Europa League final: Why stakes are high for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Manchester United against Villarreal May 25, 2021 By reaching the Europa League final and finishing second in the Premier League, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has delivered the necessary progress to keep his job. But that doesn’t mean that the stakes aren’t high for both Solskjaer and Manchester United when they meet Villarreal in Gdansk on Wednesday night. Like a lot of people, I [...]
Ben White, Ben Godfrey and Trent Alexander-Arnold in provisional England Euro 2020 squad but no place for Eric Dier, James Maddison or Patrick Bamford May 25, 2021 Gareth Southgate has named uncapped defenders Ben White and Ben Godfrey in his provisional 33-man England squad for Euro 2020. Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jack Grealish, Jesse Lingard, Mason Greenwood, Bukayo Saka, Ollie Watkins, Jude Bellingham, Conor Coady and Aaron Ramsdale are also in the expanded party. Eric Dier, James Maddison and Patrick Bamford miss out but [...]
Leicester City’s Champions League deja vu casts Brendan Rodgers as the nearly man yet again May 24, 2021 This has, on the whole, been another outstanding season for Leicester and their manager, Brendan Rodgers. Although the pain of having a Champions League place wrenched from their grasp on the last day of the season will still be acute, any Leicester fan would surely have taken fifth place in the Premier League and a [...]
Sunday Times Rich List: Marcus Rashford tops the UK’s biggest givers May 21, 2021 Manchester United football player Marcus Rashford has become the youngest person to top The Sunday Times Giving List this year, which measures philanthropy among the ultra-wealthy. The list highlighted today that the UK saw more new billionaire’s during the pandemic than any other time over the list’s 33-year history. However, this year also saw a record amount of donations, exceeding £4bn [...]
England Euro 2020 squad: Why Emile Smith Rowe and Nat Phillips deserve a place on form but Trent Alexander -Arnold and Eric Dier do not May 21, 2021 Who should be in Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2020 squad this summer? That is the debate that is sure to rage before Southgate names his 26-man squad for the European Championship on Tuesday 25 May at 1pm – and will probably rumble on long afterwards. For a purely objective assessment, we asked Carteret Analytics to [...]
Week in Sportbiz: Bitcoin plunge hits chess grandmasters; ‘Stamford Beach’ stunt recalls Chelsea row; and Hundred teams get new spinners May 20, 2021 When is a $100,000 bonus not worth $100,000? That is a conundrum for the chess grandmasters taking part in the FTX Crypto Cup. The tournament, which features world champion Magnus Carlsen and starts this weekend, is offering a $320,000 prize to the winner – a record for an online chess event. But $100,000 of that [...]
Modernising Burnley: How ALK Capital plan to use artificial intelligence and a network of partner clubs to take the Clarets into a new era May 20, 2021 Think of Burnley FC and you think of target men, tigerish midfielders and hulking centre-backs. Of manager Sean Dyche’s gravelly tones. Of one of the Premier League’s less fashionable and most traditional clubs consistently outperforming more glamorous rivals with a defiantly no-nonsense brand of football. But for all that they have punched above their weight, [...]
Inter Milan close to €275m bailout by private equity firm Oaktree May 19, 2021 Inter Milan is said to be closing in on a €275m (£237m) bailout by US private equity firm Oaktree Capital to shore up its finances following the collapse of the European Super League. As part of the deal, Oaktree would take a 30 per cent stake in the Italian football team and provide a much-needed [...]
Police investigating explosion and fire at home of Celtic chief Peter Lawwell May 19, 2021 An investigation is under way into an explosion and fire at the home of Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell which forced the family to flee. Celtic FC said the family are “extremely shaken and shocked” by the blaze, which caused “significant damage”, but they are all safe. Firefighters were called to the blaze which affected [...]
Roy Hodgson set for emotional farewell to Crystal Palace fans after club confirm he will step down in the summer May 18, 2021 Crystal Palace have announced that Roy Hodgson will step down as manager at the end of the current season. The former England coach, 73, has been in charge at his boyhood club since 2017, during which time he has succeeded in keeping them in the Premier League. “After more than 45 years of coaching I [...]
