Sports
Wazupnaija – Naija Entertainment blogs & Forums – Sports
Barcelona could miss out on Chelsea star as Thomas Tuchel wants to keep him
Barcelona could miss out on signing defender Marcos Alonso with Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel keen on keeping him at all costs, Mundo Deportivo reports. The Blaugrana are likely to sell Junior Firpo in the coming days, and it was recently claimed that they could land Alonso as a replacement. The Spaniard had reportedly agreed terms last summer, but a move fell through as the Blaugrana failed to offload Firpo from their ranks. The club have revived their interest, but they are set to face a blow with Tuchel reluctant to part ways with the former Fiorentina man. Tuchel considers Alonso as a key part of his plans for next season and will ask the hierarchy not to do away with the services of the Spaniard. Sportslens view: Alonso barely played during the first half of last season under Frank La...
Arsenal to make big-money offer for £40m star after Euro 2020 campaign, not Ben White – report
Arsenal are prepared to make a big-money offer for Sheffield United goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale following England’s Euro 2020 campaign, The Star reports. The Gunners are looking to sign a homegrown shot-stopper this summer, and they have identified Ramsdale as their top transfer target. The club have already expressed their interest through intermediaries over the weekend, and it is now reported that they are lining up an offer. The north London giants are unlikely to meet the £40 million price tag but will come up with a bid that could seriously test United’s resolve. Ramsdale has been identified as a potential replacement for Bernd Leno. Mikel Arteta is open to selling the German if the club can land a quality replacement. Sportslens view: Ramsdale made his return to the Blades for&nb...
Man City man shines, Bundesliga midfielder scores again – Sweden 1-2 Ukraine Player Ratings
Ukraine reached the quarter-finals in dramatic fashion, defeating Sweden 2-1 with a goal in the last minute of extra time. Both sides came close to opening the scoring in the first 20 minutes. Emil Forsberg and Alexander Isak both struck wide for Sweden, while Roman Yaremchuk had an effort saved for Ukraine. In the 27th minute, Ukraine managed to get themselves in front. Andriy Yarmolenko found Oleksandr Zinchenko with the outside of his left foot, and the Manchester City man struck a powerful effort into the far corner, with goalkeeper Robin Olsen getting a hand to it. This lead lasted until just before half time, when Forsberg managed to hit his fourth of the tournament. He picked up the ball from outside the box and saw his long range shot deflect kindly off Illia Zabarnyi and into the ...
‘Done deal’ – Telegraph journalist makes huge Everton managerial claim
Rafa Benitez and Everton have reached an agreement, with the Spaniard becoming their next manager a done deal. That is according to The Telegraph journalist Jason Burt who provided the update on Twitter. Rafa Benitez to Everton is agreed. Done deal. More on @TeleFootball later…depending on England game! — Jason Burt (@JBurtTelegraph) June 29, 2021 Sportslens View Everton and Benitez have been in talks for several days now, but the fans have been openly against the move, with some making their grievances known with abusive messages on the Goodison Park gates. However, Everton owner Farhad Moshiri has ignored their protests and is now set to go ahead with the unpopular appointment. The former Liverpool manager has been out of work since leaving the Chinese Super League in January but will no...
Aston Villa lining up move for £50,000-a-week man to bolster their central defence – report
Aston Villa have concrete interest in re-signing Manchester United defender Axel Tuanzebe as they look to reinforce the central defensive department, Football Insider reports. The 23-year-old previously had two separate loan stints with the Villans, and he played an important role in their top-flight promotion in 2018/19. He has now emerged as a transfer target for the Midlands outfit, who are looking to fill the void left by the departure of Bjorn Engels to Royal Antwerp. The club want the United graduate to offer competition to first-choice regulars Ezri Konsa and Tyrone Mings, as well as back-up Kortney Hause. Sportslens view: The £50,000-a-week star made 19 appearances for the Red Devils last term, but only four of those were starts in the Premier League. Three of them came i...
Chelsea star wants £200,000-a-week to sign new long-term contract – report
German defender Antonio Rudiger is holding out for a higher wage package to sign a new long-term contract with Chelsea, Eurosport reports. The centre-back played a key role for the Blues during the back end of last season as they won the Champions League for the second time in their history. It is now reported that the contract negotiations are being delayed, with the defender said to be demanding a higher salary than initially proposed in March. Rudiger was looking for a £20,000 pay rise on his £140,000-a-week salary, but he now wants around £200,000-a-week to commit his future to the club. With just 12 months left on his contract, Rudiger remains in a strong position to negotiate and believes he needs to be appreciated for his efforts. Sportslens view: Rudiger has divided ...
‘It was goosebumps’ – England kitman shares what Harry Kane did right before Germany clash
England secured a 2-0 win over Germany in the round-of-16 of Euro 2020 this evening, with second-half goals from Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane sending the Three Lions through to the quarter-finals. The Tottenham Hotspur star finally broke the duck, and his strike put the game to bed. Kane’s lack of goals or assists in the group stages got a lot of people worried, but the Spurs hitman came good at last. England will face Sweden or Ukraine in the quarters, and everyone will be counting on the 27-year-old to deliver the goods. While not many gave the Three Lions a chance, England senior kitman Pat Frost was confident of their chances at Wembley after Kane’s pre-match speech. He revealed how the Tottenham star, who doubles as the Three Lions captain, spurred his teammates on right before the ...
Report suggests Everton are leading the chase for €40 million-rated summer target
Everton have been linked with a move for the Juventus defender Merih Demiral for a while now. The 23-year-old wants to leave Juventus this summer and Calciomercato are reporting that the Toffees are currently leading the chase for his services. The Turkish international is aware of the fact that he is behind the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Matthijs de Ligt and Giorgio Chiellini in the pecking order and he wants to leave in search of regular first-team football. SL View: Juventus exit would be ideal for the player Demiral has had a disappointing European Championships with Turkey and he will be hoping to resurrect his career with a move away from the Turin giants. The defender clearly needs to play more often in order to regain his form and confidence. He cannot afford to sit on the Juventus...
Report: Leeds United expected to complete £15 million signing later this week
Jack Harrison is expected to complete a permanent move to Manchester City this week. According to Manchester Evening News, the winger is likely to cost around £15 million. Harrison was an important player for Marcelo Bielsa’ side last season and it is no surprise that the Whites are looking to sign him permanently this summer. SL View: Harrison’s move to Leeds is ideal for all parties Leeds will be looking to pish for European qualification next year and they must look to bring in proper reinforcements in order for that to happen. Keeping the important players at the club will be just as important. He helped Leeds secure promotion to the Premier League and then followed it up with an impressive campaign last season as well. The 24-year-old scored eight goals and created eight assists in th...
Club chief suggests how much it would cost to sign midfielder after Tottenham made contact
Mikkel Damsgaard has impressed heavily in the Euro championships for Denmark. The 20-year-old wasn’t meant to play a big role though. He was brought into the Danish starting line-up following Christian Eriksen’s cardiac arrest and shock collapse in the first game against Finland. Damsgaard impressed heavily in the defeat against Belgium and produced a virtuoso performance against Russia, where he scored a wonder goal from the edge of the area that sent them through to the knockouts. Barcelona are reportedly interested in signing the highly-rated attacking midfielder while Premier League outfit Tottenham Hotspur are keen as well. According to reports from the Daily Mail, Sampdoria are keen to create a bidding war between the Catalans, Juventus and Tottenham. Last week, journa...
Manchester United have total agreement to sign 79-cap international this summer
Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane in recent weeks and it seems that the Red Devils have reached an agreement with the Spanish club. According to El Chiringuito, the Red Devils have a total agreement with Real Madrid regarding the 79-cap French international. The 28-year-old will be a free agent next summer and Los Blancos are under pressure to cash in on him this summer. They will not want to lose a player of Varane’s calibre on a free transfer and Manchester United are looking to make the most of the opportunity and snap him up. SL View: Varane could have Van Dijk-esque impact Ole Gunnar Solskjaer needs to bring in a quality partner for Harry Maguire and Varane would be a sensational addition for them. The 28-year-old is undoub...
Arteta will secure masterstroke signing if Arsenal can land £26m target this summer – SL View
Arsenal are showing keen interest in Renato Sanches this summer, and he would be a masterstroke signing if they can pull off a deal for him. The Lille midfielder was simply outstanding in the European Championships before Portugal were eliminated in the round of 16 by Belgium. According to Calciomercato, Serie A giants Juventus are rivalling Arsenal to sign the Portugal midfielder. The 23-year-old is finally coming of age after a troubled spell at Bayern Munich. Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League last season, one of the most disappointing campaigns in the club’s recent history, and Mikel Arteta wants to revamp his squad. Signing a midfielder is a priority for the Gunners, with Granit Xhaka likely to leave this summer. He is reportedly wanted by Roma. Sanches has b...
