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      Liverpool legend emerges as shock contender for West Ham job if David Moyes leave Hammers this summer

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      XABI ALONSO is emerging as a strong candidate to be the next West Ham manager — if David Moyes leaves.Current Hammers boss Moyes is adamant he is already planning for next season and has no intention of going this summer.
      Xabi Alonso has emerged as a shock contender for the West Ham jobCredit: Getty
      David Moyes has vowed to stay at West Ham this summerCredit: Rex
      But if West Ham and the Scot do part company, Liverpool icon Alonso will be in the frame after putting himself firmly on the club’s radar this season.
      The ex-Bayern Munich midfielder, 41, is making a real name for himself after transforming Bayer Leverkusen in his first big job.
      When Alonso arrived in October, after three years in charge of Real Sociedad’s B team, Leverkusen were second bottom in the Bundesliga.
      Now they are in the top six and the semi finals of the Europa League as the man who won the World Cup and European Championship as a player starts building his coaching career.

      Alonso, 41, is developing the reputation of a young progressive coach in the mould of childhood friend Mikel Arteta, now the Arsenal manager, and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany.
      It is understood that senior figures at West Ham are well aware of the buzz surrounding Alonso and consider him a real possibility to replace Moyes, despite his relative lack of experience.
      The former Spain international knows the Premier League after spending five seasons with Liverpool, during which he helped them win the Champions League and FA Cup.
      Alonso went on to be a European and Spanish champion with Real Madrid before winning three Bundesliga titles at Bayern.
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      The first two of those championships came under Pep Guardiola, who would go on to have Arteta as his assistant at Manchester City.
      Liverpool fans are already talking about Alonso as a future Anfield boss, ahead of his former midfield partner Steven Gerrard.
      But West Ham could offer him the chance to prove his mettle in the Premier League. More

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      Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag admits unleashing hairdryer treatment on flops after ‘unacceptable’ Sevilla shambles

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      RAGING Erik ten Hag went “really mad” with the hairdryer treatment to reignite Manchester United.Boss Ten Hag had his biggest blow-up since taking over after their Europa League shambles in Seville.
      Erik ten Hag admits giving Man Utd the hairdryer treatment after their Europa League exitCredit: Getty
      United were dismal as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to SevillaCredit: Reuters
      The United gaffer said: “After Sevilla, I was really mad. For me it was so unacceptable because if you play a quarter-final in the Europa League you give everything  and we didn’t.
      “You can make a mistake but you have to carry on.”
      Ten Hag had previously torn into his players after the woeful 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August and the humiliating 7-0 trouncing at Liverpool last month.
      Asked about his own hairdryer treatment, he said: “I can go strong in certain situations.
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      “But it’s about the timing of when to use it.
      “As a coach, communication style, you can pick many styles and this is one of them.
      “For any club, for any team, for me that is unacceptable.
      “As a manager I can’t accept that my team is not giving its best. The team, individuals . . . I will never accept it.”
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      Ten Hag took a leaf out of Fergie’s book — their legendary former boss used the tactic and has two Champions Leagues, 13 Premier Leagues and five FA Cups with United to his name.
      And the current players have not exactly been a cut above the rest with David de Gea and captain Harry Maguire culpable of committing huge errors in Thursday’s nightmare in Spain.
      Ten Hag added: “I made the players aware what my analysis was, what my feeling about the game was and what the effects of the game were.
      “They didn’t match the standards of who I manage, a team in professional football.”
      And Ten Hag could find himself facing a defensive dilemma with Luke Shaw picking up a knock in his return  in Sevilla following a spell on the sidelines.
      Casemiro is likely to be called on to solve the crisis at centre-back — which creates a separate dilemma in midfield.
      ALL TO PLAY FOR
      They are, however, boosted by the return of Bruno Fernandes, who was suspended for the game in Spain.
      Ten Hag, whose team are chasing a Double after their Carabao Cup win, insisted: “I’ve said before that one of the things we haven’t had is the opportunity so often to play the same team.
      “In the midfield department but also other lines, the front line for instance — it hasn’t often played the same, because of injuries and suspensions.
      “When you play a semi-final, you only have one opportunity to win, so you’re looking for the best team in that moment.

      “This season is crazy with the World Cup in between — and many of our players were present there. Then we played an extra round in the Europa League, so we have maybe played the most games of all teams across Europe.
      “But we have to acknowledge that especially in the front line we had problems during the whole season because we didn’t always have the numbers there, so then you are forced to make decisions because you have to win games.” More

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      Newcastle planning £30m transfer swoop for out-of-favour Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney

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      NEWCASTLE are confident of landing Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney with Eddie Howe on the lookout for a new left-back.The Magpies manager fiercely defended Dan Burn who has come in for stinging criticism from fans.
      Kieran Tierney has struggled for game time at ArsenalCredit: Getty
      Natural centre-back Burn, 30, has kept full-back Matt Targett out of the side but has struggled in recent weeks.
      Howe wants an upgrade with more attacking threat and Tierney tops the list.
      The injury-plagued Scot, 25, is behind Oleksandr Zinchenko in the Gunners’ pecking order but would still cost £30million-plus.
      Sources close to Tierney believe a summer Tyneside move is increasingly likely.
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      That could spell bad news for Targett, though the ex-Aston Villa man is pushing to start against Tottenham on Sunday — given Burn’s poor form.
      Yet Howe was quick to praise the 6ft 7in Geordie, saying: “I’m surprised if Dan’s getting criticised because that’s a severe underestimation of what he brings to the team.
      “He has been incredible. We didn’t plan the season with him at left-back — it happened through injuries and he got an opportunity.
      “He’s a slightly unusual presence there but his attitude and application have been the highest level.
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      “Sometimes you can’t measure what he gives.
      “We value Dan very highly in whatever position he plays and his versatility is important as well.”
      Howe has big calls to make after Toon’s 3-0 loss at Aston Villa last weekend.
      Although Newcastle still have the Prem’s tightest defence, conceding just 24 goals in 30 games.
      Barring the Villa capitulation, Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman and Burn have been a rock in front of Toon keeper Nick Pope.
      Howe added: “I’ve no problem changing it but I don’t want to make wholesale changes and lose the balance and solidity of a settled back four.
      “You have to believe it’s the right moment to make a change.
      “This back four has been outstanding. Does one bad day constitute a change? I’ve got to make that call.”
      Dan Burn has come in for criticismCredit: Alamy More

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      I’m the coach who discovered Brighton star Caicedo.. it’s no surprise he will become the most expensive Ecuadorian ever

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      IF Moises Caicedo had got his way three months ago, he would be chasing title glory in the heart of the Arsenal engine room.Instead he is still running the midfield of a Brighton side two steps away from a first ever FA Cup triumph.
      Ivan Guerra discovered Ecuador sensation Moises Caicedo
      As consolation prizes go, a Wembley winners’ medal with the Seagulls next month is not a bad alternative — before another likely scramble to sign him in the summer.
      Especially for a 21-year-old who only made his Premier League debut last April, yet has become yet another rags-to-riches star for a club that seems to churn them out by the month.
      This time 12 months ago Caicedo was a mystery man to even Brighton fans, with just a couple of first-team cameos after arriving as an Ecuador unknown in 2021.
      Fast forward to the last transfer window and they turned down three bids from the Gunners — the last for £70million.
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      It was an eye-watering offer for a £3.6m snip from Independiente del Valle, who is now also on the radar of Liverpool and Newcastle.
      And a player who aims to inspire Brighton to an FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester United.
      Not bad for a kid whose early football was played on Santo Domingo’s dusty streets and many families endured a life of poverty.
      Caicedo’s was one of them, his parents doing menial jobs to survive – as did the man whose chance meeting with the South American was ultimately a game changer.
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      Ivan Guerra, an ex-journeyman player, was a community coach giving the town’s youngsters somewhere to play for a few hours a week.
      Guerra still remembers the moment he first spotted the player who will one day become the costliest footballer Ecuador has ever produced.
      He revealed: “I had moved back to Santo Domingo because my grandparents had inherited some land, I had nowhere to live and got a job as part of a new community project.
      “We called it Barcelona Guayaquil after a famous Ecuador club, but it was hard to make ends meet.
      “There was no pitch, goalposts were a pile of stones, and there was certainly no money. But I set up a team to give the young ones a chance to play football.
      “I will never forget turning into Mujer Trabajadora street and seeing Moi kicking a ball against the wall.
      Caicedo has been a revelation for Brighton since arriving in 2021Credit: Getty
      “There was just something about the way he was striking it, using both feet, that stood out. I asked if he wanted to play in a team and he jumped at the chance.”
      With no ground, all fixtures had to be played away — causing more problems.
      Caicedo and his pals helped Guerra raise the cash to hire a mini-bus by cleaning cars, collecting bottles and the like, and their kit was gifted from other local sides.
      But they stuck at it and after one game against a Quito-based police academy side called Espoli, their opponents asked EIGHT Santo Domingo players for trials.
      Caicedo was one and was soon making a name for himself on a bigger stage in the country’s capital, before Brighton pounced.
      Yet for all he now earns his living nearly 6,000 miles from home, Caicedo has never forgotten his roots and remains close to the man who first spotted him.
      So much so they jointly set up the Moises Caicedo & Ivan Guerra Escuelita de Futbol for youngsters from four to 16 in his homeland.

      Caicedo has not forgotten his roots and stays in contact with his first coachCredit: Getty
      Guerra added: “Moi has never has forgotten how his own family struggled. I helped Moi with food or when he needed football boots then, and he’s helping so many now.
      “Everyone in Santo Domingo is so proud to see him playing for Brighton and Ecuador — and no one more than me.” More

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      Bournemouth are a benchmark for everyone outside the big boys.. Gary O’Neill is proving it pays to dream big

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      WHEN I got the job at Bournemouth in 1983, my first as a manager, the mission was clear — keep us out of Division Four.We were bottom of the table, had won two games all season and everyone said we needed a miracle. If that’s what it was, there have been plenty of them since.
      Gary O’Neil is proving that teams like Bournemouth can live the dreamCredit: EPA
      For nearly 100 years Bournemouth flitted around between the bottom two divisions.
      When I got them into the Championship in 1989, they’d never been that high.
      They were, with all due respect, a southern version of Rochdale, Stockport or Accrington. If you’d told me they would go to the top flight, I’d have said you were crackers.
      And as for suggesting not only would they become a Premier League club but also the benchmark for everyone outside of the big boys? I’d have sent the men in white coats round.
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      But you know what, that’s exactly what the Cherries have become.
      The ones who have shown the rest that not only is it OK to dream big, you can actually achieve it.
      When they got promoted last summer, most people thought they’d go straight back down — and a few dodgy results early on had them even more convinced.
      Scott Parker was sacked, Gary O’Neil got the job and all you heard was, ‘When are they going to get a proper manager?’.
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      Even just over a month ago they were being written off and plenty would have considered today’s game against West Ham to be a ‘loser goes down’ one.
      Well, I’ll be in the main stand this afternoon, like I am for every home match, and I think the pair of them already have enough points to survive whatever the result.
      Maybe you should put that down as another miracle. Bournemouth have pulled off plenty of them since I first went there. And they’re going to do the same again this season.
      The only thing that surprises me is that anyone is shocked. I’ve been saying for ages they will get out of it and all they’ve done is prove the point.
      HOLDING THEIR OWN
      They’ve beaten Liverpool and Tottenham, they were unlucky not to do the same to Newcastle and although they only won 1-0 at Leicester, they could have had a load more goals.
      But the thing I love about Bournemouth is how Gary’s got them playing. Scoring two at Arsenal and three at Tottenham tells you all about that.
      They don’t sit back, let teams dominate and try to nick something.
      No one gets an easy ride against them, they play with width, have loads of pace and are good to watch.
      PUNCHING ABOVE WEIGHT
      That goes without saying, or I wouldn’t be there every week! If it was rubbish I’d go and watch someone else, believe me.
      What people don’t seem to realise is that the stadium holds 11,400 fans. In the Prem. And they still don’t have a training ground as such.
      It’s unbelievable.
      I love how they not only gave the job to a young English guy in the first place, but stuck with him when it got a bit tricky.
      HOME-GROWN HEROES
      When Bill Foley took over, he could have gone the same way as a lot of owners and decided he wanted a big-name foreign manager, but not a bit of it.
      I love the fact Gary has a couple of old players alongside him too, who really know the club.
      Tommy Elphick went through all the divisions as a player when Eddie Howe was in charge, and Shaun Cooper — who I managed at Portsmouth — is on the coaching team too.
      So I’ll be there again today and while I couldn’t predict the result, there’s one thing I’m sure of — we’ll all be entertained.

      Gary won’t be manager of the year and Bournemouth won’t be challenging for Europe.
      But if it’s a perfect example for the rest of the divisions you want, there are none finer. More

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      Alejandro Garnacho hands Man Utd huge injury boost as he ditches the crutches and ‘returns to training’

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      ALEJANDRO GARNACHO was spotted out and about in Cheshire on Saturday. The 18-year-old has not featured for the Red Devils since picking up an injury in the 0-0 draw with Southampton on March 12.
      Alejandro Garnacho was spotted out and about in Cheshire on SaturdayCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Garnacho was pictured leaving Cibo Restaurant in Hale VillageCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Garnacho has not played for the Red Devils since March 12Credit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      The winger left Old Trafford after the game against Southampton on crutchesCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      Garnacho was seen on crutches in the days following the injuryCredit: Eamonn and James Clarke
      He was seen leaving Old Trafford after the game on crutches, and was spotted on the supports again six days after suffering the injury.
      However, Garnacho was seen in Cheshire on Saturday afternoon walking without crutches outside Cibo Restaurant in Hale Village.
      And last Monday he stepped up his recovery from injury by putting football boots back on his feet.
      There is optimism he will return to action before the end of the season.
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      Garnacho was reportedly asked if he was travelling to Wembley for United’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Brighton, and said he would be in training instead.
      An exact date for his return is yet to be confirmed.
      But Erik ten Hag revealed earlier this month that he expects Garnacho to be back for the “final stages” of the campaign.
      Speaking on April 7, Ten Hag said on Garnacho’s return: “We have something in our heads, but I don’t want – he will definitely be back before the end of the season. 
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      “I think he will be in the final stages, but I don’t want to bring so much pressure on the medical and Garnacho to set a date when to be back.”
      The Red Devils have eight more Prem games to play, plus tomorrow’s FA Cup semi-final and potential final if Ten Hag and Co beat the Seagulls.
      Garnacho has played 29 times for United this season, scoring four goals and providing five assists.
      The youngster has enjoyed a breakthrough campaign under Ten Hag, and could yet have a part to play before the season comes to an end.
      Garnacho is expected to return to action before the end of the seasonCredit: Getty
      The Red Devils star has netted four goals this seasonCredit: Alamy More

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      Man Utd confirm fixture change with huge Premier League clash scheduled just three days before the season ends

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      MANCHESTER UNITED’S home game against Chelsea has been rearranged for just three days before the end of the season.The Premier League confirmed a new date for the meeting that was originally scheduled to be played on April 22.
      Manchester United vs Chelsea has been rearranged for May 25Credit: Getty
      United’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Brighton meant the Chelsea game had to be postponed.
      It has now been confirmed that the clash against the Blues will take place on Thursday, May 25.
      The match will be shown live on Sky Sports and kick-off at 8pm (UK time).
      Erik ten Hag has blasted the fixture congestion this campaign, and the rearranged game will take place just three days before the season finale against Fulham on May 28.
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      The Red Devils are yet to seal Champions League football.
      But Ten Hag and Co currently sit third in the Prem, six points ahead of Tottenham in fifth, but having played a game less than Spurs.
      United vs Chelsea is one of four games in May that were announced on Saturday to have been rearranged.
      Manchester City vs Leeds has been moved forward a day to May 6 and will break the Saturday 3pm blackout to be shown live on TV.
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      City’s trip to Brighton has also been scheduled for May 24 after the original game was postponed due to both teams’ involvement in the FA Cup.
      Elsewhere, Brentford vs West Ham has been pushed back a day to May 14 with the Hammers in Europa Conference League semi-final action against AZ Alkmaar on May 11. More

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      Gary Neville names 3 Arsenal stars who have ‘five days to sort themselves out’ as he slams on-pitch huddle as a ‘bluff’

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      GARY NEVILLE has named three Arsenal players that he feels “need to sort themselves out”.The Gunners dropped two vital points last night as they drew 3-3 with bottom side Southampton at the Emirates.
      Gary Neville ripped into a trio of Arsenal starsCredit: Getty
      Neville was unimpressed with some of the Gunners’ more experienced playersCredit: Getty
      Mikel Arteta’s side have wobbled in recent weeks, surrendering two-goal leads against Liverpool and West Ham prior to their Saints draw.
      Arsenal lead Manchester City by five points, although Pep Guardiola’s side possess two games in hand.
      The two teams meet at the Etihad on Wednesday, with the Gunners desperate to avoid defeat.
      Following last night’s result, Neville tweeted: “For Arsenal the more experienced players needed to step up and be composed.
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      “In the last 3 games the more experienced ones haven’t.
      “The younger ones have looked more assured. Zinchenko, Jesus, Partey haven’t been right.
      “They have 5 days to sort themselves out. The huddle last night a bluff!”
      Following Theo Walcott’s goal, which put Saints 2-0 up, Oleksandr Zinchenko called his team-mates together for an impromptu huddle.
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      Fans compared the gesture to Steven Gerrard’s infamous “this does not f***ing slip now” huddle in 2014.
      After the match, Arsenal hero Lee Dixon criticised Zinchenko’s defending.
      He told Premier League Productions: “Look at Zinchenko for Southampton’s third goal.
      “He’s got his man, he’s looking at his man, he’s got his arm in the air and then he just goes to sleep.”
      Oleksandr Zinchenko’s defending was criticised by pundit Lee DixonCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun More