Premier League champions Chelsea could reportedly be set to sell winter signing Juan Cuadrado at a loss to Inter Milan in the summer.  

The Colombian arrived at Stamford Bridge from Fiorentina in February for £26.1 million as a supposed upgrade on the departing Andre Schurrle.

However, in the second half of the league season, Cuadrado played just 312 minutes of football, contributing no goals or assists, per WhoScored.com.

Recent reports have suggested that he may be looking to return to Serie A, having failed to settle in west London, and Inter Milan are lining up a £22 million bid for the 27-year-old, per Tuttosport (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express).

Inter have seemingly missed out on Palermo‘s Paulo Dybala, per Short, and San Siro boss Roberto Mancini is now apparently lining up Cuadrado instead.

In all likelihood, however, Blues boss Jose Mourinho will keep hold of Cuadrado into next season, having previously suggested the winger needs time to adapt to the Premier League, per Luke Kenton of the Daily Telegraph: “He needs time. I know Italy and I know the difference between Italy and England. His formation, his development, his experience – everything was in Italy. Stability, time, integration – I think we will see the best Cuadrado next year.”

The player himself certainly does not see his fledgling Chelsea career coming to an end so soon, if his reaction to the Blues’ league win is anything to go by:

Chelsea clearly rate Cuadrado very highly given the transfer fee they paid for him, and they will surely not offload him after only a few months at the club.

He is a hugely versatile attacking talent who could become a stalwart of the Chelsea team in years to come, and they would be foolish to get rid of him having barely given him a chance to shine.

Juve Target Oscar, Antonio Rudiger Eyed 

The Blues are set to come under pressure from Juventus in the summer as the Serie A champions are reportedly targeting Chelsea attacker Oscar.

According to Tuttosport (h/t talkSPORT), the Brazilian is at the top of Juve’s summer wish list as boss manager Massimiliano Allegri looks “to add more flare and creativity to his side.”

Juventus have had a terrific season thus far, winning the domestic double and reaching the Champions League final: They face Barcelona on June 6 in Berlin.

However, they have often relied on a solid defensive unit, with creative options lacking further forward, a problem Oscar could potentially solve.

Furthermore, for the right price, Chelsea may just be prepared to sell Oscar on, as he was not an indispensable component for the Blues in the second half of the season, playing a full 90 minutes just twice in the league in 2015, per WhoScored.

Indeed, Bleacher Report’s Garry Hayes presents a scenario in which Eden Hazard moves into the centre of the park for Chelsea, leaving Oscar warming the bench:

However, despite falling down the pecking order somewhat, Chelsea and Mourinho would surely only think about selling Oscar if they stood to make a substantial profit on the £19.35 million they paid for the 23-year-old.

At the other end of the pitch, Chelsea are reportedly eyeing Stuttgart centre-back Antonio Rudiger as Mourinho plans for the future of his back line.

According to German outlet Stuttgarter Zeitung (h/t Alex Harris in the Daily Star) the 22-year-old Rudiger is set to leave Stuttgart in the summer, and he has a £7.1 million release clause.

John Terry had a fantastic 2014-15 season, but at 34 years old, the Englishman’s career is surely drawing to a close. Gary Cahill seems to have dropped off in form somewhat, with young Kurt Zouma coming through the ranks to earn a first-team spot.

The German Rudiger would come in as a potential long-term option to partner Zouma in the centre of defence, and Chelsea will surely be his preferred destination over other potential suitors West Ham United, Monaco, Wolfsburg and Porto. 

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As a player, Phillip Cocu took his time to reach his full, glorious potential; he took his time to just settle on his preferred position and certainly took his time before gracing one of the biggest clubs in the world.

As a manager, well, only time will tell whether his path ends up treading a familiar route. After a false start and a couple of detours along the way, Cocu has this season turned the club perhaps closest to his heart, PSV Eindhoven, into Dutch champions—for the first time in seven years.

As a player, a combative midfielder with an eye for a pass and a goal or two, Cocu helped PSV to similar glory in two spells with the Eredivisie side. In the interim, he ventured to Spain and Barcelona, where he would become the club’s most capped foreign player—at least until a young Argentinian called Lionel Messi came along.

Great players do not always become great coaches, but the early signs are that Cocu, 44, may well have what it takes to make the grade. Beloved by Barcelona as a player, the question now is whether he will soon be coveted by them as a manager too.

There always seems to be a next big thing emerging in Dutch football, but with every recipient of the tag, the only guarantee is that the individual in question will not hold it for too long.

That is not just because there is always another promising prospect coming through—although that increasingly is the case—but also because individuals feted in such a way invariably end up pursuing their ambitions in richer, larger European leagues.

That transition is not always successful—for every Ruud van Nistelrooy there is an Afonso Alves—but the strike rate is usually pretty good. Liverpool certainly struck gold when they lured Luis Suarez from Ajax in 2011, while Manchester United will be hoping they have been similarly prescient with their capture of PSV’s Memphis Depay.

The Netherlands is not only regarded as a hotbed of footballing talent but a cradle for tactical insight, a reputation fostered in part by Rinus Michels and then Johan Cruyff, two men who helped evolve the game significantly with their coaching methods and general perception of how it should be played.

Over the past two decades, Dutch coaches, like Dutch players, have traveled throughout Europe and the rest of the world imparting their wisdom, from Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink to Frank Rijkaard and Ronald Koeman.

The managerial merry-go-round is even more unpredictable than the playing one, however, with reputations rising and failing with often unpredictable haste.

In the last few seasons, Ajax manager Frank de Boer has been linked with some of the biggest jobs in Europe—Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, to name but two, reported by FourFourTwo—thanks primarily to his run of four successive Eredivisie titles. This summer, however, his name has been featured less heavily, presumably because Ajax failed to win the title.

They were pipped by a Memphis-inspired PSV, a dominant victory that has made Cocu, the mastermind of it all, the feted man of the Eredivisie.

With a title under his belt to go with a previously won Dutch Cup, a history of working with younger players and a strong CV as a player, Cocu seems to possess all the basic qualities desired of the modern big-club manager. It did not take long for another side to steal away Memphis, the jewel in PSV’s crown. When might they also come in for the manager, and what might it take to lure him away?

A Player of Quality

As a player, Cocu was a combative midfielder with few equals. His versatility was perhaps his biggest strength, something he was always happy to accept, relayed by Mohamed Moallim of WhoScored.com: “The only positions I’ve not played in [are] goalkeeper and right-back.”

Heavily left-footed, Cocu was often the calming presence for both club and country, the one who stuck a foot in to win possession and retained his side’s positional structure as those around him were released to play with greater attacking freedom.

“Cocu’s a great passer, has a good shot and could almost be another Bryan Robson,” former Manchester United boss Ron Atkinson told the Guardian in 2001, tipping the Dutchman as a player his old club should try to sign. “He may not be quite so prolific a goalscorer, but he’s tremendous in the air arriving in the box and has a lot of those ingredients.

“He’s more than capable of contesting midfield and is so versatile that he can not only fill virtually any position but play it as a world player.”

The intelligence Atkinson spotted was always a feature of his game. Born in Eindhoven in 1970, Cocu’s family left the city for Alkmaar when he was a toddler. His first experiences of organized football came with De Graafschap before he ultimately signed terms with AZ as a 16-year-old.

He was a winger at this point in his career—indeed, a left-footed tyro who lifted the crowd with his technique and attacking flair. After two seasons at the club, he joined Vitesse Arnhem, where, after overcoming a broken leg early in his stay, he would slowly convert to a more central role.

He would also begin to garner international attention, narrowly missing out on Dick Advocaat’s squad for the 1994 World Cup at the age of 23. “I thought it was great that Advocaat had me on his list of the first 25 [players],” Cocu later reflected to Trouw. “Too bad I just didn’t make it. But I was still young [and would have another chance].”

In the end, he would have to wait another two years to make his international debut.

At 24, he finally returned to Eindhoven after PSV met the release clause in his contract. Feyenoord met the clause as well, but Cocu’s mind was long since made up. He duly helped PSV to cup success in 1996 before the Rood-witten lifted the league title 12 months later.

Cocu was a player of greater ambition, however, and in 1998, he allowed his contract with PSV to expire. By this time an established Netherlands international, he attracted interest from around Europe. Barcelona eventually beat out Real Madrid, Lazio and Inter Milan to secure his signature.

Cocu had cheered for Barcelona as a boy—at that time, they were a club with a heavy Dutch influence—so joining the Blaugrana was something of a dream for the midfielder. He would make the most of it, playing 292 games for the club over the course of six seasons to make the most appearances by a foreign player in its history.

Since then only two non-Spaniards have beaten Cocu’s mark: Messi and full-back Dani Alves, reported by Barca’s official website.

In 2004, at the age of 33, Cocu returned to PSV for a final three-year spell at the club, adding three successive league titles and one Dutch cup to his collection. During that period, the club also reached the Champions League semi-finals, only to be denied by AC Milan. In a 3-3 aggregate draw—Milan progressed on away goals—Cocu scored twice.

After a one-season, presumably money-spinning, stay at Middle East side Al Jazira, Cocu retired in 2008 and immediately turned his attention to coaching.

First Forays into Coaching

If backroom coaching jobs are the footballing equivalent of summer internships prior to finally getting on that graduate scheme in the city, then Cocu’s list of experiences is something to behold. Since retiring as a footballer, he has worked under Bert van Marwijk, Huub Stevens and Dick Advocaat, learning from the best with both the Netherlands national team and PSV.

His first taste of actual management came in March 2012, when he was appointed caretaker manager at PSV following the dismissal of Fred Rutten. Cocu’s initial impact was underwhelming, although the club did win their final five games of the season and lifted the KNVB Cup.

Nevertheless, the club opted to appoint a familiar face, Dick Advocaat, in the summer, with Cocu—perhaps considered too raw for the top job at that time—deciding to ditch his assistant role with the national team and focus exclusively on managing PSV’s under-19 squad.

This was an astute move from both club and coach. With PSV having realised, as almost all Dutch clubs now have, that focusing on producing their own players is the only way to survive and thrive, Cocu was suddenly perfectly placed to succeed Advocaat when he departed. When Advocaat left the club after a disappointing season, Cocu was finally handed the reins on a permanent basis.

Cocu immediately set about overhauling the squad, changing the profile of a club that had allowed itself to slip some way off the pace of Ajax, a club that made its famous Toekomst academy the central tenet of its footballing identity. The new coach promised that the club would again contend for the Eredivisie but that there might be some growing pains to endure first.

“We are going to build a new team,” Cocu said, relayed by the Associated Press (h/t ESPN FC). “There will be changes in the squad. PSV will always go for the title but there is time enough.”

He added: “I am someone who likes to learn step by step and don’t want to go too fast. I also think you’re never too old to learn.

“I’m ready to take this step. It is a long-term thing but I am someone who, if he start something, wants to do well.” 

They seemed like the words of a man keen to dampen expectations, to reduce pressure, but they proved to be a precise analysis of how he saw the future. Having promoted young winger Memphis Depay to the first team during his intermediary spell in charge, Cocu set his stall out from the start to build his new squad around the young players the club was producing—players he had learned a lot about over the previous 12 months.

When PSV emerged for the start of the 2013/14 season, the team’s average age was well below 23—not necessarily remarkable for the Eredivisie but a significant shift for the club itself.

Initially, results were good, with the club going seven games unbeaten to start the season, and Cocu’s tenure, in perfect fashion. But then came a run of losses that sparked fears about the new adventure.

“Crisis? panic? You could also say that they are growing pains,” PSV’s sporting director, Marcel Brands, told Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (via FourFourTwo). “We knew at the time [of appointing Cocu, setbacks could happen], but not when the first setback would come. In July and August we performed just above expectations.

“You know a relapse in this process is logical with a completely new team. As management and staff we were already prepared.”

That faith was important for Cocu, because things were to get worse before they get better. At one point, midway through the season, PSV slipped to 10th in the 18-team table before a strong finish to the campaign saw the side eventually finish fourth, securing a Europa League spot. It was a learning experience for all concerned, although Cocu was also going through something much tougher.

Health Scare Alters Perspective

Midway through that season, a routine medical scan revealed a sizeable lump on Cocu’s back, near his spine. Doctors were immediately worried; they did not know if the lump was cancerous, but if it was, the chances were reasonable that it had already spread.

“I had sometimes vague complaints, problems with my back after beach football, or I felt a strange stiffness if I had played football with my friends in the team room,” Cocu told Helden Magazine in a rare interview.

He kept putting off getting it checked out: “After the scan I was told that there was probably a tumor in my back. I was still quite sober until I saw the photos themselves from the MRIs.

“For a long time I was still optimistic, perhaps against their better judgement.”

Cocu only told his team two days before he underwent surgery at the end of March, passing control of the squad to his assistant, Ernest Faber, for the remainder of the campaign. Surgery went successfully, and subsequent tests showed the lump was not malignant, giving Cocu the all clear.

He returned to the club in time for the start of pre-season training ahead of the new campaign.

“Mentally I was pretty fast to recover, and I always believed that it would be okay, that from the start of the new season I could immediately return and do my job,” Cocu added. “But when I got the green light in September, it did feel very liberating. I feel that I can do everything again. My body has finally returned to normal.”

After that scare, the 2014/15 season saw the realisation of Cocu’s vision. A squad based on the pace and attacking threat of Memphis Depay, the midfield skill of Georginio Wijnaldum and the defensive resilience of Karim Rekik and Jeffrey Bruma was always going to be well-equipped for the Eredivisie, although the loan signing of Andres Guardado—an experienced professional, a converted winger with a bit of bite about his play in the middle of the park—underlined the nuanced understanding of his squad Cocu had.

The Mexican added an extra balance to the side that was missing, making them an irresistible force.

Third in the table after the opening round of the campaign, PSV moved into top spot after their second game and never relinquished the spot. They won emphatically in some games, ground out victories in others—the mark, some would say, of a well-drilled side. By the end of the season, they finished a mammoth 17 points ahead of closest rivals Ajax, having been 12 points adrift of them just 12 months earlier.

It was as emphatic a turnaround as has been seen in recent years.

“This is great, to celebrate the title today at home,” Cocu said, per UEFA. “My players really deserved this. We had a clear goal and we achieved it. We worked for this all year and now today we can feel it for real.

“These are the moments you do it for. This is a title the whole club has been longing for for quite some time.”

The subsequent transfer of Memphis to Manchester United, and his status as the league’s top scorer, may suggest that victory was built on the brilliance of one player, but perhaps the player’s emergence was just the most obvious example of a long-term project coming to fruition.

“I’ve learned so much at PSV, not only on the pitch but also as a person,” Depay said after his final game for the club, per the Daily Telegraph. “I’m proud of winning the title with PSV. It’s something the fans deserved, and something I wanted so bad as well.

“I wish the club all the best for coming season, and hopefully they’re lifting a trophy again next year.”

Depay’s departure, however, has led many to fear the end result of PSV’s success: the sale of all their most talented products. Brands said of the deal, per CNN:

We are very proud of this upcoming transfer. Memphis has gone through all the teams of the PSV youth academy and has played an important part in the national title this year.

He’s a wonderful exponent of our training and will make a nice transition to a magnificent club in a beautiful competition. Regarding sports, we lose obviously a fantastic player, which is of great value to the team. But very happily PSV grants him these wonderful step.

Other players may follow, but then other players are coming through. The question now, perhaps, is when will it be Cocu for whom a big club comes knocking?

The Future?

It seems almost certain that Cocu will be linked with another European club before too long, just as his “good friend” De Boer has been recently. Ronald Koeman, managing Feyenoord last season, showed the transition Dutch managers can make with his impressive first season at Southampton. It is just a matter of where Cocu sees his future.

As a player, Cocu never really fancied the opportunities he had to go to England or Italy.

“If the trainer wants me, it is clear. I stay,” Cocu said, per Sky Sports back in 2000, when his Barcelona contract was on the verge of expiring and Arsenal were rumoured to be interested.

“I rejected several English offers after the European Championships.

“It is true that the club has not made any moves to renew my contract but I am not in a hurry. I like Spanish soccer. It is more fun than, for example, the Italian league.”

If that opinion still holds, then it would seem Spain would again be his most likely landing spot—though the money on offer in the Premier League may now be a persuasive factor.

The obvious answer, perhaps too obvious, is Barcelona. He played for the club, he retains contacts there, and widespread reports suggest the club tried to lure him to manager the B team back in 2011, a post that has proved to be a fast track to the top job in the last decade.

Having sat in the stands at Camp Nou once already this season, per Sport, mere metres from the club president, is it really too much of a leap to speculate that Cocu is on whatever managerial shortlist the club may have already drafted?

The failed tenure of Gerardo Martino aside—an appointment, it would seem, driven by the personal desires of Lionel Messi—over the past decade, Barca have always tried to appoint coaches with a pre-existing history with the club over and above any achievements they might have accomplished elsewhere.

Cocu may have opted not to manage Barcelona B, but he has proved his credentials nonetheless. If Luis Enrique leaves this summer—and it remains a big if, especially with a treble on the cards—it would not be that surprising if the club sounded out Cocu about the vacancy.

Perhaps, for Cocu’s sake, it would be better if Luis Enrique stays. In that case, the Dutchman would be able to lead PSV back into the Champions League and gain the additional experience that comes with that challenge.

Nevertheless, it seems that, just as he was as a player, Cocu the manager will soon be coveted by plenty of clubs throughout Europe.

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Spanish coach Rafael Benitez confirmed on Thursday he will leave Napoli, ending his two-year tenure in charge of the Serie A giants.

The manager leaves with the Partenopei fourth in Serie A ahead of the final game of the season, amid widespread rumours that he’ll take over the vacant managerial role at Real Madrid.

Napoli provided confirmation of Benitez’s departure, as translated by AS‘ Nicholas Rigg:

Spanish news outlet Sport reports Benitez will be officially named as Madrid’s new manager, following the axing of Carlo Ancelotti, next week.

Benitez had previously been linked with the job at Liverpool, as Brendan Rodgers’ future hangs in the balance.

Rumours that Benitez would rejoin the Anfield superclub date back to November when Jacob Steinberg of the Guardian speculated about the coach’s return to the north-west side, quoting that bookies had slashed his odds to 6-1 to make a dramatic return.

The 55-year-old is still considered a hero on Merseyside after claiming Liverpool’s fifth European Cup crown in 2004-05. The Reds famously came back from the jaws of defeat to beat AC Milan in a dramatic final, after being 3-0 down at half-time, securing Benitez’s legend at the club.

Benitez has had two high-profile appointments between his glory years with Liverpool and his failed exploits in Italy. 

The coach was appointed manager of Inter Milan after leaving the Reds—a team who were the reigning champions of Europe—but he lasted just six months after a string of disastrous performances saw his reputation in tatters at the San Siro.

In 2012, Benitez saw himself take over as boss of Chelsea who, like Inter, were the Champions League holders. His appointment was widely condemned by Blues fans in and around Stamford Bridge, and despite winning the Europa League, he was once again sacked at the end of the campaign.

One good trait Benitez brings with him to the anticipated Madrid role is a defensive know-how, but the primary negative is his teams do not play the most attractive blend of football. 

Nevertheless, Thursday’s confirmation of his departure from Napoli brings that dream move to the Bernabeu ever closer.

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Unless there is a dramatic turn of events that sees Pep Guardiola leave Bayern Munich this summer, Manuel Pellegrini’s position as Manchester City manager looks increasingly secure going into next season.

The club are thought to have placed Guardiola at the top of their list of targets to replace Pellegrini when the Chilean leaves the club, per Simon Mullock in the Mirror. With Guardiola’s deal at Bayern set to expire in June 2016, Pellegrini, effectively, has another season to prove he is worthy of a contract extension at the club, with the availability of Jurgen Klopp seemingly not enough to tempt City’s board into ending Pellegrini’s time at the Etihad early.

Six wins from the final six matches of the season have strengthened Pellegrini’s hand. After the defeat to Manchester United back in April, his position was becoming uncertain. City were on a run of eight defeats from 15 games in all competitions and looked completely lost, but the club look set to keep faith in the man who won a league title and a League Cup in his first season in charge.

So, what looks set to be a hugely important summer for City has already begun. Currently on a post-season tour of the U.S. and Canada, they are in the process of convincing Yaya Toure to stay, according to David Anderson in the Mirror. They will also already be working on bringing in new players they have identified to improve their squad.

Toure is thought to be a target for Inter Milan, with former City manager Roberto Mancini an admirer of the Ivorian and his game-changing qualities. Inter have struggled this season and Toure appears to be the man they see as the catalyst for a return to better form.

But it seems he will start next season at the Etihad, despite his troublesome agent, Dimitri Seluk, telling Sky Sports only a few weeks ago that he was “90 per cent certain” his client would leave Manchester. 

That, already, is a significant summer boost for Pellegrini who clearly values Toure and believes in his ability to influence the City side, even at 32. He may have fallen short of his impeccably high standards during the most recent campaign, but Toure still possesses a unique mixture of attributes that are almost impossible to replace.

Aside from talks with Toure, City also look set to be busy bringing players in. They desperately need pace and youth. At times last season they looked somewhat disjointed and uninspired, and an injection of new faces to reinvent the side is now needed. 

And with UEFA’s Financial Fair Play sanctions widely reported to be relaxed next month, coupled with City’s financial situation constantly improving, big changes could be afoot over the coming weeks. 

Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool winger, is a player who would fit the bill at City, given his ball-carrying ability and home-grown status.

Paul Pogba, the Juventus midfielder who looks set to be at the centre of a transfer tug-of-war, is also likely to be approached. However, according to Simon Bajkowski at the Manchester Evening News, Barcelona are becoming increasingly confident it is they who will sign the 22-year-old Frenchman. 

Pogba looks to have the quality needed to be one of the world’s best, and City are likely to do everything they can to sign him, but often when Barcelona come in for a player, there’s little other clubs can do to stop it happening. 

Meanwhile, according to BBC Sport, City’s post-season match with Houston Dynamo may be under threat given the flooding that has caused chaos in the city.

The Blues were set to play two matches—against Toronto FC on Thursday and Houston on Friday—but the second leg of the tour is now in some doubt. 

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report’s lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter: @RobPollard.

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Dnipro and Sevilla go into the Europa League final in contrasting form as the two teams chase a trophy and a place in next season’s Champions League.

Holders Sevilla have won the competition three times since 2006 and are the favourites to make it back-to-back wins.

In contrast, Dnipro have not won any trophy since 1989, per Igor Linnyk of UEFA’s official website, and they will be playing in a European final for the first time.

Here’s all of the live streaming information you need for the game and the form of Dnipro and Sevilla ahead of Wednesday’s showdown at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

Date: Wednesday, May 27

Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST)/2:45 p.m. (ET)

Live Stream: ITV Player (UK), beIN Sports Connect (U.S.)

TV Info: ITV4 (UK), beIN Sports (U.S.)

Form Guide

Dnipro

Last 10 results in all competitions, per Soccerbase.com: WWLWDLWLDW

Myron Markevych’s team will head into the final on the back of a 3-2 win over Shakhtar Donetsk which kept Dnipro in the hunt for Champions League qualification.

Markevych rested several players in that match, ahead of the Europa League final. Linnyk, per UEFA’s official website, feels Yevhen Konoplyanka’s form has been key to Dnipro’s own performance, writing:

The coach’s rotation policy has allowed Dnipro to enter the final stages of the season as fresh as could be hoped, something reflected in their pleasing form, which unsurprisingly runs parallel with that of Konoplyanka. At the top of his game at the moment, the No10’s goal at AFC Ajax put the side into the quarter-finals and he expertly laid on the semi-final clincher against Napoli.

Dnipro, who lost over two legs to Shakhtar in the semi-finals of the Ukrainian Cup, have saved many of their best performances for Europe this season.

Their form in the knockout phase of the competition has been much better than in the group stage, once they got that far, that is. Dnipro’s European campaign started last July when they lost to FC Copenhagen in the Champions League qualifiers before overcoming Hajduk Split in the Europa League play-offs.

In the group phase, Dnipro failed to score in their first three games as they lost 1-0 at home to Inter Milan and FK Qarabag on either side of a 0-0 draw in Saint-Etienne. But an away win over Qarabag and a final-day success over ASSE secured the runners-up spot for Dnipro behind Inter.

After the winter, Dnipro really picked up in Europe as they beat Olympiakos 2-0 at home in the first leg of the last 32 before claiming a 2-2 draw away. Extra time and away goals helped Dnipro battle past Ajax in the last 16, and their quarter-final tie with Club Brugge was another tight affair. A 0-0 draw in Belgium was followed by a 1-0 home win in the second leg.

In the semi-finals, Dnipro came up against Napoli and were not given much chance to qualify. They managed a 1-1 draw in Italy, when Yevhen Seleznyov scored a late equaliser to set the tie up for the return in Ukraine. Seleznyov was again the hero as he scored the only goal to send Dnipro into the final.

With just five wins in 10 games in all competitions, Dnipro aren’t in the best form ahead of the final. But the way Markevych has rotated his squad can account in part for those results. At full strength, Dnipro have shown form in Europe to suggest they can pull off another shock.

Sevilla

Last 10 results in all competitions, per Soccerbase.com: DDWWLWDWWW

Unai Emery’s side could hardly be in better form, despite missing out on a Champions League place on the final day of the season in La Liga.

Sevilla have lost just once in their last 21 games in all competitions when a Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick earned Real Madrid a 3-2 away win.

That impressive run of form had started with the resumption of the Europa League when Sevilla won 3-2 away to Borussia Monchengladbach in the second leg of their last-32 tie after winning 1-0 at home in the first leg.

In the group phase, Sevilla won all three of their home games against Feyenoord, Standard Liege and Rijeka, and it’s a record they have maintained in the knockout rounds.

Fellow Spanish opposition stood in their way in the last 16, but Villarreal proved to be no match. After winning 3-1 away from home, Sevilla completed the job in the second leg with a 2-1 home success.

In the quarter-finals, Sevilla beat Zenit St. Petersburg 2-1 at home in the first leg. Extra time beckoned in the second leg in Russia, but Kevin Gameiro scored five minutes from the end to secure a 2-2 draw.

A semi-final date with Fiorentina was likely to be a close affair on paper, but Sevilla destroyed their Italian opponents. Aleix Vidal scored twice in a 3-0 home win in the first leg before Sevilla won 2-0 in Italy.

Vidal, though, does not believe Sevilla’s form or reputation will count for much in the final, saying, per UEFA’s official website:

People can think what they want. Based on our name, people might say we are favourites, but if you think that a name guarantees you victory then you are wrong – because in a final the so-called better teams can lose. A final is unlike any other game. You can’t really know what it will feel like until you experience it. Here’s hoping you ask me next year and I’ll be able to tell you how it feels to win it.

On form, Sevilla are the likely winners, and their confidence from recent results cannot be higher, even allowing for missing out on fourth place in La Liga.

But Dnipro have shown how they can match more highly fancied opponents in Europe this season, and their recent form is unlikely to have much bearing on how they perform in Poland.

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Manchester United might be about to welcome one Argentina international as they say goodbye to another, as reports suggest Louis van Gaal is chasing Nicolas Otamendi and that Angel Di Maria will leave for Paris Saint-Germain.

Rob Draper of the Mail On Sunday writes that United will seek to obtain Otamendi’s signature from Spanish club Valencia in the coming weeks and that the Red Devils will be forced to activate the defender’s £36 million buy-out clause to get it.

Otamendi is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has had multiple dealings with United in recent times. 

United are in the market for an alternative centre-back after the news that reported top target Mats Hummels is likely to stay with current club Borussia Dortmund.

BVB sporting director Michael Zorc has spoken publicly about retaining Hummels for next season, saying to German football magazine Kicker there is now a “clear consensus” the defender will remain in Dortmund, relayed by Sky Sports. 

Zorc continued: “It made sense that Mats was thinking about his future, but I always pointed out that we plan [for the future] with him.”

Otamendi is considered one of La Liga’s toughest exponents and would give United the steel missing since the departure of Nemanja Vidic to Inter Milan.

However, the player is equally as dangerous in the attacking third of the park, scoring on a regular basis in the Primera Division.

Otamendi is the league’s top-scoring centre-back, with six goals during the recent campaign, per WhoScored.com, and he would give United an exceptional option from set pieces. 

BeIN Sports’ David Cartlidge highlighted this fact on Saturday as Otamendi once again scored for his club, calling the player “ruthless” when attacking the ball:

Di Maria Seeks Parisian Escape

As LvG potentially brings in one Argentinian in Otamendi, it appears compatriot Angel Di Maria could be about to leave the Red Devils and join PSG. 

Sean Kearns of Metro cites the Sun’s claims that PSG will attempt to bring the former Galactico to Ligue 1 on loan before completing a £50 million transfer for the attacker.

Di Maria’s first season at Old Trafford has been riddled with injury and bad form. His personal life was also affected when his property was broken into, prompting the player to put his house up for sale, per the Guardian.

The mercurial attacker has not looked happy in a United shirt at any point in the second half of the season, and a move away from Old Trafford would not surprise fans.

The winger has started just 20 Premier League games this term, per WhoScored.com, falling behind Marouane Fellaini and Ashley Young in the pecking order. However, he has produced a credible return of 10 assists during the campaign—a good set of figures, considering his lack of games. 

Despite the PSG loan rumours, Sky Sports’ Gary Neville has spoken out in favour of Di Maria, professing he “believes” in the Argentina international:

Actually, I believe in [Angel] Di Maria as a player. We’ve watched him a lot for Real Madrid and you could see his level of performance was outstanding. That’s not happened this season and you’re thinking Ashley Young has done better this season, [Maraoune] Fellaini’s been better, Mata’s done better.

Considering ADM is United’s record signing, Van Gaal will want a bigger return from his investment. If the veteran Dutch coach does not think he will get this after training the player for a year, he is likely to cut his losses and recoup some of the money outlayed, especially with the imminent arrival of Memphis Depay.

Otamendi would be an excellent addition to United’s defensive ranks, especially if United lose David De Gea to Real Madrid, per Izzy Horsefield of the Express.

He is a powerhouse who would love the challenge of the Premier League, and if he were to perform at the level he did for Los Che at Old Trafford, United fans would worship him as they did Vidic.

However, £36 million appears steep as a transfer fee, and with the player entering his late 20s, it would be a gamble to pay such a high price, as there would be little sell-on value if the move doesn’t work out.

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Amid the relief and celebrations at avoiding relegation on the final day of the season, there was still rancour and division at St James’ Park.

Following the 2-0 win over West Ham on Sunday afternoon, Newcastle’s manager John Carver punched the air, owner Mike Ashley grinned in the stands, and the players hugged each other on the pitch, the wearied Newcastle fans were not in the mood to forgive, and forget the unrelenting misery of the last five months.

“Get out of our club, get out of our club,” the Newcastle fans chanted with passion, as reported by the BBC, towards the hated Ashley.

These fans wanted the Newcastle hierarchy to understand one win against a disinterested West Ham, incredibly only the club’s third win since the turn of the year, changed absolutely nothing.

Next season Newcastle United will be a Premier League club, but unless there is an entirely different approach, they will face another season hovering around the relegation zone.

Newcastle’s troubles this season have been self-inflicted, and stem from their policy of embracing, and even accepting, mediocrity.

Their season has been a study in what happens if a club seemingly gives up and stops trying, both on the pitch and in the boardroom.

The club have gradually expelled the very notion of being ambitious or aspirational, which have almost become dangerous and dirty words.

Instead the onus is on getting by, merely remaining in the Premier League, and showing no interest in the League Cup or the FA Cup.

This has turned Newcastle, in the memorable words of the Newcastle fanzine editor Michael Martin, via the Guardian, in to “a zombie club, half alive, half dead, going nowhere.”

It is an unusual spectacle in the Premier League where the mantra amongst every club is to get bigger and better; to seek to climb the table, and grasp some silverware along the way.

Last season Newcastle allowed their best player Yohan Cabaye to leave at the end of the January transfer window, and refused to replace him, leading to a run of 11 defeats in their final 15 league games.

They didn’t learn their lesson, and this season made an even worse decision by allowing Alan Pardew to leave for Crystal Palace and replacing him with John Carver.

Under Carver, Newcastle lost 12 of their 19 Premier League games to ensure a slide down the table that left them vulnerable to relegation until the final five minutes of the season.

If you fail to replenish your playing squad, and also your manager, with similar quality, then you are simply overseeing a slow decline.

This is Newcastle United; the 19th-richest club in the world, the seventh-richest club in the Premier League, who also have the seventh-highest wage bill.

The club boasts the 13th-highest attendance in European football, bigger than Chelsea, Manchester City, Liverpool, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

The Newcastle fans who help to swell St James Park with attendances of over 50,000 deserve so much better.

After nearly being sucked into the Championship, there are signs that Mike Ashley might finally start to change his approach at Newcastle.

Before the game on Sunday afternoon he gave his first-ever television interview in which he told Sky Sports, via the Guardian, about his shock and disappointment at this season, and then declared, “Now [my intention] is definitely to win something, and by the way, I won’t be selling it until I do.”

“I will continue the policy of investing in the football club,” he added. “We’ve got the club on a very sound financial footing so we are able to spend, and punch above our weight thanks to the current financial situation the club finds itself in. We may have the cart but we now need to bolt the horse on and we are going to.”

Having built up the Sports Direct empire, and a personal fortune estimated to be around £4 billion, Ashley is clearly a successful businessman, and he has been forced to realise that continuing the approach of the last two seasons will only lead to relegation.

With the unprecedented riches of the new television deal about to flood into the game from next year, he knows he cannot afford to be cut off from this in the Championship.

There is already money there, with Newcastle recording record profits of £18.7 million last season, and also having £34 million sitting in the bank.

Some of this needs to be urgently spent on new players, for Newcastle finished the season with a chronically weakened squad.

Before entering the transfer market, the club need to make sure they retain their leading players, which include Tim Krul, Daryl Janmaat, Moussa Sissoko, Papiss Cisse and Fabricio Coloccini.

A new manager is also required to bring new energy and direction to St James’ Park.

The relief at remaining in the Premier League should not lead to Carver remaining in the job beyond this season, and Newcastle need to aim higher than Steve McClaren.

When Mike Ashley took charge of Newcastle in 2007, he said, as reported in the Daily Mail, he wanted to “have fun and win some trophies.”

Eight years later, discounting the Championship, only won following a relegation, Ashley’s haul of major trophies stands at zero.

If he wants to change that, he first needs to fundamentally change his entire approach, and then radically change the Newcastle squad for next season.

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Liverpool‘s final Premier League game of the season, away to Stoke City, will be the final appearance for several of the club’s longest-serving players.

This will, of course, be Steven Gerrard‘s final appearance for Liverpool after 17 years at the club, while also out-of-contract players Glen Johnson, Kolo Toure and Brad Jones are expected to follow the captain out of the club this summer.

Then there are a host of other players whose futures are in doubt; the non-goalscoring trio of Rickie Lambert, Fabio Borini and Mario Balotelli, plus midfielder Lucas Leiva.

Lucas was heavily linked with a move away in January, with Inter Milan among the reported suitors, per ESPN.

Reports then suggested the 28-year-old was open to a move away from the club he joined in 2007 for £5 million.

Eventually Brendan Rodgers saw sense and kept Lucas at the club, with the Brazilian having become a key part of the Reds resurgence over the winter months. Liverpool’s best form coincided with Lucas’ re-integration into the side and their dips in form since have been while Lucas has been missing.

The former Gremio man missed the FA Cup semi-final against Aston Villa having picked up an injury in the days before the game in training, Liverpool’s midfield were subsequently overrun by Fabian Delph, Tom Cleverley and Jack Grealish at Wembley. How things may have been different had Lucas been available.

Alas, Lucas is again linked with a move away this summer though, with David Anderson of the Mirror even claiming that Rodgers “prefers Joe Allen in the midfield holding role”.

If that didn’t set alarm bells ringing among Liverpool supporters, then Anderson’s claim that “The Anfield boss feels he would have enough central midfield options in [James] Milner, Allen, Jordan Henderson and Emre Can if Lucas went” certainly would.

Of course, we can’t take Anderson’s words as gospel, but if that is indeed what Rodgers is thinking, Liverpool fans should be worried.

Holding-Midfield Need

Liverpool need a solid, combative, dynamic holding midfielder. Steven Gerrard was deployed as the deep-lying playmaker for much of the first half of the season before Rodgers finally put that to an end after the miserable 3-1 defeat at Crystal Palace in November—although, the boss has since stuck Gerrard back there for recent games, unable to accommodate him anywhere else when lining up in a 4-3-3 shape.

That aforementioned FA Cup semi-final showed the need for such a player, as expertly analysed by Karl Matchett for This Is Anfield. Matchett identified how easily Villa exploited Gerrard’s lack of pace, surmising that “Pace and power from deep has been an Achilles of Liverpool’s for too long, and Villa seem to be able to exploit that with regularity.”

Almost entirely under Rodgers’ reign at Anfield, Liverpool have struggled with powerful players either in attack or midfield, often found to be overrun too easily. They lack know-how and muscle.

What the Reds need is a player happy to work laterally in front of the defence, shielding the centre-backs and allowing the full-backs to get forward. We’re talking about players like Sergio Busquets at Barcelona, Nemanja Matic at Chelsea and, previously, Javier Mascherano at Liverpool.

Perhaps Rodgers sees Emre Can as the player to perform this role, but that would make his use of him as a right-back for much of the past six weeks even more baffling. Surely, with the season over, this would have been the perfect opportunity to test whether the German can fill that role and ready him for it next season? It’s just another of the baffling decisions made by the Northern Irishman this season.

Lucas

With regards to Lucas, the answer is simple: If Liverpool sign a player of the aforementioned qualities, then the Reds should cash in while he retains value, but should they fail to sign such a player, they must keep Lucas around.

Lucas isn’t the answer, certainly not long-term, but he has shown that he is far more equipped than anyone else in the Liverpool squad to perform the role of the holding/defensive midfielder.

If Rodgers is going to keep him at the club and reduce him to another season as a bit-part player, that would be harsh on the player.

Lucas has been a solid servant to the club—closing in on 200 league appearances, having been signed for just £5 million. A solid player, but nothing spectacular. If you are extremely harsh, you could say he typifies the lowering of standards and expectations at Anfield since the loss of Mascherano and Xabi Alonso.

But right now Liverpool are not a club awash with players of such a standard and with losing experienced pros such as Gerrard, Johnson and possibly Toure this summer, they could benefit from having Lucas around as an elder statesman. He’s clearly a player who understands the club and its values and therefore is useful to have around the training ground day-to-day.

Selling Lucas without a replacement would be foolish, but signing a player to replace him would be sensible.

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Liverpool co-owners John W. Henry and Tom Werner won’t sell want-away winger Raheem Sterling this summer “unless there is a massive offer that is too good to turn down.”

That’s the line according to David Maddock of the Mirror, who suggests the Reds are yet to receive a bid from any potential suitor. However, alleged comments from Aidy Ward, the player’s agent, have seen Sterling’s scheduled Friday meeting with club officials cancelled.

The 20-year-old was expected to tell Liverpool he wants to leave on Friday, per Ben Smith of BBC Sport, but stunning comments attributed to Ward have ended hopes of a sit-down chat. Benedict Moore-Bridger of the London Evening Standard cited Ward when reporting these comments:

“I don’t care about the PR of the club and the club situation. I don’t care. He is definitely not signing. He’s not signing for £700, £800, £900 thousand a week. He is not signing.” Ward also called Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher a “k–b” after the Sky Sports pundit suggested the player is being badly advised, according to Moore-Bridger.

However, Ward “denies quotes attributed to him in the Evening Standard and is now taking legal advice about it,” as reported by Sky Sports.

Perhaps most damaging of all, Ward reportedly told Moore-Bridger that Sterling is most likely to sign for a Premier League rival. Maddock suggests Liverpool haven’t taken kindly to this assertion.

He wrote: “There is a feeling among Liverpool’s top brass that the agent seems to be unaware of his client’s obligations as a contracted player, after apparently indicating to a newspaper Sterling wouldn’t play for the club, and would join Manchester City or Chelsea.”

Maddock suggests Ward’s comments on signing for another team could see him receive “the attention of the Football Association.”

Whatever happens, it seems Sterling won’t be a Liverpool player next season. The speedy winger can be ranked among the sport’s top prospects—someone who has the natural attributes to develop into a world-class forward—but it’s likely Anfield will never see the best of him.

B/R UK’s Sam Tighe looked at his most likely landing spots:

Boss Brendan Rodgers is likely already making plans to source a replacement. A report from David Anderson of the Mirror indicates he is “willing to listen to offers for Lucas Leiva,” who continues to interest Italian side Inter Milan.

Rodgers could receive the “green light” to sign City midfielder James Milner on a free if Lucas is moved on. Milner’s versatile enough to play in the centre of midfield, and can even fill in Sterling’s wing role if needed. The City squad player is extremely valuable in that his terrific work rate and physical abilities make him well-rounded enough to operate wherever needed.

Barry Glendenning of the Guardian previously reported Paris Saint-Germain’s Javier Pastore could be an option for Liverpool. However, Bleacher Report’s French footbal expert Jonathan Johnson confirmed the creative star will commit to the Ligue 1 champions:

Pastore would an excellent addition to the squad, but after enjoying a fine season with PSG, he can be considered too pivotal to Laurent Blanc’s future plans at the Parc des Princes.

It looks to be another summer of change for Liverpool, who have failed to replicate the highs of last season’s second-place finish this campaign. The frustration of Sterling’s likely departure may take years to fully show itself—particularly if he develops into a world star—but Rodgers needs to stack the squad with top-class quality as quickly as possible.

If he doesn’t, it is destined to be another year without a trophy.

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Liverpool’s pursuit of Barcelona star Pedro has been given a major boost, with reports suggesting the Spanish international could be available for just £7 million this summer.

That’s according to Matt Law of the Daily Telegraph, who claims that the Reds, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are all in the hunt for the 27-year-old. The piece also claims that Inter Milan are in the running for the Blaugrana star.

While Pedro has been shunted out of the spotlight at Barcelona since the arrival of Luis Suarez, at his best he’s a wonderful talent. Here’s a reminder of the kind of impact he can have in a side:

Liverpool should be on the lookout for a player in his mould. So often this season, Brendan Rodgers’ side have been one-dimensional in their offensive forays, and a winger with Pedro’s raw, direct style would refresh this facet of the squad.

However, as noted by Spanish football expert Sergi Dominguez earlier this season, the Spaniard has really been struggling for form:

It’s important to put his problems into context, though. After all, which player wouldn’t look inferior to Barcelona fans in direct comparison to Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi? In addition, being given sparing appearances every now and then is not ideal for Pedro’s attempts to get back to his best form.

For Liverpool, a £7 million signing would be a real coup. Rodgers would be able to give the winger the kind of minutes he needs to rediscover his swagger, and his enthralling style of play would give everyone at Anfield a lift.

Arturo Vidal a £25 million Target

According to the Daily Express (h/t Liam Corless of the Daily Mirror), Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal is “nearing” a transfer to Liverpool. The piece claims that the Reds have lodged a £14.4 million bid, but the Bianconeri are after £25 million.

Here’s a reminder of why Vidal is rated as one of the best central midfielders in the game:

To land a player of the Chilean’s calibre would be an incredible coup for Liverpool. Vidal has been at the heart of this superb Juventus team which has won Serie A and the Coppa Italia already this season; they’ll also take on Barcelona in the Champions League final on June 6.

With that in mind, it’s difficult to see how Liverpool, who have massive prestige but no Champions League football to offer, could potentially lure him to Merseyside. In addition, for arguably the finest central midfielder in world football at the moment, £25 million simply won’t be enough.

Bleacher Report’s Karl Matchett certainly can’t see any deal materialising:

Vidal can do it all. The La Roja midfielder boasts excellent defensive instincts, brilliant technical skills and can make a telling impression bursting forward with the ball. He’d be perfect for the Premier League and an instant hit with Liverpool supporters, but for the time being, to entertain the prospect of this deal coming to fruition is fantastical.

Chelsea Keen On Christian Benteke

Aston Villa look as though they’ll face a fight to keep hold of star centre-forward Christian Benteke beyond this summer, with reports suggesting Chelsea are to join Liverpool in the race to sign the striker.

John Cross of the Daily Mirror claims that Jose Mourinho wants to bolster his options up front for next season, with all three of his current centre-forwards suffering fitness issues. Cross claims that Chelsea’s interest is a major setback for the Reds, although “Anfield is currently his most likely destination.”

As Squawka Football noted, Benteke has been in brilliant form for Villa of late:

Even if Chelsea are keen on the burly Belgian, the Reds should be able to win this transfer tussle. While the Blues are more likely to challenge for trophies next season, Benteke would see much more first-team football at Anfield; at Stamford Bridge, he’d most likely play second fiddle to Diego Costa.

Bleacher Report’s Sam Tighe revealed earlier in the campaign that he feels as though Liverpool need a centre-forward to get back among the top sides in the division:

The Reds’ squad is currently packed with intricate attacking players, and although this can lead to some supreme football, every team needs to be varied up top. Benteke would be able to give Liverpool a completely different kind of threat at the sharp end of the pitch, and even though he’d cost a reported £30 million, the Belgian would be a savvy acquisition.

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