Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp stressed he would have the “final say” over which players were bought and sold at Anfield after the Merseysiders announced on Friday their newly-created post of sporting director. Michael Edwards, who previously held backroom roles as Liverpool’s head of analytics, director of technical performance and technical director has the new role. Many British-born managers have been uneasy at having someone who sits between them and the chief executive in the hierarchy of a club, with Klopp’s Liverpool predecessor Brendan Rodgers a case in point. Rodgers was not comfortable with the transfer committee in operation during his…
Author: David Folami
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte was adamant on Friday he had no cause for regret in failing to sign Romelu Lukaku, given he had a “complete player” at his disposal in rival striker Diego Costa. Brazil-born Spain international Costa tops the current Premier League scoring charts with eight goals, while Belgium’s Lukaku has found the back of the net seven times. The two forwards will be in direct opposition when Chelsea face Everton at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. Costa was not at his best last season and that led the Blues to consider re-signing Lukaku, a player they sold to Everton…
Embattled Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho launched a stirring defence of his misfiring Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic on Friday. The 35-year-old Swede has scored just once in 11 games after starting brilliantly for his new club — where he was reunited with Mourinho after they were together at Inter Milan — following a highly successful spell with Paris Saint Germain. Ibrahimovic, who made little impact in Thursday’s Europa League 2-1 defeat by Fenerbahce, except for grabbing an opponent’s throat, gets another chance to end his drought against Premier League strugglers Swansea on Sunday. United will hope so as they are…
Manchester United’s Spanish international midfielder Juan Mata said it is time for his team to play well rather than talk a good game, starting with Swansea on Sunday. The 28-year-old – United’s player of the month in a spell of poor results for them and manager Jose Mourinho including a 4-0 hammering by Chelsea – added the team needed to show character to arrest their dip in form. United go into the Swansea match on the back of Mourinho slamming their performance in the Europa League 2-1 defeat by Fenerbahce saying they played as if it was a “friendly”. “We…
Jurgen Klopp will hold talks with former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard after the 36-year-old midfielder appeared to announce his departure from the LA Galaxy at the end of the current Major League Soccer season. Gerrard’s comments are bound to fuel speculation that the highly popular Liverpudlian could return to play for the club he first represented 18 years ago and for whom he made over 500 appearances. Klopp has previously indicated that such a possibility would not be realistic for the veteran although, following Saturday’s 2-1 victory over West Bromwich Albion, the Liverpool manager declined to explain exactly what role…
Manchester United star Wayne Rooney took a swipe at former team-mate Michael Owen for expressing support for his club’s bitter rivals Liverpool. Owen has a foot in both camps after making his name during a glittering spell at Liverpool and also playing for United in the twilight of his career. But the 36-year-old, who played alongside Rooney for United and England, appeared to irrate his old colleague when he posted an encouraging message during Liverpool’s Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday. “Come on Red Men. A win by two goals and it’s ‘top of the league’,” Owen…
Manchester City must maintain their intensity after Tuesday’s Champions League win over Barcelona, defender Nicolas Otamendi has warned. City can head into the international break on top of the Premier League if they beat newly promoted Middlesbrough at the Etihad on Saturday. Aitor Karanaka’s side have been beaten only once away from the Riverside this season and claimed a goalless draw against City’s title rivals Arsenal in their last game on their travels. City failed to win the past two Premier League games at the Etihad and Otamendi says they need to be at their best again to pick up…
“Ingolstadt are not representative of the kind of team typically propping up the table,” Borussia Dortmund coach Thomas Tuchel said after his side’s 2-1 win at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League back in October. BVB were then held to a 3-3 draw against Markus Kauczinski’s men, possibly the result of a hangover following their success in Europe. Two weeks later, the Westphalians once again travel to the Bundesliga’s bottom-ranked side following more Champions League joy, as Wednesday’s 1-0 win at home to Sporting wrapped up qualification for the round of 16. BVB meet bogey team Hamburger SV on Saturday,…
Anthony Martial was “hurt” to lose his number to Zlatan Ibrahimovic after the superstar Swede joined Manchester United this summer, his advisor has confirmed. Martial was given the No. 9 shirt after moving from Monaco to Manchester in a record £36 million move for a teenager before the start of last season. The French forward appeared to live up to the price tag, becoming a regular starter and fan favourite for Louis van Gaal’s side over the course of the campaign. But he was forced to give up the number after Ibrahimovic joined the Old Trafford club in June. “I…
Swansea boss Bob Bradley aims to pile the pressure on “gracious” Jose Mourinho at the end of a troubled week for the Manchester United manager. Mourinho will watch United’s Premier League game at Swansea on Sunday in the stands after being given a one-game touchline ban. It has been a desperate week for Mourinho, who accepted two Football Association misconduct charges and then criticised his players following their timid 2-1 Europa League defeat to Fenerbahce on Thursday. But Bradley says he saw a different side of Mourinho when he was the manager of the United States national team between 2006…
Arsene Wenger says Mesut Ozil can only become an Arsenal legend if he commits his long-term future to the club in the same way Dennis Bergkamp did. Ozil, 28, has taken his game to another level this season by becoming a consistent goal scorer for the Gunners, and his partnership with Alexis Sanchez up front is a major reason why Arsenal are joint Premier League leaders going into Sunday’s North London derby against Tottenham Hotspur. And the Emirates fan favourite built his legacy further by scoring a spectacular 88th-minute winner against Ludogorets in the Champions League on Tuesday, a solo…
It was midnight when Manchester United’s glum squad walked through the car park beneath Fenerbahce’s stadium, toward their unmarked team coach for the night flight back to England. While the home players, jubilant after their 2-1 win, stopped to speak to journalists and friends by Fenerbahce’s yellow and blue team bus, the track-suited United players said nothing. They’re more reluctant to do so after a defeat and, given they have lost their last five European away games, they’ve become used to not talking. After one game last season, a usually media-friendly player said: “There’s nothing I can say which will…
Eden Hazard’s new role in Chelsea’s 3-4-3 system is making it easier for him to show his talent and shine in the “supersonic” intensity of Premier League football, according to head coach Antonio Conte. Chelsea lie fourth in the Premier League and have won each of their past four matches since Conte made the decision to switch to the new formation, in which Hazard has fewer defensive responsibilities, greater freedom to drift away from the left flank and more opportunity to link up with Diego Costa. The Belgian has responded by scoring five goals — more than his total for…
Former Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has denounced Manchester United for treating Bastian Schweinsteiger “like a leper” as the former Germany captain’s future at the club remains in doubt. The 32-year-old Schweinsteiger had been training either by himself or with the United reserves since Jose Mourinho took the reins at Old Trafford this summer. Though the former Bayern midfielder was recalled to first-team training sessions this week, Hoeness expressed his displeasure with the Portuguese manager’s treatment of his countryman at the Premier League club. “It is unbelievable what has happened to Schweinsteiger at Manchester United,” Hoeness told AZ. “To not…
Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lead the contenders on the 23-man shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player 2016 award, with three members of Leicester City’s title-winning squad also in contention. Jamie Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and N’Golo Kante, who has since joined Chelsea, have been named on the shortlist in recognition of their roles in Leicester’s shock Premier League title success last season. Claudio Ranieri is also a leading contender for the top coach award. Top names on the list include Portugal captain Ronaldo — who enjoyed success in the Champions League and Euro 2016 this year — and Real…
Pep Guardiola has accepted an apology from Yaya Toure but the midfielder still faces a fight to get back into the Manchester City team. Toure, 33, issued a statement on Friday saying sorry for “misunderstandings” after he was frozen out of the squad following statements made by his agent Dimitri Seluk. Guardiola told a news conference ahead of City’s game with Middlesbrough on Saturday that he had spoken to Toure privately about the issue. “I have spoken with Yaya today,” the City boss said. “Of course, it was a private conversation. I know what happened, what he said, of course.…
Arsenal star Alex Iwobi has revealed that his uncle and Nigerian football great Austin ‘Jay Jay’ Okocha is his Premier League idol. Iwobi has had an exponential rise in football since he was promoted to the Arsenal first team in 2015. This season, the 20-year-old has become a regular for Arsenal and his performances have drawn praises from several quarters. Speaking to the Premier League media channel, the Nigeria international says Jay Jay Okocha is his mentor. Asked who his Premier League idol was, Iwobi chose his uncle Okocha who once played and captain Bolton Wanderers. “It definitely has to…
Arsenal’s Hector Bellerin insisted Friday he was happy to see out his existing contract with the Gunners amid reports linking him with a move to Premier League leaders Manchester City or Spanish giants Barcelona. The 21-year-old Spain full-back, battling to be fit for the North London derby at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, began his career at Barcelona’s celebrated La Masia academy but he told the London Evening Standard: “If I wanted to play there I would have stayed there. “I was very happy when Arsenal showed interest in me and I decided to come here. I’m not looking…
Harry Kane will be fit to play some part in this weekend’s North London derby, Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said Friday. The England striker has been out for nearly seven weeks with an ankle problem but Pochettino said it would “not be a risk” for the 23-year-old to feature in some capacity away to Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday. Victory for Spurs, who have the last unbeaten record in this season’s Premier League, would see them go level on points with local rivals Arsenal — who are themselves currently second to league leaders Manchester City on goal difference…
Popular Nigerian blogger, Linda Ikeji is also known for her search for a man and in an interview with ThePoint, she stated she gets a lot of proposals from men and the belief people have of successful women scaring men is a big lie. The 36-year-old, who recently launched a number of media outfits, went on to describe her ideal man. ‘I get a lot of proposals. People always say when you are successful, men run away. But for me, it’s a big lie; that is when they chase you more.’ She added that, ‘Unfortunately, I have not seen what…