Quique Sanchez Flores was named as coach of Espanyol yesterday, following his one-season stay at Watford.
The Barcelona-based club said on its website that Flores had agreed a three-year deal and would be presented next Monday.
“This is consolidating the beginning of Espanyol’s sports project in this new and exciting stage for all our fans,” sporting director Angel Gomez said.
Sanchez Flores replaces Romanian Constantin Galca who left the club last month after only five months in charge.
Magath takes charge at Shandong Luneng
Former Bayern Munich boss Felix Magath has been appointed the head coach at Shandong Luneng, the Chinese Super League (CSL) club has announced.
The 62-year-old German also managed Wolfsburg, Schalke 04 and Fulham, and replaces Brazilian Mano Menezes, who quit the side that reached the AFC Champions League quarter-finals but are mired in the league’s relegation zone.
Magath, who won two Bundesliga titles with Bayern Munich and one with Wolfsburg, is set to begin his stint in China with Sunday’s league fixture against Hebei China Fortune.
FIFA clear Chelsea over Salah loan
FIFA have cleared Chelsea of any wrongdoing over Mohamed Salah’s loan to Roma in 2015 and rejected Italian club Fiorentina’s complaint against the Premier League side.
Fiorentina accused Chelsea of committing a “breach of contract” after they loaned the 23-year-old to Serie A rivals Roma for the 2015-16 season.
Salah spent part of the 2014-15 campaign on loan at Fiorentina, who claimed they had a deal in place with Chelsea for the Egyptian international to return for an additional season.
Salah made 34 league appearances last season for Roma who finished third in the Serie A behind champions Juventus and Napoli.
Danish defender Agger quits football
Former Liverpool defender Daniel Agger has announced his retirement from football.
The ex-Denmark captain is quitting the game at the age of 31 after a professional career stretching back to 2004.
Agger moved to Anfield from boyhood club Brondby in 2006 and played 232 times for the Reds, winning the League Cup in 2012, but his time on Merseyside was beset by injury problems. He returned to Brondby in 2014.
“Thank you for your support. A great experience. It’s sad, but it is the right decision to stop. I’m proud of my career,” Agger, who won 75 caps for Denmark, tweeted alongside an image of the football shirts of the clubs he has represented.
Carrick extends Man. United contract
Manchester United midfielder Michael Carrick has signed a new one-year contract extension, the Premier League club said yesterday.
The 34-year-old has made more than 400 appearances for the club, winning five league titles, the Champions League and the FA Cup during his 10-year stay at Old Trafford.
“This great club has been a part of my life for the past 10 years, so I am delighted that this incredible journey is continuing,” vice-captain Carrick told the club’s website.
“It’s great to have the opportunity to work under Jose Mourinho, who has achieved so much during his managerial career. I would like to thank the fans for their unwavering support.”
Sky wins bulk of TV rights in Bundesliga
Germany’s football league sold national media rights for the next four seasons for a total of €4.64 billion, with Sky taking the lion’s share of live games in a deal covering the top two divisions.
The total for the four seasons from 2017/18 represented an 85 per cent increase on the previous four years, Christian Seifert, chief executive of the German football league, told a news conference yesterday.
Sky will pay an average of €876 million per season, an increase of 32 per cent on what it pays currently for all the live TV rights. In the current auction, no single party was allowed a live TV monopoly.
Midfielder Gibson commits to Everton
Everton midfielder Darron Gibson has signed a two-year contract extension, having rejected the chance to move elsewhere.
The 28-year-old is determined to repay the club’s – and presumably new manager-elect Ronald Koeman’s – faith in him after being given a new deal, having initially signed for the Toffees back in January 2012.
“I am absolutely delighted,” Gibson told evertontv.
“I had a few options but as long as Everton were giving me the option I was never going anywhere else.
“People say ‘Once Everton has touched you’ and it is true.”