Benitez: West Ham were two hours away from appointing Rafael Benitez as their new manager before he took over at Real Madrid, according to Hammers co-chairman David Sullivan. West Ham ultimately appointed Slaven Bilic. “We were two hours from getting Benitez and then Real came in,” Sullivan said. “We had agreed a contract and everything.”
Sacked: The Angolan Football Federation (FAF) has sacked national team coach Remeu Filemon, the organisation said yesterday, after he allegedly failed to turn up for work following the Christmas holiday. Filemon, however, said he was present at the team hotel in Luanda and that he would hold a news conference later in the week to clarify the reasons behind his dismissal. Filemon said he had not been paid a salary for more than eight months.
Badu: Emmanuel Agyemang Badu, the Udinese midfielder, is the best Ghana player of the year following a vote by the fans on national radio station Happy FM. Badu topped the list ahead of Andre Ayew, of Swansea City, and Torino’s Afriyie Acquah. “I am very satisfied, it was a great surprise for me to win this award. Serie A has a lot of followers in Ghana,” Badu told reporters.
Jokanovic: Fulham’s laborious managerial hunt has come to an end after Slavisa Jokanovic agreed to become head coach. It is 49 days since the west Londoners sacked Kit Symons, having grown frustrated by their inconsistent Championship form. The process to replace him has been fraught with challenges but, after Peter Grant and then Stuart Gray took temporary charge, the club have belatedly announced that they have agreed to bring Jokanovic from Maccabi Tel Aviv as head coach.
Nagatomo: Gazzetta dello Sport reported yesterday that Serie A leaders Inter will offer Japan wingback Yuto Nagatomo a new contract. The Japan international’s current deal is due to expire next June and the 29-year-old was believed to be on the way out of San Siro in January. Schalke have already made it clear they are interested in Nagatomo but if he decides to stay Inter will have to convince their player to sign a new deal or else risk losing him for free in summer.