Sports
David De Gea to pen huge £200k a week deal
David De Gea will sign a new £200,000-a- week contract with Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho praising the Spaniard and his agent for not creating a “war” over his future.
With Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola in conflict with Mourinho over the Frenchman’s troubles at Old Trafford, the United boss made a point of saluting De Gea and his agent Jorge Mendes.
That’s for handling a situation that never escalated into a stand-off despite persistent Real Madrid pressure.
De Gea is on the brink of a new long-term deal with United delighted they rebuffed repeated Madrid attempts to land the Spain keeper before eventually giving up this summer and signing Chelsea’s Thibaut Courtois.
Mourinho said: “David is a Manchester United player, he will sign a new contract as soon as possible, he likes it here.
“We love him, we want him to stay. He wants to stay.
“I think it was a collective situation involving the player, the agent and Manchester United. The agent didn’t create a war to try to achieve his objectives.
“He respected the club. He respected the player. The player was always keen to stay and happy to stay.
“The club understood how important he was and was always trying to give him the conditions to make him happy, so credit to all three.”
The world record transfer fee for a keeper was broken twice this summr with Chelsea paying Athltico Bilbao £71.6 million for Kepa Arrizabalaga after Liverpool had paid Roma £67million for Brazilian Alisson.
Mourinho admits he wouldn’t swap De Gea for anyone – but was coy about putting a value on the 27-year-old who is rated the best in the world.
Asked what De Gea is worth Mourinho said: “Zero. Because when a player is not in the market, his value is zero.
“Is David the best in the world? My goalkeeper is always the best goalkeeper in the world. I said that to my goalkeeper when I was coaching Uniao Leiria, a small club in Portugal.
“My goalkeeper is always the best in the world, but you understand what I mean. I don’t want to be called disrespectful or arrogant and say that Courtois is not good or Manuel Neuer is not good. There are so many.”
De Gea’s mistake against Portugal in the World Cup when he allowed a Cristiano Ronaldo shot to evade his grasp led to criticism for the Spanish star.
But Mourinho defended him saying: “David played four matches in the World Cup and he made one mistake. With that mistake, his team didn’t lose. He made that error against Portugal for one of Cristiano’s goals.
“It was a technical mistake, but Spain equalised. They drew that game, won the next and drew the next and finished first in the group.
“Then they played Russia in the fourth game. They drew and lost on penalties. So for four matches and 390 minutes, David De Gea made one mistake and his team was not even punished by that mistake.
“All the other guys because they play for Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, they were protected.
“But David knew perfectly he was not responsible for Spain being knocked out. He came back normal and in the States, he started working absolutely normal and here we have David.”
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has confirmed the appointment of German tactician Bruno Labbadia as the new Head Coach of Nigeria’s Senior Men’s National Team, the Super Eagles.
This development was announced by the NFF General Secretary, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, in the early hours of Tuesday, following the approval of the NFF Executive Committee based on a recommendation from its Technical and Development Sub-Committee. Labbadia’s appointment takes immediate effect.
Born on 8th February 1966 in Darmstadt, Germany, Labbadia enjoyed a distinguished playing career, earning two caps for the German national team. His club career included stints at prominent clubs such as Darmstadt 98, Hamburger SV, FC Kaiserslautern, Bayern Munich, FC Cologne, Werder Bremen, Arminia Bielefeld, and Karlsruher SC. Notably, he won the Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich in 1994.
Labbadia’s coaching career has seen him manage top-tier clubs such as Hertha Berlin, VfB Stuttgart, VfL Wolfsburg, Hamburger SV, and Bayer Leverkusen, among others. He holds a UEFA Pro License and is well-regarded for his tactical acumen.
With his appointment, Labbadia becomes the sixth German to lead the Super Eagles, following in the footsteps of Karl-Heinz Marotzke, Gottlieb Göller, Manfred Höner, Berti Vogts, and Gernot Rohr. Höner notably guided the Super Eagles to a runner-up finish at the 1988 Africa Cup of Nations, while Rohr qualified Nigeria for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Labbadia’s immediate task is to prepare the Super Eagles for their upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying matches.
Nigeria will face Benin Republic on Saturday, 7th September in Uyo, and Rwanda on Tuesday, 10th September in Kigali. The team will also play four additional qualifying matches in October and November as they aim to secure a spot in the 2025 AFCON, scheduled to be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
The Super Eagles, placed in Group D, will face familiar foes Benin Republic, who recently defeated Nigeria in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. The draw for the AFCON qualifiers, held in Johannesburg, South Africa, last month, also sees Nigeria taking on Libya and Rwanda, both of whom are also part of the Super Eagles’ group for the 2026 World Cup qualifiers set to be hosted in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Labbadia’s appointment comes at a crucial time as the Super Eagles look to regain their dominance on the African continent and secure qualification for both the AFCON and the World Cup.
Finidi George has stepped into a new role as the technical manager for NPFL side, Rivers United, following his resignation as coach of the Super Eagles.
During his brief tenure with the Eagles, George’s 1-1 draw against South Africa in Uyo and a 2-1 loss to Benin Republic in Abidjan cast doubts on Nigeria’s World Cup qualification, prompting calls from fans for his dismissal.
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Nevertheless, Rivers United, the 2021-22 champions, expressed optimism in a statement on Wednesday via their official handle about having the former Eagles international manage their team.
“Finidi brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our team, having had a distinguished playing career spanning over fifteen years,” the statement read.
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Dr. Okey Kpalukwu, General Manager of Rivers United FC, welcomed George, stating, “We are delighted to have Finidi George join our team. His appointment marks a new chapter in our club’s history, and we are committed to working together to achieve success.”
Expressing his gratitude to the club, an elated George remarked, “I am honored to have this opportunity, and I thank the Sports Commissioner, the General Manager, and the supporters for their confidence in me. I am committed to working hard and making the team win.”
Inter Milan were taken over by US fund Oaktree on Wednesday after the Serie A champions’ outgoing owners Suning missed a deadline to repay a debt worth hundred of millions of euros.
In a statement, Oaktree announced they had “assumed control” of Inter after the non-repayment of a “three-year loan to Inter Milan’s holding companies that matured on 21 May 2024 with a total balance due of approximately 395 million euros ($428 million)”.
Chinese conglomerate Suning have relinquished control of Inter to Oaktree three days after the team were officially crowned Italian champions for the 20th time.
Suning borrowed 275 million euros at over 12 percent interest three years ago to pay staff and players as the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the finances of clubs across Europe, putting up their controlling stake in the club as collateral.
“Oaktree is dedicated to achieving the best outcome for the long-term prosperity of Inter Milan, with an initial focus on operational and financial stability for the Club and its stakeholders,” Oaktree continued.
Inter became a powerful force at home and abroad after Suning acquired the club in 2016, with seven trophies including two Serie A titles and two European finals.
Simone Inzaghi’s team cruised to this year’s championship, winning the Scudetto with five matches remaining by beating AC Milan in a thrilling local derby.
Oaktree, which manages $192 billion in assets, said they are “committed to working closely with Inter Milan’s current management team, partners, the league and governing bodies to ensure the Club is positioned for success on and off the pitch”.
Inter ended up in the hands of Oaktree in a manner similar to the way another US fund, Elliott Management, took control of their local rivals Milan in 2018.
Elliott became Milan’s owners when Chinese businessman Li Yonghong was unable to repay a loan he had taken out when he bought the club from the late Silvio Berlusconi’s Fininvest the previous year.
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