We now know what we probably already knew: that Chelsea will be looking for another manager in the summer.
Handled
I am delighted that the ageless Ryan Giggs has decided to sign a new one-year contract.at Manchester United because his performances recently have been exceptional - though he has been exceptional ever since he was a teenager.
There is no room for sentiment at Man United and there is no way Sir Alex Ferguson would have kept Giggs around if he did not feel he could contribute; he will be handled carefully and won't play every game but he should still play a major part for the club.
The Welshman started his career as a helter-skelter left-winger but I am not surprised he has converted into a classy central midfielder because as well as being an incredibly fit, model professional, he is a thinking footballer and always has been.
Giggs is an engaging and erudite man, too, and on the few occasions I have met him I have really enjoyed his company, so I certainly foresee him going into management once he finally hangs up his boots.
There are no guarantees that a top player will become a top manager and we have seen star names have difficult times in the dugout - Roberto Mancini is an obvious exception.
Over recent years a lot of the most successful managers have had little or no playing record - Benitez, Mourinho, and Andre Villas-Boas spring to mind - but given the right club and the right time, there is no reason Giggs shouldn't flourish.
On the subject of talented Welshmen, a few weeks ago in this column I said that that Gareth Bale was as good if not better than Cristiano Ronaldo and I got absolutely slaughtered for it.
But I refer all my critics to Tottenham's win over West Ham on Monday Night Football...
JEFF'S GEM OF THE WEEK
I'm going to stay in the Premier League and give the award to
Wigan for their 3-0 victory at relegation-threatened rivals Reading last Saturday, where they were guided brilliantly by manager Roberto Martinez.
I heard the Spaniard criticised on a radio phone-in this week with the caller asking what he had ever done for Wigan who always battle against relegation.
What he's done is keep his club in the Premier League year after year while some of the big guns have fallen by the wayside - and done it all on a shoestring budget, in front of small crowds, and playing a brand of football that everybody would pay to see.
If I was chairman of one of the big boys and wanted to play an exhilarating style of football, I'd be looking at Martinez because he has a knack of getting a bit extra out of players.
If you look at Franco di Santo's goal-scoring record, you would class him as a dud, but Martinez has always said he was a fantastic player and you looked at him last week and thought: 'Yes, I can see why he has played for Argentina'.
Martinez is a brilliant operator, this is Di Santo's time of year and it wouldn't surprise me at all if Wigan survived yet again this season.
