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Day: 19 March 2023

Liam Gallagher of Oasis snaps up Noel Edmonds’ villa in Grasse

by: Elsa Carpenter
19/03/2023
liam gallagher grasse

After a visit to Grasse earlier this year, Liam Gallagher of the band Oasis has splashed out nearly €3.5 million on a villa near the city that was previously owned by Noel Edmonds, according to the British press.  

In early January, local fans of the British band spotted Liam Gallagher and his family eating lunch in the Place aux Aires of Grasse. 50-year-old Gallagher chatted with passersby and reportedly told one that he was spending a couple of days checking out the city.  

Now that the news has broken that the band’s frontman has bought a villa not far from Grasse, one can guess that Gallagher may have been here to sign the compromis de vente on his newest property purchase.  

The villa, which is believed to have sold for around €3.4 million, is a six-bedroom stone manoir that sits against a backdrop of green hills and forest to the east of the city. It supposedly comes with its own vines and olive groves as well as a swimming pool on a considerable stretch of land. 

The previous owner was British TV presenter and gameshow host Noel Edmonds, who listed the property for €4 million with high-end agency James Edition in 2018. It is not confirmed if the same agency is behind the recent sale.  

Gallagher revealed an affinity for France back in 2017 during an interview with the Sunday Mirror. 

“I’m definitely moving to Paris,” he said. “By the time I am 50 I am going to live in Paris. I will rock a beret easy. I’ll rock the onions as well and a stripy thing and a wonky bike with a baguette on my arm. I’ll rock that… We love it and Debbie [Gwyther, his fiancée and manager] speaks French so she can do all the ordering.” 

Grasse might not be the French capital, but it is the world capital of perfume, and fans of the singer will be hoping to see more of the famous Mancunian in and about the city in the future.  

 

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Photo source: James Edition

Formula 1: Red Bull secure one-two as Charles Leclerc climbs to seventh

by: Luke Entwistle
19/03/2023

Sergio Perez defended his pole position, whilst Max Verstappen produced a thrilling comeback drive from 15th place at the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix on Sunday, but Charles Leclerc could only manage seventh.

Perez lost his first place at the first corner, as Fernando Alonso, who joined him on the front row, took the inside line. However, the Spaniard had committed a rudimentary error and received a five-second penalty after failing to start in the correct grid position.

Ultimately, that penalty was of little consequence in the race for second. Perez made the pass to retake the lead on lap four, and never looked like losing it. Meanwhile, Leclerc, starting in 12th due to a penalty incurred for a power unit change, was cutting his way through the field nicely on the soft tyre.

Leclerc loses rhythm

Leclerc reached P7 after an overtake on Lewis Hamilton before making the change to the hard tyre. It was at this point that the Monégasque became unstuck. The Ferrari driver had pitted just one lap before a safety car, which was brought out due to a technical failure on Lance Stroll’s Aston Martin. All of his competitors profited from pitting under the safety car, with Hamilton getting the jump.

Leclerc was then stuck behind teammate Carlos Sainz, with neither Ferrari finding rhythm on the hard tyres. An audibly frustrated Leclerc made no further progress, finishing seventh, one place behind his teammate.

Verstappen close to a miraculous comeback

Verstappen’s rise through the field had a sense of inevitability about it. Everything went perfectly for the reigning world champion in the opening half of the race. His progress was steady during his opening stint, and the safety car couldn’t have come at a better time.

Alonso was no match for Verstappen’s Red Bull, and the only question was whether he could catch his teammate up front. The Dutchman, who seemingly struggled with some minor technical issues after Saturday’s withdrawal from qualifying, couldn’t make inroads into Perez’s lead, but did take the extra point for fastest lap, which coupled with his second position, allows him to remain at the top of the standings.

He was behind eventual winner Perez but in front of Alonso, however, the Aston Martin driver was hauled off the podium, receiving a 10-second time penalty related to his previous infringement, promoting George Russell to third. Alonso did, however, finish ahead of Hamilton, as well as the two Ferraris.

At this stage of the season, Red Bull are unrivalled, and that looks set to remain the case with the grid heading to Melbourne, Australia in a fortnight’s time.

 

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Photo from Scuderia Ferrari press office

Football: Monaco return to winning ways against Ajaccio

by: Luke Entwistle
19/03/2023

AS Monaco secured their first victory of March with an unconvincing but essential 2-0 victory over AC Ajaccio in Corsica on Sunday. 

Les Monégasques have been on a barren run. Since beating Stade Brestois on 19th February, they had failed to win a game, and have since been eliminated from European competition and fallen off the podium. However, with victory over Ajaccio, Monaco are once again looking forward, despite the content of the result.

Without Aleksandr Golovin, arguably Monaco’s player of the season, due to an adductor injury, the Principality side lacked fluidity and struggled to create clear-cut opportunities. However, they opened the scoring midway through the first half thanks to a Caio Henrique set play. The Brazilians’ cross was met by Guillermo Maripán, who forced a brilliant save from Benjamin Leroy, but he could do nothing about Wissam Ben Yedder’s close-range rebound.

The result, but nothing more

Having broken the deadlock, Ajaccio remained compact, and Monaco continued to struggle. Even after Cyrille Bayala was correctly sent off for a reckless challenge on Henrique, the goals didn’t flow, although substitute Krépin Diatta did seal the result late on after being played through by Mohamed Camara.

The result was best summarised by Youssouf Fofana, who said post-match, “We don’t take much from this match apart from the result.” Philippe Clement added, “We were less fluid than in other matches, but we won. It’s also important to keep a clean sheet, it’s been a long time since we’ve had one. We lacked confidence after four matches without a victory. That’s human. There are many things that we can use going forward in the coming weeks.”

A friendly against La Spezia

The result means that Monaco go into the upcoming international break on a positive note. Les Monégasques, or at least those that won’t travel to represent their national sides, will keep the motor running with a friendly against La Spezia on 23rd March, which will also give some of the club’s youngsters a chance to impress.

Monaco then return to competitive action when they welcome Ligue 1 strugglers Strasbourg to the Stade Louis II on 2nd April.

 

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Photo by AS Monaco