Premier League
After 6-1 humiliation, Spurs sack interim manager Stellini
Tottenham Hotspur have sacked interim coach Cristian Stellini, the Premier League club said on Monday after they suffered a 6-1 humiliation at Newcastle United that put the London side’s top four hopes in jeopardy.
Assistant coach Ryan Mason, 31, will take over head coach duties with immediate effect while the club continues to look for a permanent manager alongside their search for a director of football following Fabio Paratici’s resignation this month.
Stellini had replaced fellow Italian Antonio Conte last month with Spurs still in fourth place. The defeat at St James’ Park leaves them six points behind Newcastle and Manchester United having played more games.
“Sunday’s performance against Newcastle was wholly unacceptable. It was devastating to see,” the club’s chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement.
“We can look at many reasons why it happened and whilst myself, the Board, the coaches and players must all take collective responsibility, ultimately the responsibility is mine.
“Cristian stepped in at a difficult point in our season and I want to thank him for the professional manner in which he and his coaching staff have conducted themselves during such a challenging time.”
It marks the second time Mason has become interim coach having taken the reins when the club parted ways with Jose Mourinho in April 2021.
Stellini was a member of Conte’s managerial staff and the 48-year-old Italian had stepped in to lead the team when Conte missed a number of games due to gallbladder surgery.
In Conte’s absence, Stellini guided Spurs to wins over Manchester City, West Ham United and Chelsea.
However, he was unable to recreate that success after replacing Conte, with Spurs winning only one game against Brighton & Hove Albion while Bournemouth snatched a last-gasp 3-2 away victory over them earlier this month.
Former Bayern Munich coach Julian Nagelsmann is the bookmakers’ favourite to take over at Tottenham while Vincent Kompany, who has led Burnley back to the Premier League this season, is also in the running.
Feyenoord boss Arne Slot and former Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers have also been linked with the job.
British media have reported that former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino, who led the club to the Champions League final in 2019, is in talks to take over London rivals Chelsea.
Spurs next host Manchester United on Thursday.
-Reuters
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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