Leeds, Norwich, Sunderland, Hull, Huddersfield, Watford and Plymouth could all be losing players to the top flight By Ben McAleer for WhoScored Crysencio Summerville was withdrawn with 15 minutes to go in Leeds’ defeat to Southampton in the Championship playoff final. The Dutchman disappointed at Wembley but Leeds’ failure to make an immediate return to the Premier League means interested parties will feel confident of luring the youngster away from Elland Road this summer. The 22-year-old Feyenoord graduate contributed to 29 goals this season, scoring 20 and setting up nine, and he also ranked third for successful dribbles (101) in the division. Continue reading...

German makes reference to runner-up seasonsEvening draws an audience of 11,000 fans Jürgen Klopp said he would celebrate with a bus parade if Liverpool were awarded the two Premier League titles they lost by a point to Manchester City as he bid a tearful farewell to fans at a “Danke Jürgen” tribute night. The former Liverpool manager returned to the city for a rousing send-off from 11,000 fans at the M&S Bank Arena, nine days after his final game at Anfield. Klopp revealed he has held “good talks” with his successor, Arne Slot, and broke down in tears as fans repeatedly chanted “I’m so glad that Jürgen is a red” after a montage was played of his Liverpool highlights. All proceeds from the event went to the Liverpool Foundation, the club’s charity of which Klopp is to be an ambassador. Continue reading...

Jordan Henderson's move to Ajax was not enough for him to make the England squad, so what next for the midfielder in Amsterdam?

Dutch club Ajax appoint Nice boss Francesco Farioli as their new head coach on a three-year contract.

Ajax announced the appointment of Francesco Farioli as their new head coach on a three-year contract on Thursday.

Ajax Amsterdam have agreed a fee for the release of Nice coach Francesco Farioli with the 35-year-old expected to sign a three-year contract in the coming days, sources told ESPN Netherlands.

Provisional squad includes Shaw, Colwill, Branthwaite and EzeGuéhi, Quansah, Bowen and Maddison picked by SouthgateFollow live updates as Southgate announces the squad Gareth Southgate is set to make a string of huge decisions when he names England’s training squad, with Adam Wharton and Curtis Jones surprisingly selected over Jordan Henderson in midfield and Ben Chilwell left out despite major doubts over Luke Shaw’s fitness at left-back. There is set to be a youthful, fresh look to the squad when it is announced on Tuesday afternoon. Henderson, who has not missed a major tournament since Euro 2012, has paid the price for a poor season. The former Liverpool captain struggled after moving to the Saudi Pro League and he has been unable to recover his form since joining Ajax in January. Continue reading...

From winning the Premier League in 2020 to his love for the city, readers tell us how they feel about Klopp’s time as manager As Jürgen Klopp leaves Liverpool after nine years at the helm, fans have been reflecting on his tenure at the club. The coach delivered Liverpool their first league title in a generation, as well as creating countless memories on the way to securing another European Cup. As he waved goodbye to Anfield one final time on Sunday, Guardian readers told us about their enduring memories of Klopp – as well as their hopes for the future under new manager Arne Slot. Continue reading...

At AZ and Feyenoord I encountered a coach who was tactically sharp, an exceptional analyst and an astute man-manager I was playing at FC Groningen when my teammate Etiënne Reijnen told me: “I’ve been called by my former teammate Arne, who was asking about you; how you are as a player and person.” That was my introduction to Arne Slot. He was assistant at AZ and I was told he was a very good coach. Soon after, I moved there and got to know him as a very tactical and knowledgable coach, who took a genuine interest in you as a human being as well. As an assistant he did the tactical team talks and analysis of training sessions and he was very detailed, providing solutions to game situations while working on it in training. He motivated me every day to become a better player, to have a bigger goal in mind and to work very hard for that. So I already had that bond with him when he became head coach at AZ after a year and a half. Continue reading...

Arsenal are in the market for a striker and Newcastle' Alexander Isak and Ajax' Brian Brobbey have been linked. Transfer Talk has the latest.

This feels like an act of disruption from club’s US investors but there is logic to appointing a super-smart yet low-cost tyro Welcome, then, to the dicing and slicing of Arne Slot. As ever with the appointment of a new manager at one of the Premier League’s heritage-level clubs, it is necessary to make a prediction; to judge before anything has actually happened whether this will prove to be a successful hire. The real answer to which is, of course: nobody knows. Football is a field of endless variables. Even the most dominant manager has a diminishing range of influence. Every appointment is a gamble, every managerial hire a playing of the slots. Continue reading...

The Dutch coach will take over an elite club with an excellent squad, but faces plenty of big decisions this summer Managers are seldom hired to take over a well-run, elite-level club not in urgent need of repair or transformation. Liverpool in 2024 represents one of those rare opportunities. Despite a disappointing end to his reign, Jürgen Klopp has bequeathed to his successor a fine squad, of a relatively young age, that developed faster than expected into a contender for the Premier League title, that knows how to win silverware and will be back in the Champions League next season after a one-year hiatus. And, as the Carabao Cup triumph demonstrated, there is a healthy flow of young talent rolling off the academy production line too. The internal structure of the club is also in good shape. There is no need to rip it up and start again, as David Moyes attempted to do when succeeding Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. Liverpool’s recruitment search led them to Arne Slot because he offers a degree of continuity in playing style, among other attributes, but of course he must make his own modifications. Change is welcome, inevitable, but revolution on the playing side is not required. That being said … Continue reading...

Slot joins from Feyenoord, where he won two trophiesHe is understood to be keen to work with Darwin Núñez Liverpool have confirmed the appointment of Arne Slot as their head coach 24 hours after Jürgen Klopp bade farewell to Anfield. Liverpool have had an agreement in place with the former Feyenoord coach for more than three weeks but wanted to delay the announcement until after Klopp’s departure. Slot has been confirmed as the head coach, not manager, and has signed a three-year contract. The 45-year-old had two years remaining on his deal with Feyenoord, who will receive €9m (£7.7m) plus €2m in add-ons in compensation. He is due to formally start on 1 June, subject to a work permit. Continue reading...

Dutchman returned against Everton after long injury layoff‘I had a feeling we deserved this year to win it’ Jurriën Timber expects Arsenal will continue to improve under Mikel Arteta and mount another Premier League title challenge next season after the disappointment of missing out to Manchester City on the final day. The Dutchman came on against Everton on Sunday for his first appearance since injuring an anterior cruciate ligament in Arsenal’s opening game. Timber, who cost an initial £34m from Ajax last summer, said he had mixed emotions because City’s win over West Ham confirmed them as champions for a fourth successive season. Continue reading...