The season finale of 'Citadel' ended with a lot of slam-bang action and revelations

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Erik ten Hag is demanding Manchester United raise the bar once again having overseen “necessary” and “immense” improvements during his first year in charge. Last summer the Dutchman took the reins at a club in disarray, with a lack of coherency, quality and joined-up thinking resulting in a wretched 2021-22 campaign. Ten Hag brought in a new style, implemented demanding standards and handled star Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit as well he could before masterminding the end of United’s six-year wait for silverware. The Carabao Cup triumph was followed by a third-placed Premier League finish and FA Cup final loss to eventual treble winners Manchester City, who are the target as they push for further improvements. “I think the levels all across increased (at an) immense (level) and that was necessary,” Ten Hag said, reflecting on his first year in charge. “But, still, we are not there where we want to be and we have to raise the bar, so we have to go to next levels. “You learn always and I think English football evolves and I think you see nowadays the league is stronger and stronger. When you compare it with three, four years ago, it’s definitely the case. “Because all the strong players get attracted to the Premier League, all the best managers got attracted to the Premier League, so every time it develops and progresses. “It’s really a challenge and I’m really looking forward again to go in the season and to get the challenge.” United have been bolstered heading into the new season by the arrivals of Mason Mount from Chelsea and Inter Milan’s adventurous goalkeeper Andre Onana. Rasmus Hojlund is set to join them after United agreed a deal in principle to sign the talented Atalanta striker for a £64million fee rising to £72m – a potentially key addition to a goal-shy group. “I can’t talk about this player in this moment because I’m a long time in football and I know first we need signings,” said Ten Hag, who always tends to keeps cards close to his chest. “So far, we have to keep calm and let the professionals do their work. “ Hojlund’s arrival will take United’s summer outlay to £162.8m – a figure that would increase to £179.2m if the respective clauses in the three arrivals’ contracts are met. Club success is key to many of those add-ons and fans could be concerned it will be hard to reach those heights under the Glazers given their track record. Hope that their long, unpopular ownership could end grew with November’s announcement of a “strategic review” at United, with Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe placing bids. But the Glazers are dragging their heels and no resolution is in sight with the Premier League kick-off less than a fortnight away. “I focus on my job, and that is to improve the team,” Ten Hag told the PA news agency when asked about the takeover situation. “I have to do my work to sign the players and I have to work on the way of play. That is my focus area. “That’s what I’ve done, so I don’t get distracted from any of the strategic review. That’s what others in the club will deal with. We are building, we are building a project. We want to win trophies Erik ten Hag “We have a good information line. We’re sharing the information, so I know where I am and I can focus on my job. “Most of the times (the information) is going over (chief executive) Richard Arnold or (football director) John Murtough. But sometimes also we have direct contact, as you have seen in New York.” Ten Hag faced a variety of questions about different topics in the New York area ahead of kicking off their US tour with a 2-0 friendly win against Arsenal at MetLife Stadium. The Dutchman pointed back to his comments there when asked for an update on Mason Greenwood, who has been suspended since January 2022. The Crown Prosecution Service announced in February that all charges, including attempted rape and assault, had been dropped but an internal investigation continues. “I explained in New York and I don’t think I have to reply again on that question,” Ten Hag said. “I answered this question, but I can’t every time answer the same question.” Another major topic heading into the New York leg was the United captaincy as Ten Hag had just stripped Harry Maguire of the armband and handed it to Bruno Fernandes. The club have since rejected a £20m bid from West Ham for the out-of-favour defender, who it was suggested could dominate the first few months of the season like Ronaldo did last term. “I don’t see it like that, but you can have that impression,” Ten Hag retorted. “That’s your choice. “But not last year, not this year. We are building, we are building a project. We want to win trophies. “And, so we have to invest in the way of play, we have to invest in the team and our focus is not on one player.” Ten Hag says consistency across the team is essential if United are to kick on next season, with the early acquisitions of Mount and Onana boosting their preparations. “I wouldn’t call it an Erik ten Hag squad,” the manager added. “It’s about the demands of top football. “We have to find the players, or we have to increase the levels from the players who are there. “I think many players improved during last season. My expectation is that we can make another step that we increase the levels of the individuals.” Read More Manchester United agree deal for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund Manchester United confident of signing striker as Rasmus Hojlund talks continue Bellingham scores first goal for Real Madrid in win over Man United Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney meets Man United boss Erik ten Hag Manchester United make ‘progress’ in transfer search for new striker Manchester United transfer news: Hojlund, Henderson, Amrabat, Bailly and more

Mauricio Pochettino believes Saturday’s 4-1 come-from-behind win at Burnley can be worth much more to Chelsea than simply three points. Raheem Sterling, again snubbed by England, starred as Chelsea responded to Wilson Odobert’s surprise early strike for the Clarets, having a hand in all four goals as Pochettino’s side ultimately ran out comfortable winners on a ground where they have still never lost a Premier League match. An own goal from Ameen Al-Dakhil, Cole Palmer’s penalty, Sterling’s strike and a Nicolas Jackson goal made it back-to-back league wins for the first time since March for Chelsea and three straight in all competitions for a side still trying to find their way under Pochettino. Coming into the match, Chelsea had failed to win any of the previous 19 league matches in which they had conceded first, and had not scored four or more goals since thrashing Southampton 6-0 in April 2022, and this win will deliver another injection of confidence. “Always when you concede first and you need to break down the opponent always you feel proud when you achieve that,” Pochettino said. “The team were playing well and with the chances conceded in a situation that was completely unfair, but the team were really good, solid, the whole team.” Given the upturn in Chelsea’s form, the international break is perhaps badly-timed from their perspective, but Pochettino hopes the next fortnight will see Chelsea’s considerable injury worries ease before they return to action with a tough fixture at home to Arsenal on October 21. Although Wesley Fofana and Christopher Nkunku are long-term absentees; Reece James, Benoit Badiashile, and Trevor Chalobah should all come back into the frame for that match, while Pochettino hopes to see Ben Chilwell and Romeo Lavia take strides in their own rehabilitations. “We want to improve players and try to recover the players that were injured,” Pochettino said when asked what he wanted to take from the next fortnight. “The next two weeks we’re going to spend working on the training ground with a different mood from the last months. “After two victories it is much better but I think we will keep pushing, working hard to be better in the next months.” It was another tough afternoon for Burnley, who have now equalled the unwanted record of five consecutive home defeats to start a top-flight season, something only previously suffered by Manchester United in 1930-31, Portsmouth in 2009-10, Bolton Wanderers in 2011-12 and Newcastle United in 2018-19. All but Newcastle went on to suffer relegation, and although Vincent Kompany can point to a brutal fixture list which has already seen both Manchester clubs, Tottenham and Aston Villa visit before Chelsea, he knows it must change fast. “It’s got to be a tough place always,” Kompany said. “To say that at Turf Moor you get the three points against all these teams, I’ve been in the game long enough to know that’s not the case. “I had that feeling against United (a 1-0 defeat) where until the last minute you’re in the game. It’s being close that’s important. The game was put past us in a very short time and that’s something that sets you back in these games massively.” There were positives for Kompany to pick out, however, most obviously the sight of Odobert marking his first Premier League start by becoming Burnley’s youngest scorer in the competition at the age of 18 and 313 days. “He has the advantage of being such a young player,” Kompany said. “He’s 18 so he can almost do nothing wrong… with wingers, sometimes you get away with being a bit younger because speed and the threat one-v-one always gives you something to think about. “That’s what we’ve had with Wilson and (Luca) Koleosho and those are guys who are only going to get better.”

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Embattled congressman George Santos has been told by a judge that the identities of the trio who paid his $500,000 bail must be publically revealed. Mr Santos, a Republican from New York, pleaded not guilty last month to federal charges of defrauding his campaign supporters, lying to obtain unemployment money and making false statements on congressional disclosure forms. Magistrate Judge Anne Shields ruled on Tuesday that Mr Santos has until 12pm on Friday to appeal her decision at which point the names would be unsealed. Lawyers for Mr Santos had argued on Monday that the names should not be made public, stating that they“truly fear for their health, safety and well being.” The lawmaker’s attorney, Joseph Murray previously said that Mr Santos would rather go to jail ahead of his criminal trial than let the names become public. “My client would rather surrender to pretrial detainment than subject these suretors to what will inevitably come,” Mr Murray had said. Read More Judge rules to release names of Rep. Santos bond cosigners, will say secret for now as appeal mulled Lawyer says George Santos would go to jail to keep identities of cosigners secret AP News Digest 4 am

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