Sports
Chelsea believe Napoli boss Maurizio Sarri will persuade Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian to stay
CHELSEA reckon bringing in Maurizio Sarri as boss will keep their top stars at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian have kept a close eye on Blues’ managerial saga while playing in the World Cup.
That situation is set to come to a head in the next 24 hours with Antonio Conte facing the sack to be immediately replaced by former Napoli chief Sarri.
However, Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis said yesterday: “The Sarri deal is in the home stretch, it depends on him.
“I’ve laid down my conditions, it is all in the hands of lawyers.”
De Laurentiis claims part of Chelsea’s £57million fee for Napoli midfielder Jorginhoincludes a hefty slice of cash for taking manager Sarri — even though he was replaced by fellow Italian Carlo Ancelotti back in May.
Sarri is still employed by Napoli, so they want money to agree to let him go.
Chelsea’s top brass are convinced the change in manager will bring peace to a dressing room where senior players are unhappy with Conte’s abrasive personality.
Midfielder Hazard has two years left on his £200,000-a-week and keeper Courtois just 12 months to run.
Both Belgians have been sending out signals for months that they could be persuaded to leave Stamford Bridge.
Normally placid Brazil winger Willian took the unusual step of plastering over Conte’s image in an Instagram shot of the Chelsea squad celebrating their FA Cup final win in May.
His fellow countryman David Luiz also fell out with Conte last season.
Sarri, 59, is poised to sign a three-year contract worth around £17.7m and is viewed as more diplomatic in the way he handles the players. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and key aide Marina Granovskaia believe it will unify the club.
Conte has been in limbo for weeks but insisted he would not quit — so was forced to take pre-season training on Monday under the terms of his contract, which still has a year to run.
Chelsea normally carry on paying sacked managers until their contract expires or they get another job, so Conte could pocket in excess of £10m.
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.”
