List of All Articles with Tag 'sport'

Chelsea are insistent on receiving at least £55m for Mason Mount this summer, with Manchester United yet to match the club’s valuation for the England international despite leading the race for his signature. The 24-year-old is willing to go to United amid interest from Liverpool and Arsenal and agreement on a price is now the only obstacle to his move to Old Trafford. Mount only has a year left on his contract and has refused to sign a new deal amid uncertainty at Chelsea. The midfielder believes United’s system under Erik ten Hag offers the best fit, with the Dutchman understood to have the clearest idea for him. United do not want to go as high as £55m because their own summer budget is open to change with the takeover, but it is felt a deal will eventually be done despite the clubs currently being some way off agreement. United thrashed Chelsea on Thursday night to secure Champions League qualification which drastically improved what they can offer Mount next season. Ahead of the meeting at Old Trafford, United boss Ten Hag rather pointedly noted that spending big sums without having a cohesive plan in place to utilise those signings effectively was a total waste - as Chelsea have found out this season. “When there is no strategy behind, or (not) the right strategy, money doesn’t work,” he said. “In this moment there is a centralisation of good players, of the best managers, also of the money, it is all here in the UK. And that makes a great competition, but also a tough and a hard competition. “And you have to do the right things and you can have money but you have to do it and spend it in a smart way and also you need a strategy behind it, because, otherwise, the money doesn’t work.” Read More £600m spent but still outscored by Haaland – Chelsea’s masterpiece of stupidity Manchester United owe Champions League return to one man Man Utd to learn extent of Antony injury which will see him miss FA Cup final

The Premier League title has been wrapped up and the Champions League places are set, but there’s still a European spot on the line and a relegation battle to be decided Sunday

Pep Guardiola has said he is “not optimistic” the Vinicius Junior racism row that has erupted in Spain will drive a change of attitude in the country. Real Madrid forward Vinicius was racially abused by fans during his side’s game at Valencia in LaLiga last week. The affair has sparked a wave of criticism of Spanish football and the way it deals with such matters. It is thought to be at least the 10th time Brazil international Vinicius has been racially abused this season alone. Manchester City manager Guardiola, the former Barcelona boss, believes the Spanish game can learn from English football on the issue. “They should,” he said. “Here they are so strict. They know what they have to do. “Of course racism is a problem everywhere, not just in one specific place. Everywhere we have (people) thinking we are better than our neighbours, we are better than the other ones, for all generations everywhere. We need to accept the diversity as a strength, like a human being – and still right now, we are far away from that Pep Guardiola “Our ancestors come from migrants, come from wars, come from dictatorships, you have to move from other countries, build families there and come back to where you’re born. “The problem is that there is racism everywhere. Not just for gender but for colour, for attitudes. We believe that our language is better than the other one, our country is better than the other one. “As much as you travel in other countries, you realise we are the same, with the same fears, with the same good things. “We need to accept the diversity as a strength, like a human being – and still right now, we are far away from that. “Hopefully it can be one step to getting better in Spain but I’m not optimistic. I know a little bit the country and I’m not really optimistic. “There are a lot of black people stepping forward to defend what they should not (have to) defend. Hopefully justice can help to do it but in the same time is it going to change anything in Spain?” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Pep Guardiola convinced Man City can make most of opportunity to win treble Ryan Mason believes Tottenham are still an attractive proposition for managers Rankings don’t lie – Dan Evans believes British tennis has soul-searching to do

Ryan Mason insists the Tottenham job remains an attractive proposition despite another protracted search for the head coach role. Spurs saw another contender to permanently replace Antonio Conte exit the running this week after Feyenoord boss Arne Slot committed his long-term future to the Eredivisie club before he signed a new deal on Friday. Tottenham held an interest in Slot but no direct discussions with the 44-year-old took place, the PA news agency understands. Other managers linked with the vacancy, such as Bayer Leverkusen head coach Xabi Alonso and Burnley boss Vincent Kompany, have also pledged their immediate futures to their current clubs, but acting head coach Mason is under no illusions the top job at Spurs remains desirable. Asked if the Tottenham job was still an attractive proposition, Mason replied: “Absolutely, yes. “It is Tottenham Hotspur, it is a big club. Not just for managers or coaches, but for staff members, for players. “Anyone here should feel the privilege and honour to represent the badge. If they don’t, then they shouldn’t be here. It is as simple as that.” When Conte left his position on March 26, Tottenham were firmly in the race for Champions League qualification but they travel to relegation-threatened Leeds on Sunday with only a faint chance of securing a place in the Europa Conference League. It is Tottenham Hotspur, it is a big club. Not just for managers or coaches, but for staff members, for players Ryan Mason Mason insisted that, while European football for next season is crucial, the most important task for the club is to put a plan in place. “Obviously it has its implications and it’s not where the football club wants to be. We definitely want to be competing in Europe,” Spurs’ acting head coach stated. “Any European competition is important for a club this size but at the same time the most important thing, regardless of whether we’re in or out of Europe, is that there is a plan and there is commitment from everyone to that going forward.” During the last few weeks, Mason has repeatedly referenced the need for commitment at the club without going into specifics. Even before Conte departed two months ago, the future of the Italian was uncertain with his deal set to expire this summer anyway. Mason again refused to be drawn on whether any coaches, players or staff had lacked commitment this season, but admitted the squad had been affected by the turmoil off the pitch. He added: “The results before he (Conte) left weren’t amazing. I don’t think results have dipped a huge amount. “Obviously we were in a different position but I think you could feel it, you could feel it the weeks leading up to it there was uncertainty and it’s never great to have that uncertainty. “We’ve probably been in that situation for the last eight weeks where there’s been a lot of uncertainty. “That is why one of my main things when me and my team of people came in, I wanted to create a togetherness and make us feel part of something towards the end of the season.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Rankings don’t lie – Dan Evans believes British tennis has soul-searching to do Cameron Norrie sees Lyon title defence ended by Francisco Cerundolo Mikel Arteta braced for even harder Premier League challenge next season

Ivan Toney has responded to additional revelations about his ban for gambling on football matches with a cryptic message posted on social media. The England striker was banned for eight months last week, and fined £50,000, after admitting to 232 breaches of the Football Association’s betting rules and the full written reasons behind the suspension were released as a report by the FA on Friday. They included the fact that Toney bet on his own team to lose on 13 occasions – although he was not in the matchday squad for any of those games – and that the 27-year-old had his suspension reduced from 15 months to eight months after being diagnosed as a gambling addict. Shortly after the report came to light, the Brentford forward posted on Twitter, writing “I’ll speak soon with no filter”. A couple of hours later, he then took to Instagram and posted a short message on his stories that gave an insight as to his reaction to the information. Toney wrote: “I used to rush to defend myself against false accusations but now I watch to see who believes it so I know who to cut off first.” The report that was released also showed that Toney admitted to lying to the FA about betting on football and providing inside information to a friend on when he was starting a game, while he also bet on himself to score in a number of matches when it wasn’t widely known that he would be in the starting line-up. He was going to be handed a 15-month ban for his breaches but the suspension was ultimately cut to eight months because he pleaded guilty and was diagnosed with a gambling addiction. Psychiatrist Dr Philip Hopley attended Toney’s personal hearing and diagnosed the England international with the addiction. “The commission finds that a significant reduction should be made to reflect the diagnosed gambling addiction identified by Dr Hopley,” the report explained. “The lack of control the player has in respect of gambling is clearly a reflection of his diagnosed gambling addiction. “The present case is not one of match-fixing. If it was, the charges would have been pursued under different provisions. “There is no evidence that Mr Toney did or was even in a position to influence his own team to lose when he placed bets against them winning, he was not in the squad or eligible to play at the time.” Read More Ivan Toney bet on own team to lose as gambling addiction revealed Gareth Southgate urges football to be ‘careful’ after Ivan Toney punishment Ivan Toney handed eight-month ban for breaching betting rules

Mikel Arteta has warned Arsenal the competition will be even tougher if they hope to mount another Premier League title challenge next season. Wolves visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday for a fixture that at one stage looked like it would mark Arsenal’s coronation as champions for the first time in 19 years. Instead they go into their final game eight points adrift of champions Manchester City, the same margin that Arteta’s side led by in early April, with their courageous title tilt having finally been ended by defeat to Nottingham Forest last Saturday. Arsenal’s challenge has wilted since they threw away a 2-0 lead against Liverpool at Anfield on Easter Sunday, followed by successive draws against West Ham and Southampton before City finally took control of the race with a thumping 4-1 win against the Gunners at the Etihad. Arteta called for his players to end a nevertheless memorable season on a high against Wolves, but pointed to what is likely to be an even more intense struggle next campaign if the club are to finally end a two-decade wait to be champions. “The competition is going to be even harder next season,” said Arteta. “In my opinion it’s been the hardest this season in 22 years that I’ve been in this league. “In order to (compete) we have a really promising plan, we have to reflect a little bit, take a step back, make sure this is the right one and go again with more determination and hunger in the tummies to do even better. “Now is about finishing the season in style and providing a great performance and a victory in front of our people to show our gratitude. “(We) received a lot of incredible energy they have given us throughout the season, and (we will) start to build for next season. We have to wrap it up in the best possible way. It’s been some journey, full of emotions. “Looking with a bit of perspective, there’s a lot of things not only on the field that have happened at the club that deserve a lot of credit for a lot of people. “We have to nail everything that we do, we have to seek excellence in everything that we touch and we participate in that’s going to have a big impact at the club.” Arsenal’s late collapse was in part precipitated by the loss of defender William Saliba to injury in March, with the deputising Rob Holding criticised for failing to match the 22-year-old’s imperious form across the season. Arteta remained hopeful that the back injury the defender picked up during the team’s Europa League exit to Sporting Lisbon will not stretch into next season and that he will be ready to resume training after the summer. There is also optimism that Takehiro Tomiyasu, who has played only 21 times in the league due to injury, will be fit to take part in pre-season. Arteta said of Saliba: “He’s evolving the right way, the last few weeks have been much more positive than the previous two months. “We wanted to protect him, it’s an injury that needed some care and attention. We’ve been pretty conservative to give him the best possible chance to have a good pre-season and to go again next season. “Tomiyasu will be (back) around pre-season like Willy, they’ll be in a good place. They’ve been working so hard the boys, it’s been a really difficult year for (Tomiyasu) with some issues that he’s had. “He’s a tremendous person, a top professional, we just want him to be available because when he is he’s really helpful for the team.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Cameron Norrie sees Lyon title defence ended by Francisco Cerundolo Six former Yorkshire players sanctioned by CDC in Azeem Rafiq racism case The pressure is amazing – Unai Emery relishing shot at European qualification

Sam Allardyce has confirmed he will discuss whether he will continue as Leeds boss with the club’s hierarchy after Sunday’s final Premier League game of the season. Allardyce gave his biggest hint yet that he would be interested in remaining in the role, even if Leeds are relegated on the final day, after their last match against Tottenham at Elland Road. The former England manager said: “That’s to be decided at the end. It’s always been a case of we will discuss whatever we need to discuss at the end of the season based on where we are. “Also based on what I think the club needs to go forward and based on what the club thinks and if that’s aligned with each other, then we’ll wait and see. “But that discussion, it doesn’t happen in a morning or one day, it happens over a period of time and I just hope that we’re talking on a very positive nature on Monday morning and I have a hangover!” Leeds’ top-flight status hinges on them beating Tottenham and even victory will not be enough to save them unless the results of both relegation rivals, Everton and Leicester, go their way. Injuries to strikers Patrick Bamford and Rodrigo in last week’s 3-1 defeat at West Ham appeared to have dealt Leeds’ survival hopes another blow. But Rodrigo returned to training on Friday while Bamford has not yet been ruled out and Allardyce said he would be prepared to take a risk with any of his injured players with so much at stake. “I’ll gamble on anyone’s fitness if they want to play, if I think they can make a contribution to help us try to win the game,” Allardyce said. “It’s the last game, they will have plenty of time to recover, but there is obviously medical issues where if you play them the risk is too great and a lot of it is up to the player himself.” Leeds turned to Allardyce after sacking Javi Gracia with four games of the season remaining in a last-ditch bid to escape the drop. The former Bolton, West Ham and Everton boss has collected just one point in his first three outings but said camp spirit had risen after last week’s bitter disappointment when survival was taken out of Leeds’ hands. The 68-year-old, whose side have trained this week at Elland Road, added: “I’ve loved the mood and loved the application. We’re going to live or die on Sunday in terms of the result. “We train here (at Elland Road) for three days building up to the game. Familiarity, it’s all about this arena on Sunday with obviously the fantastic atmosphere that will go with it.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Six former Yorkshire players sanctioned by CDC in Azeem Rafiq racism case The pressure is amazing – Unai Emery relishing shot at European qualification Manager Julen Lopetegui will continue talks over Wolves future

Unai Emery has welcomed pressure as Aston Villa look to seal a European return. Victory over Brighton in Sunday’s Premier League finale will book seventh spot and a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs. Villa last competed in Europe in 2010-11 and Emery is relishing the task on Sunday, with the Seagulls having already sealed their Europa League spot. “For me, the pressure is amazing to try to feel matches when you’re playing for something important,” he said. “We want to be excited, not anxious, but to be excited, be very motivated and to enjoy the process. When you’re in the match, you have to be prepared to focus only on your game plan. “The players are doing that. When you are very focused and you’re really trying to work hard on your style and idea, and your players are practicing hard, this is a good way. “That is a moment you feel you are doing all you can on the pitch.” Alex Moreno is out with a hamstring injury while Philippe Coutinho is also sidelined and Diego Carlos is expected to miss out. Emery added: “In front of us is the most important match we are going to face. We are trying to prepare for it like the last matches we played, being motivated and enjoying the process. “Our time is coming on Sunday with our supporters in Villa Park to enjoy this match. We are going to face a very difficult team. “They are playing amazing football. Their structure, tactically, is very strong. I enjoy the matches we are playing in the Premier League and the matches we are watching of other teams. One of those teams is Brighton.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

Manchester City’s third-choice goalkeeper Scott Carson has signed a new 12-month contract, the Premier League champions have announced. The 37-year-old former England international has made just two first-team appearances since joining City, initially on loan, in 2019 but has been an important part of manager Pep Guardiola’s squad. “I’m excited to be staying at City,” Carson told the club’s website, www.mancity.com. “I love working with Pep, (coach) Xabi Mancisidor and our incredible players every day. “Hopefully I can help all of our goalkeepers be at their best.” Guardiola said: “We have him in the locker room and you cannot believe the impact.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

West Ham boss David Moyes has confirmed Gianluca Scamacca will miss the Europa Conference League final next month. Italian striker Scamacca, the £30.5million summer signing from Sassuolo, underwent knee surgery in April but there were hopes he could return before the end of the season. However, Moyes has ruled the 24-year-old out of the final against Fiorentina in Prague on June 7. “I see him being nowhere near it. He’s not back training and not back,” said Moyes. “He’s still doing his rehab in Italy just now, so I don’t expect to see him back before then, no. “He had his operation about four weeks ago, so he has still a few weeks of rehab to do but hopefully, he will be back ready at the start of pre-season.” The Hammers face relegation-threatened Leicester on the final day of the Premier League season, knowing a win on Sunday could lift them as high as 12th, above Chelsea. That would not be a bad result from a campaign which looked at times destined to end in relegation. “I take every game one at a time, that’s all we can ever do,” added Moyes. “It’s a chance to get your league place higher up and we’re all well aware of the value of that in the Premier League. “If you’d given me this position a few weeks ago I’d have snapped your hand off because we go into the last day without any real problems and, more importantly we go into it knowing we’ve got a cup final in a week or so’s time.” Leicester need a victory and a favour from Bournemouth at Everton in order to stay up. “I’m glad it’s a game where it’s not us needing to win it, because it was always a hard-looking game,” said Moyes. “They’ve had a great team over recent seasons, they really have. “I think it’s a bit of a surprise to everyone that they’re in the position they are in. They have got some top players and we’re going to have to defend well and deal with it well. Hopefully, we can.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Just win – Dean Smith keeps Leicester message simple ahead of crunch final day Sean Dyche is not concerned with Everton potentially looking for his replacement Scott Carson commits to Manchester City with new 12-month deal

Leicester boss Dean Smith has said his message to his players ahead of their all-or-nothing game with West Ham on Sunday will simply be “just win”. The Foxes have to win and hope that Everton cannot beat Bournemouth if they are to avoid relegation to the Championship. Smith, who was parachuted in on an eight-game SOS mission following the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, says that what happens at the King Power Stadium against the Hammers is the only thing the Foxes need to focus on. He said: “We have got to win the game plainly and simply, we have got to figure out and balance the best way to not give big chances away and create big chances against West Ham, who are in a European final and after a tough first half of the season have climbed away from danger and have got a very good manager there. “We have to win the game and not look at the Everton result until after the game. We have to do our job and see where it takes us. “We can only control what we can do. We have to control our performance, help your team-mates out and go and get a good performance and a win. “If we do our part we are looking at other people to help us, but we have to make sure we concentrate on what we do. It’s quite a simple message really and the lads have trained well so far. “The players want clarity of what their positions are, what we are asking of them and our job is to give them that. It doesn’t get any clearer for me: They have to win. That’s all they need to know and that’s all they do know. “We just have to concentrate on our own game. It’s simplistic, we have to win, it doesn’t matter what is going on at other grounds. Just win. “Whatever else is going on elsewhere we are not in control of. But we have seen how quickly things can change around in the last 15 minutes of games, whether it is this season or previous seasons. We win our games and then see where it goes.” Smith did not want to discuss his future beyond Sunday’s game, insisting that there will be a post-season debrief. Asked whether the outcome of the match will impact his future, Smith added: “Not at all, my future was to come in for seven weeks and eight games and that hasn’t change. My future is exactly the same. That is a question to have after the game and not before it.” The Foxes will be without Caglar Soyuncu, but Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Jonny Evans and Ricardo Pereira will all be fit. Wilfred Ndidi is a doubt with a hamstring injury. “Caglar is not fit, he has tried to get himself back into training this week but he just felt it, obviously it was too close but the fact he wanted to push it to be in contention shows a lot about his character. He’s definitely out,” Smith said. “Dewsbury-Hall is good, he’s been training with us for a couple of days now, so he’ll be available for selection. “(Kelechi) Iheanacho is fine, Jonny Evans had cramp he’s fine. Ricky we scanned him and he is fine, Wilf is the only question mark at the moment, we are waiting to see if he is good enough to train tomorrow.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sean Dyche is not concerned with Everton potentially looking for his replacement David Moyes: West Ham’s Gianluca Scamacca to miss Europa Conference League final Scott Carson commits to Manchester City with new 12-month deal

A lot of modern football grounds look like they could have been designed by the same person, often lacking in character and hard to pick apart. The same definitely cannot be said for Luton Town’s Kenilworth Road. The ground, which was built in 1905, has always been a point of curiosity for football fans, mainly thanks to its unique entrance. Rather than a conventional walkway and set of turnstiles, fans attending Luton games find themselves walking through what initially appears to be someone’s house, with a row of terraces on either side. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter What looks like an otherwise quiet residential street is actually hiding a football stadium holding more than 10,000 people. With Luton performing strongly this year and reaching the playoff final, people have been focusing on the unique entrance more than ever. With the side taking on Coventry in the play-off final, there’s a very real chance that the club will be experiencing Premier League football next year. @jordanevans1606 Everyone should experience Kenilworth Road at least once in their life ? #luton #lutontown #kenilworthroad #football #footballstadium While it remains one of the great curiosities in British football, a whole lot of changes to the ground are being planned for next year if they get to the Premier League. The owners of Luton Town have released details of planned upgrades, with the Bobbers stand set to be knocked down and the capacity upgraded to 19,500 – and a further 4,000 seats or safe standing section to be added in a second phase of upgrades. Luton CEO Gary Sweet, said: “We're delighted the infrastructure element is underway allowing us to develop the detail of the stadium's design and, in particular, work hard to capture the core characteristics that makes Kenilworth Road so atmospheric, so intimate and so special to us. “This season, perhaps more than any other, has demonstrated the incredible relationship we all have with The Kenny and that has been the driving force behind our design work… We know everyone is desperate for the new stadium to open – as are we! “It's clearly a hugely complicated project but the main aim has always been to maintain the architectural quality and to deliver a stadium that replicates an essential, unique character we are all so familiar with but also fit and ready to grace the Premier League stage.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.