Defender
Florentino Perez: Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has ruled out a return to Santiago Bernabeu for Cristiano Ronaldo and claims to have had no contact with Paris Saint-Germain regarding a move for Kylian Mbappe. Movement in the Spanish capital is being mooted ahead of the summer transfer window, with Perez – who is famed for his ‘Galactico’ recruitment model – being re-elected to remain at the helm of the Liga giants. It has been suggested that efforts will be made to re-sign a five-time Ballon d’Or winner, with Ronaldo having left Real for Juventus as the club’s all-time leading scorer in 2018, but no bid is being lined up to land the 36-year-old Portuguese. Perez has told El Chiringuito: “Cristiano Ronaldo will not come back to Real Madrid. “It does not make sense, he has a contract with Juventus. I...
Stoke, Derby County others eager to have Akin Odimayo
English footballer of Nigerian descent Akin Odimayo has been caught in the middle as Championship sides Stoke and Derby County jostle to have him in their squad. The Swindon Town defender has been impressive doing his job and has attracted attention from a number of clubs in recent times. Odimayo joined The Robins last summer on a free transfer from Reading, and has played over 30 times for the League One side. He has played at both full-back and in central defence for Swindon, who are battling hard to avoid relegation. Despite their struggles as a team, the 21-year-old has impressed. Therefore, Swindon are set to take up the one-year option they have on him before then selling him. Aside from Stoke and County, Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End are also in the race for Odimayo. Odi...
Yinka Odumakin: Premature departure of a bright star – Senator Tinubu
Like millions of Nigerians, I received with profound shock the news of the death early this morning of Mr. Yinka Odumakin, spokesman of Afenifere, committed fighter for democracy, dedicated civil society activist, courageous and outspoken defender of whatever ideals and principles he believed in and a patriotic citizen in every sense of the word. Ever since his student days, Odumakin had been fearless and unrelenting in speaking up in promoting the cause of justice and what he perceived as the best interest of the citizens of Nigeria. He participated actively at the forefront in the various students and youth struggles against successive military dictatorships in the 1980s and 1990s. In the process, he was arrested, harassed and even detained several times. Yet, he never allowed himself to...
Napoli trio test negative for coronavirus
Napoli can breathe a sigh of relief as Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo Insigne’s swab tests came back negative. Serie A clubs are concerned as four staff members of Italy national team tested positive for COVID, the FIGC announced on Wednesday after the Azzurri’s 2-0 win over Lithuania. However, according to Sky Sport Italia, Napoli’s Italy international Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Alex Meret, and Lorenzo have not contracted the virus as their swab tests came back negative. The trio returned to Naples in the morning and can now join their teammates in Castelvolturno for today’s training session. The Azzurri will face Crotone on Saturday and travel to Turin on Wednesday to play the rescheduled fixture from matchday 3 against Juventus. The Old Lady’s defender Leonardo Bonucci tested po...
AFCONQ: CAF confirms new date for Sierra Leone vs Benin clash
The Confederation of African Football has announced the postponed Africa Cup of Nations qualification encounter between Sierra Leone and Benin Republic will now take place during the June international window. The Group L fixture initially billed for Tuesday, March 30, at the National Stadium, Freetown did not take place owing to a Covid-19 controversy. However, both teams will now square up against one another in three months’ time – a game that will determine the last team to secure a place for Cameroon 2022. “The Africa Cup of Nations organizing committee has decided to postpone the above-mentioned match to the next Fifa international window scheduled for June 2021. We thank you in advance for your cooperation and understanding,” a post from Benin Football Federation Facebook page read....
Super Eagles invitee wants to prove there are quality NPFL players
Abia warriors defender Adekunle Adeleke has revealed his aim in the Nigeria national team squad is to prove there are quality players in the Nigeria Professional Football League. The defender is one of the three home-based players invited for the Super Eagles’ 2022 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers this month. The three-time African champions will take on the Republic of Benin on March 27 before slugging it out against Lesotho three days later in Lagos. Adeleke has set himself a target of representing the home-based players well in the national team in order to open doors of opportunities for them. “Definitely we are going to give a good account of ourselves and try to do our best to show that there are good and quality players in the league,” Adeleke told Brila FM. The defender is optimist...
Thiago Silva reveals ‘nice surprise’ from Frank Lampard after Chelsea move
Thiago Silva says a “nice surprise” from Frank Lampard immediately assured him he made the right choice when joining Chelsea over the summer. The Brazil defender moved to the Premier League shortly before his 36th birthday, bringing to an end his eight-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain. Silva says he had no doubts about his decision to head to Stamford Bridge, but appreciated a gesture he received from his new manager as he prepared for the move. What did Lampard send Thiago Silva? “As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013,” Silva told FourFourTwo. “It was a nice surprise. He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester Ci...
Leeds United coach: ‘No formula’ to stop Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa said Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is a player they must stop in Monday’s Premier League fixture, but there is “no formula” for them to neutralise him. Eze was a thorn in the flesh for the Whites when the teams battled at Selhurst Park back in November as he opened his Premier League goal account and provided an assist in their emphatic 4-1 win. The 22-year-old’s stunning free-kick won Crystal Palace’s Goal of the Month for November but narrowly missed out on the Premier League award to Super Eagles defender Ola Aina. Aside from the Nigerian playmaker, Bielsa is also wary of Wilfried Zaha’s threat, though the Ivorian forward won’t be available for the game due to a hamstring injury. “I’m trying to find an answer that would be worth it,” Bielsa was quo...
Liverpool complete loan deal for Schalke defender
Liverpool have completed the deadline-day signing of Ozan Kabak from Schalke, subject to international clearance. The 20-year-old defender will move to Anfield on loan until the end of the season, with the Reds having the option to make the move permanent in the summer for a fee of £18 million ($25m). Kabak, a Turkey international who moved to Schalke from Stuttgart in 2019, will be the first of two signings on a busy day on Merseyside. He will be joined by Preston centre-back Ben Davies, who finalised his switch earlier on Monday. Goal understands that Liverpool will pay an initial loan fee of around £1m ($1.4m) for Kabak, while the deal for Davies could be worth in excess of £1.6m, should all performance-related add-ons be triggered. The Reds had been insistent that it would be a quiet w...
Racism: Anthony Martial seeks for security protection
Anthony Martial has asked Manchester United to help with security at his house after racist trolls abused him and his wife on social media. Martial was targeted with vile racist abuse following Man United’s shock home defeat to Sheffield United last week. The forward’s wife, Melanie, also received online hate which included death threats to both herself and her husband. The couple, who have a young child, have since approached the club who are believed to be happy to assist with extra security at their house. The Red Devils provided protection for executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward when angry fans attacked his home with flares last year.They beefed up security at his house and launched a review of safety measures. A similar set of actions is expected to take place at Martial’s house. Man ...
Henry Onyekuru grabs brace as Galatasaray beat Gaziantep away
Henry Onyekuru scored twice as Galatasaray beat Gaziantep 2-1 in their Turkish Super Lig clash at the Gaziantep Stadyumu on Friday. It was Onyekuru’s first appearance for Fathi Terim’s side since he linked up with the club from Monaco. The Nigeria international started the game on the bench and replaced Morocco international Younnes Belhanda after the break. The 23-year-old put Galatasaray ahead in the 51st minute after he was teed up by Dutchman Ryan Babel. He scored his second goal of the game 12 minutes from time. His international teammate Oghenekaro Etebo replaced Emre Kılınç in the 75th minute. Former Flying Eagles defender Valentine Ozornwafor was an unused substitute for Galatasaray in the game. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looki...
Arsenal linked with Chelsea’s Champions League winning defender
Arsenal are considering a move for former Chelsea left-back and current Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand as they look to provide competition for Kieran Tierney. Mikel Arteta revealed this week the club are in the market for a left-back to compete with Tierney after Sead Kolasinac was allowed to join former club Schalke on loan. Arsenal are looking at a number of targets, but it is understood that Bertrand is one player being monitored. Bertrand is into the final six months of his contract with the Saints and has been in protracted talks over a new deal with the south coast club. The 31-year-old, who still lives near the Blues’ west London training ground and commutes to Southampton, was of interest to Leicester in the summer following the sale of Ben Chillwell and the Foxes have kept tab...
