Monaco decision on Carrick and Vicens for Kluivert in Lyon
During a meeting in Monaco, Manchester United will decide on Wednesday the future of head coach Michael Carrick, while Olympique Lyon on the same day appoints Carlos Vicens as the new coach of Ruben Kluivert for his second season in France, with the transfer market in the Netherlands already closed since September 2.
Transfer market closes in the Netherlands
The transfer market in the Netherlands has been closed since Wednesday evening, September 2. The market in the foreign top leagues closed a day earlier. Clubs can still sign free agents. Karim Benzema, Luuk de Jong and Jadon Sancho were mentioned in the transfer talks.
Manchester United decides on Carrick in Monaco
The board of Manchester United will decide on Wednesday, during a meeting in Monaco, whether head coach Michael Carrick will be dismissed or will stay on. British media reported this decision. United are experiencing the worst start to a season ever and have won only one of the ten Premier League matches played. Carrick's position has been under pressure for weeks.
General director Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox travel to Monaco for a meeting with the influential shareholder Jim Ratcliffe. Berrada and Wilcox are reportedly set to push for Carrick's dismissal. Carrick, a former United player, succeeded the dismissed Ruben Amorim in January. He then managed to guide Manchester United to third place.
He signed a two‑year contract in May. Amorim had again succeeded Erik ten Hag, who was dismissed in October 2024. Michael Carrick therefore received a short‑term extension.
New coaches in Europe and other developments
Racing Genk have already dismissed Jess Thorup after four months. The 56‑year‑old Dane must leave due to disappointing performances.
Genk are seventh in the Belgian league after eleven rounds, fourteen points behind leaders Union. Thorup was appointed head coach of Genk for the second time in July.
He succeeded Nicky Hayen, who left for Burnley, and signed a three‑year contract. The Belgian club has not yet appointed a replacement.
Olympique Lyon have appointed the Spaniard Carlos Vicens (43) as the new coach. The French football club announced this on Monday.
Richard Keys calls for Wilcox and Berrada to follow Carrick out of Manchester United
Vicens is the successor of the Portuguese Paulo Fonseca, who unexpectedly moved to Sporting of Lisbon on 4 November. At Lyon, Vicens will be the coach of Ruben Kluivert, who is in his second season in France.
Vicens was for a long time an assistant coach at Manchester City under successful manager Pep Guardiola. He was on the bench, among other occasions, when the English club won the Champions League in 2023.
In October Vicens was dismissed by SC Braga, with which he finished fourth in the Portuguese league last season and reached the Europa League semi‑finals. Lyon are fifth in Ligue 1 after ten rounds with seventeen points. In the Europa League the club is thirteenth with seven points from four matches.
Raúl González Blanco is the new head coach of Real Oviedo, the current ninth‑place team in the Segunda División. The former Real Madrid striker (323 goals in 741 matches) was the coach of Real Madrid Castilla, the reserve team of the Spanish record champions, from July 2019 to June 2025. Real Oviedo returned to La Liga in 2025 after twenty‑four years, but the Asturian club finished last at the top level in Spain last season.
The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) have dismissed national team coach Hossam Hassan (60). The EFA announced this on Saturday in a statement on its own website.
Hassan led the Egyptian national team last summer at the World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico to a place among the last sixteen. There the country lost, after a tumultuous closing stage, to the eventual losing finalist Argentina.
According to the Egyptian association, recent events have contributed to a negative impact on “the stability” of the national team. Hassan has been in the news in Egypt in recent days due to a conflict with his ex‑wife.
Ali Maher (52) has been appointed as Hassan's successor. Maher comes from the Egyptian club Ceramica Cleopatra FC of Giza.
Neymar's father is taking a job at the club where his son is under contract. Neymar senior has been appointed as the new general director of Santos.
He will hold that position at least until the end of this year. If the current chairman Marcelo Teixeira is re‑elected in the presidential election on 12 December, Neymar senior also wants to stay on. If not, the father of the 34‑year‑old 130‑time Brazilian international will step down.