NORTH CAROLINA – Di saat Arsenal sedang melalukan sesi latihan untuk mempersiapkan diri sebelum tampil di tur pramusim 2019-2020, ada kejadian unik yang terjadi. Hal unik tersebut adalah ketika Mesut Ozil tiba di sesi latihan dengan tampilan yang sangat berbeda.
Tepatnya Ozil mengubah warna rambutnya menjadi pirang, yang mana bukanlah sesuatu hal yang sering diperlihatkan pemain asal Jerman tersebut. Secara tiba-tiba Ozil mengubah warna rambutnya di pertengahan musim ini.
Akan tetapi, ternyata ada alasan yang kuat kenapa Ozil sampai rela mewarnai rambutnya menjadi pirang seperti itu. Jadi, menurut pernyataan dari Ozil sendiri, ia mengubah warna rambutnya karena kalah tahun dengan Alexander Lacazette.
Jadi, Ozil melakukan taruhan tentang siapa yang terlebih dahulu mengenai mistar gawanng dengan beberapa pemain Arsneal, seperti Alexandre Lacazette, Shkodran Mustafi, dan Sead Kolasinac. Dari taruhan tersebut, ternyata Lacazette adalah pemenangannya karena bisa mengenai mistar gawang.
Chelsea youngster Ethan Ampadu has this evening been spotted in Germany, ahead of a potential loan switch to Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig.
Chelsea prodigy
Ampadu, an 18-year-old central-defender who can also play in a defensive midfield role, came up through the youth ranks of Exeter City, before making the move to Chelsea in 2017.
And the young stopper has since gone on to establish himself as one of the most highly-regarded starlets on the books of the Blues.
Despite his tender years, Ampadu emerged as a regular member of Chelsea’s first-team squad last season, going on to notch a none-too-shabby 8 appearances across all competitions.
In addition, the gifted teen has already racked up 8 caps for Wales.
‘In the interest of Ethan and Chelsea’
With the likes of David Luiz, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen all ahead of him in the central-defensive pecking order at Stamford Bridge, however, the path to a starting berth week-in, week-out, looks a tough one to navigate for Ampadu at present.
Ethan Ampadu during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Chelsea and Nottingham Forest.
As such, when the Welshman was omitted from Chelsea’s pre-season squad that flew to Japan earlier this week, Blues’ boss Frank Lampard was quickly questioned on his plans for Ampadu for the coming season.
And Lampard went on to admit that the club intend to loan the prodigious teen out:
‘We are looking at the possibility of Ethan going on loan for the season.’
‘I tried to sign Ethan on loan at Derby last year so I’m a big fan, but with the minutes he played last year, in the interest of Ethan and of Chelsea, the idea he can play a lot of games somewhere could be good for him. That’s not done yet, but we haven’t brought him here while that’s up in the air.’
‘I really wanted to work with Ethan this year. That’s a slight disappointment, but it’s to benefit him. In midfield and defence we have a lot of quality, so each player is a case by case.’
Leipzig bound?
Aston Villa were previously viewed as the front-runners to clinch Ampadu’s signature on a temporary basis, but, as per the aforementioned updates spreading across social media this evening, the versatile Chelsea man could in fact be set for a surprise move to the Bundesliga.
This comes after Ampadu was photographed in the city of Leipzig.
This has since led to inevitable speculation that the youngster will spend the 2019/20 campaign with RB Leipzig.
KUALA LUMPUR: Selain penyediaan makanan halal, isu kesesakan lalu lintas yang teruk di Manila, juga menjadi kebimbangan kontinjen Malaysia yang akan bertanding di Sukan SEA 2019 nanti.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif Institut Sukan Negara (ISN) Ahmad Faedzal Md Ramli berkata, perkara tersebut merupakan antara perkara yang akan dibangkitkan pada mesyuarat ketiga, bersama Penganjur Sukan SEA Filipina (PHISGOC) Oktober depan.
“Kita bimbang kesesakan itu akan menjejaskan kelancaran pergerakan atlet ke venue pertandingan, memandangkan terdapat perubahan drastik di mana 21 acara akan dipertandingkan di bandar itu, berbanding hanya dua acara saja pada awalnya.
“Banyak kemungkinan akan berlaku, kerana ketika berlangsungnya temasya tersebut (November), ia sudah menghampiri musim perayaan Krismas dan dijangka bandar Manila akan sibuk dan sesak,” katanya selepas majlis menandatangani perjanjian persefahaman (MoU), antara UPSI dan Universal Fitness and Leisure Sdn Bhd ( UFL) di sini pada Khamis.
Mengulas lanjut, Ahmad Faedzal berkata, PHISGOC turut memberi jaminan perkampungan sukan di Clark akan siap sepenuhnya menjelang 31 Ogos ini.
“Itu jaminan yang diberikan dan pada masa sama, PHISGOC memang perlu memastikan perkampungan sukan itu siap sepenuhnya pada 31 Ogos depan. Malah, semasa kunjungan yang dilakukan awal bulan ini juga, kami diberitahu dan melihat sendiri lebih 8,000 pekerja sedang bertungkus lumus menyiapkan tempat tersebut,” katanya.
Pada 1-7 Julai, Ketua kontinjen Malaysia ke Sukan SEA 2019, Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin bersama dua timbalannya, Ahmad Faedzal dan Nurul Huda Abdullah menghadiri mesyuarat kedua dengan PHISGOC, bagi membincangkan progres persediaan Filipina dalam menganjurkan kejohanan dwitahunan tersebut.
Sebanyak 15 sukan akan dipertandingkan di Subic manakala 19 sukan bakal dilangsungkan di Clark manakala 21 di Manila dan sembilan lagi di Luzon dan lain-lain tempat.
TURIN – Ajax Amsterdam telah kehilangan salah satu pemain penting mereka di bursa transfer musim panas 2019. Pemain yang dimaksud itu adalah Matthijs de Ligt yang telah memilih untuk melanjutkan kariernya di Liga Italia bersama Juventus.
Kepergian De Ligt jelas bakal membuat lini pertahanan Ajax berlubang. Pasalnya pemain asal Belanda itu adalah salah satu bek andalan mereka selama beberapa musim ke belakang. Namun, tampaknya Ajax telah menerima dan siap kehilangan bek tengah berusia 19 tahun tersebut.
Ajax bahkan telah menyampaikan salam perpisahan kepada De Ligt melalui laman resmi klub berjuluk de Amsterdammers itu. Menariknya, Ajax pun memberikan beberapa artikel yang mengungkapkan rahasia-rahasia yang dimiliki De Ligt yang tak banyak diketahui orang.
Salah satu rahasia yang menarik dari artikel di laman resmi Ajax itu adalah ternyata De Ligt dulunya tak bercita-cita sebagai bek. Ia justru lebih menyukai posisi penyerang. Sebab itu, De Ligt mengaku banyak mengoleksi jersey pemain depan seperti rekan barunya di Juventus, Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, dan beberapa penyerang lainnya.
A number of reports across the European media tonight confirm that Arsenal have finally clinched an agreement for Saint-Etienne starlet William Saliba.
Saint-Etienne standout
Saliba, an 18-year-old centre-half, broke into the first-team ranks at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard for the first time this past season.
The imposing stopper, who stands at 6ft 4in tall, went on to make 19 appearances across all competitions, impressing onlookers across Europe with his combination of stature and poise.
Saliba has also been capped by France at every level up to U19, with his performances at the heart of Saint-Etienne’s backline throughout the campaign having seen the teen establish himself as one of the most highly-regarded young players in Ligue 1.
Jose Mourinho, meanwhile, recently had the following to say about Saliba:
‘I think he has everything needed to become a good player, much like Kurt Zouma, who I signed.’
Gaitan Laborde vies with William Saliba during the match between Saint-Etienne and Montpellier. (Photo by JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK / AFP)
Arsenal interest
As such, the potential showcased by the stopper to this point in his fledgling career unsurprisingly saw Saliba added to the respective wishlists of a number of clubs around Europe.
A report from Charles Watts of Goal.com in May revealed that two of the outfits interested in the Saint-Etienne starlet were Premier League giants Arsenal and Manchester United.
Unai Emery’s Gunners, though, had long been said to be particularly keen.
In fact, Saliba was reportedly identified as the north Londoners’ ‘top’ transfer target this summer.
Emirates bound
Reports emanating from France early last month confirmed that Arsenal were making serious inroads in their pursuit of the stopper, with the personal terms of a contract said to have been agreed between the parties.
And, despite a scare courtesy of north London rivals Tottenham last week, the Gunners had nevertheless long-been viewed as clear front-runners to eventually secure a deal for Saliba.
As such, reports quickly spreading across the European media tonight that Arsenal have finally sealed a deal for the stopper have come as little surprise.
In news that was first announced by Mohamed Bouhafsi of RMC Sport, and has since been backed by the reliable Fabrizio Romano, the capital giants and Saint-Etienne have reached a full agreement over Saliba’s transfer.
Arsenal will fork over 29 million Euro, including bonuses, to the Ligue 1 outfit.
Saliba is expected to put pen-to-paper on a 5-year deal at the Emirates, with the Frenchman’s will having proven crucial in negotiations.
The deal will then finally be made official next Tuesday.
KUALA LUMPUR: There were no shortcuts in Mohammed ‘Jordan Boy’ Mahmoud’s training camp ahead of his Muay Thai clash against Saiful ‘The Vampire’ Merican.
Before his bout with “The Vampire,” the 23-year-old martial artist knew that his stamina was the sole thing missing from his skill set. Fearing it could cost him another win, the athlete took it upon himself to search for a new gym to work on his conditioning.
It did pay off for the Kedah native, as he registered a unanimous decision win over his compatriot at ONE: Masters Of Destiny on Friday, 12 July.
“For this match, I prepared at two gyms,” Mohammed pointed out. “One was at my regular gym in Sampuri Muay Thai Gym Ampang, while the other was at Selendang Kuning Muay Thai Studio in Bukit Jalil.”
Mohammed faced some new challenges while training at two separate gyms.
“I knew my stamina was lacking, and I needed another way to go about it. My coach agreed, and he worked on a lot of strength and conditioning techniques, which helped in my fight. It was something new to me, and not the usual jogging or running.”
Back in December, the “art of eight limbs” practitioner stunned his Malaysian supporters in his debut when he dropped Stergos “Greek Dynamite” Mikkios to the canvas in the opening round.
It was a different tale a month later, though, as “Jordan Boy” suffered a TKO defeat at the hands of Hiroaki Suzuki. Two more losses followed, but it was clear that with a better gas tank, Mohammed was going to be a dangerous opponent.
“Round three was where I believe it showed my true advantage [my stamina] over Saiful Merican,” he explained. “I had a lot left in my tank, and even if it went on for another round, I’m confident I would have come out of my corner with the same energy.”
With his 32nd career win under his belt and some new-found stamina, Mohammed’s confidence is starting to grow.
Will this win be the start of many more to come for the talented Mohammed at The Home of Martial Arts?
KUALA LUMPUR – Pelatih Tim Nasional (Timnas) Indonesia, Simon McMenemy, hadir dalam pengundian babak kedua Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2022 zona Asia yang berlangsung di AFC House, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia pada Rabu 17 Juli 2019. Setelah tahu Indonesia tergabung bersama sejumlah negara Asia Tenggara, pelatih asal Skotlandia itu berharap Skuad Garuda dapat meraih hasil positif.
“Mudah-mudahkan kami bisa dapatkan hasil positif,” kata Simon mengutip dari laman resmi PSSI, Kamis (18/7/2019).
Dalam pengundian tersebut, Timnas Indonesia yang ditempatkan di pot kelima, tergabung di Grup G bersama Uni Emirat (UEA), serta tiga negara Asia Tenggara yakni Vietnam, Thailand dan Malaysia. Nantinya, hanya juara grup yang otomatis lolos ke babak ketiga atau fase penentuan di Kualifikasi Piala Dunia 2022 zona Asia.
Sementara itu, dari delapan grup yang ada, hanya empat runner-up terbaik yang berhak mengikuti jejak juara grup untuk mentas di babak ketiga. Melihat calon lawan di atas, Indonesia memiliki peluang yang cukup besar untuk melaju ke babak selanjutnya.
