O'Neil says Chelsea owners BlueCo 'messed up' Strasbourg recruitment
Gary ONeil has accused BlueCo, the owners of Chelsea and Strasbourg, of "messing up" recruitment this season at the Ligue 1 side and questioned the clubs culture.
The former Wolves and Bournemouth coach was appointed in January after Liam Rosenior moved to Stamford Bridge and has overseen two semi-final defeats in the last month as the club exited the Coupe de France and the Conference League.
Strasbourg have won six of their 14 league games under ONeils management but defeats by Nice in April and over two legs against Rayo Vallecano ended their hopes of silverware and with it their last chance of qualifying for Europe next season.
O'Neil believes recruitment during the January transfer window weakened rather than strengthened his squad.
I need two centre-forwards, said ONeil following Sundays 1-1 draw with Angers, reported by LEquipe.
The owners want to give me the means to perform next season, but we have to improve the culture around the club, the quality of the players, and the depth of the squad.
We messed up in the January transfer window. We weakened instead of improving the squad.
Striker David Datro Fofana and defender Aaron Anselmino were loaned from Chelsea while the influential Mamadou Sarr, who spent the first half of the season on loan from Stamford Bridge, was recalled to west London.
Ecuador international Kendry Paez also had his season-long loan cut short by Chelsea and was immediately loaned out again to River Plate in Argentina.
Mourinho increasingly likely to become next Real Madrid head coach
Jose Mourinho is believed to be increasingly likely to become the next Real Madrid boss.
Despite the Portuguese's insistence that he is not personally speaking to the Spanish giants while Benfica's season is still alive, work is going on behind the scenes on his behalf with the intention to make a move happen, Your Site News understands.
Mead to leave Arsenal at end of season
Beth Mead will leave Arsenal at the end of the season when her contract expires.
The forward, who joined the Gunners from Sunderland in 2017, leaves after nine seasons in north London. She made 265 appearances for the club, scoring 86 goals.
In a glittering career at Arsenal, she has won the Women's Super League title, three League Cups, the Champions League and a Champions Cup.
Lewis-Skelly on his Arsenal future: I'm focused on the games we have got coming up
Myles Lewis-Skellys absence from Arsenal's team earlier this season had raised questions about the left back's long-term future, and there had been suggestions the 19-year-old could even be sold this summer despite agreeing a new contract which takes him through to 2030 only last year.
Asked if he is fully committed to Arsenal, the Hale End Academy graduate replied: I am focused on the games that we have got coming up and bringing this club back to glory.
Chelsea aim to appoint new manager by mid-June
Latest from Your Site News' Kaveh Solhekol:
Chelsea are aiming to have a new manager in place by mid-June.
Chelsea now have a shortlist of five or six names, including Xabi Alonso, Andoni Iraola and Marco Silva.
Alonso has been out of work since he left Real Madrid in January after eight months in charge, but he may decide to take a year out before returning to management.
The ex-Liverpool midfielder won 24 of his 34 games but lost his job after Barcelona beat Real Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup final.
At the time, they were four points behind Barcelona in LaLiga, but that gap is now 14 points after they lost at Barcelona to hand their rivals the title.
Alonso won the German domestic double at Bayer Leverkusen in 2023/24.
The focus at Chelsea this week is on Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City, while work on recruiting a new manager continues.
Victory at Wembley could be Chelseas best chance of qualifying for European football next season in the Europa League.
Benfica to target Silva if Mourinho becomes new Real Madrid boss
Latest from Your Site News' Kaveh Solhekol:
Benfica will target Fulham boss Marco Silva if Jose Mourinho becomes the new Real Madrid head coach.
Silva's Fulham future is up in the air with his contract due to expire at the end of the season.
The 48-year-old is a Chelsea managerial target with Silva on a Blues shortlist, which also includes Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola.
But it has emerged that Silva is a potential target for Benfica if Mourinho returns to Real Madrid.
Mourinho has denied reports that he is in talks with Real president Florentino Perez over a potential return to the club.
But if the 63-year-old departs Portuguese side Benfica, then Silva could be lined up for a return to his homeland.
Silva has previously managed Estoril and Sporting in Portugal.
Palace want to appoint Iraola as new boss
Latest from Your Site News' Kaveh Solhekol:
Crystal Palace want to appoint Bournemouth manager Andoni Iraola this summer.
Palace have a managerial vacancy at the end of the season with Oliver Glasner leaving Selhurst Park upon the expiry of his contract.
It is a similar situation at Bournemouth, where out-of-contract Iraola is leaving the Cherries at the end of the season.
But Palace face competition from Chelsea for the Spaniard's signature.
The west London club's managerial search has been narrowed down to five or six names, including Iraola, Xabi Alonso and Marco Silva.
The Blues are aiming to have a new manager in place by mid-June.
Rashford says goal that helped Barca seal title is perfect way to end
Marcus Rashford said scoring on the night Barcelona won La Liga by beating arch-rivals Real Madrid was the perfect way to end.
The forward is on loan from Manchester United having moved to Spain in the summer after falling out of favour with former boss Ruben Amorim.
But with former team-mate Michael Carrick currently in charge at Old Trafford and looking in pole position to be given the job permanently after leading the club back to the Champions League Rashford did not want to commit his future.
This is the perfect way I want it to end. Im very happy, I just want to enjoy today. I live in the moment. At the end of the season we will see, he told ESPN.
I came here to win and we do this so Im very happy. Its an incredible feeling.
Over the season we deserved it, we were the best team. We had some bad moments but we always come back and fight to improve.
Rashford: I'm not a magician - if I was I would stay at Barcelona
Marcus Rashford says if he were a "magician", he would stay at Barcelona beyond his season-long loan from Manchester United after clinching LaLiga at Spotify Camp Nou.
Rashford fired in a stunning free-kick to open the scoring before Ferran Torres added a second as Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0. Barcelona lifted their 29th league title with the Clasico deciding the LaLiga for the first time in 94 years.
Asked a direct question about whether he would like to stay at Barcelona, Rashford said:
I dont know, Im not a magician but if I was, I would stay [at Barcelona].
"We will see. Football is unpredictable but for now, I will just enjoy it, live in the moment and reassess at the end of the season and see what is possible.
Howe: Anderson's Forest move 'most reluctant transfer Ill ever do'
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said seeing Elliot Anderson scoring the equaliser against them in their 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest really hurt" and reiterated that his sale to Forest was the most reluctant transfer Ill ever do.
Andersons move to the City Ground from the Magpies in 2024 was essentially a 35m transfer to satisfy his boyhood clubs PSR demands.
It was something we regretted when we were doing it, he said. We knew that would be a very, very painful transfer, one that we had to do.
We had no choice, but it was probably the most reluctant transfer Ill ever do, because we knew the quality of the player.
Wed seen him close up for a number of years training with us. He was beginning to break into the team and he was being for me, the back end of that season, really effective in a number of different positions.
It really hurts to see him do that against us today, hes going to go and have a fantastic career, wherever he goes, wherever his career takes him.
Hes a great lad as well, so its painful for us to take but hes an outstanding player.
Meanwhile, Forest boss Vitor Pereira said he "cannot say" whether Anderson would stay at the City Ground this summer.
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The Portuguese said: I cannot say (whether he will stay), I dont have the answer. I know he deserves the top of the world.
I know that hes our player, and we need to enjoy him because I have worked with the top talent players, but to find a top player with this character is not easy.
Im not thinking about the next season. Im thinking about finishing this season in the best position that we can.
