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THERE’S bad news for Brits heading abroad this summer as Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary has predicted flight cancellations and delays.

Due to strikes and ongoing staffing issues there are particular months which could face the most disruption.

In an interview with The Independent, Michael O’Leary has predicted this summer will be a “mess” when it comes to flights due to possible air traffic control strikes.

Mr O’Leary said: “The French will start striking around May or June and then air traffic controllers will start not showing up to work on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer schedule.

“And we’ll end up with these mythical ATC capacity restrictions, they’re not capacity restriction, they’re ATC staff shortages.”

He continued to say that he believes the European Union should be “fining” air traffic control providers if “they’re not fully staffed for the wave of morning flights”.

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Mr O’Leary added that this would be useful for getting flights away on time on weekend during the summer.

He said that “if you get the first wave away, the rest of the day will operate pretty much on time”.

French air traffic control went on strike last year from July 3-4, 2025 which caused widespread delays.

According to Skycop.com, the summer strike resulted in over a thousand flights cancelled, over three thousand flights delayed – and it affected more than 1 million passengers.

Just a few weeks ago on January 9, 2026, there was another nationwide strike by French air traffic controllers which led to the cancellation of 933 flights.

The striking of air traffic control staff doesn’t just affect travellers heading directly in or out of France.

The location of France means that any air traffic strike will affect lots of other routes.

According to Eurocontrol, more than 60 per cent of flights in Western Europe either take off, land in, or pass over France.

Without an adequate number of staff, extensive sections of airspace are made unavailable to planes.

Last year, Ryanair axed 25 routes to France during the winter months, including those to Bergerac, Brive, and Strasbourg.

There could be more cuts on the horizon too as airline’s chief commercial officer, Jason McGuinness said: “Ryanair will leave French regional airports in the summer of 2026.”

No official details have been released yet about which additional regional airports will be impacted.

For more on Ryanair flights, it’s set to restart flights to one European city despite scrapping them just months ago.

And this European airport is set to welcome Ryanair flights this summer – despite axing routes from the UK.

The Caledonian Sleeper picked up passengers at Birmingham International on Thursday evening for the first time in 30 years, with Manchester floated as a potential future stop.

The boss of the iconic Caledonian Sleeper has hinted at the possible next stops as the train begins journeys from Birmingham.

On Thursday evening, the Sleeper called at Birmingham International for the first time, collecting passengers from the city at 10.44pm before transporting them to Scotland.

As the first sleeper service linking Birmingham to Scotland in three decades, it marked a significant milestone for Caledonian Sleeper. Prior to the service’s launch, Managing Director Graham Kelly told the Mirror that additional stops were under consideration, though nothing had been finalised and talks remained at an early stage.

When questioned about whether the Sleeper might call at Manchester – the biggest city on the west coast currently not served by the train and situated directly on the London Euston to West Scotland line – he commented: “We need to look at that from a ‘number of coaches’ point of view. Manchester is an interesting option.”

According to Mr Kelly, the primary obstacle to adding Manchester as a destination involves scheduling complexities.

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“It comes down to timings. Can you land a timing that works? From a timing perspective, would consumers board at that time? It’s something we’d need to look at. I’d expect (the stop in Manchester) would be around 1am (going North) and maybe 4.30am coming down the other way.”

Regarding additional destinations, Mr Kelly indicated that Scottish locations were most probable. “Do we look to expand with any other destinations in Scotland? It’s very much in the early thoughts and planning stage and not something we’re far enough down the line with. It’s very much in our thoughts for the 2026/27 rail year, for 2030 onwards.”

At present, Manchester has no sleeper train services arriving or departing. Should the Caledonian Sleeper extend to Manchester, it would provide an excellent overnight alternative for travellers heading to Scotland or London.

Thursday evening’s Birmingham service featured a traditional Scottish performance by acclaimed Kintyre bagpiper Lorne MacDougall. Among the inaugural passengers was well-known railway enthusiast Francis Bourgeois, who was journeying to Inverness.

“It is the culmination of a huge amount of work and effort of the team at Sleeper, and across the industry,” Mr Kelly remarked. Birmingham has been incorporated into the current timetable without requiring additional rolling stock.

“The UK rail network is a busy place. There’s been a huge amount of work done on train paths, where trains go and when,” Mr Kelly elaborated when discussing the complexities of introducing a new stop. “It’s not as easy as saying ‘I’m going a different way tonight’. Both at night and in the morning, we’ve had to work with Network Rail to retime services, to allow us to have this path going through Birmingham International each day.”

Mr Kelly highlighted that the Sleeper emits seven times less CO2 than equivalent car and aviation routes.

In 2025, the rail service operated at 90% capacity. The addition of the new Birmingham stop is expected to push that figure closer to full capacity. Regarding ticket prices, Mr Kelly confirmed there were “no plans for an increase”.

Addressing the contentious issue of the Sleeper’s seat option, which requires passengers to sit upright in a non-reclinable seat for the entire journey, Mr Kelly explained that UK rail standards prohibit the use of reclining seats. However, he noted that cabin lights had recently been dimmed in response to customer feedback.

Manchester United have appointed former player Michael Carrick as their caretaker head coach until the end of the season.

Carrick, who was also the club’s caretaker manager in 2021, is United’s 12th manager or head coach – permanent or otherwise – since former boss Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013.

We thought we’d put your knowledge to the test – so can you name all 12?

Director of Adelaide Writers’ Week steps down amid wave of speaker withdrawals and board resignations.

The director of a top writers’ festival in Australia has stepped down amid controversy over the cancellation of a scheduled appearance by a prominent Australian Palestinian activist and author.

Louise Adler, the director of Adelaide Writers’ Week, said in an op-ed published on Tuesday that Randa Abdel-Fattah had been disinvited by the festival’s board despite her “strongest opposition”.

Writing in The Guardian, Adler called Abdel-Fattah’s removal from the festival lineup a blow to free expression and a “harbinger of a less free nation”.

“Now religious leaders are to be policed, universities monitored, the public broadcaster scrutinised and the arts starved,” Adler wrote.

“Are you or have you ever been a critic of Israel? Joe McCarthy would be cheering on the inheritors of his tactics,” she added, citing a figure in Cold War history commonly associated with censorship.

Adler’s resignation is the latest blow to the beleaguered event, which has experienced a wave of speaker withdrawals and board resignations in protest of Abdel-Fattah’s cancellation.

The festival’s board announced last week that it had decided to disinvite Abdel-Fattah, a well-known Palestinian advocate and vocal critic of Israel, after determining that her appearance would not be “culturally sensitive” in the wake of a mass shooting at Sydney’s iconic Bondi Beach.

Fifteen people were killed in the December 14 attack, which targeted a beachside Hanukkah celebration. Authorities have said the two gunmen were inspired by ISIL (ISIS).

Abdel-Fattah has called her removal “a blatant and shameless act of anti-Palestinian racism” and a “despicable attempt to associate me with the Bondi massacre”.

On Monday, New Zealand’s former prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, announced that she would not go ahead with her scheduled appearance at the festival, adding her name to a boycott that has swelled to some 180 writers, including former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis and award-winning novelist Zadie Smith.

But Peter Malinauskas, the premier of the state of South Australia, as well as several federal politicians and a number of Jewish groups have backed the revocation of Abdel-Fattah’s invitation.

Abdel-Fattah’s critics have pointed to statements critical of Israel to argue that her views are beyond the pale.

She has, for instance, said that her “goal is decolonisation and the end of this murderous Zionist colony”, and that Zionists “have no claim or right to cultural safety”.

In her op-ed on Tuesday, Adler said pro-Israel lobbyists are using “increasingly extreme and repressive” tactics, resulting in a chilling effect on speech in Australia.

“The new mantra ‘Bondi changed everything’ has offered this lobby, its stenographers in the media and a spineless political class yet another coercive weapon,” she wrote.

“Hence, in 2026, the board, in an atmosphere of intense political pressure, has issued an edict that an author is to be cancelled.”

Separately on Tuesday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the country would hold a national day of mourning on January 22 to honour the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.

Albanese said the day would be a “gathering of unity and remembrance”, with flags to be flown at half-mast on all Commonwealth buildings.

Sean Dyche has called for some of his Nottingham Forest players to “have a look in the mirror” after an “unacceptable” first-half performance in their FA Cup loss at Wrexham.

Forest were the first Premier League side in third-round action and the first casualty at the hands of lower league opposition.

Having made eight changes from Tuesday’s Premier League win at West Ham, Dyche watched in fury as his side trailed their Championship opponents 2-0 at the break.

They fought back to make it 3-3 and force extra-time at Stok Cae Ras, but were beaten 4-3 in the penalty shootout after Igor Jesus and Omari Hutchinson had their spot-kicks saved by home keeper Arthur Okonkwo.

“The first half was completely unacceptable,” Dyche told TNT Sports.

“I let the players know and there are certain individuals that certainly know and they have to look in the mirror.

“But the strangeness of football, some players that came on in the second half were a credit and we went on and looked like a Premier League side.

“You can’t do that in the first half, it’s completely unacceptable. It’s unacceptable to me, but I said you have to look in the mirror because that’s unacceptable to the badge as well.

“They all knock on the door and say, ‘why aren’t I playing?’. Well the evidence is quite honestly there for some, not for all.”

While Dyche praised those who came off the bench – including two-goal Callum Hudson-Odoi – for acting as a “catalyst” for their second-half comeback, he continued to berate his side’s efforts in a poor first 45 minutes.

“I could have taken all of them off [at half-time],” he added. “The tempo, the mentality to take the game on was lacking so badly in the first half.

“Slow, methodical, we have done a lot of work on that. There was basically no intent, no real desire to make a difference. Second half, the changes were terrific.

“The facts of the matter are we’ve got to make changes. They showed their hand and won’t be knocking on my door saying, ‘why aren’t I playing?’ again, that’s for sure, that first-half group.”

US President Donald Trump has asked for at least $100bn (£75bn) in oil industry spending for Venezuela, but received a lukewarm response at the White House as one executive warned the South American country was currently “un-investable”.

Bosses of the biggest US oil firms who attended the meeting acknowledged that Venezuela, sitting on vast energy reserves, represented an enticing opportunity.

But they said significant changes would be needed to make Venezuela an attractive investment. No major financial commitments were immediately forthcoming.

Trump has said he will unleash the South American nation’s oil after US forces seized its leader Nicolas Maduro in a 3 January raid on its capital.

“One of the things the United States gets out of this will be even lower energy prices,” Trump said in Friday’s meeting in the White House.

But the oil bosses present expressed caution.

Exxon’s chief executive Darren Woods said: “We have had our assets seized there twice and so you can imagine to re-enter a third time would require some pretty significant changes from what we’ve historically seen and what is currently the state.”

“Today it’s uninvestable.”

Venezuela has had a complicated relationship with international oil firms since oil was discovered in its territory more than 100 years ago.

Chevron is the last remaining major American oil firm still operating in the country.

A handful of companies from other countries, including Spain’s Repsol and Italy’s Eni, both of which were represented at the White House meeting, are also active.

Trump said his administration would decide which firms would be allowed to operate.

“You’re dealing with us directly. You’re not dealing with Venezuela at all. We don’t want you to deal with Venezuela,” he said.

The White House has said it is working to “selectively” roll back US sanctions that have restricted sales of Venezuelan oil.

Officials say they have been coordinating with interim authorities in the country, which is currently led by Maduro’s former second-in-command, Vice-President Delcy Rodríguez.

But they have also made clear they intend to exert control over the sales, as a way to maintain leverage over Rodríguez’s government.

The US this week has seized several oil tankers carrying sanctioned crude. American officials have said they are working to set up a sales process, which would deposit money raised into US-controlled accounts.

“We are open for business,” Trump said.

Venezuela’s oil production has been hit in recent decades by disinvestment and mismanagement – as well as US sanctions. At roughly one million barrels per day, the country accounts for less than 1% of global supply.

Chevron, which accounts for about a fifth of the country’s output, said it expected to bolster its production, building on its current presence, while Exxon said it was working to send in a technical team to assess the situation in the coming weeks.

Repsol, which currently boasts output of about 45,000 barrels per day, said it saw a path to triple its production in Venezuela over the next few years under the right conditions.

Executives at other firms also said Trump’s promises of change would encourage investment and they were hoping to seize the moment.

“We are ready to go to Venezuela,” said Bill Armstrong, who leads an independent oil and gas driller. “In real estate terms, it is prime real estate.”

But analysts say meaningfully increasing production would take significant effort.

“They are being as polite as humanly possible, and being as supportive as they can, without committing actual dollars,” said David Goldwyn, president of the energy consultancy Goldwyn Global Strategies and former US state department special envoy for international energy affairs.

Exxon and Shell are “not going to invest single-digit billions of dollars, much less tens of billions of dollars”, without physical security, legal certainty and a competitive fiscal framework, Goldwyn said.

“It’s not really welcome from an industry point of view,” he said. “The conditions are just not right.”

While smaller companies might be more eager to jump in and help boost Venezuela’s oil production over the next year, he said those investments would likely hover in the $50m range – far from the “fantastical” $100bn figure that Trump has floated.

Rystad Energy estimates it would take $8bn to $9bn in new investments per year for production to triple by 2040.

Trump’s suggested $100bn of investment into Venezuela could have a major impact – if it were to materialise, said the firm’s chief economist, Claudio Galimberti.

He said companies would only be likely to invest on that scale with subsidies – and political stability.

“It’s going to be difficult to see big commitments before we have a fully stabilised political situation and that is anybody’s guess when that happens,” he said.

Additional reporting by Danielle Kaye

For the first time, Fletcher addressed Amorim’s criticisms of United’s academy.

Aside from the fact he did not start any academy-produced player in a Premier League game this season, Amorim did not show any sign he had faith in the players it had produced.

In addition, he angered United officials by singling out Harry Amass – whose loan spell at Sheffield Wednesday has now come to an end – and striker Chido Obi for criticism.

Amorim also said he detected a sense of entitlement among United’s young players.

As someone who was himself developed by the club, has previously held the position of technical director and up to this week has been responsible for their under-18s players, Fletcher brought Kobbie Mainoo and Shea Lacey on at Turf Moor.

On only his second senior appearance, 18-year-old Lacey nearly won the game with a curling effort from 20 yards that came back off the crossbar.

“Historically, this club is built around the academy,” said Fletcher. “Our record speaks for itself.

“We’ve got some amazing talent and what I see is a lot of hardworking, humble young players, honest and coachable, who aren’t perfect because they’re young and they’re learning.

“We ask too much of young people in society at times. We have to let them learn – educate them, help them and understand they will make mistakes.

“With good guidance, all of us play a part in developing them to be Manchester United players. Hopefully they can showcase themselves like Shea did.”

“Terry epitomised everything it means to represent Wales as a player, and watching the 1994 World Cup qualifying campaign with him as manager was the first time I experienced genuine belief that our country could qualify for a major tournament.

“My thoughts and condolences are with Terry’s family and friends during this difficult time, everyone in the Welsh football family will miss an incredible person.”

Yorath guided Wales to within a win of reaching the 1994 World Cup finals in the USA but his team lost 2-1 at home to Romania in Cardiff, which ultimately proved to be his final game in charge.

Barry Horne was Wales’ captain that night having been appointed skipper by Yorath and also played under him at Huddersfield Town.

“He represented his country with massive pride and distinction,” former midfielder Horne told BBC Wales’ Feast of Football podcast.

“Terry had taken Wales from not being very competitive to the brink of what I think would have been a glorious era for Welsh football.

“We had great players, we had balance, team spirit and Terry’s got to take a lot of credit for that.

“He was a leader and he had a great relationship with the players and I can’t tell you how much I owe him.

“He was a proud Welshman and he served his country through his football absolutely brilliantly.

After guiding Dungannon to their first-ever Irish Cup success last season, plus securing a top-six place in the league and European football, Swifts manager Rodney McAree does not give the impression of a man who is happy to rest on his laurels.

The Stangmore club’s 4-3 penalty shootout win over Cliftonville in the showpiece decider at Windsor Park last May sparked huge celebrations among all connected with the county Tyrone outfit.

Now the Dungannon boss is eyeing a possible retention of the trophy as his side prepare to begin the defence of the cup at home to Championship side Ards on Saturday.

“It’s exciting, it’s strange times for Dungannon Swifts to be going in as holders of the cup,” said McAree.

“We look forward to it, it’s going to be a challenging game, a difficult match, but one that we believe we can win, and we want to progress and we want to try and start to dream again.

“We’ll embrace the challenge. To win it last year was unbelievable, remarkable, but we want to try and do it again.

“Once you taste that level of success then you want to taste it a lot more than we have done in the past. We won the League Cup in 2018 and when you achieved that the next thing you wanted to win was the Irish Cup.”

Yorath was twice involved with taking Wales to the brink of qualification for the World Cup finals – a feat that had only previously been achieved once, in 1958.

He was captain in 1977 when Scotland controversially beat Wales 2-0 at Anfield with the first goal coming from the spot after Scotland striker Joe Jordan appeared to handle the ball in the Wales penalty box, but the decision went in the Scots’ favour.

Jordan, previously a team-mate at Leeds, was also godfather to Yorath’s daughter Gabby.

Then, as manager in 1993, Yorath had steered Wales to within a win of reaching the 1994 finals in the USA, only to see his team lose 2-1 at home to Romania.

Paul Bodin missed an opportunity to put Wales 2-1 ahead when he hit the crossbar from the penalty spot, though Yorath refused to blame the defender.

“It wasn’t Paul’s fault we lost the game. People forget [goalkeeper] Nev Southall made a hash of it for the first goal from [Gheorghe] Hagi,” he told BBC Radio Wales.

The match was Yorath’s last in charge of Wales as he was not offered a new contract.

He was inducted into the Welsh Sport Hall of Fame in 2017.

While Peel acknowledges results and performances have not be up to Scarlets’ standards this season, he said everyone was working hard to improve amid all of Welsh rugby’s uncertainties and budget cuts.

“What we’ve done over the last couple of seasons is transition a team,” he said.

“We’ve had to make a big transition in terms of losing some senior internationals and bringing some younger guys through.

“It’s a project that isn’t going to be a three month turnaround, we knew that.

“Are we happy with where we are this season? No. Are we happy with where we finished last season? Yes, we were probably on track to where we wanted to go, but we haven’t kicked on this season. There are reasons behind that, we’ve had some high profile injuries etc.”

Scarlets will aim to kick on in Europe, before returning to URC action when they host Ulster on Saturday, 24 January.

IBIZA Final Boss Jack Kay is a millionaire after he became a sudden viral international superstar and he is now planning his own festival.

The former Newcastle construction worker became an internet sensation after footage of him dancing on the party island, sporting a chunky gold chain, designer sunglasses, a black vest, and his distinctive, sharp bowl haircut went viral.

Dad-of-one Jack later came forward to tell the world: “I am the Ibiza Final Boss. Jack Kay. Get to know.”

Jack missed out on trademarking his brand Ibiza Final Boss after someone grabbed the name while he was raking in the cash last summer.

But he revealed how he’d earned £800,000 in just six weeks after the footage went global and since then, he’s added another £200,000 to his ever-expanding bank balance.

He confessed in a hastily made documentary about his rise to fame just how much cash he’d made in the summer.

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Jack admitted: “I’m trying to keep myself on a level head with it because I’ve got a little daughter back home

“I had nothing growing up so to give her the life when she’s older, she can have anything she wants, is just unbelievable.”

In one scene, a friend asked him directly, “What’s the dough like?”, leading the star to hint at the substantial amount of money he had made in the six weeks since his viral moment.

He told his friend to “pick a number”, before revealing it’s a “little tidge more” than £800,000.

And since then he’s been enjoying the fruits of his celebrity.

Jack now drives a £55,000 Range Rover SVR with the private plate BOSS BZA after inking a string of money-spinning deals.

He secured a five-figure contract with fashion chain Boohoo Man.

Following his overnight fame, he went on a club appearance tour, returning to Ibiza by private jet and earning £60,000 a day.

He returned to Wayne Lineker’s O Beach Club, the venue where the original video was filmed, to wow fans.

Lionheart Entertainment, a Scottish nightclub events promotions firm booked Jack for a string of events in the UK, and he teamed up with London musician Carnao Beats and they released a techno tune on Spotify.

He also appeared on stage at rave festival Creamfields in Cheshire.

Jack also commands £2,000 a post plugging goods and services on Instagram.

He sells his own merchandise, with the person who recorded the original video also profiting from selling their own line of Ibiza Final Boss gear.

Jack has also appeared in various media, including the Channel 4 documentary that tracked his rise.

He has also cashed in with numerous freebies, including a yacht trip valued at over £10,000.

And he has just filed documents with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office to trademark the slogan Be Your Own under the “presentation of music concerts; music festival services”.

The application also gives him the scope to open his nightclub and to use the name exclusively as a recording artist, DJ, and producer.

His papers were filed just days ago and will stay in place for 10 years once passed to protect Jack from bootleggers who have already begun to prey on his name.

Next up for them is a relegation six-pointer at home to Sean Dyche’s Forest, who sit directly above them on the table in a fixture that could shape Nuno’s future.

A win against the club that sacked him in September after 21 months in charge might buy him some more time, but a defeat would deepen the crisis and amplify the questions over his position.

“Nobody expected us to play so bad,” Nuno added on BBC Match of the Day.

“Now is the moment for us to reflect and think are we doing everything we can? Do we realise the situation we are in? And how to get out of this situation and improve. There are things that need to be addressed.

“Forest will be a tough game, but now is about reacting and transforming and improving.”

The last side to avoid relegation after having less than West Ham‘s 14 points at this stage of the season were Eddie Howe’s Newcastle, who had just 12 after 20 games in 2021-22.

But they spent £85m in January to bolster their squad with Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett and finished 11th with 49 points after winning 12 of their remaining 18 games.

Although West Ham are committed to backing the manager in the January window, it is highly unlikely Nuno will get the kind of financial support Howe received.

They have already signed Brazilian striker Pablo Felipe from Portuguese club Gil Vicente for a reported fee of 25m euros (£21.8m), and he was an unused substitute at Molineux, but have sent German forward Niclas Fullkrug to AC Milan on loan.

“It is a complex situation,” added Nuno, when asked about the club’s prospects in the transfer market.

“The club is working on that situation [of transfers]. We have problems in terms of squad and options but that is not a justification for what we did in the first half – the mistakes we made, the lack of effort… it was very bad.

“It was about mistakes we made over and over again that was really poor.”

Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy insists he is still “together with the board” and believes “we can turn things around” despite falling to a sixth loss in eight games following the derby defeat to Rangers.

The Frenchman hailed an “outstanding” first half from his team, during which they took the lead through Yang Hyun-Jun and passed up several other chances.

However, their city rivals roared back in the second period and exposed the home side’s defensive fragility with a double from Youssef Chermiti and a third from Mikey Moore.

The 3-1 defeat means Rangers move level on points with second-placed Celtic, who could be six adrift of Hearts if the leaders beat Livingston later on Saturday.

While fans of the Parkhead side staged a post-match protest directed at the club board, Nancy told BBC Scotland: “It was disappointing because we deserved more today, but again we needed more goals.

“In the second half, we conceded three goals from throw-ins. It’s difficult to accept, but it’s reality. This is not about the players or the tactics, this is about moments.

“This is not about myself, this is about disappointing the fans because I know the meaning of this game. I can understand the disappointment, but I also saw what we’re able to do.

“We are really close, there are many things that can turn around. If it was not the case, I would not talk like this. I really believe we can turn things around.

“We are together with the board.”

“As you know, I need time,” he said. “Give me time and you’re going to see what I do. You can already see what I did before because I didn’t start yesterday.

“I’m going to be a liar if I say, ‘everything is happy, everything is good’. No, it’s not the case, but I knew that before.

“That’s why I’m calm during all the questions you ask me. I’m not pleased to hear people don’t like me, but they have the right to say it because in terms of results, this is not what we want.

“Tomorrow is a big game. But the context is that I’ve only had 13 training sessions with my team. Usually we have four weeks of pre-season.

“It’s totally normal that you guys kill me. I’m fine with that because I know where I want to go. Judge me in a few weeks or months. If you want to judge me now, you can do it. I didn’t have the results we wanted – it’s a fact, I cannot deny that.”

Nancy says he will “die” to achieve his goals at Celtic and believes results under him have not reflected performances.

“It’s totally normal my players need a bit of time and are confused at certain moments,” he explained.

“It’s a process. I don’t like the word process because people think I am going to hide behind ‘process’, but it’s true.

“Judge me, no problem, but have a look at the games since I have been here and analyse if we should have won or lost. Do it.

“I am a clear guy. For the moment, I cannot talk because results are not good enough. I shut my mouth and I take it, but I know where we are going. After that, if it’s going to work or not, I don’t know. We are going to do everything to do it and I am here for that.

“Yes, I want to win every game. Yes, I want to win titles. I want to create a legacy here. I am going to die for this club, for sure.”

Chelsea interim manager Calum McFarlane admits it’s been a “whirlwind” 24 hours since he was named as temporary replacement for Enzo Maresca.

Italian Maresca parted company with the Blues on Thursday, 18 months after replacing Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

McFarlane, Chelsea‘s U21s head coach, was named as interim manager and will take charge of Sunday’s Premier League trip to Manchester City.

Such was the unexpected nature of McFarlane’s appointment, the Englishman’s training ground pass had to be amended to grant him access to the club’s press conference room on Friday morning.

“It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind, as you can imagine, but also really enjoyable and really exciting,” said McFarlane.

“I can only feel positive about it. It’s an amazing experience.”

He added: “I am quite relaxed. I am sure as we get closer to the game it will become more nerve-wracking. I haven’t worked at this level before but the lads have been brilliant and we will do this together.”

Maresca’s departure came after a 2-2 draw against Bournemouth on Tuesday, which left the Blues 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal.

It means McFarlane’s debut as a manager of a senior team will come against Pep Guardiola, who celebrated managing his 1,000th match as a head coach in November.

“The team needs to be ready and prepared and our role is giving the players the support they need to go and execute,” he said.

“I wouldn’t say we have nothing to lose. We have to give a real good account of ourselves.”

Chelsea travel to Manchester three places and 11 points behind second-placed City.

Reports following Maresca’s departure suggested the Italian had held talks with City over succeeding Guardiola, though the former Leicester City boss denied the claims.

“From my point of view Chelsea have lost an incredible manager and an incredible person,” Guardiola said on Maresca’s departure.

“It’s a decision from the Chelsea hierarchy so I’ve nothing to say. How lucky I am in the club where I am. My club is extraordinary.”

Asked about his own future, Guardiola – whose current deal runs until the end of the 2026-27 season – said: “I have one more year.

“I’ve been here for 10 years and I promise you I will leave one day but I have a contract, I’m happy, I want to fight with my team, the hierarchy respect me – they proved last season when we didn’t win one game in three months.”

Rosenior, a right-back, had a solid but unspectacular career as a player – featuring in the top flight for Fulham, Reading, Hull and Brighton.

Roughly half his career was spent in the EFL and that’s where he started his coaching career.

After a spell as Brighton‘s under-23s coach, he spent three years at Derby.

He was first-team coach under Phillip Cocu and then assistant boss to Wayne Rooney – before taking over as interim boss after Rooney’s departure.

But he was more hands-on than the average assistant.

“There was an argument when Mel Morris sacked Phillip Cocu in November 2020, Rosenior should have been put in charge, not Rooney,” said BBC football news reporter Simon Stone.

“Rooney had the profile of course, but it was Rosenior who put the sessions on at Derby and who guided the team during games.

“Rosenior replaced Rooney for a short time in 2022, after administration had led to relegation into League One.

“It was Rosenior who put Derby back together, helping to bring in 14 new players after the club had been left with only five under contract.

“History suggests the new ownership would have been better leaving Rosenior in charge, given they were seventh when he left and under his replacement, Paul Warne, they didn’t even end with a play-off place.”

He then spent almost two years as Hull manager – with observers again thinking he was harshly done by at the end.

The Tigers were one point above the relegation zone when he took over in November 2022 and led them to 15th.

The following season they finished three points off the play-off places, and Rosenior was sacked.

In 2024-25 while Rosenior was leading Strasbourg into Europe, Hull City avoided relegation from the Championship on goal difference.