'Fearless ball carrier' Dolcek joins Dundee United
Dolcekt has previously play for Slaven Belupo and Hajduk Split and has been capped up to under-23 level.He follows Amar Fatah, Krisztian Keresztes, Dario Naamo and Isaac Pappoe in joining United on loan this summer, while Panutche Camara, Bert Esselink, Iurie Iovu, Yevhen Kucherenko and Zac Sapsford have arrived on permanent deals.
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The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Who is Oscar Onley? The talented Scot breaking through at the Tour de France
Viewers scanning the Tour de France general classification will see a mix of wholly expected names and some comparative unknowns. Tadej Pogacar leads the standings as his era-defining dominance continues; Jonas Vingegaard sits second behind his longtime rival. But accompanying the rider sitting fourth in the overall standings is a British flag: not former Tour de France winner and veteran Geraint Thomas, but the up-and-coming youngster Oscar Onley. The 22-year-old has been enjoying a breakout season and is in action in just his second Tour de France. He and his team came in targeting a stage win but are on course for a top-five finish, and very possibly a podium place, at the sport's biggest race. With every passing stage he has surpassed both his own expectations and that of all observers. So who is Onley, and what's behind his meteoric rise? Onley grew up in the Scottish Borders town of Kelso and was inspired to start cycling by the fact that the time-trial route for his local club, Kelso Wheelers, went right past his house. The youngster was soon hooked, and while he could have had a future as an elite cross-country runner, he eventually opted for two wheels instead. He raced in Europe as a junior before joining the development team of his current squad, Picnic PostNL, in 2021. His breakthrough win came in 2022 at the Giro Valle d'Aosta, an Italian stage race, before he finished third at the CRO Race - a stage race in Croatia - and he made the step up to WorldTour racing in 2023. He finished third at the Tour de Suisse, behind Joao Almeida and Kevin Vauquelin (AP) Onley picked up a few top-10s in his debut WorldTour season, including at major stage races the Tour de Romandie and the Criterium du Dauphine, but his Grand Tour debut didn't go to plan. The youngster was part of DSM-Firmenich's win in the team time trial on stage one of the 2023 Vuelta a Espana, but he crashed and broke his collarbone on stage two and was forced to abandon the race. But 2024 was to prove a standout year. He kicked it off in style with his first professional win at the Tour Down Under, the season-opening stage race in Australia, on the famous Willunga Hill climb, and finished fourth overall. He was 39th in his first full Grand Tour - last year's Tour de France - with his best result a fifth place on stage 17 to Superdevoluy, a tough mountain stage won by Richard Carapaz. He finished second overall at the Tour of Britain, winning the best young rider classification, and was the highest-placed British rider in the gruelling World Championships road race in Zurich. This year he has built on those experiences: he was fifth overall at the UAE Tour - won by Pogacar - then ninth at Itzulia Basque Country and third overall at the Tour de Suisse, a phenomenal race for the 22-year-old. Onley was seventh in stage 13's mountainous time trial (AFP via Getty Images) He took a stage win on Stage 5, beating overall winner Joao Almeida on a stage featuring four category-one climbs, and clearly rode into his best form at the perfect time with the Tour de France on the horizon. Having moved from the rolling Scottish hills to the mountains of Andorra, the 22-year-old is most at home when the gradient kicks up. So far in this Tour he has finished third, fourth twice, fifth, seventh, and sixth twice, with three of those fine results coming on gruelling back-to-back Pyrenean stages. While Onley is a pure climber, his seventh place on stage 13's mountainous time trial indicated that that sort of terrain against the clock also suits him well, which bodes well for a future as a serious GC contender. He was distanced by the likes of Vingegaard and Pogacar at the toughest gradients on the road stages to Hautacam and Superbagneres, but has shown he can ride his own pace to limit his losses, and has ridden a very mature race to rise to fourth overall. Onley follows Vingegaard and Pogacar on the toughest slopes of Col de la Loze (AP) Nowhere was that more on show than on the queen stage of the Tour: stage 18 from Vif to Courchevel, with the summit finish 2,304m above sea level on the mythical Col de la Loze. Onley was distanced on the day's second HC climb, the Col de la Madeleine, but paced himself well and was rejoined by his teammates on the valley road to Col de la Loze. With their support he conserved his energy and ultimately was the final GC rider to stick with Vingegaard and Pogacar on the steepest upper slopes of the formidable climb, only dropping in the closing few hundred metres. After stage 16's race to Mont Ventoux he was 2'01' behind Florian Lipowitz, the current third-placed rider and leader in the best young rider classification, but the queen stage saw him shave that deficit down to just 22 seconds, meaning Onley has a fine chance of both taking the white jersey in Paris and third spot on the podium. At the same time he built his advantage to 1'26' over five-time Grand Tour winner Primoz Roglic, Lipowitz's Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe teammate, who currently sits fifth. The Scot has consistently stuck with the yellow jersey group and finished third behind Pogacar and Vingegaard on stage seven (AFP via Getty Images) By the end of the second week, it looked as though the Scot himself was starting to believe he is real deal. He told ITV4 on Monday, 'It's something I wasn't expecting. It's really been a successful week, the Hautacam stage gave me a lot of confidence on the first climb, when I saw Remco [Evenepoel] being dropped and [Matteo] Jorgenson in trouble and I still felt really good. That was my first real test in the mountains with multiple climbs. 'The last day in the Pyrenees [stage 14 to Superbagneres] was the hardest stage for sure. I didn't feel super good that day but looking around, no one felt that good. Each stage that passes I'm gaining more confidence. 'The team have a lot of confidence in me, and maybe sometimes I need to have a little bit more confidence in myself. But that's starting to come now and I'm starting to see my place in the peloton and finding my way.' The team have insisted throughout this Tour that Onley is riding a 'relaxed GC', without any pressure on his shoulders, and that voyage of discovery of what exactly he's capable of continues this week, with one major day of climbing in the Alps left on Friday. Onley was fifth on stage 12 to Hautacam, behind only his GC rivals (AFP via Getty Images) And with the retirement of Romain Bardet, Picnic PostNL's veteran climber and GC rider, Onley is coming of age at just the right time - along with fellow 22-year-old British talent Max Poole, who represent a bright future for British GC hopefuls. Picnic PostNL's sports director Matt Winston told Velo this week, 'I think he's an incredible talent. He works hard, he's a quiet guy. But he is very thoughtful, very reflective. And he's doing a really good job.' Onley's ambitions of winning a stage at this Tour have been somewhat thwarted by his lofty position in the general classification, meaning that Pogacar and his UAE Team Emirates-XRG outfit will never let him go in a breakaway. That means that in order to win a stage the Scot will have to stick with Pogacar, Vingegaard, and the GC group in the high mountains and overhaul them. It's a daunting task for anyone, but he has already demonstrated he can stick with them. And regardless of the final outcome in Paris, Onley has marked himself out as a huge name to watch for the future.
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Mark Bullingham confident England can keep Sarina Wiegman until end of contract
Football Association chief Mark Bullingham insists England will have no problem retaining 'special' Sarina Wiegman until the conclusion of her contract, but confirmed they have held no extension talks with the head coach. The 55-year-old is the first manager in the history of men's or women's football to reach five consecutive major finals – including Sunday's showdown with Spain in Basel, where England are aiming to defend their Euro 2022 title. Wiegman is signed on until the conclusion of the 2027 World Cup, and, despite believing the Dutchwoman 'could do any job in football', Bullingham fully expects her to be leading England out in Brazil. '(It won't be) hard at all (to keep her),' said Bullingham. 'We are committed to her until 2027, she is committed to us, and we've obviously got a new team to support her. 'We haven't quite started working on 2027, although some of the logistical things we're looking at, but I know that her focus, hopefully after a success on Sunday, will shift quite quickly to 2027.' Should England beat Spain, Wiegman will lift her third consecutive European championship trophy, having guided the Netherlands to glory in 2017, then England in 2022. She also took the Dutch team to the World Cup final in 2019, and was in charge when the Lionesses reached their first two summers ago. Asked when conversations could take place, Bullingham replied: 'I'm pretty focused on Sunday at the moment. Generally you're normally looking at a tournament cycle out, if not a year out, that's when you would know roughly whether the coach wants to carry on, or whether you want to carry on, but, honestly, we haven't had any of those discussions yet.' On Tuesday night, after England completed another stunning comeback to beat Italy in their semi-final, Wiegman said she did not think she could distill her success down to one secret ingredient, but added: 'The only thing I could say, I think I'm always myself.' Bullingham feels Wiegman is a 'very special' coach, pointing out that 'there are teams here that have got good players, but haven't made it through to a final. 'Her connection with everyone is so special. I think really stressing that everyone is in it together is critical, and I think she's really helped build a very strong culture, not just amongst players, but the whole support team. 'I think her record individually is phenomenal. Before the tournament I said we were lucky to have her. I still feel that way. I think she's been incredible. I think her record of managing five tournaments and reaching five finals is phenomenal. 'I don't think anyone's been anywhere near that in the past, and I think it would be really hard for anyone to do in the future.' Some have wondered if Wiegman's next move could be into the men's game – perhaps even with England. Reiterating a similar view on the subject from two years ago, when he was asked for his thoughts at the World Cup, Bullingham said: 'It's almost disrespectful to assume that England men's is a more senior job than women's. 'That's not the way we view it. I said at the time, and I still believe now, Sarina could do any job in football.'
The Independent
11 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sarina Wiegman ‘not for sale' as FA to fight off offers if England win Euro 2025
The Football Association is determined to fight off any offers for Sarina Wiegman if the Lionesses win Euro 2025, with chief executive Mark Bullingham insisting that England manager is 'not for sale' at any price. Wiegman has now reached five major tournament finals in a row, including the last three with the Lionesses, and has the chance to become the first England manager in history to defend a title when her team take on world champions Spain on Sunday. Wiegman is under contract until the end of the 2027 Women's World Cup and Bullingham, who called the Dutch coach 'special', is confident they can keep her in charge even if there is an increased demand for her services if England win the Euros. Sarina Wiegman led England to Euro 2022 glory and has taken them to another major final (Getty Images) 'It's not hard at all,' Bullingham said. 'We are committed to her until 2027 and she is committed to us. We have a new team coming in for her. We haven't quite started working on the plans for 2027 but I know her focus. Hopefully after success on Sunday, it will shift quite quickly to 2027.' There has been some criticism of England's performances during their run to the Euro 2025 final in Switzerland and, while Bullingham said it was not his place to comment on whether Wiegman is taken for granted, he said it was no accident that she is into another final. 'We have a really special coach and we should all recognise that,' Bullingham said. 'I do think the tournament record is incredible but I also see the work she has done with players and the relationships and connections she builds in camps. It is phenomenal. 'She is just a cool head in the way she transmits that onto the pitch. She looks like the coolest person in the stadium and I have no doubts that helps in critical moments. I can only give my opinion but she is a really special coach and we are lucky to have her.' Wiegman will welcome two new additions to her coaching staff in September, with Janneke Bijl and Arvid Smit replacing assistant Arjan Veurink, who will be taking charge of the Netherlands after Euro 2025. Bullingham said there have yet to have been discussions over extending Wiegman's contract, as it is too soon to look beyond the 2027 World Cup, and responded to a suggestion that she should be under consideration for the England men's job after Thomas Tuchel. 'My answer is the same now as it was in 2023,' Bullingham said. 'The starting point is it is almost disrespectful to assume the men's job is more senior to the women's. That is not the way we view it. 'I said two years ago Sarina could do any job in football, she is an amazing talent and we are delighted to have her running the women's team through to 2027.'
