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Is Julen Lopetegui really set for the Man Utd job?
I wanted to start today by addressing some of the rumours about Erik ten Hag and a possible replacement being lined up by Manchester United, with some credible sources suggesting Julen Lopetegui is gaining strength as a candidate to take over at Old Trafford.
I don’t want to deny or talk down any colleagues and the information they’re getting, but all I can say is that I’m not aware of any contact between Man United and Lopetegui at this stage. There’s not a lot more I can say other than what I’ve previously reported, which is that United continue to back Ten Hag, even if there is an awareness that things have to improve.
I can also say that, for sure Lopetegui wants to work in the Premier League again after his experience at Wolves, and that’s why he said no to a proposal from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad recently. Apart from that, there’s no update as of now.
What next for Fabio Carvalho after difficult loan with RB Leipzig?
As reported yesterday, Liverpool have opened talks over bringing Fabio Carvalho back from his loan at RB Leipzig after a lack of playing time with the Bundesliga club.
Unsurprisingly, Liverpool are not happy that Carvalho has barely played for Leipzig – they couldn’t find much room for him at Anfield last season so a loan move like this could have been highly beneficial for this talented young player, but it hasn’t worked out so far.
As it happens, Leipzig have many players in that position, so that’s why it has proven difficult for Carvalho to start a lot of games. Still, Leipzig will fight to keep Fabio at the club, but Liverpool want him back because they are not happy.
The next few games could be important to determine a final decision on the player, but in any case I’m not sure he’d stay with the Liverpool squad if he came back; it could be that they find a new loan move for him, but nothing has been decided yet.
Victor Osimhen still one to watch for summer 2024 despite new deal
A big story that broke yesterday is that Victor Osimhen has agreed in principle to sign a new contract with Napoli. As you’ll all be aware, this has been a big story that has dragged on for some time, but it now seems we are nearing an important conclusion, with Osimhen ready to sign a new deal until 2026, with the inclusion of a release clause.
As I’ve previously reported, it never looked likely that Napoli would sell Osimhen in January, and that remains the case, but I think it doesn’t necessarily change much in terms of a transfer for summer 2024. The possibility of a move later next year remains valid, even if January was always unrealistic. The release clause will be included in the contract, reported as being around €130m, but still to be confirmed.
This should be made official soon, but I expect Osimhen will still be one to watch for next summer. We know Chelsea are making a new striker a priority and I’ve mentioned links with Osimhen before, so let’s see what happens there, but it won’t be something imminent.
Staying with Chelsea for a moment, I have to say I’m not aware of anything changing with Axel Disasi’s situation, despite rumours that he could already be a candidate to leave the club in January. Disasi only joined in the summer but is already being linked with Bayern Munich, though I still think the likely defender to leave Chelsea is Trevoh Chalobah for the January window. Chelsea are looking at centre-backs but I’d not link that to Disasi.
The latest on Dusan Vlahovic’s Juventus future and a possible target at Arsenal
Finally, there are also some interesting stories involving Juventus doing the rounds, and I wanted to clarify some points here.
Some fans have asked me about reports in Italy stating that Dusan Vlahovic could now leave for a cheaper fee, but my understanding is that it’s the same situation since July: a very important proposal or he’s staying at Juve. I’m not aware of any changes with Vlahovic, and it’s also a very quiet situation now also because Juve are doing great in Serie A.
It’s not always been the easiest spell for Vlahovic in Turin, but I think he’s a very good striker, I really like Vlahovic, and I think he only struggled really because of some physical problems.
Charlie Patino, the Arsenal youngster out on loan at Swansea City, has also been linked as a target for Juventus, but again I’m not aware of anything between Juve and Patino at the moment. Decisions will be made in the second half of 2024, not now.
From Arsenal’s perspective, they are happy with Patino’s progress this season and the agreement with Swansea was probably a smart decision by the club when they had to resolve his future back in the summer.