Montanier: Nottingham Forest have sacked their French manager Philippe Montanier after just seven months in charge. The former double European Cup winners are struggling in England’s second-tier and were recently the subject of a takeover attempt by a US-owned consortium. The 52-year-old Montanier, who has also been in charge at Stade Rennes, Real Sociedad, Valenciennes and Boulogne, is the seventh manager to leave Forest since July 2012.

Zaza: Simone Zaza has cut short his loan spell at West Ham to join Valencia for the rest of the season. The Italy international joined the Hammers on loan from Juventus in the summer, but never found his feet in London. With the terms of his loan dictating that the switch would become permanent if he made 14 appearances, he fell out of favour and the deal has now been cancelled.

Draxler: Paris St Germain’s Julian Draxler proved his worth when the Germany midfielder scored his first Ligue 1 goal to inspire the champions to a 1-0 win at Stade Rennes last weekend. Draxler, who joined PSG from VfL Wolfsburg for a reported €38 million in the winter break, found the net with a fine right-foot effort six minutes before the break. With the win in sight, Draxler was replaced late on as coach Unai Emery added defensive steel.

Chiesa: Midfielder Federico Chiesa will be playing for Fiorentina until 2021 after agreeing to a contract extension during the weekend. Chiesa, son of former Italy striker Enrico, is a product of the Fio-rentina youth academy. The 19-year-old made his debut in Serie A against Juventus in August last year and has since retained his place in the starting formation. His previous contract was until June 2020.

Vertonghen: Manager Mauricio Pochettino is concerned Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen sustained a “bad” injury in the 4-0 Premier League win over West Brom, BBC reported. The centre-back, 29, appeared to be in tears after turning his left ankle after half-time at White Hart Lane. “We need to wait until Monday (today) to assess him better. It looks bad,” said Pochettino. Vertonghen has played 20 of Tottenham’s 21 Premier League matches this season, forming part of a defence that has conceded just 14 goals.

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