Saturday 17 December 2016

China's spending power a 'danger' to all teams in the world - Antonio Conte

LONDON -- Chelsea manager Antonio Conte says China's spending power is a "danger'' to global football.
Conte's comments came with Oscar in talks to follow former Chelsea teammate Ramires by moving to the Chinese Super League.
The 25-year-old Oscar is reported to be joining Shanghai SIPG, which is coached by former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas, for about £60 million.


Clubs in the Chinese Super League have spent more than £300 million on foreign players in 2016.
And Conte says "the Chinese market is a danger for all teams in the world. Not only for Chelsea but all teams in the world.''
The Italian coach insisted that the Premier League is "the best league in the world'' and playing in it remains a "great opportunity, a great honour.''

Anthony Martial calls sitting on Manchester United bench 'annoying'

Manchester United forward Anthony Martial has expressed frustration at being unable to pin down a permanent place in Jose Mourinho's team this season, calling his place on the bench "annoying."
The 21-year-old Frenchman has struggled to reproduce the form of his first campaign at Old Trafford, which followed his big-money arrival from Monaco.
He started in United's win over Tottenham last Sunday, before sitting out the victory at Crystal Palace on Wednesday, as his team prepare to face West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
In a French television interview, Martial said it was a challenge he had to confront after finding himself in and out of the Red Devils lineup, starting seven of 16 Premier League matches so far this term.
He told broadcaster SFR Sport: "It's annoying to be on the bench, it's truly annoying, but it's a test you have to overcome and that's how you progress.
"It's difficult because all you want is to be able to help the team and when you're on the bench you can't.
"But these are choices and you have to accept it.''
Martial is aware of the attention on him, as a young player who made a positive impression after his surprise move in the 2015 summer transfer window.
The signing of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Paris Saint-Germain, and the Swede's impressive scoring record, has limited the available places in the United forward line, meaning Martial has often been squeezed out.
But the France international is determined to be his own man, driven by his own ambition to improve more than any other pressures.
"People expect a lot of me, but sometimes they forget I'm still young,'' he added.
"Everyone can think what they want, it won't change anything.''

Happy Birthday Mr. President’- Nigerians Congratulate Buhari As He Clocks 74 Today

buhari-investiture-ceremony6

President Muhammadu Buhari just a day after giving out his daughter, Zahra in marriage to Ahmed Indimi, the Nation’s number 1 is celebrating his 74th birthday today, December 17.
Nigerians have taken to their social media accounts to wish the president well and to find ways to bring Nigeria out of its current challenges.
Below are the tributes;


Friday 16 December 2016

Arsene Wenger: Questions on Alexis Sanchez's Arsenal deal a waste of tinme

LONDON -- Arsene Wenger expressed frustration with questions about Alexis Sanchez's contract situation on Friday, saying the media lack creativity and are wasting their time by always asking him about the Chile international's future.
Sanchez and Mesut Ozil have yet to sign new contract extensions as their deals approach their final 18 months, and former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini stoked speculation about Sanchez moving to China by saying he would be happy to see his fellow Chilean to join him at Hebei China Fortune.
The Daily Mirror reported on Friday that Arsenal's initial offer of £180,000 a week had been rejected by Sanchez, but when asked about the report at his news conference ahead of Sunday's visit to Manchester City, Wenger said he had nothing to say about the contract negotiations.

Transfer Rater: Ademola Lookman to Everton, Diego Laxalt to Chelsea


Things change in the blink of an eye in football. The Football Whispers Index takes the latest transfer rumours and gives them a score out of five; the higher the score, the more realistic and reliable the whisper.
Here are today's top five emerging whispers. And keep an eye on Transfer Talk for all the latest rumours...
Ademola Lookman to Everton
The Independent claim Everton are to pip Arsenal and Liverpool to the signature of Charlton Athletic attacker Ademola Lookman. Steve Walsh, the director of football at Everton, has identified Lookman as the man to replace the injured Yannick Bolasie. The report goes on to say Everton will offer £8 million upfront with a further £3m in potential add-ons and they feel a deal structured like this will convince Charlton to part ways with the player in January as opposed to the summer.
Diego Laxalt to Chelsea
The agent of Genoa's Diego Laxalt agent claims Chelsea want to sign the player in the summer. The versatile left-sided midfielder, who can also play as a left wing-back, signed for Inter Milan in 2013 but failed to make an appearance for the club. He spent time on loan at Bologna, Empoli and Genoa before moving to the latter on a permanent basis in the summer of 2016. Arsenal had previously shown an interest but the Antonio Conte factor may play a part in the player's decision making.
Jordan Rhodes to Leeds United
The Sun suggest Middlesbrough striker Jordan Rhodes is available in January. The striker, who joined Boro less than a year ago, has fallen behind Alvaro Negredo in the pecking order at the Riverside. It's been reported that a whole host of Championship clubs including Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa and QPR, all want the striker's services. But it's recent links to Leeds United, who need attacking reinforcements, that may be the most appealing destination.
Frank Acheampong to Liverpool
According to the Sun, Liverpool have sent scouts to watch Anderlecht midfield Frank Acheampong over recent weeks. The 23-year-old attacking midfielder, who is able to play anywhere behind the striker, has caught the eye of Premier League clubs in the past due to his form with Sunderland and Newcastle being linked. The £6 million rated Ghanaian will be going to the African Cup of Nations in January meaning it's unlikely he's viewed as a replacement to the departing Sadio Mane.
Gael Clichy to Napoli

Mundo Deportivo report Gael Clichy is a target for Serie A sides Napoli, Inter Milan and Roma. The Manchester City left-back is out of contract in the summer and no extension is on the table, as of yet anyway. City boss Pep Guardiola has been linked with a number of full-backs as he looks to shake up the defence and Clichy is seemingly to be the first casualty. Napoli, who regularly challenge for the Serie A crown, would be an attractive proposition for the former Arsenal man.
Rumours

Lionel Messi rescued my career at Barcelona - Neymar


Neymar has credited Lionel Messi for jump-starting his Barcelona career in 2013.
The Brazil international moved from Santos to Barca in the summer of 2013, but soon found himself struggling in the Catalan capital.
However, a few helpful words from the five-time Ballon d'Or winner started Neymar on a path to become the Blaugrana star that he is today.
I have a nice story about Messi," Neymar told CNN on Thursday.
"Soon after I arrived, it was not a great moment in my career and he was the one who helped me. He saw that I was sad, with my head down, that things were not going right for me.
"He told me to keep going, to be happy and to play the way I know. He told me this and he helped me a lot at that moment in time.
"He is a person who I admire a lot."
The trio of Messi, Neymar and Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez has become world football's best attacking line -- a partnership Neymar believes is helped by their friendship off the pitch.
"I think it is about the care, respect, friendship and happiness that we have for being together," he added.
"Training together every day, helping one another on the pitch, we are making history and I hope it can continue for many more years.
"We have a great friendship. The only difference is three footballers, three star footballers in their respective countries, are here together at Barcelona.
"It is difficult for this to happen ... three South Americans. It is something that we have changed."

Why Is Senate Afraid Of Magu’ – Nigerians React To Senate’s Rejection Of Magu As EFCC Chairman

IbrahimMagu

The refusal of the Nigerian senate to confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu as the substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has surely got Nigerians talking. Nigerians are the debating what could be the security report that stopped the acting chairman from being confirmed among other sundry issues.
Below are the reactions;
I once told that this is democracy not military. That NASS will frustrate @MBuhari corruption fight. Senate just confirm it today on Magu
Now that Magu has been rejected by NASS who is next
There are many credible peep that can do d job efficiently & effectively
The fear of magu is the beginning of freedom ....Uncle AFOnja too sef get boss ðŸ˜‚😂😂😂😂😂😂
If because of Mamman Daura and ABBA kyari satanic collabo with DSS is holding Magu down, let him resign and leave dem abeg.
Senate Reject Father Magu confirmation , not surprise me at all , that is result of I can work with leadership in NASS..more still Come.


Denzel Washington brings 'Fences' from stage to screen

Denzel Washington plays Troy Maxson and Viola Davis plays Rose Maxson in Fences from Paramount Pictures. Directed by Denzel Washington from a screenplay by August Wilson.
Bringing August Wilson's play to the screen with considerable power if not much imagination, star-director-producer Denzel Washington turns "Fences" into an impressive actors' showcase, buoyed by his reunion with Viola Davis after a Tony Award-winning 2010 stage revival.
What Washington hasn't done -- working from an adaptation that Wilson wrote before his death in 2005 -- is find a way of opening up the material, which reveals its theatrical roots by feeling a trifle claustrophobic.
Derived from Wilson's Pulitzer Prize winner, "Fences" is still well worth seeing in its contemplation of the relationship between fathers and sons -- and in this particular case, how the regrets, grievances and anger nursed by Washington's Troy are visited upon his children, especially his high-school-age son, Cory (Jovan Adepo). Caught in the middle is Cory's mother Rose (Davis), who has both loved and endured Troy for 18 years, through thick and mostly thin.
    It's 1957 when the story begins, with Troy and his buddy Jim Bono (Stephen McKinley Henderson) working as garbage men in Pittsburgh, grousing about how only white folks get to drive the trucks.
    Yes, the world has changed from the days when Troy, a one-time baseball star, was denied an opportunity to play professionally. Jackie Robinson has integrated the Major Leagues, but the civil-rights movement remains nascent, and Troy still acutely feels all that was denied him, urging Cory not to dream of a football scholarship or get his hopes up for more.
    "You just scared I'm gonna be better than you," Cory snaps at his father, who regales him with a speech about the duty he owes his son -- basically, a responsibility to clothe and feed him -- that specifically omits any requirement to love or even like him. That withholding nature is also evident in Troy's dealings with his older child (Russell Hornsby) from a short-lived first marriage, an aspiring musician who only shows up to visit on pay day.
    Washington's role is obviously meaty, and he plunges into it with a mix of swagger and vulnerability. But it's Davis, not surprisingly, who really shakes the rafters, in a performance tailor-made for her -- one where guardedness and patience gives way to ferocious rage, demonstrating that when pressed, Rose can give as good as she gets.
    Yet Wilson also deals with forgiveness, and how people find the reservoirs of strength to bestow it, whatever slights and betrayals they've experienced. The supporting performances are uniformly strong, including Mykelti Williamson as Troy's brother Gabriel, rendered childlike by a war injury.
    A part of Wilson's 10-play American Century Cycle, "Fences" derives its title from the barriers people erect around themselves, either to keep things out or in. The movie, similarly -- a bit slow, given the format, at 2 hours and 19 minutes -- is somewhat boxed in by its fidelity to its stage origins, invariably a challenge when migrating such densely written material to a close-up medium.
    That doesn't mean "Fences" isn't a good movie, and having the best seat in the house to watch these actors when they let loose is worth the price of admission. It's just not as expansive, ultimately, as it might have been.

    Gloves-off White House creates rift between Obama and Trump teams

    Donald Trump's dismissal of US intelligence about Russian election meddling has deeply alarmed the White House, prompting a new and combative approach to the President-elect that's caused rifts between the incoming and outgoing administrations.
    Even as President Barack Obama seeks to maintain an amicable relationship with Trump in an attempt to influence his successor's agenda, the public spat between aides over Russia's hacking has turned into the type of bitter back-and-forth the White House initially sought to avoid in the days immediately following the election.
      Also fueling the rhetoric: Democrats' complaints the White House was slow in confronting Russia's hacking in the final days of the presidential campaign, a claim the White House disputes.
      On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest escalated his post-election criticism of Trump, insisting it was plainly obvious to the Republican's team that Russia was interfering in the US election to bolster their chances of victory.
      He dismissed the President-elect's response as unserious, and encouraged Trump to answer questions about the hacking instead of questioning US intelligence.
      "It's just a fact -- you all have it on tape -- that the Republican nominee for president was encouraging Russia to hack his opponent because he believed that that would help his campaign," Earnest said, calling it a "basic fact" of the presidential contest.
      "I don't know if it was a staff meeting or if he had access to a briefing or he was just basing his assessment on a large number of published reports, but Mr. Trump obviously knew that Russia was engaged in malicious cyberactivity that was helping him and hurting Hillary Clinton's campaign," Earnest said.
      What does Putin gain from a Trump presidency? 02:19
      Trump tore into Earnest while speaking at a rally Thursday night in Hershey, Pennsylvania, calling him a "foolish guy."
      "He could say, ladies and gentlemen today we have totally defeated ISIS and it wouldn't sound good, OK? All right?" Trump said.
      Trump didn't let his criticism of Earnest undo the largely positive comments he has made in recent weeks about Obama. Instead, Trump suggested that Earnest could be "getting his orders from somebody else," though he did not elaborate on whom he believes is breathing orders into the White House press secretary's ear.
      David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to Obama, said it was "highly unlikely" Earnest was scaling up his hits on Trump without the President's approval.
      "A press secretary doesn't go out and make statements like that on an unauthorized basis," said Axelrod, now a CNN senior political commentator.

      Tensions rising

      The public acrimony between the two camps has escalated in recent weeks, far exceeding tension between Obama's transition team and President George W. Bush's administration in 2008.
      It's a distant cry from the days immediately following Trump's victory, when Obama and his aides were careful to avoid repeating their campaign trail criticisms of Trump, insisting the transition of power proceed professionally and without political bias.
      White House officials said they were looking to establish a clear message of calm and continuity at a moment of deep concern about Trump's preparation for the job and his foreign policy priorities.
      Obama and some top aides were said to be irritated when reports emerged that Trump seemed stunned at the scale of the presidency during his Oval Office meeting on November 10 -- and they were concerned it could lead to him turning away from Obama, who remains intent on not antagonizing Trump as he continues phone consultations with his successor.
      Conversations between the two men continue, including last weekend, and both sides insist the actual work of transferring power is proceeding professionally.
      But in public, the spat over Russia has revealed a deep divide.
      The President-elect's dismissal of US intelligence pinning Russia to the hacking was "materially different" from Trump's other bombastic statements, according to one White House official who spoke anonymously to describe internal thinking. It motivated the White House to alter its approach.
      Obama administration officials viewed Trump as waging an outright attack on the intelligence community, the official said, and worried about the implications of his words on national security going forward.