Author: Chief Editor

Former Blackburn Rovers striker Chris Sutton has claimed that signing Bologna striker Marko Arnautovic is set to put Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag under pressure this summer. Arnautovic, who has two years left on his current deal at the Stadio Renato Dall’Ara, has recently emerged as a surprise transfer target for the Red Devils. The Austrian 33-year-old registered 15 goals and one assist in 34 matches for the Serie A outfit last season. Speaking to BBC, Sutton gave his opinion on the developing transfer saga involving the controversial Austria international. He said: “That’s madness, thinking about signing [Arnautovic]. I thought it was a spoof, it’s…

Sporting Lisbon star Matheus Nunes is keen on a transfer to Liverpool and is prepared to wait for them to launch an official bid. Meanwhile, Wolverhampton Wanderers (Wolves) have made no secret of their interest in the midfielder and want to add him to their ranks. However, the West Midlands club will feel hard done by a report from Correio de Manha (via Empire of the Kop) which suggests that Nunes has no interest in moving to Molineux. His heart seems sold on a move to Liverpool, and the Portuguese is reportedly even willing to wait another year to earn a transfer to Anfield.…

Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur target Nikola Milenkovic has reportedly rejected a potential move to Arsenal or Sevilla this summer. The Serbian centre-back wants to stay at Fiorentina and help them progress further. His current contract with the Italian club expires in 2023, but he is likely to sign a new contract that will keep him at Fiorentina until 2026. Milenkovic, 24, joined I Viola from Partizan in 2017 and has been a key player for them. He’s made 171 appearances in all competitions and also contributed 14 goals and one assist. The Serbian garnered interest from Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Sevilla this season, but he is set…

According to Spanish journalist Gerard Moreno (via Barcacentre), Barcelona have reached an agreement with Manchester City to sign Bernardo Silva, a player Xavi is said to be obsessed with (as per Fabrizio Romano). The Catalans will have to shell out around €55 million for the Portuguese midfielder. Barcelona have been linked with the Manchester City star throughout the ongoing transfer window. Xavi is adamant about bringing Silva to Camp Nou before the window shuts later this month. It was reported on Monday that Bernardo Silva has begun looking for a house in Barcelona, an indication that the negotiations are going well. The Blaugrana are looking to bolster…

PA chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Speaker, Delta State House of Assembly, Hon Victor Ochei, has said that the era when politicians and political parties could speak authoritatively about winning a coming election was over due to the reforms in the electoral process, particularly by the new Electoral Act in the country. Ochei, executive director at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), said the new electoral law would prevent the “manufacturing of votes” by political parties. The former speaker of the Delta legislature stated this while fielding questions from journalists in Asaba shortly after…

Government should be serious about diversifying the economy The prevailing economic downturn has worsted the capacity of Nigerians so much so that basic necessities of life, including food and healthcare are becoming luxuries. Available statistics paint a dire situation of millions of idle youths condemned to the street corner and economically inactive. A combination of sustained negative economic growth and an uncontrolled demographic bulge has put the country in a very difficult and potentially explosive situation. Unfortunately, the response from the government to these challenges remains incoherent. Even with all the noise about diversification of the economy from oil to agriculture, there…

* Say minister is myopic, intellectually stagnant Although campaign for the 2023 general election has not officially started, a foretaste of what Nigerians might expect came to the fore at the weekend, as a former lawmaker, Dino Melaye, took on the spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign, Festus Keyamo, and the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, alleging that the former Lagos State governor is seeking the presidency as his entitlement and retirement benefit. Melaye, who was last week appointed Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign spokesperson alongside Daniel Bwala, claimed that Tinubu was contesting for the presidency not on…

*Ministry advocates purchase of SCADA system  *Expert blames archaic, obsolete grid system*Report says Sub-Saharan Africa loses up to $28bn in GDP to power collapses In the last twelve and a half years, spanning the period from 2010 to the first half of 2022, Nigeria’s power grid suffered at least 222 partial and total collapses, a THISDAY analysis of industry data, mostly from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has shown. To reduce the rate of grid failures, Minister of Power Abubakar Aliyu said the federal government would fast-track the purchase and installation of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)…

• ‘Cash-starved governors seeking premature retirement for selfish reasons’ • Move will demoralise workers, affect productivity • FG cannot be trusted with the payment of severance benefits • Incentivise OPS to revitalise the economy, govt urged • Workers to demand an inflation-adjusted pay rise • Revive manufacturing sector to boost the local economy, experts tell FG There are worries that the living conditions of Nigeria’s civil servants will further degenerate if the Federal Government accepts the governors’ proposal calling for the premature retirement of civil servants, who are above 50 years. This comes as the labour unions and members of…

Hundreds of Amazon workers at a warehouse in Tilbury in southeast England have walked out in protest over pay, the trade union GMB said, the latest sign of labour force discontent as the rising cost-of-living sparks strikes across sectors. Amazon, which dominates the online retail marketplace, has faced criticism from workers in many countries over pay and conditions. “Amazon continues to reject working with trade unions to deliver better working conditions and fair pay. Their repeated use of short-term contracts is designed to undermine worker’s rights,” the union said on Thursday. GMB said 800 workers walked out of the warehouse…