CHAMPIONSHIP side Blackpool have appointed Chris Badlan as their new Sporting Director. The 39-year-old has been working as Head of Recruitment at Coventry City since May 2018, when he joined from Norwich City.

RASMUS ANKERSEN has said that clubs and fans are wrong to discount managers who have failed - and that he actually favours those who have. There's plenty of evidence from outside football that backs him up, too.

MATT HOBBS has been promoted from Chief Scout and Head of Recruitment to replace Scott Sellars as Sporting Director at Wolves.

JULIAN WARD is to step down as Liverpool’s Sporting Director at the end of the season after one year in post.

MIKE GORDON, the conduit between Liverpool and owners Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is stepping back from his role with the club and “handing the baton” to CEO Billy Hogan.

ALAN DAWSON MBE has stepped down from his position as Director of Football Operations at Manchester United after five years.

WHEN the 26 members of England's 2022 World Cup squad were announced on social media yesterday, each had their own digital ID card. These included interesting details about their own personal stories and their place in the history of the team.

RICKY MARTIN has been appointed Technical Director at Stoke City after almost four years as Academy Manager at West Ham. The move reunites him with Potters boss Alex Neil, with whom he worked from 2015 to 2017 at Norwich City.

SAM STANTON, Southampton's Lead Scout for the south of the UK, has turned down the Director of Football role at Forest Green Rovers.

LAURENCE STEWART has been appointed to the new position of Technical Director by Chelsea, with a focus on “football globally.”

MIKE CAVE is leaving Fulham after almost nine years to become the Assistant Technical Director at Brighton.

FORMER Watford Technical Director Filippo Giraldi has been appointed Sporting Director of Nottingham Forest.