Premier League

LEEDS have named Sam Allardyce as the new manager of the club.The Englishman has been hired with the aim of keeping the Yorkshire side in the Premier League.
Javi Gracia has been sacked by LeedsCredit: EPA
Sam Allardyce has replaced the SpaniardCredit: PA
Leeds were hammered by Bournemouth on the weekendCredit: PA
Javi Gracia, 53, has in turn been sacked by the club, despite only joining at the end of February to replace the sacked Jesse Marsch.
The Spaniard did look to have been a smart appointment as he picked up two wins in his first four Premier League games.
However, after a run of horrific form, the club are right in the midst of a relegation battle and are only out of the drop zone on goal difference.
Leeds are winless in their last five games and have conceded 17 goals during that time.
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And now he has followed director of football Victor Orta out of the club after he was axed yesterday.
Allardyce, 68, has only suffered one relegation as a manager and the hope will be he can guide the club to safety over the final four games.
A club statement read: “Leeds United can confirm Javi Gracia will leave the club after 12 games in charge.
“Zigor Aranalde, Mikel Antia and Juan Solla, who joined alongside Gracia, will also leave the club.
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“We thank Javi and his team for their efforts under difficult circumstances.
“The remaining four games of the season will be overseen by experienced head coach Sam Allardyce.
“Allardyce has managed over 500 Premier League games in a managerial career stretching 29 years and he brings a wealth of knowledge in fighting for survival, having guided a number of his previous clubs to safety.”
Though it will not be an easy task with some tricky fixtures in coming up.
Allardyce’s first two games will be against Manchester City and former side Newcastle United.
He will then have a trip to another former club in West Ham before finishing the season at Elland Road against Tottenham Hotspur.
The new Leeds boss even gave an interview with talkSPORT before the announcement was made.
Upon getting the job, Allardyce admitted it only took him “two seconds to say yes”.

Allardyce will be in a for a payday should he get save the Whites from relegationCredit: PA
He won the play off final with West Ham in 2012Credit: PA:Press Association
But did suffer relegation with West Brom in 2021Credit: AFP
He told talkSPORT: “Stood here in my office overlooking the training ground and the fabulous facilities here at Leeds.
“Excited to be involved again and obviously as a team in a lot of trouble, I have seen trouble before and hopefully.
“I could have done with a little bit more time, but in four games hopefully we can make a difference and keep this club in the Premier League.”
According to reports, he will receive £3MILLION for helping Leeds survive.
He will earn a basic salary of £500,000 and a bonus of more than £2.5m if he keeps Leeds up.
That sum, for less than a month’s work, would technically make him the best-paid manager in world football, eclipsing the £2.48m per month that Diego Simeone earns at Atletico Madrid.
But Allardyce is going to have to try and steer Leeds to safety without trusty assistant Sammy Lee.
Lee, 64, has been Allardyce’s right-hand man at several clubs in the past.
But he cannot join him at Elland Road because he is on jury service.
Allardyce is vastly experienced in the Premier League having managed at Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton and West Brom.
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The former defender also had a brief spell in charge of the England national team before he was sacked after just 67 days for being caught in a sting advising on how to “get round” rules on players.
However, he is the only person to boast a 100 percent win record with the national side. More

SAM ALLARDYCE gave an interview from “his office” at the Leeds training ground before being announced as their new manager.The 68-year-old was unveiled on Wednesday morning as the West Yorkshire club confirmed Javi Gracia’s departure.
Sam Allardyce gave an interview from his ‘office’ at Leeds training groundCredit: PA
Despite it being before the club’s announcement of sacking Javi GraciaCredit: PA
But before his arrival had been made official, Allardyce spoke about getting the job in an interview from the club’s training ground.
He told talkSPORT: “Stood here in my office overlooking the training ground and the fabulous facilities here at Leeds.
“Excited to be involved again and obviously as a team in a lot of trouble, I have seen trouble before and hopefully.
“I could have done with a little bit more time, but in four games hopefully we can make a difference and keep this club in the Premier League.”
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Allardyce arrives at Elland Road with the club 17th in the table, above the relegation zone on goal difference.
And they face an incredibly tough run-in with games against Manchester City, Newcastle, West Ham and Tottenham.
But Allardyce has been heavily incentivised to keep them up through a lucrative financial package.
According to The Times, he will receive £3MILLION for helping Leeds survive.
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He will earn a basic salary of £500,000 and a bonus of more than £2.5m if he keeps Leeds up.
That sum, for less than a month’s work, would technically make him the best-paid manager in world football, eclipsing the £2.48m per month that Diego Simeone earns at Atletico Madrid.
But Allardyce is going to have to try and steer Leeds to safety without trusty assistant Sammy Lee.
Lee, 64, has been Allardyce’s right-hand man at several clubs in the past.
But he cannot join him at Elland Road because he is on jury service.
Instead, Allardyce has asked ex-MK Dons and Oxford United manager Karl Robinson to be his assistant. More

ROBBIE KEANE is reportedly set to return to coaching by joining Sam Allardyce at Leeds.He was formerly dual assistant manager of Middlesbrough and the Republic of Ireland, but left both roles in 2020.
Robbie Keane is reportedly set to join Sam Allardyce’s coaching staff at LeedsCredit: Getty
Allardyce is reportedly expected to be unveiled as Leeds manager on WednesdayCredit: PA
The 42-year-old is now set to return to coaching with struggling Leeds, who sacked Javi Gracia and appointed Allardyce as boss this morning.
Former striker Keane put pen to paper with the Elland Road club on Tuesday morning, according to The Times.
Keane previously spent time at Leeds as a player, initially on loan from Inter Milan, before joining permanently in May 2001.
And he will reportedly return to the club over 20 years later as part of Allardyce’s coaching staff.
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Former England boss Allardyce will land £3MILLION if he keeps Leeds in the Premier League.
He will earn a basic salary of £500,000 and a bonus of more than £2.5m if he keeps Leeds up.

But he will be without trusted assistant Sammy Lee, who is currently on jury service.
So ex-MK Dons and Oxford United manager Karl Robinson has joined as Allardyce’s No2 instead.
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Keane will also reportedly be part of Allardyce’s staff.
As well as his time as assistant manager of Middlesbrough and the Republic of Ireland, Keane spent three games as player-manager of Indian side ATK back in 2018.
Keane played 56 games in total for Leeds, scoring 18 goals, before leaving to join Tottenham in 2002. More

EMMANUEL PETIT has claimed that Chelsea players were arguing with each other on the bench during the Premier League clash with Arsenal.The former Gunner admitted he was “very shocked” by the attitude of the players.
Emmanuel Petit has suggested the Chelsea bench was arguing with itself during the defeat to ArsenalCredit: TWITTER
The Chelsea bench at the EmiratesCredit: Reuters
Chelsea were beaten 3-1 at the Emirates by a far superior Arsenal side, with Noni Madueke’s goal one of the only positives to take from the match.
The Blues were all over the place in the opening 45 minutes as Mikel Arteta’s side raced into a 3-0 lead before half time.
Despite some improvement on the pitch from Frank Lampard’s side in the second half, Petit has suggested that on the bench tensions were only getting worse.
He told Premier League Productions: “I was quite close to the Chelsea bench and I saw some of the players having arguments between them, in the second half especially.
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“I was very shocked in the first half by the attitude of the players, the body language, no response, no pride, no unity, no friendship.
“I was thinking you could put 20 managers on the bench and it won’t change anything at all at the moment.
“They need to clear something in the dressing room first and then think about the manager afterwards.
“You can put the best manager on the bench now and he doesn’t get the right answer, there are too many players.
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“It’s a mess and it was embarrassing to watch Chelsea in the first half and I feel sorry for the fans.”
To make matters worse, Chelsea were also slammed by former player Cesc Fabregas.
The Spaniard compared the team to “11 olives with no tactics” after watching the game.
The defeat has left Chelsea 12th in the Premier League table six points behind Fulham in 10th
While the club only sits nine points above the bottom three and could still be relegated if scores went against them. More

BENNI MCCARTHY is back playing football a decade after retiring from being a professional.The current Manchester United coach is returning to competitive football after joining an indoor side.
Benni McCarthy will start playing indoor footballCredit: Getty
He starred for Blackburn during his playing daysCredit: Dave Pinegar – The Sun
He also appeared for West Ham in the Premier LeagueCredit: PA:Press Association
McCarthy, 45, retired from football in 2013 after a two-year spell with South African outlet, Orlando Pirates.
He is a cult hero in the Premier League for his prolific spell at Blackburn which saw him score 37 goals in 109 league appearances.
The striker also starred for Ajax and Porto in his career as he won the Eredivisie title in Holland and the Primeira Liga in Portugal.
He also lifted the Champions League title in 2004, under the guidance of future Chelsea and United manager Jose Mourinho.
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And now he is ready to lace his boots back up and try rediscover his scoring touch.
He told the Idiski Times: “I’m on my way to go play indoor football.
“Me and the analysts, the club analysts and the medical staff, we’ve entered a league, an indoor football league.
“I think it’s a mix [of abilities], there are some of them who played pro or semi-pro, like at Preston or West Brom, so they can play but there are just analysts as well and medical guys.
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“It’s a decent level but not pro level. And I think the league we’ve entered is a little bit like that.
“There’s a decent level but it’s not like: ‘Oh my goodness gracious, they’re playing for contracts here!’.
“I don’t know [if I would intimidate the opponents], but that’s what they were saying: ‘You’re like the big attraction’, so we will find out now.”
McCarthy also played for West Ham in the Premier League, however, his spell at Upton Park was less successful.
He only featured 14 times in all competitions without scoring before his contract was terminated by mutual consent in 2011.
He is currently working his “dream” job at United having supported the club since his youth. More

CESC FABREGAS compared Chelsea to “11 olives with no tactics” after watching them lose 3-1 to Arsenal last night.The Gunners blitzed the Blues in the first half, going 3-0 up after just 34 minutes.
Cesc Fabregas tore into his former side while appearing as a punditCredit: https://twitter.com/SkySportsPL/status/1653522173682655234
Frank Lampard has lost six out of six since returning to ChelseaCredit: Getty
Chelsea’s 3-1 defeat was their sixth in a row since Frank Lampard took charge, and the 44-year-old’s tenth on the bounce when considering his final games in charge of Everton.
Lampard is the first English top-flight manager to lose ten games on the spin in 35 years – since Arthur Cox did so with Derby County in 1988.
Former Blue Fabregas watched on from the stands as he appeared as a pundit on Sky Sports for the game.
After the match, the Spaniard blasted his old side.
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He said: “When I was little, I had a coach with 11 olives and he would throw them on the table with no tactics. This is how I see Chelsea.
“We saw two different sides. One was really well drilled and coached and Chelsea allowed that. Sometimes Chelsea, I couldn’t believe the tactical and technical mistakes.
“We are not used to it. They had World Cup winner, World Cup winner, World Cup finalists, Brazil captain. Sometimes it doesn’t matter.
“It is difficult. I feel for Lampard. I completely understand where he is coming from in a way. It is just sometimes about the players, you need to look in the mirror yourself and ask questions.
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Chelsea were compared to ’11 olives without tactics’Credit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
“Nowadays what I see is the excuse to look at the manager. He doesn’t play, it’s the players showing up.”
Martin Odegaard bagged a first-half double for Arsenal, with Gabriel Jesus netting the third – while Noni Madueke scored his first Chelsea goal to reduce the deficit in the second period.
Following the defeat, Lampard blasted his side as too “nice”.
He said: “Chelsea has been a big success for 20 years but at the moment we aren’t in that position.
“In the time I’ve been here it’s clear to see behind the scenes, on the training ground, the reasons why.
“If you’re going to be a nice team to play against all the time it doesn’t matter where you go. That won’t change overnight but we better get there quickly.
“The passive nature of our game you could attribute to many things. The players certainly care.
“They are low on confidence, but when you play for Chelsea you have to play a certain way even if you are low on confidence.
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“Whatever it is, it maybe doesn’t even matter because the only thing that will get you out of it is understanding and working hard. The gap was the other way around for many years.”
Chelsea’s poor run has seen them fall to 12th in the table, below Crystal Palace and only above Bournemouth on goal difference.
Noni Madueke did grab a goal back for ChelseaCredit: AP More

ARSENAL boss Mikel Arteta has issued a worrying update about defender Gabriel after he was forced off during their 3-1 win over Chelsea.The Brazilian centre-back, 25, went down twice before being replaced by Rob Holding in the 85th minute of the Gunners’ victory at the Emirates on Tuesday evening.
Gabriel went down injured and was taken off during Arsenal’s win over ChelseaCredit: Richard Pelham / The Sun
Mikel Arteta is concerned by Gabriel’s injury issueCredit: Getty
And Arteta did not alleviate Arsenal fans’ fears with his post-match comments.
When asked about the Brazilian’s injury, the Spaniard replied: “He wasn’t comfortable.
“We tried for 10 or 15 minutes but he could not carry on which is strange for Gabi.
“So we are a bit concerned about that because normally he’s not one who wants to leave the pitch.”
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Gabriel’s injury scare comes at a time when Arsenal are already without their other first-choice centre-half, William Saliba.
The Frenchman, 22, has been sidelined since March and could miss the rest of the season.
Holding, 27, had replaced him in recent weeks as Arteta’s men went on a four-game winless run.
But he was then taken out for the Chelsea clash and replaced by Polish defender Jakub Kiwior.
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Speaking about 23-year-old Kiwior’s first start for Arsenal, Arteta said: “He looked ready, he looked fresh.
“He looked really determined, he’s been getting better and better every single day. Not only training but his interaction, his language, he is more settled and is a player that I really like which is why we signed him.
“He’s got the potential at his age to be great and I think he had a big task against the players he had to face today and I think he did really well.”
But while £21million January signing Kiwior impressed against Chelsea, a run of seven games without a clean sheet will concern Arteta.
And next up for the Premier League leaders is a trip to in-form Newcastle.
The Gunners hold a two-point advantage over Manchester City but have played two games more. More