England

England are playing France tomorrow evening in a Euro 2025 qualifier. They also have several more qualifiers on the horizon:

• England v France (31 May)
• France v England (4 June)
• England v Republic of Ireland (12 July)
• Sweden v England (16 July)

Who is in the squad I hear you ask? We have a squad reminder coming up for you.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport in Newcastle

England have two crucial Euro 2025 qualifiers coming up against group leaders France. The Lionesses host Les Blues at St James' Park tomorrow night before travelling to Saint-Etienne, near Lyon, for the reverse fixture on Tuesday.

I'm in Newcastle to hear from manager Sarina Wiegman at England's hotel later after France address the media at the stadium.

It will be the first time Wiegman faces European heavyweights France as England manager so it will be interesting to see if she has any special tactical plans up her sleeve.

She will be boosted by the fact she is able to select both centre-backs Leah Williamson and Millie Bright for the first time since April 2023.

However, the media conference will no doubt be dominated by questions regarding the availability of several other key players.

Alessia Russo flew back from Australia to join the squad later this week having played in a controversial post-season friendly with Arsenal, and Women's Champions League winners Keira Walsh and Lucy Bronze rested at the beginning of the week following their success with Barcelona.

With injuries already hitting the defence - Lotte Wubben-Moy and Niamh Charles have withdrawn - how many will Wiegman have available?

Emma Hayes has opened up to BBC Sport's Jo Currie about her 'uncoupling' from Chelsea and said she "definitely felt the last six months" as she prepared to leave Chelsea and take on the role of US women's national team coach.

"I was miserable at times, " she said. "For 12 years you've had to be a spokesperson for the sport, drive standards internally - I think I needed this more than I realised."

Image source, Getty Images

Emma Hayes is in her first week as coach of the US women's national team and doesn't have long before taking on her first challenge - trying to win Olympic gold in Paris this summer.

"Going to the Olympics for me is a dream," she said in an interview with BBC Sport. "I pinch myself that I get to lead the women’s US national team at the Paris Olympics.

"You spend so much time thinking that success is merely medals. For me, it’s so much more than that.

"It’s being in the position I’m in and having the privilege to lead again another fabulous football team. That’s a gold medal for me, but if I am to get any medal in this tournament, for sure it will be an unbelievable summer."

Click here to read more of that interview.

Emma Sanders
BBC Sport

The recruitment process for Emma Hayes’ successor was overseen by Chelsea’s sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, as well as women’s general manager Paul Green.

They created a shortlist of four but the club always felt Bompastor was the preferred candidate with her winning mentality particularly standing out.

Chelsea wanted a coach who could handle the pressure of delivering silverware and managing a large squad with different personalities and they were open to all applicants, not just women.

Her experience as a player, as well as a manager, and success in the Women’s Champions League was attractive, while Chelsea were impressed with her desire to challenge herself in a new league.

Hayes is believed to have been consulted in the process and was in agreement with the directors that Bompastor was the best candidate, having coached her when she was a player in the United States.

Bompastor’s arrival will no doubt signify a new era at Chelsea but she could make her mark early in the summer transfer window with the Blues open to acting on any requests from the new manager, despite having already gone ahead with their current recruitment plans.

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

Chelsea's general manager Paul Green said: "The sporting directors and I conducted a thorough and considered recruitment process to identify Emma’s successor. Sonia’s vision, coaching philosophy and winning mentality made her the outstanding candidate.

"She is a world-class coach with a proven track record of success on the biggest stages that will instantly command respect from the dressing room."

Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, Chelsea’s co-sporting directors, added: "Sonia is the ideal candidate to build on Emma’s legacy and take the team forward.

'"he brings a wealth of experience from managing at the highest levels and winning trophies as a player and a coach. Her ethos and values align with Chelsea football club. We are all looking forward to having her on board."

Julien Laurens
French football expert

I think there is a lot of pressure and expectation coming after Emma Hayes. But if you look at who could have taken over, I think Sonia Bompastor was the best candidate, I really do.

Only time and results will tell, but on paper she looks great, she looks like she will fit in.

Image source, Getty Images

Like Vincent Kompany at Bayern Munich, Sonia Bompastor will have pressure on her shoulders to consistently bring in silverware, with the club having become accustomed to doing so in the last few seasons.

Chelsea have won the last five Women's Super League titles and three Women's FA Cups in the past four years but there is one trophy that has evaded them: the Women's Champions League.

The club managed to get to the final for the first time in 2021 but they were beaten 4-0 by Barcelona. The Blues have not made it back to the final since then and Bompastor has already won the WCL as a manager with Lyon in 2022. She was in charge of 102 Lyon games - with 87 wins, seven draws and six defeats giving her a win ratio of 85.29%.

Chelsea have already secured a spot in the WCL group stage for next season after defending their WSL title.

Julien Laurens
French football expert

To start with, Sonia Bompastor is one of the greatest players we've had in French football history.

You don't have to have played to be a top coach, but having been there before in every sense of the word - winning everything and playing all those games - it is a massive thing.

I don't know how many of the Chelsea girls will know the great player she was, but certainly in France she has got that charisma, that character, the reputation and the name.

Image source, BBC Sport

The dust has settled on Emma Hayes’ Chelsea departure and it is time for a new era at the club.

After 12 incredible years in charge and 14 major trophies won, Hayes has taken over as head coach of the United States women's national team, leaving big shoes to fill in west London.

Step forward Sonia Bompastor.

The 43-year-old has been confirmed as Hayes' successor on a four-year deal and leaves Lyon despite having a year remaining on her contract.

With a string of domestic and European honours both as a player and coach under her belt, the former France captain is a serial winner with a proven track record of success.

So what can Chelsea fans expect from Bompastor, what is her management style and is she the right woman to replace Hayes? Here, BBC Sport takes a look with the help of French football expert Julien Laurens.

Image source, Getty Images

Sonia Bompastor is replacing one of the Women's Super League's greatest ever managers in Emma Hayes.

During her time at Chelsea she won 16 trophies, including five consecutive WSL trophies, and took the club to the Women's Champions League final in 2021. Hayes and Chelsea also ended Barcelona's five-year unbeaten streak at home in this season's WCL semi-finals with a 1-0 victory, although Barca went on to win the tie 2-1 on aggregate.

Hayes' legacy has left a lasting impact on Chelsea and the wider league, a tough thing to follow for Bompastor. But the French boss has her own plaudits to bring into the Blues.

As Lyon manager she won the French league three times, both domestic cup competitions and the Women's Champions League in 2022.

Chelsea

New Chelsea boss Sonia Bompastor said upon the confirmation of her appointment as Emma Hayes' successor: "I am incredibly grateful to join Chelsea as the head coach of the women's team.

"It is an institution in English football. I will give my all to this new project to meet the ambitions of the club, the staff and the players.

"I hope to live up to Emma's legacy and continue the work that has been done in recent years. Let the adventure begin."

Chelsea

Image source, Getty Images

We're still waiting for news on Enzo Maresca's potential appointment as coach of Chelsea men's team but their new women's coach was confirmed as Sonia Bompastor yesterday.

Compensation has been agreed with French club Lyon for the 43-year-old, who had a year remaining on her contract and has agreed a four-year deal with the Women's Super League champions.

She succeeds Emma Hayes, who left at the end of the season to take charge of the United States women's national team.

Former France captain Bompastor - who took charge of Lyon in 2021 - led them to Women's Champions League success in 2022 and has won three successive league titles.

Her final game in charge was this season's Champions League final in Bilbao, which Barcelona won 2-0. Lyon’s assistant coaches Camille Abily and Theo Rivrin will join Bompastor at Chelsea.

Leeds United

Unlike the other clubs in Red Bull's stable of football teams, the name and logo of Leeds United will remain unchanged, said the Championship club., external

Leeds have been owned by 49ers Enterprises - the investment arm of NFL franchise the San Francisco 49ers - since last summer, when they completed a £170m takeover deal.

Actors Russell Crowe and Will Ferrell both own stakes in the club while their shareholders include a number of US sports stars, including golfers Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

"The ambition to bring Leeds United back to the Premier League and establish themselves in the best football league in the world fits very well with Red Bull," said Oliver Mintzlaff, the company's chief executive of corporate projects and investments.

Leeds United

Leeds United have announced that Red Bull has taken a minority ownership stake in the Championship club, as well as taking over as their front-of-shirt sponsor.

The energy drink brand owns RB Leipzig in Germany's Bundesliga, Austrian side Red Bull Salzburg and MLS side New York Red Bulls, as well as Red Bull Bragantino in Brazil.

They have also invested in ice hockey, extreme sports, motorsports and two teams in Formula 1, with Red Bull Racing currently holding both the drivers' and constructors' titles in the sport.

"Red Bull’s addition is a historic milestone that will further empower the club to reach its full competitive potential," said Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe.

We've now got some news on one of Vincent Kompany's rivals for the upcoming season - the Red Bull group, which owns German Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.

We'll also bring you more on two big coaching appointments in the women's game - Sonia Bompastor and Emma Hayes - and talk of some potential rule changes.

Bayern Munich
Bayern Munich

New Bayern Munich coach Vincent Kompany says now is the time for the "winners" in his squad to step up and ensure they claim next season's Bundesliga.

Raphael Honigstein
German football journalist on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club

Bayern Munich said they had Vincent Kompany on the list all along but it wouldn't have been on the shortlist - it was a very, very long list.

As their preferred options kept falling through they changed tact and looked a little bit in a different shelf. He still ticks a lot of boxes in terms of personality and being German speaking.

A big personality, great character and charisma. The kind of guy that can inspire a dressing room, that can breed the kind of togetherness that has been missing in recent years.

Bayern feel the second Burnley season is less representative of what he can do with decent players in a different league than the first one. It is a bit of gamble, a bit of risk but when you're low on options it is worth taking that risk.