Shot in the foot
> Wednesday stun Arsenal in League Cup
Ancelotti, 56, would consider the Chelsea job if he was offered it on a permanent basis.
FORMER Barcelona coach Guardiola, 44, says he is “not going to answer questions” about his future anymore.
CHELSEA and Brazil midfielder Ramires, 28, insists there is “no mutiny against Mourinho” from the Stamford Bridge club’s squad.
ISCO has told Real Madrid chairman Florentino Perez he wants to leave the club and Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool are set to battle it out for the 23-year-old Spain midfielder.
MANCHESTER UNITED manager Louis van Gaal says his transfer targets are keen to move to Old Trafford but that they are being stopped by their clubs.
THE agent of Paris St-Germain and Italy midfielder Marco Verratti has
told Europe’s top clubs they can sign the 22-year - old if they pay £72m.
LIVERPOOL’S 26-year-old striker Daniel Sturridge, who is out injured and yet to play for new manager Jurgen Klopp, has had his “attitude and desire” questioned by ex-Reds striker David Fairclough.
BARCELONA are planning to give Argentina forward Lionel Messi, 28, a new contract, which will see him finish his career at the Nou Camp.
BRAZIL forward Alexandre Pato, 26, could sign for West Ham with Corinthians president Roberto de Andrade understood to be looking to offload the forward.
FRENCH prime minister Manuel Valls says Barcelona could play in his country’s top division if Catalonia votes for independence and the Nou Camp club are kicked out of La Liga.
REAL MADRID are set to offer Costa Rica goalkeeper Keylor Navas, 28, an improved contract but that does not mean they have ended their interest in 24-year-old Manchester United stopper David De Gea.
MANCHESTER UNITED’S Spain goalkeeper Victor Valdes, 33, is planning to leave Old Trafford in January for another Premier League club.
NEWCASTLE UNITED head coach Steve McClaren has Queens Park Rangers’ striker Charlie Austin on his ‘radar’ – but the 26-yearold is not targeting a move in the January transfer window.
FORMER Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert believes part of the reason his ex-club may want Frenchman Remi Garde as their new manager is to get the best out of the French players at the West Midlands outfit.
FORMER Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has ruled himself out of the running for the Aston Villa job but believes the club should give a lower-division manager the job.
BARCELONA and Brazil forward Neymar, 23, is looking for a new club in order to fulfil his aspirations of winning the Ballon d’Or.
£1=RM6.53
IN-FORM Arsenal were dumped out of the League Cup after a weakened team crashed to a damaging 3-0 defeat at second-tier Sheffield Wednesday in the fourth round yesterday.
Showing eight changes, Arsene Wenger’s team were well beaten by Championship side Wednesday at Hillsborough and also lost Alex OxladeChamberlain and Theo Walcott to injury in the first half.
Ross Wallace put Wednesday ahead after 27 minutes and then teed up Lucas Joao for the hosts’ second goal shortly before halftime, with Sam Hutchinson completing victory early in the second period.
Asked how his young fringe players had handled the occasion, Wenger delivered a scathing assessment, telling Sky Sports: “It was too high for them. They are not ready to play at this level, none of them.”
On the injuries his team suffered, he added: “We are short now because we lose Chamberlain today, we lose Walcott and we have already a few injuries.
“It is a big blow for us, of course to lose the game, but even more for the other competitions, which are very important for us, to lose two players of that stature.”
It was Wednesday’s second Premier League scalp in this season’s competition, following their third-round win at Newcastle United, and brought Arsenal’s run of four successive victories to an end.
Wenger made eight changes to the team that beat Everton 2-1 on Saturday for the trip to Hillsborough, which was a repeat of the 1993 final.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was one of only three players who kept their places, along with Petr Cech and Olivier Giroud, but he went off in the fifth minute after pulling up while running along the touchline. Walcott replaced his England teammate, but he in turn was forced off 13 minutes later with an apparent calf injury.
Elsewhere, Hull, relegated from the Premier League last season, relived the high life by beating Leicester on penalties.
The match had finished 0-0, but Riyad Mahrez put Leicester ahead in extra time, only for Hull’s Abel Hernandez to level and force penalties, which Hull won 5-4.
Everton drew 1-1 with Norwich before sneaking through 4-3 in the shootout. – AFP