Southampton have appointed Nathan Jones as their new manager to replace Ralph Hasenhuttl.
The Saints dismissed Hasenhuttl this week in the wake of Sunday s 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United, a result that left them 18th in the Premier League with just one game remaining before the World Cup break.
Jones, who guided Luton Town to the Championship play-offs last season, was swiftly made a priority target and on Thursday he was confirmed as Southampton s new boss.
The 49-year-old, who also spent a brief spell at Stoke City in 2019, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal and will face Liverpool at Anfield in his first game at the helm.
Obviously, I wanted to manage in the Premier League, I ve dreamt of that since I ve become a coach or a manager, but this club…
Spain and Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta hopes to see Iker Casillas back on the pitch soon after the goalkeeping great suffered a heart attack during training with Porto on Wednesday.
Porto confirmed Casillas, 37, was taken to hospital but is now in a stable condition, his heart problem resolved .
Azpilicueta represented his country alongside Casillas, who is Spain s record appearance maker with 167 caps, and offered well-wishes at a pre-match news conference ahead of Chelsea s Europa League semi-final encounter at Eintracht Frankfurt.
It was the first thing I wanted to say before any question and, obviously, I want to wish him a good recovery, he said.
The news has shocked us, it is quite tough. But we have been told that he is doing wel…
Former Wrexham defender Neil Taylor has told the club’s Hollywood owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds to stay clear of signing big-name “over the hill” players and avoid a “circus”.
Actors McElhenney and Reynolds have transformed Wrexham since buying the club in February 2021, with the Dragons set to end a 15-year absence from the English Football League after winning the National League title.
Wrexham’s promotion has seen them linked with several prominent names, among them former Real Madrid and Wales star Gareth Bale, who McElhenney and Reynolds attempted to lure out of retirement.
Former Wales forward Hal Robson-Kanu and ex-Blackburn and Norway midfielder Morten Gamst Pedersen, now 41, have also offered their services to Wrexham since promotio…
A William Troost-Ekong penalty gave Nigeria a 1-0 victory over hosts Ivory Coast at the Africa Cup of Nations on Thursday.
The Nigeria captain struck from the spot early in the second half in Abidjan as the Super Eagles claimed their first victory of the tournament and leapfrogged the Ivorians in Group A.
Ivory Coast spurned a host of chances and paid the price after Ola Aina was adjudged to have fouled Victor Osimhen in the area following a review by VAR.
FULL-TIME!
Troost-Ekong scores through a penalty kick to secure a precious victory for Nigeria against hosts Cote d Ivoire! |
— CAF (@CAF_Online)
The result meant Nigeria drew level with Equatorial Guinea on four points in the group, while Ivory Coast have three with one game to p…
The UK and Ireland’s bid to host Euro 2028 has been formally approved, UEFA has announced.
Ten stadia across the five nations will host the matches in five years’ time, with analysts projecting a three billion euro (£2.6bn) boost to the host nation economies on the back of the tournament.
The bid was unopposed after Turkey withdrew to focus on a joint bid for the 2032 finals alongside Italy, and it was given the official seal of approval by UEFA’s executive committee on Tuesday morning.
CONFIRMED: will take place in the UK and Republic of Ireland!
Proposed venues include Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Dublin, Glasgow, Liverpool, London (x2) Manchester and Newcastle.
Congratulations to our confirmed hosts!
— UEFA (@UEFA)
Manager Phil Parkinson believes Wrexham’s Hollywood-propelled journey has laid an attractive path that the likes of non-League Chorley can follow with pop group Boyzone.
Vanarama National League North outfit Chorley have said they want to replicate the success of Wrexham after entering into negotiations for Boyzone to become the new face of their club.
Wrexham returned to the English Football League after a 15-year absence in 2023, fuelled by the investment and publicity that followed their high-profile takeover by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
They are now challenging for promotion from Sky Bet League Two and Parkinson, who coincidentally was born in Chorley, believes the Red Dragons have changed perceptions of the divisions below the elite.
Best odds: 13/5
Bookmaker:
In a bid to advance from the competitive Champions League Group of Death , AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund clash at San Siro on Tuesday evening, seeking to capitalize on their previous European triumphs.
Dortmund currently lead Group F with seven points, securing consecutive wins against Newcastle United. Meanwhile, Milan, positioned third, are only two points adrift after their recent victory over Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month.
AC Milan
In the race to secure a spot in the Champions League s knockout stage, four clubs are tightly packed within a three-point range as they approach the penultimate fixtures of Group F.
Milan, after their comeback victory against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month, where Rafael…
Arsenal s love affair with the FA Cup continued with a 2-1 fourth-round victory over Bournemouth on Monday.
The competition s most successful club, with 13 wins, secured a last-16 trip to 2008 winners Portsmouth courtesy of a deserved triumph at the Vitality Stadium.
Bukayo Saka opened the scoring inside five minutes to cap a fine team move involving all 10 outfield players, with Eddie Nketiah doubling the visitors lead before the break.
Mikel Arteta s side conceded a late goal to Sam Surridge after he came off the bench to open his account for the Cherries, whose focus will switch back to the task of Premier League survival.
Arsenal made an early statement of intent with an excellent display of passing and movement that led to Saka thrashing home t…
Nottingham Forest have lodged an appeal against the four-point penalty imposed last week for breaching Premier League financial rules.
Forest issued a terse statement confirming the course of action, in contrast to their lengthy and indignant response when the sanction was initially handed out on March 18.
The club’s statement on Monday read: “Nottingham Forest can confirm that it has today lodged an appeal against the four-point sanction imposed by the Commission in relation to the Club’s breach of the Premier League’s Profit Sustainability Rules (PSR).
Club statement.
— Nottingham Forest (@NFFC)
“The club will not be making any further statement at this time.”
The points deduction dropped Forest into the Premier League’s…
Best Odds: 7/10
Bookmaker:
Two sides making their final appearance before heading into this summer s European Championships, Belgium will welcome Croatia to Brussels for a friendly matchup on Sunday night.
Belgium
Starting with the hosts, while Belgium might have thought they had been handed a real chance when Greece came to town earlier in the week, The Red Devils failed to get their preparations off to a flyer. Despite taking an expected 1-0 lead in Brussels on Thursday night, Roberto Martínez s side were left frustrated after having to settle for a 1-1 draw on home soil. Although they might have unleashed the likes of Inter Milan ace Romelu Lukaku from the start, the one-time Wigan boss saw his side put in a very questionable second-half performance. Failin…