The Football Association considering foreign manager to replace Gareth Southgate as England boss – Paper Round

FA considering foreign manager as replacement for Southgate

The Football Association will consider a foreign manager to replace Gareth Southgate if the England manager decides to step down. That’s according to The Telegraph, who claim Argentine Mauricio Pochettino and Frenchman Thomas Tuchel are “open to the prospect” of succeeding Southgate. It comes after Southgate said he is “conflicted” about his future as the Three Lions’ manager following the 2-1 defeat to France at the Qatar World Cup quarter-finals.

Paper Round’s view: England have gone down the avenue of recruiting from abroad before; it hasn’t worked. Sven Goran Eriksen and Fabio Capello couldn’t bring ‘football home’, nor come close to it. But if the FA is set on appointing an Englishman, they haven’t got an array of options. Steven Gerrard failed to live up to expectations at Aston Villa and Frank Lampard is struggling with Everton. Graham Potter is a highly thought of coach but is a recent appointment at Chelsea, while Eddie Howe is unlikely to leave Newcastle. If Southgate goes, the FA have a lot of thinking to do.

Arsenal leading the chase to sign Felix

The Daily Mail report, via Marca, that Arsenal are leading the race to sign Portugal star Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid. Atleti are said to be willing to listen to offers for their all-time record signing, with a number of clubs including Manchester United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Paris Saint-Germain also interested in the 23-year-old.

Paper Round’s view: Felix clearly has great ability, even if it hasn’t quite worked out in La Liga since his £114m move from Benfica in 2019. Perhaps a move away from Madrid could bring out the best in him, though, and from the list of clubs reportedly interested in him, Arsenal would arguably be best suited to his skillset. As he has shown over recent seasons, Arteta has a knack for getting the best out of his attacking players, and the thought of Felix linking up with the Spaniard will have fans of the Gunners licking their lips.

Gunners could sign Mudryk in January

Sticking with Arsenal and the Premier League leaders have a “good chance” of signing Ukraine winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in January, for less than the £86m Shakhtar Donetsk previously wanted for the 21-year-old, claim The Athletic. Arsenal have reportedly been in touch with both Shakhtar and Mudryk’s representatives and the 21-year-old is said to be determined to make the move happen.

Paper Round’s view: Arsenal may need strength in depth if they’re to sustain their title challenge after the World Cup break and signing a player with the ability of Mudryk in January would be a real statement of intent. However, after Gabriel Jesus was ruled out for three months, Arteta’s priorities may well be to sign a new striker.

Mount a shock target for Juventus

Chelsea’s Mason Mount is a shock transfer target to Juventus, according to Calciomercatoweb, per The Sun. The Italian giants are said to be willing to let three players leave in order to fund the deal. Weston McKennie and Adrien Rabiot could be sold, plus Leandro Paredes’ loan from Paris Saint-Germain will not be made permanent. That would in turn free up space in the squad and crucial finances to try to land Mount.

Paper Round’s view: Mount has become a key player for the Blues, with both Graham Potter and his predecessors Thomas Tuchel and Frank Lampard using him regularly. There is uncertainty about his future at the club though as his contract is due to expire at the end of next season. It is something Chelsea will want to address promptly to avoid losing him on the cheap.