Looking for Soccer News?

Reported Arsenal target Ruben Neves "has the world at his feet" says Conor Coady, with a Wolves team-mate of the Portuguese midfielder in awe of a man that gets to share the international stage with Cristiano Ronaldo.

It could be those talents are lured away from Molineux this summer, with the 24-year-old having a switch to Emirates Stadium mooted as Mikel Arteta looks to add another creative option.

Such interest comes as no surprise to Wolves captain Coady, with the England international defender a big fan of a player that has become a firm fan favourite across four years in the West Midlands.

What has been said?

Quizzed by Wolves' official website on which team-mate he would like to switch lives with for a day, Coady said: "Ruben Neves. He has everything; he’s a boy wonder. He has the world at his feet, plays for Portugal, plays with Ronaldo – what a man!"

Why are Arsenal being linked with Neves?

Goal learned back in June that Arsenal were interested in Neves. A £35 million deal ($49m) has been discussed, although that asking price has put the Gunners off.

They are mulling over a number of midfield options in the summer transfer window. If Granit Xhaka is to depart, with the Swiss player being heavily linked with Roma, then efforts to get fresh faces on board will be stepped up.

Neves may still form part of that process, with the Portuguese star having acquired a reputation for spectacular goals during his 176 appearances for Wolves.

Further reading

The Football Association of Zambia president Andrew Kamanga is convinced Shepolopolo will show their talent against Brazil in Tuesday's Olympic Games encounter.

Zambia have already played the Netherlands and China and lost against the former, before picking up a point from a dramatic 4-4 draw against their Asian rivals in the second Group F game.

What has been said?

"As the Copper Queens take on Brazil in the final group game on Tuesday, we have no doubt that they will be able to showcase their talent to the rest of the world," Kamanga said as was quoted by Faz media.

"Their chase for a quarterfinal place is still within reach and we will be rooting for them. I implore everyone to keep supporting our women’s team as they fly our flag higher. We have no doubt they will represent the continent well."

The official praised the Copper Queens for how they played the previous games and particularly mentioned captain Barbra Banda, who has set the competition alight with consecutive hat-tricks.

"While any loss in football may be disappointing, we still take our hats off to the Olympic debutants, led by Banda, who has hit headlines with her scoring exploits. Barbara has scored two hat-tricks which have seen her break multiple records," he added.

"She became the first African female footballer to score a hat-trick at the Olympics and improved on that record on Saturday with another that saw her become the first player to score two consecutive hat-tricks at the Olympics.

"The is only other female footballer to score two hat-tricks scored them in two different tournaments. We are proud of her and the entire team that has courageously flown the African flag high. 

"They fought bravely against the Dutch team that is ranked fourth in the world and the Chinese team that stands 15th in the global charts. We have no doubt that arising from this exposure, many of our girls will be spotted by scouts in various top leagues." 

Women's Super League

Kamanga is hopeful the launch of the Women's Super League in Zambia and in the Cosafa region will help strengthen the clubs and players and, in particular, grow women's football. 

"With the structures that we are putting in place, I believe that this experience will be a turning point in the development of the women’s game. We recently launched a Faz Women’s Super League that will help give more talented girls an opportunity to play regular football," the president continued.

"With Cosafa introducing a Women’s Champions League, it opens the doors for our clubs to also showcase their talent beyond our borders. CAF has also lined up an inaugural Women’s Champions League which is in tandem with our hopes of growing our women’s game to higher levels."

Zambia are Africa's sole women's football representatives at the Tokyo Olympics Games.

Cameroon legend Samuel Eto'o gave a snide response to a journalist who had inquired how it felt like to play with Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

The former striker played alongside the Argentina captain at the Spanish outfit, with the latter making his debut when the Central African was already an established player at the club.

In a recent interview, a journalist posed a question to the ex-Indomitable Lion as quoted by the Mirror :  "You talk about Messi, what can [Ansu Fati] learn from Messi? You obviously played with him.

It is at this point the 40-year-old replied sharply, "No. He played with me; it is different. Messi played with me. I did not play with Messi. In my time, Messi played with me. It is totally different. It is totally different."

Eto'o joined Barcelona from Real Mallorca in 2004 after he had played 155 matches for the latter, scoring 67 goals in the process.

Then Barca coach Frank Rijkaard signed him, and he went on to form a formidable team with Brazilian Ronaldinho and Frenchman Ludovic Giuly, with Messi coming in later on.

He played five seasons for the club, playing a total of 199 matches, scoring 130 goals in the process. 

Messi gradually grew and somewhat overshadowed the Cameroonian, who left in 2009 for Inter Milan. There, he played 102 matches, scoring 33 goals, and went on to retire in 2019.

Recently, Eto'o referred to Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo as gods when he was making a remark on PSG and France hotshot Kylian Mbappe.

"Cristiano is another god. Together with Messi, they are the players who mark current football with the highest grades. But another God is coming for when Messi and Cristiano get tired of giving us these joys. That new god will be Kylian Mbappe," he said.

He went on to express his confidence about Messi staying at the Spanish outfit when reports of his exit were rife.

"I can't imagine Leo with another shirt. It is his club, his home, his love. I do not think that his continuity is due to a question of money. Leo is Barcelona and Barcelona is Messi.  

"I know [president Joan] Laporta is preparing a reliable, interesting project for him."

Gilbert Selebwa has hit out at AFC Leopards chairman Dan Shikanda for claims he will give each player at the club a new house if they win the current or next FKF Premier League season.

Shikanda had told Goal in a previous interview all the players in the team’s squad were guaranteed houses in Nairobi should the team end their 22-year wait for the top-flight title this season or the next one.

But according to Selebwa, who has handled AFC on many occasions, the offer by Shikanda does not make sense because the club cannot afford it.

What has been said?

“It was an unrealistic gesture, it is being over-ambitious because nowhere in the world if you look at the European clubs and all that, you have never heard of or you will hear someone saying he will offer players houses if they win the league,” Selebwa told Goal on Monday.

“The only place I saw an offer put on the table was the Uefa Champions League final during the Jose [Mourinho] era at Real Madrid when they were given one million dollars as a bonus, but have never seen anywhere in the world where they are offering such kind of offer like AFC players have been told.

“A normal house in Nairobi should be about Ksh5million so if you have a team of about 40, it means you are talking about Ksh200million, so realistically I don’t think AFC Leopards have the capacity to spend Ksh200m to buy players’ houses, I think it was something that was over-ambitious, I don’t think it was thought through before being put to the open.

“I still maintain, it was an unrealistic offer, what he should have done maybe is to show the players the houses first before putting up the offer because where do you get 40 houses right now, where they are being built? It was just an unrealistic talk and I don’t even know whether the players took it seriously.”

Selebwa has, however, praised Shikada for the job he has done since taking over as club boss, but further challenged him to put long-term plans in place if he wants to succeed with the team.

Shikanda has done a good job

“He [Shikanda] has done well with the team, at some point they were leading [the league table], and at some point, they were title contenders but I think, as usual, the two big clubs, when it comes to matters salaries, then that is where we go wrong," he added.

“Moving forward, I think Shikanda and his team [in office] need to look at how teams in Europe who win league titles operate, or how they usually do their things, what is the long term plan the teams put in place for them to be able to succeed and many more.

“That way, AFC will succeed but talking without action will not help.”

In a recent interview, Shikanda told Goal the house offer will still be in force for the new season.

“The offer to win houses was valid for two years, so they still have another year to get the houses if they win the title next season,” Shikanda told Goal.

“We told the players and the technical bench that the offer we gave them was for two years, so nothing has changed, all they need to do is to work hard and get the title next season, if they win the title, then each player in the squad by then will be guaranteed a house in Nairobi.”

Further FKF Premier League reading 

Ronaldinho has told Lionel Messi that he "must stay" at Barcelona, saying the Argentine superstar is in a position where he can ensure that "nobody will touch" the No 10 shirt at Camp Nou again.

An all-time great has filled that iconic jersey in Catalunya since inheriting it from the Brazilian superstar in 2008.

Two-time World Player of the Year Ronaldinho is delighted to see six-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi raising the bar and wants to see contractual issues ironed out that would allow the 34-year-old to remain.

What has been said?

Barca legend Ronaldinho, who spent five years at Camp Nou at the peak of his powers, told TuttoMercatoWeb: "He must stay, he is the history of Barca. When Messi retires, which I hope will be in a long time, he can leave the No 10 there and nobody will touch it again."

What is the latest on Messi?

One the greatest players ever is currently a free agent. His contract at Barca has expired and no fresh terms have been signed yet.

An offer is on the table with an extended stay agreed, but financial problems at Camp Nou are preventing an official deal from being done.

Costs must be cut in order for Messi to be retained and new signings to be registered. Salary cap demands in Spain mean that Barca can no longer afford to stockpile talent on big wages.

The hope is that more exits will be sanctioned over the coming weeks, allowing Ronald Koeman to open the 2021-22 campaign with his captain on board.

Further reading

Rafa Benitez said he was pleased with Everton's new signings after seeing Demarai Gray and Asmir Begovic star in a Florida Cup shootout win on Sunday.

Everton beat Colombian outfit Millionarios 10-9 on penalties after being held to a 1-1 draw in normal time in Benitez' first game in charge since replacing Carlo Ancelotti in the managerial hot seat.

The Toffees fell behind to a first-half Andres Llinas Montejo effort, but Gray came off the bench to net a 64th-minute equaliser before Begovic stepped up to be the hero in the shootout.

Benitez hails Gray

Benitez reserved some special words of praise for ex-Leicester City winger Gray, who completed a £1.6 million ($2.2m) move to Everton from Bayer Leverkusen last week, but also warned the 25-year-old that he must now prove he can deliver the goods on a consistent basis.

"He’s a player who I followed for a while. He’s a talented player and he needs to be consistent - he knows that," the Spanish boss told the Toffees' official media channel after the game.

"Playing behind the striker is a position I liked to see if he was capable of, like he did, to be fair.

"I’m happy for him because it’s a boost always for a player to score goals and to make a contribution for the team.

"These players need to show this character and consistency - it’s what you need if, at the end of the season, you want be in a better position and a good position."

Begovic's penalty heroics

Begovic joined Everton from Championship outfit Bournemouth on a one-year contract earlier this month, and Benitez is now expecting him to provide competition for first-choice goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

The Bosnian saved two penalties in the Toffees' friendly victory at the weekend before stepping up to score one himself, and could retain his place against Pumas UNAM on Wednesday.

"He’s a keeper with experience. We were looking for this kind of competition for Jordan Pickford so it’s important to have someone with this kind of performance to rival Jordan," said Benitez.

"It’s positive for him and it’s positive for us."

What else did Benitez say?

Benitez has also added former Newcastle winger Andros Townsend to his ranks at Goodison Park, and is confident that he can be a key player for Everton after seeing his qualities up close during his stint in charge at St James' Park.

"He’s someone who I know from my time at Newcastle," he said of the ex-England international, who left Crystal Palace at the end of the 2020-21 season. 

"He’s a player with quality. I was checking his fitness stats, too, and he was one of the best players in the Premier League in terms of work-rate.

"We have a player who can give us something more because he has the desire and he’s in a position that the team needed. I think he can do well for us."

Further reading

David Moyes admits he has "no great update" to offer on West Ham's pursuit of top transfer targets such as Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, but the Hammers boss is prepared to be patient.

With another transfer window now in full swing, efforts by teams around the world to get fresh faces on board are being stepped up.

Moyes is desperate to bolster his ranks ahead of a return to European competition for his side, with a door being left open for former loanee Lingard to return to the London Stadium, but a waiting game is required before another deadline passes on August 31.

What has been said?

Moyes has told reporters when asked about his efforts to get deals over the line: "We need to get more competition, that’s the important thing if we want to keep the standards up.

"But I’ll tell you what we’ve got and that’s a great group of lads.

"I’m really lucky because we’ve got a group of lads who are right on it, foot to the metal all of the time so hopefully we keep that going.

"We’ll find out what we can do in the future but we’ve got no great update at all."

What is the latest on Lingard?

The 28-year-old midfielder has returned to Old Trafford on the back of a productive loan spell with the Hammers.

He missed out on a place in England's squad for Euro 2020, but has been among the goals for United in pre-season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has suggested that there will be a role for him with the Red Devils in 2021-22.

United do, however, have the likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes, Donny van de Beek and Juan Mata competing for creative playmaker posts.

That could lead Lingard to explore options elsewhere, with West Ham ready to welcome him back with open arms if an opportunity to do a permanent deal presents itself.

Further reading

DR Congo striker Edo Kayembe was on target as his team Kas Eupen settled for a 2-2 draw against Club Brugge in a Belgian Jupiler League match played at Jan Breydelstadion on Sunday.

Bas Dost and Charles De Ketelaere scored for the hosts with Kayembe and Julien Ngoy scoring for the visitors.

Being the first game of the season, every team was keen on getting maximum points to ensure they start their campaign well. It explains why the hosts started the game on a high, pushing for an early goal to destabilise the opponents.

However, neither of the two teams managed to get a goal in the first half, since the defenders cleared the danger around the 18-yard area.

The first goal of the match came in the 56th minute when the pressure from the home team paid off as Eupen committed a foul in the danger zone and the referee had no option but to award a penalty.

Dost rose to the occasion, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to give Brugge a deserved lead.

But the lead lasted for only five minutes. The hosts failed to clear the ball from their danger zone, and it eventually fell to the 23-year-old Kayembe, who took his chance well to bring the teams back to level terms. It was a goal that brought new life to the visitors.

After their equalizer, they upped the tempo hoping to get the second goal. In the 77th minute, the Pandas' zeal paid dividends when  21-year-old Boris Lambert spotted the advancing Ngoy, and he precisely set the ball for him to score the second for his team.

It seemed like all was done when the regulation time ended, but the hosts were not going down without a fight. Their never-say-die attitude was rewarded when Noa Lang passed the ball to Ketelaere, and the latter ensured spoils were shared.

As a result, Brugge are sixth on the log with one point, the same as Eupen, who are a position lower.

Al Ahly head coach Pitso Mosimane threatened to storm out of a post-match conference while defending Marwan Mohsen, who has been a subject of online abuse.

Mosimane chose to start Mohsen ahead of Mohamed Sherif and Walter Bwalya against Entag El-Harby on Sunday, even though he has been subjected to criticism.

Bwalya then came on and scored the winner in added time as the African champions recorded a 3-2 victory.

"Do I leave my seat for you to speak?" Mosimane hit back at an interrupting journalist as he defended Mohsen as per KingFut.

"I know that Marwan has been through a lot of difficult times, he wasn’t at his best lately, but today [Sunday] he played well, and football is a team sport.

"I was impressed by Marwan’s spirit and personality on the pitch and for being the first player to support the defence and that is the character we need."

The dramatic victory against Entag El-Harby brought Al Ahly closer to Zamalek at the top of the table and the South African coach lauded his players, describing them as "tough fighters".

"We will fight to win the league title, and many difficult matches await us," he added. "In the league, there are many teams that play purely defensive against us and rely on counter-attacks, which can not be criticised," he said.

"The game was full of mixed emotions, full of goals, and everyone enjoyed watching it.

"The match showed us that everything is possible in football, everything can happen, and the game ends with the referee’s whistle. What happened reminded me of the Arab Contractors clash when we scored three goals in the second half to win 3-2.

"My team has a lot of tough fighters, they give their all during difficult times. I substituted defenders for forwards because we needed to score, and Bwalya deserved to score, he went through a lot."

Al Ahly are second with 55 points, as arch-rivals Zamalek lead with 61 points, although the latter have played two more games.

The Red Devils have only dropped points once in the last five games as they plan to engage Aswan, Wadi Degla, Ceramica Cleopatra and Ismaily in their next league assignments.

Xherdan Shaqiri looks set to depart Liverpool this summer, with Napoli and Lazio among the clubs keen to sign the Switzerland star.

The Serie A duo, Goal understands, have been in touch with the 29-year-old’s representatives following his impressive displays at Euro 2020, and both are keen to do a deal before the end of the summer transfer window.

However, they are likely to face competition from Spain, where Sevilla and Villarreal are among the clubs keen.

Why is Shaqiri leaving Liverpool?

Shaqiri joined Liverpool from Stoke in a £13million ($18m) deal in 2018, and has made 63 appearances for the Reds. 

He was part of the squad which won the Champions League in 2019 and then followed that up with the Premier League title a year later, but has seen his progress at Anfield hampered by a series of injuries.

He managed just three starts in the 2019-20 season and only seven last term, and is eager to move on in search of regular football. 

Liverpool had expected to sell last summer, but saw interest from Germany and Italy fail to develop into concrete offers. Anfield sources, however, anticipate that there is a deal to be done at the right price this time around. Shaqiri still has a guaranteed year left on his contract at Anfield, though the club has the option to extend that until 2023 should they wish. 

Sevilla and Villarreal have enquired about potential loan deals, but been informed that Liverpool would be looking for a sale, while Napoli and Lazio have contacted Shaqiri’s representatives. The player, it is understood, would welcome a move to Italy.

Shaqiri is due to meet up with Liverpool's squad at their pre-season camp in Austria later this week.

What kind of fee would Liverpool want?

The Reds have already raised more than £30m ($41m) in sales this summer, offloading Marko Grujic, Harry Wilson, Taiwo Awoniyi, Kamil Grabara and Liam Millar, and they would be looking to recoup around £15m ($21m) for Shaqiri, given his pedigree.

Reds fans will hope that money is reinvested into the first-team, with a midfielder and a forward required if Jurgen Klopp is to freshen up his squad.

Liverpool are also keen to tie down a number of star players to new contracts, with goalkeeper Alisson Becker, defender Virgil van Dijk and midfielder Fabinho all in line for fresh deals.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are also into the final two years of their contracts, as is captain Jordan Henderson, with who initial discussions have proven fruitless so far. 

Liverpool are aware of the need to bring in younger players in order to ensure the team continues to evolve while remaining competitive, but as yet have only brought in one senior signing this summer, the 22-year-old central defender Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig.

Further reading

Victor Wanyama’s CF Montreal recorded a 2-1 defeat to New England Revolution in Sunday’s Major League Soccer outing.

A double from Argentine Gustavo Bou, in the 29th and 73rd minute, was enough to hand Wanyama’s side a second straight defeat in the top-flight despite Djordje Mihailovic pulling a goal back in the 79th minute.

The 30-year-old captained the side at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, but it was Bou who opened the scoring after his shot from 25-yards out beat Montreal keeper James Pantemis as it hit the crossbar before rolling into an empty net.

Montreal then tried to level matters as Wanyama was involved in their best chance of the first half, the Kenyan international teeing up Đorde Mihailovic, but the American forward shot wide from a scoring position.

New England, who were missing three important players — Matt Turner, Henry Kessler, and Tajon Buchanan– had to wait until the second half to double their lead as Bou completed his double with a fine finish to the right corner of the net.

Montreal then reduced the deficit courtesy of Mihailovic but despite applying more pressure for a draw, they did not succeed as New England stayed tight at the back to run away with maximum points.

Meanwhile, Uganda midfielder Mustafa Kiiza featured in the game as a second-half substitute.

Speaking after the game, Montreal coach Wilfried Nancy blamed the defeat on his team’s failure to use the chances they created.

“I think we played a very good game. We had a lot of chances, but we didn't know how to put them,” Nancy told the club’s official website.

“We were in trouble for a while, but we were able to bounce back. We had a good match against the first team of our association. You have to look at the good things that we have done and look for the next games.

“We have not given up. We felt we were close to getting back into the game.”

On his part, Montreal defender Rudy Camacho said: “We are always disappointed after a loss. It was not an easy game. We made a few more mistakes and could have done better on some occasions.

“We could have had a better result against one of the best teams in the East. They have two or three key players who can make a difference. We are still on the right track.”

Montreal will next face Inter Miami on Sunday.

Marco Reus thinks Borussia Dortmund have the squad to become Bundesliga champions in 2021-22.

Dortmund haven't won the league title in Germany since their 2011-12 success under Jurgen Klopp, finishing runners' up on five occasions to Bayern Munich who  have clinched the crown in each of the last nine seasons.

Dortmund had to make do with a fourth-place finish last term, but did manage to go all the way in the DFB-Pokal and Reus is optimistic that they can pick up even more silverware in the upcoming campaign.

What has been said?

Reus told a press conference at Dortmund's pre-season training camp in Switzerland: "We have the squad to become German champions, to win the cup and to advance in the Champions League.

"A lot has to come together, but the potential is there. We have to show it over the course of a season. You also need luck in certain games, you work for that with passion, with heart - what the fans want to see."

Reus praises Rose

Former Borussia Monchengladbach boss Marco Rose replaced Edin Terzic in the Westfalenstadion hot seat earlier this summer, and Reus is confident that he is the right man to usher in a new era of success.

The 32-year-old has been impressed by Rose's approach on the training ground, saying: "It's great fun with him and his team. We hope that we can soon show the things he teaches us on the pitch. We are on the right track, because the training is very good. This is how preparation should be: very exhausting, we learn a lot of new things."

Reus on Haaland's flamboyant style

Reus also spoke about the style choices star striker Erling Haaland makes away from the pitch, with Dortmund posting a picture of the Norwegian in an eye-catching flamingo-themed tracksuit on social media over the weekend.

"You have to address that, I think, but somehow it also suits him. He's just a good guy," Reus said of his team-mate. "If he continues to perform like this, he can wear whatever he wants - or nothing at all. I don't care either way."

Further reading 

Manchester City outcast Pedro Porro has claimed that he's never spoken to Pep Guardiola, while hinting that he is on the verge of completing a permanent move to Sporting CP.

City forked out £11 million ($15m) to bring Porro to Etihad Stadium from Girona in 2019, and immediately sent him out on loan to Real Valladolid to continue his development.

The 21-year-old returned to Manchester last summer after struggling for regular minutes at Valladolid, with Sporting subsequently snapping him up on a two-year loan deal, and the Portuguese club now look set to buy the right-back outright.

What's been said?

Porro signed a five-year contract upon his initial arrival at City, but has yet to see a single minute of competitive action for the club.

The Spain international says he hasn't had any contact with Guardiola during his time on the Manchester outfit's books, and has even suggested that the head coach remains unaware of his presence.

"No, I've never talked to Pep Guardiola. I don't think he even knows they hired me (laughs)," Porro said during an interview with Portuguese publication A Bola.

"But they must be aware of what I've been doing."

Will Porro leave City this summer?

Goal reported in April that Sporting were planning to trigger the €8.5 million buy-out clause in Porro's contract.

The Primeira Liga champions are being tipped to tie the defender down to a permanent four-year deal in the coming days, and he gave a clear indication that the switch from City is imminent when quizzed on his future.

"I can't say anything, what I can tell you is that next [this] week there could be something big," said Porro.

Porro's record at Sporting

Sporting are eager to sign Porro after seeing him play a key role in their run to the league title last season.

The City loanee recorded three goals and three assists in 30 Primeira Liga appearances for Ruben Amorim's side, who ended up finished eight points clear of second-placed Porto.

Porro also won the best defender of the month awards in Portugal for November, December and January, and scored the winning goal in Sporting's Allianz Cup final win against Braga.

Further reading

Football Kenya Federation Premier League side Tusker FC are hopeful of signing Gor Mahia's Charles Momanyi and Elvis Rupia of AFC Leopards, Goal understands.

Momanyi's contract with Gor Mahia is expected to end when the current season concludes and he has attracted interest from the Brewers, who are hopeful of signing the former Kakamega Homeboyz centre-back.

When coach Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto left Gor Mahia, he inadvertently revealed that Momanyi was set to leave the club and his destination could be Ruaraka.

Rupia, who has scored 14 goals for AFC Leopards in the Premier League, has been a subject of transfer speculation as his contract with Ingwe is thought to expire at the end of the month.

"Tusker are hopeful Momanyi and Rupia are going to sign for them," a source close to the club told Goal.

"Tusker has made their intentions of beginning talks with them known and since Momanyi's contract with Gor Mahia is over, the club wants to conclude talks with him before setting focus on Rupia.

"A strengthened squad is the priority of everyone at the club and the fact that we will have so much on our roaster next season demands that we bring on board experienced players."

Momanyi prominently featured for Gor Mahia in the Caf Champions League and in the Confederation Cup since he joined the club in December 2017.

Rupia, on the other hand, is an experienced campaigner domestically having played for Nzoia Sugar, Power Dynamos of Zambia, Wazito FC, and now AFC Leopards.

Recently, former AFC Leopards organising secretary Timothy Lilumbi urged coach Robert Matano to sign experienced stars in order to compete well in the Champions League next season.

"Matano will have to get experienced players because Caf competitions are entirely different competitions," Lilumbi said.

"There is a different way of approaching these matches and they have to get some experience because the matches will be different from what they have been getting from the likes of Kariobangi Sharks and AFC Leopards.

"One must have the mental strength and I have experienced this because I have been there and seen so many things when I was at AFC Leopards."

The Ruaraka club has not yet confirmed a new signings so far.

Kenya international Joseph Okumu was left a disappointed man after KAA Gent suffered a 2-1 defeat against Sint-Truidense VV in their opening match of the Belgian Pro League season on Sunday.

The towering Harambee Star joined the Belgian outfit from Sweden side IF Elfsborg but he was yet to feature for the team despite their involvement in the Europa Conference League last Thursday.

But on Sunday, Okumu was handed his debut and despite Gent taking an early lead courtesy of Andreas Hanche-Olsen in the second minute, they were beaten in the away fixture as goals from Ilombe Mboyo in the 12th minute and Christian Bruls in the 67th minute lifted the home side to an opening win.

Okumu, who featured for the entire 90 minutes, has admitted it was not the kind of debut he was looking for but said the team will strive to do better in their next assignment.

“A debut that I would have liked to see ended differently," Okumu told the club’s official website.

“We started well but made mistakes too easily when we conceded the first goal. In the second half, we took the game to our side, but we were unable to reverse that end result.

“What can you conclude then? It was a disappointing game, but we should not magnify this result. It is only matchday 1 and crazy things often happen in opening games. This doesn't have to be a sign of our season; it's much too early for that. Let us show what we stand for in the next games.”

On whether he had difficulties playing in artificial grass, Okumu said: “I'm not going to put it on the field if that's what you mean. In Sweden, we mostly played on artificial grass, so that's just me. I still have to get used to the pace of the game, but competitions are the best school for that.”

On his part, goal scorer Hanche-Olsen believes they deserved to get a penalty in the fixture after Caufriez's handball in the closing stages was not penalised.

“I thought that was a penalty”, Hanche-Olsen told the same portal. 

“Bayo headed and the ball clearly landed on Caufriez's hand. But we can't change it anymore so from now on we have to focus on the next game. Today [Sunday] - compared to Thursday against Valerenga - we were just not dominant enough.

“But I would rather have won. We knew of course that today was not going to be easy, although we had started well. But that goal was far too easy.

“We created some chances in the second half, but it wasn't good enough. This was indeed not an achievement you should expect from us. But we shouldn't panic either. We still have plenty of games to put this right.”

Gent will next face K Beerschot VA at Ghelamco Arena on Sunday.

Ismael Tajouri-Shradi continued with his fine run of form in Major League Soccer after he scored in New York City FC’s 5-0 thumping of Orlando City SC at Yankee Stadium on Sunday.

It was New York City who seized control of the game from the onset but they had to wait until the 40th minute to break the deadlock when Jesus Medina put them ahead, before Tajouri-Shradi made it 2-0 in the 53rd minute.

Maximiliano Moralez then made it 3-0 in the 65th minute, before Malte Amundsen added the fourth in the 79th minute and Valentin Castellanos sealed the emphatic victory in the 82nd minute.

Going into the game, New York City were missing four key players - Brazilian forward Heber, who is out with a knee injury, his compatriot Talles Magno, who was nursing a knee complaint, and James Sands and Sean Johnson, who were sidelined owing international duty with the United States men’s national team.

The absence of the aforementioned players forced coach Ronny Deila to make two changes to the team that overcame CF Montreal in their last assignment, introducing Keaton Parks and Malte Amundsen in place of Nicolas Acevedo and Gudi Thorarinsson.

After a good start, New York City were, however, forced to wait until the 40th minute when Medina powered the ball to the roof of the net after a clever pass from Castellanos.

After half-time, New York City continued to raid Orlando and it was the turn of Tajouri-Shradi to find the back of the net, his fifth goal of the current campaign.

The 27-year-old Libyan international, who was voted in the MLS team of the week three days ago after his goal enabled New York City to edge out Montreal 1-0, rifled home the second goal after exchanging passes with Rodrigo Schlegel and he was immediately substituted in place of Thiago Andrade.

The third goal arrived after Thiago played through Castellanos in behind the Orlando defence before he squared it to Moralez in the middle, who turned to hit the back of the net.

New York City were 4-0 up courtesy of Amundsen after another quick counter-attack saw Moralez set him up and the home team wrapped up the huge win as Castellanos also made sure he was among the goals when he scored from a rebound after Moralez’s shot was punched back into play by the keeper.

New York City will next face Columbus Crew at Yankee Stadium on Friday.

Thomas Tuchel is giving everyone an opportunity to impress at Chelsea but, with the likes of Tammy Abraham and Danny Drinkwater generating exit talk, concedes that certain members of his squad "want to maybe leave".

The Blues secured a top-four finish in the Premier League and savoured Champions League glory last season, with a German tactician drafted in midway through the 2020-21 campaign making an immediate impact.

Tuchel is now casting an eye over bloated ranks that have welcomed back an army of loan stars, with some big decisions needing to be made on who stays and who goes before the summer transfer window closes on August 31.

What has been said?

Tuchel has told the Blues' official website on having loanees back and senior stars that have been short on regular game time: "I have never had that before. 

"That was new, I was not scared about it, but I was curious to see how the mentality is because don't forget, some of them leave their families behind, some of them want to stay in their loan clubs, some of them have not that possibility.

"Some of them have done two or three pre-seasons here already. Some of them want to look absolutely for the chance to stay, some of them want to maybe leave. They're humans, they're not robots and that's why we have to accept it's not the easiest situation also for them.

"But what I’ve experienced every day is the complete opposite – it’s a very positive group, hardworking, full of desire to learn, hungry in every training session and ready to go.

"It's such a good mix with the five or six guys who were with us here in the last half-a-year. I'm absolutely happy because it's so much easier than I thought, it's so easy and so nice to be the coach of these guys. There are possibilities for all of us and this group deserves our full attention, and they get it.

"I don't judge on where you come from or what your history is, or what you earn or what your status is. I'm in charge of this group so they get my 100 per cent. I give my everything, they give it back, they make me smile, I give even more, that makes them smile, they give even more.

"You try every year to create a certain atmosphere where everybody is happy to come, everybody feels valued, everybody feels confident but everybody knows at the same time what is expected from them and then you have to live up to your talent.

"These guys are full of talent and now it's on us to push them to their highest level possible. Then we will decide is this in the moment good enough for us, does this help us, is it better for the player to go on loan or get sold. This comes as the last step in this give and take."

Who have Chelsea already parted with?

A number of exits have already been sanctioned at Stamford Bridge, with more seemingly on the cards.

Among those to have been offloaded are Fikayo Tomori and Olivier Giroud, with an England international defender and a World Cup-winning striker now tied to Serie A giants AC Milan on a permanent basis.

A steady stream of talented youngsters have also been departing for pastures new, with Marc Guehi, Lewis Bate and Myles Peart-Harris linking up with Crystal Palace, Leeds and Crystal Palace respectively.

Victor Moses is another to have departed west London, with the Nigeria international staying on at Spartak Moscow, while loan spells at Norwich and Hull City have been sanctioned for Billy Gilmour and Nathan Baxter.

There are more deals to be done, with Abraham generating plenty of speculation, Drinkwater, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Davide Zappacosta and Michy Batshuayi still some way down the pecking order while Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ross Barkley spent last season elsewhere.

Further reading

Gor Mahia will be keen to bounce back to winning ways when they take on Ulinzi Stars in an FKF Premier League match on Monday.

K’Ogalo have already conceded top-flight title and will be going flat out to steady their ship as they have not won in their last five matches, losing thrice and drawing twice.

Coach Sammy Omollo will also be searching for his first win since taking over on an interim basis following the exit of Portuguese tactician Carlos Manuel Vaz Pinto two weeks ago.

TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch

In Kenya, the game will be LIVE on TV.

Squads & Team News

Ulinzi Stars coach Benjamin Nyangweso also challenged his players to bounce back to winning ways in the home fixture.

“We played well against KCB [in our last game] but we came out empty-handed so I have asked my players to respond with a win against Gor Mahia,” Nyangweso told Goal.

Probable XI Ulinzi Stars: Saruni (GK), Birgen, Mwale, Omondi, Khasambuli, Onyango, Clinton Omondi, Kago, Khandoro, Shambi, Masuta.

Coach Omollo has admitted his side his lacking consistency in their matches and has promised to work with what he has to turn the results around.

“We have lacked consistency in the last six matches because we have been rotating a lot. That usually destroys the balance of the team but we have to work with the situation we find ourselves in,” Omollo said ahead of the game.

“We also need to score more because we have scored only three goals in five games. We need to be sharper in attack, be calmer and composed and try to get ourselves in the game. If we can defend better and score more, I don’t see a reason why we should not finish the season strongly.”

Probable XI for Gor Mahia: Mathews, P. Otieno, Ochieng, Shakava, Momanyi, Wendo, Onyango, Nikiema, Ulimwengu, Macharia, Miheso.

Match Preview

Both teams suffered defeat in their last outings – Ulinzi Stars going down 2-1 against KCB while Gor Mahia lost 2-1 against Kariobangi Sharks.

In the first round meeting, Gor emerged winners after registering a 1-0 win while last season, the first-round meeting ended in a 0-0 draw before the second round tie was cancelled owing to the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

In the last six matches between the two sides, Ulinzi Stars have only managed a single win against K’Ogalo while the outgoing champions have picked up three wins against the Soldiers, with two matches ending in draws.

Gor Mahia are currently placed eighth on the 18-team table with 40 points from 25 matches while Ulinzi are 10th with 34 points from 26 matches.