Exclusive: Lautaro stalemate, Xavi out and Flick in at Barca… and more
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Man City big favourites in the FA Cup final but there is a way to stop them
Today it’s the big one, the FA Cup final, and of course Man City are the big favourites.
You never know what can happen in a final, Man United will surely fight for it and I think it won’t be super easy for Man City, but I still see them as favourites no doubts on that.
If United want to have any chance of causing an upset, it will be crucial to stop Kevin de Bruyne and Phil Foden’s creativity. That could really change the game… but it’s not easy at all.
Ten Hag situation is one to watch
On Erik ten Hag, Manchester United will wait until after the FA Cup final, obviously, but in general the possibility of saying the club and ten Hag could part ways afterwards remains concrete.
It’s true that Manchester United have now started discussing options to replace ten Hag internally, and they’ve also made some contacts with agents of managers so that they’re ready in case United fire the Dutchman. There’s no expectation on the timing of the announcement because Man United have still not told anything to Erik ten Hag.
The situation will absolutely be one to watch in the next days and there are several candidates interested. Some of them would love to take the job like Tuchel, but Man United are still reviewing that internally.
Lautaro Martinez wants an important salary if he’s to sign new Inter contract
Despite the words of Lautaro Martinez’s agent to Italian media, Inter and Lautaro remain locked in negotiations over a new deal.
Talks are continuing and Lautaro has his right to ask for important money after an important season.
Inter also have their budget and now they have to decide how to proceed. There will soon be a new meeting to discuss the conditions of the contract… again.
Kompany close to Bayern but Grealish definitely isn’t
English media have suggested that Jack Grealish could be on his way to Bayern, but it’s curious to see a player linked even before a meeting with the board to discuss transfers
The agreement with Vincent Kompany is done and Bayern and Burnley are still in negotiation over final details, but before mentioning any targets we have to wait for Bayern to meet with Kompany and discuss.
There’s really nothing in the Grealish link at the moment.
Chelsea searching for Poch replacement; Maresca more than keen
Let me say also that Chelsea keep going with their manager search and I will keep you posted.
I’m receiving many questions about Enzo Maresca guys, and I can confirm that Maresca is super open and super keen on joining Chelsea. So it’s a concrete possibility.
He’s not the only target. Hoeness doesn’t want to leave Stuttgart, Michel is also very happy at Girona, but Thomas Frank remains there, McKenna remains there and it’s true that there is also another candidate in Chelsea’s list but there’s no clarity on who that is yet, so they are still discussing all the possibilities.
Maresca said no to Sevilla, he wants to work in the Premier League, at Leicester or any other club, he wants to stay in England and he has a release clause around €10m.
It’s really open, and I understand why Chelsea are taking their time to pick the best option possible.
Barcelona sack Xavi; Hansi Flick deal agreed
The big bomb has again come from Barcelona because just weeks after the official statements from the club confirmed that Xavi was going to stay as their coach, he has been fired. Xavi will no longer be Barcelona manager after the Sevilla game, the decision has been made by the president, Joan Laporta.
Laporta was not happy with some decisions made by Xavi, for example, what happened with Vitor Roque was, for him, unacceptable. Also crucial, as I told you, was the press conference before the Almeria game when Xavi explained the difficulties he faced with regards to the financial situation at the club.
Laporta was literally furious about that. He wanted a completely different communication, not just for that press conference, but for the entirety of next season. Not to say fake things, but just to bring a positive atmosphere to the team, the squad and the club. He didn’t want Xavi to go public and say the things he did, so the tension between Laporta and Xavi was really big in the recent weeks.
The president already had two options on the table since February, when Xavi originally announced that he was going to leave the club. Hansi Flick, who did something historical at Bayern and who was also the manager of the German national team, and the internal solution, Rafa Marquez, really highly rated at the club but with no experience as a coach of a top club.
Laporta made his decision days ago, and Hansi Flick will be the new Barcelona coach. Let me say really guys that Hansi Flick simply wanted this job in a crazy way. It was an obsession. His dream was to land the Barcelona job because he believes that it’s an incredible club, a super top club, a fantastic place to be at and a fantastic club to do something historical.
Hansi Flick will bring experience, some fresh air, but he’ll also need time to adapt to a new country, new league, new club, new life.
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