Football Daily - Euro Leagues: PSG paradise & Palace Europa problems

Episode Date: June 5, 2025

Alistair Bruce-Ball is joined by Julien Laurens, Guillem Balagué and Mina Rzouki. They reflect on PSG winning their first Champions League. What next for Inter after Simone Inzaghi leaves? The panel have their say on the latest transfer moves. Could Crystal Palace’s Europa League place be in jeopardy? And the gang give their moments, signings and players of the season.02:25 Champions League Final reflections 18:35 Is Luis Enrique destined for the Premier League? 26:05 Simone Inzaghi has already left Inter 31:55 Could Cesc Fabregas replace him? 36:05 Transfers – Reijnders, Cherki & Luis Díaz 41:00 Crystal Palace European place in jeopardy? 46:55 Moments, signings and players of the seasonBBC Sounds / 5 Live commentaries: Sat 1700 Andorra v England in World Cup Qualifying, Tue 1945 England v Senegal in Friendly.

BBC Sounds music radio podcasts. On the Football Daily Podcasts, the EuroLeagues with Alistair Bruce Ball. Listen on BBC Sounds. Yes, hello there. I'm Alistair Bruce Ball and welcome to the EuroLeagues season finale. We are going to be dissecting the Champions League final after PSG's 5-0 thrashing of Inter on Saturday. We'll find out more

about the man who masterminded it all, Luis Enrique, and what next for Inter as well with Simone Inzaghi immediately leaving the club for Al Hilal. We'll look at the latest transfer rumours doing the rounds and get the latest on Crystal Palace's drama with UEFA as well which sees their place in Europe next season hanging in the balance and also a quick reminder that you'll be able to watch the Euroleagues back in full on the BBC Sport YouTube channel. Now I think this is my first appearance on the Euroleagues this season in the very last show of the season and I said on the WhatsApp group earlier on today that I do feel a little

bit like a sub coming on in injury time at the end of a big cup final just to get the winner's medal. So the manager's already taken off Steve Crossman and John Bennett and they've had their standing ovations. Let's introduce you though to the regulars, the stalwarts, the superstars, the ones that have put a real shift in this season and got the pot over the line first and foremost. Guillaume Balague, who I'm delighted to say is sitting alongside me in the studio here in London. How are you Guillaume? I'm okay but don't worry about the medal you should have had at least three shows to get a medal so you're still playing but that's it. No medal. You don't get anything. No. Right I'm gonna have to put a better shift in next season. Julien Laurent is with us as well. Julien I imagine you're still on Cloud 9. Absolutely, absolutely ABB. Welcome to the show. I give you a medal,

I give you a medal every time. Participation medal. What's the French equivalent of to be on cloud nine? It can't be nuage nerf, they don't, they surely don't have that in France. No, we don't say the number but you're still on your clouds. Oh right. Sur ton nuage, yeah we say sur ton nuage but we don't have the number, we don't need numbers. Okay, okay. And so the punchline there, Mina Razuki, I'm afraid, after Inter's performance in the final on Saturday, what about the Italian equivalent of sick as a parrot? Is there one of those? Oh, I don't speak very good Italian so I won't be able to tell you to be honest with you. But I feel like we don't need to heap more misery on the poor Italian.

Okay, we'll leave it alone. We'll leave it alone. So the only place to start tonight is that remarkable Champions League final on Saturday. We're talking about PSG's 5-0 demolition of Inter in Munich, the biggest ever margin of victory in a European Cup final. It was a true masterclass of modern football. The epitome of PSG's shift towards a young, vibrant, hardworking team with a capital T under Luis Enrique. Guillaume and Jules were both lucky enough to be there.

Jules, let's start with you. If you were to pick one or two particular images that are sort of burnt into your retina that you'll never forget about Munich and the aftermath, what would they be? I mean, for me, it's really simple and and it's very very personal and it's got not much to do with the game really but my children, two of my three children, my two sons were in the stadium with my cousins and my best friend and because we were working, because I had all the coverage of the game, then the match of the day hit as well on the pitch with Danny Murphy, Then I finished quite late, but they waited for me outside and I had to just find them. I knew which gate they were.

So I came out of the media entrance. I went up and around the stadium a little bit and then I found them. And when I found them, really, like this is the best hug I've ever had ever with the boys because they were so happy. I was so happy. We were screaming champions of Europe, champions of Europe. And I was just so happy that they were there with me to not really with me

because we didn't spend the game together because I was working, but they were still there. I could see them from where I was sat with Steve Crossman and John Murray and Chris Sutton. And it was just amazing to find them after the game right by the stadium. It's a very special moment for us as a family and my brother, my dad, my brother-in-law, who could not be there, were still with us. My granddad who passed away a few years ago as well would have loved to be in the final. So we did that for the whole family and to find them there after, to cry together, to sing together. I didn't want them to come at first because I thought if PSG lose, they be heartbroken but then obviously at PSG won they would have never forgiven me not to have

been there so I had to bring them along like the rest of the family that were able to come and it was an incredible memory for all of us. Yeah and I'm sure what you're saying there Jules you're probably articulating what it was like for thousands and thousands of PSG fans and I don't just mean the ones who were there but wherever they watched it or listened to it. Guillaume, you were there so same question to you in terms of sort of you know having looked back on it over the last few days, what's stuck with you? I'll choose two things, one the preview to the game it has become such an event, wherever you walk the day before especially, you see a superstar, somebody that's made history in the game. It's the place to be. I don't know, because I was working

with CBS, I had a meeting with Taryn Rhee and Micah Richards and Jamie Carragher. I came out of the hotel and I had a chat with Davos Suka. I met somebody from television and I had lunch with Serales Ferguson, coming out of of it, Luis Figo and I had a chat and like that all day long. So it really feels like you're missing something if you're not in a championship final these days. So it better be a city that hosts this. A comfortable city and Munich is perfect for it. And the second thing is the cultural shift. Quite clearly we have talked throughout the season more than ever, I think, about there is a predominant model of our times of playing football that has to do with

what PSG did, with what Chelsea do, with Manchester City do and Arsenal and so many others and we saw the confirmation that that's where football is going I think. So I listened to my Euroleagues last week, my Champions League final preview and you three were all on it and you left a little voice note actually Guillaume, you weren't in the entire show but I think the last thing you said that stuck with me ahead of the game was it would be a sort of a match-up that would define modern football and where we're at? Not in my eyes or in the eyes of many that have followed football very closely because five out of the eight quarter-finalists are playing that way and that way we can go into detail of it

but you know what I'm trying to say, the Pep Guardiola style of football. But I felt that if Inter Milan won, of course winning becomes fashionable and many would say, let's forget about where football is going. Let's just try to these other things of organised defence and freedom in the attack and quick transitions. But by getting PSG winning, it's just a confirmation in many people's eyes that, yeah, this is where football is going and we better be on that train. And I think it won't mind me saying it. There's somebody very high up at Chelsea, one of the decision makers, who messaged me back after I was talking in the way you said, saying, yeah, yeah, and people are going to have to be patient

because that's where everybody has to go. If you want to have a stable team, a team with good young players, a team with good young coaches, because that with good young coaches because that's what they're learning. And I know that Mina had a go at me last week. So I have not forgotten. But you didn't listen to it. He was just going to end up with that. I did say that Inter's style is dead. It was a little bit too much perhaps.

But certainly what I was trying to say Mina, and I haven't seen final, if you agree or not, is that that way of doing things is becoming obsolete. Don't you think? I'm finding it really hard to say that Carlo Ancelotti does it with Real Madrid. How many Champions League did they win? And they go and choose Chaby Alonso, who represents also that new way of playing, if you like. If you're saying it's the future, then yes, I can see you. I can agree with that. But if it's winning, is the thing that I'm not sure I agree with it. I think that you can win in a multitude of ways.

And I think that every style of play is nice to watch depending on what you like. But I... That's not the debate, by the way. Of course, you can play different ways. But if the debate is where it's going, everything is cyclical. We will go that way. And then, you know, it's just a little bit like it was fashionable to play with, you know, strikers and things change but yes absolutely this is where it's heading going

younger mobility fluidity and the movements and patterns of play i i agree with that i just don't necessarily think it's a winning formula all the time so i'm open to seeing different things as well but i i i agree with you in the sense that it is it is the fashion and it is where it's heading. On the night itself Mina were you surprised at how poor PSG made Inter look? Yes I think that we were the whole point of this was that this was supposed to be a 50-50 challenge going into it so I think you know in when they were asking me where I think it would go I thought that PSG would win it I didn't think that they would win it with 5-0 put it that way. I think 59 games for an inter side with an average age of about 30 years old was just a step too far.

There was lots of criticism as to whether or not they should have actually targeted to trouble or whether understood the limitations of the squad and the age of the squad and realized that actually this is not a side that has the finances or the squad depth or the technical quality to really compete on all three fronts. So maybe choose one or maybe at most two competitions and go all the way, but trying to win each one and ending up with zero has its criticisms within it. But unfortunately, I am the invalid with a broken arm. So I had to watch this huge humiliation. And but congratulations, because I just think the kind of football we talk about

football, but there is football and there's football. And I just think that the way that PSG have played in so many of their knockout games is something I can honestly tell you for me, it was better than what I've seen from any other team in the last decade of football, in all honesty. I've seen from any other team in the last decade of football in all honesty. Yeah and Jules we keep stressing the word team and the shift with PSG under Luis Enrique over the last couple of seasons, some of the superstars that have gone and this team ethic and everyone you know working for each other and all of that but I know you were struck as well by some of the some of the outstanding individual performances within that team, weren't you?

Yeah, you're right. And to be fair, this is the beauty of it. You've got fluidity within the structure that is very well defined. And then you've got players within a collective who can step up and have to step up anyway, because you win as a team, but you're still in a moment of brilliance from Desiree Dwe or from Vitinha, from those kind of players to be able to then produce a masterclass like we've just said you do. And Marquinhos said something very important before the final. He said when Rizzenmike arrived, so two years ago, he said he had so many things to change, but especially the attitude. And you can look at it in all the ways you want.

We can go tactical, for what Guillaume and Mina were saying earlier on that debate about where football is going tactically, all of that. But at the end of the day, you can have the best coach on the bench, you can have the best player in the team. If you don't have the right attitude,

it could be for just one player or two or three, it doesn't matter so much, you're not gonna win. It's just as simple as that. And I think the biggest thing that Luis Enrique did, away from this great football team and structure and the style and the philosophy, everything you want, is that he changed the attitude. If you're not happy, it's okay.

You just go somewhere else. But if you want to stay here, be here, you have to go by his rules. And his rules were also very simple, but yet I know it's hard to understand for listeners, but trust me, not every player wants to run and attack with the team and defend with the team. A lot of them want to do their own things.

And for Luis Enrique, this doesn't work like this. So it sounds very simple. It's not that simple, I promise, because otherwise every other team would do it. But this is the best thing he did. He changed the mentality and he changed the attitudes. And the reason why some players are not doing it is because we're living through a transition or in which we have said so often

that the forwards have got freedom to do whatever they want. And they'll score the goals and that's enough. But that's not enough anymore. In this brand of football that we see in taking over the world, if you like, everybody's got to wear heart. The picture of Dembele with his eyes fixed on Suma. Oh my God. It was a representation of that, of what Jules is talking about, because Dembele had a fixation logically about his body and why he wasn't working at the time that he was in Barcelona and his move.

And what quite clearly Luis Enrique has done in that moulding of the squad that he's managed to do from the moment he arrived. In fact, before that when he said, you know, I don't want these players, I don't want the guys that will not do what I'm supposed to do. In that molding, the best representation of it perhaps is Dembele, who had to be punished at some point just because he reacted in a way that he shouldn't have, challenging the authority out of character, but he did it. And then Luis Enrique, again, as he did in a dozen of other times, he said, no, no, I'm in charge.

And now you go to the bench, even if you called them ballet. And even though I said you will be the guy replacing Mbappé and I'm helping you do so, now you're on the bench. So that need for authority, that ability and energy he needs to actually mold aside requires time and that's, you look back now and think, ah, right, that's why it didn't work fully with Spain. And he needs to actually mould aside, requires time and that's, you look back now and think, ah right, that's why it didn't work, fully with Spain and he needs time and I don't know what you all think of this but I feel that Luis Enrique is gonna be enjoying this quadruple really but travel if you like more than the Barcelona one because this is really fully 100% Luis Enrique team.

We'll dig a little bit deeper on Luis Enrique in a little bit, Guillaume. I just wondered as well, Jules, just sort of widening, you know, the camera lens out a little bit. Do you think as well that performance, and actually the way PSG have played in the knockout stages of this competition, may have won a few cynics over as well, those not comfortable with the state ownership of the club, and even though we talk about these thrilling young players and this

triumph of coaching by Luis Enrique, there's still been a heck of a lot of money spent on the project as well. Yeah absolutely, we spent 70 or 60 million pounds on Joe Neves at 19 from Benfica after or 60 million pounds on Joe Neves at 19 from Benfica after one season really at the top. It's a lot of money that you can invest there and that you have to invest. And to be fair, they have one of the top revenues in European football. They're not the top, but they do really well marketing-wise with all their sponsors. And some of them come from Qatar too. So I can understand that some people are not too happy with that. But the truth is that I've never seen or felt so much love for PSG probably ever, really, from everywhere. And I could show you all the messages I've received from people who are just very happy, and I know they go through me to say, I'm so happy that PSG won this Champions League

because of the football they played, because of Rizan Rikrique, because of Douai and Dembele or Vitinha. There's a lot of likeable players, there's a lot of likeable characters in that team. The ultras of course who have become this phenomenon really that everybody seemed to be discovering was ultra-culture has been on for 40 years or so, 45 years and yet it seemed that the PSG Ultras this season, everybody loves them. Everybody loves the chanting and the tifos and everything that they do.

But again, there are a lot of great Ultras in a lot of other clubs all around the world, not just for us, but it seems that the hype is at the level that I've never really seen before. So this is great. And I think they've won people over, you're right. As a club and as a Qatari owners, I'm not sure. But certainly what they've done on the pitch with Luis Enrique again,

to what we were saying, and those players. Yes, they won people over. People like them. They like a ball. You can relate to that team. They play football the right way. It's entertaining. And they also have beaten top teams all the way to this triumph in the final.

And for that, I think that's what people enjoyed when they watched them this season. And Mina, just before we get onto our Louis Enrique chat specifically, it's very easy to get carried away with a performance like that. We're doing exactly that right now. We were doing it on the night. It was breathtaking. It was stunning.

Do you think the rest of Europe will be worried now about Paris Saint-Germain. It's a very difficult competition to dominate. We know that. It's only Real Madrid really who've done it. But the potential here for Paris Saint-Germain. Yeah, it's huge. Firstly, because I think a lot of the times with some of the clubs

that you have who do win the Champions League, obviously not Manchester City, but others, you worry that the players will want to leave. They'll want to go to a Real Madrid or to a different club. But with PSG, they have the money, they have the desire to stay in this competition. Because I think a lot of these kids, obviously they're new, like Desiree Dua is coming from Ren,

thinking to himself, look at what I've just done under Luis Enrique, I want to be here for a while, because this is where I'm going to win trophies. You actually start to smell the trophies coming their way, especially with Luis Enrique and the way that the club is working. And so when you see a project is there,

it's more likely that these players will stay. I think this is what's so interesting. So you've got that, you've got the money, you've got the mentality that they've now secured. They can walk away knowing that this is the biggest final and won it with the most comprehensive results that you can imagine. So with Luis Enrique, who's already won a treble,

now he's won a quadruple, we know what he can do and the power that he can do. He's made this club more likeable just by his story, all that he dedicates to football, obviously his family story and that of his little girl that passed away that resonated with so many. I'm not sure what ingredients they're missing. For me, this is very much the start of something really beautiful. And it's not about getting carried away. We can always talk about the fact that they failed

in the beginning, they lost lots of games, they weren't showing us what they could do. And it's a huge turnaround that happened really in the beginning of 2025, obviously, with Kravitz-Kedya coming in, Dembele changing positions, and then you saw really PSG take off. But again, this is a young squad that can really win together and build together. And I think that was this, what Real

Madrid did so well was buy young and let them grow together. And this is what PSG is doing now. And that, Guillaume, takes us on to the Luis Enrique chat really nicely, because I think my question to you would be, you know, having watched his career and spent time with him and talked to him, do you feel like he's the kind of guy that would be interested you know, having watched his career and spent time with him and talked to him, do you feel like he's the kind of guy that would be interested in building a dynasty, being at Paris Saint-Germain for a long time and trying to dominate European football, or will he always be looking possibly for the next challenge or adventure? So he's what, 55?

55. And he finally has found a club that has allowed him to Create a team to his image Where he is the total authority, which is what he demands Don't without any questioning from anybody. So he's in is in the perfect place and as such He'll want to keep winning with this side There's no doubt about that. But he has a dream and he will like to come to the Premier League. He's been not trying because he doesn't go

and have conversations that will take him into the Premier League. He doesn't ask his agents to actually take him there, but he knows at some point the right offer will come. And in the past, Swansea tried to convince him and he's like, I'm not gonna go to Swansea. One day we're in the Premier League of course. And Aston Villa tried to get him as well.

I think he was naming some conversations at Everton. There have been clubs that have rejected him. Spurs been one, Chelsea, Manchester United. He was in the show list when Den Haag was chosen and it just didn't happen. Now, of course, we'll have a pick. He can choose, but football is the one who puts the timing and he was talking about what comes next for him. Well, Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City at some point and he kind of fits very well into that club, into that way of playing as well.

But I think he's miles away from thinking of that. He's never planned his career that way. What feels right at that point, be it Celta or Roma, it goes on. Am I right in saying as well that Unai Emery told Arsenal to get Luis Enrique? So when Unai Emery gets interviewed for the job at Arsenal, Luis Enrique had left Barcelona, a Barcelona in which he had succeeded and won the treble and so on. And in the interview, Unai Emery, when he gets interviewed for a job, he always asks the same question to the people that interview him, which is, what do you want me? And what do you want me for?

Why do you want me? And what do you want me for? Why do you want me? And he was like, well, we want players to develop and then buy them young and then sell them if necessary. We want a team that wins. We want everybody to be with the manager. We want everybody to think the same way, but like a lot of things. And he went and said, you should get Luis Enrique. And it kind of took everybody back. It's like, no, no, we think you're the guy. Why? Well, the answer was from Arsenal. Well, he actually doesn't question us, wouldn't question the bosses.

And when I thought, ah, and you think I would just go along with whatever you decided. So, well, it was a little bit of a breakdown in communications with the ownership, a red flag with whatever you decided. So that was a little bit of a breakdown in communications with the ownership, a red flag if you like. But yeah, he offered Luis Enrique and said, no, no, no, it's you who we want. Because perhaps they felt he was more moldable.

Jules, we're talking about Paris Saint-Germain's manager here. Yeah, yeah, I mean, it's the same for this team. I don't know how long this team can stay together because eventually there will be a moment where maybe Vitinha would fancy going to Real Madrid or Desiree Dwea to the Premier League or Barcaula to the Premier League or Vaz Calias somewhere else.

And they might stay for a bit longer, but they might also at some point feel like they've done everything they could. They've achieved everything. At PSG they will be in history of the club forever because they were the first one to win it and to win it in the greatest final of all time, really, or certainly the biggest score of all time.

They would have done a treble, a quadruple if you count the French Super Cup, maybe even more if you count the Club World Cup and then the European Super Cup against Spurs in August. So there might be a point where they think, okay, we've done it all now. They might have won two Champions League by then and think, okay, where's the next move and go to a bigger club because there are bigger clubs, many of them more than PSG as much as I would love them to stay forever, all of them. It's not going to be possible. So at some point it'd be the same for Luis Enrique.

It's normal because once you've won it all and you've done it all, especially with the lack of attraction that Liga have, for example, compared to the Premier League or compared to Liga, it's more difficult to keep them even if you have all the money in the world. It's not enough sometimes. So let's enjoy them for at least the next two years because I think for two years they're probably going to keep them all and just add a few and might lose a few that maybe not some of the starting ones. And then after two years time, I would not put my house on the fire

that they will all stay together again. some of the starting ones. And then after two years time, I would not put my house on the fire that they would all stay together again. And just going back as well, again to when Louis Henrique arrived at Paris Saint-Germain. So that's two seasons ago, 2023. And in that same summer, Messi and Neymar both leave, Kylian Mbappe has another season.

Was that, in terms of how that played out, was that Paris Saint-Germain deciding, we wanna do this a different way, Luis Enrique is our guy, this plan was already in process or was that Luis Enrique arriving and saying the only way this is gonna work under me is if these guys as good as they are are not here. You don't need to research a lot to know what Luis Enrique is about so of course when they approach him is because they have decided we need to go a different way. One in which managers finally have got the space they require to take decisions, to impose that idea, to convince everyone.

Those things are important and the managers previously, they weren't given that space. It was quite clearly that the structure of the club was disorganized. It wasn't how it should be. So the decision to bring Luis Enrique was, okay, what would you do? Because we think we need to change. And yes, it was about the culture of the club. It was about there are players here and I will add Berrati there and Neymar and so on. I don't want here.

Messi had gone already. Interestingly enough, I think at some point, if you ask Messi, would you have stayed if Luis Enrique had stayed? If you knew that Luis Enrique was coming, I think the answer would be, yeah, I would have stayed. But then ask as well to Luis Enrique, would you have kept Messi? And I don't know what the answer is.

I don't know. Because obviously, as we've seen in those eyes of Dembele, what's required from a Luis Enrique team A winning Luis Enrique team is a different thing. If we ask him that I'm not sure we're necessarily On the record gonna get an honest answer. Are we? He said to the club, he said to the club he would not have come if Messi, Neymar and Mbappe had still been in the club There we go The commentators view on the Football Daily.

I'm Alistair Bruce Ball. I'm John Murray. Hello, I'm Ian Dennis, and Fridays on the Football Daily means one thing. The Commentators' View episode. You use the word scenes. If I did use words like that. Yes.

Join us every Friday as we look ahead to the weekend's football action with a few untold stories along the way. The commentators view only on the Football Daily. Listen on BBC Sounds. On the Football Daily podcast, the Euroleagues with Alistair Bruce Ball. Listen on BBC Sounds. Let's move it on to Simone Inzaghi. He's left Inter already to join the Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal. His first game in charge is actually going to be very soon, less than a couple of weeks time against Real Madrid in Miami in the FIFA Club World Cup.

But in the announcement video which Al Hilal posted yesterday, they use some commentary audio of a goal scored not by Simone, but by his brother Filippo in the 2007 Champions League final. Does that happen a lot, Mina? I mean, what a guess. It does happen a lot, but this is not something that you would have expected and is unveiling also because even if you are going to go through his career, I think his career is better as a manager than it has been as a player but anyway, yes it was a weird thing to do for sure. What about them in what about how will his time at Inter be viewed?

Look he won a lot, it's very divisive actually what people think of Inzaghi, he's never been lauded as this great manager. And actually, I think he's been vastly underrated. A lot of the times we've spoken about it, we've talked about the fact that no one ever rates him considering what he's managed to do with this interside. During his tenure, if you look at the net profit of the club, they actually made 100 million from sales. That's how much they didn't spend. So he was forced to walk into a club during the time of a very financially precarious time. They lost Lukaku, they lost Ashraf Kemi,

they kept bringing in sort of players that were never of that same level. Obviously, they're born in players like Marcus Tram, but always having to lose somebody big, whether it was Onana or somebody else. You felt like he was always trying to find a way through, and they remained competitive in the league domestically as well as in Europe. I think he overachieved with a squad that wasn't really built to compete across all three levels. Having said all of that, the criticism has been very strong in Italy and

understandably so. He lost five nil. I think there were question marks over the fact that you have to understand the mutations for your squad Are you being practical? Are you just going for the stars knowing very well that your team has limitations within it and to be Humiliated five nil and to walk out on the club is really not the way to leave I think it was interesting as well when we were thinking about Guardiola leaving the season and Manchester City were doing so badly in fact when, when they started doing so badly, it was like, well, but Guardiola will probably stick around because he doesn't want to leave them in that state.

So it's a little bit like, how is Nzaghi OK with this? Should you be walking out like that? Or does that is that to be seen rather cowardly considering you have a year left? Now, Inter have said that he walked in into the meeting room and said that he doesn't have the motivation to continue, that he was very honest and they very much appreciated that about him. Left them a little bit in the lurch considering

there is a club World Cup that they are having to go to. There were lots of rumors about Al Hilal even before the final and Italian media reckon that that destabilized the team. I disagree with that. I don't think it destabilized the team. I don't think Ecerbi and Barela heard about him moving to Saudi and thought, oh my God, now we're not going to play the game of our lives. No, I think that I personally don't agree with

that. But nonetheless, the rumors were flying around before it was a ridiculous offer financially. And I think that he had already realized that this is the end of an era. His team was so it's old, right? They played 59 games. They were never at optimum fitness levels, to be honest with you anyway. And I think that he just thought that a new project needs to start and they're better off starting off with someone new.

I don't have the motivation to rebuild again. And so he leaves. So he maybe left a minute before, they left him kind of thing, because he did feel, and we've been talking about Amina all season, about being the end of an era. But I just wonder what his place in the history of Inter is for Simone, because I think in terms of titles, Alain Herrera and Mancini won more than him.

In terms of love, José Mourinho seems to have beaten everyone with his travel and so on. What would you place him? Yes, obviously he's below those three, but I do think that he's divided more fans than he's supposed to. I think a lot of the times people are viewed into as being the best team in Italy, so at the very least they should have managed to win the title every season in the way that Juventus did when they were the best team in Italy, and not only that, have managed to win the title every season in the way that Juventus did when they were the best team in Italy. And not only that, Juventus won the double every season. So domestically, they were just unsurpassable in a way that Inter hasn't managed to do on this morning, as I argue.

So it's a bit like he's left a little bit too much on the table. So that's been the view, considering the fact that they have felt that if you compare it to a Napoli side or the Milan that won under Stefano Pioli, Inter was by far the best team in that league and they should have won it both those seasons. And yet it doesn't go that way. I think that he was loved. I think a lot of the Inter fans thought that he was very underrated, but there has been a lot of anger with the way that the final went, with the fact that the players didn't show up, with the fact that on the 70th minute when Desiree Dua got his third goal, there were four fullbacks on the pitch and you're losing. It's madness in terms of substitutions. I think

that particularly that choice as well of having bringing in defensive reinforcements when the team is falling apart and nobody is trying to get a goal, there was just no hunger, it was lights out straight away, says a lot about the way that I think that he's handled this tenure in certain moments. When it comes to the business end, we haven't seen a real fight, which is a shame because I think on a tactical level, he's a very interesting coach. I think we've seen the way that his centrebacks play the kind of football they've played along the way. And I know that you see it as very much like deep in transitions, but it's not that, you know, it's more than that. And I think we see more of that domestically than we have seen in Europe where they are a little bit more pragmatic. But it's a shame, to be honest with you, that

it ended that way, the way it did. Let's get on to his potential replacement. The main man linked with coming in at Inter is Como's Cesc Fabregas. But here's what the Como president, Mirwan Suwaso, has had to say about that. We communicated our refusal directly to the president of Inter, who acknowledged it with the courtesy and clarity expected between clubs that have mutual respect.

For this reason, we treat the persistent rumors of their interest in our coach as pure fantasy. It's unlikely that anyone would persist after such a clear answer, especially a club of Inter's caliber. Jules, what do we make of that? That's very much putting the ball in in Inter's court. So if you still come knocking, you're standing in the game as being questioned. Yeah and it seems that Christian Kivu, who did a good fair job, is also on that shortlist now and that would be an appointment much easier to do, more than Roberto de Zerbi and

Marcel for example, who's also under contract and this one might be difficult. I can see why Cesc was the favourite, I think he did a really good job at Como, having spent a lot of money in the two transfer windows that he had. I think they're the fourth biggest spender in Serie A. So it's not just that he took a small team with little budget to finish in 10th in the table. They have some of the richest owners in world football and they have been able to spend a lot of money both last summer and especially probably more in January

to make this team better, which helped them. But Cesc is still one of the brightest young manager in the game right now. And it's normal that a lot of clubs from Bayer Leverkusen to Inter Milan are really keen on him but I just don't think that Como would bulge and I think Inter Milan recognise that and that's what probably Kiwiu is the favourite now. Cesc in my eyes is a 15-16 year old boy with a bad hair, though, by haircut, when he first arrived to Arsenal, is a kid and who's now been wanted by Inter Milan, one of the big clubs in Europe. It's just, have you not have an experience like that where you think like, what has time

gone and this guy, who could it be? How could it be that he's reached such a high when two days ago he was just a kid. What about it from Cesc Fabregas' point of view? I mean, Koma have made it very clear, Mina, do you think it'd be too early for him, a job like this one? Yeah, absolutely. I think it's really, listen, that's not to say that he hasn't done a terrific job, but it has been one full season in Serie A. And I think that he's overachieved.

I think a lot of with the squad that he has, the team did splendidly when they were playing at home. They were one of the worst teams away from home. Many of the wins that they racked up, consecutive wins that they did was towards the end of the season when they were facing table sides that were already on holiday, to be honest with you. Again, that's not to say that he didn't do a great job, but this is a team like Joel said, with a very job. But this is a team, like Joel said, with a very rich ownership, and he is a shareholder, right? So he owns shares in this club. So this is part of, this is his baby as much as it is Komo's club. He wants to do something special. More importantly, I think what's very interesting is what he said. And he said, I want to be in

charge of a club that allows me to do what I want to do without that pressure of what the fans need and the constant winning. In Italy, and what has become football nowadays, if you don't produce straight away, then you're just gonna get booted and eventually sacked. And he wants to be part of a footballing project where there is faith being shown, where his ideas will come through.

He said, I try to be practical. I even tried to be defensive at times because I thought, oh, we're concealing too many goals. But in the end, I thought, no, I have to do it my way. And I want to win. I want to make that clear. But I have to win my way. And I have to be in a club that allows me to do it my way. Can he do that at Inter or Juventus or Milan? Absolutely not. No way with the level of pressure that you get in those big teams. So I think Como is the right place for him to be right now, to grow and give him a few more seasons, see how he reacts.

Also, he's not in charge of any egos, right? There's all these different things that come into play when you are coaching a big team. So I think it's still too early, but it's way too early for Kivu too. Okay, we're going to go from moving managers to moving players. Some quick fire transfer talk on Euroleagues here. Mina, going to start with you. Manchester City agreeing a 55 million euro deal with Milan for the Netherlands midfielder Tijani Rijnders, named Serie A's midfielder of the season, even though Scott McTominay, who to my mind is a midfielder, the season, even though Scott McTominay, who to my mind is a midfielder,

won player of the season, how about him? What can he do for Manchester City? So you can't win best midfielder of the season if you won player of the season. It goes to somebody else. But Reinders has been the other outstanding midfielder of the season, 15 goals from central midfield more than any other in the top five leagues. I think he's one of those great talents when it comes to spotting spaces. He actually models his game. He sat around in yesterday as a kid.

As he grew older, Kevin De Bruyne became the man that he really wanted to resemble on the pitch. And I think he's really worked on his footballing intelligence, how he reads football, how he progresses the ball through the spaces, how he knows how to exploit and run into those spaces. So it's off the ball running is really clever. 55 though is quite shocking to me because I think that he's worth a lot more. And I'm quite surprised because if it's Atalanta

that we're selling, this would be a 70, 80 million easy as a standard fee before bonuses kicked in. Cause I do think he's a very special talent. And I think he's been one of the rare, beautiful things to watch from Milan this season. He scored in three derbies against Inter. He scored against Real Madrid. He scored against Spain or the Netherlands. He always shows up at the big matches and he's the perfect Manchester City player in the sense of his technical ability and and how he sees space. My one issue is that he is not a physical player, he's not going to really carry or press the ball so again you are still dependent on somebody else providing that,

on Rodri providing that, he doesn't really have that and I think that he likes freedom, a certain level of freedom which is going to be interesting because there's him, there's Ryan Cherokee, they're all going to want this freedom so I wonder how that's going to all mesh together. Okay, Jules Ryan Cherokee, Mena's just mentioned him there, Manchester City also pursuing a deal for him. What about him as a player? I mean, I know you've been doing the show, I said I've had the screen of the Spain-France game, he's just called an absolute worldy tonight

And this is his first ever cap came in of the back coming up the bench after an hour He's just an incredible incredibly talented gifted player And I think right now there's a bit of difference between what much the city have offered in their first offer 25 million euros and what? Leon wants Around 35 40 with bonuses they will find an agreement and Schalke will sign and I think him and the other Ryan Aitnoury who we know a bit more here in England from his time at Wolves obviously but both Schalke and Aitnoury are wonderful signings like Reinders I agree with everything Mina said.

Lewis Diaz as well Guillaume, his name has been in the news today, Barcelona, what's the story, what's going on? He's put himself also in the frame of a possible transfer or a possible renewal of his contract in the press conference he's done with Colombia, saying there's a decision to be made. He's got a two-year contract and Liverpool have got no interest in selling him and they've got no interest in renewing his contract at the moment. So, there's a bit of pressure that's coming from different directions. The agent of Luis Diaz is friends with Deco. Deco and Barcelona really like Luis Diaz.

They're looking for a left-winger, so Rafinha can come inside or can be rested if necessary. They really, really like him. But the numbers that Barcelona are putting out there, because I haven't even made an offer yet, and I'll tell you why they cannot do it just yet, but the numbers are like 40, 50, 60 million. And Liverpool are saying, Bruno Fernandes was going to go for a hundred million pounds, so expect the same if we're going to sell this guy. And Barcelona don't have the money, but they don't even know if they can raise the money

because there's the rule, one, V1, which means that whatever money comes in, they can spend. They don't have permission for that. Plus, to actually put this kind of investment into a player, they require that next year's budget, the big part of VIP boxes being sold, over 100 million, has to be approved, has to be allowed by the league to be considered part of the budget next year. They haven't been billed yet. So they actually have to do a financial puzzle to be able to raise enough money to get to 60, 70 million for Luis Diaz.

So right now it's an impossibility and it's all I think what Bartholomew is doing saying, you know, we have to the big names. It's just that they cannot do that. Having said that, they just bought Joan Garcia, the goalkeeper of Espanyol, that's going to Espanyol. But because it's 30 million euros or so, they're going to have to pay about five million every year. They can afford that. But Luis Diaz figure? Impossible. Let's move it on to Crystal Palace's chances of playing in European competition next season, because despite winning the FA Cup last month, they're at risk of being denied a place in

the Europa League, potentially actually in Europe altogether. Football writer Matt Hughes joins us on the Euroleagues now. Hi Matt. Evening. Just for those who don't know the ins and outs of this Matt, as sort of simply as you can, can you just explain how, what's going on here, why they're in this situation? Trying to make it simple, it is very complicated.

Just saw Palace's biggest shareholder is an American called John Texter. He also is the majority owner of Leon. Both those clubs have qualified for next year's Europa League, Palace of course, by winning the FA Cup memorably last month. US rules state that you can't own, but one person can't own a share in the club in the same competition. We've seen this before, Man United and Man City own linked to Girona and Nice respectively. They've got

rounded by putting a smaller club as it were in the shares in that club into a blind trust. Crystal Palace can't do this because essentially they missed the deadline. The deadline was 1st of March. And to me just illustrates what a complete mess UEFA's rules are. On the 1st of March, Crystal Palace were playing an FA Cup, fifth round tie at Millwall. They never really had any expectation of winning the FA Cup and qualifying for the Europa League. As a result of that, they didn't put these measures in place,

and now UEFA are saying, you've missed the deadline, you can't do it. So the whole thing is in a real real status really. Okay so what are the other options then Matt potentially for Crystal Palace here? You know if they can't do that, if they can't put the money in a blind trust and go that way like other clubs have done, do you know what sort of other avenues they're exploring? One avenue they're exploring is for John Texter to sell his shares in the club to the to sell his shares in the club to the other Americans who also own us, Harris and Blitzer who I mentioned earlier. The problem with that is it's not a quick process. We all follow these takeover stories and they drag on for months, sometimes years, and Europa

League qualifying draws due to take place on June 17th. So UEFA needs to make a quick decision. Palace are trying to insist that John Texter doesn't really have any influence at Sellers Park despite owning 43% of the club, he only has 25% voting rights so they went to meet UEFA in Neon this week to sort of clean their case. But legally, it's very gonna be hard for them to prove complete separation if they're not allowed to park these shirts. It's crazy to think, isn't it?

You know, after that joyous day and all those celebrations and the incredible football that Crystal Palace have played this season, 70 years we've had of UEFA club competition, and this is the first time they'll have a chance to play in Europe and it might be denied them. I mean it's your gut feeling Matt that they will find a way to make this work? My sense is they will find a way somehow and they will fudge it but these problems are going to carry on until we get more clarity on multi-clob ownership. They've kind of got a way of it for a while

by using these blind trust techniques. But as clubs like Liverpool, they're trying to buy clubbing in France, I believe at the moment. Rye and I have got various sister arrangements via Informally, via Tony Bloom. So it's creating more and more problems. So UEFA, they've got two options really.

They either ban multi-clo operations, which I don't think they will, or they'd completely relax the rules and just say anything goes. And I think that's the way it's going. Right. And just finally then, Matt, in terms of sort of watch this space,

you know, you said when the competition starts, so when do you think Palace fans can expect an answer on this? The draw's 17th of June, so that's less than two weeks. So I think Palace fans can expect an answer on this? The draw is 17th of June so that's less than two weeks so I think Palace fans will know within the next 10 days at the latest. Okay lovely. Matt thank you very much indeed for joining us and explaining that. Multi-club ownership, Guim, it's happening more and more. This is a problem for Crystal Palace. Yeah and everybody's going to have to adapt to it. It happens. Football is just a mirror of

society. This is where capitalism and this kind of businesses go. There are a lot of benefits for it. I think small clubs have got a huge amount of reasons to join something like the City Group or the group that Aston Villa have, from access to players, to talented young players, to elite resources which they wouldn't be able to have, operational support, legal, commercial and marketing. They become a developing club, but at the same time it allows them to challenge for things that they would never dream otherwise. It gives them global exposure. And then of course, the bigger clubs have got their own reasons to do this. All in all, what laws in every country and in football have to do is see what's around and adapt to it. And quite clearly UEFA and FIFA are miles away from being close to it. And instead they just want to

punish and then they don't, like the case of Girona, where they had to change the ownership build of the club. They had to change the board, three or four things that they had to do, which was relatively easy, but still is a very key part of the city group. Right, with this being the EuroLeague season finale, we've done Quickfire transfer talk, we're going to finish some quickfire questions on the season just gone. And I mean quick quickfire here, going to try and do as many as I can. Jules, starting with you, in fact, I think this is probably too obvious this one. Favourite moment of the season? You know me too well Ali, yeah of course the Champions League final and the treble for PSG and my boys. Okay, Mina, favourite moment of the

season? I wanted to say it's Cerviz's equaliser that took it to extra time in the second leg against Barcelona. I'm also a Juventus fan, so for me it was a Quincey South goal against RB Leipzig. They were one man down and they managed to get the winner. So it was a spectacular goal. For me the first 45 minutes of the Barcelona-Inter fixture at the Montjuic, I was out in the first row, where Inter were defending and La Min was attacking, what it was a very tight defence. Those 45 minutes were just incredible from Lamine. How about signing of the season, Guillem?

I will give it to Anthony, who comes in at the Betis as by his own admission depressed, having been in completely the wrong club for him. And then he just has recovered the level that perhaps didn't put him at the 100 million euros that he costs from Ajax, but certainly at the elite again. It's been a wonderful thing for Betis and for him. I was thinking about Michael Olise or Graz Kelly, but really Scott McTominay has to win it for me because nobody really understood. Well, a lot of people didn't understand the move at the time,

but he did magnificently for Conte and Napoli. So I give it to McTominay. Has Jules just stolen your one, Mina? Yes, absolutely. I've got it in. Sorry. When did Desiree Douay arrive from Wren? Yeah, that could be the one.

I'll have Douay and you'll have... I'll take that one. Okay, I'll take Douay then. Nicely done. What about a simple one? Player of the season, Mina? Dembele, it's got to be Ouzman Dembele. Or Le Minier Mal, I'm a little bit...

Actually, you know what? I really want to go for Asher Afikimi, because I think he never gets enough plaudits for what he's done. Scored at the final, scored at the semis, scored at the Coupe de France final. The best right back in the world. I think right now, by far, to be honest with you, tactically grown and intelligent. So I'm going to give it to him just because I know everyone else is going to take the key, guys. Yeah, thank you, Mina.

Because what La Mine Amal has made me feel about football in the last year is just I hadn't fell for 20 years. So, you know, I jumped from seats. I hugged people I didn't know. I shouted and he was playing for Barcelona. And I'm not very suspect to be a Barcelona fan, but yeah, he was unique. So he has to be given to him. Jules, last word.

Who's Mandembele? Very good. Guillaume, Julien Mena, thank you very much indeed. That's it for this episode of the Football Daily. Also out now on your feed, you can catch reaction to Serena Vigman's England squad announcement ahead of the Women's Euros. Football, a game of passion, rivalry and loyalty. But decades ago, beneath the cheers and the chants lay a different kind of warfare called hooliganism. On a match day, everyone was your enemy. Everyone was going to kill you.

We look over the brutal, bloody battles where punching below the belt was a way of life. It was just a day of mayhem. It's a day you dream of. Join me, Tony Bellew, as we hear from those bruising for a fight in the name of the firms that they belong to. We hated them, we hunted them, we battered them, and nothing got in the way of football. Something they called the English disease.

They were destroying the football club, the game I love. Gangster Presents Hooligans. Listen on BBC Sounds.