A summary of London transfer rumors, with updates from Chelsea, West Ham, and Arsenal Championship underdogs Cardiff City are searching for a new manager to turn around the team’s performance following the dismissal of Erol Bulut last month.
The Bluebirds are currently bottom of the table with just five points from nine matches, but have shown slight signs of improvement under interim boss Omer Riza.
The Welsh side are keen to bring in a manager over the international break and as it stands the favourite for the post is former West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic.
With Dimitri Payet in charge of midfield, the Croatian joined West Ham in 2015 and guided the team to an outstanding seventh-place result in his debut campaign. During that season, the squad broke multiple records: they had the most points (62), the most goals scored in a season (65), the first-ever positive goal differential in the Premier League (+14), the fewest losses (8 games) in a season, and the fewest away losses (5).
After a dismal start to his second full season, he was replaced by David Moyes with the squad mired in relegation battle. The second season was far more difficult as the club plummeted to 11th position.
In 2020, Bilic guided West Brom to promotion from the Championship; nevertheless, November of the same year saw Bilic’s dismissal. The next season, he too had a disastrous 21-game run at Watford.
The 56-year-old left Al Fateh in July, and since then, he has not been employed.
However, he is not the only big name in the running for the vacancy in the Welsh capital as former Chelsea hero and trailblazing defensive midfielder Claude Makelele is also thought to be in advanced talks, according to FootMercato.
The ex-Real Madrid star is regarded as arguably the best defensive midfielder of his generation but is yet to have a real taste of success in short managerial stints at Bastia, K.A.S. Eupen and Asteras Tripolis F.C in France, Belgium and Greece respectively.
Arsenal eye Hungary wonderkid
The 20-year-old wonderkid Milos Kerkez of Bournemouth is apparently Arsenal’s top target in January as they look to enhance their left back options.
After joining Bournemouth in June 2023, the former AZ Alkmaar player has made 33 appearances and pleased Mikel Arteta, according to CaughtOffside.
Kerkez is known for his quickness and explosiveness, which makes him a valuable player for Hungary, a country he has previously played for 21 times.
Although Newcastle United is also expressing interest, his Cherries teammate Antoine Semenyo, who has scored three goals in his first seven games, is also considered a target for the Gunners in attack.
