TEAM
Manchester United step up Kingsley Coman transfer bid
Getty Images Manchester United have reportedly told Kingsley Coman they are ready to pay him £200,000 a week after tax. The Bayern Munich star has two years left on his contract but is yet to agree terms over a new deal. Bild claim Coman, 24, earns £200k a week before tax but ‘would like to have it in net’. United have apparently ‘indicated’ to the Frenchman they are willing to meet his demands – and make him their joint fifth top earner. But there is no guarantee of a quick transfer as Bayern are in no rush to make a decision on his future. And the Bundesliga champions will be able to demand a hefty fee with Transfermarkt valuing him at £58.5million. United are in the market for a new winger with Jadon Sancho and Cristiano Ronaldo both top targets. Coman has long been linked and could be ...
Robert Lewandowski left buzzing after historic goal number 41
An elated Robert Lewandowski could not believe his luck after he scored his 41st league goal the season in the final minute of the final game of 2020-21 season on Saturday to break a 49-year-old record held by fellow Bayern Munich great Gerd Mueller. Lewandowski rounded Augsburg keeper Rafal Gikiewicz in the 90th minute to score league goal number 41, one more than Mueller, in their 5-2 victory. “I really have no words to describe this,” Lewandowski said. “When you try over 90 minutes to score a goal and it is just not happening and then with the last kick of the game you score, then it feels absolutely amazing.” “I am very happy. This is certainly a highlight in my career.” Lewandowski, who is already second on the all-time scorers list in the Bundesliga, with 277 goals, behind only Muell...
Liverpool boss refuses to confirm Gini Wijnaldum’s departure
Jurgen Klopp refused to confirm whether Gini Wijnaldum is set to play his final game for Liverpool this weekend, but insisted the midfielder’s commitment to the Reds cannot be questioned. Wijnaldum’s contract at Anfield expires next month, and there is no sign of the 30-year-old agreeing a renewal. Bayern Munich and Barcelona have been strongly linked with the Dutch international, who is likely to captain the Reds on Sunday in their crunch clash with Crystal Palace at home. Klopp refused to be drawn on Wijnaldum’s future at a press conference at Kirkby on Friday, telling reporters: “There’s nothing to say in this moment. We have a game to play. We will see after the final whistle on Sunday.” Later, though, he was asked whether the idea of such an influential player – Wijnaldum has made 50 ...
GSAC: 500 Nigerian nationals languishing in Togolese prisons
The Global Society for Anti-Corruption (GSAC) yesterday alerted that no fewer than 500 Nigerian citizens were languishing in various prisons in Togo. Consequently, it has called on the federal government to intervene on behalf her citizens and ensure that they get justice. GSAC’s President, Mr Frankline Ezeona who briefed newsmen in Enugu on a recent fact-finding visit his organisation made to Togolese prisons, disclosed that a good number of the Nigerians in the said Togo prisons had spent more than 10 years awaiting trial. Ezeona who decried the inhuman treatment being meted to the Nigerians by officials of the Togolese prisons, stressed that their situation had been compounded by the fact that they no longer have access to certain relief materials due to the ravaging COVID-19. Federal g...
Dennis Bergkamp named Premier League Hall of Fame inductee
Dennis Bergkamp is the latest former player to be inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame. The Dutchman joins ex-Arsenal team-mate Thierry Henry as well as Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona, Roy Keane and Frank Lampard in receiving the League’s highest individual honour. “It feels special to be part of a small group of players who got the recognition of playing in the strongest league in the world,” said Bergkamp. “I’m honoured.” His arrival at Arsenal in 1995 from Inter Milan was the catalyst for a transformation of the Premier League, the playmaker adding a new level of technical ability and skill that elevated the competition and attracted other stars from overseas. ‘THE PL MADE ME A BETTER PLAYER’ “I’m extremely proud if people say that I was one of the first foreign players who added s...
NFF’s FIFA match agent celebrates Nigeria proposed friendly with Mexico
NFF’s FIFA Match Agent, Jairo Pachon of Eurodata Sport, is excited that Nigeria will be playing Mexico in a friendly international on July 3 in the United States. “We are happy to be able to announce this match, which is a clash between two very big teams from two different continents. Mexico against Nigeria is a big match any day and the venue is class,” he said. The two teams will announce their squads for the match sometimes in June. Mexico will play three other games before the clash with Nigeria, as part of their MexTour series. Three-time African champions Nigeria will clash with CONCACAF Gold Cup holders Mexico in a friendly at the famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in the State of California, United States of America. The match, which kicks off at 7.30pm LA time will be the sixth...
NDLEA intercepts 4.9 million capsules of Tramadol
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday said it intercepted 4,995,200 capsules of tramadol weighing 2,498.2kilogrammes at the Onne port, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The spokesperson of the agency, Femi Babafemi, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja. He said efforts by the NDLEA to block access and availability of illicit substances led to the interception of the container conveying the illicit drugs. Babafemi said the seizure of the illicit drug concealed in 1,387 cartons on Tuesday, May 18 followed a joint examination by NDLEA operatives and Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) personnel. He said the drugs were concealed in a container marked MRKU 0764717 which had been on the agency’s watch list. In another development, a 42-year-old man, Muntari Hamidu, has been arrest...
David Moyes set to sign new three-year West Ham United contract
West Ham United manager David Moyes will sign a new three-year contract next week, according to the Sun. The 58-year-old returned to the London Stadium to take over from Manuel Pellegrini in December 2019 after a six-month stint in 2018, penning an 18-month contract. That deal ends at the end of the campaign, but the Hammers board has been impressed with the job he has done and are more than happy to hand him an extension after a successful trial. West Ham were 17th in the Premier League table, one point above the relegation zone when Moyes re-joined, and he led them to safety at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. The team finished in 16th place with 39 points, their lowest points tally since 2010-11. The former Everton boss secured 20 points from 19 games, but has guided them to the brink o...
James Ibori loot: Delta asks federal government to return recovered fund to state
Delta State Government on Tuesday reacted to receipt by the Nigerian government of the £4.2 million first tranche of the Ibori loot from the goverment of the United Kingdom. The state government restated its earlier stand that since the returned money was illegally taken out of Delta’s Treasury, it should appropriately be returned to Delta State. This is coming on the dissolution, on Tuesday, of the Delta State Executive Council (EXCO) with Governor Ifeanyi Okowa asking the Secretary to State Government (SSG), all civil commissioners and the governor’s aides to surrender all vital government documents and property to their respective permanent secretaries in the ministries, departments and agencies. The outgoing state commissioner for information, Mr Charles Aniagwu, reiterated the positio...
Ogun governor suspends aide arrested for ‘fraud’ in US
The governor of Ogun State, Dapo Abiodun, has suspended his aide, Abidemi Rufai, who was arrested in the United States for an alleged $350,000 (about N140 million) COVID-19 unemployment fraud. Kunle Somorin, Abiodun’s chief press secretary, confirmed the suspension to newsmen on Tuesday. This was also confirmed to newsmen by the chief press secretary to Abiodun, Kunle Somorin. “Our position is that the law should take its course,” Somorin said in a WhatsApp interview. “Meanwhile, the governor has ordered his immediate suspension from office to answer charges against him.” Sources within the government told newsmen that the governor took the action immediately he was briefed about Rufai’s arrest. This newspaper earlier reported that Rufai, Senior Special Assistant to Abiodun, was arrested l...
Harry Kane tells Tottenham he wants to leave this summer
Harry Kane has reiterated his stance that he wants to leave Tottenham this summer. The 27-year-old has grown frustrated over the club’s inability to compete at the highest level, having seen his side fall out of contention to secure Champions League football for next season. Spurs have long been reluctant to entertain bids for their talisman but the England captain is hoping that they will soften their stance after his long service to the club. Daniel Levy will demand a huge fee for Kane – who prefers a move within the Premier League – as he is on a long-term deal until 2024. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are potentially viable destinations, although it is still unclear as to whether a move will materialise. All three of the aforementioned Premier League giants have signif...
Manchester United boss: Fans will give us ‘extra lift’ in final few games
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the return of fans will give Manchester United an “extra lift” in their final few games of the season. Supporters will be inside Old Trafford for the first time since March 2020 for United’s final home league game of the season, against Fulham, and after two defeats on the spin at home the United manager is hoping their support will give them a boost. After recent protests, Solskjaer is also hoping the supporters will get behind the team and hopes the game won’t be “marred by violence.” Solskjaer said: “Of course you hope that the game against Fulham will not be marred by any violence or over the top things. “I know our fans, I know the Manchester United fans, they’re the best fans I’ve had and I’ve got such a great relationship with them and they know how to ...
