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      Jose Mourinho subs off forgotten Premier League ace just 18 minutes after bringing him on – and refuses to look at him

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      JOSE MOURINHO savagely brought off midfielder Renato Sanches just 18 MINUTES after bringing him on during Roma’s 2-0 defeat away at Bologna.With the visitors trailing 1-0 at half-time, Mourinho brought the Paris Saint-Germain loanee, 26, on for Leonardo Spinazzola.
      Renato Sanches was left baffled as he was subbed off 18 minutes after coming on
      Jose Mourinho did not look at the midfielder as he made his way off the pitch
      Edoardo Bove replaced Sanches in the second half
      Roma then went further behind through a Rasmus Kristensen own goal just four minutes into the second period.
      And shortly after the hour mark, Mourinho hauled Sanches off, replacing him with Edoardo Bove.
      He later apologised to Sanches, saying: “I’m sorry… The last time I did this to a player before Renato was Matic, and I’m terribly sorry about this.
      “But today I couldn’t leave the team with a player who had become frustrated. I had to make this decision.”
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      Sanches, who played 12 Premier League games while on loan at Swansea in the 2017/18 season, was visibly surprised he was coming off after such a brief stint on the pitch.
      And Mourinho did not even look in the midfielder’s direction as he made his way off.
      Very little changed after the tactical switch as the score remained 2-0, a loss that leaves Roma three points adrift of Serie A’s top four.
      But the decision to substitute a substitute should come as no surprise to those that have followed Mourinho’s career.
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      Sanches endured a rough time on loan in the Premier League with SwanseaCredit: Reuters
      Sanches has scored one goal in five Serie A games for Roma
      While Tottenham manager, the Portuguese coach hooked Eric Dier in the 28th minute when Spurs trailed Olympiacos 4-2 in a 2019 Champions League group stage match.
      On that occasion, Mourinho’s men came back to win 4-2, before he later issued an apology to Dier.
      He also carried out a similarly brutal move while at Chelsea.
      During a Premier League clash with Fulham in 2006, Mourinho substituted Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips in the 26th minute for Damien Duff and Didier Drogba.
      But it had little impact as the Blues lost 1-0 at Craven Cottage. More

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      Chelsea transfer chiefs closely tracking ‘one of Europe’s most versatile defenders’ ahead of £34million transfer battle

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      CHELSEA are tracking the highly rated Torino and Italy defender Alessandro Buongiorno.Buongiorno has been one of the best defenders in Serie A this season and is attracting interest from across Europe.
      Buongiorno is now a starter for ItalyCredit: Getty
      The Blues’ scouting department have been tracking his games in recent weeks, and plan to continue watching him play over the festive period.
      Buongiorno has started in 14 games since the beginning of the season – 12 in Serie A and two in the Italian Cup, registering two goals and making one assist.
      The defender is also attracting interest from Juventus, Inter Milan and Roma, with Jose Mourinho publicly praising him two weeks ago.
      Torino have already received an offer from one of Italy’s big teams two weeks ago of £21.5million but rejected it in the belief they could get more from a Prem side.
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      The club are holding out for a figure of £35m.
      Buongiorno currently has a contract running until 2028 so they are under no pressure to sell.
      His vital presence to the Torino defence was best demonstrated in November when he was sidelined for two weeks and Torino lost all three games in his absence.
      Chelsea value Buongiorno’s versatility and competence on the ball.
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      He’s also one of the most aggressive tacklers in Serie A, averaging seven a game – the third highest in the league.
      Despite his penchant for tackling, he has received just one yellow card this term.
      Torino are currently 10th in the table, four points off qualifying for a Europa Conference League spot.
      The club are bracing themselves for several offers in January with many clubs looking to strengthen their defence this winter.
      Luciano Spaletti is a huge fan of the defender and played him in their crucial Euros qualifier against Ukraine.
      He’s expected to retain that spot in the actual tournament should his form remain in tact. More

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      Chelsea ‘relaxed about Victor Osimhen’s new club-record contract’ thanks to clause in transfer target’s deal

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      CHELSEA are confident about their top transfer target Victor Osimhen despite signing a new club-record contract, a report claims.Even with a hefty £112million release clause the Blues still aim to secure the Napoli striker as Mauricio Pochettino is desperate to add firing power to his frontline.
      Chelsea remain ‘confident’ over Victor Osimhen transfer despite his £112million release clauseCredit: Rex
      Osimhen has agreed to new terms with the Serie A side meaning he will not come cheap for Chelsea to buy.
      The Nigeria forward has agreed with Napoli on a contract until 2026 with the deal set to end any anticipation of him moving in January.
      But according to The Standard, the 24-year-old could still head to Stamford Bridge next summer.
      Pochettino’s side are relaxed about the transfer as Osimhen is open to a move to West London.
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      The report claims the African Footballer of the Year has described Chelsea legend “Didier Drogba as one of his football idols” and is not against playing in top-flight English football.
      Chelsea now faces a big decision as to whether they want to fund the £100,000-a-week wage that he demands in return to land a top-class striker.
      Napoli are said to have already begun to plan for Osihmen’s departure in the hope a major club can meet his release clause.
      Chelsea are still debating whether to go for the forward in the new year or wait till the end of term.
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      With a rocky start this season due to a hamstring injury the Nigerian star is getting back on his feet.
      Last term Osimhen assisted Napoli to the Serie A title scoring 31 goals in 39 appearances.
      Meanwhile, the Blue’s perpetual struggles continue as Poch’s squad sit 12th in the league with just five victories this season.
      Despite spending a whopping £1billion since the arrival of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital the Argentine boss is not happy with the level of his squad.
      And the West London side are “confident” they can splash more cash and remain in line with Financial Fair Play rules. More

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      How race for 5th Champions League spot looks with Premier League at risk of missing out after Man Utd and Newcastle woes

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      THE Champions League is set for a major revamp that will see two major European nations be handed an extra spot in the competition from next season.As it stands, the Premier League would miss out on gaining a fifth place.
      Manchester United finished bottom of their Champions League groupCredit: Alamy
      Newcastle crashed out of Europe by losing to AC MilanCredit: Getty
      The Champions League has long featured 32 teams split into eight groups of four, with the top two advancing out of each.
      From next year it will be moving to the Swiss Model.
      This will instead see 36 teams admitted into one big league table with the top eight qualifying automatically for the round of 16 and positions 9-24 contesting a play-off.
      To determine fixtures teams will be split into four pots of nine.
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      Each club will be drawn to face two teams from each pot, including their own.
      No teams will drop into the Europa League following the conclusion of the group stage.
      With the number of teams admitted into the Champions League growing from 32 to 36, four extra spots will be up for grabs.
      Two of these spots will go to the leagues whose clubs perform best in European competitions, including the Europa League and Europa Conference League, this season.
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      While the further two will go to the team that comes third in the Uefa nation ranked fifth in coefficient, and the other going to the champions’ qualifying path.
      The best performing leagues will be determined by the average coefficient of clubs participating in Europe.
      Every win by a club from a nation is worth two points, a draw one and a defeat none.
      Bonus points are then accrued by progressing through various stages of each competition.
      Playing in the Champions League group stage is worth four points, with five dished out for qualifying for the round of 16 and one each for the quarter-finals, semis and final.
      Winning a Europa League group, as Liverpool already have done, is worth four points, while two are given to runners up.
      Bonus points are then handed out for reaching the round of 16, quarters, semis and final.
      Winning your group in the Europa Conference League, as Aston Villa could, is worth two points, while qualifying as runner-up is worth one.
      Bonus points are given for reaching the semis or final.
      All points earned by clubs from each country are added up before being divided by the number of teams from that nation in Europe, eight in the Premier League’s case.
      Manchester United and Newcastle’s failure to progress, even into the Europa League, has seen the Premier League’s coefficient drop to third as it stands.
      The English top flight would have been awarded the extra Champions League spot in four of the last five seasons, the exception being 2019-20.
      Currently its coefficient number, 12.13, is behind those of Germany, 13.36, and Italy, 13.14.
      With Man Utd and Newcastle both out already, the Prem will be heavily reliant on its other clubs to have deep runs in order to accumulate enough points to climb into the top two.
      Holders Manchester City have won their Champions League group, while Arsenal have too.
      Liverpool, Brighton and West Ham have all progressed in the Europa League, and Aston Villa have qualified for the Europa Conference League knockout rounds.
      Read more on The Sun
      As it stands, the Bundesliga and Serie A would be handed the extra Champions League places.
      Should a team from one of the two nations with the highest coefficient win the Europa League without finishing in the top five of their own division, that country could have six teams in the Champions League.
      The Bundesliga are leading the coefficient raceCredit: Getty
      Serie A would grab the second bonus spot as it standsCredit: Rex More

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      Newcastle ‘interested in Jose Mourinho as manager’ as fans say ‘sincerely hope not’

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      NEWCASTLE are reportedly keeping tabs on Roma manager Jose Mourinho with his contract rapidly running out.Mourinho’s deal with the Giallorossi expires in June and talks have begun between him and the club’s hierarchy.
      Newcastle are interested in Roma manager Jose MourinhoCredit: Getty
      Mourinho’s contract at Roma runs out in June and Newcastle are ‘fascinated’Credit: Getty
      According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Italian giants want to keep the Portuguese tactician who has also won the fans over.
      The Roma faithful are so behind the ex-Chelsea boss that they even put up a banner at Olimpico, calling him a “Romanista for life” on Sunday during the 1-1 draw with Fiorentina.
      However, the former Manchester United manager wants another two-year deal in Rome whereas the club chiefs are more keen on a one-year extension.
      Nevertheless, Roma officials are willing to pay Mourinho €7.5m (£6.4m) per season.
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      However, a return to the Premier League isn’t out of the question for the ex-Tottenham boss.
      That is because interest from Newcastle is “looming” with club bigwigs “fascinated” by the 60-year-old.
      However, there are currently no indications that Toon manager Eddie Howe’s position is under threat.
      And it doesn’t seem like the Magpies’ fans are all keen on replacing Howe with Mourinho.
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      A Newcastle fan tweeted: “We have great team morale at Newcastle at the moment.
      “Sincerely hope Mourinho doesn’t rock up here and destroy that.”
      Real Madrid are also interested in bringing Mourinho back to the Santiago Bernabeu with current manager Carlo Ancelotti’s deal running out in June as well. More

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      Mason Greenwood is ‘wanted by European giants as club boss plans to sign striker permanently from Man Utd in just WEEKS’

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      AN ICONIC Italian team is reportedly looking to sign former Manchester United player Mason Greenwood in a bombshell transfer.The owner of Champions League team Lazio is “obsessed” with the English striker and a January bid can’t be ruled out, Italian media have reported.
      Mason Greenwood’s transfer future is promising after positive performancesCredit: Getty
      La Lazio Siamo Noi, a Lazio news website, has reported the boss of the Serie A side still has feelings for Greenwood after a summer deal fell through.
      Lazio president Claudio Lotito is reported to be hellbent on having a second go at signing Greenwood as the team currently sits in 10th, with the sale potentially happening as soon as January.
      The Romans are struggling with their attack and have only scored nine goals in 10 games, with three coming from the spot.
      Greenwood has scored four goals in 13 games for Getafe FC since moving to the Madrid team in September.
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      “The talent of 2001 is enormous, impossible to argue with, he can play as a winger and also as a pure striker,” writes the Lazio press.
      “Greenwood remains an obsession of Lotito, it cannot be ruled out that the president could make an attempt in January.”
      Lazio would need to nab Greenwood from Manchester United as Greenwood is being loaned from them to Getafe.
      La Lazio Siamo Noi reports that Lazio could lure Greenwood with the possibility of Champions League football, but the Italians are currently five places outside of playing European football.
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      The 22-year-old’s contract with the Red Devils ends in 2025 and the Bradford player has impressed in Spain since returning to football.
      Greenwood was arrested in January last year following charges of attempted rape, assault and coercive control.
      He denied all the charges and they were later dropped by the CPS.
      Manchester United then started their own internal investigation with the plan to bring Greenwood back into the team.
      That investigation ended in August, but after huge fan pressure and internal backlash, Greenwood was sent to the La Liga side on a season-long loan.
      His last appearance for United came in a 1-0 win over West Ham on January 22, 2022.
      The former England star was farmed out to the Spaniards on transfer deadline day to try to rebuild his career away from the spotlight.
      It comes as The Sun also reported Valencia and Real Sociedad are understood to both be “monitoring” the England striker and could be poised to make a move in the summer.
      Greenwood runs with the ball against Valencia CFCredit: Getty More

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      Glamorous sports presenter Diletta Leotta dubbed ‘most beautiful woman on planet earth’ as she dazzles at Juventus clash

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      SPORTS presenter Diletta Leotta has taken social media by storm once more.Leotta covered the Serie A clash between Juventus and Napoli at the Allianz Stadium on Friday.
      Diletta Leotta stood out at Juventus vs Napoli with her silver outfitCredit: Getty

      Leotta shares a series of glam pics across her social media channelsCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      Leotta has attracted a large following across social media
      Leotta’s content attracts a lot of interaction at social mediaCredit: @dilettaleotta
      Juve defeated the defending Italian champions 1-0 thanks to Federico Gatti’s winner on 51 minutes.
      But many were more interested in Leotta and her dazzling silver outfit as she worked pitchside.
      The journalist shared a series of images on Instagram that attracted over 133,000 likes.
      And the Italian’s 9million followers rushed to the comments’ section in awe.
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      One fan posted: “The most beautiful woman on planet Earth.”
      Another commented: “Superrrr.”
      A third wrote: “Gorgeous Dile.”
      This one said: “I just want to say that you are so beautiful and I love your work.”
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      And that one gushed: “Delightful.”
      Leotta has shared a series of glam pics across her social media channels.
      The 32-year-old has also uploaded pics of her and fiance Loris Karius, who currently plays for Newcastle.
      A glimpse inside Leotta’s glamorous life
      Leotta and boyfriend Loris Karius saw in the new year togetherCredit: https://www.instagram.com/dilettaleotta/
      The footballer brought Diletta a cake to her hospital bed as she gave birth to their first child on her own birthdayCredit: INSTAGRAM / dilettaleotta
      The pair posed together in ‘2023’ sunglasses
      Diletta is one of the Serie A’s best loved presentersCredit: Getty
      Diletta stunned as she presented the Turin derby on Italian TVCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      The glamorous TV host put on a leggy display pitchsideCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      And boasts 9million followersCredit: Getty
      Diletta gave birth to her first child with Karius in AugustCredit: Instagram / @dilettaleotta
      Diletta is no stranger to some extravagant outfits on her InstagramCredit: @dilettaleotta
      Diletta and Karius in MilanCredit: The Mega Agency
      The Italian beauty on holiday with Karius
      She has flipped between blonde and brunette looksCredit: https://www.instagram.com/dilettaleotta/
      She has previously worn an outfit similar to her Tomb Raider lookCredit: @dilettaleotta
      Diletta with a pared back lookCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      Diletta Leotta is reportedly dating Loris Karius after he visited her in MilanCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      Leotta has 8.6million Instagram followersCredit: Getty
      She is a presenter for DaznCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      Leotta burst on to the scene with Sky SportsCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      She posts regularly updates on Instagram to the delight of her fansCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      Diletta has 8.5million followers on InstagramCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta
      The Italian works for DAZNCredit: Instagram @dilettaleotta More

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      Roma boss Jose Mourinho uses BALLBOY to pass note to keeper Rui Patricio in fiery clash that saw them have two sent off

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      ROMA boss Jose Mourinho used a ballboy to relay a message to goalkeeper Rui Patricio during last night’s chaotic clash with Fiorentina.The Portuguese had earlier watched his side take the lead via Romelu Lukaku’s fifth minute header.
      Roma down to 9 men at home, needing to hold the score to remain in the top 4.The cameras catch Mourinho making one of his notes, which he gives to a ball boy and asks him to give it to Rui Patrício.Fantastic image.pic.twitter.com/4jy2W6Y3JA— IM🇵🇹 (@Iconic_Mourinho) December 10, 2023

      Jose Mourinho scribbled down some instructions
      A ballboy dutifully delivered the note to Rui Patricio
      Things went wrong from there, however, with two injuries and a pair of red cards hampering Roma’s progress.
      Paulo Dybala was forced to hobble off during the first half, before his replacement Sardar Azmoun suffered the same fate in the second.
      With Roma still leading, Nicolas Zalewski received a second yellow card on 64 minutes for tripping his opponent.
      Fiorentina were level just two minutes later via Lucas Martinez’s effort.
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      Things then went from bad to worse for Roma, who saw talisman Lukaku given a straight red card in the 87th minute for a poor challenge on Christian Kouame.
      As Roma sought to hold on, boss Mourinho scribbled down some instructions on a piece of paper, before passing them to a ballboy.
      The dutiful ballboy then jogged around to Patricio’s goal, handing the goalkeeper his manager’s advice.
      Mourinho’s fans online loved the gesture, with one calling it a “fantastic image”.
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      A second gushed: “This is football heritage.”
      Although a third joked: “Weird way to hand in your resignation letter.”
      Roma managed to hold out for a 1-1 draw but Mourinho was far from happy.
      The 60-year-old once again berated officials as they left the pitch.
      He then refused to speak to the media after the match.
      Fiorentina substitute Nikola Milenkovic, who was recently linked with Roma, was also red carded deep into stoppage time.
      The draw leaves Roma fourth in the Serie A table, above Bologna on goal difference.
      They now trail leaders Inter Milan by 13 points.
      Mourinho’s Roma contract is set to expire at the end of the season.
      He recently admitted that he sees himself managing elsewhere in the future.
      Read more on The Sun
      The former Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid boss told Rai1: “I think one day I will join Saudi Pro League. I think I will go and coach there, yes.
      “But that day won’t be tomorrow or after tomorrow…”
      Nicola Zalewski was sent off for RomaCredit: Getty
      Romelu Lukaku received a straight red card for this challengeCredit: EPA
      Mourinho, 60, was left simmering on the touchlineCredit: Getty More