FEYENOORD BOSS SLOT LEADING RACE FOR LIVERPOOL JOB: REPORTS
London: Feyenoord coach Arne Slot has emerged as the leading contender to succeed Jurgen Klopp as Liverpool manager, according to British media reports. Slot,
45, led Feyenoord to their first league title in six years last season and won the Dutch Cup on Sunday.
He had been a front runner to take over at Tottenham a year ago before ruling himself out of contention. Report said Slot is now leading the race for the unenviable task of following Klopp at Anfield. However, the Reds could face competition from Bayern Munich and Barcelona, who are also looking for new coaches next season.
Bayer Leverkusen boss and former
Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso had been the favourite when Klopp announced his decision in January to stand down at the end of the season after nearly nine years in the role. However, Alonso has committed to staying at Leverkusen after leading them to a first-ever Bundesliga title.
Sporting Lisbon coach Ruben Amorim was also linked with the Liverpool vacancy but reportedly held talks with West Ham on Monday about replacing David Moyes next season. Slot moved to Feyenoord in 2021 after impressing in his first managerial role at AZ Alkmaar.
He led the Dutch giants to the inaugural Europa Conference League final at the end of his first season, in which they narrowly lost 1-0 to Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Slot then delivered just a second league title in 24 years to De Kuip last season, but his side trail PSV Eindhoven by nine points with only four games remaining in this year’s Eredivisie title race.
EMERY EXTENDS VILLA CONTRACT
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has extended his contract until 2027, the Premier League club announced. Emery has done an impressive job at Villa Park, guiding the club from a relegation fight when he took over from Steven Gerrard in November 2022 to the brink of Champions
League qualification. The Birmingham club are fourth in the Premier League table, six points ahead of fifth-placed Tottenham, who have two games in hand. Villa are also through to the semi-finals of the Europa Conference League, where they will face Olympiakos as they hunt a first European trophy since 1982, when they were crowned European champions.
FOREST TO GET ACCESS TO VAR AUDIO AFTER PENALTIES FURORE
Nottingham Forest will be given the opportunity to privately hear the VAR audio related to three rejected penalty claims in their 2-0 Premier League defeat at Everton on Sunday. Relegation-threatened Forest called on Monday for the audio between Stuart Attwell and on-field referee Anthony Taylor to be released publicly.
Sources close to referees body the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) said it has nothing to hide and will give Forest the opportunity to hear the audio in private, as it would any other club making a similar request.
The audio related to a wrongly disallowed Luis Diaz goal for Liverpool at Tottenham earlier this season was released publicly, but in that instance there had been a serious communication error so the matter was treated differently.