Premier League

CHELSEA co-owners Clearlake Capital are reportedly not interested in selling their majority stake to fellow shareholder Todd Boehly following sensational reports in the US.The Telegraph claims the company, co-founded by Behdad Eghbali, have no intention of giving up their role at Chelsea.Clearlake Capital, co-founded by Behdad Eghbali, are not looking to sell their Chelsea stake to Todd BoehlyCredit: GettyIt follows a report from US financial outlet Bloomberg claiming that Clearlake and Boehly are each exploring whether they can buy the other one out.Clearlake own 61.5 per cent of Chelsea after a joint takeover with Boehly in 2022.Roman Abramovich sold the club to the consortium for £4.25billion, with Boehly’s minority 38.5 per cent stake also being propped up by US businessman Mark Walter and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.Clearlake and Boehly have since invested £1.2bn in transfers while going through three permanent managers and two interim bosses before settling on Enzo Maresca.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLTheir heavy spending is yet to yield results on the field though, with Chelsea finishing 12th in their first full season and sixth last term under Mauricio Pochettino.And Bloomberg claims the lack of success has let to a “deterioration” in the relationship between Eghbali and Boehly.It’s alleged that both parties are now exploring whether they can buy the other one out to gain 100 per cent control of Chelsea.The two men are said to still remain fully invested in running the club.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSBut “differing opinions” on several factors including the new data-led recruitment policy of signing young players, as well as the lack of progress on building a new stadium, has reportedly strained the relationship between them.However, the Telegraph reports that Clearlake have “no intention” of giving up their majority stake. Man Utd flop Jadon Sancho makes bizarre claim about Enzo Maresca being reason he joined Chelsea but it doesn’t add upAnd they are only open to possibilities to increase their hold at Stamford Bridge.It’s added that no talks have taken place between Clearlake and Boehly about a sale either.SunSport have contacted Chelsea and are awaiting comment.Chelsea are a circus – it will be TERRIBLE for football if they win anything, says Troy DeeneyCHELSEA are a circus — aren’t they?, writes Troy Deeney.But the bigger concern should be if somehow, some way, Todd Boehly’s insane master-plan brings about success this season.Finish in the top four. Win a trophy like the FA Cup.He will then turn around and say: “See, it works” and all of a sudden, other clubs will begin considering copying this mad model to try and compete in the Premier League.Before you know it, there will be a bigger divide between the top clubs and the rest and this country’s top flight will become something we have been fighting against — a Super League.The smaller sides and promoted teams will be wiped out by the elite and will end up saying, ‘What’s the point?’Football as we know it will change, and there will be no going back.As a neutral, you don’t want to wish failure on a club or a regime, but it’s depressing to think about.We should almost be looking at it in amazement — the owners have come in with this model and they’ve treated it as if they are buying stocks and shares, not players or human beings.Boehly has wiped away any sense of sentiment or old-school values from that club and the worrying thing is that he doesn’t seem to care.Does he even like football?Read Troy Deeney’s hard-hitting opinion on Boehly’s Chelsea shambles in full.Or check out all of Troy’s columns on SunSport. More

A GOLD RUSH of English Prem stars to Saudi Arabia seems inevitable after Ivan Toney’s move for a basic £16.7million-a-year wage.For a long time, the oil-rich state’s teams have attracted ageing stars with their best footballing years and trophies behind them.Ivan Toney is banking a fortune after leaving Brentford for Saudi ArabiaCredit: Instagram @alahliclub.saFrom Cristiano Ronaldo to Neymar and Karim Benzema . . . But, more often than not, the biggest names were more tempted by royal sums of riyals than the sandy kingdom’s football titles.Yet Toney is different, an England international striker and, at 28, a coup for Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli. It is also a warning  for our league’s reputation as the wealthiest and world’s best.With his example set, England’s top players will be a tasty target for the state-sponsored league.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAt Brentford, he earned £50,000 a week — now he gets about ten times that amount in Jeddah.Goalscorers are often football’s best-paid stars — at Bayern Munich Harry Kane makes roughly the same as Toney — but while there has been no English football mass exit to Germany, Saudi Arabia is a greater financial attraction.It also offers last big pay days for those  veteran players who have more or less decided their international career is coming to an end.But Toney and Dutch star Steven Bergwijn  are different propositions. The former Tottenham and Ajax winger is only 26.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSHolland manager Ronald Koeman said  he had not considered Bergwijn for selection after his Al-Ittihad move.He warned: “The book is basically closed to him. When you are  26, your main ambition should be sporting, not financial.”Inside the private jet flight with England heroes Declan Rice and Ivan Toney playing Uno to relaxSky-high wages have protected Premier League clubs from a good deal of rivalry from other leagues. It has become football’s Hollywood.The Saudi challenge to this primacy is as direct as a gunshot and the inevitable rise in football standards there is bound to intensify their bidding.The damage will never equal that already inflicted to the standard of Brazil’s competitions. For 15 years, the flight of their footballers to the Pro League has been epic in scale.This season, 57 countries will be represented in the league and it is less than a surprise that Brazil top the list with 25 players tempted away.England with three are also-rans, while Scotland are on two.Winger Demarai Gray, 28, is a classic type of expat. He had a sound career with Birmingham, Leicester and Everton and made the England international squad before representing Jamaica.A year ago he left for Al-Ettifaq, who finished 48 points behind champions Al-Hilal — themselves currently worth about £500m.An average Pro League crowd is about 8,000. Yet the Saudi Public Investment Fund has spent prodigiously on many sports in continuing efforts to improve its worldwide reputation.Yes, the state has zillions to throw at sport and football in particular.READ MORE SUN STORIESIn contrast, England has huge crowds,  competitive leagues, a decent infrastructure, top teams and players, high wages and  tradition.The Prem also looks after the whole pyramid  — giving away about 20 per cent of its income to the EFL, WSL,  PFA,  FA and grassroots football. You can’t beat that with just mountains of money. More

ASTON VILLA star Emi Martinez repeated his famous X-rated trophy celebration with Argentina.That is despite him admitting he regrets that “stupid” gesture…Aston Villa ace Emiliano Martinez repeated his controversial World Cup celebrationCredit: RexArgentina star Martinez claimed he regrets that obscene celebrationCredit: PAMartinez, 32, divided opinion after the 2022 World Cup final that saw the Albiceleste beating France on penalties after an exciting 3-3 draw in Qatar.”Dibu” was named the best goalkeeper of the tournament after full-time and was handed his trophy.The Argentina international then went on to celebrate by placing the award on his groin while gesturing to the fans.That controversial incident became one of the World Cup’s most unforgettable images, but the Villa ace claimed he was “not proud” of it.Read More on FootballMartinez previously said: “It was a stupid thing, it’s the only thing I’m not proud of.”He added last month: “I never try to upset the fans, never. “I just try to slow things down when the game is not going well for us, I try to kick the ball as hard as I can to the other side.”I don’t swear, I don’t insult anyone. I don’t cross any lines, I never do.”Most read in FootballBut Martinez still decided to repeat it on Thursday when Argentina celebrated their most recent Copa America triumph in front of their home fans.Lionel Messi and co, who won the trophy in July by beating Colombia 1-0 in the final, defeated Chile 3-0 in a 2026 World Cup qualifier at the Monumental.Emi Martinez divides opinion as Argentina goalkeeper ‘uses Golden Glove trophy as sex toy’ after World Cup winArgentina stars then showcased their trophy at full-time and took turns with the cup.Once Martinez picked it up he went on to do the exact same thing he did at the Lusail Stadium in 2022.That sparked laughs from the crowd as well as his team-mates and the keeper himself. More