Vincenzo Italiano confirmed he is leaving Europa Conference League runners-up Fiorentina after they ended their Serie A campaign with a 3-2 win at Atalanta on Sunday.
Italiano took charge of Fiorentina in 2021 and has led them to three successive top-eight finishes in Serie A, also reaching the Europa Conference League final in back-to-back campaigns.
However, they were beaten by a last-gasp Jarrod Bowen goal as West Ham lifted the trophy last year, then lost out to Olympiacos in extra time in the 2023-24 final.
The Viola wrapped up their campaign with an impressive 3-2 win at Atalanta in a rescheduled fixture on Sunday, after which he announced his departure.
We all took this decision together not many weeks ago, Italiano told reporters after Sunday s …
Rob Page suggested Wales’ Euro 2024 qualifying defeat to Armenia was a necessary “slap” as he surveyed the wreckage of one of the most humiliating losses in the nation’s football history.
Armenia ran out shock 4-2 winners in Cardiff, despite being ranked 97th in the world and 71 places lower than Wales.
Page’s side – who took four points from their March games away to Croatia and at home to Latvia – would have topped Group D with victory in Cardiff.
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Alen Halilovic says it would not be a tragedy if he was not included in the Croatia squad for Euro 2016.
The 19-year-old Barcelona midfielder, who spent the past season on loan at Sporting Gijon, has been included in Croatia boss Ante Cacic s preliminary 27-man squad for the European Championship.
Halilovic is not thinking about whether he will be cut from the group ahead of the May 31 deadline, suggesting he will have plenty of opportunities to represent his country in the future.
We are very satisfied with the camp, but the most important thing is that there are no injuries, said the midfielder.
We are full of great players. All these guys deserve a call. We have not had a serious meeting, nor can we guess who will be the surplus four players.
What the papers say
Former Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel could make a return to the Premier League during this month’s transfer window. The 37-year-old Denmark international, currently with Anderlecht, is an option for Sheffield United who want to sign a goalkeeper, according to the Sun.
Manchester United have opted not to exercise the 12-month extension option on Raphael Varane’s contract, reports the Daily Mail. It enables the France defender, 30, to hold talks with overseas clubs over a free transfer in the summer.
Former Everton winger Ademola Lookman is catching the eye of several Premier League teams at Atalanta, according to the Daily Mail. Juventus and Nice are also said to be interested in the 26-year-old.
Nottingham Forest are reportedly l…
Angel Di Maria said he had dreamed of calling time on his international career with a trophy as Argentina beat Colombia in the Copa America final on Sunday.
Lautaro Martinez s fifth goal of the tournament secured Lionel Scaloni s side a record 16th title to move ahead of Uruguay as the most successful team in the competition.
Di Maria, who made 145 appearances for Argentina, received the player of the match award in his final outing for La Albiceleste at the Hard Rock Stadium.
The 36-year-old featured in all but one of Argentina s fixtures at the tournament, registering one assist in their 2-0 win over Peru in their final group game.
Di Maria announced in October that he would retire from international football after this year s Copa America, calling …
Glenn Hoddle was appointed manager of Wolves on this day in 2004 .
The former England boss had been out of a job since leaving Tottenham in September 2003 and had previous managerial experience with Swindon, Chelsea and Southampton.
Hoddle took charge, succeeding manager Dave Jones for a second time having previously replaced him at Southampton.
Jones was sacked at the start of November following the club’s relegation to the Championship and a miserable start to the new season saw them languishing in 17th when Hoddle took over.
“I’m delighted to be here. I saw the massive potential Wolverhampton have got; their ambition paralleled my thoughts,” Hoddle said.
“Wolves are a Premiership outfit with the fan base and ambition – they’ve alr…
Chelsea have completed the signing of Pedro Neto from Wolves, with the Blues shelling out €60million (£51.4m) plus add-ons for the Portugal international.
Chelsea have been busy in the transfer market once again as they approach their first season under Enzo Maresca, with Neto becoming their ninth senior signing ahead of 2024-25.
The winger spent five seasons at Wolves after arriving from Braga in 2019, and 2023-24 was his most productive campaign yet as he tallied nine assists in 20 Premier League appearances.
However, two hamstring injuries limited him to just 1,518 minutes in the competition last term, and he has not made over 20 league appearances in a single season since 2020-21.
Neto will be hoping to remain fit this campaign as Chelsea set their…
Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.
The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.
She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.
The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year s Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last ye…
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin could push for the delayed Euro 2020 finals to be staged in just one country, according to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
Any such move would cause a drastic redrawing of plans for the tournament just months out from its start, with 12 cities across Europe preparing to stage games.
The logistical implications would be enormous, with the need to find suitable team bases a major issue, while finding agreement on which country might serve as sole host may not be straightforward.
UEFA took similar steps last season to ensure the Champions League and Europa League campaigns could finish without further delay, but a month-long European Championship is on a different scale to those club competitions.
Yet the COVID-19 crisis could mean…
Fulham boss Marco Silva praised his captain Tom Cairney after watching him score two goals in the thumping win over Leicester on Monday.
Cairney has made only 23 starts in the Premier League this season but took full advantage of his inclusion against the relegation-threatened Foxes, registering his first league goals of the campaign and putting in a fine all-round performance.
The 32-year-old swept in his side’s third goal of a 5-3 rout of Dean Smith’s team on the stroke of half-time, before adding his second after the break with a deft first touch and finish from Kenny Tete’s cross.
It kept Fulham in the hunt to register their highest-ever points tally in the Premier League, with two wins needed from their final three matches to break the club record of 5…