A month ago, at the end of last season, Francisco Javier Garcia Pimienta left Las Palmas in favour of taking over at Sevilla. Since then, the manager’s position in Gran Canaria has been the subject of speculation, but that is now at an end.
Luis Carrion was always Las Palmas’ top choice to replace Garcia Pimienta, on Wednesday, he was announced as the new head coach. He has signed a two-year deal, keeping him at the club until 2026.
Luis Carrión, nuevo entrenador de la UD Las Palmas.
El técnico ocupará el banquillo las dos próximas temporadas. ¡, @Luis__Carrion!
https://t.co/AOwODMksJ9 #PíoPío #75AniversarioUD #LaUniónHaceLasPalmas #LaUniónDePorVida pic.twitter.com/mP4yTmEW9q
— UD Las Palmas (@UDLP_Oficial) June 26, 2024
Carrion narrowly missed out on guiding Real Oviedo into La Liga last weekend, with Espanyol winning the promotion play-off final 2-1 on aggregate. It was a bitter blow for him, but he will be managing in Spanish football’s top division anyway, and he takes over an exciting squad – although there is uncertainty surrounding several key players, including Alvaro Valles and Saul Coco.
It is an exciting appointment from Las Palmas, and it’s clear to see why Carrion was their top target from the start. It remains to be seen how he gets on.
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Liverpool are understood to have secured an ‘agreement in principle’ with Alexander Isak over a summer transfer. The Merseysiders are reportedly hellbent on signing the Swede following the addition of Eintracht Frankfurt forward Hugo Ekitike. It remains to be seen whether Newcastle would be open to selling their top asset in the current window. Should the Reds get a clear green light, it’s expected that a British transfer record will be required to prise Isak out of St James’ Park. Liverpool have agreement with Alexander Isak in place It’s one thing to have personal terms boxed off and quite another to have the club in question’s permission to get the deal over the line. From the looks of things, we’re quite a way off that point being settled this summer. The Magpies, rather understandably, aren’t keen to see their most valuable star shipped off to the Premier League champions. Yet, they’re also forced to contend with the unpleasant reality of forcing Isak to stay put – at least until they can secure his potential successor in Sesko. In the meantime, Liverpool allegedly have everything behind the scenes ready to go. Nicolo Schira reports on X (formerly Twitter) that the club is ready to file a fresh bid after having secured personal terms. Is this Newcastle’s best chance to secure financial freedom? Newcastle, to be absolutely clear, are entirely within their own rights to urge Liverpool, and any prospective suitor, to take a hike when it comes to Isak. That said, at some point, objective decision-making has to be factored into this decision. As things currently stand, the Magpies’ transfer efforts this summer have been far from optimal, and they’re facing a Champions League campaign without having made significant changes to the squad. Don’t get us wrong – Anthony Elanga is a cracking signing. However, do Newcastle fans seriously feel as if the former Nottingham Forest star is going to make the difference when it comes to making a splash in Europe and holding on to a Champions League place domestically? Eddie Howe’s men need bodies – and quality bodies! Eddie Howe has admitted Newcastle are struggling on price The Newcastle head coach has already made it plainly clear that the club is struggling to bring in players within their price-range. “We have to bring the right type of player in. We should in no way act out of character, and work how we always have in the window,” the Englishman was quoted by Chronicle Live. “That is in a strategic way. If the right player is not available to us for the right price, then we can’t do the deals. “Everything has to fall in line. We are looking to add depth and quality to the areas that we have identified, fingers crossed we can get deals done.” Now, that’s a perfectly sound strategy early on in the window when you’ve time to adapt. But we’re now two days away from August, and Newcastle just haven’t sufficiently prepared their squad for the season ahead. Whilst it might be hard for decision-makers at the club to hear, they may need to spend over the odds to sufficiently bolster their squad this summer. In that case, they’ll need cash – the kind of cash selling a top asset like Alexander Isak would provide.
While the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have garnered a lot of attention lately, there is one NFC team that has quietly been flying under the radar. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost a one-score game to the Lions in the divisional round in 2023 and followed that up with another one-score loss to QB Jayden Daniels and the Commanders last season, proving how close they have been to the ultimate prize in the two seasons with Baker Mayfield under center. In an appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" Tuesday morning, analyst and former player Ryan Clark offered high praise for Mayfield and what the Buccaneers are capable of. "Baker Mayfield is a top-10 quarterback in this league," Clark said. "Baker Mayfield is a football player. And when I say that, I know people at home are gonna be like, 'Duh, he gets paid to play football.' No, not all quarterbacks are seen as football players. Not all quarterbacks are embraced in the locker room as one of us." Clark sees the Buccaneers as a team the rest of the league should be paying attention to because of who they have returning and the close calls in the playoffs the last two seasons. "This is a team that's been on the cusp the last two years," Clark said. "Now you think about some of the pieces they've added, the confidence in their quarterback and the way that he plays, and Todd Bowles with another year to understand winning at a high level at the head coach position. This is a team you better be extremely scared of because they're stacked and they're confident." Mayfield has been sensational during his time with the Buccaneers. Although he did throw 16 interceptions, Mayfield accounted for the third-most passing yards (4,500) in the league last season and has thrown the most TD passes (69) in the last two seasons, per StatMuse. To add even more incentive for Mayfield, the team restructured his contract, which is set to expire after the 2026 season, to include $30M in guaranteed salary for that season. The Buccaneers return a lot of production on both sides of the ball, in addition to bringing in first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka, who topped 1,000 receiving yards twice at Ohio State and accounted for 26 total TDs. While Tampa Bay allowed the 17th-most points per game (22.7) last season, it returns the majority of its defensive production. On top of that, the offseason acquisition of veteran LB and two-time Pro-Bowler Haason Reddick, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal, should be a welcomed addition for a franchise that had some question marks on defense last season. The Buccaneers are projected to have the sixth-easiest schedule in the NFL this season and have the best chance to win the NFC South for the fifth consecutive season, according to ESPN Analytics. If Mayfield can cut back on his turnovers and the defense can create more pressure on opposing QBs, the Buccaneers could be a threat in the NFC once again as they look to put their recent nail-biting losses in the postseason behind them.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is in full swing, and Maple Leafs top prospect Ben Danford is shattering expectations, truly proving how good of a player he can be. The Toronto Maple Leafs' defensive prospect, Ben Danford, is among the 44 players who were invited to Hockey Canada's World Juniors Summer Showcase. Hockey Canada finally unveiled the 44 prospects who will head to Minnesota for the showcase, after they held the roster release back while the organization dealt with several injuries, which begins Sunday and runs through August 2 in Minneapolis. Defensive prospect Ben Danford is the only Maple Leafs player invited to the annual showcase, where Canada's World Junior staff will get their first look at what their team might look like for the 2026 World Juniors, which will also take place in Minnesota in December. Danford is being called the best player at the World Juniors Summer Showcase Danford has been exceeding expectations, and one source revealed that he has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase so far. The source said Danford is steady, smart, and hard to ignore on the ice. 'Ben Danford has been the best player at the World Junior Showcase he's steady, smart, and impossible to ignore. Makes every shift count, whether he's breaking up plays or starting the rush. Canada's blue line is in good hands.' - An unnamed source The Maple Leafs selected Danford with their first pick (31st overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft. During his visit to Toronto's development camp earlier this month, the defender revealed that he's receiving mentorship from current Leafs defensemen as well as some alumni like Mark Giordano. The 6-foot-2 Danford could make for an excellent fit for Canada should he make the team. He is responsible in his own end, and he demonstrated leadership capabilities when he was named captain of the Oshawa Generals ahead of the 2024-25 OHL season.
Last season, Josh Giddey took a big leap after being traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder. With the Chicago Bulls, the Australian point guard was instrumental in getting them to the Play-In Tournament, going 39-43. The No. 10 seed was somewhat expected, but the record was better than people anticipated. Giddey averaged 14.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, taking his offense to another level. His shooting splits improved as well, and his overall leap has resulted in the 22-year-old asking for big money amid restricted free agency. Still unsigned, Giddey is reportedly desiring at least $8 million more than what the Bulls are currently offering. In a recent article from Fred Katz and Joel Lorenzi of The Athletic, NBA executives gave their thoughts on what they think Giddey is worth and the overall contract dispute. One executive believed $100 million over four years was fair. “Giddey is the anomaly because he might be good enough to be a four-year player,” the executive said. “Nobody wants to go with long-term contracts because everybody wants this idea of flexibility. You wanna have the ability to (say), ‘You know what? My team’s not very good. Let’s pivot.’” Some other executives proposed three-year deals, ranging from $54 million to $75 million in total money. Cap space around the NBA has become extremely limited, and Chicago may not be willing to make such a long-term commitment to the former lottery pick. One person polled cited the Patrick Williams contract as a reference point for the Bulls. “Chicago gave (Williams) five years, $90 million with a player option,” the executive said. “He didn’t show much and got that deal entirely based on them drafting him top five and (his) perceived potential.”
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