Flamengo Reportedly Looking to Hire Tite as Its Next Coach

Posted on September 28, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Adenor Leonardo Bacchi, commonly known as Tite, may be returning to sidelines…

The 62-year-old Brazilian professional football coach and former player is reportedly in the running to coach Brazil’s Flamengo following the firing of Jorge Sampaoli on Thursday, less than a week after the Argentinian missed his last attempt at winning a title at the club.

Sampaoli, a former Argentina, Sevilla and Marseille coach, took the job in Rio de Janeiro in April. His contract was due to expire at the end of 2024.

“The board thanks the professional [Sampaoli] and wishes him well in his career,” Flamengo said on its social media channels.

Sampaoli’s exit has cleared the path to move forward in hiring Tite, according to ESPN Brasil sources.

Flamengo executives had been talking with the former Brazil national team coach for the last several weeks and are trying to seal an agreement in the next few days, sources said.

Sampaoli has faced difficulty since he joined Flamengo, who on Sunday failed to defend their Brazilian Cup title after a 2-1 aggregate loss to São Paulo.

Weeks earlier Sampaoli’s team were knocked out by Paraguay‘s Olímpia in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, which Flamengo won last year.

Flamengo are currently in seventh place in the Brazilian championship after 24 matches. The team is trailing leaders and local Rio rivals Botafogo by 11 points.

Tite most recently the head coach of the Brazil national team from 2016 to 2022.

Rudi Garcia Named New Coach of Serie A Side Napoli

Posted on June 15, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Rudi Garcia has landed a new job…

Italian champions Napoli have named the 59-year-old Spanish-French former-soccer-player-turned-manager as their new coach, replacing Luciano Spalletti, the Serie A side said on Thursday.

Napoli did not specify the length of Garcia’s contract.

Garcia coached Italy’s AS Roma from 2013-16, before moving to French Ligue 1 sides Marseille and Lyon.

Garcia coached Saudi Arabian side Al Nassr last season. They finished second in the Saudi Pro League with Cristiano Ronaldo leading the attack.

Al Nassr parted ways Garcia in April, amid reports of an uneasy relationship with Ronaldo.

Former Napoli coach Spalletti, who led them to their first Italian league title since 1990, asked to take a break from the job for a year.

Marcelo Bielsa Agrees to Become Coach of Uruguay’s National Soocer Team

Posted on May 11, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Marcelo Bielsa has landed his next coaching gig…

The 67-year-old Argentine professional football manager has agreed to become coach of Uruguay‘s national team.

Jorge Casales, a member of the executive committee of the Uruguayan soccer association, told The Associated Press that the former Leeds United manager will sign a contract through the 2026 World Cup.

“The only thing missing is the signature,” Casales said of the 39-month deal, with Bielsa expected in Montevideo within days.

Bielsa’s first matches on the job are likely to be in June, when Uruguay are scheduled to play friendlies against Nicaragua and Cuba. South American World Cup qualifying will begin in September.

“We are bringing in someone who we know will leave us a legacy that goes beyond the 90 minutes of a match,” Casales said.

Uruguay was knocked out in the group stage of the World Cup in Qatar.

Bielsa coached Argentina from 1998 to 2004. He saw his team eliminated at the group stage of the 2002 World Cup and then won the gold medal at the 2004 Athens Games.

He left the job for personal reasons.

Bielsa also coached Chile between 2007 and 2011.

The Argentinian also had spells at Espanyol, Athletic Club, Marseille and Lille. He has been out of a job since February 2022 when he was fired by Leeds.

Casales said the negotiations with Bielsa took three months.

Lionel Messi Records 700th Club Level Goal in Paris Saint-Germain’s Win over Marseille

Posted on February 26, 2023 by Tom Castaneda

Make that 700 goals for Lionel Messi.

The 35-year-old Argentine professional footballer scored a goal in Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 win over bitter rivals Marseille on Sunday to extend their Ligue 1 lead to eight points.

Messi and Kylian Mbappe, World Cup foes, inspired the team’s win.

Mbappe, who bagged a double, was set up by Messi for both his goals, and repaid the favor by laying on another for Messi as PSG, who were without the injured Neymar, moved to 60 points from 25 games with second-placed Marseille on 52.

The goal was Messi’s 700th at club level between his trophy-filled tenure at Barcelona and his more recent time at PSG.

France forward Mbappe, who was on the losing side against Messi’s Argentina in the World Cup final, became PSG’s joint record scorer with 200 goals — level with Edinson Cavani.

“We were aggressive, we put intensity into the game, that’s what we’d been missing,” said PSG centerback Sergio Ramos.

PSG next face Nantes at home before travelling to Bayern Munich for their Champions League last-16 return leg after losing the first encounter 1-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Konrad de la Fuente Headed to Greece’s Olympiacos F.C.

Posted on August 13, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

It’s all Greek to Konrad de la Fuente…

The 21-year-old Dominican-Haitian American soccer player, a forward for the United States, has completed a season-long loan move to Greek professional football club Olympiacos F.C., his parent club Marseille has announced.

de la Fuente, 21, signed for Marseille from Barcelona for £3 million last summer, agreeing a four-year deal with the Ligue 1 side.

The winger made two Champions League appearances for Barca, but failed to make his debut in LaLiga despite being on the fringes of the first-team.

de la Fuente has been capped by the U.S. at Under-16, U18 and U20 level and received his first senior call-up in November 2020, playing 71 minutes in a goalless draw against Wales.

He played 22 times for Marseille in all competitions last season, and will be hoping to impress for Olympiacos this campaign as he looks to gain a spot in the U.S. squad at the World Cup in Qatar later this year.

Alexis Sanchez Reaches Agreement with French Side Marseille

Posted on August 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Alexis Sanchez is switching leagues…

The 33-year-old Chilean soccer player has reportedly reached an agreement with French side Marseille after Internazionale ended his contract by mutual agreement, the Serie A club said.

Sanchez is joining the club on a free transfer.

Sanchez made 109 appearances and scored 20 goals in all competitions after joining Inter from Manchester United in 2019 but rarely appeared in the starting lineup last season.

“The club would like to wholeheartedly thank Alexis for these last three seasons, in which the Nerazzurri won three major honors, and we wish him all the best for his future career,” Inter said in a statement.

Former Barcelona and Arsenal forward Sanchez, who has 146 caps and 48 goals for Chile, won the 2020-2021 Scudetto, Inter‘s first league title in 11 years, and last season helped the club win the Coppa Italia and Italian Super Cup.

Mauro Icardi Signs Permanent Four-Year Deal with Paris Saint-Germain

Posted on May 30, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Mauro Icardi is making things permanent…

The 27-year-old Argentine professional Inter Milan soccer player, who plays the Argentina national team, has signed a permanent four-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain.

Icardi spent the 2019-20 season in the French capital on loan and the Ligue 1 champions have taken their option to sign him permanently, keeping him in Paris until 2024.

The deal would be worth €50 million euros plus €7m euros in potential add-ons, which is significantly less than the €70m release clause included in his loan agreement, according to ESPN.

Inter Milan recognized that due to the current situation with the coronavirus pandemic, it was fair to lower their asking price. Inter Milan have long wanted to sell the striker, who joined the Nerazzurri seven years ago from Sampdoria.

In a statement on Inter Milan’s website, the club thanked the striker for his contribution to the team during the six seasons he spent with them.

Icardi made his mark on PSG last season, making 31 appearances in the 2019-20 season. He scored 20 goals and provided 4 assists on the team’s road to picking up the Ligue 1 title.

PSG had a 12 point lead on nearest rivals Marseille when the league was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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