Tottenham have reportedly beaten London rival’s Chelsea to the 14-year-old Nigerian whiz kid Temidire Emmanuel Okuwa. .
It’s claimed that Okuwa decided to choose Spurs over Chelsea because he thinks the pathway to first-team football from the academy is better at Tottenham.
That is according to All Nigeria Soccer, who reported the news this afternoon.
Okuwa was born in 2006 and will represent the U14 team this season.
The teenager has been at West Ham for the last nine years but left the London Stadium this summer.
He trained with both Chelsea and Spurs before deciding to head to last season’s Champions League finalists.
That’s another major compliment to Mauricio Pochettino’s work at Spurs, as he has created an environment where young players can make the step up, and that’s being noticed by other talents.
Fresh reasons have emerged as to why Chelsea blocked Marcos Alonso’s move to Atletico Madrid this summer despite Emerson developing into the club’s first-choice left back.
Spain international Alonso was heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge during the summer transfer window, with Atletico Madrid keen to secure his signature.
He had been lined up by Los Rojiblancos to replace the Filipe Luis, who was out of contract at Atleti this summer, in the backline.
Alonso was viewed as a set-piece specialist and offers a goal threat but questions were raised if the West London club would sanction his exit in light of their FIFA-imposed transfer ban.
Despite playing over 100 games for Chelsea and helping the club win the Premier League title, FA Cup and Europa League, Alonso has fallen out of favour since Frank Lampard’s appointment.
The Blues legend has favoured Emerson in the left back position, with the Italian starting all four of Chelsea’s Premier League matches to date.
Chelsea had the opportunity to offload Alonso in July but blocked Atletico Madrid’s advances primarily because of the transfer ban that was looming over the Premier League club, report the Metro.
The Athletic also say that Chelsea prevented Alonso from leaving because they were preparing to appoint Lampard as manager and were unsure whether he would feature in his plans.
Alonso was reportedly keen for the move to Atleti because of his problem with former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri. The Spaniard, however, changed his mind after the departure of the Italian to Juventus.
France manager Didier Deschamps has answered Arsenal fans over their outrage after Les Bleus team list was released, saying Olivier Giroud was called-up for his previous performances for the national squad, rather than his current form with Chelsea.
The 50-year-old named his squad for the upcoming Euro 2020 qualifiers against Albania and Andorra on Monday and selected the Chelsea frontman despite him starting only one Premier League game so far this season, and not finding the net.
Frank Lampard has seemingly preferred Tammy Abraham to lead the line in west London, and with the England forward scoring four goals in the last two games, Giroud’s prospects of first team football at Stamford Bridge look bleak in the short term.
Giroud was included for France despite the form of another striker across London in Alexandre Lacazette, football.london report.
He has not featured for Les Bleus since 2017, despite netting twice against Germany in a 2-2 draw in November of that year, just a few months after he had joined Arsenal.
The Arsenal forward netted his second goal of the season in Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham, and has impressed with his consistent performances for the Gunners throughout 2019 – winning the club’s player of the season award last year.
Speaking to Get French Football News, Deschamps said: “He [Giroud] is in a difficult situation sadly for him and for us with his club. It is not ideal.
“However with us he has always given a good showing, the statistics will show you that.”
Disturbed by the spate of racist attacks on players of African descent in Italy, especially the most recent on Romelu Lukaku, Demba Ba has called on all black players to leave Serie A.
Lukaku was subjected to monkey chants as he went up to score the winning penalty during Inter’s 2-1 victory over Cagliari.
Cagliari supporters are fast gaining a reputation for discriminatory behaviour, having also targeted Moise Kean and Blaise Matuidi in the recent past.
Ba was responding to an open letter written by Inter’s Curva Nord ultras to Romelu Lukaku addressing the horrific scenes from Sunday night when he was targetedwith monkey noises by Cagliari fans.
In it the supporters, incredibly, insisted that the chants aimed at the former Manchester United striker were not racist and suggested the player should interperet the abuse as a ‘form of respect’.
Picking up on the astonishing explanation, which appeared on Facebook, an incensed Ba made his feelings known about the attempts to excuse their fellow Italian supporters.
‘And here’s the reason why I decided not to play there when I could… And at that point I wish all the black players would get out of this league!’ he wrote on Twitter.
‘Surely it won’t stop their stupidity and hate but at least they won’t affect other races.’
Inter Milan ultras have described what their own player Romelu Lukaku called racist chants against him by Cagliari fans a ‘way’ to help their team.
The Inter striker was on Sunday subjected to monkey chants by fans of the Sardinian club, who have also targeted Moise Kean and Blaise Matuidi over the past year-and-a-half.
The shocking statement was released by ultras group L’Urlo della Nord on their Facebook page, which sought to justify the behaviour of Cagliari supporters during Sunday’s Serie A match at the Sardegna Arena, report Football Italia.
It read: “Hi Romelu. We are writing you on behalf of Curva Nord, yes the guys who welcomed you at your arrival in Milan.
“We are really sorry you thought that what happened in Cagliari was racist.
“You have to understand that Italy is not like many other north European countries where racism is a REAL problem.
“We understand that it could have seemed racist to you, but it is not like that.
“In Italy we use some ‘ways’ only to ‘help our teams’ and to try to make our opponents nervous, not for racism but to mess them up.
“We are a multi-ethnic fans organisation and we have always welcomed players from everywhere. However, we have always used that ‘way’ with other teams’ players in the past and we probably will in the future.
“We are not racist and so are not the Cagliari fans.
“You have to understand that in all Italian stadiums people cheer for their teams but at the same time they use to cheer against the opponents not for racism but to ‘help’ their own team.
“Please consider this attitude of Italian fans as a form of respect for the fact they are afraid of you for the goals you might score against their teams and not because they hate you or they are racist.
“True racism is a completely different story and all Italian football fans know it very well.
“When you declare that racism is a problem to be fought in Italy you just help the repression against all football fans including us and you contribute to create a problem that is not really there, not in the way that is perceived in other countries.
“We are very sensitive and inclusive with all people. We guarantee you that in our organisation there are many fans of different races or fans coming from other parts of Italy that also use this way to [provoke] their opponents even when the have the same races or are coming from the same areas.
“Please help us to clarify what racism really is and that Italian fans are not racist.”
Chelsea flop Tiemoue Bakayoko has replied his critics, saying “I am taking a step back by coming to Monaco but I see it differently.”
The 25-year-old has returned to his former club on a season-long loan, while the Ligue 1 side also have the option to buy the midfielder at the end of the campaign.
After signing from Monaco for £40 million in 2017, Bakayoko struggled during his first season at Chelsea and was subsequently loaned out to AC Milan last term.
Bakayoko returned to Stamford Bridge in the summer for pre-season training but Frank Lampard has allowed the French midfielder to leave the club.
‘There was a good opportunity to come back here in a very good project,’ said Bakayoko as cited by the Metro.
‘Lots of people will perhaps say that I am taking a step back by coming to Monaco but I see it differently.
N’Golo Kante is fast becoming “Mr. Humility” of the Premier League as he made a surprise appearance at a Chelsea fan’s daughter wedding.
The Frenchman is currently on the sidelines as a result of an injury, which has ruled him out of Les Bleus and Chelsea matches.
It therefore afforded him the opportunity to attend the wedding of Henna Khalid and Raheel Malik after he was invited by the bride’s father, Frank Khalid.
Here’s an example of Ngolo Kante kindness to everyone yesterday. Made everyone happy & made my daughters wedding even more special. 💙 pic.twitter.com/DR9I9eroO6
Kante originally said he was unable to attend due to commitments with Chelsea and the French national team.
‘We became friends when I was introduced to him by a friend and he came to my restaurant Chak89,” Khalid told The Sun.
‘I invited him and originally he couldn’t attend because of his commitment to the French national team, but because of his injury he messaged me saying he was coming.
Introduced @nglkante to my mum and dad at my daughters wedding. Ngolo is such a diamond as he wanted to congratulate my daughter & son in law on the stage. Love him as a player but even more as a caring person who puts others before himself. Deserves all the success he gets. #CFCpic.twitter.com/GSG0nYe0EY
‘My family and myself are very close to N’Golo and he was one of the first people to visit me when I had my triple bypass surgery operation in April 2018.
‘He stayed till the end and was so nice to everyone and signed autographs and took selfies with the guests.’
