Premier League
Iheanacho, Ndidi in relegation battle for Leicester against Leeds
In what looks like ‘relegation cup final battle’, Super Eagles duo of Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi are in for a tough duel tonight when former champions, Leicester City visit Eland Road ground of fellow relegation threatened side, Leeds United.
Iheanacho had helped his side to come from behind last weekend to beat Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 to snap a 10-match run without a victory in all competitions and keep alive their Premier League survival bid.
Leicester had claimed one point from their previous nine league games and the long-awaited victory moved Dean Smith’s side out of the drop zone and up to 17th with 28 points — above Everton on goal difference. Wolves are 13th with 34 points.
Host, Leeds is just one point outside relegation zone just as Leicester also floating on goals difference and both sides go Head-to Head this evening in a winner takes it all encounter.
The situation for both clubs is perilous and neither dares lose when they meet.
But how did these two sides end up in such a situation – and what are their prospects of getting out of it?
According to Sky Sports News reporter, Ben Ransom, “results haven’t been good enough at Leeds for the whole season and only once have they managed to win back-to-back Premier League games.
“Since the switch from Jesse March to Javi Gracia things have barely improved, and they’re conceding far too many goals. Only Bournemouth have conceded more Premier League goals so far this season, and the issue for Leeds is that they seem to be getting defensively worse,” he remarked.
While Danyal Khan analysing Leicester City noted that, “It’s hard to pinpoint one reason why Leicester have had a difficult season.
When you rewind to the start, they had to sell another one of their best players in Wesley Fofana.
Although they brought in Wout Faes as a replacement, it did not feel like that was enough to reinforce a squad that had been together for a while under Brendan Rodgers without any real key additions.
“They did look to address this in January with Harry Souttar, Tete and Victor Kristiansen but they all joined a squad that was already low on confidence and struggling to get a string of results together.
This has led to the team making a flurry of individual mistakes in the last few months which has piled on the poor results – that’s why when Dean Smith came in, one of the first aspects he looked at was raising morale and bringing positivity back into these players.”
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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