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Igor Thiago signs new contract with Brentford
Brentford striker Igor Thiago has signed a new contract, extending his contract until 2031 with an option for a further 12 months. The Brazilian, signed from Club Brugge in February 2024, had to overcome a knee injury last season but has continued his form this season, scoring 17 goals in the Premier League so far.
“I love the club and the people at the club,” Thiago said. “This is true love, real love. Seeing my fans supporting me and them singing my name and singing my songs gives me even more strength. It’s been a great season for us. Everyone was on the same page. I hope we can get something special out of this season.”
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Slott has been asked where the FA Cup ranks among his priorities for the season, but he sees it on the same level as qualifying for this year’s Champions League and securing next season’s place.
He also praised Brighton’s poor form despite defeating Manchester United in the third round, saying: “We have a lot in common. They are much better than their league position suggests.”
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Slott added that Wataru Endo suffered a serious injury while playing as right-back at the Stadium of Light and will be out for a “quite a long time”. “We’re not expecting a positive result. We’ll have to wait and see. We expect to be without him for quite some time.”
Slott, who is without Conor Bradley and Jeremy Frimpong, added: “This is not our first right-back.” Dominik Szoboszlai, who missed the game against Sunderland through suspension, could return.
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Liverpool host Brighton on Saturday night and Arne Slott said he will be closely monitoring training to make the “best possible decision” given the strength of the line-up. Liverpool have faced Man City and Sunderland in the last six days, but will have a week off before traveling to Nottingham Forest next Sunday.
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Liverpool manager Arne Slott was the first top-flight manager to face the media this morning, with a press conference currently underway.
We will also hear from Eddie Howe (9.30am GMT), Mikel Arteta (12pm), Pep Guardiola (12.30pm), Rob Edwards (1pm), Marco Silva, Regis Le Bris, Scott Parker (all 1.30pm), Unai Emery (2pm) and Daniel Farke (2.15pm).
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In Spain, Atlético Madrid defeated Barcelona in the first leg of the semi-finals to book a place in the Copa del Rey final for the first time in 13 years. Sid Lowe saw it all:
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And here is the match list for round 4…
Friday (7:45 p.m. GMT)
Hull City v Chelsea
Wrexham v Ipswich
Saturday (3pm unless otherwise noted)
Burton Albion v West Ham (12:15pm)
burnley v mansfield
Manchester City v Salford City
norwich v west brom
Port Vale v Bristol City
southampton v leicester
Aston Villa vs Newcastle (5:45pm)
Liverpool v Brighton (8pm)
Sunday (2pm unless otherwise noted)
Birmingham v Leeds (12pm)
Grimsby vs Wolves (1.30pm)
Oxford United v Sunderland
Stoke City v Fulham
Arsenal vs Wigan (4.30pm)
Monday (7:30pm)
Macclesfield v Brentford
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Here’s what to watch over the four-day weekend of the fourth round of the FA Cup…
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Another great old club currently without a manager is Blackburn Rovers. BBC Sport and others have reported that Michael O’Neill is set to take over as manager at Ewood Park, but will continue in his role with Northern Ireland for the World Cup play-offs and, if they qualify, for this summer’s final.
Blackburn’s current interim manager is former Northern Ireland international Damien Johnson, who will reportedly remain part of O’Neill’s coaching staff. Rovers sacked Valerian Ismael on 2 February, leaving the club in the Championship relegation zone.
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Hello. The first domestic football match I watched on live television was the 1991 FA Cup Final between Nottingham Forest and Tottenham Hotspur. Two storied clubs, led by long-time managers Brian Clough and Terry Venables, left Wembley hand in hand. It’s a jumper for the goal post. wonderful.
Spurs won the Cup, but Venables was quickly moved upstairs by Alan Sugar, so perhaps managerial turmoil is nothing new. But it’s still sad to see the current state of both storied clubs, both of whom sacked their managers earlier this week. Relegation is a real threat to two teams that shouldn’t be a problem, and no one can be 100% sure who is to blame.
Forest have named Vitor Pereira, the new Winston Wolf of the Premier League, as a candidate to replace Sean Dyche, but Spurs appear to have no one in mind to replace Thomas Frank. We’ll be tracking developments and looking ahead to a busy fourth weekend of the FA Cup, but Tottenham and Forest are thankfully both out now, allowing us time to recruit players.
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