SHOCK REVEALED: WHY GARY NEVILLE IS OFFICIALLY "DRAWING A LINE" THROUGH ASTON VILLA
Gary Neville rules Aston Villa out of the title race, predicting a two-horse battle between Arsenal and Man City.
Gary Neville thinks the Premier League title is between two teams, counting Aston Villa out. Despite Unai Emery's team being only three points behind Arsenal after 17 games, Neville, who used to play for Manchester United, doesn't think they can win.
Emery's team has won seven straight Premier League games, including one against Arsenal. But Neville thinks Arsenal will win the title this time, even though they were top at Christmas.
Neville says Manchester City is Arsenal's biggest competition for the title. He thinks Pep Guardiola and Erling Haaland are very special and will make it hard for Arsenal.
He also said that if Declan Rice gets injured, it could really hurt Arsenal in the second half of the season. He also thinks it's important for Arsenal to keep playing well in April and May.
"I'm only looking at the top two teams," Neville said after Villa beat Manchester United. Aston Villa is doing well and deserves respect, but they won't win the league.
I'd be shocked if they did. Arsenal and Man City would have to have a lot of problems for Aston Villa to win.
The league is weird, except for the top two. I don't know what to make of the other teams.
Man City is obviously [very good]. They have Erling Haaland, an amazing player on the field, and Pep Guardiola, an amazing coach on the bench.
That's the biggest threat to Arsenal, besides injuries to Rice and a couple of other players. I'm not too worried about Arsenal winning some games by a small margin. It's going to happen this season.
They weren't great at Everton, but were they ever going to be amazing there? I think they're doing well.
It will be interesting to see how they do in March, April, and May.
I think they'll increase their lead in February and March and get a five- or six-point lead again. I think it's their year, even though the other teams are getting closer.
I might be wrong because I know City fans are feeling confident and think they're close and Arsenal will mess it up. But I don't think that will happen this time.
BRUNO SALTOR OFFICIALLY JOINS TOTTENHAM AS ASSISTANT COACH FOR THE NORTH LONDON DERBY
Tottenham appoints Bruno Saltor! Discover the new coaching team under Igor Tudor and the departures following Thomas Frank's exit.
Tottenham Hotspur just shook up their coaching staff, bringing in Bruno Saltor, a guy who’s worked with Chelsea and West Ham in the past.
Saltor’s stepping in alongside interim boss Igor Tudor until the season wraps up. Spurs let go of Thomas Frank earlier this month, and, like Manchester United, they’ve decided to go with a temporary setup for now and figure out the bigger picture in the summer.
Tudor, who’s managed clubs like Marseille, Lazio, and Juventus, is set to take charge for the first time this weekend in the North London derby against Arsenal. Saltor will be in the dugout for his first Spurs match, too.
If you’ve followed Saltor’s career, you might know he’s often worked with Graham Potter. That’s how he ended up at both Chelsea and West Ham. When Potter left Chelsea in 2023, Saltor took over as interim head coach. His one match in charge ended in a 0-0 draw with Liverpool. Frank Lampard replaced him soon after, and Saltor stayed on as part of the coaching staff until Mauricio Pochettino arrived, at which point he moved on. He later reunited with Potter at West Ham but left when Potter did in September.
Tottenham’s official statement confirmed the news: “Following the arrival of Igor Tudor as Head Coach until the end of the season, we can now confirm the appointment of three additional coaches to our Men’s First Team coaching staff. We welcome Bruno Saltor as Igor's assistant coach." Born in El Masnou, Spain, Saltor started his playing career in his home country before joining Brighton in 2012. He made 235 appearances there over seven years, then moved into coaching with the Seagulls after retiring in 2019. Since then, he’s picked up experience at Chelsea and West Ham.
Along with Saltor’s appointment, Spurs also announced some departures. Justin Cochrane, John Heitinga, and Chris Haslam are all leaving the coaching staff after Frank’s exit. The club thanked them for their efforts and wished them well.
GLASNER OUT? CRYSTAL PALACE CONSIDERING IMMEDIATE EXIT FOR BOSS AFTER DISMAL EUROPEAN DRAW
Oliver Glasner’s exit is imminent! Discover why Robbie Keane has emerged as the favorite to lead Crystal Palace out of crisis.
Oliver Glasner was supposed to stick around at Crystal Palace until the end of the season. That was the plan, anyway. But after another rough run of results, his exit could come a lot sooner.
Thursday night in Bosnia should’ve been nothing special, just a routine first leg against a team Palace should handle easily, with the real test back at Selhurst Park next week. Instead, a 1-1 draw against Zrinjski Mostar turned into another mess in a season that’s gotten uglier by the week for Glasner and Palace.
The travelling fans didn’t hide how they felt.
Palace have only managed one win in their last 15 games. That’s not a blip; it’s a full-on collapse, and it looks like Glasner’s time might be up even faster than everyone thought.
People at the top of the club have started openly asking if letting Glasner finish out his contract is actually hurting more than helping. He said back in January that he’d leave when his deal was up in the summer, but with results falling off a cliff and morale at rock bottom, those discussions have picked up speed.
Word is, Palace have already started looking for Glasner’s replacement, planning for a summer hire. But now, it looks like they might bring in his successor right away.
One name has shot straight to the top of the list: Robbie Keane.
TalkSPORT’s Alex Crook says Palace are considering Keane as a short-term fix if Glasner goes before the season ends. Keane’s reputation has soared lately. He won the Israeli Premier League with Maccabi Tel Aviv, then took the Hungarian league title in his first season at Ferencváros.
His win rate at Maccabi was over 73 per cent. He’s also done time as an assistant coach at Leeds and Middlesbrough. People who’ve played for him, like Ireland’s Callum O’Dowda, rave about him. O’Dowda said, “As soon as he opens his mouth, you want to listen. It’s phenomenal, really. On the coaching side,e he has been good.”
For now, Keane is still in charge at Ferencvaros, who are still in the Europa League, so prying him away won’t be simple.
Palace sit 13th in the Premier League, eight points clear of the relegation zone, but that gap feels less safe with every week they fail to win.
Tottenham even considered Keane as an interim manager before they went with Igor Tudor.