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Leonardo Jardim has been appointed as the new manager of AS Monaco and the first thing that the club fans are expecting him to do is to prevent James Rodriguez from taking an away transfer.

Rodriguez was bought by Monaco last summer at a big transfer fee of 40 million Pounds and the Colombian justified his price tag by producing the goods regularly for the club.

He kept his good form going in the World Cup in Brazil too which put him on the radar of a number of clubs around the world.

It’s certain that Monaco would be receiving some lucrative bids for him in the next couple of weeks. It’s interesting to see how Jardim copes with all that and if he manages to make the talented playmaker stay in France or not.

Monaco had performed reasonably well in the top tier of French football last season and had ended up at the second position, but, despite that, the club board decided to replace the manager Caludio Ranieri with Jardim.

So, it’s clear that the owners want glory and Jardim has been brought in just for that.

Jardim was with Sporting CP last season and he did a good job there. But, the scenario in France will be different from that in Portugal. The standard of the game will be a little higher.

This is the first time that Jardim is going to manage a big club. In the last 10-12 years, he has been in charge of small clubs like Camacha, Braga etc. and he has mostly had one year tenures. But, at Monaco, he would like his stint to be much longer.

Jardim is one of those managers who never played the game themselves at a competitive level.

French club Monaco have announced that Leonardo Jardim has been appointed as their new manager following the release of Claudio Ranieri towards the end of last season. The former Roma and Chelsea manager was sacked from his first after the failure to win the league title. This was seen as hasty decision from the club after Ranieri had just led them to the top division only last summer. Now, Monaco will be focusing on the future after appointing Jardim as their new manager. He comes with a wealth of experience after having recently been the manager of Sporting Lisbon.

The 39-year-old has signed a new two-year contract that will see him remain as the manager of Monaco until 2016. After announcing the news, Monaco stated that he has the experience of being in the top competition and that would help Monaco challenge for titles in the future. Jardim stated that his first job is to start speaking French. He is expected to be handed significant transfer funds – just as his predecessor Ranieri – to end the domination of Paris St Germain in the French division. This is likely to be a threat for Dimitar Berbatov’s place in the team. The former Manchester United man arrived on a free transfer in the January transfer window.

“I am very happy to work for Monaco as it is a big club. I fully believe in this project and I think that this group can go far. The first thing is to start learning to speak French. I have been taking lessons for a few days now, it is question of respect towards the supporters, and the people of Ligue 1,” said the manager. “He is a manager who has obtained excellent results with all of his previous clubs,” said Monaco’s vice president Vadim Vasilyev.

Former Tottenham striker Dimitar Berbatov has revealed that he will be returning to White Hart Lane in the summer in order to play in a testimonial match for the Ledley King. Former club captain Ledley King announced his retirement from the game a few years ago due to regular complaints with his knee. He has been working as the club ambassador for the last few years. After having served the club since becoming a professional player, King was due a testimonial. It is set to be held in the summer. Some of the best Tottenham players from the past including the Bulgarian Berbatov are set to be present for this match.

Berbatov played with King for a couple of years before moving onto Manchester United for a then Premier league record of £ 31 million. He represented the Red Devils for a few years before joining Fulham. After again a couple of years at the London club, he has joined Monaco in the January transfer window. His next destination is currently in major doubt given that his contract with the French outfit runs out at the end of the season. He has expressed his desire to stay, but the club are willing to offer him only a one-year contract.

“I am really forward to returning to White Hart Lane to play in Ledley’s testimonial. It is a fitting tribute for a great player and I can’t wait to meet up with some of the past and present players. It should be a great night not just for Ledley but for the fans too,” said the striker revealing his intentions to be part of the testimonial match. It has also been heavily rumoured that Tottenham are looking to sign the player, who represented and scored several goals for a couple of years.