When Manchester United sacked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and announced a caretaker manager would then be followed by an interim manager to be replaced by a third coach at the end of the season, confusion would have been written over the faces of many supporters.
It seemed an unnecessarily convoluted process to just appointing someone better than Solskjaer, but perceptions are already starting to change.
Michael Carrick had a pretty daunting introduction to life at the helm, with a crucial Champions League match followed by a trip to imperious Premier League leaders Chelsea.
Yet, after what was presumably his second and final game in charge, he s seen United take an entirely respectable four points – Ralf Rangnick waits in the wings, and there were even hallmarks of t…
Bordeaux right-back Mariano is set to seal his switch to Sevilla after passing a medical on Monday.
Sevilla made a move for the Brazilian after Aleix Vidal departed for La Liga rivals Barcelona earlier in the transfer window following a string of impressive performances for the back-to-back UEFA Europa League winners.
Mariano joined Bordeaux from Fluminese in his homeland back in 2011 and has been a regular starter for the Ligue 1 club ever since.
A statement on Sevilla s website on Monday confirmed that the 29-year-old had come through a medical and will sign a three-year contract before being officially presented on Tuesday.
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Burnley are closing in on the signing of Aaron Lennon from Everton, according to the Mail Online.
The England international has moved down the pecking order at Goodison Park following the return to fitness of Yannick Bolasie and the signing of Theo Walcott from Arsenal and is ready for a new challenge, with the Clarets beating Newcastle United in the race to secure his services.
Lennon moved to Everton initially on loan from Tottenham Hotspur in February 2015 before signing for them permanently the following summer.
In total he racked up seventy-seven appearances in all competitions, scoring nine goals having spent almost a decade with Spurs, for whom he played three hundred and sixty-four times.
Internationally, he has been capped twenty-one times …
AFC Champions League holders Jeonbuk Motors have filed a request with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a stay of execution on their ban from continental competition in 2017.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) last week suspended Jeonbuk as a result of a 2013 match-fixing scandal in which one of their scouts was found to have made payments to referees.
Jeonbuk were docked nine points and fined 100 million South Korean won (approximately US$85,000) by the Korean Football Association last September, ultimately handing the K-League title to FC Seoul.
The club have requested measures to allow them to compete in the 2017 Champions League while their appeal to CAS is ongoing.
CAS intends to announce its decision on February 3.
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Highly rated coach Abelardo has decided to leave Deportivo Alaves.
Abelardo replaced Gianni De Biasi in December 2017 and comfortably steered the club to safety, winning three of their final five matches of the season.
Alaves built on that with a remarkable start to 2018-19 and spent most of the campaign in the running for a top-four finish.
As recently as April 4 they were fifth in the table, but a run of just one win in their last 10 LaLiga matches ultimately saw them slide.
En Vitoria siempre serás bien recibido. El Deportivo Alavés siempre será tu casa, míster
— Deportivo Alavés (@Alaves)
In the end Alaves finished 11th and Abelardo has decided the time is right to part ways, insisting in his farewell news conference on Mon…
Antonio Conte believes he retains the total commitment of his Chelsea squad after their performances were criticised by ex-Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane.
Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 3-0 Premier League win over West Brom after shock defeats to Bournemouth and Watford led to renewed speculation over Conte s future.
The Premier League champions lie fourth, 19 points behind Manchester City with 11 games of the season remaining and Keane appeared to liken Chelsea s efforts this time around to their feeble title defence in 2015-16, where a dramatic slump in form saw Jose Mourinho sacked before Christmas.
These Chelsea lads are so unprofessional, Keane told ITV Sport. When they go and win the league in the last few years, they ve [subsequently] dow…
Franck Ribery s arrival at Salernitana was compared to Diego Maradona joining Napoli, but the veteran winger just wants to help the club retain their Serie A status.
It was confirmed on Monday that Ribery, 38, had signed a one-year contract at the Stadio Arechi. The deal will be extended for another year if the club achieve certain sporting objectives.
The former France international was a free agent after leaving Fiorentina, where he spent two seasons following the conclusion of a trophy-laden 12-year stint with Bayern Munich.
He will spend 2021-22 with Salernitana, who have started their first top-flight campaign in 23 years with back-to-back defeats against Bologna and Roma.
Salernitana sporting director Angelo Fabiani last week said R…
Real Madrid assistant coach David Bettoni urged patience with Eden Hazard after the playmaker showed signs of his best in a win over Deportivo Alaves.
Hazard has struggled to find his best form since arriving at Madrid from Chelsea in 2019, but he scored once and set up another in Saturday s 4-1 LaLiga victory.
The 30-year-old scored and assisted in a single game for Madrid for just the second time and first since October 2019 before coming off just after the hour-mark.
Bettoni, who took charge for the game after Zinedine Zidane tested positive for coronavirus, said Hazard needed time.
I think Eden has had a tough season and a half with Real Madrid, he told a news conference.
We have to be patient with him, although obviously in football and esp…
Saudi Arabia captain Salman Al Faraj has been ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup through injury.
The Al Hilal defender injured his leg in Tuesday s shock 2-1 win over Argentina and left the stadium on crutches.
Al Faraj did not feature in Saudi Arabia s 2-0 loss to Poland in their second Group C contest on Saturday and will play no further part in their Qatar 2022 campaign.
A Saudi statement confirmed the news on Sunday and added Al Faraj, who has been capped 71 times for his country, will undergo a full recovery programme.
National team head coach permits Salman Al Faraj to leave the training camp to recover from his injury
— Saudi National Team (@SaudiNT_EN)
Saudi Arabia are also without Yasser Al Shahrani after he underwen…
FIFA has confirmed Cristiano Ronaldo did not score Portugal s first goal in Monday s win over Uruguay after Adidas match ball technology revealed there was no touch on Bruno Fernandes cross.
Ronaldo was initially thought to have scored his ninth World Cup goal when he attempted to meet Fernandes inswinging delivery with a glancing header, putting Portugal on course for a 2-0 win.
The five-time Ballon d Or winner celebrated the strike wildly, though FIFA later intervened to award Fernandes with his first World Cup goal.
Fernandes later made the points safe from the penalty spot as Portugal confirmed their place in the last 16, and the use of technology from match ball suppliers Adidas means his brace will stand.
A statement from FIFA provided to ESPN read…