By CALEB SONNELAND
The Premier League managerial merry-go-round continues to spin as Mark Hughes has walked out on Fulham today.
Hughes' current Fulham deal expired last night, and despite the fact that the London club was looking to keep the Welshman signed on as manager, Hughes opted out and is currently without a job.
Hughes led Fulham to an eight-placed finish in the Premier League, but was said to be very high up on the Aston Villa's short-list of managers to replace Gerard Houllier.
Houllier endured a disappointing season with the Villans while suffering from his own personal health issues and resigned from the club yesterday.
Hughes was a reported target for the Villa hot seat early in the EPL season when Martin O'Neill left the club but had already accepted the job at Fulham at that point. The Welsh manager says that there were no outside influences in his resignation from Fulham but is expected to take the job at Aston Villa by the end of the week.
Here are a few others stories from around the world to keep your Thursday rolling:
MALAGA SNAP UP VAN NISTELROOY
Ruud van Nistelrooy has become the latest addition to Malaga CF after last summer's takeover by Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani.
The prolific former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker signed a one-year deal with La Liga outfit today on a free transfer from Hamburger SV.
After an 18-month stint with the German side, van Nistelrooy is makes a return to the league where he put away 46 goals in 68 appearances for Madrid.
Turning 35 years old on July 1st, van Nistelrooy netted a solid 12 goals in his one full season with Hamburg, helping the club to an eigth-placed finish in the Bundesliga.
The striker is undoubtedly the first of many planned signings for Malaga, which is reportedly chasing big-name players such as Javier Pastore of Palermo and Lucho Gonzalez of Olympique Marseille.
The Dutchman joins forces with last summer's signings of Julio Baptiste, who was with van Nistelrooy at Real Madrid, and Martin Demichelis as the Spanish club looks to bolster its forces.
AGUERO SET TO STAY IN SPAIN
In-demand Argentine striker Sergio "Kun" Aguero has admitted today that he would "prefer to stay in Spain" after his impending departure from current La Liga side Atletico Madrid.
With a host of clubs interested in the 23-year-old, rumors of his summer transfer have been frequent and widespread, however after stating his preference to stay in Spain, Real Madrid and Barcelona have emerged as clear front-runners to sign Aguero.
Despite Real Madrid being fierce cross-town rivals of Atletico Madrid, both clubs have been quick to insist no deal is in place for the want-away striker.
Barcelona is said to be in negotiations with New Jersey-born Giuseppe Rossi, which could leave Real as the only other clear option domestically for Aguero.
Even though a large handful of clubs are interested in the striker, Atletico are holding out for €45 million, a price that has driven many away. Aguero looks certain to move over the summer, but the question will be whether any club is willing to meet the asking price or Atletico will be forced to lower their valuation of the Argentine.
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What does Hughes' resignation mean for Fulham and Aston Villa? What do you think of van Nistelrooy's move? Are Malaga eventually going to break into the upper tier of La Liga? What about Aguero; will he actually stay in Spain?
Share your thoughts below.
But if fulham keep playing like they have the last few years they will have more of a following and deuce will be a main reason. Hard to imagine no new fans after their last europa run, or their amazing battle avoiding regulation further back.
I’m with you buddy. And like hodgson, mark may quickly regret his grass is greener mentality. Fulham are an awesome club. I am devastated by this headline. Now we have to endure another rebuilding year for players and coach to adapt instead of moving forward.
Yes, Hodgson got Fulham to the club’s highest ever finish, and then got them to the Europa Cup final (never mind winning titles in other leagues). All he’s ever done is keep clubs from dropping. Good point.
As for “how it is”, it’s not my point to make, but I’ve many times heard experty type people talk about how the same, not overly successful coaches seem to always get hired, again and again and again whenever jobs come open, and teams are very afraid to bring in new blood. That’s actually how it is.
How come there is zero speculation as to whether Hughes is gunning for that empty managerial spot at Chelsea? Has that vacancy escaped everybody?
Villa would be a lateral move from Fulham. Chelsea would be a step up. By his statement, I think he’s trying to take a step up. Villa simply makes no sense, though it’s speculated they are gunning for Ancelotti too.
I ask, why would Ancelotti pick up and move if he can stick around in London and take the Fulham job? It’s a step down, sure, but he didn’t really have a choice in the matter. *shrug*
Use your noodles, people.
Great point.
Everton, AV, Tottenham have a higher image worldwide than Fulham. Plus more passionate supporters. He’d be payed more, even if it’s only 500 K. Those clubs have had superstars and truly amazing athletes in the past.
Plus it’d be hard but he could be starting XI for at least 2 of those 3 clubs.
This…
If I was a soccer player, I’d care more about, you know, playing soccer. But that’s just me.
The fans never accepted Hodgson. He’s the only person to ever walk alone at Anfield. It was their fault.
+ 1
Why? $$$$
Why? prestige.
ps. i’m Fulham fan and would love to see him stay.
Why? $$$
Why? prestige.
Why would Dempsey want to leave Fulham? He seems to like it there, he gets a lot of playing time, and they qualified for Europe through fair play (according to BBC).
Firefox + Adblock Plus = Problem solved. I’ve never once seen this groupon popup everyone is complaining about.
At best Fulham is a team that makes the Europa League final. FTFY
If I were him, while there is a certain allure to Barcelona, you have to imagine that he would actually like to play every now and again, especially as a starter. I don’t know why anyone would want to go from one of the league’s leading scorers to being bench warmer.
Bedoya has been at camp with the nats. I think it’s safe to say he has replaced Benny.
Not that I’m disagreeing, but can you explain your reasoning behind all of these points?
Yeah, but I like how they’ve been doing it — Baptista was great, and they brought in Pelligrini.
Guzan will fight to be no1 but I doubt he will get it. Probably will stay no2 or get a no1 GK spot for a Championship team.’
Dempsey, well if he moves to another PL side it’ll be Everton or AV.
Bradley now belongs to AV.
I’m sure Lichaj will fight for a starting role but will be a sub for a while.
Poor Aguero. Solid striker. Almost 23 and has lots of rumors for years with huge clubs after him but he’s greatly overshadowed on the NT by Di Maria and Messi.
AV is traditionally a top8 team. Fulham is at best a relegation fodder team. More money and more prestige for AV.
Dempsey has 3 choices facing him
1) Stay at Fulham. Enjoy EL football this season. Become a true LEGEND at the club and perhaps turn them into a proper top10 PL club.
2) Leave the PL for a CL team in Germany, France or Italy. It’d be more of a challenge but he could find a starting role.
3) Leave to head to a bigger club in the PL like Tottenham or Aston Villa or Everton. More money, more passionate supporters, more prestige.
Dempsey has probably 4 years left in his career of top quality, maybe even 2. He needs to decide quick
Not if he goes to Villa.
Maybe I’m confused about my favorite club.
Every player who is rumored on the tranfser block professes his love for the Cottage, and even turn down opportunities to play at bigger clubs (read: Hangeland). The club earns the kind of loyalty we see when Yanks talk about their times with Everton.
So why do the managers feel like leaving after a year? Even THIS year, when Fulham may be poised for one of their greatest seasons ever.
Of course this comes down to money. I defy someone to argue that someone would take the Villa job over the Fulham job merely based on prestige. Not over the last couple of seasons. Bull!
Please Mr. Al-Fayed. Pay for a top flight manager, and pay him enough to make him want to stay.
I call
Rossi to Barca? Welcome to the bench, kid.
Don’t get me wrong; I’m not one of those US fans who experiences the tingle of Schadenfreude whenever Rossi suffers adversity. Rossi’s a very good striker. However, who could he possibly displace in Barca’s starting lineup? Villa, Messi and Pedro are all relatively young, and they’re all better than Rossi. I guess he gives them some depth for squad rotation and as an injury replacement (which is highly possible, since some teams resort to pretty thuggish tactics against Barca), but the biggest beneficiary of this move would be Villareal, provided they get a hefty transfer fee out of it.
They’re trying to be the Man City of Spain. As much as I love to hate on teams that do that, I look forward to Malaga potentially shaking things up in la liga.
ya.. that is amazing.. is this more or less lop-sided than the SPL where Celtic and Rangers are a leage above everyone else?
Hopefully the league (la liga) is working to get more ownership groups like the Malaga one in place to build up the other teams.. but with Athletico selling Aguero to Real or Barca it looks like more of the same for the for-seeable future.
+100000!!!!
Van Nistelrooy to malaga? man they must have offer him alot of $$$$ to go to a team that always fighing relegation and is nothing.
Interesting point, which begs the question. If Hughes wants to bring Deuce to Villa, should he go? Villa’s certainly not one of the big four, but it traditionally has been a bigger club than Fulham…
Wow……
Yes, it is especially annoying when pullying the sight up on a mobile device.
I Totally Agree!!
FYI… La Liga has only had 9 diferent champions it’s entire history (going back to 1929). Of those nine only Real and Barca have reached double digits – Real 31x and Barca 21x. It’s really nothing new…
My point is that Fulham are not a club, or should not be a club who is trying to “stay up”? They had a decent year this year, and do not need Hodgson to “save them” like WBA needed to be saved this year. Its obvious that Hodgson has a knack for keeping clubs, he is a great crisis mode manager.
Liverpool had more problems last year than you could name. Everything from management to players, to fans, to results, you name it, it went wrong. To be fair, he was dropped into a difficult circumstance to begin with. I feel that he made his situation worse. He dug his own grave, and ultimately was the root of the club’s problems just a few weeks into the season. He needed to be cut, and thankfully for the club, he was. I really like Hodgson and I mean that, he seems like a straight forward guy with a lot of common sense. As an elite level manager I lost all confidence in him, he simply doesn’t fit the bill.
@Seriously? – Football is a results oriented business. If you aren’t doing the job, they will find someone who will. I.e. King Kenny. I am telling it how it is, you get few opportunities in life and if you squander them, who is to say you deserve or should get another?
STOP THE GROUPON POPUP IT”S ANNOYING
Joe, you are aware he took another job since he left Liverpool, right? Three wins and three draws isn’t so bad. You lost total confidence in him because of one stint of a few months, where he joined a club already in HUGE turmoil? Maybe he’s not cut out for a Liverpool, who can say, but did you hear lots of rumblings or see evidence of players not wanting to play for him at Fulham or WBA?
Letting one short stint block out the whole of his career seems more than just a tad harsh.
He can manage at clubs where the expectation is to stay up. Look at him at West Bromwich Albion. They were in the relegation zone when he picked them up and they finished off in 11th place.
At this point ever La Liga team should just forfeit every game against Barca and Real Madrid and just let them play each other in a two-game playoff to decide the title, as that’s pretty much what it’s boiled to. How is any team in La Liga supposed to remotely compete with Barca and Real. It’s beyond ridiculous…
in other news, looks like benny feilhaber is set to miss 3 weeks with a severe ankle sprain. probs only a matter of time before they announce bedoya as his official replacement.
source: boston globe
Why?
What he did for Fulham was nothing short of amazing. What he did for Liverpool was nothing short of devastating. I have lost my confidence in him completely. The players don’t want to play for him. Its the first quality a manager should possess.
Fulham need to bring back Hodgson.
Now is probably the best time for Clint to leave and for Fulham to capitalize on what value he has. Three managers in three years isn’t good. However, now we can definitely welcome Eddie Johnson to Chivas USA.
and clint will have to prove himself to yet another manager..
The question is, what is going to happen to Deuce?!
I wonder what this will mean for Dempsey, Guzan, Bradley, Lichaj…