Football transfer news

Arne Slot has already addressed the dangers of managers feeling “overworked”, before he has been officially appointed as Jurgen Klopp’s successor at Liverpool.

Slot will imminently make the switch from Feyenoord at the end of the season, with Klopp choosing to step down and take a break from management after nine relentless years at Anfield. Announcing his intended departure in January, the German said he was “running out of energy”.

Klopp isn’t the first to cite that as a reason. Pep Guardiola famously had a year-long sabbatical between leaving Barcelona in 2012 and joining Bayern Munich in 2013.

“I think that almost every trainer of a top club is on the edge of being overworked. Being a head coach is a very tough job,” Slot told Dutch publication Algemeen Dagblad.

“Especially at a top club with so many opinion makers in front of you every week. I really experienced this, as it turns out, last season at Feyenoord, [it] was tough.”

Crucially, Slot isn’t saying that he expects Liverpool to be any more demanding than what he is already used to in Rotterdam and the Eredivisie.

“That would also have been the case if I had stayed at Feyenoord,” he said. “Expectations at De Kuip are also high. People expect good football and good results. That has often been successful, but as a trainer you are constantly working on that.”

Slot hasn’t been shy in addressing his impending switch to Liverpool, representing a first move abroad in his career, and last Friday said that an announcement is a “matter of days” away.

“It takes more than a simple shopping list and going to the store,” he explained.

“These kinds of things have to be timed properly. It hasn’t been communicated yet, but don’t worry, it will undoubtedly happen soon.”

Feyenoord host Excelsior at De Kuip on Sunday as the Eredivisie concludes, which will be Slot’s last game in charge. Meanwhile, Klopp will be leading Liverpool for the final time that same afternoon when Wolves are the visitors to Anfield on the Premier League’s final day of 2023/24.

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Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann has chosen a 27-player preliminary squad for Euro 2024 on home soil, but has overlooked a handful of experienced names in favour of fresh blood.

Die Mannschaft are desperate to make an impact this summer, having been knocked out of the last two World Cups at the group and going no further than the last 16 at Euro 2020.

Naglesmann, already signed up to lead Germany to the 2026 World Cup following a recent new contract, has rolled the dice with a few selections who have little or no international experience.

Not getting the call are veteran Borussia Dortmund centre-back Mats Hummels, who has defied his 35 years to play like a colossus en-route to the Champions League final, and Bayern Munich pair Serge Gnabry and Leon Goretzka. Timo Werner also misses out, which is less surprising after struggling to reignite his stalled career during a loan at Tottenham Hotspur.

There is no Julian Brandt or Emre Can either, and no reprieve for 22-year-old Karim Adeyemi, who hasn’t been named in a senior Germany squad since the 2022 World Cup.

Four of the players Nagelsmann has chosen – Maximilian Beier, Aleksandar Pavlovic and goalkeepers Alexander Nubel and Oliver Baumann – are yet to earn a single senior cap. Seven others like Pascal Gross and Robin Koch, while not necessarily young in age, have made fewer than ten appearances.

But the boss hasn’t dispensed with all seniority. Manuel Neuer, Thomas Muller and the recently unretired Toni Kroos have all played well over 100 times each for their country. With 75 caps at the age of 33, Ilkay Gundogan is another who is up there in terms of squad leaders.

Euro 2024 squads can include a maximum of 26 players, which means Nagelsmann will have to cut one before the tournament – likely to be from the four goalkeepers. But decision won’t be made until after Germany have played warm-up friendlies against Ukraine and Greece in early June.

27-player preliminary Germany squad – Euro 2024

Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)

Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)

Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhrich (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich)

Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern), Deniz Undav (Sttutgart)

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Manchester United ensured they could still record a top-seven finish this season with a 3-2 win at home to Newcastle on Wednesday.

The Red Devils have never finished as low as eighth in the Premier League era, but will leapfrog the Magpies into seventh if they better their result on the final day.

Kobbie Mainoo put United ahead in the first half before Anthony Gordon equalised just after half-time. Amad Diallo fired the hosts back in front and Rasmus Hojlund added a third after coming off the bench, though a late piledriver from Lewis Hall set up a nervy finish.

But United and Newcastle are now locked on points with just one round of fixtures remaining. Here’s what we learned from their meeting at Old Trafford.

Amad matching Antony’s Premier League tally of goal contributions all season in only one night is a hilarious narrative that’s almost too obvious to point out.

Almost too obvious. If anything, it needs amplifying just because of how ludicrously awful the £82m signing has been.

Speaking post-match, Amad was rather gracious with his insistence that he had to be patient to be given a fair chance. He probably should have been booting down Erik ten Hag’s door demanding more opportunities.

The 21-year-old missed the first half of the season with a knee injury and has been eased back into action, but it should not have taken this long for Ten Hag to integrate him into the starting lineup. United have sorely missed someone of Amad’s fearlessness on that right wing.

In fairness to United, they haven’t looked as laughably vulnerable over the last few weeks. That said, they still have serious problems with conceding chances.

The gap between the defence and midfield has decreased but their innate carelessness with the ball gifted Newcastle several openings. On another day, United would have been on the end of another hammering.

They got away with it here. Whether Ten Hag will live to see many further days is another matter.

United’s injury crisis this season has been well documented because of how huge a club they are. Newcastle, on the other hand, have not received such coverage.

But Eddie Howe has managed to steady the ship again up at St James’ Park and his side remain one of the best attacking teams in the country – their total of 81 goals is the best outside of the Premier League’s top three and they should have added more to that tally at Old Trafford.

With a frontline spearheaded by Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon, the Magpies should feel confident about their chances of kicking on next season, even if they lose Bruno Guimaraes.

Speculation about his uncertain future continues to rumble on, but credit to Erik ten Hag for keeping his head held high above it all, even when his team concedes shots at a staggering rate.

After the final whistle, Ten Hag grabbed a microphone and gave an impassioned speech to the Old Trafford crowd, thanking them for their support through an admittedly rough campaign.

You sense the Dutchman is desperate to right the wrongs of his second season and improve United’s trajectory again. He may not get that opportunity, but if Ten Hag does depart, he won’t leave as a villain in the eyes of the fans.

Chelsea have broken the record for the most yellow cards received in a Premier League season after racking up their 102nd against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

The Blues have seen improvements in their performances as of late, recording a four successive league wins for the first time since October 2022. However, some negatives are too established to shake off, as the Blues find themselves setting an unwanted benchmark.

It was Raheem Sterling who was shown the 102nd yellow card, coming during the team’s victory over the Seagulls. His foul on Valentin Barco came just before Reece James was shown a straight red and removed from the pitch for kicking Joao Pedro.

In fact, despite playing just 419 minutes this season, James is at the top of the list of Premier League players who have received the most red cards in 2023/24. He’s been shown two during the current campaign, matching the same number as Oliver McBurnie and Yves Bissouma.

The Blues record surpasses the one previously set by Leeds United during the 2021/22 campaign, when the now Championship side received 101 yellows.

Pochettino’s side have played just two fixtures without being shown a card this season – the first against Manchester United and the next Tottenham Hotspur. They picked up six yellows against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December, the most they have been shown in a single match.

In seven different matches, they have been shown at least five yellows, with Moises Caicedo booked the most of anyone at Chelsea. The midfielder has received 11 yellow cards during the campaign, a number that is still less than six other players in the league.

With just one game of the campaign remaining, Chelsea’s record is closely followed by Wolves, who have received 99 yellows so far.

The Blues will play their final game of the season on Sunday, when they host Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.

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Juventus: Italy’s most decorated football club.

Despite having fallen on hard times in recent years, the Turin titans are still the nation’s domestic kings, winning a record number of Serie A, Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana titles. A trophy-laden history that dates all the way back to 1897, football clubs don’t come much grander than Juventus.

As a result, not only have the Old Lady boasted some of Italy’s greatest competitors, they have also seen world superstars travel with regularity to the northwest of the country to don the fabled black and white jersey.

Here are the 25 greatest players to have ever represented Juventus.

Antonio Conte’s grit and determination in the centre of the park quickly resonated with Juve fans after his 1991 move from Lecce and the Italian general would spend 13 years lifting trophy after trophy in Turin.

Just as impressive as the recovery of his hairline was his Juve comeback in 2011, taking over as the club’s manager for three years and guiding the giants to three successive Serie A titles.

A battle axe midfielder doesn’t quite do justice to just how ruthless Artori Vidal was in the engine room. The no-nonsense South American, unsurprisingly given his play style, thrived under Conte in the early 2010s with tackles as sharp as his mohawk.

The Chilean popped up with his fair share of goals too, netting an impressive 48 in 171 matches for Juve.

Juve supporters appreciate work rate above anything else and Alessio Tacchinardi provided it in abundance. The defensive midfielder ran the club’s engine room for 13 years, but was also well accustomed to a screamer or two.

Tacchinardi is one of 50 Juve legends to have his name written on the wall of the Allianz Stadium, highlighting just how adored he is by the club’s faithful.

With a moustache that puts former Juve man Ian Rush to shame, Franco Causio enjoyed two spells with Juve. The first spanned just two years in the late 1960s, but he returned to Turin between 1970 and 1981.

He won six Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and UEFA Cup during his days in black and white, also lifting the World Cup in 1982 shortly after his Juve exit.

Ciro Ferrara represented two clubs during his career: Napoli and Juve. Both sets of supporters adore the full-back, who very briefly took charge of the Juve team in 2009.

Only five players have won more trophies over the course of Juve’s illustrious history, with the tough-tackling defender arguably the club’s greatest full-back.

Andrea Barzagli doesn’t always receive the same plaudits as some of his central defensive partners, but the Italian proved his immense quality during eight years at Juve at the end of his career.

The centre-back made up for his lack of speed and athleticism with wonderful intelligence and great physicality, winning a league title in all eight of his full seasons at Juve.

Part of the famous 1985 European Cup-winning Juventus side – one of only two times the Italian club have lifted the trophy – Antonio Cabrini is another full-back to have written his name into club folklore.

He played in the club’s triumph over Liverpool and also won six league titles and two Coppa Italia trophies during a 13-year career at Juve.

Players like Marco Tardelli walked so the likes of Rodri could run, with the defensive midfielder possessing all the skills required to dictate matches in a deep-lying position.

Tardelli was a real all-rounder famed for his tireless displays, lifting the 1985 European Cup with Juve and 1982 World Cup with Italy – scoring in the final of the latter against West Germany.

Another box-to-box king in the centre of the pitch for the Old Lady, Claudio Marchisio is one of the club’s modern legends. His supreme technical quality kept him at the club for 13 years having come through the youth setup.

The local lad really could do anything with a football at his feet, from pin-point passes to crunching tackles to excellent long-range strikes. Few midfielders have had such an impact on Italian football in the 21st century.

While injuries hampered David Trezeguet reaching his absolute peak, the fantastic number nine was a relentless goalscorer for Juve. He sits fourth in the club’s all-time rankings for goals, with 171 to his name.

The prolific Frenchman spent a decade in Italy and stuck with Juve during the 2006 Calciopoli scandal that saw Juve relegated to Serie B. For that, as much as his efficiency in front of goal, he is a club icon.

Another 1982 World Cup final goalscorer, Paolo Rossi didn’t spend too long with Juve. Having come through the club’s academy, the striker left for Vicenza to find first-team football before returning for a four-year stint in Turin in the early 1980s.

The diminutive centre-forward dazzled during his time at Juve, however, winning the Ballon d’Or in 1982 and stunning supporters with his agility, speed and eye for goal.

Calmness personified, Andrea Pirlo was the classiest of operators. The Italian maestro is one of the greatest passers of all time and, despite also spending just four years at Juve, is easily one of the club’s all-time legends.

Nothing fazed the effortless midfielder, who really defined the role of a deep-lying playmaker. Forgeting his short stint as the club’s manager, his time in Turin really was flawless.

Only four players have represented Juve more frequently than Giuseppe Furino, who finished up with 528 appearances to his name in all competitions. 15 years and 12 trophies after his arrival, the midfielder eventually called time on his career in 1984.

Furino, rather aptly, was nicknamed ‘Fury’ by Juve fans for his aggressive approach in the middle of the pitch.

Strikers don’t come much more prolific than Bettega, who scored 178 times over a 13-year spell with Juve. The Turin-born star fired the club to glory and lifted seven Serie A titles over the years.

Bettega remains one of Italy’s great centre-forwards and was a striker who possessed a range of skills when leading the line, blending physicality with a great poacher’s instinct.

You may have expected Rush to be the first sharpshooting Welshman to represent Juve, but that’s not true. Charles preceded him, forging a path as one of Juve’ greatest ever stars during the late 1950s and early 1960s.

The Swansea-born trailblazer cost a then British record £65,000 when moving to Juve, finishing with 105 goals in just 179 appearances.

While one of his most famous moments may be that penalty miss in the 1994 World Cup final, nothing can detract from the genius of the electric Italian centre forward.

The 1993 Ballon d’Or winner also donned the shirts of AC Milan, Inter and Fiorentina over the course of a brilliant career, but it’s at Juve where he is most revered.

While most closely associated with Real Madrid, Zinedine Zidane is also a legendary figure at Juve. Another Ballon d’Or winner at the Turin club, the midfielder spent five years in Italy and won his fair share of silverware – although he twice finished runner-up in the Champions League.

The graceful No.21 swiftly endeared himself to Italian crowds with his lung-busting runs, gliding dribbles and powerful strikes, with his headbutt in the 2006 World Cup final for France also helping Italy win the World Cup.

Juve have had some pretty remarkable goalkeepers over the years, with Dino Zoff among the best to have ever stood between the sticks. He won the UEFA Cup as both a player and a manager at the club, while also twice reaching the European Cup final during his playing days.

Zoff finished as runner-up in the 1973 Ballon d’Or vote – a pretty incredible achievement for a goalkeeper.

Speaking of the Ballon d’Or, Pavel Nedved was crowned the world’s best in 2003 after some immense performances with Juve. The Czech legend guided the Old Lady to two Serie A titles and helped them to the 2003 Champions League final.

The tricky wide midfielder often left defenders in a haze, desperately trying to catch up to his long blonde hair waving in the wind, and was also a regular goalscorer and provider.

A modern day legend at the club, Giorgio Chiellini was the leader of one of the best backlines in European football.

Alongside his famous partners Leonardo Bonucci and Barzagli, Chiellini made Juve damn near impenetrable during the heyday of Conte and Massimiliano Allegri’s spells in charge.

By the time he left the club in 2022, the towering defender had 19 winner’s medals to his name, including nine Scudettos. That’s pretty damn impressive.

Gaetano Scirea is the most aspirational figure in Juve’s history. The player who embodies the good that the club aim to project out to the world.

He was the personification of ‘Lo Stile Juve’, the model pro and a natural-born winner.

The greatest goalkeeper of all time, Gianluigi Buffon turned out for Juve 685 times across two spells and won a club-record 21 trophies in that time.

What’s perhaps more remarkable than the number of appearances and trophies was how consistently brilliant Buffon was from the moment he joined for a then-record fee in 2001 before his departure 20 years later.

The three seasons in which Michel Platini won the Ballon d’Or and the Capocannoniere are probably the three best seasons any footballer has ever played in a Juve shirt.

Platini was simply unstoppably good.

As well as earning himself plenty of individual prizes, he also helped Juve win two Serie A titles, a Coppa Italia and a European Cup in that period.

Before Alessandro Del Piero, there was Giampiero Boniperti.

The number ten joined the club on VE Day in 1945 and instantly became the club’s prized asset. His performances for the glorious team of the 1950s have gone down in club history, as have his contributions as the club’s honorary president for 30 years after his retirement from the game.

Juventus’ all-time appearance record holder? Check. 

Juventus’ all-time record goalscorer? Check. 

Alessandro Del Piero is expectedly top of this list of all-time Juve greats.

The forward was the cornerstone of the club for the best part of two decades, leading the team through more than one ‘golden era’.

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