Palace wait on Iraola with Lampard among plan Bs

For Crystal Palace, all eyes are now on Andoni Iraola. Will he, or won’t he?

The glory of Wednesday night’s euphoric Conference League win in Leipzig won’t fade for some time for supporters.

But for those at the heart of the club, the planning for next season will accelerate with almost immediate effect.

The first task at hand is to appoint a new head coach.

As BBC Sport revealed earlier this month, Iraola is the man Palace want to replace the outgoing Oliver Glasner, who insisted after the triumph in Germany he has no plans to reverse his decision.

They have made the Spaniard a proposal and are awaiting his answer, within that are assurances he will be permitted significant influence over the recruitment operation.

It is understood Palace want an answer by the end of the weekend.

The move is ambitious. Iraola has emerged as one of the brightest managers in European football - Bournemouth’s qualification for next season’s Europa League illustrative of his impressive body of work.

“We have got a taste for it now, we want to keep it going,” said owner Steve Parish following the win over Rayo Vallecano.

“We have gone up a level and we have got to try and stay there. We will have a week to celebrate and then work hard in the summer.”

Palace believe they have done all they can to convince Iraola they can provide the platform for him to continue building his reputation.

All that is left is Iraola’s approval.

If the 43-year-old declines then Palace will move on to plan B.

Among the alternatives is understood to be Frank Lampard, who has key admirers in the Palace boardroom.

Releasing Lampard from his contract with Coventry provides an obvious stumbling block should Palace pivot to the former Chelsea midfielder.

But there is some optimism at Palace that Lampard, who is aware of the Eagles’ interest in him, would be open to joining before next season.

Kieran McKenna, Pierre Sage, Sean Dyche and Thomas Frank have also been discussed as options.

Luring Iraola to Selhurst Park would represent a coup, but the fact he has taken so long to decide has led to a degree of scepticism inside Palace over whether the now-departed Bournemouth head coach is prepared to accept.

Much will become clearer in the coming days.

As ever, player retention will emerge as a key narrative in Palace’s summer.

Michael Olise, Eberechi Eze and Marc Guehi have all left the club in the past two years, but Palace are determined to avoid any further significant exits.

That will be easier said than done.

While Wednesday night’s victory over Rayo may help keep players satisfied with Europa League football now secured for next season, their triumph will inevitably attract more admiring glances at their players.

Adam Wharton’s man-of-the-match performance in the final will only serve to heighten the feeling the midfielder is destined to join an elite club.

Liverpool and Manchester United are known to be among his admirers. But Palace are in a strong position to keep the wolves from their door for at least one more season given Wharton’s contract still has three years left to run.

Palace are open to offering Wharton an improved deal, though it is unclear whether the midfielder is keen to engage given the interest from elsewhere.

Elsewhere, goalkeeper Dean Henderson, who has two years on his current contract, is attracting interest from several Premier League sides and can expect an approach over a potential new deal in the coming weeks.

Central defender Jaydee Canvot, who has impressed since Marc Guehi’s exit in January, is understood to be on Paris St-Germain’s radar.

Jean-Philippe Mateta’s future will also need resolving after his protracted move to AC Milan in January broke down because of a failed medical.

Mateta made clear at the time that he saw his long-term future away from Selhurst Park and the club signed Jorgen Strand Larsen from Wolves in a deal worth £48m to countenance his anticipated exit.

There have been reports that Maxence Lacroix is stalling on a new contract, though it is understood Ismaila Sarr is keen to discuss a possible renewal.

There’s plenty to unpack at Selhurst Park this summer.

60 Palace 'troublemakers' ordered to leave Leipzig

Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano are taking part in their first European final

Police say 60 Crystal Palace fans classified as “known troublemakers” were ordered to leave Leipzig city centre on Tuesday evening while two arrests were made following clashes between supporters of the Eagles and Rayo Vallecano.

Thousands of fans have travelled to Leipzig for the Conference League final between Palace and Spanish side Vallecano on Wednesday (20:00 BST).

After videos appeared online of rival fans clashing in the German city on Tuesday, Saxon State Police confirmed two arrests were made and all individuals involved in the disturbance were ordered to leave the area.

Two officers, one from the Federal Police and one from the State Police, sustained minor injuries during clashes with both sets of fans.

“At approximately 20:00 (19:00 BST), around 300 Rayo Vallecano fans, considered to be at high risk of hooliganism, were gathered in the city centre,” read a statement from Saxon State Police.

Police say clashes “suddenly broke out” with Palace fans sat on the outdoor terraces of both Leo’s Brasserie and Dhillons.

“Bottles, beer glasses, and pub furniture were thrown at each other. Physical altercations also occurred,” added the police statement.

“Officers on the scene immediately intervened and separated the two groups of fans, checked the identities of more than 300 people, and issued dispersal orders.

“Known troublemakers from Crystal Palace moved to the area of the Penguin Ice Bar and approximately 60 individuals provoked passing Spanish fans and were surrounded by federal police.”

The police operation concluded at approximately 03:15 on Wednesday morning, with more than 320 fans involved.

Local police say the ‘fan fest’ in the market area of Leipzig remained peaceful throughout, with about 2,000 fans from both clubs present.

Barcelona in talks with Newcastle to sign Gordon

Gordon scored 17 goals for Newcastle United in all competitions this season

Barcelona have joined Bayern Munich in the race to sign Newcastle United forward Anthony Gordon.

The La Liga champions hold an interest in the England international and are in talks with Newcastle over a potential deal.

Although Barca have had financial restrictions in recent years, the club are understood to have the ability to spend whatever is generated from player sales.

Bayern Munich have also held formal discussions with Newcastle, but BBC Sport previously reported there was a gap in valuation between the two clubs.

Newcastle chief executive David Hopkinson made it clear they will only sell players on “our terms” in March.

The club are in a relatively strong position to command a minimum of £70m for Gordon, whose contract does not expire until 2030.

Newcastle will ultimately need to trade to rebuild this summer, particularly after a disappointing 12th-place finish in the Premier League.

Gordon, who has previously played for Everton, looks the likeliest of Newcastle’s key players to depart and the club’s top-scorer was even left on the bench for the final four games of the campaign because head coach Eddie Howe had an eye on the future.

Supporters in the away end briefly sang Gordon’s name following the 2-0 defeat at Fulham on the final day in what felt like a farewell.

Howe was asked afterwards if the 25-year-old had played his last game for the club.

“I don’t know, as I said in the build up to the game,” he said. “You can never predict what’s going to happen.

“He obviously goes to the World Cup now so we wish him well.”

Barcelona also hold an interest in Atletico Madrid forward Julian Alvarez and Chelsea striker Joao Pedro.

Hansi Flick’s side have the option of signing Marcus Rashford, Gordon’s international team-mate, on a permanent basis for £26m following his loan from Manchester United.

There is the very real prospect that Newcastle could end up losing their top-scorer for the second summer running.

So, have lessons been learned from the damaging Alexander Isak saga?

Newcastle initially held firm after Isak pushed to join Liverpool but the club ultimately buckled and sold the striker for a British-record £125m on deadline day.

In contrast to last summer, though, when Newcastle operated without an executive structure, the club now have a chief executive, Hopkinson, and sporting director, Ross Wilson, firmly in place.

The absence of a sporting director in particular was felt when it came to handling the Isak situation and dealing with agents.

There has since been a shift in tone and approach.

Former chief executive Darren Eales previously said it would be “crazy” for Newcastle to sell their best players but Hopkinson has struck a slightly different note.

The Canadian said last March the club would look to “maximise the opportunity” and extract the best possible price if individuals were to move on this summer.

So, rather than Newcastle looking over their shoulder, the prospect of Bayern and Barcelona going head to head will be viewed as a potential opportunity to secure a substantial sum to reinvest and refresh a floundering side.

In truth, it has felt like the club have been preparing for Gordon’s potential departure for a while now.

Although Gordon has continued to train with his team-mates – his attitude has been praised by head coach Howe – he has had to make do with a place on the bench in recent weeks.

Youngsters Sean Neave and Alex Murphy even came on ahead of the unused substitute against Fulham on the final day, which was rather telling.

Fernandez wants Chelsea exit but club would demand £120m

Enzo Fernandez wants to leave Chelsea after they failed to qualify for Europe, but the club will ask for £120m for the Argentina midfielder.

The 25-year-old, who joined Chelsea from Benfica in 2023 for £107m, is under contract until 2032, which is reflected in the potential fee.

The World Cup winner remains part of the club’s planning for next season, but Chelsea would consider offers that meet their valuation.

After scoring 15 goals and providing seven assists last season, Fernandez finished runner-up in Chelsea’s player of the season award.

Javier Pastore, Fernandez’s agent, is exploring potential destinations, notably his preferred option of Real Madrid.

Alternatives include Manchester City - who are expected to appoint former Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca as Pep Guardiola’s successor in the coming days - but their priority is signing Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson.

Meanwhile, French club Paris St-Germain have downplayed the likelihood of a transfer despite having been linked with a move.

Real are known to be unwilling to pay Chelsea’s asking price unless they are able to raise significant funds in player sales, having also been linked with a move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri.

Senior figures at Stamford Bridge accept they will need to invest in established, Premier League-ready talent for new manager Xabi Alonso after a disappointing season in which Chelsea finished 10th and without a trophy.

India's 'unsafe' 70ft Messi statue to be moved

Lionel Messi helped Argentina win the World Cup in 2022

A 70ft statue of Lionel Messi in India is set to be taken down after it was spotted “swaying in the wind”.

The giant monument in Kolkata, West Bengal, was erected in December during Messi’s ‘GOAT’ tour of the country - GOAT meaning ‘greatest of all time’.

According to local media, engineers from the Public Works Department (PWD) carried out an inspection of the statue following complaints from local residents on Monday.

Its immediate removal and relocation were ordered after the inspection found the statue’s structural integrity to be severely compromised.

“The statue of the Argentine football legend was found [to be] unsafe,” said West Bengal state legislator Sharadwat Mukherjee.

“We have noticed that the statue is swaying in the wind.”

Mukherjee said the proximity of the statue to a busy road and a subway make the statue’s removal “easier said than done,” but that they plan to “remove the statue at the earliest opportunity.”

Local media say the fibreglass and iron structure has been secured with heavy-duty nylon ropes, while barricades have been erected to keep people and traffic clear of the site.

Authorities are reportedly exploring alternative locations for the statue, which was assembled over the course of 27 days by a 45-strong crew.

Messi, widely regarded as one of the games greatest players, unveiled the statue virtually - he appeared on a video screen and pressed a button on a remote control - in December, though his visit to Kolkata was overshadowed by violence during an appearance at Salt Lake Stadium.