Prior to Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over Hull last October – the first time Antonio Conte implemented the hugely successful 3-5-2 formation – Victor Moses had not started for the Blues in more than 1,230 days. It was, though, not meant to be this way. The Nigerian arrived at the club in 2012 to much fanfare. Signing from Wigan for £9m, the then-forward was introduced in front of the Stamford Bridge crowd before Chelsea’s clash with Newcastle United. Fast, quick-footed and talented, Moses’ potential was clear to see. But he struggled to convince those in charge that he was worthy of…
Author: David Folami
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has refused to rule out Jordan Henderson for the rest of the season and is confident the midfielder’s injury problems will be over by the summer at the latest. Henderson, 26, has been sidelined since February with a foot injury and has not yet returned to team training at Melwood. Klopp insists there is no definitive timescale on the England international’s return, but added that he expects to at least have his captain back fully fit when preseason starts in July. When asked how much longer Henderson would be out, Klopp was quoted by the Liverpool…
Romelu Lukaku thanked manager Ronald Koeman for making him a better footballer after being named Everton’s Player of the Season by both his teammates and the supporters. Lukaku, 23, picked up the Players’ Player of the Season award and the Player of the Season trophy — chosen by Everton fans — at the club’s end-of-season awards night on Tuesday. The Belgium international, linked with a summer exit from Goodison Park, has scored 25 goals in all competitions, with 24 of those coming in the Premier League. He said he was “not always an easy guy” and thanked Koeman for helping…
Planning for Manchester City’s next season will already be well underway. Director of football Txiki Begiristain will have already discussed what parts of the squad need addressing in the transfer market with manager Pep Guardiola, and the decisions about which targets to move for will be close to rubber-stamped, if they haven’t been already. There are more decisions to make with the players currently in the squad, too. The manager has said all season they will wait until the end of the campaign to look at the futures of the first-teamers who are out of contract in the summer, though…
Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) What more can be said about the remarkable Buffon? He came through at the most important moments for Juventus in what was ultimately a comfortable win over Monaco. In the first leg — his 100th Champions League appearance — he made crucial saves from Kylian Mbappe and Radamel Falcao while the game was still in the balance; in the second his astute overhead throw began the attack that brought Mario Mandzukic’s goal. Buffon is so sharp, alert and composed — and now has the chance of a first victory in the final that would crown a…
It is easy to say that Mauricio Pochettino and Jose Mourinho meet on Sunday as opposites. The Argentine is on course for the highest finish of his coaching career, the Portuguese the lowest. Yet if they are overachiever and underachiever in the Premier League, the Tottenham manager has never won a trophy and his Manchester United counterpart is pursuing a second of this spring alone. They are competing at White Hart Lane for three points, though Mourinho is likely to field a weakened team and it could be an unfair contest, but it is part of a broader battle for…
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho insists Paul Pogba has not been distracted by FIFA’s investigation into his £89.3 million move from Juventus ahead of Thursday’s crucial Europa League clash against Celta Vigo. World football’s governing body announced on Tuesday that it is looking at the deal through its Transfer Matching System (TMS), the online platform that monitors cross-border transfers. That news has interrupted the build-up to United’s Europa League semifinal second leg at Old Trafford. Asked if the stories had affected him or Pogba, the United manager told a news conference: “No. The question is simple. He asks the facts…
Riyad Mahrez looks almost certain to head for the exit at Leicester City and spark a fire sale at the King Power Stadium, reports the Express. PSG will return to lead the chase for the £35 million-rated Algerian, though Barcelona, Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham and Liverpool have all shown interest in the 26-year-old.
It says as much about Arsenal’s rivals in the race for the top four, as it does for Arsene Wenger’s team, that the Emirates Stadium might still be hosting Champions League football next season. Ten days ago, Arsenal had dropped to seventh, eight points adrift of the Champions League positions — albeit having played one game fewer than fourth-placed Manchester City — after suffering a painful 2-0 North London derby defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. It felt like an era-defining loss. It was the day that Spurs cancelled “St Totteringham’s Day” for the first time in over 20 years by guaranteeing…
A Lagos Lawyer, Mr Shakiru Eletu, has described as “unproductive controversy” the debate on President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter to the Senate notifying the National Assembly of his trip to London. Eletu, also a law lecturer at the Lagos State University, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that semantics was no longer important since Buhari cited specific constitutional provision in the letter. “The president acted in line with the constitution; he needed not address the vice president as “acting president” in his letter since there are constitutional provisions. “What the president does normally is to coordinate affairs of government and,…
Reality star Kim Kardashian shared this adorable photo of little Saint. Looking like a pretty angel the Kardashian star accompanied the photo with a love struck emoji. The shot sees Saint, who looks so much like elder sister North, lying on a bed distracted by someone else. She also shared another photo of husband, Kanye West, carrying a sleeping North. “My baby boo,” she wrote alongside it. Meanwhile, the “Keeping Up With The Kardashian” star has revealed plans for a third child with husband Kanye West. In a recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians the mum of two…
Chelsea will have to fight for the win they need to secure the Premier League title at West Bromwich Albion on Friday as the West Midlands club are determined to finish the season on a high after a woeful run, midfielder Chris Brunt has said. West Brom, winless in their last six, have lost their last three home games 1-0 and host Chelsea in their final match of the season at The Hawthorns. “It’s our last game at home, and we’ve done reasonably well at home, so it would be nice to go out and get a result against them…
Osun State says it owns just 14 percent equity in Omoluabi Garment Factory, located along Gbongan Osogbo road, Ede. Jayeoba Alagbada, a former commissioner for Commerce, Co-Op & Empowerment, made the disclosure. Alagbada is a commissioner-nominee in the State. His screening held at the State House of Assembly on Tuesday. Recall that a certain highly placed person in government was rumoured to own the garment making company using Sam & Sara Factory Limited as front. But revealing the true status of government’s stake in the company, Alagbada revealed that government’s only contribution to the company was land, which secured for…
The ex-governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam, has withdrawn the fundamental human rights suit he instituted against the Department of State Services (DSS) seeking an order of unconditional release from detention. Suswam had also asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to order the DSS to award him N10 billion as compensation for unlawful incarceration and violation of his rights. When the matter was called on Wednesday, counsel to Suswam, Mr Joseph Daudu (SAN), told the court that his client had no further intention of continuing the suit. Daudu maintained that although Suswam’s doctor had placed him on strict bed…
Former Governor, Adams Oshiomhole has donated food items and cash to Internally Displced Persons (IDPs) In Edo state. The former Governor, who was accompanied by his wife, Lara Oshiomhole said taking care of the IDPs is not the business of government alone. According to Vanguard, he also urged the government to ensure that IDP camps across the nation are well equipped to properly cater for the children. Oshiomhole said “This is part of my wife’s commitment under the We Care Trust programme. We are happy to do more. We are really touched that so much can be done with so…
Kylie Jenner’s been spending a lot of time recently with Travi$ Scott. And, um, it seems like the Rob Kardashian/Blac Chyna relationship is finished. So, what’s next? Could it be a relationship reunion between Blac Chyna and Tyga? They do have a child together, and there’s some proof that they’ve at least been in close proximity to one another. According to Miami.com, the pair were spotted partying on Sunday night (May 7) at LIV. While not in the same camps at the time, Tyga reportedly looked up to the skybox where BC was and each smiled and waved to each…
She is one of the most famous female rappers in the world. And Nicki Minaj sparked some speculation that she is dating one of the greatest rappers of all-time. The 34-year-old Superbass hitmaker raised eyebrows as she shared a snap of herself cozying up to Nas on Instagram Tuesday. The 43-year-old had his arm around Nicki as they cuddled in the booth at Los Angeles restaurant Sweet Chick. The Pink Friday rapper – real name Onika Tanya Maraj – captioned the cute snap: ‘Only KINGS recognize QUEENS. @sweetchicklife has the best food congrats @nas.’ In it Nicki rocked a pink…
Kylie Jenner suffered from altitude sickness and received emergency oxygen during her trip to South America on Tuesday, May 9. The Life of Kylie star, 19, shared a series of Snapchat videos of herself receiving medical treatment and wearing an oxygen mask. In one clip, Jenner, wearing a red track suit, sits on a bed and works on her breathing, as her friends, including Jordyn Woods, gather around her. In another clip, Jenner’s doctor explains that the makeup mogul will be just fine. “At this altitude of 11,000 feet above sea level, you can feel nauseous, have headaches, feel like…
Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin is set to miss the remainder of the La Liga season after being banned for three games for telling the match officials to “put on some glasses” as he was sent off late in Saturday’s 1-0 home win over Eibar. With Atletico hanging on for victory following Saul Niguez’s second-half goal, Godin was booked in the 88th minute for arguing with a linesman over the awarding of a corner to the visitors. The Uruguayan then took the row to the fourth official and was shown a second yellow for making a “put on some glasses”…
Liverpool’s style of play has been feverishly debated throughout the season, with particular emphasis on their inability to get better results against lesser teams. Asked about the latest disappointment — a 0-0 draw at home to Southampton — Gary Neville offered up his views. There’s always a fraught relationship between the former Manchester United full-back and Liverpool supporters. David Beckham and Eric Cantona were renowned for their skills, while Neville was a steady enough defender. He was certainly no Dani Alves. Occasional comments about how much he disliked Liverpool often ratcheted up the rivalry and helped make him a United…