It’s City v Barca for Pep
Clubs poised to win fight to ditch neutral grounds Stars threaten to boycott return
MANCHESTER CITY will fight to keep Pep Guardiola next summer.
Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has revealed he wants Guardiola back in the Nou Camp hot-seat.
Laporta wants to return for a second spell as the La Liga club’s supremo – and has targeted the City boss if re-elected.
But Etihad chiefs are confident Guardiola will sign a fresh deal to extend his stay beyond 2021, rather than return to the club where he made his name.
“I’m working to introduce myself as a presidential candidate,” Laporta said.
“I’ve been president before and I’m excited to be back.
“I would very much like Guardiola to come back. But now he is at City and it is a decision that Pep should take.
“He is a benchmark for Barcelona and many Catalans would like him to coach Barca again.”
It’s not clear whether Laporta, the man who
PREMIER LEAGUE clubs could get the go-ahead to play in their own grounds after all.
The Government are open to clubs playing their remaining games in their stadiums, which would be a major change of heart.
The final decision rests with police chiefs but further talks are planned, with a decision expected when the Premier League meets Government officials tomorrow.
That could be a huge breakthrough Project Restart.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters (left) has admitted that EVERY club wanted to abandon the neutral venues plan.
It comes after talks on Monday night between the Government, police, Premier in
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WHO LET THE POGS OUT? Paul Pogba enjoys a run yesterday ahead of Project Restart
PLAYERS may refuse to return to training with their Premier League clubs on Monday.
Clubs fear players with asthma, family members with underlying health issues and BAME players will not sign consent forms.
Stars like England’s Raheem Sterling have voiced concerns and Aston Villa have already been
CHELSEA believe they are close to landing Manchester United midfielder Angel Gomes.
Gomes, 19, is out of contract at United at the end of the season and has rejected a new £30,000-a-week deal.
The England Under-20 international has recruited superagent Pini Zahavi, who is understood to have held talks with Blues transfer chief Marina Granovskaia.
Gomes wants regular first-team football after just six appearances for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side this season.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard remains a massive advocate of promoting youth at Stamford Bridge, with Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori and Reece James among those featuring heavily.
Gomes, who captained England Under-19s to World Cup success in 2018, only last month suggested he wanted to stay at Old Trafford and win trophies.
He said: “I’ve seen it over the years, coming up from the academy and being at United my whole career.
“It’s what I want to go on to do – win trophies for the club.”
BARCELONA are keen on Juan Foyth, with the Tottenham defender available for transfer this summer.
The Argentine, 22, appeared only eight times for Jose Mourinho this season before the campaign was suspended.
He is understood to have been offered to other clubs.
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PER MERTESACKER has seen enough from Mikel Arteta to be convinced the Spaniard will restore Arsenal to greatness.
The Gunners’ academy manager played alongside Arteta for five years after both arrived at the club in 2011.
Arteta captained Arsenal to two FA Cup wins before retiring from playing in 2016 and moving to Manchester City, where he worked with Pep Guardiola.
Since returning as Arsenal head coach in December, Arteta has seen an upturn in form and presided over just one defeat in their last 13 matches in all competitions before the coronavirus crisis.
Mertesacker, his former vice-captain, believes the Spaniard has already sown the seeds for a resurgence.
He said: “His leadership is fantastic. As vice-captain I learned from him how to handle situations.
‘‘I learned how to man up and be the captain – but to have empathy and the feeling for people as well.
“I learned a lot from him and I can only say that our working relationship is great and our personal relationship is great – so I can see a fantastic future for us.”
The club are currently wrestling with the thorny issue of striker Pierreemerick Aubameyang’s contract, with the Gabon marksman unwilling to renew beyond the remaining year of his deal.
France striker Alexandre Lacazette is also a target for Atletico Madrid, and that presents a further headache for the Arsenal hierarchy.
But Mertesacker has faith that technical director Edu will be able to work in tandem with Arteta to bring in the reinforcements the club forward.
Referring to their working relationship, he told the official website Arsenal.com: “It’s just building pieces with Edu as well, so I think we’re in a fantastic position.
“We don’t take anything for granted, now is the time to really push on and make sure we come back to where we belong, and that’s the Champions League and having world-class players.”
Arsenal were ninth in the Premier League, three points off a European place, and also had an FA Cup quarter-final tie away to Sheffield United on the horizon before English football was brought to an abrupt halt.
Whether the season finally gets the go-ahead to resume or not, Mertesacker said that he and the men steeped in the traditions of the club will be able to mould the current crop into a winning machine.
“We want to build on our DNA that was developed over centuries,” he added.
“So we cannot forget the history and the greatness of the club.
“We are inheriting that and we are sons of so many greats that have led this club to greatness. So it’s a big responsibility, not only for myself but for Mikel, Edu and all the great leadership we have.” promoted Guardiola from B team boss to first-team manager in 2008, has been in touch with the City manager.
But even if he has not, Guardiola might not have been too upset to be used as a pawn in the presidential battle necessary to move given current incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu’s fiery comments about City after their alleged Financial Fair Play issues.
When the Premier League club were hit with their two-year UEFA ban for breaching rules earlier this
■ (right) season, the Barcelona president publicly thanked the governing body for their work on FFP.
That provoked Guardiola to respond with a rare criticism of his old club.
“My advice would be don’t talk too loud because everybody is involved in situations,” he said.
Relations between Guardiola and Bartomeu also took a dive after allegations the club hired a social media company to damage the reputation of the City boss.
Guardiola is understood to be still in
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Spain dealing with the loss of his mother, Dolors Sala Carrio, but is expected back in Manchester shortly.
But he is not expected to comment further on Laporta’s bid beyond what he has already said about staying at City until 2021 at the earliest.