedel and Given in his time with Villa. While Given was injured this season, Guzan was the fill-in starter and was praised by since-fired manager Alex McLeish for his work in goal.

It is unclear whether Villa would accept QPR's initial offer for Given.

PARAGUAY FIRES COACH

Paraguay's struggles in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifying have led to a change at the top.

Francisco Arce was fired from his post as Paraguay coach after the team's 3-1 loss to Bolivia. Paraguay sits second-to-least in the nine-team qualifying table through five matches, securing just one win and one draw in that time.

Arce had taken over for Gerardo Martino, who guided Paraguay to the knockout round in the 2010 FIFA World Cup following the shooting of star striker Salvador Cabanas and also led the team to the final of last year's Copa America before stepping down.

——————-

Happy to hear Lewandowski is staying put? What do you make of everything going on at Rangers? Would it be ideal for Guzan to return to Aston Villa as a starter? Do you see Paraguay overcoming its slow start and qualifying for the World Cup?

Share your thoughts below.

Exit mobile version