Football transfer rumours: Pep Guardiola to Manchester City?
Speaking before Germany's narrow Euro 2016 qualifier defeat at the hands of the Republic of Ireland later this evening, the Germany manager Joachim Löw predicted that "if an agreement can be reached it will be good for both" Liverpool and Klopp, who "if you look back, was fantastically successful, exceptionally successful at Dortmund". Asked if he'd be interested in following his compatriot to the Premier League, Löw was non-committal, saying he wouldn't be going anywhere until his contract with the German national team expires in 2018. We're guessing that's his way of ruling himself out of contention for the Sunderland job.
The former USA coach Bob Bradley has been linked with the vacant managerial position at the Stadium of Light and has more or less thrown his fedora into the ring. Currently the manager of Norwegian side Stabaek, Bradley seems pretty confident he could succeed where so many others have failed in recent years but concedes his chances of getting the job are fairly slim. "I am realistic and realise that there is a long list for such jobs," he said. "But I am also confident. I believe in myself as a coach. I know that I can walk into any situation and give everything I have." Sam Allardyce, another manager with no shortage of confidence in his own abilities, remains the favourite to succeed Dick Advocaat.
In other high-profile manager news, the Spanish website Mundo Deportivo are peddling the line that Pep Guardiola has been talking to Manchester City chiefs and reached an agreement with them to succeed Manuel Pellegrini once his contract with Bayern Munich expires next summer. While Bayern seem determined to keep Guardiola on the payroll with the offer of a lucrative contract extension, the 44-year-old has kept his cards close to his chest and refused to comment on his long-term future.
Should Guardiola pitch up at the Etihad, he may find himself coaching Philippe Coutinho, with rumours abounding that City have identified the Liverpool midfielder as heir apparent to David Silva. According to the Catalan media, Coutinho would rather move to Barcelona because it would afford him the opportunity to hang around with his good pal Neymar.
The Manchester United striker James Wilson could get to further his football education with a loan spell at Celtic, although he might not learn much if the rather unflattering comments of the club's recently departed central defender Virgil van Dijk are anything to go by. On international duty with Holland, for whom he is expected to win his first cap this week, Van Dijk was discussing his move to Southampton, where he claims just five matches with the south-coast club have been a lot more educational than his entire time in Glasgow. "At Southampton I am learning so much in every game I play - much more than I did in two years at Celtic," he miaowed.
And finally, Valencia's German central defender Shkodran Mustafi finds himself in the decidedly enviable position of being wanted by Bayern Munich and Manchester United, while Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to make a move for Gent's 26-year-old striker Laurent Depoitre in January, Kazinform refers to The Guardian.com.
Photograph: Alexander Hassenstein/DPA/Corbis
