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حُسمت هوية الأندية المتأهلة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل، 2024/25، قبل جولة من النهاية.

وتنتهي منافسات الموسم الحالي من الدوري الإنجليزي، 2023/24، مساء يوم الأحد المقبل.

وتحددت الأندية الأربعة المتأهلة إلى منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا الموسم المقبل، والتي ستكون في هيئة جديدة بمشاركة 36 فريقًا بدلًا من 32.

وفشل توتنهام في التأهل إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا بعدما تعرض للهزيمة الثلاثاء أمام مانشستر سيتي بهدفين دون رد، في مباراة مؤجلة من الجولة الرابعة والثلاثين.

هذه الهزيمة تعني إنهاء أستون فيلا للموسم في المركز الرابع، ومن ثم حجز البطاقة الأخيرة المؤهلة إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا. الفرق المتأهلة من الدوري الإنجليزي إلى دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024/25

المركز الأول: مانشستر سيتي (حتى الآن).

المركز الثاني: آرسنال (حتى الآن).

المركز الثالث: ليفربول.

المركز الرابع: أستون فيلا.

Chelsea are starting a new chapter at Stamford Bridge with many mainstays departing this summer and a new manager in Mauricio Pochettino hopeful to lead the West London club to a comeback when they return to action next weekend.

The Blues will open their Premier League campaign with a challenging fixture against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge next Sunday and the former Tottenham Hotspur boss will be hoping to make a great first impression in front of an unsettled home support who experienced an unforgivable drop in the high expectations held last season.

Three different managers tried to repair the ongoing issues during the last campaign with neither Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter or club legend Frank Lampard able to stop the rot that ultimately led to a 12th place finish in the top-flight and failure to secure European football.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

With less than a month left before the transfer window closes until the turn of the year, the coming days and weeks are crucial to ensure Pochettino has enough depth and quality all over the pitch to replace departures, improve key positions and bring Chelsea back to life over the 38-game campaign.

Who are Chelsea's transfer targets?

Now that Chelsea have agreed a deal to sign Robert Sanchez from Brighton and Hove Albion, the main focus is looking set on adding depth in midfield following a number of high-profile departures.

N'Golo Kante, Mateo Kovacic, Mason Mount and Denis Zakaria have all moved on this summer, and it is reported that Pochettino has drawn up a shortlist of midfield targets that include the likes of Leeds United's Tyler Adams, Ajax star Edson Alvarez and Brighton's Moises Caicedo.

However, due to a difficult season for newcomer Raheem Sterling, Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise is a player who has been named as a potential target for Chelsea this week, as the club intend to improve the creativity in the final third and goal contributions delivered to compete more comfortably with their top six rivals.

It is believed that Palace are commanding a £35m transfer fee for their star forward this summer.

Will Chelsea sign Michael Olise?

After signing for Chelsea in a £50m deal last summer, Sterling joined the fold in West London with high expectations attached to him following his outstanding success at Manchester City.

However, it hasn't been the fairytale switch for the England winger who managed to only find the back of the net six times and delivered three assists over 28 Premier League appearances last season, an inconsistent output that contributed to the team's struggles to take all three points from their opponents.

As a result, the signing of Olise could present an opportunity to add depth to the attacking third, with the Crystal Palace star versatile in his positioning and to potentially secure the services of an upgrade on Sterling.

Over 37 Premier League appearances last season, the 21-year-old – hailed a "special talent" by his former manager Patrick Vieira – scored two goals, registered a whopping 11 assists and created 11 big chances, as well as averaging 1.5 successful dribbles, 1.9 key passes and 5.4 duels won per game, as per SofaScore.

When comparing Olise's output to Sterling's last season, the France U21 talent comfortably outperformed his position competitor in a number of key attributes including shot-creating actions per 90 (4.68 v 3.23), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.43 v 0.19) and aerial duels won (30.9% v 27.8%), as per FBref.

As well as completing more progressive passes (4.35 v 3.39), successful take-ons (1.77 v 1.54), tackles won (1.90 v 0.93) and interceptions (0.85 v 0.07) per 90 minutes played, demonstrating that the all-action winger is a much better ball-winner than Sterling, something that could be incredibly valuable to Chelsea.

With that being said, if Pochettino can seal a deal for Olise this summer it would be a major coup for the manager and would provide the team with a fresh perspective in the final third that could massively pay off in the long-term future of the club.

The 2023/24 Scottish Premiership season kicks off this weekend as Celtic host Ross County at Parkhead and a number of new faces could be on display to the home crowd.

Who have Celtic signed so far this summer?

Manager Brendan Rodgers has been backed by the board as the club have snapped up five fresh additions to the squad.

Winger Marco Tilio and Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holn were his first two signings of the summer transfer window, after he came in to replace Ange Postecoglou in the dugout.

Since then, South Korean duo Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang have both arrived on permanent deals, whilst the newest member of the team is Polish central defender Maik Nawrocki, who has been brought in from Legia Warsaw.

There could be further signings before the deadline passes, though, and one player who has been linked with a switch to Paradise is Gwangju winger Ji-sung Eom.

How many goals has Ji-sung Eom scored this season?

The 21-year-old ace has produced two goals and two assists in nine K League 1 starts for his club in 2023 and his form over the last 18 months suggests that the potential is there for him to come in as an upgrade on Sead Haksabanovic.

Celtic's Montenegro international struggled to make a significant impact on the pitch during his debut campaign in Scotland after Postecoglou signed him from Rubin Kazan in 2022.

The 24-year-old produced five goals and two assists across 26 Scottish Premiership outings, which is an average of one direct contribution every 3.71 league matches.

The attacker also left a bit to be desired on the physical side of the game as the former West Ham United man lost 60% of his individual duels. Opposition players were able to get the better of him too often and that is a cause for concern moving forward if he is unable to improve on that whilst also rarely contributing at the top end of the pitch.

Eom, on the other hand, enjoyed a fantastic 2022 campaign with Gwangju and his performances suggest that he could offer far more than Haksabanovic for the Hoops.

The South Korea U22 international was rewarded for his form by being named the K League 2 Young Player of the Season, whilst he was also included in the division's Team of the Year.

He chipped in with nine goals – a return only two current Celtic players beat last term – and one assist in 28 league appearances, which is an average of one goal involvement every 2.8 outings.

The 5 foot 7 youngster, who was once described as "underrated" by scout Ali Can Kutlu, also held his own out of possession, in spite of his age, as he won 50% of his battles and came out on top in 5.4 per game, as per Sofascore, compared to Haksabanovic's 1.9.

Therefore, Eom could provide more strength off the ball whilst also being able to produce goal contributions more frequently from a wide position, which is why the Hoops target could be an upgrade on the ex-Hammers prodigy for Rodgers.

Former South Africa wicketkeeper-batsman Nic Pothas has been appointed Sri Lanka’s interim coach days after Graham Ford quit the job, following the team’s group-stage exit at the Champions Trophy this month. Pothas, who has served as Sri Lanka’s fielding coach since August last year, will oversee the team until the end of the India tour, SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala said.Pothas’ role as interim coach will begin at home with the five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, which starts on June 30, followed by one Test. Before taking over as Sri Lanka’s fielding coach, Pothas was the academy director at Leicestershire County and has also served as the director of cricket at Guernsey.Pothas played three ODIs for South Africa in 2000 but did not manage to find a regular spot in the team, with Mark Boucher holding the incumbent post. A long-time Hampshire player, Pothas scored over 11,000 runs and effected 659 dismissals in 218 first-class games.”We have a strategic plan to engage the next coach and Nic Pothas is also a good contender for it,” Sumathipala said. “There are professional coaches who are currently engaged and shown a lot of interest and we are confident we will have one at the end of the Indian tour. We will not have to look too far to find somebody who will be competent to take this team till the 2019 World Cup.”Sumathipala also said that there were also Sri Lanka Cricket coaches who have shown interest in the job but added, “we will have to first discuss with our cricket committee and our support team the plan and structure – what kind of coach that we are looking at. When we looked at Dav Whatmore he was a developing coach, he could develop an ordinary team to a world-class side. There are coaches very good at looking after professional advanced ongoing teams. We have to make an assessment on the situation and deploy the right person with the right spirit.”

ESPNcricinfo understands the ICC’s settlement offer of an additional $100 million to the BCCI is still on the table

Nagraj Gollapudi27-Apr-2017

The door has not yet been completely shut on the BCCI as far as the ICC’s finance model is concerned. ESPNcricinfo understands that immediately after the BCCI was outvoted at the ICC Board meeting on Wednesday, the ICC chairman Shashank Manohar informed Amitabh Choudhury, the BCCI secretary, that the settlement offer of an additional $100 million was still on the table.Under the new finance model, the BCCI stands to receive $293 million from the ICC revenue across an eight-year cycle. The BCCI had wanted $570 million – the share it would have received under the previous Big Three finance model – but Manohar had made a counter offer of an additional $100 million over the $293 million to raise the Indian board’s share to nearly $400 million.On Wednesday, the ICC board read the letter submitted by Choudhury on the mandate given to him by the BCCI and rejected his proposal.How did the BCCI lose?
Hours before before the ICC Board met, Choudhury and BCCI CEO Rahul Johri conducted discussions with heads of various boards such as the ECB, Cricket Australia, the WICB, Associates representative Imran Khawaja, and Manohar.It is understood that both BCCI representatives wanted to try and find a “middle path” on the finance model. The idea was to get as close to the $445 million figure the Committee of Administrators (CoA, appointed by Supreme Court of India to supervise the BCCI) had asked Manohar for in March.There was then a separate meeting between Choudhury and three members of the ICC working group, which had drafted the new constitution. Manohar, ECB president Giles Clarke and CA chairman David Peever once again placed the offer of an additional $100 million to Choudhury.ICC chairman Shashank Manohar (right), ECB chairman Giles Clarke (left) and CA chairman David Peever once again offered the BCCI a settlement•Getty Images

“Earlier the offer had been made by Manohar, but this was a formal offer from the ICC working group. He [Choudhury] turned it down,” an official said. “He was told that in that case the original proposal had already been approved in February and we can’t change that. Hence the ICC model went through.”With Choudhury refusing to enter a discussion on the settlement deal, the ICC working group was left with no choice but to ask for a show of hands. The BCCI was taken aback when Full Members whom it understood to be in its corner swayed to the ICC side. The BCB, Zimbabwe Cricket and the WICB have been BCCI allies for a long time, but on Wednesday they voted against it. The case of the BCB and ZC was surprising only because both had submitted strong reservations at the outset of the ICC Board meeting. ZC even called the draft constitution “discriminatory.”The official said one main reason behind these three boards changing stance was the ICC’s decision to provide them financial help. It is understood ZC could be given $19 million to clear its debt while the WICB had asked for $40 million as a grant.What now for the BCCI?
A ray of hope still exists, considering Manohar wants the BCCI to be happy. A source who has worked closely with Manohar since he arrived at the ICC last year said he has no “desire to alienate” the BCCI. He has asked the ICC to continue engaging with the BCCI.The other reason for the BCCI remaining optimistic was a significant decision the ICC Board agreed on: to move the finance model out of the constitution. The BCCI feels there is still some room for manoeuvre.The working group will meet once again during the ICC’s annual conference in June to approve the final changes to the constitution, governance structure and finance model – all of which would be finally ratified by the ICC Board. “All the boards want this resolved also,” the official said. “What happened yesterday does not mean India has diminished.”Choudhury told the ICC that he would need to head back to the BCCI, which will take a final decision at a special general body meeting (SGM).The official said India still had the bargaining power because of its importance in bilateral cricket. He pointed out that the ICC might need to increase its settlement offer and “go beyond” the proposed $100 million.”There are two ways of resolving this now. One is the SGM says okay, 390 is good. Let us go ahead. The ICC will agree immediately and resolve it. Or [the SGM] says we need more time. Then there will be another round of negotiations [with the ICC].”However, the scope of any further negotiations, the source pointed out, were remote. “He [Manohar] would still want to negotiate with the BCCI, but would he take it beyond $390 million? Questionable.”One other interested party, which could play the catalyst, is the CoA. It has been keeping a close watch on the events in Dubai this week. Any decision taken by the BCCI office bearers would need to be conveyed to the CoA, which would need to approve anything that is sent in writing to the ICC as per the court order. “The CoA can step in, but it will only step in also at $445 million,” the official said.

ESPNcricinfo’s wrap of the second day of the Sheffield Shield match between Western Australia and New South Wales in Perth

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Ed Cowan was in the runs yet again•Getty ImagesEd Cowan and Daniel Hughes made half-centuries as New South Wales chipped away at Western Australia’s hefty first-innings score, but the Warriors remained on top at the close of the second day in Perth. Both teams remain in the hunt for a place in the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria, but for Western Australia to jump into the decider from fifth place would be an especially fine effort.The Warriors began the day on 5 for 360 and the retiring Adam Voges raised a half-century, as did wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, before Western Australia lost three wickets with the score on 406. Voges was caught behind off Harry Conway for 72, Inglis was bowled by William Somerville for 54, and Cameron Green also fell to Conway for a duck with no addition to the total.Having declared at 9 for 436, Western Australia had to watch on as Cowan and Hughes put on 113 for the second wicket, each reaching 69, before Cowan was lbw to allrounder Hilton Cartwright to end the stand. Hughes fell to Simon Mackin and the loss of Peter Nevill for 33 in the last over of the day left Moises Henriques unbeaten on 35, with the Blues on 5 for 242 and trailing by 194.

One of the biggest jobs at hand for the incoming Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea is to sort out the goalkeeper position.

Edouard Mendy is reportedly close to sealing a move to Saudi Arabia, whilst Kepa Arrizabalaga has never fully convinced anyone of his first-team credentials since his £71.6m to Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, this has opened up a pathway for a new goalkeeper in West London and Robert Sanchez has been tipped to become this figure.

What’s the latest on Robert Sanchez to Chelsea?

According to Express Sport, the proposed move of Anderlecht’s Bart Verbruggen to the South Coast could have a domino effect that may see Sanchez arrive in the capital.

This outlet details that the 25-year-old is “keen to leave” this window following a public fallout with Roberto De Zerbi, with the Blues among those keeping tabs on the situation.

Manchester United has also been rumoured to be interested in the Spaniard, with it believed to potentially cost a fee of around £28m to entice Brighton to sell.

If a move to Chelsea materialised, it would see Sanchez reunited with former Brighton goalkeeping coach Ben Roberts, who left the Seagulls with Graham Potter back in September 2022.

Is Robert Sanchez a good signing for Chelsea?

Since making his Brighton debut in November 2020, the two-cap international has made 90 appearances in all competitions, whilst keeping a respectable 29 clean sheets.

Last campaign, he began extremely strongly, starting the first 22 encounters, however, he only managed one outing in the final 16 outings, with Jason Steele often preferred.

Despite this, there is still enough evidence to suggest that he is more than capable of regularly starting for Chelsea and is a more reliable option than Kepa.

Incredibly, Sanchez stands at a colossal 6 foot 6, dwarfing his compatriot, and his use of this massive size is indicated by the fact that during the 2021/22 season, the £25k-per-week man registered the most high claims (60) in the division, as he was an indispensable component of the side that achieved a then club-record highest league finish.

Meanwhile, Kepa simply doesn’t possess this dominance or presence and is unable to fill his defenders with any confidence, making just two high claims in the same season and 15 last term.

Previously, his former manager Frank Lampard has said he “needs to go back to basics” and must improve – these comments were made three years ago to portray the endless and defining narrative surrounding the unreliability of Chelsea’s suspect shot-stopper.

Therefore, with Sanchez potentially available for an extremely modest fee and searching for a chance to reignite his career, a move to the 2021 Champions League winners could be an unbelievable fit for both parties.

Described as a “monster” by Potter, Sanchez would be an excellent step within the Chelsea rebuild.

There is no chance that Nicolo Barella will leave Inter Milan for Newcastle United this summer for just £50 million, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The 26-year-old is one of Inter's best players and was named in the Serie A Team of the Year for the 2021/22 campaign.

What is the latest news regarding Nicolo Barella?

A report from the Telegraph on Wednesday claimed Newcastle were "closing in" on the potential signing of Barella with a deal believed to cost around £50 million.

The report states that the Italian is one of two players the club has "earmarked" for the summer as a top target, with the other being Leicester City midfielder James Maddison, as the Magpies aim to surround Brazilian star Bruno Guimaraes with top-level talent in an attempt to further unlock the midfielder.

However, since then, reports from Italy have conflicted with what was originally reported by the Telegraph. CalcioMercarto has suggested the 26-year-old's agent has not spoken to any clubs as of now. It also states that Inter want to keep their midfielder, whose contract runs until June 2026, and if they were to sell the midfielder, they would need an £80m-£100m offer to consider letting him leave.

Rumours in the past have also linked the Euros winner with moves to both Liverpool and Manchester United, and the news that Newcastle was closing in on a move caused confusion within the respective fanbases as they wondered why their clubs were not making an attempt to bring in the Inter midfielder.

What has Fabrizio Romano said on the news?

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Inter Milan will not sell Barella for £50m despite Newcastle's strong interest.

The journalist stated: "What I can tell you is that, for sure, there is interest from Newcastle and for sure Eddie Howe is a big fan of Nicolo Barella, they would love to sign Barella. But they also know that at the moment for Inter £50m is absolutely not enough to sell Barella. They extended his contract, it was a few months ago.

"And so the idea of Inter is to keep Barella, no chance to sell Barella for £50m. They want way more than this to be tempted. So let's see if Newcastle will try to improve their proposal or do something serious in the next days. For sure, they like the player, for sure they want the player but £50m, at the moment, is not enough."

Is Barella the right player for Newcastle?

The Italian could be an incredible statement signing by the Magpies as they get set to embark on their first Champions League campaign in over 20 years, with the midfielder being regarded as a "sensational talent".

Barella has a fantastic statistical profile, drawing comparisons with some of the best attacking midfielders across the globe such as Luka Modric, Martin Odegaard, and Bernardo Silva, with the Italian's quality in the final third being a real standout attribute.

Those qualities mentioned, therefore, make the news that Newcastle are intending to use the midfielder as a six rather than as an eight perplexing, as that would limit the player's chance to use his statistical strengths and instead amplify his statistical weaknesses according to FBref.

Newcastle should definitely do all they can to bring Barella to Tyneside, but they have to ensure that they utilise him in the best role for his skillset.

Former Leeds United player Lee Bowyer has confirmed that he would "love" to become the club's new manager, in a recent interview with talkSPORT.

What's the latest Leeds manager news?

Leeds are now in talks with former Rangers boss Steven Gerrard, however they are not the only club he is contact with, as Leicester City have also opened discussions with the 43-year-old following their relegation from the Premier League.

West Bromwich Albion manager Carlos Corberan also made the shortlist, with Marcelo Bielsa's former assistant viewed as "ideal" by the hierarchy at Elland Road, as he could be capable of building something over a long period of time.

The same report also details the Whites are unlikely to bring in a "traditional figure" in the mould of Sam Allardyce, however another manager they had contact with before appointing Allardyce has now thrown his hat into the ring.

In an interview with talkSPORT, Bowyer confirmed that he "exchanged" messages with the Leeds board prior to Allardyce's arrival at Elland Road, while he also added that he would relish the opportunity to take over this summer.

The 46-year-old said: “Oh for sure, I have a connection with the club and I understand the club and I think that’s important for whoever goes in there next.

“I believe if I went in there I would get them promoted again.”

Should Leeds appoint Lee Bowyer?

In fairness, Bowyer does have a fair amount of experience managing in the second tier, having led Charlton Athletic to promotion from League One in 2019, before taking charge of 102 games in the Championship, across spells with Chalrton and Birmingham.

That said, the Englishman has not experienced a great deal of success above League One, eventually being sacked by Birmingham, after leading them to a 20th-placed finish in the 2021-22 campaign.

If Leeds are to return to the Premier League at the first opportunity, they could do with appointing a manager who has experience fighting for promotion in the second tier, which would also exclude Gerrard.

Corberan should be the Whites' main target, having gone very close to leading Huddersfield Town to promotion in his previous job, but it may be difficult to prise him away from West Brom, given that he is contracted until 2027.

A career-best unbeaten 79 from Harvey Hosein rescued Derbyshire on the opening day of the Division Two match against Leicestershire at Derby

ECB Reporters Network12-Sep-2016
ScorecardCharlie Shreck claimed three wickets on the opening day•Getty Images

A career-best unbeaten 79 from Harvey Hosein rescued Derbyshire on the opening day of the Division Two match against Leicestershire at Derby.The home side had slipped to 151 for 5, despite a half century from Alex Hughes, with Charlie Shreck taking three wickets but Hosein took advantage of a bad miss by Rob Sayer to steer his side to a respectable 282 for 8 when bad light ended play early.Derbyshire were trying to avoid becoming the first team in the county’s history since 1924 to go through a season without winning a Championship game but they started badly after Leicestershire decided to bowl first.There was certainly some early movement for Clint McKay who nipped one back to trap Billy Godleman in front in the seventh over of the morning and he should have had Ben Slater in his next over but Richard Jones spilled a simple catch at point.It was not an expensive miss because Slater completely mistimed a drive at Shreck’s first ball and chipped a gently catch to mid-off but that was Leicestershire’s last success before lunch as Hughes and Wayne Madsen played carefully to put the innings back on track.Madsen had bagged a pair in the previous game but he was looking set when Jones moved one away just enough to draw him into playing and give Ned Eckersley his first of four catches.Hughes was less convinced he got a touch against Shreck three overs later and he had Neil Broom taken at first slip in his next over to leave Derbyshire facing another first innings failure.Tom Wood was stuck on 8 for 40 balls on his first-class debut before Neil Dexter bowled the 22-year-old but Hosein played positively from the start although he should have been dismissed on 32 but Sayer fumbled a straight-forward return catch.With help from Tom Milnes and Tony Palladino, Hosein guided Derbyshire to a second batting point as Leicestershire began to unravel in the closing stages of the day.Hosein was given another life on 78 when he drove at McKay and Harry Dearden on his senior debut dropped the catch at second slip before the umpires decided that even with the floodlights on, the light was not good enough for play to continue shortly before 5pm.