Author: Nurudeen Obalola
By Nurudeen Obalola Ademola Lookman will not be sold by Atalanta in January despite growing interest in the Nigeria international. Atalanta President Antonio Percassi stressed over the weekend that the club were not open to letting the Super Eagles star leave, at least not until the summer. “Our plan is not to change anything in the January window,” Percassi said when asked about Lookman’s future. Lookman has been the standout player for Atalanta as they have got themselves involded in the early Serie A title race. The 27-year-old was on target on Friday night as Atalanta defeated AC Milan 2-1…
Super Eagles defender Ola Aina was in superb form on Saturday as Nottingham Forest beat Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford, handing Ruben Amorim a second consecutive English Premier League defeat. Forest capitalised on Manchester United’s defensive errors to secure their first win at Old Trafford in almost 30 years, with Nikola Milenkovic, Morgan Gibbs-White and the in-form Chris Wood scoring for the visitors, while Rasmus Hojlund and Bruno Fernandes netted for the flailing hosts. Hojlund replied to Milenkovic’s early opener, but Amorim’s home side were unable to equalise for a second time after they conceded twice in seven minutes…
West Ham have confirmed Michail Antonio has been involved in a car accident as images have emerged of a smashed Ferrari. The English Premier League club issued a statement on Saturday confirming the forward, 34, had been involved in an accident. “West Ham United can confirm striker Michail Antonio has today been involved in a road traffic accident,” a West Ham statement read. “The thoughts and prayers of everyone at the Club are with Michail, his family and friends at this time. “The Club will issue an update in due course.” Pictures have emerged on social media following the crash, which showed extensive damage to…
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has begun an investigation into suspected diversion of funds at the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL). According to The Cable, in a letter written to the National Sports Commission (NSC) dated November 28, the EFCC requested the commission, which recently replaced the Ministry of Sports, to furnish it with the list of all sponsors of the NFF and the NPFL (companies and individuals) from 2022 to date. The letter, signed by Farouk Dogondaji, on behalf of the EFCC chairman, was addressed to the Director-General of the NSC.…
The Merseyside derby between Everton and Liverpool at Goodison Park has been postponed because of adverse weather during Storm Darragh. An amber weather warning for strong winds was issued for Merseyside on Saturday morning amid the threat of disruptive conditions. Everton said the game was called off on safety grounds after a meeting between both clubs and representatives from Merseyside Police and Liverpool City Council. “Whilst we appreciate this will be deeply disappointing for supporters, the safety of fans, staff and players is of paramount importance,” an Everton statement read. The match was due to kick off at 1.30pm and…
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said he was only joking when he referred to winning twice as many English Premier League titles as Jose Mourinho, after the former Chelsea boss said that he, unlike Guardiola, had won his titles fairly. The Spaniard also said City were innocent until proven guilty, responding to Mourinho’s allusions to their alleged violations of Premier League financial rules from 2009 to 2018, which the club has always denied. Guardiola, who held up six fingers to Liverpool fans on Sunday, a gesture similar to Mourinho holding up three fingers in 2018 before getting sacked by Manchester United, had made…
Ademola Lookman was once again Atalanta’s hero and man of the match as they defeated AC Milan 2-1 on Friday night to rise to the top of the Serie A table. The Super Eagles forward scored the winning goal three minutes from time after Alvaro Morata had cancelled out Charles De Ketelaere’s opening strike. Belgium forward De Ketelaere got Atalanta in front in Bergamo in the 12th minute, out-jumping Theo Hernandez at the back post to nod in Marten de Roon’s free-kick against his former club. Milan equalised 10 minutes later, with Rafael Leao beating the offside trap before setting…
It was a rare instance of Lionel Messi stepping on a soccer field and having no idea what was happening. There they were, more than 250 Inter Miami academy players, a slew of kids lined up at midfield in a formation that spelled out three letters: MVP. And when Messi saw his children, he realized they were holding a trophy. That’s how Messi learned he was Major League Soccer’s best player in 2024. Messi is the MLS MVP, even after a season where he missed 15 of Inter Miami’s 34 regular-season matches with injuries or commitments to Argentina’s national team. He factored…
Jose Mourinho has hit back at Pep Guardiola’s comments that he has twice as many English Premier League titles as the Portuguese boss by claiming his were “won fairly and cleanly”. Guardiola, whose team lost 2-0 at Liverpool last Sunday, held up six fingers to home fans to indicate the number of Premier League titles he won in response to chants of “You’re getting sacked in the morning”. Mourinho, who won three Premier League titles at Chelsea, had similarly held up three fingers to opposing fans during an underwhelming league campaign at Manchester United, before being sacked in December 2018…
By Nurudeen Obalola Alex Iwobi scored twice on Thursday night to inspire Fulham to a 3-1 English Premier League victory over Brighton, but the Super Eagles star was not entirely satisfied. It was only the second time Iwobi would score a Premier League brace in his whole career, and he has developed a taste for goals. The win propelled Fulham to sixth in the table, with Iwobi happy to make the key contribution. “We wanted to get a win on the board after our last game against Spurs. No better place to do it than at our place. I should…