Eagles Watch

Ola Aina to end 12-yr association with Chelsea

 

…Osimhen signs permanent Charleroi deal

After 12 years in the youth and senior team of Chelsea, Ola Aina
appeared set to severe his relationship with the Premier League club
as Italian side, Torino has reportedly agreed to trigger the release
clause of the defender.
In the same vein, Victor Osimhen has joined Belgian club, Sporting
Charleroi on a permanent deal after impressing the club on loan last
season. The striker scored 20 goals to emerge the team’s top scorer
for the 2018/19 season.
The News Editor, ADEBAYO OLODAN reports the performances of Nigerian
players in some less fancied leagues abroad and speculations about
their future.

ENGLAND
Dortmund keen on Arsenal youngster, Saka
German Bundesliga club, Borussia Dortmund is keen on promising young
players in the Premier League and have an eye on England U-19 star,
Bukayo Saka.
According to Football.London, Saka is drawing interest from Bundesliga
clubs including Dortmund.
The Hale End Academy product became the second youngest player of
Nigerian descent to feature in the Premier League when he replaced
Alex Iwobi in the 83rd minute of Arsenal’s 4-1 rout of Fulham on New
Year’s Day, aged 17 years, 3 months and 27 days.
Despite his young age, he made four appearances for Arsenal’s first
team last season, including two in the Europa League and was an unused
substitute in the final against Chelsea.
Saka mainly plays for Arsenal U23 team, for whom he scored 5 goals and
set up eight others in the Premier League 2 last term.
He signed his first professional contract with Arsenal in September
2018 after his 17th birthday.
Man Utd signs Hoogewerf from Ajax
Manchester United has confirmed the signing of 16-year-old Dillon
Hoogewerf from Ajax for a reported £117,000.
The Dutch/Nigerian attacker can play as a striker or a winger and has
scored every 167 minutes for Ajax this season. He has 10 goals and 6
assists for the Dutch club.
Ola Aina ends 12-yrs association with Chelsea
Torino is on the verge of announcing the signing of Chelsea defender,
Ola Aina, according to various reports in the Italian media.
Italian transfer market expert Gianluca Di Marzio is reporting that
the Maroons have exercised their ten million euros option to sign the
Chelsea wing-back on a permanent basis.
Aina initially joined Torino on loan in August 2018 and the former
England U19 skipper delivered consistently to earn himself a permanent
move.
The 22-year-old was on the shopping list of Fiorentina this summer but
they have missed out on his signature.
Last season, he played 32 games across all competitions for Torino,
with 30 of those coming in the Italian Serie A, and contributed with a
goal and three assists.
The UEFA Youth League winner joined Chelsea as an U11 and played six
games for the first team.
Ogu wants EPL move
Super Eagles midfielder, John Ogu has made it clear that he would love
to play in the English Premiership next season after his departure
from Israeli side, Hapoel Beer Sheva this month.
The combative midfielder ended his five years association with the
former Israeli Champions that saw him won every title in the Israel.
However, despite reports linking him with a move to Turkish Super Lig
side Trabzonspor, Ogu has reportedly said he is hoping to land a deal
with Premiership club.
Reports from Germany also have it that Hamburg is showing interest in
signing the player this summer.
Ogu is part of the 25 provisional squad named by Super Eagles Boss,
Gernot Rohr for camping ahead of forthcoming African Cup of Nations in
Egypt later this year.
Awoniyi willing to join Club Brugge on one condition
Liverpool striker, Taiwo Awoniyi, has refused to rule out a transfer
to Club Brugge if he departs Liverpool in the summer but has made it
clear that the 15-time Belgian champions are not his first choice.
According to Het Nieuwsblad, the U-23 international is aiming to join
a Spanish or German Bundesliga team and would only join Club Brugge
only when this proves to be impossible.
The Belgian clubs is in the market for a striker as Brazilian forward
Wesley Moraes is on the radar of Premier League and Serie A clubs.
Liverpool had earlier loaned Awoniyi to FSV Frankfurt, NEC, Royal
Excel Mouscron and Gent because the 21-year-old has not been granted a
work permit to play in England.
The Imperial Soccer Academy product is not held in high regard by
manager Gernot Rohr as the German has refused to hand him an
invitation to the Super Eagles despite his good form in the last two
seasons.
Awoniyi is contracted to Liverpool until the end of the 2022-2023 season.
Osaghae pens new deal with Charlton
Promising goalkeeper, Joseph Osaghae has been rewarded with a new deal
by Championship newcomers Charlton Athletic, writes the Addicks on
their official webpage.
Osaghae and four promising players have penned their first
professional contracts with the London club.
Last season, he played for Charlton Athletic in the FA Youth Cup, U18
Professional Development League and was named on the bench on several
occasions for the U23 team.
Having made the match day squad for the first team when they faced
Swansea City U23s in the EFL Trophy in November 2018, the 18-year-old
is a player with great potential.
The Lambeth Tigers graduate was a second half substitute as Charlton
thrashed Pro Direct Academy 5-0 in a friendly in April.
Osaghae was a member of the Charlton side that won the Professional
Development League 2 title in May 2018.
GERMANY
Ex-Flying Eagles striker, Abdullahi, signs Union Berlin deal
Former Flying Eagles striker, Suleiman Abdullahi will also play for
Union Berlin in the coming season, the newly promoted Bundesliga club
have announced via their official website.
Die Eisernen triggered the purchase option in his loan deal when he
joined the club from Eintracht Braunschweig last summer, and he has
received a three-year contract valid for only the Bundesliga and 2.
Bundesliga.
“I’m very happy to continue playing for FC Union Berlin. It was a good
year for me and I’m looking forward to the new season and the
Bundesliga,” said Abdullahi.
Oliver Ruhnert, Union Berlin’s Director for Professional Football
added: “Suleiman was able to convince us with his speed and his
physique.
”He is only 22 years old and we are sure that he will also bring his
qualities to the Bundesliga and continue to develop”.
Last season, the Gee Lee Academy product played a key role as Union
Berlin was promoted to the Bundesliga, scoring three goals in 21
games.
RUSSIA
Sylvester Igboun (FC Ufa): He failed to score and was cautioned in the
71st min of his team’s 0-1 loss to Tom Tomsk.
BELGIUM
Charleroi signs Osimhen permanently from Wolfsburg
Belgian club, Sporting Charleroi sign Victor Osimhen on a permanent
deal after activating the €3.5m buy out option set by Wolfsburg.
The Belgian club is however reportedly set to sell the striker to
Lille of France.
The young striker teamed up with Felice Mazzu’s men on loan at the
start of last season after failing to secure sufficient playing time
in the Bundesliga.
Osimhen scored 20 goals and provided four assists in 36 games across
all competitions to help the Zebras to the Europa League play-off
final where they lost 3-2 to Royal Antwerp.
Following his sensational performances, the forward was named Sporting
Charleroi’s Player of the Season.
On Friday, the Belgian side secured the permanent transfer of the
20-year-old Nigeria international.
Osimhen joined Wolfsburg In January 2017 on the back of his impressive
form in the 2015 Fifa U-17 World Cup and signed a
three-and-a-half-year deal.
The striker made 14 Bundesliga appearances for them and played one Cup
game before he left the Volkswagen Arena.
On the international scene, Osimhen has been included in Nigeria’s
25-man provisional squad for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt
next month.
The Super Eagles have been drawn in Group B alongside Burundi,
Madagascar and Guinea.
AUSTRIA
Godswill Ekpolo (Sturm Graz): He was brought on in the 54h min of his
club’s 0-1 loss to
Rapid Wien in the Europa League play-off.
CROATIA
AFCON-winning defender, Oboabona, departs HNK Gorica
2013 Africa Cup of Nations-winning defender, Godfrey Oboabona, 28, has
departed Croatian top flight club HNK Gorica following the expiration
of his contract.
The Nigeria international joined Gorica as a free agent in September
2018 and recorded 14 appearances for the club in the league, logging
1,214 minutes.
”Thanks to everyone in the club who was with me and took care of my
stay here in Velika Gorica and beautiful Croatia would be as enjoyable
as possible,” Oboabona said to Gorica’s official website.
”I am grateful for all the attention and I hope the next season for
Gorica will be even better. Everyone will stay in my heart and in a
nice memory.”
A product of Rising Stars, Oboabona began his career abroad with
Rizespor in Turkey before transferring to Al-Ahli Jeddah in 2017.
He was an influential figure in the Super Eagles side that won the
2013 AFCON, starting and going the distance in all their six matches
during the tournament in South Africa.
NORWAY
Izunna Uzochukwu (Aalesund): He was in the thick of action and was
cautioned in the 75th min of his team’s 1-0 win over Ull/Kisa.
Charles Ezeh (Hamarkameratene) & Chuma Anene and Michael Ogungbaro
(Jerv): Former schoolboy international, Ezeh played the last 23 mins
while Anene who got the equaliser in the 53rd min was substituted in
the 82nd min for Ogungbaro as both teams ended the match all square (2
-2).
Izuchukwu Anthony (Nest Sotra): He was cautioned in the 65th min and
lasted 90 mins when his club played a 1-1 draw with Stroemmen.
SWEDEN
Chinedu Obasi (AIK): The former U-20 forward provided an assist for
Sebastian Larsson’s 17th min goal and was substituted in the 70th min
of his team’s 2-0 defeat of Hammarby IF.
Godswill Ekpolo and Juhani Ojala (Hacken): Ekpolo lasted 90 mins while
Ojala was an unused substitute when their club drew 0-0 with Elfsborg.
VIETNAM
Ha Noi Ganiyu Oseni (Ha Noi): He fired blank and lasted 90 mins when
his team played a goalless draw at Hoàng Anh Gia Lai.
Michael Olaha (Sông Lam Ngh An): He was on for the duration of his
club’s 2-2 draw with Sai Gon.
CHINA
Sone Aluko (Beijing Reinhe): The former Super Eagles player was
substituted in the second half of his club’s 2-0 defeat of Tianjin
Quanjian.
Injured Ighalo misses Tianjin TEDA clash
Super Eagles striker, Odion Ighalo was not listed at the weekend when
his club, Shanghai Shenhua faced former club of John Obi Mikel,
Tianjin TEDAin the Chinese Super League.
The injured Ighalo last Thursday was spotted returning to training
with his Shanghai Shenhua club after he suffered a hamstring injury on
May 10 against Tianjin TEDA.
“Hopefully I will be available for selection for the league game
against Chongqing Dangdai Lifan on June 1, I will play if I am 100%, I
don’t want to force it until it is completely okay.
“I am fine now and I have started running, which is the last phase of
my recuperation,” Ighalo was quoted to have said.
Ighalo was listed on Nigeria’s provisional squad for next month’s
Africa Cup of Nation tournament in Egypt.

DID YOU KNOW?
1.      No opposition player has completed a dribble past Virgil van Dijk
in any of his last 64 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool.
2.      In the 2018-19 UEFA Champions League, Liverpool became just the
third side to win a game against a team from each of Europe’s big-five
leagues in a single season in the competition, after Bayern Munich in
2012-13 and Liverpool themselves in 2004-05.
3.      In this season’s Champions League, Lionel Messi scored six goals
against English clubs to bring his total to 26 against sides from the
nation; no player in UEFA Champions League history has scored more
against teams from a single country.
4.      Harry Kane had just 11 touches during the first half of the
Champions League final; fewer than any other Tottenham player.
5.      Liverpool (35.4%) has become the first side to win the Champions
League final despite having less possession than the opposition since
Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Bayern Munich in 2010, also in
Madrid.
6.      Liverpool has now won the European Cup/Champions League six times
in their history; only Real Madrid (13) and AC Milan (7) have won it
more often.
7.      Jurgen Klopp is the fourth Liverpool manager to win the Champions
League/European Cup after Bob Paisley, Joe Fagan and Rafa Benitez.
8.      Mohamed Salah’s opener for Liverpool (01:48) is the second fastest
goal in a Champions League final, only behind Paolo Maldni (00:50) for
AC Milan versus Liverpool in 2005.
9.      Trent Alexander-Arnold (20y 237d) is the first ever player aged
under-21 to start in consecutive Champions League finals.
10.     Divock Origi is only the second Belgium player to score in a
Champions League/European Cup final after Yannick Carrasco for
Atletico vs Real Madrid in 2016; Origi has scored with all three of
his shots in the CL this season.
11.     The 2018/19 UEFA Champions League final is the first time ever
that Liverpool have used this exact starting XI, in what is their 53rd
game of the season across all competitions.
12.     Five goals were scored in the opening 21 minutes of Manchester
City’s 4-3 second leg win against Tottenham Hotspur in April – it is
the shortest amount of time it has ever taken for five goals to be
scored in a UCL match.
13.     Cristiano Ronaldo scored five goals in the knockout stages of the
UCL in 2018-19, taking his tally to 65 in 79 appearances – 24 more
than the closest player (Messi, 41). Over half of his Champions League
goals have been scored post-group stage (65/126).
14.     Liverpool played in their ninth European Cup/Champions League
final – more than any other English side. Before Saturday’s match,
they’ve won the trophy five times but have lost their last two finals
(2007 and 2018).
15.     Eden Hazard is the first player to score a brace in the final of a
major UEFA competition for an English club since Mark Hughes for
Manchester United against Barcelona in the 1991 Cup Winners’ Cup
final.
16.     Arsenal is the first team to concede four goals in a Europa
League/UEFA Cup final since Middlesbrough lost 4-0 to Sevilla in the
2006 UEFA Cup final.

Show More

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button