Month: May 2021

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SOLSKJAER TO GET NEW CONTRACT, TRANSFER BACKING DESPITE UNITED’S FINAL FAILURE

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be backed with a new contract and summer signings in the transfer market despite Manchester United finishing the season without a trophy.

United disappointed in the Europa League final this week but the campaign is seen by the club’s board as progress after finishing second in the Premier League and reaching their first final under Solskjaer.

The Norwegian (48) has one season left on his current deal and will open talks over a three-year extension. He’ll also be supported with up to four signings to bolster his squad in an attempt to close the gap with champions Manchester City.

Jadon Sancho is Solskjaer’s primary target as a wide forward, which is a key position to strengthen. The United boss also like a striker, young central midfielder and a defender.

Borussia Dortmund are understood to be desperate to sell this summer to raise money, while a list of outgoings could be headed by the potential sale of either David De Gea or Dean Henderson, with both goalkeepers understood to be unhappy at the prospect of starting next season as number 2.

Sancho (21) was a target a year ago but a deal could not be struck with Dortmund, who refused to lower his price from £108m.

The England forward is expected to leave Westfalenstadion this summer for a lower fee. Aston Villa forward Jack Grealish is also admired by United, but bringing Sancho back to England is Solskjaer’s preference.

The market has been altered by Harry Kane wanting to leave Tottenham but Daniel Levy is expected to fight to keep him. Southampton’s Danny Ings has been among the other players United have looked at, despite Ings being a former employee of United’s prime rivals Liverpool.

United would like to bring in a young central midfielder, one in the mould of Rennes’ Eduardo Camavinga, but it would be a player for the future rather than to immediately make an impact.

That, and other business, will be conducted according to United’s “transfer by committee” policy, one which will be headed by Ed Woodward despite him resigning in the wake of last month’s European Super League debacle.

Woodward will remain at the helm of United’s transfer plans for as long as he is in position as the club’s executive vice-chairman with his departure date still currently planned for the end of 2021.

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NIKE DROPS NEYMAR FOR REFUSING TO COOPERATE IN SEXUAL ASSAULT INVESTIGATION

Nike has dropped its partnership with Brazilian professional footballer Neymar da Silva Santos Jr. for refusing to cooperate with authorities investigating sexual assault allegations against him.

Neymar had previously been the ambassador of the brand in South America and was among one of the company’s highest-paid athletes.

Neymar and the company parted ways last year despite having eight years left in the soccer superstar’s marketing contract. Nike had refused to give a reason for the sudden move at the time.

However, in a statement released late Thursday, Nike said it ended its business relationship with the athlete after he refused to cooperate “in a good faith investigation” launched by lawyers at Cooley LLP, a firm hired by the company.

“Nike ended its relationship with the athlete because he refused to cooperate in a good faith investigation of credible allegations of wrongdoing by an employee,” the company said.

The sexual assault allegations came after a Nike employee told friends and colleagues that Neymar, in an alleged intoxicated state, tried to force her to perform oral sex on him in his hotel room in New York City in 2016.

The employee said she was in the room when Neymar came back to the hotel. The woman said that she and several Nike employees were assigned to help coordinate events and logistics for the soccer player’s team.

The employee, who still works with Nike, alleged that Neymar tried to block the door to prevent her from leaving the hotel room, and chased her down the hotel hallway while undressed.

A spokeswoman for Neymar told The Wall Street Journal that he denies the allegations.

The employee reported the incident to the company’s head of human resources and general counsel in 2018 and initially requested that it be kept confidential, according to Nike.

The company then hired Cooley LLC in 2019 to conduct a private investigation after the employee expressed interest in launching a probe, according to statements from people and documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

Nike said the investigation was “inconclusive” and noted that it had yet to be completed when the brand ended its business relationship with Neymar.

Hilary Krane, the company’s general counsel, said in a statement that Nike did not disclose the matter publicly after it found “no single set of facts emerged that would enable us to speak substantively on the matter.”

“It would be inappropriate for Nike to make an accusatory statement without being able to provide supporting facts,” the statement added.

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TOTTENHAM HOLD TALKS TO WITH MAURICIO POCHETTINO ABOUT POSSIBLE RETURN

Tottenham have held talks with former boss Mauricio Pochettino about a possible return to the club.

The 49-year-old, who is currently in charge of Paris St Germain, left Spurs in November 2019 after five years in charge and was replaced by Jose Mourinho.

But with Mourinho sacked last month, reports indicate that Spurs have spoken to the Argentinian regarding the potential prospect of a second spell in charge.

Pochettino guided PSG to the semi-finals of the Champions League after taking over from Thomas Tuchel in January, beating Barcelona and Bayern Munich on the way, and won the French Super Cup and the Coupe de France.

But they missed out on the Ligue 1 title to Lille and there are mixed messages about his future in Paris.

The French club were not prepared to comment on “rumours” when approached by the PA news agency and responded by putting out an interview of Pochettino, who has 12 months left on his contract, talking about doing “great things in the future”.

Pochettino, who is understood to be back in London, said in an interview conducted on Monday: “I’m happy with the way the players have adapted to the changes.

“There are many things which could not be changed or which could not be developed for lack of time.

“But I still think that with this way of working, and with the desire to be able to develop other types of ideas on the ground, we will do great things in the future.

“And in a club like Paris St Germain, you are forced to think that perfection is accessible and that winning is the only option.

“And for a club like ours, it’s about winning, winning and winning. And come back to win.

“It requires a great expenditure of energy and always having the certainty that the priority is to be professional and that the difficulties or the obstacles are always surmountable. And it’s my challenge, to impose this idea here.”

Ajax boss Erik Ten Hag and Brighton’s Graham Potter are also candidates, with Antonio Conte also possibly in the frame following his exit from Inter Milan on Wednesday.

Belgium boss Roberto Martinez has been linked to the position, but the PA news agency understands there are no plans for talks between the two parties.

Out of all of the candidates, Pochettino would be the most popular appointment among the fans.

Tottenham mounted back-to-back Premier League title challenges under Pochettino before a memorable run to the 2019 Champions League final.

But Spurs, in the midst of building a £1billion stadium, went through two transfer windows without making any signings and that caught up with them at the start of the 2019-20 season.

The nadir was a 7-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich in October 2019, with Pochettino relieved of his duties a month later.

His relationship with the club – and chairman Daniel Levy – remained strong and he spoke about one day returning.

In an interview in April of last year, Pochettino told BT Sport: “It was an amazing journey that finished the way no one wanted it to finish.

“But deep in my heart I am sure our paths will cross again. From the day I left the club, my dream is to be back one day and to try to finish the work we didn’t finish.

“We were so close to winning the Premier League and Champions League.

“Deep inside I want to go back because the fans are so special. Maybe in five years, maybe in 10 years, but before I die I want to manage Tottenham.”

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SHEFFIELD UNITED APPOINT SLAVISA LOKANOVIC AS NEW MANAGER

Slavisa Jokanovic is set to confirmed as Sheffield United’s new manager after a successful second round of talks.

United met Jokanovic for a second time on Wednesday when they thrashed out the terms for him to take over at Bramall Lane.

Both sides felt the talks went well and Jokanovic could be announced as Chris Wilder’s permanent successor within the next 48 hours.

The Serb, who has won promotion to the Premier League with Watford and Fulham, was left off the Blades’ original five-man shortlist as they pursued other candidates.

KV Oostende coach Alexander Blessin was their initial favoured choice before United realised they would struggle to obtain a work permit for the German because of the post-Brexit rules.

The Blades then considered appointing caretaker boss Paul Heckingbottom on a permanent basis when Blessin was no longer possible, but the fans were lukewarm about him because of his links to rivals Barnsley, Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday.

Heckingbottom also did not manage much of an upturn in results in his 11 games in caretaker charge.

He knew before United’s final game of the season against Burnley on Sunday that he would not get the job permanently and is happy to revert to his role as Under-23s boss.

Club Brugge’s Philippe Clement was also on the shortlist and, like Blessin, was identified by United board member and de facto director of football Belgian Jan van Winckel.

But United have gone for Jokanovic after being impressed with him in their two meetings.

They feel the former Chelsea midfielder is the right coach to turn United around and mount a promotion push next season.

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ANTONIO CONTE LEAVES INTER MILAN AFTER ENDING CLUB’S SERIE A TITLE DROUGHT

Antonio Conte has left his role as Inter Milan manager despite leading the club to the Serie A title this season.

The former Juventus, Chelsea and Italy boss ended Inter’s 10-year trophy drought by clinching the Scudetto ahead of city rivals AC Milan, but his exit comes amid reported disagreement with the club’s ownership over finances and the need to cut costs and sell players this summer.

A club statement read: “FC Internazionale Milano announces that it has reached an agreement for the consensual termination of the contract with the coach Antonio Conte.

“The whole club would like to thank Antonio for the extraordinary work he has done, which culminated in winning the nineteenth Scudetto. Antonio Conte will remain forever in the history of our club.”

Conte joined Inter in 2019 and guided the club to the Europa League final in his first season, where they were beaten by Sevilla.

This year Inter, with former Premier League stars Romelu Lukaku, Alexis Sanchez, Christian Eriksen and Ashley Young in their ranks, finished 12 points clear of AC Milan to end Juventus’ nine-year reign as Serie A champions.

Conte, who won the Premier League title and FA Cup with Chelsea, as well as three Serie A crowns with Juventus, is likely to be in high demand across Europe.

Tottenham have yet to replace Jose Mourinho after his sacking in April, while question marks remain over Zinedine Zidane’s future at Real Madrid and Andrea Pirlo’s position at Juve.

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UEL FINAL: MANCHESTER UNITED LOSE TO VILLREAL AFTER DRAMATIC PENALTY SHOOT OUT

Manchester United’s wait for their first trophy under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer continues after David De Gea saw his spot-kick saved at the end of a wild shootout that saw Villarreal crowned Europa League champions.

On this day 22 years ago, the Norwegian wrote himself into club folklore when turning home at the death as Sir Alex Ferguson’s side fought back to win the Champions League and complete the treble.

But May 26, 2021 did not provide another triumphant chapter in United’s success-laden story, with the match ending 1-1 and going to a penalty shootout after Edinson Cavani cancelled out Gerard Moreno’s opener.

All outfield players scored their spot-kicks, as did Villarreal goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli before saving De Gea’s penalty to win the shootout 11-10 and secure the first major trophy in their history.

It was a heartbreaking end to a promising season for United, who finished as Premier League runners-up and showed clear signs of progress.

But defending set-pieces has been a problem throughout and Moreno opened the scoring when all too easily meeting Dani Parejo’s terrific free-kick.

Cavani levelled early in the second half after Marcus Rashford’s volley fell kindly for him from close range and Villarreal clung on for extra-time, which Unai Emery’s men edged before triumphing on penalties.

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ZINEDINE ZIDANE RESIGNS AS REAL MADRID COACH

Zinedine Zidane has resigned as Real Madrid manager with immediate effect, according to media reports, just days after the club were beaten to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid. The Frenchman’s reported departure comes at the end of a disappointing campaign for the 13-time European champions, who also lost to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals as they failed to win a trophy for the first time in 11 seasons.

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano broke what he called “exclusive” news in a tweet which was picked up by Spanish sports outlets including Madrid sports dailies Marca and AS, and the radio station Cadena Ser.

An official announcement of his departure, said Romano, would be made “in the next hours/days”.

Only 10 days ago Zidane, who has a contract until 2022, denied media speculation that he had already told his players that he would be leaving at the end of the season.

“How am I going to tell my players that I am going now? It’s a lie,” he said after a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao.

“I focus on this season. There is a game left and we are going to give everything. I only care what happens in this finale.”

But, perhaps tellingly, he added: “The rest, we will see at the end of the season.”

If confirmed, it marks the end of Zidane’s second spell in charge of the Spanish giants.

The 1998 World Cup winner first took the helm in January 2016 and guided Real to the 2017 La Liga title and an unprecedented hat-trick of Champions League titles before abruptly quitting on May 31, 2018.

He returned in 2019, winning a second La Liga crown in 2020 and the Spanish Super Cup.

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BEN WHITE, GODFREY, RAMSDALE MAKE ENGLAND PROVISIONAL EURO 2020 SQUAD

Ben White, Ben Godfrey and Aaron Ramsdale received their first England call-ups as Gareth Southgate selected Trent Alexander-Arnold among four right-backs in his provisional European Championship squad.

With England dealing with issues such as injuries and European final absentees, the Football Association confirmed a larger provisional squad would be announced on Tuesday rather than the definitive group.

Southgate has named a 33-man party that will be trimmed down to 26 players on June 1st, allowing him to include injury doubts such as Harry Maguire, Jordan Henderson and Kalvin Phillips.

There are first senior call-ups for Brighton centre-back White and Everton defender Godfrey, while Sheffield United goalkeeper Ramsdale joins uncapped Sam Johnstone in the squad as Nick Pope misses out through injury.

Manchester United teenager Mason Greenwood has been recalled for the first time since being sent home after his debut in Iceland.

Eric Dier misses out, but Alexander-Arnold returns to the group alongside fellow right-backs Reece James, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker. Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins and 17-year-old Jude Bellingham are among the others to get the nod.

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LUKA MODRIC SIGNS CONTRACT EXTENSION TO STAY AT REAL MADRID FOR ANOTHER SEASON

Veteran midfielder Luka Modric has signed a contract extension which will keep him at Real Madrid until the end of next season, the La Liga giants announced on Tuesday. The 35-year-old Croatian international, who won the Ballon d’Or in 2018, has played 391 times for Madrid since joining from Tottenham in 2012.

“The Croatian midfielder will remain at our club until 30 June, 2022,” Real said in a short statement.

Modric has remained a key player for Zinedine Zidane’s men this season, scoring six goals in 48 appearances.

“Happy and proud to continue wearing the jersey of the best team in the world,” he said on Twitter.

It was a very disappointing season for the 13-time European champions though, losing to Chelsea in the Champions League semi-finals and being pipped to the La Liga title by Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

Questions remain about the futures of coach Zidane and long-serving defender Sergio Ramos ahead of the 2021-22 campaign.

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EUROPA LEAGUE: SIR ALEX FERGUSON JOINS MANCHESTER UNITED SQUAD ON BOARD TO THE FINAL

Former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has accompanied the current squad to the Europa League final against Villarreal in Gdansk.

Manchester United will take on Villarreal in the finals of the Europa League on Wednesday and the squad departed for Gdansk on Monday afternoon. Ferguson had then joined the traveling party on the flight, reported Goal.com.

United is just one game away from registering their first title win under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Solskjaer has played under Alex Ferguson and in 1999, the current manager had scored a famous goal against Barcelona to hand United a victory in the Champions League final.

Manchester United managed to win the Premier League title 13 times under Sir Alex Ferguson, with the last win coming in 2013.

United finished at the second spot in the Premier League standings for the 2020-21 season.

United have taken 26 players with them for the finals of the Europa League. Anthony Martial has returned to training, but he has not travelled with the squad.

Goalkeepers: David De Gea, Dean Henderson, Lee Grant, Nathan Bishop

Defenders: Eric Bailly, Victor Lindelof, Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw, Alex Telles, Axel Tuanzebe, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Brandon Williams

Midfielders: Amad Diallo, Bruno Fernandes, Fred, Daniel James, Juan Mata, Nemanja Matic, Scott McTominay, Paul Pogba, Donny van de Beek

Forwards: Edinson Cavani, Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood, Marcus Rashford, Shola Shoretire.