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Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer news and rumours of the day! Here are the top stories of the night surrounding the Premier League!
Paul Merson on Chelsea job
With stories of Maurizio Sarri’s job being under scrutiny going around, former Arsenal star Paul Merson has opined that replacing the Italian with Zinedine Zidane wouldn’t be a good idea.
Merson thinks that Zidane wouldn’t be a good long-term plan and stated that Frank Lampard would be an ideal manager for the Blues but only if they give him a timeframe of five years to work with. Otherwise, even Frank Lampard is not ready according to Merson.
"I think with Zidane, how long would that last? Another year or one and a half years at the most?"
He added: "Lampard was a legend at Chelsea. If you are going to have a five-year plan then I would say get Frank, but if you are not going to do that - and Chelsea are renowned for changing every year and a half or two years - then it's going to end in tears. I don't think he is ready at the moment.
"I would have no problem if you said it's going to be a five-year plan and then go with Frank and see what happens, but I don't think Zidane. He would be another short-term plan.
Christian Eriksen agent refuses to talk about speculations
Tottenham Hotspur superstar Christian Eriksen hasn’t signed an extension with the Lilywhites as his contract is set to expire in the summer of 2020. As a result, he would have just a year left in his contract in the summer of 2019, putting Tottenham in a very vulnerable position.
When asked about his contractual situation, his agent Martin Schoots refused to talk about it and stated that the player is only focused on playing while also praising the attitude of the Dane.
"Christian only wants to focus himself on football," Schoots said.
"Besides his technical, tactical and athletic skills, also this attitude has contributed over the years to his impressive transformation from world-class talent to world-class player.
"At this moment I would prefer not to join the speculations about contracts and transfers."
Koulibaly won’t join Juventus
Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly’s agent has claimed that the defender won’t be joining Juventus. The central defender has been linked with a plethora of top European clubs and two among them are Juventus and Manchester United.
His agent Bruno Satin has, however, ruled out a move to Juventus as the Senegalese loves Napoli too much and wouldn’t betray them by joining the Old Lady. He did, however, add that should the player get a chance to play for a top club, they would listen.
“Koulibaly to Juve? He’s very close to Napoli, to the club and above all the city,” Satin said.
“I don’t think he would ever betray them and join Juventus. However let’s not forget that he’s a professional footballer so if the possibility is there to play on the most important stages, you listen, even if – I repeat – he’s very close to Napoli.”
The want for Sancho
Jadon Sancho has made a name for himself at Dortmund following his move from Manchester City. The English youngster is on the radar of Manchester United and Real Madrid, according to reports from Spain, but it is the Red Devils who are willing to pay €150 million for him and intend to raise money by sanctioning the sales of Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku.
Sancho, however, is not keen on the idea as he is not willing to leave the Bundesliga just yet and also because United are a rival of his former club Manchester City.
Balague on Hazard
According to Spanish journalist Guillem Balague, Eden Hazard is considering a move to join Real Madrid. He also added that the price to bring the Belgian to the Santiago Bernabeu is about €100 million but the Galacticos haven’t made a move yet.
However, he also thinks that it could change in a few months’ time.
“The situation is clear - he is considering a move to Real Madrid,” he said. “There is a price for that, which is about €100m. Real Madrid have not yet made the step of talking to Chelsea about it.
“That may change in a month or two but that’s where we are [now]."
