Premier League
Chelsea give new owners front row view of erratic form
The U.S. investors set to buy Chelsea were given a front-row view of the kind of chaotic performances that have marred this season for the European champions who threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Los Angeles Dodgers’ part-owner Todd Boehly, head of a group backed by private equity firm Clearlake Capital which agreed to the terms of a takeover earlier in the day, watched on as the Blues failed to win at home once again.
It had looked like being a happier introduction for Boehly and his consortium when Chelsea’s record signing Romelu Lukaku, making a rare start after a poor season, scored twice in the second half including a penalty that he earned.
But Chelsea’s frailties quickly became apparent after Wolves substitute Francisco Trincao scored in the 79th minute, triggering a nervous finale for the Blues.
They seemed to have just about held but in the 97th minute Wolves defender Conor Coady headed home with almost the last touch of the match.
Television cameras showed Boehly in an executive box celebrating Chelsea’s goals earlier in the game but looking on, apparently mystified, as the Blues threw away their lead.
The Londoners have suffered a recent dip in form as the club worked on the sale of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich’s ownership after he was sanctioned by Britain’s government, part of its crackdown on Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.
Coach Thomas Tuchel highlighted his side’s lack of discipline, which allowed Wolves back into the game on Saturday, but dismissed suggestions that the ownership uncertainty was to blame for his side’s recent stumbling form.
“We still hope for a positive outcome and of course that this situation is solved,” Tuchel said.
“But it’s not so it’s not worth thinking about it. We have our own stuff to solve and to do better because we struggle at the moment, obviously.”
Chelsea sit third in the Premier League and still look likely to claim a top-four finish that would qualify them for next season’s Champions League, a lucrative ticket to Europe’s top competition for their new owners.
-Reuters
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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