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      Premier League side Burnley advertising job for matchday stretcher bearer

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      PREMIER League side Burnley are hoping fans get carried away with their latest job ad — for a matchday stretcher bearer.The newly promoted club — managed by former Manchester City hero Vincent Kompany — want someone who can “perform the manual handling requirements to lift and lower a stretcher”.
      Burnley are advertising for a stretcher bearer to carry injured players off the field at their groundCredit: Reuters
      The newly promoted club is managed by former Manchester City hero Vincent KompanyCredit: Getty
      They say applicants must be fit and active and be able to work evenings and weekends.
      The ad tells hopefuls they would “be present at a list of fixtures to remove injured players by stretchers from the field”.
      It adds: “They will also need to have a flexible approach to work and be able to work evenings and weekends.”
      It stresses: “The ideal candidate will have experience in pre-hospital first aid.”
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      But no salary is given and it is described as a zero hours contract.
      The Clarets, who play at Turf Moor, won the Championship with 101 points last season.
      Burnley will now be taking their place in the Premiership, with Vincent Kompany hoping to put a dent in former club Man City’s hope of winning the league. More

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      I was relegated twice in four seasons from the Premier League.. the Championship is much more enjoyable anyway

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      RUSSELL MARTIN has told his Southampton stars that  playing in the Championship is more fun than getting stuffed each week in the Premier League.The Saints, relegated from the top flight after 11 years, kick off the EFL season on Friday at promoted Sheffield Wednesday.
      Russell Martin has claimed the Championship is more fun than the Premier LeagueCredit: Alamy
      Russell Martin was relegated twice with NorwichCredit: Getty
      Martin, 37, who has taken charge at St Mary’s after two years at Swansea, knows through bitter experience that suffering heavy defeats on a regular basis in the top flight is not particularly enjoyable.
      So this is why the ex-Norwich defender, who suffered the drop in two of his four Prem seasons, reckons Southampton’s stars  will thrive on their role reversal.
      He said: “I know that for a lot of the players who get caught up in a relegation fight each year, it becomes a real grind just to try and stay in the Premier League. They do not admit it publicly because of what comes with the  Premier League.
      “Obviously there are many great things about it.
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      “It sounds crazy because, as a player, you want to be in the Premier League but, sometimes, being in the Championship can be more enjoyable. Certainly I found that.
      “I did not have the luxury of playing in a top team in the Premier League but I was always looking at the next point and where it would come from as we tried to survive. At least you know that in the Championship, you always have a chance.
      “Now, I am hoping our players here at Southampton will be excited by this challenge even though it is relentless compared to the Premier League.
      “I hope we will enjoy being the  aggressor and trying to be the dominant team, rather than trying to fight to stay in the league.
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      Russell Martin is the new Southampton managerCredit: Getty
      “We are trying to win something and get promoted. The mentality has to change to do that but it will be enjoyable.”
      Southampton went down with Leicester and Leeds so this year’s Championship looks set to be one of the toughest, unlike last season when Burnley dominated.
      Martin, who has developed a reputation as a coach whose teams  play possession-based football, said: “There will be bet-ween 10 and 15 teams who fancy having a go. Last year, you expected West Brom,
      Stoke, Norwich and Watford to be right up there and they all underachieved so they will be desperate to bounce back.
      “Alongside those four teams, you have the three relegated clubs in ourselves, Leeds and Leicester.
      “Outside of that, you will have Coventry who were outstanding last season and did so well to get to the play-offs.
      “Middlesbrough under Michael Carrick will be backed financially and you have three promoted clubs — Wednesday,  Ipswich and Plymouth — who will be  fancying themselves.”
      Martin has always been an old head on young shoulders. He was Peterborough’s youngest captain at 21, took over as MK Dons boss at 33, Swansea at 35 and now the Saints.
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      At 30, he  set up the Russell Martin Foundation to help youngsters in Sussex.
      Martin, who grew up in Brighton, said: “We started with two people and 12 kids and now have 28 full-time staff and it turns over nearly £2million although it all goes back in.
      “We started with a football academy but we branched out and we are giving  provision for kids who are struggling in mainstream school.
      “Two of my brothers did not finish school and if they had had something like this, it would have made a huge  difference.”
      Now, though, Martin’s priority is to get Southampton off to a flying start.
      He said: “The atmosphere will be great and Hillsborough is an amazing place to play. It is a tough start and we have  Norwich at home the next week.
      “We want to start well but we know it will not be perfect from the start.
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      “Our team will be playing in a different way to what they are used to.
      “But the attitude has been great, there has been no sense of entitlement from the players and they are all excited to get going and start well.”
      Martin has been tasked with getting Southampton back into the top flightCredit: Getty
      Southampton were relegated last seasonCredit: Reuters More

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      Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson fears club could lose SECOND star player after Wilfried Zaha left for Galatasaray

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      ROY HODGSON says Crystal Palace have a fight on their hands to keep Michael Olise amid interest from Manchester City and Chelsea.The Eagles boss also admitted that chairman Steve Parish and sporting director Dougie Freedman have a lot of work to do before the transfer window closes.
      Roy Hodgson fears he could lose Michael Olise this summerCredit: Getty
      Michael Olise is attracting interest from Chelsea and Manchester CityCredit: Getty
      Palace have already lost Wilfried Zaha on a free transfer to Galatasaray, while some senior figures, including James McArthur and Luka Milivojevic, also left the club at the end of their contracts.
      Jefferson Lerma, who joined on a free transfer from Bournemouth, is the only new arrival so far, with a £17million deal for Brazilian teenager Matheus Franca close to completion.
      Olise is out for the start of the season following a hamstring injury picked up at the Under-21 Euros.
      Asked about the loss of Zaha, Hodgson said: “We had two outstanding wingers who were amongst the best in the league.
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      “Michael Olise on the right side and Wilf on the left.
      “We don’t have Wilf anymore and there’s even a slight doubt over Michael’s future because club’s are circling around him and we’re going to have a fight on our hands to make sure he stays with us.
      “We’ve lost five senior players from last season and brought one in – Jefferson Lerma, he’s good and we’re happy to have him in – but there is still that hole of five senior players in the squad, two of whom were two of the real stars of the team.”
      Hodgson named a strong starting XI for their pre-season draw with Sevilla, but says those players will need help this season.
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      He added: “There’s a bit of work for the chairman and sporting director to do between now and the end of August.
      “Because the team we put out was in our opinion, at this moment in time, our best team, but we don’t have the strength behind that team that we had last year with all those senior players we lost.”
      Wilfried Zaha has already left Crystal PalaceCredit: PA More

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      West Ham see transfer move for Man City wonderkid HIJACKED by Ajax with Prem champions inserting two special clauses

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      WEST HAM have had a move for Manchester City wonderkid Carlos Borges hijacked by Ajax.The Portuguese winger is set to join the Dutch giants, with City inserting a pair of clauses into the deal.
      Carlos Borges is set to join Ajax from Manchester CityCredit: Getty
      West Ham had been set to sign the winger after entering talks last month.
      However, Fabrizio Romano reports that he is now set to move to Ajax for £17million after a verbal agreement was reached between all parties.
      Borges will sign a four-year deal with the Eredivisie side and his medical is being scheduled already.
      The report adds that City have included both a buy back and a sell on clause in the sale of Borges.
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      He is set to depart after nine years in Manchester, having signed from Sporting Lisbon as a 10-year-old in 2014.
      Now 19, he is a Portuguese youth international and has starred for City at under-18, under-19 and under-21 level with 97 goal contributions in 79 appearances.
      Borges also finished as the Premier League 2 top scorer last term after scoring 21 goals to help City win back-to-back titles.
      West Ham had made contact over a potential move as they looked to spend their Declan Rice windfall.
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      The England midfielder was sold to Arsenal for £105million last month, but the Hammers are still yet to make a summer signing.
      David Moyes’ side have also been linked with several defensive reinforcements.
      After having a £20million bid for Harry Maguire rejected, they have reportedly approached ex-Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos over a potential move. More

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      Chelsea complete £23.2m Lesley Ugochukwu transfer as Rennes midfielder signs SEVEN-YEAR deal

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      CHELSEA have completed the signing of Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes.The teenage midfielder has joined the Blues for £23.2million, signing a seven-year deal with the option of a further year.
      Chelsea have completed the £23.2million signing of Lesley UgochukwuCredit: Getty
      Ugochukwu has signed a seven-year deal with ChelseaCredit: Getty
      Ugochukwu becomes Chelsea’s fifth signing of the summer, following Christopher Nkunku, Nicolas Jackson, Angelo and Diego Morreira through the door at Stamford Bridge.
      The France under-19 international has already joined up with his new team-mates on their pre-season tour of the USA.
      He is set to train in Chicago on Tuesday night and could make his Chelsea debut against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
      Manager Mauricio Pochettino has hinted that he could still be loaned out before the end of the transfer window.
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      Reacting to the signing, he told reporters: “He’s a talented guy, we need to assess him.
      “We will assess him for the transfer window to see if he will be with us because he is young.”

      “He has the possibility to be on loan or stay with us.”
      Ugochukwu arrives after coming through the Rennes academy and making 60 first-team appearances.
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      He made his Ligue 1 debut in 2021 just 30 days after his 17th birthday, before becoming a regular last term.
      During the course of the 2022/23 season, the defensive midfielder starred in both the league and in Europe.
      Rennes enjoyed a successful campaign as they finished fourth in the league and reached the knockout stages of the Europa League.
      Lesley Ugochukwu becomes Chelsea’s fifth summer signingCredit: Getty More

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      Premier League flop who quit football at 28 to sell vacuum cleaners looks unrecognisable with bushy beard

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      A PREMIER LEAGUE flop looks unrecognisable after quitting football aged just 28 to sell vacuum cleaners.The 53-year-old has grown a bushy beard and looks considerably different to how he did back in his playing days.
      The unrecognisable star had a terrible time at Leeds
      He quit football to sell vacuum cleanersCredit: Instagram
      Leeds signed him for a then club-record fee of £4.5million in 1995.
      It seemed like a smart move after he was a star of the World Cup the year before, scoring three goals and assisting the same amount as his nation finished third.
      The Swede joined Leeds from Italian side Parma, where he had won the UEFA Cup and Coppa Italia.
      He never reached his potential at Elland Road, scoring four goals in 20 games.
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      The attacker struggled for form, suffered a foot injury and fell out with manager Howard Wilkinson.
      He was dropped and once put in a supposedly deliberately bad performance in protest at being played out of position on the wing.
      And an April Fool’s joke where he tricked Wilkinson into thinking he was leaving the club mid-season backfired when the media heard and thought it was true.
      He left Leeds for Crystal Palace after disagreements with boss George Graham due to him not turning up for training.
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      The man in question is of course Tomas Brolin.
      Brolin retired at 28 and went on to sell vacuums cleaners.
      He purchased 50 per cent of the business that sells “The Twinner” vacuum and it has become one of the most popular in Swedish market.
      The company is supposedly worth millions.
      Tomas Brolin was a star of the 1994 World CupCredit: Getty Images – Getty More

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      Sadio Mane completes stunning Al-Nassr transfer but costs Liverpool millions in the process

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      SADIO MANE has completed his stunning move to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia – but it will cost Liverpool millions in the process. The forward, 31, has left Bayern Munich after just a year in Germany.
      Sadio Mane has completed his stunning move to Al-Nassr in Saudi ArabiaCredit: Twitter
      But according to the Daily Mail, the German champions only paid Liverpool an upfront fee of £27.5m.
      The remaining £7.5m was to be paid if Mane met the requirements of certain performance based add-ons.
      But those will not be met as the Senegalese international joins Cristiano Ronaldo in Saudi, where he is set to pocket around £650,000 a week.
      But he will still be some way off the top earners in the Gulf, including Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and old Liverpool pal Jordan Henderson.

      Mane only signed for Bayern last summer in a £35m deal after six years at Anfield where he scored 120 goals in 269 games.
      But he was not as prolific in Germany and only managed seven Bundesliga goals last season.
      Manager Thomas Tuchel is focused on adding more firepower to his side, with Tottenham’s Harry Kane a top target.
      It left Mane surplus to requirements and deemed a good way of funding a move for Kane.
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      His transfer comes on the same day Bayern launched a club record £82m bid for England’s captain.
      The offer comes after the German giants held talks with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy this week.
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      According to BILD, Bayern submitted a bid worth a total of £82m including add-ons.
      The offer is said to be made up of an initial £73million, with a further £9million in potential additional payments.
      But it remains below Spurs’ £100million valuation, despite being a record fee for Bayern.
      Harry Kane is linked with a move to Bayern MunichCredit: Rex More

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      Cash strapped? 5 bargain strikers to balance your Dream Team after splashing out on Erling Haaland

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      ERLING Haaland (£8.5m) dominated Dream Team last season.It’s therefore understandable that, at the time of writing, the Norwegian poacher features in 85.5% of teams created ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
      But Manchester City’s No9 comes at a cost, at £8.5m he’s a full £1.5m more expensive than the next-most costly player.
      Backing Haaland means budgetary concessions have to be made elsewhere and so we’ve assembled five bargain strikers for your consideration.

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      One of Chelsea’s new recruitsCredit: DREAM TEAM
      Nicolas Jackson (£2.5m)
      This suggestion hinges on whether or not Chelsea get another centre-forward through the door before the transfer window closes.
      However, given that you are free to make as many changes to your XI as you like before Gameweek 1 gets underway, why not see how the Blues’ new signing looks up top at just £2.5m?
      Jackson averaged a goal or assist every 99.9 minutes in La Liga for Villarreal last season.
      The 22-year-old Senegal international predominantly plays through the middle, a position Chelsea have struggled with for a while now, but he can play wide on either flank as well.
      Christopher Nkunku (£4m) is the most high-profile attacking arrival at Stamford Bridge this summer and while the Frenchman can lead the line, he’s often more comfortable playing off a more traditional striker.
      Essentially, there’s a chance Jackson could get plenty of minutes up front and if Mauricio Pochettino can get Chelsea purring again then £2.5m will look a very generous starting price indeed.
      Brennan Johnson (£3m)
      The Forest forward should flourish in the new scoring systemCredit: GETTY
      Ten goals and three assists may seem like nothing more than a respectable 2022/23 tally but those figures don’t do justice to the Welshman’s overall performances.
      For a long time, Johnson’s partnership with Morgan Gibbs-White (£3m) was the be all and end all of Nottingham Forest’s attack but, such was the effectiveness of their dovetail, Steve Cooper’s side staved off relegation through some gutsy performances at home.
      The 22-year-old’s dynamic play style should see him benefit from Dream Team’s new scoring system.
      He would have plundered 176 points in 2022/23 had the new process been implemented – serious value for money.
      Evan Ferguson (£3m)
      If you’re good enough, you’re old enoughCredit: GETTY
      Brighton’s teenage talent is a rotation risk as he recently admitted that he’ll probably have to share playing time with the other strikers but he’s got all the attributes to establish himself at the top of Roberto De Zerbi’s pecking order.
      Ferguson averaged a goal every 134.4 minutes in all competitions last season, aided by the fact he’s more physically developed than your average 18-year-old.
      The Seagulls play enterprising, attacking football which ensures plenty of chances for the centre-forward.
      With European fixtures to bolster his schedule, the Irish starlet should have ample opportunities to show his abilities in the coming months.
      Carlton Morris (£2.5m)
      The Hatters’ magicianCredit: Getty
      Having paid his dues in the lower leagues, Luton’s No9 found another gear last season, scoring 20 Championship goals to help his side to the promised land of the top flight.
      Only three players scored more goals than Morris in the second tier last term.
      In recent years, several forwards have successfully transferred their Championship form to the Premier League – Patrick Bamford scored 17 league goals upon Leeds’ promotion, Ivan Toney thrived prior to his lengthy suspension, and Aleksandar Mitrovic was almost a must-have in Dream Team at times in 2022/23, particularly during the first few Gameweeks.
      Gaffers may be hesitant of backing of newly-promoted striker but there’s value to be had if done wisely and Morris may well fit the bill – keep an eye on his early returns.
      Joao Pedro (£2m)
      New kid on the blockCredit: GETTY
      Much of what applied to Ferguson is relevant here too but with the added bonus that Brighton’s new signing costs just £2m!
      Dream Team bosses will know Pedro from his exploits with Watford, though in truth he was hampered by the Hornets’ chaotic nature.
      Now 21 years old, the Brazilian will get the chance to strut his stuff amid better team-mates, in a cohesive, exciting set-up.
      Minutes are a concern but his price tag makes him an enticing option for those in need of a genuine bargain.

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