Football News: Review Of The Day 24th September 2018
Image from: dailysales.com
Review of the Day
Ojo Open To Nigeria Switch
Sheyi Ojo was a big part of England's 2017 U-20 World Cup win but the 21 year old has now told the BBC that he would be open to switching allegiance to Nigeria. The Liverpool youngster, currently on loan at Reims in Ligue 1 for the season, has 43 caps at youth level for England but is now considering following in the footsteps of England youth internationals such as Victor Moses, Shola Ameobi and Alex Iwobi and switching to Nigeria. Ojo said: "To be honest, I don't know much about it (Nigeria interest), but if they call me I'd be honoured to go to Nigeria. It's obviously a massive nation. I'm just really focused on club football at the moment, but I'm excited for the future, both club and country. My parents are originally from Nigeria as well, so they know a lot about it. They've always been keen on the idea [to represent Nigeria] but so far I've mainly been focusing on club football. It's starting to get to the time where I have to start thinking about my future. And of course, if Nigeria were to call me now it would be an honour. Of course, if I was to get selected I'd definitely think about it, I'd never turn down Nigeria. I'm from Nigeria originally so it'd be an honour, likewise with England as well. If I keep doing well, opportunities will come by for club and country. It's not really something I'm thinking about at the moment but you never know what could happen in the future." Nigeria are also trying to persuade Ademola Lookman, the Everton forward, to switch to the African nation.
Kalas Out With Broken Jaw
Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas has been ruled out for 6 weeks after fracturing his jaw playing for loan club Bristol City. The 25 year old picked up the injury in the second half of a defeat at Wigan Athletic and has undergone surgery to repair the fracture on Sunday.
Ravanelli Quits Arsenal Role
That's Arsenal Kiev where the former Italian international Fabrizio Ravanelli was managing. After just one win and seven defeats in his first nine matches Ravanelli, who played for Juventus and Middlesbrough in a distinguished playing career, resigned with his side bottom of the Ukrainian Premier League. Had joined the newly promoted Arsenal Kiev in June, but said at the time that his "wife wasn't very happy with this" on leaving his youth coaching role with Juve. With complaints about players not being paid and difficult conditions, Ravanelli left just 3 matches shy of reaching the number of games he managed in his only previous managerial stint in charge of Ajaccio.
Deschamps Claims Pogba Is Just Misunderstood
France's World Cup winning manager Didier Deschamps (which just shows how poor the World Cup was when they won with an anchor like him round their necks) has claimed Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba suffers because of a false media perception. Deschamps said: "The rest of the world, and certainly in France, has an image of Pogba that doesn't really reflect who he is. There's this idea that he's a bit individualistic - that's not the case. I've spoken to him about his relationship with the media and I think he's been unfairly criticised in the past. That's why there has been this aggressive vibe and he's had this strained relationship. But criticism is part of the job and I think you learn to take that on board as you get more experienced. That's what's happened with him and I think he's gained some respect. He joined us ready to become a world champion and he took the whole squad with him."
Real Madrid President Outright Rejects USA Game Plan
The president of Real Madrid, Florentino Perez, has come out in opposition to the plan to play one La Liga game a season in partnership with media company Relevent. Perez also confirmed that his team would not play a league match in the US saying: "We won't go to the United States. I don't know whose interest it is in to play there but it is not in the interests of the clubs or the supporters, so we outright reject it." Barcelona and Girona have asked for permission to play a La Liga match between the two sides in Miami, but opposition has been growing in recent months, with the Spanish FA and Footballers' Union all opposing the plan.
Nice Team-Mate Tells Balotelli To Stop Making Excuses
Mario Balotelli returned to Nice's starting eleven following injury as Montpellier inflicted another defeat on the struggling Ligue 1 side and made little impact. The maverick Italian striker was criticised publicly on Canal+ by team-mate Dante, who was clearly annoyed by the performance. The Brazilian defender said: "It's up to him to step up and take charge in attack, to take on some responsibility. He's not in great shape physically, we know that, but it's up to him to work and train to improve his fitness levels. At some point, he simply has to take control of the situation. There's no point blaming the team and saying we don't get the best out of his qualities. No! There were times when the team didn't play so well and I defended them, but we must always be self-critical and question ourselves at every turn to make sure we're doing our best."
Written by Tris Burke September 24 2018 06:04:40
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Arsenal rumours web page
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Manchester United rumours web page
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Liverpool rumours web page
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Everton rumours web page
Discuss rumours and transfers on our Chelsea rumours web page