Manchester United have made an official approach to hire Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox as part of their off-field overhaul following Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s arrival.
Here, the PA news agency takes a closer look at the former England winger and the current state of affairs.
What is Wilcox’s background?
He joined Blackburn in 1987 at the age of 16 following a trial, broke into the first team two years later and remained at Ewood Park for the next decade, making 238 appearances. He was a key player in Rovers’ 1995 Premier League title-winning side. Wilcox left for Leeds in 1999 and helped the Yorkshire club reach UEFA Cup and Champions League semi-finals in consecutive seasons before a spell with Leicester and then finishing his career at Blackpool aged 3…
Palmer, who has won two caps, was not involved in last month’s friendlies against Brazil and Belgium due to injury, but Cole believes he can be the difference-maker in Germany.
“He has been sensational and there is an argument he could be Player of the Year – that’s how good he has been,” Cole told the PA news agency.
“You have to bring a player of that quality.
“The technicians are what are going to win us the tournament. They all have to go and they all have to have time on the pitch.
“Palmer is a top player. I have watched him play and he is a top, top player.
“Cole Palmer is an absolute genius.”
Cole is also impressed by Palmer’s mentality, highlighted by his refusal to hand a penalty over to squabbling team-mates…
Romelu Lukaku has joined Roma on a season-long loan from Chelsea, ending the long-running stand-off between player and club.
The PA news agency understands the Serie A club will pay an £8million fee with no obligation to buy while also taking on the Belgium striker’s wages, which will be reduced from the £325,000-a-week he earned at Stamford Bridge.
Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino hinted last week that there could still be a place for the 30-year-old in his plans if a deal could not be agreed before Friday’s transfer deadline.
Romelu Lukaku has completed a season-long loan move to A.S. Roma.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC)
However, PA understands that Roma owner Dan Friedkin’s prioritising of Lukaku’s signing as a critical part of the cl…
FC Cincinnati head coach Pat Noonan is striving for consistency from his players after confirming their place in the MLS playoffs.
Noonan’s side were held to a goalless draw against Leagues Cup champions Columbus Crew but have now gone two home games without a victory or scoring a goal.
While securing their spot in the playoffs was something the Orange and Blue could have only dreamed of a few years ago, Noonan’s future ambitions for his team overshadowed any celebrations.
“It s hard to do, and we strive for consistency, and consistency for our group and our expectations is to be a playoff team and then be a top seed and be playing games at home in the playoffs,” Noonan said.
“I think we go into this next game as healthy and with as many options…
Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi is optimistic he will win his race to be fit and available for the Italy national team at the Euro 2012 finals.
The 24-year-old sustained a knee ligament injury in his side s 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid in October and is likely to be out of action until April next year.
Prior to the lay-off, Rossi was a regular pick for Italy boss Cesare Prandelli and the forward is hoping that his lengthy spell on the sidelines will not cost him a place in the tournament in Poland and the Ukraine.
I am feeling better, I am continuing my recovery and everything is finally positive, he told Radio Kiss Kiss.
I have published a photo of me running on Twitter. Things are finally going well.
It is obvious that I hope to be at Euro 2…
Sunderland striker Connor Wickham has signed a new contract, which will keep him at the club until 2019.
The 21-year-old s existing deal had been due to expire at the end of the current season, but he has now put pen to paper on a four-year extension.
I m delighted that Connor has committed his future to us for the next few years, said head coach Gus Poyet. After his contribution at the end of last year, he continued to improve his football and become an important part of our team.
He keeps learning, he is able to adapt to different positions up front and he is enjoying our philosophy of play, so I m really looking forward to keep working with him for the benefit of our club.
I think it was very important to tie down a young English centre-forward …
The MLS All-Stars were routed 4-1 by their Liga MX counterparts in Wednesday s All-Star Game in Columbus, with two goals in two second-half minutes taking the game away from them.
Without injured Inter Miami duo Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, the MLS All-Stars fell behind after 16 minutes.
Jonathan dos Santos was allowed far too much time to cross from the right, and German Berterame steered his header past the despairing dive of Roman Burki.
The MLS side levelled almost immediately, with Columbus Crew star Cucho Hernandez a popular scorer at his Lower.com Field home, sweeping Diego Rossi s low cross home.
The Liga MX All-Stars would re-establish their lead four minutes before half-time as Oussama Idrissi drove infield before crashing a shot into the bott…
Spain head coach Luis Enrique and his players leapt to the defence of Alvaro Morata after he was booed in their frustrating 0-0 draw with Sweden at Euro 2020.
Morata squandered Spain s best chance of their Euro 2020 Group E opener when he fired wide with just Sweden goalkeeper Robin Olsen to beat on Monday.
Spain had dominated the match in Seville as they made 917 passes and enjoyed 85 possession, but lacked a cutting edge in attack.
Morata was even subjected to boos and whistles by a section of Spain supporters, having failed to register any of his three attempts on target before he was substituted in the 66th minute.
He has the personality to endure it and I would more like [him] to be applauded, Luis Enrique told a post-match media conference.
…
Although might have failed to make much of an impact on the European stage last season, the Nerrazzuri embarked on a stunning Serie A fairytale.
Getting their hands on a history-making 20th domestic crown and gaining a string of admirers from across the continent, ’s men stormed their way to the record books last season without breaking much of a sweat.
Remarkably suffering just a pair of defeats from any of their 38 Serie A appearances throughout the 2023/24 campaign, Inter getting things underway next month pencilled in as a leading contender to make more domestic history.
Claiming their 20th crown last season thanks to a sensational 19-point buffer, Inzaghi’s high-flying squad have certainly gained a fearsome reputation from across the continent.
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FIFA have been given assurances that the Arena Corinthians will be completed in time to host matches at the 2014 World Cup.
The venue has come under scrutiny due to the drawn-out process behind its construction which began in May 2011 and the world football governing body scheduled an emergency meeting with Corinthians to address the standoff.
There was a risk that the fixtures scheduled to take place at the stadium, including next summer s opening match, could be switched to another city if FIFA felt the December 2013 handover deadline would not be met, but talks between the two parties have made progress.
We are very satisfied with the meeting and with the fact that we could talk face to face. Sao Paulo will be an example for other cities to deliver the stadiu…