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Premier League giants Arsenal have reportedly dropped their interest in Napoli striker, Victor Osimhen, due to his €130m price tag amid player swap rumours, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
After four successful seasons at Napoli, Osimhen is expected to call time on his career with the 2022/23 Serie A champions this summer, as confirmed by club president Aurelio de Laurentiis.
The Partenopei have fought hard to keep hold of the Nigeria international and agreed a new contract with their star striker last December, but his terms only run until the summer of 2026.
With Osimhen’s contract also including a release clause worth around €130m (£110.6m), De Laurentiis has resigned himself to losing the former Lille man to one of Europe’s financial powerhouses ahead of the 2024/25 season.
Arsenal have been one of a handful of clubs tipped to move for Osimhen, alongside Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, although the latter will not make an approach due to the recent capture of Kylian Mbappe.
It has also been reported that new Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is against the signing of the 25-year-old as well, as he does not believe that Osimhen is a striker who can link play and drop deep, which is one of his principal requirements.
As a result, a two-way fight could have materialised between PSG and Arsenal, the latter of whom were apparently informed that a part-exchange deal involving Emile Smith Rowe and Takehiro Tomiyasu could have been their ticket to an agreement.
However, according to Sky Italia, Arsenal have informed Napoli that they are not bowing to their £110.6m demands, especially after breaking their own transfer record with the £105m capture of Declan Rice last year.
Arsenal still rate the striker highly but cannot justify forking out a nine-figure fee, which is also the case with most of Osimhen’s other suitors, so De Laurentiis may be forced to relent on demanding that the Nigerian’s release clause is paid in full.
The Napoli president is now under added pressure to accept a lower fee for the Nigerian due to the arrival of Antonio Conte, who wants to reunite with Chelsea’s Romelu Lukaku in one of his first acts as head coach.
PSG are now considered the favourites for Osimhen’s signature, as the ex-Lille man is not keen on moving to Saudi Arabia, and the French champions will save €200m (£170.1m) in yearly wages now that Mbappe has departed.
Osimhen topped the Serie A scoring charts in the 2022/23 season with 26 strikes and netted 15 times in 2023/24 missing a large part of the season due to injuries and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.
The match between Rangers and Enyimba in Week 35 of the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL) was called off after a late penalty was awarded to the Flying Antelopes.
The crucial Oriental Derby on Sunday was a title decider, with Rangers at the top of the league with 60 points and Enyimba just two points behind.
The stadium was packed with fans for the intense match, which was going well until the referee awarded Rangers a penalty in the 101st minute with the score at 0-0.
The decision sparked protests from Enyimba players, and despite efforts to resume play, the game was disrupted by fans invading the pitch.
Opinions are split on the fairness of the penalty, as the Enyimba defender seemed to pull back the Rangers striker who was attempting a shot on goal inside the box.
A win tonight would have allowed Rangers to establish a five-point lead over Enyimba with only two matches remaining in the season.
“Rangers 0-0 Enyimba #RANENY #NPFL24 #TheFinalStretch.
“Match interrupted after penalty awarded to Rangers in added time,” the NPFL wrote on its X platform.
The league body has not yet commented on the match or the next steps.
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— Nigeria Stories (@NigeriaStories) June 9, 2024
Trouble at Enugu as referee awards a late penalty to Rangers, prompting Enyimba players to stage a walkout and Enyimba fans to invade the pitch and disrupt the match. pic.twitter.com/4O6Y6NmnlZ
African Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) welterweight contender Don Madge is optimistic of emerging victorious over Nieman Gracie, a former Bellator fighter with a strong grappling background, in the upcoming Professional Fighters League (PFL) fight scheduled for June 28, 2024 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, United States (U.S).
He also expressed excitement over the imminent launch of PFL Africa, which he described as a game-changer for African Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighters.
In a Zoom interview with select reporters in Lagos, Nigeria, he said he expects a serious fight with Nieman who he described as a very experienced opponent, adding however that his focus is on how to counter the strategy of Nieman.
“I expect a tough fight. Nieman is a very experienced opponent, and I anticipate he’ll try to take the fight to the ground. My preparation has been focused on countering that strategy,” he said.
As he braces for the contest, he also expressed delight about the upcoming launch of PFL Africa. “This is an amazing opportunity for African fighters. Breaking into the global MMA scene has always been difficult, especially coming from Africa. PFL coming in and giving fighters a platform to showcase their skills is incredible. African MMA is finally getting the recognition it deserves and I’m thankful to PFL for being a leader in developing the sport on the continent.”
[TheNation]
Former world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua, is making waves once again due to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, which sees the British-Nigerian’s net worth estimated at £175m, PUNCH reports.
After bouncing back from consecutive defeats by Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua’s recent hot streak includes four straight victories, with his latest win being a knockout blow to ex-UFC heavyweight Francis Ngannou in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Since his stunning Olympic gold medal win at London 2012 catapulted him to fame, Joshua has been climbing the boxing ladder with gusto. But it’s a throwback interview with GQ in April 2017 that really shows the heights he aimed for.
At the time, Joshua was gearing up for his bout with Wladimir Klitschko at Wembley Stadium, which he won by KO. Chatting to GQ, Joshua revealed his financial dreams, saying initially he just wanted to be rolling in millions. But as times changed, so did his goals.
“When I first started, the aim was to become a multimillionaire. But now there are ordinary people, grandmas and granddads, who are worth millions just because of property prices,” he explained.
“So the new school of thought is that I need to be a billionaire. Being a millionaire is good, but you have to set your sights higher.”
Joshua has set his sights sky-high, revealing his financial goals saying, “If I’m making £10 million from my next fight, my next target has to be making ten times that. And if I get to £100m-150m, why not go for the billion? I know self-made billionaires. It’s hard, but it’s possible.”
The boxing star bagged a whopping £66m, his highest purse to date, when he snatched back his WBA, WBO, IBO, and IBF world titles from Andy Ruiz Jr in December 2019. Reports claim he then bagged £31million in his March clash with Ngannou.
Joshua has undeniably boosted his wealth recently, with Forbes estimating his 2020 earnings at a cool $47million. However, according to the latest Sunday Times Rich List, Joshua’s net worth now stands at a hefty £175m, an impressive figure, albeit short of his ultimate goal.
Joshua has always been open about his drive to earn big, telling Yahoo Sports in February 2023 that a big motivation for him is, “Money, money, money. I like making money, straight up. I’ve been broke, my family’s been broke, I know what this sh*t means.
“I always built businesses outside of boxing, out of fear of going back to square one, but when I’m said and done, no one will care about me anymore, so I’ll make the most of it while I’m here.”
In a heartwarming encounter at the French Embassy in Abuja, an eight-year-old boy named Peter captured the admiration of many Nigerians when he respectfully turned down a significant cash gift from Super Eagles and Nottingham Forest striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
The incident unfolded on Monday when Awoniyi visited the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Jean Francois Hasperue, to discuss sports partnership opportunities and the development of the Unicorn Football Academy in Ilorin.
Uche Nworah, a blogger present at the embassy, narrated the story on Facebook on Tuesday. Peter had greeted Nworah and his colleagues politely while they waited for their appointment.
Impressed by the boy’s demeanour, Nworah called Peter back to commend him and offered him a small cash gift in appreciation, but the boy refused, citing his father’s rule against accepting things from strangers.
South Africa head coach, Hugo Broos, has congratulated his players for being outstanding against the Super Eagles of Nigeria despite their ordeal before the match.
The Bafana Bafana of South Africa reportedly spent over 18 hours in transit before they finally arrived in Uyo on Thursday for their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against the Super Eagles on Friday night.
They ought to have arrived in Uyo on Wednesday but they took off from South Africa later than scheduled, hence, before they were done with a routine Customs Service clearance in Port Harcourt, the airport in Uyo had closed. They slept in Port Harcourt and continued their journey to Uyo the following day.
Despite their dramatic journey which the Nigeria Football Federation had blamed South Africa for, the Bafana Bafana managed to put up a show against the Super Eagles.
Thembo Zwane gave South Africa the lead in the 29th minute and Nigeria’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru scored the equaliser for Nigeria in the second half.
After the 1-1 draw at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, Hugo Broos praised the mentality of his players to be able to withstand the star-studded Super Eagles despite their hectic journey to Nigeria.
“I have to congratulate my players. As you know or you don’t know, we had a terrible travel to Nigeria on Wednesday”, Broos told reporters in Uyo.
“We were only in bed at two o’clock on Thursday morning. So we were 20 hours on the way. And when you see the mentality in the team today, then I can only be proud of my players.”
South Africa who are now sitting 4th in Group C will face their neighbours, Zimbabwe at the Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein on June 11.
Nigeria’s head coach, Finidi George, has shed light on his decision not to field Victor Boniface in Friday night’s encounter against South Africa.
Despite the promising striker’s potential inclusion from the bench, Finidi explained that the circumstances on the field of play prompted a change in plans.
“We thought about bringing him in, he was supposed to come in, but when we had Ajayi complain that he couldn’t continue, we had to reverse that,” Finidi acknowledged in a post-match interview on Friday.
The coach noted a tactical shift, ultimately leading to Boniface’s exclusion from the match.
However, Finidi was quick to reassure fans that the talented forward’s opportunity may still come. “We have another game definitely if he’s up and doing he’s going to play,” he stated.
Addressing the criticism and demands from some quarters regarding player selections, Finidi emphasised the importance of on-field performance over external pressures.
“For me, it’s what you can give to me on the field of play. Everybody wants this player or that player to play, but at the end of the day, if the player is not performing, you guys will still be shouting take him off, so let us do our job. We know who is good to go,” Finidi declared.
On Friday, the Super Eagles played a 1-1 draw against Bafana Bafana of South Africa in the third round of the 2026 World Cup qualifier.
Themba Zwane of South Africa opened the scoresheet in the 29th minute of the match played at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Equalising after a superb turn, Nigeria’s Fisayo Dele-Bashiru slotted in a low shot to the edge of the post in the 46th minute.
The match ended at a stalemate, however.
The results mean that Nigeria is placed fifth in a table of six teams after three matches in the 10-match competition.
Nigeria, in three matches, has drawn all three.
The group winners will qualify for 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and United States; four best-ranked runners-up go into play-offs and winners enter an inter-continental tournament where six nations will compete for two places.
Meanwhile, the game marked Finidi’s first game as Super Eagles coach.
Super Eagles will travel to Abidjan to face third-placed Benin on June 10.
Leicester City have announced the departure of Super Eagles forward Kelechi Iheanacho.
Iheanacho is leaving the Foxes after seven years.
The 27-year-old’s contract will expire at the end of this month.
The Nigerian joined Leicester City from Manchester City in 2017.
Iheanacho scored 61 goals in Leicester’s colours, including the winner against his former club in the FA Community Shield final at Wembley in August 2021.
The Foxes also announced they are in talks with his compatriot, Wilfred Ndidi, over a new contract.
Ndidi’s current contract will end at the end of the month.
Super Eagles of Nigeria mount more pressure on themselves in the race to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup by failing to defeat South Africa in Uyo.
Ahead of the World Cup qualification match which went down at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium earlier today, June 7, it was clear that the South African side had the aim of beating or drawing with the Super Eagles in Uyo.
Unfortunately for the Nigerian side, the Super Eagles played into their hands as they failed to stamp their authority in the game during the first half.
The Nigerian side looked completely uncoordinated in the first 45 minutes as they struggled to put passes together, especially in the final third.
As for the Bafana Bafana, they maintained their game plan which was to wait and launch counter-attacks. The tactics paid off for them in the 29th minute when Themba Zwane opened the scoring for the visitors.
The Bafana Bafana side ended the first half with the slim lead which didn’t last up to one minute in the second half of the encounter. Turkish-based Nigerian midfielder, Fisayo Dele-Bashiru of Hatayspor scored the equalizer for Nigeria in the 46th minute.
After that, the Super Eagles continued with their uncoordinated display, especially in the opposition’s penalty box as the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
The draw leaves the Super Eagles in the 5th spot in Group C, a point below 4th placed South Africa and two points below first-placed Lesotho.
As it stands, every game in the qualification series matters for the Super Eagles starting with their next game which is against third-placed Benin Republic in Abidjan on June 10.
The Super Eagles of Nigeria will take on South Africa in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier clash at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo on Friday night.
As at the time of filing this report, the team has concluded preparations for the encounter with only tactical finishing touches remaining before the team takes to the magnificent edifice in the center of Uyo.
The man who has been saddled with the responsibility of getting the team’s World Cup dreams on track, Finidi George is confident that his players will give their all to grab the maximum points against South Africa.
Finidi said, “We have trained well, the players understand the task. I trust my players and their quality. It’s a must win game.
“We’re prepared for the game. The players are focused, they have really worked hard to expect victory on Friday.
“The AFCON win against South Africa is gone, this is a new game. We have our plans.
“We’ve put behind the AFCON clash in Ivory Coast. The AFCON and World Cup qualifiers are two different things. But overall, we will win”.
The former Enyimba coach said he is not scared ahead of the match, and reiterated once again that the team is all out to win tonight.
“I don’t have anything to prove. I am relaxed, it is football. I want to win, I understand the tasks. I am not scared, I played at the highest and we are going for a win.”
Three Super Eagles players were affected by the Nationwide strike on Monday, and some players arrived at the team’s camp on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, which means Finidi only had one training session with the full 23-man squad.
The 53-year-old insisted that the strike did not disrupt the team’s preparation for the match.
“The strike affected just three players, I had enough sessions with the squad,”
Meanwhile, The Super Eagles are now fourth in Group C after Benin Republic defeated Rwanda 1-0 on Thursday night.
The win propelled the Gernot Rohr-led team to second on the table on four points alongside table-toppers Rwanda.
South Africa are in the third position, while the Super Eagles occupy the fourth position. A win for Nigeria will take them to the top of the table with five points.
The match is slated for 8pm Nigerian time at the Godswill Akpabio Stadium in Uyo.
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Chelsea have announced the signing of Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Tosin joins Chelsea as a free agent after his contract at Fulham ran out this month, and he has become the first signing of the Enzo Maresca’s era at Stamford Bridge.
The 26-year-old has signed a four-year deal to become Chelsea’s first signing of the summer.
The Blues saw off a late challenge from Manchester United for his signature after hijacking his signing from Newcastle United.
Tosin is delighted to join Chelsea and expressed his desire to help return the club to its desired heights.
He said, “Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there.
“I’m very excited and looking forward to helping push the club in the direction we want to go.”
Tosin was born in London but raised in Manchester. He began his career with Man City at the age of five. He moved through the club’s youth ranks and regularly captained the Under-18s when he was 16 years old.
He is eligible to play for Nigeria despite representing England at youth level.
It is understood that Tosin is a replacement for Thiago Silva, who left the club at the end of the season to join Fluminese in Brazil.
Tosin will team up with Nigeria-eligible stars like Carney Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke and Lesley Ugochukwu at Stamford Bridge.
Arsenal legend, Gilberto Silva, has predicted the Gunners to win the Premier League title next season over Manchester City.
Arsenal finished second position behind leaders Man City in the recently-concluded season.
Mikel Arteta’s side went toe-to-toe with Pep Guardiola’s side in the title race
The Premier League North London club finished the season with 89 points from 38 games, while City scored 91 points.
“It was so close [Arsenal’s Premier League title race with City]. I think, of course, at the end of the season for the players, the manager, everyone, it is a kind of disappointment for being so close and yet so far at points to get it,” Silva told Sky Sports.
“The confidence that you have done great and bounce back next season and do this what they need to do, I am very confident they can do it next season.”
[DailyPost]
Kristaps Porzingis dazzled in his return from injury and the Boston Celtics dominated on both ends of the floor to beat the Dallas Mavericks 107-89 in game one of the NBA Finals on Thursday.
Porzingis, who missed 10 games after straining his right calf in the first round of the playoffs, made an immediate impact on his return as the Celtics built a 29-point lead in the first half then thwarted the Mavericks’ third-quarter surge to gain the upper hand in the best-of-seven championship series in front of a raucous home crowd.
Porzingis came off the bench against his former team and scored 11 points with three rebounds and a pair of big blocks as Boston jumped to a 37-20 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Labour, private sector operators bicker over minimum wage
After eight lead changes in little more than six minutes, the Celtics began to impose themselves, pulling away with the help of seven three-pointers in the first quarter alone and keeping up the relentless pace as the Mavs struggled to get their offense firing.
Boston finished with 16 three-pointers on a whopping 42 attempts. Jaylen Brown scored 22 points to lead six Celtics players who scored in double figures.
Porzingis finished with 20 and Jayson Tatum scored 16 points with 11 rebounds and five assists.
– Doncic scores 30 –
Dallas star Luka Doncic scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, but Kyrie Irving was limited to 12 points on six-of-19 shooting.
Despite his struggles, the Mavs managed to slice the deficit to eight points in the third quarter, only for the Celtics to pull away again.
“It’s a game of runs,” Tatum said. “This is the NBA Finals, they’re not going to go away easy. We just had to respond and we did a good job of that.”
Doncic, who has been playing through a right knee injury and a sore left ankle, struggled to find his shot. He picked up the pace in the second quarter, but Dallas couldn’t find a way to slow the Celtics — who pushed their lead to 29 points, 58-29, on Tatum’s three-pointer with 4:11 left in the first half.
That capped a 14-4 scoring run that included a steal and driving dunk from Brown.
The Celtics’ early surge had TD Garden rocking, the crowd featuring luminaries from around the sports world including Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
Actor Mark Wahlberg and brother Donnie were in attendance on a night when both teams paid tribute to late Celtics great Bill Walton, who died in May at the age of 71 after a battle with cancer.
Dallas made a push to start the third, when the Celtics went cold from three-point range and Dallas heated up.
Doncic drilled a trey to cut the deficit to 72-64 with 4:28 left in the period.
Boston had the answer, with a cutting dunk from Porzingis keying a 14-0 scoring run that included Brown’s rejection at the rim of Derrick Jones Jr. and another Brown block on Irving.
Doncic scored 10 points in the third, but three-pointers from Tatum, Al Horford and Brown saw the Celtics take an 86-66 lead into the fourth.
Boston will try to double their advantage when they host game two of the NBA finals on Sunday.
Premier League clubs will on Thursday, vote on whether or not to scrap the Video Assistant Referee, VAR.
The clubs will meet at an annual general meeting.
Wolves are the club driving the vote having been hard done by numerous times.
The 2023/2024 season saw a host of high profile errors from VAR, including the failure to award a goal that was shown to be onside for Liverpool in their loss at Tottenham.
VAR was introduced ahead of the 2019/2020 season and still continues to split opinions.
The proposal needs 14 votes from the 20 clubs for it to change.
But according to the UK Mirror, Wolves will get nowhere near the required number with VAR set to stay.