PL news :Wenger ready to play Elneny at centre-back

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says that he is prepared to play Mohamed Elneny as a central defender this season.

Wenger has said that Elneny is capable of playing at the heart of a back three, although he would not be as confident with him as part of a back four.
Elneny has featured as a centre-back in Arsenal’s pre-season tour in Australia, with Wenger looking to trial out new options ahead of next season.

Arsenal have a number of first-team centre-backs currently missing, with Wenger looking at alternatives to fill a gap.
Elneny is a central midfielder by trade, but his physique and composure on the ball has given Wenger confidence in his ability to play in defence.
Speaking to the Independent, Wenger said this about Elneny:

“Elneny is a player who has a fantastic mentality and attitude, and his main target is to help the team.”

 “When he plays there, of course he does extremely well.”

“Of course [he needs to learn the defensive side], but I always felt that a good central midfielder can be a good centre back.”
“With the fact of course that when you’re playing in the back four you have to be decisive in the challenges, you have a bit more flexibility in the middle of a back three. He can do that.”

He has played 38 games for Arsenal since joining the club in 2015, scoring once.

PL Southampton confident Van Dijk will stay

Southampton are confident that Virgil Van Dijk will accept the club’s stance and stay for another season.

According to The Telegraph, Southampton are refusing to sell the defender this summer and expect Van Dijk to understand.
The report claims that Southampton are unwilling to sell Van Dijk to Liverpool.
This comes after much speculation over his future in recent months, including a debacle with Liverpool.
The Merseyside club were forced to issue an apology and ‘end their interest’ in Van Dijk after being accused of tapping the Dutch defender up.

This has forced Van Dijk’s hand, who has requested to leave the club, despite being named team captain back in January.
Van Dijk signed a six-year contract extension last summer.

It was reported that Van Dijk met Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp to discuss a move to the Anfield side, without Southampton’s permission.
Les Reed has since come out to say that Van Dijk will not be sold this summer, with the club in control of his situation.- Read Sport

North Korea has 'fired missile that has landed in Japanese waters'

Japanese broadcasters have claimed rogue state North Korea have fired a missile which has landed in the country's waters.

The Japanese cabinet are expecting to do a media briefing shortly.
It comes after claims the state will be able to launch a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile as early as next year, US officials say.

It cuts two years off the previous forecast and comes because of the success of recent tests by North Korea, the paper reported.

The warning about the nation being able to hit cities in North America came from the Pentagon’s Defense Intelligence Agency, The Washington Post reports. - Mirror

One dead and many injured after stabbing in Hamburg supermarket

One person has been stabbed to death and many others have been injured after an attack in Hamburg supermarket in the German city according to reports.

One attacker has been arrested, but police are looking for a second man, Bild reported

One dead as man drives vehicle into crowd in Helsinki

A man in his 50s drove a vehicle into a crowd in the centre of the Finnish capital Helsinki on Friday and one person had been killed and some people injured, police said.

The driver had been detained, who appeared to be intoxicated according to reports.

Transfer news : Chelsea prepare world record £61m bid for Alex Sandro

Chelsea are set to break the world record transfer fee for a defender as they prepare a £61m bid for Juventus full-back Alex Sandro, according to a report in the Times.

The Premier League champions have been pursuing Sandro since the end of last season but have failed to agree a price with the Italian champions despite a lot of negotiating.

However, the Stamford Bridge club are now ready to do whatever is necessary to convince the Serie A champions to sell the 26-year-old Brazilian.

There were reports that Sandro was close to agreeing a new contract with Juventus which led Chelsea to slow down their pursuit but the left wing-back is yet to agree a new deal, which has given fresh hope to the London club.
Manager Antonio Conte is desperate to sign Sandro to play in the left wing-back position as he looks to strengthen all areas of his side before their title defence starts.

The move for Sandro would break the record paid for a defender which is currently held by Manchester City, who slashed £52m on French full-back Benjamin Mendy this summer.
The offer may prove to be too good to refuse for Juventus who have tried their best to convince Sandro to stay at the Turin club. - Read Sport

PL : Guardiola open to Man City stay

Pep Guardiola has hinted he would be willing to extend his stay at Manchester City, but knows his future will be dictated by the trophies he wins.

The Spaniard is entering the second season of his three-year deal and will hope to improve on the third-place Premier League finish City managed in his debut campaign in charge, when they finished 15 points behind champions Chelsea.
Guardiola has received strong backing from City's board this summer, spending over £200m to bring in Bernardo Silva, Ederson Moraes, Kyle Walker, Danilo, Benjamin Mendy and Douglas Luiz.

The 46-year-old remained at Barcelona for four seasons and Bayern Munich for three before leaving in search of a new challenge but he is open-minded about potentially staying longer at the Etihad Stadium.
"I will try to remain as long as possible to help, to help City keep moving forward and stay high," Guardiola said.
"I think the club has to work and listen to the manager in the right moment, but also take their own decisions in the future. Nobody knows what will happen. For all the managers in the world it depends on the results."

But regardless of whether Guardiola extends his contract or not, he feels City's summer signings have positioned the club for long-term success.
"They are really good players," he added. "Good enough that it doesn't matter who the manager will be. For Manchester City that is the most important thing.
"The new players have come in and we know the kind of energy they have to give us a really good chance to fight for the titles. We were not good enough and we haven't changed for the short period.
"Bernardo Silva is 23-24 years old. Ederson is 23-24 years old.

"All the players' averages are so, so young, so for the next five, six or seven years they will be here. And as soon as possible we want to be involved in the title."
Three of City's new signings, Ederson, Walker and Danilo, started during City's 4-1 victory over Real Madrid in Los Angeles earlier this week but it was Kevin De Bruyne who stole the headlines.
The Belgian midfielder provided three assists and also hit the woodwork with a free-kick as he shone against Real's midfield trio of Luka Modric, Casemiro and Mateo Kovacic.

Guardiola was full of praise for De Bruyne afterwards but did hint he would like to see more consistency from him this season.
"Since I arrived I think Kevin when his mood is optimistic, he's happy and quite well, he makes performances like this," Guardiola said.

"It is difficult to find a player with his qualities, he runs and fights and moves and helps team-mates.
"It is not easy to find all around the world.
"He will fight, pass assist and many things. Hopefully, he can be stable in that way.
"When his mood is positive like in the last three weeks, he is able to do whatever he wants."Sky Sports

Transfer : Conte rejects talks of Hazard joining Barcelona

Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has played down speculation linking Belgian forward Eden Hazard to Spanish giants Barcelona this summer as a potential replacement for Neymar, according to a report on ESPN.

The Italian manager has dismissed the reports and has confirmed that the 26-year-old Belgian will remain at Stamford Bridge.

Conte has revealed that Hazard is at the centre of his plans for the upcoming season and will be a key man for the Blues if they are to successfully defend their Premier League crown.

“I have read a lot of stories about Hazard to Real Madrid and now with Barcelona. This is the transfer market and we must understand this. I think Eden is very happy to stay with us and playing for Chelsea.”

Hazard is still recovering from ankle surgery and has not travelled with the Chelsea squad to Singapore for their pre-season tour as he looks to get back to match fitness.

The Belgian forward’s recovery is going well but the manager has revealed that it is difficult to give a date for when Hazard will be ready for first team action.

“It’s not easy to schedule an exact date to come back. The recovery is going very well and you know the importance of this player for us.”

Hazard was a key player for Conte last season and scored 16 goals in the Premier League on their way to the title in the Italian’s first season in charge of the Blues.
The club will not rush Hazard back into action as they want to ensure he is fully fit and don’t want the injury to occur again. - Read Sport

Transfer updates : Perez waiting on Arsenal

Lucas Perez's future at Arsenal could soon become clearer after his agent flew into London and confirmed a bid had been tabled by Deportivo La Coruna.

Perez joined Arsenal from Deportivo for £17.1m last summer but made only two Premier League starts and did not feature after the 5-0 FA Cup win over Lincoln City in March.
He has now seen Alexandre Lacazette arrive at the Emirates to add to competition for places, with the France international taking Perez's No 9 shirt as well just to add to his frustration at life in London.
And with Perez keen to secure his first Spain cap, agent Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle has arrived in London to speak to his client and watch this weekend's Emirates Cup.

"We have talked to everyone. Arsenal know we want to go, that there are no opportunities here, and within a year there is a World Cup," Lovelle said.
"Would you not be angry and sad and upset if you had your squad number taken without being asked?

"Deportivo made an offer a week ago. It is a permanent deal and worth more than Nolito's move to Sevilla (£7.9m).
"Of course (he was told he would play more). Lucas signed for Arsenal and was the happiest person in the world and with all of his dreams to fulfil.
"We have seen that every time he played he did well, but after every time he got fewer and fewer opportunities." - SKY

PL news : Man Utd given hope by Real Madrid over Gareth Bale transfer

Manchester United are on red alert after being given fresh encouragement in their long-standing pursuit of Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale.

Bale has been coveted by United for years, with the club first trying to sign the Welshman in 2007 before he joined Spurs and then failing with a £103 million bid to hijack his move to Real four years ago.

But United could be about to make a fresh move for Bale after Zinedine Zidane admitted he could not guarantee the 28-year-old will remain at the Bernabeu this summer.

Real are hoping to sign France striker Kylian Mbappe from Monaco in a potential £161 million world record deal that has intensified talk of one of the club’s prominent array of forwards making way. Questions have also been raised about the futures of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo this summer but Bale is seen as the most expendable of that trio following his battles with injury and struggles to dislodge playmaker Isco from the team.

There is also thought to be a belief that the European champions, who have brought in around £90 million in sales this summer, need to raise more capital to help fund the move for Mbappe. 

United have held talks with Inter Milan over Croatia winger Ivan Perisic as manager Jose Mourinho targets two more signings although they have decided not to compete with Paris St Germain for Barcelona striker Neymar nor will they join Manchester City in the race to sign Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez.

Serbia midfielder Nemanja Matic seems likely to join from Chelsea but a high quality winger is Mourinho’s priority and Bale would provide an injection of star quality that the Portuguese has admitted his team lack and Zidane’s remarks could embolden United.

Asked about the prospect of one of his leading forwards leaving this summer, Zidane could offer no guarantees. “I hope they all stay for this season,” the Real coach said. “I hope everyone remains. I want everyone who is here now to stay, but anything can happen right up until August 31.”

Pressed on the subject of Mbappe and the ramifications that could have for the likes of Bale, Zidane added: "I'm the coach, you need to speak with someone else about whether or not it's worth it. Nothing has happened until now, and we have the squad we have."

United lost 1-0 to Barcelona courtesy of Neymar’s first half goal at FedEx Field in Washington DC in the early hours of Thursday.

And despite Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde claiming Manchester United can win the Champions League next season and that he would not want to face them in the competition, Mourinho admitted his team are not at the level of the Catalan giants or Real.

Mourinho said that, with the exception of midfielder Paul Pogba, United did not have the players to rival the likes of Neymar, Lionel Messi or Luis Suarez at Barcelona or Ronaldo and Bale at Real, whom United beat on penalties in Santa Clara last Sunday when Mourinho embraced Bale warmly.

And while the United manager said such talents can be countered by a "certain tactical organisation", he claimed their superior quality often wins out.

"I think in this moment the best players are at these two clubs (Barcelona and Real) and you have to accept that as a reality but for us to play against both in pre-season without any kind of pressure, or being worried about the result, was very good for us," Mourinho said.

Teenager raped twice in separate attacks

A 15-year-old girl who flagged down a car for help after she was raped in Birmingham was raped again by the driver who pulled over.

A double manhunt is now under way to find the attackers, both described as Asian men in their early 20s.
Police said the first attack happened this week in an isolated part of Birmingham's Witton railway station, between 7pm on Tuesday and 2am on Wednesday.

The girl had walked to the station with her friend before being led away by a man who then raped her.

She left the station shortly after the attack and flagged down a passing vehicle to ask for help.
She was then raped again after getting into the second man's car.
Detectives from British Transport Police and West Midlands Police have launched a major investigation to try to identify both attackers and appeal for witnesses.

The first attacker is described as having light skin, brown eyes, a skinny build and is about 6ft tall.
He was wearing a tracksuit and black trainers.
The second attacker is described as being around 5ft 7in, of large build with a close-cropped beard, wearing a blue jumper and black jeans.
Detective Chief Inspector Tony Fitzpatrick said: "My detectives are currently examining all available CCTV in an effort to identify the offenders and whilst these enquiries are made, we are keen to speak with any potential witnesses.
"Your information could prove vital in our enquiries to identify the perpetrators."

FBI : Man kills wife for 'laughing' at him

What was supposed to be a romantic wedding anniversary cruise to Alaska ended in a murder investigation.

Kristy Manzanares, 39, was killed in her cabin Tuesday night aboard The Emerald Princess in what the FBI described as a domestic dispute.
Her husband, Kenneth, is in custody after his wife was discovered to have "a severe head wound and blood was spread throughout the room" says an FBI criminal complaint.
Her husband allegedly told a witness, "She would not stop laughing at me. My life is over."
Kenneth reportedly tried to jump overboard but was restrained by members of the ship's crew.
The Utah couple was celebrating 18 years of marriage and their three teenage daughters were with them on the vessel.
Passenger Chris Seaman recalled what he heard following the incident.

“One of the little girls from that room came running out calling for help that her parents had been in a fight. She sounded pretty desperate,” he told reporters. 

Family member Kasey Hunt, who lives in Utah, also spoke to Inside Edition.
"Emotionally, it is hard to comprehend having someone so sweet and so perfect taken in the prime of their life like that," he said. 
The family of five boarded The Emerald Princess in Seattle on Sunday for a seven-day cruise. The ship, with 4,500 passengers and crew, headed up the magnificent Alaskan coastline for a once-in-a-lifetime voyage.

On the night of Manzanares' death, passengers were entertained by a murder mystery dinner.
At around 9:30, a terrible fight was heard in one of the state rooms on deck nine. Then came a disturbing announcement to the entire ship, urgently calling for a medical and security team.
Passenger Vic Simpson, who was aboard The Emerald Princess, recalled what revelers at the murder mystery experienced.

“Because they were doing a murder mystery theater about a death on a cruise ship most people thought it was just part of the dramatic effect of what they were doing,” he told Inside Edition.
The ship was diverted to the city of Juneau and placed on lockdown. No one was permitted to leave the vessel for nine hours while the FBI investigated. Many were forbidden from even leaving their cabins.
In a statement to Inside Edition, Princess Cruises confirmed there was a domestic dispute onboard that resulted in the woman's death, adding that their security team is working with the FBI, the U.S. Coast Guard and local authorities.

Secondary school girl raped to death for refusing ‘love advances’ of hoodlums in Lagos

A 14-year-old Obiamaka Orakwue has been raped and killed in Lagos for refusing the love advances of some hoodlums in her neighbourhood.

The Junior Secondary School (JSS) student was attacked by some boys, who scaled the fence into her parent’s Abule Ado residence while she was at home.

According to the Nation newspaper, Obiamaka’s mother – Mrs. Orakwue – said she was contacted by some of their neighbours, who saw the boys jumping out of their compound.
She said the neighbours called her after they knocked on the gate to be sure she was safe but got no response.

The woman said she left her place of work immediately and rushed home only to find her daughter gasping for breath with blood in her private part.

She said: “I was at work when I got a call from our neighbor that they saw some boys jumping out from the fence of our compound. They said my daughter was not responding to knocks on the gate and it was locked from inside.
“I was worried because my daughter was the only one at home. Her other siblings were on holidays at my elder brother’s place in Lekki.

“On getting to the house, I opened the gate with my spare key and dashed into the room only to find my daughter gasping for breath in a pool of her blood. I asked her what happened and all she could mutter was, Mummy, those boys I told you about.

“It must have been the same boys that took advantage of the fact that I and my husband went to work and gained entry into the compound through the back fence of the house where they attacked my daughter.”
Her father, Chinedu Orakwue, said: “We told her to join her siblings at Lekki but she insisted she wanted to stay at home to help with the house chores. Now see what has happened. I leave it in the hands of God to judge.

“We have reported the incident to the police and they promised to apprehend the culprits but we still have not heard from them till date.
“She was a very intelligent child and had a bright future. She was to enter JSS III by the next academic session.”
When the spokesman of the Lagos State Police Command, Olarinde Famous-Cole, was contacted; he said: “I will have to get back to you with details on that story.”

Nigeria is not one !!! Yoruba groups reject restructuring of Nigeria, to declare Oodua Republic

A coalition of Yoruba groups, Yoruba Liberation Command (YOLICOM), has declared that the Yoruba are set to secede from Nigeria to form Oduduwa Republic.

Speaking on Thursday in Lagos, spokesperson of the coalition Opeoluwa Akinola, said Nigeria is slowing down the progress of the Yoruba race.

The groups said although they were not agitating for war, they are equal to the task if the need arises.
Akinola stressed that Yorubas were forced by the British into Nigeria in 1914 and that the best time for peaceful dissolution is now.
He said: “Nigeria has become a burden on Yoruba people. We suddenly have been exposed to unimaginable threats of violence, wiping off entire families through clubbing to death, kidnapping of women and adults, savage killings, kidnap of school children and rape of infants.

“Stealing of public wealth and the public display of the stolen wealth, with arrogance by the criminals, the complete annihilation and confrontation of the poor people by the Nigerian state and many other ills that were hitherto strange to our long lasting ancient civilisation and values,” he said.

Akinola noted that “the destruction of regional system of government has turned Nigeria into a unitary state dotted with savage vulture of corruption, ineptitude, inefficiency, moral degeneration, death, violence crimes and now violent religious extremism.
“The so-called democracy is nothing but the imposition of individual will through an orchestrated mass corruption where the poverty of the voters are exploited for electoral gains by politicians seeking political offices.

“Democracy is not about the interest of the few elected people and their cronies. Democracy is now government of the party for the party leaders and by the party members.
“We take solace in the fact that we work with many large-hearted, better-exposed, principled and consciousness Igbo leaders who have richer sense of history and understand better the complex nature of nation building and who also realise the importance of alliances, networking in statesmanship and international friendship and solidarity.”

“Nigeria will never be genuinely restructured by the present crop of political leaders who are themselves beneficiaries of the same skewed system.
“Even if the country will be restructured, it will still pass through the National Assembly which was created during the era of military rule of the Fulani to ensure an upper hand for the Fulani North”, he added. - Daily Post

Read how Instagram snap costs Terry £400K

The former England captain’s £5 million mansion was broken into in February as he posed for pictures on the slopes with his wife Toni, 35, and their children, revealing to his 3.4million Instagram followers that he was having a “great few days away skiing with the family”.

John Terry's home was robbed of an “eye watering” £400,000 worth of jewellery and designer goods after he posted a picture of himself enjoying a skiing holiday online, it has emerged.

A gang of burglars took advantage of the opportunity, strolling around the property in Oxshott, Surrey, with axes and spending hours helping themselves to designer handbags worth £126,000 and rare signed first edition Harry Potter books valued at £18,000,  according to reports.

They executed the burglary with “ruthless efficiency,” even returning later that night to break into a safe, Kingston Crown Court heard.

It was claimed that the thieves found so many handbags they were unable to carry them all, taking 28 of the most valuable items including a £42,000 snakeskin Hermes bag, Chanel bags worth £8,000 and others from Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Yves Saint Laurent.

The gang responsible face years behind bars after carrying out raids on a string of mansions.

Rossano Scamardella, prosecuting, said: '' Mr Terry made the mistake of posting a photograph of himself and his family on the social media platform, Instagram.

"Revealing as it must have done to anyone who saw it, that their house was empty."

She said officers who arrived at the scene at 3am on February 25 were shocked by the scenes of “carnage” that greeted them. The gang had caused £19,000 worth of damage, the Daily Mail reported.

Darren Eastaugh, 30, Joshua Sumer, 27, Roy Head, 28, and 25-year-old Oliver Hart have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit burglary between February 1 and March 27 this year involving seven burglaries across Surrey and Sussex.

A fifth man Kye Hardy-King, 25, pleaded guilty to one count of handling stolen goods when some of the stolen property was found at his home.

None of the items taken during the Terry raid have ever been recovered.

They are due to be sentenced on Friday. - Telegraph

Saraki’s Dog Abandons Criminal Complaints Against Teacher Accused Of Libeling Senate President On Facebook

Biodun Bada and Lawyers

The Ilorin Magistrate’s Court, on Thursday, was the scene of drama when lawyers representing Mr. Jimoh Adeshina, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara Central Senatorial District, announced their client’s wish to discontinue a libel suit filed against Mr. Biodun Baba, a Kwara State civil servant.

Mr. Adesina, a rabid supporter of the Senate President, Mr. Bukola Saraki, had filed a criminal complaint on July  18, claiming that Mr. Baba libeled the Senate President via a Facebook post.

Mr. Baba had responded with disbelief to Mr. Saraki’s discharge and acquittal by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, which tried him for false assets declaration, by posting: "If the judge of the world acquits you, what about God."
The ordeal of the defendant, who subsequently had his teaching appointment terminated by the Kwara State government, sparked a wave of public sympathy. He was also removed from his position as APC Secretary in Gambari Ward 1, Ilorin East Local Government Area.
As early as 8 am on Thursday, Ilorin residents arrived the court in throngs to solidarize with him, as he was to be arraigned.

Mr. Adesina has represented two lawyers, Messrs. S.U Solagberu and A.B Abdulrasheed, while over 20 counsels announced appearance for Mr. Baba, raising expectations of a fierce legal battle.
Rather than a keen legal tussle, what the huge crowd at the court got was an announcement by Mr. Solagberu that he had been directed by his client to discontinue the case.
"Yesterday (Wednesday), around 4:30 pm, I received a letter from the complainant instructing the withdrawal of the case. This is as result of the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians, traditional institutions, Ilorin Emirate and other stakeholders,” the lawyer told the court.

But the move was not well received by Mr. Sambo Murtala, lead counsel to Mr. Baba, who described the case as a waste of the precious time of the court. He also branded the case as frivolous and an abuse of court process.
"Ordinarily, we would not be objecting to the withdrawal, but it is a safer position of the court in a situation of non-compoundable offense that the complainant makes a proper application before this honorable court and it should be supported by a weighty affidavit demonstrating the wish of the complainant to compound the said non-compoundable
offense,” said Mr. Murtala.

This, he explained, will assist the court in its record for the future and for the case to be properly dismissed.
However, Magistrate A.I Dasuki adjourned the matter till August 3 for judgment, sparking wild jubilation among Mr. Baba’s sympathizers. - Saharareporters

Mob kills policeman over death of woman, two children

A mob on Thursday attacked and killed a policeman over the death of a woman and two children on Owerri Road, Onitsha, Anambra.

Eyewitnesses said that the incident occurred at 3.30p.m. when the policeman attempted to forcibly stop an articulated vehicle loaded with sand along the road.
According to the eyewitnesses, the driver lost control causing the fatal accident.
“A tipper driver who was carrying sharp sand tried to meander his way past the policemen at the checkpoint but in the attempt to escape ran into the woman and children.

“I wouldn’t know exactly why the tipper driver was stopped but immediately the accident happened, the policemen around the area made effort to leave the scene but were attacked by the mob,” a witness said.
The witness said that the victims were standing by the roadside to board a vehicle to their destination when they met their untimely death.

Another witness said that the mob spontaneously chased the policemen and beat up two of them, while the others escaped with their guns.
The news Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that the factory along the  road, where the policemen were on special duty, was  set ablaze by the mob.
The incident later forced police from Okpoko Police Station in Onitsha to carry out a mass arrest of persons along the busy road.
Reacting, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Nkeiru Nwode, expressed dismay over the development, saying the youths should have reported the matter to the police.

“It was just an accident. Three people died on the spot and their remains have been deposited in the mortuary.
“The scene of the accident has also been barricaded and the police are in control of the situation,” she said.
Nwode said the police were against unlawful assembly and would not relent in  efforts to maintain peace and order in the state.

PL news : Why Mbappe is worth it

Kylian Mbappe looks set to break the world transfer record but why is he so in demand? With the help of analytics expert Rory Campbell, Adam Bate examines the teenager’s numbers and the characteristics that have got everyone in the game so excited.

The reported £160m fee for Kylian Mbappe is startling. This is a player with only 19 league starts to his name. As a result, it is natural to wonder just what the biggest clubs could have spotted in those appearances to convince them that the French teenager is so extraordinary. What sets him apart that they can be so certain this is a player of unparalleled potential?
Perhaps it makes sense to start with the raw numbers; the record and the records. Mbappe made his debut for Monaco in December 2015, featuring away to Tottenham in the Europa League the next week. He scored his first senior goals in a home win over Troyes in February of last year and started in an away win over Paris Saint-Germain the following month.

But Mbappe really captured worldwide attention last season. As part of Monaco's exciting young team, he handled the step up to Champions League football in spectacular fashion, scoring home and away against both Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund to become the first player in history to net in his first four Champions League knockout appearances.
Domestically, there was silverware, with Mbappe making a huge contribution to Monaco's unexpected title triumph. He scored 15 league goals, second only to senior striker Radamel Falcao, but that only hints at his impact. Mbappe achieved these numbers despite being a bit-part player in the early part of the campaign, only exploding after the turn of the year.

His 15 goals came in 1501 minutes, less game time than any player in France to reach double figures. When coupled with his eight assists, the true scale of Mbappe's contribution becomes apparent. The other seven men to register that many assists each spent over 18 more hours on the pitch. Mbappe was directly involved in a league goal every 65 minutes.
The sample size is small, but analysts dismiss suggestions that the figures are distorted by a mere fortunate streak of form. Rory Campbell, the director of C&N Sporting Risk and an analytics expert who has worked with Premier League clubs, believes that Mbappe's numbers indicate that he is a unique talent. Clubs are counting on him keeping it up.

"The line between what is descriptive and what is predictive is difficult, but it really is rare how good he is," Campbell tells Sky Sports. In terms of 'expected goals' - a statistic that provides an indication of how many goals that a player or team should have scored on average based on the chances they have had - Mbappe's output is already world class.
"We have Mbappe as scoring over 0.8 goals per 90 minutes, which is higher than anyone else in Europe," says Campbell. "And when you account for game state then he comes out even higher." All the big names are in there, with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in the top six too. But it is the 18-year-old who heads the list - raising a key point.

"It is not even a question of his trajectory," adds Campbell. "Mbappe is already there now."
This is significant. The acquisition of Mbappe is partly about potential. "He is progressing a lot," said Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim in March. "He works well, he progresses and he understands his role during matches. I think he's going to get to a very high level." But any buyer is also getting a player who is producing world-class displays in the here and now.
It explains why his expert admirers do not merely focus on his raw physical attributes, even though they are remarkable. Instead, they speak of his character and his intelligence. This is one youngster who has already succeeded in putting the pieces of his game together to create something special. "He has personality," says Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.

"What makes him such a strong player, apart from his ability, is the way he always remains calm," says his national team coach Didier Deschamps. "That is very rare for someone his age. [Thierry Henry] was very mature as a youngster, but I think Kylian is also a mature player. Quality has no age."
Henry himself stopped short of making that direct comparison but makes this same point about Mbappe's maturity. "l really like watching him play," said the Sky Sports pundit in a summer interview with Canal Plus. "He thinks. When I watch him dribble, he's thinking. He thinks when he plays and that for me is the most important thing in a player."

Curiously, given that Mbappe has already figured out his own game, this raises questions about the scope for exponential improvement in the future. But as the stats show, that is hardly the point. An 18-year-old who is outperforming everyone else right now could be expected to be an elite player for more than a decade to come. His resale value will remain.
So while the fee for Mbappe is unusual, so is the player. Ronaldo had shown glimpses of his gift at Sporting at 18. Messi was half a dozen goals into his Barcelona career at exactly the same age. This is a young man who has already scored more than the pair of them put together at that stage. A gamble? Everything suggests that Kylian Mbappe is a sure thing. SKY SPORTS

Unserious man !!! Adeleke on campaign: My late brother did 70 percent of the job… I was just dancing

Ademola Adeleke, senator from Osun west, says he was only having fun during his campaign because he knew he had his late brother’s goodwill.

Adeleke replaced his brother, Isiaka, who died in April.
A few days to the election ,he defected from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and still won.
Speaking at a meeting with Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, at the state house on Thursday, Adeleke said he inherited the goodwill of his late brother in Osun state, and that he was well received at the senate.

“I was having fun during the campaign and enjoying my dance because my brother had done 70 percent of the job with his historical goodwill right from when he became an executive governor in 1991. I was always with him. I want to follow his footsteps and may God help me,” he said.
Adeleke said he had already put a framework in place to ensure that all his promises to the electorate were fully delivered, which include sustaining the legacy of promoting good education through scholarships and healthcare for the people, especially the under privileged.

“My brother laid a good foundation for me, but I would have preferred if he was around and had probably decided to retire at a good old age, instead of stepping into his shoes when he passed on,” he said.
The lawmaker said he would always support a bottom-up style of development in the country that paid close attention to the grassroots by strengthening local government councils.
On his part, Adesina said Adeleke’s victory at the polls reflected a new era of bridge building in Nigeria’s democracy.
He said this would further strengthen political institutions for future elections.

“The expectations from you will be obviously very high because your late brother, Sen Isiaka Adeleke, was very popular, large-hearted and kind to a lot of people, and I know you are getting ready to fill the big shoes,” he added. - Cable Nigeria 

International : UI alumnus Akinboboye appointed first black chair of US cardiovascular disease board

The American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) has appointed a Nigerian doctor, Olakunle Akinboboye, as the chair of its cardiovascular disease board.

It is the first time the 81-year-old body would appoint a black chair to head the cardiovascular disease board.
Akinboboye will be responsible for certifying all deserving cardiologists in the United States.
Heading the 12 members of the board from across the country, Akinboboye will also carry out periodic knowledge assessments of all practising cardiologists in the US.

Commenting on his appointment, Akinboboye said he is “proud to have the opportunity to chair this very important board.
“Unfortunately I am taking over the mantle of leadership at a point in time in which many cardiologists are openly revolting because of what they perceive as high handedness of the board over the years.”

Akinboboye said his goal as the board chair is “to work with other board members to come up with assessments for practicing cardiologists that are fair, and not unduly burdensome”.
Richard Baron, president and CEO of ABIM, via a press release, welcomed the new chair on behalf of the board.

He said, “we are honored to have Dr. Berns, Dr. Akinboboye and Dr. Udden—three highly regarded physicians with significant clinical experience to serve the community in their disciplines and across specialties to offer more choice, relevance and convenience as they help to set the standards for excellent patient care”.

Here are a few things to note about Akinboboye.


ACHIEVEMENT

Certified in cardiovascular disease, hypertension and sleep medicine, this won’t be his first board appointment. Akinboboye serves as chair of the clinical trials committee of the organisation and also on the international board of governors of the American college of cardiology as the liaison for Africa.
He is an associate professor of clinical medicine at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York, the medical director of Queens Heart Institute/Laurelton Heart specialist in Rosedale, Queens, New York and a past-president of the National Association of Black Cardiologists’ (ABC).

The doctor won an award for “exemplary professional services and outstanding contributions to cardiovascular medicine” while serving as president of the Ibadan College of Medicine alumni association, North America, between 2004-2005.  

  EDUCATION

Akinboboye received his medical degree from the College of Medicine at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and later finished his internal medicine residency and part of his cardiology fellowship at the Nassau County Medical Center, State University of Stony Brook.

He has masters degrees in public health from Columbia University and business administration from Columbia Business School.
He completed his fellowship in cardiology with two years of dedicated training in nuclear cardiology and advanced echocardiography, when he moved to Columbia University.

-Cable Nigeria

Senior advocate of corruption : EFCC Reveals How Nwobike Bribed Judge With N750,000

The ongoing trial of Joseph Nwobike, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, before Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos State High Court sitting in Ikeja continued on Wednesday, July 26, 2017, with the prosecution further  confronting him with text messages he had sent to a court official in order to influence some of his cases before the court.

Nwobike is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on 11 counts bordering on perverting the course of justice and offering gratification to public officials.

 

At the resumed hearing today, the prosecution counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, tendered a Compact Disc marked exhibit P21 containing text messages from Nwobike's mobile phone to a court official.

 

In the CD, which was played on a projector mounted within the court room, Oyedepo told the court how Nwobike had sent text messages, at various times, to one Helen Ogunleye, a registrar with the Federal High Court, Lagos.

 

Oyedepo told the court that Nwobike admitted to have received and read a message from  Ogunseye,  whose name  he saved as Mrs. Ogunleye  Registrar, on December 16, 2013, saying, "Good morning sir, pls I couldn't hear u cos of network sir (sic)".

 

He also told the court  that Nwobike, on the same date, sent a  text to Ogunleye about a matter before Justice Kurya, saying, " FHC/L/CS/1521/2013 KNOX ENERGY LIMITED VS THE VESSEL MT ZOJA & 7 ORS".

 

While cross-examining the defendant, the prosecution  counsel told the court that Nwobike received and read a text from Ogunleye, saying, "We give u 6th Feb. Sir, but I need to inform my Lord( sic)".

 

Nwobike was also said to have sent a text message to Ogunleye, saying, "Good afternoon, please the file is SIA SMART YN VS AR NIGERIA LTD 9962013".

 

Though it indicated that the message was pending on his mobile phone,  Ogunleye replied that the court was sitting and that she would check the file to know when the ruling would  commence.

 

Nwobike also confirmed to have  received and read  a text message from Ogunleye,  who wrote to inform him about her birthday,  saying, " Good morning sir, how was ur night just want to inform you that today is my birthday, thank for been there for me always u are the best (sic)".

 

Oyedepo further told the court that Ogunleye, in appreciation of the gift sent to her by Nwobike, sent a message, saying,  "Good morning sir, I really appreciate my birthday gift yesterday. God will continue to elevate u IJN Lord will preserve the going out and coming in IJN u are d best, this is my husband number 08035047945 Engineer Emmanuel Ogunleye".

 

However, Nwobike told the court that he could not remember sending any gift to Ogunleye, except that he always sent gifts to her on her birthday.

 

Oyedepo told the court that Nwobike confirmed that he sent a text message  to Ogunleye around 11:03 am on a certain day,  saying,  "Let oga discharge that order",  to which Ogunleye replied, around 11:12am  of that same day that "We told oga last time u called me that u are in Abuja so & he said there should be a cogent reason from u b4 he can do that sir, just see him after Court session sir, this is  confidential (sic)”.

 

Oyedepo told the court that when Ogunleye sent a text message to Nwobike reminding him about her brother who was offered admission to study Medicine in Russia,  Nwobike  replied that " I will see you this week".‎

 

According to him, Nwobike, on April 2, 2014, received a message from Ogunleye, saying, "Thanks so much sir. God bless u, ur children will find favour of God in their entire endeavour IJN, u are d best. Kelani gave me the envelop in the morning (sic)".

 

Oyedepo stated that on November 20,  2015,  Nwobike  received a text from Ogunleye,  saying,  "Good morning sir, pls we are waiting for you sir, and pls don't forget my younger brother I told you about his balance of school fees I should remind u today sir, God will reward u bountifully IJN"

 

Nwobike, in his reply to the message, was said to have written that "My junior will ask for stand down. I will come at 11am".

 

Nwobike was also said to have sent a text to one  Ibeto on  December, 15,  2014 around 8:32 am,  saying that "Good morning sir, I am planning to go to Port Harcourt tomorrow to sort out those judges. I have spoken to the AMCON people on how to secure our position even if some changes occur in the system".

 

Nwobike also told the court that he once transferred the sum of N250, 000 to Ogunleye.

 

When asked if he was aware of the rules and regulations regarding professional conduct, Nwobike answered in the affirmative, adding that he had transactions with Ogunleye, but only had meetings with the judge.

 

Oyedepo tendered  in evidence  the Rules of Professional Conduct of Legal Practitioners 2007/ 2016 edition and Code of Conduct for Judicial officers.

He also told the court that Nwobike confessed to have paid the sum of N750, 000 into Justice Yinusa’s UBA account after he had a meeting  with him over a pending case before him.

Oyedepo further told the court that Nwobike had about N64million in his account as at February 26, 2015 and N50 million in a fixed deposit account.

 

He also disclosed that Nwobike had more than N25million in another account for current expenditures.

 

In his response, Nwobike said the money he paid Justice Nganjiwa was to buy books to exercise his function as a judge of the Federal High Court.

 

Oyedepo told the court that apart from Justice Yinusa, Nwobike assisted Justice Fishim of Industrial Court in cash and gift and also paid the sum of N300, 000 to Justice Nganjiwa through his company account.

 

 

When Oyedepo asked if Nwobike knew one Debbie, he answered in the affirmative.

 

He told the court that Nwobike received a text from Debbie on July 24, 2015, saying, "It is done but will give u details later" and another one that read: "He has granted all ur prayers."

 

Justice Raliatu Adebiyi adjourned the case to September 12, 2017 for adoption of final written addresses.