Stoke City
Fulham and West Brom stars tipped to shine in the Championship
While the ultimate goal of the Championship season is promotion to the Premier League, the Golden Boot race is always an interesting sub-plot. Expect this season to be no different, with a number of proven goalscorers looking to make their mark once again. The current leading candidate appears to be Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, and it’s not particularly difficult to see why. He is the only player in the second tier who already has a Championship Golden Boot to his name, having hit 26 back in the 2019/20 season. Mitrovic has a fantastic record in the Championship Last season wasn’t an easy one for the Serbian, scoring just three league goals in 27 outings. However, his record in the Championship with Fulham is nothing short of excellent, bagging 36 in 57 for the Whites. The most likely to ...
Mikel Obi leaves Stoke City, joins Kuwaiti club
Former Nigeria captain John Obi Mikel has joined Al Kuwait SC, the Kuwaiti Premier League side on a year’s deal. The announcement was made by the club on Thursday, after Mikel and Stoke City cancelled their contract by mutual consent. Mikel’s new club finished third in the division last season behind Al-Qadsia and champions Al-Arabi. The Nigerian spent 11 years and made 372 appearances across all competitions for Chelsea. After Chelsea he played for Trabzonspor and Middlesbrough, before heading to China to spend two years with Tianjin Teda in the Chinese Super League. Mikel returned to UK in August 2020 to play Stoke City. Stoke boss Michael O’Neill told the club’s official website: ‘Although John triggered the second year of his contract, we always had an agreement in place whereby we wou...
Cameroon goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa doubtful for Super Eagles friendly
Indomitable Lions goalkeeper Fabrice Ondoa is doubtful for Friday’s friendly against Nigeria due to injury. Ondoa, who plays for Spanish club Deportivo Alaves hurt a finger on his right hand during training on Tuesday morning. The 25-year-old is expected to undergo test to determine the severity of the injury. A graduate of Samuel Eto’o Academy, he has been capped 44 times by the five-times African champions. Stoke City’s Blondy Noukeu, Omossola Simon , who plays AS Vita of Congo Democratic Republic and Pas Lamia’s Devis Epassy are the three other goalkeepers in the squad. Cameroon will take on the Super Eagles at the Stadion Weiner Neustadt on Friday. The African superpowers will clash in a second friendly at the same venue next week Tuesday. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Dese...
Ex-Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana appointed GC Zurich technical director
Switzerland side Grasshopper Club Zurich have appointed former Super Eagles midfielder Seyi Olofinjana as the new technical director. The 40-year-old was most recently a loan manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers. Olofinjana will take over the position of Technical Director at the Grasshopper Club Zurich with immediate effect and will be responsible for sports. He is taking over the position of interim sports director from Jimmy Berisha, who is stepping back into his role as Managing Director. ”Olofinjana was active in his career as a player for Stoke City, Hull City and the Wolverhampton Wanderers, among others. After his active career, he worked for the Wolverhampton Wanderers in various positions. Most recently, he worked as a loan manager,” reads a statement on the club website. “Olofinja...
Taiwo Awoniyi gets UK work permit, set to leave Liverpool permanently
Fulham and West Brom are interested in signing Taiwo Awoniyi after he was granted a UK work permit for the 2021/22 campaign. Awoniyi linked up with Liverpool in 2015 but is yet to feature in an official game for the Reds. The Nigeria international has spent the past six years on loan at different clubs across in Europe and is currently with Bundesliga club Union Berlin. According to Goal the 23-year-old and his family were finally granted UK permits this week, following a lengthy application process. Aside from Fulham and West Brom, Stoke City have also registered interest in the forward, while Union Berlin are also keen on signing him on permanent deal. German clubs Stuttgart and Wolfsburg are also keen on signing him this summer. Liverpool are open to selling Awoniyi but will only accept...
Derby send Sheffield Wednesday down, Hammers target bags second successive treble
Derby County narrowly avoided relegation on a dramatic final day in the Championship. The Rams twice came from behind to secure a 3-3 draw against Sheffield Wednesday at Pride Park to escape the drop at the expense of their opponents. Martyn Waghorn (2) and Patrick Roberts were on target for Derby, while Sam Hutchinson, Callum Paterson and Julian Borner replied for the visitors. Rotherham United were on course to survive after Lewis Wing put them ahead at Cardiff City, but Marlon Pack’s late strike sent them tumbling back into League One after just one season. Wycombe Wanderers also made an immediate return to the third tier despite recording a 3-0 victory at Middlesbrough – Fred Onyedinma, Garath McCleary and Jason McCarthy got the goals. At the other end of the table, the line-up for the...
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...
Lingard and Garner steal the headlines, but how are the rest of Man Utd’s loanees doing this season?
Manchester United’s link with their academy is synonymous and the list of talent which has come through the ranks onto the pitch at Old Trafford is endless. However, progression into the first team isn’t something which comes easy, and even those of the most fame now – including David Beckham – sometimes have to go out on loan to prove their worth. We’ve profiled some of the United players currently out on loan this season – both young and old – and assessed what their chances are of returning to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s line-up at Old Trafford anytime soon. Jesse Lingard We’re going to start off with the players currently loaned out to clubs within the United Kingdom and undoubtedly, Jesse Lingard has started to shine since his move to West Ham United. The 28-year-old is the only name on th...
10 former Manchester United players who went into management
For 26 years, Manchester United were managed by one of, if not the greatest coach to ever touch the game. Sir Alex Ferguson guided the Red Devils to 13 league titles, two Champions Leagues, and many other domestic trophies. You’d think that those who played under him would have picked up a thing or two from his tutelage, and gone on to be successful managers themselves. Well, football isn’t always that simple. Wayne Rooney is the latest of Fergie’s disciples to take the leap into management, taking charge at Derby County. How will he fare? I guess we’ll find out. But here is how other former Man Utd players have done during their managerial days. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Solskjaer is currently in charge at Manchester United Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over at Old Trafford during a turbulent spel...
Report: Spurs player poised to leave on loan as talks continue over exit
Tottenham Hotspur winger Jack Clarke is poised to leave the club in the January transfer window on loan, according to reports from the Daily Mail. The report claims that the 20-year-old winger is currently in talks with Championship club Stoke City to join them on a temporary deal for the rest of the season. In the summer of 2019, Spurs signed Clarke for a fee of £10 million from Leeds United. The north London club immediately sent him on loan to the Yorkshire club. Clarke also had a loan spell at Queens Park Rangers last season as Spurs felt he needed more experience and game time. SL View: Good move for Clarke Spurs have a wealth of attacking midfield talents, and it’s hard to see Clarke getting games at the moment. He has dropped down the pecking order at the club following t...
Out-of-favour 24y/o to start, 33y/o to return: Predicted Spurs XI vs Stoke
Tottenham Hotspur return to action this evening with a trip to English Championship outfit Stoke City in the quarter-finals of the English League Cup, and they will keen to bounce back following back-to-back losses at the hands of Liverpool and Leicester City in the English Premier League. Securing a spot in the semi-finals of the competition and boosting his side’s chances of winning silverware will be of topmost priority to Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, and he is expected to field a strong starting line-up at the Britannia Stadium. Having dropped from top spot to sixth position in the Premier League table within the space of four days, Tottenham will be looking to make a statement of intent with a commanding display this evening. Stoke are pushing for a return to the top-flight and are curre...
Stoke City 1-2 Cardiff City EFL Championship Match Review
In a game that was not easy on the eye, the visitors Cardiff City came out 1-2 victors at the Bet 365 Stadium. Both sides came into this one in good form. Stoke City were looking for their third win in a row. Meanwhile, Cardiff City were aiming for their fourth consecutive victory. Team News Stoke City Stoke were forced into making two changes to the team that defeated Middlesbrough on Saturday. Sam Clucas was replaced by Josh Tymon, whilst Tommy Smith came in for Danny Batth. Cardiff City The away side remained unchanged for the fourth game in a row. Neil Harris sticking with the winning formula that has improved his side’s fortunes recently. First Half To be brutally honest, this half of football was tough to watch. There was a severe lack of quality on display. Possibly the only br...
