Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said it was crucial that the club had kept midfielder Adam Lallana, who signed a new contract last week. Lallana, who put pen to paper on a three-year contract on Wednesday, is enjoying his best season since arriving at the club in the summer of 2014. He has been transformed by Klopp after his inconsistent displays under predecessor Brendan Rodgers had left many questioning the £25 million fee paid to Southampton. And the manager said: “For me it was clear we had to try everything to keep a player like him. He is a very important…
Author: David Folami
Michel Salgado has told talkSPORT that Real Madrid “would be crazy” to pay Tottenham a similar fee for Dele Alli as they paid for Gareth Bale. Alli, 20, has been linked with a big-money move to join the European champions after a second impressive season in the Premier League with Spurs. Bale left Tottenham as a 24-year-old who had twice been named as PFA Player of the Year, but Alli still has to prove if he is capable of performing regularly at the level that Real require, according to Salgado. “Obviously they can pursue him because he’s a great player,…
Wayne Rooney will be allowed to lift the EFL Cup trophy should Man United beat Southampton on Sunday — even if he doesn’t play in the final, manager Jose Mourinho says. Rooney’s position with the club has been called into question in recent weeks after the forward has played just 45 minutes in February and had to issue a statement that he isn’t planning an imminent move away from Old Trafford. And while Mourinho has said that he won’t hold a place in his starting XI for the 31-year-old simply for sentimental reasons, he has continued to respect Rooney’s role…
Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford can go on to become as good as Antoine Griezmann in “two or three years’ time,” Phil Neville has told The Times. Atletico Madrid and France forward Griezmann is reportedly a summer transfer target for Jose Mourinho, but Neville thinks United already have a player on their books who can match him. “Marcus Rashford is good enough,” he said. “Marcus will need challenging all the time because he’s got so much ability. “You have got to be inspired by Griezmann [potentially] coming in. Marcus can be as good as Griezmann in two or three years’…
Eric Cantona is convinced Manchester United will land the first of many trophies in the Jose Mourinho era at Wembley on Sunday. With United still fighting in the FA Cup and the Europa League, Cantona is backing Mourinho to deliver major silverware at the first attempt when they face Southampton in the EFL Cup final. Cantona, whose signing from Leeds by Sir Alex Ferguson in 1992 was a key moment in United becoming the dominant force of the Premier League age, praised the expertise and wit of Mourinho which he believes serves as a positive influence on the players. Cantona…
Juan Mata is available to play for Manchester United in the EFL Cup final against Southampton, the club has confirmed. There were doubts over Mata’s selection after he failed to travel with the squad to London on Saturday. He had returned to Spain in order to attend his grandfather’s funeral, but he is now with the squad and ready to play. A spokesperson said: “Juan attended his grandfather’s funeral and joined the team in London.” Mata, who has scored nine goals and set up a further nine for United this season, has said he wants to extend his contract with…
By Sunday evening, the second trophy of the English season will have been awarded at Wembley Stadium. Manchester United won the first, lifting the FA Community Shield back in August, and now Jose Mourinho is desperate to add the EFL Cup. Had that sentence been written five years ago, United fans would have scoffed. The Community Shield was seen as little more than a glorified friendly, with the main advantage being that it allowed upward of 60,000 fans to get into Wembley with an ease that usually evades so many at a cup final. More than 31,000 will be in…
Star actress Tonto Dikeh has finally opened up on why she left her marital home. The actress today, February 24, 2017, was asked by a fan to return home and her reply opened a can of worms concerning her union to Oladunni Churchill. According to her, she allegedly treated so many sexually transmitted diseases while being married to Churchill. According to her, “Nobody knows how many STDs I have treated or pain I know in marriage. If laughter is all they have then the karma that bites me awaits them all. Thank for your love. Yes no marriage is perfect…
No chill! Toke Makinwa will be returning home from London to meet a N100 million defamation lawsuit against her by her estranged husband, Maje Ayida. The Cable reports that while the OAP was hosting a meet & greet for her best-selling memoir, “On Becoming” in London, after being asked to seize all promotions of the book by Ayida’s lawyer, she was served the lawsuit. It is easy to deduce that Ayida’s lawyer’s, Carter-Ruck, a top UK firm that specializes in defamation and Kemi Pinheiro (SAN) of Pinheiro LP, representing him in Nigeria, made the move as Makinwa has continued to…
A smiling Seun Egbegbe was pictured strutting out of court with police escorts after being granted bail in the sum of N5 million. The Nollywood movie producer was arrested alongside one Oyekan Ayomide, for defrauding some operatives of Bureau De Change of over N40.647m, between 2016 and February 2017. The justice who presided over the case at the Federal High Court in Lagos, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo granted Egbegbe bail in the sum of N5m with two sureties each in a sum of N2.5m. Oguntoyibo ruled that Egbegbe should be released upon meeting the conditions for his bail. According to Punch,…
Secretary to Government of the Federation, (SGF) Engr. Babachir David Lawal has said the FG has recovered billions through anti-corruptiom fight. Lawal made the call in Owerri on Friday, at the 5th convocation of Imo State Polytechnic, Umuaghor. Lawal said the current administration was working round the clock to fix the economy. He asked for patience on the part of citizens. He said the president inherited a parlous economy from the past regime of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. Lawal who was conferred with the award of “Fellow of the Polytechnic”, said Buhari’s administration has recorded huge success. ‘We have…
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has expressed deep pleasure on the convening of World leaders in Oslo. Dogara expressed his pleasure when donors pledged $672 to tackle food crisis in the north east for the next three years. With the return of about one million internally displaced people since August 2015 and refugee returnees from neighbouring countries under way in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe, the need to ensure their protection and access to them by aid agencies is critical. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) co-presented with the Federal Government led by Minister…
Nigeria’s Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo seems to have been everywhere while his boss is away. He even conducted a spot check on the public toilets at Lagos international airport. The clear aim, it seems, is to give the impression of business as usual while President Muhammadu Buhari is nearly 5,000 kilometres (3,000 miles) away in London on medical leave. The government appears keen to avoid the impression of a political vacuum, as happened in 2010 when president Umaru Yar’Adua fell ill and later died while being treated abroad. Since Buhari, 74, left for the British capital on January 19, 59-year-old Osinbajo…
Bayern Munich stayed five points clear on top of the Bundesliga after Carlo Ancelotti’s 1,000th career game ended 8-0 against Hamburg. Bayern, who have scored 44 goals and conceded just three against Hamburg since 2011, went ahead as Arturo Vidal struck with powerful drive from the edge of the box before Robert Lewandowski netted a brace, the first from the penalty spot, to give Bayern a comfortable 3-0 half-time lead. The Poland striker completed his hat trick on 54 minutes for Bayern’s 50th league goal of the season before David Alaba, Kingsley Coman with two and Arjen Robben all struck…
Antonio Conte admitted he is “lucky” to have players with title pedigree after Chelsea secured a hard-fought 3-1 victory over Swansea City at Stamford Bridge to move 11 points clear at the top of the Premier League. For much of the second half a spirited Swansea team harboured genuine hopes of halting Chelsea’s momentum after Fernando Llorente’s header cancelled out Cesc Fabregas’ early opener just before the interval, but late strikes from Pedro Rodriguez and Diego Costa ensured a convincing win. The result increases Chelsea’s already commanding lead at the top of the table with rivals Manchester City, Manchester United…
Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has told Sky Sports that Zlatan Ibrahimovic could play until he is 40-years-old. Ibrahimovic, 35, has scored 24 goals for United since joining in the summer, but Mourinho said the striker, whom he also managed for a season at Inter Milan in 2008-09, provides much more than just a goal threat. “I think he is even better than when I worked with him at Inter,” Mourinho said. “He is more collected, more intelligent and understands the game even better. He is not just a finisher, but is also important when it comes to creating goals.…
Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state has warned that any attempt to rig the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti state will be met with stiff resistance. According to Vanguard, the Governor said “Here in Ekiti, we are waiting for them. If INEC and its ally, APC like, they can print as many Form EC8A as it can, they will fail.” He also alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the police force aligned with the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the Edo governorship election. Fayose said that recent revelations in the INEC Rivers rerun report shows that the…
Actress and philanthropist Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde paid the Big Brother Naija housemates a visit on Friday, February 24, 2017. During her visit, the actress discussed the shocking inequalities young girls still face when it comes to access to quality education. She pointed out that over 130 million girls in developing countries still lack access to quality education. She urged them all to use their voices to draw attention to the existing difference, reiterating the popular mantra of her campaign – “poverty is sexist.” During their conversation, Marvis who is from a family of eight shared her experience having a strained and…
Harry Kane insists Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli has learned a harsh lesson after being sent off for his reckless tackle in the Europa League. Spurs crashed out to Gent in the last 32 on Thursday after a 2-2 draw at Wembley ensured the Belgian side went through 3-2 on aggregate. Alli was the villain of the tie as his red card for a horror challenge on Gent’s Brecht Dejaegere at 1-1 left Tottenham needing to score twice with 10 men. “Dele will learn from this,” Kane said. “Obviously in European football when tackles like that go in you are more…
In an interview, former Big Brother Naija housemate, Gifty, spoke about her mum’s reaction, future relationship with Soma and suspecting Jon’s agenda. According to the former housemate, her mum supported her strategy and explained to everyone that called to complain. Speaking about her relationship with Soma, Gifty said she likes him as a friend, but he isn’t her type when it comes to a relationship. On her mum’s reaction; “My mum was once a supermodel, so she actually understood my game plan. Although before entering into the house, I explained to her. “I told her, mummy, this is what I…