Pereira replaces Villas-Boas at Shanghai SIPG

David Henderson, the organiser of the flight responsible for the deaths of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson, has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Henderson, 67, was last month found guilty of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

Sala was on his way to Cardiff City on January 21, 2019, after signing from Ligue 1 club Nantes for £15million (€20m) when his plane came down over the English Channel, killing the striker, 28, and the pilot, Ibbotson, 59.

The court was previously told Henderson arranged the flight with football agent William McKay and asked Mr Ibbotson to fly the plane as he was in Paris on holiday.

Mr Ibbotson – who did not hold a commercial pilot s licence – was not qualified to fly at night and his rating to fly the single-en…

Australia were forced to settle for a point in their World Cup qualifier against China after a 1-1 draw in the UAE.

After winning 11 games in a row, including a 3-0 victory against China in the reverse fixture in September, the Socceroos are now winless in three – their worst such run since June 2018.

Australia led in this match, though, following a quiet start, as Martin Boyle s cross was headed in emphatically by Mitch Duke seven minutes before the break.

Despite creating little for the first hour, China were level on 70 minutes when James Jeggo was adjudged by a VAR review to have handled in the penalty area, allowing Wu Lei to send Mat Ryan the wrong way from the spot.

Both sides pushed for a winner in the closing stages, but neither came …

According to a recent report from AS, Ivan Rakitic will not be leaving Barcelona during the summer transfer window as many had initially though. The Croatian midfielder is believed to be a big target for Manchester United, although Ernesto Valverde is incredibly eager to keep him on the books at the Nou Camp. Rakitic has been with Barca since back in 2014 when he joined from fellow La Liga club Sevilla, where he had spent the previous three years of his career. At the age of 31 he seems to be moving into the prime of his career, both with club and country.

Barcelona are currently on a great run of form in all competitions, with many tipping them as the favourites to win the UEFA Champions League this season.

Rakitic has been a huge part of that midfield consistency in L…

Vinicius Junior insisted he wants to stay with Real Madrid when asked to put a price tag on his potential worth amid an excellent run of form.

The Brazil international is into his fourth season with LaLiga s leaders and has formed a fruitful partnership with Karim Benzema this campaign to put Madrid eight points clear after 16 games.

The pair rank as the joint-best attacking duo across Europe s top five leagues this term with 22 goals between them, the same amount as Bayern Munich s Robert Lewandowski and Serge Gnabry combined.

Indeed, Vinicius has netted 10 times in 16 top-flight appearances so far, becoming the first player born in 2000 or later to reach double figures for goals in a single LaLiga season.

The former Flamengo attacker was asked to valu…

Brighton have confirmed the signing of 18-year-old midfielder Malick Yalcouye from Swedish side IFK Goteborg.

Yalcouye joins the Seagulls on a five-year contract, arriving at the AMEX Stadium for a reported £6million fee.

The teenager, who holds dual nationality with Mali and Ivory Coast, joined Goteborg last year after making his debut in the African Champions League for ASEC Mimosas.

He made 11 appearances in the Swedish Allsvenskan, making his debut in February and scoring his first goal six games later against IF Brommapojkarna.

We’re delighted to confirm the signing of central midfielder Malick Yalcouye from IFK Goteborg on a contract until June 2029.

— Brighton Hove Albion (@OfficialBHAFC)

He is a talented midfielder with …

James Milner s future at Liverpool is uncertain as the veteran revealed he was still waiting to hear about possible contract talks.

Milner is out of contract at the end of the season and could be set for an exit from Anfield, where he arrived on a free transfer in 2015.

The versatile 33-year-old, who helped Liverpool win the Champions League last season, said he had not heard back from the club regarding a possible new deal.

As it stands, last year we spoke to the club and asked them if they wanted to do something and they said not at that time, Milner told UK media.

We haven t heard anything since, so that s where we are at.

All I can do is concentrate on my football and do what I can, but in terms of where I am with my contract, that s what h…

Manuel Pellegrini warned former club Manchester City of the difficulties they face later in the season in their bid for a quadruple.

City won the EFL Cup on Sunday and are still in contention for the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup.

Their busy schedule may have already started to take its toll as Fernandinho and Aymeric Laporte suffered injuries in the win over Chelsea.

Pellegrini, who led City to a Premier League title in 2013-14, said it would be tough for Pep Guardiola s men to compete for every trophy.

All is possible in football, he told a news conference as his West Ham side prepare to visit City on Wednesday.

The way that you continue in all the competitions is more difficult, but I said during the first season that I was in c…

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is not at all concerned about his position and is amazed at the focus on his future.

The Gunners came in for heavy criticism for their performance in last Sunday s 3-0 defeat to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final at Wembley.

Wenger has a contract until the end of next season but reports in England suggest he could be replaced this year, with Germany boss Joachim Low among those linked with the role.

However, the 68-year-old insists he is only worried about Thursday s Premier League clash with Pep Guardiola s side, having spent much of his two decades at Arsenal dismissing speculation about his job.

My position is my position. Honestly, that s the last worry I have at the moment. My focus is to get the team ready for the ga…

Pep Guardiola believes Mikel Arteta is the right man to lead Arsenal despite their awful start to the 2020-21 Premier League season.

Arsenal lost to Burnley at Emirates Stadium on Sunday, their fourth straight home league defeat, which represents their worst such run since 1959.

The Gunners are 15th in the table, 10 points off the top four and only five points clear of their relegation zone.

The decline under Arteta, Guardiola s former Manchester City assistant, has been swift as Arsenal ended the previous campaign on a high with FA Cup success.

Pressure is building now on the manager, who has failed to get the best out of his key men most notably, captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The striker, who signed a lucrative new contract ahead of the cam…

Standards must be raised at Manchester United following last season s disappointment, according to Juan Mata.

Former Spain international Mata previously described United s end-of-season slump, which saw them win just two of their last 12 matches in all competitions and miss out on Champions League qualification, as very painful .

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer led the club to eight consecutive victories after taking over from Jose Mourinho last December but soon found himself under pressure as the club failed to win any of their last six matches in 2018-19.

Mata started 16 Premier League games last season – the fewest across the course of a full season since he joined the club in January 2014.

In an interview with United s official app, the former Chelsea and Val…