Former Arsenal forward Robin van Persie has urged Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel to give “a much bigger role” to Hakim Ziyech. The 28-year-old has made 39 appearances for the Blues across all competitions since teaming up with the side last summer. The winger has played in a number of roles under Tuchel and Van Persie has expressed his displeasure with this, since the Morocco international does not have a definite role at the club. “It is actually a shame that the creativity of players like Ziyech, Pulisic and Kovacic – who I think is a brilliant player – is not being expressed,” Van Persie told De Telegraaf. “Kovacic is their engine and playmaker. Ziyech also has those qualities higher up the pitch, but he should have a much bigger role in the team. “He is now constantly searching [for a p...
Tyson Fury has insisted that he still intends to fight Anthony Joshua this year despite committing to a trilogy fight against Deontay Wilder in July. Only last weekend, Fury announced that his much-anticipated heavyweight showdown with Joshua would take place in Saudi Arabia in August. Soon afterwards, however, Wilder won an arbitration hearing which ruled that Fury was contractually obliged to fight him for a third time. Fury’s first bout against Wilder came in December 2018 and ended in a controversial draw. In the rematch last year, the self-styled Gypsy King stopped his opponent in round seven to win the WBC heavyweight and Ring magazine titles. A planned trilogy fight was initially postponed by the coronavirus pandemic, before disputes over the rescheduling saw Fury declare that he’d ...
Chelsea midfielder, Christian Pulisic has revealed that the team is battle-ready to overcome Leicester City in today’s FA Cup clash at Wembley Stadium. Pulisic, who is expected to be in the starting lineup against Leicester City made this known in an interview with ESPN. “We know what Leicester is all about. They are going to battle, they are a tough team. They’ve done extremely well in the league this year. We know about their attacking ability and some of the players they have. “So we expect them to come and battle. We are going to give it everything, and hopefully, if we play the way we do and we match their intensity, I think we can beat them.” The US international also debunked reports circulating in social media that he’s unsettled at Stamford Bridge. “I’m obviously happy here. It ha...
Super Eagles and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen has said his 30 minutes of unconsciousness Sunday, ‘felt like a brain reset’ Osimhen was discharged to return to Naples on Monday after spending the night under observation at a hospital in Bergamo following an alarming collapse towards the end of the club’s 4-2 Serie A defeat by Atalanta on Sunday. Osimhen was knocked unconscious in a scary incident during the final minutes of the game after a challenge with Cristian Romero; he was stretchered off the pitch and taken directly to hospital. A close adviser to the player told ESPN that a disoriented Osimhen was shocked when he saw the video of the incident. “He could not believe it when they showed him the video from the incident,” the adviser said. “He said it felt like a brain reset.” Multiple...
Source: Meg Oliphant / Getty Sage Steele may have thought she had a little more pull than Elle Duncan, but it appears after ESPN’s latest announcement she found out just how sick of her personality that everyone really is. On Monday (Dec 15), the network took to Twitter to alert fans of the change, making note that Sage Steele will no longer be anchoring the daily 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter, before noting that the coveted spot would be filled by none other than Elle Duncan. “ESPN announces SportsCenter anchor lineup for the new year,” the tweet read. “Steele will move to the noon ET edition of SportsCenter as co-anchor after the College Football Playoff and will add a new periodic ESPN+ interview program to her slate.” Duncan, who is currently on maternity leave, and will join Kevin Ne...
RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann is reportedly on Manchester United’s list of potential replacements for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, amid the mounting pressure regarding the Norwegian’s future at Old Trafford. The current United boss has overseen a shaky start to the new season for United, with his side currently 15th in the table having won just two of their opening six Premier League fixtures. The Red Devils had appeared to have turned things around after the international break, with a thumping win over Newcastle United, as well as impressive Champions League victories over Paris Saint-Germain and Leipzig quietening the doubters somewhat. That all changed over the past week, however, with United putting in another drab performance at home in the 1-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend, before t...
UFC star, Israel Adesanya, can expect to get back in the Octagon fairly soon, though it won’t be to defend his middleweight title. UFC President Dana White told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto that Adesanya will move up to light heavyweight to face Jan Blachowicz. White and Adesanya reportedly spoke about the move Friday with the undefeated Nigeria-born New Zealander on board to switch weight classes. Adesanya was spotted at UFC Fight Night 181 in Las Vegas on Saturday and had a small back-and-forth with middleweight Kevin Holland after the latter defeated Charlie Ontiveros via technical knockout. Holland appeared to call out Adesanya for a shot at the title after winning four straight bouts in 2020. It appears such a fight will have to wait—as will any potential middleweight title fight, which White...
Christian Pulisic dismisses Chelsea exit rumours
Chelsea winger Christian Pulisic has dismissed rumours he could quit Stamford Bridge this summer. The United States international has found himself in and out of the side under Thomas Tuchel and admitted he was “very frustrated” not to start against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final second leg earlier this month, giving rise to speculation he could seek a move this summer. However, Pulisic says he isn’t going anywhere and is “up for the challenge” of proving himself in west London. When asked whether he saw his long-term future at Chelsea, Pulisic told ESPN: “Yeah, I’m obviously happy here. It has been an incredible two years. “People have always doubted and said: ‘Oh, he’s not playing, does he want to go here, does he want to go there?’ I’m always up for a challenge, I love c...