Football
Jesper Gronkjaer: Hakim Ziyech will succeed in Premier League with Chelsea
Jesper Gronkjaer is backing Hakim Ziyech to succeed after his £37 million ($43m) move from Ajax to Chelsea. The Blues completed a deal in late February and the 27-year-old is set to link up with his new team-mates on July 1, with the Eredivisie season cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak. Ziyech will join a group including Filipe Luis, Bertrand Traore, Mario Melchiot, Winston Bogarde and Gronkjaer himself in making the switch to Stamford Bridge having played at the Amsterdam ArenA. Moving to the Premier League will prove a step up for Ziyech and Gronkjaer believes he is the star player from the Dutch side’s run to the Champions League semi-finals in 2018. “Ziyech was the one who has caught my eye over the past two seasons even though he wasn’t produced by Ajax’s academy,” Gronkjaer told...
Ex-QPR Star Taraabt Backs Eze To Lead Club To Premier League
Former Queens Park Rangers star Adel Taraabt says he hopes England-born Nigerian midfielder Eberechi Eze will lead the London club back to the Premier League. Eze has been impressive for Queens Park Rangers this season which has seen him been linked with a host of Premier League sides. The 21-year-old has scored 12 goals made eight assists in 39 games in all competitions so far this season for Mark Warburton side. And the 30-year-old Moroccan international, who now plays for Benfica in the Portuguese top flight urged Eze not to lose focus. “I watch him and think he has big potential,” Taarabt told the club website. “I enjoy watching him – he’s physically strong, has a good touch, can score goals. I see him and hope he will one day take QPR to the Premier League – I think he has that abilit...
Lyon president reveals when the Champions League will be back
Olympique Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas claims a date has already been set for the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Juventus. Lyon won the first leg 1-0 and the two sides were originally scheduled to play the second leg in Turin on 17 March. But after the coronavirus put a stop to that, Aulas has now revealed that the second leg will take place behind closed doors at the Allianz Stadium on 7 August. “The match against Juventus is confirmed on August 7, in Turin and behind closed doors,” Aulas told RTLFoot on Saturday. Last month, the LFP announced that the Ligue 1 season would be finished with 10 matches remaining after the French government ruled that no football should take place in the country before September. The final table was decided based on points per game...
Duncan Castles: Manchester United want rid of David de Gea
Manchester United are ‘not happy with David de Gea’, according to The Daily Record’s Duncan Castles. Speaking on the Transfer Window Podcast, Castles revealed that the club has made a mistake in tying de Gea to a lucrative long-term contract and would be glad to offload the Spaniard should an offer come along for him. ‘United are not happy with the performance of De Gea post signing that record contract’ Castles claims. ‘They basically put themselves in the position where they had to pay him far, far more money than any other club was prepared to pay him. So they’ve saddled themselves.’ ‘It’s a hugely expensive contract for a player whose performances have declined since he signed that contract.’ ‘My understanding is that there’s a thought within the camp that were someone to offer De Gea ...
Arsenal to keep Saka away from ‘hugely impressed’ Liverpool
Liverpool have a concrete interest in Bukayo Saka, claims a report, but Arsenal are unlikely to sanction a transfer even though he is nearly out of contract. Saka has been one of the most promising aspects of Arsenal’s mixed season, with the teenager impressing as either a left winger or a left-back. The 18-year-old is out of contract at the end of next season, meaning Arsenal may have to sell him to avoid losing him on a free to a Premier League rival – with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United circling. However, it appears that the Gunners will not be selling him before his contract expires, as Football Insider claims that they are not giving up hope of convincing him to sign an extension and are prepared to take the risk of negotiating into next season. Arsenal are ready to offe...
UEFA releases possible dates for Champions League games
UEFA’s plan to complete the Champions League and Europa League continues. The plan says that they will be played throughout the month of August once the leagues are done in July. UEFA have an idea which is to end the season by the end of August. Therefore, the domestic leagues need to be completed by the end of July. The proposal is for the remaining last 16 games to be played in the first week of the month. On 26th and 29th August, Gdansk and Istanbul will host the Europa League and Champions League finals respectively. ‘Marca’ says that they will try and stick to that instead of playing both the finals at the same venue. There are 17 Champions League and 27 Europa League matches left to play. Confirmation of the new calendar depends first on leagues getting back underway and then on the ...
Manchester United delay extension talks with Odion Ighalo
Manchester United are delaying talks of loan extension with Shanghai Shenhua striker Odion Ighalo who joined the Red Devils on a loan move from Chinese Super League in the January transfer. Manchester United reserved the right to make the move permanent based on the performance of the 30-year old striker at the Old Trafford. The former Super Eagle striker hit the ground running in the Red Devils colours having scored four goals in eight games for Manchester United. Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been impressed with the performance level of the former Watford striker and he has instructed the Old Trafford board to permanent his deal at the club. The Red Devils want to keep Ighalo for the remainder of this season, even if games go deep into the summer. Manchester United m...
Victor Osimhen emerges fourth best scorer in Ligue 1
Victor Osimhen has emerged as the fourth highest goalscorer in the French Ligue 1 this season. The 2019/2020 campaign was cancelled last week, following the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. Osimhen, who joined Lille from Belgian outfit, Sporting Charleroi last summer scored 13 goals and bagged four assists in 27 league appearances for the Great Danes. Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappe won the Golden Boot with 18 goals, while Monaco’s Ben Yedder came second with same number of goals. Mbappe edged out Ben Yedder because he scored more goals from open play. Three out of Ben Yedder’s 18 goals came from the spot while none of Mbappe’s 18 strikes were penalties. Mbappe also had a better goals-per-game ratio, scoring 18 in 20 – the same number in six games less than his rival Ben Yedder. M...
NFF gives out palliatives to clubs in Abuja
The Nigeria Football Federation on Thursday handed out palliatives to representatives of 14 different clubs and two communities in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as token support in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic ravaging the entire world presently. The clubs, spread across Nigeria National League, Nigerian Nationwide League One and FCT League (academies) cadres, included Supreme Court FC, EFCC FC, Abuja Female United, FOSLA FC, Bimo Sporting Club, Wazobia FC, Setraco FC, Goodland FC, Fire Service FC, NYSC FC, FWC Champion Club, Abees Academy, Casmat Academy and WACO Academy. Garki Village and Karamajiji communities also benefitted from the package. At the presentation of packed items such as rice, beans, Indomie noodles, groundnut oil and tin tomatoes at the football bo...
Louis van Gaal blames Ed Woodward for Manchester United sacking
Getty Images Louis van Gaal blames Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward for his departure from the club in 2016, describing him as “the evil genius” behind his sacking. The Dutch head coach replaced David Moyes at Old Trafford in 2014 but lasted just two years in the job despite winning the FA Cup in his final game in charge. After guiding United to fourth place in the Premier League in his first season, Van Gaal saw his side slip down to fifth the following campaign as he failed to convince the club that he could turn their fortunes around. Jose Mourinho was named as Van Gaal’s successor just days after he was sacked and the Dutchman has stressed that he blames Woodward and not the Portuguese for his departure. “I blame Ed Woodward, my CEO at Manchester United, much more ...
Yaya Toure backs Didier Drogba’s bid for Ivorian FA presidency
Getty Images Yaya Toure is backing former Ivory Coast team-mate Didier Drogba’s bid to become president of the Ivorian Football Association (FIF). The Chelsea legend announced he would be running for the post in September 2019, though his campaign took a major hit at the end of April. In a recent vote between former Ivory Coast players, 11 of the 14 votes went to current incumbent Sory Diabate. Drogba and current vice president Idriss Diallo won zero votes between them, with three former players withdrawing from the vote. “It’s time for change in our football. It needs modernity,” said Toure. “When I say I support Drogba, it’s also for the good of the country, to have a former player of his kind investing himself in Africa.” Drogba represented his country 105 times and announced his intent...
Edo clears 111 suspected coronavirus cases, 380 contacts
The Edo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Patrick Okundia, has said the state is making steady progress in the management of coronavirus (COVID-19), noting that all active cases of COVID-19 are being managed at different isolations centres across the state and are responding well to treatment. Speaking to journalists in Benin City, Okundia said Edo has discharged ten persons who have tested negative twice to the virus and exited another 491 persons, comprising 111 persons of interest (POIs) and 380 line-listed contacts, who have completed the compulsory 14-day follow up and tested negative. The commissioner noted that from the onset of the outbreak, Edo State has recorded a total of 593 suspected cases of COVID-19 and 65 confirmed cases spread across nine Local Government Areas (LGAs) of t...
