Man City Academy Dir MARK ALLEN is set to take the Scottish Premiership side Rangers director of football position. Allen has been academy director at Man City since SHEIKH MANSOUR bought the club (HERALD SCOTLAND, 6/14).
COACHES/MANAGERS: EPL side Southampton is looking for a manager with a shared "long-term vision'' after sacking CLAUDE PUEL. Frenchman Puel, 55, took over Southampton last summer and guided the club to the EFL Cup final and an eighth-placed finish in last season's Premier League. But the board "has opted to make a change" (PA, 6/14). ... League Championship side Leeds United appointed THOMAS CHRISTIANSEN as its new manager. The former Spain int'l met with club Owner ANDREA RADRIZZANI in Madrid this week. Christiansen replaces GARRY MONK, who quit last month and has since joined Middlesbrough (London DAILY MAIL, 6/15). ... GIANNI DE BIASI resigned on Wednesday as coach of the Albanian national football team "with immediate effect." The Italian, who led Albania to its first major tournament at Euro 2016, said Tuesday that he "would not renew his contract when it expires in October" (AP, 6/14). ... Super Rugby side Melbourne Rebels "will have a new coach" for the '18 season after announcing TONY MCGAHAN will not be returning next year. McGahan will "end his four-year tenure in the role after coaching out the final two games of the season" (THE AGE, 6/15). ... Spanish Basketball League (ACB) side Baskonia informed coach SITO ALONSO "that he will not be the team's coach next season, despite his contract having one year remaining" (EL MUNDO, 6/15). ... The Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) announced that ETTORE MESSINA will "not coach the team after this year's Eurobasket." Messina previously coached ACB club Real Madrid and CSKA Moscow (MARCA, 6/15). ... South Korea men's national football team coach ULI STIELIKE was sacked Thursday "over South Korea's repeated losses in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers." The Korea FA held a technical committee meeting at the National Football Center and "decided to part ways with the German coach" (KOREA TIMES, 6/15). ... Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle announced JOHN ROBERTSON returned to the club "for a second spell as manager." The 52-year-old, who coached the Highlanders from '02-04, replaces RICHIE FORAN, who "departed following relegation" from the Premiership last season (Scotland DAILY RECORD, 6/14). ... PACO HERRERA is back in Gijón, the city which he said made him "a footballer and a person," this time to take the coaching post at Spanish second division side Sporting de Gijón. He signed a one-year contract with the club "with the option of a second season, should he get the team promoted" (AS, 6/15).
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