Tag: Ndidi

Nigerian tackler Wilfred Ndidi says Leicester City must look past last week’s 2-0 home loss to Premier League contender Arsenal as they seek to build on good elements of the encounter.

Just his second game back since recovering from injury, the defensive midfielder says in spite of the loss, he feels great and amazing to be back in the team’s first 11.

“I feel great and amazing,” he added. “There’s lot of games coming up so I need to look after myself and keep going.”

The combative midfielder returned to the Premier League XI for the first time following his injury and has played 180 minutes in the last week.

He feels The Foxes’ display was an encouraging one despite the end result at King Power Stadium, courtesy of a Mikel Merino double in the closing stages.

The side looked more than a match for the title-chasing opponents for the majority of the contest, producing a resolute defensive display.

“It was a difficult game, quite a tough game,” he assessed. “We stayed on it until they scored the first goal. We knew we were still on it. We were just unlucky that we conceded that first one. We were together, stayed compact and everyone was in it.

“We’re a bit gutted because we conceded two and we should have stayed more in the game. That was the only thing. It was unlucky. Overall, we are pleased with the performance until they scored the goal.”

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Naturally, the visitors had a lot of the ball, but creating chances was also in Leicester’s game plan, with Ndidi himself on the end of two opportunities in the first half, although unable to break the deadlock. There’s confidence around the group, he says.

The 28-year-old explained: “Of course, we know they are very good at keeping the ball and positioning and trying to get at us, so we tried to stick together and break on the counter. That’s why when we got the ball, we went forward quickly. We knew the game plan and we stuck to it.

 “It’s just something that we need to take into the next one. Everyone is in it and we know the position that we are in at the moment. We did well to be honest, playing against a tough team. I think it’s just that we have to take the positives forward to the next game.”

Nigeria internationals Wilfred Ndidi and Alex Iwobi have been named in Whoscored.com Premier League Team of the Week for Game Week 14 for their outstanding performances.

In a 4-4-2 formation, the Super Eagles stars were deployed as central midfielders, while Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah and Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss played as wide midfielders.

Mark Flekken (Brentford), Ashley Young (Everton), James Tarkowski (Everton), Dean Huijsen (Bournemouth), Victor Kristiansen (Leicester), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa) and Christopher Nkunku (Chelsea) complete the Team of the Week.

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Fulham’s number 17, Iwobi continued his rich vein of form as the Cottagers defeated Brighton & Hove 3-1 at Craven Cottage, scoring his second-ever brace in the Premier League to surpass his tally of goal contributions in his first season at Fulham.

The 28-year-old registered one key pass, three successful dribbles, four clearances, and six ball recoveries, earning a WhoScored rating of 8.76 and was named Man of the Match.

The official broadcaster of the Leicester City versus West Ham tie at the King Power Stadium picked Ndidi as the Man of the Match, as the Foxes won their first game under new boss Ruud van Nistelrooy.

New Leicester City boss, Ruud van Nistelrooy has tasked his players including Wilfred Ndidi to be ready to give more than 100 percent to ensure the Foxes escapes relegation.

Nistelrooy oversaw his first game in charge of Leicester City on Tuesday night in their 3-1 victory over West Ham United.

Jamie Vardy, Bilal El Khannouss and Patson Daka were all on the scoresheet before Niclas Füllkrug’s late consolation prevented a Foxes clean sheet alongside the three points.

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The three points ensured they move away from the drop zone to the 16th spot with 13 points.

The Dutchman is up and running as Foxes Manager and whild discussing the spirit and togetherness post-match, Nistelrooy told his players to keep up the good work and work even harder against Brighton today at the King Power Stadium.

 “Of course, in the end you look at the result and the points. We know in the position that we’re in, what we wanted out of the game was three points.

Opening the scoring on Filbert Way,” Nistelrooy told the club’s website.

Nigeria international Wilfred Ndidi has earned plaudits over his near-perfect performance in Leicester City’s 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace.

With a rash of injuries plaguing the Foxes, coach Steve Cooper was forced to throw  Ndidi into the thick of action  due to the unavailability of the Argentinean  attacking midfielder, Facundo Buonanotte.

He started in the advanced midfield role, a decision that drew frustration from supporters who had hoped to see a more attacking line-up selected. But Ndidi responded to the doubters with two excellent assists for Jamie Vardy and Stephy Mavididi.

 “He did quite a lot of that last season from the analysis I did,” Cooper said on Ndidi’s advanced position. “We have the players to make decisions on certain profiles for certain games in certain positions.

 “Wilf delivered today. He’s had a long week travelling and there was thought about the international boys, whether they should play or not. 

Read Also: Super Eagles: Okumagba urges NFF to employ local coach

“But Wilf’s got so many Premier League appearances under him, which doesn’t mean you start a game but we felt today we needed that and luckily it showed.”

Aside  Coopers’ verdict , Ndidi was scored 8/10  and commended thus: “A quite unbelievable display given how poor he was against Villa. His first touch and footwork were so much better, and he pressed sharply, while he was superb for the goals, winning the ball and clipping over the perfect pass for Vardy for the first, then showing off brilliant composure to tee up Mavididi for the second. But he did lose the ball a few too many times in the second half.”

By Temi-Joshua Nwabude  

Though the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is yet to appoint a substantive head coach for the Super Eagles ahead of next month’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations double-header against Republic of Benin and Rwanda, Leicester’s City defender, Wilfred Ndidi has  called for calm.

The Super Eagles are playing Benin in Uyo on September 7 before travelling to Kigali to face Rwanda on September 10.

Speaking  ahead  of these crucial two matches,  the 27-year-old Ndidi  said the team is focused on the task ahead adding, the players are committed to the national team. He noted that  he and his teammates  have put behind their last June defeat  to Benin  in Abidjan in the 2026 FIFA  World Cup qualifier.

“What we do at club level, we want to bring to the national level,” Ndidi, who missed the last AFCON held in Cote d’Ivoire, said in an interview with Brila FM. “We  are committed to the national team and  we would do our best to get the needed  points to qualify for the World  Cup and AFCON as we would  get the points in Uyo and Kigali.”

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Despite Ndidi’s assurances, some Nigerians  have  expressed concerns about the team’s approach to games, with one caller on Brila FM saying: “The national team approaches every game with complacency.”

Another caller doubted the team’s ability to deliver, citing the inconsistent forms  of many  players:

“It would be a shame if Nigeria doesn’t qualify for the FIFA World Cup for a second consecutive times having missed out Qatar 2022.”

Incidentally, Morocco  are  to host the next AFCON in 2025 and

It would be recalled that Nigeria nearly won the continental  football title  when Morocco last hosted  the AFCON in 1988  when the Super Eagles  were beaten  1-0 courtesy of a penalty goal converted by Emmanuel Kunde.

Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has chosen to depart newly promoted Leicester City in favour of yet to be revealed English Premier League side. 

Ndidi who had a turbulent season in the just concluded season , has reportedly rejected the offer of a new contract from the  Foxes  and decided to leave this summer.

The Nigeria international shone during his time at Leicester, helping the club win promotion back to the Premier League last season, but he’s just days away from the end of his contract at the King Power Stadium.

Read Also: Everton may snatch Ndidi from Foxes

Everton are reportedly willing to pounce while two other unnamed EPL sides have also reportedly indicated interest in the Nigerian as the 27 year old closes in on the end of his contract with the Foxes.

Ndidi who joined LCFC back in 2016 played over 250 games for the Foxes including 32 English Championship games last season from where they secured automatic return to the EPL. He scored 14 goals and made 16 assists in all competitions for Leicester City.

Nigeria international midfielder Wilfred Ndidi has yet again been linked  with a move  to Everton as the coach Sean Dyche-led side  eye-catching double signing lined up along with Illiman Ndiaye of Marseille.

Everton are looking to bolster their squad as Sean Dyche aims to improve his team’s fortunes following a tough three seasons for the club.

Money was always going to be tight for the Merseysiders this summer but with Lewis Dobbin set to be sold to Aston Villa and Dominic Calvert-Lewin heavily linked with Newcastle, they have some wiggle room.

Sources have informed TEAMtalk, however, that an agreement between Everton and Newcastle is not close at this stage and other clubs are interested in him.

Everton continue to work on a deal for Magpies winger Yankuba Minteh after holding talks with the player’s agent but that is also far from being done.

Reports suggest that the Toffees are still working on other deals and one player they are keen on is Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi.

His contract with the Foxes is set to expire on June 30th and so far their attempts to tie him down to fresh terms have all failed.

Read Also: Galatasaray continue chase for  Ndidi

As we exclusively revealed two weeks ago, Everton have sent a contract offer to the Nigerian international.

An update from French outlet La Provence claimed  that Marseille are pushing to sign Ndidi but the ‘main competition’ comes from Everton and Real Betis.

With the three clubs all keen on Ndidi it will ultimately come down to the player to decide his next destination, with staying at Leicester also not completely ruled out.

Super Eagles star Wilfred Ndidi has reportedly been offered to Turkish Süper Lig side Besiktas JK, Soccernet.ng reports.

The Nigerian defensive midfielder’s contract with the Foxes is set to expire at the end of June 2024, likely marking the end of his seven-year stint with the King Power outfit.

According to reports from Turkish media, the Nigerian international has been offered to the Black Eagles, who are also closing in on his compatriot Joe Aribo.

Meanwhile, Ndidi’s former boss, Enzo Maresca, wanted to keep the Nigerian at Leicester City. However, all efforts have proven futile as Maresca has left the Blues to join Chelsea.

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Galatasaray is eyeing several midfielders, with Wilfred Ndidi remaining a top target for the past two seasons.

The Super Eagles player, who recently earned promotion to the Premier League with Leicester, has caught the attention of the Turkish giants, who are keen on securing his transfer.

The 27-year-old midfielder, known for his exceptional defensive skills, is set to be a free agent after his contract with Leicester is set to expire in June.

British media reports, according to Sozcu indicate that Galatasaray has extended a three-plus-one-year contract offer to Ndidi.