分类： sports

As the new English Premier League season prepares to kick off this Friday, the top flight is facing an unprecedented wave of managerial turnover not seen in nearly 80 years, with nine clubs set to start the campaign with a new head coach. No Premier League manager faces higher stakes or closer public scrutiny than Enzo Maresca at Manchester City, Andoni Iraola at Liverpool, and Xabi Alonso at Chelsea — three rookie bosses at the league’s most iconic clubs stepping into roles defined by legendary predecessors.

The scale of this offseason’s change is staggering: even Michael Carrick, who only took the Manchester United job in January, already ranks as the 10th longest-serving manager in the division. The last time the top flight saw this much managerial churn ahead of a new campaign was the 1946/47 season, the first full campaign played after the end of World War II.

For Enzo Maresca, his appointment at Manchester City represents a full-circle homecoming, and one of the most daunting jobs in world football. The 46-year-old Italian already has two previous stints at the Etihad Stadium: he served as lead coach of the club’s elite development squad in 2020/21, then as an assistant coach during City’s historic 2022/23 treble-winning campaign. After leaving City, he guided Leicester City to an immediate promotion back to the Premier League from the Championship, then spent 18 turbulent months at Chelsea, where he delivered the club’s first UEFA Conference League title and Club World Cup trophy before moving back to Manchester.

City’s hierarchy has long viewed Maresca as the ideal heir to Pep Guardiola, who departed after a glorious decade that brought 20 major trophies to the club. Maresca has described stepping into Guardiola’s role as both a “privilege” and the challenge of a lifetime, but an early warning sign emerged in the recent Community Shield, where City fell to a underwhelming 3-0 defeat to reigning league champions Arsenal. Maresca now faces an uphill battle to end Arsenal’s title defense and deliver City’s first league crown since 2024.

At Anfield, 44-year-old Spaniard Andoni Iraola is tasked with reviving Liverpool’s fortunes after a disastrous title defense campaign under Arne Slot. The Dutch manager was sacked just 12 months after delivering Liverpool’s 20th English league title, matching the club’s historic record, after a catastrophic second half of the season sent the team plummeting down the table.

Iraola was hired for his sharp tactical approach, with club officials hoping he can restore the aggressive, high-intensity “heavy metal” football that made Jurgen Klopp — Slot’s predecessor — a fan favorite at Anfield. The Spaniard earned Liverpool’s attention through three increasingly successful seasons at Bournemouth, where he improved the club’s league finish in every campaign, culminating in a sixth-place finish last term that secured the south coast club’s first ever qualification for European competition. In his opening press conference as Liverpool boss, Iraola spoke of the unique “magic” of the role and said he aimed to “earn the right to be one of you” for supporters, but he is under no illusions that the pressure of this role will far exceed any challenge he has faced in his career to date.

For Xabi Alonso, the 44-year-old Spaniard and former Liverpool Champions League winner, his next managerial chapter takes him not to Anfield (a job he was repeatedly linked to over the offseason) but to Stamford Bridge, to take charge of Chelsea. Alonso made his name as a rising managerial star at Bayer Leverkusen in Germany, where he masterminded an unprecedented unbeaten domestic double during the 2023/24 Bundesliga campaign. That historic success earned him the top job at his former club Real Madrid, but his tenure at the Bernabeu quickly collapsed, and he departed in January after less than eight months in charge.

Alonso has admitted that his early exit from Real Madrid left a “scar” on his career, but says the wound has healed as he turns his focus to restoring stability at Chelsea. The Blues went through a chaotic 2024/25 campaign, beginning with Maresca in charge before a short, underwhelming spell under Liam Rosenior, and ended the season in a disappointing 10th place in the league. Chelsea has already invested heavily in the transfer window this offseason, breaking the record for the most expensive British player ever to sign Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa.

The fact that Chelsea will not compete in any European competition this season could give Alonso valuable time to reshape the squad around his own tactical philosophy, without the intensity of a packed midweek fixture schedule. However, the reduced fixture list also creates new tensions, as it makes it far harder to keep a bloated senior squad satisfied amid limited game time — a major challenge as Alonso works to bring much-needed calm to a club that has been in constant flux for years.

Fresh ownership turbulence has emerged at English Premier League giant Chelsea, with senior club figures Todd Boehly and Mark Walter confirming they are exploring the sale of their combined minority stake to majority owner Clearlake Capital, multiple industry sources reported Monday.

The discussions mark the latest chapter in a tense two-year relationship between the co-investors that purchased the west London club from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in a £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) deal in May 2022. At the time of the acquisition, California-based private equity firm Clearlake Capital took a controlling 62% stake in the club, while Boehly — who serves as Chelsea’s chairman — fellow American billionaire Walter, and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss held the remaining 38% through their joint holding vehicle Blueco Holdings.

According to insiders familiar with the negotiations, Boehly has grown increasingly frustrated with the club’s strategic direction in recent months. His dissatisfaction centers on three key areas: transfer market recruitment strategy, managerial decision-making, and long-term plans for a proposed new stadium to replace the club’s iconic 118-year-old Stamford Bridge home.

This is not the first time tensions between the ownership factions have spilled into public view. Reports have circulated multiple times over the past 24 months that both sides have attempted to buy out the other’s stake, as disagreements over the club’s trajectory persisted.

If the transaction moves forward, Boehly and Walter have valued their combined holding at a total club valuation of £5 billion, nearly double the price the group paid just two years ago. The pair have a long-standing professional and personal relationship, having collaborated on major sports investments including Major League Baseball’s Los Angeles Dodgers and the Women’s National Basketball Association’s LA Sparks.

The ownership shakeup comes as Chelsea enters a critical new season. The club turned in a dismal performance in 2023-24, finishing 10th in the Premier League and missing out on qualification for all European competitions. In response, the club appointed former Liverpool and Real Madrid midfielder Xabi Alonso as its new manager, tasked with turning around the side’s on-pitch fortunes. Chelsea is set to kick off its 2025-26 Premier League campaign with an away fixture against west London rivals Fulham on August 24.

The NRL 2027 off-season player market is already picking up steam, with two major roster announcements shaking up the competition this week. The Melbourne Storm have continued their strategic squad building for upcoming campaigns, securing the return of Victorian-developed forward Kelma Tuilagi from the Parramatta Eels on a deal starting in the 2027 season.

Tuilagi’s rugby league journey has deep roots with the Storm. Born in Samoa and raised in New Zealand, he moved to Melbourne at a young age and rose through the club’s famous youth development pathways. Though he did not take the field for the Storm in 2020, he was a member of the club’s premiership-winning squad that year, and stayed with the entire team throughout their pandemic relocation to Queensland.

After leaving the Storm’s development system, Tuilagi made his senior NRL debut with the Wests Tigers in 2021, before moving to the Parramatta Eels three seasons ago. At the Eels, he cemented himself as a consistent regular starter on the right edge of the forward pack, earning a reputation as a physical and reliable contributor.

The signing makes solid strategic sense for Melbourne, which is set to lose starting edge forward Shawn Blore to the Brisbane Broncos ahead of next season. With the club currently grappling with a long-term absence of key forward Eli Katoa this year, mid-season recruit Oryn Keeley has already stepped up to fill the gap, and Tuilagi’s arrival will further boost back-row depth for the coming years.

Melbourne Storm’s director of football Frank Ponissi expressed clear enthusiasm about the homecoming signing in a statement this week. “We’re delighted to have Kelma returning to Melbourne Storm and Victoria in 2027,” Ponissi said. “Kelma has a strong connection to our club. He was part of our 2020 premiership-winning squad and came through the Victorian rugby league system, so it’s fantastic to bring him back after he’s established himself as a regular NRL player. He’s a powerful, athletic forward who has continued to develop over the past few seasons. He’ll add experience and physicality to our forward pack, and we’re excited to see him back in a Storm jersey.”

In a separate announcement from across the Tasman, the New Zealand Warriors have locked in one of their star playmakers for the long haul, extending Chanel Harris-Tavita’s contract through to the end of the 2029 NRL season. The new extension comes just months after Harris-Tavita originally signed a one-year renewal that would have kept him at the club through 2027.

Andrew McFadden, the Warriors’ general manager of recruitment, pathways and development, said the club jumped at the chance to secure the halfback for a longer tenure. “Initially Chanel renewed for just the one season but we couldn’t be happier to have him with us for a longer term,” McFadden said. “It secures his future and ensures he will continue to be a critical part of our plans for at least the next three seasons. He has worked so hard at improving his game and has become one of the game’s most accomplished halves.”

The dual announcements round out an early flurry of off-season moves across the NRL, as clubs look to shore up their rosters long before the 2026 campaign gets underway.

Queensland Rugby League’s search for a new State of Origin head coach to replace the outgoing Billy Slater has suffered a major setback, after the early favorite for the position, rugby league legend Cameron Smith, confirmed he will not put his name forward for the role.

Smith, who holds the record for the most State of Origin appearances with 42 caps for the Maroons, had received high-profile public backing for the job from Queensland’s most successful Origin coach, Wayne Bennett. The 42-game veteran had previously served as an assistant coach alongside Slater in 2022 and 2023, making him a widely tipped successor to his former Melbourne Storm teammate. But in an appearance on the Fox League program 100% Footy, Smith shut down speculation of a promotion to the top job.

Smith explained that his personal commitments still prevent him from dedicating the full time required for a senior coaching role, a reason that prompted him to step away from his assistant position at the end of 2023. “I’ve heard comments from Wayne Bennett endorsing me and I really appreciate the sentiments, but it’s not the role for me at this current time,” Smith said. “I couldn’t fully commit to the role when I was assistant coach, and nothing in my life has changed since then. At this point in my life, it’s not the right thing for me and my family.”

He also added that the rugby league community was caught off guard by Slater’s decision to step down after five consecutive series in charge of the Maroons. “We were all fairly surprised Billy made the decision to stand down. I thought he would have gone around another 12 months and I said as much to him,” he noted.

Smith’s withdrawal follows a similar announcement from incumbent Australian Kangaroos head coach Kevin Walters, who also ruled himself out of the running earlier after the Queensland Rugby League confirmed Slater’s departure on Friday. Queensland assistant coach and another Maroons legend Johnathan Thurston has also distanced himself from the vacancy, leaving the QRL with a drastically shortened list of plausible candidates.

Smith pointed to two remaining candidates who fit the mold of continuing the program Slater built over the past half-decade: current Brisbane Broncos assistant coach Matt Ballin and former Maroons forward Ben Te’o. Smith argues that promoting from within the existing Origin support staff is the most logical path forward for the QRL. “Logic would suggest taking guys from within that have been there with Billy to continue that path that he’s built over the last five years,” Smith said.

For Ballin, taking the job would require stepping away from his current senior role with the Broncos, a precedent set by incoming New South Wales Blues coach Matt King, who will leave his position at the Sydney Roosters at the end of the year to take over the State of Origin role. Te’o, who has also worked within the current Maroons setup, remains another viable in-house option, while Thurston confirmed he cannot commit to the full-time demands of the head coaching post.

Walters’ situation, Smith added, is also non-viable because of the conflicting time demands of the Kangaroos head coach and Queensland State of Origin roles in the modern calendar. “You can’t be Kangaroos coach and Queensland coach in this day and age,” he said. “The two that stand out are Ben Te’o and Matty Ballin.”

Rugby league fans across Australia and New Zealand now have a confirmed date to mark on their calendars, as the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) has officially locked in details for the historic first State of Origin game to be hosted outside of Australia. Game two of the 2026 State of Origin series will be played at Auckland’s iconic Eden Park on Wednesday, June 16, marking the first time in the tournament’s long history that a fixture will be held across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand.

The confirmation, announced publicly by the ARLC on Tuesday morning, paves the way for fans to book travel and hospitality packages for the groundbreaking event. Organizers have also planned a full week of rugby league-focused celebrations leading up to the main Origin fixture, kicking off with a National Rugby League (NRL) match hosted by the New Zealand Warriors at the same Eden Park venue on the Sunday three days before the Origin clash.

This historic cross-Tasman move continues a growing trend in recent years of expanding State of Origin hosting beyond the traditional strongholds of Sydney and Brisbane. Over the past decade, Adelaide, Perth and Melbourne have all stepped in to host Origin fixtures, spreading the sport’s most high-profile rivalry to new audiences across the region.

ARLC Chair Peter V’landys emphasized that the move to Auckland is a natural next step for the iconic tournament, which has carved out an unmatched reputation in Australian sport. “State of Origin is truly one of a kind,” V’landys said. “It delivers an atmosphere you cannot find anywhere else in Australian sport – brutal but respectful rivalry, unfiltered passion, and an intensity that you have to experience in person to understand. This is a bucket-list event for any rugby league fan.”

He added that the week-long festival of rugby league will not only build excitement for the main match but also showcase the sport to New Zealand audiences and traveling international fans. “It’s going to be a complete takeover of Auckland, putting the very best of rugby league on display for everyone,” he said.

Current State of Origin champions the New South Wales Blues will head into the fixture looking to extend their recent run of success, with organizers projecting that around 50,000 fans will pack into Eden Park for the historic clash. Growing interest in the match has been fueled by the surging popularity of rugby league across New Zealand, where the Warriors have consistently drawn record crowds at every home match in recent seasons. This strong fan base has also sparked growing speculation that New Zealand could be the home of the NRL’s 20th franchise in coming years.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown called the first-ever Origin match to the city a major win for the region, noting the tournament’s status as one of the biggest sporting events in the Australasian region. “One of the biggest events in Australasian sport is coming to our city, and we can’t wait to put on an incredible experience for fans who live here and those traveling over from Australia,” Brown said. “Now that the date is locked in, fans can start planning their trips. We encourage everyone to stay for more than just the 80 minutes of play – make a full week of it, and experience our city’s take on State of Origin both inside the stadium and across Auckland.”