Author: David Great

England international defender Trent Alexander-Arnold described his move to Real Madrid as “a dream come true” after he was unveiled to fans during his official presentation by the La Liga club on Thursday. The Liverpool-born Alexander-Arnold left his boyhood club last month in a tearful farewell after securing his second Premier League winner’s medal, before joining Real on a six-year deal. According to British media reports, Real paid a fee in the region of £10 million ($13.58 million) to sign the 26-year-old before his Liverpool contract ended on June 30, ensuring his availability for the Club World Cup, set to…

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has pointed to weakening democratic institutions, deteriorating electoral credibility, corruption, etc as factors weakening democracy in Nigeria. As Nigeria celebrates 26 years of continuous democracy on June 12, the civil society organisation noted that democracy is backsliding under the watch of President Bola Tinubu citing the frightening collapse of responsible, transparent and accountable governance. Weakening of Democratic Institutions “Right now, the nation’s democratic institutions are at their weakest points and consistently failing the people, while authoritarian tendencies continue to rise. Failure of leadership, erosion of public trust, rising corruption, impunity, compromised electoral processes,…

An Air India plane bound for London with 242 people on board crashed minutes after taking off from India’s western city of Ahmedabad on Thursday, the airline and police said, and India’s federal health minister said that “many people” were killed. The plane was headed to Britain’s Gatwick Airport, Air India said, while police officers said it crashed in a civilian area near the airport. “The building on which it has crashed is a doctors’ hostel… we have cleared almost 70% to 80% of the area and will clear the rest soon,” a senior police officer told reporters. The 242…

Three-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson left the Las Vegas Aces’ game against the Los Angeles Sparks on Wednesday night with a head injury. Aces coach Becky Hammon said postgame that Wilson would see a doctor on Thursday, with the star’s status uncertain until then. Wilson took herself out of the game with 1:17 left in the third quarter and immediately put a towel on her nose. She left the bench area a short time later and was ruled out early in the fourth quarter. Wilson took a blow to the nose earlier in the game, and gauze was put into…

NBA Finals marquees aren’t just for backups and the Indiana Pacers proved that on Thursday to the 20,000 fans with golden T-shirts in the arena cheering, “But this is Indiana.” Reserve guards Bennedict Mathurin and T.J. McConnell helped Indiana’s bench break out with 49 points as the Pacers topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 116-107 on Wednesday to claim a 2-1 lead in the NBA Finals. Indiana star Tyrese Halliburton finished one rebound shy of a triple-double and didn’t entirely shed his playoff cape. He provided ample heroics with 22 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds and Pascal Siakam added 21…

Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday and is expected to be ready to participate in training camp without limitation. Brown, 28, finished the playoffs with a partially torn meniscus, ESPN reported. He averaged 22.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game during the playoffs for the Celtics, who lost star Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles before being eliminated by the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference semifinals. NBA Finals: SGA leads Thunder in Game 2 to even series with Pacers A four-time All-Star and 2025 NBA Finals MVP, Brown averaged 22.2 points,…

Liverpool are set to swoop for Paris St-Germain’s 22-year-old France forward Bradley Barcola – even after completing a deal for Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany attacker Florian Wirtz, 22. (Sun) Uruguay striker Darwin Nunez is likely to leave Liverpool this summer, with Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal making contact about the 25-year-old this week. (Talksport) Nunez who played off the bench for most of last season for Liverpool is understood to favour staying in Europe, with a move to Spain or Italy his preference. (Mirror) Bayer Leverkusen are considering a move for Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah, 22. (Athletic – subscription required) Aston Villa,…

Manchester City have completed the signing of Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan on a five-year contract on Wednesday, the Premier League club said. Reijnders who missed Netherlands World Cup qualifier against Malta will be available for this month’s Club World Cup. Financial details were not released but a City team source has put the transfer fee at 55 million euros (£46.5 million). “City are one of the biggest teams in the world, with the best coach, world-class players and outstanding facilities.  Under Pep Guardiola, City have won so many titles, and I want to help keep that going with a…

Arsenal have agreed a fee of about £59m with Real Sociedad for Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 26, with the move to be completed after 1 July to help with meeting Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. (AS – in Spanish) RB Leipzig’s 22-year-old Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko – a reported target for Arsenal – rejected a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal before Tuesday’s transfer deadline. (Star) Leipzig are holding firm on receiving the full release clause for Sesko, now understood to be more than £65m. (Independent) Manchester United are evaluating an offer for Napoli’s Nigeria striker Victor Osimhen, 26, using…

Manchester City have signed attacking midfielder Rayan Cherki from Olympique Lyonnais on a five-year contract ahead of this month’s Club World Cup, the Premier League club said on Tuesday. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed but British media reported that City paid around 40 million euros ($45.70 million) for the 21-year-old Frenchman. Cherki had his best season for Lyon in 2024-25, scoring 12 goals and providing 20 assists in all competitions. “This is a dream for me. Honestly, to be joining a club like Manchester City and have the opportunity to make the next step in my career…