Sports

Liverpool enter race to sign red-hot Victor Osimhen

Published

10 months ago

June 26, 2023

English Premier League club, Liverpool, have reportedly launched a bid to sign red-hot Nigerian striker, Victor Osimhen, as fellow EPL giants, Manchester United opens talks in a bid to lure the Napoli forward to England.

According to transfer guru, Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have become contenders for the signature of Osimhen in a surprise bid after manager, Jurgen Klopp identified the 24-year-old as the man to take the club to the next level.

“Jurgen Klopp apparently holds a great appreciation for Victor Osimhen. However, the club is taking a cautious approach and wants to carefully consider all aspects before proceeding with any further interest in the player given his likely inflated price tag due to the mind-blowing season he had with Napoli,” Romano said.

“Klopp has chosen Osimhen
as the ideal centre-forward to take his side to the next level. It was only this time last year that Liverpool were spending big on Benfica’s Darwin Nunez, but things haven’t wholly worked out yet for the Uruguay international.

“He may yet come good, but Klopp could show a ruthless side by joining the race for Osimhen. Even so, Liverpool would have to break their transfer record again in order to sign the Nigeria international. Napoli are asking for €180m (£154m) for Osimhen, which would seem to be beyond what Liverpool would pay, considering they walked away from a deal for Jude Bellingham because of the midfielder’s own high price tag.

“Nevertheless, the report claims Liverpool are now four times more likely than Man Utd to secure Osimhen. The trouble is, they still only have a 20% chance in comparison to Man Utd’s 5%,” he said.

He adds that there seems to be a few things that don’t quite add up about the report, but it still suggests Liverpool have lodged initial contact with Osimhen’s representatives.

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Sports

Nigeria’s football federation appoints Finidi George as Super Eagles coach

Published

1 day ago

April 29, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has approved the appointment of former international, Finidi George, as the new head coach of the Super Eagles.

The board of the Federation
on Monday, approved the recommendation of its Technical and Development Committee to appoint George, a former Eagles winger, as the manager of the Nigeria’s men national football team.

Before his appointment, George, served as assistant to José Peseiro before the Portuguese voluntarily resigned from post after leading the Eagles to the final of 2023 Africa Cup of Nations where they lost 2-1 to host Cote d’Ivoire.

Following Peseiro’s departure, George took charge of the squad in interim capacity during two friendly matches in Morocco last month.

He led the squad to a 2-1 victory over Ghana in the first match but lost 0-2 to Mali in the second game.

The 52-year-old George was a member of the Eagles team of the early 90s fondly called the “Golden Generation” that won the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Tunisia and qualified Nigeria for its first ever senior FIFA World Cup in 1994.

During his playing career, George starred for Sharks of Port Harcourt and Calabar Rovers in Nigeria before moving abroad where he played for Ajax Amsterdam in the Netherlands and Real Betis of Spain.

He won 62 caps for Nigeria, including featuring at the 1994 and 1998 FIFA World Cup finals and also won gold, silver and bronze medals from the 1992, 1994, 2000 and 2002 AFCON tournaments.

George’s immediate task will be to guide the Super Eagles to victory in two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches against South Africa and Benin Republic in Uyo and Abidjan respectively, in a little over five weeks.

Sports

Al Ahly, Esperance to clash in CAF Champions League final

Published

3 days ago

April 27, 2024

Akanimoh Etim

Two of Africa’s club giants, Egypt’s Al Ahly and Esperance of Tunisia, will do battle next month over two legs for the right to be crowned champions of the TotalEnergies CAF Champions League.

Title-holders Al Ahly and their long-standing rivals Esperance both booked their places in the final with dramatic semi-final victories over DR Congo”s TP Mazembe and Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa respectively on Friday night.

While Al Ahly, winners of five of the last seven editions of the continent’s top draw tournament, with a record 11 in total, overcame TP Mazembe with a 3-0 aggregate victory in the semi-final second leg after a goalless first leg last Saturday, Esperance surprised Sundowns with a 1-0 victory in Pretoria to wrap up a 2-0 aggregate win.

The two-legged final will mark the third encounter between Ahly and Esperance in the Champions League final, with the Egyptians winning in 2012 and the Tunisians triumphing in 2018.

In 2023, the two clubs clashed in the semi-finals with Ahly emerging victorious home and away, securing a 4-0 aggregate triumph.

Esperance who are aiming for a fifth Champions League title, will host the first leg in Rades on May 18, with the return fixture scheduled in Cairo seven days later.