Premier League
HERO’S WELCOME FOR BALE AT TOTTENHAM
Gareth Bale has landed in London to rejoin Tottenham Hotspur, the club he left in 2013. He was seen sporting a big smile as he arrived at Tottenham’s Enfield training ground to sign the contract to seal his return to his former side.
Bale has agreed a season-long loan deal to return to north London. He will earn more than £13million in wages as part of the one-year deal negotiated by Tottenham chairman Levy.
After flying into Luton airport shortly after midday on Friday, he was driven to the club’s training base and was greeted by excitable supporters giving him a hero’s welcome.
One excited fan, who had tracked the flight online to Luton, was among the first to get up close to Bale at the airport as he posed for a selfie inside a black Audi for the fan.
Other supporters headed for the club’s training ground and were left waiting on the side of the road for him to arrive. When he pulled in, there were loud cheers and Bale looked delighted to be back.
He gave a thumbs up on arrival as supporters clamoured for selfies with the returning hero.
Levy was pictured arriving bright and early at Tottenham’s Enfield base earlier on Friday morning as he was left sitting tight to announce Bale‘s return to the club.
Bale and Reguilon said goodbye to their team-mates at Real’s Valdebebas training facility on Thursday and they wasted no time on Friday in heading for the airport.
Levy was seen being temperature tested by security staff on his arrival as part of ongoing protocol amid the coronavirus pandemic. The players will face a similar protocol when they arrive later on Friday afternoon.
It is believed Levy sorted a large portion of the deal on Tuesday with Jose Mourinho a driving force in helping move it along following their opening day defeat to Everton in the Premier League.
A few minor formalities were completed on Thursday and all that is left is for Bale to arrive back in north London and sign.
Even with the deal close to completion, Mourinho refused to be drawn into public comment on the Bale move after Thursday night’s 2-1 Europa League victory against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in Bulgaria.
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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