Mahrez likely to turn down Spurs, United
The winter window draws closer with each passing day, and the transfer rumour mill is starting to pick up steam. As always, Transfer Talk has the latest and greatest. See all the summer deals here.
Top Story: Mahrez hot property
Riyad Mahrez is one of the Premier League’s most in-demand players right now, along with Leicester City teammate Jamie Vardy, though it appears the surprise table toppers may have a tough task in keeping hold of the Algeria star this winter.
Le 10 Sport quotes French TV programme “Telefoot” as reporting that both Manchester United and Tottenham have offered the Foxes ¬41 million (£29.9m) for the 24-year-old midfielder — big money considering Leicester’s meteoric rise this season, but perhaps not big enough to tempt club officials considering the sheer amount of cash that will soon flood the Premier League from the new British TV rights deal coming in 2016.
But all is not lost, Leicester fans — Mahrez himself has said it would be foolish to leave at this point in time with a potential title challenge lying ahead, Mirror: “It is good to have clubs that are interested in you but I feel very good at Leicester and it would be stupid to leave in January, especially because we are in first position!”
Well said, Riyad!
Rabiot keen on Arsenal
As mentioned earlier this month in Transfer Talk, Paris Saint-Germain’s Adrien Rabiot may be a good fit for Arsenal considering the 20-year-old needs games, and the Gunners need a defensive midfielder — a match made in heaven. The Mirror now reports that Rabiot’s advisers “are keen on a move to the Emirates Stadium” to ensure the youngster gets regular football, and could join on loan until the summer to cover the club’s injury crisis.
Southampton midfielder Victor Wanyama is still the “priority” target for Arsene Wenger, but a short-team, cost-effective move for Rabiot seems to suit all parties — but the question as always is whether the French coach will be tempted to add to his squad, or retain an astounding amount of faith in his injury-prone squad.
The managerial merry-go-round
The vultures are circling Louis van Gaal, and they all have the satisfied smirk of Jose Mourinho. Patience among Manchester United fans is wearing thin after another disappointing defeat — their third consecutive loss in all competitions. The Dutch coach is now the odds-on favourite as the next Premier League manager for the sack, and sources told ESPN FC earlier this week that The Special One wants his next job to be at United.
The British media’s back pages are dominated by Van Gaal’s future, and the Mirror reports that Van Gaal is just one game from the sack as the crisis has reached “tipping point” and will be given his marching orders if United lose at Stoke City on Boxing Day. The Old Trafford board apparently “want to stick with Van Gaal, but accept a fourth consecutive loss … would make his position untenable.”
The Sun goes so far as to report that United spoke to an intermediary over Mourinho’s situation eve before Saturday’s defeat to Norwich, with “a growing mood for a change at the very highest level.”
Monday’s Sun back page: Jose Utd talks #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #mufc pic.twitter.com/9mS69U3o3R
– Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) December 20, 2015
The Independent, the Telegraph and The Guardian concur that United will be a touch kinder and give Van Gaal two games to save his job, though a defeat against Stoke or Chelsea would seal his fate.
Should the Dutch coach actually receive his marching orders after a loss at the Britannia, then we could be set to see Mourinho take to the United dugout for the first time on Dec. 28 against — you guessed it — Chelsea. Beautiful…
Pep confirmation sparks Pellegrini frenzy
The deed is done: Pep Guardiola has finally announced that he will be leaving Bayern Munich when his contract runs out at the end of the current season. The Bundesliga champions have moved swiftly to ensure a smooth transition, signing serial Champions League winner Carlo Ancelotti on a three-year deal starting from next summer to further underline their European ambitions.
The one key thing Guardiola didn’t do on Sunday was announce who he would be managing next season, but that of course was expected given that his two most likely destinations — Manchester City and neighbours United — currently still have managers in charge. The Mirror believes that the Catalan coach will opt for the blue half of Manchester, with City “confident of getting their man to beat off interest from United, Chelsea and even Arsenal.”
With Manuel Pellegrini likely to need a new job next summer regardless of how much silverware he lands this season, Fox Sports sensationally reports that Chelsea — yes, Chelsea — have lined up the Chilean coach as the full-time successor to Mourinho next summer. It’s canny thinking from Chelsea given that they would not have to pay City to get Pellegrini considering he will likely be sacked by the Manchester club, while there a few top-class alternatives with experience of English football. The more you think about it, the less ridiculous it sounds — possibly.
Drogba groomed as Blues boss?
Guus Hiddink revealed on Sunday that he would welcome Didier Drogba back to Chelsea as part of his backroom staff, though Roman Abramovich may well have one eye on the future ahead of any potential appointment.
The Stamford Bridge icon is currently playing in MLS with Montreal Impact until December 2016, though may cut that short if he lands a role back in West London. The striker may well consider that a sound career move, as The Sun reports that Chelsea view the 37-year-old as a potential future manager of the club.
The paper suggests that whoever succeeds Mourinho as Chelsea’s full-time manager — Hiddink or otherwise — “will be expected to give Drogba a key role in his staff,” and would be “first in line for a promotion” for the top role were Abramovich to consider club legends such as John Terry or Frank Lampard for such a position.
Tap-ins
– More good news for Man City fans is that David Silva is happy to see out his contract until 2019 and wants to “win, win and win” in 2016 — the Spaniard may well be adding to his collection of silverware if compatriot Guardiola arrives.
– Jurgen Klopp is slowly putting together a young, talented squad at Liverpool, but he may have to do it without Jerome Sinclair — the Mirror reports that the 19-year-old is out of contract next summer, with Espanyol are interested in the forward’s services.
– Jeremain Lens has shown flashes of genius for Sunderland this season, but the Mirror reports that Sam Allardyce fined the £9 million summer signing two weeks’ wages (£100,000) and put him on the transfer list after he allegedly refused to take part in a warm-down exercise after last weekend’s defeat to Watford. That could explain the 28-year-old winger’s absence from the squad that lost to Chelsea on Saturday.
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