Premier League
Egypt’s Mohamed Salah set to become Africa’s top scorer in English Premier League
On Saturday, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah could become the top-scoring African in Premier League history.
One goal against Watford will be enough to equal the record, while two or more means the Egyptian will own it outright.
That record is currently held by Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire legend Didier Drogba, who accumulated 104 goals over two spells with the London club before his eventual departure, for a second time, in 2015.
Salah, who also has a previous affiliation with the European champions, has become one of the Premier League’s most prolific forwards since joining Liverpool from Italians Roma in 2017.
Below, former Nigeria international Yakubu Aiyegbeni, who struck 95 Premier League goals, rates the merits of each player.
“If you can score goals in the Premier League, there’s nowhere in the world you can’t score goals,” he told BBC Sport Africa.
Didier Drogba – 104 goals
(Chelsea 2004-12 and 2014-15)
Drogba’s goals helped Chelsea end a 50-year wait for a league title and re-establish themselves as one of England’s top clubs following Roman Abramovich’s takeover.
He won three league titles in his first spell, and a fourth following his return to Stamford Bridge.
Throw in an integral role in winning four FA Cups, three League Cups and the Champions League in 2011-12, and Drogba is undoubtedly a modern-day legend in west London.
“If you cannot score goals in Chelsea, then the league is not for you,” Yakubu said.
“You’ve seen so many top strikers in Chelsea that struggled to score. It’s not like they’re not good players, but the Premier League is hard.”
Mohamed Salah – 103 goals
(Chelsea 2014-15, Liverpool 2017-present)
Dubbed the ‘Egyptian King’ by Liverpool fans, Salah netted 19 goals as the Reds ended their 30-year wait for a domestic top-flight title last year.
The 29-year-old, a two-time BBC and Caf African footballer of the year, also opened the scoring as the Anfield side beat Spurs to win the Champions League in 2018-19.
In his four full seasons on Merseyside, Salah has not dipped below 15 league goals, a level of consistency which has swiftly lifted him up the African Premier League scoring chart.
He initially moved to England in January 2014, joining Chelsea from Basel, but only scored twice in 13 league outings for the Blues before two loan spells in Italy.
“He’s so clever – his movement is unbelievable,” Yakubu said. “He’s not a striker, so he can drop into the middle or wide [areas]. It’s all about movement: he knows where to go, where to place himself.
“Players like Salah are very rare in modern football, a proper rare breed and special player. Barcelona had Lionel Messi and Liverpool have Salah, they both make things happen for their respective clubs, they have that powerful effect.”
Sadio Mane – 99 goals
(Southampton 2014-16, Liverpool 2016-present)
Senegal international Mane first shone at Southampton, netting 21 times – including the fastest hat-trick in Premier League history – in two seasons with the Saints in the top flight.
Since his switch to Liverpool in 2016, Mane has dovetailed with Salah to bring the Premier League, Champions League, European Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup trophies to Anfield.
Yakubu believes the reigning African Footballer of the Year makes the most of his explosive pace and quick thinking.
“Mane is quick,” he said. “He’s all about being in the right position, and being smart. If you play against him, you can’t switch off.
“He is also very incisive in front of goal. Mane can spring up in the right place when you least expect. Both Salah and Mane have proven that African players can deliver at top clubs.”
-BBC Sport Africa
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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