Slaven Bilic Says Wilfried Bony a Transfer Target for West Ham
West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has claimed that the club now have a transfer target in the form of Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony.
The Ivory Coast international is thought to be unhappy at Etihad stadium due to lack of first-team opportunities. He has never come close to replacing Sergio Aguero in the last 18 months at City. Bony had joined the former Premier League champions for close to £ 30 million. Even as he made the move, many expected him to spend much of the season on the bench and this proved to be the case.
At 27,Bony is now keen on getting back on the pitch on a regular basis. West Ham will be a club who can offer him exactly the situation even though they have a forward like Andy Carroll in the ranks. Bilic stated that it was imperative that West Ham had a player who can score 20 goals a season without being injured for most of the time. Even though Carroll has a good scoring record or at least contribute indirectly to the goals, his injury record has been very poor. The £ 15 million signing is likely to be looked down upon if a player likeBony arrives at the Olympic stadium.
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NIGERIANS PROFIT FROM OLYMPIC MEDALS
The team of Nigerian male players playing at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games have been promised good remuneration if they lift the trophy in the event. The team qualified for the semi final, despite lots of management issues regarding lack of payment of match bonuses amongst other things.
The team was promised as much as USD30,000 per player if they were to win the gold in the men’s Olympic football tournament in Brazil. Top Japanese Plastic Surgeon Katsuya Takasu made the promise after hearing the tale of financial woes of the 1996 Olympic football champions. He promised USD20,000 or USD10,000 per player for Silver and Bronze medals respectively. read more …
Tom Huddlestone signs new contract
Hull City’s midfielder Tom Huddlestone has signed a new contract with the newly promoted side.
The midfielder’s contract was due to expire on the 1st of July, but he has agreed to stay for a further two years. He said that it was a great achievement to be part of the team that won promotion to the Premier League and that he wants to be part of the adventure again.
Tom Huddlestone believes that Hull City has a great role to play in the Premier League and believes that he can contribute to it. He said that he has enjoyed mixed feelings during his time at Hull City and that he wants to remain as long as he can. Indeed, Tom Huddlestone has enjoyed it all at Hull City. He has been part of the Hull City team that played in Europe; he was part of the team that was relegated from the Premier League, and now he is part of the team that won promotion back to the Premier League.
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SOUTH KOREA STUN WITH CZECH WIN
South Korea stunned the football world with their 2-1 victory over Czech Republic in Prague. Going that distance many would not have expected the win. The team keeps receiving commendation for that superb effort, though it was a victory over a 10-man Czech Republic team. The victory was the first ever for Korea over the Czechs.
Yoon Bitgaram was impressive for the team during the friendly match. The midfielder scored a goal and contributed to the second in the game played at Eden Arena. The teams had met four times going into the game. Three draws and a loss for Korea; a result that has changed after the game. In 2001, South Korea fell 5-1 to Czech and it was just sweet revenge on Sunday.
The victory was also great for the fans who watched the team crushed by the current Euro champions, Spain. Spain defeated the team by 6-1 in Austria, leaving the fans in misery. South Korea still have two more friendly games to play as they prepare for the final Asian qualifying round for the 2018 FIFA World Cup starting in September.
The overjoyed South Korea head coach Uli Stielike praised his players for their efforts, adding that they got the result they wanted to give them the needed boost in morale. He said:
“After the 6-1 defeat against Spain, it was important to see how much our players have recovered their mental strength. They showed that they were 100 percent recovered.”
The coach also said that if the team had lost again to the Czechs, it would have been difficult going into the qualifiers. He said he was confident that the boost would help them when they face strong teams. The 61-year old added that he noticed an improvement in the passing and ball winning. He hopes that the team would just keep up with the improvements.
Playing surface at Stade Pierre-Mauroy going to Changed Completely
After coming under serious criticism for its poor condition, the playing surface at Stade Pierre-Mauroy is finally going to be freshly placed in the middle of the on-going Euros.
The Union of the Football Associations in Europe which is the governing body of the Euros is believed to have conveyed the instructions regarding it to the French Football Federation.
A similar situation had arisen in the Euros in Switzerland 8 years back when St. Jakob Park had been resurfaced.
Talking about are convinced that new surface would be all in readiness come the game day.
However, before all that, there is a game still to be played on the same surface, which is the damaged one, tonight and the teams facing off are the Group E leaders Italy and one of the pre quarter final aspirants in the group, Republic of Ireland.
Completely pissed off after visiting the ground yesterday, Antonio Conte, the Azzurri coach declared the conditions, especially the game area, unsuitable and unfit to be used in Europe’s biggest competition and said he had not expected that. read more …
Chris Hughton disappointed after Brighton Failed to Cross Play-Off
Chris Hughton was disappointed to see Brighton failed to achieve qualification play-off final after a 1-1 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in the second leg.
A 2-0 loss in the first leg meant that his team were knocked out 3-1 on aggregate. The defeat was especially hard to take considering that Brighton missed out on the automatic promotion spots on goal difference, while they also finished 15 points ahead of Wednesday in the league table. Brighton were only two goals behind Middlesbrough in the goal difference stakes after a draw in the final game of the season.
Hughton has received a lot of praise for turning around the fortunes of the seagulls, but his major task comes ahead in the summer. He will have to motivate his players once again in order to fight next campaign. This will be the hardest part especially given that Brighton came so close to getting to the Premier League. Momentum and confidence always plays a major role when it comes to play-offs. Sheffield Wednesday seem to have more of it especially after their win over Cardiff City to secure the final play-off spot. Brighton, meanwhile, had just failed to achieve automatic promotion after having been one of the best teams in the division throughout the campaign. read more …
Claudio Ranieri too confident on Leicester City
Claudio Ranieri says that he is unlikely to witness the game between Tottenham and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Monday night.
Leicester City could potentially seal the Premier League title without kicking the ball, as any other result other than the victory for Spurs would see them crowned as champions. Leicester secured a 1-1 draw with Manchester United on Sunday. This improved their advantage over Spurs to 8 points with only two games left. Prior to the game, they needed only three points to win the title. Ranieri says that he will be on the plane to Italy while the game goes on.
Earlier, Chelsea fans and players have expressed their desire to see Leicester win the title ahead of Tottenham, who are their big rivals. After the recent 4-1 win over Bournemouth, the blues will come into the game on a positive frame of mind. They have been criticised in recent weeks for their lack of commitment – since there is nothing to play for – but they are expected to step up their game just in time for this match. Ranieri says that he will at least be to follow the result once his plane lands in Italy. Even if the outcome is not a positive one for Ranieri, Leicester City will feel confident about winning the title at home next weekend. read more …
Euro 2016 Preview: Who Goes and Who Stays
For months now speculation has been intense among critics and fans alike as to who will go to France and who will unfortunately have to stay home, with most of the focus being on the England team. As expected, there are undoubtedly highs and lows in the latest reports for both the players and spectators; one team member thought to be disappointed is Arsenal midfielder, Theo Walcott.
The 27 year old could find himself without a place in France as it is said that Roy Hodgson is swinging towards picking Newcastle United’s Andros Townsend instead. Despite there being a couple of weeks left until the final team deadline, it is suspected that Hodgson will select a group of 25 before dropping two prior to May 31st. read more …
Roberto Martinez’s managerial position in Everton is at risk
Everton was knocked out of the FA Cup after losing against Manchester United and things haven’t been going any better for Everton in the Premier League either as they are consistently dropping points.
Roberto Martinez and his squad has recently suffered a defeat against Liverpool and had to settle with successive draws against Southampton, Crystal Palace and Watford. The future of Roberto Martinez is now under scrutiny as the board of directors of Everton are having discussions in relation to the managerial role of Martinez after this season reaches it’s end.
There is already a list of potential managers who can replace Roberto Martinez and that are rumored to be in the watch-list of Everton, these managers include: Manuel Pellegrini, Frank de Boer and Ronald Koeman.
Manuel Pellegrini is currently in charge of Manchester City but he will be replaced by Pep Guardiola at the end of the season and the Chilean manager is going to become a viable option for Everton in case that they do decide to sack Roberto Martinez. read more …
Toby Alderweireld confident on Club to face Seven Matches
Tottenham defender Toby Alderweireld says that the club are ready to face the next seven games as their finals.
There are only seven matches left in the Premier League with Spurs being five points behind Leicester City. Going past the unlikely table leaders will provide them with their first league title since 1964. Further, it would also be seen as the ultimate achievement by an English club considering the face of competition that includes Manchester City, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The last 20 years have witnessed a determination by the rich clubs, but 2015-16 will be seen as the season in which money did not have a role to play.
City have effectively been ruled out of the title after a 1-0 loss against Manchester United recently. Even though Arsenal remain defiant about their title hopes, this season it is effectively seen as a two horse race with Leicester and Tottenham competing for the title. Leicester were in the relegation zone 12 months ago, while Spurs began the campaign with the objective of a top four finish at best.Alderweireld says that trying to focus every game as it comes may sound as a cliche but this is what Tottenham need to follow in order to stand a chance of leapfrogging Leicester City for the title. read more …