Niko Kovac has finally paid the price for a tough start to the season for Bayern Munich, with the head coach departing after a humiliating 5-1 defeat to former club Eintracht Frankfurt.

That result left the Bundesliga champions fourth four points off leaders Borussia Monchengladbach having won just one of their past four league matches.

Of course, Bayern also claimed an incredible 7-2 Champions League triumph away at Tottenham, but pressure had been building on Kovac for some time.

So where might Bayern turn next? We examine six potential candidates including some big names.
 

JOSE MOURINHO

There is scarcely an elite club Mourinho has not been linked with since departing Manchester United, so could he finally end up at Bayern?

After win…

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial is now playing at a level he should reach consistently, according to France coach Didier Deschamps.

Martial, 22, has found form for United, scoring five goals in his past six games to earn a recall to the France squad.

Deschamps hopes the former Monaco star is maturing, challenging the forward to maintain his recent form.

Anthony has been with the national team for a while now. He s experienced both good and bad times, which is also the case for his club, he told a news conference on Thursday.

What he s currently achieving with Manchester United is closer to what he s able to do regularly. I m talking about commitment and efficiency in front of goal.

Here s our 23-man squad for the upcoming duels with th…

Jose Mourinho and Roma must take responsibility for their actions over the abuse of referee Anthony Taylor after the Europa League final, says Ref Support UK chief executive Martin Cassidy.

The Giallorossi were defeated on penalties by Sevilla following an ill-tempered 1-1 draw last Wednesday, bringing their coach s perfect record in continental finals to an end.

Mourinho lambasted Taylor s performance, with the Roma coach confronting the official following full-time, before fans harassed him at Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport afterwards.

Cassidy, who leads a charity that offers support to match officials, suggested Mourinho s conduct exacerbated matters, and that both him and his club need to own up to their actions.

My reaction was shock, b…

Manchester Cry are interested in signing Kylian Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain in the January transfer window, according to . The report has claimed that France international forward Mbappe , and that defending Premier League champions City are among the clubs keen on securing the services of the 23-year-old forward.

Mbappe is one of the best forwards in the world and has been brilliant for PSG over the years. The youngster signed a new deal with the defending Ligue 1 champions only in the summer of 2022 after intense speculation linking him with a move to last season’s La Liga and UEFA Champions League winners Real Madrid.

The forward has made eight starts and one substitute appearances in Ligue 1 for PSG so far this season, scoring eight goals in the process. Mba…

Jerome Valcke is confident security plans in Brazil for this year s FIFA World Cup will ensure fans can enjoy the experience.

Valcke took to Twitter to allay fears regarding high crime figures and threats of violent protests against the Brazilian government and FIFA during the tournament.

The secretary general of world football s governing body insisted he was confident there would be no problems when the tournament kicks off in June, and that people visiting the country should not worry about their safety.

As much as the World Cup is about celebrating excellence on the field, one key deliverable we will be judged on is the aspect of security, he posted.

Security is comparable to football: It is a team sport and all have to play together. We have full of confiden…

Chelsea s often-criticised strikeforce may be licking their lips ahead of a Premier League visit to Aston Villa on Saturday.

Much has been made of Chelsea s lack of a prolific goalscorer this season, but Jose Mourinho s men have still been able to open up a seven-point lead at the top of the table.

Andre Schurrle bagged a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Fulham earlier this month, while strikers Demba Ba and Samuel Eto o were among those on target in a convincing 4-0 triumph over Tottenham on Saturday.

History suggests another big day could be on the cards for Chelsea s attackers, with the team having scored 30 goals in their last nine encounters against Villa in all competitions.

They embarrassed Villa 8-0 at Stamford Bridge in December 2012 and Frank Lampard scored fo…

Leicester City s experience of winning the Championship title in 2013-14 can help them to complete their unbelievable pursuit of Premier League glory, according to Peter Schmeichel.

Claudio Ranieri s men have a five-point lead at the top with seven games remaining as they bid to seal a top-division title for the first time in their history.

Schmeichel whose son Kasper is Leicester s goalkeeper noted that many of the team s key players, such as Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater, were at the club when they finished top of England s second tier to seal promotion.

I know you can t compare the Championship to the Premier League, but a lot of the Leicester players only two seasons ago were in the same kind of situation having been on the same run, Schme…

Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of midfielder Augusto Fernandez from La Liga counterparts Celta Vigo.

The 29-year-old, who has won nine caps for Argentina, joins up with Diego Simeone s squad on a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Fernandez s impressive form for Celta, who he joined in 2012,  has helped the club to lie fifth in the Liga standings this season and persuaded his former River Plate boss Simeone and Atleti to make their move.

Atletico Madrid sporting director Jose Luis Perez Caminero told the club s official website: He s a player of proven experience in La Liga, who will bring quality and competition to a great midfield such as ours. His signing will help us to face the demands of having to play three competitions.

At the club …

Aston Villa have completed the signing of Matty Cash from Nottingham Forest on a five-year deal.

Cash arrives at Villa Park for an undisclosed fee, with reports suggesting the Premier League side agreed a deal that could rise to £16million.

The 23-year-old started his career as a right-sided attacker but developed into one of the best full-backs in the Championship. 

Absolutely buzzing to have signed a 5 year deal at Aston Villa. Something I ve always dreamed of since I was a young boy to play in the Premier League, it really is a dream come true, Cash, Forest s  2019-20 Player of the Season, wrote on Twitter. 

I can t wait to meet up with the squad, meet everyone around the club and the supporters!

Welcome to the Villa, Matty Cash!

…

Sandro Tonali s move to Milan is almost complete but Brescia s president Massimo Cellino wanted him to join Roma.

Italy international Tonali has been one of the hottest properties in Italian football over the past few years, having broken into the Brescia team as a 17-year-old.

A technically gifted midfielder renowned for his dribbling and passing abilities, Tonali – now 20 – has long been seen as a future star of the Azzurri.

Brescia managed to keep hold of Tonali for the 2019-20 season after they were promoted to Serie A, but their relegation left them helpless to resist offers.

Cellino previously claimed Tonali ignored offers from Barcelona and Manchester United, while Inter had also tried to prise the talent away.

But Milan, whom he suppo…