Premier League
Reaction To Liverpool Manager Klopp Leaving At End Of Season –
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp has announced his decision to leave the club at the end of this season.
Following are quotes and reaction:
CARLO ANCELOTTI, REAL MADRID MANAGER
“It’s surprising, but I understand it. It can happen after so much time that his motivation drops a little and I think that’s what happened to him.
“For me, all the respect goes to him because he is a great coach and he will continue to contribute a lot to football.”
MICHAEL OWEN, FORMER LIVERPOOL PLAYER
“All great things inevitably come to an end but I thought it would be two or three years down the line.”
“Memories to last a lifetime. One of the greatest managers ever.”
XABI ALONSO, BAYER LEVERKUSEN MANAGER AND FORMER LIVERPOOL PLAYER, LINKED WITH LIVERPOOL JOB
“I have huge respect for Juergen, huge admiration before coming to Liverpool and during his years there it has become even bigger for what he has achieved and how he achieved it.
“At the moment I am really happy here, enjoying my work here. Each day and each game is a challenge. I am not in a moment to think about the next thing. I’m just thinking about what is now.”
ERIK TEN HAG, MANCHESTER UNITED MANAGER
“It’s no good for the Premier League.
“So, he has made an era there, he built the club, he brought the club back where they belong, so congratulations on that. He has done an amazing job in Liverpool.
“The Premier League is very intense, the combination with European club football, when you’re there nine years it’s a long period and I can understand he is running out of energy and that is one of his arguments to step down.”
PETER MOORE, FORMER CEO AT LIVERPOOL
“Well this is news you didn’t want to wake up to on a Friday morning. So fortunate to have been present to watch in awe of the impact this man had on our club and to enjoy the success he and his staff created. He was made for Liverpool, and Liverpool was made for him.”
JAMIE CARRAGHER, FORMER LIVERPOOL PLAYER AND TELEVISION PUNDIT
“This news was always going to be a body blow to the club whenever it came. I just thought it would be another few years away. What a manager, what a man, let’s go out with a bang Juergen.”
GRAEME SOUNESS, FORMER LIVERPOOL PLAYER AND MANAGER
“I’m amazed, I just think the demands of that job, it’s one of the best jobs in the world if you get it right and he has done that. It would appear he has got a team again but it’s just the toll it takes on the individual.
“When I look at Juergen Klopp he is such a perfect fit for Liverpool cause he is on it, he’s at it. He’s aggressive, he’s emotional and confrontational but that takes a toll. The pressure of being a manager at a big football club are enormous.”
EDIN TERZIC, BORUSSIA DORTMUND MANAGER
“Juergen Klopp is an outstanding person. I was lucky enough to get to know him here. He has shaped our club and Liverpool like no other. I am sure that there will be another station in his coaching life, there will be a place where he will do a similarly good job.”
THOMAS TUCHEL, BAYERN MUNICH MANAGER
“I have to digest that first, I can’t say anything at the moment. Kloppo is one of the very best coaches in the world, he has always managed to influence the clubs where he worked. It’s big news.”
-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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