Football
Arsenal launch transfer bid for Lyon star Houssem Aouar
Arsenal have reportedly made an offer to Ligue 1 outfit Lyon for midfielder Houssem Aouar following a drop in the asking price for the player. According to Le 10 Sport, Aouar could cost the Gunners under a third of the £54 million fee club officials hoped to get in 2020. The 23-year-old had been heavily linked with a move to the Emirates before the start of the 2020-21 season. Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is thought to be keen on the versatile attacker who can play centrally or on the wing. In September reports in France claimed Lyon had turned their noses up at two separate bids from the North London giants of £31m and £34.5m. However, Le 10 Sport says the Gunners have returned with a fresh offer for the midfielder whose current contract with the French outfit runs out in 2023. And it is tho...
UEFA invite Christian Eriksen, medics who saved him to Euro final
European football governing body UEFA have invited Denmark international Christian Eriksen and the paramedics who helped save his life during an on-field cardiac arrest to attend the EURO 2020 final at Wembley on Sunday. The brilliant Danish midfielder was resuscitated in front of shocked fans and a massive global TV audience during his nation’s first match of the tournament. Uefa said Eriksen, his wife and six medics were invited to the final, but there was no confirmation he would attend. One of the paramedics, Peder Ersgaard, said he was honoured to receive a VIP invite from Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin. “I’m excited, like a child on Christmas Eve,” he told the Fagbladet FOA magazine. “I’m very proud of my efforts, but also of the whole team. It wasn’t a one-man effort.” Eriksen collaps...
German football gets green light for fan return next season
Bundesliga clubs and other German sports venues will be allowed to welcome up to 25,000 spectators from next month, the city of Berlin said on Tuesday after a meeting of officials from Germany’s 16 states. Most matches in Germany’s top football league were played behind closed doors last season because of the Covid-19 virus. The new Bundesliga season starts on August 13 and with infection rates having fallen sharply, sports stadiums could be at 50 percent capacity, with the total number per match or event capped at 25,000. The only exception is reigning Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, where up to 20,000 fans will be allowed into home games at the 75,000-capacity Allianz Arena because officials in Bavaria are allowing only 35 percent of capacity. The new rules apply until September 11 a...
Former Everton boss calls Richarlison to discuss possible Real Madrid move
New Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has been in contact with Richarlison, a player he is eager to reunite with in Spain this summer. Ancelotti was hired by Real Madrid in June as he opted to leave Everton to return to his former club on a contract that runs through 2024. The Italian boss is now interested in bringing one of Everton’s stars to Madrid with him, as he has held conversations with Richarlison over that possibility. Goal can confirm that a call between Ancelotti and Richarlison happened recently, with the forward currently on duty with Brazil for Copa America. Ancelotti is eager to bring him to the Bernabeu, but any potential talks are in the early stages. Still, the conversation between the two could evolve into an offer for Everton to consider in the coming weeks. The Braz...
Alhassan Yusuf speaks on transfer, new agent
Alhassan Yusuf has spoken for the first time on a transfer away from Swedish club IFK Goteborg just as he also commented on changing of his agents. Newsmen reported that newly-promoted Premier League club Brentford and Scottish champions Rangers have already contacted Goteborg on the availability of their star midfielder. “I know nothing about it. Because now the focus is only on my matches here, so we’ll see what happens,” Yusuf told Goteborgs-Posten when asked about these interests. “As I said: Right now the focus is only on the matches, then we will see if anything comes. You do not know.” ‘Hasse’ has a year left on his contract with his Swedish club and he said he has not started discussions about an extension. The player also confirmed he recently changed agents. He said he changed fr...
Wilfred Ndidi reveals how he became a midfielder
Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has credited former Genk manager Peter Maes for switching his playing position from centre-back to midfield. Last season, the Nigeria international was drafted into the heart of the Foxes’ defence on several occasions and he delivered some impressive performances. His initial knowledge as a centre-back has also helped him shine in the Premier League as one of the best defensive midfielders in the division. The 24-year-old, who moved to King Power Stadium in January 2017, disclosed that his role was changed at Genk after he played for Nigeria’s youth teams and his former side Nath Boys as a defender. “I started my career as a central defender during my days in Nath Boys. Even in the U-17, U-20, national team…I was a defender,” Ndidi told the Guardian ...
Luke Shaw hits back at Jose Mourinho in Rome as England roll on
At Jose Mourinho’s new home, the Stadio Olimpico, Luke Shaw, chose the perfect setting for his latest riposte to his former boss with two assists in England’s 4-0 thrashing of Ukraine to reach the Euro 2020 semi-finals. Shaw suffered at the hands of Mourinho for three seasons at Manchester United, a string of public criticism not a patch on what was said behind closed doors, the 25-year-old admitted this week. Mourinho’s arrival at Old Trafford came hot on the heels of a horrible double leg fracture Shaw suffered in September 2015. The former Southampton defender revealed in 2018 there had even been fears his right leg would have to be amputated because of blood clots that required emergency surgery. His career never got back on track during Mourinho’s tempestuous time at United, where he ...
Paul Pogba pays surprise birthday visit to Burna Boy in Miami
Manchester United star and France international, Paul Pogba, paid a surprise visit to afro-pop star, Burna Boy as he celebrated his 30th birthday in Miami. The French star posted a picture of his and the Grammy award-winning musician on Instagram as he wished the artist a happy birthday. Pogba gave Burna Boy a signed number 6 shirt of his France jersey. Burna Boy clocked 30-years on Friday as his fans organized a surprise birthday party for him in the U.S. In a viral video, the singer fondly called Odogwu was seen stunned and elated when walking into a beautifully decorated space with people singing “Happy birthday” song. Ahead of his 30th birthday, Burna Boy spoke about how he would love to be like his father in terms of character. He also invited all who can make it down to Miami on July...
Mexico coach: Victory vs Nigeria good test ahead Concacaf Gold Cup
Gerardo Martino, Technical Director of the Mexican national team, has described the win against the home-based Eagles as a good test for his side ahead of this year’s Concacaf Gold Cup. A brace from Atletico Madrid midfielder Hector Herrera and a goal each from Jonathan Dos Santos, former Barcelona forward and Rogelio Funes Mori, earned Mexico a comfortable 4-0 win in Los Angeles, USA, in the early hours of Sunday. Speaking at a virtual press conference, the former Barcelona coach said: “It always gives peace of mind, especially since we are on the eve of a very important tournament for us. “Recovering feelings of the game and scoring goals, gives a greater margin of tranquility, this is a friendly match, it has been a good test and a good way to introduce ourselves into what is to come.” ...
Crystal Palace confirm Patrick Vieira as new manager on three-year deal
Crystal Palace have confirmed Patrick Vieira as the club’s new manager on a three-year deal that will take the Frenchman through 2024 at Selhurst Park. The Arsenal legend, who was previously coach of Nice until his dismissal in December last year, will succeed Roy Hodgson in the hotseat in south London. The 45-year-old, who began his coaching career with New York City FC in Major League Soccer, takes charge for the first time in the Premier League, having made his name as one of the game’s greatest midfielders during an electrifying decade-long spell with the Gunners. Though forever linked with Les Bleus’ 1998 World Cup triumph on home soil back home, Vieira remains forever associated in the British sporting consciousness as the anchor of Arsneal’s superb period of success under Arsene Wen...
PSG send contract offer to free agent Lionel Messi amid Barca talks
Lionel Messi has been a free agent since this Thursday after his contract at Barcelona came to an end. PSG have taken advantage of the situation to send an offer to Barca’s number 10, who is currently concentrating on the Copa America with Argentina. Since he became a free agent this Thursday after his previous contract at Barcelona terminated, meaning any team is free to sign Messi. According to reports the Argentine is yet to reach an agreement with his boyhood club, teams from around the round are looking to pry him away. Among his suitors is Paris Saint-Germain. ‘AS’ report suggest that the French side has taken advantage of the current situation to send an offer to the player. The Ligue 1 outfit are looking to build add to a set of strong summer reinforcements, as Donnarumma, Hakimi a...
Deputy governor unveils new coach for Edo Queens
The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has announced Wemimo Matthew as the new head coach for Edo Queens Football Club with a charge to return the team to its glory days. Shaibu who supervised the unveiling ceremony at the New Festival Hall, Government House, on Friday, charged the new coach to use her wealth of experience to transform the team. He said, “What we’ve done with Edo Queens is to make it a model for the girl child to look up to. So, we decided to unveil a new head coach because of our poor performance in the just concluded Super Six tournament. “Coach Wemimo Matthew is well-educated, highly disciplined and she has the knack for unearthing and grooming young talents. We have already felt her impact since she joined the team. “She will help us develop young talent and ...
