Sports
Harry Kane reveals he’s not held contract talks with Tottenham and none are planned over £200,000-a-week deal
HARRY KANE has revealed he has NOT held contract talks with Tottenham – and nor is he planning any.
The back page of The Sun reports today that Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has warned the club they must look after their star striker and not take him for granted.
It was thought Kane was on the verge of signing a new deal worth £200,000 a week.
But asked last night if he had been in talks with the club he insisted: “No.”
And if there were any planned he said: “Not that I know of.”
Pochettino’s warning over Kane came as Philippe Coutinho prepared to seal his £143million move from Liverpool to Barcelona.
The Tottenham chief says clubs are now powerless to keep players.
Kane said: “It’s a matter of opinion, but I think if a player wants to go then why would you stop him? He’s not going to be in the club, he’s not going to play every game, he’s not going to put his heart on the line so…
“From the Coutinho point of view I think he’s been very professional in the six months he has played this year and, look, Liverpool have got a good offer from Barca and accepted it so I wouldn’t say they’re powerless but I can see why if a player wants to go you would let him go.”
Kane insisted he is happy at Tottenham, adding: “I’ve always said as long as we keep progressing, keep getting better and start winning trophies, that’s the aim.
“As long as the club keep doing that then, yeah I’m happy here.”
Kane helped Tottenham book their place in the FA Cup fourth round by netting twice in their 3-0 win over AFC Wimbledon on Sunday.
He said: “Job done but it was tough, especially first half they defended very well.
“We had a few chances and we obviously could have done better. But they had one that came off the bar as well so it could have been a different game but the main thing is that we’re through to the next round so a good win in the end.
“I think this year especially with the league kind of being out of contention — of course we want to finish in the top four – there’s a chance for us to win a competition so we’ll see.
“Obviously once the Champions League starts and that there’s going to be a lot of games but I think we’ve got a good enough squad to rotate like we did against Wimbledon.
“We want to win a trophy somehow and with Manchester City running away with the Premier League the FA Cup is a competition we’re looking at to do that.
“You want that winning feeling of a trophy. We’ve been close in the league the last couple of years but the aim of the game is to win trophies and that’s what we’ve got to try and do.
“We’re still in the Champions League and the FA Cup and we know Champions League will be tough so FA Cup is one we have a good chance in.
“We’ll be one of the favourites, so we’ve just got to see who we get in the next round and go from there.
“It’s always been a fantastic competition and obviously there’s been a lot of talk over the years about people resting players but that’s just the nature of the game now.
“There are so many games and squads are so good, you can rest players, so for us whatever the gaffer chooses we’ll be ready to play.”
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.”
