Why Morocco’s Hamza Mendyl Dumped Arsenal for Schalke 04

Published

5 years ago

August 25, 2018

Moroccan footballer Hamza Mendyl has said difficulty getting a work permit as a Moroccan prevented him from playing for Arsenal or Newcastle.

The Moroccan-Ivorian footballer, who signed for Schalke 04 last week, said that he was in negotiations with Arsenal this summer before signing with the German football team.

Quoted by major sports outlets, the 20-year-old said that difficulty getting a work permit prevented him from joining England’s Arsenal.

ESPN also said that the footballer was denied a work permit from Arsenal.

“It is true: I was in talks Arsenal and Newcastle. But as a Moroccan citizen it’s not that easy to obtain a work permit. I would have trusted myself to play Premier League,” Mendyl said.

Mendyl has joined his fellow Moroccan Amine Harit, who also plays for both Morocco’s national team and Schalke 04.

Both Moroccans made the list of the team who participated in the 2018 World Cup.

Mendyl expressed his joy over joining the German team.

“I’m delighted to have signed for such a big club. With Domenico Tedesco, I’ve got a coach who is renowned for improving players,” the player was quoted by his club.

Mendyl also expressed his ambition to grow as a footballer, saying: “I want to keep developing and play an important role in all three campaigns for Schalke 04 this season.”

Related Topics:Arsenal Hamza Mendyl Morocco Schalke 04 Slam Reports

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Onana emerges highest-rated EPL goalkeeper

Published

10 hours ago

November 29, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Despite a string of uninspiring performances in his early days in the English Premier League, Cameroon and Manchester United goalkeeper, Andre Onana has been named the highest-rated shot stopper in the league.

The turnaround for the former Inter Milan keeper came after his club stormed to five wins in six matches, with the once-vilified Onana keeping clean sheets in all the games.

The Cameroon shot-stopper, who had faced heavy criticism from fans of the club and English pundits after a shaky start to life, emerged the league’s highest-rated goalkeeper, in a latest statistics from Whoscored.

According to Whoscored, the 24-year-old’s five clean sheets in 13 matches for United surpasses those of any other goalkeeper in the EPL.

The statistics also showed that Onana had made some incredibly saves, with his save percentage at 76.1, just a little lower than Liverpool goalkeeper, Alisson Becker’s, who is the only keeper with a better rate.

However, combined stats gave Onana an overall rating of 6.96, the highest in the Premier League, with Tottenham’s Gugliemo Vicario coming in second with 6.92, while Becker completes the top three with a rating of 6.84.

Here is a breakdown of Onana’s key stats so far this season in the EPL:

Clean sheets – 5

Save percentage – 76.1

Saves per 90 – 3.9

Goals prevented – 2.7

Goals conceded – 16

Sports

Namibia qualifies for 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup

Published

1 day ago

November 28, 2023

Akanimoh Etim

Namibia has qualified for the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup which will hold in United States and the West Indies, after a top-two guaranteed finish in the African qualifiers with a game to spare.

The Eagles triumphed over Tanzania 58-run in Windhoek and now sit on top of the table with five wins from five matches after previously defeating Zimbabwe, Uganda, Rwanda and Kenya.

Uganda, Kenya and Zimbabwe still remain in contention to secure second spot in the table and join Namibia at the T20 World Cup next year, with Uganda facing east African rivals, Kenya on Wednesday.

The qualification of Namibia for next year’s 20-team tournament will be the country’s third consecutive appearance at the T20 World Cup, which makes them one of the most successful African teams in the Championship.

The Eagles reached the Super 12 stage as first-time qualifiers in the UAE in 2021 but however suffered a first round group-stage exit in Australia last year.

Speaking on the feat, Rudie van Vuuren, president of Cricket Namibia, said it was a testimony to the dedication of the players and coaching crew.

“We’re very proud of the boys, of Pierre de Bruyn and his coaching team and also Gerhard Erasmus, the captain of the team,” Van Vuuren told BBC Sport Africa.

“The boys played professional cricket throughout, really a high standard of cricket. And you can see the fact that we have a professional set-up eventually makes the difference in this kind of tournament.

“It is exciting times for Namibia. We have a strong pipeline developing. We look forward to the T20 World Cup and then, building on that, the Under-19 World Cup in 2026 and obviously the 50-over World Cup in 2027”, he added.

Namibia will co-host the Cricket World Cup in 2027 alongside South Africa and Zimbabwe, and will finish their group campaign against Nigeria on Thursday.