Reportedly, Crystal Palace standout Michael Olise has made a decision in favor of a transfer to Manchester United over Chelsea, as both Premier League giants compete for his signature. Olise, who has garnered attention with his impressive performances in the top division, has attracted interest from several top European clubs. Despite Palace’s efforts, there is growing skepticism about their ability to retain the 22-year-old. Sources from Football London suggest that Olise is inclined towards a move to Old Trafford rather than Stamford Bridge, with expectations of heightened interest in the France youth international during the upcoming summer transfer window. Chelsea…
Author: Oluwaseun samuel
Facing mounting pressure, FC Barcelona’s head coach, Xavi Hernandez, has declared his intention to depart the Catalan giants at the conclusion of the 2023/24 season. The tipping point came after Saturday night’s 5-3 defeat to Villarreal, further exacerbating Barcelona’s struggles and leaving them trailing La Liga leaders Real Madrid by 10 points. Xavi, who took charge in November 2021, succeeding Ronald Koeman, expressed his decision to step down in a statement, stating, “I have decided I will not continue beyond June 30. I took this decision days ago, I already knew but now it is time to make it public.”…
Real Madrid secured another late victory in La Liga on Saturday afternoon, overturning a deficit to defeat Las Palmas 2-1 in Gran Canaria. Without the presence of the suspended Jude Bellingham, Madrid found themselves trailing to a goal from their former academy player, Javi Munoz, in the 53rd minute. Vinicius Junior equalized shortly thereafter, but it wasn’t until the 84th minute, mere seconds after coming off the bench, that Aurelien Tchouameni powered in a match-winning header. This hard-fought victory returns Madrid to the top of the La Liga standings, holding a two-point lead over Girona. In the lead-up to the…
At the inaugural leg of the 2024 World Athletics Indoor Tour Gold in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Saturday, 26-year-old Tobi Amusan achieved another milestone in her illustrious track and field career by breaking Glory Alozie’s African indoor record of 7.82. The reigning world record holder in the 100m hurdles at 12.12 showcased her prowess in the semifinal heat, clocking an impressive time of 7.91 seconds. Amusan further improved in the final, winning the event with a time of 7.77 seconds, ahead of the 2019 World outdoor champion Nia Ali (7.89) and Irish athlete Sarah Lavin (7.91). This achievement has positioned Amusan…
Zinedine Zidane, the former coach of Real Madrid, has reportedly declined an offer to lead the Algeria national football team. Despite his Algerian heritage, Zidane has opted to explore other opportunities. This development comes in the aftermath of Algeria’s decision to part ways with coach Djamel Belmadi following their premature exit from AFCON 2023. The unexpected decision is noteworthy, given that Belmadi had recently extended his contract in January.
The 21-year-old Nigerian striker, Gift Orban, has encountered a rocky start to his career at Lyon, failing to meet the anticipated positive impact following his transfer from Belgian club KRC Genk for a reported fee of around €13 million. Initially heralded as the first Nigerian player to join Lyon, Orban was expected to inject dynamism into the team’s attacking lineup, especially given his impressive track record in Belgium, where he scored 20 goals in just six months. However, reports suggest that Orban’s introduction to Lyon has been marred by unrest, particularly within the dressing room. Sources indicate that his attitude…
Two nations have successfully advanced to the quarter-finals of the ongoing 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Angola and Nigeria secured their places after Saturday’s Round of 16 fixtures, with Angola defeating Namibia 3-0 and Nigeria winning 2-0 against Cameroon. The Round of 16 matches will continue today with Equatorial Guinea facing Guinea, and Egypt taking on DR Congo. The 2023 AFCON is scheduled to conclude on February 11th.
Cameroon’s head coach, Rigobert Song, acknowledged that his youthful team will derive important lessons from their defeat to Nigeria in the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. The Indomitable Lions were eliminated from the tournament after a resounding 2-0 loss to the Super Eagles, with Ademola Lookman scoring a brace at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan. Facing a resilient Super Eagles, Song’s team struggled and failed to register a shot on target throughout the entire game. “We had the youngest team; there are players who are discovering. We gave the opponent the opportunity to put us in difficulty; it’s…
Former Ghanaian footballer, Asamoah Gyan, commends Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen for displaying ‘passion’ in Nigeria’s 2023 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Round of 16 clash against Cameroon on Saturday night. Osimhen, in outstanding form, contributed to Nigeria’s 2-0 victory over Cameroon in the AFCON. The Napoli attacker provided an assist during the match, with two goals from Ademola Lookman securing the win for Jose Peseiro’s team against the Indomitable Lions. After the game, Gyan, whose country exited the AFCON in the group stage, expressed his thoughts on his X account, stating, “Osimhen plays with passion.” He emphasized that such…
Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has emphasized that he did not request the club to re-sign Karim Benzema. After 14 years with the LaLiga giants, Benzema departed as a free agent last summer and joined Al Ittihad, the Saudi Pro League champions. However, the 36-year-old striker is reportedly unsettled in the Middle East and expresses a desire to return to Europe. Addressing the rumors that suggested Ancelotti asked Madrid president Florentino Perez to bring back Benzema, only to have the request declined, Ancelotti debunked the claims in his Friday news conference, stating, “It’s a lie. We have not spoken about…
Erik ten Hag acknowledges that Manchester United is not anticipating the possibility of securing a new striker before the January transfer window closes. The Red Devils are in search of an experienced striker to alleviate the pressure on £72m signing Rasmus Hojlund, who has only managed two Premier League goals this season. However, the club has been compelled to focus on player departures this month in an attempt to generate funds. As previously disclosed by 90min earlier this month, a potential move for an experienced striker like Bayern Munich’s Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting would only be considered if Manchester United could…
Manchester City put an end to their prolonged winless streak and goal drought at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with a 1-0 triumph in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday night. In a match marked by lackluster performances from both sides, the decisive moment arrived late in the game, marking City’s first goal at this North London venue since its inauguration in 2019. Despite the return of James Maddison from the bench, Ange Postecoglou’s team couldn’t alter the fate of their domestic trophy drought, extending it into another year. The initial excitement for City, thinking they had broken the curse early…
Manchester United is actively pursuing Slovenian goalkeeper Jan Oblak as a potential replacement for Andre Onana at Old Trafford. Following the departure of David De Gea, the previous season’s Premier League Golden Glove winner, Manchester United signed Andre Onana from Inter Milan for over €50 million to fill the goalkeeper position. However, Onana has faced challenges and made critical errors, notably contributing to Manchester United’s elimination from the Champions League this season. Sources indicate that Manchester United is exploring the possibility of swapping Onana for Jan Oblak from Atletico Madrid. The Spanish source Todo Fichajes reports that Atletico Madrid is…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has specified the clubs he will not consider working for once he departs Anfield this summer. In a statement on Friday, Klopp confirmed his decision to step away from the managerial role after the current season. Despite being linked to various job opportunities, the former Borussia Dortmund boss asserted that he will categorically refrain from managing any of Liverpool’s rivals in the future. “If you ask me whether I will ever work as a manager again, I would say no. But I don’t know for sure how that will feel because I’ve never been in that…
Xabi Alonso, currently managing Bayer Leverkusen, has been at the center of intense speculation linking him to the managerial position at Liverpool, following Jurgen Klopp’s recent announcement about departing from the club. Despite being considered a strong candidate and a favorite among fans due to his history with Liverpool, Alonso has unequivocally expressed his current commitment and satisfaction with his role at Bayer Leverkusen. Addressing the speculation in a recent press conference, Alonso made it clear that his focus is solely on Bayer Leverkusen. He stated, as reported by Fabrizio on X, “Speculation is normal; my focus is here on…
Cameroon’s head coach, Rigobert Song, assures that there are no issues within his team regarding the goalkeeping number one position. Song raised eyebrows when he opted to bench Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana for the Indomitable Lions’ 3-2 victory against Gambia. However, Onana’s replacement, Fabrice Ondoa, delivered a commendable performance against the Scorpions. The former West Ham United defender expressed satisfaction with having quality goalkeepers in the team, stating, “Cameroon is a country that has always produced great goalkeepers, and today we have two excellent goalkeepers. We can distribute playing time between them. I don’t have a problem with my…
Former Chelsea striker Demba Ba has asserted that his ex-manager Jose Mourinho has a tendency to manipulate people’s emotions. Speaking to FourFourTwo, the 38-year-old revealed that there were times when he felt the urge to slam the former AS Roma coach’s head against a wall due to frustration during their time together at Stamford Bridge. “Some days, you want to hit his head against the wall, but, then, you leave and think, ‘That is probably one of the best managers ever.’ It’s crazy,” expressed Ba. “He has the ability to play with people’s emotions to get what he needs out…
Napoli’s president, Aurelio De Laurentiis, has confirmed that Victor Osimhen will be departing from the club this summer. The highly sought-after striker, instrumental in Napoli securing their first Serie A title in over 30 years, has garnered interest from numerous clubs in the transfer market. Despite signing a new contract in Naples just last month, the 25-year-old Nigerian’s agreement reportedly includes a release clause of £112m. De Laurentiis revealed that the club was aware of Osimhen’s impending departure during the summer, and negotiations for the new contract were amicable, as evidenced by the extended duration. Hinting at potential destinations for…
Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi believes that securing 1-0 results is satisfactory at the moment, emphasizing that the Super Eagles’ primary goal is to win and advance to the next round at AFCON 2023. In response to Nigerian fans urging the team to score more goals in the competition, the Fulham star, in a video on the social media platform TikTok, has pushed back, expressing that the fans are never satisfied. Despite facing criticism for scoring only three goals in the group stage, Nigeria secured a spot in the round of 16 after finishing second in Group A behind Equatorial Guinea. Despite…
The Confederation of African Football has disclosed the reasons behind the exclusion of Nigerian referees from officiating at the Africa Cup of Nations and other continental football tournaments. Noumandiez Doue, the Head of Refereeing at CAF, addressed this issue during a CAF referees training session at Sol Beni (ASEC Mimosas Training Centre) in Abidjan. Doue acknowledged the competence of Nigerian referees but emphasized that they need to enhance their performance. For the past 18 years, no Nigerian referee has been selected for the biennial competition, sparking debates among football stakeholders in the country. In response to criticisms of the referee…