Premier League
Tottenham coach, Postecoglou has no qualms in disappointing King Charles and relegating Burnley
Tottenham Hotspur Ange Postecoglou visited Buckingham Palace this week but the Australian could leave King Charles disappointed on Saturday by relegating Burnley, a club the British monarch has a soft spot for.
Speaking ahead of the game in which Tottenham will try to halt a four-match losing sequence in the Premier League and send Burnley down, Postecoglou recalled his royal date.
“We got an invite from the Australian government. Me and the other Aussies in the group, Mile (Jedinak), Scott (Munn), Charlie Grant from the women’s team. It was nice, a different experience,” Postecoglou told reporters.
Burnley will be relegated unless they win at Tottenham and Postecoglou was asked about the King’s allegiance and whether he had any qualms about upsetting him.
“Probably why they kept him away from me!” he said. “I would be happy to disappoint him on that front. No problem.”
The Tottenham contingent did not meet Charles personally and Athens-born Postecoglou joked he might have got himself thrown out if he had.
“Yeah, but I didn’t get within 10 feet of the King and if I had of got closer I probably would have asked him about the Parthenon marbles and I would probably have got thrown out,” he said.
“It was nice for me and my wife. These are experiences you are just fortunate because of the position I hold, not necessarily who I am.
“When you’re in that space it’s special. So, yeah, it was a good day.”
Greece has long-called for the return of the Parthenon Sculptures — or Elgin Marbles — which were transported from Athens to London in 1807 and sit in the British Museum.
Speaking of more usual topics, Postecoglou said Tottenham’s poor end to the campaign which is likely to have scuppered their Champions League qualification hopes has not changed his thinking about what the club need to do in the close season.
“The planning for the summer has been in hand for quite a while,” he said. “We know what we need to do. Nothing in that space has changed. So for me, how players and staff deal with adversity is more important for our growth than a reflection of us wanting to make more changes.”
Spurs avoided humiliation after a late push at Anfield last weekend, but the 4-2 defeat left them in fifth place and seven points behind Aston Villa, although they have one game in hand.
The loss came after their 4-0 thrashing at Newcastle United, followed by a 3-2 home defeat by Arsenal and a 2-0 loss at Chelsea but Postecoglou said clear thinking was needed rather than knee-jerk reactions.
“I think I have been consistent in saying we have got a challenge at the moment — a short term challenge,” Postecoglou said. “A significant rebuild, and the challenges will always be there and it is how you approach them.
“From my perspective, I need to be clear-headed about what we want to do and what we want to achieve. It is fair to say everyone is trying hard, it’s not because of a lack of trying — we need to stay calm and clear-headed.”
-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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