Sports
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Sports
Manchester United handed transfer boost, £70m-rated star open to Premier League transfer
Manchester United have been handed a boost in signing Raphael Varane with the Real Madrid defender said to prefer a move to the Premier League this summer, AS reports. The France international has been with Los Blancos for the past decade, where he has accumulated more than 350 appearances across all competitions. He continues to remain an assured starter in the central defence when fit, but there are question marks regarding his future beyond the current campaign. His current deal with Los Blancos expires in just over 14 months, and he has yet to be convinced to put pen-to-paper on a new long-term contract. Varane’s wage demands are acting as the stumbling block, and it is reported that he could be open to a fresh challenge. Both Paris Saint-Germain and United have regularly been linked w...
Jordan Henderson lauds ‘power of supporters’ in statement following European Super League drama
Jordan Henderson has paid tribute to fans after the collapse of the proposed European Super League (ESL). Liverpool were one of 12 clubs that were planning to break away from UEFA and form a new competition. Joining them were three clubs from Spain and Italy, and fellow English clubs Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Chelsea. The announcement led to mass outrage across the footballing world. Fans protested while players, managers and pundits blasted the proposal. Henderson was particularly vocal against the ESL Henderson was one of the leading men in the fight against the ESL, organising a meeting with all 20 Premier League captains. He later posted a Tweet against the proposal. The plans eventually fell through, with all six English clubs pulling out, alon...
32-goal star open to Manchester United transfer, could be available for just £26m
Juventus superstar Cristiano Ronaldo is open to the prospect of returning to Manchester United this summer, a report from Gazzetta dello Sport via Sport Witness claims. The Portugal international made the switch to the Bianconeri from Real Madrid in 2018 for around £100 million, and he has impressed with 97 goals from his 127 appearances. However, the 36-year-old is assessing his future ahead of the summer after what has turned into a disappointing 2020/21 campaign for the club. It is added that the Portuguese is open to the ‘romantic idea’ of rejoining the Red Devils, where he was contracted between 2003 and 2009. It is added that he is prepared to take a reasonable cut on his £27m annual wages but won’t accept anything less than £17.4m as the net salary. While United boss Ole G...
17y/o striker training with Bielsa’s side ahead of Leeds v Man Utd clash
Leeds United under-18 star Charlie Allen has been training with the first-team ahead of Sunday’s clash against bitter rivals Manchester United. ✨Great to see 17-year-old Charlie Allen training with the first team ahead of this weekends game against Manchester United! Charlie has impressed for both #LUFC U18’s&23’s since his summer move from Linfield and was recently rewarded with his first Northern Ireland U19 call-up pic.twitter.com/p7yAGc7W3j — LUFC Youth (@leedsutdacademy) April 23, 2021 Marcelo Bielsa’s side have secured Premier League safety ahead of next season, but they are keen to finish comfortably in the top half of the table. Despite this, the Argentine head coach could hand some playing minutes to academy players over the coming weeks. Allen appears to be in the fram...
Journalist claims Celtic have tabled official bid for centre-back Napoli want
According to Italian journalist and transfer expert Nicolo Schira, Celtic have tabled an official bid for Hajduk Split centre-back Mario Vuskovic. #HajdukSplit have rejected an official bid of €5M from #Celtic for the croatian centre back Mario #Vuskovic (born in 2001). #Torino are also interested in him and #Napoli have asked info last January. #transfers — Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) April 23, 2021 However, the Croatian top-flight outfit have rejected the Hoops’ initial offer. Celtic want to bolster their squad this summer to snatch the Scottish Premiership title off Rangers next season following this term’s debacle, and they are already making plans ahead of the summer transfer window. The Parkhead outfit have made a €5 million bid for Vuskovic, but they have to increase their offer as ...
Predicted Everton starting XI: Ancelotti to make three changes, 24-year-old set to return
Everton will face Arsenal in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium on Friday evening. The Toffees are without a win in their last six games in all competitions, and they will be looking to return ways, starting with Arsenal. They are heading into this match on the back of three consecutive draws in the Premier League, the latest being the 2-2 draw against Spurs. Everton find themselves eighth in the Premier League, and they need some positive results to boost their chances of securing a European spot this season. Ahead of the match, Carlo Ancelotti has delivered some positive news regarding players returning from injuries. Dominic Calvert-Lewin missed the last game, and he is available for selection. Likewise, Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes, Fabian Delph and Bernard are all available for sel...
Ryan Mason provides worrying update on Harry Kane’s fitness ahead of Man City game
Interim Tottenham manager Ryan Mason has revealed Harry Kane did not train with the team on Friday ahead of the Carabao Cup final. Kane suffered an ankle injury during the 2-2 draw with Everton last week, limping off towards the end of the game. While Tottenham fans feared the worst, Kane did not leave the game on crutches, suggesting the injury may not be serious. Despite that, the Englishman has been in a race against time to be fit for this weekend’s Carabao Cup final clash with Manchester City. The stand-in Spurs boss admitted earlier in the week that there is still a chance Kane could feature. However, Mason admitted on Friday that the forward had missed training. “We’re not sure yet – he didn’t train with the team today, but we’ll know more tomorrow,” Mason explained, as quoted ...
“He wasn’t ready for a job at this level”: Chelsea star makes Lampard admission
Chelsea midfielder Jorginho has claimed Frank Lampard was not ready for the Blues job, having ‘skipped some steps’ in his progression. Lampard joined Chelsea in 2019, having impressed during a spell with Championship club Derby County. The Blues legend enjoyed some early success, forming a team with an emphasis on the club’s exciting youth talent, such as Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori. However, when Chelsea’s transfer ban was lifted in 2020, his focus shifted to building a team that could compete for the Premier League title. After a poor first half of the 2020/21 season, Lampard was sacked and replaced by current boss Thomas Tuchel. Now, midfielder Jorginho has given his honest opinion on Lampard’s Chelsea appointment and tenure. “Look, I’ll be really sincere here on Lampar...
Klopp delivers positive injury update about two key Liverpool players ahead of Newcastle clash
Liverpool will face Newcastle United in the Premier League at Anfield on Saturday lunchtime. The Reds will be looking to return to winning ways and pick up all three points, as they aim to secure a Premier League top-four spot. Ahead of the game, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has touched upon various issues in the press conference. Here are some of the key points. Team News Klopp confirmed that Nat Philips is out of this game, but Curtis Jones is set to return. Nat Phillips still out but Curtis Jones back available for Saturday’s game v Newcastle. #LFC — James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) April 23, 2021 There has been concern over the fitness of Digo Jota who missed training yesterday. However, Klopp says that the Portuguese winger is fine and available for selection. Liverpool ow...
Another FSG betrayal – can Liverpool fans force ownership change again?
Liverpool announced their participation in the European Super League on Sunday along with five other Premier League clubs. 12 clubs from across Europe came together for the exclusive breakaway tournament, but the Premier League sides were forced to withdraw their participation two days later following protests and backlash from their fans. Liverpool Football Club can confirm that our involvement in proposed plans to form a European Super League has been discontinued. — Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 20, 2021 Since then, Liverpool owner John Henry has come under tremendous pressure from the fanbase to sell the club and move on. Since taking over at Liverpool around a decade ago, FSG have managed to guide the club to success on the pitch, but they have made numerous mistakes off it and it seems t...
Everton in advanced talks to sign 21-yr-old, Toffees hoping to reach agreement soon
Everton are looking to sign the Norwich City defender Max Aarons at the end of the season. According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Merseyside outfit are now leading the race to sign the 21-year-old, and there have been advanced negotiations between the two clubs. Everton are leading the race to sign Max Aarons – advanced talks and negotiations progressing for the right back. 🔵 #EFC Many clubs are interested as Max Aarons will leave Norwich in the summer – Everton have started contacts since February and hope to reach an agreement soon. https://t.co/phsV5Opcb8 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) April 23, 2021 The full-back has recently been linked with West Ham United, but Everton are believed to have initiated contact in February and are hoping to reach an agreement soon...
‘Pest’ of a player is a great British footballer
At the age of 36, Steven Davis has just come off the back of a weekend where he scored an overhead kick to aid Rangers’ Old Firm victory. He also recently became the most-capped British player in history when he received his 126th cap for Northern Ireland. His incredible career is still going strong, and he is currently in the running for Rangers’ Player of the Season. He recently won his fourth league title with the Gers and is now looking for a third Scottish Cup. He has been a top footballer for over a decade now. A runner up in the 2007-08 UEFA Cup Final, he helped Rangers reach the round of 16 in the competition’s current iteration. A true Northern Irish legend, he typifies everything the country’s football is about. Disciplined, hard-working and determined. He has left his ...
