Author: David Great

Tottenham Hotspur have signed midfielder James Maddison from relegated Leicester City on a five-year deal, the Premier League club said on Wednesday. According to reports, the north London club paid £40 million for the 26-year-old, who scored 55 goals and provided 41 assists in 203 appearances in all competitions during five seasons with Leicester. Maddison won the FA Cup in 2021 defeating Chelsea at Wembley. He is the third signing since Ange Postecoglou was announced as Antonio Conte’s successor. Tottenham signed Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli on Tuesday and have also made Sweden midfielder Dejan Kulusevski’s…

A man tore up and burned a Koran outside Stockholm’s central mosque on Wednesday, an event that risks angering Turkey as Sweden bids to join NATO, after Swedish police granted permission for the protest to take place. Police later charged the man with agitation against an ethnic or national group. A series of demonstrations in Sweden against Islam and for Kurdish rights have offended Ankara, whose backing Sweden needs to gain entry to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Sweden sought NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year. But alliance member Turkey has held up the…

Tottenham striker Harry Kane, 29, wants to join Bayern Munich but the German club’s opening offer of £60m plus add-ons for the England captain has been deemed too low and they will need to get to at least £100m to have a chance of completing a deal. (Guardian) Arsenal have submitted a third bid for 24-year-old West Ham and England midfielder Declan Rice, with the offer made up of an initial £100m and a further £5m in add-ons. (Athletic – subscription required) Tottenham are closing in on a £40m deal for Leicester midfielder James Maddison, 26, with the England international set to have a medical on Wednesday. (Sky Sports) Spain goalkeeper David…

Arsenal have submitted a third and increased bid of £105m for West Ham captain Declan Rice, BBC Sport reports. The Gunners have had two bids for the and England midfielder rejected after their offers fell short of the £100m West Ham want. However, it is understood the Hammers do not believe the structure of the latest bid is right. On Tuesday, West Ham also rejected a £90m bid from Treble winners Manchester City for Declan Rice, whose contract expires in 2024. The 24-year-old current deal at the London Stadium has the option for a one-year extension until the summer of…

Chelsea have reached a full agreement on personal terms with £80m-rated midfielder Moises Caicedo but will now need to settle on a fee with Brighton & Hove to sign the 21-year-old. (Fabrizio Romano, The Residency podcast – download required) Manchester United are focusing on other midfield targets, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ecuador international Moises Caicedo, 21, top of their list, after failing to make progress in their attempts to sign Mason Mount. (Sunday Times – subscription required) Bayern Munich could be at the front of the queue for 29-year-old Tottenham and England striker Harry Kane, who is said to be keen on the move…

Manchester City have made a formal £90m bid for West Ham captain Declan Rice denting Arsenal’s chances of landing him. However, Arsenal are expected to put forward a third bid for the 24-year-old England midfielder as negotiations over his future intensify. The Gunners’ offer of an initial £75m in four payments, plus £15m in add-ons, was rejected by West Ham last week. City’s offer is believed to involve an £80m initial payment but falls short of the £100m the Hammers are looking for. Sources believe discussions around Declan Rice are now reaching their final stages and some kind of agreement…

By Toni Kan The River Niger boat disaster which claimed over 100 lives along Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara state on Monday 12th June 2023 and the flooding incident that submerged over 116 houses in the popular Trademore estate in Abuja on Friday, June 23, 2023, has thrown into sharp relief the need for proactive disaster prevention and management especially as the rainy season intensifies. As a corollary, these incidents have also underlined the imperative of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) which is charged with disaster management in Nigeria. Established via Act 12 as amended by Act 50…

Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged Folashodun Shonubi, acting Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to “immediately delete the patently unlawful provisions in the Central Bank of Nigeria (Customer Due Diligence) Regulations directing banks to obtain information on customers’ social media handles for the purpose of identification.” SERAP also urged him to “withdraw the Circular number FPR/DIR/PUB/CIR/007/076 of 20 June 2023 mandating banks and other financial institutions to implement and comply with the unlawful mandatory provisions on customers’ social media handles in the CBN Regulations.” According to Section 6(a)(iv) of the CBN Regulations, banks and other financial institutions…

By Toni Kan Onwordi Delta State’s newly elected governor turned 60 on June 19, 2023, less than one month after his inauguration as the governor of Delta State. His birthday has been celebrated across the country. The first salvo came from none other than Bishop David Oyedepo, whom Rt. Hon. Sheriff Francis Orohwedor Oborevwori acknowledges as his spiritual father. In his message, the cleric did not stint on praise and prayers. “May your leadership era in Delta State be a most impactful and transforming one, in the name of Jesus Christ. Once again, congratulations!” A thanksgiving session at the Living…

Bayern Munich manager Thomas Tuchel has asked the club to bid for Barcelona’s Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong, 26, after pulling out of the race to sign England’s Declan Rice, 24, from West Ham. (Foot Mercato – in French) Manchester City are considering a bid for Paris St-Germain right-back Achraf Hakimi, 24, and “will not hesitate” to pay a big fee for the Morocco international. (Marca – in Spanish) Manchester United are focusing on other midfield targets, with Brighton & Hove Albion’s Ecuador international Moises Caicedo, 21, top of their list, after failing to make progress in their attempts to sign Mason Mount. (Sunday Times – subscription required) United are…