Football Sunday Paper - Vol.1
The new football season is just around the corner and all leagues in Europe are getting prepared for it. The 2022/23 season gave us so much entertainment across Europe and the new season promises to be better.
With the new season, we also want to introduce our Football Sunday Paper bringing you football and sports updates so let's jump right in.
History to Repeat Itself for Cityzens?
The treble winners Manchester City lost the Community Shield match for the third time in a row and this time they lost against Arsenal but if history is anything to go by, Manchester City might be crowned Premieir League champions as they have faced familiar circumstances in the last 2 previous Community Shield matches. This season seems to be a bit different with Arsenal and other top 6 English clubs adding to their ranks.
Pep Meets the New Kompany
The English Premier League kicks off on the 11th of August 2023 with the Champions - Manchester City kick starting the new campaign against newly promoted side Burnley. Pep Guardiola is set to face a familiar friend and his former captain Vincent Kompany next weekend.
Mbappe Saga
Many teams in Europe have had a busy pre-season schedule to get the players fit for the new campaign but at the same time trying to get the best players for their respective teams on the transfer market.
However, the Mbappe transfer saga continues and we can’t see an end in sight.
Kylian Mbappe's top priority remains Real Madrid despite being offered a proposed salary of €700m by Al-Hilal.
A deal which will make him the highest paid footballer in the world and will also make him a free agent after one year at the club, allowing him move to Real Madrid on a free transfer.
But Mbappe declined the offer and is sticking to his current PSG contract set to expire in June 2024 if he will not extend it. The Frenchman has rejected various proposals from different clubs including PSG which offered a new contract with benefits attached to it but still has his eyes set on Real Madrid.
Harry Kane of to Bavaria?
The Harry Kane transfer issue has become somewhat of an annual debate every summer transfer window and this time, there's no exception.
With the 29 year old looking to move on from Spurs to achieve greater things, Bayern Munich is the only club with keen interest for the Englishman. Both parties are satisfied with the deal with Bayern offering more than €100m but Kane's move only now depends on Daniel Levy's final decision.
Chelsea and Caicedo Romance Continues
Chelsea have been the busiest in the transfer window this summer. The Blues have been able to offload nearly half the number of players from last season, bringing in new faces to the team including a new head coach Mauricio Pochettino.
With a total of six new arrivals to Stamford Bridge this summer, Chelsea aren't done yet.
The Caicedo deal with Brighton which has been Chelsea's main target this summer is still yet to be settled, talks going on between both clubs but Brighton are firm on the Ecuadorian to be sold at €100m.
Other Transfer News
Manchester United have completed the signing of Rasmus Hojlund from Atalanta. The young striker joins the Red Devils as the fourth signing for United this summer. Meanwhile, Josko Gvardiol joins Manchester City from RB Leipzig for €90m making him the second most expensive defender in world football. Also, Arsenal remain confident of getting the signature of Brentford's David Raya as an addition to the goalkeeper options.
Nigerian Players Making Moves In Europe
Nigerian players are also among those making the headlines in major leagues in Europe.
Starting from Samuel Chukwueze, the 24 year old joined AC Milan from Villarreal for a transfer fee of €20m. Chukwueze, who had a decent 6 year stint at Villarreal, left the club and moved on to Milano to play for the Rosaneri.
Al-Hilal made an offer for Victor Osimhen for €140m to Napoli with a proposed weekly wage of €1m but the player and the club are yet to respond to the offer. Osimhen was offered a contract extension by Napoli but he's also yet to respond.
FIFA Women's World Cup 2023
The FIFA Women's World Cup has produced wonderful moments so far. The group stage was quite an eventful and interesting one with big teams like Brazil, Germany, Italy and Argentina all getting knocked out.
The Super Falcons of Nigeria finished second in group B which made them qualify to the round of 16. They will be in action against the Three Lionesses of England for their Round of 16 clash in what promises to be an intriguing encounter on Monday 7th of August 2023.
Coming to America - Messi Edition
The MLS has had its fair share of popularity in recent weeks after the arrival of Lionel Messi to Inter Miami from PSG.
The Argentine scored a 94th minute free kick winner after coming from the bench in his Inter Miami debut which secured them the 3 points. A match that saw top American celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, and some other top names come to watch the World Cup winner in his first match on American soil.
Since then, Messi has scored 5 goals and provided 1 assist in 3 games for his new club. The club also got former Barca players Sergio Busquet and Jordi Alba to add to their ranks.
Other Sports Updates
Fourth In A Row For D'Tigress
The Nigerian women's basketball team D'Tigress won the 28th edition of the AfroBasket Women's Championship making it their fourth consecutive title in the tournament and the sixth in total after defeating Senegal 84-74 in the final. They did it in fantastic fashion, going unbeaten in the whole tournament.
Moreso, Coach Rena Wakama wrote her name in the history books after becoming the first female coach to win the AfroBasket Women's Championship.
Is Jay-Z Premier League Bound?
Jay-Z has shown interest in purchasing Tottenham Hotspur Football Club. The American rapper is looking to diversify his sports portfolio and invest in a football club after he once considered owning Arsenal 13 years ago.
Spurs is currently valued at $2.8 billion and Jay Z will have to break the bank to make such an investment. Although nothing tangible has been made so far, we await to see if the American rapper will make any definitive moves to buy the club.