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      ‘Curse’ which has plagued Jose Mourinho at EVERY club appears to strike again as Roma battle relegation

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      PRESSURE is piling on Jose Mourinho with Roma having endured a shocking start to the season.The Serie A side slumped to an abject 4-1 defeat at Genoa last night, leaving them 16th in the table.
      Jose Mourinho has overseen a dreadful start for RomaCredit: EPA
      At Chelsea and Manchester United, the 60-year-old saw things fall apart in his third campaign in charge.
      He was sacked from both jobs amid reports of dressing room unrest and shocking form on the pitch.
      In his last position at Tottenham he didn’t even make it to his third campaign, being axed in April 2021 following an awful run.
      Roma began this season with an underwhelming 2-2 draw at home to Salernitana, before losing back to back matches against Verona and AC Milan.
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      Bizarrely they then thumped Empoli 7-0, before drawing 1-1 at Torino and being well beaten by Genoa last night.
      After his side’s latest humbling result, Mourinho admitted that he is enduring his worst ever start to a season – but tried to deflect from Roma’s poor results.
      He said: “It’s also my worst start to a season as a coach.
      “However I don’t think that Roma had ever appeared in two consecutive European finals.”
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      Roma are languishing in 16th in the Serie A table
      Mourinho then blamed his squad for his side’s malaise, adding: “When we’re missing certain players, we lack solidity.
      “However, to state that our weakening of solidity is the result of the absence of this or that player wouldn’t be correct.
      “Our lack of defensive stability is down to the team as a whole – what happens when we lose possession and when we drop deeper.”

      Roma next face Frosinone this weekend and taking a further dig at his players, Mourinho continued: “This is the squad we have, for better and worse. We have to move forward – there’s no time to lament.
      “I might show my feelings behind the scenes because it really affects me emotionally, especially given my relationship with the fans.
      “We’ll be working hard from tomorrow ahead of our next game. Three points will be at stake – it’s not like we’re in six-pointer territory already – but it’s a huge game for us now.”
      Mourinho earns £10million a year at Roma, a salary only bettered by Juventus’ Massimiliano Allegri among Serie A managers.
      The Portuguese has failed to qualify for the Champions League in his two full seasons at the helm – finishing sixth on both occasions.
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      In the 2021-22 campaign Roma lifted the inaugural Europa Conference League, won by West Ham the following campaign.
      They were then beaten by Sevilla in last season’s Europa League final.
      Roma are yet to qualify for the Champions League under MourinhoCredit: EPA More

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      Napoli break silence on offensive Victor Osimhen TikTok video after striker’s agent threatens legal action

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      NAPOLI have finally broken their silence on the now-deleted videos shared by the club’s official TikTok account mocking Victor Osimhen.Earlier this week, the Serie A champions posted two shocking clips, one mocking the Nigerian striker for missing a penalty and another branding him a “coconut” — widely viewed as a racial slur.
      Napoli have released a statement after Victor Osimhen was mocked in two videos on the club’s official TikTokCredit: Rex
      Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda was quick to release a statement threatening legal action.
      But now Napoli have finally broken their silence on the situation – saying “no offence was intended” and the bizarre clips were meant to be “light-hearted”.
      A statement read: “Calcio Napoli, wishing to avoid any exploitation of the issue, point out that we never wanted to offend or mock Victor Osimhen, who is a treasure of this club.
      “As proof of that, during the summer training retreat, the Club firmly rebuffed every offer that was received for the striker’s transfer abroad.
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      “Social media, in particular TikTok, has always used an expressive form of language with a light heart and creativity, without wanting to, as in the case with Osimhen as protagonist, have any intention of insult or derision.
      “In any case, if Victor perceived any offence towards him, this was not what the club intended.”
      Osimhen played and scored in Wednesday night’s 4-1 win over Udinese – but refused to celebrate his goal.
      He was taken off penalty duties following his Bologna miss which was the subject of one of Napoli’s TikToks.
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      Earlier this week, Osimhen’s agent fumed: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.
      “What happened on Napoli’s official profile is not acceptable.
      “A video mocking Victor was first made public and then belatedly deleted.
      “A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment the boy is suffering.”
      Premier League clubs are now keen to capitalise on the unsettled forward’s situation in the January transfer window.
      Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are monitoring the situation.
      But European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested should Napoli be forced to sell their £150million-rated superstar. More

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      Champions League giants reveal plot to leave iconic stadium with plans drawn up for incredible new 70,000-seat arena

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      AC MILAN have revealed plans for an incredible new stadium as they prepare to depart the legendary San Siro.The Serie A giants and their city rivals Inter have shared the iconic ground since 1947.
      AC Milan are looking to leave their iconic San Siro homeCredit: PA
      They have unveiled plans for a brand new 70,000-seater homeCredit: Twitter @acmilan
      Both clubs were aiming to improve the dated San Siro in order to build a new “cathedral” of football in its place.
      However, those plans were blocked earlier this year and now they are each looking into building their own separate stadiums.
      Now the Rossoneri have announced that they have lodged preliminary proposals to Milan council for a stunning new home in the suburb of San Donato.
      But it’s not only a new 70,000-seat stadium on the “San Francesco” site.
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      They also want the project to include new club headquarters, a hotel, shop, museum and entertainment district.
      AC Milan chairman Paolo Scaroni said: “For over four years, we have embarked with conviction on a journey aimed at giving our club one of the best stadiums of the world, which is able to accompany us into a victorious and sustainable future.

      “This represents a preliminary step in the evolution of this process but, at the same time, it is further proof of our ownership’s commitment to guaranteeing continuous growth for AC Milan both on and off the pitch.”
      Both AC and Inter are looking to leave the San Siro due to the huge cost of renovating the ground.
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      It last received a makeover ahead of the 1990 World Cup in Italy.
      A local heritage commission ruled in August that the San Siro has a “cultural interest” and that it cannot be demolished.
      Meanwhile, Inter are looking into a potential site in Assago, which is a small town to the south of Milan, for their new home.
      The San Siro was last renovated way back for Italia 90Credit: Getty More

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      Watch Victor Osimhen refuse to celebrate after scoring for Napoli hours after threatening legal action over shock video

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      VICTOR OSIMHEN broke his Napoli drought last night – but then REFUSED to celebrate his goal amid his potential legal action against the club.The Nigerian star, 24, grabbed his side’s second in the 4-1 victory over Udinese in Serie A.
      Victor Osimhen broke his mini-drought for Napoli against UdineseCredit: Getty
      The star refused to celebrate his strike amid the potential legal action against the clubCredit: Getty

      That ended his four-game wait for a goal but he showed little emotion after finding the net as the player’s relationship with the club soured over recent days over their shock social media antics.
      Osimhen, who usually celebrates emphatically, instead just stood mooted after firing past the goalkeeper as his team-mates raced over to congratulate him.

      The hotshot also opted against taking a penalty after being mocked by the Italian club’s TikTok account.
      Napoli’s official TikTok page shared a video mocking the forward for missing a spot kick in their 0-0 draw with Bologna on Sunday.
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      The now deleted clip enraged Osimhen and the rest of the squad – and that appeared to lead to him deciding against taking a pen yesterday as he handed over spot-kick duties to Piotr Zielinski, who made no mistake to put the Gli Azzurri 1-0 up.
      Another now-deleted post reportedly saw the club release a video featuring a cropped photo of Osimhen’s head on a coconut with audio over the clip saying: “I’m a coconut.”
      It’s widely viewed as a racial slur.
      Osimhen was linked with a host of Europe’s biggest clubs over the summer transfer window as both Manchester United and Chelsea chased his signature.
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      Now the Premier League duo and rivals Arsenal are on red alert after the controversial TikTok post left the player contemplating SUING his employers over the shock video.
      Osimhen’s agent, Robert Calenda, wrote on X on Monday: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable.
      “A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.
      “A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player. And adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”
      He then added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
      Osimhen earned legendary status last season by playing an instrumental role in Napoli ending their 33-year wait for the Serie A title as he scored 26 goals in 32 top-flight matches. More

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      Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea queue up for Victor Osimhen transfer after shocking Napoli TikTok video caused furious row

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      PREMIER LEAGUE giants are on red alert after Victor Osimhen threatened to sue his club Napoli for mocking him.The Serie A champions posted two shocking TikTok videos, one ridiculing the Nigerian striker for missing a penalty and another branding him a “coconut” — widely viewed as a racial slur.
      Victor Osimhen’s Napoli future is well and truly up in the air after two bizarre video posts from the club’s official TikTok pageCredit: EPA
      One clip mocked the striker’s penalty miss against Bologna, with the other branding him a ‘coconut’Credit: Getty
      Osimhen’s agent Roberto Calenda fumed: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.
      “What happened on Napoli’s official profile is not acceptable.
      “A video mocking Victor was first made public and then belatedly deleted.
      “A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment the boy is suffering.”
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      Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal are monitoring the situation.
      But European heavyweights Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested should Napoli be forced to sell their £150million-rated superstar.
      Osimhen, 24, scored 26 league goals to help Napoli win their first league title since 1990 last season.
      But he missed a penalty in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Bologna before berating manager Rudi Garcia for hauling him off four minutes before the end of the game.
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      Victor Osimhen bagged Napoli’s second goal in their 4-1 rout of Udinese on WednesdayCredit: GETTY
      And a bizarre video emerged on Napoli’s official TikTok page in the aftermath, showing Osimhen appealing for the spot-kick with a sped-up dubbed voice saying “gimme penalty please” before smashing the ball wide.
      A second video, allegedly also from Napoli’s account, labelled Osimhen a “coconut”.
      Osimhen has removed all references to Napoli on his Instagram account, including deleting numerous pictures.
      He was also filmed snubbing his team-mates’ handshakes as he arrived at the training ground ahead of last night’s 4-1 win over Udinese.
      Despite Calenda’s legal threat, Osimhen started the Serie A battle.
      He was taken off penalty duty, with Piotr Zielinski scoring from the spot for the opener.
      But Osimhen notched the second goal, drawing cheers from the crowd. He was subbed in the 63rd minute.
      Napoli rejected a summer offer of about £120m for Osimhen from Saudi side Al-Hilal.
      Victor Osimhen is contemplating taking legal action against Napoli over the postsCredit: ALAMY More

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      Chelsea fans rage at goal-shy club as Loftus-Cheek nets screamer after assist from former Blues team-mate

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      FORMER Chelsea star Ruben Loftus-Cheek scored his first competitive goal for AC Milan in spectacular style on Wednesday.Loftus-Cheek, 27, left Stamford Bridge to join the Italian giants in a £15million transfer in June.
      Loftus-Cheek scored an outstanding goal for AC Milan on WednesdayCredit: Getty
      Christian Pulisic assisted the goalCredit: Getty

      He has since enjoyed a complete resurgence of form, appearing in each of the club’s opening six Serie A games.
      The midfielder finally scored his first Milan goal this week – and he was assisted by a former Chelsea team-mate.
      After making a run down the left, ex-Blue Christian Pulisic set the ball back to Loftus-Cheek who was positioned five yards outside of the penalty area.
      The Chelsea academy graduate then fired a stunning shot into the bottom-left corner to give Milan a 3-1 lead against Cagliari.
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      Stefano Pioli’s side went on to win the match thanks to goals from Loftus-Cheek, Noah Okafor and England international Fikayo Tomori.
      The outcome was bitter-sweet for Chelsea fans, with some claiming that Loftus-Cheek should NOT have been sold.
      One person tweeted: “Loftus-Cheek first goal for AC Milan & it’s an absolute beauty. Couldn’t be happier for the guy.”
      Another added: “He would’ve been so helpful and useful if we kept him. Glad he’s able to shine in Milan, his stock will rise like crazy this season.”
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      A third wrote: “I’ve watched the game. It’s a shame he is playing on right side of midfield three. He is better on left where he will find better angles to dribble. Either way he is showing Chelsea what they are missing.”
      While a fourth joked: “I’m telling you Chelsea are the problem 😂.”
      AC Milan currently sit second in the Serie A table, level on points with bitter rivals Inter Milan and only behind on goal difference. More

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      Victor Osimhen hands penalty to Napoli team-mate a day after club’s TikTok for mocked his spot kick miss in furious row

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      VICTOR OSIMHEN opted against taking a penalty for Napoli after being mocked by the club’s TikTok account.Napoli’s official TikTok page shared a video mocking the Nigeria international for missing a spot kick in their 0-0 draw with Bologna on Sunday.
      Victor Osimhen was back in action for Napoli on Wednesday after being mocked by the club’s official TikTokCredit: REX
      Napoli’s official TikTok shared a video mocking Osimhen’s penalty miss against BolognaCredit: REX
      Osimhen handed over penalty duty to Piotr Zielinski in Napoli’s clash with UdineseCredit: EPA
      The since-deleted video enraged Osimhen and his team – so much so the striker decided against taking a pen in their Serie A clash with Udinese on Wednesday.
      The striker – who is on the radar of Manchester United – handed over spot-kick duties to Piotr Zielinski, who made no mistake from 12 yards out to put the Gli Azzurri 1-0 up.
      It wasn’t long, however, before Osimhen’s name was on the scoresheet.
      The 24-year-old doubled Rudi Garcia’s troops’ lead in the 39th minute with a clinical finish inside the 18-yard box.
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      Osimhen’s long-term future at Napoli is well and truly up in the air following Napoli’s controversial TikTok post.
      The Nigerian is contemplating SUING his employers over the shock video.
      His agent, Robert Calenda, wrote on X: “What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable.
      “A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.
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      “A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player.
      “And adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.”
      He added: “We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
      Osimhen played an instrumental role in Napoli ending their 33-year wait for Serie A glory last season.
      He bagged an impressive 26 goals and racked up five assists in 32 league matches.
      He’s continued his rich vein of form this campaign, scoring four goals and bagging one assist in seven matches in all competitions.
      Victor Osimhen bagged Napoli’s second of the night with a clinical finishCredit: AP More

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      What did Napoli post on TikTok about Victor Osimhen?

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      VICTOR Osimhen’s representative has threatened Napoli with legal action, following now-deleted videos that were shared on social media.Here we take a look at what was posted online and what Victor Osimhen has said in response.
      Victor Osimhen pictured in September 2023Credit: Rex
      What did SSC Napoli post on TikTok?
      Napoli posted several videos to the social media platform TikTok appearing to mock striker Victor Osimhen.
      The club added the caption “Gimme penalty please” to his spot-kick miss, plus a whining voice-over appearing to make fun of the sports star.
      Another now-deleted post reportedly saw the club release a video featuring a cropped photo of Osimhen’s head on a coconut with audio over the clip saying: “I’m a coconut.”
      Osimhen completed a move from Lille to Napoli in the summer of 2020.
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      He has scored 62 goals in 107 games for Napoli and has scored three goals in six appearances this campaign.
      His current deal runs through until the summer of 2025.
      The club have since confirmed Osimhen has been included in their 24-man squad to face Udinese for their Serie A home game on Wednesday, September 27, 2023.
      Osimhen wears a mask when he plays, a habit he picked up after fracturing his eye socket during Napoli’s 3-2 defeat at Inter Milan in November 2021.
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      What has Victor Osimhen said about the posts?
      Following the posts shared to the social media platform, Osimhen’s representative Roberto Calenda issued a statement condemning the club’s actions on Tuesday, September 26, 2023.
      The statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter read: ”What happened today on Napoli’s official profile on the TikTok platform is not acceptable.
      ”A video mocking Victor was first made public and then, but now belatedly, deleted.
      ”A serious fact that causes very serious damage to the player and adds to the treatment that the boy is suffering in the last period between media trials and fake news.
      ”We reserve the right to take legal action and any useful initiative to protect Victor.”
      Osimhen has deleted all mention of the club from his social media accounts, bar one photograph which remains on Instagram – where he boasts a staggering 2.9 million fans and followers.
      The rest of the remaining snaps are from Nigeria and his previous clubs.
      On September 26, 2023, Gunner’s super-fan Piers Morgan urged the sports star to “come to Arsenal” amid the social media posts.
      The Sun columnist posted: “Don’t take this terrible treatment @victorosimhen9 – come to Arsenal instead.”
      The likes of Arsenal and Chelsea have all been linked with a move for the Serie A player.
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      Manchester United are another club who were strongly linked with Osimhen over the summer, but Erik ten Hag’s side ended up signing Rasmus Hojlund instead.
      PSG, Newcastle and Everton have also reportedly shown interest in the last two transfer windows. More