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Daichi Kamada’s career at Lazio is nearing its end after only one season. In an interview with Corriere dello Sport, club president Claudio Lotito opened the door for the Japan international’s departure.
According to Lotito, Kamada tried to bully Lazio in negotiations over a new deal. His behavior hasn’t gone well with the board, with the Biancocelesti looking to offload him on short notice.
“Daichi Kamada asked for an extra €2.5m as a signing fee to extend his contract – nobody can blackmail us,” the Lazio boss said, as quoted by Fabrizio Romano. “We will send away all the mercenaries,” Lotito was loud and clear.
Lazio signed the 27-year-old on a free transfer last summer after his contract with Eintracht Frankfurt. He was initially close to joining Milan, but the Rossoneri pulled the plug on a deal at the 11th hour. Lotito’s side jumped at the head of the queue and snapped him.
However, Lazio handed the Japanese a one-year contract. It’s about to expire, and the Italians have no intention of renewing it. Kamada’s career at the Stadio Olimpico has been off to a dismal start. Despite making 29 Serie A appearances in 2023/24, he only registered 17 starts and scored twice.
With Lazio set to become part of Kamada’s history, he’s turning to new pastures. Premier League outfit Crystal Palace have taken the versatile midfielder into consideration. New manager Oliver Glasner is intimately familiar with the player after their time together at Frankfurt.
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Browns quarterback race has now dramatically changed
The Cleveland Browns are a step closer to finding their starting quarterback for the upcoming season. The Browns had a four-way race for the QB1 job entering training camp. Rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders were long-shot contenders for the gig. The real competition has been between Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco. However, the race has dramatically changed following Pickett's hamstring injury. Per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, Flacco is now the "strong favorite" to win the starting job, as the veteran has taken advantage of his reps while Pickett remains limited at practice. "Pickett said he’s working '24-7' to get back to full speed but acknowledged he’s losing ground," Jackson wrote. "Joe Flacco’s two best throwing days have been the two most recent days, Friday and Saturday. Neither of the rookies ever had much of a realistic chance to win the starting job this August, and over the last week, Flacco has gone from presumed favorite to strong favorite. What always mattered most was finding the No. 1 — even if that status was going to be in flux at some point — and letting the folks in charge evaluate and decide on the rest of the depth chart and the room. There’s a lot of camp left, and there’s obviously a lot still to be settled with Pickett, Dillon Gabriel and Sanders. Flacco's resurgence in 2023, when he won NFL Comeback Player of the Year, was the main reason the Browns made the playoffs that season. His familiarity with Cleveland and head coach Kevin Stefanski makes him the natural choice to start Week 1 against the Cincinnati Bengals, even if Pickett wasn't sidelined for team drills.
Aaron Boone addresses Alex Rodriguez’s criticism of Yankees
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone responded Sunday, one day after Alex Rodriguez suggested his team lacks discipline and accountability. On FOX’s MLB pregame show Saturday, Rodriguez questioned the “accountability” of the Yankees after Boone did not pull Jazz Chisholm from Saturday’s loss to Miami after the infielder made a brutal baserunning blunder. Rodriguez suggested that the Yankees do not face consequences for such mistakes, and that it has contributed to further errors. “If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.” Boone took issue with those remarks when asked about them on Sunday. He said he accepts that the Yankees will always face added scrutiny, but that he disagreed with the substance of Rodriguez’s remarks. “I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have — that comes with the territory.” Boone is known for keeping things positive publicly, even when things are going poorly for the Yankees. That has led to some criticism from fans, who feel that he goes too easy on his players when they are underperforming. The team’s recent stretch of mediocre play combined with a lack of consequences for errors like Chisholm’s have reinforced those critiques. The Yankees lost again on Sunday and were swept by the Marlins, dropping them to 60-51 on the season. Until the team starts consistently winning again, Boone is going to hear more comments like Rodriguez’s.
Rams share worrisome Matthew Stafford update ahead of preseason opener
Los Angeles Rams veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford has had a "week-to-week" designation throughout training camp as he deals with lingering back soreness. According to ESPN's Sarah Barshop and Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk, Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Sunday that Stafford won't participate in Monday's jog-through practice. "He’ll be doing a workout on his own during that time period," McVay said. "He is able to do a little bit more, which is good, and things are progressing well, but he won’t take part in the jog-through because he’ll be doing some other stuff." Stafford also won't take part in Los Angeles' joint practice with the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday. Barshop noted that 2023 fourth-round pick Stetson Bennett IV, who has never taken a meaningful snap as a pro, "is expected to start for the Rams" in the team's preseason opener against Dallas this coming Saturday. It's unclear if Stafford will be available for the Rams' joint practice with the Los Angeles Chargers on Aug. 13. The Rams play the Chargers on Aug. 16 and then end the preseason with a matchup against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 23. "It’s static throwing," McVay said about what Stafford will do on Monday. "It’s some of the unloaded running on the treadmill. Sometimes it might even be walking. He’s able to do a little lighter cardio and able to do some good core work. It’s more just functional strength surrounding the area, making sure you don’t do anything to set yourself back based on the trajectory he’s doing. We are looking forward to getting him and easing him back into football, hopefully in the near future." It's no secret that the Rams at least considered trading Stafford to either the New York Giants or Las Vegas Raiders after he turned 37 years old this past February. While the Rams worked out an agreement to keep Stafford as their QB1, the club could part ways with him next offseason if his body betrays him or he looks like a player past his physical prime during the upcoming campaign. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Rams sixth among the betting favorites at +1000 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LX. Such information suggests Los Angeles may want to consider looking for an upgrade over current backup signal-caller Jimmy Garoppolo, who hasn't shown he can be a winning QB1 with any regularity since the 2022 season.
Sean Payton's take about Broncos' Super Bowl chances should raise eyebrows
The Denver Broncos haven't won a playoff game since Super Bowl 50. Head coach Sean Payton expects that to change in 2025. Payton won a Super Bowl as New Orleans Saints HC during the 2009 season. He says the 2025 Broncos could do the same. "The short-term goal is winning the division," Payton told Yahoo Sports' Charles Robinson in a story published Sunday. "But this is a team capable of winning the Super Bowl. I've coached six teams that I thought could win the Super Bowl. Some went to championship games, some went to the playoffs. This is my seventh team that I think has that." After losing to the Buffalo Bills 31-7 in the AFC wild-card round last season, the Broncos splurged in free agency. They signed tight end Evan Engram, safety Talanoa Hufanga, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and running back J.K. Dobbins. Greenlaw and Hufanga helped the San Francisco 49ers reach Super Bowl LVIII during the 2023 season. Many of Denver's stars are also returning, including cornerback Patrick Surtain II and quarterback Bo Nix. The second-year passer tossed the league's sixth-most touchdown passes (29 in 17 starts) during his rookie season. Payton thinks that's just a taste of what's to come. "[Nix is] going to be one of the top four or five quarterbacks in the league in the next two years," the coach said. "That's what we're seeing right now. He doesn't take sacks. He's got exceptional arm strength. ... He threw the longest ball — [67] air yards against [the Cincinnati Bengals]. He can run. He can throw in funny body angles." Before placing your bets on Denver, remember it's in the AFC West, which features the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs have made three straight Super Bowl appearances, winning two. Denver's talent could help it compete with Kansas City. In a story published July 21, ESPN's Mike Clay, Aaron Schatz and Seth Walder listed the Broncos' projected starting lineup as the NFL's sixth best. The Chiefs, meanwhile, ranked No. 5. It seems Payton isn't overhyping his team, which could be a Super Bowl sleeper.
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