Sports
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Sports
Duncan Robinson Rumored To Replace Bradley Beal on Team USA Roster
Earlier this week, Team USA men’s basketball team announced that starter and Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal will be missing the Tokyo Olympics after entering health and safety protocols at training camp. The official statement from the team stated that the player “will remain in health and safety protocols and will be unable to participate in the July 23-August 8 Tokyo Olympic Games.” Beal is a first-time Olympian but due to his disqualification, he leaves Team USA in a riskier position. Team USA will see Devin Booker, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton join the roster after the NBA Finals. The team currently still has two exhibition games remaining in Las Vegas with Australia. With two early exhibition losses, Team USA is facing the pressure to step up their game. Miami Heat sharpsho...
Purposeful Possession Metric: Taking Possession Data to the Next Level
Statistics are a key element to analysing football matches, but are all of them useful? Basic figures such as shots, shots on target, yellow and red cards, and possession are displayed at various points during a televised match. While some of these variables are rather concrete, if you are a football fanatic you may have thought to yourself at times that the possession statistic, in particular, can be rather misleading. Teams such as Barcelona, Manchester City and Spain play a style of football in which their players prioritise keeping the ball. At the end of a given match, these teams’ possession data may indicate that they had 70% possession. However, much of their time with the ball is likely spent passing around the middle or defensive thirds of the pitch with little or no threat of sc...
Marcelo Bielsa gives green light to sell 27-year-old, Leeds value him at £15m – report
Leeds United are open to parting ways with Helder Costa as they look to reinforce their attack with a new summer signing, Football Insider reports. The Portuguese was a key player in Leeds’ promotion to the top-flight in 2019/2020, registering five goals and eight assists from 46 outings. They signed him permanently from Wolverhampton Wanderers last term, but his game time was limited with the fine form of Jack Harrison and Raphinha. He still managed five goals and five assists from 27 appearances, and it appears that he could head for the exit door with the club eyeing a new attacker. Marcelo Bielsa has given the green light for his transfer. Costa’s agent Jorge Mendes is brokering the deal and believes his client would be successful in La Liga. Valencia are interested in the £15 mil...
Phil Hay: Leeds hold ‘genuine’ interest in 22-year-old winger
The Athletic journalist Phil Hay has given a detailed picture of how Leeds United’s transfer window has been shaping up. He says that like every other window, it will be “productive but measured, without going to extreme lengths.” Marcelo Bielsa made a personal effort to persuade Junior Firpo to move to Elland Road this summer from Barcelona, with the Whites spending £13 million on the left-back. While Bielsa wants to sign players quickly to integrate them into pre-season training, the signing of Raphinha last season taught him that patience makes a big difference in the transfer window. Leeds will also try to sign a winger this summer, but the search could drag on until the end of the window. Hay claims that the Yorkshire club are genuinely interested in Club Brugge’s Noa Lang, but t...
Report: West Ham eye move for £20m Man City midfielder this summer
Manchester City are looking to offload some of their fringe players this summer to raise around £100 million through transfer deals this summer before the potential sale of any senior players. The likes of Jack Harrison and Angelino have been sold to Leeds United and RB Leipzig already, while Lukas Nmecha is closing in on an £11.2m move to Wolfsburg. According to reports from The Telegraph, City are looking to offload the likes of Yangel Herrera, Ivan Ilic, Morgan Rodgers and Pedro Porro, and recoup around £50 million from their sales. Of the aforementioned players, Herrera is being targeted by a host of clubs this summer. The Venezuela international, who joined City from Atletico Venezuela in 2017, has enjoyed a successful past two seasons on loan at Granada....
Chelsea fail with part-exchange deal to sign 41-goal striker, club want €176m – report
Borussia Dortmund have rejected Chelsea’s opening transfer offer to sign Erling Braut Haaland, a report from Sky Germany claims. The Blues are keen on recruiting an elite centre-forward this summer, and they have their sights on landing Haaland in a club-record deal. Chelsea recently made an opening offer with Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi acting as a makeweight, but the proposal has been rejected. Dortmund have no plans of parting ways with Haaland unless their €176 million valuation is met. The Blues are unlikely to pay the staggering fee. Sportslens view: The Blues misfired up front last season. Timo Werner and Abraham were the top scorers for the club, with just 12 goals across all competitions. Abraham appears likely to leave the club soon, and the Blues were hoping to util...
Serie A club want out-of-favour Chelsea defender, see La Liga man as backup
Napoli are eager to bring in Chelsea full-back Emerson Palmieri according to Italian outlet Calciomercato. The club’s main dilemma for years has been the left-back position. Faouzi Ghoulam’s injury created an issue for incoming managers after Carlo Ancelotti. His replacement Marco Rui has been far from convincing and could be on his way to Galatasaray if the right offer comes in. There are two names high on Napoli’s list – Mathias Olivera and Emerson Palmieri – have different profiles for age, experience and cost. The Uruguayan from Getafe is valued at between €15-18 million, while the Chelsea star would cost around €20 million. In recent weeks, Napoli has made contact with the agents of both players, but the Chelsea man is their top priority. Inter Milan and Roma have also been linke...
![1 goal in 37 games, costs £10m-a-year in wages – Arsenal must sell 5ft 7in flop [Opinion]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-goal-in-37-games-costs-10m-a-year-in-wages-arsenal-must-sell-5ft-7in-flop-opinion-1050x600.jpg)
![1 goal in 37 games, costs £10m-a-year in wages – Arsenal must sell 5ft 7in flop [Opinion]](https://www.wazupnaija.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/1-goal-in-37-games-costs-10m-a-year-in-wages-arsenal-must-sell-5ft-7in-flop-opinion-80x80.jpg)
1 goal in 37 games, costs £10m-a-year in wages – Arsenal must sell 5ft 7in flop [Opinion]
Willian’s future at Arsenal is unclear this summer as he’s underperformed in the last 12 months and is eating up a large chunk of the wage bill. The 32-year-old is surplus to requirements under Mikel Arteta, but it’s not so easy to find a suitor as he earns more money than most players in Europe. Willian joined Arsenal in a three-year deal from Chelsea last summer and went on to make 37 appearances in all competitions, scoring just one goal with seven assists. The Brazilian international ended up losing his place to Nicolas Pepe and Gabriel Martinelli, so the writing has been on the wall for some time. The biggest problem Arsenal face is Willian’s £192k-per-week/£10m-a-year wages. He earns an astonishing amount of money for a 32-year-old flop, so it’s hard to see many clubs queuing up to p...
West Ham reportedly keen on signing 17-goal forward from their PL rivals
West Ham United and Fulham are interested in signing Chelsea striker Ike Ugbo this summer, according to Het Belang van Limburg. Genk, Eintracht Frankfurt, Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven are also reportedly in the chase. Ugbo was on loan at Cercle Brugge last season, scoring 17 goals across all competitions. The 22-year-old is currently in the final year of his contract, and the Blues will have to cash in this summer or lose him on a free transfer next year. West Ham’s interest in the highly talented forward certainly makes sense as David Moyes needs to add more depth to his attacking options. The Hammers were reliant on Michail Antonio for goals this past season but require a more natural goalscorer, and Ugbo could be a solid long-term investment. The youngster has the potential to develop in...
‘I’m crying’, ‘Incredible’: Some Palace fans react to transfer update from David Ornstein
A selection of Crystal Palace fans on Twitter have expressed their delight after learning that the club are on the cusp of signing Chelsea defender Marc Guehi. The 21-year-old was one of the best-performing centre-backs in the Championship last season, where he spent time on loan with Swansea City. It was initially anticipated that he would break into the Blues’ first-team plans, but Palace are set to sign him after making an irresistible transfer offer. As per The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Palace have already reached a transfer agreement, and the centre-back is currently in the process of a medical. This has got several Palace fans excited. Here are a few reactions on Twitter. Marc Guehi’s first game will be Chelsea Away Incoming last minute winner 💉😂 pic.twitter.co...
Atletico Madrid targeting Manchester United man
Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard has emerged as a target for Atletico Madrid, according to a report by 90min. Lingard has been at Man Utd since the age of seven, earning his first professional contract in 2011. He had loan spells at Leicester City, Birmingham City, Brighton and Hove Albion and Derby County, before becoming a regular at Old Trafford in the 2015/16 season. He has since made 210 appearances for the Red Devils in all competitions, scoring 33 times – including the winner in the 2016 FA Cup final. Lingard celebrates his FA Cup-winning goal Following the arrival of Bruno Fernandes, he fell down the pecking order at Man Utd and went out on loan to West Ham United in search of regular playing time. It was at the Hammers where he recaptured his best form, scoring nine and ...
Crystal Palace interested in £30m attacker, who was involved in 18 goals last season – report
West Bromwich Albion attacker Matheus Pereira is one of the potential transfer targets for Crystal Palace this summer, The Athletic reports. The Eagles are aiming to lower the average age of the first-team squad, and their main focus remains on signing young and upcoming players. However, they are also interested in some experienced players at the prime of their careers, and Pereira is an option to bolster their attack. Sportslens view: Pereira was the stand-out performer for the Baggies last season as they were relegated from the Premier League without much of a fight. The 25-year-old took time to adapt to top-flight football, but found form in the second half of the season, ending with 12 goals and six assists from 34 games. He may want to return to the top tier with the Baggies’ relegat...
