Chelsea appoint Xabi Alonso as new manager

Xabi Alonso’s appointment as Chelsea manager has been confirmed on a four-year deal. The former Real Madrid boss will take charge of the Blues from 1 July in what is his first managerial role in the Premier League. Callum McFarlane has been in interim charge since the sacking of Liam Rosenior last month and was on the touchline for Chelsea’s FA Cup final loss to Manchester City on Saturday.

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Chelsea sack manager Liam Rosenior after three months

Liam Rosenior has been sacked by Chelsea following a run of five consecutive Premier League defeats in which the team failed to score. The former Hull and Strasbourg boss signed a six-and-a-half-year deal in January and started brightly but the team have plummeted down the table and are almost certain to miss out on qualification for the Champions League. They were beaten comfortably 3-0 by Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Tuesday, widely considered to have been the team’s worst performance of the season.

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Cardiff City lose £100m court claim over Emiliano Sala death

A football club’s claim for compensation following the death of player Emiliano Sala in a plane crash has been rejected by a French court. The tribunal ordered Cardiff City to pay €480,000 to Nantes. The Welsh club had previously sought damages of more than £100 million (€115m) from the French side in a negligence claim, covering the Argentinian striker’s £15m (€17m) transfer fee and losses of potential earnings.

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PSG defender Achraf Hakimi to stand trial over rape allegation

Paris St-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi says he is set to face trial after an allegation of rape was made against him. A woman has accused the Morocco captain of raping her at his home in the French capital in 2023, when she was aged 24. He denies the allegations. The public prosecutor’s office in Nanterre, a western suburb of Paris, began a preliminary investigation in March 2023.

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Salah returns as Liverpool ease to victory over Marseille

Liverpool coasted past Marseille and put themselves in a strong position to finish in the Champions League top eight on a night where Mohamed Salah returned to the starting XI for Arne Slot’s side. A moment of genius from Dominik Szoboszlai gave Liverpool the lead in the first half, an own goal from goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli doubled their advantage and Cody Gakpo added a third in the 92nd minute.

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