Philippe Coutinho has signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool, but that has led to some supporters questioning whether the Brazilian will actually remain at Anfield for the foreseeable future. Coutinho, 24, has been linked with a move to Barcelona in recent months and Liverpool have moved quick to tie down one of their biggest assets until 2022 in a lucrative deal that makes him the club’s highest-paid player. A source said there is no release clause in Coutinho’s new contract, which gives Jurgen Klopp a position of strength in negotiations should Barcelona and other clubs around Europe continue to…
Author: David Folami
Marcus Rashford was viewed in the “same category” as Paul Pogba, according to former Manchester United under-21 manager Warren Joyce. Wigan Athletic manager Joyce will return to Old Trafford on Sunday to face Manchester United in the FA Cup fourth round — bringing back memories of when he coached the likes of Rashford, Pogba and Jesse Lingard, before joining the Latics in November. Joyce told The Sun: “There are certain tick boxes for the X-factor players. Some — like Pogba — tick every box. The more Xs in those boxes the more difficult it is to reach the very top.…
Looking at it from almost any vantage point, Eden Hazard is having an excellent season. The player that struck fear into Premier League defences during Chelsea’s 2014-15 title-winning campaign before disappearing from view last season has returned to strut his impish style across England. The statistic of nine goals in 21 Premier League matches compared with just four from the whole of last season tells its own story about the Belgian’s metamorphosis. The slender tally of three assists officially attributed to him by the Premier League is rather surprising but does not convey the enormous impact that he has had…
Arsenal great Robert Pires says Alexis Sanchez has told him he’s still undecided about whether to renew his contract with the Gunners. Pires, who still trains regularly with the first team at Arsenal’s London Colney training ground, told Chilean newspaper La Tercera that he asked Sanchez last week what his plans were in regards to extending his deal. Sanchez and Mesut Ozil both have contracts that expire after next season, but have yet to agree new deals with the club. “I spoke to Alexis last week and asked him about his renewal. He told me he didn’t know, that he…
Barcelona sporting director Robert Fernandez insists he is sure Lionel Messi will sign a new deal with the Catalan giants despite continued speculation over the five-time World Player of the Year’s future. Messi has just 18 months left on his current contract and would have no shortage of lucrative offers should he decide to leave the club where he has spent the entirety of his glittering career. However, Fernandez believes negotiations over a new deal are progressing “very well.” “There were many comments and people who want to intoxicate this situation, but we have been working on it for a…
Three persons have been reported dead in Maiduguri, Borno state after two bomb blasts rocked the city. The explosions, said to be suicide attacks, occurred early on Wednesday, January 25, according to Premium Times. The first blast occurred at about midnight when a male suicide bomber attempted to attack a security point in the Usmanti Layout area, but was gunned down by soldiers on duty. The second blast reportedly occurred at about 5.30 a.m. when a teenage girl, blew herself up near a mosque after being caught by members of the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF). “We are just leaving…
Lagos State Senator, Gbenga Ashafa has said that Nigeria needs a railway revolution to solve the transportation crisis in the country. Senator Ashafa represents the Lagos East Senatorial District and is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Land Transport. He made the comments via an opinion article titled “The Railway Revolution we need” in reaction to the planned closure of the Abuja airport for repairs. Read the article below: Dear Nigerians, Let me seize this opportunity to once again wish you a Happy New Year. Indeed 2016 was a very challenging year for all of us, but I…
A female suicide bomber who attacked a town in northeast Nigeria earlier this month was carrying a baby at the time, the country’s main relief agency said on Tuesday. But the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said it was unclear whether this was a new tactic on the part of Boko Haram Islamists to allow would-be bombers to evade detection. “From the report we got after the Madagali attack (on January 13), one of the female suicide bombers had a baby strapped to her back,” said the NEMA coordinator for Adamawa state, Saad Bello. “However it is not clear whether…
Upcoming Hollywood actor, Jay Bowdy, has taken his own life during a Facebook live video. The aspiring actor, aged 34, was reported to be have been suffering from suicidal depression by friends. Although, the method in which the San Antonio, Texas, native committed suicide has not been revealed. Friend Ruth Lyn penned an open letter to the dead star. It reads, “I’m sitting here looking through our last text messages and trying to figure out where I went wrong, what I missed, what I could have done differently to have been there for you in your time of need,” she…
Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson lost her father on Monday, January 23, 2017. The star who once revealed she had a non-existent relationship with her dad shared a photo of the both of them for the first time. According to Yvonne, she has just two photos taken with her late father. She wrote, “Rest In Peace Father. This picture was taken on the 6th of this month…, i have only two pictures with my Father, and this is one of them…..so much I wanted to talk about…..so much I wanted to say…..but God knows best….I know you are in HEAVEN…… I…
After staying away from the prying eyes of the media and fans, singer Cynthia Morgan is back! This time she’s here for her haters…as usual, and critics with a couple of swear words. She shared the photo above with the words, “To whom it may concern…if you don’t know me, nor have genuine care nor genuine interest in me. Don’t mention my name nor make friends with my name.you don’t know what I been through. Fuck you. #Mayyourwordschokeyou.” ‘Don’t break my heart’ gave Morgan her first true break, and that skyrocketed into this. She quickly switched things up with the…
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is not surprised by his side’s drop in form in January and is confident they remain in the Premier League title race. Liverpool have won once in January in all competitions — a 1-0 victory at Plymouth in the FA Cup — and their 3-2 loss at home to Swansea City last weekend dented their title hopes. But Klopp, whose side are 10 points behind leaders Chelsea, said in The Guardian: “Who expects to play their best football in the middle of January. Just look at the weekend. Did Chelsea have 20 shots on target? No.…
Philippe Coutinho has signed a new long-term contract at Liverpool, the club have confirmed. The Reds have tied down one of their best players for the foreseeable future and have rewarded the Brazilian for his excellent form in recent seasons. Coutinho has been linked with a move to Barcelona in the past few months but Liverpool are determined to do everything they can to ensure his future remains at Anfield. A source has said that Coutinho’s new contract is a five-year deal — that lasts until 2022 — and does not include a release clause. The source added that Coutinho…
Manchester United stand on the brink of their first cup final of the Jose Mourinho era and, as they do so, they will be thankful for one goal in particular. Marouane Fellaini’s strike in the EFL Cup semifinal first leg, just three minutes from the final whistle, sealed a 2-0 home victory for United against a Hull City team who had just welcomed Marco Silva as their new manager. Silva has quickly brought his personality to bear on the team, who have gone on to produce impressive performances in a 3-1 Premier League win over Bournemouth and a 2-0 loss…
The Senator Representing Kogi West Senatorial District, Dino Melaye has stated that it is totally unacceptable for someone above 70 years to be in leadership position. President Muhammadu Buhari is 74 years old. Melaye noted that this was happening because the Nigerian youths had not really taken their stand. According to him, 2019 should be the time for the youths to chase out those he labeled as “old cargoes” from power. Addressing the youths, weekend, in Abuja at a dinner and lecture organised by the Nigerian Youths Parliament, the senator added that youths constituted over 60 percent of the electorates,…
Nigerians have a bloated sense of entitlement. After 10 years, the second season of Big Brother Naija is holding in South Africa and some Nigerians are angry and disappointed – take your pick. While some are demanding that MultiChoice ‘relocates to South Africa,’ others are asking that the Government bans the reality show or ‘call DSTV to order’ for hosting a show meant for Nigerians in South Africa. Nigerians deserve to be angry, but at this point, their anger is misplaced. Rather than throw tantrums and be angry at the organizers, Nigerians should be angry that the country does not…
Former Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack has hailed the Antonio Conte effect after a stunning first half of the season at Stamford Bridge. Italian boss Conte has taken the side, who struggled so badly under Jose Mourinho last season, and guided them eight points clear at the top of the Premier League. And Ballack, who racked up over 150 appearances in West London, has been impressed by the way Conte has taken the title race by the scruff of the neck in his first season in England. “The surprise was, last year, that they were so bad,” Ballack said. “That they…
Former president Olusegun Obasanjo has expressed his take on an Igbo president come 2019. Obasanjo made this on Tuesday, January 24, 2017 while while playing host to the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Ogun State chapter, at his Abeokuta Hilltop residence. Throwing his weight behind the South-East geopolitical zone, Obasanjo reportedly said he thinks the South East should also have a go at the presidency in 2019 general elections. In his words: Obasanjo said, “Irrespective of the thinking of the people ahead of 2019, I personally think that South-East should have a go at the Presidency too.…
Kaduna State Senator, Shehu Sani has accused President Muhammadu Buhari of taking corruption in his government too lightly. Sani made the comment on Tuesday, January 24, after Buhari told the Senate that he would not sack the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal despite fraud allegations made against him. The Senate, in December 2016, urged Lawal to resign after he was accused of misappropriating funds meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-East. “Mr. President, Distinguished Colleagues, I rise through Order 43 of Senate Rules and I want to submit that President Buhari’s reaction on…
Ex-Senator, Ahmed Makarfi has alleged that some leaders of the All Progressives Congress are behind the rumoured death of President Muhammadu Buhari. The Peoples Democratic Party caretaker committee chairman recently made this known in Kaduna. Markafi insisted that APC leaders who were interested in contesting certain positions in 2019 were behind the rumour. In his words: “The All Progressive Congress (APC) should point its search light inward and investigate itself as to the source of the rumour. PDP, I said have nothing to gain from anything. “Those who are peddling the rumour know themselves and they are in APC. Some…