Odion Ighalo’s dream move to Manchester United 12 months ago sent Nigerians into a frenzy, as the striker’s surprise transfer resonated around the world. With Ighalo’s United spell coming to an end on January 30, the first Nigerian and seventh African to play for the Red Devils casts our minds back to the greatest Nigerian…
Zlatan Ibrahimović stole the show as AC Milan went three points clear of Inter and 10 ahead of defending champions Juventus at the top of the table. The Swede had been out with a muscle injury since November and returned with a brace against Cagliari in his first Serie A start. As Milan have now…
The Premier League’s first double game week of the season offers a tantalizing fixture in prospect, as the season reaches its exact midpoint. This weekend is a crunch top of the table clash – Liverpool’s third different such opponent in first place this season – between the most successful clubs in England. Liverpool versus Manchester…
Kai Havertz’s first four months at Chelsea have not gone according to plan, to say the least, however unsurprising. The 21-year-old arrived for the biggest transfer fee of all of Chelsea’s six first-team signings. As his standing as one of Europe’s brightest young talents afforded him a record deal amongst the Blues’ £220million summer splurge. …
The 2019/20 season saw the emergence of wonderful left-backs like Alphonso Davies, Robin Gosens, Sergio Reguilón and Ramy Bensebaïni. However, due to injuries and the various effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on world football, a new group of players are the leading men for left fullbacks in Europe this season. Thus, Football Castle has compiled…
In keeping with the unpredictability and excitement of the current league season across Europe, Inter Milan are making a strong race for the Serie A title with rivals AC Milan. Inter’s most recent victory over Crotone took their tally to eight wins in a row, with the 6-2 victory best-remembered for Lautaro Martínez’s hat trick….
Following a memorable month of goalscoring form for Olivier Giroud, his place in Chelsea’s starting 11 against Arsenal is unlikely due to no fault of his. Tammy Abraham was handed a start in the derby against West Ham after a run of two defeats to Everton and Wolves. Injuries to their wingers limited the options…
Everton’s wonderful start to the Premier League season has petered out in the intense run of fixtures, amidst suspension and injuries to key players. The Toffees have struggled to create enough chances to win games despite the form of the league’s joint-top scorer, Dominic Calvert-Lewin. Losing creator-in-chief, James Rodríguez was bad enough but being without…
Juan Cuadrado gained prominence when registering the most assists (four) at the 2014 World Cup with quarter-finalists Colombia. But in the intervening six years – via a forgettable stint at Chelsea – his decision-making failed to live up to those standards as a World-class winger, settling instead, in his preferred wing-back role. Up until now….
Like many a Premier League newbie, Tanguy Ndombele found the adaptation to English football tough. However, his performances in 2020/21 have seen a marked turnaround. The 23-year-old had to deal with some public criticism from José Mourinho over his attitude and performances. He had opportunities to jump ship over the summer but elected to stay…
