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Manchester United will make a decision on the future of Marcel Sabitzer over the coming months, with Bayern Munich looking to sell him in the summer.

Can Man United sign Sabitzer in the summer?

The Austrian midfielder is currently on loan at Old Trafford until the end of the campaign when he is then set to return to his parent club.

United are not believed to hold an option in Sabitzer's contract to be able to make the loan deal permanent over the coming months.

However, it is believed the Bundesliga giants would be open to allowing Sabitzer to leave in the summer which could be of interest to Erik ten Hag.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has suggested Bayern Munich do not hold the 29-year-old in their plans for the future:

"The expectation on the Bayern side – they are owners of the player at the moment – is not to have Sabitzer in the squad for next season.

"[It is] also important to mention that Man United have no buy option clause included, but they can negotiate with Bayern at the end of the season.

"They will make a decision in May, in June, at the end of the current season. But on the player's side, the feeling is that he would love to continue in the Premier League; he would love to continue at Man United."

Should Man United sign Sabitzer permanently?

Sabitzer's time at United has only seen him rack up three league starts and five total appearances in the Premier League having joined in January (via FBref).

However, in those games, he has offered Ten Hag a fairly well-rounded return with the Austrian proving an almost identical amount (2.95) of shot-creating actions per game as that of Christian Eriksen (2.96) this season.

And it is not just in attack where the £110k-per-week Sabitzer has provided United with some worth having also racked up 2.9 tackles per game which is actually higher than what Scott McTominay (2.6) has produced this season.

It is apparent his efforts in a United shirt are not going unnoticed by his teammates with Diogo Dalot hailing him a "machine" after their victory away to Leeds United which saw the Austrian register five tackles, three interceptions and one clearance (via Sofascore).

Sabitzer has failed to provide United with much of a threat in front of goal with no goals to his name in the Premier League, however, it seems his well-rounded effort has been significant in the absence of Casemiro last month.

And it will be interesting to see whether Ten Hag is keen to keep the 28-year-old involved for next season with reports suggesting McTominay could well be on his way out of the club over the summer.

Given Bayern are believed to be keen to offload him in the summer, perhaps there is a deal to be done with United if the player is keen to remain at Old Trafford despite not being a regular in the starting XI.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt an immediate blow in their attempts to replace Antonio Conte as manager, with Thomas Tuchel, who Fabrizio Romano claims was on the club's shortlist, instead choosing to join Bayern Munich.

Which managers are on Spurs linked with?

The Tottenham job may have been an attractive proposition for Tuchel, given that his original plan was to find another job in the Premier League, having been out of work since being sacked as Chelsea manager earlier this season.

However, Bayern Munich came calling after parting ways with Julian Nagelsmann, and the former Chelsea boss has returned to his homeland, having previously managed the likes of Mainz and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga. Bayern's surprise sacking of Nagelsmann could have the knock-on effect of the young German manager joining Tottenham, however Romano has claimed he will take some time out before deciding on his next move.

Feyenoord's Arne Slot has also emerged as an option for Spurs, alongside the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Ruben Amorim. According to a recent update from Romano, Tuchel was one of the names on the Lilywhites' shortlist to replace Conte, however his move to Bayern means he is no longer available.

There is likely be no shortage of options for Spurs, however, as the transfer guru claims the club are still considering four or five managers. A decision may not be made any time soon, as Cristian Stellini will be given the opportunity to remain in charge until the end of the season, while the board continue their search for a permanent coach.

Would Tuchel have been a good appointment?

The 'fantastic' 49-year-old enjoyed success during his only previous spell in England, winning the 2020-21 Champions League with Chelsea, being given the world's best club coach award for his efforts, while he also triumphed in the Club World Cup.

Having won a German Cup with Dortmund, as well as six trophies with Paris Saint-Germain, the Krumbach-born tactician has been successful at every top club he has managed, so it would've been disappointing news for Levy that he is no longer available.

That said, there are still a plethora of options for Spurs, and the aforementioned Amorim could be a savvy appointment, having won five trophies in Portugal, indicating he is ready to take the next step in his managerial career.

Of course, Pochettino would also be an exciting appointment for Tottenham fans, given his history with the club, and his arrival would come with the added bonus of tempting Harry Kane into signing a new deal.

Fulham are interested in signing Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech, and they have already made contact about a summer move, according to a recent report.

Who could Fulham sign this summer?

Despite a recent dip in form, losing their last four matches in all competitions, Fulham have still had a solid first season back in the top flight, but Marco Silva will still be keen to bring in additional reinforcements in the summer transfer window.

Given that Aleksandar Mitrovic has been linked with a move away from Craven Cottage, a new striker may be needed, and it was reported earlier this month that the west London club are ready to make a move for Olivier Giroud.

The Cottagers are also interested in signing Borussia Monchengladbach defender Joe Scally, and they have recently received a boost with the news that he could be available for €12.5m (£10.5m) this summer.

Silva is keen to bring in new options all over the pitch, and a recent report from French outlet Jeunes Footeux states Ziyech is determined to leave Chelsea this summer, with Fulham being named as one of the clubs in contact about a move (via Sport Witness).

However, the Cottagers are not the only English side interested in the Moroccan, with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United also named as potential suitors, while a move abroad could also be on the cards, as Paris Saint-Germain are still in contact.

The report states it is "certain" the 30-year-old will not remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the summer, having already tried to leave in the January transfer window, which could make a deal easier to facilitate.

Will Hakim Ziyech join Fulham?

One potential stumbling block is the midfielder's huge wages, with the midfielder currently earning £100k-per-week at Chelsea, which could lead him to join a team playing in European competition, with more money to match his wage demands.

However, if Fulham are able to complete a deal, the former Ajax man could be an excellent addition to the squad, given that he has been lauded "world class" by teammate Mason Mount, who also dubbed him a "joy to play with".

The 2022/23 campaign has not been easy for the Dronten-born maestro, making just 13 appearances in the top flight, however, he achieved a 7.09 average Sofascore rating last season, which would make him the best-performing midfielder in the current Fulham squad. As such, Silva should continue to monitor Ziyech, as he would be a real upgrade on the Cottagers' current midfield options.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has revealed that West Ham United could owe millions in unpaid fees to Russian clubs and it could result in a transfer ban.

What are the latest West Ham transfer rumours?

In the summer transfer window before last, Nikola Vlasic arrived from CSKA Moscow on a permanent transfer, while Alex Kral joined on loan from Spartak Moscow for the 2021/22 season.

It's safe to say those moves didn't go great for either player. Indeed, Vlasic is now on loan with Serie A club Torino after one goal in 19 Premier League outings for the Hammers, while Kral finished his loan with just six appearances under his belt across the entire season.

On top of that disappointment, it seems as though West Ham now have another headache to consider relating to the flops.

Indeed, while speaking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed the club still owe money relating to unpaid fees, with payments affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The insider said (0:21): "West Ham apparently owe a collective amount of £7.8m to the Russian authorities over unpaid transfer fees.

"So the first one is for Alex Kral’s loan move from Spartak Moscow, apparently, we still owe £4.38m for that. And that we still owe CFK Moscow £3.5m for Vlasic.

"Now, West Ham are arguing that you're not allowed to send money to Russia, obviously as a result of the Russia-Ukrainian war.

"But the Russian authorities are saying they're owed that money, and there's even talk that they're applying for us to have a transfer ban as a result of not paying these figures.

"I mean, the figure is so small that I'm sure if that ever became a realistic penalty, then then we would just pay it. But we're still disputing this."

Why did Alex Kral flop at West Ham?

It's fair to say Kral didn't enjoy his time with the East London football club. Indeed, he told Capital Football in a interview earlier this season: “Really fast I recognised I won’t play in too many games, so I worked on my weaknesses in each training.

“Moyes didn’t speak much with me, he was detached.

“I only spoke to him one time when I went to him, asking him what I needed to improve to play, at a time when Rice and Tomas were out of the game.

“But something was off because if I had been doing everything right I’d be playing, no? So, I tried to speak like this with him, I didn’t go and ask: ‘Why am I not playing?’.

“But he kept saying that I needed to wait for my chance, the rest was between him and me."

In the end, he left West Ham have played for just one minute in the Premier League, so it's safe to say it wasn't a good loan spell – nor was he worth that £4.38m still owed.

Vlasic also struggled as mentioned earlier and seeing as he cost an initial £25.7m plus £7.7m in add-ons, which seems to not have been paid yet, the Irons must truly regret these deals now.

Journalist James McNicholas has claimed that Arsenal winger Emile Smith Rowe could be allowed to leave in the summer.

What's the latest on Emile Smith Rowe and Arsenal?

With just weeks left to play in the Premier League, every game feels increasingly important for the Gunners as they look to maintain their lead at the top of the table.

Unfortunately for Mikel Arteta and co, on Sunday afternoon they surrendered a two-goal lead away at West Ham United and had to settle for just a point when the full-time whistle blew.

The Hammers equalised through Jarrod Bowen in the 54th minute, which left the Gunners with plenty of time to go out and chase a winner.

In pursuit of that, Arteta looked to bring on the likes of Leandro Trossard, Reiss Nelson, Eddie Nketiah and Fabio Vieira as attacking options off the bench.

Clearly, then, he trusted all of them to make a difference in the game ahead of Smith Rowe.

While talking about the player on the latest episode of Arsenal podcast Arsecast Extra, McNicholas claimed that we might not see much of the Englishman for the rest of the season, before adding that he might not even be asked to return to the team after the summer.

He said (48:25): "It almost feels as though he's been written off for the season. And you know: come back after a full preseason, if at all…

"But it's a strange one. And it's a pretty swift fall from grace because he was in the first XI for much of last season."

Does Arteta trust Smith Rowe?

Smith Rowe certainly has struggled for regular game time over the course of Arsenal's current campaign. Indeed, he's played just nine times in the league so far, for a measly total of 114 minutes.

However, this isn't necessarily because Arteta doesn't rate the 22-year-old. After all, groin surgery has kept him out for a large section of the season.

Even so, Smith Rowe has been available for the last nine league games but hasn't started even one – with four substitute appearances in this time.

The £40k-p/wmidfielder has plenty of talent and was vital for the club last term, as he made 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring 11 goals.

Since then, whether it be fitness issues or another reason altogether, Arteta seems to have lost some faith in Smith Rowe.

With all that in mind, it does feel as though his long-term future at Arsenal is now in doubt.

Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia could shine under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea if both move to the club this summer, according to journalist Alex Crook.

Is Lavia moving to Chelsea?

This feels like a key period in the Blues' recent history, with the hunt for a new manager becoming increasingly intense and the right man having to be appointed this time around. Pochettino appears to be the overriding favourite to take charge at this point – the former Tottenham boss is thought to be closer than ever to taking the job.

Away from the managerial circus, Chelsea also continue to be linked with new signings this summer, and Lavia is one player whose name has been in the conversation for some time now. The £25,000-a-week Saints midfielder has shone for a struggling team this season, making 20 starts in the Premier League and performing with maturity beyond his 19 years.

The Belgian has an 86.5% pass completion rate in the competition, while an average of two tackles per game highlight his tenacity in a deep-lying midfield role.

Could Lavia and Pochettino shine together?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, talkSPORT reporter Crook claimed that Lavia and Pochettino could be a match made in the heaven if the pair both move to Chelsea at the end of the season:

"He's a perfect Pochettino player. It's his big strength for me, he's a training ground manager who gets the best out of young players in particular, so that ticks a lot of boxes. I know Lavia is someone that the club have had their eyes on for a while."

Lavia could be exactly what Chelsea are looking for in the summer transfer window, with younger legs needed in midfield and someone to come in as a long-term replacement for the influential N'Golo Kante, who turned 32 last month. At just 19, the Belgium international is already an established Premier League player, with Pep Guardiola recently describing him as "incredible".

It may not be easy for the Blues to get their man, with a return to former club City possible, as well as potential other destinations, but he should be viewed as a huge long-term prospect who can come in and be a strong squad player from the off.

Pochettino would no doubt love to have a young player with his ability at his disposal, using his man-management skills to get the best out of him and ensure that he becomes an even more polished footballer over time.

Tottenham Hotspur's former boss Mauricio Pochettino is looking set to become Chelsea's new manager and it seems Daniel Levy showed no interest in a potential reunion.

Why won't Levy rehire Pochettino?

Things went from bad to worse for the north London club on the weekend with their faint Champions League hopes coming off the rails on Tyneside.

Cristian Stellini has since departed the club following the result against Newcastle United after the Lilywhites were left embarrassed by Eddie Howe's men.

But no permanent replacement for Antonio Conte is yet to be found with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann still being linked with the vacancy in north London.

One manager who was loosely linked with replacing Conte was Pochettino with the Argentine said to be open to a potential return to his old stomping ground.

However, any possibility of a reunion in N17 is now seemingly off the cards with the Argentine closing in on becoming the next Chelsea manager.

But it seems as if Tottenham's 61-year-old chairman was not interested in the potential reunion with his former manager with Levy not contacting Pochettino about the job.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Alasdair Gold has suggested the Argentine was never in Levy's thinking to take on the job in north London after sacking Conte:

(32:00) "And look, I think Daniel Levy deserves 90% of the blame for this, you know, to have never even contacted Pochettino about potentially returning it shows a stubbornness. Especially because he was available.

"Just to not wanting to admit mistakes, it's not a good look in any way, shape or form. And from what I understand, Pochettino would have been open to discussing it. He would have had that conversation, whether he would have accepted it is another thing. You know, it's like I've said a million times before, it's a very different club to the one he left in 2019.

"Yeah, I understand he would have been open to have that conversation. But the conversation was never even initiated."

Has Levy missed an open goal by not hiring Pochettino?

From listening to the Spurs fans over the last few games, it is apparent a lot of them would like to have seen a return for Pochettino following Conte's departure.

However, it seems their chairman did not get the message with the 61-year-old missing a huge opportunity to appease a big section of the Spurs faithful.

Tensions between the fans and the board are seemingly at an all-time high as Spurs look set to miss out on the Champions League amid their managerial merry-go-round.

Fans have been heard vocalising their frustrations with chants heard for Levy to move on away from the club amid their struggles this season.

Despite this, it seems tensions could be set to increase with Pochettino looking likely to take charge of one of their biggest rivals across London.

Chelsea find themselves in a similar position to Tottenham in the sense that they need a fresh start with a new manager who can galvanise their current crop of players.

Pochettino has shown in the past that he can do this in north London and if he is able to transform Chelsea's fortunes, then it will not reflect kindly on the Spurs board who have overlooked the Argentine.

Referee Paul Tierney and his VAR team may have made a big mistake by not awarding a penalty in the recent Tottenham Hotspur match.

What's the latest on VAR and Spurs?

In the Premier League on Sunday afternoon, Spurs took part in a dramatic encounter with Liverpool which they ultimately lost 4-3.

Ryan Mason looked to have been completely out-coached by Jurgen Klopp in the early stages of the game as the Reds scored three times inside the first 15 minutes.

However, over the remainder of the game, Tottenham showed great spirit to eventually level things up at 3-3. With a point in their grasp, though, they let it slip, with Diogo Jota netting a 94th-minute winner.

Much has been made about the fact that he could have actually been sent off after a high boot on Oliver Skipp, but Spurs may have the right to feel angered by another key decision that went against them on the day.

Indeed, with the score at 3-2, Pedro Porro tries to pick out Richarlison with a cross but the Brazilian is clumsily brought to the ground by Ibrahima Konate – as seen on Match of the Day.

Did Richarlison deserve a penalty against Liverpool?

Referee Tierney decided to ignore Tottenham's shouts and David Coote on VAR sided with the referee. But as the image above shows, Konate has his hands all over Richarlison and if a penalty had initially been awarded, it's very unlikely that it would have been overturned.

Seeing as the game ended in such a spectacular and dramatic fashion, it's hard to imagine the same events would have happened had this challenge resulted in a spot kick.

Richarlison did still play a vital part in the game after that though, as he scored Spurs' third goal of the game. Who knows how things would have turned out, had he also won a penalty earlier.

At the very least, manager Mason seemed pleased with the Brazilian's efforts, telling football.london: "I thought he helped us, he'd done exactly what I thought he would do. He caused them a lot of problems running in the channels and created a bit of physicality for us. Obviously he's had a bit of time out and you could probably see that in terms of lack of rhythm at times.

"He's that type of player that causes a lot of trouble. Once he scores that goal and gets that confidence then we might see a different type of player."

A £30m price tag has been set for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Djibril Sow, who is being closely tracked by West Ham.

What’s the latest on Djibril Sow to West Ham?

According to Football Insider, the Hammers are continuing their pursuit of a deal for the midfielder.

The outlet previously revealed that the Irons have extensively scouted the 26-year-old ahead of a potential £30m move in the summer. It's said that if a bid of that amount arrives, it's likely to be accepted.

The East London outfit is scanning the market for a Declan Rice replacement, whose departure is nearing ever closer.

It has been reported that the Englishman could leave West Ham for £100m and this monstrous fee could partly be reinvested in the Frankfurt star.

Sow’s contract expires in the summer of 2024, so his current club may choose in cash during this window to avoid losing one of their prized assets for free.

What would Djibril Sow bring to West Ham?

The £18m-rated machine was an integral component of the German side that won the Europa League last season. On the journey, he made 12 appearances, and made three goal contributions, with an average rating of 6.89, as per WhoScored.

The 36-cap international started every game for Switzerland at the World Cup, and he has appeared in 28 of the 30 Bundesliga games.

After being named Swiss Super League Young Footballer of the Year in 2019, he was showered with praise upon signing a five-year deal back in 2019.

Former Frankfurt board member Fredi Bobic said: “We're absolutely convinced of his ability to perform and his potential to develop further. His technical, strategic, and athletic abilities will strengthen us."

His rise in his homeland is similar to that of Rice’s in England – a young, dynamic, but equally commanding and tough-tackling pivot, who is able to ruthlessly dictate proceedings.

Adi Hütter, the titan’s old manager, described Sow as a "fast, box-to-box player.” Although Rice perhaps doesn't boast the speed of a cheetah, he is renowned for being elite, having been hailed as “the best in his position in world football” by John Terry.

When Rice does eventually exit, his sublime passing range will be missed, but the Swiss is also astute in this department – ranking in the top 21% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for progressive passes.

He has also been pinpointed as a “combative” presence by the Express' Sam Smith and his profile fits the style of English football. As a result, he would be expected to acclimatise smoothly.

Therefore, for this cut price and with the plethora of experience he’s gained from Bundesliga and European football, Sow would be a fantastic option for West Ham, and he would be an adequate replacement for Rice.

The prospects of India hosting a day-night Test any time soon could be pushed back as BCCI president Anurag Thakur said that the board was in “no hurry” to play with pink ball unless it was completely satisfied

Nagraj Gollapudi24-Jun-2016The prospects of India hosting a day-night Test any time soon could be pushed back as BCCI president Anurag Thakur said that the board was in “no hurry” to play with the pink ball unless it was completely certain.Speaking at the conclusion of the inaugural BCCI conclave in Dharamsala, Thakur said the board would await the feedback from players after the season-opening Duleep Trophy, which will be played under lights and with the pink ball for the first time.”Let us wait for the players to decide on that,” Thakur said at a media briefing after the BCCI’s working committee meeting. “Let us take the feedback during the upcoming Duleep Trophy. There have been experiments going on all over the world with the pink ball. We are not in a hurry. We want to take a decision once the BCCI is sure that they want to go with the pink ball.”Last week, the first pink-ball match in India was played at Eden Gardens – the final of the Super League, a local tournament in Bengal organised by the Cricket Association of Bengal – from June 18. Mohun Bagan beat arch-rivals Bhowanipore Cricket Club in three days but, importantly, the experiment – an initiative by former India captain and CAB president Sourav Ganguly – proved to be a success, according to pundits present at the match.In an interview with ESPNcricinfo earlier this month, Thakur had expressed scepticism about day-night Test cricket working in India. He mentioned three specific issues that bothered him: “One, the conditions such as Indian pitches and the dew factor. Second, in tier-two cities, how can we expect crowds to come every day with play ending after 11pm five days in a row? Three, is this the only way to encourage Test cricket, or could there be some other way?”A moderate crowd attended the Bagan-Bhowanipore contest, keeping in mind that it was a club match over the weekend. Crucially, there was no dew factor, as Ganguly had predicted on the eve of the match, although he had highlighted the fact that dew might be a deterrent if such a match were to be played from October onwards.Most of the concerns that are usually expressed by players seemed to not bother players from Bagan and Bhowanipore. The pink Kookaburra maintained its shape, the seam did not wear off and players could sight the ball without too many problems.India will have four countries visiting them to play 13 Tests between October and March in a home season that is being called ‘India Cricket’ by the BCCI. The general perception is that at least one of those Tests could be a day-night game. In fact, Thakur had said in April that India would play one day-night Test with the pink ball against New Zealand later this year.New Zealand arrive in October to play a three-Test series, and speculation was that the pink-ball Test would be held in Kolkata. However, New Zealand Cricket rubbished such reports, saying it had received no communication from the BCCI.Thakur, however, said on Friday that it was important not to get swayed by whether or not India would play a day-night Test soon. The more important fact, which he felt was not being highlighted, is the volume of Test cricket India play over the next five years. “One of the accusations against the BCCI was ‘Oh, they are only T20-focussed.’ In the last 30-40 years, this is going to be the first time we are going to play the largest number of Test matches, but that didn’t find any headline anywhere – 13 Test matches at home, 46 Test matches in the next five years, 76 ODIS and only 21 T20Is.”Thakur revealed that he had also “secured” at least 20 home matches for India in the next eight-year FTP cycle, which starts from 2019. “So that revenues of the board and the state associations is secured and we are also going to fulfill our commitment towards other boards as we have to play a larger role in world cricket. So the BCCI understands the larger role we have to play. We will fulfill those commitments, but not at the cost of the Indian fan. The Indian fan deserves a defined cricket season, which is from October to March.”