Juventus officially appointed Damien Comolli as their new general manager and promoted Giorgio Chiellini to director of football strategy on Sunday, while Cristiano Giuntoli’s exit will be formalized in the coming days, and they can now decide whether to confirm Igor Tudor after missing out on Antonio Conte and Gian Piero Gasperini.
The Croat will return to Turin on Monday to start preparing for the Club World Cup and meet with the new execs. The Bianconeri brass has been mulling over other coaches. Marco Silva, whom they were eyeing beforehand too, Stefano Pioli, and Roberto Mancini are on their shortlist, Gianluca Di Marzio informs. The present boss is gaining momentum. The hierarchy would go in another direction only if they could hire a clear upgrade.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Tudor has the backing of the ownership and the players. However, his fate will hinge on whether he’ll hit it off with Comolli. His demands regarding the transfer market will play a role too. Plus, they’d have to discuss an extension eventually.
Per Corriere dello Sport, the Old Lady is also considering Bruno Genesio and seeking a sporting director. The top options are former Milan and Rennes official Frederic Massara and ex-Lens exec Diego Lopez. The attempt for Gasperini wasn’t too forceful. Moreover, Roma had been courting him for months.
The timing of their front office overhaul was baffling and probably cost them Conte, while the former Atalanta boss was already too far gone in Roma’s direction already. It’ll be another transitional year. The former defender is perfectly suited for that. It’s his job to lose unless he gets too radical with his requests to bolster the squad, which is what led to his departure from Lazio.
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WNBA players sent a message to the league with T-shirts they wore ahead of the All-Star Game on Saturday night, but the ratings for the game did not exactly strengthen their stance. Prior to the All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind., Caitlin Clark and other players warmed up in shirts that said “Pay us what you owe us” across the front. The message had to do with the current state of collective bargaining agreement negotiations between the WNBA and WNBA Player’s Association. Unfortunately for the players, the television ratings for the game were not very good. Ryan Glasspiegel of Front Office Sports reported on Tuesday that the WNBA All-Star Game drew 2.19 million viewers on ABC, which was down roughly 36% from a year ago. Last year’s game featured the WNBA All-Stars against the Team USA squad that was preparing to compete in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The dip in ratings is likely another example of the type of impact Clark has had on the WNBA. Although she was a team captain for this year’s All-Star Game, Clark did not play due to a groin injury. Clark played in last year’s game for the All-Star side, as she did not make the Team USA Olympic roster. Many fans were outraged that she was snubbed from the Olympic team, which added an element of intrigue to the All-Star Game. There is no way of knowing for certain whether more fans would have watched the All-Star Game on Saturday night had Clark played. It is a safe guess, however, especially when you look at some recent trends for the league.
Lucas Giolito is tired of hearing from angry sports bettors, and the Boston Red Sox pitcher says he recently spoke with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred about his concerns. During an episode of Rob Bradford's "Baseball Isn't Boring" podcast that was released on Monday, Giolito spoke about what he described as a growing problem with angry gamblers issuing threats to players. The right-hander said he has received countless messages from fans who placed wagers on him and lost, even when he pitches well. "I'm getting messages after every game," Giolito said, via Jon Paul Hoornstra of Newsweek. "Even games where I pitched well, where they're mad at me because I hit the strikeout over instead of being under; prop bets, all these crazy things. People put hundreds of dollars on it. They don't have a lot of money but they're gambling it anyway because it's a disease. They freak out." Giolito added that there is only so much players can do in terms of blocking and reporting people on social media. He said his girlfriend has even received "nasty" messages from fans and that he asked Manfred what would need to happen for MLB to take serious action. "You can go private on social media. You can block accounts. It only goes so far. One thing I said to Rob was, 'Is it gonna take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled that lost a bet for real action to be taken?'" Giolito said. As sports betting has been legalized across more states, the number of fans wagering has rapidly grown. Giolito alluded to prop bets such as over/unders on strikeouts, which are popular among casual gamblers. Giolito certainly is not the first professional athlete to raise concerns about disgruntled bettors. Scottie Scheffler recently revealed a change he had to make because of the actions of those who placed bets on him. As for what Manfred, MLB or any other sports organization can do about it, that remains to be seen.
The Green Bay Packers gave Zach Tom a four-year, $88 million contract extension. Now, there are three high-priced offensive linemen on the roster, with Tom joining a group with left guard Aaron Banks and center Elgton Jenkins. But that fact creates some uncertainty for the future, and general manager Brian Gutekunst will have some tough calls to make over the next eight months. Jenkins is moving from left guard to center, but first he wants a contract adjustment to have more guarantees. But with two years left on his deal, the Packers don't seem inclined to pull the trigger. ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported that the Packers want to wait and see if Jenkins will play well at center before maybe considering a new deal during the regular season. The motivation of the forced patience is because the Packers have difficult decisions ahead, and it goes beyond Jenkins individual performance. Spending limit Theoretically, it's viable to pay four high-priced offensive linemen at the same time. But in practicality, it's a questionable call. First, because the Packers have invested two high draft picks, with Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton, to avoid this type of scenario. Second, because overinvesting in one spot affects the rest of the roster. The follow-up question is that left tackle Rasheed Walker and right guard Sean Rhyan are entering the final year of their rookie deals, and the Packers have to answer if they want to keep one of them. Rhyan is cheaper, but also easier to replace at a less valuable position. With Walker, the situation gets more complicated. He's projected to get something between $14 million and $16.5 million on yearly average. So if the Packers want to keep him, and if they can't pay more than three veteran offensive linemen, Elgton Jenkins would probably have to go. What will define the call The Packers are entering training camp with more questions than answers, and that's fine. Practices and preseason games will ultimately determine what will happen. Jordan Morgan will likely compete for the left tackle spot, like he did during the offseason program, and rookie Anthony Belton is projected as a swing tackle with the twos. Can they play tackle and beat out Rasheed Walker? Can one of them move to right guard? With these answers on the field, the contract decisions will be easier. But at the moment, the Packers need the flexibility with Elgton Jenkins, because the team needs answers it doesn't have right now.
Jamal Adams is getting another fresh start. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Las Vegas Raiders are signing the veteran safety. Pete Carroll reunites with a familiar face in Adams, who previously played under him in Seattle. The reunion signals a decision to bolster their young secondary with experience and versatility. At only 29 years old, Adams still carries a reputation from his earlier years in the NFL. Drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in 2017, he came out the gates hot by showing off his impressive range, aggression and athleticism. His performance on the field earned him three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2018 to 2020 and an All-Pro selection in 2019. He showed the ability to be used in a variety of ways, whether it's deep in coverage or coming downhill as a pass-rusher. However, Adams' recent years have been slowed by injuries, shifting roles and underperformances. A groin strain in 2020, a shoulder labrum tear in 2021 and a thigh quad tear in 2022 hurt his athletic prowess and limited his playing time during this stretch. Since then, Adams has attempted to resurrect his career by joining the Tennessee Titans and the Detroit Lions. Despite the downward trajectory of his career, he still seemingly has suitors out there. The Raiders are likely signing Adams to add depth, rather than for a starting role. Adams could be a locker room leader who can help on special teams and certain defensive packages. He already has a strong grasp of Carroll’s philosophy, which could allow him to easily integrate into the team's system. Ultimately, this signing indicates a strong effort from the organization to surround their younger talents with proven veterans. As training camp approaches, the team will look to get Adams up to date with the system and play sheet. If Adams can impress during camp, perhaps he may get more on-field reps. For now, however, this signing feels like a win-win scenario for both sides.
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