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We keep hearing so many stories about the Chelsea manager situation, which is normal of course after the departure of Mauricio Pochettino, and with so many other clubs also changing managers this summer, but I wanted to clarify some things here.
As things stand, Ruben Amorim is not in talks with Chelsea – my understanding is that he is not a candidate as Chelsea would prefer someone with experience of working in English football. So, despite rumours, Amorim is not holding talks over the Chelsea job.
Kieran McKenna also looks to be out of the running now, though he’s also wanted by Brighton and they’re waiting for his decision. They want an answer from him soon as they search for a replacement for Roberto de Zerbi.
Finally, Xavi has also been linked with the Chelsea job but again I’m not hearing anything concrete on that one. Xavi is open to opportunities after leaving Barcelona, but at the moment it’s all quiet there and I have no news on any talks taking place or being planned with Chelsea.
So, the situation is that Chelsea are interested in Enzo Maresca and he’s also interested in the Chelsea job after positive contacts took place over the weekend. It’s now up to Chelsea – decision time is coming soon, and Leicester are waiting to see what happens there before they then decide on who to hire as a replacement.
While there has understandably been a lot of talk about the Manchester United manager situation, with Erik ten Hag’s future recently looking about 50-50 for him to stay or leave Old Trafford, there was also another interesting story to follow after the Red Devils’ FA Cup final win over Manchester City.
Sofyan Amrabat had a good game for United and spoke afterwards to hint that he could still end up staying at the club. However, my understanding is that nothing has been communicated to Fiorentina or the player side yet.
It will depend also on the manager situation, so it will be part of the review that Man United will do this week. In January, Juventus and Barcelona were interested but Man United never opened doors for Amrabat to leave.
One of the top young centre-backs in Europe right now and one to watch on the market is Leny Yoro of Lille. I’ve reported on his future before, with a lot of interest, a lot of clubs scouting him, and now we’re seeing more reports and links about strong interest from Liverpool.
As I’ve mentioned previously, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid are absolutely in the race for Yoro. It’s also the case that Liverpool have been scouting him, but at the moment the situation is really based on what kind of price Lille will ask for – all clubs are basically waiting for that.
Liverpool could strengthen at centre-back this summer, as I’ve reported before, but let’s see if this scouting and monitoring of Yoro turns into anything more concrete. For now, it’s just normal scouting of a top talent, and my understanding is that PSG and Real Madrid are very much in the race for his signature.
It could be an important summer for Arsenal, but at the moment some of the transfer rumours we’re seeing may be a little premature. I’m aware, for example, of a lot of stories coming out involving Fenerbahce left-back Ferdi Kadioglu, but I don’t have concrete updates on that for the moment.
Kadioglu is always been linked with several clubs – there have been stories about Aston Villa as well as Arsenal – but there is no news yet. A move to the Premier League is concrete possibility, but for now we have to wait a bit longer and see which club will really go for it.
It’s also been reported that Fabio Vieira could leave Arsenal after a lack of playing time. My understanding, however, is that it depends on proposals. So far it’s quiet but for players like Vieira (not all of them) there’s a chance to leave in case of a good proposal coming in. We just have to be patient on that one.
