Premier League
‘Unfinished business’: Aubameyang makes Premier League return with Chelsea transfer
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Chelsea have signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona, with the Gabon striker signing a two-year contract to seal a return to the Premier League, the two clubs said on Thursday.
The transfer was announced well after the 2200 GMT deadline but Chelsea had submitted the paperwork to the Premier League in time after the former Arsenal striker arrived in London late on Thursday.
Barcelona said they reached an agreement where Chelsea paid 12 million euros ($11.94 million) to bolster their front line with Aubameyang, who previously thrived under manager Thomas Tuchel at Borussia Dortmund.
“I’m really happy. It’s an honour to be part of this team and I can’t wait to start. I have some unfinished business with the Premier League so it’s good to be back,” Aubameyang said in a statement.
Aubameyang scored 13 goals in 24 games for Barcelona, but was surplus to requirements after they signed Poland striker Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich and needed to offload players to comply with LaLiga’s financial rules.
Aubameyang is no stranger to the Premier League having spent four years at Chelsea’s London rivals Arsenal, scoring 92 goals in all competitions.
The 33-year-old was the league’s joint top scorer in the 2018-19 season and led Arsenal to the FA Cup title in the following campaign.
However, the Gabon international had a fall-out with Arsenal and their manager Mikel Arteta last season over disciplinary issues. He was first stripped of the captaincy before having his contract terminated ahead of a February move to Barcelona.
Chelsea have been playing without a recognised striker after Romelu Lukaku moved back to Inter Milan on loan in the close season while Timo Werner returned to RB Leipzig.
Chelsea also announced the signing of Swiss international Denis Zakaria from Juventus on a season-long loan, with the English club having the option to make the central midfielder’s stay permanent at the end of the season.
Midfield reinforcements were the need of the hour at Chelsea with Tuchel saying N’Golo Kante’s hamstring injury is set to rule him out for several weeks while Ruben Loftus-Cheek is also sidelined.
The London club, 10th after five games, have signed a number of high-profile players in the transfer window, including Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly.
Meanwhile, full back Marcos Alonso, who joined Chelsea in 2016 for around 23 million pounds ($26.6 million) and had one year left on his contract, has joined Barcelona as part of the deal according to media reports.
-Reuters
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
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
Join the Sports Village Square channel on WhatsApp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Vaz7mEIGk1FxU8YIXb0H
- OBITUARY2 days ago
BREAKING: Nigerian Goalkeeping Legend Peter Rufai is dead
- Nigerian Football2 days ago
Football Agent John Shittu Demands Retraction and ₦250 Million Damages from Samson Siasia Over Bribery Allegation
- WAFCON1 week ago
Super Falcons Land in Morocco, Eye Historic ‘La Decima’ Women’s AFCON Title
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Kwara United Clinch Historic First Title as President Federation Cup Final Goes to Penalties for the 18th time
- FEDERATION CUP1 week ago
Rivers Angels Crowned 2025 Female Federation Cup Champions After Penalty Shootout Thriller
- OBITUARY2 days ago
Peter Rufai looked lean when I last saw him, says mourning NFF President, Gusau
- OBITUARY2 days ago
Family issues statement on Peter Rufai
- IMMEMORIAL2 days ago
Peter Rufai’s Death Adds to Long List of July Tragedies in Nigerian Football