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Soccer

Manchester United confirm Hojlund's arrival in reported €85M deal

Erling Haaland, meet Rasmus Hojlund.

Manchester United have a Scandinavian star to rival Manchester City’s top-scoring Haaland after completing the signing of 20-year-old Danish forward Hojlund from Atalanta on Saturday.

United reportedly agreed to pay the Italian club €75 million up front and another €10 million in potential bonuses.

Hojlund rubber-stamped a five-year deal at Old Trafford with the option of a further season.

“It is no secret that I have been a fan of this great club since I was a small boy, and I dreamed of walking out at Old Trafford as a Manchester United player,” Hojlund said upon being unveiled by the Red Devils. “I am incredibly excited by this opportunity to turn that dream into a reality, and I am determined to repay the faith that the club has shown in me.”

“It is still early in my career, but I know that I am ready to make this step up and play with this group of world-class players,” the young striker added.

Hojlund is United’s third big-money summer signing following the arrivals of goalkeeper Andre Onana and midfielder Mason Mount. The club also welcomed back veteran defender Jonny Evans on a short-term deal.

Atalanta turned a huge profit on Hojlund, whom they signed for a reported €17 million only a year ago from Austrian outfit Sturm Graz. The forward scored nine goals in 33 Serie A appearances and wowed audiences with his speed and dribbling ability.

Hojlund will likely spearhead Erik ten Hag’s new-look attack, with captain Bruno Fernandes offering support through the middle, Marcus Rashford cutting in from the left, and Antony taking on defenders on the right.

Fans will expect Hojlund to boost United’s numbers. The Red Devils ranked an underwhelming seventh in Premier League scoring last season, finishing with 36 fewer goals than prolific rivals Manchester City. Rashford was the only to United player break the 10-goal mark during the 2022-23 campaign.

“Rasmus is a truly exceptional talent. He possesses technical and physical attributes which rank him amongst the best players in the world for his age group,” United football director John Murtough said. “Working under Erik ten Hag and his coaches will provide Rasmus with the perfect development platform. Everyone across the club will ensure that he is given the time and all the support required to reach his immense potential.”

NFL

Jets' Hackett: Payton broke code with comments

  • Rich Cimini, ESPN Staff WriterAug 1, 2023, 03:56 PM ET

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      Rich Cimini is a staff writer who covers the New York Jets and the NFL at ESPN. Rich has covered the Jets for over 30 years, joining ESPN in 2010. Rich also hosts the Flight Deck podcast. He previously was a beat writer for the New York Daily News and is a graduate of Syracuse University. You can follow him via Twitter @RichCimini.

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Without mentioning Sean Payton by name, New York Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett responded Tuesday to Payton’s scathing criticism, saying the comments about his coaching performance last season violated an unwritten “code.”

Hackett said he wasn’t surprised by Payton’s remarks, claiming his Denver Broncos successor has been blasting him publicly for a year.

“Obviously, [the] last week has been a very unique week for this organization,” Hackett said. “I’ve been involved in this business my whole life — 43 years. As a coach, as a coach’s kid, we live in a glass house. We know that. We all live in different rooms, we all have a key for it. It’s one of those things, there’s a code, there’s a way things are done in that house.

“This past week, it’s frustrating and it sucks, but we’re all susceptible to it — the things you do, the mistakes you make. It costs you time on the field, it costs you your job … all those things. And I own all that stuff. That’s a fact. I’ve got no excuses.”

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Payton created national headlines last week, telling USA Today that Hackett’s 15-game run with the Broncos last season was “one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL” and that there were “20 dirty hands” around quarterback

Hackett said he hasn’t received an apology from Payton, adding that he doesn’t expect Payton to follow through on his promise.

Asked if he believes Payton broke the code of the coaching fraternity, Hackett said, “I do. I do.” He said the criticism was “very expected. You knew it was going to happen. You knew he was going to handle it that way at some point. That’s how it was going all last year.”

Payton, who worked as a Fox Sports studio analyst last season after 15 years as coach of the New Orleans Saints, was critical of the Broncos. He ripped them for allowing Wilson to have a private coach and his own office at the team facility. Payton also jabbed them for disciplinary issues and clock-management problems. Hackett was fired with a 4-11 record, as Wilson suffered the worst statistical season of his career. New ownership hired Payton to resurrect the franchise.

The Jets face the Broncos Oct. 8 in Denver.

“It’s unfortunate that it had to happen, the comments that were made, but, hey, they did,” Hackett said. “I’ll tell you, I was probably more surprised that it happened now. [I] was definitely expecting them in Week 5 [when the two teams play each other]. So, I’m almost thankful that we got that out of the way. We all understand the way certain people feel and think.”

Asked about the Week 5 matchup, Hackett smiled and said, “It’s just another game.”

Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers continued to defend Hackett, saying “a lot of people were surprised” by Payton’s criticism.

“I didn’t like it at all,” said Rodgers, who called Payton “insecure” in a previous interview.

Hackett, whose father, Paul, was a longtime NFL and college coach, said the controversy has galvanized the team. He appeared genuinely touched by the support from the organization, saying players he doesn’t know — on the defensive side of the ball — have offered encouraging words. Former players, too, have reached out.

“Everybody has been unbelievable,” Hackett said. “I think that’s something that’s just awesome. It has brought our team together.”

Soccer

Report: PSG on verge of signing Barcelona's Dembele

Paris Saint-Germain are about to rob Barcelona of another star player.

Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele agreed to a five-year contract with PSG, paving the way for the French giants to activate his release clause, sources told ESPN’s Julien Laurens.

Dembele’s €50-million release clause expires Monday before doubling to €100 million, according to Laurens.

Barcelona reportedly offered to extend Dembele’s contract as well. It’s unclear if that includes a raise on his current wages. Dembele’s annual salary is €12 million before tax, per Capology.com.

PSG have raided Barcelona before in the transfer market. The serial Ligue 1 champions broke the transfer record in 2017 by activating Neymar’s €222-million release clause and exploited Barcelona’s dire financial situation in 2021 to sign Lionel Messi on a free transfer. Highly rated La Masia product Xavi Simons also left Barcelona for PSG in 2019.

Incidentally, Dembele joined Barcelona as a replacement for Neymar. The Catalan side paid an initial €105 million to acquire the Frenchman from Borussia Dortmund.

The 26-year-old was expected to leave Barcelona as a free agent last summer but reversed course by signing a two-year contract with the Blaugrana.

Dembele made just 16 starts in La Liga last season, scoring five goals. A hamstring injury forced him to miss 17 matches between the end of January and end of April, according to transfermarkt.com. The World Cup winner has suffered various hamstring injuries over the course of his career.

Soccer

Report: Bayern's Mane joining Ronaldo's Al-Nassr for close to €40M

Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr are adding Sadio Mane to their arsenal after reaching an agreement with Bayern Munich, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

Al-Nassr struck the deal Friday after offering a reported €37 million for the Senegalese forward.

Bayern left Mane out of their squad for a friendly in Japan on Saturday, confirming that the former Liverpool star is in “contract talks ahead of a possible transfer.” Bayern did not name the club in question.

Mane recorded 12 goals and six assists in a short and disappointing spell at Bayern. All but two of those goals came before he suffered a leg injury that ruled him out of the World Cup last November. He was then accused of slapping teammate Leroy Sane in a locker-room dispute following Bayern’s Champions League defeat to Manchester City in April.

He signed a three-year contract with the Bundesliga champions upon joining from Liverpool in June 2022 for a reported €32 million.

He’s now set to form an interesting duo with Ronaldo, whose move to Al-Nassr in December sparked a mass exodus to Saudi Arabia. Al-Nassr have also signed Seko Fofana from RC Lens, Alex Telles from Manchester United, and Marcelo Brozovic from Champions League finalists Inter Milan during the summer window.

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Soccer