June 2024 - Soccer Wiretap

Leicester City have hired Ruud van Nistelrooy as manager on a contract until the end of the 2027 season. Leicester fired Steve Cooper following their 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. 

Van Nistelrooy's first official match in charge will be on Tuesday against West Ham.

"I'm proud, I'm excited," Van Nistelrooy said in a statement. "Everybody that I speak to about Leicester City Football Club is enthusiastic. They have great stories about the quality of the people working at the club, the supporters and, of course, the recent history of the club is impressive. I'm excited to start and to get to know everyone and give everything I can for the football club."

The Leicester job is Van Nistelrooy's second senior full-time managerial role, having led PSV Eindhoven for almost a season where he won the Dutch Cup before quitting near the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Van Nistelrooy was recently an assistant with Manchester United under Erik ten Hag. 

Lamine Yamal has won the 2024 Golden Boy award on Wednesday, becoming the youngest winner of the prize for the best under-21 men's player in the world. Yamal becomes the third Barcelona player to win the award in the last four seasons following Pedri and Ravi. 

Jude Bellingham won the award last season. Other previously winners include Erling Haaland, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi.

Yamal also finished eighth in the voting for the Ballon d'Or on the back of a breakout year for club and country.

In 16 appearances across all competitions this season he has scored six goals and provided eight assists.

Luis Suarez has signed a one-year extension with Inter Miami through the 2025 season. Suarez joined Miami on a one-year contract last December. Suarez scored 21 goals to go with 10 assists in 30 MLS matches.

"I'm very happy, very excited to continue for another year and to be able to enjoy being here with this fanbase, which for us is like family. We feel very, very connected with them, and hopefully, next year, we can bring them even more joy," Suarez said.

Frank Lampard is expected to replace Mark Robins as manager of Coventry in the Championship. Lampard has been out of coaching since leaving his interim role in charge of Chelsea at the end of 22-23.

Coventry is in danger of being relegated. 

Jude Bellingham felt like he was made out to be the scapegoat after England lost in the Euro 2024 final against Spain. After a breakout season with Real Madrid, Bellingham was inconsistent for England in the tournament and has also struggled to regain his form this season in LaLiga.

"I lost my smile because I felt I was a bit mistreated, compared to what I contributed," Bellingham told his pre-match a news conference. "I felt a bit of a scapegoat. I hadn't lost my smile in a Madrid shirt. I'm the luckiest lad in the world. It was more to do with how I was treated off the back of the Euros. But the smile is back."

"I felt like I contributed some big moments [with England] and it felt like the whole world was crumbling down on me, especially the days after the final," Bellingham added.

"It wasn't a nice feeling. A big criticism was that I didn't speak to the media, it was reported I felt like I'm above it. But I had some personal things going on. I had journalists visit my family, my grandparents. I think that crosses the line of respect, I took that personally and decided to focus on my football. It was personal to me, and I decided to keep my mouth shut."

Bellingham's role in the Madrid team has changed since the arrival of Kylian Mbappe, with Bellingham now playing in a more withdrawn role.

"I've filled in in positions, to make sacrifices, just like others have," Bellingham said. "I know where I'm most effective, I've relayed that to the coach [Carlo Ancelotti]... but if I'm put in a position, it's my responsibility to do well to the best of my ability."

Javier Mascherano has been hired by Inter Miami as manager through the 2027 MLS season. Mascherano has not previously managed club soccer, but he has been manager of Argentina's under-20 squad the past three seasons. 

Mascherano will place Tata Martino, who left Inter Miami last week for personal reasons. 

"To be able to lead a club like Inter Miami is an honor for me, and a privilege I will strive to make the most of," Mascherano said. "I was drawn to the organization's undeniable ambition and the infrastructure it has to support it."

"I'm looking forward to working with the people at Inter Miami to help the club reach new heights, and to give the fans more unforgettable moments."

Ethan Nwaneri scored his first Premier League goal in Arsenal's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest and is still 17, but there are some who believe the club should bring him along even more rapidly considering his talent. 

“I am responsible for building a career for him,” Arteta said. “You have to do that brick by brick. Today he put another brick. Now we have to put some cement, make sure it doesn’t get dry so we can put another one and that will stick. Then we put one more layer, one more layer. If you want to put five bricks in a row, believe me, it won’t work. We have to manage not only his expectation but his load as well, which is really important.”

Arteta was previously criticized by some people for giving Nwaneri his debut against Brentford at 15.

Arteta was also asked if he was attempted to play Nwaneri during Martin Odegaard's injury absence.

“I’m always tempted,” Arteta said. “He’s giving us all the reasons to play, another reason to put him there. That’s why I play him and not somebody else.”

Mohamed Salah hasn't received a formal contract proposal from Liverpool and is  "more out than in" on whether he stays with the club. Salah's contract will expire this summer.

Salah admitted he was "disappointed" that the club has not yet formally tabled a new contract.

"Well, we are almost in December and I haven't received any offers yet to stay in the club, [so] I'm probably more out than in," Salah told reporters.

"You know now I have been in the club for many years. There is no club like this. But in the end it is not in my hands. As I said before, it is December and I haven't received anything yet about my future.

"I love the fans. The fans love me. In the end it is not in my hands or the fans' hands. Let's wait and see. Of course [no offer is disappointing], yeah.

"I'm not going to retire soon so I'm just playing, focusing on the season and I'm trying to win the Premier League and hopefully the Champions League as well. I'm disappointed but we will see."

Sources tell ESPN that talks between Salah and Liverpool have been positive.

Kevin De Bruyne cast uncertainty over his future with Manchester City and revealed he put contract talks on hold after his injury that kept him out over the past two months. De Bruyne's contract will expire at the following this season.

"I honestly don't know," De Bruyne told a news conference on Monday when asked about his future.

"At the start of the season, I knew talks would happen but then the thing [injury] happened against Brentford. It was meant to be a couple of days and then it was eight/nine weeks. I put it all to the side.

"I had a conversation in the summer, but then I had the injury so I wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk about that. I need to be back on the pitch and be myself again. There's no rush, I don't feel uncomfortable, I'm not worried."

De Bruyne has been linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League and MLS side San Diego FC.

Inter Miami expects Lionel Messi to continue playing through the 2026 MLS season. Messi joined Inter Miami in 2023 on a contract that runs through the end of the 2025 season. The deal does not include a club option to extend through 2026, but co-owner Jorge Mas believes Messi will extend.

"Messi is under contract through 2025; Leo and I will sit and discuss the future," he told media Friday. "As I have said before, and I will repeat it now: I fully expect that in the opening of our new stadium in 2026 and the opening of our 2026 MLS season after a trophy-laden 2025 season, that Leo Messi will be our No. 10."

During the 2024 season, Messi had 21 goals and 17 assists in 21 MLS matches.