Chelsea are reluctant to sell Willian in January because they fear doing so could damage Maurizio Sarri’s chances of a top-four finish, sources have said. Reports on Thursday claimed Chelsea had rejected an offer worth £50 million from Barcelona that would see Willian’s fellow Brazil winger Malcom move to Stamford Bridge. Sources say it would take a significant cash bid for Chelsea to consider parting with Willian, regarded by Sarri as a key first-team player. Speaking at a news conference on Friday, the coach said it would be “impossible” to lose Willian, and the club are keen to ensure he…
Author: David Folami
Mauricio Pochettino can envisage spending the rest of his career at Tottenham but admits he would be interested to hear whether Arsene Wenger regrets spending so long at a club operating with financial constraints after a stadium build. Wenger consistently kept Arsenal in the top four after the Emirates Stadium opened in 2006, but couldn’t add to his trio of Premier League titles. And, although he won the FA Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2017 he was a divisive figure among Gunners fans until his departure in 2018. Pochettino is now in charge of a north London club that is…
Maurizio Sarri has accused Bayern Munich of disrespecting Chelsea by publicly expressing their interest in signing winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. Earlier this week, sources have said that Chelsea were prepared to report Bayern to FIFA if evidence of an illegal approach to Hudson-Odoi or his representatives was found, having been angered by the club’s public pursuit of the academy graduate. On Wednesday, a source said that Hudson-Odoi had no plans to sign a new contract at Chelsea as Bayern await a response to their fourth bid for the 18-year-old, understood to be in the region of £35 million. Chelsea, however, have…
Dejan Lovren has been banned for one international match over comments he made on social media about Spain and Sergio Ramos following his side’s 3-2 UEFA Nations League win in November. Lovren posted a video on Instagram where he appeared to brag about elbowing Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos and made insulting comments about the Spain team following the game on March 15. He also told reporters after the match that Spain were “rude on the pitch” and bad losers. UEFA said that Lovren had fallen foul of a clause in its disciplinary rules which penalizes anyone “whose conduct is…
Thomas Muller is suspended for both legs of the upcoming Champions League round-of-16 clash against Liverpool, UEFA has confirmed. Muller was sent off in Bayern’s final group match in December when, in attempting to bring down a high ball, his high boot caught Ajax defender Nicolas Tagliafico on the back of the head. After the match, Muller posted an apology on his Twitter account which read: “I am very sorry for that what happened yesterday! Was not intentionally [sic]. Get well soon.” Tagliafico went on the score a 95th-minute equaliser for Ajax to claim a 3-3 draw. Both teams had…
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has backed Marcus Rashford to emulate Harry Kane and become one of the most feared strikers in the world. Kane has bagged 20 Premier League goals in each of his last four seasons and won the Golden Boot at last summer’s World Cup. Rashford has scored in five of his last eight appearances and Solskjaer believes the 21-year-old can reach the same level as his England teammate. “He can become a top, top striker,” said Solskjaer. “We can talk about Harry Kane and his class, and I’m sure Marcus as well. He’s got the potential to get…
Mauricio Pochettino says his chairman Daniel Levy is a tough man for rival clubs to negotiate with, but he feels he has an advantage over his predecessors in his own dealings with his boss because he doesn’t have an agent. Pochettino will face his suitors Manchester United on Sunday, with sources saying that he remains the No. 1 target as the next permanent manager at Old Trafford. The Argentine has shown little desire to leave Spurs — indeed he stated just last week that he can envisage himself staying for 20 years. But he is aware that Levy makes it…
Monaco have signed midfielder Cesc Fabregas from Chelsea. “Cesc Fabregas has today completed a permanent transfer to Monaco,” Chelsea said on their website as Monaco confirmed he had signed with them until June, 2022. Fabregas, who had six months left on his contract at Stamford Bridge, said a tearful farewell to supporters after captaining Chelsea in last weekend’s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest. He has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal with Monaco, who are 19th in Ligue 1 and coached by his former Arsenal teammate Thierry Henry. “It is a great pleasure to join Monaco, it is a new project…
Mr. Ayodele Fayose is back for President Muhammadu Buhari again by saying he was never truthful with workers on the N30,000 minimum wage, describing recent setting up an advisory technical committee on the as plan and plot to further tell lies to the workers. He said the President became scared when the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) promised not to vote for him unless the N30,000 minimum wage is implemented and decided to deceive the workers with the Bismark Rewane led committee. Fayose words; “It is on record that on November 6, 2018, while receiving the report of the Tripartite Committee…
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, has said that the 2019 general elections in Lagos State will be a battle against the terrible, dictatorial, doomy, godfatherism that has kept Lagos state in bondage for the past 20 years. Bode George said that the common enemy of Lagosian was the certain symbol of a party who has regularly appropriated the Lagosian heritage as a personal estate. He said: “Our party has now come out on a mission of rescue and salvage. Lagos must be redeemed and unchained from the manacles of APC. The party…
The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization (PPCO) has challenged the Co-Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, to break down his role in the Buhari Presidency cabal, through which President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration dismantled Nigeria’s economy. It also dared Bola Tinubu to give feedbacks to allegations that he agreed to leading the Buhari ill-fated re-election bid following threats by agents of the Buhari Presidency to reveal his dirty secrets and nail him for corruption allegations and not because he has keyed into the propriety of President Buhari’s re-election. Their statement read, “It is very unfortunate that…
Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, the presidential candidate of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) is very much hopeful that he would beat the All Progressives Congress (APC) and PDP to the coveted “President.” tag in the Feb. 16 presidential poll. The vocal man recently made bld to say that he would emerge president. He said that Nigerians were “tired of recycled politicians’’ and that the Peoples Democraric Party (PDP) was an option they were considering as well. “We will defeat President Muhammadu Buhari and the reason is very simple, Nigerians are tired of recycled politicians and the PDP is not an option.…
The All Progressives Congress (APC), Elders Advisory Council in Plateau has said that the wins of President Muhammadu Buhari and Gov. Simon Lalong in the forthcoming general elections were “very certain”. “Surely we can’t continue with this madness. We need a real, progressive fundamental change.” Chief Jethro Akun, a former Plateau deputy governor, said that the crowd at the flag-off of the APC campaign on Friday, Jan. 4th, was an evident sign that the party was doing something right and coasting to victory. He said, “To some of us, we will say that Mr President does not have a contender…
Former Gov. Adebayo Alao-Akala, the governorship candidate of Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Oyo State, has vowed to see to the completion of Ibadan circular road if he is made governor. Alao-Akala pledged to improve on his urban renewal programme, begin several road projects in Ibadan and across the state when immediately he is sworn-in as governor. “Ibadan is very big and as an administrator with experience, this city needs massive road expansion. I demonstrated this during my first term as governor of this noble state. “And if you can remember vividly, I started the Circular Road and I am…
The Lamido of Adamawa State, Alhaji Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha, has declared that the All Progressives Congress, APC, should consider themselves lucky for having Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as its National Chairman. The respected Monarch mentioned that Oshiomhole is the man to lead the party to victory come 2019. The royal man who praised Oshiomhole for his leadership so far as chairman of the APC, asserted that haters that have been rising against the national chairman of the APC was a sign that he is taking the right steps in re-builidng the APC. He said, “I thank you Mr Chairman for paying…
The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organization, PDP-PPCO, recently mentioned that allegations against its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Peter Obi by the ruling party over poor campaign funding were so false. They also endured they remembered to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari to concentrate on issues ahead of the 2019 election. Days back, APC accused the former Vice President of using South Africa based drug dealers to fund their political ambition. However, in a recent statement, Kola Ologbondiyan said it was sad that the same President Muhammadu Buhari, who regularly reminds Nigerians of his commitment to a…
Muhammadu Buhari has promised that he will not sanction the use of any cash from the treasury for his re-election campaign. Speaking recently, the President ordered cabinet ministers to seize the opportunity technology brings to speak to voters on the need to return the All Progressives Congress (APC) led administration in next month’s general elections. He said, “As political parties spread their ideologies and views to every nook and corner of the country, the issue of cash payment to voters and its corrupting influence in electioneering has once again become a topical issue. “Try and use text and multi-media messages…
The Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr. Ibe Kachikwuhas come out to say that the FEC recently approved two memos presented by the ministry on engineering procurement construction and installation for Opoho Okoho flexible pipelines in OML 119 and Escravos to Lagos gas pipeline phase one for additional unforeseen works in engineering. “The Federal Executive Council approved two memos from the Ministry of Petroleum. One was an EPCI contract which is Engineering Procurement Construction and Installation contract for the twelve inch by six inch Opoho Okoho flexible pipelines in OML 119 which is awarded to National Oil Verco completion and…
“La Fete.” crooner, Falz, has reacted to the news of Simi marrying Adekunle Gold. The 28-year-old musician made his reaction public on Twitter hours ago. Falz shared a (gif) video of a young girl with tears running down her cheeks. Falz, Adekunle Gold, and Simi are popular for the rumour that had them in a love triangle. Falz and Simi who have dropped a joint project titled “Chemistry” in 2016, heightened rumours of a romantic relationship between them, due to their amazing chemistry whenever they collaborate. However, news of Simi wedding long-time sweetheart, Adekunle Gold, broke on Wednesday morning. The…
Nick Canon has started controversy when Damon Dash appeared on his YouTube show and was questioned over his knowledge of R. Kelly, as well as other popular artists who are rumored to have a questionable past. Cannon released teaser footage of his interview with Dash, and gets right into the nitty gritty when he asks, “At what age was Foxy Brown signed?” Dash immediately gets defensive, claiming, “I wasn’t paying attention to Foxy Brown … I didn’t sign Foxy Brown.” Cannon then said he thought Foxy was 16-years-old when she was signed by Jay-Z, and Dash challenged “The Masked Singer”…