Premier League
Ndidi, Iheanacho get interim manager at relegation-threatened Leicester
Nigeria’s duo of Wilfred Ndidi and Kelechi Iheanacho noow have a new boss in their club as Leicester City have named ex-Aston Villa and Norwich City boss Dean Smith as caretaker manager until the end of the season after parting ways with Brendan Rodgers, the Premier League club said on Monday.
Smith takes over from Rodgers, who left the club by mutual consent earlier this month with the team second-bottom in the table and facing potential relegation.
“Smith brings a wealth of managerial experience and expertise to the role and, along with his coaching team, will be tasked with helping the football club retain its Premier League status as we head into the final eight games of the current season,” Leicester said in a statement.
Leicester won the Premier League title in 2015-16 against all odds but are now in danger of the drop after nine seasons in the top flight.
Smith’s appointment comes in the wake of Leicester’s 1-0 home defeat to Bournemouth, their 19th league defeat of the season. The East Midlands club have 25 points after 30 games, two points adrift of the safety zone.
“I’m really happy to have the opportunity to lead the team during these final weeks of the season,” Dean Smith said.
“The challenge in front of us is clear, but it’s one myself and my coaching team have experienced before and, with the quality in this squad and the number of games remaining, it’s very much achievable.
Smith’s first game in charge of Leicester will be a trip to reigning champions Manchester City on Saturday. Leicester have not won a game in all competitions since Feb. 11.
“Our first job is to rebuild confidence and instil belief in the team and I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players this week,” Smith added.
“Saturday will be a big test, but it’s the kind of occasion that reminds us all what it means to be a Premier League club, competing on the biggest stages against the best players in the world.”
The Englishman last managed in the Premier League during the 2021-22 season, in which his Norwich side were relegated. He left Norwich in December with the team struggling in their bid to earn promotion back to the top-flight from the Championship.
Prior to his spell at Norwich, Smith was in charge of Villa between 2018-2021, guiding them back to the top flight via the playoffs in his first campaign before helping them retain top-flight status in the following season.
He also came close to winning silverware with Villa when he led them to the League Cup final in 2020, where they lost 2-1 to City.
“We’ve endured a challenging season, but I have no doubt that we have the quality in our squad to win this fight,” Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha said.
“Dean’s experience will be key to unlocking that potential, helping the team rediscover its confidence and channelling the support of our fans, who will be so important during these final eight games.
“This is a fight we can win, together.”
Craig Shakespeare, who was assistant coach to Smith at Norwich and Villa, will reprise his role at Leicester, the club he guided to the Champions League quarter-finals during his spell in charge of them in 2017.
Former England and Chelsea defender John Terry, who was part of Smith’s coaching set up at Villa, will also join Leicester.
-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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