Xavi could be the next Spurs manager
Tottenham Hotspur have won a foot in the Europa League final after defeating Bodø/Glimt 3-1 in the first leg of their semi-final. Even if Spurs win the competition, Ange Postecoglou is expected to leave the club after a dismal Premier League season. The search will have already begun for Postecoglou's successor, and they could turn to a Barcelona legend.
The Sun has reported that "Xavi is the new favourite to replace Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham should he leave at the end of this season."
Xavi won La Liga as Barca manager in the 2022/23 season, but was sacked at the end of the following campaign. Before coaching the Catalan club that he played for, Xavi was also the manager of Al Sadd, whom he also represented at the end of his playing career.
At Al Sadd, he won the Qatar Stars League and the Qatar Cup twice. However, it was obvious that he only got the Barcelona job because he is a legend of the Spanish side. Spurs have gone for big-name coaches in the past, including Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte. However, neither coach was a success in North London.
Spurs have not won a trophy since lifting the League Cup back in 2008. They have had a string of managers since then, but many fans believe that change is needed at the top rather than in the dugout. There have been regular protests calling for Tottenham's chairman, Daniel Levy, to leave the club.
Julen Lopetegui has joined Qatar
Julen Lopetegui was sacked by West Ham United earlier in the season after a poor start to the campaign. The former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager claimed just six wins, with five draws and nine defeats in his 20 Premier League games in charge of the Hammers. The former Spanish national team coach has now turned his attention back to international soccer.
The Qatar Football Association revealed they have "officially named Spanish coach Julen Lopetegui as the new head coach of the Qatar national team, with a contract extending until 2027."
It did not work out for Lopetegui in English soccer, but he has a very good CV, having also coached Real Madrid, Sevilla, Porto and Spain. However, when Lopetegui was Spain's manager, he was sacked just before the 2018 World Cup after it was revealed that he had already agreed to join Real Madrid. He will be hoping that his time with Qatar will run more smoothly than it did for him with Spain.
Joe Allen to retire from soccer
Joe Allen played in the Premier League for Liverpool, Stoke City and Swansea City. He is still at Swansea, playing in the Championship, but is set to retire after Saturday's match with Oxford United, which is their final game of the season.
Allen was quoted on the BBC saying, "This is incredibly difficult. This is not something I've taken lightly, I've spent a lot of time pondering it. The timing's right. I made the decision, got to 100% about a month ago. I wasn't sure how the last few weeks would go, how I'd find things, but it's actually been a good spell really. I've enjoyed it."
The midfielder was a runner-up with Liverpool in the Europa League and League Cup. Allen was also a key part of the Wales roster that made it to the semi-finals of the European Championship back in 2016.