Metro.co.uk

Veteran Premier League manager Sam Allardyce remembers a time one of his players refused to play for him, and it was a man currently in charge of a top flight club.

The 70-year-old took charge of Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn, West Ham, Sunderland, Crystal Palace, Everton, West Brom and Leeds in the Premier League.

He also had the briefest of stints in charge of England in 2016, which lasted just one match.

It is no surprise that Big Sam has experienced an awful lot in the game and when asked if a player had ever refused to play for him, he did have an example to hand.

Allardyce didn’t last long in his stint as Newcastle boss from May 2007 to January 2008, but it was a Magpies player who said he wouldn’t play for him – current Burnley boss Scott Parker.

‘Scott did it when I was at Newcastle,’ Allardyce told the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast on whether a player had ever refused to play for any of his clubs.

‘It wasn’t too bad. It was a straightforward, I need to leave and you need to get rid of me as quickly as you possibly can.

‘And I’d only been in the job for, I don’t know, a day, two days. And I think that there were two reasons for that. I understood the first reason, which was he felt that the Newcastle fans didn’t like him.

‘And the Newcastle fans, if they don’t like what they see, show their disapproval, rightly so. But they also get behind you extremely well, if they do like what you do. And so I was faced with the fact that they, I think it was his first, he’d only been there one season.

‘Good player, of course, obviously. And what do you do? Can’t stay here, can’t cope with it, need to move.’

Allardyce has spoken about Parker’s departure from St James’ Park before, telling the Mirror in 2010: ‘Fan ­pressure there is ­hostile ­towards the players.

‘They don’t really ­support the team as they should, they’re very critical and the players can’t handle that. That’s what Scott Parker couldn’t cope with. He said he couldn’t play at ­Newcastle.’

Parker has also admitted that he had to leave, such was his feeling that the fans in Newcastle had turned on him after a positive start after joining the club from Chelsea.

‘I went up to Newcastle and was playing some of my best football,’ Parker said in 2020. ‘Every week I gave nothing but my everything and ended up being captain of that football club.

‘In a very, very short space of time, it changed very, very quickly for me. It went the other way, for some reason.

‘Obviously, we were in a bit of a bad turn at the time in terms of results but nothing that was too much of a crisis. It did turn and before you know it, I had to leave.’

Parker left for West Ham in the summer of 2007 after two seasons and 73 games for Newcastle.

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Major League Soccer side Inter Miami are close to completing the signing of former Manchester United and Tottenham full-back Sergio Reguilon.

The six-cap Spain international is still just 28 years old but is looking for a new club after leaving Spurs at the end of last season.

The left-back joined Tottenham from Real Madrid in 2020 and featured regularly in his first two seasons at the club.

However, he fell out of contention and went on loan stints with Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Brentford.

The Spaniard was back at Spurs last season, but made just six appearances in all competitions and was released at the end of the campaign.

The Athletic report that Reguilon is now on the verge of a move to the States, close to agreeing a deal to join Inter Miami.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Reguilon has offers from La Liga clubs and Iranian outfit Persepolis, but Inter Miami was his first choice.

The team, managed by Javier Mascherano, is in need of a new left-back after Jordi Alba announced his retirement is set for the end of the season.

The 36-year-old wrote on Instagram: ‘The time has come to close a truly meaningful chapter of my life.

‘I do so with complete conviction, with peace, and with happiness. I feel I’ve walked this path with every ounce of passion I had.

‘And now it’s the right moment to open a new chapter and close the previous one with the best possible feeling.

‘Thank you to all the fans for your kindness, you taught me that the shirt isn’t just worn, it’s felt. Today I close this chapter knowing I’ve given it my all, football has been and always will be an essential part of my life. Thanks football for everything.’

Another legendary player competing with Inter Miami, Sergio Busquets, is hanging up his boots at the end of the season as well.

On the prospect of becoming a coach, the Spanish midfielder said: ‘I think in the future, yes, but for now I’d rather take a sabbatical.

‘It’s a long time, with hardly any weekends. Like any footballer, obviously, playing for the national team and everything gives you another plus, but you also have less time.

‘You want to enjoy time with your family, time for me, for them, seeing my children, being with them, traveling more, watching football from a different perspective. And then, in the future, we’ll see.

‘In theory, yes, but let’s focus on the present, as there’s still a long way to go.’

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Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham are locked in a transfer race to sign AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo, according to reports.

Semenyo has been in incredible form for the south coast club this season, conjuring up six goals and three assists in seven Premier League games.

The Ghana international was linked to United and Spurs in the summer transfer window but stayed with the Cherries, signing a new contract.

But according to talkSPORT, United and Spurs are ‘continuing to monitor’ Semenyo ahead of the January window, with Liverpool also now keen.

Bournemouth believe Semenyo is worth upwards of £75m and it’s thought any bid below that asking price will be instantly rejected by the Cherries.

Football pundit and former Bournemouth star Jamie Redknapp labelled Semenyo as ‘unique’ after Friday’s stunning performance against Fulham.

Semenyo registered two goals and an assist in the 3-1 victory over Fulham as Bournemouth continued their remarkable start to the 2025-26 season.

Andoni Iraola’s side, who have never finished higher than ninth in the top-flight in their 126-year history, are fourth after their opening seven games.

Are Arsenal in the race for Antoine Semenyo?

Interestingly, Arsenal were not mentioned by talkSPORT as being one of the clubs interested in signing Semenyo.

The 25-year-old is known to be an Arsenal supporter and some Gunners fans have urged the club to join the race for Semenyo on social media.

‘I am an Arsenal fan,’ Semenyo told The Athletic last year. ‘I don’t conflict the two with my job.

‘It is great to play against Arsenal, a team I have watched all my life and I want to play for the top clubs as well.

‘In order for that to happen I need to prove it.’

Quizzed if moving to a club like Arsenal would be ‘a dream come true’, Semenyo added: ‘Yeah, any team that plays Champions League, Europa (League) – that’s the aim.

‘I know that’s not going to come with a click of my fingers, it’s going to take some time. It’s going to take goals.

‘It’s going to take a lot of consistent performances. But I’ve worked all my life for that and I’m just going to continue working hard. That’s my mentality.’

Semenyo is a versatile attacking player who can be deployed as a left winger, right winger or centre-forward.

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Tottenham defender Rad Dragusin will not join up with the Romania national team after Spurs made it clear they do not want him to.

The centre-back has been out of action since January due to a serious knee injury suffered in a Europa League game.

The 23-year-old damaged his ACL in a match against Elfsborg and has not been back on the field since, although he is closing in on a recovery.

There is hope that the Romanian could return to the pitch by the end of October, with Spurs boss Thomas Frank talking positively about his progress.

Speaking last week, Frank said of Dragusin: ‘He’s progressing well. He’s been on the grass for three weeks now. He is on track. It will be some weeks before he is able to be involved.’

With that in mind Tottenham were not thrilled to see Dragusin named in Romania’s preliminary list of overseas-based players for their fixtures in the upcoming international break.

Mircea Lucescu’s side take on Moldova in a friendly on October 9 and then Austria in a World Cup qualifier three days later.

It was pretty ambitious of the Romania manager to include Dragusin on his preliminary list and he admits that he will now not end up calling up the defender to his squad after Tottenham made their feelings clear.

‘I spoke with him,’ Lucescu told Fanatik of Dragusin. ‘He was very happy for the national team comeback but I don’t think I will call him. Tottenham wasn’t so happy to let him come now at the national team.

‘He needs one more month to play again. Radu wants to come, but others warned us it is better to let him train with Tottenham now.’

Dragusin’s move to Spurs from Genoa in January 2024 made him the most expensive Romanian player ever, wit the deal worth a guaranteed £21.5m and £4.3m in add-ons.

He made nine Premier League appearances before the end of that first season and was used regularly over the last campaign before his injury, making 28 appearances in all competitions.

Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have forged a successful partnership at centre-back for Spurs but Dragusin will be challenging for a place inn the heart of the defence again when he is back to fitness.

Frank will be without Romero in the Champions League against Bodo/Glimt on Tuesday night, saying that the Argentinian’s absence is ‘just precaution.’

Speaking ahead of the trip to Norway, Frank also ruled out striker Dominic Solanke, who is dealing with an ankle injury and faces an operation.

‘Dom, you know, got that ankle issue that’s been bothering him for a little while,’ he said. ‘So now we decided to make a minor surgery. It’s a small procedure. So that will mean he’s not ready for today, of course. And of course, Leeds he’s out as well.

‘We will have more news about time frame after the international break. But I don’t expect it to be long.

‘[Randal] Kolo Muani, I think now we’re finally on top of his dead leg. So there’s also progress there. So that’s good. And Cuti [Romero not travelling] was just precaution.’

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Xavi Simons’ agent insists the new Tottenham midfielder has no regrets about the collapse of his proposed transfer to Chelsea.

The Netherlands international joined Spurs late in the summer window having previously been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s loss already appears to be the gain of their north London rivals with Simons impressing on his first two appearances for the club.

After starring in last week’s win over West Ham, the 22-year-old claimed it has always been his dream to represent Spurs but it could so easily have been a different story.

‘Tottenham and Chelsea are both fantastic clubs with solid projects and there was real interest from both sides,’ said Simons’ agent Ali Barat.

‘But Chelsea was always clear with us, they had certain constraints that made it difficult to move forward with discussions.

‘So when the talks with Tottenham started, it became clear that this would be a project that would be a perfect fit for Xavi.’

Speaking after last week’s victory over the Hammers, Simons outlined his delight at finally getting to play in the Premier League having regularly been linked with a move to England.

‘I’m really happy with the win, and making my debut in the Premier League is such a special moment,’ Simons told Sky Sports.

‘It’s always been a dream of mine to play on the biggest stage in the best league in the world, and I’m with a magnificent team.

‘Even teams who are struggling in the table have top players. Even [West Ham] today have top players. I’m trying to adapt as quickly as possible.’

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Thomas Partey is available to play for Villarreal against Tottenham on Tuesday night, just hours before he is due in court to face rape and sexual assault charges.

The 32-year-old left Spurs’ north London rivals Arsenal over the summer at the end of his contract after five years at the club.

He joined Villarreal on a free transfer two days after he appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on August 5, charged with five counts of rape against two women and one count of sexual assault against a third.

The Ghana international was granted bail and is due to appear at Southwark crown court on Wednesday morning to answer the charges.

Incredibly, that will be just a matter of hours after he could appear against Spurs for his new club in a Champions League group stage match in north London, which kicks off at 8pm.

Villarreal boss Marcelino has not confirmed whether he will pick Partey on Tuesday night, but he says it is an option and the midfielder is ready to face a fiery reception in the clash with Spurs.

‘I am totally convinced that he is mentally prepared and technically prepared to play tomorrow night,’ Marcelino said of Partey.

‘For sure he will be ready. We are very happy Thomas is with us for his football capacity, football ability and his presence as a human.

‘He is a great player with a lot of experience. He has played for a lot of top clubs. We know he has a great level.

‘I think he will get back to a top level. I am very happy he is with us in the team.’

Marcelino seemed frustrated with the questioning on Partey’s availability amid the ongoing legal case, saying: ‘We’re interpreting stuff about and talking about a player that could be totally innocent.

‘We’re playing a game of football tomorrow where the important thing is football. This is where football was invented after all. Do you understand me? Thank you.’

He added: ‘He is with the group, he is available and tomorrow if nothing happens to a player in terms of fitness, he will be with all of us.

‘We are talking more about Thomas than the game.’

The charges relate to alleged offences which took place between 2021 and 2022 when Partey was an Arsenal player.

Partey’s lawyer Jenny Wiltshire has previously stated that her client ‘denies all the charges against him’ and welcomes ‘the opportunity to finally clear his name’.

The midfielder has already played four times in La Liga for Villarreal since his summer switch, although just once appeared in the starting XI.

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Tottenham will remain without Dominic Solanke when they take on Villarreal in the Champions League on Tuesday night, but Thomas Frank could hand a debut to another forward.

Solanke is struggling with an ankle issue and missed the last two Spurs fixtures as they were beaten by Bournemouth and then thrashed West Ham.

It is not thought to be a serious problem, but the England international was not involved in training with the rest of the Tottenham squad on Monday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Frank confirmed that Solanke would not be ready for the first Champions League outing of the season, although he is edging closer to a return.

‘Dom, he’s taking steps in the right direction, so that’s positive,’ said the Spurs boss on Monday afternoon. ‘As you saw there [in training], he’s not ready to be involved tomorrow.’

Frank is dealing with a string of other injuries, which are not clearing up in the near future.

James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Radu Dragusin, Yves Bissouma and Kota Takai all remain sidelined.

Tottenham fans could see summer signing Randal Kolo Muani on the pitch for the first time on Tuesday, though, after his arrival on loan from Paris Saint-Germain.

The France international was on the bench for the 3-0 win at West Ham on Saturday but didn’t make an appearance, although Frank says he is available to play.

‘Randal Kolo Muani is ready,’ said the Dane. ‘How many minutes? They can always play more minutes than we think and of course if we needed him to play 90 minutes he could.

‘But can he play at the intensity and the level we want? But he’s ready and involved tomorrow. That’s the most important thing.’

Frank will be managing in the Champions League for the first time after his summer move from Brentford.

He has enjoyed a positive start to life at Spurs, with three wins from their first four Premier League outings and he cannot wait to have a crack at Europe’s top competition.

‘Big thing, hugely looking forward to it,’ he said. ‘Hearing the Champions League anthem, that will be the moment. Now it’s about preparing for it.

‘It’s a new experience tomorrow in many ways. We played in the Championship with Brentford at Griffin Park in a small stadium.

‘Tomorrow we will be in one of the best stadiums in the world playing in the Champions League.’

Villarreal have had a mixed start to their La Liga season, winning their first two games, but then drawing with Celta Vigo and losing to Atletico Madrid on Saturday.

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Unlikely bossom buddies Tottenham and Arsenal can unite to bring joy to punters by making flying starts to the new Champions League campaign which kicks-off this week.

Spurs and the Gunners both face LaLiga opposition as they commence their European adventures, with Mikel Arteta’s team heading to Spain to face Athletic Bilbao at the San Mames Stadium where their neighbours from N17 lifted the Europa League trophy with a 1-0 victory over Manchester United in May.

It’s 32 years since Arsenal won silverware in Europe by lifting the now defunct Cup Winners’ Cup but hope are high in Islington that they can go one better than last season’s charge to the semi-finals where they were eliminated by eventual winners Paris Saint-Germain.

The Gunners have made a strong start to the Premier League as they commence their quest to be crowned domestic champions for the first time in 22 years and have taken nine points from their first four matches.

A shoulder injury to skipper Martin Odegaard means he is unlikely to make the trip to the beautiful Basque city as he joins Bukayo Saka, William Saliba and Kai Havertz in the treatment room but the Londoners should still prove too powerful for their hosts, who saw their perfect start to the season derailed by a 1-0 defeat at home to Alaves on Saturday.

Arsenal splashed out more than £250million on new recruits in the summer and Martin Zubimendi scored twice with Viktor Gyokeres hitting his third in four matches in Saturday’s comfortable 3-0 success against Nottingham Forest and the latter should be backed at 17/4 with Ladbrokes, Coral and BetVictor to break the deadlock and at 6/4 with the same firms to hit the net at any time.

Victory for the Gunners is 10/11 with Coral who have chalked up the same price for Tottenham to continue their hot start by beating visiting Villarreal. Spurs made light work of West Ham in a 3-0 victory at the London Stadium on Saturday with key players Rodrigo Bentancur, Randal Kolo Muani, Richarlison and Brennan Johnson on their bench, which looks significantly stronger to last season after an impressive spending spree during the recent transfer window.

New manager Thomas Frank has hit the ground running by also taking nine points from 12 and attacking midfielder Xavi Simons is 15/2 to open the scoring and 29/10 with BetMGM to add his name to the scoreboard at any time.

Champions League winners odds

Paris Saint-Germain looked as though they were embarking on the start of a dynasty when they thrashed Inter Milan 5-0 in last year’s Champions League final after beating Manchester City in the group stages and eliminating Aston Villa, Liverpool and Arsenal in the knockout rounds.

They then swept all before them to reach the final of the Club World Cup but were ripped apart by Chelsea in the New Jersey decider and were then taken to the brink of defeat by Tottenham Hostpur in the Super Cup before winning on penalties.

A tough group schedule this time around and a series of injuries to key players at the start of the season raises further questions about their ability to win successive titles for the first time since Real Madrid in 2017 and 2018, but they started slowly last year and could follow the same path to ultimate glory at the Ferenc Puskas Stadium in Budapest in May at 13/2 with bet365.

As for the six English clubs involved, Liverpool are joint favourites with Barcelona at 6/1 with multiple firms, Arsenal are 15/2 with Betfred while Manchester City are 12/1 with Betway. Chelsea are priced at 14/1 with Sporting Index and SpreadEx, Tottenham are 40/1 with BetMGM and Newcastle are the same odds with BoyleSports and Unibet.

Punters looking for a club at a decent price could do worse than back Bayern Munich each-way at 12/1 with bet365 and BoyleSports as they look full of goals following the addition of Luis Diaz and Nicolas Jackson to an attack which already boasts Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala and Michael Olise among others in its ranks.

Kane has already scored nine goals in six games this season and is definitely worth an each-way bet at 10/1 with William Hill, bet365, Paddy Power and Betway among others to win the tournament’s Golden Boot.

Carabao Cup odds

Brentford have already beaten Aston Villa 1-0 in the Premier League and can complete a double over Unai Emery’s side by knocking them out of the Carabao Cup in west London.

The Bees are 19/20 with bet365 to qualify for the fourth round and can also be put in a treble with Nottingham Forest, who should give Ange Postecoglou his first win at Swansea, and Grimsby, who memorably beat Manchester United on penalties in the last round and will be too good for troubled Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough.

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Lord Alan Sugar has threatened to sue former England midfielder Jamie Redknapp over a comment he made on Sky Sports about his ownership of Tottenham.

The Apprentice star was the chairman and part-owner of Spurs from 1991 until 2001. He sold his remaining stake in the club in 2007.

Lord Sugar’s initial investment helped ease Tottenham’s financial troubles but he remains a divisive figure among the fanbase.

In his nine years as chairman, Spurs failed to finish in the top six in the league, although they did win the League Cup in 1999.

Redknapp, who played for Tottenham between 2002 and 2005, was discussing Daniel Levy’s surprising exit from Spurs when he said Levy inherited a ‘total mess’ from Lord Sugar.

Lord Sugar, 78, did not take kindly to Redknapp’s comment, which he made on Sky Sports before Tottenham’s 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham on Saturday evening.

‘Jamie Redknapp is a double barrel idiot,’ he posted on social media. ‘He talks a load of rubbish.

‘He said when Daniel Levy took over Spurs Alan Sugar left the club in a right mess. He and Sky will be hearing from my lawyers Monday.’

In a separate post, Lord Sugar added: ‘I am coming after you, Jamie Redknapp. Idiot.’

Redknapp played for Liverpool, Southampton and Bournemouth as well as Tottenham, enjoying the best period of his career at Anfield.

The 52-year-old, who is the son of ex-Premier League manager Harry Redknapp and the cousin of Chelsea and England legend Frank Lampard, played over 300 games for Liverpool.

Redknapp won the League Cup, UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup during his nine-year spell at Liverpool. He earned 17 caps for England and featured for the Three Lions at Euro 1996.

Despite being offended by Redknapp’s comments on his ownership of Tottenham, Lord Sugar was pleased to see Spurs comfortably beat West Ham 3-0 at the London Stadium.

Pape Matar Sarr, Lucas Bergvall and Micky van de Ven were on target as Thomas Frank’s side clinched their third win of the season to move, at least temporarily, to second in the Premier League.

‘Overall, it was a good performance,’ said Frank, who was appointed as Ange Postecoglou’s replacement this summer.

‘Besides two situations in the first half, we didn’t give much away. We had some good crosses into the box, dominated and kept West Ham hemmed in.

‘We scored a brilliant goal from a corner. The red card helps, of course, but I felt we were dominant in the game.

‘We want to perform and win every game. We can’t look too far ahead, but need to have that little think about it. We’ve been travelling a lot and all the players have done well.

‘We need to do well in the Premier League and see if we can compete in all tournaments. I’m happy with the win, now it’s all about the game on Tuesday [in the Champions League].’

Daniel Levy’s Tottenham reign comes to end

Spurs qualified for the Champions League by winning last season’s Europa League and kick-start their campaign against La Liga side Villarreal.

The victory over West Ham was Tottenham’s first game since Levy’s near 25-year reign as executive chairman came to an end.

Spurs said in a statement that Levy ‘stepped down’ but the decision was taken out of his hands, according to BBC Sport.

‘I am incredibly proud of the work I have done together with the executive team and all our employees,’ said Levy.

‘We have built this club into a global heavyweight competing at the highest level. More than that, we have built a community.

‘I was lucky enough to work with some of the greatest people in this sport, from the team at Lilywhite House and Hotspur Way to all the players and managers over the years.

‘I wish to thank all the fans that have supported me over the years. It hasn’t always been an easy journey but significant progress has been made. I will continue to support this club passionately.’

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Tottenham head coach Thomas Frank has provided an injury update on Dominic Solanke ahead of Saturday’s clash against West Ham.

Spurs face a trip to the London Stadium this weekend, looking to bounce back from their 1-0 home defeat to AFC Bournemouth last time out.

Solanke was not in the squad against the Cherries with the Tottenham striker struggling with an ankle injury, which he picked up this summer.

Frank has now shared news on Solanke in a press conference before Spurs take on West Ham in the Premier League.

‘I think right now we are doing everything we can – the medical team – to get on top of it and that’s what we’re focusing on,’ Frank told reporters.

‘I get a feeling he is not too far away, but he’s just fallen short for this week.’

Quizzed if Xavi Simons and Randal Kolo Muani were in line to make their debuts, Frank added: ‘Yeah, both of them are looking good. Both of them are definitely in contention to be ready for the squad.

‘Xavi, for natural reasons, is further down the line. He just started the first game for Holland and played a few games for Leipzig.

‘Definitely in terms of Randal, it’s been a while since he’s played. Last time was in the Club World Cup. Hasn’t trained really with PSG. So he is not as fit as Xavi, but he looks good.’

Frank fires warning to Kudus over ‘hostile’ match

Meanwhile, Frank has warned Kudus to expect a ‘hostile environment’ when he faces the Hammers this weekend.

Kudus joined Spurs from West Ham in the summer transfer window, with the north London club paying £55m to recruit the Ghana international.

‘I don’t think they will applaud him,’ Frank said. ‘Maybe not.

‘I’m pretty sure players and myself included, sometimes you feel the extra tension or extra noise.

‘But then at a certain stage you get into your zone and then you don’t really hear it.

‘I’m pretty sure it’s the same for Kudus tomorrow.

‘I’m pretty sure it’s the same for all players that are playing in hostile environments.

‘The thing he should do is focus on his game. That’s what he can control.’

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