The last two seasons as a Tottenham Hotspur fan have been pretty miserable – aside from that glorious Europa League triumph – but I have a feeling the club has turned a corner ahead of the new campaign, and it’s largely thanks to Roberto De Zerbi.

In all honesty, though, I was dubious as to whether his appointment back in March would be the right move for Spurs long-term. I was pretty confident that he would drag the club to Premier League survival, and that he did, but would his fiery temperament be at odds with the powers that be at Tottenham?

There’s still plenty of time for that to happen, of course, but we are witnessing what appears to be a real change in the whole mindset of the club this summer, and it could even lead to a surprise title challenge.

Roberto De Zerbi’s appointment at Tottenham Hotspur had me worried

I don’t think I was alone in having doubts over De Zerbi. Tottenham had reportedly tried to hire the Italian before they recruited Igor Tudor for his ill-fated tenure in N17, but to no avail. The fact he changed his mind a month or so later didn’t sit right with me.

Add to that the fact that this is a manager who doesn’t stick around at clubs for too long (his average time at a club is just over a year), plus the way he left Brighton, and I feared we would be a quick gig with no real consideration of the future.

Even De Zerbi’s track record should raise a few eyebrows.

Aside from a Ukrainian Super Cup during his brief spell with Shakhtar Donetsk, his greatest achievements are steering Marseille to second in Ligue 1, and helping Brighton to a top six finish.

They’re not results to be sniffed at, but they also don’t get me dreaming of glory, either. More than anything, though, it was De Zerbi’s personality that just didn’t seem like it would fit at Spurs.

Much like Antonio Conte before him, this is a man who will say exactly what’s on his mind without fear of upsetting anyone, and as we’ve seen in the past, the Tottenham Hotspur board don’t really like that approach.

I do believe that no-nonsense style was exactly what the squad needed at the backend of last season, though, and it’s no coincidence that those seven matches in the run-in were the best Spurs had looked all year.

Tottenham Hotspur look more disciplined and confident under De Zerbi

Under both Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, the Tottenham players looked bereft of confidence, lacked any kind of fight, and played turgid football. Since day one under De Zerbi, there has been clear passion and a real togetherness on the pitch, and that delivered the results Spurs needed to stay in the top flight.

After survival was secured, De Zerbi himself even claimed it was the “biggest achievement in my time”, before adding, “We are Tottenham, and we can't suffer like this until the last second of the last game to stay up.” You just get the feeling that De Zerbi is raising the standards at the club and will absolutely not tolerate anything like what we saw last season.

For me, no player exemplifies the shift in attitude at the club more than Micky van de Ven. Under Frank, the flying Dutchman appeared to mentally check out and became a liability. As soon as De Zerbi took over, Van de Ven turned into a leader once more, and looked back to his best.

Speaking to The Standard recently, Van de Ven said: “You can see [De Zerbi] has brought a lot of passion into our group, a lot in terms of mentality and passion on the pitch. It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down.

“He brings a lot of good energy and, from pre-season, we have really had the time to bring his football into the team. That's really enjoyable.”

He’s right, too. This summer’s pre-season activity for Tottenham has been refreshing, with positive results (including a rare win over bitter rivals Chelsea), a mix of experienced and youth players having important roles, and most importantly, the levels in terms of intensity and quality have not dropped despite these games being friendlies.

Another key case study is the comeback story of Antonin Kinsky. The Czech goalkeeper hit rock bottom in the Champions League last season when he was substituted in the first half against Atletico Madrid after a couple of errors. Now, he looks world-class and is Tottenham’s undisputed number one, and it’s all because De Zerbi put faith in him.

The mentality at Tottenham Hotspur has shifted greatly in such a short space of time, and now feels far more aligned with the spirit Ange Postecoglou brought to the club. While Postecoglou’s tactics were questionable, his man management was outstanding. What’s really exciting is that De Zerbi appears to be capable of both.

Tottenham Hotspur are not messing around this summer

Whether it’s due to De Zerbi’s influence or merely a reaction to back-to-back 17th place finishes, the Tottenham hierarchy are finally showing ambition and loosening the pursestrings this summer.

The £85m signing of Mateus Fernandes was a lavish surprise. The £100m capture of Sandro Tonali was, frankly, mindblowing. The club immediately recognised the fact that things needed to change, and put their money where their mouth is to fix it. The same can be said about the defence, too, with the £52m signing of Jan Paul van Hecke and free transfers of Marco Senesi and Andy Robertson adding real depth to an already strong backline.

I’ve also been really intrigued by the manner in which Spurs have sold off some of their younger players this summer. While the departures of the likes of Luka Vuskovic, Alfie Devine, and Will Lankshear were disappointing, Tottenham received good fees for players who were not likely to make an impact on the first-team this season. In years to come, we may regret not having them around, but that’s a problem for another day. What matters now is immediate improvement and success.

Now, if Spurs can follow through with their pursuit of Savinho (or another top winger) and, most crucially, find a high-level striker to lead the line, I see no reason why the Lilywhites can’t be considered genuine dark horses to challenge for the title. The squad is good enough, the manager is determined to make his mark, and the club as a whole demands and deserves better than what we’ve seen over the last two seasons.

The idea of Spurs pushing for the title, especially after the dismal showing in 2025/26, may be a naive pipedream to some. But, I’ll leave you with this… In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City ended up with 41 points and a -9 goal difference. The following season, they performed a miracle and won the Premier League title.

If the Foxes can do it with relatively meagre resources, I see no reason why a free-spending and revitalised Tottenham Hotspur can’t do the unthinkable and rise to the top.

Known for his high-pressing, Red Bull-educated style and sharp tactical focus, 38-year-old German coach Jaissle has developed a reputation as one of the most highly-rated young bosses in top-level football - but his appointment is still a risk.

Whenever a manager takes charge of a major project, they naturally look to familiar faces - players who already understand things such as pressing triggers, defensive demands, and dressing room culture.

Once his appointment is rubber-stamped, it would be reasonable to expect Jaissle to recommend such personnel to the Newcastle hierarchy.

Seven players Newcastle might sign under Matthias Jaissle

Despite so far having had a summer in which they have been one of the Premier League's more active clubs in the market, Newcastle are still in need of targeted reinforcements throughout the side.

It is for that reason, the 'Jaissle effect' could be important during the final month of the summer window. Here are seven players who worked under Jaissle and fit Newcastle's squad requirements.

Nicolas Seiwald (Defensive Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 91 (6 goals, 14 assists)

No outfield player featured more frequently for Jaissle during his trophy-laden tenure at Red Bull Salzburg than Austrian midfielder Nicolas Seiwald.

Functioning as the engine of Jaissle’s midfield diamond, Seiwald reigstered 91 appearances under the German, offering press-resistance and defensive coverage. Newcastle's midfield lacks depth in the holding role, making Seiwald a candidate to rejoin his former boss.

Gabri Veiga (Attacking Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 66 (12 goals, 10 assists)

After making the switch from LaLiga to Al-Ahli, Spanish playmaker Gabri Veiga began working under Jaissle.

Across 66 matches together in Saudi Arabia, Veiga contributed 12 goals and 10 assists before joining FC Porto last summer. With Newcastle seeking a goal-scoring midfielder capable of unlocking low blocks, Jaissle could provide 24-year-old Veiga with the platform for a top-five league reboot.

Oumar Solet (Centre-Back)

Appearances under Jaissle: 66 (2 goals, 4 assists)

Jaissle’s aggressive, high-line defence at Red Bull Salzburg relied heavily on recovery speed and composure of his central defenders, of which Oumar Solet was one.

Featuring 66 times under Jaissle, Solet knows how to play in his backline that routinely dominated domestically and competed admirably in the Champions League. With Newcastle needing long-term athleticism and ball-playing quality at centre-back, Solet fits the tactical profile.

Amar Dedic (Right-Back)

Appearances under Jaissle: 52 (4 goals, 6 assists)

Bosnian full-back Amar Dedic enjoyed his breakout under Jaissle at Salzburg, making 52 appearances and contributing direct to 10 goals from right-back.

His ability to invert into midfield or overlap down the right aligns with Jaissle’s tactical flexibility. Given Newcastle's need to refresh their options at full-back after Kieran Trippier's exit and Tino Livramento's persistent injuries, Dedic could be an option given he already knows the manager's demands.

Mohamed Camara (Defensive Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 43 (1 goal, 5 assists)

Before earning a move to AS Monaco, Malian midfield enforcer Mohamed Camara was the defensive anchor of Jaissle’s 2021/22 domestic double-winning Salzburg side.

Playing 43 games under the soon-to-be-named Newcastle coach, Camara demonstrated excellent ball-winning capabilities as well as decent ability in possession. His tenacity in duel-heavy games would instantly bolster Newcastle's stability in the middle of the park, which is in need of some experience and steel.

Enzo Millot (Attacking Midfield)

Appearances under Jaissle: 40 (9 goals, 7 assists)

French midfielder Enzo Millot worked closely with Jaissle at Al-Ahli, making 40 appearances and registering 16 direct goal contributions.

Millot’s tactical nous, exhibited whilst still in Ligue 1, and pressing energy make him a coach's dream in a high-intensity transitional system. Newcastle's squad would benefit from his quality between the lines.

Karim Konate (Centre-Forward)

Appearances under Jaissle: 10 (5 goals, 2 assists)

Ivorian striker Karim Konate made his initial top-flight breakthrough under Jaissle at Salzburg, netting 5 goals and laying on 2 assists in just 10 appearances.

Despite that limited sample size before the manager's departure, Konate showed good goalscoring efficiency that foreshadowed his more recent rise as a top striking talent in a mid-tier European league.

While bringing in Jaissle’s trusted former players makes sense on paper, fans would be wise to temper expectations of an instant transformation.

Moving on from almost five years of stability under Eddie Howe marks a significant structural shift, leaving a dressing room very much in a state of flux and notably lacking in natural on-pitch leadership. That will be a responsibility that Jaissle himself must bear while adapting to the demands of English football.

Rebuilding a squad in transition is rarely as simple as importing a cluster of familiar faces. While players like Seiwald, Veiga, or Solet know Jaissle’s style, few will arrive with an immediate grasp of the unique weight, culture, and expectations that come with representing Newcastle or a Premier League club.

Recruiting players who know the manager's playbook can certainly help with tactical implementation, but assembling a reshaped squad under a head coach who is still figuring out the club for himself is a delicate process.

Signing Jaissle's former players may well prove the evolutionary route Newcastle take in 2026/27 and beyond, but it is by no means a guaranteed blueprint for instant success.

Across his spells at Larnaca, Mirandes, Rayo Vallecano and Bournemouth, streakiness has always been a hallmark of Andoni Iraola’s sides – but most of them will tell Liverpool fans that if he gets off to a bad start, he can still prove to be well worth the wait.

In Cyprus, Iraola had Larnaca in fine form in the Europa League qualifying rounds and started the league campaign well, only to hit a run of just one win in nine games in all competitions that cost him his job.

At Mirandes in the Spanish second tier, it was the other way around: Iraola’s side won just one of their first ten games, but then lost just five of their next 33 games.

Streaky clean

That included going on an impressive run to the semi-finals of Copa del Rey, claiming three top-flight scalps from Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Villarreal along the way – but the return to action after the covid-enforced stoppage to the season saw Mirandes finish the season with a run of two wins in nine games and fall out of play-off contention.

Iraola stayed in the Spanish equivalent of the Championship the following season, this time with Rayo Vallecano, and the streakiness continued: three wins from the first four was followed by just two wins in the next eight before they rallied and achieved promotion via the play-offs.

His most extreme start of all came at Bournemouth in 2023. With Iraola installed as Gary O’Neil’s successor, the Cherries didn’t win any of their first nine Premier League games under Iraola, with a 3-0 defeat to a troubled Everton side who had scarcely started the season a particular lowlight.

Much of the criticism was aimed not at Iraola, but at Bournemouth, who were heavily criticised for having made the change in the first place. The Telegraph tipped them for the drop, accusing the club’s decision to replace O’Neil as an act of ‘self-mutilation’ after he had led them away from relegation the previous season.

And who inflicted the defeat in that ninth league game of Iraola’s tenure? O’Neil’s Wolves, of course. The pressure was now on.

But tellingly, the Bournemouth board kept the faith – and despite their awful results, Iraola’s style was already starting to draw a ‘well, actually’ reaction from analysts.

They pointed out that Bournemouth had been handed the toughest opening fixtures of any side in the division – they also faced Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Brighton and Arsenal in the run – and yet ranked in the top half on their pressing stats and were consistently getting touches in the opposition box. The implication was that this was a side still adapting to a difficult but potentially rewarding style of play.

Bournemouth fans were generally still on board, too, citing the trickiness of that run, a spate of injuries, late arrivals in the transfer market, and some genuinely excellent passage of play at Anfield and against Tottenham as reasons to stay behind Iraola.

That faith proved to be well-placed. Bournemouth won eight of their next ten Premier League games, with Manchester City the only side to beat them. Not only that, but Bournemouth claimed those wins in style, scoring three against Sheffield United, Nottingham Forest, Fulham and away to Manchester United.

Then came a seven-game winless run, followed by a run of four wins in five games that essentially confirmed a mid-table finish was on the cards.

That first season set a pattern for Iraola’s Bournemouth, who continued to veer back and forth between long unbeaten runs and much more underwhelming periods.

Just consider last season: second in the table after losing just one of their first nine – and they deserved to get something out of that opening-day defeat to Liverpool, in truth.

Bournemouth didn’t win at all in November or December, and lost star man Antoine Semenyo to City in the January transfer window – only to finish the season with an 18-game unbeaten streak that included just slightly too many draws for them to pip Liverpool to Champions League qualification.

Those who watched Bournemouth closely will tell you they often played scintillating stuff.

The Cherries were, for this writer, the most entertaining side in the division for much of the past two seasons, and those poor spells very much felt like the inevitable result of Iraola playing an ultra-intense modern gegenpressing style without having the squad depth required to sustain it at its best over an entire season.

Liverpool should be able to provide that, but whether they actually will or not is another question.

It is clear that the squad needs work, particularly in defence; and for as much as the players who served under Jurgen Klopp are likely to embrace Iraola’s similar style, Liverpool still look from the outside like a club going through a belated transitional period.

The expectation on Iraola will be much higher than it was on the Dorset coast, and yet more winless runs like the ones they suffered through under Arne Slot last season would not go down at all well.

There is real potential for Iraola to end up being made into the fall guy for several years of weird transfer business at Liverpool – but if his prior track record is anything to go by, a bit of patience could go a long way.

Real Madrid clearly do not subscribe to football’s adage about never going back.

Second honeymoons are a common occurrence for Real Madrid, with 13 of the 52 managers appointed as either interim or permanent hires in the club’s 116-year history afforded returns, some multiple times. Nearly half of that figure, including the likes of Carlo Ancelotti and Zinedine Zidane, did so across the previous three decades alone.

Such romanticism is particularly on brand for a club nicknamed ‘La Casa Blanca’ with a familiar face back in the Bernabeu’s dugout considered more of a hallmark than a habit.

A third 'do-over' for the Special One

Jose Mourinho is the latest beneficiary of a homecoming in the Spanish capital, 13 years after his original spell ended in acrimony. Attempting to finish what he started is a recurring pattern in the Portuguese’s coaching career, with Madrid becoming the third club he has managed more than once after do-over spells with Benfica and Chelsea.

Still, it was a move which raised eyebrows, just months since clashing with his former employers over the alleged racist abuse of Vinicius Junior by Gianluca Prestianni in the second leg of February’s tempestuous Champions League knockout round play-off tie.

Even before that controversy, little love had been lost during Mourinho’s near decade-and-a-half away. His Bernabeu afterlife became a source of derision as much as intrigue. In 2018, fresh from Manchester United’s Champions League exit to Sevilla, Madrid-based daily sports newspaper MARCA likened him to ‘a washed-up rock star, one of those guys who goes around holiday hotels for pensioners, playing old hits on an organ with the base and percussion playing on a tape recorder’. As similes go, there have been fewer more damning for the now sexagenarian ‘Special One’.

Los Blancos witnessed the beginning of his villain arc and, arguably, its most volatile state in a three-year period where just one LaLiga title and a Copa del Rey constituted major silverware. Unlike the redux periods of Ancelotti and Zidane, president Florentino Perez staked a successful re-election campaign on lightning not striking twice with the two-time European champion’s second coming as he is again tasked with halting Barcelona’s latest period of domestic dominance.

But the signs already appear ominous. The Catalans cantered to last season’s title with an eight-point cushion which would have reached double figures had Hansi Flick’s side not taken their foot off the gas in two of the final three games after seeing off their arch-rivals in the latest El Clasico meeting. Confidence remains high that they can secure further bragging rights against Madrid with the teams all-square on 106 victories apiece in their regular contests while Barca could soon equal, and even overtake, their foes’ previously unparalleled haul of 105 major honours after moving to within two with their 29th title success.

Mourinho, meanwhile, inherits a squad devoid of confidence and discipline as evidenced by the unedifying end of Xabi Alonso’s brief tenure and a stumble to the finish line with his interim replacement Alvaro Arbeloa. The advancement of Father Time also has done little to dim his abrasive tendencies which reared an ugly head in his first spell. High-profile fallouts with Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Sergio Ramos pockmarked the end of that tenure as he openly lampooned Perez’s vision for a team of ‘Zidanes y Pavones’, mixing stars such as Zidane with homegrown talents like Paco Pavon. In one fractious press conference, he savaged youngster Pedro Leon – one of Pavon’s successors as inferior to both ‘Zizou’ and Diego Maradona.

Hindsight suggests that Mourinho would have done well to endear himself to a more impressionable crop of players instead of an already powerful dressing room clique. A cursory glance at Madrid’s early summer business follows a similar theme to that dynamic with Bernardo Silva, newly minted World Cup winner Marc Cucurella and Ibrahima Konate among the strong personalities that Mourinho will need to bring on side at their Valdebebas training base. There is also the small matter of ingratiating himself with Vinicius after suggesting he had provoked the racist abuse he routinely suffers, even if the imminent arrival of Yan Diomande has seemingly put the writing on the wall for the Brazilian’s long-term future.

He is, at least, hoping a break from some old habits will avoid past mistakes. Mourinho has already turned down a formal media unveiling, which previously guaranteed a box-office entrance and soundbites aplenty. Shunning the flashbulbs has seen him instead working diligently on the training pitches with the club’s less established players while their household teammates were toiling at the World Cup earlier this summer.

The only utterances that Madridistas have heard from their new manager came in the form of a bite-sized social media clip on the club’s official channels during which he insisted ‘Words aren’t enough, because this feels like a mission. This isn’t about me or whether I win, more or less. I’m here to help everybody become better.’

Mourinho knows that Madrid will be his last big job in elite-level management, having only attracted offers from Roma, Fenerbahce and Benfica after his last spell in the Premier League ended in all-too-familiar fashion five years ago. Failure is not an option but he is likely to have little choice with the deck already stacked against him.

Manchester United target and Crystal Palace attacker Ismaila Sarr looks to be leaving the Premier League.

In two years at Selhurst Park, the Senegalese forward has made a huge impact, helping the club to their first three pieces of silverware in the FA Cup, Community Shield and Europa League.

Now, it's being reported by Tuttomercatoweb that the star is “very close” to leaving Crystal Palace – and it looks as if Manchester United could be left disappointed, too.

Manchester United to miss out on Ismaila Sarr, following Crystal Palace exit

According to the report, Fenerbahce are advancing to sign Sarr within the “next few hours”, as they look to reach an agreement with Palace.

According to Foot Mercato, United enquired about Sarr earlier on in the transfer window, with FourFourTwo understanding that the interest has failed to materialise into a formal bid.

Foot Mercato even quoted Senegalese social media account Joueurs SN, which relayed a quote in July from Sarr in July that “there's only one” dream club of his, adding that the winger said, “I love Manchester United with all my heart, and I'm a huge fan” in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

While that would certainly explain how often he's scored against Liverpool in his career, a more sober quote was relayed by APS in Senegal, with Sarr saying, “I have a three-year contract with Crystal Palace; it’s up to them to decide” on his future.

Sarr has been a big hit since moving to back to the Premier League, replacing Michael Olise for the Eagles.

Palace are yet to spend any money this summer, but new manager Pierre Sage may well have to make big moves after losing Marc Guehi in January – and with the long-term futures of Jean-Philippe Mateta and Adam Wharton still far from certain.

United, meanwhile, are still expected to land an attacker before deadline – with FourFourTwo even referencing Sarr as the dream option for Carrick recently.

Sarr appears to be the back-up option following the collapse of Rafael Leao's move to Turkiye.

The Milan forward rejected a move to Fener, who made a formal offer to bring the Portuguese to the Super Lig.

Sarr is valued at €45 million by Transfermarkt. United travel to Hull City on August 22 to kick off their Premier League campaign.

Last week, Eddie Howe called time on his Newcastle United tenure – a luxury that not many managers get these days.

Even the best among them face the sack: since Sir Alex Ferguson retired at the top of the game with a Premier League title, five championship-winning bosses have been sacked, including Claudio Ranieri (who achieved the impossible by winning the league) and Arne Slot (who was employed by a club that famously gives a long leash to their managers).

Even the likes of Sir Bobby Robson, Jose Mourinho and Marcelo Bielsa have been utterly adored in English football by fans of Newcastle United, Chelsea and Leeds United respectively, with each of them forced out of their roles.

The elite club of managers to have NEVER been sacked

When you're the best, you often get to leave on your terms – and there's no finer example than Pep Guardiola, who stepped aside from Manchester City of his own accord earlier this summer.

Of course, the Catalan did the same thing at Bayern Munich to take the City job, and was a rare case of a Barcelona manager choosing to leave himself, after four years of winning everything in the game at Camp Nou.

Jurgen Klopp, meanwhile, has technically left his last four jobs: recently swapping his advisory role at Red Bull for the German national team, just a couple of years on from amicably splitting from Anfield.

Despite a tricky final season at Borussia Dortmund, he had enough credit in the bank to choose to go himself, while in 2008, a 40-year-old Klopp resigned from Mainz 05, after failing to secure promotion.

Howe's career shows something similar, with his Newcastle departure mirroring his Bournemouth exit of 2020, after the Cherries failed to secure survival on the final day of the season in lockdown.

Remarkably though, Howe has never been sacked: in 2012, he explained the “personal reasons” that had led him to resign at Burnley and return to Dean Court, less than two years after the Clarets had agreed compensation to hire Howe at Turf Moor.

It's fitting to remember the recently passed Kevin Keegan, too, while talking about those never sacked.

In 1997, Keegan took the bold step of stating he had taken Newcastle as far as he possibly could, before taking the Fulham job later that year.

Keegan would be in charge in West London for two years, eventually stepping aside when the England job became available in 1999 – but despite the disaster of Euro 2000, he actually quit himself, infamously resigning in the tunnel months later, following a 1-0 loss to Germany.

He would retire from management in 2005 at Man City, and in 2008, he resigned from a second stint at St. James' Park over disagreements with his employers. Truly, an anomaly in the modern game.

Can you think of any other elite managers who were never sacked? Let us know in the comments…

Incoming Newcastle United boss Matthias Jaissle tended his resignation at Al-Ahli over a contractual dispute, according to reports in Saudi Arabia.

Newcastle are in advanced talks for the German manager to come in as Eddie Howe's successor after the latter's decision to walk away from the post on Thursday.

Howe quit the post after holding discussions with the club's hierarchy following a disappointing 2025/26 campaign and the sale of key players Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and Sandro Tonali to Tottenham, with captain Bruno Guimaraes also expected to make a move to Arsenal

It quickly emerged that Newcastle were in talks with 38-year-old Jaissle to make the move to St James' Park.

Jaissle has just led Al-Ahli to back-to-back AFC Champions League Elite triumphs, having previous won two Austrian Bundesliga titles while in charge of Red Bull Salzburg.

Saudi outlet Al-Riyadh write that Jaissle has handed in his resignation at Al-Ahli, although it does not yet appear to have been accepted and officially he remains in the post.

Al-Ahli are now said to be in the process of finding a replacement and Jaissle's departure is now expected to be a formality.

However, it seems that his resignation was not specifically with a view to taking the Newcastle job, but rather over a disagreement in terms on a contract renewal.

Al-Riyadh report that Jaissle wanted a clause dictating that he would be paid his salary in full in the event he was dismissed from the post.

The club were not so keen on that, instead offering a maximum of six months' salary, leading the head coach to submit his resignation to the club.

Newcastle are now looking to rebuild their squad in a bid to improve on last season's 12th-place finish.

United had earned Champions League qualification by finishing fifth the previous season.

The club have already reinvested some of the money they brought in by selling Gordon and Tonali, with goalkeeper Ewen Jaouen, winger Bazoumana Toure, and midfielders Sean Steur and Aladji Bamba all joining for a total outlay of £111m.

Newcastle United are set to appoint a successor to departing manager Eddie Howe, who has left the Tyneside club after five years at the helm.

Matthias Jaissle is the manager lined up to take over. Like Howe, he moved into management very young after a modest playing career as a defender. The 38-year-old will become Newcastle boss with both he and the club having a point to prove.

Jaissle, from southern Germany, is currently the manager of Al-Ahli in the Saudi Pro League. The Royals are one of the clubs majority-owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), also owners of Newcastle.

Who is Matthias Jaissle?

The former centre-back played for Hoffenheim in Germany’s lower divisions before following compatriot Alexander Zorniger to Denmark to become his assistant manager at Brondby.

After two years in Denmark, Jaissle was snapped up and absorbed into the Red Bull football machine, where he had been involved as part of the RB Leipzig set-up.

18 months after returning to the multi-club operation as the manager of Red Bull Salzburg under-18s, Jaissle was bumped up to the senior side at Salzburg finishing school FC Liefering and very quickly to Red Bull Salzburg as the successor to Jesse Marsch.

The Red Bull system is loathed by many football supporters but has become a prolific pathway for young players. Jaissle has coached Benjamin Sesko, Karim Adeyemi and Strahinja Pavlovic, to name just a few.

Some of Red Bull’s success is down to its similar outlook on coaching and management, where the development of talent in line with a particular strategy takes precedence.

Marsch’s immediate predecessor at Salzburg was Marco Rose, now about to embark on his own first season in the Premier League as the manager of Bournemouth. Pep Lijnders is among the managers who’ve held the post since.

Indeed, former Hoffenheim boss Ralf Rangnick steered that system for a period and introduced Jaissle into the fold. The new Newcastle boss prefers principles over a strict systematic approach, learning under Red Bull’s feted 4-2-2-2 philosophy but generally eschewing the formation itself.

“I think it’s important that every club has a philosophy about the way they want to play. But what is also important for me as a coach: Here in Salzburg are guardrails – but within these guardrails, each coach can bring his own signature,” Jaissle said in 2022.

“The question is always how do I get the best team on the pitch? It is important to maintain a certain tactical flexibility. For me, the tactical formation plays a subordinate role. It is crucial that we get our principles on the pitch.”

Jaissle can stand by his record in Austria before he swapped Salzburg for Jeddah three years ago. He won the Bundesliga twice and gave the Red Bull club a foothold in the Champions League, a frontier that has proved difficult in light of the increasing primacy of RB Leipzig in the stable.

Al-Ahli have won the last two AFC Champions League Elite titles, twice defeating Japanese opposition in the final with Riyad Mahrez, Franck Kessie, Edouard Mendy, Ivan Toney and former Hoffenheim teammate Roberto Firmino in their ranks.

They finished third in the Saudi Pro League in 2025-26, matching their best finish under the German.

Newcastle are three weeks out from the new season and set to welcome Matthias Jaissle to the club as Eddie Howe's replacement.

Howe is leaving the Magpies after almost five years at the helm, a period in which he has led the team into the Champions League twice and lifted a trophy for the first time since 1969.

The much-loved head coach is calling time on his Newcastle stint, months after the first knockings of discontent.

Eddie Howe calls time on Newcastle spell

In truth, the writing was on the wall long before the 2025/26 season had begun. Howe had become de facto sporting director and chief spokesperson during the long absence in which Newcastle had neither the former or a chief executive after Darren Eales had stepped down due to health reasons.

Alexander Isak's protracted exit last summer and the trolley dash that ensued to replace him suggested there were key elements and figures at St James' Park that were far from aligned.

Confirmation of a 12th place finish following a long and arduous season should have been the time Howe walked away, but for whatever reason, he remained throughout this summer.

FourFourTwo understands Howe was ready to walk after Newcastle's 3-2 defeat by Brentford back in February. The Toon Army had surrendered an early lead, which had become a theme throughout 2025/26, before conceding a late Dango Ouattara winner.

Howe was persuaded to stay on but all was not well. Before long, rumours about the futures of key players Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes began to emerge in the media, from credible sources no less. Two have already left this summer, with a third highly likely to be on his way.

Within the corridors at Newcastle's Benton training base, there has been talk that Howe hasn't been the same since suffering with a bout of pneumonia. He was hospitalised in April 2025, spending four nights under the watchful eye of doctors and missed three Newcastle matches.

Re-discovering the same vigour which led Newcastle to two memorable Champions League campaigns and a Carabao Cup triumph, it would appear to some, proved too great a task.

This summer, Newcastle have been proactive in the transfer market, with signings spearheaded by new sporting director Ross Wilson.

The experienced football executive has a track record when it comes to unearthing and capturing hidden gems. Newcastle's business has reflected that, although at this stage, many of the additions still have plenty to prove in the game, never mind the unforgiving nature of English football which they are about to enter.

They have not been what one might call 'Howe signings', and that has probably played a part in his decision to leave.

Ewen Jaouen, Aladji Bamba, Sean Steur and Bazoumana Toure have arrived for a combined £111 million, the club reinvesting the money recouped from Tonali and Gordon's sales. Plainly, the new faces are not at the level of those they are replacing in the Newcastle squad just yet.

The true reasoning behind Howe's exit will remain unknown, until a time in which he discusses the departure but there are myriad factors. Firstly, there is an ownership group who have spent the past 18 months appearing somewhat disengaged, misalignment between the coaching side and executive apparatus at St James' Park, as well as Howe seemingly having to relinquish his role in player recruitment this summer, following a disastrous window this time last year.

Howe earned the right to walk away on his terms, and although it is a sad day for Newcastle supporters, many will take the view that it is a necessary step - if only the timing was a little better.

He will remain a legend in the eyes of Toon fans for what he has achieved with the club, lifting the team from relegation certainties in 2021/22 to regular contenders for Champions League football and finally ending the trophy drought.

Where Newcastle go from here is anyone's guess, except for the identity of the man filling the biggest shoes on Tyneside. German coach Matthias Jaissle, schooled under the Red Bull umbrella and has spent the past three seasons in Saudi Arabia, looks to be the man taking to the dugout. Make your own assumptions about that appointment.

The club's hierarchy have been able to line up a replacement, because they know Howe reached his limit some months ago. On the surface, what finally convinced the Newcastle boss to walk away appears to be a 4-1 pre-season friendly defeat to Championship side Bristol City, but this was far from the decisive blow.

Alex Ferguson’s influence on English football is unmatched and more complex than it might appear at first glance.

Manchester United won 13 Premier League titles in the 27-year Ferguson era, adding a pair of Champions League wins and a vast collection of domestic cups. The Red Devils were feared for decades and everything they touched turned to silver.

Beneath the surface, Ferguson helped to nurture a generation of managers. Many of them played under him at Old Trafford but others did not. Ferguson’s willingness to offer advice and guidance to managers making their way in the game is legendary.

"He came straight over and gave me his number"

Sean Dyche was among them. After a short spell in charge of Watford, where he had been a player, Dyche was appointed by Burnley in 2012 and spent the next 10 years in charge at Turf Moor.

Ferguson extended his generosity to the rookie boss.

“It started very quickly,” said Dyche on The Good, The Bad & The Football, in partnership with Midnite.

“I went to a charity gig just after [landing] the Burnley job and to be fair, to his credit, [Ferguson] came straight over and gave me his number.

“It wasn’t really mentoring because that presupposed as though he was ringing me all the time. It wasn’t like that.”

The Clarets have a proud history of success but Dyche was responsible for their biggest modern achievements, leading them to the Premier League in 2014 and again, as Championship winners, two years later.

“He did give me a brilliant bit of advice,” said Dyche.

“When we were pushing for promotion the first time at Burnley and we got to about March, I was thinking, ‘How much longer can we keep this [promotion charge] going?’

“I was fearful it was going to hit the wall. So I rang him and I said, ‘What do you think?’

“He said: ‘Tell everyone how fit you are, how strong you are, and how you’re going to be relentless this season. I said that about Manchester United and I had no foundation – I just put it out there. Keep saying it, and saying it, and saying it.’”

Inspired by Dyche and facilitated by 21 league goals from Danny Ings, Burnley won automatic promotion in second place behind Leicester City, ending the 2013-14 season with 93 points and finishing eight points clear of Derby County in third.

They lost just two Championship matches after the turn of the year, both at home, and started 2014 on an unbeaten run of 15 league games.

“We just kept winning, and winning, and winning,” recalled the former Burnley boss.

Dyche’s team were relegated from the Premier League in the following season but won the Championship – again with 93 points – in 2015-16. They remained in the top flight until 2022 and were relegated weeks after Dyche was sacked.

Burnley have been promoted or relegated in every season since.

Italy legend Andrea Pirlo’s hopes of being named as the Azzurri’s new boss have been denied at the last minute following a political controversy over his potential hiring.

The former AC Milan and Juventus icon appeared to be set for the top job following a protected search for Gennaro Gattuso’s replacement, which had seen former Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola in a three-day discussion for the role only to turn down the position.

But as 116-capped Italy international Pirlo closed in on the job, he hit political resistance, which has now ultimately derailed dreams of managing his country.

Pirlo's hopes of landing Italy job denied

Italy’s search for a new boss came after they failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup under Gattuso, meaning that the four-time winners had missed out on the tournament for a third consecutive time.

Italy U21s boss Silvio Baldini was handed the role as caretaker manager following Gattuso’s sacking in April, and after Guardiola turned down the role, it looked like the Italian Football Federation (FIGC) were ready to call on another iconic former Azzurri midfielder to fill the void.

However, as Pirlo closed in on the job, the 47-year-old’s commercial ties to a Russian betting company came to the fore, with senior figures in the organisation, plus Italian parliamentarians, expressing their concerns.

Pirlo’s potential appointment has now been called off, with FIGC president Giovanni Malago pulling the plug on the deal at the 11th hour, before the former Italy skipper confirmed on Sunday evening that he is no longer in the running for the role in a lengthy statement on social media.

“Over the past few days, I have watched with great bitterness the debate that has unfolded regarding my name and the possibility of taking on the role of Head Coach of the Italian national team,” he posted on Instagram.

“Out of respect for the institutions, the Federation, and all those involved, I chose to remain silent until now. However, I feel it is necessary to clarify a few points. Throughout my career—first as a player and now as a coach—I have always conducted my work in full compliance with the laws of the countries where I have worked and the contracts I have signed. The professional collaboration at the heart of the recent controversy arose during my time working in the United Arab Emirates and is purely commercial and sporting in nature. Attributing political significance to this collaboration implies that I hold views I have never expressed and do not share.

“I would like to thank Maldini and Leonardo for the esteem and trust they have shown me. I am well aware of their expertise, their professionalism, and the love they have always dedicated to Italian football.

“It is regrettable that a decision based on sporting grounds was quickly dragged into a public dispute that ended up attributing motives and intentions to me that are not my own. My love for Italy does not depend on a specific role. It is part of my history and my identity, and it will always remain with me.

Pirlo, who is currently in charge of Emirati club Dubai United, signed an ambassadorship deal with Russian bookmaker Fonbet in October, with scrutiny of this agreement being raised when he appeared alongside his former Italy team-mate Marco Materazzi during an event organised by the bookmaker at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium. This visit coincided with aerial attacks on Ukraine, prompting widespread criticism, with Pirlo defending his involvement, insisting that his presence there was strictly non-political, yet a number of Italian politicians have hit back at this.

"After yet another defeat and another missed World Cup qualification, Italian football desperately needed a cultural, ethical and managerial revolution,” Pina Picierno, a vice-president of the European Parliament, said on social media. “The choice of Andrea Pirlo goes in the exact opposite direction.”

Jurgen Klopp has warned the German media that he is more than ready to walk away from the national team job if they subject him to the kind of treatment they gave his predecessor Julian Nagelsmann.

The former Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool boss has returned to management as Germany head coach two years on from departing Anfield.

In the interim, Klopp has served as head of global football for Red Bull, leading to understandable scepticism in Germany about his appointment to his latest role, given Red Bull's unpopularity in the country following the foundation of RB Leipzig in 2009.

Just like the English media towards their own Three Lions boss, the German media can be brutal towards Die Mannschaft's head coach, with Bild particularly renowned for going after managers whose methods they don't prefer.

And despite signing a four-year deal with the DfB, Klopp has warned that he will walk away from the post if the media get too personal.

Speaking at his first press conference, Klopp said: "If you behave badly and don't leave my family in peace then I'll be gone, I'll just turn away.

"I know there are other countries where national team coaches are treated even worse.

"I'm not doing this job for myself, I'm doing it for you. I'm taking this job even though I've seen how you've treated [former Germany boss] Julian Nagelsmann and [England manager] Thomas Tuchel.

"I love this job but I am always ready to call it quits if need be."

Klopp did hint that this role may well be his last in football, however, feeling that becoming the head coach of his country leaves him with no more mountains to climb.

He said: "Jurgen Klopp is not going to have any career after the national team.

"This is the pinnacle, the absolutely high point of my footballing career as coach. I will give everything I have got.

"Over the last few days it has almost been like a movie happening to myself.

"I have always thought the job of Germany head coach is really big, but now it is really dawning on me what being the national team head coach is all about.

"For many, many years it was unimaginable for me to take on this role. As the years went by, it became more or less evident that sooner or later I would be asked to do this job. Now I think the time is right."

New Germany manager Jurgen Klopp is assembling his coaching set-up at Die Mannschaft.

The legendary Liverpool boss was appointed as head coach of his country, following the Germans' devastating defeat to Paraguay in the last-32 stage of World Cup 2026.

With Klopp leaving his role at the Red Bull group to enter international football for the very first time, the 59-year-old is set to appoint a couple of former friends for the task, as attentions turn to Euro 2028.

Jurgen Klopp to welcome familiar face to his Germany coaching team

Ahead of his official unveiling as Julian Nagelsmann's replacement, The Mirror have relayed information from Sky Germany that Klopp is set to appoint Pep Lijnders to his coaching team.

Lijnders famously worked with Klopp at Liverpool, helping to bring the Premier League back to Anfield for the first time in 30 years and winning a sixth Champions League title – but made the somewhat eyebrow-raising move of crossing the divide and joining Manchester City last summer.

Having left Merseyside at the same time as the German, Lijnders took charge of Red Bull Salzburg in 2024, with his tenure lasting just 29 matches and Die Roten Bullen's 10-year streak as Austrian Bundesliga champions ending after his appointment.

The Dutchman returned to football in 2025 to join Pep Guardiola's City coaching staff, facing questions about Klopp's opinion on the move – though his former manager ultimately told him, “If you don’t do it, I will take the job.”

“The moment Pep called, and the feeling he gave me about what he wanted to do with the team by bringing me in, the trust he already had before we discussed how it would look, that made the decision much easier,” Lijnders said of his conversation with Guardiola.

“But you cannot put away 10 years of Liverpool that easily.“

Lijnders is not the only former Liverpool coach set to be appointed to Klopp's team, with Peter Krawietz expected to take a role in Die Mannschaft's set-up, too.

World Cup 2026's disaster means that Germany have failed to win a knockout game at the competition since they lifted the trophy in Rio De Janeiero for the fourth time in 2014.

Nagelsmann replaced Hansi Flick for Euro 2024 on home soil, with his 26-man squad ultimately eliminated by eventual champions Spain in the quarter-finals, while the previous Euros saw long-serving Joachim Low bow out a round earlier at the hands of Gareth Southgate's England.

After exiting the World Cup, Nagelsmann resigned from his role, pre-empting a potential sacking.

Thomas Tuchel is expected to stay on as England manager despite heavy criticism after the Three Lions World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

Anthony Gordon’s goal early in the second half put England on course for a first final since 1966, but defensive substitutions and a low block allowed Argentina to dominate the final stages, until Enzo Fernandez equalised and Lautaro Martinez headed in Lionel Messi’s cross in added time.

Tuchel claimed he will remain in charge for Euro 2028, when England will be one of the host nations, but there have already been calls from some quarters to dismiss the German.

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Bookies odds for next England manager

If England do choose to move on from Tuchel, Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is currently the bookies’ favourite to replace him.

Betfair have Howe at 5/2 to be the next Three Lions boss, ahead of Pep Guardiola at 10/3.

Guardiola is now a free agent after ending his decade-long, trophy-laden spell with Manchester City at the end of last season.

While Howe and Guardiola are the clear frontrunners according to the bookies, several other names are in the frame.

Mauricio Pochettino, whose USA side were knocked out in the last 16 by Belgium, is 7/1 to be the next England boss.

Former interim manager Lee Carsley, meanwhile, is 15/2 to get the nod, having continued to impress with the Under-21s.

And in case the FA suddenly realise they didn’t appreciate what they once had, Gareth Southgate is 10/1 to take the job for a second time.

Sweden head coach Graham Potter is 11/1 to switch international jobs, while Frank Lampard is 12/1 after an excellent spell with Coventry City.

Kieran McKenna, after leaving Ipswich Town following a second promotion from the Championship in three years, is 16/1.

As for the outsiders, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery is 20/1 to become the next England manager, and ex-Villa manager and Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard is 22/1.

For now, though, it seems Tuchel will continue, with odds of 1/5 that he will be in charge for England’s first Nations League match against Spain in September.

Did no one at The FA think to flag how much Thomas Tuchel’s head resembles a certain vegetable? A bad omen if ever there was.

However, with the inquest in full swing, I feel it’s important not to rest the blame solely at the feet of the German while others choose to set pitchforks alight. England came into the tournament with some of the purest quarter-final vibes I can ever recall, but were handed a winnable game in the last eight which they won, after extra-time.

The semis felt like nosebleed territory for this team and a final would have certainly been a game too far and not nearly as close as the Euro 2024 final turned out to be.

Hard to get excited about England in 2026

In seven games at World Cup 2026, we saw two good halves of football from England: The second vs Croatia and the first vs Mexico. Apart from that, it was hard to get excited about this team.

The main difference between Tuchel and Gareth Southgate seemed to be their approach to media interviews. Southgate, the politician, Tuchel, the irritable stepfather.

“Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough, not repetitive enough,” was his assessment of England's victory vs Norway. Hard to imagine Southgate even thinking in that manner, never mind saying it out loud on live television, but such is Tuchel’s style. You presume that was the thinking behind his hiring. To not be Southgate. To be different.

Tuchel’s point on technical deficiencies is as valid as it is concerning, particularly in midfield. Where Porro, Cucurella, Ruiz and Rodri tik and tak, England’s equivalents swash and buckle. That’s not the fault of Tuchel, who took over at the top of English football two years ago. That issue lies a couple of decades back, when Tuchel was coaching Stuttgart’s U19s, having been working as a bartender just a few years before that.

Tuchel arrived as England manager ready to issue the b*llockings he had become famous and successful for. It raised eyebrows, it demanded egos be left at the door.

At one stage, Jude Bellingham looked like he might be left at home. Trent Alexander-Arnold was. Tuchel was bold with his handling of personnel, and the hope was that he would follow suit tactically.

He largely did until 70 minutes into England’s semi-final vs Argentina. After Anthony Gordon scored England’s first and only chance of the game, England and Tuchel entered sliding doors territory.

At this stage, it would’ve been worse not to score a second than to concede a first. Against Mexico, England were forced into low block mode by Jarell Quansah’s sending off. But vs Argentina, it was a choice. Ezri Konsa came on for Anthony Gordon, a move straight out of the Southgate playbook. England fans were reacquainted with sinking feelings experienced during second-half capitulations vs Croatia in 2018, and Italy at Wembley in 2021.

England 2.0 would, you think, have introduced Marcus Rashford for Gordon at this stage and maybe even Bukayo Saka on the right wing to increase the sense of dread among Argentina players and supporters. Swapping both wingers is something Tuchel has done consistently during games this tournament.

But Tuchel knows this team better than anyone and knows they aren’t Spain. Has England ever really looked in control of a game apart from in the second half against a distinctly average Croatia team? Against Messi in a World Cup semi-final is an entirely different dimension.

Have you ever had the feeling England could push on and add to a lead? They had 7 touches in the opponent's box the entire game vs Argentina who had 28 in England’s. Their xG was a paltry 0.53.

They didn’t look like a team that could score again, but as we saw vs Mexico they had proved they are a team that can defend a lead, so Tuchel went with that. You can at least see where he was coming from with a place in the World Cup final at stake.

Ultimately: wrong decision. We will also never know if Rashford/Saka would’ve been the right decision, but after 2018 and 2021 England fans this morning would’ve rather gone out knowing.

Thomas Tuchel shouldn’t be sacked; he should be given the opportunity to learn from this error. If he ever finds himself in this exact situation again (like Southgate was in the Euro 2020 final) he will act differently.

England’s win over Norway in their World Cup quarter-final tie brought attention to the dynamic between head coach Thomas Tuchel and star midfielder Jude Bellingham.

Rather than a straightforward celebration of their extra-time victory over the Scandinavians, the post-match press conferences in Miami highlighted a clear difference in perspective between manager and player, regarding England's performance.

The friction began immediately after the final whistle in Miami. Despite Bellingham's brace carrying England through, Tuchel was brutally honest in his post-match interview.

Thomas Tuchel and Jude Bellingham relationship

"We made life very, very difficult for ourselves today," Tuchel told ITV.

"The commitment was there, but we played too slowly, made too many technical mistakes and were sloppy."

When Bellingham learned of his manager's public critique, the Real Madrid man responded.

"You don't win every game by completing a thousand passes. Sometimes you have to grind it out and win the ugly way. That's exactly what we did tonight."

In the wake of mounting media interest, Tuchel has moved quickly to defuse the tension. According to a story published today by The Athletic, the German tactician has dismissed suggestions of internal division.

Speaking ahead of England’s semi-final showdown, Tuchel insisted there are 'no cracks' in their relationship and claimed the pair are actually "closer than ever".

This is not the first time the manager's outspoken style has caused friction with Bellingham.

Late last year, Tuchel publicly addressed Bellingham's on-field temperament, stating his 'edge' can sometimes boil over in a way that doesn't chime with some observers.

"I see this with my parents, with my mum, that she sometimes cannot see the nice, well-educated, well-behaved guy that I see," Tuchel said, before later apologising for his choice of words.

Tuchel's directness is a trademark of his coaching career. He has long been perceived as a demanding, outspoken, and sometimes divisive character, often falling out with star players and board members at previous clubs like Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich.

With a place in the World Cup Final on the line, England fans will hope this latest war of words is merely a reflection of the pair's competitive fire rather than a fracture that could derail tournament dreams.

Marsch has claimed 'I’d rather be us than them [Morocco]' after Canada endured a 3-0 Round of 16 defeat at the hands of Africa Cup of Nations champions Morocco.

Canada appeared capable of turning the event in their favour throughout the first half, before a 55th-minute Azzedine Ounahi hammer put Morocco ahead.

He followed that with a second strike in the 82nd-minute, but Morocco weren't done. Soufiane Rahimi put the final nail in the coffin with a stoppage time clincher.

Jesse Marsch’s bizarre statement after Canada crash out

Speaking after the match, in which Marsch’s men created 0.86 xG (Expected Goals) and managed 10 shot attempts, the Canada boss offered an interesting take on the match.

While Morocco prevailed 3-0, their chance creation was less prolific, but ruthlessly clinical, from their measly 0.78xG.

“What a privilege our fans have had to root on a team like this, that goes after the game, that doesn’t play defensive, that shows they can be better, right?” said Marsch, calmly.

“Of course, we have to be in these situations more and more, and then we have to find ways to succeed, and then we have to build. But what a great team.

“I’d rather be us than them,” stated Marsch. “As good as Morocco is, I’d rather be us, right?

“Like, I’m really proud of our guys. We went after the game. They’re hurting right now, but my goodness, I couldn’t be prouder,” he concluded.

The interviewer closed his time with a thank you message from Canada, to which Marsch thanked the nation back.

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When the segment cut back to FOX Sports pundits, and ex-USMNT forwards, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan in the studio, confusement settled in.

The sentiment from the former United States national team legends was one of confusion, as Canada crashed out in the Round of 16 with just three shots on target.

Morocco will now play the victor of this evening’s France vs Paraguay showdown, as the Africa Cup of Nations champions gun for a second successive World Cup semi-final.

Germany are on the hunt for a new manager after news of Julian Nagelsmann's resignation broke on Friday morning.

His exit follows a dismal World Cup display, which ended with a shock exit to Paraguay, on penalties no less.

A number of high profile names are in the frame for the role, including a couple of Premier League winners and some German legends.

Klopp and Pep among the favourites for the job

Ex-Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is favourite to land the job, with odds of 2/5 on Oddschecker, having not taken up a managerial role since he walked away from Anfield in 2024.

Reports claim that the German, who is currently head of global soccer at Red Bull, would be willing to return to the touchline for his national team.

Some reports even suggest that Klopp's contract with Red Bull has a clause that would allow him to leave specifically for the Germany manager's job.

While he is the front runner, his old Premier League adversary Pep Guardiola is not far behind, with odds of 5/1 to take the role.

Guardiola has never managed at international level before, but has previously suggested in interviews that it is something he would be interested in doing.

After leaving City at the end of last season, he said he wouldn't have the energy to take on another club project and do what he has previously done at clubs like Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

However, he didn't rule out a return to management and added: "Maybe a national team, but that's different."

Also in the running, according to the bookies are Stuttgart boss Sebastian Hoeness, at 6/1, a return for former Germany World Cup winning boss Joachim Low at 8/1 and Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler, also at 8/1.

Less likely candidates in the running include former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann at 25/1 and current USA boss Mauricio Pochettino with the same odds.

Ex-England manager Gareth Southgate a long shot at 33/1, along with Patrick Vieira.

• Follow England vs DR Congo LIVE

Sebastien Desabre's DR Congo are facing the Three Lions in the 2026 World Cup, during the tournament's Round of 32.

Aged 49, Desabre has been manager of the national side since 2022, and took DR Congo to its first World Cup since 1974.

This is only the second tournament in the nation's history, so, who is the man in the dugout, and what is his story?

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Who is Sebastien Desabre, DR Congo's manager?

En-route to facing England, the Congolese first frustrated Portugal, with their World Cup opener ending in a 1-1 draw.

After a 1-0 loss to Colombia, Desabre's men secured Round of 32 football with a 3-1 victory against Uzbekistan.

Desabre is a Frenchman, but his experience across the African continent in a managerial capacity is vast.

The 49-year-old has previously managed at club level in Egypt, Morocco, and was boss for the Ugandan national team.

After just one year at the helm for Uganda, his side became one of five nominated for CAF's National Team of the Year award, after qualifying for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.

At that tournament, they finished second in their group behind Egypt, but lost in their opening knock-out game against eventual finalists Senegal.

Desabre left the national team by mutual consent shortly after, then became manager for DR Congo three years later in 2022.

The nation had failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and Desabre's aim was to take DR Congo to North America in 2026.

The 49-year-old achieved this, with notable victories against Nigeria and Cameroon during the qualifying phase.

World Cup football was confirmed with a win against Jamaica in the inter-confederation play-offs, which went to 120 minutes and culminated in a 100th-minute DR Congo goal to win 1-0.

In 2023, Desabre also took the nation to the AFCON semi-finals, losing to eventual champions Ivory Coast.

His side beat previous tournament finalists Egypt in the Round of 16, Guinea in the quarters, and secured a draw against Morocco in the group stage.

Steve Clarke has resigned as manager of Scotland's national team after his side failed to achieve knockout stage progression at the World Cup.

Scotland began their tournament with a 1-0 victory against Haiti, their first win on the World Cup stage in 36 years, before following it up with two disappointing results.

Clarke's men failed to beat Morocco, losing 1-0, before enduring a 3-0 defeat to Brazil, in which Scotland gifted their opposition multiple goals through defensive errors.

Steve Clarke steps down as Scotland manager as nation's exit from 2026 World Cup is confirmed

In Group L on Saturday evening, England prevailed by a scoreline of 2-0 against Panama to secure the table's first position.

Elsewhere, Ghana fell 2-1 to Croatia, with the former finishing in third place and sealing Scotland's exit from the tournament.

Scotland, who finished the group stage with three points and a -3 goal difference, had fingers crossed to be one of the North American tournament's best third-placed sides.

However, Ghana's third place finish in Group K, with four points, made it impossible for Scotland to progress.

The Scottish Football Association released a statement from Clarke shortly after Ghana's game concluded.

He said: "The most emotional part of this goodbye is for my players, without whom we wouldn't have had any of the memories that we've accumulated from 2019 until now.

"They deserve all the praise and adulation that they receive and it was truly an honour to be called their Gaffer. Thanks for having me and good luck to my successor," he concluded.

Clarke was Scotland's longest-serving manager, with highs including the 4-2 qualifying match win vs Denmark back in November, which booked his side their spot in North America.

The event was a memorable one, as the Tartan Army witnessed two goals in added time, the 93rd and 98th, to seal their first World Cup appearance since 1998.

During his reign, he previously missed out on World Cup qualification with a play-off semi-final loss to Ukraine back in 2022, but gained qualification to the UEFA European Championship in 2024.

Scotland also qualified for EURO 2020 under his leadership, drawing with England at Wembley before exiting in the group stage.

The 62-year-old signed a four-year contract in May, due to run to 2030, before his nation's 2026 World Cup performance led to resignation.

It’s all over bar the shouting. Senegal’s 5-0 win over Iraq in Toronto on Friday was the result that dropped Scotland out of the top eight third-placed teams, shifting them from theoretically in World Cup 2026 to theoretically out of it.

Scotland have no control over what happens now. They’ve been relying on results above and below them in the third-placed ranking since full-time against Brazil, knowing they conceded too many in that match and scored too few in their only win against Haiti.

There will be teams that go through with three points, but Scotland’s group stage goal difference left them vulnerable. Senegal’s win took them past South Korea, too. Like Scotland, their hopes are winking out in the dusk of the group stage.

The World Cup draw puts teams at a disadvantage before a ball is kicked

Expanding the World Cup to 48 teams has various consequences. One of the most important is that 48 teams divided into groups of four amounts to 12 groups. Another is that 24 or 36 teams can’t populate a round of 32 or 16 without serious compromise.

The inelegant solution, itself fraught with widely documented issues, is to send the top two teams from each group through and rank the 12 third-placed teams to identify the other eight teams to make up the 32.

Every team knows the deal at the outset so scandalous it is not, but the effect of putting some third-placed teams through and knocking others out is that there is cross-contamination of groups and, consequently, a clear competitive difference between teams whose records are directly compared.

It’s summed up thus: Senegal won 5-0 to bump Scotland out of the top eight on goal difference two days after Scotland had a chance to do anything about it.

There’s no sense in looking for excuses for Steve Clarke’s team. They left themselves in that position, and nobody else is to blame for it, but their example does highlight an inequity in a competition that’s supposed to be pure.

The only third-placed teams with three points in the completed first half of the group stage – Groups A to F – are South Korea in Group A and Scotland in Group C.

Bosnia and Herzegovina, Paraguay, Ecuador and Sweden all collected four points to avoid the silent impurity of the format.

If it’s not square, can it really be fair?

The last uneven World Cup was in 1994, last time it was hosted in the United States.

From six groups, two third-placed teams were eliminated: Russia from Group B and South Korea from Group C, albeit the United States went through in third place in Group A, and two of the three teams that went through playing after Russia and South Korea already had what they needed after two matches.

The first 24-team European Championship in 2016 saw Albania (Group A) and Turkey (Group D) eliminated, while the Republic of Ireland (Group E) and Portugal (Group F) achieved the results they needed in their last games.

Group B and E sent third-placed teams home from Euro 2020. In Euro 2024, Hungary (Group A) and Croatia (Group B) were the two third-placed teams eliminated from the group stage.

There’s no smoking gun, no unimpeachable body of evidence that teams drawn into the early groups have historically been hurt by later teams knowing that a draw or a win or a certain number of goals will reel them in, at least not yet.

There have been too many teams fall backwards into the knock-out rounds or pick up perfectly normal results at the end of the group stage to draw the conclusion that there’s a measurable disadvantage simply to being drawn in Group A or B or C.

But in FourFourTwo’s opinion, there’s a layer of unnecessary doubt that’s been introduced into tournaments by both FIFA and UEFA that makes the picture much clearer for teams in Senegal’s position than Scotland’s.

There’s no way to know how or even whether the creation of overlaps between what should be siloed groups can affect matchday three results, but even the possibility of a lopsided sporting equation would have been better avoided.

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France manager Didier Deschamps has returned home from the World Cup after the death of his mother.

Deschamps left the United States in order to attend his mother’s funeral after receiving the news on Tuesday and missed Friday’s Group I decider against Norway at Gillette Stadium.

France and Norway had both secured their berths in the round of 32 with six points out of six thanks to wins over Senegal and Iraq. They met in Boston with top spot and a second-round trip to MetLife Stadium on the line and France won 4-1 after Norway's manager opted to make 10 changes, including the decision to leave Erling Haaland on the bench.

The French Football Federation has offered Deschamps its support

The French Football Federation (FFF) issued a statement this week confirming the absence of the manager from Les Bleus’ final group stage fixture.

“At this incredibly painful time, we wish the head coach great strength and assure him of everyone’s support,” said French football’s governing body.

Long-time assistant coach Guy Stephan took temporary charge and headed up France’s management team for the meeting with Stale Solbakken’s Norway. He will hand the reins back to Deschamps for the round of 32 and beyond.

Deschamps is a titan of the sport. Along with Mario Zagallo and Franz Beckenbauer he is one of only three men to win the World Cup both as a player and as a manager.

The stylish midfielder was a serial league championship and Champions League winner with Marseille and Juventus before ascending to the ultimate honour of captaining his national team to World Cup glory on home soil in 1998.

He lifted the European Championship trophy in Rotterdam two years later.

Deschamps has been France’s head coach since 2012 after enjoying further success in charge of Monaco, Juventus and Marseille. Les Bleus won the World Cup in Russia six years into his tenure, defeating Croatia in the final in Moscow.

They were agonisingly close again in Qatar, where they were beaten on penalties by Argentina in the final of World Cup 2022.

Defeat in Lusail meant France didn’t become the third nation to retain the World Cup and Deschamps didn’t join Vittorio Pozzo as the only managers in history to win the competition twice in a row with the same country.

The 57-year-old, who is ranked at no.73 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever, will return to the United States for the remainder of World Cup 2026 and his last matches as the head coach of his country’s national team.

It was announced last January that Deschamps would not remain in the job beyond the end of his current contract, which ends at the conclusion of this summer’s tournament.

Zinedine Zidane, Deschamps former teammate, has been widely reported to be in line to succeed the two-time World Cup winner.

Manager Didier Deschamps will miss France's final Group I game following the death of his mother.

The French Football Federation have confirmed that Deschamps was informed of the news on Tuesday morning and has been given leave to fly back home from North America to attend the funeral.

Assistant manager Guy Stephan will now take charge of France's meeting with Norway on Friday.

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Didier Deschamps returns home to France

France and Norway are already guaranteed passage out of Group I together after both claiming back-to-back wins over Senegal and Iraq in their first two games of the World Cup.

That puts them level on points at the top of the group, with France holding the advantage on goal difference.

The winners of Group I will face one of the best eight third-placed teams in the round of 32, and would be set for a meeting with Germany in the round of 16 if both teams were to get that far.

The Group I runners-up will meanwhile face their equivalents from Group E, which looks likely to be the Ivory Coast, but could be either Ecuador or Curacao.

There is no confirmation yet as to when Deschamps is expected to return to North America, with France's knock-out game set to be played on Tuesday, June 30.

Deschamps announced last year that he will step down from the national team following the World Cup, having been in charge since 2012.

Zinedine Zidane is reported to have made a verbal agreement to succeed his former Juventus and France teammate as manager.

The pair won the World Cup together on home turf in 1998 and won the Euros two years later, with Deschamps adding yet another winner's medal to his collection as manager at the 2018 World Cup.

France were defeated finalists at the last edition of the tournament, falling to a 4-3 defeat to Argentina in one of the greatest World Cup finals of all time.

The France-Norway game will kick off at 3pm local time (8pm UK time) on Friday, June 26. Boston's Gillette Stadium will be the venue for the occasion.

Jurgen Klopp has hit back at a series of incendiary comments made by former Netherlands attacker Rafael van der Vaart.

The Netherlands prevailed in a 5-1 victory against Sweden on Saturday, after drawing their opener against Japan in an action-packed 2-2 stalemate.

Van der Vaart was quick to criticise Virgil van Dijk, even after a comprehensive victory, which did not go down well with the centre-back's former manager at Liverpool.

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Jurgen Klopp fires back at 'attention-seeking' Rafael van der Vaart, after former Netherlands attacker criticises Virgil van Dijk

Jurgen Klopp is making it a habit to defend his former players amidst media and pundit criticism, despite his Anfield reign concluding two years ago.

The German was quick to defend Mohamed Salah late last year, after his former player came under scrutiny for an inflammatory interview.

Now, Klopp has came to Van Dijk's aid, after the former Netherlands attacker described him as akin to a Boeing 747 in his movements.

Speaking about the centre-back's speed, Van Der Vaart said: "I have to be honest: I was quite shocked by Van Dijk.

"I thought, 'that doesn't look good.' Especially while turning... a bit like a Boeing 747 turning. I hope he starts turning a bit faster during the tournament," he concluded.

In response, Klopp was ruthless in his total shutting down of Van Der Vaart's opinion, describing the former Netherlands attacker as "not worth mentioning."

"If he ever says something positive about any player at some point, then I'll be happy to take him seriously again," said the German.

Klopp continued: "You get the feeling he sees something, and then it has to be formulated in a flowery way.

"And then he's really against it. But that way, it's really not important," said the German, questioning the integrity of Van Der Vaart's criticism.

Van Dijk and the Netherlands currently top Group F with four points, despite tying on points, goal difference and head-to-head vs Japan.

Ronald Koeman's men return to 2026 World Cup action against bottom of the group Tunisia on Friday, hoping to maintain their top spot.

Jesse Marsch and his Canada side recorded a 6-0 win over Qatar in their second Group B match at this summer's World Cup - the country's first-ever victory at the Finals.

However, the feat was marred by a horrific injury to Canada's Ismael Kone during the second half of the match.

Sassuolo midfielder Kone was tackled unlawfully by Qatar player Assim Madibo, resulting in a serious leg injury for the Canada man.

Jesse Marsch accuses Qatar staff of 'strange behaviour'

Players formed a protective huddle around Kone whilst he underwent treatment for his injury, which is a suspected leg break.

Madibo was initially shown a yellow card which after VAR review was upgraded to a red and ordered from the field.

It left Qatar with nine men after an earlier sending off had cost Homam Elamin his place in the game.

Following Madibo's tackle and ensuing medical intervention on the field, members of Canada and Qatar backroom staff had to be separated as tempers flared.

Then, at full-time, Marsch and Lopetegui became involved in an altercation that saw Lopetegui deep in conversation with the former Leeds manager.

Marsch, evidently unhappy with what the Qatar boss had to say, thrust his arms into the air and walked away from Lopetegui, before refusing to discuss his opposite number in the post-match press conference.

"I'm not wasting a single second talking about that," Marsch told reporters, adding it was 'strange behaviour' from the Qatar bench to argue Madibo should not have been expelled from the field.

“The player apologised to Ismael," Marsch added. "He came into the dressing room. The team let him know that happened.”

The Canada boss and Kone's teammates have since paid a visit to the 24-year-old in a nearby Vancouver hospital before he undergoes surgery.

Canada are expected to qualify for the Round of 32 courtesy of the four points gained from their opening two Group B matches. Their final group stage match is versus Switzerland next Wednesday, June 24.

Marcelo Bielsa has never done things by the book, from sitting on an ice box during matches to examining the legs of a teenage Mauricio Pochettino to assess whether he would make it as a footballer.

It is why the legendary coach has earned the nickname ‘El Loco’ across a career spanning four decades in which he has combined trailblazing tactics with bizarre behaviour.

Bielsa’s latest challenge is leading Uruguay at the FIFA World Cup 2026, and he showed why he remains one of the most captivating figures in the game with his actions during his official FIFA portrait pictures for the tournament.

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'There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain' Why Marcelo Bielsa remains as captivating as ever

While most players and coaches would naturally face the camera - some may even crack a smile, or strike a pose from the menu of random actions now synomous with modern football - Bielsa stubbornly stared at the floor rather than looking down the lens.

When asked to explain the episode following Uruguay’s 1-1 draw with Saudi Arabia in their Group H opener on Monday, the 70-year-old was unrepentant.

“I don’t have to give any explanation, the picture was taken the way it was taken,” he said. “I’m not a model.”

Bielsa returned to the subject unprovoked shortly after, adding: “There is a limit in terms of what we need to explain.

“If I’m wearing glasses, why am I wearing glasses? You look somebody in the eye, why do you do that? There is nothing wrong about wearing glasses or looking into somebody’s eyes or looking down.”

It is not the first time Bielsa has made headlines with his comments as Uruguay boss, having called a two-hour press conference following his side’s 5-1 thrashing by the USA in Florida last November.

After a result that left the former Leeds United manager under intense pressure, he explained: “When I arrive, the environment becomes tense. That’s why I appear infrequently. I’m toxic. To associate yourself with me makes you worse off. Do you understand me?”

Bielsa’s utterings would have come as no surprise to fans of Leeds, who he managed from 2018 to 2022, leading them back into the Premier League in 2020 after 16 years away.

In January 2019, a member of Leeds' coaching staff was caught spying on a training session being held by upcoming opponents Derby County - and Bielsa responded by calling a press conference, in which he revealed that the club had spied on all of their opponents that season and spent an hour giving a detailed tactical breakdown of his methods.

It provided a fascinating insight into the mind of a man who perhaps would not be so influential if he wasn’t a little bit ‘Loco’. Pep Guardiola has previously called Bielsa the greatest coach in the world, while the former Argentina and Chile boss has left his mark on numerous high-profile coaches including Diego Simeone, Andoni Iraola and Mauricio Pochettino.

His relationship with the latter began in bizarre fashion, when he visited the family home of a teenage Pochettino in the middle of the night when he managed Argentinian side Newell’s Old Boys. After asking the youngster’s parents if he could see him, Bielsa examined Pochettino’s legs and declared “he has the legs of a footballer”.

From that incident right up to his actions in the past few days, Bielsa has always done things differently. His comments after this latest episode even earned him support from several fans online, as his refusal to play ball with FIFA felt like a minor protest against arguably the most commercialised World Cup of all time.

Football has changed almost beyond recognition since Bielsa started coaching Newell’s Old Boys II in 1987, but he has not changed one bit - and it is a welcome antidote to the ills of the modern game.

Ruben Amorim will be back in the dugout after landing a new job, five months on from being dismissed at Manchester United.

The Portuguese coach endured a tough spell with the Red Devils. He may have made it to the Europa League final in 2024/25, but never managed to deliver the success the fans, or the board, demanded.

Now, though, Amorim can put that behind him and look forward to a new opportunity at another huge club.

Ruben Amorim set to take over at AC Milan

After sacking Massimiliano Allegri for finishing fifth in Serie A last season, in what was described as "an unequivocal failure", AC Milan are embarking on a new chapter with Amorim at the helm.

Reports suggested the 47-year-old would make the move to Italy, and now Fabrizio Romano has all but confirmed the appointment.

Taking to Twitter/X on Monday morning, Romano posted: "BREAKING: Rúben Amorim to AC Milan as new head coach, HERE WE GO!

"Verbal agreement done on deal valid until June 2028 plus option until June 2029. Amorim has accepted all conditions and will sign this week as new Milan manager."

Amorim will now be tasked with restoring the Italian giants to their former glory. Milan have not won the Serie A title since 2021/22, while fierce rivals Inter have added their 20th and 21st title since then.

Having been a serial winner during his time in Portugal, Amorim will be hoping he, too, can get back to his best after the rough spell at Manchester United.

Amorim had a 71.3% win rate at Sporting Lisbon, but that dropped to just 39.7% during his time in England.

Amorim's expected appointment comes after a number of high-profile coaches were linked with the post.

Mauricio Pochettino, who got the USA off to a flying start at the World Cup with a 4-1 win over Paraguay at the weekend had been mentioned, as had former Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who left the Eagles at the end of the season following the UEFA Conference League victory.

Another former Manchester United boss in Ralf Rangnick had also been linked with the San Siro position.

Carlo Ancelotti and Brazil endured a difficult afternoon yesterday in their Group C face-off against Morocco, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate.

Facing off against the reigning Africa Cup of Nations champions — albeit, the strangest champions in the tournament’s history — the anticipation was high.

Brazil, footballing royalty, likely did not anticipate a first half of Morocco dominance, and national team boss Carlo Ancelotti made a worrying admission about his side in the aftermath of their performance.

‘Nerves all over the place’ admits Carlo Ancelotti after Brazil vs Morocco, World Cup 2026

The Brazilians had the opportunity to prevent Morocco’s first half dominance before it had even fully began, with a golden chance after just 13 minutes.

That opportunity fell to Brentford striker Igor Thiago, fresh off the back of a whopping 22 goal campaign in the 2025/26 Premier League season.

Bizarrely, the bagsman produced a miss that left pundits mystified and afraid to speak their mind, sending his header off target.

The opportunity amounted to 0.52xG, a staggering amount for an open play opportunity, with the ball travelling halfway to the corner flag.

Shortly after, Morocco opened the scoring with a glorious finish, entering the second half with a solid momentum and well-deserved lead.

In the second, Vinicius Jr was the hero for Brazil, scoring a wonderful goal of his own, and it’s perhaps no surprise that he was the man to do it considering Ancelotti’s post-match comments.

Vinicius knows how to handle and prevail over nerves at the highest level, having scored in and won two Champions League finals with Real Madrid.

Speaking after the match, Ancelotti said: “I think the team was a bit anxious in the beginning. Nerves were all over the place.

“[We] didn’t keep a lot of ball possession. In the second half, it was a lot better, but it was still tough. I’m sure the team will play better next match,” he continued.

While Brazil’s play did improve in the second half, Ancelotti’s side did not reach the same heights as Morocco’s early dominance, and created less attacking threat than their opponents.

Vinicius, arguably the best player for Brazil on the day, also offered firm words for his teammates, echoing Ancelotti’s concerns.

“We’ve got to hold onto the ball,” said the La Liga star. “We’ve got to move better… but I don’t think there’s a lot to say now. I think we really have to improve.”

In Season One, Episode One of The Sopranos, James Gandolfini’s legendary character, mob boss Tony Soprano, sits in a therapy session in his hometown of New Jersey and laments: “Whatever happened to Gary Cooper? The strong, silent type. That was an American. He wasn’t in touch with his feelings. He just did what he had to do."

Cooper was a laconic Hollywood movie star, famous for his understated, stoic acting, and masculinity, which becomes a recurring theme throughout The Sopranos – which is widely regarded as the greatest television series of all time. Tony develops a slight obsession with Cooper, and the idea of the strong, silent man in control of everything. A deliberate irony on the part of the show’s writer, David Chase, who has implanted a dark, impulsive nature and explosive temper in his main protagonist, making him Cooper’s polar opposite.

If Tony Soprano were sitting down to enjoy this summer’s World Cup, where the final will be held about a 20-25 minute drive (depending on traffic) from his fictional home in North Caldwell, he would have a lot of time for Carlo Ancelotti.

Don Carlo’s quiet leadership prioritises player freedom over rigid systems. Where Tony Soprano deals with rage by flipping over his therapist’s glass coffee table, Ancelotti raises his left eyebrow 20 degrees. Both actions carry equal weight.

Ancelotti’s CV commands the ultimate respect: the only manager in history to have won league titles in all five of Europe’s top divisions, the first and only manager to win five Champions League titles. A managerial career that has amassed over 30 trophies.

And now to the international stage. A return to North America, where he stood in 100-degree heat next to Arrigo Sacchi in 1994 as his assistant with Italy, and watched Roberto Baggio blaze the ball high into the Pasadena sky. Ironically (at the time of writing), Italy won’t be at the tournament.

Ancelotti’s appointment as manager of Brazil could be a masterstroke. He has healthy relationships with many of their stars and has shifted the Seleção away from its reliance on individual flair and steered them toward a more balanced, tactically disciplined structure designed to win ugly where necessary. A quality they’ve lacked in previous tournaments, but will need this summer.

"Woke up this morning... got Brazil a sixth star."

Pep Guardiola’s Etihad Stadium reign came to an end at the conclusion of the 2025/26 season, which saw the Spaniard lift the FA and Carabao Cups one final time.

Manchester City have seemingly turned to ex-Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca as the candidate deemed most suitable to follow in the legendary Guardiola’s footsteps.

But before his official Cityzen coronation, the Manchester club are embroiled in more legal drama: this time, subject to compensation claims from Maresca’s previous London employers.

Chelsea hold up Maresca to Manchester City deal

Maresca left Stamford Bridge in January of this year, replaced by Liam Rosenior, who also exited the club months later.

The Italian, who oversaw a turbulent 2025 for Chelsea, departed with three-and-a-half years remaining on his contract, leading to a financial dispute.

That is directed towards Manchester City, Maresca’s next employers, with the request for compensation causing a hold-up in his announcement as the club's next manager.

Chelsea have apparently refused to sign off on a contractual release for the Italian, making it impossible for Maresca to become Guardiola’s successor in Manchester, as things stand.

That refusal will only happen should Manchester City be unable to meet their financial demands, which was disputed initially due to being a seven-figure.

Manchester City fans will be relieved to know that the deal being brokered between the club’s respective legal teams is edging closer to an agreement.

According to a report from Sky Sports, Manchester City are hopeful that an adequate compensation package and deal will be brokered by the week’s end.

As a result, the Cityzens expect to formally announce Maresca as the club’s next manager once an agreement has been reached, likely this weekend.

It is expected that Chelsea will refuse to settle without receiving the largest possible payout from Manchester City, with all cards firmly held by the West London club.

The Italian has large shoes to fill: with Guardiola’s haul extending to six Premier League titles, one Champions League trophy, and too many domestic cups to count.

Guardiola's successor has been in recent talks with the man himself, as well as discussions with the club regarding summer transfer activity.

Maresca’s first games at the helm of Manchester City will be during the club’s Far East Asia pre-season tour, ahead of the ex-Chelsea man’s debut Etihad campaign.

A new era at Anfield is almost here, following Arne Slot’s sacking after he oversaw the most defeats in a single season for the Reds this millennium.

Andoni Iraola is now all but confirmed to be the man who will take over from his Dutch predecessor at Liverpool, known for his aggressive, chaotic and suffocating style of attacking play.

The Spaniard managed Bournemouth between the years of 2023 and 2026, leading the Cherries to a sixth-placed Premier League season finish last campaign.

Iraola is set to sign a two-year Liverpool contract, but why?

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed the length of Iraola’s Liverpool contract to be just two years, tracking with the Spaniard’s history of only signing short-term deals.

Iraola previously revealed to BBC Radio Solent last October his thought process behind signing short-term contracts, stating that money isn’t of importance to him.

“I think Bournemouth is the only time I’ve signed [a contract for] two years. In the case of managers, contracts are not as important as in the players’ cases,” said the Spaniard.

“I don’t want to continue in a club just because I have a contract. I want to continue because both sides are happy and they want to continue together.”

Iraola confirmed that his managerial inspiration, Marcelo Bielsa — known for his short-term contract preference and ranked at no. 77 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever — influenced him, as well as his own Spanish heritage.

The Spaniard acknowledged that managerial tenures are different in England, with the host pointing out that extended, often up to six-year deals are commonplace in the Premier League.

“Signing a contract just to have the assurance that if they sell you, you will receive money… I wouldn’t feel really pleased with this,” continued the ex-Athletic Bilbao man.

“You have to earn the right every season. Sometimes, even if you don’t get the best results, maybe the club is very happy with your work. And it happens the opposite way.

“Every year has to be a renewal of confidence from both sides — it doesn’t matter what the contract situation is,” said Iraola.

The soon-to-be Liverpool boss will also be bringing members of his Cherries coaching staff with him to Anfield, continuing his successful, pre-existing Premier League partnerships.

Arne Slot was sacked by Liverpool last weekend after overseeing one of the lowest points tallies to achieve Champions League qualification in modern top-flight history.

Andoni Iraola, ex-Athletic Bilbao player turned ‘Rock n Roll’ football manager, remains in pole position to take the reins at Liverpool.

The Spaniard, who led Bournemouth to European football qualification in the 2025/26 season, will be bringing members of his coaching staff with him to Anfield, but who are they?

Andoni Iraola’s assistants at Liverpool

According to a report from Ben Jacobs, the Spaniard is set to bring two members of his coaching staff with him to Anfield ahead of the 2026/27 season.

The first is Tommy Elphick, former professional player at Brighton, Bournemouth, Aston Villa and more, who was one of Iraola’s assistant coaches at the Cherries.

Last week, the 38-year-old rejected the opportunity to manage Bristol City, opting instead to remain faithful to the Spaniard, whose Anfield arrival is all but confirmed.

Elphick began his coaching career with the Bournemouth development squad in late 2021, after retiring from professional football just a month prior.

The 38-year-old was promoted to the first team environment during the 2022/23 season, working with head coach Gary O’Neil.

His ventures this season, working alongside Iraola to secure a Cherries sixth-place finish, prompted his former team-mate, Matt Tubbs, to describe Elphick’s hand as “one of the strongest going” to BBC Radio Solent after news broke of his Bristol City rejection.

Liverpool will be the beneficiary of that decision, as well as the arrival of another first-team Bournemouth assistant coach, Shaun Cooper.

The 42-year-old, also an ex-professional who spent much of his playing days with the Cherries, was promoted alongside Elphick in 2022/23 after the sacking of Scott Parker.

Ironically, the pair’s coaching careers could come full-circle, with Parker’s departure being the direct result of a 9-0 Anfield loss — now set to become Iraola’s assistants at Liverpool.

Bournemouth almost spoiled Arsenal’s Premier League title push this season, with a 2-1 victory away at the Emirates in early March.

Years prior, they did spoil Arsenal's title march, beating the Gunners 2-0 at home during the 2023/24 season in which Mikel Arteta’s men finished second.

Again, ironically, the Cherries prevailed on the day with set piece brilliance — which Arsenal relied heavily on in their Premier League title win this year — with Ryan Christie bagging from an ingenious corner routine.

The move was genius: a quick pass along the ground to an incoming runner, flicked back to an edge-of-the-box Christie, who lashed the ball into the top left corner.

Bournemouth inflicted Arsenal’s first away defeat of 2024 with that strike, followed later by a dagger penalty from Justin Kluivert, with Cooper being described as responsible for the set piece from the goalscorer Christie.

Liverpool fans will rest easy this summer in the knowledge that they aren’t just gaining a manager known for his heavy-metal football, which a recently departed Mohamed Salah begged to see back at the club, but two of the finest assistant coaches around.

Southampton will be playing Championship football next season despite going unbeaten in the 2025/26 play-offs.

The blame for this rests squarely upon the shoulders of first-team head coach Tonda Eckert, who, I must preface, should be applauded for fronting up to the criticism that has fallen at his door in recent weeks.

The Saints were barred from the Championship play-off final against Hull City, and replaced by defeated semi-finalists Middlesbrough, after an independent commission found the south coast club guilty of spying on Boro training in the 72 hours preceding their first leg tie.

Southampton apology video felt insincere after getting play-off boot

Since 2018, it has been forbidden for English Football League (EFL) clubs to observe opponents' training in the three-day period before a fixture.

Even before the original Spygate saga of 2018 - involving Leeds United and Derby County, which prompted a change to EFL legislation - it had always been the case that clubs should behave in good faith towards each other, so much so, that it is written into the EFL rules.

Since taking the top job at Southampton, Eckert has overseen a spying campaign on the Saints' upcoming opponents, to which the club have admitted being a party to in at least two other cases.

Eckert delivered an eight-minute video message, primarily to the club's supporters, but clearly intended for a wider audience, this week, apologising for the sins committed which resulted in Southampton receiving an unprecedented play-off expulsion.

Maintaining intense eye contact down the camera lens, almost as if he were observing a Middlesbrough training session shot on an iPhone, Eckert took his medicine and owned up to the actions that ultimately saw Saints miss out on a shot at promotion back to the Premier League.

For all intents and purposes, this seemed to be your bog standard celebrity apology video. The familiar platitudes were laid out: 'I've let you down, I take full responsibility, yadda yadda'. But, hang on, there's still four minutes of this video left.

Turning quicker than a fleet of foot intern whose stealthy plot had been foiled by Rockliffe Hall training ground staff, Eckert began explaining his actions. Hmm. The tone became much less apologetic. To the neutral, you could be excused for thinking the Saints boss didn't really mean everything he'd said in those opening four minutes.

I don't know about you, but whenever I've had to apologise for something, it's usually a brief exchange in which I take responsibility, offer restitution to the aggrieved party and don't bother with the whole, '...but, the thing is you see, I was only doing it because...'. And that's because it's not a great look - even if you still feel like you're in the right.

"When I worked in Italy for over four years, every starting lineup that we've chosen for the games was always out in the media before games," Eckert said. "And the reason is that our training sessions, especially the ones before games, have always been observed from media and opponent teams that we came up against.

"[Pep] Guardiola has spoken about this at his time at Bayern Munich that it has been common practice in Germany to observe training sessions knowing other teams would do the same. I don't want to say this to excuse what we have done, I just want to give you context in the way that I grew up in the football world.

"There's different rules in England, different rules from the EFL and I should have known them.

"The bitter irony is none of what has happened had any effect on sporting performance. I don't want to use this as an excuse.

"I have made a mistake and I take full responsibility."

Eckert had to eat this one, like a big humble parmo. He'd been caught breaking the rules and punished for it. Some might argue Southampton were sanctioned unfairly or disproportionately, but Eckert represents the club, he is the face acting on behalf of those he manages, those who support him and the team, and those he works under, in what he believed to be the club's best interests. Punishment fits the crime, I'm afraid.

But Eckert didn't eat it - and it's likely now he never will, and won't have to. The German coach keeps his job and has instilled a siege mentality at St. Mary's Stadium, based on the social media response from Saints supporters.

Most neutrals could plainly see how it was they, the fans, who were most hard done by. Not Eckert, not Taylor Harwood-Bellis, whose spying celebration in the semi-final second leg, shone a bright light on footballers' intellect once more, and not the suits in the St. Mary's director's box.

The fans will back him, he's their manager and he actually presided over a fantastic run of form to get Southampton into the play-offs in the first place. Winning is the ultimate currency in football. How much the team actually gleaned from their surreptitious activity will never be quantified but even the slimmest advantages can make all the difference in such a low-scoring sport.

So, Eckert has taken responsibility, or has he? He's been apologetic, too, but did he really apologise? Why does all of this matter?

Football clubs are the pillars of local communities and, in an ideal world, you'd like to think those leading your club are upstanding, rule-abiding members of the public. Some aren't, and unfortunately football has a way of attracting them. That is not to broadly suggest Eckert is such an individual - I have never met the man and would not cast aspersions on his character or moral fibre. But in this case, he's been found to be in the wrong.

Eckert cited previous experiences in Italy and Germany, referenced managerial great Guardiola and commented on the 'bitter irony' of spying supposedly giving Southampton no material sporting advantage, almost as if he were justifying his actions, before adding 'I want to provide context'. All it did was make his previous apology feel insincere. Apologies don't require context when they're sincere.

If spying on your opponent offers little tangible benefit, why do it? If unsure of the EFL rules on spying, why not check them? If the club did not know they were in the wrong, why did the analyst flee once rumbled? Why did he have a change of clothes? Probably because Rockliffe doubles as a golf course, so he brought a spare pair of trousers in case he got a hole in one.

If your apology requires context, it is not an apology, it is an explanation. When an explanation of wrongdoing comes from a position of power and strength, it is rarely one which serves the interests of the aggrieved, often weaker, party.

And how about apologising publicly to young intern, Will Salt, made to carry out the dirty work, whose picture was on the back page of every national newspaper? Leaked WhatsApp messages have recently indicated that interns and junior analysts, much lower in seniority than somebody in Eckert's position, felt pressure to conduct Southampton's spying missions.

"I didn't really have an option and wasn't provided an opportunity to say no. I was an intern and was doing what I was told", a junior analyst intern reportedly told peers.

There is still much that doesn't sit right, and probably never will.

Pep Guardiola departed from Manchester City after a decade at the helm, leading his men to six Premier League titles, an elusive Champions League trophy and domestic cup success.

Enzo Maresca’s appointment as Manchester City manager is now imminent, with private talks having taken place between the Italian and Guardiola.

The Cityzens, who won both the FA and Carabao Cup in 2025/26, narrowly lost out on a swan song Premier League victory for the Spaniard, to ex-colleague Mikel Arteta of Arsenal.

Maresca and Guardiola in discussions over Manchester City squad

According to The Athletic, it is understood that Maresca and his Spanish predecessor have been in talks regarding the current Manchester City squad.

Long-time Cityzen veterans Bernardo Silva and John Stones also departed from the Etihad at the previous season’s conclusion, making Maresca’s start to Manchester City life difficult.

However, transfer activity does not appear to be a strict priority for the Italian, with his primary aim being to connect with the current players and impart his philosophy.

Building on Guardiola’s pre-existing structures in Manchester is also of importance to Maresca, likely the motivation for their contact ahead of the Cityzens’ next campaign.

The club’s director of football, Hugo Viana, will oversee Manchester City’s recruitment and sales, with a right-back, central midfielder and winger topping the transfer priority list.

If Maresca is to be involved significantly in any transfer business, it will be in locating an adequate replacement for Silva, with Elliot Anderson being the club’s main target.

In terms of outgoings, Nico Gonzalez remains the most likely for an Etihad exit, however, Tijani Reijnders, Nathan Ake, James Trafford, Josko Gvardiol, Savinho and Omar Marmoush make up a longer list of potential departures.

The club’s financial situation, as ever, is considered healthy, and the no-fee losses of Silva and Stones are not expected to play a role in their transfer activity this summer.

There is potential for deals to be put in place akin to the signing of John Stones replacement Marc Guehi, who joined six months in advance of the veteran’s exit.

Maresca’s initial games as Man City boss are expected to be during the club’s pre-season tour of the Far East. It is not expected to include many senior players, however, the club’s transfer activity will offer the Italian assurances prior to his first fixtures.

At most clubs the manager isn’t the figurehead in the way in which they are at Anfield. Bill Shankly, Bob Paisley and Jurgen Klopp are a deity on Merseyside and around the world.

Rafa Benitez was similarly loved, so too Gerard Houllier. They were perceived, rightly, as being people who understood the football club, its history, its supporters, the city of Liverpool and its working-class roots.

Crucially, they immersed themselves in all aspects as Liverpool Football Club’s leader.

'One of us'

It’s the same for players. Those who go all in and embrace everything about the club are often afforded more leeway when things get difficult, and also remembered fondly for who they were rather than just what they achieved.

Take Andy Robertson as a prime example. A player who was “one of us” on the pitch, as described by The Anfield Wrap and by Klopp himself in their documentary on the departing Scot.

The Perception Problem For Arne Slot

“They (the fans) don’t care that much about the result as long as you sweat and give your blood here, they’ll love you forever,” assessed Mo Salah, quite accurately, while standing next to Robertson after their final game for Liverpool. “This is my message to you guys (other players), it’s not about talent – it’s probably why [Robertson] is loved more than anyone maybe! – you just give it all and the fans love you for that.”

A manager, though, cannot run harder or deliver on the pitch in order to prove their effort. It has to be shown in other, more subtle and often hidden ways.

One of the problems for Arne Slot in his second season at Anfield was that he, and seemingly his coaching staff, failed to understand the role that perception plays with supporters at a club like Liverpool.

When you’re winning, everything is good. But when you’re losing, and Liverpool lost 20 times in all competitions in Slot’s second season, everything is under the microscope. Explanations become excuses. Every detail is hyper-analysed and often misinterpreted.

One of the major talking points among Liverpool fans as the season continued to spiral was Slot’s decision to live close to Manchester airport, often being accused of taking days off for holidays in Ibiza and Dubai, returning for a pre-match press conference in mid-winter with a tan.

Other members of Slot’s staff also lived in Manchester City centre. As the second season struggle hit, accusations of disconnect snowballed among the fan base.

Now, the shadow of Klopp is one that Slot had to work with, but fans share stories of Klopp living alongside Liverpool supporters in nearby Formby, walking his dog and engaging in conversations, going to the local pub, playing lawn bowls, and his family all being part of the community.

It was similar with Benitez, whose family enjoyed life on the Wirral so much they still reside there now. Klopp and his staff embraced everything Liverpool, showing a true understanding of the club and its history. Supporters felt like they knew them.

Liverpool didn't hold pre-match press conferences for Carabao Cup ties under Slot, whereas under Klopp, his assistant, Pepijn Lijnders, took the opportunity to undertake media duties and get his message across to fans. You could file that under a missed opportunity for the likes of Sipke Hulshoff and Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Slot lived in Cheshire’s so-called ‘golden triangle’ - where many Liverpool, Man City and Man United players reside. It became a talking point among fans. Does it really matter if the Liverpool manager lives on Merseyside? Probably not, but the optics aren’t great, especially when things start to go wrong. Advice to the next manager: live on Merseyside. As an aside, the club's sporting director should probably live on Merseyside, too.

In the final weeks of the season, Slot was pictured having dinner with his family, who hadn’t moved to England with him, in London on a day off. At a time when the Reds had exited both the Premier League and FA Cup in 4-0 defeats, and during a run at the end of the season that saw just three wins in 11 games, it wasn’t well received.

Likewise, his rather poorly judged photo with Wayne Lineker at O Beach in Ibiza - taken during the season but after the title was won - was now used to question Slot’s work ethic. “He never seemed to fully buy into the club,” one supporter told FourFourTwo.

Those accusations from fans have been somewhat corroborated by reporting, via journalist David Lynch, that there were concerns from academy staff that Slot didn’t ‘pay attention’ to the academy, rarely, if ever, watching Under-21s or Under-18s games, and thus frustrating staff. This, it’s now reported, is one of the reasons Liverpool made the decision to sack the Dutchman after just two seasons, with a pathway needing to be provided for youngsters from the academy.

Teenage midfielder Trey Nyoni, who was handed his debut by Klopp aged 16 and was among the subs when Liverpool lifted the League Cup in Klopp’s final season, played just 21 minutes in the Premier League this season. The reluctance to use Rio Ngumoha was also seen as a snub to the academy, while a question on striker Jayden Danns in mid-April saw Slot seemingly unaware that the 20-year-old had actually suffered another injury setback. “He’s now getting back with the U21s, getting some playing time,” he said, despite Danns having been subbed with a hamstring issue after just 22 minutes on his comeback the month before.

Head Coach vs. Manager

Perhaps the signs pointed to Slot being less involved from the off, handed the title of head coach rather than manager, wearing a tracksuit for his unveiling press conference. It gave the impression of being a coach rather than a manager; here to work on the training ground. Plus, nobody could ever repeat the all-in approach of his predecessor anyway, and even Klopp admitted he had to change his approach to training the players, admitting a “silly decision” in his second season.

“When I came here, the players had a few days off,” Klopp said. “I changed it and said: ‘How can they have three or four days off or something?’ It was a silly decision. It’s only because I was not used to it. Now we are proper English coaches, we know about the fixtures, the intensity of the next few months. Each possibility for a little break, you have to use. That's what we have to do.”

So Slot’s approach to giving players time off didn’t differ hugely from Klopp’s, but still, stories from former players of the intensity of Klopp's sessions and training in pre-season lived in the memory for supporters. Again, perception is everything, and while Klopp eventually changed to give players time off, Klopp himself didn’t take that time off; helped by his family living with him locally. When FFT asked Klopp in 2021 what he’s looking forward to in life after football, his answer was quick and strong: “Seeing the world. It’s easy (answer).” “I have no time,” he added.

Slot was actually asked about his frequent trips to Ibiza, admitting: “That’s the downside of being a Liverpool manager: if you are somewhere in public, then they can make videos.” “If the sun shines and I can be with my family, then it’s my kind of place,” said Slot, whose very first official words at Liverpool were ironically to say how energised he felt after “the holiday I had.”

Again, there’s nothing truly wrong about it, but perception is everything in football, especially for a manager, and especially at a club like Liverpool. Perhaps Liverpool’s idolisation of their manager is because the club have only had 22 of them in their 134-year history – and only two in the post-war era (Brendan Rodgers and Roy Hodgson) didn’t win a trophy. The next manager needs to ensure they don’t add to that short and unwanted list. They can learn a little about where it went wrong for Slot.

Arne Slot has left Liverpool with immediate effect, shortly after the conclusion of the 2025/26 Premier League season.

A title-winner with the Reds during his first season in charge, Slot failed to replicate his previous success at Anfield and has paid the price with his job.

Liverpool have released a statement confirming the Dutchman has left the club.

Arne Slot sacked by Liverpool

It reads: "Liverpool FC can confirm Arne Slot is to depart his role as head coach with immediate effect and that the process to appoint a successor is under way.

“From the moment that we first encountered Arne, it was immediately clear that he is an individual who does not merely accept responsibility, he embraces it.

"This was evident when he agreed to take over as head coach, when he guided us to the Premier League title and throughout the season just ended when he faced considerable challenges and burdens.

“At the same time, we have collectively come to the conclusion that change is necessary in order for the club to keep moving forward. Again, it must be stressed that this is not a decision which has been reached lightly, anything but.

“We would like to take this opportunity to place on record our appreciation for Arne, who will always hold a special place in the history of this football club as the coach who delivered Liverpool’s 20th league title."

Liverpool are now in the market for a new head coach with the likes of Andoni Iraola available after leaving AFC Bournemouth, having guided the Cherries into Europe.

Manchester City are also in the hunt for a new manager following Pep Guardiola's exit after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.

Chelsea and Manchester United will also begin the 2026/27 Premier League with new permanent managers, following the appointments of Xabi Alonso and Michael Carrick, respectively.

The timing of Slot's departure comes as something of a shock given previous reports indicated the Dutchman would be given next season to turn the club's fortunes around.

Liverpool finished last season in fifth place, 25 points off champions Arsenal.

Pep Guardiola has confirmed his Manchester City exit.

The Catalan has been manager of the club since 2016 and won 20 trophies in that time, including six Premier League titles, three FA Cups and Manchester City's first Champions League trophy.

Now in a statement on City's official site, it has been confirmed that he will leave the club this summer and take up a role as a City Football Group global ambassador.

Official: Pep Guardiola is leaving Manchester City

After dropping points away to Bournemouth this week and conceding the title to Arsenal, Guardiola refused to speak about his future, insisting that he still needed to discuss it with City's hierarchy and affirming that he had one year left on his contract.

But now, City have confirmed his new role and stated that it will “see him giving technical advice to the clubs in the group, working on specific projects and collaborations.”

“What a time we have had together”, Guardiola said in his statement.

“Don’t ask me the reasons I’m leaving. There is no reason, but deep inside, I know it’s my time. Nothing is eternal, if it was, I would be here. Eternal will be the feeling, the people, the memories, the love I have for my Manchester City.

“This is a city built from work. From graft. You see it in the colour of the bricks. From people who clocked in early, stayed late. The factories. The Pankhursts. The unions. The music. Simply the Industrial Revolution and how this changed the world. And I think I grew to understand that, and my teams did too.”

Guardiola went on to reference the trip to Bournemouth midweek and the Champions League final win in Istanbul, along with the Manchester Arena attack, losing his mother during COVID-19 and the reunion of Oasis last summer.

The 55-year-old leaves English football as the second-most successful boss in Premier League history after Sir Alex Ferguson in terms of titles won, having broken countless records over the years.

City were the first English team to rack up 100 points in the Premier League in 2018 when they won the title, the second team to win a Treble of Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League, and the first team in English footballing history to win four titles on the trot.

Heading into his final match as manager of Manchester City, Guardiola has coached 592 games and won 416, with a staggering win rate of 70.3 per cent.

City face Aston Villa at the Etihad, as Premier League action concludes this weekend.

Arsenal already have their summer transfer priorities firmly in mind as they come to the end of a successful season.

The Gunners will receive the Premier League trophy on Sunday after getting themselves over the line earlier this week by beating Burnley a day before Manchester City were held to a draw at Bournemouth.

That has put a four-point cushion between the two sides with just one more league game left to play - and Arsenal's season is still not over with the Champions League final against PSG set to follow a week on Saturday.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta set to receive transfer boost and contract offer

The Mirror write that Arsenal's progress this season has prompted the club to line up a busy summer in the transfer market as they look to consolidate their position - as well as making a move to tie down Mikel Arteta to a longer deal.

The manager's current deal is set to expire next summer, but Arsenal are reportedly keen on a two-year extension - which is likely to come with a pay rise.

Arsenal are also said to be looking at improving their options in central midfield, left wing, and a move for someone who can play across the front three.

Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez is apparently firmly on Arsenal's wishlist two years on from his departure from Manchester City.

The Argentina international scored 36 goals in 103 games in all competitions for City across two seasons before Atletico signed him in a €95m deal.

Alvarez has 49 goals and 17 assists in 106 games for Atletico, including scoring against Arsenal in their recent Champions League semi-final.

Other players namechecked as being of interest to Arsenal include Newcastle United midfielder Sandro Tonali.

The Italian has been at Newcastle since summer 2023 and has two years left on his existing deal, which may make it the prime time for the Magpies to move him on.

West Ham United midfielder Mateus Fernandes and Porto's Victor Froholdt. are cited as a potential alternatives for Tonali.

Arsenal 'will definitely have to sell' this summer, however, with Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Ethan Nwaneri among the potential departures.

There are several big-name managers expected to be on the move this summer, and their potential destinations will be a topic of discussion.

One of them is Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner, who announced he would be departing come the end of the season.

He could well leave having made history, too, with the Eagles competing for their first ever European trophy in the upcoming Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.

Bayer Leverkusen identify Glasner as first choice

According to Sport Bild, Glasner’s preference was to move to a bigger Premier League club after a largely successful spell with Palace.

But there are increasingly few openings in England, with Manchester United opting to stick with Michael Carrick and Chelsea appointing Xabi Alonso.

That is a promising development for Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, who have reportedly approached Glasner but had no response.

The Austrian enjoyed previous success in Germany with Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Palace, and his reputation is high in the country.

Leverkusen have dropped off significantly after their unexpected Bundesliga title in 2024 under Alonso, finishing sixth this season under Dane Kasper Hjulmand, who is expected to leave in the summer.

While Glasner is believed to be fully focus on preparation for the Conference League final, Leverkusen reportedly want to reach a decision regarding their next manager by the end of the month.

But it remains to be seen if Glasner is interested in joining the club, a move that could be considered a sideways step.

Leverkusen have qualified for the Europa League, but Palace will do so too if they win the Conference League.

A switch to the German side could mean the opportunity to eventually manage a Champions League side, but it appears Glasner has big ambitions.

In FourFourTwo’s view, it seems likely he will hold out for a job that appeals to him more, even if it means waiting until a few months into next season.

Pep Guardiola has established himself as one of the greatest managers of all time across almost two decades of near-continuous success.

From his generation-defining Barcelona team, to his record-breaking Bayern Munich side and an all-conquering decade at Manchester City, the 55-year-old has won a hatful of trophies at every club he has managed.

But with Guardiola set to leave Manchester City this summer, talk has already turned to where he will go next. Here are the current frontrunners according to Betfair.

10. Liverpool (33/1)

City's battles with Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool was the blockbuster rivalry of the Guardiola era, as the clubs finished in the Premier League top two in three out of four seasons between 2018 and 2022.

Reds manager Arne Slot is under pressure at Anfield despite delivering the club's 20th league title just 12 months ago, but Guardiola is unlikely to want another Premier League job so soon - especially at one of City's direct rivals.

9. Paris Saint-Germain (16/1)

There aren't many elite clubs in Europe in better shape than Paris Saint-Germain right now, with the French champions gearing up to defend their Champions League title against Arsenal in the final on May 30.

Manager Luis Enrique - a former Barca colleague of Guardiola as both a player and a coach - has built an incredible team packed with attacking quality and youthful exuberance in the French capital. The Spaniard is out of contract next summer, but he is reportedly set to sign a new four-year deal so it is unlikely that his job will be vacant any time soon.

8. Argentina (9/1)

The first of four international jobs on this list concerns world champions Argentina, whose manager Lionel Scaloni is out of contract after the 2026 World Cup.

Guardiola already has a great relationship with Albiceleste captain Lionel Messi from their time together at Barcelona, while he previously hinted at going into international management in an interview with Spanish chef Dani Garcia on his Desmontadito YouTube channel: "The thought of starting off somewhere else, with all the process of the training and so on... no, no, no! Maybe a national team but that's different."

7. Spain (15/2)

Another international job that could interest Guardiola is Spain, for whom he won 47 caps during his playing career.

However, that could be complicated by the former Barcelona manager's support of Catalan independence, having even spoken at a rally backing a referendum in the autonomous community.

6. Any MLS club (7/1)

If Guardiola stays in the domestic game, he may want to look beyond the whirlwind existence of European football that has consumed the past 18 years of his life.

He took a year's sabbatical in New York after leaving Barcelona in 2012 and he could be tempted to return to America to manage a club in the MLS, which boasts stars including Messi at David Beckham-owned Inter Miami.

5. Bayern Munich (11/2)

Guardiola won three Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokals in his three seasons at Bayern but unlike at Barca and City, he fell short of winning the Champions League.

That could leave him feeling he has unfinished business in Bavaria, although Bayern boss Vincent Kompany - Guardiola's captain in his first three campaigns at the Etihad Stadium - has just claimed his second successive league title and is under contract until 2029.

4. Barcelona (5/1)

The club where it all began. Guardiola was appointed Barca boss in summer 2008 after a successful season managing Barcelona B and he swept all before him in four glorious campaigns.

Led by Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, Barca's tiki-taka style was simply irresistible and saw the club win three successive La Liga titles and two Champions Leagues. This would be the romantic choice, but would Guardiola risk tarnishing his legacy if he returned to Camp Nou?

3. Brazil (9/2)

Another romantic option for Guardiola would be Brazil, who remain the most successful team in World Cup history with five titles.

The City boss is said to have long been interested in managing the Selecao, yet he may have to wait some time as current boss Carlo Ancelotti last week extended his contract until the 2030 World Cup.

2. Italy (10/3)

The international job that arguably makes the most sense right now is Italy, who have great tradition but have failed to qualify for the past three World Cups.

There are several reasons to believe this could have legs: the Azzurri are currently without a permanent boss, Guardiola spent two years in the country towards the end of his playing career with Roma and Brescia, and the Italian FA reportedly approached the City manager's camp last month. Watch this space?

1. England (9/4)

Having spent the past 10 years coaching in England, you could argue that managing the Three Lions would be a logical next step for Guardiola.

He was linked with the role last summer before Thomas Tuchel was unveiled, and while the German is under contract until Euro 2028, Guardiola may be happy to take a two-year sabbatical if he knows the job is waiting for him.

Pep Guardiola is set to leave Manchester City this summer, bringing to an end a glittering 10-year spell in which the manager has changed English football.

After months of speculation, reports emerged on Monday night that the 55-year-old is expected to depart at the end of the season, 12 months before the end of his contract.

Since arriving at City in 2016, Guardiola has won six Premier League titles, five Carabao Cups, three FA Cups and the Champions League, establishing the club as the dominant force in the English game.

Details revealed over deal for Pep Guardiola's successor at Manchester City

Guardiola's future has been a hot topic all season and the rumour mill went into overdrive last week when leaked footage appeared to show the former Barcelona boss filming a 'farewell video' on the Etihad Stadium pitch.

While City are yet to officially announce the Catalan's departure, speculation over who might replace him has been rife - and it appears the club have already lined up his successor.

According to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano, City have "a total verbal agreement" with Enzo Maresca to replace Guardiola, with the former Chelsea manager set to sign an initial three-year deal.

Romano adds that the Italian has "always been considered the ideal candidate" to succeed the legendary coach and the 46-year-old reportedly held talks over the role last month, despite the Etihad hierarchy holding out hope that Guardiola would stay for one more campaign.

Maresca was appointed manager of City's Elite Development Squad in 2020 and won Premier League 2 with their Under 23 side in his only season in charge, before leaving to take charge of Serie A side Parma.

He lasted just 14 games at the Italian club before returning to City, where he was part of Guardiola's first-team staff during the 2022/23 Treble-winning campaign.

Maresca left to manage Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League and led the Foxes to the Championship title in 2023/24.

The former West Bromwich Albion, Juventus and Sevilla midfielder was then hired by Chelsea and won the Conference League and Club World Cup in his only full season in charge, as well as securing Champions League qualification, before leaving this January amid growing tensions behind the scenes.

There is great mutual respect between Guardiola and Maresca, with the City boss saying earlier this season: "One of the best managers in the world, Enzo Maresca, I know him quite well but, the job he has done at Chelsea does not get enough credit.

"Winning the Club World Cup, Conference League, qualification for the Champions League in a league that is so tough with a young team. It is exceptional."

Pep Guardiola is to leave Manchester City after 10 years.

The Catalan wrapped up his 20th trophy of the decade when he lifted a third FA Cup at Wembley Stadium at the weekend, before reports filtered through last night that Guardiola had just two games remaining as Manchester City boss, starting against Bournemouth tonight.

But while rumours have persisted all season that the 55-year-old – ranked at no.5 in FourFourTwo's list of the greatest managers ever – would wrap up his tenure at the Etihad Stadium a year earlier than his contract stated, this has been a decision that feels a long time in the making

Pep Guardiola lost a key figure at Manchester City – and the club haven't been the same since

With Arsenal needing just one win to clinch. the Premier League title, this could well be the first time that Guardiola has gone two whole seasons back-to-back without winning the league – and though some may have figured that the Catalan wouldn't leave Eastlands without winning it, there is precedence for this decision.

Guardiola's Barcelona exit in 2012 came off the back of losing the La Liga title to Jose Mourinho's Real Madrid after all, with that four-year spell providing clues on the future direction that Guardiola would take.

Guardiola's eventual split with Barça came after friction with his superiors, before a three-year spell with Bayern Munich ended in a similar way – paving the way for the former Barcelona captain to reunite with ex-team-mate Txiki Begiristain at City.

Though some wondered if Pep would stay for a similar length of tenure in England, however, the club had been geared for his arrival: former Barça faces Ferran Soriano and Rodolfo Borrell were key to bringing Pep over and revamping the academy, respectively.

Where Guardiola felt that friction at his previous two jobs, City was a club that had been moulded in his image prior to his arrival, with Begiristain his right-hand man, leading recruitment and helping to bring the manager's vision to life.

With Txiki leaving last summer, though, was it always a matter of time before Pep followed?

The Catalan contingent that shaped City's modern dominance from 2012 onwards has all but moved on, with Hugo Viana replacing Begiristain as the penultimate exit – and, as per Fabrizio Romano, Enzo Maresca's imminent arrival perhaps the last one.

It's very clear that we're coming to an era at Eastlands: Bernardo Silva and John Stones are both leaving, too, as two pillars of this City side for the last decade under Guardiola.

And this season has been a huge departure in style for Pep, with his ball-playing goalkeeper sacrificed for Gianluigi Donnarumma, a more obvious double-pivot, more obvious no.10 and a return to do-it-all wingers.

10 years is more than long enough for an era at City… but it began to unravel 12 months before Guardiola's exit.

Arne Slot’s Liverpool future remains shrouded in doubt, even if it appears the club are set to stick with the Dutchman into next season.

Former midfielder Xabi Alonso was available but has been snapped up by Chelsea, a development that has frustrated many disgruntled Liverpool fans.

It seems that the Reds will instead give Slot another chance, with last season’s Premier League title still relatively fresh in the memory.

Liverpool consider managerial change as Slot concerns grow

Liverpool have been patient with Slot, who was publicly criticised by Mohamed Salah after a 4-2 defeat at Aston Villa.

But, according to TEAMtalk, there are now “serious internal discussions” taking place behind the scenes after a dismal title defence.

Salah’s comments suggesting Liverpool need to return to the “heavy metal” style introduced by Jurgen Klopp have reportedly “triggered significant reflection” amongst the club’s higher-ups.

Several Liverpool players liked Salah’s social media post, and there is growing concern that Slot has lost the backing of his squad and the supporters.

The club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, are said to be “alarmed” by the atmosphere, while football chiefs Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are "continuously assessing the situation”.

Liverpool are fifth in the Premier League table heading into their final game of the season, at home to Brentford on Sunday, with Champions League qualification not yet guaranteed.

The defeat at Aston Villa was their 19th of the season in all competitions, and one more loss will take them to 20 - an unwanted total that was last recorded in 1992/93.

Liverpool have insisted that a review of Slot’s position will only take place once the season has concluded, but faith in the Dutchman is dwindling.

The club have reportedly looked at several potential successors, including Stuttgart’s Sebastian Hoeness, Al-Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle, Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann and soon-to-be free agent Andoni Iraola.

Iraola is said to be particularly admired by the Liverpool decision-makers for the work he has done with Bournemouth, and for his high-intensity style of play.

Calum McFarlane has the chance to do something relatively rare on Saturday afternoon.

If he can mastermind a victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, Chelsea caretaker boss would join a short list of managers to have lifted major trophies while in interim charge of a club or a national side.

Here are some of the notable examples we were able to unearth - and you might notice a theme emerging fairly quickly...

Mario Zagallo (Brazil, 1970)

This one requires a slightly squishy definition of 'caretaker manager', we have to admit, with some sources suggesting he was more a short-term appointment whose spell was later extended than being outright defined as an interim boss.

But we're going to go ahead and regard that as a technicality; it's certainly in the spirit of the caretaker boss.

What is clear is that Zagallo, who won the World Cup as a player in both 1958 and 1962, was appointed just 75 days before their 1970 World Cup campaign got under way following the difficult Joao Saldanha's dismissal.

Zagallo brought Pele back into the fold, and the former teammates went on to win the whole thing, beating Italy 4-1 in the final with an iconic performance. Zagallo got the job for a longer spell after the tournament.

Guus Hiddink (Chelsea, 2009)

The beginning of something of a tradition for Chelsea.

Avram Grant had taken Chelsea to the Champions League final the previous year after taking over from Jose Mourinho, only to get the chop himself. In came Luiz Felipe Scolari, who proved even more short-lived in the role.

Chelsea then turned to Guus Hiddink largely as a time-buying measure, presumably waiting for Carlo Ancelotti to see out his time at AC Milan.

But the Dutchman endeared himself to Chelsea fans by losing just one of his 22 games in charge, winning 16.

The last of those victories came in the 2009 FA Cup final, where Chelsea overcame Louis Saha's fastest-ever goal in a final to beat Everton 2-1.

Roberto Di Matteo (Chelsea, 2012)

Three years later, Chelsea were at it again.

Andre Villas-Boas had failed to assert himself at Stamford Bridge and was replaced by former Blues midfielder Roberto Di Matteo, who had previously managed MK Dons and West Brom before returning to the club as Villas-Boas' assistant.

Chelsea held a 3-1 first-leg deficit to Napoli in the Champions League last at the time, but Di Matteo took them to a 4-1 win in the second leg to put them through. They subsequently saw off Benfica, Barcelona, and finally Bayern Munich to deliver Chelsea's first-ever Champions League title.

But that wasn't all: in the interim (no pun intended), Di Matteo had also lifted the FA Cup thanks to a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. And speaking of Liverpool and Chelsea...

Rafael Benitez (Chelsea, 2013)

Yep, yet another one for Chelsea.

Di Matteo got the job full-time after helping Chelsea to their two trophies, but was gone before the end of November.

In his place, the club made the deeply unpopular decision to appoint former Reds boss Rafa Benitez as interim manager - a title he kept (despite his protests) for the rest of the 2012/13 campaign.

After months of protests, Benitez earned at least some begrudging respect by the end, leading Chelsea to win the Europa League title, as well as earning Champions League qualification by finishing third.

Honourable mentions - Tony Barton (Aston Villa, 1982), Leanne Ross (Glasgow City, 2023), Renee Slegers (Arsenal, 2025)

A trio here of managers who won trophies in seasons in which they had significant caretaker spells, but who had all been given the job permanently before they got their hands on their silverware.

Tony Barton stepped up from assistant manager with reigning English champions Aston Villa in 1982 following Ron Saunder's surprise resignation, initially on a caretaker basis. Four months later led Villa to a European Cup final victory over Bayern Munich.

Leanne Ross won ten of her first 11 games in charge of Glasgow City to send Glasgow City six points clear at the top of the Scottish Women's Premier League in 2022/23, and clinched the title a few weeks after being handed the job permanently.

And then there's Renee Slegers, who just last year led Arsenal to their Women's Champions League triumph having stepped up to succeed Jonas Eidevall early in the season and taken Arsenal to the quarter-finals during her caretaker spell as part of an 11-game unbeaten spell.

Michael Carrick has steadied the ship at Old Trafford during the second half of this season and could be rewarded with an extension to his current posting.

Manchester United are reportedly set to offer the former midfielder a two-year contract as first-team boss with the option of a third season in charge.

This means, if Carrick accepts, he will remain in charge at the Champions League club until at least 2028, provided he is not sacked before then.

Michael Carrick to stay at Old Trafford until 2028

Manchester United have struggled in the managerial arena ever since the 2013 departure of Sir Alex Ferguson. The club have failed to replicate the sustained success the Scot enjoyed at Old Trafford, going through several managers in the past 13 years.

Carrick, though, is popular among the squad and on the terraces, and has delivered consistent, winning football since taking interim charge, a spell which began with victory over rivals Manchester City.

According to The Athletic, Carrick will be offered an initial two-year contract as Man United manager with the club retaining the option to extend that contract by an additional year, should they wish to continue with him as boss.

Carrick has won 10 of his 15 games in charge, securing a return to the Champions League next season and looks set to be given the opportunity to lead the team in Europe.

According to the 'i' Paper, though, minority shareholder and face of the Old Trafford board Sir Jim Ratcliffe reportedly has 'reservations' over the permanent appointment of Carrick.

Chief executive Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox, however, are 'convinced' of Carrick's faculties with the offer of a permanent contract imminent.

Ratcliffe's qualms supposedly lie with Carrick's personality, believing the ex-Middlesbrough head coach does not possess the requisite character to lead a club of Man United's stature.

It is reported that Ratcliffe 'wants the manager to have the character to match the size of the club.'

Nevertheless, it appears as though Carrick will be in charge next season, and potentially the season after, per the terms of the contract proposal set to be put forward.

Man United's decision to tie up the club's managerial future before the summer window begins could be viewed as a shrewd one given the uncertain climate surrounding their rivals' coaching positions.

Pep Guardiola's future at Manchester City has been the subject of intense speculation over the past few months.

While the former Barcelona boss is under contract at the Etihad Stadium until next summer, the rumours that he could depart at the end of this season have never truly gone away.

It is why City are said to be preparing for life without Guardiola in case he walks away 12 months early, with the club reportedly holding talks with former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, who was previously an assistant to the Catalan.

Leaked Pep Guardiola 'farewell video' raises questions over Manchester City future

Guardiola joined City in summer 2016 and has won 14 major trophies in 10 seasons, including six Premier League titles and the Champions League in 2023, which formed part of an historic Treble.

He signed a contract extension in late 2024, quashing speculation that he would leave at the end of that season, but a trophyless 2024/25 campaign and persistent speculation over his future has created plenty of uncertainty.

The rumour mill went into overdrive on Thursday after a video was leaked showing a figure filming what appeared to be a farewell video in the centre circle of the Etihad pitch.

The footage is taken from the top tier of the stadium so the identity of the individual is unclear, but they are shown walking towards a camera while surrounded by what looks like 18 trophies, each on individual plinths.

While the figure could be Guardiola, journalist Ben Jacobs was quick to dampen any suggestions that the 55-year-old was filming his own 'farewell video', saying: "Understand this specific video is part of Bernardo Silva's farewell after nine years and 18 trophies at the club."

Jacobs added: "Regarding Pep Guardiola. There remains a possibility he departs this summer even though Manchester City point to his contract expiring in summer 2027. However, the leaked video is Silva related."

City announced last month that Silva would leave when his deal runs out this summer, having made more than 450 appearances since signing from French club Monaco in 2017.

The Portugal midfielder, 31, was appointed club captain following Kevin De Bruyne's departure last summer and is a huge favourite of Guardiola, who responded to the news by saying "part of myself is leaving too."

The duo have already won the Carabao Cup this season and will aim to go out on a high in City's final three games of the campaign, starting with Saturday's FA Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.

Guardiola's men also remain in the race for the Premier League title, with the gap to leaders Arsenal just two points with games away to Bournemouth and at home to Aston Villa still to come.

Brian Clough achieved extraordinary things during his managerial career – and he was known for being unpredictable.

Having guided Derby County to the league title in 1972, Clough then joined neighbours Nottingham Forest and repeated the feat six years later, having initially taken over when they were in the second tier.

The legendary boss remarkably guided Forest to two successive European Cups, helped by the sheer force of his personality.

TV star's first Clough meeting

Most people who met Clough have fascinating tales to tell about his eccentric nature, and Darren Fletcher is no different.

The TNT Sports commentator grew up in Nottingham, before moving into radio and quickly encountering Clough at Forest, the club he’d always supported.

“The first interview I ever did was with Cloughie, I was 18,” he tells FourFourTwo. “I used to put up suspended ceilings, I had no desire to be a football broadcaster, but my stepfather was the accountant of a guy who owned a gym in Nottingham, and the sports editor at the radio station trained at this gym.

“He had a PR company who were doing this event called the Sun Life Great Race. I went on this event for three weeks as a lackey, then he offered me a job.

“Within a couple of weeks, he said ‘Right, I need you to go to the City Ground and get an interview’. “I asked ‘Who am I speaking to?’ He said ‘That’s up to you, don’t f*** it up’. I’d been standing on the Trent End four weeks earlier, queueing for autographs.

“I got the stadium and walked in at the front door, absolutely bricking it, and said ‘I’m from Radio Trent, I’ve come to do an interview’. The secretary said ‘Who with?’ I just said ‘Brian Clough’.

“She said ‘I’ll see if he’s available’, then came back and said ‘Yes, he’ll see you, go and sit in the corridor’. I sat there for about three hours, no sign of anybody.

“Eventually I get asked to go into his room – I’d written questions on a piece of paper. Clough had Archie Gemmill and Ron Fenton, his assistant and first team coach, sat around a circular table.

“I started to ask the first question, pouring with sweat, shaking like a leaf, and he leant across the table, pulled my questions towards him, screwed them up and put them on the floor!

“I ended up doing this interview, and it was fine because it was him. I was a mess, a complete mess, but I got on really well with him, and realised in time, that was the initiation. I ended up doing a lot with him.”

A shoulder charge to remember

Despite building a rapport with Clough, it didn’t stop a bizarre moment occurring during a subsequent meeting.

“They were playing Plymouth Argyle in a League Cup match,” Fletcher explains. “Brian came out early and sat on the edge of the dugout, signing a few autographs, chatting to people.

“My boss said to me ‘Get yourself down there, he likes you, go and get him to do another interview’. So I wandered down, and as I was walking along the touchline, I hear him say ‘Get away from me’.

“I’m thinking ‘He’s not talking to me, we’re mates’. I carry on walking, he says ‘Get away from me’, slightly more aggressively than the first time.

“I’m still thinking, ‘It can’t be me, it’s all these people bothering him’. But he stood up, walked across to where I was, made out that he tripped, shoulder-charged me right in the chest, and actually knocked me on to the pitch. ‘Now get away from me,’ he said.

“Everybody in the main stand had seen it, I was 18, wet behind the ears and completely embarrassed. The boss was giving me s*** for it when I got back up there!

“But Clough is the only person I’ve ever met that if he stood behind you now, you’d know he was there. Certain people have that charisma and presence – even when you don’t see them, you feel them, but he’d always test you.”

Clough's dress rehearsal

Later, Fletcher would receive a special invite from Clough, when he received the Freedom of the City of Nottingham, shortly before his retirement as a manager in 1993.

“The day before the event, Carol his secretary rang and said ‘Can you come and see the boss at 1pm?’” he remembers.

“I’m stood outside, and out he comes, suited and booted – you never saw him suited and booted, it was always the green jumper.

“A big green car came and he said ‘Get in the car’. We both get in and I said ‘What are we doing?’ He said ‘We’re doing the dress rehearsal for tomorrow’, so he took me on this rehearsal for his freedom of the city.

"We went to the castle, he was going to pose in front of the Robin Hood statue, then he was going to plant a tree. We eventually ended up in the council chamber and I was playing the part of the Lord Mayor.

“He dropped me back off at the radio station, then the following day, I covered the event, knowing what was happening, because we’d done it the day before.

“He just had that ability to knock you down one minute, then make you feel like you were the most important person the next.”

After Clough retired, he even became colleagues with Fletcher. “I used to work with Garry Birtles on the radio, he got on really well with Brian and I said ‘Why don’t you see if the gaffer wants to do anything?’” the commentator explains.

“Nobody had heard from Brian for a while, so Garry rang Nigel Clough. Nigel said ‘You’re the first people to ask, my dad would love to, what do you want to do?’

“We ended up getting him in to do a phone-in once a month. He also came and did two or three co-commentaries with us – we turned up at grounds with Brian Clough, it’d be like turning up with Fergie now.

“Clubs would see this application for a pass for ‘Brian Clough’, then Cloughie would turn up. We did Derby at Pride Park, we did England versus Serbia & Montenegro at Leicester, and we did Forest vs Derby at the City Ground.

“He was great, Archie or Ron would bring him to do the phone-ins, then he’d stay behind, have a bite to eat and reminisce about the past.

“I don’t think I could ever sit down in the presence of anybody connected to sport and feel the way he made me feel, because I’d grown up in Nottingham when they were winning European Cups, and then he was working alongside me.

“It was such an honour and a privilege to have had that experience. I’ll treasure it for the rest of my life.”

An FA Cup honour

This Saturday, Fletcher will commentate for TNT Sports at the FA Cup final between Manchester City and Chelsea, and he’s proud of how far he’s come during his career in football.

“I’ve only done two cup finals before, Arsenal vs Villa and Arsenal vs Chelsea, but I go back to the late 70s with the FA Cup,” he says.

“The first one I watched was when Ipswich beat Arsenal, then the first I really remember was the year after, when Alan Sunderland won it with the last kick of the game for Arsenal.

“That was the day I really fell in love with the FA Cup and I’ve never missed a final since. I never missed a minute of FA Cup final day when it started at the crack of dawn – you'd see Bruce Forsyth doing something on Wembley Way, or Paul Daniels would rock up, and you’d think ‘What’s happening here?’

“So for me to stand at Wembley will be just an absolute honour. It’s going to be such a thrill.”

Fletcher was talking ahead of a month like no other, with five major football finals live on TNT Sports & HBO Max kicking off with the Emirates FA Cup this Saturday. Enjoy a full day of FA Cup coverage live on TNT Sports & HBO Max from 9am.

Anderson's 88th minute strike meant the Magpies once again failed to make inroads on the race for European qualification, snatching a draw and taking their tally of dropped points from winning positions to 27. Harvey Barnes had put the visitors ahead with a quarter of an hour remaining at the City Ground.

Instead of pushing for another Champions League campaign, Newcastle are languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League table.

Poor recruitment has had a huge impact this season. But it was a decision they were forced into in 2024 which ultimately stung in the East Midlands.

Eddie Howe: 'I regret Elliot Anderson sale'

Anderson left Newcastle because they needed to sell quickly in order to adhere to Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) and avoid a potential points penalty.

His time at Forest has seen him change position and become arguably England’s most reliable holding midfielder ahead of this summer’s World Cup. But everybody at Newcastle, not least Eddie Howe, was fully aware of his potential and it was painful to see a homegrown talent, and boyhood fan of the club, depart.

“His was a sale we regretted when we were doing it. We knew the player’s quality,” Newcastle boss Howe said after the game.

“It was a very painful transfer, one we had to do. We had no choice.

“It was the most reluctant transfer I’ll probably ever do. He was really effective in a number of positions.

“It really hurts to see him do that against us today. He’s a great lad, he’ll have a fantastic career wherever he goes.”

The feeling around Newcastle is, despite growing frustration and scrutiny over his position, Howe will remain in place to oversee big changes at St James’ Park this summer.

His team selection raised eyebrows before kick-off for the third week running, with Lewis Hall switching flanks to right-back. Howe praised the 21-year-old’s performance, but it was his explanation for neglecting to pick Kieran Trippier which caught attention most.

Trippier, 35, is leaving Newcastle at the end of the season, and Howe said that impacted his decision.

"I think Lewis is an outstanding technical player, so playing off a different side, I don't think it's hugely difficult for him.

"Obviously, Kieran’s future has been revealed, so I'm focusing on the players that I know are going to be here next year.

Curiously, Anthony Gordon remained on the bench throughout, even when the game was in the balance at 0-0, arguably crying out for a player with his drive, creativity and goal threat.

Gordon’s future has been under the microscope for some weeks now amid links to Bayern Munich and Barcelona. With Howe having gone on record to say he will not pick players he doesn’t feel are committed to Newcastle’s future, the fact he was not called upon felt pointed and deliberate.

"He’s returned from an injury,” Howe replied when directly asked about Gordon’s involvement.

"I’m looking at the team and the team is playing well and I didn’t want to make too many changes."

Howe has always been an extremely skilled communicator. His quotes are seldom left up to interpretation without being designed that way. Last week, he said he would pick players he felt he could trust, this week he is looking to the future. Groundwork is being laid for a busy off-season; a number of players are effectively on trial.

One who should arguably have a greater role in the side over the coming years is Jacob Ramsey. Having struggled initially following his arrival from Aston Villa last summer, he is slowly understanding what is expected of him. Confidence is beginning to flow; his pass for Barnes’ opener was sublime, and he was constantly looking to push forward with the ball at his feet.

Ultimately, this was another disappointing result, the latest in a long line for Newcastle.

Anderson’s involvement added an extra bitter taste. But Howe is outlining a tough stance on what is to come on Tyneside, despite some supporters remaining sceptical over his suitability for the big rebuild.

There's no getting away from Unai Emery's record in the Europa League.

The Aston Villa manager has won the successor to the UEFA Cup four times with two different clubs and has now taken another two to the final. In the space of just 12 years, Emery has become the most successful manager of the Europa League and nobody else gets close.

Villa had to overcome both the odds and the mood in the second leg of their semi-final against Nottingham Forest. The difference in form between the teams was stark and Forest had a first-leg lead to boot.

They saved their best performance of the season for the night when it was needed the most. Emery's players stood up to be counted and won 4-0, steamrolling the tie into oblivion and taking Villa to their first European final since 1982.

Captain John McGinn moved himself up a rung or two in the Villa legend stakes. Emi Buendia played his best match in a Villa shirt by far. Ollie Watkins was flawless up front, Pau Torres imperious at the back.

Forest manager Vitor Pereira spoke to TNT Sports after the second leg at Villa Park, clearly crestfallen. He criticised referee Glenn Nyberg and listed the players Forest were missing through injury.

None of it was magnanimous, but a lot of it was true. Pereira named Morgan Gibbs-White on the bench, and we'll never know if he'd have been brought on to take a penalty or not at all. There's not a team in England that wouldn't miss him.

Villa's injury problems have eased, but they were without midfielders Boubacar Kamara, who has been out since January, and Amadou Onana. Their absence became Emery's secret weapon.

Defender Victor Lindelof was selected alongside Youri Tielemans, and it proved a brilliant decision.

The Swede unsurprisingly held his own. He predictably played in midfield when Villa didn't have the ball and dropped in at centre-back when they attacked, releasing both full-backs to get forward. Emery, often, will use his right-back or left-back in a three in possession. The one kink in Lindelof's role was a big tactical win for the Villa boss. When Stefan Ortega and Forest's centre-backs had the ball, Lindelof stuck to striker Chris Wood like a limpet; road closed.

In terms of attitude, approach and application, Villa's performance couldn't have been further from the shambolic defeat against Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park five days earlier.

Emery, who is ranked at no.9 in FourFourTwo's list of the best managers in the world right now, made seven changes to his team ahead of the Spurs match but the anaemic display they served up that night was infuriating for some supporters, given the need to get over the line in the race for a Champions League place.

Emery looked livid on the touchline but allowed the game to play out essentially without intervention. He was bullish after the fact, and there's an argument that Thursday's Europa League success was vindication for the choices he made at the weekend. He is, after all, the master of the Europa League.

To write this off as the common or garden Emery masterclass in Europe would be to overlook the precarious position Villa were in. Their progress belongs to him, certainly, but there was a huge gamble involved that was more about faith than genius. The reaction of the supporters during and after the game against Spurs wasn't without previous. Villa were out of form and they were – they are – not really in a position to allow winnable league matches to pass them by.

There's an intense yearning at Villa Park that this ageing Villa team should get its moment, for Emery, for McGinn and Watkins, for the people behind the scenes who've helped Villa from the Championship to the brink of a second season in the Champions League.

That yearning can manifest as fear and frustration, and the ability of the players to drag themselves out of the rut that was so deep against Spurs was not easy to believe in. The contrast from one game to the next has no recent precedent at Villa. It really was like watching two different teams.

Maybe Emery played the Europa League like a harpist. Maybe Villa hit the brakes just before their season dropped off a cliff.

They certainly didn't reach Istanbul the easy way, but in FourFourTwo's opinion the 'how' doesn't really matter now. Villa have two targets this season: to win the Europa League and to get back into the Champions League. Both of them are still possible and both can go to the wire if needed. It's been a remarkable season for Villa, if a slightly strange and often difficult one, and they still have work to do.

The Europa League final is a chance for Villa to make history, to become legends. McGinn has repeatedly urged his teammates to embrace the challenge and it would be the captain himself who is most deserving of lifting Villa's first trophy for 30 years.

But after Spurs, there's Burnley. Villa visit the Clarets on Sunday knowing that three points would put them within touching distance of the Champions League through their Premier League position.

If there was concern that Emery was putting all his league eggs in a single Burnley basket by disregarding the Spurs fixture, now's the time to produce the second part of the justification.

A TV presenter has felt compelled to backtrack after suggesting on live TV that Mikel Arteta's presence on the touchline may have led members of Atletico Madrid's coaching staff to want to 'punch [him] in the face'.

Tempers were high during Arsenal's 1-0 victory at home to Atletico on Tuesday night, which booked the Gunners' passage to the Champions League final following a 1-1 draw in Madrid in the first leg.

The dugout was particularly crowded and active during injury time, with Amazon Prime's commentary team noting they had never seen a pair of benches getting so involved.

"At what stage, as the opposition coach, do you want to punch Arteta in the face? How much does that annoy you?"

Arteta's animated demeanour - and a touch of minor gamesmanship as he stood in the way of an Atletico throw-in at one point - caught the attention of ESPN presenter Dan Thomas.

Speaking on the American broadcast ESPN FC, Thomas asked Craig Burley and Stewart Robson: "At what stage, as the opposition coach, do you want to punch Arteta in the face? How much does that annoy you?"

As relayed by the Mirror, Craig Burley quite reasonably responded by pointing to Diego Simeone being no stranger to similar antics, saying: "Hold on, the two of them are as bad as each other.

"I thought, today, Arteta out-Simeone'd Simeone. The way he was running around at the end. It’s got to be frustrating, hasn’t it, as an opposition coach?"

Robson was much less generous, saying: "All Arteta does, I think he’s doing it for himself: 'Look at me, I’m great, I run this club, I do this, I do that'… It’s just absolutely pathetic.

"If I was running down the side, I’d make sure I actually topped him. I’d tackle the ball and tackle him at the same time."

Thomas followed up his provocative question the next day, saying: "I just want to make reference to something I said yesterday, an off-hand comment that landed literally.

"Obviously, it was not intended to land that way. I’ve thought about it today and I could have phrased it in such a better way. So, going forward I will definitely try not to say anything silly."

Arsenal will now go on to face defending champions PSG in the final in Budapest.