Looking for Soccer News?

Frenkie de Jong concedes he could have done “much better” in his first season at Barcelona, but is still happy to have fulfilled a dream by making a move to Camp Nou.

The Netherlands international agreed a switch to Catalunya prior to the 2018-19 campaign coming to a close.

Having starred at Ajax, big things were expected of the talented playmaker in Spanish football.

De Jong has struggled to produce his best on a consistent basis at Barca, with the 23-year-old not always being used in his favoured role, but there is still the promise of more to come.

He admits as much, telling Sport: “I am really happy to have fulfilled my dream (of playing for Barca), it was always my dream.

“I am happy with my life here, with the staff… I am really enjoying it.

“If I speak about my performances, I could have done much better this year. I don't think I've played many bad games, but I haven't been able to have a run of really good games, either. I think I've been OK, but not good enough.”

Barca boast a number of talented midfielders on their books, with Riqui Puig another highly-rated youngster who is looking to make a positive impression at senior level.

He could be about to grace a prominent Champions League stage, with Quique Setien being forced to shuffle his pack for the second leg of a last-16 showdown with Napoli.

De Jong has no fears when it comes to the 20-year-old’s ability, saying: “For me, he's more than ready to be a starter for Barca, but it doesn't depend on me.

“We have a lot of good player that can start games, so it's a question for the coach. For me, he has tremendous talent.”

While Puig is part of the future for Barca, Brazil international Arthur is about to become part of their past.

He has agreed a move to Serie A giants Juventus and initially delayed returning to Catalunya on the back of being awarded an end of season break.

“It's sad,” De Jong said of an unfortunate saga which has only recently seen Arthur end his self-imposed exile.

“The situation is difficult for everyone, for the club, for Arthur, for the players. I don't know the details or why it reached this point, though, so it's difficult to give my opinion.”

PSL chairman Dr Irvin Khoza has confirmed the dates for the upcoming two transfer windows as well as the proposed start date for the new season. 

In a press conference held at the PSL offices on Friday, Khoza said the league has agreed that the transfer window be officially open on September 2 and close on October 17. 

The mid-season transfer will open for a month between February 1 to March 1, 2021. 

According to Khoza, the 2020-21 PSL season is scheduled to get underway on October 9.  

"The registration window for the PSL, as agreed by the executive committee, it will be 2nd of September to the 17th of October; that is the first window," Khoza said. 

"The second window will be the 1st of February 2021 to the 1st of March 2021," added Khoza. 

"The start of the season is presumed to be the 9th of October; the commencement of the new PSL season," he said. 

The confirmation for the dates will come as a huge relief to the majority of teams as it will give them enough time to prepare of the upcoming season. 

A few clubs, including Mamelodi Sundowns, have already bolstered their squads for the 2020-21 season and their signings can only be registered when the current campaign is done and dusted. 

These players include George Maluleka and Lesedi Kapinga while the likes of Ricardo Goss, Gift Motupa and Haashim Domingo are expected to join from Bidvest Wits. 

Kaizer Chiefs are certainly the big winners as this means they may be able to sign new players for the new season provided they win their appeal against the two-window transfer ban imposed by Fifa in February.

Amakhosi were given the September 9 date to plead their case and concerns were that the date could come after the closing of the domestic transfer window. 

While the Soweto giants have yet to make their transfer plans public, reports suggest they are already keeping a close eye on several players including Sfiso Hlanti and Thabang Monare from Bidvest Wits. 

The management had already written to Fifa's appeal committee to at least allow them to sign players while waiting to appear before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).  

However, they are likely to abandon their request now that the PSL has released the new dates. 

Ghanaian duo Lee Addy and Mohammed Muntari Tagoe have expressed interest in joining a team in the Ghana Premier League (GPL) following their coronavirus-induced evacuation.

The two men are among a contingent of footballers who arrived back home from Ethiopia last month and promptly went through 14-day mandatory quarantine following a distress call to the Government of Ghana and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) for help.

Addy, who represented Ghana at the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Angola and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, played for Berekum Chelsea during his days on the domestic scene.

“I am still playing and any team that comes to me that we should go into an agreement and it is good, then I think I will embrace it and play for them. If it is a local club or team from outside Ghana," Addy told TV3.

“Football is like a military or pastoral job, anywhere God directs you to go, you have to go. So anyone who comes to me that I need you to come and help my club, I will be very glad to go and exhibit the great talent God has given to me.

“This is my country and when you are playing in your country, it is a little bit easier because of the language and the culture but when you are playing outside it is very difficult.

"I have played all over the world and I know how it is, especially Eastern Europe like Serbia, Croatia, etc, but if you are playing in your motherland and the contract is okay, then you play to your very best and you excel.”

Tagoe left for Ethiopia last year following his exit from Ghana Premier League giants Asante Kotoko. He made his breakthrough on the local scene with Medeama, with whom he won two FA Cup titles.

“It is an agreement between two parties; they come to me and I go to them, we sit down and negotiate," the Jimma Aba Jifar goalkeeper Tagoe said.

"Any Ghanaian player should not belittle himself because this is the work we do and you have to go all out for it and deliver for the club.

“Medeama is my home but it is going to depend on what is in the contract. If I am comfortable with it, I will deliver.”

The Ghana football season is currently in recess owing to the Covid-19 situation. The season is expected to return in October. 

Jamshedpur FC have announced Owen Coyle as their new head coach on a two-year deal for the upcoming Indian Super League (ISL) season.

As reported earlier , Chennaiyin FC were only willing to offer a one-year extension to retain the services of the Scottish tactician but it is understood that Coyle was looking for a longer tenure on his contract.

The 54-year-old holds the distinction of propelling Chennaiyin FC to the runners up spot last season after a tumultuous start to the campaign. 

Coyle's win percentage with Chennaiyin (53.3) was the second-best of his coaching career after his co-managerial stint with Scottish side Falkirk (63.2) whom he led to the Scottish Football League First Division title in his debut season as a coach in 2003. He also won the 2009 Football League Championship play-offs with Burnley. He was also named the Premier League Manager of the Month on two occasions (November 2010, March 2012) during his time with Bolton Wanderers.

Coyle is set to be Jamshedpur FC's fourth manager in the three years of its existence in the ISL. The club finished fifth under Steve Coppell and Cesar Ferrando in their first two seasons that was followed by a disappointing eighth place to show for under Antonio Iriondo despite a good start. 

The Men of Steel  will hope that Coyle can finally ensure that they reach the playoffs for the first time ever. 

Jamal Lewis has “got all the attributes” to form part of a Premier League title-winning squad at Liverpool, says Ian Baraclough, with the Northern Ireland boss urging one of his charges to snap up the opportunity to head for Anfield.

Jurgen Klopp is in the market for another left-back during the summer transfer window.

Andy Robertson is the undisputed first choice to fill that role for the Reds, but there is little depth beyond him in that position on Merseyside.

Liverpool’s search for a suitable back-up is said to have led them towards Lewis, who took in 32 appearances for Norwich across the 2019-20 campaign and previously helped them to promotion out of the Championship.

The Carrow Road academy graduate is just 22 years of age, with plenty of potential to unlock in his game, but he already has 100 competitive outings at club level to his name and 12 international caps.

Baraclough believes the youngster could be a shrewd addition for Liverpool and would be in favour of a move being made even if it meant Lewis seeing less football that he has become accustomed to.

The Northern Ireland boss told The Irish News: “I've spoken to two or three people about the proposed move. There have been differing opinions.

“As a player, I'd be saying ‘Where's the contract, I want to sign it'.

“Why wouldn't you want to go to the European champions, the Premier League champions and the World Club champions?

“Some people might say you won't get as much game time, but if you're training day in, day out, with Jurgen Klopp and the calibre of players he'd be working with, you're going to improve as a player and it would take him to the next level.

“It would be up to him to knuckle down, if that move happens, and make sure he's at the forefront of the manager's thoughts.

“The amount of games they play, and the way they rotate players now, he'd certainly get game time and I certainly think it would bring him on as a player.”

Baraclough added: “He's got all the attributes, he's a level-headed kid and he's one that wants to improve.

“You'll find him in the gym before training and after training and he's probably one of those kids, having worked with him for a little bit of time, you have to keep the reins on a bit so he doesn't do too much.

“He wants to question you about how he can improve and I love players like that.

“I love players who invest time in themselves and don't just settle for what they've got.”

Express FC defender Arthur Kiggundu is keen on helping the team perform better by tightening the backline in the upcoming season.

The Wankulukuku-based side finished the abandoned 2019/20 Ugandan Premier League season in the ninth position. The defensive record was not good at all as the team shipped in 37 goals in the 25 matches played.

"Honestly, I can’t be proud of last season’s performance, we learned from our mistakes and we shall do better," Kiggundu said as quoted by the club's official website.

"The backline has to complement each other to get the desired target of not leaking in goals and am certain my partners have prepared well ahead of the new season."

The 29-year-old played in the left-back position but was occasionally played at the heart of the defence.

With an improvement in the defence in mind, Express FC have swooped for the services of defender Murushid Juuko ahead of the new season.

According to  New Vision, Juuko, a full Uganda international, has signed for the Red Eagles on a one-year deal but will be allowed to leave the club if he gets an offer from a foreign club.

His decision to sign for Express has left Ugandan Premier League (UPL) champions Vipers SC and last season's winners KCCA FC in shock as they were both eyeing the services of the player.

The transfer of the 26-year-old player was made possible by the club’s CEO Isaac Mwesigwa and will see them get 20% of the transfer fee if he manages to get a move abroad.

Juuko has previously played for Vipers and Simba SC of Tanzania and becomes the fifth signing for Express after Godfrey Lwesibawa, Mahad Yaya Kakooza, Charles Busingye, and John Byamukama.

The arrival of the player will be a great boost to coach Wasswa Bossa, who is expecting a competitive 2020/21 UPL season.

Many teams are buffing up their squads in preparations for the new campaign which will begin in October. The tactician stated he is already aware of what to expect from opposing teams.

"We all know clubs are re-organizing themselves and that they will be competitive next season," Bossa said in an earlier interview.

"But actually if anything, we have already done our homework on all the teams. So I would say we are braced up for any team that will come our way."

Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has sent a strong indication that sporting activities could resume in the country soon.

The long-serving head of state has left Ugandan sportsmen and women in joy after he tweeted that he was considering lifting the ban of sporting activities so that sports can be played without fans.

"On the Covid-19 pandemic, I welcome the positive suggestions like the idea of sports without audiences that have been tried in other countries of Europe,” Museveni tweeted.

“There are also ideas of isolating the tourism areas that I saw in Cuba. However, all this must be subsidiary to life.”

Like many East African nations and across the world, Uganda moved to ban all its social gathering and sporting activities immediately after the coronavirus pandemic struck the country.

Football was not spared either as the Ugandan Premier League (UPL) was halted for some weeks before it was prematurely ended and the Federation of Uganda Football Association (Fufa) moved to award the league title to Vipers SC, who were sitting top at the time the league was suspended.

On the other hand, Maroons FC, Tooro United, and Proline FC were relegated with KCCA FC, getting the nod to represent the country in the Caf Confederation Cup.

Museveni’s tweet comes just a day after Fufa met with government officials to discuss the resumption of the league.

Initially, the UPL was set to return on April 19 after the elapsing of the initial 32 days of lockdown, only for time to be extended after the situation failed to normalise.

Already, teams in the top-flight are currently busy in the transfer window as they wait for the date to resume the league.

Vipers, who will carry the country’s flag in the Champions League, have already signed three players among them midfielders Ibrahim Orit from Mbarara City, Jamil Kalisa from Bright Stars, and defender David Galiwango from Express FC.

KCCA have also signed midfielder Bright Anukani from Proline, midfielders Denis Iguma from Kazma FC, Stefano Mazengo Loro from Sheffield FC (Futsal), Charles Lwanga from SC Villa, Ashraf ‘Fadiga’ Mugume from Police FC and Brian Aheebwa from Mbarara City.

Axel Disasi has joined Monaco in a €13m (£12m/$15m) transfer from Reims, with the Ligue 1 club beating off rivals including one-time suitors Arsenal to the defender's signature on a five-year deal.

The former France youth international was widely regarded as one of the division's best young performers last term as, in an abridged campaign curtailed by the Covid-19 pandemic, he helped the club to a sixth-place finish.

His move to Monaco represents something of a coup for the principality outfit, who unlike Reims will not compete in Europe next term after they finished outside the qualification places for both the Champions League and Europa League.

Wolves, Southampton and Roma were among the other clubs chasing the ex-Paris FC man's services, but Disasi has instead bought into Niko Kovac's vision for the club and put pen to paper on a long-term deal on the south coast.

"I'm delighted to be involved with AS Monaco," the 22-year-old told the club's official website. "This is a great opportunity for me to demonstrate my qualities at the highest level and to continue my progress at a club with high ambitions.

"I'm looking forward to starting training with my new team-mates and I'm going to put all my energy into helping the team achieve its goals at the end of the season."

Sports director Paul Mitchell expressed his elation at securing Disasi's talents too, adding: "We are delighted that Axel has chosen to join AS Monaco.

"His qualities as a defender, his maturity and his experience in the French league, despite his young age, will be additional assets that we are happy to make available to Niko Kovac's squad for the next five seasons."

Arsenal previously contacted Reims in April as the Gunners weighed up a defensive revamp under Mikel Arteta, with Disasi seen as a potential long-term talent to be nurtured at centre-back.

The club have welcomed back one young French talent, however, already this off-season, with William Saliba returning from his loan spell at Saint-Etienne.

Elsewhere, Arsenal are waiting on Pablo Mari's return to fitness after the Spaniard underwent ankle surgery, while Konstantinos Mavropanos has been loaned out to Stuttgart for the coming season.

Real Madrid will attempt to overturn a narrow deficit when they face Manchester City in the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, but they must do so without some of their best players.

Gareth Bale will play no part in the match after being left out of the 24-man squad and Zinedine Zidane explained that the Wales international did not wish to play at the Etihad Stadium.

"I will explain because many things are said," the frustrated Real Madrid boss told reporters in a news conference ahead of the second leg.

"We have a relationship of respect between player and coach, that is clear. The only thing I can say is that he has decided not to play, and the rest is between him and me."

Bale's future has been a consistent source of speculation in recent months, but, though the signs suggest an imminent exit, his agent insists that the winger is content to stay in the Spanish capital.

Sergio Ramos  is also set to miss the crucial game against Pep Guardiola's side on Friday because he was shown a red card in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu back in February, when Madrid lost 2-1.

Referee Daniele Orsato brandished a straight red card in the closing stages of the game when he deemed that Ramos committed a foul on Gabriel Jesus as the Brazilian striker raced through on goal.

Having capitalised on Casemiro's weak pass to Raphael Varane, Jesus found himself bearing down on Thibaut Courtois, but hit the deck after Ramos touched his shoulder just outside the 18-yard box.

The centre-back was subsequently sent off,  equalling a Champions League record in the process as he joined Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edgar Davids on ill-discipline row with four red cards in the competition.

It was a controversial decision given the nature of the foul, with former Man City goalkeeper Joe Hart expressing reservations about Jesus' conduct.

“I honestly don’t think that’s a foul or red card,” Hart told  BT Sport after the game. “Jesus waits for him to touch his shoulder. Worst case scenario for Jesus is a yellow card [for diving].

“Best case is he's got Real Madrid’s captain, leader, legend out of the second leg.”

Ramos' foul did prevent City from scoring a third away goal, meaning that the second leg remains delicately poised ahead of the meeting in England.

However, the trade-off - with the Spain international missing the game - is not necessarily worth it according to former Real Madrid boss Fabio Capello, who believes Ramos' absence will be pivotal.

“The problem when you play City is how well can you defend against them?" Capello told Laureus in the lead-up to the second leg.

“So I think, for me, I prefer Man City, because without Sergio Ramos, when you have to defend against City going forward, it will be difficult for Real.”

While Ramos will not feature in the game, he was named in the 24-man squad and travelled to Manchester in order to lend moral support to his team-mates. 

Another notable absentee for Real Madrid is James Rodriguez, while striker Mariano Diaz has been left out of the Madrid squad as a health precaution after testing positive for Covid-19 at the end of July.

There are some concerns over the fitness of Marcelo and Eden Hazard, but both players could feature after being named in Madrid's travelling party.

The main Man City absentee is Sergio Aguero, who suffered a knee injury in a game against Burnley in June. Pep Guardiola revealed that the Argentine is "getting better", but he will not play a part against Madrid.

Benjamin Mendy will also miss the game against Real through suspension after picking up three yellow cards.

Al-Nassr winger and Super Eagles captain Ahmed Musa has announced the birth of a baby boy to his family.

The forward remarried in May 2017, to Juliet Ejue, after divorcing his ex-wife Jamila over "irreconcilable differences"

This is the second child between Musa and Juliet after welcoming their first in February 2018, although the 27-year-old winger has two children with his former wife.

The ex-Leicester City forward took to social media to herald the good news while also thanking God for the safe delivery of his child.

“Life is indeed a gift and Allah has decided to give us a gift that can't be bought with money,” Musa posted on Instagram.

“He decided to bless my family this morning with a bouncing baby boy. Mother and baby are doing well. Thank you for all your prayers and support always.”

Musa has been with Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr since the summer of 2018 when he left Premier League club Leicester City.

The Nigeria international started his career at GBS Football Academy and played for JUTH and Kano Pillars in the Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) before leaving for Europe in 2010.

The winger teamed up with Dutch side VVV-Venlo and made 37 appearances for the club before he signed for Russian Premier League side CSKA Moscow in 2012.

Musa’s incredible pace and goalscoring prowess marked him out at CSKA, where he bagged 42 goals in 125 league appearances, amid other dazzling displays.

His performances earned him a move to Leicester for a club-record fee of £16.6 million in 2016 but struggled to impress at the club.

Musa featured only in 21 Premier League games before his permanent departure from the King Power Stadium outfit in 2018.

The forward has 15 goals in 91 appearances for the Nigeria national team and his exploits at the 2014 and 2018 World Cup tournaments have continued to endure him to the Super Eagles fans.

Musa captained the West Africans to a third-place finish at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations in Egypt.

Bidvest Wits head coach Gavin Hunt has provided an update regarding his goalkeeping department.

The Clever Boys are set to take on Mamelodi Sundowns in a highly-anticipated Nedbank Cup semi-final match on Saturday when the 2019/20 domestic season resumes.

The current campaign was halted in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the season will now be completed in a Biologically Safe Environment (BSE) in Gauteng.

Hunt explained that his two first-choice goalkeepers, Ricardo Goss and Brandon Peterson, are both unavailable for selection ahead of the match at Orlando Stadium.

“Goss is out because he’s still got the five-game suspension. Brandon is out as well‚” Hunt told the media.

Former South Africa under-23 international Goss will serve a five-match suspension for assaulting a match referee Masixole Bambiso in a 2-0 away league defeat to Cape Town City in January.

While Peterson is set to miss the cup match against the reigning PSL champions due to an injury which means Brighton Mhlongo will start in goal for the Clever Boys. 

“Brighton has to play. We have also brought our Multichoice Diski Challenge [reserve team] goalkeeper up‚ who I haven’t seen much of," Hunt added. 

Wits' third-choice keeper Mhlongo will get an opportunity to impress having made only one appearance in the league this season.

The former Orlando Pirates shot-stopper will compete with South Africa under-20 keeper Prince Cuwen, who was recently promoted from the Wits reserve team.

Lastly, Hunt also disclosed that they have registered a member of his technical team, Tryon Damons, the Wits goalkeeper coach. 

“Yes, he is registered and may have to do a job for us,” the four-time PSL title-winning coach said.

Damons, 42, is a former Moroka Swallows, Bloemfontein Celtic and Dynamos FC shot-stopper and he retired from professional football in 2013 following a spell with the Clever Boys.

This is not the first time that a member of the Wits technical team has been forced to come out of retirement and be registered.

In 2013, legendary Bafana Bafana shot-stopper Andre Arendse came out of retirement with four Wits goalkeepers all injured.

Arendse, who was 45 at the time, made two league appearances, against AmaZulu FC and University of Pretoria before retiring again. 

Frank Lampard has “lost trust” in Kepa Arrizabalaga, says Frank Sinclair, with Chelsea being urged to address that issue by launching a raid on Atletico Madrid for Jan Oblak.

The Blues are expected to explore the option of bringing in a new goalkeeper this summer.

They already have the most expensive shot-stopper in world football on their books, but £71 million ($93m) man Kepa has struggled to convince across his two seasons in English football.

That has led to him falling out of favour and Lampard casting an eye over potential alternatives.

Chelsea have been linked with a number of keepers in the current window, from Andre Onana to Dean Henderson via Nick Pope and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Sinclair feels Oblak should be made the top target at Stamford Bridge, with a man widely regarded as the finest keeper on the planet considered to be capable of sparking a title challenge at Stamford Bridge.

“It's not a secret that Frank lost this trust in Kepa,” former Blues defender Sinclair told Gentingbet. “In previous games he's made some vital mistakes.

“However, you have to remember that he’s a really young goalkeeper, the £71m price tag shadows the fact that he's a young goalkeeper, fairly inexperienced in playing senior football and the standards are set very high for him.

“At the same time, if you get the opportunity to bring in Jan Oblak then I think if you want to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City, Chelsea need a goalkeeper of the same standard and certainly Jan Oblak would produce that.”

While looking to address issues between the sticks, Chelsea are also in the market for reinforcements across their back four.

Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell figures prominently on Lampard’s wish list, but Sinclair says the Blues should avoid paying “over the odds” for a player who is far from being the only option available to them.

He added: “Ben Chilwell is still a tough nut to crack.

“When you hear the way that Brendan Rodgers talks about Ben Chilwell, so strongly and how much [he is] a part of Leicester City going forward, I guess it would be a difficult one and he's always going to be a very, very overpriced signing.

“For me, there's a lot of world-class full-backs out there and Frank has to get the right one for Chelsea Football Club.

“Obviously Ben Chilwell is a top player and England international, but I don't think Chelsea should pay over the odds for him.”

Wilfred Ndidi has rated Kelechi Iheanacho as Leicester City's best penalty taker ahead of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison, Ayoze Perez and Demarai Gray.

England international Vardy, who won the 2019-20 Premier League Golden Boot award, is the Foxes’ designated penalty taker.

Iheanacho last got an opportunity to convert from the spot during Leicester’s League Cup tie against Wolverhampton Wanders in September 2018.  

After both sides failed to find the back of the net in regulation time, the game proceeded into penalties and the 23-year-old swiftly converted his effort to help his side advance to the next stage of the competition.

Ndidi, who has been at King Power Stadium since January 2017 when he arrived from Belgian club Genk, feels his Nigeria international teammate cannot be rivalled from the spot.

"Kelechi’s never missed a penalty. I’ve never seen him miss a penalty,” Ndidi told Leicester Mercury.

Leicester full-back Christian Fuchs also backed the midfielder, saying: "He’s unbelievable. The best penalty taker I’ve seen.”

Perez, who joined the Foxes last summer from Newcastle United, however, doubted the claims, given Iheanacho is not a regular penalty taker for the club.

 “When is he even taking penalties?" Perez said and Ndidi replied, saying "You’ve not seen him? He never misses.”

Iheanacho has scored nine goals in 71 Premier League appearances since he joined the Foxes from Manchester City in the summer of 2017.

In the 2019-20 season, the Super Eagles striker scored 10 goals and provided four assists in 26 appearances across all competitions 

His effort helped Brendan Rodgers’ side secure a place in next season’s Europa League after finishing fifth on the Premier League table.

While Ndidi has 36 caps for Nigeria national team, Iheanacho has eight goals in 25 appearances and both are key components of Gernot Rohr’s team.

Manchester United should be looking to “go and get Mario Mandzukic on a free”, says Owen Hargreaves, with the Red Devils still in the market for another goalscorer.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer saw his attacking unit click towards the end of the 2019-20 Premier League season, with Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood all posting personal bests.

That exciting trio have earned plenty of plaudits, with obvious comparisons being made to Liverpool’s title-winning trident of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino.

Odion Ighalo also comes into the mix at Old Trafford, with the Nigerian frontman having seen his loan deal extended through to January 2021.

The general consensus, however, is that United will look to further bolster their options during the summer transfer window.

Solskjaer has been urged by many to launch a big-money raid for Tottenham striker Harry Kane, but Hargreaves feels experienced Croatian Mandzukic could be a shrewd cut-price addition.

He told BT Sport of a player who severed ties with Qatari outfit Al-Duhail in July: "Maybe you go and get Mario Mandzukic on a free, a different type of centre-forward.

"Defensively they're one of the better teams in the Premier League but in terms of goalscoring they were well behind Liverpool and Man City.

"So you could do with a 20-goal goalscorer but I think I'd take Jadon [Sancho] first and then maybe get Mandzukic on a free."

United have spent several months exploring the option of luring England international winger Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund.

No deal has been done as yet, as the Red Devils see their patience tested, but Hargreaves hopes an agreement can be reached that benefits all parties.

The former United midfielder added on a 20-year-old forward: "He's an attacker, he can play off the right, he normally plays off the right and United desperately need someone to play off the right-hand side.

"Mason Greenwood's done magnificent. But look at [Sancho's] numbers, 17 goals, 16 assists. Those numbers are outrageous at this level for his young age.

"He can play off the right-hand side, he can play in the hole, he can play off the left, and at times he even plays through the middle.

"He gives them goals and assists, I think the other guys do but I think Jadon just gives you something really, really special.

"He's one of the best dribblers of the ball, he's creative, he plays off the cuff, he's almost unplayable one v one.

"I'm all for it, I think he's just what they need really.

"This is money well invested, I think he's going to make a huge difference, fans will love him, gets them off their seats. I'm looking forward to seeing him in a red shirt."

David Mapigano has penned an emotional message to Gor Mahia after the goalkeeper left the Kenyan champions for Azam FC.

The Tanzanian custodian announced he had left K’Ogalo on Thursday and was later on the same day unveiled by the ambitious Azam, ahead of the new Mainland Premier League season, which will kick off on September 6.

Mapigano became the fifth signing by the ‘Ice Cream Makers’, who narrowly missed out on a second-place finish in the 2019/20 season.

On signing for the club, Mapigano took his time to remember the good and bad days he encountered while playing for Gor Mahia, and moved to wish the team the best of luck in the coming season.

“I honestly want to take this opportunity to thank players, fans, and officials of Gor Mahia for the great time we spent together during my playing time for the great club,” Mapigano told Goal.

“The kind of love the team showed to me when I signed for them was second to none and my stay in the country – Kenya – was good, I will miss all of them, I wish I could be able to stay for another season but now I have got another challenge to take up.

“I will miss the great family but I have to move on now.”

The goalkeeper, who also played for Njombe FC and Singida United before moving to Kenya, had a good season with Gor Mahia, where he played in 15 games and managed to keep nine clean sheets.

Mapigano also recorded a goal against Bandari when his long-range strike found the back of the net as Gor Mahia won 3-0.

The former Singida United goalkeeper will battle for first-team chances with Mwadini Ally, who was a second choice goalkeeper, and Benedict Haule, who was coach Aristica Cioaba’s preferred number choice between the sticks.

Mapigano was signed by Gor Mahia at the beginning of the 2019/20 season which the club underwent financial challenges. He had been acquired alongside his compatriot Dickson Ambundo, who has also left the club.

The Tanzanian goalkeeper had made it clear he would not return to K’Ogalo if his monthly wages were not paid in full.

Mapigano becomes the fifth signing for Azam after Awesu Awesu, Ally Niyonzima, Ayoub Lyanga, and Ismail Aziz Kada.

Indian football is very much aware of coach Khalid Jamil who took the entire fraternity by storm in 2017 when he guided underdogs Aizawl FC to a miraculous I-League win.

But not many speak about player Khalid Jamil as his playing career was short-lived due to multiple injuries. Jamil had represented the Indian national team, making his international debut in 1997.

He was a part of the victorious Indian squad in the SAFF Championship 1997 under coach Syed Nayemuddin. However, his all-time favourite coach is Sukhwinder Singh.

He said, “I made my senior national team debut in 1997 at the SAFF Cup which was held in Nepal. Our coach was Syed Nayemuddin. After that, I played under coach Sukhwinder Singh.

“The last time I played for India was during the 2002 World Cup qualifiers. Sukhwinder Singh was the best coach I have ever played under. I enjoyed the most playing under him. I played seven matches during the World Cup qualifiers against teams like UAE. There were several star players like IM Vijayan, Bhaichung Bhutia. I am thankful to Sukhwinder Singh that he had picked me in that team.”

Jamil also shared a very interesting anecdote about meeting legendary French footballer Michel Platini. The meeting happened while he was still living in Kuwait, his birthplace.

“There was a club in the area where I used to live. The Kuwait national team used to train in the club’s facility. In 1989 the French national team had come to play a friendly match against Kuwait. Michel Platini was the head of the French team at that time. I used to train with the U-14 team of the club and had attended some coaching camps. I had watched both France and Kuwaiti national sides train and was also the ball boy in the friendly match between the two countries. It was a memorable experience for me,” Jamil told Goal.

Other than former JCT and Indian national team coach Sukhwinder Singh, whom he adores, Jamil also looks up to two other managers who have had an impact in his coaching career according to the man himself.

“During my second stint at Mahindra United, we had won the Indian Super Cup, Mumbai league and stood third in the National Football League (NFL) in 2003-04 season under British coach David Booth. Club wise that period was the best time of my career. I learned discipline from Booth. Later at Mumbai FC during the 2008-09 season when Booth was in charge of the club, he had asked me to be his assistant manager at the club. That is how I was introduced to coaching.”

The interim NorthEast United coach also showed gratitude to former India coach Wim Koevermans under whom Jamil had also completed his AFC Pro License.

“From Wim Koevermans, I learned how to handle and work with players professionally. I did my AFC Pro License under Wim and it was a great learning experience for me as a coach,” said the I-League winning coach.

Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt has revealed he hasn't focused more on motivating his squad in the remaining matches of the season. 

In an online press conference ahead of Saturday's Nedbank Cup semi-final clash with Mamelodi Sundowns, Hunt said he told players who already have their futures secured for the upcoming campaign to help put those who haven't received offers in the map. 

Hunt admitted this includes him after Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivandila (TTM) confirmed that they will not be keeping him due to his high salary package at Wits.   

"There are players... six or seven of them who've got contracts already going forward. The other 20 of us or 25 of us who've got nothing," said Hunt. 

"So, we've got a lot to prove and I said to the players, 'these ones who've got contracts maybe they can help the ones that they haven't got' - get clubs and put the other players in the shopping window a little more. That's important."

The 56-year-old mentor further stated he doesn't plan to take a break from coaching while in search of a new club, adding that he still enjoys going to training every day. 

Nonetheless, he's confident something will come up in the near future. 

"Everybody tells me to wait and sit around... I need to get working again. So, really on my mind now, is Saturday's game and the games going forward but hopefully, something will come up and we can go from there," he concluded.

Hunt has been heavily linked with a possible move to Kaizer Chiefs but he previously distanced himself to those media reports, more so because the Soweto giants still have a coach in Ernst Middendorp. 

Amakhosi, through Bobby Motaung, also dismissed the rumours, saying Middendorp had a year left on his contract and that his future had not been discussed at any level by the club.   

In recent weeks, Cape Town City were also reported to be keeping a close eye on Hunt but like Chiefs, they also have a coach in Jan Olde Riekerink who came in early in the season following the departure of Benni McCarthy.    

There have been many 'firsts' in the illustrated history of Mohammedan Sporting, the club which used to share the same pedestal with East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in the Kolkata Maidan until the last decade. 

Mohammedan created history when they became the first Indian club to win the Calcutta Football League (CFL) in 1934. After winning the maiden title, they went on to lift the trophy for the next four successive seasons, a record which stood for more than 40 years until broken by East Bengal in 1975. They also became the first Indian club to win the Durand Cup in 1940. After independence, they continued to be the pioneers as they became the first Indian club to win on foreign soil by lifting the Aga Khan Gold Cup in 1960 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

But their fortunes went downhill since the 1990s and after a hiatus of almost 30 years, they once again won a silverware of significance in 2013-14 when they lifted the Durand Cup and the IFA Shield. But in the very next season, they finished last in I-League and were relegated to the 2nd Division. 

They had a glimmer of hope in the previous season, before the Coronavirus pandemic played spoil sport, as the Black Panthers were in a good vein of form. They were on top of Group B of the I-League 2nd division with 12 points from six matches and looked primed to qualify for the final round. 

Meanwhile, there has also been a change of guard at the club with veteran administrator Mohammed Qamaruddin making way for 33-year-old Wasim Akram as the new General Secretary. Along with him, former striker Dipendu Biswas was elected as the new football secretary. The new office-bearers had only one goal in mind from day one which was to qualify for I-League. 

In spite of losing almost 70 lakh rupees in the previous season for a failed cause, the officials are once again pumping in money to lure quality footballers who can help them take the leap into I-League. They have released Musa Mudda and John Chidi and have roped in Willis Plaza and Eze Kingsley for the upcoming final round of the Second Division.

"It is a huge thing to have layers like Willis Plaza and Eze Kingsley in a 2nd Division I-League team. Moreover, we have good domestic players as well in Shouvik Ghosh, Tirthankar Sarkar and a couple of more names will be announced in the coming days. We are building this team so that we can qualify for the I-League and do well in I-League," stated the newly coronated secretary Wasim Akram to Goal. 

Mohammedan had appealed to IFA {Indian Football Association) to convince AIFF (All India Football Federation) so that the tournament can be held in West Bengal. Now with the state government's green signal, Kalyani seems to be the likely venue for the competition. 

"We just want the I-League 2nd Division to be held in Bengal. We have no problems with Kalyani. In fact, after the Salt Lake Stadium, that is the best ground we have in the state. We had played in that ground in the previous season. Even East Bengal & Mohun Bagan also played I-League there. It is a very good ground."

Akram informed that although the club had held talks with Sk Faiaz and Arijit Bagui, the deal has fallen through and new players will be unveiled as replacements. An Asian player will also be signed in the next couple of weeks who will complete the overseas contingent. He is confident that Mohammedan will have the firepower that will propel them to I-League this time around.

"Mohammedan Sporting have the strongest team on paper. We should qualify. This is not over-confidence or being arrogant, but I really think that we are the strongest team. We have put in a lot of effort behind building this team and we are positive. The two foreigners that we have recruited are still in India. We are still searching for the Asian player. If it was not for the pandemic, we would have sealed the deal with a prominent player long back."

The Black-and-Whites are keeping no stone unturned as their bid to reach the I-League. They have roped in former Minerva Punjab coach Yan Law as their tactician and now it remains to be seen whether they can return to the I-League after seven years.