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Thibaut Courtois goes AWOL from Chelsea training as keeper attempts to force through Blues exit
Thibaut Courtois has stepped up his bid to force through his Chelsea exit by going AWOL.
Goalkeeper Courtois failed to return to the club on Monday following his summer break.
Courtois was due back at Chelsea’s Cobham base after his World Cup exploits with Belgium, along with the other Chelsea stars involved until the final weekend in Russia.
New boss Maurizio Sarri was also hoping to meet Courtois for the first time and hold face-to-face talks over his future.
Courtois is aiming to force a Stamford Bridge exit (Image: (Photo credit should read GLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images))
Instead, a picture of Courtois visiting a supermarket in Tenerife was posted yesterday when he should have been attending initial tests ahead of his return to full training.
It followed his no-show at Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City.
With no explanation for his absence he is on a collision course with Chelsea chiefs and underlines his determination to seal a move to Real Madrid.
The episode leaves Chelsea facing a repeat of the Diego Costa saga last summer when he refused to return to the club before he was eventually sold back to Atletico Madrid.
Courtois wants to go back to Madrid, the city where his two children live and he previously played with Atletico Madrid.
He has a year left on his Blues contract and has already indicated to the club that he wants to go this summer and, if he doesn’t, he will leave on a free next summer and not for a cut-price fee in January.
Courtois has also agreed terms with Madrid for either eventuality. Madrid have time to tie up a deal for Courtois with the Spanish transfer window open until the end of the month.
But the 26 year-old’s hopes of leaving Stamford Bridge hinge on Chelsea securing a replacement before the deadline in England passes at 5pm on Thursday.
After previous first choice Alisson Becker’s move to Liverpool from Roma, Stoke’s Jack Butland is next in line.
But time is running out to get that deal done as Stoke would want to sign a replacement for £30m-rated Butland having already passed up the chance to sign other goalkeeper’s during the summer.
Chelsea were quoted £70 million by Everton for England keeper Jordan Pickford while Pepe Reina, who only joined AC Milan this summer on a free, is another option.
Reina, the former Liverpool No.1, played under Sarri at Napoli and Milan would sell for a fee of between £6m.
While Chelsea were in Community Shield action on Sunday he was being honoured by his former club Genk back in his homeland.
When he was asked about his future he said: “I’m not going to comment. It’s all delicate. I’m relaxed at the moment.”
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.”
