Mo Salah and Jurgen Klopp bust-up caused by half-hearted handshake | 3HYK27J | 2024-04-29 16:08:01
Mohamed Salah and Jurgen Klopp argued on the touchline in east London (Picture: Getty Images)
The touchline row between Jurgen Klopp and Mohamed Salah during Liverpool's draw with West Ham on Saturday was caused by the winger snubbing his manager's handshake, according to reports.
The Egyptian appeared to be angry with his manager, with the pair exchanging heated words and Nunez even pushing his teammate away from his boss on the touchline.
Klopp put out his hand which Salah either refused or did not notice and then only offered his manager a fist bump, which led to the heated exchange.
The German then gave a warm handshake and embrace to Nunez and Gomez, which appeared to be what he was expecting from Salah.
The Sun reports Salah was annoyed with being left out of the starting XI and his lack of interaction before going on annoyed his manager.
Speaking after the game, Klopp said: 'We spoke about it in the dressing room, but it's done for me. That's it.'
Asked if Salah was okay with the situation, Klopp added: 'That was my impression, yes.'
However, Salah passed journalists after the game and refused to give an interview, saying: 'There's going to be fire today if I speak.'
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The Sun's report states that players were given a 'couple of days off' and will meet up again on Tuesday, by which time it is hoped that all tempers have cooled.
Klopp is set to leave Liverpool at the end of the season and recent results have ended their hopes of sending him off with a Premier League title in his final season.
Results over the weekend have left Arsenal top of the table, one point clear of Manchester City although the champions have a game in hand on the Gunners.
The Reds are now five points off the pace and have played as many matches as Arsenal, with three more games to come.
Novak Djokovic's dad rushed to hospital as World No. 1 travels to be with him | 3HYK27J | 2024-04-29 16:08:01
Novak Djokovic has travelled to be with his father in hospital (Picture: Getty)
Novak Djokovic's dad has been rushed to hospital after the 63-year-old required surgery following a fall at his home.
The current World No. 1 was due to fly to Rome in the coming days for the Italian Open but has now travelled to Belgrade – along with his brother and uncle – to be with his father, Srdjan.
Per local media reports, Djokovic's father suffered a broken humerus after he fell from a chair and landed awkwardly on his shoulder while feeding birds.
It remains to be seen if the 24-time Grand Slam winner will amend his playing schedule if his father has to stay in hospital for a lengthy period of time.
The Serb, who became a four-time winner of the Laureus World Sportsman of the Year Award last week, skipped this week's Madrid Open and had previously hoped to kickstart his French Open preparations next week in Rome.
'I've planned to play in Rome, so I hope I'll be able to do that if I prepare well,' he previously said at the Laureus Awards.
'This year has been a bit different for me, I haven't yet found my best level of tennis and I hope I will at Roland Garros.'
Djokovic was last in action at the Monte Carlo Masters (Picture: Getty)
The 36-year-old has played just 15 tournament matches this year, most recently suffering a surprise defeat to Casper Ruud in the Monte-Carlo Masters semi-finals.
Manchester United remain keen on Araujo, though, and are ready to make an enormous offer for him this summer, willing to out-bid Bayern Munich, who are also interested.
Spanish publication Sport report that Bayern are willing to pay €80m (£67m) for the Uruguay international but Manchester United will go further than that if they need to for his signature.
Araujo's contract at Barcelona runs until 2026 and he is in talks with the club over extending the deal, but he will be offered much more by Manchester United.
Barca want to keep him, but also realise that he may be their most valuable asset that they are willing to sell this summer as their financial struggles continue.
Manchester United are targeting a new centre-back as part of their summer transfer plan, with Raphael Varane likely to leave on a free transfer at the end of the season.
Raphael Varane is expected to leave Old Trafford this summer (Picture: Getty Images)
The Frenchman's contract expires at the end of the campaign and the club has not taken up their option to extend it by a further 12 months, meaning his exit seems certain at this stage.
Lisandro Martinez has been plagued by injury this season, while the long-term futures of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof at Old Trafford are far from certain.
36-year-old Jonny Evans has been a surprisingly regular face in the first team this season, making 25 appearances in all competitions, while 19-year-old Willy Kambwala has also been drafted in for seven Premier League appearances.
The Saracens No.8, who was born in Australia to Tongan parents and moved to Wales as a young child, paid a fine of €240 (£205) at an express trial and received a four-month suspended prison sentence. He was also ordered to pay €500 (£427) in compensation to the person he injured.
In his statement on Monday, Vunipola insisted there was 'no violence' during his confrontation with police, and bar owner, Toni Rocha, denied initial reports that the England international threatened other people at the venue but admitted he 'started becoming a problem as he became drunker'.
'He arrived just before 3am on Sunday morning with a friend who I believe is also a rugby player,' Rocha said.
'I know they'd been drinking in the Santa Catalina neighbourhood before they came here because a waiter who we know who works in a bar there and was in on Saturday night told us.
Police fired two taser shots at Billy Vunipola (SOLARPIX.COM)
'It was just Billy and his friend but when they ordered the first round they asked for six amarettos with orange juice and freshly squeezed lime.
'I know because I served them. I'm pretty sure they drank them between the two of them, with Billy having four and the friend the other two.
'The friend was fine but Billy started becoming a problem as he became drunker. I had to ask him to put his top on at one point when he took it off while he was at the bar.
'The first time I asked him to put his shirt on he was propping himself up at the bar with his elbows and he was drinking from one of the glasses I'd poured him and had another three drinks in a triangle in front of him.
'He didn't threaten customers or staff with bottles or bar stalls or anything like that but he was annoying other customers by pushing them, not in a violent way, but elbowing them and bothering them.'
Billy Vunipola was arrested and tasered at a club in Palma (J.BASTIDA/SOLARPIX.COM)
Rocha also revealed that bar staff felt helpless as they were unable to remove Vunipola from the venue.
Police fired two taser shots at the 31-year-old, however, the first hit his wallet before the second immobilised him.
'He put his shirt on when I asked him to first time round. His friend who was co-operative at all times helped him put it back on,' Rocha said.
'But then he took it off a second time and then a third and we decided to call police.
'I'd already got the doormen involved to try to get him to leave and his friend was assisting us but there was just no way we could get him to abandon the premises and the situation was becoming very tense and we saw we were going to have a problem if we tried to use physical force to get him out.
'I warned his friend I was going to call police and he said, 'do what you have to do.'
Billy Vunipola was arrested after an incident at a bar called Epic in Palma (Google)
'We thought he was going to calm down when he saw uniformed officers arrive but when the first police appeared on the scene he confronted them and they had to call for back-up.
'It was around 4am and we still had more than an hour left before we were supposed to close.
'When the back-up arrived the police told us to clear the bar, put the lights on and cut the music.
'The rugby player reacted by confronting the officers when they went to talk to him and insult them. I heard him saying, 'f****** cops'. He also hit one of them with his shirt in his hand.
'They tried to get him out and couldn't until they tasered him. He laughed the first time they went to taser him, it was like a film, and I heard the words, 'another one' and the second time round he fell to the ground and the officers immobilised him and put wrist-ties on him.
'We're considering filing a formal complaint because between the hour or more we had to close at what is normally a really busy time of the night and the drinks that were unpaid for when we had to clear the premises, we've lost more than £2,000. He was the only reason we had to clear the premises.
'The first and second time his friend helped him put his shirt back on and I got security involved after that. My doormen handled the situation very well and the police also.
Billy Vunipola has been caped 75 times by England (Getty)
'It could have turned out very different and ended very badly because we were dealing with a strong man who was very drunk and was acting inappropriately and refusing requests for him to leave.
'We felt things could have got broken or he could have assaulted someone if we tried to force him out.
'I didn't feel frightened, it was more a feeling of impotence that we couldn't get him to abandon the premises. But some clients, especially women clients, were feeling frightened and very uncomfortable.
'I discovered the friend was also a rugby player, a teammate of his I think, when the police were talking to him.
'The police were on the scene very quickly and the ambulance arrived later. He was taken away on a stretcher and he was calm by that point.
'He was talking in English and I think he was asking to be left alone but I couldn't understand very well what he was saying.'
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In his statement on Monday, Vunipola said: 'I can confirm I was involved in an unfortunate misunderstanding when I was leaving a club in Mallorca on Sunday, which got out of hand.
'Contrary to media reports, there was no violence, no fight and I did not threaten anybody at any stage, with bottles or chairs or anything else.
'I was charged with resisting the law and, following an 'express trial', I have paid a fine of €240 (£205).
'The Spanish police investigation is now closed, and I am flying back to the UK today. I will obviously cooperate with the Saracens internal process and unreservedly apologise for any inconvenience to all involved.'
Later on Sunday, Pep Guardiola restored their advantage in the race as they romped to a comfortable 2-0 win away against Nottingham Forest.
While Mikel Arteta's side remain one point clear at the top of the table, City have a game in hand meaning that the title is still in the defending champions' hands.
Arsenal will hope to go unbeaten in their last three games – against Bournemouth, United and Everton – and rely on City dropping points, but Neville thinks the Gunners could be in for a difficult test at Old Trafford.
'You never know what is going to happen at Old Trafford and Old Trafford can be a graveyard for teams,' he said, speaking on the Gary Neville podcast.
'Even with the way Manchester United are at the moment, you have to regard that as a massive match and a big game.
Bukayo Saka was on the scoresheet as Arsenal beat Tottenham (Picture: Getty)
'Teams have won at Old Trafford this season that have been in the bottom half of the table, but teams in the top half of the table have gone there and struggled.
'Liverpool famously in the last month or two have lost an FA Cup quarter-final there and they drew in the league and that was probably the start of Liverpool's downfall in terms of dropping out of the title race
'You can never underestimate a game at Old Trafford. If you look at a collection of matches it can be overwhelming, but [look at] the form they have been in and the defensive stability they have had.
'I think they [Arsenal] will achieve a 100 per cent record, the one doubt I've got is that Old Trafford game and it'll all depend on how City do in the next week or two as well.
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'If City were to drop points for any reason I think Arsenal would grow. It's a far better Arsenal team than last season, it's a far bigger mentality, it's a stronger mentality.
'People will point towards [William] Saliba, and I can as well, but it's more than that. There's a focus and discipline and an attention to detail out there on the pitch out there in their defensive work, and six clean sheets on the bounce away from home is a hell of an achievement, in any season.
'They maybe had a bit of a wobble, the Villa game and the Champions League, but that can happen, they've got back on the bike and they're demonstrating they've moved forward as a club, they've moved forward as a coaching team and moved forward as a group of players and we're in nowhere near the same position as last season.'
Manchester United open to selling all but three first-team players this summer | 3HYK27J | 2024-04-29 16:08:01
Avram Glazer and Sir Jim Ratcliffe attended Manchester United's win in the FA Cup semi final (Getty)
Manchester United are open to selling all but three first-team players this summer, according to reports.
United face a summer of upheaval with Erik ten Hag's future as manager already in doubt, while Anthony Martial and Raphael Varane are expected to leave Old Trafford as free agents.
The club's finances are also set to take a significant hit as Ten Hag's side are likely to miss out on qualifying for next season's Champions League.
According to The Telegraph, United will be open to offers for almost every first-team player, with Rasmus Hojlund, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho the only three to be considered off limits.
The report also claims that United are not actively looking to offload Marcus Rashford but would consider serious bids for the 26-year-old, who has scored just eight goals in all competitions this season.
United also face decisions over Mason Greenwood and Jadon Sancho, who are both impressing during their loan spells for Getafe and Borussia Dortmund.
Rasmus Hojlund, Alejandro Garnacho and Kobbie Mainoo are not up for sale this summer (AFP via Getty)
Speaking in February after completing his partial takeover of United, Sir Jim Ratcliffe made it clear that FFP will restrict the club's transfer activity this summer.
'Ultimately FFP says you have to operate the club within its own means. And, effectively, it takes into account your prior expenditure, and the club's spent quite heavily in the last couple of seasons,' Ratcliffe said.
'So that does impact FFP going forward, because they've used quite a large part of their allowance.
'It's obviously related to sales as well as purchases, and so we need to get our heads around that well before the summer window, so we understand the number but there's no question that history will impact this summer window.'
Monaco star Youssouf Fofana speaks out on his future amid Arsenal transfer speculation | 3HYK27J | 2024-04-29 16:08:01
Arsenal are in a four-way tussle for Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal transfer target Youssouf Fofana has refused to rule out a move away from Monaco in the summer, admitting his future could hinge on whether or not the club secure Champions League qualification.
The Gunners are keen to strengthen their options in midfield ahead of their 2024/25 campaign and have identified Fofana as a potential solution in the middle of the park to ease the load on the likes of Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Jorginho.
Fofana has been one of the standout central midfielders in Ligue 1 this term, with the side sitting second in the table behind champions Paris Saint-Germain, but speculation has been mounting that the 25-year-old could be set for the exit door at the Stade Louis II.
The Frenchman – capped 17 times by his country – had looked likely to depart last year before deciding to stay put for another season, despite strong interest from Fulham.
According to Foot Mercato, PSG, Atletico Madrid, AC Milan and Arsenal are all keeping tabs on Fofana and the sought-after midfielder has left the door open to a possible departure in the summer.
Asked for an update on his future, Fofana told Get French Football News: 'We haven't yet spoken about it with the sporting director.
'He will allow me to finish the season so that there aren't too many things in my head and if I then go to the Euros with the France national team, we will speak about it upon my return. We haven't dwelt on it.'
Fofana has been capped 17 times by the France national team (Picture: Getty)
Fofana – who is reportedly valued at around €30million (£26m) – hinted that his decision could ultimately be dependent on where second-placed Monaco finish in the table this term.
As of this season, the top four teams in Ligue 1 will seal qualification for the Champions League, with the top three proceeding directly to the group phase.
'Qualification for the Champions League could be important,' Fofana added.
'As I said, we haven't dwelt on it. We'll see what happens when we come back for pre-season.'
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Fofana has just over a year remaining on his current contract, meaning Monaco must decide whether to cash in on the midfielder this summer or risk losing him on a free transfer in 12 months time.
The France international has been with the Principality club since January 2020, when he completed a €15m (£13m) switch from Strasbourg.
Named in Didier Deschamps' France party for the side's recent friendly matches against Germany and Chile, Fofana is hopeful of keeping his place in the squad for this summer's European Championships in Germany.
