Premier League
Champions League winner Tuchel extends Chelsea contract to 2024
Chelsea rewarded Thomas Tuchel for winning the Champions League in his first five months in charge with a new contract to 2024 on Friday (June 4).
The German joined in January with the Blues languishing in ninth in the Premier League.
But Chelsea were revitalised by Tuchel’s arrival, climbing the table to finish fourth before winning European club football’s biggest prize against Manchester City in Porto last weekend.
“I cannot imagine a better occasion for a contract renewal. I am grateful for the experience and very happy to stay part of the Chelsea family,” said Tuchel.
“There is far more to come and we are looking forward to our next steps with ambition and much anticipation.”
Tuchel was unceremonoiusly sacked by Paris Saint-Germain in December despite winning two Ligue 1 titles in his first two seasons in charge and leading the French giants to their first ever Champions League final in 2020.
The 47-year-old was handed just an 18-month deal when he arrived in London, but his success in guiding Chelsea to a second European Cup triggered a clause in his initial contract for an extension.
“Chelsea Football Club is very happy to confirm that, following our triumph in the Champions League, Thomas Tuchel’s contract has been extended by two years, as agreed when he joined the Club,” the club said in a statement.
Tuchel was keen to stress after edging out Premier League champions City in Porto last Saturday that he wants to use Champions League glory as a launchpad to greater success.
Chelsea finished 19 points behind City and have not been champions of England since 2017.
“I think it’s good because nobody wants to rest,” Tuchel said after the Champions League final. “I want the next one, the next title. I want to be a part of it and I demand to be a part of it and this is what comes next.”
Of his 30 games in charge so far, Chelsea have lost just five.
He also guided the Londoners to the FA Cup final which they lost 1-0 to Leicester.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia added: “When Thomas joined us in January there was still so much to play for domestically and in Europe. He slotted in seamlessly and immediately became an integral part of the Chelsea family.
“Returning us to the top four in the Premier League was crucial, and we could not be happier with our success in the Champions League which crowned a remarkable season at Chelsea.
“We are obviously extremely pleased therefore to retain Thomas for a further two years, and look forward to more achievements in the coming seasons.”
-AFP
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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