It appears Mauricio Pellegrino’s Southampton tenure will come to an end one way or another this summer, with the south coast outfit lining up Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic and Ostersunds gaffer Graham Potter as the struggling Argentine’s potential replacements.
Jokanovic’s Fulham side play the best football in the Championship and are now pushing hard for automatic promotion amid a strong second half to the season at Craven Cottage.
But Potter is one of the most talked-about managers in Europe right now, having transformed Ostersunds to take them from the fourth tier of Swedish football to a Europa League knockout clash with Arsenal – and even claiming a shock victory at the Emirates Stadium.
With that in mind, we asked Southampton fans earlier this week to vote for which manager they’d prefer to succeed Pellegrino and it was the Fulham boss who came out on top, winning our poll by a 50% margin.
Do you think Pellegrino has what it takes to keep Saints in the top flight, Southampton fans? Let us know by commenting below…
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Paris Saint-Germain attacker Julian Draxler impressed for Germany in their 1-1 friendly draw against Spain on Friday night, and Arsenal fans have urged their club to sign the 24-year-old this summer.
The winger started on the left in a 4-2-3-1 formation against the 2010 world champions, and he forced Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea into a fine save with a shot from outside the penalty area after he cut in on his right foot.
Draxler has been linked with a move to the Emirates on many occasions over the past few years, and he could leave the Ligue 1 giants this summer having found first-team starts hard to come by following the arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Neymar at the Parc des Princes last summer.
The north London outfit could make big changes to their squad at the end of what has been another disappointing campaign, and they have been linked with a move for £87.2m-rated Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Arsenal supporters were quick to have their say on the Germany international’s latest display via social media, and while one said “Wenger needs to go out and get Draxler”, another said “I’d take him over Jack or Iwobi”.
Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…
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Who were England’s best players against the Netherlands? Let us know below…
Despite winning the Premier League last season, Antonio Conte’s future at Chelsea has been in the balance for most of the season. His position at the club seems untenable and it is looking more and more likely that he will leave The Bridge this summer.
According to Yahoo Sport, Chelsea are considering Leonardo Jardim, 43, as their next manager.
Whats the Story?
Since October, Conte has looked extremely unhappy at Chelsea. They have been extremely poor since the turn of the year and look like they will struggle to make the top four after losing to London rivals Tottenham.
With it looking highly likely that Conte will leave Chelsea, Abramovich will be seeking a replacement. Luis Enrique, Massimilliano Allegri and Carlo Ancelotti have been heavily linked to take over at The Bridge this summer.
According to Yahoo Sport, Chelsea’s hierarchy have made preliminary inquiries about the availability of AS Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim.
The Portuguese manager is into his fourth season in France. He led the side to an unexpected Champions League semi-final and beat Paris Saint-Germain to the Ligue 1 title last year.
He is highly valued by Monaco’s owners and signed an contract extension last summer until 2020. Chelsea would have to pay a €7.5 million release clause to acquire his services.
What would Jardim bring to Chelsea?
Jardim has been a coach since the age of 27 and for the most part enjoyed success wherever he has gone. He will be looking to aim higher and has said that he would leave Monaco for a club of ‘great dimensions.’
Chelsea are once again looking to rebuild after a disappointing 2016/17 season. They have not really replaced John Terry, Frank Lampard, Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic.
Despite making a whole host of signings last summer none of them have made the expected impact. Jardim would come in with a big rebuilding job at his hand but an owner willing to spend.
He is a manager who demands respect due to his vast experience and self-belief. Chelsea have lacked a man manager in recent years, with players too often becoming disillusioned with the manager.
Jardim is a man manager who can adapt his style to different personalties. He has the track record and experience to come into Chelsea and bring back success.
He is also used to owners having a big say in the clubs transfer policy. It often seemed that Conte had no say in transfer dealings – selling Matic to rivals Manchester United is a prime example.
Monaco’s structure is similar to Chelsea and will be used to a Russia owner. He has also worked with Tiemoue Bakayoko at Monaco and could bring the best out of French midfielder.
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Will the manager merry-go-round at Chelsea ever end?
It seems that ever few years Chelsea are seeking a new manager. The Abramovic era has been synonymous with managers being hired and fired.
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They have had 12 different managers since 2003, including two spells of Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink and Carlo Ancelloti.
While they have enjoyed a great deal off success in this period, the club constantly seems to be rebuilding. Gone are the days of trusting a manager for more than two seasons and Chelsea’s blue print of changing managers ever other seasons seems to work.
Abramovich will probably stick to this policy until the day he sells the club. This might not be healthy for the clubs long-term plans, it means they will continue to enjoy success in the immediate. This is the main goal for owners and fans in the modern game.
Tottenham Hotspur are unsure about handing a three-year contract to Mousa Dembele, according to The Telegraph.
What’s the latest?
The Belgian international’s future has dominated the transfer gossip pages in recent weeks as another contract situation at Tottenham makes waves.
It seems that the newspaper columns have taken a break from the stalemate that is Toby Alderweireld’s contract talks to focus on Dembele.
The Telegraph claims that the midfielder wants a three-year extension on his deal, but Tottenham are reluctant.
The former Fulham player’s current deal expires at the end of next season, which means that if he penned fresh terms, he would be 35 years old when the extension comes to an end.
The report adds that any deal is likely to increase the player’s wages from £80,000 to around £100,000 per week.
Are Tottenham right to be wary?
Chairman Daniel Levy is a shrewd businessman and will not be jumping at the thought of paying out a huge salary for an ageing footballer.
It is also worth taking into account Dembele’s problems with injuries, of which he has suffered numerous times over the last few campaigns.
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This season, the midfielder spent just over a month on the sidelines with an ankle problem, and in the 2015-16 campaign, he had a handful of ankle and foot injuries.
Having said that, Dembele has been an integral part of Mauricio Pochettino’s team, and allowing him to leave would not make sense.
The club will enter a new era this summer when they move into a state-of-the-art stadium, so they need all their best players alongside them.
Newcastle United manager Rafa Benitez will already be making plans for next season after his side surpassed the magic 40-point mark with the 2-1 win against Arsenal at St James’ Park on Sunday, and that will include starting to identify potential transfer targets.
One area he could look to strengthen is at left-back, where Paul Dummett has had little competition for his place and a position that was a problem one earlier in the campaign when the 26-year-old was absent through injury.
January loan addition Kenedy could play there but has been playing further forward over the course of the last few months, but he is far from certain to stay on Tyneside beyond the end of the campaign.
One player that may have caught the eye of Benitez is Southampton’s Matt Targett, who was sent out on loan to Championship side Fulham at the start of 2018 having found first-team opportunities hard to come by at St Mary’s this term.
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Since he joined the Cottagers, they have embarked on a 15-match unbeaten run that has put them in contention to win automatic promotion to the Premier League, with the 22-year-old, rated at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, particularly impressive with Ryan Sessegnon down the left flank, scoring once and providing a further assist.
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With his parent club in real danger of suffering relegation to the Championship, the England U21 international could be on his way out of St Mary’s this summer having previously hinted at an exit last week.
So, Newcastle fans, do you think your club should sign Targett this summer? Let us know by voting below…
As reported by The Scottish Sun, Scott Arfield has agreed a three-year deal with Rangers and his signing is set to be announced before the weekend.
What’s the story?
Arfield was linked with a move to Ibrox earlier this week and it appears negotiations to bring him to Glasgow have been swift.
The Scottish Sun say that the Burnley midfielder has agreed a three-year deal with Rangers upon the expiration of his current contract with the English Premier League side.
The paper reckon the official announcement of his signature will be made before this weekend’s massive clash with Celtic.
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Is he a good signing?
The acquisition of Arfield before the season is even over proves that Rangers are intent on making serious moves in the upcoming transfer window and getting the business done early is an excellent sign for supporters.
He has tonnes of experience at Premier League and Championship level and at 29 has plenty of playing time ahead of him.
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Athletic and physical in a variety of midfield positions, he could bring new energy to the midfield at Ibrox and is a standard of player that can help them perform more consistently in the Scottish Premiership next season.
Rated at £2.7m by Transfermarkt, signing him on a free is a great bit business and sets the tone for what should be an exciting summer for fans.
According to the Chronicle, Newcastle United are keen for Karl Darlow to sign a new contract at St James’ Park, but the goalkeeper wants assurances before agreeing terms.
What’s the story?
Darlow joined Newcastle from Nottingham Forest in 2014, and made nine Premier League appearances for the Magpies during the 2015-16 campaign before appearing on 34 occasions in the Championship one year later.
The 27-year-old, who is valued at £4m by transfermarkt.co.uk, has made 12 first-team appearances for Newcastle this term, but has lost his place in the team since Martin Dubravka arrived during the January window.
According to the Chronicle, Newcastle are keen to extend Darlow’s contract, but the English goalkeeper wants assurances over playing time.
Indeed, it is understood that the former Forest youngster is keen to determine whether he has a reasonable chance of regaining his position as number one before deciding to commit his long-term future to Rafael Benitez’s side.
How will this one end?
Darlow was impressive for Newcastle last season, but he has largely struggled to replicate that form during the 2017-18 campaign, which prompted Magpies boss Benitez to enter the loan market to sign Dubravka.
Dubravka is widely expected to join Newcastle on a permanent deal at the end of the season, which places Darlow’s future in severe doubt.
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Rob Elliot is also still present at St James’ Park, and it will be difficult for Benitez to keep three experienced goalkeepers happy during the 2018-19 season.
Darlow, who has previously been linked with West Ham United, will not be short of interest in this summer’s transfer window, and it might be best for the stopper to move on in search of regular first-team football, which is exactly what he requires at this stage of his career.
Tottenham fans celebrated another Champions League berth on Wednesday night, and fans are absolutely destroying their London rivals.
Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham wrapped up their third consecutive top four finish on Wednesday night, and fans are taking the opportunity to rub salt into their rivals’ wounds.
If you offered Spurs fans a top four finish at the start of this season, most of them would probably take it. If you offered them a top four finish with their two London rivals both missing out, they would definitely take it.
Chelsea’s draw with Huddersfield and Tottenham’s Wembley win means the Blues now need a miracle from Brighton at Anfield to grab a Champions League place, and Spurs fans are already mocking their rivals’ misfortune.
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Pochettino’s side won 1-0 against Newcastle to move into third place, and are now certain to finish in the top four.
To put that achievement in perspective, Liverpool have never finished in the top four of the Premier League more than four seasons in a row, and Pochettino has now already done it three times in a row in North London.
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Arsenal have been destined to miss out on the top four for quite some time, but the confirmation that Spurs will definitely be amongst Europe’s elite next season is the cherry on the cake, and fans are absolutely crucifying their rivals on Twitter.
Joe Gomez has struggled with injuries over the last few years, but the Liverpool defender seemed to have rid himself of the problems this season.
The 20-year-old – valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt – spent almost a year on the sidelines across two spells with cruciate ligament damage and later an Achilles problem.
This season, Gomez has started 27 games in all competitions, but he will now miss the final match of the Premier League season, as well as the Champions League final due to an ankle injury.
The full-back initially suffered the problem while on international duty with England in March, but opted to play through the pain for Liverpool.
Gomez received plenty of criticism on Twitter for some of his recent performances, but now it has become clear that the youngster has not been fully fit.
The former Charlton Athletic player has taken to social media to confirm that he has undergone ankle surgery and will not feature again this season, nor will he be eligible for selection for the World Cup in Russia this summer.
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Liverpool fans have sent plenty of well-wishes via Twitter.
Roberto Firmino is set to miss out on a starting role for Brazil at this summer’s World Cup, but the Liverpool forward has received a glowing evaluation from Premier League icon, Thierry Henry.
Speaking on Sky Sports, the Arsenal legend spoke highly of the Liverpool no.9:
“His movement, his work-rate, the way he makes the two central defenders move to allow Mo Salah to make those runs. He isn’t the best finisher, but he is the most complete striker in the league.”
The Brazilian has enjoyed a prolific season, scoring 27 goals – a career best – as well as chucking in with 17 assists as he helped his strike partner, Mo Salah, win the Golden Boot.But as Henry points out, there is so much more to Firmino’s game than just goals. The former Hoffenheim player runs himself ragged on the pitch; intensely closing down any opposition defender – refusing them time on the ball in typical Klopp fashion.It is this sacrifice on the pitch that makes Firmino a fan favourite at Anfield and if he can sustain this form or even improve it, Liverpool are in for a treat next season. But for the time being Liverpool fans are busy reacting to Henry’s comment.Here is a selection of the best of what’s been said…[EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/Riddock__/status/996535019777740800[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/mrdanielhollis1/status/996427894380429319[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/RedAli90/status/996645519081574400[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/DelaineMoore3/status/996476258828644354[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/MauWhitfield/status/996430082351751170[/EMBED_TWITTER][EMBED_TWITTER]https://twitter.com/jacklfcgill/status/995715364007890947[/EMBED_TWITTER][ad_pod ]