Transfers

On Jan. 4, Bayern Munich announced the acquisition of Schalke goalkeeper Alexander Nubel for the beginning of next season. Nubel, named club captain by new manager David Wagner ahead of the 2019-20 campaign, will see out his contract with the Royal Blues and sign for Bayern on a free transfer. Nubel's exit represents the latest occurrence of a worrying trend for Schalke, which has seen several players depart for free over the years, leaving the club emptyhanded. 

Norwich City has ventured into the transfer market this month in a bid to boost its chances of Premier League survival. Manager Daniel Farke has brought in Ondrej Duda from Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim's Lukas Rupp in hopes they will be able to help turn around the fortunes of the struggling Canaries.

Duda arrives on a loan until the end of the season, while Rupp was purchased outright for $570,000. Their signings continue the trend of Farke scouting the German leagues he knows so well; the two represent his 11th and 12th additions from Germany since his 2017 arrival.

Mal Pugh is Sky Blue.

The USWNT starlet who skipped college at UCLA to join the Washington Spirit in 2017 was traded to Sky Blue FC for four — yes, four — draft picks during a blockbuster draft-day move on Thursday.

The Portland Thorns selected Sophia Smith with the first pick of the 2020 NWSL Draft, making her the first teenager ever selected in any NWSL draft, but the focus quickly shifted to what Sky Blue was doing. 

Deyna Castellanos, perhaps the biggest international college soccer player in the history of the game, has no interest in playing in the NWSL.

The Venezuelan international who starred at Florida State for four years, will instead join Atlético Madrid. The 20-year-old inked a two-and-a-half-year contract through the 2022 season on Thursday.

Throughout the top European leagues, capital cities are home to ambitious clubs that strive for success. London exemplifies this through Chelsea, Arsenal and, to a lesser extent, Spurs. Perennial winners Real Madrid and neighbors Atletico call the Spanish capital home. In Paris, PSG has turned Ligue 1 into a monopoly since its takeover by Qatar Sports Investment. Heated rivals AS Roma and Lazio compete for dominance of Italy's capital in their shared home, Stadio Olimpico. The only league which does not conform to this trend is Germany's Bundesliga. 

Pellegrino Matarazzo, a native of New Jersey, was introduced as the new head coach of VFB Stuttgart on Monday, signing a contract that runs until June 2021. Matarazzo takes over from Tim Walter, who was sacked after the first half of the campaign following a run of inconsistent results and performances. 

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Zlatan Ibrahimović has agreed to join AC Milan, putting an end to a month of speculation surrounding the 38-year-old striker following the expiration of his contract with the LA Galaxy.