Ghana youth prodigy Kwame Junior Sosu has completed a lucrative four-year move to La Liga side Real Betis Balompie from Ghanaian division two side Desideros.
Sosu, 18, will be drafted to the club’s youth team as he continues his progress this season. However, depending on his development, Sosu could make his debut in La Liga as the season progresses.
Betis will travel to face under pressure Real Madrid this weekend in La Liga.
The youngster has sealed a lucrative deal with the La Liga side ahead of the start of the new season
Ghanaian midfielder Mawuli Kwame Mensah has joined Spanish club Real Betis in a three-year deal ahead of the start of 2023/24 season, the club have announced.
The youngster caught the eye of Betis coach Manuel Pelligrini and he is expected to be part of the senior side as Betis hope to improve their performance last season.
Mensah, 19, arrived from Antequera CF and he is expected to be at Benito Villamarín Stadium until 2026 as the club’s top hierarchy are highly tipping him to take the league by storm.
Meanwhile, Betis star Alex Colorado has left the club to join Saudi Arabia Pro League side Al-Akhdoud FC in a one-year loan deal while Barcelona player Ez Abde has reportedly also agreed to join Betis.
Real Madrid’s hopes of retaining La Liga were dented Sunday as the champions fell 1-0 at Real Mallorca, to remain five points behind leaders Barcelona.
The Catalans host Sevilla later on and can open up an eight point lead after a frustrated Madrid fell against Javier Aguirre’s side, with Marco Asensio missing a penalty against his former club.
Nacho’s 13th minute looping header into his own net separated the teams in a hard-fought clash, frequently slowed by various fouls from the hosts.
Amid a constant battle between winger Vinicius Junior and Mallorca’s players and supporters, the islanders held off Los Blancos to record an impressive v
Real Madrid, second, were without goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, hurt during the warm-up, along with the injured Karim Benzema, Eder Militao and Ferland Mendy, among other absentees.
Rodrygo started up front in place of Benzema, while Dani Ceballos and Fede Valverde were given starts in midfield ahead of veterans Toni Kroos and Luka Modric.
The match was heated from the start, largely due to historic bad blood between Vinicius and Mallorca. Mallorca captain Antonio Raillo has criticised the Brazilian winger on multiple occasions for lacking respect towards opponents and said he wouldn’t hold him up as an example to his son.
Home fans at the Visit Mallorca Stadium whistled Vinicius when he was on the ball and chanted Raillo’s name.Ancelotti was also frustrated his team were playing in the early afternoon after having faced Valencia on Thursday night and Madrid started sluggishly.
Mallorca, 10th, took an early lead when Nacho’s attempted header sent Dani Rodriguez’s in-swinging cross from the left looping over Courtois’s stand-in Andriy Lunin and dipping just under the crossbar.
The hosts shackled Vinicius well in the first half and reduced Madrid to pot-shots from distance, Antonio Rudiger and Valverde firing wildly off-target.
Vinicius was booked for stepping on Pablo Maffeo’s foot, leaving the Brazilian incredulous after various fouls against him had not been punished with a card.
Ceballos protested vehemently to the officials as the teams went in at the break and was also booked, as temperatures rose in the Mallorcan sun.- Heated -Vinicius pulled at the Madrid badge on his shirt while looking at the home fans to agitate them further.
Early in the second half Raillo responded by offering Vinicius the Mallorca badge on his shirt to kiss. Madrid had a golden chance to level when Mallorca goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic brought down Vinicius, but the Serbian denied Asensio from the spot.The Real Madrid forward, from Mallorca, tried to find the bottom right corner but Rajkovic flung himself full-length to tip away his penalty.
David Alaba returned from injury off the bench and his cross was volleyed narrowly over by Mariano Diaz, on a rare outing for the Dominican Republic striker, as Madrid’s desperation grew.
Rudiger sent a dipping header wide late in stoppage time as Madrid’s last chance slipped away.
Madrid will have to put defeat behind them quickly as they travel to Morocco midweek to take part in the Club World Cup.
_Bein Sports
Barcelona coach Xavi put one over on opposite number Diego Simeone and then admitted: ‘We understand football in a different way, that’s why we don’t see eye to eye’.(Daily Mail)
Kalvin Phillips is pushing for a new deal from Leeds after the club knocked back three bids from West Ham last month.(The Sun)
Carlos Tevez is reportedly ‘in talks’ with DC United over a potential move to the MLS.(The Sun)
Liverpool are keeping tabs on Le Havre youngster Andy Elysee Logbo, dubbed the next Romelu Lukaku, reports suggest.(The Sun)
AC Milan want to hijack Liverpool’s move for Fulham wonderkid Fabio Carvalho, according to reports.(The Sun)
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is set to sign on for another season at AC Milan.(The Sun)
Barcelona boss Xavi could scupper Thomas Tuchel’s plans for Chelsea’s summer transfer window as he reportedly lines up a move for Jules Kounde.(Daily Star)
Manchester United are set for a welcome windfall after agreeing to sell forgotten midfielder Andreas Pereira for an eight-figure sum.(The Times)
David Moyes has said he is concerned that international duty could take its toll on Michail Antonio.(The Guardian)
Furious boss Brendan Rodgers has told his Leicester City flops they are fighting for their futures after being dumped out of the FA Cup by Nottingham Forest.(The Independent)
England midfielder Declan Rice, 23, will be the subject of a summer transfer fight between Manchester United and Chelsea. (Sky Sports)
Barcelona are hoping to conclude the transfers of Chelsea’s Spain defender Cesar Azpilicueta, 32, and Denmark centre-back Andreas Christensen, 25, in a matter of days. (Express)
Manchester United have joined Arsenal in being keen on Real Sociedad’s 22-year-old striker Alexander Isak, with the Old Trafford club viewing the Sweden forward as a replacement for Cristiano Ronaldo. (Football London)
Lille president Olivier Letang says 22-year-old Netherlands defender Sven Botman – who was linked with a move to Newcastle in January – deserves to play for a club that can win the Champions League. (Le Parisien via Fabrizio Romano)
Representatives for former West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City striker Carlos Tevez are in talks with MLS side DC United. The 38-year-old Argentine has been a free agent since leaving Boca Juniors in July last year. (The Athletic via Mail)
Manchester United have agreed a £12m fee with Flamengo for Andreas Pereira, the club in his homeland where the 26-year-old Brazilian is on loan. (Mirror)
Former England striker Kevin Phillips says Liverpool could sign a long-term successor for Egypt’s Mohamed Salah, 29, in 20-year-old Arsenal and England forward Bukayo Saka. (Football Insider)
Chelsea and Germany’s 28-year-old defender Antonio Rudiger, who is out of contract at the end of the season, wants £225,000 a week to stay at Stamford Bridge, with the Blues offering £140,000 a week. (Mirror)
RB Leipzig director Oliver Mintzlaff is confident 24-year-old French midfielder Christopher Nkunku will remain at the club despite interest from Liverpool and Arsenal. (Sky 90)
France defender Layvin Kurzawa, 29, was offered on loan to Lille by Paris St-Germain in the January transfer window. (Le Parisien, in French)
Barcelona’s Spain midfielder Gavi, 17, has turned down a contract extension as the salary does not meet his demands. (Sport, in Spanish)
The Gabonese striker has ended his stay in London following the bad blood between him and his former coach in the recent times
A dramatic deadline day looks set to end with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaving Arsenal with Barcelona having reached an agreement to sign the former Gunners’ club captain on a free transfer.
Monday had begun with Aubameyang sufficiently confident he was moving to the La Liga giants on loan that he traveled to Catalonia without the knowledge of either club. Early in the afternoon, talks between Arsenal and Barcelona hit a buffer over the latter’s finances but sources close to the deal have confirmed that that impasse has been broken. Crucially, the player will now leave on a permanent basis for no transfer fee if the remaining hurdles are completed. The 32-year-old is due to undergo his medical in the coming hours.
While Arsenal will be relieved to get Aubameyang’s $400,000-a-week salary off their books, there will be much consternation among supporters if the striker departs without a replacement arriving. Club sources confirmed to CBS Sports that the Gabon international’s departure did not reflect any belief at the Emirates Stadium that their month-long pursuit of a center forward will end in success. Barring a dramatic turn of events in the final three hours of the window, Mikel Arteta will head into the remainder of the season with just two strikers in his first team squad.
Meanwhile, Barcelona’s striking options have swelled with Aubameyang eager to make the move to La Liga. Even as talks appeared to be wavering the Spanish side expressed confidence. Club president Joan Laporta told Mundo Deportivo: “We will keep working until the last minute. The situation is not easy. It’s known we’d like to sign Aubameyang. It’s complicated but there’s hope.”
Sources close to the deal confirmed to CBS Sports that Aubameyang had long since reached a full agreement with Barcelona over the loan deal but the Spanish club have struggled to find an agreement with Arsenal, who were taken by surprise when they discovered that Aubameyang had already made the trip to Barcelona. Some employees discovered only when he was pictured arriving at the airport.
It will be a welcome end to January for Aubameyang, who had rejected offers from elsewhere in a bid to secure a switch to a top European club, CBS Sports revealed earlier this month that the striker had been offered a loan move to Al Nassr, one which would have come with a $9 million mandatory purchase clause that would have been welcomed by Arsenal.
Despite late attempts to charm the Gabon striker — including an exit clause that would have allowed Aubameyang to return to Europe in a year’s time — he was ultimately set on remaining in Europe.
Barcelona entered the fray in the final hours of the window with Xavi having long since identified Aubameyang as his top target. The former Borussia Dortmund striker joins fellow Premier League imports Ferran Torres and Adama Traore to round off a midseason window that has seen the Blaugrana dramatically reshape their attack.
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Aubameyang, who is out of contract in the summer of 2023, has struggled for form since signing a new three-year contract with Arsenal prior to the start of the 2020-21 season, in 43 Premier League games he has scored just 14 goals. In the meantime, Arteta has been using Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah as his center forward options. The former has three Premier League goals this season, the latter none. Both are out of contract at the end of the season.
Arsenal had been attempting to upgrade in that position this month with technical director Edu Gaspar and manager Arteta were open to bringing forward planned summer business to the midseason window. Alexander Isak of Real Sociedad, Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Canada international Jonathan David are all targets. The former has a release clause believed to be priced at $100 million.
The Gunners have also been offered several players on loan this month, including Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic and Mehdi Taremi of Porto, and have been working to upgrade Arteta’s strikeforce before the transfer window closes Monday night. Meanwhile, Arsenal have made one signing, securing the services of Colorado Rapids center back Auston Trusty.
The 23-year-old will remain on loan with the MLS club until July 17. Trusty was named Rapids’ defender of the year for the 2021 season and was called up to the USMNT’s training camp in Arizona earlier this month.
“Auston is coming off an exceptional season in 2021 in which he played a vital role in helping us finish atop the Western Conference for the first time in our history,” Colorado Rapids executive VP and general manager Padraig Smith said. “We remain committed to bringing through the top young players from Colorado and across the United States and to providing them with a platform to flourish, achieve success in MLS and earn the chance to make a move to Europe.
“Auston’s outstanding performances caught the eye of several European clubs over the past 12 months and we are privileged to be part of an organization with the reach and scale of KSE that allows us to help a player of Auston’s potential further his development and career aspirations in Europe.”
The La Liga suggests he feels more Spanish than being a Ghanaian since he was born and raised in Basque
Spanish born midfielder with Ghanaian descent Inaki Williams has insisted that he is still waiting for his chance to play for the Spanish national team despite attempts by Ghana Football Association to change his mind.
The 27-year-old was born in Basque to Ghanaian parents [Maria and Felix] and has lived all his life in Spain.
Although, he has only featured for the Spanish national team once in 2016 against Bosnia and Herzegovina in a friendly game, he is still hopeful of becoming a regular after five years of neglect.
“I’m grateful to where I grew and became who I am. Ghana tried to convince me, but I was born in Spain, in Bilbao. I won’t ever forget my family roots, but I feel Basque and can’t con anyone,” Inaki told Guardian.
“I would be comfortable with Ghana, I’m sure, but I shouldn’t be there …”
“And my mum knows how people love football there: it’s quite something, and she’d be worried about me.
“When my mum’s angry, she swears at us in Ghanaian but we speak Spanish. When my parents came, it was English but we lost that. I could have a conversation in English but it’s not fluent now. When my grandparents call, I speak to them in Twi. I admire and love Ghana, the culture, food, tradition.
“My parents are from Accra and I really enjoy going. But I wasn’t born or raised there, my culture’s here, and there are players for whom it would mean more. I don’t think it would be right to take the place of someone who really deserves to go and who feels Ghana 100%,” he added.
Iñaki Williams was named after a priest Iñaki Mardones who helped his father and mother to settle in Spain upon their arrival in Europe and he shed light on how his parents fled Ghana through the Sahara desert without food and water in search of greener pastures and better life for him and his siblings
“They did part in a truck, one of those with the open back, 40 people packed in, then walked days,” Williams said.
“People fell, left along the way, people they buried. It’s dangerous: there are thieves waiting, rapes, suffering. Some are tricked into it. Traffickers get paid and then halfway say:
“The journey ends here.’ Chuck you out, leave you with nothing: no water, no food. Kids, old people, women. People go not knowing what’s ahead, if they’ll make it. My mum said: ‘If I knew, I would have stayed.’ She was pregnant with Inaki but didn’t know.
“They reached Melilla [Spain’s north African enclave], climbed the fence and the civil guard detained them. They didn’t have papers and came as migrants, so you get sent back.
“When they were in jail a lawyer from [the Catholic aid organisation] Caritas who spoke, English said: ‘The only thing you can try is tell them you’re from a country at war.’ They tore up their Ghanaian papers and said they were from Liberia to apply for political asylum. Thanks to him, we arrived in Bilbao.”
Inaki became a La Liga legend last Friday after he broke the record for most consecutive games in La Liga history when Athletic Bilbao beat Deportivo Alaves 1-0.
That game means that Inaki has played 203 successive matches and has now surpassed the record held by former Real Sociedad defender Juan Larranaga from 1986-1992.
The last time Inaki failed to play. aLa Liga games was on April 17, 2016 which is more than five year ago.
“The doctors and physios say it’s incredible, that it’s impossible for there to be a case like this again, especially playing high-intensity games every three days,” he says.
“Thank my parents for the genes: I don’t know what it is but there’s something inside me.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t played with knocks or pain; I’ve played on medication with injections, moments the manager and the team needs you. And I had two seasons going into the final weeks with four yellows. ‘Buah, if there’s a fifth, that’s a ban.’ But I don’t protest much or kick anyone,” he admits, laughing.
“[But] it wasn’t really until the last week that it was on my mind, when there were three games in seven days to break the record: home, away, home. You’re so close, there’s a risk, you think: ‘Woah, something could happen, I could lose this.’ Until then, you don’t think of it. Destiny is written.”
Inaki’s junior brother Nico Williams, is also currently a player of Athletic Bilbao and the 19-year-old born in Pamplona made his debut for Bilbao this year.
He is also reportedly in the books of Ghana Football Association and could play for the country of his parents unlike his senior brother.
Ghana will play Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers on Saturday at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium and the return leg has been slated for Tuesday in Harare.
Should Ghana qualify to the World Cup, Iñaki may be tempted to rescind his decision and represent Ghana at the international level.
The midfielder played full throttle as they succumbed to a home defeat in La Liga on Sunday
Ghana midfielder Baba Iddrisu played the full duration when Real Mallorca lost 3-2 to Osasuna in La Liga on Sunday.
The midfielder was handed a starting berth by head coach Luis Garcia to partner Salva Sevilla as the two holding midfielders.
Jose Angels gave Osasuna the lead by the ninth minute before D. Rodriguez equalised for Mallorca. Fer Nino shot the hosts into the lead very late in the first half.
After the break, Inigo Perez brought Osasuna level by the 58th minute before Javi Martinez won the game for the visitors two minutes to full time.
Baba Iddrisu had six interceptions in the game including four clearances. Also, he successfully won two tackles and blocked one shot as well as winning 4/6 ground duels and 5/9 aerial duels.
Baba is expected to be named in Ghana’s squad that will play the double header against Zimbabwe in the 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers in October.
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The diminutive midfielder has left the Spanish giants due to financial difficulties the club is facing currently
FC Barcelona have officially announced that their captain Lionel Messi will no longer be at the club due to financial difficulties.
The 33-year-old, who became a free agent this summer following the expiration of his contract, leaves Camp Nou after almost three decades at the club.
✅| OFFICIAL STATEMENT: “Despite having reached an agreement between Barça and Leo Messi and with the clear intention of both parties to sign a new contract today, it will not be possible to formalize due to economic and structural obstacles (Spanish LaLiga regulations),” a club statement read.
“As a result of this situation, Messi shall not be staying on at FC Barcelona. Both parties deeply regret that the wishes of the player and the club will ultimately not be fulfilled.”
“FC Barcelona wholeheartedly expresses its gratitude to the player for his contribution to the aggrandisement of the club and wishes him all the very best for the future in his personal and professional life,” the statement added.
Messi won several awards and trophies with Barcelona including La Liga, Super Coppa, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup.
Messi leaves at a time that Barcelona are undoubtedly struggling to find their feet after failing to win La Liga last season.
The Barca boss has left his post amid ongoing criticism and a looming vote of no confidence
Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has resigned with the entire board also stepping down from their posts.
Bartomeu’s decisions come after several months of criticism in the wake of Barcelona’s 8-2 Champions League elimination to Bayern Munich as well as Lionel Messi’s shocking request to leave the club shortly after.
Although the club was able to keep hold of Messi, with the longtime Barca star staying to avoid having to take the club to court, Bartomeu’s position has been under scrutiny for weeks,.
The president had been due to officially end his tenure next year with elections called for March, but the club’s members called for a vote of no confidence in an effort to get Bartomeu out immediately.
A total of 20,687 votes were gathered for the motion against Bartomeu, passing the threshold of 16,250 signatures required for the vote to go ahead.
The Barca board repeatedly tried to suspend or postpone the vote but, on Monday, local authorities rejected the club’s push to delay the proceedings.
As a result, the vote was set to go ahead in the coming weeks, but will no longer be necessary as Bartomeu and the board step down.
Bartomeu originally joined Barca during Joan Laporta’s presidency, and he ascended to the role himself in January 2014.
He replaced Sandro Rosell, becoming the fortieth President of Barcelona as he signed on to complete the rest of Rosell’s tenure following his resignation.
During his time in charge, Barca won La Liga four times as well as the 2014-15 Champions League, but his tenure will largely be defined by the club’s failings in his final seasons.
Having struggled in the transfer market since Neymar’s departure to join Paris Saint-Germain, Barca finished the 2019-20 season trophyless.
Their 8-2 loss to Bayern only furthered unrest, with Messi’s request to leave proving the final straw for the president.
Messi said in September that Bartomeu “did not keep his word”, with former Barca star Luis Suarez saying that he believes Messi will stay at Barca if a new board arrives.
Bartomeu said on Monday that he believed that Messi could lead Barca to titles this season, admitting that he could not let the Argentine leave for the good of the club.
And now, it is Bartomeu that is leaving, as he ends his time in charge of Barca after nearly seven years.
Barcelona are set to face Juventus on Wednesday in the Champions League.
