Anderlecht
€21m star undergoes successful medical with Arsenal, transfer to be completed soon – report
Anderlecht midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga has had a successful medical in Belgium ahead of his expected transfer to Arsenal this month. The Gunners have agreed an initial €17.5 million fee for the 21-year-old. The deal could rise to €21m with the performance-based add-ons involved. It was reported yesterday that a medical was being planned, and reputed Belgian journalist Sven Claes has now confirmed that Lokonga has passed the tests. Sportslens view: The Gunners are on the cusp of announcing the arrival of Nuno Tavares from Benfica, and Lokonga’s transfer could also be confirmed soon. He may have to quarantine on his arrival in the English capital. It appears unlikely that he will be involved with the Gunners in their pre-season camp in Scotland. Meanwhile, the signing of the Be...
Romelu Lukaku backed to succeed Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich
Former Belgium striker Emile Mpenza has tipped Romelu Lukaku to succeed Robert Lewandowski at Bayern Munich. The 28-year-old has excelled at Inter, scoring 64 goals in just 95 matches since joining the Serie A side from Manchester United in 2019. The forward has a similar record for the national team, having struck 63 times in 96 caps for the Rode Duivels, including three at Euro 2020. Mpenza has been amazed by the ex-Chelsea and Anderlecht player’s development and believes Bayern would be smart to look at him if they need to replace Poland sensation Lewandowski following his 48-goal campaign in Germany. “Romelu’s strength in a duel and his speed are outstanding. That makes it so difficult for the defenders against him,” Mpenza told Sport Bild. “If they go into a duel with him, he uses his...
Anderlecht move for 19-yr-old Man City defender could be a good thing
Anderlecht are in talks with Manchester City to sign defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis on loan, according to reliable European football correspondent Kristof Terreur. The 19-year-old struggled for consistency while on loan with Blackburn Rovers during the second half of last season, although he did improve towards the end of the campaign. However, he does not look ready for City’s first team just yet, and another temporary move is likely to help his development. Harwood-Bellis did finish the season with an 80% pass completion rate, highlighting that he possesses some of the attributes required to succeed. In his defence, he played for Blackburn who were far from the most gifted Championship team so he may shine in a better environment at Anderlecht. At best, he could have got the oc...
‘There is a deal to be struck’ – Ornstein provides latest update on €20m Arsenal target
Arsenal have reportedly made a formal move for Albert Sambi Lokonga. The Gunners are keen to bolster their midfield this summer and have made a formal move for the Anderlecht midfielder. According to reports from The Athletic, the 21-year-old midfielder has been on Arsenal’s radar for some time. He has impressed heavily in the Jupiter Pro League, making 50 first-team appearances in the last two seasons. A few weeks ago, Arsenal made an enquiry about Lokonga. They have now come up with a formal bid – an opening offer of €15m (£12m) – for the Anderlecht midfielder. The Belgian club want a guaranteed fee of €20m (£17m) for the youngster. Arsenal just need to improve their offer to secure his signature. David Ornstein of The Athletic has claimed that ‘there is a deal to be...
Nigeria reportedly keen on luring Manchester City youth product
Nigeria are trying to convince Anderlecht forward Lukas Nmecha to commit his international future to them, according to Bild. The Manchester City youth product impressed at the recent European U-21 Championship, finishing as the top scorer with four goals to help Germany win the title for the third time. Nmecha qualifies to represent Germany as he was born in Hamburg but has previously represented England from U16 to U21 level. He previously helped the Young Lions to win the 2017 European U-19 final after scoring the winner against Portugal in the final. As Nmecha has yet to represent any nation in a senior competitive international fixture, he can still commit his international future to England, Germany or Nigeria, where his father was born. There is little doubt that Nmecha’s performanc...
Paul Onuachu scores as Genk thrash Club Brugge 3-0
Paul Onuachu scored his 31st goal in the Belgian league tonight for KRC Genk to trounce defending champions Club Brugge in the championship playoffs. Onuachu opened scoring in the 57th minute. Cup winners Genk remain in second place with 34 points after two rounds in the playoffs. They are now five points behind leaders Club Brugge. Antwerp are third on 30 points, same as fourth-placed Anderlecht. Both teams clash in Brussels tomorrow. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, blogging and help give users back their fair share of Internet r...
Aston Villa winger Trezeguet tests positive for coronavirus
Mahmoud Hassan ‘Trezeguet’ has tested positive for coronavirus, the Aston Villa star has confirmed. Since his head injury during an English top-flight game where the Claret and Blue Army stuttered to a 2-1 defeat by West Ham United in November 2020, the Egyptian is yet to feature for the Villa Park giants. The 26-year-old went down under the challenge of Declan Rice while trying to connect to Douglas Luiz’s flick in the 71st minute. Upon his return to first-team training at their Bodymoor Health training ground on Thursday, Trezeguet contracted the virus alongside several first-team players and staff. “After being hit in the head with six stitches, I was exposed to a tear and a hindquarter and I was not able to play for a month, then after rehabilitation and the beginning of the return to ...
Nigerian midfielder sees red as 10-woman SL Benfica fall at Chelsea
Christy Ucheibe got sent off in Wednesday’s Uefa Women’s Champions League first leg, Round of 32 encounter as 10-woman SL Benfica suffered a 5-0 loss at home to Chelsea. The Nigerian midfielder was first cautioned in the 31st minute for a foul on Fran Kirby before receiving a second yellow card for a bookable offence against Erin Cuthbert in the 74th minute. Having squeezed past POAK and Anderlecht to the Round of 32, the Portuguese champions hosted the English giants at the Benfica Stadium with the ambition of boosting their next round chances. The hosts made a false start in the encounter when Fran Kirby opened the scoring for the visitors after just two minutes. In the 29th minute, Guro Reiten set up Millie Bright to double the lead for Chelsea before Reiten bagged her brace of assists,...
Paul Mukairu nominated for Anderlecht Goal of the Month Prize
Nigeria forward Paul Mukairu is in the running for Anderlecht player of the month award for November. Mukairu’s superb strike from outside the box on his league debut for Anderlecht handed Vincent Kompany’s side all three points against Royal Antwerp. The young forward replaced Sierra Leone’s Mustapha Bundu three minutes after the hour mark and scored the winning goal in the 76th minute. The 20-year-old is nominated along with three other players; Lukas Nmecha, Laura Deloose and Laura De Neve for the award. He provided the assist for Nmecha’s goal in the 2-1 away defeat at Beerschot. Mukairu, who linked up with Anderlecht on loan from Turkish outfit Antalyaspor at the start of the season has scored one goal in four league appearances for the club. Get more stories like this on Twitter You ...
Vincent Kompany turns down offer to be Pep Guardiola’s assistant
Vincent Kompany has turned down an offer from Manchester City to become Pep Guardiola’s assistant coach, according to various Belgian media reports on Friday. The former City captain is under contract as player-manager of Anderlecht until 2022, having left the Etihad Stadium last year following a trophy-laden 11-year spell in England. Kompany, who has never concealed his desire to one day be City manager, said he wanted to stay at Anderlecht. On Thursday, Belgium’s most successful club responded to recent financial difficulties as Wouter Vandenhaute took over from Marc Coucke as president. Anderlecht finished only eighth in the Belgian league season, which was curtailed by the coronavirus pandemic, their worst post-war position. City boss Guardiola has been looking for a new assistant sinc...
