The latest from around Wembley and St George’s Park is that the FA have already identified their first choice candidate for the next England manager: Pep Guardiola.
Gareth Southgate stepped down after nearly eight years as the England boss on Tuesday, 16 July, and as bittersweet as his departure may be for lots of supporters across the country, the search to find his replacement is already well underway.
Although other UK names like Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and even Brendan Rodgers have been linked with the job so far, it looks as though the Football Association are prepared to go all in for the Manchester City head coach.
However, as undoubtedly the best manager on the planet right now and a figure who has changed the face of the modern game forever, if/when he does eventually leave City, he’ll be the most in-demand figure in football. Nevertheless, they believe he could be persuaded – but it’ll be a matter of timing.
FA would consider putting in an interim – Carsley – if Guardiola were possible, and he left City at end of next season
Similar approach was used for Wiegman
A lot of complications, though, and Guardiola may not even decide until late in seasonhttps://t.co/YkOlm9b8B3
As reported by the Independent, the FA are “willing to wait” for their window to go after the treble-winning and three-time Champions League-winning Catalan coach and appoint a temporary manager as a stop-gap solution in the meantime.
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While they understand it is outside the realms of possibility that he could be swept away from Man City at this moment with less than a month to go until the new Premier League season, Pep Guardiola‘s contract does expire in 2025 and is yet to announce whether he will be extending his stay or not.
Despite Southgate heaping praise on his assistant coach Steve Holland in his farewell statement, it looks as though under-21s coach Lee Carsley may be chosen as the interim England boss – especially after seeing the trajectory of Spain’s Luis de la Fuente, who just led them to the Euro 2024 title.
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Better still, many fans feel that his domination of club football across Europe (albeit he hasn’t yet taken a job in Italy or France) could make the role seem a more attractive offer to the 53-year-old.
The FA would have to offer Guardiola a very handsome package if they were to lure him into taking what many consider ‘the impossible job’, though if anyone is capable of doing it then it’s surely Pep.
Other names like Jürgen Klopp have also been floated, but it’s unlikely he’d be willing to jump on board so soon after leaving Liverpool and confessing a significant amount of fatigue, so securing his signature might also take some time.
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Whether or not appointing a German to the England manager’s job would also be a big factor, no doubt, as the fan sentiment would surely be something to take into account. Some sources say he’s already snubbed the offer.
Do you really think Pep would take it and, if not, who would you want to see in charge of the Three Lions heading into the future?
Stockport County defender Brad Hills ruled out for the rest of the season
Danny Jones
In a big blow to their promotion push, Stockport County have been hit with a major injury and loss to their first-team squad, as defender Brad Hills has been ruled out for what looks to be the remainder of the season and then some.
Not what Hatters will want to hear with crunch-time in and around the playoffs now well underway.
Having emerged as even more of a starring centre-back this year, following his initial loan spell with the club during the previous campaign, Brad Hills has arguably been one of Stockport’s best and most reliable players in 2025/26 thus far – but not County will have to do without him.
Although the exact severity is yet to be fully revealed, the former Norwich City youth academy graduate is said to have hurt his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL).
Confirming the news on social media, the Greater Manchester side stated: “We regret to inform supporters that Brad Hills sustained an ACL injury in Saturday’s draw at Luton Town that will rule him out for the foreseeable future.
“Our full focus is on supporting Brad throughout his recovery – we know he’ll come back stronger”
For anyone unaware, ACL tears/ruptures are among some of the worst injuries in football, and depending on the extent of the damage, it can take anywhere between six months and a full year to bounce back.
Safe to say, therefore, that supporters have been left gutted by the update, with one commenting, “Awful, awful news”; another simply wrote, “FFS”.
After typing a very long expletive following the show news, fan podcast The Scarf Bergara Wore wrote: “Wishing Bradley Hills a speedy recovery – come back stronger!
Since becoming a permanent signing back in August, he’s earned multiple man-of-the-match awards in blue and white, not to mention contributed to a decent number of clean sheets. He’ll be a big miss in their backline.
While it’s no doubt a big setback as the League One team looks to get promoted into the Championship, the absence could see manager Dave Challinor reshuffle the pack and perhaps even the formation for the remaining fixtures.
One option is Louie Barry, who – depending on the setup – could finally be set for a return to the pitch after he was signed on a third loan deal this past January, but is still continuing his own rehab following a knee operation.
Put it this way, with not many games left, lots of County fans are probably wishing that the pending and potential further changes in the EFL could have come sooner…
Salford RLFC issue statement as head coach Mike Grady departs after less than three months
Danny Jones
Salford Rugby League Football Club have issued an official statement following the departure of head coach Mike Grady, who has left the role after less than three months in the job.
It has been insisted that this is not a sacking, but rather a joint decision to terminate his contract.
Grady, who took up the mantle at the start of this project following the end of the Salford Red Devils era, was only appointed on 5 January.
He had previously been in charge of the Red Devils’ women’s side over the past couple of years, but moved over to hopefully lead this new era forward.
As you can see, the club confirmed in a statement that they and Grady have “mutually agreed to part ways due to changes in his personal circumstances.”
They go on to write: “We are forever indebted to Mike for his unwavering commitment to the club. We want to thank him for all his hard work since taking on the role as Head Coach in very challenging circumstances in December.”
Also sharing a comment from former player turned CEO, Ryan Brierley, he said: “Mike came in as Coach at a time when the club had just come through one of its toughest times with the double impact of relegation and liquidation.
“He was willing to roll up his sleeves and bring stability to the club on the pitch. The fact we were able to field a team against Oldham in January, after only three weeks, speaks volumes about his commitment and determination. To beat Hunslet at home only four weeks later was a fantastic achievement.
“Mike will always be remembered as the person [who] strived and achieved the objective of sending out the first Salford team of this new era. A team running onto the pitch, after so much hard work, gave us all something to cheer about. We also remember how well he successfully guided our women’s team to third and fourth place finishes in the Championship.”
Sharing his own farewell message, he went on to add: “I want to thank Ryan for the opportunity to represent this great club and fan base. What we created at the start of the year was pretty special, and I’m proud to have built that.
“I’m happy to leave the club in a better place than I found it and wish the club all the best for the future.” Salford RLFC have already assured that they are now recruiting for his replacement.
Danny Jones -
18th July 2024 
