Premier League
PEP GUARDIOLA FINALLY REPLACES MIKEL ARTETA
Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola finally replaces his former assistant, Mikel Arteta as he brings in Juanma Lillo – his former boss and a man he calls ‘the maestro’ – to be his assistant at Manchester City
According to Daily Mail, Manchester City have been hunting for Mikel Arteta’s successor since his move to Arsenal last December, with first-team coach Rodolfo Borrell acting as No 2 in the interim.
Lillo – a Spaniard who has held roles at Real Sociedad, Chile and Sevilla – briefly managed Guardiola at Mexican side Dorados Sinaloa in 2006.
The pair first met in the 1990s, with Lillo a tactician in a similar mould to the City boss and their mutual hero, Johan Cruyff.
Guardiola has described Lillo as a ‘maestro’ and his spell in Mexico is credited with setting him up for the subsequent trophy-laden years at Barcelona. Lillo, meanwhile, has not been able to sustain success in management positions.
Lillo has not yet signed a formal contract with City but, having held talks with Guardiola, is the overwhelming favourite to land the role.
Guardiola had discussed the prospect of Vincent Kompany making the switch back to the Etihad Stadium but now looks set to land Lillo. According to Marca, Xabi Alonso was also considered as a possibility to step in as number two.
The 54-year-old Lillo has been managing Qingdao Huanghai in China, with Yaya Toure among his squad, before recently departing amid the coronavirus pandemic. Lillo once said in 2012 that Guardiola was ‘like my son’, and the pair are set to renew their relationship next season.
The City boss spent the twilight of his career in Mexico, where he learned under the stewardship of Lillo at Dorados Sinaloa, while he also labelled Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa and former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger as managerial inspirations.
Lillo has been a coach since the 1980s, and became the youngest ever manager of a La Liga club when he took over as manager of Salamanca before turning 30.
He has spent the last couple of years in the Far East, where he resigned as manager of Vissel Kobe after finishing mid-table despite the signings of Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Lukas Podolski, as well as the financial backing of Rakuten.
JUANMA LILLO MANAGERIAL CAREER
1981–1985 Amaroz KE
1985–1988 Tolosa
1988–1989 Mirandes
1990–1991 Mirandes
1991–1992 Cultural Leonesa
1992–1996 Salamanca
1996–1997 Oviedo
1998 Tenerife
2000 Zaragoza
2003–2004 Ciudad Murcia
2004–2005 Terrassa
2005–2006 Dorados Sinaloa
2008–2009 Real Sociedad
2009–2010 Almería
2014 Millonarios
2015–2016 Chile (assistant)
2016–2017 Sevilla (assistant)
2017 Atlético Nacional
2018–2019 Vissel Kobe
2019– Qingdao Huanghai
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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