Category: Transfer news

France manager Didier Deschamps has played down concerns involving Kylian Mbappe’s recent visit to a Swedish nightclub.

After Mbappe missed Real Madrid’s clash with city rivals Atletico through injury, Deschamps cited fitness problems as he left the forward out of the France squad for the October international break, but Mbappe was quickly back under the spotlight as he started his side’s victory over Villarreal soon after.

The controversy did not stop there as Mbappe was spotted in a Swedish nightclub on Thursday, the same night France faced Israel, leaving many accusing the 25-year-old of rejecting his international duties.

Asked about the issue, Deschamps told the media: “I don’t follow the news of the players who aren’t here. Kylian is on a program with his club, Real Madrid.

“I don’t know what his program was, if he was off, if he was there or not… I have to manage those who are here. Kylian sent me a message before the match. Afterwards, like any player in any team, he follows the program with one day off. On days off, the players are free to do what they want.”

Foot Mercato later reported that Mbappe had already warned the France setup that he did not want to be considered for this international break or any other inconsequential fixtures as he wants to ensure he remains in top condition on his quest to win the 2025 Ballon d’Or.

The issue has dominated much of the narrative revolving around the France setup this week, with a number of players speaking publicly to defend the under-fire Madrid forward.

“Everyone does what they want with their free time,” Chelsea centre-back Wesley Fofana said of the situation. “Today it hasn’t been a source of discussion, I haven’t heard anything about it. He does what he wants. He’s a big boy, a great professional, and he manages his career as he sees fit.

“He’s the great French player, so it’s normal that he gets a lot of media coverage, that he’s in the spotlight. Are we making too much of it? I don’t know. That’s up to him. But it’s true that from time to time you go a bit overboard. Ask Kylian Mbappe for more information.”

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Lee Carsley has confirmed he has not applied to become the permanent England manager.

Carsley, the Under-21 manager, stepped up to the senior team in an interim role following Gareth Southgate’s departure, but was quickly tipped to take on a permanent position after an impressive first run of fixtures in September.

October’s international break has not been as kind to Carsley, however. A crushing defeat to Greece, followed by what felt like a slip of the tongue when he admitted he was “hopeful” of returning to the Under-21 position, sparked speculation Carsley is not interested in taking the job.

It was then reported that Carsley had privately made it clear he did not want the role full-time, and now the interim boss has confirmed he did not apply to become England’s next full-time manager.

“No, I didn’t formally apply for it,” he told talkSPORT.

Asked to explain why, he continued: “Because I’ve been with the Under-21s. I’m really happy doing my job but I’m an employee of the FA and I was asked to take the senior team which is a privilege, it was the proudest moment of my career so far.

“Really honoured with the chance to manage the senior team, I’m in a really fortunate position, I’m on the inside and I can see how much potential this team’s got.

“I’ve said all along, it’s one of the best jobs in world football, there’s not many jobs where you’ve got a chance of winning, I believe the coach that comes in has got a really good chance of winning and we deserve the best one that’s out there.”

Carsley also moved to clarify his “hopefully” comment, insisting he remains passionate about his work with England’s next generation.

“The hopefully comment, it’s something that I would always say,” he explained. “[The reaction] is not something that I’m worried about or thought too much about.

“I’ve got a really good job, I love coaching the Under-21s, the fact that I was asked to do this job for three camps, really comfortable doing that.

“Hopefully people will say at the end of the three months that I’ve done a good job and done well and that’s fine, and that’s always the case. The most important thing is that the players enjoy playing for England and they’re positive.”

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England interim manager Lee Carsley has admitted the injury suffered by Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka does not appear to be a serious one.

Saka limped out of the defeat to Greece earlier this week with what appeared to be a hamstring injury and later withdrew from the squad, leaving him unavailable to face Finland on Sunday evening.

Carsley went on to reveal Saka may have even been fit enough to feature in England’s second game of the October international break, but the decision was made to protect him from any further damage.

“Bukayo would have been close but it would have been unfair to take a risk with him,” Carsley said ahead of the meeting with Finland. “He’s a positive person and I expect him to be fine.”

Saka is now back with Arsenal for further treatment on his injury in the hope of getting himself fit enough to feature for the Gunners against Bournemouth on Saturday.

A midweek Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk follows on Tuesday, before Liverpool are due at the Emirates Stadium on the following Sunday for a real top-of-the-table affair, into which Saka will be determined to arrive at 100%.

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Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to be given the left-back position when England face Finland in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday.

Interim manager Lee Carsley’s experiments have so far failed to impress. His decision to play Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden together as false nines last time out placed doubts over his abilities to command the team, while his attacking lineup ultimately failed to defeat Greece.

Carsley had suggested he would avoid any more big surprises in his time left at the helm but, according to BBC Sport, he is set to shake things up at the back this time.

Liverpool star Alexander-Arnold will give up his usual right-back role and instead switch to the other side of defence. His introduction at left-back would see Manchester City’s Rico Lewis lose the spot that he occupied during England’s 2-1 defeat to Greece on Thursday, while Chelsea’s Levi Colwill would also miss out on the chance to move to the left.

Alexander-Arnold’s position in the England squad has been a hot topic as of late, with former manager Gareth Southgate choosing to station him in midfield during Euro 2024. Whole Southgate’s midfield experiment received a lot of backlash, it seems Carsley remains unafraid to make changes.

Reports also state that Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane and City’s Jack Grealish are expected to be welcomed to the team after missing England’s last fixture. Kane was unable to recover from injury in time to be selected to face Greece, but could make a comeback on Sunday.

Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi, who impressed during England’s Euro 2024 campaign, could come in at centre-back, adding a further change to the back-four that lost out to Greece.

If Alexander-Arnold is to lose his right-back spot, it’s assumed that Kyle Walker will return in his place.

England’s last clash of the October international break will come against Finland at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

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Manchester City want an answer on Pep Guardiola’s future with the team before the end of the calendar year, a report has revealed.

Guardiola, who has entered the final 12 months of his contract with City, has made no secret of the fact that he is approaching the end of his tenure with the club.

With long-standing director of football Txiki Begiristain departing at the end of the season, many have assumed Guardiola could also choose to walk away from the Etihad Stadium to usher in a new era when Hugo Viana arrives to replace Begiristain.

City have repeatedly stressed their desire to continue with Guardiola, although a previous report claimed the boss was already thinking of stepping down in 2025.

ESPN state City officials are hoping to seal a final decision from Guardiola before the end of the calendar year, giving them sufficient time to find a high-level replacement.

Among those tipped to replace Guardiola is Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim, who currently works under City’s incoming director of football Viana. Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes recently backed the 39-year-old to succeed in England.

The Athletic note that Amorim could be a firm favourite of Viana if a replacement for Guardiola is needed, but the pair’s pre-existing relationship is by no means a guarantee they will reunite at the Etihad next season.

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