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• Conte apologises to fans after Napoli 'melted like snow in the sun' against Verona

  Antonio Conte apologised to Napoli's supporters after his side were humbled 3-0 at Verona in Serie A, taking responsibility for Sunday's opening loss.

  Conte and Napoli endured a dreadful start to the campaign as Verona scored three goals in the second half, with the 2023 Scudetto champions unable to prevent the hosts from creating a plethora of chances.

  Dailon Livramento opened the scoring after 50 minutes before a late double from substitute Daniel Mosquera condemned Conte to a torrid start in his first game back in charge of Napoli.

  "We immediately let Verona have a shot at the start of the second half, and in the second instance we went behind," Conte told Sky Sports Italia.

  "Then we melted like snow in the sun. What I feel like saying is that we should apologise to the Neapolitan supporters, who follow us with such passion. I am the coach and it is right that I take full responsibility."

  Conte acknowledged serious work would be needed to bring Napoli up to the standard he aimed for.

  "[It was] a performance that shows we need to work hard in every aspect," the Italian added. "I came to Napoli with lots of enthusiasm, with great desire. If I can help Napoli, I will."

  The 55-year-old coach is desperate to seek additional reinforcements before the transfer window closes.

  "On the market, one, two, three, four could arrive, as many as the club want to sign," the former Chelsea manager continued. "The problems must be faced head-on, and they are not necessarily easy issues to fix."

  That transfer frustration may centre around Victor Osimhen, who appears set to leave Naples, as the striker's exit continues to block Conte from adding to his squad.

  "This is a question you should ask the club and not me," Conte said of Osimhen's future. "I see that Osimhen has trained separately. You should ask the club, absolutely not me.

  "I said it straight away, I was a spectator on this matter. But beyond a single player, you definitely need to have a different attitude, with more personality, more desire."

• Frank denies Toney is close to exit despite missing Brentford's season opener

  Thomas Frank revealed that Ivan Toney is not on the verge of leaving Brentford despite his absence from the Bees' squad against Crystal Palace.

  Frank left Toney out of his squad for Brentford's Premier League opener on Sunday.

  The Dane said that decision was due to transfer speculation concerning the England forward, whose absence was ultimately not felt too keenly as Brentford claimed a 2-1 win.

  The 28-year-old has caught the attention of a number of English sides and teams in the Saudi Pro League, but Frank was quick to quash any rumours that suggested he was on the brink of departing.

  Asked whether Toney was on the cusp of a move, Frank replied: "No, it’s not close.”

  However, Frank still seemed resigned to Toney eventually leaving.

  Asked by BBC Radio 5 Live if it was a matter of when and not if Toney left, he said: "Yes, I guess that's fair."

  Losing Toney, who has scored 72 goals in 141 appearances for the Bees since joining in 2020, would be a huge blow, but Frank is confident other players can step up.

  He said: "I think Ivan is a top player. He has been a top player and one of our best players, if not the best player over a long spell.

  "All the top players in the Premier League, one day they will leave the club and someone will have to step up and do well."

• Maresca wants Sterling stay but concedes Chelsea must trim squad

  Enzo Maresca wants Raheem Sterling to stay at Stamford Bridge but acknowledged Chelsea must trim their bloated squad.

  Sterling was omitted from the matchday squad as the Blues started their 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a 2-0 defeat at home to Manchester City.

  The England international had featured in the first match across the last 11 league seasons for Chelsea and former clubs City and Liverpool.

  Sterling's representatives issued a statement prior to kick-off on Sunday seeking "clarity" after the 29-year-old was left in the cold, along with Trevoh Chalobah, Romelu Lukaku and Conor Gallagher.

  Maresca said prior to the match that the decision was based on "technical" aspects, and reiterated that sentiment in his post-match conference – though conceded outgoing transfers are needed.

  "The only thing I can say again is it's a technical decision, it's nothing more than that," said Maresca after his first league game in charge of the Blues.

  "I want Raheem Sterling, but I want all the 30 players that we have, but there's no space for all of them. So, for some of them, they have to leave."

  The statement surrounding Sterling's future had disappointed numerous pundits before Chelsea's opening-game clash with City, who won thanks to goals from Erling Haaland and Mateo Kovacic.

  Speaking on Sky Sports, Jamie Redknapp urged Sterling to "play better" and "just get on with it", while former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher had a similar conclusion.

  "Massive fan of Raheem as a player and a lad," Carragher wrote on social media platform X. "Not a fan of the Chelsea setup with [the] owners, but this statement is ridiculous!

  "As a camp... We look forward to gaining clarity! No need for a statement, especially an hour before kick-off! Just play better."

  Ben Chilwell, Axel Disasi, Armando Broja and Carney Chukwuemeka were all absent from the Chelsea match squad, too, leaving Maresca with more decisions to make over players' futures.

  "Axel is only just coming back from an injury, while Chilly [Chilwell] has been ill," the former Leicester City boss added, having previously said Chilwell is a likely candidate to leave.

  "Every case is a bit different. Carney, he's a very good player but with his injuries in the past the best thing for him is to play 30, 35 games in a row and to show himself he's fit and how good he is.

  "With us, is he going to play 35 games? I'm not sure."