Sports

Sports

Liverpool have agreed a deal for Southampton star Virgil van Dijk.

The Telegraph insists the Reds will pay £75million for the Dutch centre-back which would be the highest fee ever paid for a defender.

And Anfield chiefs have confirmed Van Dijk will arrive on January 1 and wear the No4 shirt.

A club statement said: "Liverpool Football Club can confirm they have reached an agreement with Southampton for the transfer of Virgil van Dijk.

 "The Reds have agreed a deal with the south coast club, and the player himself, that will see the 26-year-old defender move to Anfield when the transfer window re-opens on January 1, 2018.

"The Netherlands international will be assigned squad number four, upon his arrival at Liverpool."

Liverpool wanted to sign the classy Holland international in the summer but withdrew their interest and apologised for the manner of their pursuit.

The 26-year-old was left out of the Saints squad for the 5-2 Boxing Day defeat by Tottenham and has been unsettled all season.

After that game, Saints boss Mauricio Pellegrino admitted he had no idea if Van Dijk is staying or going.

He said: “We know around Virgil there is a lot of speculation about him.

“We have to wait and see what will happen. I can’t control this but we have to think of our games.”

Chelsea and Manchester City were after the Dutchman's signature but have failed to land their target.

Liverpool have been fragile at the back again this season, surrendering leads on numerous occasions.

The Sun

Last modified on Wednesday, 27 December 2017 18:57
The legendary midfielder has not played for his national team for over a year, but he is determined to lead them to more success even at 34
 
Yaya Toure has reversed his decision to retire from international duty and made himself available for selection by Ivory Coast.

The Manchester City midfielder stepped away from national team duties in September 2016 after winning 113 caps in 14 years.

However, the 34-year-old wants to play for his country again and to help the younger players who are breaking into the set-up.

Goal

Emmanuel Eboue has been offered a coaching role by Galatasaray after learning of the defender's plight.

The ex-Arsenal star has been left with nothing after a bitter divorce battle with his wife Aurelie.

Eboue spends his days hiding from ­bailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor of a friend’s home, travels by bus and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine.

However, the 34-year-old has been handed a lifeline by the manager of one of his former clubs with a coaching role with their Under-14s.

Galatasaray boss Fatih Terim told CNN: ‘We heard news about Eboue in the dressing room. I was informed there, we will do whatever we can to help my friend.”

Eboue talked openly and honestly during an exclusive interview with the The Sunday Mirror in a bid to encourage others going through the same ordeal to open up.

The Mirror, through its Time To Change campaign, has been battling for the past six years to smash the stigma associated with the mental ill health with which Eboue is now suffering.

At the peak of his career with Arsenal he became a fans’ favourite. He was part of the side that faced Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.

Arsenal lost but Eboue remains a cult-hero at the Emirates Stadium, as much for his happy demeanour and his goal celebrations as the ability which saw him help the Ivory Coast reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final.

That joy, however, has been replaced by tears – and a deep fear of the future.

It is now three weeks since a deadline passed for Eboue to surrender ownership of the North London home he used to share with Aurelie.

A judge will sign the transfer if Eboue does not do so.

The player and his wife lived there in happier times before Eboue bought a mansion – which Aurelie has now put on the market.

He understands she will rent out the Enfield property.

So Eboue, his belongings in bags, now awaits the knock that will see him ordered to leave at any time.

The worried star said: “I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister.

"I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come.

“Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door.

"My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.

“I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.”

Eboue has taken a huge fall from the days he netted millions at Arsenal and then more than £1.5million a year at Turkish side Galatasaray.

His dream of a Premier League return with Sunderland evaporated last year, however, after he was hit with a 12-month ban by FIFA after a dispute with a former agent.

Eboue says he was never given ­guidance to manage his finances.

Insisting his wife looked after most of their affairs, he admits being “naive” with money.

He also claims he was beset by a string of people who gave bad advice and lost him huge sums.

With a limited ­education, Eboue is paying the price for being unaware of his financial situation. His handful of visits to the bank were with Aurelie.

Eboue even recalls an occasion when bank staff visited him – to sign paperwork – at Arsenal’s training ground.

And he now wants other young African footballers to learn from his mistakes.

"Very, very hard. The money I earned, I sent it to my wife for our children.

“In Turkey I earned eight million euros. I sent seven million back home. Whatever she tells me to sign, I sign.

"She is my wife. The problems with FIFA were because of people advising me. People who are supposed to care. But it was because of them FIFA banned me.”

says: “I look back and say ­‘Emmanuel, you have been naive... why didn’t you think about that before?’ It is hard.

Mirror

 

Last modified on Tuesday, 26 December 2017 18:08

Former world No 1 Serena Williams will make a surprise comeback at the Mubadala exhibition event in Abu Dhabi next Saturday, as she gears up for her Australian Open title defence in January.

The decision to play in the United Arab Emirates should virtually confirm Williams' participation at Melbourne Park.

The 36-year-old has not played since clinching a 23rd Grand Slam singles title 11 months ago, after revealing she was pregnant during the tournament and taking time off to give birth to her first child, Alexis Olympia in September.

Williams will return with a match against Latvia's French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko, making them the first women to compete in the previously male-only event.

"I am delighted to be returning to the court in Abu Dhabi for the first time since the birth of my daughter," she said in a statement released by the tournament organisers on Sunday.

"The Mubadala World Tennis Championship has long marked the beginning of the men's global tennis season and I am excited and honoured to be making my comeback as part of the first women to participate in the event."

The former world number one can equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam titles, although she will have to make do with a low seeding Down Under after slipping to 22nd in the rankings.

Williams' comeback raises the prospect of a renewal of her one-sided rivalry with Maria Sharapova, after the Russian's own comeback earlier this year from a doping ban.

It also provides a boost the Australian Open, after two-time champion Victoria Azarenka pulled out of the warm-up event in Auckland over the ongoing custody battle that has stopped the Belarusian from playing since Wimbledon in July.

Serena claimed an Open-era record 23rd major title by beating older sister Venus 6-4, 6-4 in this year's Australian Open final, a feat made all the more remarkable by the fact that she was two months pregnant.

Ostapenko broke through with a stunning French Open title, and the 20-year-old will take on Serena for the first time.

The Mubadala event had already seen men's world number one Rafael Nadal and three-time Grand Slam winner Stan Wawrinka withdraw.

The six-strong men's field in Abu Dhabi does feature Serb Novak Djokovic, who will also be making his comeback.

The 12-time Grand Slam champion has not played competitively since his quarter-final loss to Tomas Berdych at Wimbledon because of an elbow injury.

Sport24

Eleven years ago he was lining up to take part in the biggest club match in world football.

During an illustrious seven-year career in the Premier League , he pocketed millions of pounds in wages, lived in a mansion and drove flashy cars.

Now ex-Arsenal defender Emmanuel Eboue spends his days hiding from ­bailiffs, sometimes sleeps on the floor of a friend’s home, travels by bus and even cleans his clothes by hand because he has no washing machine.

Today, the 34-year-old tells how his staggering riches-to-rags plight has pushed him to the brink of suicide.

“I want God to help me,” he says. “Only he can help take these thoughts from my mind.”

To listen to Eboue open his heart is as harrowing as it is shocking.

He wants to talk openly and honestly in a bid to encourage others going through the same ordeal to open up.

The Sunday Mirror, through its Time To Change campaign, has been battling for the past six years to smash the stigma associated with the mental ill health with which Eboue is now suffering.

At the peak of his career with Arsenal he became a fans’ favourite. He was part of the side that faced Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final.

Arsenal lost but Eboue remains a cult-hero at the Emirates Stadium, as much for his happy demeanour and his goal celebrations as the ability which saw him help the Ivory Coast reach the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations Final.

That joy, however, has been replaced by tears – and a deep fear of the future.

Eboue, currently unable to play football because of ill-health, says he has been pushed to the brink. He has:

  • Lost a bitter divorce battle, with his wife Aurelie awarded all of their assets.
  • Had to hide from cops and bailiffs after being ordered by a judge to transfer his remaining Enfield home to his wife.
  • Faced a heartbreaking estrangement from his three kids, who he has not seen since June.
  • Been grieving after the cancer death of grandfather Amadou Bertin – who raised him – and the loss of his brother N’Dri Serge, killed in a motorbike accident.

It is now three weeks since a deadline passed for Eboue to surrender ownership of the North London home he used to share with Aurelie.

A judge will sign the transfer if Eboue does not do so.

The player and his wife lived there in happier times before Eboue bought a mansion – which Aurelie has now put on the market.

He understands she will rent out the Enfield property.

So Eboue, his belongings in bags, now awaits the knock that will see him ordered to leave at any time.

The worried star said: “I can’t afford the money to continue to have any lawyer or barrister.

“I am in the house but I am scared. Because I don’t know what time the police will come.

“Sometimes I shut off the lights because I don’t want people to know that I am inside. I put everything behind the door.

“My own house. I suffered to buy my house but I am now scared.

“I am not going to sell my clothes or sell what I have. I will fight until the end because it is not fair.”

Eboue has taken a huge fall from the days he netted millions at Arsenal and then more than £1.5million a year at Turkish side Galatasaray.

His dream of a Premier League return with Sunderland evaporated last year, however, after he was hit with a 12-month ban by FIFA after a dispute with a former agent.

Eboue says he was never given ­guidance to manage his finances.

Sun

The Nigerian national team, the Super Eagles dropped one step again in the final FIFA rankings for 2017.

Despite putting up a fine performance by going through the World Cup qualifiers unbeaten and thrashing perennial rivals Argentina, the Super Eagles dropped nine places in last month’s FIFA ranking released to become 50th in the world and 8th in Africa.

The fall continued on Thursday albeit just one step to 51st position in the world and ninth in Africa.

Countries like Morocco (40), Burkina Fast (44), and Cameroon (45) were all ranked above Nigeria.

Germany, Brazil and Portugal retained the top three places in the latest FIFA rankings released Thursday.

There was little movement in the FIFA charts with Argentina and Belgium completing the top five and 2018 World Cup hosts Russia placed 64th.

AFRICA

Senegal
Tunisia
Egypt
Congo DR
Morrocco
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Ghana
Nigeria
Algeria

Top 10 teams in the world:

Germany
Brazil
Portugal
Argentina
Belgium
Spain
Poland
Switzerland
France
Chile

P/T

Player Outside Of The Boot has unveiled its 100 Best Young Players to Watch in 2018, with Everton loanee Henry Onyekuru the only Nigerian young star listed by the scouting website.

All players born on or after January 1st 1997 are eligible for the feature; 5 goalkeepers, 30 defenders, 35 midfielders, 30 forwards made the list.

Fifty two different nationalities were represented on the list, and the likes of Victor Osimhen (Wolfsburg), Kelechi Nwakali (Arsenal) and Orji Okonkwo (Bologna) were omitted.

Marcus Rashford, Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Joe Gomez, Gabriel Jesus and Justin Kluivert all featured on the list.

”Incredibly fleet of foot, a good technician, and an instinctual finisher, Onyekuru is a prime example of a modern wide player,” Andrew Thompson analyzed on the Super Eagles striker.

”Able to either burst past you, or tuck in and beat you in tight situations, the versatility in his personal game suits the fact that he’s tactically versatile as well.”

The 20-year-old Onyekuru has bagged a combined ten goals from 27 appearances in all competitions for RSC Anderlecht so far this season.

Daily Times


Last modified on Thursday, 21 December 2017 06:12

Nigeria international Peter Odemwingie hit cloud 9 with a bang after a surprise re-union with former teammate and Ivorian international Abdul Kader Keïta popularly called ‘popito’

Highly elated Odemwingie who currently plies his trade with Indonesian liga 1 side Madura United posted a photo to celebrate their re-union on social media adding “A catch up with this legend. There is only one popito!”  That was not all however as he recalled apparently with nostalgia that both of them were once perfect team for French Ligue one side Lille adding “ones an unstoppable duo”

Odemwingie played for Lille from 2004-2007 while Popito played for the same club from 2005 to 2007.  Both however appear to have parted ways in 2007 when Popito joined French side Lyon while the Nigeria international headed for Russian side Lokomotiv Moscow.

There is no doubt that both players made impressive contributions while they were with Lille and enjoyed ample playing time.  While Odemwingie made 75 appearances for the side scoring 23 goals, Popito made 73 appearances scoring 17 goals

At the national team levels while Odemwingie made 63 appearances for the Super Eagles scoring 10 goals, while his Ivorian friend made 72 appearances for the Elephants of Cote d Ivoire with 11 goals to his credit.

Odemwingie who joined Indonesia Madura United on 3rd April 2017 is in the list of top scorers of the league with 15 goals to his credit even as the team finished 5th on the 18-team log with 60 points in 34 matches.  The former Stoke and Cardiff City ace 15 goals of the season put him in the 7th position on the top scorers list. Dutch import Sylvano Comvalius who plays for Bali United however tops the chart with 37 goals.

The Nation

England have lined up a Wembley friendly against Nigeria as part of their World Cup preparations.

The Super Eagles will be one of two opponents for England, the other likely to be against Latin American opposition, before they depart for Russia.

The Football Association wanted England to face African opposition ahead of their World Cup opener against Tunisia in Volgograd on 18 June.

They considered facing Ghana or Senegal, who they could face in the last-16 depending on their standings in the groups. But England have chosen Nigeria, with the popular following the Nigerian national team thought to have been a factor behind the decision.

England will make the announcement official once their second June friendly has been confirmed.

After playing the two friendlies, Gareth Southgate and his squad will fly to Russia and to their training base in Repino, a town just north of St Petersburg, towards the Finnish border. Then they will head to Volgograd to face Tunisia, Nizhny Novgorod for Panama and Kaliningrad to play Belgium on 28 June.

Independent

Real Madrid became the first team to retain the FIFA Club World Cup after beating Gremio of Brazil 1-0 in a match played in the United Arab Emirates.

Eight minutes into the second half Cristiano Ronaldo drew a foul just outside of the Gremio penalty box after a rash challenge by Gremio’s Jailson.

Ronaldo then drove the ball through a porous Gremio wall and past goalkeeper Marcelo.

Forbes

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