Sports
Alexandre Lacazette relishing competition from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of Arsenal’s new season
The writing looked to be on the wall for Alexandre Lacazette when Arsene Wenger shelled out £57.5million to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for Arsenal in January.
Lacazette had scored just eight Premier League goals in the first half of the season and one in 12 in all competitions in the weeks which preceded Aubameyang’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund.
It appeared the flamboyant Gabonese hitman was a direct replacement for a player who had cost a then club record £46.5m from Lyon only seven months earlier. Not least because it was no secret that Wenger had wanted Aubameyang for some time.
Lacazette’s situation wasn’t helped by a knee injury sustained soon after Aubameyang’s arrival that ruled him out for over a month.
And with Aubameyang scoring three goals in six games the future looked even bleaker.
But then Lacazette returned with a goal against Stoke in April — Aubameyang scored the other two in a 3-0 win — and two more in the following game, a 4-1 Europa League victory over CSKA Moscow.And with the pair forming a promising partnership, Lacazette finished the season with 17 goals.
Now he is hoping new boss Unai Emery continues to keep faith in the partnership which, alongside Henrikh Mkhitaryan, sets up a tasty front three. Lacazette said:
“I never said Aubameyang’s arrival was bad for me, only people in the press said it was bad.
“I was happy because I knew I could play with him. I didn’t see him as a rival, but as a team-mate, so since the beginning I was happy about his signature.
“Of course, it’s good that we have a good relationship off the pitch.
“If people are good off the pitch, on the pitch it will be easier to play. When I didn’t score, of course I was frustrated. But last season has finished, it’s the past.
“I’ve learned from this and now I am happy to start a new season.
“Now I know all of my team-mates, I know the club, I know how English football is.
“It’s totally different, but now I’m more ready. Power is the main difference here, it’s more powerful in England.
“Referees are less strict than in France, teams like to play low and in counter-attack and defenders in general are stronger than in France.” In January, Wenger said those powerful defenders and the fact that there was no winter break made life hard for Lacazette in his first season.
The then Arsenal boss pointed to Alvaro Morata’s struggles at Chelsea. Morata has since revealed that he changed his hair, his car and his boots to try to break his bad spell.
Lacazette stuck to more standard practices.
The Arsenal man added: “Arsene talked to me a lot, I watched videos, I trained more. Sometimes you can do everything but it’s only about a little bit of luck.
“I know it was my first season so I can’t be too hard on myself. It was okay.
“I don’t care how people judge me, I know if I stay in Arsenal the club is happy and my team-mates as well.
“This is the most important thing.”
The Chairman of Agbele Sporting, Hon. Ponmile Omidiji, has rejoiced with and extended warm felicitations to the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remo Stars Football Club, Hon. Kunle Soname, on the occasion of his birthday.
This was contained in a statement personally signed by Omidiji and made available to journalists in Ibadan on Sunday.
The statement reads: “It is my greatest pleasure to felicitate with you, the man of the masses and a philanthropist par excellence, on your day of birth.
“You are a morale booster and a great motivator to this generation. You always utilise any position you occupy for the benefit of others. Indubitably, you are a good man and worthy of emulation,” he added.
Omidiji also seized the opportunity to commend Hon. Soname’s contributions and tireless efforts towards the development of football in Nigeria and beyond, noting that such commitment is truly appreciated.
He offered heartfelt prayers for the celebrant, praying that Almighty God would continue to bless and protect him, that God’s grace would abound in his life, and that all his concerns would be firmly in God’s hands. He further wished that the world would always be kind to him.
Christian Chukwu, former captain and head coach of Nigeria’s national football team, the Super Eagles, has died at the age of 74.
The football icon passed away in the early hours of Saturday, though the exact circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear at the time of reporting.
The news of his demise was confirmed by his longtime friend and teammate, Chief Olusegun Odegbami, who spoke to Channels Television. Odegbami, who played alongside Chukwu in Nigeria’s triumphant 1980 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad, expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
“I just received the news that between 9:00 and 10:00 this morning, ‘Chairman’ Christian Chukwu, MFR, my bosom friend and teammate, one of the greatest football players in Nigeria’s history, has passed on,” said Odegbami.
“Babuje, Emmanuel Okala, MON, gave me the sad news a few minutes ago. May ‘Onyim’ find peace with Our Creator in Heaven and console his family,” he added.
Born on 4 January 1951 in Enugu, Chukwu carved a legendary career in Nigerian football, notably captaining Enugu Rangers to numerous domestic triumphs and leading them to continental glory in 1977 with victory in the now-defunct African Cup Winners’ Cup.
He made history in 1980 as the first Nigerian captain to lift the African Nations Cup trophy following a 3–0 win over Algeria in the final held in Lagos.
Chukwu went on to contribute to Nigeria’s football success off the pitch, serving as assistant to Dutch tactician Clemens Westerhof during the Super Eagles’ victorious 1994 AFCON campaign and their debut appearance at the FIFA World Cup the same year.
As head coach, Chukwu led the Super Eagles to a third-place finish at the 2004 Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia. His tenure as national coach lasted from 2002 to 2005, ending during the qualification phase for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany.
Nicknamed “Chairman” for his commanding presence on and off the pitch, Chukwu also played a role in Nigeria’s youth football development, working as assistant coach during the 1985 FIFA U-16 World Cup, which Nigeria won in China.
In 2019, he battled prostate cancer, which affected his mobility. A public appeal for support was launched, and Nigerian billionaire Femi Otedola stepped in to cover his overseas medical expenses, reportedly donating $50,000 for his treatment.
Manchester United manager Ruben Amorim believes Marcus Rashford was unable to see football “the way I see it” before the unwanted England striker was shipped out of Old Trafford.
The 27-year-old Rashford fell dramatically out of favour with the Portuguese boss and spent seven weeks on the sidelines until he was loaned to Premier League rivals Aston Villa during the transfer window.
“I couldn’t put Marcus to see the way you’re supposed to play football and to train the way I see it,” Amorim said on Thursday.
“And sometimes you have one player that is really good with one coach, and the same player with another coach is different.
“I just wish the best to Rashford and to (Aston Villa coach) Unai Emery, and they can connect because he’s a very good player.”
Amorim, whose team face Leicester in the FA Cup fourth round on Friday, said his focus now is on turning around a wretched season.
“Guys, in the summer… like we said before, we are fighting for our jobs until the summer,” he said.
“So, I am just focused on these games. Thankfully about Marcus he is in Birmingham now with Unai, so you can take these questions to another coach. We are just focused on our players at the moment.”
