Chelsea head coach Maurizio Sarri hinted at the need for a new striker after his side failed to break down a resolute Southampton team at Stamford Bridge. The hosts had 72% of possession but could not find their way through a well-organised and disciplined Saints side as it ended goalless. “I think we played a very good match for 80 metres of the pitch, then we were in trouble in the last 20 metres,” said Sarri, who has Alvaro Morata as his only recognised striker with Olivier Giroud out with an ankle injury. “We have to try to solve the…
Author: David Folami
Chelsea have not signed Christian Pulisic as a “direct replacement” for Eden Hazard, according to Raphael Honigstein. On Wednesday Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund confirmed they had agreed a £57.6m deal for the 20-year-old, which will see Pulisic remain at the Bundesliga side on loan until the end of the season. Sarri recently urged Hazard to come to an agreement over his future to end ongoing speculation that he will leave Stamford Bridge. The Belgian has a year and a half remaining on his Chelsea contract, and has openly discussed pursuing what he described as a “dream” move to Real Madrid.…
Gary Neville has revealed that his “one problem” with Paul Pogba was his controversial social media post after Jose Mourinho’s sacking. The French midfielder deleted a post that asked users to caption an image of Pogba with a wry smile just hours after Manchester United dismissed their manager. Pogba’s team insisted that the post was scheduled before Mourinho’s sacking, but Neville has dismissed that rationale. “Everyone always concentrates on Paul Pogba,” Neville said on Sky Sports on Wednesday. “I only have one problem with Paul Pogba and that was his post, which I think disrespected Jose Mourinho in losing his…
Hamdy Nouh is not surprised at the progress made by the Liverpool star and believes there is even more to come. Mohamed Salah’s former youth coach says the Liverpool forward’s ambition and desire allied with his natural talent means he is capable of becoming one of the best players in the world. Hamdy Nouh worked with Salah while youth coach at Egyptian side El Mokawloon SC, and he admitted Salah’s raw ability made him a stand out even as a young teenager. After four years with the youth side Salah soon established himself in the senior team, playing for two…
Pep Guardiola has come out to say “nobody trusts” Manchester City as his team prepares to face Premier League leaders Liverpool. City are seven points behind Jurgen Klopp’s unbeaten side after losing two matches before bouncing back by beating Southampton last week. Guardiola is of the opinion that those defeats have reduced confidence in City, who are set to have Kevin de Bruyne back after he trained following a muscle strain. The Spaniard said: “I know today nobody trusts us. Everyone is talking about ‘if we lose’ – but we can win.” City have not won any of their last…
Jurgen Klopp still considers Manchester City to be the best team in the world, rejecting Pep Guardiola’s claim that Liverpool are the team to beat. Guardiola has said it would be “almost impossible” for City to defend their Premier League title if they drop points when Liverpool visit the Etihad on Thursday due of the strength of the league leaders. But despite Liverpool’s unbeaten start to the league campaign and their seven-point advantage at the summit, Klopp is adamant City remain the best. “The opponent, for me, is still the best team in the world. And I don’t say that…
Pep Guardiola doesn’t know if Manchester City can catch Liverpool but says they must start by beating them on Thursday night. The two sides meet at the Etihad Stadium with third-placed City desperate to defeat unbeaten Liverpool and cut the gap at the top of the Premier League to just four points. “It’s the same as when we had a 10 or 11-point [lead, last season], if you asked me if we would maintain that distance for a long time, I don’t know. “I have a game in my mind, I know what we want to do. I will speak…
Maurizio Sarri has admitted that he was unaware of Chelsea’s move to sign Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund until it was completed, but played down the suggestion that he would rather have the United States international now than next summer. Speaking after Wednesday’s goalless draw against Southampton, Sarri said the club asked his opinion of Pulisic a month ago and he signalled his approval of the winger, but he did not ask to be kept updated on negotiations. “I didn’t know anything about [Chelsea signing] Christian Pulisic yesterday,” Sarri told BBC Sport after the game. “The club asked my opinion…
Son Heung-min has apologised his participation in the upcoming Asian Cup will come at the expense of helping Tottenham maintain their title challenge in the Premier League. Son might be in the form of his career, having scored eight goals in his last nine games as Tottenham moved into second place in the league and into serious contention for the title. He will play one more league game — against Manchester United on Jan. 13 — before leaving for international duty at the tournament in the United Arab Emirates. He could be away for up to five of Tottenham’s matches…
Akwa Ibom was the place to be yesterday as the Godswill Akpabio Stadium was filled to the brim at the commencement of All Progressives Congress (APC)’s national campaigns for the 2019 elections. Messages such as Buhari and Ekere Together We Prosper; Next Level 2019 Buhari and Ekere; Yes to Buhari and Ekere; Senator Owan Eno for 2019 in Cross River State; and ‘Ete Amedio’ (Papa Welcome), among others were seen everywhere. Security was however tight in and around the stadium as the Nigeria Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); the Army, DSS and other paramilitary personnel were heavily…
Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai has come out to say that Baga town in Borno State remained under the control of the Nigerian military, despite reports that Boko Haram had chased the troops and taken over the community they had occupied in the past. Tukur confirmed that although the insurgents tried to do exactly that, the military successfully countered their attacks and remain in charge in the town. Maj-Gen. L.O. Adeosun also agreed and said: “Our troops have taken control of Baga town and its environs. Baga, as I speak with you, is not in the hands of Boko Haram insurgents. They…
Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has gathered an emergency security meeting to tackle growing Boko Haram attacks in the state. Special Assistant to the governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mallam Isa Gusau, disclosed this recently. “The governor has summoned an emergency extraordinary security meeting to be attended by heads of security establishments, Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), hunters, traditional rulers, elders, senators, House of Representatives members and 28 members of the state House of Assembly,” he said. He said the meeting would hold on Monday, December 31; 2018 at Government House, Maiduguri. “Also summoned to the meeting are, selected…
Oby Ezekwesili has said President Muhammadu Buhari does not have the capacity to rule Nigeria, as he is contented with incompetence and failure. Ezekwesili, who was in Calabar for consultations and to participate in the Carnival Calabar, said, “We can say that there is a broken state of affairs with our security establishments. The reason is because President Buhari has shown himself as a leader who rewards incompetence and failure. “You cannot have a security establishment where citizens and the military are killed and those who lead those establishments are rewarded instead of being made to account for that kind…
It is also double celebration for curvy Nollywood actress, Moyo Lawal as she isn’t only celebrating the new year but her birthday too. The amazing actress who is known for beautiful photos, left her followers shocked with some awesome new photos which she shared on her Instagram page to celebrate her birthday. Lawal who has been known for being controversial, stated that 2019 would be the same. On one of the photos shared, she wrote: Happy new year everyone ❤……. Its my birthday ….. …. … … P.s I have a feeling this chapter of life is going to be…
Toolz and her husband, Tunde Demuren welcomed their first child together recently. A bouncing baby boy. The on-air personality confirmed the news with an amazing testimony: ‘For this child I have prayed and You heard my cry. For this baby I had faith and You gave new life’… This time last year, I posted my most vulnerable and honest post to date after my miscarriage. WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES!! This time last year, I would often cry myself to sleep thinking about the baby we lost, but now I can’t sleep because I can’t stop staring at the…
Yesterday, popular blogger, Linda Ikeji posted the 10 most vital things she is grateful to God for as 2018 came to end. She shared this on social meda, “You know what they say, ‘count your blessings and name them one by one’. So here I am doing exactly that on the last day of the year and thanking God for how far He’s brought me. 2018 has so far been the best year of my life and these are the things I’m most grateful for…in the particular order…asides from life and good health because really without that, nothing else matters.…
It is double celebration for Mercy Aigbe as she has shared some gorgeous new photos to celebrate her birthday as well. She also praised herself as she begins another 365-days journey. “On this Day! Several years ago, a QUEEN was born, she is Strong, Dogged, a goal getter , yet with the purest of hearts!!…… She reigns supreme on her throne!…..Her Crown is heavy but she wears it gracefully as if it were a feather, there is strength in her heart, determination in her eyes, and the will to survive resides within her soul, she is me, a warrior, a…
Nollywood actress, Tonto Dikeh sent a message to her fans yesterday as we ushered in 2019. The mother-of-one who is known to always dish out her say on life issues consistently via her page, wants everyone to stay true to themselves and be in tune with reality by not living life doe other people on Instagram. She wrote: “It’s that time of the year where we all show off what the lord has done for us in the previous 364 days. It’s that time of the year where we share our testimonies to inspire the masses and stir up the…
Cynthia Nwadiora also known as Cee C has shared a beautiful photo with her sister, alongside words of praise to the lady, for the way she stood by her. She also spoke about how the year was a great one for her with a lot of highs and lows. She wrote; “Hello loves, forgive me for being scarce lately; I decided to take a little break off social media to just reflect, relax and spend time with family. 2018 was life changing for me, it came with many highs and lows, wins and losses but it was all worth it.”…
Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Future performed at LIV Nightclub in Miami recently and for their appearance, they got a total of $250k. If you think that’s low, you’re right because it is. We’re told the rappers are super tight with the owner, David Grutman, so they charged him little. Future will be performing at Drai’s and will get a cool $400k check for doing his thing. Lil Baby & Gunna are getting $110k total for a show at the Masonic Temple in Detroit, and rapper Sheck Wes will be Down Under in Australia … raking in more than $110k.