Sports
Chelsea agree £50million double transfer deal for Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri of Roma
Antonio Conte is ready to end his hunt for a big striker after Chelsea made a £50million deal to sign Edin Dzeko.
The champions have agreed to pay that price to Italian side Roma for the former Manchester City forward, plus their Brazilian left-back Emerson Palmieri.
Emerson’s contract is already sorted and he is set to sign, while Dzeko’s representatives flew to London on Monday to finalise his personal terms.
The Bosnia & Herzegovina international has reservations about being a back-up to £60million summer buy Alvaro Morata, but is being offered assurances about playing time and the Blues are confident the deal will get done.
Boss Conte has been desperate to bring in a new striker and even looked at Stoke’s 36-year-old Peter Crouch last week in desperation.
But Dzeko, who turns 32 in March and whose contract at Roma expires in 2020, has got Premier League experience and was a proven goal-scorer for City.
Roma have agreed to let him go and that has persuaded Dzeko to move to Stamford Bridge, where a contract worth £120,000-a-week is on the table.
Chelsea have strict rules on deals for players over 30 but are clearly ready to bend them to get Dzeko over the line, with the Roma striker wanting significant add-ons.
Chelsea have also been looking for a new left-back and 23-year-old Emerson arrives after they failed to get Juventus star Alex Sandro at that position.
Dzeko is valued at around £30m in the deal, with Roma potentially getting around an extra £10m in add-ons based on appearances and success.
But Chelsea are facing a new worry over keeper Thibaut Courtois, who has yet to agree a new contract.
The Belgium international, who has been offered a deal worth over £200,000-a-week to stay, has emerged as a target for Real Madrid.
European champions Madrid were hoping to sign Athletic Bilbao’s Kepa Arrizabalaga this month, but he has opted to stay put.
That has prompted the Spanish giants to renew their interest in Courtois, who is also a target for Paris Saint-Germain.
Chelsea will want assurances by this summer that he will eventually re-sign or they may have to consider selling.
Elsewhere, Arturo Vidal is keen on a move to Stamford Bridge.
The Bayern Munich midfielder’s agents sounded out Chelsea last summer about a £15m switch.
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.”
