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Andoni Iraola: Spaniard exiting Bournemouth in style but where will he go next?

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One team Iraola has been heavily linked with is Athletic Club.

Ernesto Valverde announced in March he would leave the club in the summer, bringing an end to his latest four-year spell in Bilbao.

Born in the Basque Country, Iraola has strong ties to the club, making 510 appearances for them between 2003 and 2015.

His family’s desire to return to Spain is understood to be among the factors Iraola considered when deciding to leave Bournemouth.

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Reacting to Valverde’s departure, Iraola said: “It affects me probably as a supporter because I support the club.

“I’ve been playing there for a lot of years and has been a surprise also for me. It’s my biggest reference in football, Ernesto. It’s a decision that he has made, but it’s not affecting me apart from the supporter side, let’s say.”

Smith added: “It’s the club where he learned a lot of his footballing principles. A lot of the elements of his game comes from [Marcelo] Bielsa’s Athletic team.

“That job is available, if he wants to go back to Spain. There will be a massive, emotional pull for that job.”

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But interest from Spain might not just be limited to Bilbao.

Alvaro Arbeloa succeeded the sacked Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid in January, but the La Liga giants trail leaders Barcelona by nine points with seven games to go and were knocked out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich this week.

Could the former Spain full-back be tempted by the allure of Real Madrid’s star-studded squad and their vast transfer war chest? Or would he fancy a stint with Bayer Leverkusen in Germany before moving on to bigger names?

Nonetheless, where Iraola’s journey takes him next could prove to be one of the most compelling stories of the summer.

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IPL 2026: SRH bowlers hold their nerve, choke CSK in final overs to seal 10-run thriller | Cricket News

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IPL 2026: SRH bowlers hold their nerve, choke CSK in final overs to seal 10-run thriller
Sunrisers Hyderabad’s Eshan Malinga, center, celebrate with teammates (AP Photo/Mahesh Kumar A.)

Sunrisers Hyderabad survived a tense finish to beat Chennai Super Kings by 10 runs in a high-pressure IPL clash, thanks to a brilliant combined effort from Eshan Malinga and Shivang Kumar in the death overs.Chasing 195, CSK were restricted to 184 for 8, with Malinga leading the attack with 3 for 29 and Shivang Kumar supporting him with 1 for 18 in 3 overs. Their control in the post-Powerplay phase proved decisive as they choked CSK’s chase at crucial moments.

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Ajinkya Rahane press conference: On another defeat, Cameron Green and more

Even though CSK needed only 84 from the last 10 overs, SRH’s bowlers kept striking regularly. Malinga mixed yorkers, hard lengths and short balls smartly, while Shivang extracted useful turn and bounce to keep the batters under pressure.CSK’s chase had moments of promise but never fully took off. Sanju Samson began explosively with a first-ball six, but Nitish Reddy removed him quickly with a sharp spell of hard lengths. Ayush Mhatre (30 off 13) kept the momentum going early, but a hamstring injury slowed him down before a sharp catch by Heinrich Klaasen ended his stay.Ruturaj Gaikwad (19 off 12) also fell after mistiming a heavy delivery from Malinga. At 66 for 3, CSK tried to rebuild through Sarfaraz Khan (25 off 19) and Matthew Short (34 off 30), adding 46 runs, but the required rate kept climbing.Dewald Brevis fell for a duck trying to attack Shivang Kumar, and despite a 35-run stand between Short and Shivam Dube (21 off 16), the scoring rate never truly recovered.Malinga, Sakib Hussain (1/32) and Shivang ensured CSK’s power-hitters were kept quiet through the middle and death overs. Praful Hinge also held his nerve at the end, conceding just seven runs in the final over despite earlier struggles.Earlier, SRH posted 194 for 9 after a collapse despite Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 59 off 22 balls. CSK’s decision to bowl first initially looked costly as Abhishek tore into the attack with a 15-ball fifty, but Mukesh Choudhary struck back with key wickets of Travis Head (23) and Ishan Kishan (0) to turn the game.From 75 without loss, SRH slipped to 75 for 2 and later 112 for 4, losing momentum despite Klaasen’s steady 59. He was the only batter to resist consistently, while the rest struggled to accelerate.CSK’s bowling attack was led by Overton (3/37) and Anshul Kamboj (3/22), who were outstanding in the middle and death overs. Noor Ahmad also kept things tight, while Gurjapneet Singh’s disciplined spell added pressure.In the end, SRH’s disciplined bowling effort made the difference as they held CSK down in the final overs to seal a hard-fought 10-run victory.

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Liam Rosenior reaction: What did Chelsea manager say on snakebit loss to Manchester United?

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By all accounts, Liam Rosenior’s Chelsea did many things right in Saturday’s loss to Manchester United.

What they didn’t do was score, and that allowed a single moment of United magic to give the Red Devils three points at the home of the Blues on Saturday. That moment of magic came when Wesley Fofana was off the field getting treatment, and it was United’s only shot on target oif the match.

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“I thought we were the dominant team from minute one to the end of the game,” Rosenior said.

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MORE — Chelsea v Man United recap, video highlights

Stamford Bridge was not amused, as Chelsea’s poor-performing forwards were again kept off the score sheet and there was further bad news with an injury to one of the lone bright spots in teenager Estevao Willian.

Chelsea’s UEFA Champions League hopes take a huge hit with the loss. How will Rosenior see it?

Liam Rosenior reaction — What did Chelsea manager say after tight loss to Manchester United?

How are you feeling? “It’s so difficult. Today to give up one shot on target when we’re down to 10 men on a restart [and concede] and we have wave after wave of attack and hit the woodwork four times… I don’t want my team to feel like everything’s against it.”

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To concede with Fofana getting treatment: “We can still do better. Many teams play with 10 men. I think it’s their only shot but we have to defend better. We don’t and we get punished. Any small mistake we’re making at the moment seems to end up in the back of my net. It has to change.”

Why are established players like Cole Palmer not scoring? “It’s a big question. It’s not all on Cole. It’s not all on star players. As a team it felt like at times when you’re not scoring in open play… we’re normally good on set plays but our deliver wasn’t good.”:

Are you feeling pressure? “I put myself under the most pressure. I’m at a huge club.”

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Can you be the team who rises above the pack reach Europe? “Of course.”

What do you need to do? “We just need to win the next game. We can’t think of other teams but worry about ourselves and get in bright in early tomorrow to make it right.”

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Gervonta Davis and Shakur Stevenson both called out by world champion at 140

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A current world champion is targeting a ‘viral’ unification match with Shakur Stevenson, while also calling out Gervonta Davis for a voluntary title defence.

Stevenson became the WBO super-lightweight champion in January, dethroning Teofimo Lopez with a wide unanimous decision victory at Madison Square Garden.

In doing so, the 28-year-old cemented himself as a four-division world champion but has since expressed an interest in moving back down to 135lbs.

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Davis, meanwhile, has not fought since March 2025, back when he defended his WBA world lightweight title with a controversial draw against Lamont Roach.

Since then, the 31-year-old has been stripped of his belt and instated as WBA ‘champion in recess’, partly because of his arrest warrant for domestic violence charges.

But while Davis could potentially defend his title upon returning to the sport, there is equally a chance that he rematches Isaac Cruz at 140lbs.

Should he become available at the weight, then WBA champion Gary Antuanne Russell would gladly offer ‘Tank’ a world title opportunity.

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Equally, the 29-year-old has told MillCity Boxing that he hopes to unify the super-lightweight division against Stevenson in what he envisions being a “viral” showdown.

“It would go viral. If it’s not [Stevenson], it gotta be another name – a ‘Tank’ coming back.

“Don’t forget I’m right here, ‘Tank’. You know how many people been wanting to see me and ‘Tank’ rumble, or my brother [Gary Russell Jr] rumble [with] ‘Tank’?”

Russell unanimously outpointed mandatory challenger Andy Hiraoka in February, meaning he is due a voluntary defence of his WBA title.

Davis, however, could become an unrealistic option if he chooses to return at 135lbs, where No.1 contender Floyd Schofield has lobbied the WBA to either order his fight with ‘Tank’ or grant him a vacant title shot. Report suggest that ‘Tank’ may well move up to 140 on his comeback, with a rematch against Isaac Cruz already mentioned.

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Man Utd strengthen Champions League bid after edging past struggling Chelsea

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Manchester United opened up a 10-point advantage in the race for the Champions League as Matheus Cunha’s first-half strike earned a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge which seriously harmed the Blues’ own top-five hopes.

Cunha rifled in the winner with United’s only shot on target as home fans’ anger at the running of their club reverberated around the ground, following a massive street protest against owners BlueCo that took place ahead of kick-off.

This was Chelsea’s fourth Premier League defeat in a row and the fourth game in which they have failed to score.

They trail Liverpool by four points in the race for the top five having played a game more and with five teams within a win of catching them, they are now at serious risk of failing to qualify for Europe altogether.

For Michael Carrick’s United, there are no such worries. This was a welcome return to form after one victory in four matches, and though they offered little of their own threat besides the goal and Chelsea hitting the crossbar twice, they were sufficiently organised and determined to frustrate their hosts.

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Ultimately their greater belief in themselves won out, something which is visibly draining way from Chelsea by the week.

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Miettinen dies in seven-car crash during Nurburgring race

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Racing driver Juha Miettinen has died after a seven-car crash during the Nurburgring Langstrecken-Serie (NLS) qualifiers in Germany on Saturday.

The race was initially halted by a red flag before it was eventually suspended an hour later once the severity of the the multi-car collision became apparent.

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Organisers said the race, which had earned extra attention due to the participation of Formula 1 driver Max Verstappen, would not resume on Saturday evening.

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“Following the collision between several vehicles, race control immediately halted the race to allow for extensive recovery and rescue operations,” the race organiser said in a statement.

“Despite the immediate arrival of emergency services, the emergency medics were unable to save the driver involved after he had been extracted from the vehicle. The driver died at the medical centre after all attempts at resuscitation proved unsuccessful.”

The statement added that six other drivers were taken to hospital for examination but none of the injured were in a life-threatening condition.

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Four-time Formula 1 champion Verstappen, who is due to participate in the 24-hour endurance race, sent his condolenscenes to Miettinen on social media.

“Shocked by what’s happened today,” Verstappen wrote on social media.

“Motorsport is something we all love, but in times like this it is a reminder of how dangerous it can be.

“Sending my heartfelt condolences to Juha’s family and loved ones.”

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A minute’s silence will be held in memory of Miettinen during the grid formation for Sunday’s race.

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“I had no purpose” former Tag Team Champion finally confirms why he quit WWE

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It’s WrestleMania weekend, which means all WWE’s stars have headed to Las Vegas, including several ex-WWE stars.

One of the names who has been part of a discussion with Busted Open Radio is Road Dogg, who quit WWE earlier this year. While there were several reports about his reasons for quitting the company where he became a household name, the former champion was able to share his reasons in his own words.

“I feel like I don’t need to tell you what happened, I feel like if you watch that show [UNREAL] you saw what happened, and so here I sit with you tonight, and I’m a happy man because of it. I have friends there that are still gonna be there, I have gripes; I do have gripes, but in saying that, it even sounds sh**ty to say, like you’re going to gripe about some stuff then. Some of the people there are still my friends, I feel like I was done a little wrong, and I feel like I was receiving a paycheck and I didn’t have any purpose. I was making a dollar but I wasn’t making any decisions.” he revealed.

It seems that Road Dogg reached the point in his WWE career where he didn’t have the input that he once did within the creative process. It was his decision to walk away from the company, and now he seems happy with the path that he has taken instead.

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Road Dogg referenced WWE Unreal

Unreal has become a controversial show for fans and members of the roster since there are some who are happy with it and some who believe it is destroying the business.

Road Dogg made it clear that his presence on the show was one of the things that fans could see he was ready to walk away. The business has changed a lot over the past few years, with Vince McMahon walking away and TKO taking over. The whole process backstage has changed as much as the process on the screen, and it seems that there have been a number of beloved stars who have become victims of the changes.

Road Dogg is a Hall of Famer and someone who was well respected backstage, but it was time for him to move forward.