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Chelsea's plans ahead of their Saturday afternoon kick-off with Sunderland were disrupted when they had to be evacuated from their training ground. The Blues had been scheduled to have a training session on Friday afternoon, but had to leave the premises when an alarm in the swimming pool was set off. Owing to fears around a potential chlorine leak, the players and staff had to evacuate.

Alarm disrupts training in west London

The fire brigade was called and arrived at the ground to check what had caused the trigger to the alarm. Fortunately, it was confirmed that it was just a false alarm and everyone was allowed to return to the building.

When the alarm was sounded, many of the Chelsea players were already ready and dressed in their training kit ready for the session to begin. The Blues were then able to carry out their training session as normal, and on time, despite the earlier confusion and concerns, as per the .

Following the incident, Chelsea released a statement, which read: "Fire services responded to an automatically triggered alarm at Chelsea FC's Cobham training facility. As a precaution, all staff were safely evacuated.

"Emergency services confirmed a false alarm, and staff and players were able to return to the building."

AdvertisementAFPMixed start to the season for Chelsea

The training session went ahead as normal and the situation is unlikely to have affected the squad too much, at least Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca will hope not. The Blues can make it five wins in a row across all competitions on Saturday afternoon and can close the gap on those teams pulling away at the top of the table.

Chelsea sit on 14 points, one off both Bournemouth and Liverpool ahead of them and two points away from Manchester City in second. There remains some distance between them and the league leaders Arsenal though, five points short of the Gunners’ total of 19.

Maresca will have wanted to have had a stronger start to the new season, particularly off the back of winning the Club World Cup in the summer, but defeats to Brighton and Manchester United have halted their ascent up the division.

The Blues will have to be careful to check behind them and not just look ahead. Should they lose against Sunderland, they could fall quickly and as low as 11th in the table, dependant on results going that way. The Black Cats are on equal points with the Blues, who are also surrounded by London rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.

Captain Xhaka helps fire Sunderland's return to top flight

Regis Le Bris’ Sunderland will provide a tough test for the young Blues. The Black Cats have performed admirably since their promotion to the Premier League and have been galvanised by a string of impressive signings.

The Sunderland captain Granit Xhaka knows what it is like to beat Chelsea as well, having been on the winning side against the Blues on a number of times with Arsenal. The Swiss midfielder famously struck home a long-range free-kick to fire the Gunners to a 3-0 win on Boxing Day and save Mikel Arteta from the sack.

Up front, Wilson Isidor has knocked in a handful of goals and is supported by the likes of Enzo Le Fee and former Blues forward Bertrand Traore.

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Getty Images SportChelsea are favourites for Sunderland clash

Chelsea players and fans will be expecting to take all three points from the game on Saturday. The Blues are heavy favourites and, should they drop any silly points against the Black Cats, they can wave goodbye to any potential title charge. The Blues are without Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, Levi Colwill and Malo Gusto for the game, but have enough squad depth to patch up the holes in the team.

As they continue their search for a new manager, Rangers have reportedly set their sights on bringing the next boss’ first new face to Ibrox when the transfer window swings open.

Latest on Rangers' manager search

The main focus for Rangers right now is finding their next manager and if recent reports are anything to go by, that’s likely to be a returning Steven Gerrard. The Liverpool legend has reportedly held “positive” initial talks with those at Ibrox and will be discussing further details about a potential return for the first time since leaving for Aston Villa in 2021.

The 49ers have turned towards the last manager to win the Scottish Premiership with the Gers following the failure of their Russell Martin appointment. The summer appointment lasted just 123 days after winning just once in seven league games.

To say that it’s not the start that the new owners would have hoped for is an understatement, but they’ve now got the chance to start afresh if Gerrard makes his return.

That’s not to say talks will be simple, though. Recent reports have indicated that Gerrard wants more control over transfers and a budget to operate with when the January transfer window arrives if he is to join Rangers again.

The 49ers already welcomed more than 10 fresh faces in the summer, with many yet to make their mark, but may need to spend once again in January to let Gerrard mark his stamp on the side. What that could also see is a return for summer targets that Kevin Thelwell missed out on, including one Championship star.

Rangers targeting Pierce Charles

As reported by Ibrox News, Rangers chiefs are now targeting a move to sign Pierce Charles from Sheffield Wednesday in 2026 after missing out on the shot-stopper’s signature in the summer. The Gers reportedly saw a £1m offer turned down by Sheffield Wednesday, despite the fact that money would have been enough for owner Dejphon Chansiri to pay players and staff on time.

Now, having maintained an interest in the goalkeeper, Thelwell could reignite Rangers’ interest in 2026. Gerrard could yet play an unexpected role in any deal too, after initial reports suggested that Charles was not keen to join the Gers if ex-Sheffield Wednesday boss Danny Rohl was handed the vacant managerial role.

Ryan Jack thrilled as Fabrizio Romano shares Rangers manager talks from Ibrox

The Gers are making moves at Ibrox.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 9, 2025

With Gerrard the likeliest to arrive at this stage and Charles’ former goalkeeper coach Sal Bibbo keen to secure a reunion at Ibrox, the 20-year-old is still one to keep an eye on.

Described as an “amazing” prospect by Newcastle United star Anthony Elanga, Charles could bring Jack Butland’s tenure as Rangers’ No.1 to an end and provide the Gers’ next manager with an instant boost next year. Whether it’s Gerrard or another option who benefits from that boost is the big question.

After a travel day on Monday, Major League Baseball is back in a big way with a loaded Tuesday night slate featuring plenty of pitchers to bet on. 

When betting on the prop market in baseball, I love targeting starting pitching matchups that I believe to be favorable, and there are a few starters that are worth a look on June 11.

New York Yankees righty Marcus Stroman, Philadelphia Phillies ace Zack Wheeler and San Francisco Giants righty Jordan Hicks are among the top players to target, but maybe not in the way you’d expect. 

Let’s dive into these plays for Tuesday’s 15-game slate. 

Best MLB Prop Bets for Tuesday, June 11Marcus Stroman OVER 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)Zack Wheeler OVER 1.5 Walks Allowed (-145)Jordan Hicks UNDER 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)

Marcus Stroman OVER 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)

Marcus Stroman lasted just 4.2 innings in his last start for New York, but he had cleared 16.5 outs recorded in five straight starts prior to that outing.

Stroman has been solid for this season, posting a 3.04 ERA and 4.82 Fielding Independent Pitching, and he was elite in May, posting a 1.67 ERA and a .191 opponent batting average that month. 

I think this could be a bounce-back spot for Stroman, even though the Kansas City Royals have been a solid offense this season. We’re not asking Stroman to even get through six innings to clear this prop, and he’s done it in more than half of his starts in 2024. 

Zack Wheeler OVER 1.5 Walks Allowed (-145)

Zack Wheeler has been elite for the Phillies this season, but I’m actually fading him against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday.

In 13 starts, Wheeler has walked two or more batters in eight games, tallying 26 total walks. 

Boston doesn’t draw a ton of walks (16th in the league), but Wheeler has cleared this prop in five straight games. He usually pitches pretty deep into games – 10 starts with at least 6.0 innings pitched – which gives him more chances to rack up the free passes. 

Even at this price, Wheeler is a solid fade candidate tonight. 

Jordan Hicks UNDER 16.5 Outs Recorded (-125)

The last time Giants righty Jordan Hicks started, I faded him in this prop, and I’m going back to the well tonight. 

Hicks is a converted reliever, and the Giants have played things safe with him this season when it comes to his pitch count and innings pitched. 

Hicks has gone under 16.5 outs recorded in 10 of his 13 starts and each of his seven starts since the beginning of May. 

While Hicks has thrown over 90 pitches on several occasions, he’s also been pulled through five innings in games where he’s failed to reach 80 pitches. 

Until we see Hicks reach the sixth inning in a game, he’s a must fade at anything above 14.5 outs.

Bayern Munich have once again posted record revenues, crossing €978 million (£858m/$1.1bn) in turnover for 2024–25. But as CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen proudly declared, the club’s success isn’t built on billionaire handouts or reckless spending. “We don’t have anyone handing us millions,” he said, defending Bayern’s prudent philosophy amid football’s inflated transfer market and the Premier League’s financial dominance.

Bayern’s record year and a clear message from the CEO

Bayern are thriving both on and off the pitch. After a commanding 3-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen, CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen used the club’s annual general meeting to send a message to Europe’s financial heavyweights as he stressed Bayern will not compromise its principles.

The German giants reported a record turnover of €978.3 million, marking a 2.8 per cent rise from last year’s €951.5 million, while achieving a pre-tax profit of €42.5 million and a net profit of €27.1 million. Even with increased player wages and infrastructure spending, Bayern’s balance sheet remains among the healthiest in Europe. Dreesen stressed that the club could have achieved an even higher profit if not for continued investments in sporting success:

“Without investments, we could have delivered another record profit. But we want maximum sporting success, not maximum economic profit.”

This further underpins Bayern's model which focuses on sustainable growth, not extravagant risk. “Economically, despite all the naysayers, we have once again achieved a record year,” Dreesen added.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportCompeting in a ‘stormy’ transfer market

Football’s transfer market has never been more volatile. Dreesen called it “stormy times,” noting that global spending surged over 50 per cent this summer to $9 billion, led largely by Premier League clubs. While English teams spent freely, Bayern’s approach remained measured with their marquee signing being Luis Diaz, acquired well within their financial limits.

"We can afford every transfer we want to make. But we don’t want to make every one, and certainly not at any price. We define what’s sensible – not others. Our ironclad principle is that we don’t spend more than we earn. That has been true in the past and it will remain true in the future," Dreesen explained during the meeting.

Reflecting on Premier league spending big and the record increase in transfer market, the Bayern CEO said: "The transfer market has seen a record increase of over 50 percent this summer – to over nine billion US dollars. We're competing with clubs that don't have to work nearly as hard for their money as we do. We don't have anyone just handing us a few million out of their pocket. But you know what? I think that's really great."

Bayern's financial strength built over years

Bayern’s resilience didn’t emerge overnight. Over the past five seasons, the club’s revenue has grown from €698 million in 2019–20 to nearly €1 billion in 2024-25, despite the COVID-19 pandemic causing heavy losses across Europe. During the 2020-21 season, Bayern still managed to post a net profit of €1.9 million even when matchday income dropped by nearly €70 million.

Their steady recovery saw revenues climb each year, driven by robust commercial deals (€240 million), matchday income (€260 million), and merchandising (€150 million). The club’s equity capital now stands at €585.5 million, one of the strongest among football institutions worldwide.

President Herbert Hainer celebrated another milestone with membership growth. Bayern gained 50,000 new members in 2025, bringing the total to 432,500, more than any other football club globally. This widespread fan ownership, coupled with financial prudence, further anchors Bayern’s identity.

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Getty Images SportBayern CEO against taking the Bundesliga abroad

While Bayern embrace financial growth, Dreesen drew a firm line on one issue, taking Bundesliga matches abroad. He rejected the idea outright, arguing that domestic football’s soul lies in its local roots and loyal fans.

"I'm completely against regular Bundesliga matches abroad. But I'm a big believer in making the Bundesliga more global. My appeal to everyone remains: To paraphrase Franz – get out there, play football – anywhere in the world," said Dreesen.

While Bayern are committed to expanding their global footprint, they remain firmly rooted in respecting the local fan base and the cultural essence of German football. This balance between global reach and local loyalty is reflected in their international youth development efforts, like expanding their academy in Rwanda. It’s a reminder that Bayern’s growth isn’t just about profits or visibility, it’s also about nurturing football’s future and staying true to its community values. Bayern’s expanded focus on youth development through their Kigali academy partnership shows the club’s commitment to nurturing talent globally while supporting social impact.

West Ham boss Nuno Espírito Santo is already feeling the heat, and his first home game as manager was quite simply the stuff of nightmares.

West Ham break club record after dismal loss at home to Brentford

During a match boycotted by large portions of the Hammers faifthful, amid ongoing protests against David Sullivan, Karren Brady and the board, Brentford took West Ham to the cleaners.

Keith Andrews’ side, bar an effort from Jarrod Bowen which nearly crept in at the far post, were never troubled by a lacklustre, uninspired home side who looked devoid of confidence, rhythm and a clear identity.

In truth, the 2-0 loss flattered West Ham, as Brentford also struck the crossbar twice, forced great saves from Alphonse Areola and had another goal chalked off by VAR just before half-time.

Nuno’s line-up was, at best, pretty questionable too.

Sunderland 3-0 West Ham

West Ham 1-5 Chelsea

Nottingham Forest 0-3 West Ham

West Ham 0-3 Tottenham

West Ham 1-2 Crystal Palace

Everton 1-1 West Ham

Arsenal 2-0 West Ham

West Ham 0-2 Brentford

The Portuguese, in Niclas Fullkrug’s absence due to a thigh injury, experimented with Lucas Paqueta as the centre-forward — but he failed to convince, was largely isolated and gave the ball away carelessly.

Olly Scarles and Kyle Walker-Peters took up unusual full-back roles on their opposite sides, with Freddie Potts and summer signing Soungountou Magassa sacrificed for a leggy midfield partnership of Tomas Soucek and Andy Irving.

Brentford exposed West Ham’s fragility time and time again, with the centre-back partnership of Max Kilman and Jean-Clair Todibo – who was given his first start under Nuno – having a night to forget against a rampant Bees side who had 17 shots in total.

The result means that West Ham have now lost all four of their first home league games for the first time in the club’s long history, and if things don’t change soon, it is clear that Nuno has a relegation dogfight on his hands.

Last term, the Irons escaped a drop to the Championship owing to how poor all three promoted sides were, as was the case in 2023/2024 as well, but West Ham may not have that luxury this time around.

The 51-year-old needs inspiration from somewhere, and one West Ham player is said to be working hard in an attempt to prove his worth to Nuno at Rush Green.

Igor Julio impressing Nuno in West Ham training

That man is summer signing Igor Julio, who joined the east Londoners on a season-long loan from Brighton.

The Brazilian, who’s made 37 Premier League appearances for Brighton since joining them from Fiorentina in 2023, was limited to just a single Carabao Cup appearance this term and signed for West Ham in pursuit of more game time.

Nuno is yet to start Julio in any of his first three matches as West Ham boss, having played just one minute off the bench against Everton, and he didn’t even feature in their matchday squad for Brentford.

Considering just how leaky West Ham’s defence looks right now, with Kilman and Todibo really struggling on Monday night, the 27-year-old could sense an opportunity to play his way into contention.

As relayed by The West Ham Way, Julio is believed to be impressing in West Ham training, and as Nuno experiments to try and find out his definitive best side, the door could be open for him to usurp the likes of Todibo, Kilman and Konstantinos Mavropanos.

Let’s face it, matters could hardly be any worse at the back right now, with West Ham conceding the most goals of any side in the Premier League so far.

Julio appears to be hard at work to earn a place in the starting eleven, and a tricky test away to Leeds on Friday would act as a baptism of fire for the new arrival who’s looking to get his Premier League career back on track.

Former Seagulls coach Inigo Calderón is on record calling Julio an “animal” of a defender, which is exactly what Nuno is crying out for.

Matthew Revis and Ben Coad turned the tide for Yorkshire

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay02-Jul-2025Yorkshire 459 (Revis 150, Coad 89, Lyth 84) and 41 for 0 (Bean 18*, Lyth 15*) beat Essex 368 (Westley 107, Elgar 97, Thain 50) and 131 (Cox 55, White 4-37, Coad 3-33) by 10 wicketsYorkshire completed a notable victory over fellow Rothesay County Championship strugglers Essex after tea on day four at York to leapfrog them in the Division One table at the end of the ninth round.Essex are now second-bottom in the table, three points behind their hosts, who chased a nominal target of 41 to win by 10 wickets and secure their second win of the summer.Essex’s third defeat came as they were bowled out for 131 in their second innings, which had started with them 91 behind. They will be mightily frustrated at letting things slip on day three when Yorkshire were 273 for 8 in reply to a first-innings 368.While Matthew Revis and Ben Coad were the ones who turned the tide for Yorkshire, new-ball seamer Jack White supplemented their good work with an excellent four for 37 from 20.1 overs in the second innings and seven wickets in the match.All-rounder Revis hit a first-innings 150 and struck once with the ball today, removing England fringe batter Jordan Cox for 55. Seamer Coad hit a career best 89 and completed an excellent 3 for 33 from 17 overs.Yorkshire struck three times during a 55-minute morning session which was bookended by rain. Coad and new-ball partner White did the damage as Essex slipped to 48 for six in 28 overs. The visitors had started on 33 for 3.Nightwatcher Simon Harmer sliced a low catch to Abdullah Shafique diving forwards at gully, handing Coad a third wicket of the innings, before White trapped Matt Critchley lbw pushing forwards and sent Charlie Allison’s off-stump cartwheeling.Critchley was one of the protagonists in denying Yorkshire a fourth-day victory at Chelmsford in May with a rearguard 75. Here, he failed to score as the visitors came under increasing pressure.Play was due to restart following an early lunch at 1.25pm, though more rain briefly delayed things as the players scuttled back in when ready to go.When play did get underway, with a minimum of 68 overs remaining and Essex 48 for 6, Cox and Michael Pepper frustrated the hosts by sharing 59 to take their county into the lead.Wicketkeeper-batter Pepper had combined with Critchley in that aforementioned May fixture to bat through the vast majority of the first two sessions of day four, contributing a dogged 68.And similar determination was required in the Minster City for an Essex side who, when all was said and done, were hurt badly by the absence of bowling spearheads Sam Cook (England Test duty) and Jamie Porter (paternity leave).It was somewhat of a surprise to see Cox drive expansively against Revis’s seam, getting an under-edge behind shortly after reaching his fifty off 89 balls. That left Essex at 107 for 7, leading by 16.And it was bordering on shock when Pepper edged behind a similarly aggressive cut against White almost seven overs later, leaving Essex at 114 for 8 with a lead of 23.Dom Bess’s off-spin bowled Noah Thain shortly afterwards before White wrapped things up by getting Khaleel Ahmed caught at second slip by Adam Lyth, signalling tea.After the break, Yorkshire dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a 20-point haul to jump up to eighth in the table.Openers Lyth and Fin Bean, the latter on his home ground, reached the target in nine overs. Lyth finished with 15 and Bean 18.

West Ham United fans staged a sit-in protest at London Stadium despite Nuno Espirito Santo's men beating Newcastle United 3-1. The Hammers have been struggling at the bottom end of the Premier League but claimed a morale-boosting win over the Magpies on Sunday. And although this victory temporarily lifted the gloom around the east London outfit, many voiced their displeasure at the club's ownership.

First win for new West Ham boss Nuno

West Ham's players gave their fans something to cheer about this weekend thanks to a comeback win over Newcastle – their first home triumph since February. Jacob Murphy's early opener was cancelled out by goals from Lucas Paqueta and Tomas Soucek, along with an own-goal from Sven Botman. The victory was Espirito Santo's first in charge of the Hammers but they still remain 18th in the Premier League and are three points from safety. But the former Nottingham Forest manager believes this game can be a springboard for his team.

He said after the contest: "I think the fans saw something in the team today and this is what we want, this is how we should look at the situation. How can we as a team, show to our fans that we want to fight, we want to change [the] situation. We want to make things tough for our opponents. We want to change our game, we want to improve our game. The fans [we] cannot thank them enough."

AdvertisementAFPWest Ham protests continue

In recent months, opposition to owner David Sullivan and vice-chair Karren Brady has grown, with head coach Graham Potter's sacking only intensifying their outrage. Fans have called on them to resign and have repeatedly staged protests before, during, and after matches. The club's fan advisory board recently issued a vote of no confidence in the board, and after the Newcastle match, a few thousand angry fans stayed to chant "sack the board". Many have chosen to boycott matches for the time being but they may return if results improve. 

Nuno addresses West Ham protests

While the West Ham boss will be aware of the discontent surrounding the club, the Portuguese coach – who replaced the sacked Potter in late September – thanked fans for getting behind the team and creating a great atmosphere against Eddie Howe's side.

He told reporters: "Our idea is to try and give something to our fans. And today we did give them a small thing and the way they give us back was huge and in the end the noise in the London Stadium was amazing. So we cannot thank them enough. So let's try against Burnley, give them a little bit more so they can make more noise. And we try to transform the London Stadium, [into] a very hard place for our opponents."

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Getty Images SportWhat comes next for West Ham?

While this has been a dreadful start to the season for West Ham, this result could kickstart their campaign. Plus, they host 17th-placed Burnley on Saturday at home. A win could see them leapfrog Scott Parker's side in the table, which would lift everyone's spirits heading into the latest international break.

Incidentally, West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen told : "It [a win] has been a long time coming. We know we haven't been good enough at home and we wanted to change that. Sometimes you think your luck is against you and it will never change but we stuck in there. I don't think we did anything different in terms of preparation. It is us as players understanding the situation we are in and wanting to change that. Different things have gone against us, set-pieces have gone against us and defending our goal. This time we deserved the win in the end."

Jordan Montgomery is running it back with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2025.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported Thursday that Montgomery has exercised his $22.5 million player option for next season. He now is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 campaign.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that Montgomery opted in and took the guaranteed money, as he struggled through the '24 season and registered an 8–7 record, 6.23 ERA and 11.5 hits per nine innings in 25 appearances (21 starts).

It is a bit surprising, however, given Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick's comments earlier this month in which he openly admitted that he regrets giving Montgomery a contract.

"Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did," Kendrick said on Arizona Sports radio's show. "It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I'm the perpetrator of that."

Montgomery had an interesting offseason last winter. Fresh off a career-best season in '23 when he logged a 3.20 ERA and helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series, the left-hander entered free agency as one of the most intriguing arms available.

But Montgomery never landed the deal that he and agent Scott Boras desired, and he ended up signing a one-year contract with a player option for '25 with Arizona in late March, just two days before the season opener.

Montgomery missed the entirety of spring training and struggled to find a rhythm in 2024. He fired Boras in August and will head into free agency after the '25 season with new representation.