I Want To Be A Premier League Legend Like Kanu – Ahmed Musa

Leicester City new boy Ahmed Musa, who joined the Foxes in a club-record £16m this summer, has said that he hopes to emulate the Premier League success of his countryman Nwankwo Kanu. 

The former Arsenal and Portsmouth star played over 400 games in England, scoring bags of goals in a career which saw him become something of a cult hero in North London and throughout the country. 

Musa told The Sun that despite the physical differences between himself and his hero - he stands at just 5'7 compared to the former Gunner's 6'5 frame - he stated that: “I’m going to do whatever it takes to become a legend like Kanu.

“All Nigerian kids want to play here and I believe this is going to be a good league for me. I took advice from my friend Kanu. 

"He told me a lot about England and Leicester and said it would be a good move for me. Kanu won the league and FA Cup twice with Arsenal and the FA Cup again with Portsmouth.

“He’s probably Nigeria’s most famous footballer, ahead of Jay-Jay Okocha and Finidi George.

“I’ve a long way to go to rival their achievements. But I’ve always been used to upsetting the odds. People used to tell me, ‘Musa, you are far too small to be a striker’.

“But I’d always reply, ‘It doesn’t matter what size you are, it’s what you do that matters’.
 The only time that didn’t work out was when I was a goalkeeper! I was a goalie until I was 12. Then I went outfield, which was the best decision of my life because I don’t think I’d have made it anywhere as a keeper.”

Speaking about his move to the Foxes, he said: “I am very happy to be joining now. My target here is to win the league again and I believe we can. I think the secret behind City’s success is everyone is focused and happy with each other.

100,000 Tickets For Olympic Games

Tickets for sold-out sessions and for the Rio 2016 Opening and Closing Ceremonies will be part of a new batch of 100,000 seats for next month’s Olympic Games due to be released on Thursday (July 21), organisers have announced.

Other events which will be included in the batch – the last big amount of tickets to go on sale for the Games – feature medal matches in volleyball, football and basketball, as well as previously unavailable sessions in swimming and tennis. It comes as a result of broadcast plans being finalised, with “some of the seating areas previously set aside for the use of equipment being freed up”.

This had made more tickets available, according to the Organising Committee. It follows a controversial plan where seating at some venues has been reduced as part of wholesale budget cuts. The latest batch will be sold online and in Rio 2016 offices across the city, including at the Maracanã Stadium, which is due to host the Opening Ceremony on August 5. They will also go on sale in cities such as São Paulo, Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Manaus and Salvador.

Messi And Suárez Nominated For UEFA Best Player In Europe Award

Leo Messi and Luis Suárez have been nominated for the UEFA Best Player in Europe Award 2015/16. The winner will be announced on August 25 in Monaco at the Champions League group stage draw.

The list will be reduced to just three names on August 5, with both of the Barça stars very much in the running after their brilliant contributions to the double-winning campaign. Messi has already collected this accolade twice before.

The FCB duo are joined on the shortlist by Gareth Bale, Pepe, Toni Kroos and Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Antoine Griezmann (Atlético Madrid), Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Manuel Neuer and Thomas Müller (Bayern Munich).

The first list of players featured 37 players, including Neymar Jr and Andrés Iniesta, but unfortunately those two have not made it into the final ten. 

Antonio Conte Challenges Eden Hazard To Reach Lionel Messi's Level

Antonio Conte says he can turn Chelsea's top players into Ballon d'Or contenders if they buy into his work ethic.

Conte is determined to restore Eden Hazard to the kind of form which carried Chelsea to the Premier League title in 2015 and earned the Belgium international both big player-of-the-year awards.

And Conte's message to Hazard and his team-mates is clear: 'Follow me, and I can take you to Lionel Messi's level'.

"I think Chelsea have players who can become top, top, top players," said Conte, quoted in several Sunday newspapers. "I think that these players can still improve a lot with work.

"We have players, fantastic players, who have great talent but in this moment the world doesn't think they are the same level as Messi, Luis Suarez, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo or Paul Pogba.

"But I think that in our squad there are players who, with work, can improve a lot and reach this level. I'm sure about this. It's important the players understand this.
"There is the ability to work, to prove and to show that, now I am a top player, but I want to become top, top, top player and I want to stay there.

"This is important. The mentality is important. The heart is important, patience and the will to improve is very important and in this case it's important for the manager to take the best players and try to improve them."

Hazard did not score a league goal last season until April 23, his slump in form the most dramatic individual expression of a decline which saw Chelsea finish 10th - 31 points behind Leicester - and cost Jose Mourinho his job.

"I think last season was bad for all the players," said Conte, whose first friendly match in charge ended in defeat to Rapid Vienna on Saturday. 'It's incredible that Chelsea finished 10th in the table.

"Chelsea's habit is to win the title or to stay until the end of the season fighting to win the title, to play in the Champions League and the last season, it was incredible, not only for Eden Hazard but for other players also.

"We know that when you have great players with great talent like Hazard in the team, the expectations are very high. Also, when the season before you have won the title and Hazard has been named the best player in the league.

"It's important for us to recover Hazard in the best condition: technique, tactical, physical, overall and with the good mentality."

N'Golo Kante Moves To Chelsea From Champions Leicester

Leicester City midfielder N'Golo Kanté joined Premier League rivals Chelsea on a five-year deal on Saturday after turning down a new contract offer from the Foxes.

The 25-year-old departs Leicester for a club-record fee, having played a crucial role in the club's memorable title-winning run last season.

"I am so happy to have signed for one of the biggest clubs in Europe. It's a dream come true for me," Kanté told Chelsea's official website.

"The opportunity to work with Antonio Conte, a brilliant coach, and some of the best players in the world was simply too good to turn down.

"My first season in English football was very special and now I hope to go on to achieve even more during my time as a Chelsea player.

"I am looking forward to meeting up with my new team-mates and helping the club achieve a lot of success."

Kanté made 40 appearances in all competitions for the Foxes last term, bagging one goal and providing four assists.

Leicester, meanwhile, have wished the France international well after he joined the London outfit.

In a statement published on their website, the Foxes said: "Despite the offer of a substantially improved, long-term contract, made before this summer's European Championships, it became apparent after the tournament that N'Golo's wish was to join Chelsea.

"The Club subsequently accepted a Leicester City-record fee on Friday before N'Golo finalised personal terms and completed a medical. 

"Leicester City would like to place on record its sincere thanks to N'Golo for his contribution to the most successful season in the Club's history.

"He departs with the best wishes of everyone at Leicester City."

Boca Juniors Striker Carlos Tevez Turns Down £150,000-A-Week Contract Offer From West Ham

Carlos Tevez has turned down a £150,000 per week offer to return to West Ham.

The Boca Juniors forward will instead sign for another of his former clubs, Corinthians, as he leaves his boyhood side Boca after a dispute with the board.

Champions League finalists Atletico Madrid and another Premier League club also made offers for the veteran striker, according to agent Kia Joorabchian.

"The deal is practically done," admitted Joorabchian.

"We are only lacking the signatures on the contracts for us to be able to say he's a Corinthians player.

"Atletico, two English clubs and Juventus have tried to get him but Carlos wanted Brazil and Corinthians."

The Hammers are understood to be pursuing AC Milan's Carlos Bacca as an alternative up front, and have also shown an interest in Alexandre Lacazette and Christian Benteke.

Mahrez Set To Walk Out On Leicester

Leicester City ace Riyad Mahrez has knocked back a contract extension, according to the Sun. The report says that the midfielder has turned down a new deal, with Arsenal, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain all gunning for the Algerian ace's signature. Claudio Raineri has remained confident the player will stay in public, but Mahrez reportedly wants an opportunity at a bigger club.

Paper Round's view: Losing Mahrez is a massive blow any chance of Leicester picking up where they left off last season. The best they can hope for in a situation like this is that receive a good fee in return and manage to find a half-decent replacement.

But according to reports in France, the PFA Player of the Year has decided he does not want to sign any new contract and is keen to secure a move elsewhere.

The news will come as a huge blow to manager Claudio Ranieri who earlier today suggested he was confident Mahrez was going nowhere.

Ranieri said: “I am very confident he stays. He wants to stay here with us.

“He enjoys it, he is laughing. He is not a man who says ‘oh coach, I want to go.’ No, he is happy.”

However, sources in France suggest the player has now started to look to a future elsewhere in the knowledge he may never have a better chance to join one of Europe’s big-guns.