Author: Olukayode Oke

Premier League giants Liverpool are eyeing PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko as a replacement for Mohamed Salah should he leave the club. Anfield’s beloved Egyptian international has been liked with a move to the Saudi Pro League and could be tempted by the idea of a huge salary abroad. Al-Ittihad are reportedly preparing to offer the Premier League side £200million for the 31-year-old to test Jurgen Klopp’s claims that he is not for sale. Salah has already provided four goal contributions for the Reds this season and they sit two points behind leaders Manchester City heading into the international break. Should he leave for…

Sergio Ramos is in advanced talks over a return to Sevilla. Ramos, 37, has been a free agent since his Paris Saint-Germain contract expired in July. The former Real Madrid centre-back attracted interest from Saudi Arabia’s Al Ittihad, Galatasaray, FC Porto and MLS, sources said, but has opted for Sevilla as he prefers to stay closer to home. Sevilla are hoping to close the deal in the coming hours. Club president Pepe Castro appeared to rule out a move for Ramos last month, saying he had “never been an option” and said the defender had been offered to the club “directly and indirectly.” Sevilla — who won the Europa…

The Metropolitan Police are investigating an alleged assault following Arsenal’s 3-1 win over Manchester United on Sunday after video footage showed Sky Sports pundits Roy Keane and Micah Richards involved with an altercation with an individual. Former United midfielder Keane, 52, was reportedly a victim of the assault. The Metropolitan police said in a statement: “Police are investigating following an assault that is alleged to have occurred at the Emirates Stadium during an Arsenal v Manchester United match on Sunday 3 September.” Arsenal said in a statement: “We are aware of an incident that took place during our match against Manchester United on Sunday.” “The…

Jadon Sancho has claimed he has been made a ‘scapegoat’ at Manchester United after Erik ten Hag revealed he was left out of the matchday squad at Arsenal for poor performances in training. Sancho has made three substitute appearances for United so far this campaign but didn’t make the cut for the 3-1 loss at Arsenal, with Marcus Rashford and Antony supporting Anthony Martial in attack. When asked why the former Borussia Dortmund winger was left out of the squad altogether, Ten Hag said: “Jadon, on his performance in training, was not selected. “You have to reach a level at Manchester United every…

Super Eagles coach, Jose Peseiro has called up 23 players ahead of their 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Sao Tome and Principe this month. The list includes new invitees — Jordan Torunarigha, Victor Boniface and Gift Orban, while the duo of Bruno Onyemaechi and Raphael Onyedika also got invites. Familiar faces like Kelechi Ihenacho, Taiwo Awoniyi, Victor Osimhen, Wilfred Ndidi, William Troost-Ekong also got invited. Recall the Super Eagles have already qualified for the tournament with a game to spare. In the reverse fixture, the three-time African champions hammered Sao Tome 10-0. The game is slated to hold…

Kylian Mbappe bagged a first-half brace as Paris Saint-Germain ran out 4-1 winners over Lyon in Ligue 1 – with all four of their goals coming in the first half. Mbappe bookended PSG’s goals with an early penalty and a smart finish when through one-on-one, with Achraf Hakimi and Marco Asensio scoring in between. PSG have two wins and two draws from their opening four games. Paris Saint-Germain seem to be putting all the right building blocks in place as they eased to a second Ligue 1 win of the season at Lyon, running out 4-1 winners at the Groupama…

Juventus maintained their unbeaten record in Serie A with victory on the road at Empoli on Sunday evening. While a draw at home to Bologna last weekend means they are two points adrift of AC Milan and Inter Milan, Massimiliano Allegri’s side took the lead in the first half through Danilo and the points were secured when Federico Chiesa scored in the final 10 minutes. Goals from Danilo and Federico Chiesa were enough to secure victory for Juventus at Empoli in Serie A. The opener came midway through the first half when Filip Kostic’s corner eventually dropped to Danilo who…

Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix made their Barcelona debuts as second-half substitutes as they edged out Osasuna for a dramatic La Liga win. Jules Kounde scored the opening goal for the defending champions as he headed in from Ilkay Gundogan’s corner at the end of the first half. Chily Avila leathered in a lovely equaliser from the edge of the box. But Robert Lewandowski scored a late winner from the penalty spot after he was fouled by Alejandro Catena. Catena was initially booked, although it was upgraded to a red card by the video assistant referee. Manchester City full-back Cancelo…

Arsenal scored twice in stoppage time to secure a dramatic victory over Manchester United at Emirates Stadium. In a chaotic finale to a largely scrappy game, United first thought they had snatched three points only to see Alejandro Garnacho’s 87th-minute finish ruled out for offside by the video assistant referee with the score 1-1. The drama then switched to the other end in eight added minutes as Declan Rice’s deflected shot gave Arsenal the lead before substitute Gabriel Jesus raced clear to wrap up the win as the stadium exploded in elation. United had taken the lead in the 27th…

Mohamed Salah put speculation about his future behind him by scoring as Liverpool comfortably beat Aston Villa to continue their strong start to the season in the Premier League. Jurgen Klopp’s side rejected a £150m bid for the Egypt international from Saudi Pro League club Al-Ittihad, with the Reds insisting the 31-year-old is not for sale. And Salah emphasised his worth to Liverpool when he scored their third goal in the second half at Anfield, firing in at the back post from Darwin Nunez’s cross to seal a third league win in a row. Dominik Szoboszlai got the hosts up and…

Erling Haaland capped a glorious week by completing a second-half hat-trick as Manchester City extended their 100% start to the Premier League season with a win over Fulham. On Tuesday, Haaland was named PFA Player of the Year. On Thursday, he got a similar award from Uefa. Here, he was back doing what he does best – putting the ball into the net, as he took his tally to six for the campaign. Haaland had set up the opener for Julian Alvarez – and with the score at 2-1 going into the second half, the favour was returned, as the…

Heung-Min Son scored the first hat-trick of the season as Tottenham came from behind to beat Burnley 5-2 at Turf Moor and leave Vincent Kompany’s side pointless after three home games back in the Premier League. Son cancelled out Lyle Foster’s early opener in the 16th minute and then, after goals from Cristian Romero and James Maddison had put Tottenham in control, he scored two in the space of four minutes just after the hour as Spurs made it 10 points from Ange Postecoglou’s first four league games in charge. Spurs have boosted their attacking options with Friday’s signing of…