Latest news with #Tomasson
Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mirror
Sweden boss flatly rejects Gyokeres transfer claims amid ongoing Arsenal talks
Viktor Gyokeres has been forced to withdraw from Sweden's squad for this week's international break through injury as speculation mounts over his future at Sporting Lisbon Sweden boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has denied that Viktor Gyokeres has left the national team squad to avoid injury amid a potential move to Arsenal. Gyokeres is one of the hottest properties on the market this summer. The striker has scored a ridiculous 97 goals in 102 games across two years with Sporting Lisbon, winning successive Primeira Liga titles. His contract runs until the summer of 2028 but it appears increasingly likely he will leave the Estádio José Alvalade. Arsenal are among the clubs chasing his signature as they search for a new striker. They have opened talks with the Portuguese giants over a potential deal, though first comes an international break. Sweden will face Hungary and Algeria in friendlies across the next week, with the Scandanavians not starting their World Cup qualification campaign until September. Even so, the two friendlies are a good chance for Tomasson to assess his squad. Gyokeres had been included in the original 24-man group for the games in Budapest and Stockholm. But on Tuesday it was announced that the 27-year-old would be leaving the group early. That sparked rumours that Gyokeres may have pulled out in order to protect himself from picking up an injury which could potentially scupper a big summer move. But that talk has now been rubbished by Tomasson. "No! He felt a small injury and our medical team was already aware of it and we decided, together, to release him," Tomasson said. "I spoke to Viktor last week. He hasn't trained much in the last few weeks and was feeling some discomfort because of a small injury. "I was happy to see him and have him with us in this training camp. It says a lot about Viktor, how much he wants to get involved. We're thinking about it [a replacement] and need to talk more about it. In a perfect world, we have all players available." The Swedish FA released a short statment earlier this week to confirm Gyokeres' exit. It read: "Viktor Gyökeres is not available for the men's national team's friendlies against Hungary and Algeria due to a minor injury. "The striker will leave the squad after dialogue with the national team's medical team. Gyökeres needs to rehabilitate a minor injury and is therefore not available for the upcoming international matches against Hungary and Algeria. "In consultation with the medical team, the decision has been made that Viktor will leave the national team. The men's national team will face Hungary on June 6th away and Algeria at Strawberry Arena on June 10th." The striker provided an update on his future earlier in the week. He insisted that he had not made a decision on his future despite the Gunners having opened talks with Sporting chiefs. "We will see… nobody knows anything yet," Gyokeres said on the Flymoduspod podcast. "I wish I had a more fun answer, but that's all I can say for now."
Metro
6 days ago
- Business
- Metro
Sweden boss rubbishes Viktor Gyokeres transfer claim amid Arsenal talks
Jon Dahl Tomasson has vehemently denied claims that Viktor Gyokeres may have pulled out of Sweden's squad to avoid injuring himself ahead of a possible transfer move to Arsenal. Gyokeres was included in Tomasson's 24-man party for Sweden's upcoming friendly matches against Hungary and Algeria and looked certain to add to the 26 caps he has accumulated for his country. But on Tuesday it was announced that Gyokeres had been given permission to leave Sweden's training camp in Stockholm due to a 'minor injury' – and the prolific Sporting forward will play no part in either game. Tomasson will also be without Alexander Isak for the double-header after a groin problem forced the Newcastle attacker to withdraw from the squad. It comes as a blow to Sweden's preparations for their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, which begins at the start of September against Slovenia. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. There has been some talk on social media that Gyokeres may have pulled out in order to protect himself from picking up an injury which could potentially scupper a big summer move. Arsenal are leading the race to sign Gyokeres and are believed to have held talks with the player's entourage in Lisbon last month, before he joined up with his international team-mates in Sweden. But Tomasson rubbished any suggestion that Gyokeres could be faking or exaggerating an injury, stating: 'No! He felt a small injury and our medical team was already aware of it and we decided, together, to release him. 'I spoke to Viktor last week. He hasn't trained much in the last few weeks and was feeling some discomfort because of a small injury. 'I was happy to see him and have him with us in this training camp. It says a lot about Viktor, how much he wants to get involved.' A statement from the Swedish FA on Tuesday read: 'He [Gyokeres] will leave the squad after dialogue with the national team's medical team. 'He needs to rehabilitate a minor injury and is therefore not available for the upcoming international matches against Hungary and Algeria. Budapest's Puskas Arena stages the first of Sweden's two friendlies against Hungary on Friday evening. Tomasson's men then return home to Sweden entertain Algeria at the Stockholm's Strawberry Arena. With speculation and gossip mounting, Gyokeres insists he is still yet to make a final decision over his future. 'We will see… nobody knows anything yet,' Gyokeres said on the Flymoduspod podcast earlier this week. 'I wish I had a more fun answer, but that's all I can say for now.' Sporting have grown increasingly resigned to losing Gyokeres this summer and club bosses are reportedly prepared to do business should they receive an offer of around £60million for the ex-Coventry City man. Gyokeres' current contract in Lisbon runs through to June 2028. More Trending 'He is very happy here,' Sporting manager Rui Borges said when asked for an update on Gyokeres' future as they celebrated their Primeira Liga title triumph together. 'He is very connected to the game, he wants to score and he is obsessed with it. 'He is the best striker in Europe, as the numbers show,' Borges added. 'He will be attractive, but I believe that if he doesn't leave Sporting, he will remain very committed to the club. He feels very happy here.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Man Utd offered PSG star after Ruben Amorim's top target joins Chelsea MORE: Chelsea respond to AC Milan transfer request for Mike Maignan MORE: Tijjani Reijnders speaks out ahead of impending £46.3m Man City transfer
Yahoo
03-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Nio is facing heavy competition in China's fierce EV market. Making key design decisions ‘within hours' could help it break through
China is the world's most competitive market for electric vehicles. Startups and established carmakers are sparring on price, technology and, increasingly, design, as companies try to grab market share. Foreign visitors are often astounded by what Chinese EVs can do. 'The EV market, especially in China, is incredibly competitive,' says Kris Tomasson, vice president of design for Nio, one of China's leading EV startups. To keep ahead of the competition, 'design really has to be leading edge, always looking forward, very progressive. So we're given the ability to really push on the design side.' Being design-forward means being agile enough to pursue new ideas quickly—with a helping hand from digital technology. 'Key decisions that maybe would take months at a traditional carmaker, we can make within hours through our digital tools,' Tomasson says. Nio is now trying to use its design chops in releasing a new entry-level vehicle—dubbed 'Firefly'—as it tries to break into the entry-level segment in both the Chinese and European car markets. William Li founded Nio in 2014; the company debuted its first car in 2016. The startup has focused on high-end vehicles, competing with companies like Tesla and fellow Chinese EV maker Xpeng. Nio has delivered over 737,000 cars in total through the end of April. Tomasson, who had previously worked at BMW, Ford, and Coca-Cola, was 'one of the first 10 people brought on board, which made me realize how important design was going to be for this company going forward.' Michael Tropper, cofounder of design agency Forpeople, was also brought into Nio early to work on 'a once-in-a-career opportunity to build something from scratch.' He tried to focus on Nio's offerings beyond the car itself, particularly the company's battery-swapping stations. 'This is the main worry everybody has about EVs: How am I going to charge the car? What if I run out of power?' Tropper says. Nio has since made its sleek, minimalist battery-swapping stations a 'cohesive part of the brand experience,' Tropper says. The second unique aspect behind Nio are the 'Nio Houses,' the company's retail storefronts. The startup pitches these 'houses' as community spaces for Nio drivers, including co-working spaces, libraries and cafes. 'We took inspiration from private members clubs,' Tropper said. 'I took William Li to Soho House here in London, and we really immersed ourselves into that world.' Nio now has over 180 such spaces, mostly in China with a few in Europe and the Middle East. 'A key element of differentiation for Nio is its service culture and care for the customer. We felt, very early, that a space where you host people is the best way to express that,' Tropper says. 'The car industry can learn a lot from the hospitality industry.' Nio's shares are down by almost 30% over the past 12 months, as investors continue to worry whether EV startups can survive in China's fierce EV sector. The company generated $9 billion in revenue in 2024, yet reported a $3 billion loss for the year. Dozens of Chinese EV startups have sprung up over the past decade, tapping into government subsidies. While that helped grow a globally competitive car industry, it's also led to fierce competition as carmakers battle for market share. Many are likely to fail, unable to keep up with giants like BYD, Tesla, and Geely Auto. Nio, for its part, has stumbled in trying to expand its product lineup. It unveiled Onvo, which targets the mass-market segment, last year. Yet sales have been slower than hoped, which executives blame on delayed deliveries. The startup's latest offering is 'Firefly,' a more entry-level vehicle compared to its standard premium models. The Chinese startup launched Firefly in the Chinese market in mid-April. The first model, a small Mini-like EV, retails for just under 120,000 Chinese yuan ($16,466). Nio has declined to disclose order numbers for the new brand, but founder William Li has suggested he hopes it will eventually make up 10% of the company's sales. Nio hopes to launch Firefly in Europe by the third quarter of the year. It's a slight delay to the company's original plan to launch by the summer; Nio admits it underestimated the challenges of selling in Europe. When designing the car, Nio 'distilled it down to three keywords: Vivid, thoughtful, and solid,' Tomasson says. That first characteristic—vividness—comes through in its 'trio lights': three small headlights on each side of the car's front, which are mirrored on the back. 'Nobody's done that in the industry,' Tomasson explains. 'It's instantly recognizable.' Thoughtfulness comes through in the car's interior, which the company made 'as efficient as possible' in order to maximize space. And finally, despite its more entry-level price tag, the car still needs to feel like a 'premium, grown-up car.' Tropper, too, embraced the idea of the 'firefly' in developing the car's brand image, choosing an 'electric yellow, glowing color that offsets the cooler tones of the night.' For Tropper, working on Firefly was a chance for the branding and design teams to work closely together, rather than in separate, siloed verticals. 'The design DNA has to work for the brand as well as the cars,' he says. This story was originally featured on Sign in to access your portfolio
BBC News
25-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
I like how Northern Ireland play - Sweden boss Tomasson
International Friendly: Sweden v Northern IrelandVenue: Strawberry Arena, Stockholm Date: Tuesday, 25 March Kick-off: 18:00 GMTCoverage: Watch live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI, listen on BBC Sounds and live text commentary & in-play clips on the BBC Sport website Jon Dahl Tomasson says he expects a response from Sweden against Northern Ireland after Saturday's surprise defeat in Korac hit a first-half winner as Sweden were shocked by the side who will be in Northern Ireland's World Cup qualifying group in by Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak and Nottingham Forest's Anthony Elanga, Sweden will be a stern test for Northern Ireland, who drew 1-1 with Switzerland on Friday, despite their result in Luxembourg."It was a very disappointing performance," said Tomasson, who became Sweden manager in February 2024 after leaving Blackburn Rovers."I couldn't recognise my team in Luxembourg."Now we are playing Northern Ireland, who are a really good team. They won their Nations League group, like we did, and they are on a good run."Tomasson says that Michael O'Neill's Northern Ireland "are a solid team" and he expects a good game in Stockholm, which will be live on BBC iPlayer and BBC Two NI. from 17:45 GMT."I have to admit I like it when I see the team play," the former Newcastle United and Denmark striker added."They are a difficult team to play against. Every game is important, so we will look forward to it."
