THE RECAP
Sooner than you think, the club football season will be here. Perhaps the finest quality of an international tournament is its ability to sideline the silliness. Forget England, forget Gareth Southgate, this means more. Or at least, it goes on for longer. Anyway, to get you shipshape and lively for the season ahead, here’s what you might have missed.
1) Pep Guardiola’s off at the end of the season. Well, maybe. Reports that this may be his final campaign as the all-conquering, end-of-level boss emerged after Manchester City lost the FA Cup final but now the big decision for Big Blue will be delayed until the winter. City operatives – and Pep himself – are perhaps mindful of the deadening effect a similar situation had on Liverpool last season.
2) Talking of which, Arne Slot is in situ at Anfield, and has the approval of someone special: Jürg. “[Klopp] gave me more than a few good tips but what stood out for me was that he was so happy for me and that – and I think he said this in the media as well – he would be my biggest fan from now on,” cooed Slot.
3) Happily for many United fans – and many City fans, too – Erik ten Hag is still Manchester United manager, and that’s despite Southgate’s comfort in chinos and loafers making him ideal for the Big Sir Jim plan, which other than a couple of signings – Joshua Zirkzee from Bologna, likely Leny Yoro from Lille – seems mostly to centre on showing long-term back-office staff the door.
4) If Eddie Howe is to be England manager, then Newcastle have been getting in negotiating practice. Having made Dan Ashworth serve a gardening leave period that would have given Capability Brown a bad back, they settled with Big Sir Jim over their outgoing sporting director for £10m as Premier League financial rules began to cut deep.
5) Chelsea, under the new management of Enzo Maresca, launched a new kit. “The melting pot pattern, resembling liquid gold and silver, is a fusion of our rich legacy with the ever-hot youth culture within our city,” roared a press release launched around the same time Enzo Fernández was live-Insta-ing that racist ditty about the makeup of France’s team after the, er, Copa América.
6) Brighton’s new manager Fabian Hürzeler, with sleeve tattoos that include ink inspired by David Beckham, is just 31 and born when 2 Unlimited’s No Limit was No 1 in the hit parade.
7) Steve Cooper is Leicester’s new manager, since you ask. Yes, Jamie Vardy’s signed a new contract.
8) Everton still don’t have a new owner but US billionaire – and Roma owner – Dan Friedkin is the latest, likeliest suitor. This is supposed to be Ev’s very last season at Goodison Park.
9) Arsenal haven’t signed anyone, aside from David Raya, who they already had. Panic?
10) Manchester City face 115 charges over alleged Premier League financial breaches, a saga that overhangs the season before another big winter decision.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
I hope the other 210 associations recognised by Fifa are inspired by the FAW’s leadership and commit to working together to unleash football’s full potential as a force for positive change in the world” – Common Goal co-founder Jürgen Griesbeck welcomes the Welsh FA signing up to the movement. The FAW is the first national association to do so and will give 1% of ticket sales for World Cup qualifiers to community projects in the country.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
I see Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are in the running for the vacant England job. Perhaps they could share the role for several years before coming to the conclusion that they are just not compatible in the same dugout? And hey, it’d give England fans twice as much to moan about on unsocial media posts” – Justin Kavanagh.
Worth remembering that we wouldn’t just be getting ‘Frank Lampard’s England’, we’d be getting ‘Frank Lampard’s England’s Frank Lampard’. It’s coming home, the ‘it’ for us non-England types being schadenfreude” – Mike Slattery.
E J Thribb’s distant cousin writes: so farewell then, Gareth Southgate. What have you ever done for us, except for: the World Cups, the Euros, making it respectable to be an England football supporter again, casual wear, beards. So farewell then, Southgate G; arise Sir Gareth” – Richard Hirst.
Could I be one of 1,057 enthusiastic pedants to point out that Harry Kewell being shown a door marked それをする by Yokohama F Marinos (yesterday’s News, Bits and Bobs) might lead to unfortunate confusion if Harry happens to be using Google Translate (‘Do It’) or imTranslate (‘Do That’). Perhaps あなたのバイクで, 息子 might be a bit clearer?” – Steve Malone (and no other enthusiastic pedants).
Send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day winner is … Justin Kavanagh. Terms and conditions for our competitions can be viewed here.
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