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Tag: Alex Iwobi

  • BREAKING! Everton ready to dole out N13.2billion for Alex Iwobi

     

    Will Super Eagles forward Alex Iwobi be interested in moving over to Goodison Park, and will Arsenal indeed be ready to let go of their boyhood player? That is debate among teeming Gunners fans after Everton tabled £30million (about (N13.2billion) , for his services.

    Everton who finished 8th on the log last season are desirous of fighting for a place in the top four and reportedly believe that the Nigeria international who was impressive at the last Nations cup in Egypt despite Super Eagles’ third place finish can help them achieve the dream.

    The Marco Silva tutored side have prior to this time been pursuing Ivorian

    international and Crystal Palace ace Wilfred Zaha but received a capital no from Palace who are not interested in losing any of their star players ahead of the new season, forcing The Toffees to shift attention to Iwobi.

    Iwobi netted six goals last season and provided nine assists and there is no indication that the Gunners are not enjoying his contributions.

    The Emirate landlords have never at any time indicated that they are ready to show escort their man to the exit door but some fans worry that the cash on the table may force a reconsideration especially with Arsenal coach Unai Emery reportedly seeking funds  to  beef up in defence.

    No official response has been dished out by the Gunners neither has 23 year old Iwobi who is successfully flying what could pass for a family flag in football  after the exploits of his uncle and former Nigeria midfield maestro Jay jay Okocha reacted to the development.

    Some fans who reacted following the news break say it will pay the Nigerian to remain at Arsenal in their own words “With a club that is sure to play either in Europa or Champions league every year and not one that has taken permanent position in the middle of the log”

  • Seven Nigerian Stars to Watch Out For as 2019/20 EPL Begins

    As actions resume this weekend in the English Premier League, there are spotlights on seven Nigerian internationals, in this report, Paul Oluwakoya beams searchlights on the players and their clubs.                Excerpt.

    football

    Nigeria and Arsenal forward, Alex Iwobi, is expected to star as Arsenal kicks off its 2019/20 campaign with Newcastle on Sunday August 11.

    The 23-year-old was an important figure for Nigeria at the just-concluded Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt where he helped the Super Eagles to a third-placed finish.

    Following his exploits at AFCON, the club gave the Nigerian international and other stars who had been on international duty a three-week vacation.

    As a result of the extended leave, the Eagles star missed the clubs’ six friendly matches against Bayern Munich, Fiorentina, Angers, Real Madrid, Lyon and Barcelona. He has since resumed with the club ahead the new season.

     

    Fans will be on the lookout for Wilfred Ndidi after a stellar outing also at the Nations Cup with the Super Eagles of Nigeria. Brendan Rodgers is confident that 22-year-old defender will be available for selection in their kick off against Wolves also on Sunday August 11. 

     

    For Kelechi Iheanacho, the Leicester City forward is confident that he is back after scoring three goals in two pre-season games for Leicester City.  Last season, the 22-year-old only managed nine Premier League starts and scored just twice in 35 appearances. He hoped to star if given more chances to express is potentials.

    “I am delighted, I am happy getting two goals and hopefully I can take that into the season. I think it’s important for my confidence. It has been a long time coming, but I am happy again. I think I can take it fully into the season, ” Iheanacho told Leicester City’s website.

    Isaac Success just like Iheanacho was not in action for Nigeria at the Cup of Nation . But the international football player extended his stay at Watford after signing new five year deal at the club recently. The new contract will see the attacker represent the club until the summer of 2023.  The 23 years_old attacking midfielder (Left, Right) is looking forward for a remarkable season.

    Nigerian fans are looking forward to when Tammy Abraham will declare to play for the national team. The striker believes there is no better time for him and the other young players to make their mark at Chelsea under new boss Frank Lampard.

    The striker missed Friday’s friendly against Kawasaki Frontale with tonsillitis but is fully fit again and determined to impress with the Blues this season having spent the past three years out on loan.
    ‘I am more ready than ever for the season to start,’ the 21-year-old stressed. I had a good season last season, and now I am here at the club I have always dreamed of playing for. I just have to take my chance. Being here since the age of six there is no better opportunity to try and graft and work hard for a place in the team,” he said.

    Nigeria Under-20 international who had previously represented England at youth level, Tom Dele-Bashiru will be part of Watford’s first-team squad heading into the new season. Watford recently signed the 19-year-old former Manchester City youngster.

    He made one first-team appearance after coming through the ranks at Manchester City, featuring in a Carabao Cup win over Leicester in 2017. Dele-Bashiru signed a six-year contract with the Hornets after leaving City at the end of his deal.

     

    And not forgetting Leon Balogun. The Nigeria international is focused on getting regular first team football at Brighton. Balogun left Germany to play in England in 2018. On the 22nd day of May 2018, he signed a two-year deal with Brighton & Hove Albion.

    The footballer made his debut as an early substitute when Brighton played against Manchester United. In the game which the team went on to beat United, Balogun came on to replace an injured teammate, Lewis Dunk.

    He scored his first goal for Brighton when the club played against their bitter rivals, Crystal Palace. In fact, he scored within 25 seconds after being subbed on to replace teammate Pascal Groß. Brighton ended up winning the match 3:1.

    Read Also: AFCON 2021 Draw: Nigeria leads top 12 seeded teams

     

  • SA Fans want close marking for Iwobi, Musa and Ighalo

    South African fans and analysts alike have dubbed Eagles trio of Ahmed Musa, Odion Ighalo and Alex Iwobi as danger men, urging coach South Africa coach Stuart Baxter to ensure they are given close marking.

    The three players according to South Africans have shown in the course of the ongoing tournament in Egypt that they can do damage given the slightest opportunity.

    Musa is considered a threat because of his ability to create space on one hand and also drop deep to collect ball to flag off attack on the other.

    Odion Ighalo who has already scored three goals is tipped to aim for more goals and could be a handful for Bafana Bafana defensive duo of Thulani Hlatshwayo and Buhle Mkhwanazi whose job it will be to prevent him from wreaking havoc. Alex Iwobi they further noted has a blistering pace on a good day and that could be problematic for Bafana Bafana.

    Meanwhile former Bafana Bafana winger Daine Klate has believes the boys from the Rainbow City have all it takes to sing victory song but admitted that it will not come easy against Nigerian side that became more determined after that shocking defeat by debutants Madagascar in the group stage.

    “It’s been good to see the positive response around the Egypt win and I hope the guys can go on and do something special against Nigeria,” Klate enthused.

     

  • I prefer trophies to money – Iwobi

    Adeyinka Akintunde

     

    Super Eagles midfield pearl Alex Iwobi has revealed that he prefers winning trophies to stocking cash in any bank.

    He also opted for winning the FIFA World Cup with Nigeria than winning the UEFA Champions League with Premier League side Arsenal FC.

    Iwobi, revealing that he can play any position on the field, said that the Super Eagles are hungry and fired up for victory against Cameroon on Saturday evening.

    Below are excerpts of the interview:

    Lagos or London?

    I am more comfortable in London

    Davido or Wizkid?

    Both are great artistes, but for me, I prefer Wizkid

    Casual or Corporate?

    Casual

    World Cup trophy or Champions League?

    World Cup trophy

    Trophy or Money?

    Trophy

    Ronaldo or Messi?

    Difficult, but for me, Messi

    Chelsea or Arsenal?

    Arsenal

    African Continental or Chinese?

    African Continental

    What do you think about the Nations Cup so far?

    I believe that we have done well so far, it is not easy to qualify and play in the competition. People say we were favourites in the group, but we knew that it was not going to be easy, as Burundi and Madagascar showed their worth in their first AFCON. No game was easy but we were able to qualify, and that is the main thing.

    Do you think there is still a chance of victory against Cameroon?

    Of course, even though we had a defeat in the last game, but it will give us a bit of humility and hunger to go to the next game against Cameroon.

    What seems to be your best position on the pitch?

    My best position is hard to say. Sometimes I do very well playing wide, sometimes I do well in the midfield, it is hard to say my best, but I know that wherever I am told to play, I give my best.

     

  • Race for last Eight:  I am ready to play anywhere-Iwobi

    In what sounds like a desperate move to save a dicey situation, Arsenal forward Alex Iwobi has declared his readiness to play in any position provided his effort will help the Eagles overcome Cameroon Saturday in Alexandria.

    The 23 year old who has since become a must play for both club and country admitted that defending champions Cameroon will not be a soft nut to crack, adding that the encounter will demand a lot of wits.

    He described the 2-0 defeat by debutants Madagascar as an indication that the Eagles need to do more and should ginger the team to go the extra mile as that result is a true confirmation that there are no longer minnows in football.

    “No doubt there are positives even from the last defeat. It has not only given us a bit of humility but will give us the hunger to fight harder in the next game,” he said

    The former England under 16, 17 and 18 ace is one of the players Gernot Rohr is banking on to help him stay in Egypt beyond Saturday.

    The German tactician who has always been five and six with his employers Nigeria football Federation (NFF) has recently been given thumbs down by some of the officials who blamed him for players protest over unpaid allowances, while hinting that he is likely to be fired should he fail to overcome the Cameroonian challenge in the round of 16.

    The former Gabon and Burkina Faso coach who led Super Eagles to group stage ouster at the last world cup in Russia will be hoping to outwit the Cameroonian  technical bench anchored by the duo of Clarence Seedorf and former teammate Patrick

    Kluivert.

    Nigeria failed to qualify for the last two editions of the Nations cup with some analysts insisting that a return after missing two editions should be an opportunity to announce that the Eagles are back and better.

  • Iwobi: Eagles won’t rely on star players against Burundi

    ALEX Iwobi has revealed that working together as a team can prove to be the greatest asset for the Super Eagles going to the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations which begins on Friday in Egypt.

    Iwobi said in an interview that not relying on one player has helped the squad since Gernot Rohr took charge of the team, a situation which saw Nigeria qualify for the Russia 2018 World Cup as well as the 2019 AFCON.

    ”Even though we have stars we do work hard as a team, we don’t rely on one person. We have so many players, we attack as a team and defend as a whole team.

    ”Collective performance, that’s what we focus on and that’s what brought us where we are and why we’ve been doing well recently.”

    Read Also: Musa, Iwobi, Shehu arrive in Asaba

    Iwobi also suggested that the captain of the team, Mikel Obi will likely be deployed as a central midfielder at Africa’s flagship tournament.

    Rohr has been trying out different formations in the training sessions and gave a hint at what his starting line-up against Burundi could be in the friendly matches against Zimbabwe and Senegal.

    Both Iwobi and Mikel lined up in midfield in both matches with the Gunners’ star deployed in a more advanced position and the Super Eagles’ captain playing centrally.

    Read Also:

    ”It’s great to have Mikel back, with so much experience and what he has done for the country, what he did for Chelsea, especially to have him in the base of midfield,” Iwobi disclosed in the interview with Eagles Media team.

    ”To have him there, he’s always talking to me, tries to help me with my game because the conditions in Europe and Africa are different. He is always there to help me and guide me when I’m playing.”

  • Musa, Iwobi, Shehu arrive in Asaba

    The trio of Ahmed Musa, Alex Iwobi and Shehu Abdullahi arrived at the Super Eagles’ training camp in Asaba on Wednesday afternoon for the preparation of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

    Their arrival swelled the list of the players in camp to 23.

    The team’s camp was officially opened on Sunday at the Stephen Keshi Stadium in Asaba but Musa, Iwobi and Abdullahi were given extra days off from camp by the team’s head Coach Gernot Rohr.

    NationSport had earlier reported that Musa and Abdullahi were permitted to skip training in the last three days to enable them to finish their Ramadan fasting and celebrate Salah festival with their families, while Iwobi came late to the camp due to his involvement in Arsenal’s UEFA Europa League final against Chelsea in Baku.

    Read Also: Super Eagles strikers give Rohr sleepless night

    He scored Arsenal consolation goal in a 1-3 defeat to Chelsea.  However, the duo of Odion Ighalo and William Troost-Ekong are yet to arrive in the camp. A source in the camp told NationSport that Ighalo and Troost-Ekong may join the team today.

    Ighalo suffered a hamstring injury in his side’s 1-1 draw at Tianjin Teda on May 10 and has not featured in a competitive game for Shanghai Shenhua since his terrible injury.

    Ighalo resumed full training last Tuesday with the possibility that he will recover very fast before the camp opened for the AFCON preparation but his absence in camp has continued to put doubt on his fitness level for the AFCON with just a few days to kick off.

    Super Eagles trained once on Wednesday under the guidance of coach Rohr and his assistants. The training session, which was opened for fans and media, started at 4.15 pm.

     

  • Iwobi is EPL’s academy graduate with most appearances

    Arsenal and Super Eagles star, Alex Iwobi has been named as the English Premier League (EPL) academy graduates with most appearances in the 2018/2019 season.

    Despite the inability of Arsenal to make it to the top four in the EPL, but the Unai Emery-tutored side secured a fifth place finish to pick spot in the Europa League final next season.

    Already, the Emery’s side will be confronting Chelsea in the final of UEFA Europa League later this month.

    According to a research conducted by The Sportsman on how clubs in the EPL used their academy graduates in the 2018/2019 season, Iwobi lead the charts.

    The Nigerian has made 50 appearances so far this term, beating the likes of Marcus Rashford, Harry Winks and Ruben Loftus-Cheek

    Alex Iwobi (Arsenal) – 50

    Marcus Rashford (Manchester United) – 47

    Harry Winks (Tottenham) – 40

    Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Chelsea) – 40

    Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Crystal Palace) – 39

    Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool) – 39

    Harry Kane (Tottenham) – 39

    Lewis Dunk (Brighton) – 38

    Declan Rice (West Ham) – 38

    Ryan Sessegnon (Fulham) – 38

    Ben Chilwell (Leicester City) – 36

    Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace) – 36

    Jesse Lingard (Manchester United) – 36

    Mark Noble (West Ham) – 32

    Morgan Gibbs-White (Wolves) – 31

     

  • AFCON Qualifier: Ighalo, Iwobi, Ajayi early birds in Eagles’ camp

    Odion Ighalo, Alex Iwobi, and Semi Ajayi were among the first arrivals in the Super Eagles’ camp in Asaba on Monday ahead of Friday’s 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Seychelles.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that three-time African champions, Nigeria, have already booked a place in the AFCON holding in Egypt in July, with the encounter against Seychelles hardly more than an academic exercise.

    But the Eagles have spoken of the need to end the qualification series on a high and maintain their reputation while using the game to kick-start preparations for the continental competition.

    They take on the Pirates of Seychelles at the Stephen Keshi Stadium from 4p.m. on Friday.

    A statement by Ademola Olajire NFF’s Director of Communications said that nine players including forward Ighalo, and midfielders Iwobi and Ajayi were among first arrivals at the team’s camp in Asaba.

    “Goalkeepers Francis Uzoho, Ikechukwu Ezenwa and Daniel Akpeyi are all in town, as well as home –based professionals Ikouwem Utin, Ndifreke Effiong and Valentine Ozornwafor.

    Read Also: Ighalo: Eagles need to prepare well for 2019 AFCON

    “The bulk of the invited group of 23 will come in on Tuesday, with the international friendly against the Pharaohs of Egypt on Tuesday next week also in mind,” Olajire said.

    NAN also reports that Technical Adviser Gernor Rohr called up 23 players for the two matches, with Ikouwem Utin and Effiong leaping onto the list as a result of injuries to Samuel Kalu and Ola Aina.

    NAN

     

  • Iwobi must stay calm – Emery

    Arsenal attacker, Alex Iwobi has received fresh tips from the club’s coach, Unai Emery, who believes the Super Eagles star needs to keep improving and always stay calm in front of goal.

    On the backdrop of rave reviews trailing Iwobi’s performance against Bournemouth in midweek, sports247.ng reported that Emery was happy to see the youngster staying consistent, but said he must work harder.

    Iwobi has made 24 appearances in the English Premier League so far this season, scoring three goals, but Emery stressed that The Gunners’ former U-21 team captain can do more.

    Emery said: “Iwobi can open space on the overlap for them. So I think Iwobi is giving a lot for us.

    “We want to play and we want to create our philosophy and I think that Iwobi is important, but he needs to carry on improving.

    Read also: Balogun still nursing injury

    “For us, we have to be demanding from him; and himself be desiring to improve the things that he can get better at in his qualities.

    “When he’s getting into the attacking third into the box, he be calm to decide the last action with assists and scoring more,” Emery said.