Ex-Arsenal striker sacked by club after being charged over ‘importing drugs in £600k plot’

by | Sep 20, 2024 | Sports

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who began his career as a prospect for Arsenal in 1998, joined Scottish outfit Greenock Morton this summer but the club have terminated his contract after he was charged over an alleged drugs plot Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, who began his career as a prospect for Arsenal in 1998, joined Scottish outfit Greenock Morton this summer but the club have terminated his contract after he was charged over an alleged drugs plot

Former Arsenal striker Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been sacked by his club Greenock Morton FC after being charged by police for allegedly trying to smuggle £600,000 of cannabis into the UK.

The 33-year-old was arrested by the National Crime Agency in Gourock, Scotland, on Wednesday before being charged with importing Class B drugs after 60kg of cannabis were discovered inside two suitcases after arriving from Bangkok earlier this month.

Emmanuel-Thomas, who began his career as a prospect for Arsenal after joining the club’s academy in 1998, joined Scottish Championship outfit Greenock Morton this summer – with the club now announcing they have terminated the player’s contract.

In a brief statement on social media, the club wrote: “Greenock Morton FC can confirm that the contract of Jay Emmanuel-Thomas has been terminated with immediate effect. The club will be making no further comment on the matter.”

Border Forces seized 60kg of cannabis at Stansted Airport
(

Image:

NCA)

Emmanuel-Thomas appeared at Carlisle Magistrates Court on Thursday and did not enter a plea but his lawyer said he “strenuously” denied being involved in a plot to bring drugs to the UK.

Two women aged 28 and 32 also appeared at Chelmsford Magistrates Court and were given bail. They are set to appear at Chelmsford Crown Court on October 1.

Emmanuel-Thomas has played for a succession of clubs during his career – playing once for his boyhood club Arsenal and being loaned out three times to Blackpool, Doncaster and Cardiff City.

Jay Emmanuel-Thomas joined Arsenal as a schoolboy in 1998 and left the club in 2011
(

Image:

OLLY GREENWOOD/AFP via Getty Images)

He had arguably his most successful spells with Ipswich Town – where he played from 2011 to 2013 – and Bristol City before moving his way down the Football League and eventually jetting out to Thailand to play for PTT Rayong.

The forward then had a string of seasons in Scotland as he turned out for Livingston and Aberdeen before spells with Indian team Jamshedpur and then returning to the UK to play for Kidderminister Harriers earlier this year.

Mirror – Sport

Transfer Talk: Can Zubimendi fix Man City’s issues?

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Sports

Transfer Talk: Can Zubimendi fix Man City’s issues?

Real Sociedad star Martín Zubimendi has been linked with a move to Manchester City. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

Real Sociedad star Martín Zubimendi has been linked with a move to Manchester City. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors. Real Sociedad star Martín Zubimendi has been linked with a move to Manchester City. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

play

How Brighton inflicted unwanted history on Pep Guardiola (0:51)Recap how Pep Guardiola lost a fourth straight game for the first time in his managerial career in Man City’s loss to Brighton. (0:51)

Nov 9, 2024, 07:15 PM ET

Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson is being monitored by Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal, while Manchester City are plotting an audacious January move for Martín Zubimendi. Join us for the latest transfer news, rumors, and gossip from around the globe.

Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

TRENDING RUMORS

– Liverpool, Spurs and Arsenal are monitoring the progress of highly rated Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, Florian Plettenberg reports. The 20-year-old has impressed at the German club since joining from Malmö FF in 2023. Despite attracting strong interest from the Premier League and other Bundesliga clubs, Larsson reportedly feels “comfortable” in Frankfurt having recently extended his contract at the club, which runs until 2029.

– Manchester City could try and tempt Martín Zubimendi into a January move, Football Insider reports. The Real Sociedad midfielder previously rejected a transfer to Liverpool but has since had second thoughts over that decision. As such, City are poised to test the Spaniard’s resolve this winter, as they aim to sign a midfielder to deputize for the injured Rodri. Zubimendi, 25, has made 15 appearances for Real Sociedad this season, starting in all but one of those games.

– Bayer Leverkusen and Union Berlin are ready to make a move for winger Reiss Nelson, says Ekrem Konur. The 24-year-old is currently on loan at Fulham from Arsenal, but could well be on the move once he returns to his parent club next summer. Nelson is no stranger to the Bundesliga, having scored seven times in 23 games for Hoffenheim during a 2018-19 loan spell.

– Kepa Arrizabalaga has a £5 million release clause in his Chelsea contract that is expected to become active at the end of the season, the Daily Mail reports. The Spain international is currently on loan at AFC Bournemouth but has been in and out of Andoni Iraola’s starting XI of late. Kepa isn’t expected to be in the hunt for the No. 1 jersey when he returns to Stamford Bridge next summer, as Robert Sánchez and Filip Jørgensen remain firmly ahead of him in the pecking order.

– Manchester City are set to hold a crucial meeting with Pep Guardiola next week regarding a possible contract renewal at the club, Relevo claims. While some reports have suggested the Spaniard will step away from the club at the end of his current deal, it now seems that Guardiola will extend for another season. According to the report, next week’s meeting will finalize negotiations for the one-year extension, keeping him in Manchester until the summer of 2026.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Real Sociedad star Martín Zubimendi has been linked with a move to Manchester City. Transfer Talk has the latest news, gossip and rumors.

Slot is not Klopp, but his Liverpool side could emulate the 2019-20 champions

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Sports

Slot is not Klopp, but his Liverpool side could emulate the 2019-20 champions

Arne Slot is trying to create his own identity as the head coach of Liverpool, and so far, it has paid off with a great start to the season.

Arne Slot is trying to create his own identity as the head coach of Liverpool, and so far, it has paid off with a great start to the season. Arne Slot is trying to create his own identity as the head coach of Liverpool, and so far, it has paid off with a great start to the season.

play

How Brighton inflicted unwanted history on Pep Guardiola (0:51)Recap how Pep Guardiola lost a fourth straight game for the first time in his managerial career in Man City’s loss to Brighton. (0:51)

LIVERPOOL, England — Head coach Arne Slot has turned back the clock to 2019 at Liverpool. Eleven games into the Premier League season, Jürgen Klopp’s successor has made such an impact at Anfield that his team are pulling clear of the chasing pack and threatening to cruise to the title.

Saturday’s 2-0 home win against Aston Villa moved the Reds five points clear at the top of the table heading into the international break, the same margin they built at the top after 11 games during the club’s title-winning season in 2019-20.

But while some things are the same, there are also big differences and if Slot’s team are to emulate the 2019-20 side this season, it will look more like a team managed by Jose Mourinho than the swashbuckling team built by Klopp.

Slot’s approach is all about control. Klopp’s team would score and keep their foot on the pedal, but Slot’s Liverpool apply the handbrake. The new Liverpool might be a little less exciting than Klopp’s so-called “mentality monsters,” but 15 wins from 17 games in all competitions so far this season suggests that Slot’s way can be just as successful as Klopp’s.

But the new Liverpool head coach is as measured when speaking as his team are when playing and when asked about his team’s title chances, he pointed to the pitfalls that might yet be ahead: particularly with testing league games against Manchester City at Anfield, and away matches to both Newcastle United and Everton over the next month.

“If I look at the games that are ahead they are tough,” Slot said. “It will be a tough season in general. Margins are small, we have a margin, but it is small. Many challenges to come for us.”

Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister was less cautious than Slot, however, when asked whether the club were title contenders.

“If we are top of the league by five points then it means something,” Mac Allister told TNT Sports. “But we have to go step by step. If you asked me before the season started, I would not say we were candidates but now it looks like we are.”

With last season’s top two — City and Arsenal — out of form and falling off the pace, Liverpool are at least taking advantage of the slips of their rivals.

In 2019, Klopp’s Liverpool set a breathtaking pace at the top by registering 10 wins and a draw from their first 11 games, scoring 25 goals and conceding nine. This time around, they have managed nine wins, a draw and a defeat, scoring 21 goals, but conceding only six. Yet they still lead by five points, with struggling champions City their closest challengers in second position.

Against Villa, Liverpool had chances to score more than the two goals they managed through Darwin Núñez and Mohamed Salah — both from rapid counterattacks. But rather than attack in waves as they did under Klopp, Liverpool took the pace out of the game once they went ahead by playing deeper, keeping the ball and inviting Villa to try to break through.

At times, Unai Emery’s team went close and Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher produced two stunning reflex saves inside 30 seconds to keep out headers from Amadou Onana and Pau Torres in the first half. But for the majority of the game, Liverpool were in control and it was on the counterattack that they looked most dangerous.

“It wasn’t easy like most of our games have been now,” Slot said. “Villa were maybe not as aggressive as we thought they would be, but we were patient. In general, we had control over the game and scored from two counterattacks, which is maybe not what we would expect.”

Klopp’s team had the attacking pace to beat teams on the counterattack, but they were set up to win possession in the opponent’s half and use it with devastating effect. Slot doesn’t have a Sadio Mané or Roberto Firmino in his squad and Salah is now five years older. The Egypt international remains a potent force, but not even his most ardent supporter would suggest he is at the same level as he was in 2019.

Yet, Salah is still a creator and scorer. He made the first goal for Núñez and scored his own late in the game, while Luis Díaz is a key part of Slot’s front line. However, it is the central defensive axis of Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konaté, in tandem with midfielders Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch, that give Liverpool their grip on games.

And that is the most obvious difference from Klopp’s team. Slot’s side dictated games from the centre of the pitch while Klopp’s team did it from the attacking third.

But there are many different ways to win a league title and Slot’s blueprint has given Liverpool a healthy lead at this early stage of the season. There will be difficulties ahead, and the next batch of fixtures will be a stern test of Liverpool’s credentials, but make no mistake, they are now the team to beat.

City will come back, and they might do so by denting Liverpool’s challenge when they travel to Anfield on Dec. 1, but Slot’s team are the real deal and they will go into that game as favourites.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Arne Slot is trying to create his own identity as the head coach of Liverpool, and so far, it has paid off with a great start to the season.

Wrexham end winless run to boost promotion bid

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Sports

Wrexham end winless run to boost promotion bid

Wrexham earned a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday as they continue their promotion bid in League One.

Wrexham earned a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday as they continue their promotion bid in League One. Wrexham earned a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday as they continue their promotion bid in League One.

ByESPN

Wrexham earned a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday as they continue their promotion bid in League One.

Wrexham took the lead after just six minutes. Midfielder Ryan Barnett collected a knock down around 30 yards from the Mansfield goal before driving forward and firing a shot from just outside the box and into the bottom left corner.

Despite the early goal, Mansfield dominated for much of the game but were unable to hit back and level the scores.

The result ends a run of three games without a win in all competitions for Wrexham, who were dumped out of the FA Cup in the first round following a 1-0 defeat to League Two side Harrogate Town last weekend.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Wrexham earned a 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday as they continue their promotion bid in League One.

Andonovski: Opposition ‘targeting’ KC’s Chawinga

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Sports

Andonovski: Opposition ‘targeting’ KC’s Chawinga

NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current’s lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current’s lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium. NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current’s lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

play

Temwa Chawinga puts KC up early in the NWSL quarterfinals (0:54)Temwa Chawinga’s initial shot gets blocked, but she gathers the rebound and buries a goal for the Current. (0:54)

Nov 9, 2024, 03:53 PM ET

NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current‘s lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

Chawinga also hit the ground and stayed there several times in the match, something that drew criticism from Current head coach Vlatko Andonovski after the victory.

“It wasn’t just this game. If you look at the season, every game they’re overly physical against her,” Andonovski said. “It’s not fair for Temwa. They’re targeting her. They’re going directly at her. And I just hope that as we go forward, she gets more protection from the referees.”

Chawinga was on her back deep into second-half stoppage time after a tackle by Courage reserve Bianca St-Georges, who then stood over Chawinga with her hands in the air and appeared to yell something at the Current forward.

Kansas City defender Ellie Wheeler rushed over and shoved St-Georges in the back, resulting in yellow cards for Wheeler and St-Georges.

“I think [Chawinga] has a lot of attention on her,” Current midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo said. “And just, I think when we see that happen over and over again, and her not get the calls that she should be getting, it gets frustrating, and you want to protect her and stand up for her.

“She does so much for us, offensively and defensively, and we really want to stick together and show up for our teammates, especially in moments like that.”

The Courage were whistled for just one foul on Chawinga during the game, per the NWSL’s official statistics.

Kansas City’s win sets up a much anticipated semifinal meeting next week with the Orlando Pride, the NWSL Shield winners and No. 1 seed.

Chawinga opened the scoring in the eighth minute on Saturday, finishing a counterattack on the fourth shot of a chaotic sequence. Her initial shot was saved by Courage goalkeeper Casey Murphy before Kansas City forward Debinha put the rebound off the post. The ball bounced off the post and back to Chawinga, whose next shot was blocked by North Carolina defender Kaleigh Kurtz. But the ball came back to Chawinga again for an empty-net tap-in.

“That was their one really bright moment,” Courage head coach Sean Nahas said. “We just gave the ball away cheaply in the first 10 minutes for whatever reason, but I felt once the game settled in, and we dictated it later in the first half, we just couldn’t muster final chances. We had the one that was called back — probably the right call — but we were never able really to get behind and that’s just been the story of our season.”

Nahas said his team, especially Kurtz, “did a fantastic job with Chawinga today.”

Chawinga entered the match listed as questionable due to a knee injury that caused her to miss last week’s regular-season finale. She scored 20 goals in the regular season, breaking the single-season NWSL record (previously 18, held by Sam Kerr).

After conceding the goal, the Courage dominated on the ball, finishing the game with 65% possession. North Carolina forward Kerolin, last year’s league MVP, started and played 75 minutes in the loss after missing last week’s game with muscle tightness.

But Kerolin’s return wasn’t enough to solve the Courage’s season-long scoring troubles. She came off the field in the 75th minute, 10 minutes after leading scorer Ashley Sanchez was removed from the match.

“We had to make a few changes just to throw numbers higher up the field, and obviously it didn’t work out,” Nahas said. “But you have to go for it, whether you lose 1-0 or 5-0, at that stage, it doesn’t matter. But we weren’t really providing anything dynamic in the final third.”

The Current finished the regular season 16 points clear of North Carolina despite being separated by one place in the standings.

Kansas City now travels to face an Orlando team that started the season unbeaten through 23 games and trounced the Chicago Red Stars 4-1 in Friday’s quarterfinal.

The Pride defeated the Current in Kansas City in June in a battle of unbeatens before the teams played to a scoreless draw in Orlando in September.

“Orlando showed in this season that they’re the best team, no question,” Andonovski said. “All we can do is congratulate them for a great season. But for us, we know that it’s going to be a hard task. We’re gonna enjoy today and tomorrow we’re gonna start preparing for Orlando.”

www.espn.com – SOCCER

NWSL Golden Boot winner Temwa Chawinga scored the Kansas City Current’s lone goal in a 1-0 quarterfinal victory over the North Carolina Courage on Saturday at CPKC Stadium.

Tim Weah scores for Juve as dad George looks on

by | Nov 10, 2024 | Sports

Tim Weah scores for Juve as dad George looks on

Tim Weah’s first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international’s third goal in four Serie A matches.

Tim Weah’s first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international’s third goal in four Serie A matches. Tim Weah’s first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international’s third goal in four Serie A matches.

Nov 9, 2024, 05:16 PM ET

Tim Weah‘s first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international’s third goal in four Serie A matches.

Weah, who also scored recently against Inter Milan and Parma, was in the right spot to redirect in a rebound of a shot from Andrea Cambiaso.

Weah’s father, former Ballon d’Or winner George Weah, was watching from the stands. Tim Weah had another potential goal waved off for a handball.

Kenan Yildiz sealed it for Juventus with a crouching header late in the second half.

“I am happy with Kenan’s goal. We must insist with him on attacking the box, closing the far post,” Juventus head coach Thiago Motta said. “Timothy is doing very well; in the defensive phase they had an excellent game together with Dusan [Vlahovic] and Teun [Koopmeiners].

“It was not easy … They can still improve a lot,” Motta added.

Information from The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Juventus moved up to third, level on points with second-placed Inter Milan, which hosts league leader Napoli on Sunday.

www.espn.com – SOCCER

Tim Weah’s first-half goal for Juventus in a 2-0 derby win over Torino on Saturday marked the United States international’s third goal in four Serie A matches.

Ex-Arsenal striker sacked by club after being charged over ‘importing drugs in £600k plot’​

Transfer Talk: Can Zubimendi fix Man City’s issues?​​

TOP STORIES

TRENDING RUMORS

Slot is not Klopp, but his Liverpool side could emulate the 2019-20 champions​​

Wrexham end winless run to boost promotion bid​​

Andonovski: Opposition ‘targeting’ KC’s Chawinga​​

Tim Weah scores for Juve as dad George looks on​​

Ex-Arsenal striker sacked by club after being charged over ‘importing drugs in £600k plot’

Transfer Talk: Can Zubimendi fix Man City’s issues?

Slot is not Klopp, but his Liverpool side could emulate the 2019-20 champions

Wrexham end winless run to boost promotion bid

Andonovski: Opposition ‘targeting’ KC’s Chawinga

Tim Weah scores for Juve as dad George looks on