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      Former Arsenal star ‘ready to end retirement just FOUR WEEKS after quitting game with shock transfer’

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      A FORMER Arsenal star could be tempted out of retirement just four weeks after hanging up his boots.The ex-Gunners favourite, who left the Emirates in 2017, confirmed his emotional decision in a statement last month.A former Arsenal star is being considered for a high-profile moveCredit: Action Images – ReutersHaving played at the highest level, he admitted that he’d lost the hunger for the game, despite still being physically able at 34.In his statement, he wrote: “I’ve made friends for life, created unforgettable memories and met people who have made an incredible impact on my life. Everything that I have and everything that I am I owe to the beautiful game of football…”But I also gave the game all I had. I gave the game 18 years of my life, every day, without excuses. Today, though my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore.”I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family – my amazing wife Marina and our two beautiful children Liam and Noelia.”READ MORE IN FOOTBALLJust weeks after making his decision, however, Wojciech Szczesny may be tempted to return.According to Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona chiefs are mulling over a shock move for the Polish goalkeeper.The Catalan giants are looking to bring in a new stopper, after No1 Marc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a nasty knee injury against Villarreal last weekend.Ter Stegen, 32, underwent successful knee surgery on Monday, and is expected to be ruled out for at least seven months.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSWojciech Szczesny confirmed his retirement last monthCredit: GettyMarc-Andre ter Stegen suffered a nasty injury at the weekendCredit: RexIn the short-term, La Masia graduate Inaki Pena, 25, will take the gloves.But Barca chiefs want to recruit a more experienced option.What happened to Highbury?Szczesny made 35 appearances in Serie A for Juventus last season.Barca bosses hope that the allure of playing for another huge club could tempt him out of retirement.Another factor could be talismanic Polish striker Robert Lewandowski.The forward, 36, has a long-standing relationship with Szczesny, having played with him for his national team for many years.In fact, the duo took to the field together as recently as the summer, when both featured at Euro 2024 in Germany.Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano adds that Barca have approached Szczesny’s representatives CAA Stellar.Should Barca fail to sign Szczesny, they could look to former Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas.The Costa Rican, 37, is a free agent having left Paris Saint-Germain at the end of last season.He rejected advances from Brazil and Saudi Arabia over the summer, and has remained fit by training at Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa.Navas made six appearances in total for PSG last season, including four in Ligue 1, as he backed up first choice Gianluigi Donnarumma.The 6ft 1in stopper was most recently a first choice during the second half of the 2022-23 campaign, which he spent on loan at Nottingham Forest.READ MORE SUN STORIESDespite his history with Real Madrid, it’s claimed that Navas would have no qualms about joining Barcelona.He is represented by agent Jorge Mendes, who has close ties with the Catalan club.Keylor Navas left Paris Saint-Germain in the summerCredit: Getty More

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      Premier League ref Anthony Taylor in firing line AGAIN after Uefa bosses admit he made monumental error during Euro 2024

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      PREM ref Anthony Taylor has been hit by another blow – after Uefa bosses said he wrongly denied Germany a penalty during Euro 2024.Taylor was relegated to fourth official duties last weekend after booking a record 14 players in Chelsea’s 1-0 win at Bournemouth.Uefa have confirmed that Anthony Taylor made a monumental mistake at Euro 2024Credit: PAHe did not award a penalty for a handball by Marc CucurellaCredit: ReutersThe Wythenshawe whistler is due to be back in the middle this weekend after being appointed to take charge of Liverpool’s visit to Wolves on Saturday.But a report by Uefa’s referees’ committee, leaked in Spain, castigated Taylor for not awarding Germany a spot kick during extra-time of their last eight defeat by the subsequent champions.And that led to former Germany midfielder Toni Kroos lambasting Taylor for his decision and mockingly asking: “Can I now say that I am a European champion?”Taylor played on after Jamal Musiala’s shot was blocked by the arm of Chelsea defender Marc Cucarella, with his decision not to award a spot kick backed by VAR Stuart Attwell.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLArsenal summer recruit Mikel Merino scored the winning goal for Spain soon afterwards, with the incident leading to Cucarella being jeered mercilessly by German fans in both the semi-final win over France and the Final against England.But the official report of the Uefa body makes clear that Taylor got it wrong.It said: “Following the latest UEFA guidelines, hand-to-ball contact that stops a shot on goal should be punished more strictly, and in most cases a penalty kick should be awarded, unless the defender’s arm is very close to the body or on the body.“In this case, the defender stops the shot on goal with his arm, which is not very close to the body, making itself bigger, so a penalty kick should have been awarded.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSTaylor, one of Uefa’s most senior refs,  was surprisingly not appointed to any matches when the new-look expanded Champions League kicked off last week.And the report sparked a backlash from Germany, led by Kroos – who was playing what became the final match of his career.Football analyst bizarrely blames ref Anthony Taylor for ‘hindering Man Utd’s play’ in humiliating loss to LiverpoolToni Kroos led the backlash against the decisionCredit: GettyHe said: “It took them three months to realise that there was a handball, something that almost everyone could see in a second.“That reassures me a lot.”Can I say that I am now European champion because it has been officially confirmed? I don’t think so.”After the game, Cucurella admitted that the ball hit his arm but Taylor “immediately” told him it was not a foul.He said: “The ball hit my hand, but the referee immediately said no, no, no, and that made me feel better.”If the refereeing experts say it’s not a handball, then it’s not a handball”Taylor was also criticised for his role during Nottingham Forest’s defeat to Everton last season.READ MORE SUN STORIESThe official denied the East Midlands outfit of three penalty decision.He was also involved as the fourth official as three red cards were handed out in Forest’s 2-2 draw against Brighton on Sunday.Official stanceBy Mark HalseyWHEN Morgan Gibbs-White went to ground on Joao Pedro already on a yellow card, I thought he could be in big  trouble.Rob Jones clearly signalled for a throw in to Brighton and then made a gesture that Gibbs-White had clearly won the ball.Therefore, fourth official Anthony Taylor should simply not have got involved.Taylor has refereed that second-half incident. Had he not made the signal for a throw and that he won the ball, then Taylor could have helped Jones.And that incident sparked the managers and saw things boil over on the touchline.Ultimately, the officials caused Fabian Hurzeler and Nuno Espirito Santo to be sent off for their reactions to the decision. More

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      Mikel Arteta says ‘I would be very thick’ if he repeated previous mistake as Arsenal boss defends tactics vs Man City

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      MIKEL ARTETA claims that he would have been “thick” to repeat previous mistakes made against Manchester City.The Arsenal boss, 42, spoke today ahead of his side’s Carabao Cup clash with Bolton tomorrow night.Mikel Arteta spoke ahead of his side’s clash with BoltonCredit: GettyArsenal were reduced to 10 men following Leandro Trossard’s red cardCredit: PASince their 2-2 draw with City on Sunday, the Gunners have been criticised for their defensive tactics.Several City players blasted their style of play, with Kyle Walker referring to their “dark arts”.While statistics also show that Arsenal on average waste more time during stoppages in play than any other team in the Premier League.When asked if he was “surprised” about the reaction to his team’s game plan, Arteta claimed that their tactics were “normal”.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLHe said: “Well, we had to play the game that we had to play. The first 10, 15 minutes, we couldn’t with 11 vs 11.”Then we got much better. Then we were thrown in a very different context and did what every team does.”They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did for 30 seconds. It’s normal what they did. We had to do it in a different way.”The Spaniard then referenced his side’s trip to the Etihad in September 2021, when they were beaten 5-0 following Granit Xhaka’s first half red card.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSHe continued: “We learnt from the past. Unfortunately we’ve been in the same situation a few times.”We were in that same situation with Granit after 38 minutes and we lost 5-0.Tight-lipped Mikel Arteta hints Arsenal picked up ‘serious’ injury against Man City as he says ‘we have to wait on one’ “We’d better learn. If not I would be thick, very thick.”Arteta went on to take issue with a question that referred to Declan Rice and Leandro Trossard both being sent off for “kicking the ball away”.He interjected: “For passing it you mean.”Quizzed if he will remind his players not to kick the ball away in future, he replied: “Yeah I think so. Don’t touch the ball. We will play without the ball.”Arteta was also asked about his post-match confrontation with Erling Haaland.The City striker, 24, told the Gunners boss to “stay humble”.He reflected: “It’s part of football, part of sport. After the game, all that goes away and we move on. That’s it.”We thought games like this had been lostSunSport’s NEIL CUSTIS hails chaotic Man City vs Arsenal clash as a return to the Premier League of yesteryear.FOR two teams who have done so much to take the game forward this really was a tremendous throwback.We thought these games had been lost.Real feisty encounters between two rivals fighting for the top honours.How we used to love it when Manchester United came up against Arsenal when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were in charge.When Roy Keane, watching on as a TV pundit here, used to clash with Patrick Vieira before a ball had been kicked.The Manchester derbies used to have it as well.In fact that were clashes everywhere throughout the league.Since then the emphasis on the beauty of the game, the tactical side, the ball playing centre-back, the false nine, the inverted full-backs have all come to the fore.But English football still loves something like this.Compare this to the two matches between this pair last season not least the really STALEmate here.Then along comes a blood and thunder classic.A match to set the tone for what we all hope will be a real title tussle to the end but with that added edge.While these two managers maybe good friends who knows we may even get the niggly comments in pre-match press conferences about each others teams.We knew we were in for something a bit different as straight from the kick-off Kai Havertz charged into Rodri and left him flawed.The first players’ melee ensued.Foreign coaches often scratch their heads as to why English crowds love stuff like this.Love a thumping tackle, or a bit of a barney.How that as much as any sweeping move gets them to the edge of their seats and there was plenty of that here.Jurrien Timber was employed on the right to combat the pace of Jeremy Doku.SO Doku just charged into him and floored him.Rodri was clearly seen as one of City’s key men so at a corner Thoams Party followed up Havertz’s early example and caught him behind the knee, and the player hobbled out of the action.Gabriel and Erling Haaland was a classic battle between a big centre-forward and an Arsenal centre-back who performs like greats of old like Tony Adams and Martin Keown.A player for whom a thumping tackle warrants the same high fives or celebrations as something defining at the other end of the pitch.Haaland did brilliantly to pull away William Saliba and slip behind Gabriel for his goal.Gabriel will have been fuming having kept the big Norwegian so quiet last season.He barely gave him another sniff of goal, barring a second-half header saved, as he stuck to him, the pair often pushing and shoving one another as Haaland became frustrated with his shadow.Leandro Trossard did not get his second yellow and therefore the only red for the actual barge on Bernardo as everyone first thought but for kicking the ball away after that.Both technical areas were a flurry of arm waving and shouting from the two managers.The staff on the two benches started having a go at each other and Guardiola had to intervene.In the press box one of Arsenal’s technical staff was losing it.As Arsenal players went down with cramp and played for time the boos went up.The fourth official was getting in the ear.Michael Oliver was being told he was not fit to referee by a large section of the home support.When Arsenal fans were spotted in the posh seats having been in the expensive tunnel club City fans shouted and pointed to try and get them ejected.Right at the end after City’s dramatic equaliser and the game restarted Haaland barged into Partey and every player on the pitch got involved even the two goalkeepers.At the final whistle the ref was harrangued.On the touchline Guardiola and Arteta hugged. 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      Inside Man Utd star Marcus Rashford’s incredible car collection that now includes chauffeur-driven Bentley worth £200k

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      MARCUS Rashford has got around his driving ban by buying a £200,000 Bentley to be chauffeured around in.The Man Utd forward, who owns a fleet of Rolls Royce motors worth around £2.5million, splashed the cash on the new Flying Spur Azure.Banned driver Marcus Rashford has added another car to his epic garageRashford has bought a £200k Bentley Flying Spur Azure to be driven around inThe luxury motor boasts a V8, four-litre, twin-turbo engine with 550 horsepower and “unrivalled comfort and elegance”.The leather interior features three-dimensional diamond-shaped embossing in the door panels and its longer wheelbase means the car has more space inside for Rash to kick back.The rear seats are equipped with actual pillows for ultimate comfort, and Rashford can watch Netflix on matte monitors mounted on the front seat backs .The car also features a glass-to-glass panoramic sunroof and electric blinds.Read more sports stars’ carsHis new purchase comes a year after he added a £560,000 Cullinan Blue Shadow to his stunning car collection.SunSport wades through his epic garage.Cullinan Blue Shadow, £560,000The bespoke limited edition motor is one of only 62 made.Each one is sprayed “Stardust Blue” to mimic the halo of the Earth’s upper atmosphere — 62 miles from the planet’s surface.Most read in FootballThe 6.75-litre, twin-turbo charged V12 SUV has a luxury interior and an audio system that features 18 speakers.I rebuilt Rashford’s wrecked Rolls-RoyceMan United striker Marcus, 26, also has a £390,000 Black Badge Cullinan and a 700,000 Black Badge Wraith.Rolls-Royce released the Cullinan — named after the famed diamond — in 2018.Car fan Marcus’ Man United team-mate Luke Shaw, 29, and Man City’s Erling Haaland, 24, are other stars to have Cullinans.And those Rolls-Royce motors, worth a combined £2.5million, are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Rashford’s amazing garage.The ace added a £560,000 Cullinan Blue Shadow to his set last yearMarcus in his Black Badge CullinanCredit: Eamonn and James ClarkeThe star gets into his Black Badge WraithCredit: Eamonn and James ClarkeMcLaren 765 Long Tail, £280,000Rashford bought a McLaren 765 Long Tail worth £280,000.He was pictured jumping into the supercar, after a shopping trip in Cheshire at a jewellers.The McLaren is a seriously speedy car, able to to reach a top speed of 205 mph.It reaches 0-60 mph in a staggering 2.7 seconds.Marcus Rashford boasts a McLaren 765 Long Tail in his collectionCredit: Internet UnknownLamborghini Urus Performante, £350,000The footballer’s choice nowadays.Every Premier League star worth their weight in salt has been seen behind the wheel of one.Powered by 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, the Urus is a beast of a car.Astonishingly for an SUV, it can hit 0-62 mph in just 3.3 seconds.A Lamborghini Urus costs £350,000Audi RS4, £60,000This was Rashford’s very first car.Not bad for an 18-year-old, eh? Who had just broken into United’s first team.He opted for the super-reliable Audi RS4, which used to be the Real Madrid stars’ choice of car, thanks to a sponsorship deal the Spanish club had.It’s where Rashford’s love of cars started.Rashford’s first car was an Audi when he was 18Credit: Cavendish Press (Manchester) LTD M1 3HZread more sport featuresMercedes CLA 45 Coupe, £60,000After emerging from the shadows to become one of the most talked about youngsters in English football, he got himself a fancy Merc.Sadly, he wasn’t in it for every long.Back in 2017, when Rashford was driving home from training, a motorist careered into the right hand side and it was written off.Rashford wrote off his CLA 45 CoupeCredit: 07971 879251Mercedes S Class Coupe, £103,000If one Mercedes isn’t enough, try two.Rashford expanded on his German fleet, introducing a S Class Coupe to his car roster, wrapping it from white to silver.It’s was most luxurious saloon car the motor company produced, which is why it came with such a hefty price tag when he was spotted in it around 2017.Utd forward Rashford then added a S Class Coupe worth £103,000Range Rover Sport, £70,000Continuing to follow in the trend of footballers around the globe, Rashford had a Range Rover Sport too.He went with the Velar from Urban Automotive, a modifier of luxury vehicles.READ MORE SUN STORIESIt would have come souped up, with no luxury or expense spared.His good pal Jesse Lingard also had the same Range Rover, when they played at United together.Rashford spotted driving his souped up Range Rover to CarringtonCredit: Cavendish Press More

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      Champions League final to be MOVED as San Siro STRIPPED of hosting privileges with new stadium to take huge game

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      THE Champions League final is set to be moved to a new stadium after the San Siro was stripped of its hosting privileges.The iconic Milan ground was set to host the European final in 2027 but now a new venue will be found.The San Siro will no longer be the host of the 2027 Champions League finalCredit: RexThe stadium is the home of AC Milan and Inter MilanCredit: GettyThe decision has been made as the Municipality of Milan was unable to guarantee that the Giuseppe Meazza stadium would not be affected by refurbishment work.A statement read: “Municipality of Milano could not guarantee that the San Siro stadium and its surroundings would not be affected by refurbishment works.”A new venue for the glamour tie is yet to be decided.It could be handed to Wembley Stadium as a result, even though the ground held last season’s final, which Real Madrid won.READ MORE ON FOOTBALLUefa know playing their biggest match at a venue with outstanding corporate facilities would make it an even bigger money-spinner for their finances.Uefa bosses also confirmed that the “Big Five” leagues, including the Prem, will only receive £8.3m in “solidarity” cash for the clubs not competing in European competitions this season, worth around £640,000 to each of the 13 top flight outfits.The remaining 50 smaller leagues will share £215m with Uefa believing the new split – no clubs in any of the three European competitions will benefit from the larger fund – will “support the competitive balance across Europe”.Uefa have confirmed that a decision on a new host stadium will be made by June 2025.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSThe San Siro is set to undergo a massive refurbishment, with both AC Milan and Inter Milan supporting the move.However, it is thought that as a result, the ground would not be able to hold the final of the Champions League in three years’ time.Incredible optical illusion which makes San Siro stadium columns look like they are moving The planned work is part of the preparation to renovate the stadium for Euro 2032.Italy is bidding to co-host the tournament along with Turkey and the San Siro will need modernisation to bring it up to standard.The famous arena has played host to some of football’s biggest games during its 99-year history.The 80,000-capacity stadium was the venue for the Champions League finals in 2001 and 2016.It was also the stage of the European Cup finals in 1965 and 1970, the latter of which saw Inter Milan win the tournament.New Champions League formatEach club will play eight matches in the opening phase – against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.The new Champions League format also sees the implication of two additional qualifying spots.They will be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season. More

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      Fans praise Newcastle’s classy gesture as club donates £15,000 to fix AFC Wimbledon sinkhole after fixture postponed

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      NEWCASTLE have been praised for donating £15,000 towards helping AFC Wimbledon deal with their flooded pitch.The Wombles had been due to host Eddie Howe’s side in the Carabao Cup this week.An aerial view shows the damage caused to AFC Wimbledon’s pitchCredit: GettyThe surface has been left looking like a golf courseCredit: GettyThe Wombles had been scheduled to host Newcastle in the Carabao Cup this weekCredit: GettyThe game was forced to be postponed, however, after a huge downpour caused extensive flooding to Wimbledon’s Plough Lane home – even opening up a sinkhole on the pitch.With the damage set to take a while to fix, the match was pushed back to October 1 and moved to Newcastle’s St James’ Park.As is customary in the Carabao Cup, Wimbledon will receive 45 per cent of the gate revenue raised at St James’ Park next week.And in a further boost to the club’s coffers, Newcastle have also made a generous donation.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLIn the wake of the damage caused to Plough Lane, a man named Graham Stacey set up a crowdfunding page to help cover the costs.Pitching in to help out, Newcastle donated £15,000 to the cause.The initial target was to raise £10,000, which was subsequently upped to £25k, £50k and now £100k.Responding to Newcastle’s gesture, one fan wrote on social media: “Thank you very much @NUFC. Top club. Top fans.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSWhile a second commented: “Very good of the club. Nice to see. Hopefully the pitch can be sorted asap for them.””Unreal gesture,” another added.Ex-footie star Vinnie Jones urges men to learn how to perform CPRWimbledon are scheduled to host Accrington Stanley on Saturday, although the match is in severe doubt due to the Wombles’ pitch woes.They are then next due to be at home on October 12 against Carlisle.In a statement posted by Wimbledon last night, they confirmed that in addition to the playing surface, damage has also been sustained in their reception areas, offices, club shop, museum and lifts.While images have also circulated of the outdoor concourse area largely underwater.Referencing the clash with Accrington, which as of yet has not been postponed, they added: “We are still trying to find a solution for this Saturday’s match, although there is no possibility that this can be at our stadium.”We are also doing everything we can to ensure that the Blue & Yellow Club’s fundraising event on Thursday, as well as Geoff Northcott’s comedy fundraiser on Friday night, proceed as planned.”We have overcome many setbacks by working together and this one will be no different.READ MORE SUN STORIES”We genuinely appreciate all the messages of support and offers from volunteers and members to help us fix the damage.”We ask for some patience whilst we complete our investigations and formulate our plans before getting to work. We will advise further what supporters can do to help us soon; thank you.”Newcastle are set to host the Wombles at St James’ Park next weekCredit: GETTY More

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      Gareth Southgate eyed by new owners of Premier League club but ex-England boss still favourite for Man Utd job

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      GARETH SOUTHGATE is being eyed by new Premier League owners.But he also remains the favourite to become the next Manchester United boss.Gareth Southgate could take a phone call from a new Premier League ownerCredit: GettyThe former England manager, 54, remains out of work.He quit the Three Lions in the summer following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain after eight years in charge.But according to talkSPORT, Everton are interested in him taking over from Sean Dyche.On Monday, news broke that US billionaire Dan Friedkin has agreed to buy the club and replace Farhad Moshiri on Merseyside. READ MORE ON FOOTBALLPart of the deal will reportedly help the Toffees move to their new Bramley-Moore Dock Stadium debt free.But the incoming owner – who also owns Roma – will want to stamp his mark on the team.And that could include a change in manager. The talkSPORT report claims Friedkin is a big fan of Southgate and would be keen to lure him to Everton.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSDyche is already under pressure to keep his job after the Toffees’ winless start to the season – including two defeats from 2-0 up. However, once Friedkin’s takeover is ratified, the American businessman could make the change – either mid-season or at the end of the campaign.Everton’s £760million new stadium close to completion as incredible new video of ground is revealed Gareth Southgate vs Sean Dyche Premier League managerial records comparedGARETH SOUTHGATEMatches: 114Wins: 29Draws: 33Losses: 52Win rate: 25.4%Points per game: 1.05Goals for: 115Goals against: 159Manager of Month awards: 1 (August 2008)Clubs: MiddlesbroughSEAN DYCHEMatches: 319Wins: 90Draws: 84Losses: 145Win rate: 28.2%Points per game: 1.11Goals for: 313Goals against: 458Manager of Month awards: 3 (March 2018, February 2020, April 2024)Clubs: Burnley, EvertonBut current odds with the bookmakers show he could have a battle to land Southgate.The ex-Crystal Palace defender was tipped to replace Erik ten Hag in the summer – before the Dutchman penned a contract extension at Old Trafford.But defeats to Brighton and Liverpool as well as Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Palace has heaped more pressure on Ten Hag.And unattached Southgate (2-1) leads the likes of United assistant Ruud van Nistelrooy (11-4), Thomas Tuchel (7-2) and Kieran McKenna (7-1) in the current running if Ten Hag gets the boot.Southgate revealed he is happy to take his time before deciding on his next career move – and hinted that could be outside of football.In the meantime, though, he has started working as a technical observer for Uefa. * Odds correct at time of publishingSean Dyche and Erik ten Hag are both battling to keep their jobsCredit: APNine managers Man Utd considered before keeping Erik ten HagERIK TEN HAG appears to be safe as Man Utd manager, but the Dutchman edged dangerously close to the sack.Here are nine managers Red Devils chiefs are reported to have considered for the job and what allegedly happened with each.Gareth SouthgateEnjoys plenty of support among Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Ineos chiefs but made clear he wouldn’t talk to any clubs until after Euro 2024. There is yet to be any suggestion that contact was made with the England boss.Kieran McKennaTalks were opened with McKenna’s representatives before the FA Cup final, but the former Man Utd coach opted to sign a new deal with Ipswich after Ten Hag’s Wembley win.Roberto De ZerbiAllegedly sounded out before the FA Cup final with salary expectations discussed. But Ineos chiefs concluded ex-Brighton boss was not the right fit for the project.Thomas FrankBrentford boss met Man Utd representatives the day before the FA Cup final. The Dane also dined with Ratcliffe, Roy Hodgson and Frank Lampard at the launch of a new Ineos car in February.Marco SilvaFulham boss reportedly met Man Utd representatives face-to-face two days before the FA Cup final, around the same time as Ten Hag was conducting his press conference.Mauricio PochettinoFell out of Man Utd’s thinking in the first week of June, despite being a favourite of Sir Alex Ferguson.Thomas TuchelMade a very strong impression and came across well during a Monaco meeting. Personal terms were discussed before the ex-Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss decided to step back from the process.Ruben AmorimSporting boss was discussed by the Man Utd hierarchy but did not make the final reckoning.Roberto MartinezPortugal manager was considered in the early stages. More

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      Newcastle star Callum Wilson on transfer radar of TWO Premier League clubs as ex-England striker aims to revive career

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      CALLUM WILSON is a target for TWO Premier League clubs in January, SunSport understands.The Newcastle striker has yet to feature this term due to an injury he sustained in pre-season.Callum Wilson is wanted by two Premier League clubs ahead of the January transfer windowCredit: PABut the England forward is close to returning and both Fulham and Brentford are monitoring the player.Both are interested in adding him to their squad in January – with Brentford seeing Wilson as the ideal potential replacement for Ivan Toney.Fulham, meanwhile, are keen to add to their striking options and have money to spend.Wilson is thought to be open-minded to a switch having found himself having to play second-fiddle to Alexander Isak.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLNow 32, it makes sense for Newcastle to move Wilson on not least because injury problems continue to plague him.A back issue kept him out of action during pre-season, and he hasn’t been available for the beginning of the new Premier League campaign.The £46,000-a-week striker has been a great servant for Newcastle, leading the line expertly and being hailed as “incredible” by Howe last year.But only nine league starts came his way in 2024/25, and he’s keen to try and secure more game-time.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSWilson’s current Magpies deal also expires next summer, which means now is the last opportunity to receive a fee for his signature, prior to losing him on a free in 2025 instead.Newcastle are also keen to free up funds to move for targets in January, including Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi.Anthony Gordon leaves Newcastle training in never-before-seen £190,000 car as fans say ‘looks like an armoured vehicle’Wilson remains sidelined as he recovers from an injury sustained in pre-seasonCredit: Alamy More