logo
Man City legend Yaya Toure, 42, finally set for first manager job nearly three years after ‘snubbing EFL side'

Man City legend Yaya Toure, 42, finally set for first manager job nearly three years after ‘snubbing EFL side'

The Sun26-06-2025
MANCHESTER CITY icon Yaya Toure is set to take his first job in management with a role in Belgium.
Toure, 42, has been working in coaching since hanging up his boots in 2019, but is now reportedly in line for the managers job at Belgian second tier side Daring Brussels.
5
5
The three-time Premier League champion is no stranger to Beligan football, having made 70 top flight appearances in Belgium for KSK Beveren in the early days of his career.
According to Sacha Tavolieri, via Sport, Daring Brussels want to bring the former midfielder back to Belgium as they look to return to the top flight having lost their promotion play-off this season after a third place finish.
Daring Brussels are owned by John Textor, the billionaire American who also holds shares in Botafogo and Lyon, and recently agreed to sell his stake in Crystal Palace.
Toure had been offered a role in English management back in 2022, snubbing the change to take over as Wigan Athletic boss at the time.
Since retiring Toure has coached across Europe, working as an assistant at Olimpik Donetsk in Ukraine and Akhmat Grozny in Russia, as well as taking charge of Tottenham's youth team.
He also spent nine months as assistant boss with Standard Liege, strengthening his knowledge of Belgian football.
Most recently Toure has been working as the assistant manager to Roberto Mancini for the Saudi Arabian national team.
Speaking recently to Rio Ferdinand about his desire to become a coach, Toure said: 'Football gave me everything during my life and when you hang up your boots sometimes it's difficult to find yourself.
5
'You start thinking four or five years before you stop the football [about what to do next].
'I think, going into that, It was good because I got the experience of working with people that make me change my mind in terms of doing something and loving something.
'Playing was one thing, now managing a team and a group of people is completely different.'
As a player Toure played for the likes of Man City, Barcelona, Monaco and Olympiacos.
He ended his career with three Premier League titles, one Champions League, two La Liga title, one FA Cup and three League Cups.
Toure also represented his nation of the Ivory Coast 97 times, winning the Africa Cup of Nations in 2015 as captain of the side.
5
5
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

In the crazed transfer trolley dash, the next glossy off-the-shelf solution is all the rage
In the crazed transfer trolley dash, the next glossy off-the-shelf solution is all the rage

The Guardian

timean hour ago

  • The Guardian

In the crazed transfer trolley dash, the next glossy off-the-shelf solution is all the rage

The transfer window at this stage is essentially fan fiction. What if Dr Frankenstein had turned up at Pemberley and conducted a waspish romance with Elizabeth Bennet? What if Akela was not just a wolf but a werewolf? What if famous and attractive Tennis Player X were having a fling with famous and attractive Tennis Player Y? And what if Arsenal actually signed a centre-forward? There hasn't yet been time for reality to intervene. It's like the day after the World Cup draw when everything exists in a realm of pure perfection and you can imagine the platonic ideal of each country facing off, unsullied by form, injury or disputes over bonuses. Club A needs a left-winger who can cut in on to his right foot, contributing six-to-eight goals a season and opening space for the overlapping full-back. Player B is a left-winger who can cut infield, and therefore this must work, earning Club A imaginary points to contribute towards that absurd modern notion: winning the window. The truth is that football teams are almost infinitely complex organisms, minute imbalances or frictions potentially having enormous consequences elsewhere. And players are human. Sometimes they struggle to deal with change: new teammates, a new manager, a new environment. No transfer is ever without at least some risk; nothing is ever guaranteed. Still, the early moves in the market are revealing, if not necessarily for what they may mean for how the title contenders may play next season, then at least for what they say about the state of those clubs and their perceived priorities. Getting your transfer business done early is one of the supposed markers of a decisive side that knows its own mind, which is good news for the four teams likely to be Premier League contenders – and rather less good news for Manchester United, who have moved to sign Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, while struggling to offload any of the half dozen players who are surplus to requirements. The best time to build, the ancient wisdom has it, is from a position of strength, and Liverpool have done that, bringing in a pair of full-backs and Florian Wirtz at a total cost of around £165m. With Trent Alexander-Arnold gone and Andy Robertson now 31, the acquisitions of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are straightforward enough replacements and suggest the policy of attacking full-backs will remain. Wirtz is a more complicated case, in part because of his versatility. He could operate as a false 9, or on either flank, but the likelihood is he will be used as a central attacking midfielder as part of a shift to more of a 4-2-3-1 shape than the hybrid 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Liverpool tended to use last season. That would mean either Dominik Szoboszlai plays less or that he is used deeper at times to add creativity against opponents who sit in a low block. Given Arne Slot's lack of faith in Darwin Núñez, a move for a centre-forward was always likely. Exactly what game of bluff and counter-bluff – if any – was being played around Alexander Isak remains unclear but Hugo Ekitike is now the prime target, a mobile goalscorer who should improve Liverpool's options playing in transition even if concerns remain about his effectiveness when he doesn't have space to run into. While there has been interest in Luis Díaz from Bayern, Liverpool's position on profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) is healthy enough that there is no need to sell the Colombian. Perming three or four from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott, Wirtz, Díaz and Isak or Ekitike marks a significant upgrade on last season. For Arsenal, after becoming the fifth club to finish as runners-up three years running, there is a sense of urgency. If not now, then when? How many more chances will this side have before the rump needs refreshing? That perhaps explains their targets. Christian Nørgaard is not especially eye-catching but adds useful defensive depth. Martín Zubimendi should have the tactical intelligence to protect the back four and so release Declan Rice. There will be those who doubt whether Noni Madueke is worth £48.5m, but a winger who can play on either flank makes sense to ease the burden on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The glaring necessity, then, is for a centre-forward, albeit one who shares the responsibility with Kai Havertz, although he may end up dropping deeper at times to relieve Martin Ødegaard. Benjamin Sesko had been the long-term target before Arsenal turned their attention to the older and slightly cheaper Viktor Gyökeres. Given Arsenal almost certainly do need a high-class centre-forward, saving £10m-£15m for a player five years older about whom doubts remain about his capacity to get shots away in tight spaces seems a questionable economy. Manchester City's transition continues apace, with the arrival of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Aït-Nouri to go with the four players they signed in January. All played some role in the Club World Cup. City's 4-3 defeat by Al-Hilal in the last 16 does not augur well, but it's far from clear yet how reliable a guide the tournament will prove. After all, Chelsea, fourth in the Premier League, won the thing by hammering Paris Saint-Germain, who beat three English sides on their way to the Champions League last season. Have Enzo Maresca's side really improved so much? João Pedro looks an immediate upgrade on Nicolas Jackson at centre-forward while Jamie Gittens should be a useful addition on the left. Although a functioning team does seem belatedly to have emerged from the churn, it's the sheer traffic through Stamford Bridge that is most eye-catching, less the careful accumulation of ingredients than a crazed trolley dash, with a lot of wastage as Maresca assembled his dish. And that perhaps is the underlying sadness in any discussion of transfers, the way that the game is instinctively viewed through a mercantile lens. It's never about developing a player or tweaking a system, always about buying the next glossy off-the-shelf solution. Will any of it work? Who knows? But the feeling is all a little like 2016 after Leicester won the league and Southampton and West Ham finished in the top seven, when the elite went on a spree to reaffirm their status. Eventually, money always wins.

Alexander Isak's agent breaks silence on Newcastle star's future amid Liverpool interest - after striker misses Magpies' first pre-season friendly
Alexander Isak's agent breaks silence on Newcastle star's future amid Liverpool interest - after striker misses Magpies' first pre-season friendly

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Alexander Isak's agent breaks silence on Newcastle star's future amid Liverpool interest - after striker misses Magpies' first pre-season friendly

Newcastle striker Alexander Isak's agent has opened up on the striker's future amid interest from Liverpool. The Premier League champions are ready to break the British transfer record to sign Isak, despite already spending £116m on Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen this summer. The 25-year-old will cost in advance of £125m and the Reds will move if they receive encouragement from Newcastle. However, the Magpies have made it clear that he is not for sale - prompting Liverpool to shift their focus to Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike in a potential £82million move. Isak's agent has now spoken out on the player's future in an interview with Saudi Arabian media - with the star also attracting interest from clubs in the Gulf state. 'We are indeed studying and analysing all options, and we may be close to finalising the next step for the player,' Gonzalo Gaitan told Saudi newspaper Arriyadiyah. 'Without revealing any details regarding whether Isak will transfer or stay with Newcastle.' Isak was left out of Newcastle's 4-0 pre-season defeat to Celtic, with manager Eddie Howe later admitting the decision was due to ongoing speculation over the striker's future. Howe said speaking after the friendly match: 'I chose to send him home. 'The last thing Alex wants if he is not playing is to be sat in the stand and under that scrutiny, then if he wasn't going to play today, we mutually agreed he shouldn't be here. 'It was my decision. He travelled back to Glasgow with us, but I decided to send him home due to the speculation around him. Both [Joelinton and Isak] are fit but not ready to play. Alex has trained and is fine but we didn't want to take the risk with him. 'Yes, I've had discussions with him, but that's not abnormal,' he added. 'I respect a player's career and how short it is. Alex has been really good, he's trained really well and I realise there'll be noise around him. 'We have a few of those players who are irreplaceable. Your top players are so hard to find, so hard to recruit and so hard to develop. So when you have them, you need to treasure them. Of course we're desperate to keep him as part of our team. 'I think it's difficult for me to ever give 100 per cent clarity on any player, I'd never do that. 'All I can say is Alex is happy at Newcastle, he loves the players, the staff, the team. I've never had any issue with him and I'm confident he's going to be here at the start of the season.' Isak has established hismelf as one of the Premier League's best strikers since joining from Real Sociedad in 2022. He has scored 62 goals in 109 appearances for Newcastle across all competitions - including one in the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool last season.

Marcus Rashford travels to Catalonia as Barcelona move appears close
Marcus Rashford travels to Catalonia as Barcelona move appears close

The Independent

time3 hours ago

  • The Independent

Marcus Rashford travels to Catalonia as Barcelona move appears close

Marcus Rashford appears to be closing in on his anticipated move to Barcelona after travelling to Catalonia on Sunday evening. Rashford posted on social media a picture of himself travelling on a private plane, and Spanish media reported that the Manchester United forward had arrived in Catalonia at around 9.30pm local time. The PA news agency understands a broad agreement is in place following talks between United and Barcelona over a season-long loan that would include an option to buy. The 27-year-old has not played for his boyhood club since being hauled off in a Europa League match away to Viktoria Plzen on December 12 and ended the season on loan at Aston Villa. Rashford is among five players to have informed United they wish to explore a future away from Old Trafford, where he came through the academy and scored 138 goals in 426 first-team appearances. He has been training away from Ruben Amorim's first-team since pre-season began while seeking a fresh start elsewhere. In December, the England international admitted he was 'ready for a new challenge' and last month revealed he would like to play alongside Barcelona's teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal. Barcelona sporting director Deco in May told Catalan radio station RAC1 that the club 'like' Rashford, who does not have a squad number at United having lost the 10 shirt to new signing Matheus Cunha. Cunha is one of two new signings at United this summer, with the club having also added left-back Diego Leon. Bryan Mbeumo is set to join them at Old Trafford, with the Cameroon forward in the final stages of completing his move after United finally struck a deal with Brentford worth £65million plus up to £6million in add-ons.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store