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• Roberto De Zerbi says Brighton must build stronger squad for European challenge

  Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi admits the Seagulls will need to spend ahead of their European debut.

  They have qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history after finishing sixth in the Premier League.

  Brighton had already wrapped up sixth spot before Sunday’s final day 2-1 defeat at Aston Villa and De Zerbi knows they will need to expand their squad to cope with the demands of European competition.

  “We are not ready to play three games in a row, three games per week. We are not used to playing three games in a row,” he said.

  “We have to work in the transfer market, we have to build a stronger squad, with more players and then we have to improve.

  “The result we achieved this year was incredible, Tony (Bloom), me and Paul Barber, we have the dream to improve this result.

  “The season is finished which is bad news for me – it’s difficult without football. I will go to Italy and will work with Tony Bloom and the club to improve the squad.

  “This season was fantastic and we have to try and repeat it.”

  Deniz Undav’s goal was not enough to rescue a point after Brighton fell 2-0 down inside 30 minutes at Villa following strikes from Douglas Luiz and Ollie Watkins.

  Victory earned Villa seventh in the Premier League and a Europa Conference League play-off spot, returning to Europe for the first time in 13 years.

  Boss Unai Emery said: “It’s important because we’re going to be one step ahead in our objective to be in Europe. To play in the Conference League is very important.

  “We’re adding the possibility of another trophy because it’s very difficult in the Premier League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. Our objective and ambitions will be to try and always be a candidate to get a trophy.

  “To play in Europe for the club and the coaches, because I was playing 15 years in a row in Europe, so to get that again next year is fantastic for me individually and I’m very happy playing in Europe.”

• ‘We will be back’ says Leicester chairman following relegation

  Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha has dismissed calls from some supporters to sell the relegated club and promised the Foxes will soon return to the Premier League.

  Despite beating West Ham 2-1 on Sunday, Leicester dropped into the Sky Bet Championship seven years after being crowned champions of England and two seasons since winning the FA Cup.

  It is a remarkable fall from grace and one that Leicester chairman Srivaddhanaprabha says has led to him receiving offensive messages, some of which have been “outright abusive”.

  “I have received a massive number of messages from our fans – both positive and negative,” Srivaddhanaprabha said in a statement published on the Leicester website.

  “Some want me to sell the club, some using offensive and thoughtless words, and some have been outright abusive.

  “But for every hurtful message I have received, I have also received messages of support, of appreciation, of unity – both remotely and from people I have met anonymously in public, who always come to say hello to me and to my family. It means a lot to us.”

  Srivaddhanaprabha’s father Vichai and his family bought the club in 2010 and took Leicester into the Premier League four years later. Leicester produced possibly English football’s greatest underdog story by winning the title in 2016.

  Club chairman Khun Vichai was killed in a helicopter accident at Leicester’s King Power Stadium in October 2018.

  “It was the most painful experience for me and for my family, but the support and love we received from our Leicester City family made our bond even stronger,” Srivaddhanaprabha said of the accident.

  “I made a commitment, as chairman, to continuing to pursue the ambition my father and I shared for the club, to ensure that the realisation of his vision for Leicester City would ultimately become his legacy.

  “We want to thank you and let you know that we still have the same ambition for Leicester City that we had 13 years ago.

  “The incredible support we had in our stadium yesterday, the positive messages we have received from our fans and the constructive comments we must take on-board – we will gather all this support and use it to power our recovery.

  “Power to justify our fans’ belief in their club. Power to take us back to the Premier League.

  “Next season is going to be tough, but it will be a year for collaboration and unity. We will come together and fight to return to the Premier League.”

  Leicester finished fifth twice as well as eighth during manager Brendan Rodgers’ three full seasons in charge.

  But Srivaddhanaprabha acknowledged the impact of Covid had a serious effect on the club’s finances, with summer cutbacks meaning that Rodgers was unable to significantly strengthen his squad.

  The departures of long-serving goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel to Nice and defender Wesley Fofana to Chelsea also had a detrimental effect on the squad.

  Rodgers left at the end of April with Leicester in the bottom three, and his replacement Dean Smith was unable to prevent relegation after taking charge for the final eight games.

  Srivaddhanaprabha said: “Relegation is a consequence of 38 games and over that period, we haven’t been good enough.

  “Over the coming days and weeks, we need to reflect on the processes and decisions that have brought us to this point.

  “What we learn from this experience must convert into action that makes us stronger and prevents this happening to us again in the future.

  “We took Leicester City into the UEFA Champions League, giving our supporters those amazing Wednesday nights, under the lights in Porto, Brugge, Copenhagen, Seville and Madrid.

  “We used the fruits of that success to keep reinvesting in the club, strengthening our squad, improving the experience for our fans and starting plans for major projects like Seagrave and a stadium expansion that would give us long-term strength and growth.

  “Of course, these milestones place our situation today into quite stark context, but I reference them to highlight the progress we have made as a club in the last 13 years, which gives me confidence that we will build again.

  “Relegation is undeniably a significant setback, but it will not define us. Today we share the loss and the pain together. But we will be back.

  “This responsibility that I continue to live is one of the greatest responsibilities in my life and I will continue to put everything into it – my passion, that of my family and the entire King Power community.”

• Mauricio Pochettino appointed Chelsea head coach on two-year contract

  Mauricio Pochettino has been appointed Chelsea head coach on a two-year deal.

  The former Tottenham manager, who has been out of work since leaving Paris St Germain last year, will take over from interim boss Frank Lampard – who oversaw his final game in charge against Newcastle in the Premier League on Sunday.

  It brings to an end an almost two-month process to find a permanent successor to Graham Potter, who was sacked on April 2.

  The PA news agency understands Pochettino had been the club’s first choice from early in the search, which was led by co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.

  He was the only candidate the club got into serious talks with, despite conversations that took place with former Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann, ex-Spain coach Luis Enrique and Burnley’s Vincent Kompany.

  It is understood that, contrary to reports that Pochettino had sought reassurances about the running of the club behind the scenes, he has been satisfied from early in the process that he could work within Chelsea’s sporting structure.

  Stewart and Winstanley said in a statement: “Mauricio’s experience, standards of excellence, leadership qualities and character will serve Chelsea Football Club well as we move forward.

  “He is a winning coach, who has worked at the highest levels, in multiple leagues and languages. His ethos, tactical approach and commitment to development all made him the exceptional candidate.”

  The new boss, whose contract includes an option for a third season, will work closely with the co-sporting directors as the club look to rebuild after their worst season in 30 years.

  Since Potter was removed and Lampard handed the reins, Chelsea have lost eight of their 11 games, winning only once.

  They were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage, and a 12th-place finish – their lowest since 1996 – means they will not play in Europe next season.

  Lampard said on Sunday that working with a bloated squad of 34 first-team players was the most challenging thing he faced at Stamford Bridge.

  One of Pochettino’s first tasks will be deciding who of that number are part of his plans and who can leave, with the club under pressure to sell players in order to satisfy Financial Fair Play rules after spending around £600million on transfers in the last 12 months.