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Robin van Persie wants Chelsea boss to give Hakim Ziyech ‘much bigger role’
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: I will still fight Anthony Joshua this year
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 ...
Barcelona secure 500 million Euro loan
Barcelona have secured a €500m loan from Goldman Sachs, with €100m arriving immediately to cover unpaid wages. Like many of the clubs who had signed up to the Super League project, Barca are struggling financially in the wake of the COVID pandemic and in need of fresh funds. President Joan Laporta has seemingly found the key with a loan worth €500m from American investment bank Goldman Sachs. ESPN claim there will be €100m arriving immediately, so Barcelona can settle outstanding payments owed to players. The club’s gross debt is said to now be almost €1.2 billion. Sources told ESPN the situation with outstanding payments was so bad that the squad was preparing to take the matter to the Spanish Footballers’ Association. Barcelona agreed with the players to defer payment of their wages duri...
Christian Pulisic: Chelsea battle ready to overcome Leicester City at Wembley
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...
Victor Osimhen likens his unconscious 30 minutes to a brain reset
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...
Jemele Hill In Talks With “Politically Progressive” Company Formed By Past ESPN Colleagues
Source: Derrick Salters/WENN.com / WENN There might be a new player on the block in the competitive sports journalism and commentary space, this time from past ESPN employees. A “politically progressive” company formed by former ESPN president John Skipper and former network host Dan Le Batard have been in early talks with Jemele Hill to join the new startup. As reported by Front Office Sports, the unnamed venture from Skipper and Le Batard is framed as the polar opposite to Outkick, a right-leaning sports outlet that has featured the writings Jason Whitlock, who has since moved on as a partner and contributor. Front Office Sports reached out to Hill, who offered in a statement that the discussions are still ongoing but that she looks forward to a potential partnership “We’re trying to fig...
WELP!: Sage Steele Replaced on ESPN By Woman She Tried To Get Fired
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...
Lionel Messi’s father already in talks with PSG to negotiate in January – report
According to a report published by ESPN, Lionel Messi’s father and agent Jorge Messi is already in talks with PSG over a negotiation that can take place in January. Messi wanted to leave the club in the summer, but a move to Manchester City fell through after extensive legal proceedings regarding his contract and if he could leave the club for free. Now former President Josep Bartomeu blocked the transfer himself, saying that he could leave for no less than his €700 million – the release clause mentioned in the contract. The Argentine came out after that to speak about the saga, explaining his unhappiness, and how the only reason he did not leave was because he did not want to drag the club he loved into a legal battle. However, he can leave Barça in June, next year on a free transfer, and...
Julian Nagelsmann on Man United’s list of potential Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replacements
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: Israel Adesanya to fight Jan Blachowicz next
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...
Super Eagles coach proud of latest FIFA ranking
Super Eagles coach Gernot Rohr says he’s happy with the improvement the team has made since his arrival. Since Rohr arrived in 2016 as a replacement for Sunday Oliseh, he has guided the team to the 3rd place 2019 African Cup of Nations and the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The team also started their 2022 African Cup of Nations qualifiers with a bang, recording a back to back win over Squirrels of Benin and Lesotho. The three-time African champions recorded another milestone last Thursday when the latest FIFA ranking saw them moved up to 29th place on the world ranking and retained their third spot on the continent of Africa. Rohr said the team he’s happy with the ranking but insisted that there are loads of works to be done. “When I arrived we were not number three (in Africa). We were m...
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...