
England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley signs new deal through to end of 2027 Euros
Carsley was heavily linked with becoming England's permanent manager before Thomas Tuchel's appointment, but is now back in his under-21s role as the defending champions continue preparations for the 2025 Euros in Slovakia.
A post shared by England football team (@england)
'I'm delighted to extend my time with the FA,' Carsley said. 'It's a privilege to have the opportunity to work with a young, talented group and help develop them on the international stage.
'While the future is exciting, our immediate priority is this summer's UEFA U21 Euro in Slovakia as we attempt to emulate the achievement of Dave Sexton's teams in 1982 and 1984.'
England open their campaign against Czechia on Thursday, June 12, before further Group B games against Slovenia and Germany.
Carsley is set to name his final squad for the tournament on Friday.

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Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
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It is approaching 10pm on January 30 and Chloe Kelly is about to take an almighty risk. Frozen out by Manchester City manager Gareth Taylor, Kelly had started just one Women's Super League match and made a total of six appearances in the 2024-25 season. She desperately wanted to leave the club, whether it be on loan or permanently, in search of regular football. But she was running out of time. City were digging their heels in, reluctant to let her leave to join a rival. So Kelly took matters into her own hands. On the eve of transfer deadline day, she wrote a message on social media in which she said her mental well-being was suffering and that she would no longer tolerate someone's 'negative behaviour' towards her. The impact was far greater than perhaps Kelly had even imagined. Not only did she receive support from club and international team-mates, Kelly's status as a Euro 2022 hero meant celebrities like rapper AJ Tracey and radio DJ Greg James waded in. There was plenty of interest in Kelly, who had only six months remaining on her City contract. Manchester United and Brighton both wanted her on loan with a view to a permanent move. The latter had an offer accepted but United was Kelly's preferred destination. City were adamant they would not do business with their city rivals or a club competing with them for Champions League football. But they were also aware of the possible PR disaster should a move not materialise. As the hours ticked by on deadline day, Arsenal threw their hat in the ring with a loan offer that bettered everyone else's. City reluctantly accepted and, just minutes before the window shut, Kelly rejoined the club at which she had started her career. When she secured that deadline day move, in a further twist, Kelly went on social media again to accuse City of trying to 'assassinate' her character with 'false accusations'. Sliding doors moment Had the move to Arsenal not gone through, Kelly was ready to take a break from football. She would not have been on the pitch to help England through both their quarter-final with Sweden and their semi-final against Italy. The Lionesses would have been out of this tournament over a week ago. There could not have been more pressure attached to her penalty in the quarter-final shoot-out with Sweden. She had to score to keep the Lionesses in the tournament – she did so emphatically. She may have missed the extra-time spot-kick against Italy but her quick reaction to score the rebound was testament to her determination. CHLOE KELLY WINS IT FOR ENGLAND IN THE 119th MINUTE 🤯 THE LIONESSES ARE IN THE EUROS FINAL! Absolute CHAOS. — ITV Football (@itvfootball) July 22, 2025 'The moments in January when I felt like giving up football, makes you so grateful for these moments here today,' Kelly said after the semi-final. 'It makes you enjoy every minute of that. Confidence comes from within but from around you as well. The players I stand side-by-side with on the pitch breed confidence in each other. But I think a lot is self-taught.' How did Kelly get to the point where she considered quitting the game she loves? Her departure from City had been a long time coming. Her relationship with former manager Taylor had broken down beyond rebuilding. It is understood cracks appeared after Kelly scored the winning goal in Euro 2022. She entered this season in the final year of her contract and with little progress over a new deal. In November, England manager Sarina Wiegman admitted Kelly's lack of game time was a concern and made it clear to the forward that she needed to play to ensure a place in her squad for the Euros. Comeback queen Joining Arsenal was only one part of the comeback. 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ITV News
3 hours ago
- ITV News
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The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
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Alex Culvin, director of global policy for women's soccer at FIFPRO, the global players union, said there needs to be more care paid to international and regional calendars to ensure players have a balance while still growing the game. 'The growth is happening right before our eyes. However, those players also need to be protected because we can't always demand more of them all of the time without saying `We'll demand more now, and then you'll have a rest and that rest is protected. Nobody can encroach on that rest and if you do, there's consequences, regulatory consequences.' I think we haven't quite gotten there yet,' Culvin said. 'I think the mandated rest periods are something that FIFPRO really advocates for and something the players really want.' Those who play for high-profile national and club teams are most impacted. 'Mentally and physically I'm at my limits," Bright said on a podcast explaining her decision to sit out of Euro 2025 after her season with Chelsea. In April, after injuring her hamstring while playing in a Nations League match with the Netherlands, Miedema, who plays for Manchester City, criticized the ever-more crowded calendar on social media. 'I will say this over and over again. To the people in charge of the football calendar, it is time to realise the current schedule will need to change for players' physical and mental safety," Miedema wrote. McCabe, who plays for Arsenal, was left out of a pair of friendlies against the U.S. national team last month by Ireland coach Carla Ward. 'Katie has played an awful lot of minutes for club and country,' Ward said ahead of the trip. 'She's on the verge of burnout, as are some others.' FIFPRO has a dashboard that monitors high minutes for players around the globe. From June 1, 2024, to June 1, 2025, ahead of Euro 2025, Spain's Aitana Bonmatí (5,045) and teammate Mariona Caldentey (4,976) had the most minutes played of the 294 players monitored. Caldentey also plays for Arsenal in the Women's Super League in England, while Bonmatí, a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, plays professionally for Barcelona. Spain will play in Euro 2025 title match on Saturday against England. U.S. women's national team coach Emma Hayes was so concerned about rest that she left her European-based players off the team for the latest international window so that they could recuperate from their seasons. Players in Europe play from fall to spring, whereas in the National Women's Soccer League, the season goes from early spring through the summer and into fall. Hayes has to manage her players with both of those seasons in mind. 'All I can control is that in 2027 there is a World Cup, and this player has this number of games, this is their season window, these are the national call-ups they might well receive, this is their offseason," Hayes said. "My job is to be educating the player with what you've achieved, what you've done the last last two years, and how that accumulative effect doesn't have an impact today, but might in two years.' National teams in Europe, Africa and South America have big regional competitions this summer — in addition to Euro 2025, there's the Africa Cup of Nations and the Copa América Feminina. But there are new events popping up as women's soccer becomes more popular. A new 7-on-7 tournament was played in Portugal that included eight professional clubs, with an attractive $5 million purse. The field for World Sevens Football included Manchester City and Bayern Munich. England coach Sarina Wiegman said the national team was in contact with players about taking part, making sure that overload wouldn't be an issue. 'Everyone has a different schedule and comes from different places. So, if you talk about Lauren (Hemp) and Alex (Greenwood), it's different, and other players who have played throughout the whole season,' Wiegman said. 'Also some players see it as an opportunity to, in a different way, get some training, playing minutes in — being aware of don't overload, be smart, because there's bigger picture in this.' Those tournaments are in addition to regional club competitions like the UEFA Women's Champions League and the new CONCACAF W Champions Cup, which starts next month. And there are more international women's competitions on the way. A women's Club World Cup will launch in 2028, while the Women's Champions Cup is set to start next year. While some more developed teams, leagues and federations are increasing opportunities, that's not the case in many parts of the world, where some players don't get enough work, putting them at the risk of injury. At the Copa América Femenina, Bolivia, ranked No. 105 in the world and playing with a squad that included amateurs, had only three matches together this year ahead of the tournament. Bolivia doesn't use all of its FIFA windows. In the end, Culvin said striking a balance is difficult. The growth of the game is important but it can't come at the expense of the players. 'It's the players who make the ultimate sacrifice, the game revolves around them. Without the players there is no game. And I think that mindset needs to be front of mind. And we need to say, `How do we protect these people as much as we can?'" Culvin said. "The stakeholders are custodians of the game, and we have a responsibility to protect our most prized assets and that's the players." ___