New Gegenpressing Pod. @sbienkowski.bsky.social and I with a #Bayern transfer special. We discussed: 👑Lennart Karl Real Madrid comments 💰Karl set to sign new contract until 2031 💸Min-Jae Kim and Sacha Boey to be sold? 🏦Dayot Upamecano to be paid! gegenpressing.substack.com/p/bayern-tra...

*screams into pillow*

So who had “US invasion of Greenland” on their bingo card as the main galvanising force behind the UK’s accelerated realignment with the EU? I know I didn’t.

Dead internet.

Struggling to think of a club that have thrown away unrivalled domestic success and descended into chaos as quickly as Celtic. This isn’t a club struggling for form or a few bad signings. The club are falling apart at every level. And it feels like it’s only going to get worse.

Not entirely sure it matters who is in charge of Man Utd. They're more or less unmanageable because they've got a fanbase that demands first place, an ownership that will settle for fourth and a squad that would struggle to break into the top six.

New Gegenpressing #Bundesliga Transfer Show. @sbienkowski.bsky.social and I chat: 🦅Kalimuendo to Frankfurt 🎄Downs to Werder Bremen 🇪🇨Stuttgart sign Ecuadorian talent 🐝Why Groß left BVB for Brighton 🇩🇪...and much more! youtu.be/rvEJ6YwV8uo?...

You know Lennart Karl is going to be huge at Bayern Munich because he’s already talking about which club he wants to ditch them for at the height of his powers.

Another departure from Dortmund this month: Young American winger Cole Campbell is set to leave on loan for Hoffenheim. €7m (plus bonuses) option to make the deal permanent. Hoffenheim reportedly view the Houston-born talent as a potential long-term replacement for Bazoumana Touré.

Constant snow and ice means it’s impossible to get up the only road out of Aird of Sleat on Skye. Effectively “stuck” at the in-laws for the foreseeable. Worse places to be stuck I suppose…

Struggling to think of a club that have thrown away unrivalled domestic success and descended into chaos as quickly as Celtic. This isn’t a club struggling for form or a few bad signings. The club are falling apart at every level. And it feels like it’s only going to get worse.

The political media in the UK tripping over themselves to report, broadcast and comment on Nigel Farage’s remarks on the situation in Venezuela. And that’s exactly why we’re in the situation we’re in right now.

This is the guy that is hosting this year’s World Cup:

Only four teams have picked up more points at home than Sunderland in the Premier League this season.

I’m still firmly of the opinion that Chelsea don’t really know what they’re doing in the transfer window (or at best are stockpiling players over any sporting merit) so I’m inclined to give Enzo Maresca the benefit of the doubt after his stint at Stamford Bridge.

The Premier League managers that have spent the most money on transfer fees in their current jobs:

Pascal Groß back to Brighton is an interesting one. Still one of Dortmund’s better playmakers (they don’t have many!) and a player departing in a position that probably needed strengthening to begin with. I wonder if it suggests a new midfielder arriving in January.

I thought Aston Villa did well to match Arsenal for the first 45. The game essentially turned on that Martinez mistake. Regardless, a defeat at the Emirates shouldn’t take anything away from the amazing job Unai Emery has done at the club.

Another year of dominance for the Premier League: Since the start of 2025 the English top-flight gained more market value than the next top three leagues combined.

Martinez was watching the player and not the ball there. Really clumsy goal for Villa to concede after a good first half.

I know this shouldn’t matter, but Mikel Arteta really is the worst dressed manager in the Premier League. I reckon half the reason people call Arsenal boring is because he shows up every matchday looking like he’s just done a shift at a funeral home.

By my count, Antoine Semenyo will be the 11th winger Man City have signed since Pep Guardiola became their manager in 2016. And I reckon one or two have been unqualified successes.

• Best & worst Bundesliga kits • Frankfurt's top-four worries • Bremen's attacking rebuild • Is Asllani the real deal? • HSV & Köln destined for relegation fight? + much more For this week's newsletter I answered questions from our subscribers: gegenpressing.substack.com/p/frankfurt-...

The next time you wonder if your football club 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 cares about you as a fan, just remember that they almost certainly tried to sell you NFTs a few years ago and 100% knew they were a scam…

Bundesliga fans when Florian Wirtz finally scored for Liverpool:

It’s that time of year again when I seriously question how people have time to even watch football, never mind physically attend games in person. I haven’t been able to tell what time or day it is since Monday.

Chelsea have signed 𝙀𝙄𝙂𝙃𝙏 wingers in the last three seasons. And have one joining from Sporting for €51m at the end of the season…

Leverkusen may not be second in the Bundesliga table at the end of 2025. But they are definitely the second best team in Germany right now.

New Bundesliga Gegenpressing Podcast. @sbienkowski.bsky.social and I chat: 🐝 What should BVB do with Adeyemi? 💊 Leverkusen beat Leipzig in Wunderkind derby 🐻 Bayern finally play the kids! 🇩🇪 …and much more! youtu.be/V9PIri2fGIc?...

Why does Colin Firth’s character in Love Actually fly to Marseille to chase down his future wife… in Portugal?

I know it’s a really easy comparison to make. They’re both Scandinavian. Both tall, blonde strikers. But there really is something about Conrad Harder that reminds me of Erling Haaland. I think it’s maybe the way he runs and jumps in the air. And of course his presence in the box.

Hoffenheim were a steaming pile of shit last season. But a few smart signings and the rest of the squad buying into Christian Ilzer‘s tactics has seen them leapfrog most of the Bundesliga and now even dream of a top-four finish.

The film - with English subtitles, after changing the settings - can be watched here. www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1Uh...

A big Danke to Lucas Eiler and Sebastian Galle for including me in their team, as I'd helped @benbest.bsky.social and ARD on a similarly-focused film last year. Bayer Leverkusen are also re-evaluating their relationship with Kaiyun as a direct consequence of these documentaries.

Great news from Germany, where Borussia Moenchengladbach has just announced the termination of their partnership with Asian-facing betting operator AYX, following the broadcast by @zdfde.bsky.social of a documentary on the Bundesliga's relationship with illegal operators.

Heart of Midlothian will be top of the Scottish Premiership at Christmas. First time a non-Old Firm team has led the Scottish top-flight on December 25 since 1993. The first time for Hearts since 1991.

Wilfried Nancy is about to become the shortest reigning Celtic manager ever. By about 230 days…

New Gegenpressing Bundesliga Pod. With transfer season just around the corner @sbienkowski.bsky.social and I are bringing back the transfer show: 🐻Bayern in for Kennet Eichhorn and Marc Guehi? 🐦Brighton want Frankfurt's Hugo Larsson 🦅Frankfurt in for Younes Ebnoutalib? 🇩🇪...and more!

*Screams into the void*

Me: can I get my pen back? Wife: this isn’t your pen… Me: I’m 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙮 sure it is. Wife: why? Me: because it says Bayer Leverkusen on it…

My favorite podcast of 2025! #pocketcasts #playback2025 @manuelveth.bsky.social @sbienkowski.bsky.social @matt4d.bsky.social

Man Utd's neglected defence is holding Amorim's team back

Man Utd four points better off than they were last season. Spurs one point worse off. Both managers under immense pressure. Maybe this is a little reductive, but I feel like both clubs are fundamentally held back by crap squads. Built by useless transfer policies. Managers aren’t the problem.

New #Bundesliga Gegenpressing Pod. @danwighton.bsky.social and I chat: ⚔️Union Berlin shock RB Leipzig 💊Leverkusen win Rheinderby 🐝BVB drop points again 🐻Bayern Munich look exhausted www.youtube.com/watch?v=6I5J...

If the Bundesliga table was decided by second half performances, Dortmund would be tenth in the table with just three wins from 14 games.

Harry Kane has now scored five penalties in the Bundesliga this season. Which is as many league goals as Dortmund’s top goalscorer in open play this season.

Quite surprised most of the coverage around the World Cup ticket prices has been: “Wow, can you believe an evil US administration and corrupt FIFA are charging this much?!” And not: “Wow. I guess it’s time we dissolve FIFA and throw all these people in jail.”

The fact is no presenter has ever had to leave the BBC for expressing conservative views, or even explicitly endorsing a right-wing party. Was never a problem for Jeremy Clarkson. Was never a problem for Andrew Neil. Was never a problem for Alan Sugar

Celtic and Rangers have both had very low points in the last 35 years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen them collectively look as shit as they do now.

🎙️ Podcast: thoughts from Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 Newcastle last night (plus a bit of Borussia Dortmund) With @manuelveth.bsky.social & @sbienkowski.bsky.social gegenpressing.substack.com/p/champions-...