Besiktas Part Ways With Ole Gunnar Solskjær

Besiktas have parted ways with Ole Gunnar Solskjær following their defeat by Swiss side Lausanne in the Conference League play-offs on Thursday night. The former Manchester United player and manager took charge of the Turkish club in January and steered them to a fourth place finished last season. In a shock statement following the game, the club said “Our contract with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær has been terminated following a decision made at a board meeting. “Following the meeting, our chairman, Serdal Adalı, thanked Solskjaer for his services to date.” Besiktas were knocked out of the Europa League qualifiers by Shakhtar Donetsk. Besiktas played St Patrick’s Athletic in their third round tie and were whilst they took a 4-1 lead in the first leg Stephen Kenny’s side gave them a scare in the second leg going 2-0 up before Besiktas found their feet and claimed the win 7-3 on aggregate. Former Borussia Dortmund player and manager Nuri Sahin has been linked with the role.

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Mikel: Chelsea Spirit Will Improve with ECL Trophy Triumph

Chelsea hero John Obi Mikel believes winning the Europa Conference League title can boost the unity inside the club. The Nigerian was delighted seeing the Blues defeat Real Betis in Wroclaw last week. He told The Sun: “We enjoyed good times together. We went out to central London every time we won a trophy. We celebrated quite heavily because we were successful and were given a licence to go out and enjoy ourselves. “That brought that chemistry together because every year, every other year, we had something to celebrate. We were always winning something. So we were always having a massive party come the end of the season. That brought us together. “They have to win trophies in order to be able to bring that chemistry in the squad.”

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Which Premier League teams will qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League?

How the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League qualifying spots will be decided this season, including what Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win means for the Eagles and other Premier League sides… How eighth can still qualify for Europe and it hinges on Chelsea and Newcastle If Chelsea win the Conference League and then finish seventh and Newcastle finish inside the top six – or Chelsea finish sixth and Newcastle seventh – eighth place in the Premier League will qualify for Europe. Chelsea would enter the Europa League as Conference League winners and Newcastle’s Conference League spot for winning the Carabao Cup would be passed on, with the Magpies going into the Europa League through league position. This would mean the Premier League has 10 teams in Europe. So who could finish eighth?

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Chelsea to Debut New Shirt Against Djurgarden

Chelsea have announced a new front-of-shirt sponsorship deal. The Blues have played without a shirt sponsor this season but Dubai-based property development company DAMAC Properties will be on their shirts for the rest of the campaign, starting with Thursday’s Conference League semi-final first leg against Djurgarden in Sweden. But the deal only covers Chelsea’s final four Premier League games, their two legs with Djurgarden and potentially the Conference League final if they get there. The deal does not cover the Club World Cup this summer. Chelsea remain in talks with other companies over shirt sponsorship for the Club World Cup and beyond. The 2024-25 campaign is the second consecutive year that Chelsea have not had a front-of-shirt sponsor for the full season. As part of the new deal, DAMAC will oversee the development Chelsea-branded residences in Dubai. Chelsea COO Jason Gannon said: “DAMAC are world renowned in building luxury properties, and we are thrilled to be working with the industry leader to bring to market a first-of-its-kind branded Chelsea FC residence in Dubai. “With the club located in the heart of London, the collaboration will bring Chelsea to life in Dubai, support our continued growth on the global stage. We can’t wait to see Chelsea Residences take its place in the Dubai skyline.”

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