Author: David Great

Fulham have announced the club record signing of Arsenal midfielder Emile Smith Rowe for an initial £27 million. While the Cottagers have not disclosed the total sum for the 24-year-old, it is believed that the move might cost up to £34 million with add-ons. Smith Rowe, who joined Arsenal as a 10-year-old, made his senior debut for the club when he was 18 and went on to make 80 Premier League appearances, scoring 12 goals. He has three England caps, the last coming in March 2022. “I’m finally here, so I’m really happy for me and my family – it’s…

MTN Nigeria Communication Plc has been defrauded of N1.9 billion by hackers, who allegedly hacked into the company’s system and stole airtime and data. However, two of the hackers have been arrested and arraigned before a Lagos Federal High Court by the operatives of the Special Fraud Unit of the Nigeria Police, Ikoyi-Lagos. The two alleged hackers, Timothy Fashina Oluwabukola and Anthony Imonina Odemerho are students of Moshood Abiola Polytechnic (MAPOLY) Abeokuta, Ogun State, and proprietors of Resign Regal Academy in Benin City, Edo State, respectively. They were arraigned before Justice Akintayo Aluko on a four-count charge of conspiracy, unauthorized…

Bayern Munich have rejected Manchester United’s joint bid for Netherlands centre-half Matthijs de Ligt, 24, and 26-year-old Morocco full-back Noussair Mazraoui. (Telegraph – subscription required) Newcastle are planning to open talks over a new contract with England winger Anthony Gordon, 23, when he returns from a break following Euro 2024. (Athletic – subscription required) Inter Milan have joined West Ham in the race to sign 26-year-old English right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Manchester United. (Football Insider) Villarreal’s Spanish defender Jorge Cuenca, 24, is set to join Fulham. (Sky Sports) Rennes midfielder Desire Doue, 19, prefers a move to Bayern Munich over staying in his native France with Paris St-Germain. (Sky Germany) West Ham are working on a deal to sign Argentina…

Egypt has advanced to the semi-finals of the Olympic football tournament for the first time in 60 years, overcoming Paraguay in a dramatic penalty shootout at the Stade Vélodrome in Marseille. This victory sets up a highly anticipated semi-final clash against either France or Argentina. The Pharaohs, who had successfully navigated a challenging group stage that included Spain, faced a Paraguayan team known for their defensive vulnerabilities. Despite this, the match began cautiously, with both sides wary of taking risks. The first significant chance came just past the half-hour mark when Mahmoud Saber of Egypt found himself one-on-one with Paraguayan…

Suspected Gunmen have attacked a military checkpoint on Amangwu axis of the Amasiri-Owutu-edda highway in Edda Local Government Area of Ebonyi. Ebonyi Police Command confirmed the incident to the News Agency of Nigeria on Friday. The states’ Police Public Relations, DSP Joshua Ukandu, said the attack occurred in the early hours of Friday in the area. According to him, the information reaching us from Owutu Police Division reveals that some hoodlums attacked a military checkpoint on Friday morning. “It is not yet certain if there were casualties. The attack was carried out by suspected gunmen in the area, who operated…

Men of the Kaduna State Police Command have barricaded the road leading to the Government House in the state capital following a violent turn in the #EndbadGovernance protest on Thursday. A combined team of security operatives, including the police, civil defence, and state vigilance service members, set up a barricade along the Government House road to prevent hoodlums from accessing the area and surrounding communities. Police authorities have urged parents and guardians to restrain their wards from disturbing public peace during protests, emphasizing the seriousness of such tendencies. In a statement on Friday, the command’s spokesman Mansir Hassan advised groups…

Former Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare has died at the age of 60, his family announced on Thursday. Shakespeare, who also briefly held a coaching position with the English national team in 2016, died peacefully surrounded by family according to a statement released on behalf of his family by the League Managers’ Association. He was diagnosed with cancer last October. In the 2015-16 season, Shakespeare served as Claudio Ranieri’s assistant during Leicester City’s remarkable Premier League title victory and got the main job in early 2017. Ndidi extends Leicester City stay until 2027, eyes continued success However, he was dismissed…

The Harris campaign revealed on Friday that it raised $310 million in July, primarily through small-dollar donations after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. The July figure, which is more than double the $138.7 million raised by Republican challenger Donald Trump in the same month, pushes Harris and Biden’s total fundraising to more than $1 billion, the fastest a presidential campaign has ever done so, according to the campaign. July was expected to be a bad month for Democrats as major contributors withheld funds in an attempt to drive Biden out of…

Aston Villa have reached a deal with Chelsea for Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku, but the 31-year-old wants out of the Premier League. (Il Mattino, in Italian – subscription needed) Lukaku is keen to join Antonio Conte at Napoli and has accepted a wage cut to force a move away from Chelsea. (Chronicle NG) West Ham are closing in on the double signing of Borussia Dortmund and Germany striker Niclas Fullkrug, 31, and Leeds’ Dutch forward Crysencio Summerville, 22. (Sky Sports) West Ham have agreed personal terms to sign right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka, 26, but have yet to agree a fee with Manchester United, who want £18m rather than the £10m offered. (Sky Sports Germany)…

Nottingham Forest have confirmed the signing of Jota Silva, with the Portuguese international signing a four-year deal. The forward joins on his birthday, following a strong run of form back in his home country with Vitoria SC. “We can see how excited Jota is to continue his career outside of Portugal, where he had such a strong period in the Primeira Liga with Vitoria SC, which resulted in his debut for the Portuguese national team in March,” said director Ross Wilson. The details of the deal have not been revealed, but it’s reported that Nottingham Forest will pay seven million…