Author: Brila

Philippe Coutinho has been handed the coveted No 7 shirt at Barcelona, having worn the No 14 since he joined from Liverpool in January. Arda Turan had been the holder of the prestigious No 7 shirt, also previously worn by the likes of Luis Figo, David Villa and Henrik Larsson, but his loan move to Istanbul Basaksehir has freed it up. Coutinho last wore the No 7 shirt during his final season at Inter Milan before joining Liverpool in 2013. He wore the No 10 shirt with distinction at Anfield. Luis Figo is the most famous full-time wearer of Barca’s coveted…

Atletico Madrid defender and Uruguay Skipper Diego Godin has reportedly turned down a deadline-day approach from Manchester United. United boss Jose Mourinho is still eager to bolster his defensive options before today’s 5 pm deadline, and speculation emerged earlier today that the club had contacted Atletico over a possible deal for Godin. The Red Devils are understood to have triggered the €25m (£22.5m) release clause in Godin’s contract and offered the Uruguayan a deal worth around €9m (£8.1m). However, respected Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reports that the 32-year-old has rejected the chance to move to Old Trafford and has no desire to leave the Wanda Metropolitano.…

Turkish club, Trabzonspor are moving close to secure the transfer of Nigerian forward, Anthony Nwakaeme from Isreali side, Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Nwakaeme is currently playing in Isreal with Hapoel Be’er Sheva team and it has been reported that Trabzonspor are in talks with the Super Eagles star. Turkish club, Trabzonspor are looking to secure the transfer of Nigerian forward, Anthony Nwakaeme from Isreali side, Hapoel Be’er Sheva according to aksam.com.tr. Both clubs, according to the report,  are already in talks to thrash out the deal which could be completed in a couple of days. Nwakaeme, 29, who can…

Super Eagles forward, Moses Daddy-Ajala Simon has expressed his delight after making his first appearance for Levante in Wednesday’s pre-season game vs Albacete Balompie. The 23-year-old Eagles star came off the bench in the 73rd minute and was impressive on the Night as his new side shared the points with Albacete. The game ended in a 2-2 draw after 90 minutes with Levante winning 6-5 on penalties. Simon, however, converted the second penalty for Levante UD. He took to his social media handles to express his delight on Wednesday Night: I m so excited to put on…

The Nigeria Rugby National Team right now on their way by road to Niger with a strong squad of 31 Man team made up of 23 Players and 8 Officials. The newly appointed National Coach Mr Bronson Weir who took charge of the 3 intensive training session of yesterday on arrival has selected his 23 man team that will prosecute the Rugby Africa organized International Test match against Niger Republic in Niamey on Saturday 11 August 2018. The 31 Man Delegation is led by the President of the Rugby Federation Mr Kelechi Mbagwu being his first international assignment as…

Mustapha Mustapha, 10, and his brother Musa, 9, played at their first international tournament on Wednesday in the ITTF U-21 men’s singles. Despite being overpowered by their older opponents in both their two group matches, the Abuja-based duo took away valuable lessons with a vow to keep improving after picking up the sport via their father, Saheed Mustapha, a former player himself, just a year ago. Their story has been a hit on social media where it was the most retweeted post of the opening day on the tournament’s official account, @ITTFNigeriaOpen. At the time of going to…

Chelsea has completed a season-long loan move for Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic in a deal that could send French player Tiemoue Bakayoko out of Stamford Bridge. Kovacic joins the club as part of the deal that sees Thibaut Courtois complete his move to Real, subject to the agreement of personal terms and a medical. Kovacic’s arrival paves the way for Chelsea to send Tiemoue Bakayoko on loan to AC Milan. Bakayoko has struggled for form and fitness since arriving from Monaco in a £40 million deal in the summer of 2017. Bakayoko would have fallen down…

Super Falconets will be looking to keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of the ongoing 2018 FIFA U20 Women’s World Cup when they take on Haiti, today. The Danjuma-led girls went down in their Group D opener against the three-time world champions, Germany courtesy of the 70th-minute close-range strike by Stefanie Sanders. The Falconet are rocking the bottom of Group D following China 2-1 victory against Haiti which saw the Asian country on the summit of the group while Germany and Haiti are in second and third spot respectively. Coach Danjuma will now rely…

Super Eagles of Nigeria and Chelsea youngster Ola Aina is considering a potential loan switch to Serie A side Torino, according to Sky. It is thought Aina is open to testing himself abroad this coming season, and Dutch side PSV Eindhoven have also shown interest in a loan. Queens Park Rangers, Derby County, and PSV Eindhoven are also understood to be interested in loaning Aina – a product of Chelsea’s academy. The 21-year-old right-back spent last season on loan at Hull City in the Championship, where he made 46 appearances. The south London-born defender is a Nigeria international with…

EFL Championship Club Aston Villa are close to sealing the signing of Super Eagles and Watford star Isaac Success according to reports. The 22-year-old forward, who cost Watford £12.5million in 2016, has been told he can leave Vicarage Road and Steve Bruce is ready to pounce. The initial deal will see Success spent the rest of the season with Villa, with a view to a permanent deal. Success spent part of last season on loan at Spanish club Malaga. Success has three years to run on his contract with Watford and cost the club 15 million euros…