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Everton manager Sean Dyche accepts retaining their Premier League status will put a “different viewpoint” on his plans for the squad. Monday’s surprise 5-1 win at Brighton has raised hopes they can extend their top-flight stay into a 70th successive season as it moved them out of the relegation zone. A number of players are out of contract in the summer – including long-serving captain Seamus Coleman whose season was ended by a knee injury a fortnight ago – but no decisions can realistically be made until they know which division they are playing in. “There are some outlines that I’ve been speaking with Kev Thelwell (director of football) about, a way forward, but at the end of the day it still comes down to what is happening now,” said Dyche ahead of Sunday’s daunting visit of Premier League leaders Manchester City. “When I got here the noise was about Everton being done. We’ve obviously shown we are not done and there is more life in what we are doing. “That does change things. Being in the Premier League is a different viewpoint, that’s the first concern. “But there are some background chats about what is needed because you have to continue. “It’s a fluid business, one that I’m used to. You are always fluid thinking anyway, it’s not about an exact thought. “It’s about different scenarios with players, player contracts, ways the club is operating, ways they are looking to operate. “Ultimately this season it is about getting past this situation and growing for the future.” Coleman has undergone successful surgery on his knee injury but Dyche was non-committal on the 34-year-old defender’s future at the club. “Seamus did have an operation and it has gone well. All being well he should be fit for next season,” added Dyche. “I will be speaking to him ongoing. He is well in the loop where he sits at this football club.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live David Moyes admits there is ‘good chance’ Declan Rice will leave West Ham Man City boss Pep Guardiola focused on Everton rather than Champions League semi Kevin Sinfield set for ‘incredible’ day at inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

The Phoenix Suns ended their season the same way as last year — a blowout loss. They have a talented roster but need to make some big changes.With their season on the line, the Suns came out and laid a giant egg. They trailed by 30 at the end of the first half, drawing boos from their home...

Mayim Bialik is a stickler for proper pronunciation.

Mikel Arteta has told his Arsenal players to put talks of their future on the back-burner and focus on their Premier League title charge. The Gunners head into the weekend a point behind leaders Manchester City having played a game more and with Europe-chasing Brighton travelling to the Emirates Stadium on Sunday. While Arteta’s side have been in fine form this season, there are a number of issues outstanding heading into the summer. England pair Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka are believed to be close to signing new deals while Reiss Nelson is out of contract and Granit Xhaka has this week been linked with a move back to Germany. But Arteta batted away questions on the future of some of his key players on Friday and is keen for focus to remain solely on the challenge for a first league title in 19 years. “Obviously where we are with each individual is probably different in terms of timing but the clarity is there,” he said of deals for players that may be in the offing. “We have communicated to each of them what the intentions are and we are trying to get that done as quickly as possible but respecting and not losing any focus on what is the real deal right now. “The moment there is anything to announce with any individual, we will do that as a club like we always do. It’s not the moment to talk about that.” While the deals for Saka and Ramsdale are all-but finalised, Nelson could yet leave for free in the summer. Xhaka has been linked with a move away – with Bayer Leverkusen reportedly chasing his signature – but Arteta would not be drawn on the future of the Switzerland captain. “As you can understand I’m not going to be replying to certain stories,” he added. “I’m extremely happy with Granit, I think he is having an incredible season, probably the best season he has had at the club and we are really happy to have him.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Sean Dyche admits decisions on players can not be made until end of season David Moyes admits there is ‘good chance’ Declan Rice will leave West Ham Man City boss Pep Guardiola focused on Everton rather than Champions League semi

Pep Guardiola said all thoughts about Manchester City's Champions League semi-final against Real Madrid have been banished ahead of Sunday's...

Pep Guardiola admits the Eurovision Song Contest has given him a headache as he looks to keep Manchester City’s treble bid on track. The Premier League leaders face a crucial trip to relegation-threatened Everton on Sunday, three days before they host Real Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final. City boss Guardiola would have preferred the Goodison Park clash to be played on Saturday but, with Eurovision taking place in Liverpool city centre that day, that could not be sanctioned for security reasons. That means Real, who are out of contention for the LaLiga title and are in action on Saturday against Getafe, will have a day’s rest more than City heading into Wednesday’s encounter. Guardiola said at a press conference: “My thought is just Everton, no more than that. “Eleven months working for the Premier League, I don’t want to be distracted for Madrid because I won’t have time. “Well, not much, because we play Sunday – thank you so much. I don’t understand it, but I don’t want to fight for that any more. “We have to adapt to it. It doesn’t matter, I don’t fight any more the schedules. “In the end we can’t play Saturday because of Eurovision or something like that in Liverpool and we don’t have enough bodies to handle two important events sometimes. “OK, you have to adapt. What can I do? We’d prefer to play Saturday to be able to prepare but it is what it is. “I’m pretty sure the Premier League want to help the teams. I don’t think they make it uncomfortable.” Unlike Real, City will not want to ease up over the weekend as they look to keep Arsenal at bay in the title race. City go into the weekend fixtures with a clear advantage, leading the Gunners by a point with a game in hand. They could face a tough challenge against an Everton side fighting for survival and who claimed a significant victory by thrashing European hopefuls Brighton 5-1 in their last outing. Real defender Dani Carvajal has suggested the intensity of City’s fixtures could benefit the Spanish side – who drew 1-1 with City in Tuesday’s first leg – but Guardiola is confident his players can stand up to the challenge. He said: “Every player is ready to play and give his own absolute contribution. Everybody will be so important, we have a lot of games and everyone is ready Pep Guardiola “I thought a lot about a substitution in the Bernabeu. I decided on players on the bench that are so dynamic – Phil (Foden), Julian (Alvarez), Riyad (Mahrez). “But in the moment we didn’t need that, we didn’t need a player to increase our rhythm. “But everybody will be so important, we have a lot of games and everyone is ready.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Mikel Arteta wants Arsenal focus to be on title charge instead of player futures Sean Dyche admits decisions on players can not be made until end of season David Moyes admits there is ‘good chance’ Declan Rice will leave West Ham

Kentucky Derby winner Mage will run in the 148th Preakness following an encouraging workout at Churchill Downs, the horse’s connections said

Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson will meet Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil for the first time at Selhurst Park on Saturday – but revealed the two nearly crossed paths years ago at Craven Cottage. O’Neil, 39, played for nine different clubs during his senior career and hung up his boots in 2019 before joining Liverpool as under-23 assistant manager the following year. Hodgson, 75, recalled being so impressed by O’Neil that at one point the midfielder was seen as a potential Fulham target. “I have a lot of respect for him, I don’t know him,” said Hodgson, who managed the Cottagers from 2007-2010. “I remember him well as a player, and he was even on our radar several times at Fulham as a potential signing, so I should be pleased to meet him for the first time on Saturday.” Hodgson’s 12th-placed side are now mathematically safe and will be playing Premier League football again next season, while O’Neil’s Cherries are a point away from doing the same. In a season marked by the most manager sackings in top-flight history alongside one of the most unpredictable relegation battles in recent memory, O’Neil’s campaign feels like an anomaly. Initially hired on an interim basis following the departure of Scott Parker – who previously expressed a lack of faith in Bournemouth’s Premier League calibre – O’Neil was handed the permanent position after a impressive 11 game-run that saw his side go unbeaten in his first six. Like Palace, Bournemouth found themselves embedded in the relegation conversation earlier this year, but unlike ex-Eagles boss Patrick Vieira – and multiple other managers now looking for work – O’Neil was able to sustain his employers’ confidence. The first-time Premier League boss, who was born in the same neighbourhood where Palace train, rewarded that faith by steering the Cherries out of the drop zone and into 14th, nine points clear of the relegation zone with three games remaining. That leaves them just one point behind Hodgson’s Eagles heading into Saturday’s contest, sparking calls from some corners for manager of the season consideration. Hodgson said: “It’s a fantastic achievement. There’s no question about it. I think everyone in football recognises the difficulty of the task that Gary’s had and really appreciates and respects the enormous job he’s done in confronting that task. “I’m certain that the people of Bournemouth Football Club must be absolutely delighted with him. He seems to have got a good relationship with the players on the field, they’re definitely doing what he is asking of them.”

Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes is due for a massive bump in pay.Although Patrick Mahomes is not the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL right now, he should be.The face of the Kansas City Chiefs franchise is the best and most important player in the sport. Only six ...

Tom Aspinall has revealed that he offered not to headline UFC London this July, after the UFC hesitated to book his fight with Marcin Tybura as a main event. The UFC announced this week that Aspinall will fight Tybura in a headline bout on 22 July, marking the British heavyweight’s third straight main event at the O2 Arena. However, the UFC was considering alternative options until recently, Aspinall told The Independent on Friday (12 May). “Me and Tybura actually know each other personally,” Aspinall said. “We were both looking for fights and believed that none of the heavyweights were really free, so we said, ‘Let’s get a fight going with each other.’ “I asked the UFC matchmakers when I was in London [for UFC 286 in March], and they were like, ‘We’re keen on it, we just don’t know if Tybura is a big enough name to do a main event.’ “I started seeing people were getting booked for this event, so I messaged the UFC again and asked: ‘What’s going on? Why have you not sent me a contract yet?’ They said, ‘We’re not overly thrilled on this for a main event.’ So, I said: ‘I don’t mind not fighting in the main event, just give me a fight.’ “They said they were gonna try a couple of other opponents first, because they wanted me as a main event. The opponents declined, so I’m fighting Tybura. That’s where we’re at.” Aspinall headlined UFC London in March 2022 – the promotion’s first event in Britain since the Covid pandemic began – and submitted Alexander Volkov in the first round. At the time, the Fight Night broke the record for the highest-grossing sports event in O2 Arena history. Four months later, Aspinall headlined at the venue again but suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into his fight with Curtis Blaydes. When Aspinall, 30, faces Poland’s Tybura on 22 July, the Briton will be returning to the ring 364 days after his ill-fated fight with Blaydes. It is a testament to the UFC’s belief in Aspinall that the promotion proceeded in booking his bout with Tybura as a main event, four months after UFC 286 took place at the O2 – the first UFC pay-per-view in Britain since 2016. And while Aspinall insisted that he is “thrilled” to be headlining under the dome again, and acknowledged that the UFC views him as a future “title contender or champion”, he also offered a self-deprecating take. “I think the UFC sells itself, really,” he told The Independent. “You could have two 10-year-old girls fighting each other, and they’d probably sell out the O2. Especially in this country now, when we’re in a massive boom for MMA, I think you could put basically anyone on and it would do well. But for them to have faith in me is a dream. I’m so privileged to be able to represent the UK again, I’m over the moon.” Aspinall’s professional record stands at 12-3 with nine knockout wins and three submissions. Eleven of his 12 victories have come in the first round, with the other occurring in Round 2. Prior to his injury against Blaydes, Aspinall had won eight fights in a row. Click here to subscribe to The Independent’s Sport YouTube channel for all the latest sports videos. Read More UFC heavyweight Tom Aspinall: Year with injury was ‘one of the best of my life’ Tom Aspinall vs Marcin Tybura revealed as UFC London main event UFC London ticket prices as July fights are announced UFC’s Tom Aspinall: Year with injury was ‘one of the best of my life’ ‘Nobody really knows what I can do’ says fit-again Aspinall UFC London main event revealed as British star returns from injury

Mikel Arteta says "everything is still to play for" as he prepares his title-chasing Arsenal team to host Brighton in...

A federal appeals court rejected Elon Musk’s challenge to his 2018 agreement with the the US Securities and