The merry-go-round gets faster

The Independent’s football newsletter [SUBSCRIBE]( [SUBSCRIBE]( March 24, 2023 [View in browser](   [The Independent]( [The Independent]( The merry-go-round gets faster Conte partiro As of Friday afternoon, there was still no movement on [Antonio Conte, even though everyone around Tottenham Hotspur believes the club will sack him]( and the word is it is virtually confirmed. Sources put the delay down to a number of reasons. The most immediate is that Daniel Levy would want to do it face to face, and Conte has been in Italy with no set return. There are also final terms to discuss as regards bonuses. [The second is what next. Levy does not want to allow the season to drift, which could well happen under a caretaker like Ryan Mason, as in 2020-21](. He has been considering trying to appoint a full-time manager now to salvage the season - but most of the top targets aren't that interested in coming in March. Most that is... Change at Bayern Munich may bring solution at Spurs One name set to be available is a figure that Levy has wanted in the past, and felt Spurs had a real chance at in 2021. [That is of course Julian Nagelsmann, who is set to be replaced by Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich](. Tuchel, it should also be noted, was someone Spurs were pursuing this week. As it is, he now has another chance to win the Champions League and deny Pep Guardiola in the process. This is why it is more attractive to go to Bayern Munich at this stage of the season than Tottenham. Whether Nagelsmann would be as willing to jump straight into management remains to be seen. [There are a few little ironies in how he won't get to face Guardiola, since Nagelsmann was long seen as his successor](. One of the complaints about the German, however - and one reason why he will lose his job - is that many players think a criticism often directed at Guardiola is actually true of Nagelsmann. That he tries to be too clever by half. While Guardiola attempts surprising tactical moves because he has intensively thought about them and cnvinced himself it is the only way to give his side the edge, figures at Bayern believe there is more of a sense of self-indulgence with Nagelsmann. That isn't quite to say all of the squad didn't like him, though, since there was a bit of a split. Some did think he was a genius. Others felt that football intelligence evolved into something that gradually got on their nerves. Saka gets closer to new contract As with almost everything at the moment, things are happier across north London. [Bukayo Saka’s rise from a player of immense potential](to an important difference-maker has seen half of Europe look at him - including Manchester City - but it is understood that initial talks about a new contract at Arsenal are progressing very well. The England international shouldn’t be too far off an announcement. Chaos at PSG could bring clarity for Chelsea With more ructions expected at Paris Saint-Germain in the summer - and Christophe Galiter given at best “a 10% chance” of staying on - sporting director Luis Campos is expected to depart. With a number of Premier League clubs seeking to appoint new recruitment staff, he is letting his potential availability be known - and Chelsea are one club understood to be sufficiently piqued. United's big signing may be down to Napoli's new plan Napoli are at least [willing to negotiate with Manchester United]( on Victor Osimhen, which marks a significant difference from previous stars. They might set a high price but that is in itself a bargaining position. Well-connected sources put that down to one key motivation. Owner Aurelio De Laurentis could at many points over the last few seasons have got £80m for Kalidou Koulibaly but rejected them all, and then eventually sold him for less than half that. Napoli have sort of realised that, when you are in the position they are as an upwardly mobile club - if currently with the most exciting team in Europe - you almost need to sell one of your big stars for big money every one to two years in order to constantly refresh and maintain your position.   Top stories [England achieve something they’ve never done before - and it shows the blueprint for Euro 2024 glory]( [Bayern Munich sack Julian Nagelsmann and line up big-name replacement](     Miguel's Dispatches It was one of those weeks where you see how a big story can really take over, as all of the media duties for England's match away to Italy were disrupted by developments in[the Manchester United takeover](. We were sat there in Roberto Mancini's press conference as word filtered through it was going to be another busy night as regards the prospective takeover... if it happens. There was one man, however, who doesn't need to wait for any of this. Quite the opposite. In the middle of Mancini's press conference, we were greeted to the bizarre scene of Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentis just appearing and taking his seat at the front. He of course didn't have to be there on time or even wait for the Italian manager to finish a point. This is a club president, however, who has never actively avoided a camera. As referenced above, mind, one of the new United owners' first deals might be to have to negotiate with him.       QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Let’s hope we’ve got that opportunity to make that decision." Gareth Southgate refuses to rule out staying on for another campaign after Euro 2024   Reading the game quiz Reading the game quiz As Ukraine play in London on Sunday, it will bring a nice moment, and something to celebrate. So, some other Ukrainian celebrations. There have been six Ukrainian players who have scored in the Premier League. Name them. ([You can find out the answers here](. 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