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Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City in 2023
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (center), coach Rodolfo Borrell (left) and Juan Manuel Lillo after the final whistle in the Premier League match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester. Press Association

Manager Pep Guardiola to leave Manchester City in 2023

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola plans to leave the team when his contract expires in 2023, ESPN reported Thursday morning.

Per the report, Guardiola, who signed a new deal with Man City in November 2020, said he's planning to leave the Premier League after that and shift his focus to international football.

"After seven years at this club, I think I'm going to have a break," Guardiola said during an online forum. "I will need to rest after being somewhere so many years and also stop to evaluate what we've done and to try to learn from other coaches. If, during this process of stopping, there is a chance to coach a national team, then I think I'd like that. I'd like to coach at a European Championship or Copa America or World Cup. I'd like to experience that."

Guardiola has won three league titles as manager at Manchester City, in addition to the titles he won at Bayern Munich and Barcelona. As a player, he won six league titles and the 1992 European Cup at Barca.

News of Guardiola's impending departure is just the latest headline surrounding Manchester City as of late. The team was in hot pursuit of Harry Kane this summer prior to the striker announcing his commitment to Tottenham. Man City now are still working hard to make a deal with Cristiano Ronaldo a reality. (According to an ESPN report, Guardiola and Ronaldo had a phone conversation as recently as Thursday morning.)

The team was also in headlines Thursday with reports surfacing defender Benjamin Mendy has been suspended after being charged with four counts of rape and one count of sexual assault.

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Nottingham Forest Planning Double Swoop to Replace Anthony Elanga: Marinakis Wants Top Signing
Soccer

Nottingham Forest Planning Double Swoop to Replace Anthony Elanga: Marinakis Wants Top Signing

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Yankees Trade Hours Before Rays Game Draws Attention
MLB

Yankees Trade Hours Before Rays Game Draws Attention

The New York Yankees have been busy making moves as the trade deadline looms, and it doesn’t look like they’re slowing down anytime soon. Fresh off the addition of Ryan McMahon to bolster their lineup, the Yankees are shaking things up once again. This time, it’s not about who they’ve brought in, but rather who they’ve decided to part ways with, and it involves a familiar name who spent just a single season in pinstripes. Jack Curry reported on the trade on X saying, “The Yankees have traded Carlos Carrasco to the Braves for a PTBNL [player to be named later] or cash.” Given that the trade took place a few days before the deadline and just hours before a series opener at home against the division rival Tampa Bay Rays, fans had a lot to say. One fan said, "HAL WASNT LYING! THEYRE EXTREMELY ACTIVE." Another fan added, "CASH CONSIDERATIONS IS ON FIRE THIS TRADE DEADLINE!!!!" "CASHMAN YOU BEAST," said a fan. Another fan commented, "Gonna be the new Jessie Chavez" "Weird trade," said a fan not convinced with the move. Another fan said, "what does this look like? a NURSING HOME?! bffr." The Yankees picked up Carrasco on a minor-league deal back in February, and thanks to early injuries to Gerrit Cole and Luis Gil, he found himself in the Opening Day rotation. Unfortunately, things didn’t go smoothly. Carrasco struggled in his eight appearances (six starts) with New York, posting a 5.91 ERA and recording 25 strikeouts over 32 innings. He was designated for assignment on May 6 and sent to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre two days later. He got a brief recall on June 1 but was quickly designated again on June 3, staying in the organization since then. In Triple-A, though, he turned things around, putting up a solid 3.27 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts) over 52 1/3 innings. While the Yankees are still in the hunt for veteran pitching, Carrasco wasn’t viewed as a big-league option for them. Instead, he now heads to Atlanta, where he’ll have a real shot at earning a rotation spot. Across his MLB career with the Cleveland Guardians, New York Mets and Yankees, Carrasco has a 4.18 ERA in 332 games (283 starts).

Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase
NHL

Maple Leafs Top Prospect Shatters Expectations at World Junior Showcase

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.

Red Sox Aren't Getting Standout Back Anytime Soon
MLB

Red Sox Aren't Getting Standout Back Anytime Soon

The Boston Red Sox got some bad news in the infield. Rookie infielder Marcelo Mayer has gotten a lot of time at second base and third base. Since Alex Bregman returned, Mayer has gotten most of his action at second base while also filling in as the Red Sox worked Bregman back slowly. Unfortunately, he's on the Injured List, though, due to a wrist sprain. MassLive.com's Christopher Smith shared the lastest update on Mayer from Red Sox manager Alex Cora on Saturday noted that he's "not gonna play soon." "No new updates on Marcelo Mayer's wrist sprain, Red Sox manager Alex Cora said," Smith shared. "'Just waiting for results and see specialists and all that stuff,' Cora added. 'He's not gonna play soon. So have to make sure where we're at and what the course of action is going to be.'" Losing Mayer is tough. Defense has been a question mark for Boston once again this season but Mayer has helped in that area. With Mayer out, Ceddanne Rafaela is expected to get a lot of action at second base. That helps to alleviate the logjam in the outfield, but also removes arguably the best defensive center fielder in the game. Boston isn't at full strength and Cora noting he's "not gonna play soon" certainly doesn't sound positive. Before going down, Mayer was slashing .228/.272/.402 with four homers, 10 RBIs, and eight doubles. Will the Red Sox add another piece ahead of the trade deadline? It absolutely makes sense at this point.

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