Ernesto Valverde has insisted Barcelona have not moved away from their model of giving homegrown players a chance after the club broke their transfer record for the second time this season with the signing of Philippe Coutinho. “Barcelona’s model has always been the same,” the coach said in a news conference on Wednesday. “[The club] have always gone to the transfer market to sign the best players in the world. Many of the very best players have played here.” However, Valverde did acknowledge the importance of La Masia, as well. “At the same time, we always try to look at…
Author: David Folami
Jordi Mestre has said Barcelona were able to sign Philippe Coutinho this month because Liverpool finally lowered their demands. “The interest of the club has always been to take Coutinho to Barcelona,” Mestre said. “The difference is that there has been a substantial reduction in the cost of this transfer. “There has been a very important reduction, even though we cannot publicly give the figures. We are not going to discuss the numbers. The important thing is we have the player here. If I reveal numbers I will be breaking our agreement with Liverpool.” “Philippe, welcome. We know that you…
Antonio Conte has said he has no regrets about blasting Jose Mourinho and does not believe their public war of words is damaging the reputations of Chelsea or Manchester United. Asked if he would take back any of the things he has said about Mourinho, Conte replied: “Do I have the look of a person who regrets? I don’t think so. We both said these things and we’ll see what happens in the future.” “I think it is not important for the LMA to understand, it is not important,” he insisted. “He said serious words, using serious words. I won’t…
Arsene Wenger has said Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi will be fined for staying at a party until early Saturday morning ahead of Sunday’s FA Cup loss at Nottingham Forest, and called the 21-year-old’s behaviour “unacceptable.” “That is true. He will be fined,” Wenger said about the report. “It is impossible to go out 48 hours before a game. It’s unacceptable.” “First of all you have to be cautious with the news coming out. When you read what is reported it is like he has taken drugs,” Wenger said. “He is not involved in that at all, he has been out…
Daniel Levy has said he is “100 percent confident” of keeping the club’s biggest names. Levy has said no one will move on unless the club wants them to go. “I’m 100 percent confident. Every single player that we want to keep, I can assure you will be playing for Tottenham Hotspur next season,” he said. “Mauricio’s strategy has always been that if an opportunity arises that he thinks can improve the squad then we will need to look at it, but January is always a very difficult window.” Earlier in the week Kane said he is not currently negotiating…
Fabio Capello has said Antonio Conte and Jose Mourinho’s saga has gone out of control, and that the Chelsea coach would have been wise not to have picked such a fight. Capello has followed the argument and admits he is shocked at how far it has gone, though insisted Mourinho has history in this regard. “I think Conte didn’t realise who he was up against,” Capello told Sky Sport Italia. “It’s the Chelsea shirt which winds coaches up. Remember how wound up Mourinho got when he was Chelsea manager? Conte’s just doing what Mourinho used to do. “We all remember…
Real Madrid has dominated UEFA’s Fans’ Team of the Year 2017 with five players in the XI but there is no space for Neymar despite the Paris Saint-Germain forward’s status as the world’s most expensive player. Italian champions Juve — beaten finalists for a second time in three years — are represented by veteran goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon and defender Giorgio Chiellini. Lionel Messi is the sole representative of Barcelona. His former teammate Dani Alves is also selected, but Neymar — who left Barcelona for PSG in a world-record €222 million move in the summer — was not among the names…
Zinedine Zidane has said he was happy with his team’s performance after their 2-2 draw against Segunda side Numancia on Wednesday night sealed a 5-3 aggregate passage to the Copa del Rey quarterfinals, but did not do much to lift the current gloom around the Bernabeu. “It is not easy for the players who play less,” Zidane said. “We played a good game. We maybe lacked a bit of gas at the end. “The opponent came here, ran until the end whatever happened. If you dip physically a bit, this can happen.” “But I am happy with the performance of…
Arsene Wenger has refused to explain his decision to drop Alexis Sanchez to the bench for Wednesday’s 0-0 draw at Chelsea, but insisted he still hopes the Chile international will stay at Arsenal for the rest of the season. “I don’t have to justify every decision I make, you know. I made over 1,000 games and over 1,000 teams and I got it every time wrong, but I have to make a decision,” Wenger said. Asked if he remains confident that Sanchez will stay at the club until the summer, when his contract expires, Wenger said: “Yes, that’s what I…
It appears Chris Brown and his rumoured girlfriend Agnez Mo are still going strong. The R&B crooner walked hand-in-hand with the Indonesian songstress on a trip to Disneyland in California this weekend, and fans couldn’t believe their eyes. The couple were accompanied by Mo’s niece, Chloe, as they navigated the park, taking time to stop and take photos with Breezy’s admirers. Fans captured videos of the famous duo throughout their visit, with one piece of footage showing Brown pick up Mo in his arms and cuddle her in the air. Despite the ongoing publicity around their rumoured romance, Brown and…
Kanye West was a source of a little joy in a fan’s final hours … chatting with and rapping for her before she died. We’re told Kanye recently became aware of a young fan who was battling cancer. The fan’s family tried hard to get in touch with him because the pre-teen was a huge fan, and last week — when word reached Kanye, he jumped at the chance to connect. Kanye FaceTimed the girl last week. They talked for awhile and the girl then asked Kanye to rap, “I Love Kanye” — her favorite song. He was more than…
For a brief moment during Art Basel Miami Beach last month, stage designer Es Devlin turned 7,000 square feet of the Edition hotel into a labyrinth. In Room 2022, the viewer’s journey began with a sliver of light projected onto a dark wall that split open into a door, followed by corridors and dazzling colors that culminated in final mirrored room of disorienting, reflective walls. “This is my next step,” says Devlin. “Watch a film and then walk through a hole in it.” A vanguard of stage design since the mid-’90s, Devlin, who was featured in the popular Netflix series…
Angelina Jolie stepped out with her daughters Shiloh and Zahara Jolie-Pitt at the National Board of Review Awards Gala in NYC on Tuesday, January 9. The Oscar winner, 42, held hands with Shiloh, 11, who recently broke her collarbone during a family vacation. Shiloh wore a splint with her black suit as she walked the red carpet with her mom, while sister Zahara, 13, was dressed in a black top and pants topped with a navy jacket. Jolie also wore black — a strappy dress with a lace overlay. The siblings also showed off a new accessory as they smiled…
Margot Robbie has revealed she has her sights on a new career in the latest issue of US Elle magazine. The Suicide Squad star graces the cover of the magazine’s February 2018 issue and inside reveals her big plans for the future. In the interview with Elle, Robbie talks about the challenges of taking on the role of American figure skater Tonya Harding, saying that playing a real character “who’s very much alive and is widely documented, can be more intimidating”. Robbie’s portrayal of the controversial figure has received widespread acclaim, however, with the actress already receiving a number of…
Temi Otedola is not a happy woman right now. The beautiful daughter of billionaire business mogul, Femi Otedola took to her Twitter page on Tuesday, where she dropped the news. According to her someone else was using her credit card to shop online while she was asleep. “Damn. Woke up to find out someone had been online shopping with my card whilst I slept. Card fraud is savage. Now I’m away from home till Thursday with a cancelled card,” she tweeted. She however doesn’t want this sad event to spoil her mood as she went to tweet about having just…
This new year, it’s simply out with the old for Selena Gomez. The actress and producer cleaned house on social media, unfollowing nearly 300 people on Instagram. The move comes about a month after Gomez, 25, made her Instagram account private following a “hurtful” Billboard magazine profile. She changed it back to public shortly thereafter. So who got cut from the most-followed person on Instagram’s list? Gigi Hadid, Camila Cabello, Gomez’s former Wizards of Waverly Place co-stars, and the cast of the Netflix show she produces, 13 Reasons Why. Even Demi Lovato got unfollowed, despite the longtime friends making up…
The jet-setting, continent-hopping rapper Ludacris and wife Eudoxie Bridges make it look easy. Feel free to be jealous of rap royalty Ludacris and wife Eudoxie, as the pair celebrate their third weeding anniversary in grand style by traveling and turning the world’s exclusive beach-front paradises into their personal playground. Luda’s wife Eudoxiee shared adorable photos of she and her life partner Ludacris.
Farruko’s remix of his Latin trap hit “Krippy Kush” with Bad Bunny and Rvssian, featuring Nicki Minaj and 21 Savage, isn’t just the Puerto Rican artist’s first charting track on the Billboard Hot 100 — the super-collab also marks his first time working with a major English-speaking artist. As a fiery new music video pushes the track to No. 88 on the chart dated Jan. 6, Farruko explains how his biggest foray into the U.S. market to date came together. “Krippy Kush” is your first venture into Latin trap music rather than reggaetón. What inspired the shift? I really wanted…
Snoop Dogg has offered former boxing champ Mike Tyson expert advice on what marijuana strains to grow on on his new cannabis farm. Tyson broke ground last month on a facility in the California desert that will grow high-quality weed on 40 acres of land in California City, just 60 miles southwest of Death Valley. And Snoop – who already has his own line of cannabis products – is going to be there for the former boxing heavyweight champion to give tips on the trade. ‘Snoop has reached out to Tyson with tips on what strains to grow,’ an insider…
Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has praised President Muhammadu Buhari and security agencies for killing the alleged mastermind of the January 1 massacre in the state. In a broadcast to residents of the state on Monday, January 8, 2018, Wike also criticised his predecessor, Rotimi Amaechi. STATE BROADCAST BY HIS EXCELLENCY, NYESOM EZENWO WIKE CON, GSSRS ON THE KILLING OF THE NOTORIOUS CULTIST, MURDERER AND KIDNAPPER, JOHNSON IGWEDIBIA (ALIAS DON WANNY) My dear people of Rivers State On the first of January 2018, the entire State and the country at large was traumatized by the callous murder of 23 innocent…