Goalkeeper
Eberechi Eze makes PFA Championship Team of the Year
Crystal Palace new signing Eberechi Eze has been included in the PFA Championship Team of the Year. The PFA made the announcement which was published on their verified Twitter handle on Tuesday. Eze’s inclusion is due to his impressive performance for former club Queens Park Rangers last season. The 22-year-old scored 13 goals and provided eight assists in 45 Championship appearances for QPR. He was voted QPRs Players’ Player of the Year, the Supporters’ Player of the Year and the club Player of the Year. The PFA Championship Team of the Year was dominated by newly promoted Leeds United who have four players: Luke Ayling, Ben White, Liam Cooper and Kalvin Philips. Other players in the list are Brice Samba of Nottingham Forest, West Bromwich Albion’s Romaine Sawyers, Aleksandar Mitrovic and...
NFF mourns demise of former Flying Eagles goalkeeper, ICT head
A former Flying Eagles goalkeeper, John Felagha, has passed on. The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) broke the sad news on its Twitter page yesterday, saying the 26-year-old former Golden Eaglets goalkeeper at the 2009 U17 FIFA World Cup died in Senegal on Sunday. The NFF wrote: “Former National U17 and U20 goalkeeper John Felagha has died. Felagha died on Sunday in Senegal. He was aged 26. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.” In a related development, NFF were also thrown into mourning following the death on Saturday evening of the Federation’s Head of ICT, Mr. Tolulope Abe. Abe reportedly passed on at the National Hospital, Abuja as a result of complications that arose after a surgery. He was 48. NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, was at the late Abe’s house in Abuja ...
Arsenal set to sell goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez
Arsenal are prepared to sell goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez in the summer transfer window, according to reports from The Athletic. The 27-year-old has been with Arsenal for a decade now, but he is likely to leave in the coming weeks. He shone in the absence of Bernd Leno during Project Restart and has expressed to desire to continue to start regularly, be it at Arsenal or elsewhere. However, the Gunners consider Leno as their first choice. The German is fit again to resume his duties which leave Arsenal little choice but to allow Martinez to leave. Martinez has two years remaining on his current deal worth £20,000 per week. His agents have been looking to renegotiate his terms for some time, but talks have been delayed due to a number of factors. Should he leave the club, Arsenal would be ex...
Sebastian Osigwe set to join Swiss Super League side Lugano
Swiss-born Nigerian goalkeeper Sebastian Osigwe is on the verge of completing a move FC Lugano in the Swiss super league. Osigwe left his former club FC Kriens back in April after spending six with the club and helped them secure promotion on two different occasions. The 26-year-old also kept 45 clean sheets in 143 matches for the club for FC Kriens during his six-year spell at the club. Former Swiss champions FC Thuns also made contact with the representatives of the goalkeeper according to reports, but Osigwe has already made up his mind to Lugano. Meanwhile, the deal that will make Osigwe become a Lugano player could be announced next week. Osigwe was born in Switzerland and has represented the country of his birth at the U-15’s, 16’s and U-18’s levels, but wants to follow the footsteps...
Everton looking to sign São Paulo goalkeeper Lucas Perri
Everton are thought to be keen on signing the Sao Paulo goalkeeper Lucas Perri this summer. As per Joven Pan, the Toffees have made contact with the Brazilian club. It will be interesting to see if they follow up on the enquiry with a formal offer now. Jordan Pickford has been quite error-prone since moving to Goodison Park and it is no surprise that Everton are looking at other keepers. Pickford is a talented player but he needs to work on cutting out his mistakes. Also, he needs more competition for the starting berth. Lucas Perri is highly rated in Brazil and he could push Pickford for the starting berth next season. The 19-year-old has played in England with Crystal Palace (loan) before and he might be tempted to join a big club like Everton. The player has a €40m release clause and th...
Super Eagles goalie Francis Uzoho joins Apoel FC
Super Eagles goalkeeper, Francis Uzoho, has been transferred to Apoel FC. No details on the amount of the operation, but the goaltender signed a three-year deal with the Cypriot club. Uzoho was on loan from Deportivo de La Coruña, as a goalkeeper. OFFICIAL: Francis Uzoho joins Cypriot giants APOEL Nicosia on a permanent deal until 2023. Congratulations 🎊 pic.twitter.com/gQ4F4xM6tK — Soar Super Eagles (@SSE_NGA) July 17, 2020 He started his career from Africa when he joined the Senegal branch of Aspire Academy in 2013, at aged 14; initially a forward, he was converted into a goalkeeper after being deemed “too slow” at the age of 12. In 2016, after impressing on a tournament in Barcelona, he joined Deportivo de La Coruña’s Juvenil squad. Age rules meant that Uzoho could only become a...
Senegalese midfielder Pape Gueye ‘proud’ to join Marseille
Pape Gueye has expressed his delight after completing his move to French side Marseille on a four-year deal. The Olympians recently confirmed the signing of the Senegalese on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract with Le Havre last month. The highly-rated defensive midfielder has been with the men in Sky-and-Navy since 2012 after joining the youth setup from Blanc-Mesnil SF. He signed his first professional contract with the side in 2017 after he was promoted to the senior team and made his debut against Chamois Niortais. The Franco-Senegalese played 39 league games for Le Havre, including 25 in Ligue 2 in the 2019-20 season before his departure from the French side. In April, Premier League club Watford announced the signing of the midfielder on a five-year deal only fo...
Ederson credits Pep Guardiola with improving his game
Ederson has credited Pep Guardiola with making him a better goalkeeper and says the Manchester City boss “sees football in another way” to others. Brazil international Ederson has spent three seasons working under the Catalan coach, playing a key part in two Premier League title successes and four domestic cup triumphs. The 26-year-old is well known for his ability to command the box and start attacks from deep, but he was at fault for both goals in March’s derby defeat to Manchester United. However, Ederson insists that taking risks is something that is expected of him under Guardiola, who he credits for taking his game to the next level. “The role of a goalkeeper in Pep’s team is like the 11th outfield player on the pitch, in terms of the build-up, the pressing,” he told Sky Sports. “I t...
Arsenal’s Bernd Leno names Alisson Becker as Premier League’s best goalkeeper
Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno says his Liverpool counterpart Alisson Becker is the best in the Premier League. The Brazilian has made a huge impression at Anfield since his record-breaking £65 million ($85m) move from Roma two years ago. Taking over from Loris Karius following his disastrous performance in the 2018 Champions League final, Alisson has helped transform Liverpool’s back line. Jurgen Klopp’s side have only conceded 21 goals in 29 league games this season, with Leicester and Sheffield United the only other sides to manage fewer than 30. Asked by Soccer AM who was the best keeper in the Premier League, Leno had no doubt. “For me it’s clear, it’s Alisson,” the German said. “He’s good at everything and his stats are also very good. “He’s played a number of big games for Liverpool ...
