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MOURINHO PROMISES SPURS NEXT SEASONS’ PREMIERSHIP TITLE

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Jose Mourinho was the “Smiley One”, joking that his comments about never coming to Tottenham was before he was sacked by Chelsea in his second spell at Stamford Bridge.

The manager signed a 3½-year deal with the London club on Wednesday following the shock sacking of Mauricio Pochettino the previous evening.

He was fired by Manchester United last December after the club’s worst start to a season in 28 years and falling out with senior players, notably Paul Pogba.

However, he claimed that he was “not going to make the same mistakes” that plagued his ill-fated final term with the Red Devils but, rather, he would “make new mistakes” and “be stronger” as a result.

At his first press conference as Spurs’ new boss, he appeared far from the “Surly One” that prowled the dugout at Old Trafford.

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Insisting that he was taking on a “great job”, he claimed “the best gift are the players who are here” and hailed the team, Champions League finalists in June, as being perfectly placed to achieve big things over the coming seasons.

While The Guardian revealed that he will have to work with what he has as the club do not have funds for a spending spree when the transfer window opens in January, the Portuguese, 56, believes he has inherited a world-class squad.

“The potential of the club is huge, the potential of the players is great, I am so happy,” he said.

“That was one of the reasons I came because of the vision that (chairman Daniel) Levy put in front of me about the club and the quality of the players and the squad.

“I told the players I came here because of them. I tried to buy some for different clubs and some, I didn’t even try, because you know how difficult it was.

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“I don’t need players, I just need time, I just need to get to know these ones better. I know them well but you never know them well enough until you meet them.

“They were in the hands of a good manager and coaching staff.

“Of course, we have principles of play and leadership style that is going to change, that is obvious, but I cannot come here and think it is about my fingerprint or myself. It is not about myself.”

He also said he had used his 11 months away from the game to “think and prepare” and he had mellowed despite his abrasiveness being a well-known character trait.

“You never lose your DNA – you are what you are – for the good things and the bad things,” he said.

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“I was always humble.

“The problem was that you didn’t understand that. I was always humble but it was in my way.”

Pochettino lost his job after a poor start to the campaign that has left 14th-placed Spurs 11 points behind the top four and 20 behind Premier League leaders and European champions Liverpool (34), but Mourinho praised his predecessor for laying the groundwork in his 51/2 years at the helm.

On the 47-year-old Argentinian, who led Spurs to four consecutive top-four finishes, he said: “I have to congratulate him for the work he has done.

“This club will always be his home. This training ground will always be his training ground. The door will always be open for him. He will find a great club again and he will have a great future.”

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Although the team are probably too far behind the Reds to catch up in the league, Mourinho also expressed his confidence that they will be in the mix next term.

He added: “We can’t win the Premier League this season. Next season, I’m not saying we will win it, but we can win it.”

His first match in charge will be on Saturday at West Ham, two places below them, and he will be without Erik Lamela and captain-goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Former Arsenal soccer player Partey charged with five counts of rape

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 Premier League - Arsenal v Manchester City - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - February 2, 2025 Arsenal's Thomas Partey during the warm-up before the match REUTERS/David Klein/File Photo

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.

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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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Rashford, Garnacho among five players seeking Man Utd exit

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Premier League - Manchester United v Newcastle United - Old Trafford, Manchester, Britain - December 30, 2024 Manchester United's Marcus Rashford warms up as a substitute during the match REUTERS/Phil Noble/File Photo

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.

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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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Fernandes rejects Al-Hilal offer to stay at Manchester United

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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.

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“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.

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-Reuters

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