Football transfer rumors: Pep Guardiola to manage Chelsea?
This particular Monday is different, however, with the majority of newspapers suggesting José Mourinho is "on the brink" at Chelsea, with many of the great and good of the football writing world declaring that Roman Abramovich has lost patience with his Portuguese minion in the wake of Saturday's disciplinary meltdown at Upton Park, during yet another defeat that left the champions in 15th place in the Premier League and their manager looking as authoritative and in control as a man trying to mind several dozen mice at a crossroads. Considering Abramovich's sphinx-like silence on all matters pertaining to his football club and everything else, we can only guess what might happen should Mourinho be sent packing from Stamford Bridge with his P45 and a fleet of armoured vans full of compensation, so that's what everyone has done to arrive at the conclusion that Guus Hiddink or Carlo Ancelotti are being lined up as short-term replacements to get the Chelsea ship back on an even keel before handing over the tiller to Pep Guardiola next summer. The Telegraph, however, does hint that Chelsea suits are already putting out feelers to see if the Bayern Munich boss could be tempted to leave his current post immediately. Meanwhile at Villa Park, time has finally run out for Tim Sherwood, who has learned the hard way that football matches cannot be won by can-do spirit and enthusiasm alone. Having promised to "come out swinging" against Swansea City, the Villa manager landed an early blow courtesy of Jordan Ayew, then dropped his guard and was flattened by a late sucker-punch before failing to beat the count. According to Stuart James, the Guardian's man on the Midlands beat, the former Lyon manager Rémi Garde has emerged as the clear favourite tosucceed Tim, although the names of Brendan Rodgers, Real Sociedad's David Moyes and no-nonsense Burnley manager Sean Dyche are also in the frame. Back in the Rumour Mill's player-related comfort zone, we're happy to bring you today's obligatory Mats Hummels-to-Manchester United speculation, a rumour we've been peddling without success for more years than we care to remember. Today it comes courtesy of a Spanish website that is also saying Leicester City goal machine Jamie Vardy is a Real Madrid target, so you'll pardon us for taking anything they say with a lorry-load of salt. Chelsea captain John Terry could play out his dotage in the lucrative environs of the Qatar Stars League, if reports that his former team-mate, the Al Arabi manager Gianfranco Zola, has already made him a lucrative offer are based in fact. Due to turn 35 in a couple of months and out of contract at Chelsea come season's end, Terry is also a target for Fenerbahce, several clubs in China and could probably land himself a cushy MLS gig if he fancied a season or two in the United States of America. Having already tired of his relatively new plaything Stephan El Shaarawy, Monaco chairman Dmitriy Rybolovlev is reported to have already agreed the sale of the Moroccan winger to high-flying West Ham for a club record £21.5m, while French sports daily L'Equipe say Paris Saint-Germain were in Belgium to scout Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli when he came off the bench in during his team's 2-1 Europa League defeat at the hands of Anderlecht last Thursday. Spurs have been doing a little scouting of their own, sending talent-spotters to keep tabs on smoking hot teenage talent Demarai Gray during Birmingham City's Championship win over Bolton Wanderers last week. Valued at £7.5m, Gray is also wanted by Everton and Leicester City and was recently described by Steve Bruce as "probably the best young player in the country". From Birmingham to Italy, where Mario Balotelli is currently plying his trade with Milan on loan from Liverpool. Not the kind of player you'd associate with the frenzied gegenpressing for which Jürgen Klopp's name is a byword, the striker's non-future with Liverpool is expected to be thrashed out by his agent Mino Raiola and Klopp in what the Rumour Mill imagines will be a fairly short conversation. Despite Liverpool's current paucity of options up front due to injury, the absence of a recall clause means that even if Klopp fancies his chances of working with Balotelli, he won't get to do so until next summer. In other Liverpool news, Joe Allen's days at the club look numbered in a state of affairs that has put Southampton, Stoke and Leicester on red alert. Photograph: Sven Hoppe/EPA
