That is all from us today! Thanks for tuning in to all the latest news ahead of an action packed weekend.
ICYMI our top story of the day was confirmation that Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer Leverkusen with the German club agreeing to cut his contract that was to run until 2026.
And here are the rest of today’s stories.
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Nuno Espirito Santo says that Nottingham Forest’s mixed form is “understandable” ahead of the side’s match against Leicester on Sunday.
Forest spent a large portion of the season in third and fourth in the table but are now down to sixth after losses against Brentford, Everton and Aston Villa.
The dip in form has seen Nuno’s side drop out of the Champions League places with three games to go, but they remain firmly in the mix to secure the top-five finish required to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition. Should they qualify it would be their first appearance in the competition since they won it in 198.
I think it is understandable. It is part of the game and part of life – the ups and the downs. I think we improved against Crystal Palace and now we require improvement against Leicester City.
I take the ‘ifs’ out of my head. I don’t work on ‘ifs’. I actually try to avoid them. Expectations and perceptions of reality mess with your mind.
This is a stressful job but it is also enjoyable, especially when you see the improvement of the players and when the fans are happy. I think we should be proud in these moments and just enjoy it.
Nuno also had an update on Murillo who was forced off in the against Crystal Palace with a hamstring problem.
He has been able to do part of the training sessions. But we still have to assess him tomorrow. He is doing part of the training session, not the full session. Hopefully, for Sunday.
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Gary Neville insists he will not allow himself to get too carried away with Salford’s potential as part of a new ownership group, because he knows all too well how “bloody hard” League Two is.
The club announced on Thursday that Neville and his former Manchester United teammate David Beckham were members of a new ownership consortium.
Beckham has already spoken about dreaming big to ultimately reach the Premier League, and comparisons have already been drawn between the new setup at Salford and Wrexham under the ownership of the Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have achieved three successive promotions to reach the Championship.
Neville though says everyone connected to the new ownership is being realistic about how tough the challenge ahead will be.
I don’t want to get too carried away because I know how bloody hard League Two is. We have stabilised in League Two – and that’s probably being economical with the truth. I am not going to sit here and say ‘we’re going to be in the Champions League in the next 10 years’, or ‘we’re going to be in the Premier League’. We have to make sure we pay all our attention to League Two and the brilliant league that that is.
I don’t want to talk too much about ambition at this point. There is an ambition. There is a real determined group of people who’ve come in, but we have to keep our feet on the ground.
Beckham first invested in Salford in January 2019, joining former ‘Class of 92’ team-mates Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Nicky Butt as a shareholder. Gary Neville bought out the stake of former co-owner Peter Lim last August.
The club confirmed on Thursday that Phil Neville, Scholes, Giggs and Butt were no longer shareholders but would still be contributing to the club in other roles as before, with Scholes working on recruitment and Giggs having a role on the football side and on the club’s foundation board. PA Media
Get stuck in to today’s Football Daily where Michael Butler writes on how the joke is about to be on everyone bar Spurs or Manchester United.
Despite their much maligned Premier League campaigns, Manchester United (15th) and Tottenham (16th) are just one game away from a European trophy and the riches of Bigger Cup qualification. Just think how many Old Trafford staff lunches that could potentially pay for. Tottenham might even be able to renew Fraser Forster’s £75,000-a-week contract. From the bottom of Football Daily’s can of Tin, good luck to both teams in the final.
Read more here.
The Wolves head coach Vitor Pereira says he is trying to create “a piece of art” at Molineux as his buoyant side look to finish an encouraging Premier League campaign on a high. The Portuguese was crowned manager of the month this week for his work in hauling the club away from the relegation zone and there will be a celebratory atmosphere when they face Brighton on Saturday.
But Pereira insists he will not be satisfied until he has changed the course of his club’s recent history, putting them in a position where they can regularly challenge the very best in the top flight.
I want to create something that I never created before, because to improve yourself, you must try to create something special every time, not be comfortable with what you did before. This is my idea – a piece of art.
If we commit everyone to achieve something, we can do special things. We are together and I want to improve and increase the commitment between the club, the players, the supporters, the city. This is the way to compete with the big teams in this league.
Wolves could be at full strength tomorrow as they look to puncture Brighton’s bid to secure European football next season with Pereira set to risk the temptation to give his fringe players an opportunity.
[Jorgen Strand Larsen] has started to work with the group, we will see about Brighton. Hwang [Hee-chan] is also training, but with a small problem. We will make a late decision.
For us the next three games will be a challenge. [We need to] compete with three teams that are consistent at playing good football and we need to understand and realise what level we are at so in the future we can compete with them [higher up the table].
Football is not about gifts, it’s about earning the right to play and I like to be honest with the players and with myself. I will select the players that are in [the right] conditions to compete and win the games and we will reward the players that deserve it.
The Scotland captain Rachel Corsie and the England international Jordan Nobbs are among four senior players who will be leaving Aston Villa Women this summer when their contracts expire.
The defenders Dan Turner and Maz Pacheco, who have been with Villa since 2022 and 2021 respectively, will also leave Natalia Arroyo’s side, the club have confirmed.
Corsie, Villa’s club captain, has played 56 times for the club. The former Arsenal midfielder Nobbs is the WSL’s record appearance-maker.
Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola said that his players need to communicate with one another after Erling Haaland suggested City have not been as ambitious this season.
The defending league champions have had an underwhelming campaign by their standards but could still finish in a Champions League spot. Haaland became the latest City player to question the mindset of the squad, saying a lack of “hunger” has contributed to their disappointing campaign. In response to his player, Guardiola said:
If it’s a feeling for Erling, the players should talk to each other and ask themselves why.
We can do better. We’re happy for the results we have but the situation is we have to sustain it for many, many months. It’s just been for three or four weeks.
Manchester City head to Southampton tomorrow in third with 64 points but only four points separate Guardiola’s side and seventh-placed Aston Villa.
We start 0-0 and it is a massive important game for us. Three games left.
[City’s current form] It’s the best results we got in a row. In the beginning of the season we did it. In terms of today, we can do better.
Huge respect for us from Southampton. The target when you’re not champions is to qualify for the next Champions League season. If we make three victories we’ll be there. It’s in our hands.
Pop those headphones on and get your bonus share of Football Weekly. Max Rushden is joined by Barry Glendenning, Lars Sivertsen and Paul Watson and the panel discuss Tottenham and Manchester United’s progression to the Europa League final after comfortable two-legged wins over Bodø/Glimt and Athletic Club, respectively.
Elsewhere, the panel preview that final and ask whether a victory for Spurs would buy Ange Postecoglou some more time in north London. There’s also a brief look at the Conference League. Plus, the Championship playoffs get under way, there’s more Ryan Loft content and your questions are answered.
The interim Manchester City women’s head coach, Nick Cushing, says the club have not spoken to him about staying in charge next season and he expects Saturday’s home game against Crystal Palace will be his final league fixture in the job.
Cushing, who has been in temporary charge since Gareth Taylor’s sacking in March, will lead City into May’s new World Sevens Football tournament - an inaugural seven-a-side event - in Estoril, Portugal, but beyond then he does not know his plans.
“There have been no conversations about [staying in] post this season, so as it stands, yes, this is the last game,” he said. “I’ve really enjoyed the period, it’s been challenging but it’s also been really enjoyable.
“Post-this, who knows? There have been no conversations about me continuing here, whether it be with a men’s or a women’s team, and I have no concrete move [lined up] but this - playing in League Cup finals and competing for the Champions League, and semi-finals - has only fuelled my desire. I just have a huge desire to be with a team [from pre-season].”
Fulham’s Marco Silva said he will not “close the door” amid speculation linking him to the Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal but maintains his future is at the London club. The manager, who has a year left on his contract, could link up with the former Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic if he decides to end his four-year tenure and move to Saudi Arabia.
It’s clear the focus is what we can control at the football club. When we do good things these links are normal. I don’t waste time to think about it but the most important thing is Fulham and we want to fight until the end of the season and focus on our goals and to prepare for the future of the club like we are doing.
[Mitrovic and I] have a great relationship. We speak often, not about this situation, we have contact but not about this situation.
Being a manager means you have to be open to everything with what the market can give you, but the last few years is clear about what my ambitions are. I don’t close doors to something like that, I’m not saying I won’t work outside of Europe, it can happen in the future.
Two points separate 11th-placed Fulham, who host Everton on Saturday, and eighth-placed Bournemouth as Silva hopes to secure the club’s first European finish since the 2011-12 season.
We won against Southampton and our position was a good one. After we lost to the other teams that are fighting hard and it looks difficult, but one or two good results and it will change again.
Newcastle have risked upsetting some supporters by announcing plans to redesign the club’s badge for the 2026-27 season.
With St James’ Park executives deciding the crest, that dates back to 1988, is overly elaborate and unsuited to global digital branding requirements, Newcastle are working with designers and consulting fans as they begin rebranding a symbol they believe has become outdated.
In an email to supporters on Friday, the club said:
As our club grows on the global stage, the symbol that represents us needs to be able to keep pace. It needs to show up clearly and confidently across everything from kits to screens to merchandise.
It’s time to update our crest. This isn’t a decision we take lightly. We love our crest. It’s iconic and has stood us through unforgettable triumphs and testing times. But it was created in a different era. It’s intricate design doesn’t always translate well in today’s digital world. And it’s difficult to reproduce it clearly and consistently. As football and the world changes so, too, must the symbol that unites us.
Here is more from Louise Taylor.
Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal have gone backwards in the Premier League this season as they prepare to give champions Liverpool a guard of honour at Anfield on Sunday.
Defeat against Bournemouth last week means that Arsenal need to win their final three matches to reach 76 points - 13 fewer than last season. Despite Arsenal reaching the Champions League semi-finals for the first time since 2009, Arteta recognised that a combination of injuries and ill discipline have contributed to their failure to mount a sustained title challenge.
“In the Premier League we’ve gone a step backwards,” said the Arsenal manager. “With the points that we have created it’s clear that we haven’t done as good as last season, that’s obvious.”
Asked how he would pick up his players after their defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in midweek, he said: “Look at things with perspective and be very analytical and very critical with what we’ve done. When you have those pictures and those things in front of you, it gives you a lot of hope to continue on that route and keep insisting and trying. That’s the sport.”
Thanks Michael! Let’s head back to Arsenal and take a look at how Mikel Arteta reflects on this season.
Going to hand the blog over to Yara El-Shaboury now. Enjoy the rest of your Friday! Cheers.
David Moyes has appeared at Everton’s press conference before Saturday’s trip to Fulham. The below is from PA Media.
Everton manager David Moyes insists there is “zero truth” in claims he wants to bring Richarlison back to the club. Reports suggested the Brazil international was a player Moyes wanted to reinvigorate his side – only the three relegated teams have scored fewer league goals – next season.
The 27-year-old left Goodison Park three years ago after scoring 53 goals in 152 games over four seasons, but his spell at Tottenham has been beset by injuries.
That record would be one factor to consider for Moyes, whose own injury-plagued striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin is out of contract this summer and contemplating whether to stay or not.
But he has dismissed any interest, saying: “Richarlison is a really good player and someone I’ve liked but I can only tell you there is zero truth in that from my side.”
Moyes has equally pressing matters closer to home with 13 players out of contract next month. One of those is the 32-year-old Abdoulaye Doucouré, who in the week spoke to former goalkeeper Ben Foster’s podcast about the lack of a new offer, suggesting he would not accept a pay cut and thought he deserved an improved deal.
“Some of the games he’s played very well but he is obviously no spring chicken, so we have to make sure we have other replacements when required,” added Moyes on the midfielder, who is available for the trip to Fulham after missing last weekend for personal reasons.
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“As a Liverpool supporter, the Leverkusen player I’d like the club to sign is Tah,” emails Joe Pearson. “Konate always seems to be minutes away from an injury, and Quansah is, well, Quansah”.
It’s harsh on Jarell Quansah, who is an excellent young player, aged just 22. To break into that Liverpool squad from the academy is no mean feat, and he is certainly good enough to be a squad player, but Quansah is not the sort of defender that is going to win you a Premier League title. In Van Dijk and Konate, the Reds do have two elite centre backs, but they have felt short in this position ever since the departure of Joël Matip. Tah would be a good option on a free transfer, although I’m sure he would want assurances over first-team football. There are probably teams elsewhere in Europe that are better placed to give him that than Liverpool.
An interesting titbit from the West Ham press conference. After the club confirmed the summer exits for Aaron Cresswell, Lukasz Fabianski, Vladimir Coufal and Danny Ings, Graham Potter has said West Ham are yet to decide the future of Michail Antonio. The striker has been sidelined since suffering a broken leg in a horror car crash in December. The 34-year-old, who will also be out of contract at the end of the season, is desperate to make a playing return and is now taking part in light training with his team-mates.
“When we have something to announce we will announce it,” Potter said. “I think he’s in a unique situation in terms of how he’s recovering from his injuries.”
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is next to face the cameras and confirms the Gunners will give Liverpool a guard of honour before Sunday’s match at Anfield.
They deserve it. They’ve been the better team. What their coaching staff have done...and they fully deserve it and that’s sport. When someone’s better you have to respect that.
Our story on Alonso leaving Leverkusen.
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West Ham face Manchester United on Sunday, here are some fresh quotes from Ruben Amorim, fresh from leading the Reds into the Europa League final.
We are trying to do our best, but I agree we can do better. I don’t have nothing to say about the criticism because we deserve it. If we cannot accept everything in this kind of season, I think we are in the wrong business. I fully acknowledge that and I agree with all the critics.
But in this moment I think it’s really clear and we have to be smart and we have to take a risk, and we have to take the risk to get a lot of critics from everybody because the standards of Roy Keane and all of these guys are really high.
But I have to make a choice - what is the best for the club, not what is the best for me, and I make a choice. In this moment I’m going to save and try to save all the players, because it’s really important for us to win the final.
We want to be competitive also in the Premier League. Bruno [Fernandes] doesn’t have the problem of any injury, but Harry [Maguire] has so we will have to manage that. But they have to play and it’s better to play than to stay out.
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West Ham are 17th in the Premier League. What sort of calibre of player can they attract next season? Certainly not any elite talents, unless they offer stupid wages. Recruitment is going to have to be smart. A few gambles are going to have to be taken, and pay off.
If they can keep Kudus, keep Füllkrug and Bowen fit and possibly add another first-team ready forward (or make good on Luis Guilherme’s potential), I think Potter has a decent attack for next season. But apart from Wan-Bissaka and perhaps Kilman, West Ham need a defensive overhaul. The midfield is a bit of a mess and much depends on Paquetá’s spot-fixing hearing this summer.
Cresswell, Fabianski, Coufal and Ings to leave West Ham
West Ham have released a statement confirming four of their veteran players – Aaron Cresswell, Łukasz Fabiański, Vladimír Coufal and Danny Ings – will depart the club in the summer at the expiry of their contracts.
The four members of our 2023 Uefa Europa Conference League-winning squad all played their part in one of the most successful periods in West Ham United’s history, and will depart having made a combined total of more than 800 first-team appearances between them.
Cresswell, 35, will leave after eleven seasons in the Premier League with West Ham United - the longest unbroken top-flight career of any individual player at the Club in the Premier League era. Since signing from Ipswich Town in the summer of 2014, the reliable left-back has made almost 370 appearances in Claret and Blue and earned full England international honours, as well as the Hammer of the Year award in his debut season.
Fabiański, who recently celebrated his 40th birthday, achieved the same feat, winning the Hammer of the Year award in 2019 after joining from Swansea City the previous summer. The Polish international goalkeeper has played 215 times so far in his seven seasons at the Club.
Czech international defender Coufal, 32, signed in October 2020, has made almost 180 appearances for the Club and was named Hammer of the Year runner-up in his first season, while former England striker Ings, also 32, has so far made 69 appearances since joining from Aston Villa in January 2023.
As Dechlan Brennan points out over email, this (from 2023) is now going to be a hot topic again.
Further Alonso quotes have surfaced.
For sure it’s emotional, I have spoken with the players and staff and so many people that have helped me during this unbelievable, fantastic three years and now it is the moment to share it on Sunday with the fans in this stadium, where I have lived great emotions and where I have become what I am right now.
I have to be thankful to everyone, from the fans, to the staff and the players. Football is about the moment and this moment is a good one for everyone. Let’s enjoy it for the last moment as much as we have done until now.
We can be happy and proud of what we have achieved during this time. I’m very thankful from the first day to the last one. You’ve got the announcement finally after chasing it.
This week the club and I have agreed that these two games will be my last two games as Bayer Leverkusen coach. We have been talking during this week that is always about the moment and now is the right moment to announce it.
We have always had a good and direct communication and now that we have clarity, it is the right moment to say that for sure. It is a moment with mixed emotions but it is the moment to announce it.
It’s not the moment to talk about the future. Now we know, we want to have a proper farewell on Sunday for some players and for myself. We have to enjoy this moment with mixed emotions.
Re Alonso, this piece from last year by Philip Lahm, in the wake of Leverkusen’s Bundesliga title, is worth revisiting. He’s an obvious fit for Madrid. Obviously he played there with distinction, but just as Ancelotti does and Zidane did, he will already have the respect of everyone inside that Berbabéu dressing room. And that is no small thing.
It’s important to stress that a move to Madrid is just a rumour at this point. But if it is true, what will that mean for Ancelotti? It’s hard to see him managing another club now. Maybe a return to Italy? Maybe international management?
“If you currently have serviceable boots then save your money,” emails Karl Madert. “If either of your kids play or will play football then you will be staggered how quickly you will need to buy new pairs as they grow out of them. “Finally, though, you may benefit as I did when they grow out of their size 9’s ( which still have life in them) and I get to wear them as I’m still playing aged 61”.
I pray with every fibre of my being that I am still hobbling around at 61. On the subject of being middle-aged and buying boots, you might enjoy this fine piece from Max Rushden.
Back to the big news: Alonso. This was a huge season for Leverkusen – make or break. Despite intense interest from elsewhere, the club were able to retain their Spanish manager and stars like Florian Wirtz, Jeremie Frimpong, Jonathan Tah. Had Leverkusen repeated last season’s Bundesliga title, or had some sort of European success then perhaps something of a dynasty could have been fashioned.
With Alonso now leaving, it feels inevitable that this storied Leverkusen side will now be broken up for parts. It’s still an exciting rebuild project for anyone that comes in – Leverkusen are still comfortably the second best team in Germany – but while some players like Alejandro Grimaldo and Victor Boniface could be retained, it’s a huge task to repeat the achievements of the Alonso years, particularly as it was largely based on the Spaniard’s coaching (and some smart recruitment).
Wirtz is the crown jewel of the side and is expected to leave. Real Madrid do not really need another No 10, but should Alonso go there, they will of course be linked with the young German. Bayern Munich and Manchester City are perhaps more likely destinations.
Frimpong reportedly has a £29.7m release clause in his contract, something that will not have escaped Liverpool, who are in the market for a new right back.
Tah’s contract is up in the summer, and he will surely move on. The ceremony to mark his 400th appearance for Leverkusen against Freiburg last week felt like a goodbye to the fans.
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Hello everyone. Michael Butler here, taking over from John Brewin. Feel free to email me any thoughts about Alonso, the Europa League final or whether at the age of 37, with a second child on the way and almost no prospect of playing 11-a-side football regularly for the foreseeable future, you are considering a big spend on a brand new pair of boots for next season (despite already having a perfectly serviceable pair already in the wardrobe).
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Confirmed: Alonso to leave Leverkusen
“The club and I have agreed that these two last games will be my last as Bayer Leverkusen coach,” he has announced in a press conference. “Now is the right moment.”
It has been reported in Spain he has agreed a pre-contract agreement to coach Real Madrid. More to follow…
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Maresca highlights ‘fantastic’ Tonali ahead of Newcastle visit
Having safely booked Chelsea’s Conference League final place, Enzo Maresca turned his attentions to his team’s noon kick-off at Newcastle. In fifth place they have to see out their final three Premier League matches to book a place in next season’s Champions League.
“The players need to be focused on the Newcastle game because it’s the next one and for us, it has to be like thinking that it’s the last game of the season, give everything and then we’ll see at the end,” the Italian said, depicting his team’s remaining domestic fixtures as three cup finals. Manchester United next Friday and Nottingham Forest on final day follow Newcastle.
“We have two days, tomorrow and Saturday,” Maresca said, having shuffled in ten changes into the team who beat Swedish outfit Djurgarden 1-0 on Thursday. “The frustration is that we had many games where we created enough chances to win the game and we didn’t win. But now is not the moment to think about that. Now is the moment to try to win as much as we can in these last three games and then we’ll see.”
Maresca acknowledged the growing influence of compatriot Sandro Tonali in Newcastle’s midfield. “Sandro probably this season has been top for Newcastle. For him, he’s doing very well. He’s a fantastic player. I know him since he was in Brescia and then moved to Milan and then now here in England. He’s a fantastic player, he’s doing well but they have many, many good players.”
Tonali has been inspirational this season on his return from a gambling-related ban. “I think he has been always a good player. Probably that kind of moment is not ideal but not for Sandro, for no one of us. And now it’s more stronger and you can see how good he is.”
'Xabi Alonso to leave Bayer Leverkusen'
Via German magazine Kicker’s website: “Now it’s definitely a done deal: Xabi Alonso will leave Bayer 04 after this season. The successful coach announced this to the Leverkusen players before training on Friday afternoon.”
Krishna gets in touch: “As a Chelsea fan, I dare Real to show us their Europa League and Conference league medals.”
WSL to retain promotion and relegation
Big story from Tom Garry here, and still plenty to be decided.
It is understood no decision has been taken about how the formats will change from 2026. The league is believed to be exploring several innovative alterations that could make the top of the women’s pyramid look very different from the English men’s format.
That’ll be all from me. John Brewin is here to take over so keep those emails coming.
Vítor Pereira has been named the Premier League manager of the month. Wolves won five out of five in April, continuing their resurgence under the 56-year-old. The question is whether he’s here for the long haul; one of the sub-heads on his Wikipedia page is ‘Five clubs in eight years’.
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A boiling, dangerous, swelteringly hot-take incoming from Jack Kirby-Lowe.
I feel winning a cup competition (becoming the “champions” of it, if you will) seems justification enough for being included in the Champions League. Arguably much more so than including teams that finish 2nd-5th in the league. What exactly are they champions of again?
Personally, I feel places in the CL in England should be awarded to the League, League Cup and FA Cup winners, with league position only coming into consideration in the event of a team doing the double or the treble, and only after the runners up in the cups have been discounted in this way too. If that only meant three English teams qualifying, so be it. Obviously winning the CL or EL should qualify too, because again, that team are the Champions of something.
Love and kisses, COYS.
Newcastle, fear not, you’ve already qualified. Crystal Palace, you’re one game away. Wigan might have found it touch balancing the Champions League with the Championship during their 2013/14 campaign.
Spurs have met United three times this season – and won them all. The league double was backed up by a slightly mad 4-3 encounter in the League Cup. The kicker for Spurs is that this United team have held their nerve in finals across the last two seasons.
United, you’ll remember, also reached the Europa League final in 2021, when they lost on penalties (a long old shootout) to Villarreal. But only three members of the XI that started that night remain at the club (not including Marcus Rashford).
“Arsenal and other fans are so funny,” writes Louis Muspratt-Tucker. “When Spurs were consistently at the top of the league, generally agreed to be one of the best-run clubs in the league, we were repeatedly told that none of it matters without trophies. How times change.”
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Vivek is not best pleased by the configuration of the Europa League final:
Now that we know either of these teams could be rubbing shoulders with the elite in Europe next season, I wonder if it’s time to rebranding the competition as the “Champions League” (double quotes inclusive).
In what universe would two teams who could end up finishing 15th and 16th in their league be considered champions, unless the gong is for greatest display of management ineptitude, chasing the bottomline, disregard for fans, comical recruitment and stinking up the rest of the league?
(Asking for an Arsenal fan)
Some pretty dreadful stories here:
Content, content, content. The broadcasters want more for their buck.
Sam Turner writes in. I admire his brighter outlook on life:
It’s important to remember what the sport is about and why you enjoy it, the agony and the ecstasy of supporting your team through thick and thin and that has been on display for Manchester United fans in a big way this season.
Despite the turbulence on and off the pitch the past few seasons have given me some of my favourite moments as a United fan; the 4-3 win over Liverpool in the FA Cup, the 2-1 win over Barcelona with Antony’s late winner, the FA Cup Manchester Derby victory, knocking out Arsenal at the Emirates, the 5-4 mayhem against Lyon, these are moments that will live with me in a way that a clinical 2-0 win against Fulham won’t.
Loving your club means going through these difficult moments and I can accept the decision to sacrifice league position in order to pursue the best route to Champions League football and the rebuild necessary to compete on all fronts again.
David Kogan has cleared a significant hurdle in his bid to become the first chair of the English football regulator, after a parliamentary committee endorsed his candidacy.
The culture media and sport select committee conducted a ‘pre-appointment hearing’ with Kogan on Wednesday in which they grilled him on his priorities as a regulator, his past experience, and his well-publicised history as a donor to the Labour party.
On Friday the committee published their verdict on the hearing including a decision to endorse his candidacy. “We are content to endorse David Kogan OBE’s appointment as Chair of the Independent Football Regulator, recognising his vast experience in the football and media sectors,” the conclusion read.
The committee, which is led by the Conservative MP Caroline Dinenage, did however say there were “concerns” over Kogan’s political impartiality and urged him to “take concrete steps” to prove his independence to stakeholders in the game.
Here’s what Ange Postecoglou had to say about the significance of Spurs potentially winning the Europa League.
It’s massive. Of course it is, because you have to frame it against what this club has been through over the last 15 or 20 years and what the supporters have been through. A final is a unique standalone game, it’s a bit different to everything you do in the buildup to it. But if you’re talking about resilience and adversity, this group of players have had it in bucket-loads this year and we’ve still found a way to deal with it.
Spurs have lost four finals since winning the League Cup in 2008 – three in that competition, in 2009, 2015 and 2021. The real heartbreaker was the Champions League final defeat in 2019 to Liverpool. Jonathan Woodgate remains their last cup final hero.
It’s that time of the week:
Ben Lake writes in response to my preamble question:
On the opening question, I was having this discussion yesterday and the way I see it is this- Would I swap our (Arsenal) situation with Man Utd or Spurs?
Would I take the constant chaos of Utd’s management and the siphoning of funds away from the club? The firing of ancillary staff to save a few pennies? The leaky roof? Abysmal recruitment strategy?
Would I swap with Spurs, a club who will almost certainly end up firing their manager early next season? Would I swap multiple season of competing at the top with increasingly worse performances season on season to the point where relegation might have been a realistic proposition?
No. I would not. Trophies are obviously, what we all aim for but if the cost of that is never ending chaos, instability and having to deal with the MBA types currently in charge of those other two clubs, you can keep it. I’m hopping a better organised structure and longer term plan will pay out eventually.
As an eyewitness to events at Stamford Bridge, it became abundantly clear that the away fans were not confined to the Shed End. Some had obviously bought tickets elsewhere and made a break for the away end. They were allowed to pass through. Once the game began, it was clear parts of the West Stand’s corporate section were full of Swedish fans making no apologies for their noise levels. At full-time, as Chelsea fans exited, the Swedes stayed on and were in every corner of the ground.
Chelsea released a statement late last night: “At the start of this evening’s match, Chelsea FC were aware some away fans gained access to areas of the stadium in violation of our ticketing policy. The Chelsea supporters sitting in the immediate areas impacted were relocated, with additional security and police deployed.”
Questions are being raised by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust as to how the ticketing system allowed in so many away fans. It made for an atmospheric night in the stands, and appeared good-natured enough, but videos of skirmishes in the concourses have since appeared.
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Salah and Russo claim FWA awards
Alessia Russo has won the Football Writers’ Association women’s player of the year award, a reward for a fine season with Arsenal – she’s up top in the WSL goalscoring charts with 12 and has been key in the side’s run to the Champions League final.
Mo Salah has won the men’s title, equalling Thierry Henry with three wins. The Egyptian forward previously won the award in 2018 and 2022.
Mason Mount enjoyed the finest night of his Manchester United career, scoring twice against Athletic Bilbao, the second a wonderful long-range ping. Ruben Amorim was chuffed for a player who has had it tough with injuries.
I’m so happy for him. He is such a player. He works really hard, he has quality. When you see that kind of guy like Mason working hard every day, eating well, having ice baths, when you have this kind of player you just want to help him. He is perfect for this position as he can be a midfielder, but also runs like a winger so I’m really happy for him.
Not just me – if you look at the bench, that is the best feeling as a coach, you look at the other guys on the bench and they are so happy for Mason Mount – everyone in that dressing room sees Mason Mount doing everything to be available. He is a really good player and both goals were really good.
Slot: Bradley needs playing time to be ready for next season
Arne Slot has been speaking about Trent Alexander-Arnold’s departure:
“I think like everybody who likes Liverpool and who’s a fan of Liverpool we are disappointed for him leaving because not only a good human being is leaving the club but a very, very, very good full-back is leaving us as well.”
He says it’s “impossible for me to comment” on whether Alexander-Arnold will leave Liverpool before the Club World Cup as it’s yet to be confirmed where he’s going (though we all know the destination).
On Conor Bradley, potentially Alexander-Arnold’s full-time replacement, Slot says: “With Conor we all see the potential. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been fit throughout the whole season and to become a very good player you have to be available every single week as well. That’s the first step he has to make for next season. We have a lot of confidence in Conor as a very good full-back for Liverpool.
Bradley will start this weekend against Arsenal: “He needs playing time, to get some games under his belt to be better prepared for next season.”
Updated
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has released a statement regarding visiting supporters after last night’s Conference League semi-final second leg with Djurgården at Stamford Bridge.
During Thursday’s Uefa Conference League vs. Djurgården, a huge number of away supporters were able to infiltrate large areas of the home end.
This is the most serious breach of stadium security in recent memory, and it significantly undermines any security protocols Chelsea FC put in place ahead of the fixture.
As a result, the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust will formally write a letter of complaint to Chelsea FC’s COO and Head of Security. We will call for a formal investigation by the club into the ticket sales process and Chelsea FC’s security response during the match.
The findings of this investigation and any subsequent recommendations must be made available to supporters.
The CST invites all supporters who attended the fixture on Thursday to submit written, photographic, and video evidence they captured during the fixture.
The CST will then collate this evidence and then submit it to Chelsea FC.
It is important to note that the CST shared concerns with senior club officials over the vulnerability of home areas ahead of this fixture. No supporter should feel unsafe while at Stamford Bridge, and the CST will do everything to ensure that a full and proper explanation is issued to supporters and safeguards are put in place to ensure that this situation is not repeated in the future.
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Preamble
Let’s be honest: this is really, really funny. Manchester United and Tottenham have had a shocking time in the league this season (15th and 16th respectively, 35 defeats between them, record-breaking stuff in a bad way).
And yet here they are, ready to compete in a European final. Spurs could win their first major trophy in 17 years. A United victory would make it three consecutive seasons of silverware; even in crisis, they somehow find a way to compete.
Which leads to a genuine question regarding fandom. Would you rather opt for a season of solidity, excellent football to go with grand results but no trophy pay-off (Arsenal), or a year of misery until a glorious and triumphant day out at Wembley etc? I’m leaning towards the former but would be interested to hear from others.
Drop me a line with your thoughts on that and any other matters as we build up to another weekend of, let’s face it, rather inconsequential Premier League action.
