Category: Sport

Antonio Conte Leaves Inter By Mutual consent as Inzaghi Prepares to become New Manager

 

Antonio Conte leaves role as Inter Milan head coach by mutual consent; former Chelsea boss led Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years; Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi is likely to replace Conte at Inter

Kaveh Solhekol has the latest developments as Antonio Conte leaves Inter Milan just weeks after winning the Serie A title

Antonio Conte has left Inter Milan by mutual consent, with Simone Inzaghi likely to replace him as head coach of the Serie A champions.

Conte has agreed a deal with the club’s owners which will see him paid €7m (£6m) for the final year of his contract.

The former Chelsea boss guided Inter to their first Serie A title in 11 years but was embroiled in a dispute with the club’s owners after they proposed a downsizing of his squad.

Inter chairman Steven Zhang reportedly asked Conte to cut his wage bill by 15 to 20 per cent and potentially sell players worth up to £70m this summer.

Zhang arrived at Inter’s headquarters to continue discussions with senior staff on Wednesday morning.

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 19th Scudetto. Antonio Conte will remain forever in the history of our club.”

Conte was keen to keep up to eight players he sees as “untouchables” which include Milan Skriniar, Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.

Lukaku is happy at Inter but Conte’s departure, coupled with the club needing to cut costs, has put a question mark over his status at the club.

The club’s strategy, according to Sky in Italy, could include the sale of one of the club’s star players and a move to focus on developing young talent.

Lazio manager Inzaghi is set to replace Conte at the San Siro. The former Italy striker has been in charge of the Rome club since 2016 and led them to a sixth-place finish this season, finishing six points above fierce rivals Roma.

“Antonio Conte is one of the best managers in the world, and this evening he is unemployed, although he has got €7m pay-off from Inter Milan. There had been crunch talks going on all day about his future and he was very unhappy about the fact that the owners of the club had asked him just a few days after winning the Italian title for the first time in 11 years to cut costs.

“They wanted him to shave around €100m off Inter’s budget for next season and Conte was very unhappy about that. He basically said that he had won the title, he had done what had been asked of him, but when it came to Europe, they had finished bottom of their Champions League group.

“Next season, he wanted to win the title again and to win the Champions League. He wanted to make them a force in Europe again as well, and he claimed he would not be able to do that if they were asking him to sell some of his best players to cut the wage bill. He said he could not manage with one hand tied behind his back and that’s the reason why he has decided to go.

Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez celebrates after he scored his side's fifth
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Uncertainty remains over several of star players including Lautaro Martinez
“He had one year remaining on his contract worth around €11m after tax, so a lot of the talks today were around what the pay-off was going to be. The question people will be asking is why Inter’s owners have allowed this to happen? This is a manager who has won titles at Juventus as both a player and as a manager. He’s someone who has won titles at Chelsea and he’s done it again at Inter.

“The owners of Inter are a Chinese retail giant called Suning, who also owned the reigning Chinese Super League champions Jiangsu Suning. They won the Chinese title in November but just a few months later, Suning turned around and said they were closing the club down due to financial problems.

“They wanted to step back from football, and that’s exactly what they have done at their other club as well, Inter Milan. They felt it was costing them too much money. Conte has heard what they have had to say and decided this is not how he operates.”

 

High stakes for Emery as Villarreal aim for Europa League shock against Man Utd

 

Unai Emery will add to his already sparkling Europa League record if Villarreal beat Manchester United on Wednesday but victory would also turn an otherwise mediocre first season in charge into a great one.

 

Villarreal had just finished fifth in La Liga when they appointed Emery as coach last summer, with the Spaniard’s remit to take the club closer to winning titles and securing Champions League qualification.

He could achieve both in one fell swoop in Gdansk, where an upset against the much-fancied United would not only clinch Villarreal their first-ever major trophy but also a place in Europe’s premier tournament next season.

“We respect United but we think we’re capable of winning this trophy,” said Emery last week. “We are going to play with the confidence we’ve shown throughout the whole competition.”

The drop-off though with a defeat would be huge, given Villarreal would not only end the season without silverware but shorn of a place even in the next Europa League.

Their loss to Real Madrid on Saturday meant Emery’s side finished seventh in La Liga, two spots lower and two points fewer than they managed last season, and enough only to qualify for UEFA’s new and less lucrative Europa Conference League.

There is no real sense yet of Emery being under pressure, in part because so much depends on how Villarreal fare against United, in what is their first European final since winning the Intertoto Cup in 2004.

“Villarreal have reached the Europa League semis three times before so if we hadn’t got to the final again it would have been hard for us,” said the club’s former midfielder Marcos Senna, who was in the team that won the Intertoto Cup 17 years ago.

“Manchester United are clear favourites because of their history and their budget. We’ve snuck through the back door a bit but if they play well, I think they can spring a surprise.”

 

Fifth final appearance for Emery
Emery knows what it takes to win the Europa League, having triumphed three times in a row with Sevilla between 2014 and 2016, the last time by beating Liverpool 3-1 in the final in Basel. He also reached the final two years ago with Arsenal, only to lose to Chelsea.

“Manchester United were the favourites from the start to win this tournament and they’ve managed to reach the final,” said Emery. “There were other teams who were favourites and haven’t done that but we have always seen ourselves as a contender.”

Villarreal is also flying the flag for Spain as the one team that denied the English Premier League a clean sweep of European finalists, with Manchester City up against Chelsea in the Champions League final on Saturday.

If Villarreal defeats United, Spain will boast seven of the last 10 Europa League champions, the others belonging to Chelsea in 2013 and 2019, and United in 2017 when Jose Mourinho’s side beat Ajax.

“The Premier League is dominating football in Europe,” Emery said. “But to reach a final you always have to knock out big teams, or teams that have knocked out big teams themselves, like Dinamo Zagreb. Games like these are a challenge. They tell you what level your team is at.”

 

Athletico Madrid wins La Liga Again After 7 Years

 

Atletico Madrid edged city rivals Real Madrid to the La Liga title in dramatic fashion after coming from behind to beat Real Valladolid in the final game.

Diego Simeone’s side trailed to Oscar Plano’s strike but turned the match around in the second half through goals from Angel Correa and Luis Suarez.

Real scored twice late on to beat Villarreal 2-1 but came up short as they needed Atletico to drop points.

Atletico clinched their first title in seven years and their 11th overall.

It was a highly satisfactory triumph for Los Colchoneros as they finished just two points ahead of defending champions Real, who end the season without silverware. BBC

Atletico on cusp of La Liga glory but Real Madrid ready to pounce

 

Atletico players celebrate at the end of the Spanish League football match between Club Atletico de Madrid and CA Osasuna at the Wanda Metropolitano stadium in Madrid on May 16, 2021. (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP)

Barely a week has gone by this season without Diego Simeone pronouncing his mantra of “one game at a time” and now it really rings true, with Atletico Madrid one match away from winning La Liga.

 

If they beat Real Valladolid on Saturday, they will be crowned champions for the first time since 2014 and few could argue given they will have been top of the table since December.

But Real Madrid is lurking, only two points behind, and ready to dip their neck over the line at the last moment. They have not led La Liga since October 17.

Real Madrid will have to win at home against Villarreal to have any chance but the omens looks good for Zinedine Zidane’s side, given their opponents may not be at full strength.

Villarreal is in a three-way battle to finish fifth and sixth, with the team that comes seventh dropping out of the Europa League and into the new and less lucrative Europa Conference League.

But Villarreal could do even better and qualify for the Champions League if they defeat Manchester United in the Europa League final, four days after their game at Valdebebas.

“We will have an eye on the Manchester United game,” said Villarreal coach Unai Emery on Wednesday.

A draw for Atletico could mean the top two are tied on points but that would see the trophy returned to Real Madrid, who would sneak it on head-to-head.

In some ways, Atletico might benefit from the situation being clear. They will almost certainly have win to claim the title and can look for victory from the start.

 

Valladolid scrapping for survival
Valladolid might have been relegated already had results gone against them last weekend but instead they are still fighting to be the one team out of three that survives.

Huesca and Elche are the others scrapping to finish 17th, with both of them two points ahead of Valladolid, the trio sandwiched between already-relegated Eibar and Getafe, who are safe.

It means only a win will give Valladolid hope, a scenario that could play into Atletico’s hands if it encourages their opponents to attack, opening the spaces that were denied by the defensive approach of Osasuna, who so nearly spoiled Atletico’s chances last weekend.

Luis Suarez’s 88th-minute winner, which completed a stunning turnaround after Renan Lodi equalised only six minutes before, had the feeling of a pivotal moment, a dramatic twist to prove decisive in who harnesses the prize.

Yet Real Madrid’s priority on Sunday was survival and they beat Athletic Bilbao at San Mames to take Atletico to the last day, when the tension will be at its highest.

Simeone admitted “anxiety exists” among his players but in 10 years in charge he has tried to expunge the fatalist tendencies that haunted the club for so long.

Real Madrid has benefitted before when Atletico conceded in the 93rd minute in the 2014 Champions League final in Lisbon and lost in extra-time. Atletico went close in the 2016 final in Milan too, only to be beaten by Real Madrid on penalties.

Now Simeone’s team are within touching distance again, the difference this time that Real Madrid have no control, their own success now depending on what happens at the Jose Zorrilla stadium, 200 kilometres away.

Win or lose, it could be Zidane’s final game in charge and there are serious doubts around the future of Ronald Koeman as well, ahead of Barcelona’s last match against Eibar.

Barca’s disappointing end to the season means they could even surrender third place if they lose while Sevilla will hope for the chance to overcome a two-point gap when they face Alaves on Sunday.

Real Sociedad in fifth are a point ahead of both Real Betis and Villarreal, the tussle for the Europa League still alive. Betis travel to Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad are at Osasuna.

Elche host Athletic Bilbao and to stay up, they will have to better Huesca’s result against Valencia at Mestalla. Valladolid must beat Atletico and hope Elche and Huesca both lose.

 

Allison Becker’s last minute header brightens Liverpool top four hope

 

In what happens to be one of the craziest, most amazing moments in the 128-year history of Liverpool football club. Their goalkeeper Allison Becker scores a header to make it Liverpool 2-1 West Brom to keep them in the top four race.

As it now stands, Liverpool now have two game to play and will folds arms and expect either Chelsea or Leicester slips in their two remaining matches.

Iheanacho Score Twice in Leicester City’s defeat to West Ham United

Nigeria international Kelechi Iheanacho, found the net twice against the Hammers but Jesse Lingard continued his stunning form with West Ham after scoring twice in the first half to set the Hammers on course for a crucial victory over fellow Champions League hopefuls Leicester City.

The two sides came into the weekend occupying the last two Champions League spots, before wins for Chelsea and Liverpool on Saturday nudged West Ham down to sixth place.

But David Moyes’ men showed they are up for the challenge of qualifying for Europe’s top club competition for the first time, going 3-0 up and holding on during a late Leicester rally to climb back into fourth.

The Hammers took the lead as Arthur Masuaku’s cross went through to right-back Vladimir Coufal, who cut back for Lingard to sweep the ball inside Kasper Schmeichel’s near post from the edge of the box.

Jarrod Bowen then beat the offside trap to race on to Issa Diop’s long ball and square for Lingard to tap into an empty net for his eighth goal in nine Premier League games since arriving on loan from Manchester United.

The 28-year-old forward, whose recent form earned him an England recall, then played a part in West Ham’s third goal right after half-time as Bowen poked in from Tomas Soucek’s pass to round off a clinical team move.

Kelechi Iheanacho pulled a goal back to give the visitors hope, before grabbing his 11th goal in 11 games in stoppage time, but the Hammers ensured they did not surrender a 3-0 lead for the second straight home game and move within a point of third-placed Leicester.

Leicester’s preparations had been disrupted with James Maddison, Hamza Choudhury and Ayoze Perez left out for breaching Covid-19 protocols.

The Foxes were possibly affected by the absence of Maddison, Choudhury and Perez and were lacklustre for the first hour.

West Ham’s opener was the result of some patient build-up play, but then Leicester only had themselves to blame as they were made to pay for playing a high line for the second goal and being dispossessed in their own half for the third.

Ricardo Pereira caught Masuaku in possession to give Iheanacho the chance to fire in from the edge of the box and, shortly after six minutes of stoppage time was indicated, the Nigeria striker scored again following a low cross by substitute Marc Albrighton.

Leicester almost salvaged a point as Wesley Fofana headed wide at the death but it was another quiet afternoon for Jamie Vardy. After a blistering start to the season, he has now scored once in his past 18 games.

The Foxes are eager to avoid another late-season collapse and their next three home games are against West Brom, Crystal Palace and Newcastle, but they will need Vardy to help ease the burden on Iheanacho, 24, who is enjoying the longest run of Premier League starts in his career and is now Leicester’s joint-top scorer with Vardy.

Manager Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sport: “We mentioned about starting quickly and we did anything but. It was a tough one to watch.

“It’s always easy to play when you’re 3-0 down, I don’t take much from getting back into the game. We were too passive to win an important game.”

£1 MILLION-A-WEEK SALARY, RAIOLA TO OFFER HAALAND TO PSG, MANCITY

Super agent Mino Raiola is positioning Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland to become the game’s first £1 MILLION-A-WEEK player.

 

 

 

The Mirror says Raiola holds grand plans of brokering an eye-watering amount for his client through a sensational overall package.

 

 

With a huge basic salary in store, image rights, digital opportunities and commercial deals have all been earmarked in the report as ways of reaching the target.

Raiola’s demands are said to likely rule out the majority of clubs embroiled in the dogfight to sign Haaland except for a handful with enviable finances.

Manchester City, Real Madrid and PSG have all been identified as the only suitors who would be able to stump up the cash.

Real Madrid and Barcelona, which held talks with Raiola and Haaland’s father a fortnight ago, have been left ‘shocked’ after being told about his proposal for one of the world’s finest young talents.

City, as well as Premier League rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United, are also believed to be in the chase to secure Haaland’s signature.

Luckybet Launches Mobile App, Promises More Juicy Odds for Users

In a bid to provide the finest betting experience for millions of Nigerians, leading gaming and entertainment company, Luckybet, has launched a new mobile app. 
Announcing the new app on Monday, Marketing Manager, Anthony Onyemauwa, disclosed that the app is designed to introduce users to the broadest range of offerings and opportunities in the sports betting market.
“From inception, our focus has been to creating new and richer experiences for our users by connecting them to a world of endless possibilities. Our new mobile app is not only a demonstration of this commitment, it is a call for users to take charge of their individual destiny by exploring the opportunities offered by our innovative technology,” Onyemauwa said.
“The app is safe, secure, easy to use and generally offers an incredible user experience.  It also boasts of a great variety of bets and competitive odds from both the domestic and global betting markets. By downloading the app, users are ushered into a world where they can change their own lives forever.”
Onyemauwa explained that the mobile betting app, which is also available on the web platform, provides users tons of betting options, including the highest odds on virtual games and a mouth-watering 250% accumulated bonus.
Licensed by the Lagos Lotteries Board and widely acclaimed by punters as one of the most reliable online betting platforms in Nigeria, Luckybet is committed to empowering users to become luckier and live the life of their dreams.
Download the app here [https://bit.ly/2P1F92y].

Donny van de Beek targets Manchester United exit this summer

Donny van de Beek is looking to leave Manchester United at the end of the season, according to reports.

The Netherlands international was signed in a £40 million deal from Ajax last September but has struggled to make an impact since his arriving at Old Trafford.

Van de Beek has started just two games in the Premier League and only 11 matches across all competitions. According to the Daily Star, Van de Beek is concerned over his long-term future and is now looking to move on this summer.

The report also claims that his lack of playing time has harmed his chances of winning a place in the Netherlands squad for their European Championship campaign.

It’s claimed that Van de Beek will speak with United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward before the season finishes to determine his next move and why he has been overlooked by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The United manager had urged Van de Beek to be patient after he was given little playing time at the start of the season.

But the midfielder was used only sparingly across the winter period when United’s fixture schedule was heavily congested. ‘I wouldn’t say that Donny is happy,’ Solskjaer admitted in January.

‘Of course, he wants to play more, but he gets about his job in the right manner.

‘We are doing well and have got players who are playing really well in his position.’

Van de Beek has not featured for United since February 14 and is currently sidelined with a muscle injury.

 

Basketball Star Lebron James Invest £540m in Sport Group that Own Liverpool FC

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is joining Fenway Sports Group as a partner, giving him an ownership stake in its subsidiaries that include the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool Football Club, Roush Fenway Racing and the regional sports network NESN, sources told ESPN.

James, 36, already owned 2% of Liverpool, the current English Premier League champion. In joining FSG and expanding his investment, James and his business partner Maverick Carter will become the company’s first Black partners.

FSG is among the largest sports ownership entities in the world, and James’ involvement will only increase its reach. In addition to James coming onboard, FSG received a $750 million investment from RedBird Capital Partners, according to The Boston Globe, which first reported James’ ownership stake.

With league rules preventing current players from owning portions of the NBA or WNBA, James, who has earned more than $1 billion in his career, according to Forbes, branched out with a conglomerate that started by owning the Red Sox. FSG’s broad footprint could expand even more with the infusion of cash from RedBird Capital.

FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 for $493 million — and James joined in the investment for a reported $6.5 million. FSG turned down a $2.6 billion bid for the team in August 2018, leaving James with tens of millions in profit from his initial investment.

The investment will also hand FSG a timely boost in the transfer market. With Jurgen Klopp’s side struggling to make the top-four this season, new signings look to be needed.

While Klopp has ruled out wholesale changes of his squad, speculation will now begin about who they might sign. Indeed, it was reported at the weekend that Klopp will prioritise three major signings this summer. Top of Klopp’s agenda are a new attacker to revitalise his ageing strikeforce. And while targets have not been named, several big names, including Kylian Mbappe, have been touted of late.

It will also come as no surprise to see Liverpool targeting defensive reinforcements given their issues this season. The Athletic claims Ozan Kabak is auditioning for a long-term role at Anfield. He signed on loan in January and the Reds do have an option to make the move permanent. However, RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate, Marseille’s Duje Caleta-Car and David Carmo of Braga all remain alternatives.

Klopp will also likely need to sign a replacement for the departing Georginho Wijnaldum in midfield. The Dutchman has continued to be as reliable as ever in the Reds’ engine room, amid swirling uncertainty over whether he will be at the club next season. Wijnaldum’s contract expires at the end of the campaign and no concrete news over an extension has so far surfaced.

James, who has never hidden from his support for Liverpool, nor his wish to take on a greater role has also not been shy about his desire to own an NBA team. At the NBA All-Star Game in 2019, he told reporters that upon his retirement, “I believe if I wanted to, I could own a team or be part of a basketball team. I know I got so much knowledge of the game that I don’t want to, once I stop playing — I just [do not] want to get away from the game.”

In January, when the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream were put up for sale, James tweeted: “Think I’m gone put together an ownership group for The Dream.” He proceeded to help Renee Montgomery, the former WNBA player and activist, meet with commissioner Cathy Engelbert before she joined with two partners to complete the purchase.

With the Red Sox, James gets limited partnership in one of Major League Baseball’s jewel franchises. The team’s estimated value is more than $3 billion, and while it’s expected to lag behind in the competitive American League East division this season, Boston has significantly improved its farm system and should increase its payroll going into the 2022 season after paring back spending the past two years.

James’ connection to FSG goes deeper than his investment in Liverpool. Among the executive producers of the comedy “Survivor’s Remorse,” which aired for four seasons on Starz: James, Carter and Tom Werner, the longtime television producer and chairman of the Red Sox and Liverpool. Werner owns the second-largest stake in FSG behind principal owner John Henry.

James has long said he’s a fan of Boston’s historic rival, the New York Yankees, and publicly rooted for the Los Angeles Dodgers in last year’s World Series.

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