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La Liga records Iheanacho will target after joining Sevilla

In a flash of events, in a manner that no one saw in the script, Super Eagles striker, Kelechi Iheanacho completed his move to La Liga club Sevilla as a free agent on Wednesday.

Iheanacho became a free agent earlier this summer after he was released by Leicester City, to end a seven-year romance.

The 27-year-old has spent most of his professional football life in England. He moved to Manchester City in 2015, after his exploits at the 2013 FIFA U-17 World Cup, where he won the Golden Ball award for player of the tournament and helped Nigeria win the competition.

He was linked with several clubs in the Premier League such as Aston Villa, Ipswich Town. However, the former Fox decided to move across several borders to move to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium. He will link up with compatriot Chidera Ejuke who also moved to the club this summer in a similar fashion as a free agent.

Iheanacho may have bowed out of the English topflight at least for now but he left some marks that will become points of reference now and in the near future.

Consequently, we take a look at the records and milestones Iheanacho will be targeting in the Spanish La Liga in his first season.

Top Nigerian scorer in debut season

One of the records Iheanacho will always be remembered for in England is his achievement in the FA Cup. Iheanacho has 18 goals in 24 FA Cup games for Manchester City and Leicester City which is the most by any African player, surpassing the previous record held by Didier Drogba, who scored 12 goals in 29 games for Chelsea.

Now, he has the opportunity to become Nigerian topscorer in his very first season in the Spanish topflight. He could surpass the achievements of Odion Ighalo, Obafemi Martins and Victor Ikpeba Umar Sadiq.

Ighalo has a very impressive record in his professional career but he could only manage six goals in 30 matches in his debut season, in the colours of Granada.

Martins also netted six goals in his debut season, which was in the 2012/13 campaign at Levante. Legendary Ikpeba only featured in three matches without a goal in his first season in the league at Real Betis.

Sadiq found the back of the net three times in his debut season with Almeria and Sociedad before the unfortunate injury while Samuel Chukwueze scored five times in his debut season.

Top Nigerian scorer in a season

The Nigerian international has the chance to be the highest-scoring Nigerian in a season on record.

With the high level of competition in the records among Nigerian players in the Premier League, seven goals could be sufficient to see Iheanacho hit this record in Spain, surpassing Ighalo and Martins’ goal record.

Join Martins to score on debut

Iheanacho could become the second Nigerian player to score on his debut in a La Liga game. Martins scored on his debut for Levante against Real Madrid. Sadiq, Ikpeba, Ighalo and Chukwueze, however, failed to score on their debuts.

Become first Nigerian to net brace or hat-trick on debut

History could also await Iheanacho by becoming the first Nigerian to score a brace or hat-trick in the Spanish topflight when the 2024/25 season kicks off this month.

Goal machines like Ighalo, Ikpeba and Martins failed to reach this milestone. With some sound bites of what Iheanacho did in England, he is capable of accomplishing this landmark.

Nigerian with highest assist in a La Liga season

Alex Iwobi shared the Nigerian highest assist record of 29 in the Premier League with Nwankwo Kanu and Iheanacho could create a piece of history in the Spanish league this season.

Martins registered three assists on his debut season in the La Liga while Chukwueze registered two. Sadiq had none in his aborted season as well as Ikpeba and Ighalo.

Super Eagles attacker, Iheanacho sometimes plays as a second striker and this could possibly position him to create this history.

Football

Flying Eagles is work in progress—Zubairu

Flying Eagles head coach, Aliyu Zubairu says the men’s national U-20 football team is still a work in progress.

Zubairu stated this on Monday in Ilorin at a meeting with members of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), Kwara Chapter.

The gaffer noted that in spite of their victory in the WAFU B championship in Togo, critical areas in the team still needed improvement.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Flying Eagles’ hard-earned victory in Togo secured Nigeria’s place in the U-20 AFCON billed for South Africa in January, 2025.

The U-20 AFCON will also determine the continent’s representatives for the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

“I’m somewhat dissatisfied with our defence; we were conceding goals consistently. This vulnerability cannot be overlooked on a larger stage,” he stated.

Zubairu decried the fact that the team had limited time to prepare for WAFU B championship, while stressing the need for adequate preparation for future tournaments.

“I had just 37 days from my appointment to the WAFU B tournament, and we retained only three players from the previous squad, necessitating the recruitment of new talents,” he explained.

He also acknowledged the interest from eligible players outside Nigeria, asserting that “We will not hinder their participation and are committed to selecting those with the necessary skills.”

The coach revealed that plans were underway for an early training camp ahead of the U-20 AFCON, while underlining the importance of securing a spot in the World Cup.

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Football

Real Madrid Fans Club in Jigawa suspends member over ‘disloyalty’

Real Madrid Fans Club in Kwalam, Jigawa, has suspended a member, Abbati Soja, over alleged misconduct and lack of loyalty to the club.

A statement by the club’s Chairman, Garzali Nfari, and Secretary, Aliyu Tabulet, indicated that Soja was punished for remarks considered “discouraging” after the Spanish soccer giants lost 4-0 to bitter rivals Barcelona in a La Liga encounter.

According to the statement, Soja made a statement to the effect that Real Madrid would not achieve much this season.

“That sentiment affected the morale of other members.

“The suspension, effective from Oct. 28, following a meeting of the Fan Club’s Executive Council; he remains suspended till May 28, 2025. That day coincides with the end of the football season,” it said.

The decision has sparked debate among fans, raising important questions about loyalty in sports fandom

Some have suggested that such strict actions may prove counter-productive at a time fan clubs worldwide are striving to grow their base and promote inclusivity.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 4-0 in front of their fans at the Bernabeu in the first El Clasico of the season on Oct. 26.

The win moved Barcelona six points clear of Real Madrid after 10 games in the season.

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Football

Conte warns Napoli players about dangerous Lookman

Antonio Conte has warned Napoli players about how dangerous Ademola Lookman could be as they face Atalanta l

Napoli manager, Antonio Conte has sounded a note of warning to his players about how dangerous Ademola Lookman could be as they face Atalanta in a Serie A game on Sunday.

Conte, according to Football Italia has warned Napoli that if Arsenal had to make tactical sacrifices to deal with Atalanta, then so will they on Sunday, saying it is not possible for them to underestimate the match.

The Partenopei are running away at the top of the Serie A table and have won every match except for a single draw away to Juventus since the opening weekend.

As for La Dea, they have won four on the bounce domestically, scoring 15 goals and conceding two.

Worthy of note is Lookman’s wonderful performances so far this season with the Nigerian international having scored five goals and contributed as many assists in 11 games across all competitions for Atalanta.

As such, Napoli gaffer, Conte has warned his players about Lookman even as he is planning to make use of a five-man defence in their Serie A game versus Atalanta.

“This is a big danger, because Atalanta are a strong team, they won the Europa League by ending Bayer Leverkusen’s season-long unbeaten record,” said Conte in his press conference.

“It is not possible for Napoli to underestimate this match. If anything, it could be Atalanta who underestimate us, seeing what happened last season. You all keep telling me it is an advantage not playing European games, but I warn you it is a disadvantage because we don’t have such a deep squad.”

He also noted that when Atalanta drew 0-0 with Arsenal in the Champions League, the Gunners made tactical sacrifices.

“It was Matteo who gave me the idea to drop down if needed when under attack. Against Atalanta, Arsenal put Thomas Partey on Ademola Lookman to form a five-man line, sometimes Arsenal also brought Saka and Martinelli deep.

“There is an evolution, you attack in one way and defend in another. It’s not just about defenders but the whole team working together to defend.

“I have really drummed the tactical issues into the players ahead of this game and we’ll see what happens.”

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Football

PSG keen on Lookman to replace Mbappe

PSG are reportedly keen on signing Ademola Lookman to replace Kylian Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are reportedly keen on signing Ademola Lookman to replace Kylian Mbappe who joined Real Madrid during the summer transfer window.

Lookman looks a sure bet to make his departure from Atalanta in the nearest possible future with PSG looking like his next port of call in his growing football career.

In fact, the 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger is almost certain to leave the Serie A club during the coming winter transfer window come January 2025 following interest from the Premier League but the biggest interest is from PSG.

Lookman who won silver medal at the 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) with Nigeria in Ivory Coast earlier this year has been on the radar of London-based Premier League side, West Ham United.

The skillful winger also has interest from three other clubs in the Premier League but it is more certain that they alongside West Ham will find it difficult to compete with PSG for his signature, according to Football Insider.

Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigerian international in January, however, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old Super Eagles attacker.

According to a report from top French media outlet, L’Equipe, PSG will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.

He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings for 2024 after leading the Italian side to the Europa League trophy last term.

Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 11 games across all competitions for Atalanta this season.

The forward who is under contract with La Dea until June 2026 hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances across board during the 2023/24 season.

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Football

Manchester United appoint Ruben Amorim to replace Erik ten Hag

Manchester United have finally confirmed the appointment of Portuguese coach Ruben Amorim as the new manager at Old Trafford.

United sacked Erik ten Hag on Monday following a dismal start to the season, and immediately opened talks with the 39-year-old Amorim about replacing the Dutchman.

The club were willing to pay a €10m release clause to sign their top target before encountering issues over further compensation to acquire Amorim’s assistant coaches, leading the appointment to drag out all week

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Man Utd set to announce Amorim as new manager

Ruben Amorim is expected to be confirmed as Manchester United’s new manager on Thursday after the club reached an agreement with Sporting Lisbon, reports said.

The Athletic said the 39-year-old would stay with the Portuguese league leaders for their next three games, including next week’s Champions League match against Manchester City.

He is expected to take charge at Old Trafford during the November international break, with his first game set to be United’s away trip to Ipswich on November 24.

Sky Sports said it was understood the Premier League club had paid Sporting an extra one million euros over and above his 10 million euro ($11 million) exit clause for an early release.

Sporting issued a statement to the Lisbon stock exchange on Tuesday confirming United were willing to meet the release clause.

United pulled the plug on Erik ten Hag’s two-year reign as manager on Monday after a 2-1 defeat by West Ham left them 14th in the Premier League.

Amorim quickly emerged as United’s number one option.

United caretaker boss Ruud van Nistelrooy oversaw a 5-2 victory against Leicester in the fourth round of the League Cup on Wednesday.

“I came here as an assistant to help the club,” said Van Nistelrooy. “I’m helping as long as I’m needed and in the future, in any capacity, I’m here to help the club build towards the future.”

Despite spending heavily in the transfer market in the summer, Ten Hag paid the price for United’s poor start to the season.

Prior to the win against Leicester, they had won just one of their past eight games in all competitions.

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