Tag: Chukwueze

Aston Villa are reportedly preparing an ambitious bid to lure Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze away from AC Milan, Soccernet.ng understands.

Despite Chukwueze’s underwhelming start to his Serie A career, Villa boss Unai Emery remains keen on adding the Super Eagles star to his squad, viewing the player as a key piece to strengthen his attacking option.

Italian journalist Alessandro Jacobone revealed via social media that Aston Villa has identified Chukwueze as a prime target.

Read Also: Atalanta snub Liverpool’s January interest in Lookman

The Rossoneri winger, signed by Milan in July 2023, struggled to make a significant impact in his debut season and is yet to hit new heights this term.

Nevertheless, Villa appear undeterred by Chukwueze’s modest return of three goals and one assist across all competitions so far this season.

The Premier League club’s proposal reportedly includes a swap deal involving Jaden Philogene, a promising English winger valued at around £15 millionn.

AC Milan’s star forward Rafael Leao is facing a potential third consecutive benching in Serie A as the team prepares to face Monza. Manager Paulo Fonseca appears to be continuing his surprising decision to leave the Portuguese international out of the starting line-up, following similar moves in recent matches against Napoli and Udinese.

Calciomercato reported  how Leao did start in Milan’s Champions League victory over Club Brugge, but was substituted during the match. Interestingly, the Rossoneri’s winning goal came after Leao had left the field, potentially influencing Fonseca’s decision-making.

Read Also: Onyedika sees red as Ilenikhena, Chukwueze shine in UCL

According to the report, Noah Okafor has been tested in the first team during training sessions leading up to the Monza clash. This suggests that Fonseca is likely to persist with his recent tactical approach, despite previously assuring that there were no particular issues with Leao.

• Nigerian winger not in starting X1 against Brugge

Milan coach Paulo Fonseca  has described Nigeria international striker Samuel Chukwueze as a quality player that the Rossoneri can count on.

The 25-year-old  Chukwueze had a Man-of-the-Match  performance  at the weekend by  scoring  the solitary  winner against Udinese  for what was  his  first Serie A goal  with the  Milan giants.

“Yes. I think we can talk about Chukwueze and Okafor, they are quality players,” Fonseca  said at his press conference ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League tie at home against Belgian side, Club Brugge, as relayed by Milan News. “They need confidence, and I think they played with confidence.

 “It is very good for a coach to have players at the same level and then choose according to the game.

“I was very satisfied because those who played told me and everyone that we can count on them (Okafor and Chukwueze).

“It is my greatest satisfaction to have this chance because the players are ready.”

But the glowing assessment of Chukwueze’s performance  against Udinese notwithstanding, Fonseca   has revealed Chukwueze  is out of Milan’s starting line-up against Club Brugge tonight at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium.

Read Also: Eyes on Chukwueze, Okoye as Milan host Udinese

“I’ll tell you tomorrow’s team directly (laughs),” Fonseca stated when pressed about  the Super Eagles star. “Maignan, Emerson, Gabbia, Tomori, Theo, Fofana, Loftus, Reijnders, Leao, Pulisic and Morata.”

The Portuguese coach reportedly  left Leao, Fikayo Tomori and Tammy Abraham on the bench in a Serie A game against Udinese on Saturday, explaining that the team was “more important” than any player.

However, both Leao and Tomori will start against Brugge, while Tammy Abraham is out of action due to a shoulder injury.

“I feel we are reaching things that will be useful to the team,” continued Fonseca. “We saw important and nice things in the opening 30 minutes against Udinese. I expected more consistency, but it wasn’t easy after the red card to Tijji.

“It’s a significant growth, and I hope this attitude is the norm in the future. With this attitude, we can build other things.”

Hopefully, ‘quality player’ Chukwueze  can still get a bit part to play in the course of tonight’s match against Club Brugge.

UEFA Champions League Fixtures

AC Milan vs. Club Brugge            

Monaco vs. Crvena Zvezda         

Arsenal  vs. Shakhtar Donetsk    

Aston Villa vs. Bologna

Girona vs.SK Slovan Bratislava  

Juventus vs. Stuttgart   

PSG vs. PSV Eindhoven

Real Madrid vs. Dortmund          

Sturm Graz vs. Sporting Lisbon

San Siro will host a crucial Serie A clash today as  Samuel Chukwueze’s AC Milan welcome an in-form Udinese side complete  with Nigeria International goalkeeper Maduka Okoye, in a match that could have significant implications for both teams’ seasons.

The unexpected table positions add an extra layer of intrigue to this fixture, with Udinese currently sitting two points ahead of their more illustrious opponents.

Milan enter this match on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Fiorentina, which halted a four-match unbeaten run in Serie A. The Rossoneri’s form has been inconsistent, particularly away from home, but they remain undefeated in three league contests at San Siro this season.

Read Also: Chukwueze cleared for Milan-Udinese after scans

Currently sitting in 7th  place, Milan are eager to climb the table and close the gap on the league leaders.

Udinese, under the guidance of new manager Kosta Runjaic, have made a flying start to the season. With four wins from seven matches, they find themselves in an impressive 5th position, just three points behind table-topping Napoli. Their recent 1-0 victory over Lecce, courtesy of Jordan Zemura’s late free-kick, exemplifies their current form and confidence.

The last meeting between these sides at San Siro resulted in a surprising 1-0 victory for Udinese. A repeat of this result would see the Friulani achieve back-to-back away wins against Milan for the first time in their history. However, Milan will draw confidence from their dramatic 3-2 win in Udine last season.

Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze may be available  for a starting role  this weekend when Milan  battle with Maduka Okoye  in their scheduled Serie A match. 

The former Villarreal attacker  had returned  to his base  after being  ruled out injured after the  Super Eagles beat visiting Libya in Uyo last Friday and was not on the team entourage to the botched  reverse  fixture in Benina following the melodrama at the Al-Abraq Airport. 

Throughout the international break, there have been suggestions that Christian Pulisic could be among the substitutes when he returned to Milan, given his schedule has been enduring so far, and because of this, Chukwueze was predicted to start against Udinese.

However, the Nigerian winger picked up an injury on international duty, and early reports feared that he had suffered a hamstring injury. 

Read Also:Milan set to sacrifice ‘expensive’ Chukwueze

But  Milan News outlet  said the 25-year-old  striker received positive results  yesterday after undergoing scans  at his club’s Milanello base.

The scans have revealed that his injury ‘shouldn’t be anything serious’ and to go one better, he is actually in good condition. For this reason, it seems likely that he should be available for selection on Saturday against the Udine outfit.

But given that Pulisic also returned earlier than anticipated, it is unknown whether the winger will be given the nod to start ahead of the American. 

With him fit, though, he should play some minutes, especially with the difficult situation he is facing ahead of the January transfer market. 

After a challenging start at AC Milan, Nigerian winger Samuel Chukwueze has caught the eye of Atlético Madrid, West Ham United, and Aston Villa. Despite struggling to secure a regular spot in the starting line-up, his undeniable talent, especially in dribbling skills and pace, continues to attract interest from top European clubs.

Chukwueze’s first season at Milan has been underwhelming, with just three goals and three assists in 33 appearances across all competitions. Despite being a frequent substitute, his impact has been minimal in Serie A. This season, he has only played in six matches, accumulating just 175 minutes on the field without scoring.

Read Also: Okoye, Dutch partner part ways

Reports suggest that Atlético Madrid, West Ham, and Aston Villa are closely monitoring Chukwueze’s situation, with all three clubs considering making a move for the Super Eagles star in the upcoming January transfer window. His current contract with AC Milan runs until June 2028, but limited playing time could tempt him to seek opportunities elsewhere.

With a current market value of €20 million and an annual salary of €5.13 million, Chukwueze could be an affordable yet skilled option for clubs in need of a winger. While Milan may still hope for his resurgence, the lure of regular first-team football could lead to his departure from the club in the near future

Super Eagles forward Samuel Chukwueze has revealed that his mother still wants him to study medicine or pharmacy despite his success in his football career, Soccernet.ng reports.

He said: “My mom did not want me to play football. In Africa, everyone focuses on school, and she used to say ‘football will never make you money,” Chukwueze said, per football Italia.

“But I was born with football inside me. I would play until seven in the evening, and when I came home, she would punish me. She would take my football shoes and confiscate them, so I had to hide them.

Read Also: Pre-season: Chukwueze shines as  Milan edge Madrid

“The problem was she always found them. Once, she burned my shoes and shirts and told me, ‘Samuel, you need to focus on your studies.’ I tried, but a part of me was switched off.”

Although his mother is highly supportive of him, Chukwueze admits that she still wants him to study and become a medical doctor.

“The funny thing is, in Africa, you don’t change your mind. She still wants me to study, wants me to be a doctor, maybe a doctor in football. I wanted to be a lawyer, but she said, ‘No, no, doctor. You need to study pharmacy,” Chukwueze added.

Samuel Chukwueze has again proved he is back on top of his game going into the new season as he was the match winner for AC Milan against Real Madrid in an international club friendly  at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The Super Eagles striker reportedly got the only goal of the game 10 minutes after the restart as he buried Mattia Liberali’s feed past Andriy Lunin in goal for Real Madrid, and in truth Paulo Fonseca’s men missed other chances to add some gloss to the scoreline.

Read Also: Olympics: AFN,NOC bicker over Ofili’s botched  100m bid

Chukwueze has enjoyed scoring against Real while he was playing in Spain.

Chukwueze declared the new season will see his best version after he provided two assists in another pre-season victory over Premier League champions Manchester City.

The former Villarreal winger endured a difficult debut season in Italy no thanks to injury and limited playing time.

German coach Gernot Rohr believes the Super Eagles coach Finidi George got his tactics wrong as The Cheetahs of Benin pulled a shock 2-1  win in their group C 2026 FIFA World Cup MatchDay 4 qualifier at the Felix Houphouet Stadium in Abidjan on Monday.

The neighbouring Beninese are usually regarded as poor Nigerian cousins both in stature and football pedigree, but Rohr, who last coached the Super Eagles before berthing in Cotonou, admitted his deep knowledge of the Super Eagles helped The Cheetahs to claim a famous win in Abidjan.

 “We did not really expect to win (against the Super Eagles) but we expected  to do a good match because my team is now playing better and better and we won our first game (in the World Cup qualifiers) against Rwanda already last week,” the former Bordeaux player and coach, who will be 71 on June 28, told NationSports. “We knew there was the chance to beat Nigeria especially without some of their best players like Troost-Ekong, Osimhen of course, and Simon Moses.

“When they (Super Eagles) opened the scores, it was not easy for us to come back but we did it well; and the corner kicks made the difference as well as the big fighting spirit, and the counter attacking formation – and our organisation was okay.“

Read Also: Benin 2-1 Nigeria: Cotonou erupts in celebrations as fans blast Finidi

Pressed on what he would have probably done were he  in the shoes of the embattled  Super Eagles coach, Rohr volunteered: “Of course, coach Finidi tried and he made five changes and when I saw that he pulled out Iwobi and Chukwueze, who are both very dangerous players and brought in the big strikers, we had to react by bringing out our defensive midfielders (Cisse) in order to resist the attacks.

“For me, Chukwueze and Iwobi are two of the best players of the Super Eagles  and I was finally happy for my team that they didn’t play throughout the match.”

Defeat away to The Cheetahs in Abidjan means the Super Eagles have only amassed  three points from possible 12 following identical 1-1 draw in their opening three matches against Lesotho (home); Zimbabwe (away) and South Africa (home).