FINAL COVERAGE OF THE ARNOLD
PALMER INVITATIONAL TODAY AT
2:30 ON NBC AND PEACOCK.
TIME TO SAY HELLO TO DAVID
ORNSTEIN
WE GOT THE MASSIVE NEWS ON
WEDNESDAY, THE OFF THE PITCH
NEWS OF THIS SEASON.
CHELSEA OWNER, ROMAN ABROMOVICH
AND HIS INFEN SHUNS SINTENTIONS
CLUB
WHAT MORE CAN YOU ADD TO THAT
STORY?
>> IT'S THE BIGGEST STORY IN
TOWN AT THE MOMENT
THE PREMIER LEAGUE HAVE GONE ON
RECORD THROUGH RICHARD MASTERS
TO SAY THEY HOPE THE SALE WOULD
BE COMPLETED AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE, WHICH LED TO SOME
SUGGESTIONS THAT IT COULD BE
REALLY QUICK
MY UNDERSTANDING SPEAKING TO
SOURCES IS THAT IT MAY BE THE
OPPOSITE, QUITE SOME TIME, MANY
MONTHS POTENTIALLY
YOU DON'T SELL A CLUB OF
CHELSEA'S STATURE AND A
VALUATION THAT ROMAN ABROMOVICH
REPORTEDLY WANTS OF 300 MILLION
POUNDS OVERNIGHT
THERE ARE MANY COMPLICATIONS TO
THIS DEAL HAVING TO DO WITH
CHELSEA STADIUM, THEIR FINAL
SITUATION, WHO IS PREPARED TO
TAKE THIS ON
I WOULD URGE CAUTION ON MANY OF
THE NAMES YOU'RE HEARING IN THE
MEDIA, NORMALLY WHEN THESE
SITUATIONS HAPPEN, THEY HAPPEN
WITH PEOPLE THAT YOU HAVE NOT
HEARD ABOUT MUCH BEFORE IT IS
ANNOUNCED.
BUT THE CONSENSUS AMONG FANS IS
THEY WANT HIM TO STAY.
THEY MADE THAT VOCALLY CLEAR AT
BURNLEY YESTERDAY.
I DON'T THINK HE'LL BE CHANGING
HIS MIND
THE POTENTIAL SANCTIONS HE MAY
FACE FROM THE UK GOVERNMENT
WHICH HE DOESN'T FEEL HE SHOULD
BE FACING, AND HE MAY NOT, BUT
THE THREAT OF IT MEANS HE WILL
SELL AT SOME POINT
AS FOR THE PLAYERS, IT'S
BUSINESS AS USUAL.
THOSE I HAVE SPOKEN TO, ARE
CALM, GETTING ON WITH THEIR
FOOTBALL
PETR CECH SPOKE TO THEM ON
THURSDAY, HELD A MEETING AND
SAID JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU'RE
DOING.
YOU HAVE NO CONTROL OVER THE
SITUATION.
ONE THING THAT HAS STOPPED IS
CONTRACT TALKS BECAUSE OF THE
UNCERTAINTY THAT THEY HOPE IS
GIVEN CLARITY IN THE MONTHS
AHEAD.
>> YOU BROKE THE STORY LATE LAST
WEEKEND THAT LEEDS WOULD FIRE
MARCELO BIELSA
IT DIDN'T TAKE THEM LONG TO GET
TO JESSE MARSCH.
CAN YOU GIVE US THE BACK STORY
ON HOW THAT TRANSITION HAPPENED
SO QUICKLY
>> IT'S A BIG STORY, OF COURSE,
PAUL
ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES HERE
IS THAT THE FANS WANTED MARCELO
BIELSA TO STAY
BUT LEEDS HAD TO ACT
THE RESULTS SUGGESTED AS MUCH.
THEY NEEDED TO PROTECT THEIR
PREMIER LEAGUE STATUS FOR THEIR
OWN FINANCES
OF COURSE THEY HAVE THE 49ers
ENTERPRISE, THE HUGE INVESTMENT
IN THEM AS WELL.
THEY HAVE PLANS TO REDEVELOP
ELLAND ROAD, THAT RELIES ON
PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL.
THEIR SUPPORTING DIRECTOR ALWAYS
HAS HIS EYE ON OTHER COACHES
HE HAD BEEN IN TOUCH WITH JESSE
MARSCH FOR QUITE SOME TIME
HE SAW THE WORK HE DID IN MLS
AND WITH SALZBURG IN PARTICULAR,
MORE RECENTLY WITH LEIPZIG
IT WAS A VERY SLICK AND SMOOTH
TRANSITION TO GET HIM IN
THE FANS WERE CONFLICTED BECAUSE
THEY LOVE MARCELO BIELSA BUT
THEY WANTED TO WELCOME MARSCH.
THEY GAVE HIM A GOOD RECEPTION
AT LEICESTER YESTERDAY
LEICESTER HAD TO SEPARATE
HIMSELF FROM SOME OF THE
STEREOTYPES, HE DID A GOOD JOB
WINNING HEARTS AND MINDS OFF THE
PITCH, NOW HE HAS TO DO ON THE
PITCH AS WELL.
HE NEEDS TO MOVE TO A MORE ZONAL
SYSTEM
THEIR INTENSITY WAS GOOD
YESTERDAY.
THEY WERE MUCH IMPROVED.
IT WAS THEIR BEST EXPECTED GOAL
DIFFERENCE OF THE SEASON
YESTERDAY.
THOSE I SPEAK TO THINK JESSE
MARSCH IS THE MAN TO PULL THEM
THROUGH TO SAFETY.
THEY HAVE SOME WINNABLE FIXTURES
COMING UP.
I THINK HE LIFTED THE PLACE.
EVERYBODY AT THE CLUB IS
OPTIMISTIC NOW
>> MANCHESTER DERBY LATER TODAY,
YOU CAN SEE IT AT 11:30.
WE KEEP WITH THE MANAGER
THOUGHTS HERE.
RALF RANGNICK REMAINS THE
INTERIM MANAGER FOR UNITED
HOW ARE THEY PROGRESSING IN
THEIR SEARCH FOR A PERMANENT
ONE?
>> THAT PROCESS TO APPOINT A
PERMANENT MANAGER IS WELL UNDER
WAY TO THE EXTENT THAT UNITED
ARE NOW MEETING CANDIDATES
THIS WILL BE A STAGED PROCESS.
IT'S NOT A CASE OF JUST MAKING A
QUICK APPOINTMENT.
BUT I CAN REVEAL THEY WANT TO
COME TO A DECISION IN THE COMING
WEEKS.
AND THAT WILL HOPEFULLY FOR THEM
GIVE THE CHOSEN CANDIDATE ENOUGH
TIME TO BE PART OF THE
DECISIONMAKING PROCESS AROUND
BUILDING THE SQUAD FOR NEXT
SEASON AND BEYOND.
THERE ARE SOME PRETTY CLEAR
NAMES IN THE FRAME
MAURICIO POCHETTINO AT PARIS
SAINT-GERMAIN.
ERIK TEN HAG AT AJAX, LUIS
ENRIQUE.
SOME OTHER CANDIDATES, BUT THOSE
ARE THE STAND-OUT NAMES.
UNITED ARE HOPING TO GET ONE OF
THEM
PERHAPS TEN HAG HOLDS A SLIGHT
ADVANTAGE IN THAT HE HAS A
RELATIVELY LOW RELEASE CLAUSE AT
AJAX, THAT'S NOT THE CASE WITH
POCHETTINO, UNLESS HE WAS TO BE
SACKED
THEN IT'S GOING TO COST THEM A
HELL OF A LOT OF MONEY AND THEY
MIGHT NOT GET A DECISION ON THAT
UNTIL MORE TOWARDS THE SUMMER,
WHICH WOULD NOT BE IDEAL
IN THE MEANTIME, RALF RANGNICK
WILL CONTINUE IN INTERIM CHARGE.
BUT IT'S MY FIRM UNDERSTANDING
THAT HE WILL BE MOVING TO THE
CONSULTANCY ROLE THAT WE HEARD
ABOUT.
HE WON'T BE TAKING THE
MANAGERIAL JOB ON A FULL-TERM
BASIS.
UNITED HAVE A HUGE AMOUNT TO DO
TO REBUILD THE CLUB TO THE LEVEL
THAT THEY BELIEVE THEY BELONG.
IT WILL BE A NEW MAN WHO I THINK
WE'LL HEAR WHO THAT IS GOING TO