Rogers’ departure marks another major change in Aston Villa’s midfield, with the club already moving to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.

Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Joao Gomes from Wolves in a deal worth up to £38 million. The agreement includes an initial £34 million payment, with a further £4 million in performance-related add-ons.

The 25-year-old had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but left Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal last week to complete his medical before sealing the move to Villa Park.

Gomes becomes Villa’s second high-profile midfield signing in quick succession after the club completed a deal worth more than £50 million for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi on Friday, beating Newcastle United to the Switzerland international.

Villa’s transfer activity follows a difficult spell in midfield. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after sustaining a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium. The club have also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35 million.

Gomes leaves Wolves after making 130 appearances and scoring seven goals since joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in 2023. He featured 41 times last season as Wolves endured a disappointing campaign that ended with relegation after finishing bottom of the Premier League.

Maldini and Leonardo were appointed as part of a major overhaul within Italian football after the country’s third straight failure to qualify for the World Cup.

One of their first responsibilities is to appoint a replacement for Gennaro Gattuso, who left after Italy missed out on this summer’s tournament in North America.

Guardiola has been without a club since ending his remarkable 10-year spell at Manchester City. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, he won 20 trophies and recorded an impressive 70.8 per cent win rate.

Despite Italy lifting the European Championship under Mancini in 2021, the national team has struggled badly since then, missing qualification for each of the last three major tournaments.

Before leaving Manchester City, Guardiola had already indicated that he intended to step away from coaching once his time at the club came to an end.

Speaking during his final press conference as City manager, he said: “No plans for [coaching] for a while. Otherwise, I would be here. I need to step back. I will not [coach] for a while.

“I feel I will not have the energy every day, with expectations to fight for the title. I know myself, I have that energy, but I feel like I will not have it [in the future].”

He later explained that family was a key reason behind his decision.

“There are things that I have not done that I want to do. I still have my father alive. I want to spend more time with him. My kids… And a lot of things as a human being I can do. I’m fortunate I can decide, that’s why I took this decision.”

Argentina will head into Wednesday’s semi-final chasing history, as the South Americans seek to become only the third country to win back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles, following Italy’s triumphs in 1934 and 1938 and Brazil’s victories in 1958 and 1962.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be played on Sunday at the New York/New Jersey Stadium, officially known as MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey, United States.

The stadium, which serves as the home ground of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, has hosted seven matches during the tournament and will stage the final at 8 p.m. Nigerian time.