Former Everton midfielder Ian Snodin has said that the club can still beat Liverpool despite losing Steven Pienaar.
The South African midfielder was unlucky to get shown a second yellow car with replays showing it was a harsh decision from referee, Jon Moss.
Losing Pienaar for the Merseyside derby is a massive blow to the club and could well decide the clash on Sunday.
Snodin admits that as soon as referee John Moss showed the red card, his thoughts immediately turned to the big derby.
“It’s a massive blow ahead of the Liverpool game to be without a player like Steven,” Snodin told the Liverpool Echo.
“We can’t afford to feel sorry for ourselves or fall into the mindset of making excuses already, there is time to plan for the game without him and pretty quickly after I got over my frustration on Sunday I realised I still believe Everton can beat Liverpool.
“We have got the players who can come in and provide the bite and controlled aggression you need to win the key battles in a derby.”
Heading into Sunday’s Premier League tie, Everton are 12 places above their rivals, and are hoping to continue to build on the gap between the two sides.
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“When it comes to winning on Sunday it will be about blood and thunder – who is prepared to put their body on the line, and hopefully we’ll have Marouane Fellaini for the game because he was a big loss in West London,” Snodin added.
According to reports in The Mirror, West Ham United are lining up a summer move for Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina, who is rated at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, but could face competition from Napoli and Manchester City for his signature.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Mirror says that the Irons are keen to bring the Gabon international to the London Stadium, with new manager Manuel Pellegrini wanting fresher and younger legs in the middle of the park next season – something that will please supporters, who have been quick to respond to a link with an exciting 22-year-old attacker with one fan saying “he reminds me of Dybala”.
The Mirror says that Saints boss Mark Hughes faces a battle to keep hold of the 24-year-old, who showed glimpses of the quality he has in his locker during the 2017/18 campaign following his move from Juventus last summer.
Pellegrini’s need to strengthen his midfield options has become even more of a priority following the news that Manuel Lanzini could be out for around nine months having ruptured his ACL while in World Cup training with Argentina ahead of the tournament in Russia later this month.
How did Lemina do last season?
It was a difficult campaign for the 24-year-old and the team as they struggled down the wrong end of the table under Mauricio Pellegrino, before Hughes led them to safety.
The Gabonese midfielder suffered a couple of injury niggles throughout the campaign that clearly hampered his performances at times, and while he produced some brilliant displays, he also endure his fair share of poor ones as well – including in the 3-0 defeat to West Ham at the London Stadium in March, where he was dominated by Irons man Cheikhou Kouyate in the centre of the park.
Lemina certainly has that energy and ability to take on opponents and bring the ball forward however, as proved by the fact that he successfully completed 55 of the 62 dribbles he attempted in 25 Premier League outings, as per WhoScored.com.
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Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He certainly would be, and perhaps a more realistic one than someone like Paris Saint-Germain’s Javier Pastore given they are struggling to meet his £190,000-a-week wage demands, according to Sky Sports.
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The 24-year-old would certainly help plug the gap that Lanzini’s absence will undoubtedly leave, although Southampton are likely to demand big money for a player they signed less than 12 months ago.
Southampton failed to win for the 11th consecutive match in the English Premier League on Sunday, this time earning a point against Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary’s.
While it will be seen as an important point against Mauricio Pochettino’s men, Saints are at serious risk of relegation, finding themselves in the bottom three with just 14 games remaining before the end of the season.
They got their goal in Sunday’s 1-1 draw through Davinson Sanchez, who diverted Ryan Bertrand’s cross into his own net. Spurs rallied immediately, Harry Kane equalising just minutes later.
Fans were happy to take positives from the 90 minutes but did have some frustrations with their attacking intentions again, with many criticising Manolo Gabbiadini in particular.
The Italian, who signed for a reported £14m last January, has scored just three goals in 23 appearances so far this season and fans are hoping for more from him in the months to come.
A variety of solutions have been suggested including playing him alongside Shane Long, insisting he works harder when given opportunities or even selling him as soon as possible.
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Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…
It takes a special kind of man to believe that the best person to replace themselves is them-self. But this appears to be exactly Sir Alex Ferguson’s thinking when it came to choosing his successor. In appointing David Moyes, Ferguson believed he had found the man who was most like himself, and therefore the obvious choice to continue his good work at Old Trafford. Tragically, it seems that in this great narcissistic act, Ferguson managed to overlook vanity.
One of the oft-quoted mantras from Ferguson’s time at Manchester United was ‘no one is bigger than the club’. However, it’s quite clear that he did not include himself in these rankings. He had established himself a position of unrivalled power within the Premier League club that is rarely seen in world football. Such was the extent of his influence that even in the corporate-driven world of modern football, no one questioned who would be in charge of picking his replacement once the venerable Scot decided to retire.
In his final speech at Old Trafford, the Scot laid heavy emphasis on the fan’s duty to support the next manager. Not the club, or the team, or the players, but the manager. For Ferguson, it seems that this was what football had come to be about: management. The sport itself was just a secondary aspect. It only mattered to the extent that it provided an arena in which he could have complete control of all aspects within it; the players, the media, the transfer dealings, the image of the club.
Anyone who didn’t like it was quickly discarded, regardless of value or talent. What mattered was that you subjugated to the control. Players became divided into two strict groups: ‘Manchester United players’ and ‘not Manchester United players’. It was possible to move from the first group to the second, but once you entered the second, there was no turning back.
Ferguson obviously felt that the most likely way to continue the success of Manchester United was to keep this structure in place. But in order to do so, he needed to find a man capable of handling the demands of such power. In looking for the criteria, Ferguson looked at himself. And then who better than David Moyes? A hard-working Scotsman, from a similarly humble background, with a fierce temperament and the requisite loyalty to create a second dynasty.
However, in choosing the man that most resembled himself, it seems Ferguson overlooked the one quality that he was indulging: vanity. Moyes is clearly not an egomaniac. He lacks the supreme confidence and infallibility necessary to fill the grand puppet master role that Ferguson created at Old Trafford. How can you be the main decision maker on all facets of a club as big as Manchester United if you do not have absolute conviction in your decisions?
That David Moyes is lacking in this complete belief is evident. His reaction to his side’s lame defeat at Olympiakos was that he ‘hoped’ for another big night at Old Trafford in the return leg. Hope? Ferguson never hoped. His teams could only lose when the world had conspired against him. Some may argue that Moyes’ confidence is just low given the rough start that he has endured at Man United. However, it’s hard not to feel that Moyes was doomed for failure from the moment he revealed that Ferguson summoned him to his house to tell him he was the next Manchester United.
Anyone with the requisite ego for the Manchester United job does not get ‘told’ anything. In the vanity of trying to pick the man who was most like himself, Ferguson failed to realise that this man was different in one very important aspect: vanity itself.
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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers admits that he has not considered recalling Andy Carroll from West Ham to help out the striker shortage at Anfield.
The Reds have got just the one recognised fit striker at the club, after Fabio Borini picked up an injury whilst on international duty, and many had expected the Liverpool boss to recall the on-loan Carroll from West Ham.
Rodgers admits the thought has not entered his mind.
“It isn’t something I have considered, to be honest. Andy has obviously gone out to get games. We have people watching when he plays and they report back how he is doing. But with Fabio’s injury just coming up we will assess it from here,” Rodgers told Talk Sport.
Luis Suarez will have to shoulder more of the striking responsibilities during the current injury crisis and Rodgers admits he is disappointed that he will not be able to rest the Uruguayan.
“I’ve rested him a couple of times knowing the squad we have, and the games we have, looking to prioritise, but like most footballers he want to p lay every minute of every game.
“It is something I need to assess. The most important thing is winning games-that is what we need to do and in order to do that as often as we can I need the best players on the field.
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“Luis will absolutely love playing three times in a week but I need to try and nurture him because there are still many games to play between now and January.
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was spotted in the crowd at Austria’s friendly with Russia on Wednesday night, and while many reported that he was there to watch West Ham United attacker Marko Arnautovic, Bayern Munich left-back David Alaba, rated at £45m by Transfermarkt, may have been another player he was there to scout.
The 25-year-old has established himself as the Bundesliga champions’ first-choice in that position in recent seasons, and it would certainly be an audacious move by Mourinho if he was somehow able to prise the 62-cap international away from the Allianz Arena.
The Portuguese boss seems certain to bring in a new left-back/left wing-back this summer having seen Ashley Young been his preferred choice there during the 2017/18 campaign, and it is something that the Old Trafford faithful, who have delivered their verdict on a potential move for a 23-year-old Portugal international described by one fan as “worse than Rashford”, would like to see.
We asked Man United supporters to vote on our poll to see whether they would back an ambitious move to bring Alaba to Old Trafford, and a huge 72% said they would, which is rather unsurprisingly given the quality and experience he clearly has.
It would certainly take a large offer from the Red Devils to convince Bayern to sell, but Mourinho has certainly been backed well in the transfer market previously and there is no reason why that wouldn’t happen again for the right player.
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According to the reliable @ExWHUemployee on the latest episode of the West Ham Way radio show, if West Ham United striker Andy Carroll was to become a target for Premier League rivals Chelsea this month, the Irons would look to sign Michy Batshuayi as part of any deal.
What’s the word, then?
Well, The Sun reported earlier this month that the 28-year-old centre-forward is on Blues boss Antonio Conte’s shortlist of attackers that he is keen to bring to Stamford Bridge this month, although @ExWHUemployee said on Episode 70 of the West Ham Way radio show that there has been no bid from the Premier League holders as of yet.
The reliable Hammers informant says that David Moyes would look to get Batshuayi as part of any deal that saw the former Liverpool and Newcastle man move across the capital though, with the Belgian pretty much out of favour under Conte ever since he signed for the club in the summer of 2016.
How has Batshuayi done this season?
The Belgium international may have thought that he was going to be given more first-team opportunities this season following the sale of Diego Costa to Atletico Madrid during the summer, but it hasn’t proven to be the case.
Alvaro Morata arrived as first-choice striker with Batshuayi often relying on making an impact from the substitutes’ bench – something he has done with seven goals in 20 first-team appearances in all competitions.
Despite the 24-year-old averaging a goal every 132 minutes in the Premier League and every 61 minutes in the Champions League, he still wasn’t chosen to start by Conte when Morata was absent last month, with Eden Hazard instead picked in a false nine role in the clearest sign yet that he has no long-term future at Stamford Bridge.
Would he be a good signing for West Ham?
He certainly could be, yes.
While Batshuayi has failed to impress Conte, he has still scored 16 goals in 48 games for Chelsea – not bad seeing as the majority of those came as a substitute.
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With 33 goals in 78 matches for Marseille previously, the Belgian striker has shown that he can score goals if he is given a consistent run in a team, and that could well be the case if he joined the Irons.
Arsene Wenger has always been somewhat of a transfer-sceptic. In the January window just gone, we were once again privy to the Arsenal manager’s annual condemnation of the mid-season transfer market, citing how it creates unnecessary tension amid the most taxing period of the Premier League season and often gives certain clubs an unfair advantage, using Chelsea’s sale of Juan Mata to Manchester United as a case in point.
Admittedly, Wenger has always been a manager that favours showing faith in his players over taking a gamble on the transfer market, and in the modern climate, where the Premier League spent over £650million on summer transfers alone and Real Madrid saw fit to splash out £86million on a single player in Gareth Bale, there’s certainly something loyally refreshing about that point of view.
But the current Premier League campaign is arguably the closest we’ve ever seen throughout the division, and it’s Arsenal’s first significant involvement in the English title race for the best part of a decade. So with just a single loan signing – Spartak Moscow’s Kim Kallstrom – to show for an entire month of mid-season transfer escapades, one can only ponder whether the Gunners gaffer’s lack of transfer ambition has ultimately cost the North Londoners their shot at the Premier League crown.
I’m sure I’m not the only one left rather bemused by Arsenal’s temporary acquisition of the Swedish international. Not only will Kallstrom be unavailable through a back injury until March at the earliest, but he’s not even been an automatic pick for Spartak Moscow of late. This is a player who the European elite looked at and deemed unworthy some time ago, so at the veteran age of 31, it’s surprising Wenger is now giving him a chance in the most coveted top flight in world football.
Even the Emirates boss has admitted Kallstrom is by no means an ideal signing. ” I would not have signed him if we had two or three more days to do something, but it was Friday night at five o’clock, so it was a case of you sign nobody or you do it under these conditions,” Wenger told reporters on February the 2nd.
But I have my qualms with that declaration too; admittedly, the January window never throws up ideal scenarios or the fruitful opportunities of its summer counter-part, but the Frenchman had a whole month to consider and weigh up his transfer options. Failing that critique, prior to the window opening on the turn of the year, Wenger had an entire half-season to plan, plot, scout and examine potential targets.
Most bizarrely, Kallstrom will strengthen the only department of the Arsenal first team that didn’t require immediate attention last month.
For example, the inadequacies of the North London outfit’s strikeforce is well-known. Olivier Giroud has been providing a vital service in the final third to find ten goals this season, leaving him as the club’s top scorer, and his six assists demonstrate how integral the 6 foot 4 striker has become to Arsenal’s game plan going forward.
But he’s been tremendously overworked as the only dependable front-man on the Emirates roster, starting in 24 of a possible 26 Premier League fixtures and only subbed off on seven occasions. Most tellingly in regards to his fitness however, Giroud has been benched just once before the 70 minute mark this season. Understudies Nicklas Bendtner and Yaya Sanogo are just not up to standard, and the option of playing Lukas Podolski up front is like using a square peg in a round hole.
Additionally, the loss of Theo Walcott through a six-month ACL injury lay-off could have a huge impact on Arsenal’s title plans this season. The 24 year-old had racked up five goals and four assists in nine Premier League starts.
Not only is he by far the Gunners’ most impactful substitute, but his roaring pace and penetration made the England international the perfect counterweight to Arsenal’s one-touch football, stretching the area of play and exposing gaps behind opposition defences. Barring the relatively unblooded Serge Gnabry, there is no like-minded attacking outlet in the Emirates squad.
And it’s not as if options to add to Arsenal’s striking depth of find a replacement to Theo Walcott weren’t out there this January, despite the Emirates manager often suggesting otherwise. Real Sociedad’s Carlos Vela particularly comes to mind; Arsenal still have a £4million buy-back clause on the ex-Gunner, who has bagged 35 goals and 24 assists in 91 La Liga appearances since switching to Anoeta in summer 2011.
Then there’s team-mate Antoine Griezmann, a speedy, tricky winger who has netted 14 times from the left-hand side this term. According to the tabloids, Wenger launched a £12.5million bid for the La Real star, but did not see fit to up the transfer ante and meet his £25million release clause.
Admittedly, that’s a lot of money for a 22 year-old with one campaigns’ worth of Champions League experience. But will this player be any cheaper in the summer? Unquestionably not after another stellar season, and If Wenger wanted him, he should have put some proper money on the table.
Failing that, deals could have been made for the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Pato, Mirko Vucinic, Sebastian Giovinco, Javier Hernandez, Jefferson Farfan and Javier Pastore to name a few, not to mention £38million-rated Julian Draxler.
Money certainly wasn’t an issue in terms of availability; Arsenal still had a wealth of their summer warchest left over, and have today announced a turnover of £130million. Rather, it’s undoubtedly Wenger’s spendophobia which has stood in the way; he’s reluctant to bring in the wrong player for the wrong price, and most importantly be accused of panic-buying.
But if there’s one transfer window where the Frenchman could be forgiven for taking an ill-fated gamble, it was undoubtedly last month. As previously stated, this is Arsenal’s best opportunity to claim the Premier League title for nearly ten years, and despite Wenger’s many critics, none could have accused him of anything but optimism if he had sought to add to his Gunners’ cast in January.
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That’s not how Wenger sees it; he sees the five year plan, the ten year plan, the twenty year plan, and always maintains loyalty towards his own players. But for all his long-term strategising, one has to wonder where and when a Premier League title-winning Gunners side will actually emerge, especially whilst the Arsenal manager continues to reject the notion of pragmatic signings and only condones transfers that will guarantee value for money.
The way I see it is simple; if you have to overspend on a target to guarantee his signing, and he becomes part of a Premier League winning squad, then he’s automatically worth every penny.
But once again, Arsenal’s inevitable flaw remains – they’re a side that shows great promise, potential and quality, but they’re never fully complete. Arsene Wenger had the opportunity to bring the squad closer to its ultimate this January, but declined. At the end of the season, Gunners fans will be right to question whether their manager could have done more last month.
Gary Neville has stressed the importance of graasroots coaching to football in England.
Neville, was speaking ahead of today’s opening of the FA’s new national football complex.
The centre of excellence, St George’s Park in Staffordshire, which is 330 acres and cost £105 million, was opened today by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, and will have facilities for all of the England football teams. It also aims to nurture more managers and coaches of better quality.
The Manchester United legend has said to BBC Radio 5 Live that grassroot coaches “are everything.” He said: “If we can get more quality, a higher quality, a better quantity of coaching in this country, we will produce better footballers – that is a fact.”
Additionally, the FA is making changes to youth football and creating “youth modules” in order to help the development of youngsters. Neville, who has had a hugely successful career including winning the Champions League, believes it is vital to connect with young, aspiring footballers, saying: “The information passed to six to 14 year-olds is absoloutely critical. I was so lucky I was given the right information. I had good coaches, my parents put the right principles into me.”
Gary Neville joined the coaching team of Roy Hodgson’s England squad this summer.
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Should lifting the FA Cup on Saturday prove to be Antonio Conte’s last act as Chelsea boss, he’ll join a strangely unique club. Just one manager to serve under Roman Abramovich has lasted longer than a year at Stamford Bridge after winning England’s most coveted cup competition, yet the calibre of the personnel involved is beyond exceptional – Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Guus Hiddink are not only amongst the greatest managers in Chelsea’s modern history, but also amongst the greatest of their eras.
So in many ways, for Conte to be formally dismissed after beating Manchester United on Saturday is as much an endorsement of his potential for further success elsewhere as it is an indictment on Chelsea’s disappointing title defence, ending the Premier League campaign in fifth place.
It also highlights why although Abramovich has brought unprecedented success to Stamford Bridge, 14 major trophies and counting so far, there’s always a feeling that the club’s hire-and-fire culture has resulted in wasted opportunities, and prevented a real dynasty from growing in west London. Only once since Mourinho’s first dismissal in 2007 have Chelsea held onto any trophy for more than one season – Hiddink ending his interim spell with the 2009 FA Cup and Ancelotti pulling off a successful defence a year later.
So, what happened after each manager brought the FA Cup to Abramovich’s trophy cabinet, and what does that mean for Conte? Here’s a brief but important history…
Jose Mourinho
FA Cup final: Chelsea 1-0 Man United. Failing to hold onto the Premier League title for a third consecutive term, Didier Drogba brought a positive end to the Blues’ season by scoring a 116th-minute winner over the Red Devils during the first ever cup final at the new Wembley.
How long did he last? 124 days later, Mourinho and Chelsea unexpectedly agreed to a contract termination by ‘mutual consent’. It followed a slow start to the new season by Mourinho’s standards, losing to Aston Villa and drawing with Rosenborg in the Champions League. But the backdrop was the Portuguese’s resentment towards the club’s transfer policy, something Conte can undoubtedly sympathise with.
What happened next? A year later, Mourinho was appointed by Inter Milan. His first season ended with the Serie A title and his second ended with the San Siro giants completing an illustrious treble, including the 2010 Champions League title. Three years on from that, Mourinho would find himself back at Stamford Bridge after a turbulent spell at Real Madrid.
Guus Hiddink
FA Cup final: Chelsea 2-1 Everton. Stepping in for the short-lived Phil Scolari, Hiddink ended a hugely popular interim spell with silverware as Chelsea fought back to beat Everton 2-1 after Louis Saha had opened the scoring in the first minute.
How long did he last? Officially, Hiddink’s reign came to an end just one day later, although it was as much his decision as Chelsea’s not to make his temporary appointment a permanent one. The Dutchman had only been brought in to steady the ship, doing so with a 77% win rate, and wanted to return to international management.
What happened next? That actually proved to be the last great success story of Hiddink’s managerial career, one that has seen him take underdogs to the semi-finals of major international tournaments and win the European Cup with PSV. Spells with Turkey, Anzhi and the Netherlands bore little fruit and Hiddink ended up stepping in at Stamford Bridge once again in 2016, following the disastrous end to Mourinho’s second stint with the west Londoners.
Carlo Ancelotti
FA Cup final: Chelsea 1-0 Portsmouth. Ancelotti marked his first season at Chelsea with a domestic double, setting a Premier League record for goals scored in the process. They required another Drogba goal to overcome a resilient Pompey side that exited the Premier League in bottom place.
How long did he last? Just over a year. Ancelotti brought instant success back to Chelsea – who hadn’t lifted the Premier League title for four years prior to his arrival – but paid the price the season after when he couldn’t follow it up with more silverware. The Blues were eliminated from the Champions League by Manchester United and finished as runners-up behind them in the top flight after losing to them again in May. Following a defeat to Everton on the final day of the season, the Italian was sacked.
What happened next? Ancelotti went onto establish himself as one of the greatest managers of all time, becoming only the second to lift Europe’s top title on three occasions during a short and sweet spell with Real Madrid. Either side of that, he guided PSG and Bayern Munich to domestic titles. Still one of the best in the business, it wouldn’t be a huge shock to see him return to Stamford Bridge and replace Conte this summer.
Roberto Di Matteo
Football – Chelsea v Liverpool FA Cup Final – Wembley Stadium – 5/5/12 Chelsea manager Robert Di Matteo is tossed into the air by his players after winning the Final Mandatory Credit: Action Images / Jason Cairnduff Livepic
FA Cup final: Chelsea 2-1 Liverpool. Di Matteo pulled off the most unexpected of doubles after replacing Andre Villas-Boas. A severely weakened Chelsea team not only beat Liverpool 2-1 but also overcame Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena to lift the Champions League in 2012. Still the club’s greatest achievement under Abramovich.
How long did he last? 201 days. There was always a feeling that Abramovich had only given Di Matteo the job permanently because he felt obliged to, and the club legend inevitably struggled to live up to his early success. The following season, the Italian oversaw Chelsea’s early elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Juventus and a Premier League defeat to key title rivals Manchester United. Rafa Benitez was controversially brought in as his interim successor and guided Chelsea to a Europa League title.
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What happened next? In fairness to Abramovich, Di Matteo’s struggles since leaving Chelsea largely justify his decision to swiftly part with the former midfielder. He lasted less than a full season at Schalke, missing out on Champions League football following a run of just two wins from his last ten games, and was ousted after just twelve games at Aston Villa, winning one of them before being replaced by Steve Bruce. Di Matteo is yet to find another job since.
Antonio Conte?
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FA Cup final: Due to face Manchester United this Saturday, a team Chelsea have won and lost to already this season in the Premier League. Especially when combined the fact Conte’s never won a cup as a manager, varying league form probably means United enter the weekend as the favourites.
When will he be sacked? It’s all rumours and conjecture at this moment in time, but it’s unlikely Conte will survive Chelsea’s poor Premier League campaign regardless of whether the Blues win on Saturday, especially bearing in mind how public he’s been in criticising the club’s transfer policy. The timing feels right for both parties to move on, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Conte’s departure was announced immediately after the FA Cup final.
What next for Conte? There’s no question Conte will be in demand should he leave west London this summer. He won’t be returning to the Italy job and a Juventus reunion seems unlikely, but Arsenal will have a vacancy this summer – could the Italian make the bold step across the London divide? There’s also a chance of an opening at Real Madrid, which would represent the most illustrious job of Conte’s career so far.