Premier League
PORTUGUESE MANAGERS, MOURINHO AND SANTO IN FINAL-DAY FIGHT FOR EUROPA LEAGUE PLACE
Former colleagues Nuno Espirito Santo and Jose Mourinho both aim to secure sixth place and a guarantee of European football for next season
They once celebrated European glory together but now Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo find themselves on opposite sides of a battle to qualify for continental competition.
Nuno was a goalkeeper for Mourinho’s Porto and was on the bench when the Portuguese club won the UEFA Cup final in 2002/03.
Seventeen years on, Nuno is aiming to ensure his Wolverhampton Wanderers side finish above his former boss’s Tottenham Hotspur team and earn a place in the UEFA Europa League, formerly known as the UEFA Cup.
Both men know sixth place will guarantee a spot in the competition, while seventh may not be enough.
Ahead of the final day, their sides lie just one point apart, and the battle could be decided by goal difference.
Wolves’ fate is in their own hands and if they win on Sunday, they will finish sixth. But they face a tricky trip to Chelsea, who have all to play for themselves as they target a top-four finish.
Spurs have won their last three matches and visit a Crystal Palace side who have lost their last seven. But a victory would be futile if Wolves also win.
A draw would be enough for Spurs if Wolves lose. In that scenario, Mourinho’s side would grab sixth place on goal difference.
Possible redemption
There is a chance that both clubs could ultimately qualify for the UEFA Europa League via their Premier League finishing position.
But for this to happen, whichever team finish seventh would need a favour from Chelsea in the FA Cup final.
If Frank Lampard’s side beat Arsenal at Wembley on 1 August, the Blues would earn a European place as a prize for winning the cup, but they will already have qualified through their league position.
The UEFA Europa league spot would therefore go to the seventh-placed team instead.
On the other hand, if 10th-placed Arsenal win the FA Cup they would take the third and final place.
Another route for Wolves
If this were to happen and Wolves were the side who finished seventh, they would still have a chance to qualify for Europe by winning this season’s UEFA Europa League.
They face Olympiacos in the second leg of their round-of-16 encounter on 6 August, having drew the away tie 1-1.
If they go on to win the entire competition they would then be rewarded with a UEFA Champions League spot.
But with so many factors to consider, Nuno and his team will no doubt do everything they can to win on Sunday and secure European football for next season, regardless of what happens elsewhere.
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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