The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Leicester City

  • Man U swoop Harry Maguire from Leicester for £85m

     

    Manchester United have agreed a fee of £85million with Leicester City to make Harry Maguire the world’s most expensive defender.

    The figure, which includes add-ons, was finally reached following weeks of negotiations between the two clubs. United are expected to pay initial £80m up front and a further £5m in add-ons.

    The deal eclipses the £75m that Liverpool paid Southampton to sign Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

    Maguire is expected to undergo his medical on Saturday while United play AC Milan in Cardiff.

    The 26-year-old had already pulled out of Leicester’s final pre-season friendly against Atalanta on Friday because he is not in the right frame of mind to play, having called in sick on Monday.

    Maguire had made it clear to his manager Brendan Rodgers and teammates that he wants to go this summer after Leicester rebuffed United’s interest 12 months ago.

    He did not feature in an official club video released on Thursday to announce the club’s squad numbers for the new season.

    Top 10 Most Expensive Defenders:

    1. Harry Maguire – £85m (From Leicester to Man United)
    2. Virgil van Dijk – £75m (From Southampton to Liverpool)
    3. Lucas Hernandez – £68m (From Atletico Madrid to Bayern Munich)
    4. Matthijs de Ligt – £63m (From Ajax to Juventus)
    5. Aymeric Laporte – £57m (From Athletic Bilbao to Man City)
    6. Kyle Walker – £54m (From Tottenham to Man City)
    7. Benjamin Mendy – £52m (From Monaco to Man City)
    8. David Luiz – £50m (From Chelsea to Paris Saint-Germain)
    9. John Stones – £50m (From Everton to Man City)
    10. Davinson Sanchez – £42m (From Ajax to Tottenham)

  • Iheanacho’s Leicester City ranked 40th best club in the world

     

    Kelechi Iheanacho’s Leicester City have been ranked the 40th best club in the world. The Premier league side, who also have Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi in their must play squad took first from the back in the Global Club Soccer top 40 rankings by a team of football researchers on opinion pool site 538.

    The Foxes finished 9th on the log table last season with 52 points in 38 matches. It is safe to say it is different stokes for the two Eagles at the King Power Stadium. While Iheanacho who was dropped from the Super Eagles squad ahead of the ongoing Nations cup in Egypt was having little or no playing time compatriot Ndidi remained a regular for the club where they once stared alongside Algeria international Riyad Mahrez who has since moved over to Manchester city and who only last night stopped Nigeria from proceeding to the final of the Nations cup with his super strike at the last minute.

    Interestingly Iheanacho played for Manchester City between 2015 and 2017 scoring 12 goals in 46 appearances.

    Premier League defending Champions Manchester City topped the ranking with Champions league winners Liverpool occupying the third place behind Bundesliga Champions Bayern Munich while Barcelona and Chelsea round off the top five best clubs in the world.

    Manchester United however finished 34th in the world behind the likes of Young Boys, PAOK and Eibar.

    Football analysts at FiveThirtyEight came up with the system that saw Everton, who finished 12 points behind the Red Devils last season, eight places ahead in the table rankings.

    The football researchers produced a Soccer Power Index (SPI) that ranks teams by giving them an offensive and defensive rating.

    The ratings refer to the number of goals the team would be expected to score against an average team on a neutral field and a defensive rating that represents the number of goals they would be expected to concede.

    These ratings produce an SPI rating which gives a percentage of available points – a win is worth three, a draw worth one, and a loss worth none.

    Here are the Best 10 clubs according to the Ranking released Monday.

    1 – Manchester City

    2 – Bayern Munich

    3 – Liverpool

    4 – Barcelona

    5 – Chelsea

    6 – PSG

    7- Real Madrid

    8 – Atletico Madrid

    9 – Olympiacos

    10- Ajax

  • Klopp blames snow for failure to beat Leicester

    Liverpool Manager, Jurgen Klopp believes that the falling snow on the Anfield pitch was the principal reason why Liverpool failed to beat Leicester City, missing out the opportunity of opening a seven-point gap over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

    Sadio Mane had given Liverpool a third-minute lead but they were unable to beat Leicester, eventually drawing 1-1, with their passing game affected by the conditions.

    “You saw that the ball didn’t roll really,” Klopp told ESPN. “If you then have the ball pretty much for 70 to 80 percent of the time it makes life really uncomfortable.

    Read Also: Klopp defends Salah, says Firmino fit to face Chelsea

    “The only problem is if it stays on the pitch and that was actually the case.”.

    Klopp also complained that Liverpool were denied a penalty in the second half after Naby Keita was fouled in the penalty area by Ricardo Pereira, only for referee Martin Atkinson to wave away the protests.

    “I don’t know what he [Atkinson] thought in that moment,” Klopp said. “I think he had the best position.

    “Usually I have to explain penalties which were penalties, and you ask me if it was a soft penalty. A penalty is a penalty.

    “There was no blood involved again today, but it’s a penalty because one of our players is in the box. It is like it is. It won’t change. Nothing to worry about, keep on going.”

  • Cardiff beat Leicester to earn first away win

    A late-minute goal from midfielder Victor Camarasa and a penalty kick save from goalkeeper Neil Etheridge on Saturday ensured Cardiff City beat Leicester City 1-0 for their first away victory.

    Claude Puel’s Leicester, carrying momentum from consecutive wins against Chelsea and Manchester City in the English Premier League, dominated the early exchanges at the King Power Stadium.

    They came close with long-range efforts from James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira.

    Leicester had their best chance of the first half in the closing stages when Jamie Vardy was slipped through by Maddison, only for the striker to shoot straight at Etheridge.

    The hosts looked certain to claim consecutive home wins for the first time this season when Maddison was clipped inside the box by defender Sean Morrison.

    But they were denied, thanks to Etheridge’s stunning save.

    Maddison had a chance to make amends from the rebound, but defender Sol Bamba dived in to turn the ball away for a corner kick.

    With Leicester supporters heading towards the exit, Camarasa curled the ball past goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel from the edge of the box to secure a dramatic win for the Welsh side.

    With the goal coming in the second minute of added time, the victory takes Neil Warnock’s Cardiff up to 16th place in the league standings, four points clear of the relegation zone.

    Etheridge, who will miss the Philippines’ Asian Cup campaign to help Cardiff’s top-flight survival bid, said the result should lift the spirits in the dressing room during the season’s second half.

    “It was a great save to help the team but the main thing for us today (Saturday) is the great win — our first away from home,” the 28-year-old said. “It gives us momentum going into the new year.

    “We just need to keep focusing and keep concentrating. Obviously it’s a very tough league. To keep two clean sheets in a row is outstanding. The boys have done very well.

    “We take every game as it comes. We’ve got a tough game against Tottenham on New Year’s Day, but we’ll enjoy this one for now.”

    Leicester slipped to eighth spot after failing to capitalise on almost two-thirds of ball possession and 16 attempts on goal.(Reuters/NAN)

  • Ikpeba shares Leicester City’s grief, remembers late wife

    Victor Ikpeba has shared in the grief of Leicester city over the demise of the owner of the English Premier League Club in an helicopter crash.

    The Nigerian ex-footballer and widower who spoke on Monday Night Football broadcast said The Foxes have been heavily grieved beyond their fans understanding since the demise.

    The helicopter crashed after taking off from the club’s stadium on 27 October, killing Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who owns the club and four others.

    Jamie Vardy and club captain Wes Morgan led other players to a prayer ceremony at a Bangkok temple for Srivaddhanaprabha’s funeral.

    “I have been there before, as a footballer l understand the grief and tragedy to loss somebody you have bond and affection for, it is a hard time for the team.” the Prince of Monaco, Ikpeba said.

    “I know what it feels to lose somebody. l lost my wife, Tinuke, almost a decade ago, l still feel the death,” he added.

    Atinuke,mother of three, died in May 2000 at the age of 26, after losing her battle with breast cancer.

    Ikpeba who has since not remarried, however, is now a father of five daughters with the addition of two girls from his Congolese-French lady whom he met in the year 2015.

  • Fraser doubtful for Leicester clash with hamstring injury

    Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Fraser is a doubt for Saturday’s English Premier League clash against Leicester City after sustaining a hamstring injury on international duty with Scotland, manager Eddie Howe said on Friday.

    Fraser played the full 90 minutes of Scotland’s 4-0 defeat by World Cup semi-finalists Belgium in a friendly at Hampden Park last weekend before returning with the injury.

    “Ryan had a hamstring problem so has been working with our medical team since he returned here,” Howe told reporters.

    Read Also: EPL Results: Man City, Man U, Liverpool, Chelsea win matches

    The 32-year-old has started all four matches for Bournemouth this season and scored in the 2-0 victory over promoted Cardiff City in their league opener.

    Howe said defender Charlie Daniels was another injury concern, having picked up a niggle in the international break but was happy to welcome midfielder Junior Stanislas back from a knee problem.

    “Junior is working his way back to fitness. A big positive was that he came back into training during the international break. He won’t be ready for this weekend but we’re pleased with his progress,” Howe added.

    Bournemouth is sixth in the standings with seven points from four matches.

  • Pogba, Shaw give Man Utd winning start against Leicester City

    Manchester United survived a late scare against Leicester City to begin their Premier League campaign with a 2-1 victory at Old Trafford last night.

    Paul Pogba’s third-minute penalty and Luke Shaw’s first professional goal earned the Red Devils three points which came under threat in stoppage time through Jamie Vardy’s reply.

    Pogba’s inclusion from the start was a bit of a surprise considering his lack of pre-season in the aftermath of France’s World Cup triumph, and Mourinho even but the captain’s armband on the midfielder in the absence of Antonio Valencia.

    When the Red Devils were given a second-minute penalty for handball against Daniel Amartey, who leaned into the bouncing ball with his arm, Pogba pulled rank to take the spot kick ahead of Alexis Sanchez and lift it confidently above Kasper Schmeichel.

    The Foxes responded well and the left-wing tandem of Ben Chilwell and Demarai Gray caused United problems. The latter supplied Kelechi Iheanacho on 15 minutes, although the Nigerian was flagged offside before shooting inches wide of the post.

    James Maddison and Ricardo Pereira were the two debutants in Leicester’s XI and they combined for the best equalising chance of the first half. The playmaker signed from Norwich City was teed up 15 yards out but saw his right-footed shot strongly pushed away by David de Gea.

    Shaw fired the Foxes a warning shot on the stroke of the break as he exchanged a one-two with Juan Mata before cutting inside onto his right foot to strike low at Schmeichel.

  • Match Update: Man United 2- 1 Leicester City

    • Man Utd 2-1 Leicester (8pm)
    • Pogba nets early pen (3)
    • Good Shaw finish doubles (83)
    • Vardy adds late consolation (90+3)
    • First game of new PL season

    After three long months, the English Premier League (EPL) starts today (Friday).

    To get things under way for the 2018/19 the opening day match will be at Old Trafford.

    Manchester United will take on Leicester in the first game of the new campaign and the kick off time is 8pm.

    At Old Trafford, Leicester City have lost on seven of their last eight visits in the league, scoring a total of just three goals in that period.

    LEICESTER TEAM NEWS

    Team to play Man Utd: Schmeichel, Amartey, Morgan, Maguire, Chilwell, Ndidi, Silva, R Pereira, Maddison, Gray, Iheanacho.

    Subs: Ward, Evans, Vardy, Albrighton, Iborra, Fuchs, Ghezzal.

    MAN UTD TEAM NEWS

    Team to play Leicester: De Gea, Darmian, Bailly, Lindelof, Shaw, Fred, A Pereira, Pogba, Mata, Rashford, Sanchez.

    Subs: Grant, Lukaku, Martial, Smalling, Young, Fellaini, McTominay.

    Jose Mourinho says his Manchester Unitedsquad “is the same” as last season following a frustrating transfer window for the club.

    “It is the same, the same squad as last season,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “We changed the goalkeepers with Lee [Grant] because Joel [Pereira] Is such a good young goalkeeper that he needs to play.

    “We changed Daley Blind for a 19-year-old kid [Diego Dalot] that we believe has the potential to play right-back or left-back and we changed Michael Carrick for Fred so our squad is the same.

    “He [Fred] is a midfield player, he’s not a striker, not a central defender, he’s a midfield player that technically is very good. In that sense, typically, the Brazilian player has a very rich luggage in technical terms and also in some static beauty movements of football. He’s a player to really enjoy, if he adapts as soon as possible.”

  • Riyad Mahrez rubbishes retirement announcement  

    Riyad Mahrez rubbishes retirement announcement  

     

    * Wasn’t me, but hackers

    Leicester City striker and Algerian international Riyad mahrez has rubbished insinuations that he has retired from football.

    The 2016 Africa footballer of the year revealed that a statement on his facebook account announcing his retirement was a hoax and the handwork of hackers.

    The social media post said that the Leicester City star’s playing career had come “to an end” but, according to Sky Sports News, it was the work of a hacker.

    “After the last consultation with many doctors, I’ve decided to stay away from football,” the statement read. “As my time as a football player comes to an end, I would like to say few words.

    “I want to thank everybody for the kindness and support they have shown me in this incredible city, you will be always in my heart.”

    Mahrez’s Leicester future hung in the balance when a deadline day move to Manchester City fell through, after which he was absent from training for a week.

    However, the Algerian has since affirmed his commitment to the Foxes after scoring a 97th-minute equaliser in their 1-1 draw against Bournemouth last weekend.

    Meanwhile British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has threatened to put a block on England travelling to this summer’s World Cup following the alleged poisoning of a former spy on British soil.

    Ex-double agent Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia are currently critically ill in hospital after being found unconscious in Salisbury on Sunday.

    Speaking in the House of Commons, Johnson suggested that England will boycott Russia 2018 if Moscow was shown to be behind the incident, with the pair being exposed to an “unknown substance”.

    “If things turn out to be as many members on both sides of the house suspect that they are, I think we will have to have a serious conversation about our engagement with Russia,” he said.

    “For my own part, thinking ahead to the World Cup this summer, I think it will be very difficult to imagine that UK representation at that event could go ahead in the normal way. We would certainly have to consider that.”

    England’s World Cup campaign is due to get up and running with a match against Tunisia in 104 days

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Riyad Mahrez absent as Leicester resumes training

    Riyad Mahrez absent as Leicester resumes training

     

    Want away Riyad Mahrez has missed Leicester training for a fourth time in a week since a proposed Deadline Day move to Manchester City failed to materialise.

    The Algeria international has missed the Foxes’ last two Premier League matches and was absent as Claude Puel’s side returned to training at their Belvoir Drive complex after being given Monday off.

    It remains unclear whether Mahrez has been given permission from the club to miss the latest session, or whether he is still refusing to attend and his availability for Saturday’s league fixture against Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad,

    Sky Sports News was told by a friend of the player that Mahrez has been left “depressed” by the club’s decision to not accept City’s final offer, believed to be a player-plus-cash offer worth an estimated £60m.

    Puel, last Friday said that the Premier League winner had been given some time off to clear his head, and admitted after Leicester’s 1-1 draw with Swansea on Saturday that he expected “nothing” and his immediate focus was on the rest of his squad.

    Asked when he expected the former PFA Player of the Year to return to the Leicester squad, Puel said: “I expect nothing.

    The most important thing is not to think about one player, but to think about my team and my squad.

    “Today, just after the game, Riyad is not my preoccupation. My preoccupation is about my available players and to keep them in a positive attitude and to continue this good work.”

    Mahrez, who still has two-and-a-half years left on his contract, last played for the Foxes in their 2-0 victory against Watford at the King Power Stadium on January 20.

    Mahrez who failed in his bid to qualify Algeria for the World cup in Russia had his eyes set on last minute move away from the King Power Stadium in the hit of the transfers but the move hid the rocks with a bang at a team when embattled Nigerian teammate Ahmed Musa succeeded in heading back to former club CSKA Moscow where he has since settled down even scoring a goal in a comeback friendly match.

    Aside from Manchester City, Arsenal equally showed interest in the Algerian unfortunately every move came to nothing at the end of transfer market. Some however believer the 26 year old will overcome the disappointment and get back to action in due course.