Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand has pledged to offer his services to the Grenfell Tower relief effort by helping to find new homes for survivors.
Bertrand, 27, who featured for England in this week’s friendly defeat to France in Paris, revealed on Twitter that he wants to help out those affected by the fire disaster by doing more than just donating.
Bertrand said: “I went to Grenfell Tower (on Friday). I want to help, not just donate. I can’t think of all the answers but I can do what I feel is needed.
“Starting with rehousing the victims, and making sure they don’t leave the W11 post code. And remain on the emergency housing list.
“Monday I will be around @RugbyPortobello putting this plan into action. From 10:30am until progress has been made.”
Monaco sign midfielder Meite
Monaco have announced the signing of midfielder Soualiho Meite from Ligue 1 rivals Lille.
The 23-year-old Frenchman, who spent last season on loan at Belgian club Zulte Waregem, has agreed a five-year deal starting on July 1.
Meite helped Zulte Waregem lift the Belgian Cup at the end of the campaign and is looking forward to the prospect of playing for the defending French champions.
He told asmonaco.fr: “It’s an honour to sign for this great club…
“I can’t wait to start training, learning and developing under coach Leonardo Jardim’s orders.”
Saints wrong to sack Puel – Channon
Southampton greats Lawrie McMenemy and Mick Channon have said that the club were wrong to sack Claude Puel.
Saints finished eighth in the Premier League and reached the EFL Cup final at Wembley, but a lack of goals - they scored only 17 times in 19 home league games - saw the Frenchman fired after a single season at St Mary’s.
Channon, who made over 500 appearances for the club over two spells on the south coast, believes the 55-year-old was harshly treated.
“Well I don’t think he did a bad job,” Channon told BBC Radio Five Live’s Sportsweek programme.
“I don’t know the politics of it. They never scored goals, they didn’t win games at the end of the year.
“They should have won the League Cup - if they had would they have sacked him?”
Ajax promote Keizer to head coach
Ajax Amsterdam have named Marcel Keizer as head coach in place of Peter Bosz, the club said on Saturday.
The 48-year-old was signed last year to coach the Ajax reserve team who compete in the second tier of Dutch football and finished the season as runners-up,
Keizer has been handed a two-year contract with the senior squad.
He coached previously at SC Cambuur, where he also spent most of a playing career that started with four appearances for Ajax’s first team in the 1987-88 season.
Bosz departed after one season in charge to take over at Germany’s Borussia Dortmund having taken Ajax to the Europa League final, which they lost 2-0 to Manchester United, and second place in the Dutch league behind Feyenoord.
Russian fan leader banned
Russian soccer fan leader Alexander Shprygin has been barred from attending his country’s opening Confederations Cup match against New Zealand in St Petersburg hours before kickoff on Saturday.
Shprygin, who had been deported from France last year during the European Championship, said he had been notified by Confederations Cup organisers that his fan-ID, needed to attend matches, had been cancelled.
“No one explained the reasons for this,” Shprygin told Reuters before adding that he knew of other cases of last-minute cancellations.
“They gave me a fan-ID and then two hours (before the match) they cancelled it, apparently on purpose so I don’t have the time to complain.”