Arsenal in talks with Partey over new deal as Jorginho and Sterling depart
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal is in talks with Thomas Partey to extend the midfielder's contract, the club said Wednesday, while confirming the departure of a slew of other players including Jorginho and Raheem Sterling.
Partey's contract is due to expire on June 30 and Arsenal said 'discussions are on going.'
The Ghana international has been with Arsenal since 2020.
Italy midfielder Jorginho, Scotland left back Kieran Tierney, Brazilian goalkeeper Neto and Sterling — at one stage a key player for England — are among those confirmed to be leaving Arsenal. Sterling was only on a season-long loan from Chelsea.
Arsenal has just finished second in the Premier League for the third straight season.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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Hamilton Spectator
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Action! Derrick Henry can parlay a 2,000-yard rushing season into a movie cameo with Adam Sandler
BALTIMORE (AP) — 'King Henry' finally has the attention of 'The Waterboy.' Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry has an offer from Adam Sandler, his favorite actor, to be cast in a movie if the five-time Pro Bowl selection rushes for 2,000 yards this season. The offer grew out of Henry's appearance on radio personality Dan Patrick's show this week to discuss his $30 million, two-year contract extension. Patrick told Henry he would get him in a Sandler movie if he made NFL history with a second 2,000-yard season. Two days later, Sandler made the offer himself in a video shown to Henry on the practice field. 'That's my dawg,' a wide-smiling Henry said while watching the video. Sandler, star of 'Happy Gilmore' and the remake of 'The Longest Yard' along with 'The Waterboy,' said he was in a hotel room while filming his greeting for Henry. At one point, Sandler turned the camera to show his bulldog. 'Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we'll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick's facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it,' Sandler joked in a video posted Friday. 'I love ya and keep it up.' Sandler came up during Patrick's interview with Henry because Patrick was hearing a hoodie for the soon-to-be-released 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Sandler had given Patrick the hoodie. 'Can you do me a favor?' Henry asked Patrick. 'If you ever see him again, tell him I'm a really big fan and would really love to meet him one day.' Patrick left Sandler a voice message — and Sandler responded. 'Dan you're a real one!' Henry later wrote on social media. Henry rushed for 2,027 yards with Tennessee in 2020, when he was an All-Pro and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the fifth of his eight seasons with the Titans. Henry nearly did it again as a 30-year-old in a resurgence with the Ravens last season, when he ran for 1,921 yards. Saquon Barkley of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles led the NFL with 2,005 yards. ___ AP NFL:
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Petrobras targets Africa for oil exploration region outside Brazil
Petrobras, the Brazilian state-run oil company, is setting its sights on Africa as its primary region for oil exploration activities outside its home country, reported Reuters, citing the company's CEO Magda Chambriard. She detailed the strategic intent to expand the company's presence in Africa, highlighting the welcoming approach from the Ivory Coast and interest from other African nations. The Ivory Coast has recently paved the way for Petrobras by offering priority access to nine exploratory offshore blocks. This gesture, described by Chambriard as rolling out the "red carpet", signifies a significant opportunity for the company to delve into deep and ultra-deep waters. Chambriard said: "We are experts in the eastern margin of Brazil. The correlation between Brazil and Africa is unequivocal, so we need to go to Africa." Nigeria, Angola and Namibia have also shown eagerness to collaborate with Petrobras, further cementing Africa's role in the company's global strategy. Petrobras' growing interest in international oil assets, particularly in Africa, comes as the company aims to augment its reserves amid environmental permit delays for new drilling projects off the coast of the Amazon rainforest. Moreover, Petrobras is looking to participate in an oil block auction in India in July as part of its broader exploratory ambitions. Under past leadership, Petrobras concentrated on Brazil's pre-salt fields, which are known for their high productivity. Now, Chambriard is tasked with balancing the economic aspirations of President Luiz Inacio Lula with the necessity of delivering investor returns and navigating the complexities of a global market with lower oil prices. Despite challenges in obtaining environmental permits for drilling in the Amazon's Foz do Amazonas region, Chambriard is optimistic about clearing the final hurdle for a permit by the second half of July. Petrobras has already initiated its plans in Africa, acquiring stakes in offshore oilfields in South Africa and São Tomé and Príncipe in 2023 and early 2024, respectively, with drilling expected to commence this year. Although Petrobras faced a setback when outbid by TotalEnergies for a share in Galp Energia's Mopane field discovery off Namibia's coast, Chambriard remains hopeful for future opportunities, stating: "We hope to be invited" to develop the field. "Petrobras targets Africa for oil exploration region outside Brazil" was originally created and published by Investment Monitor, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Jean-Clair Todibo is here to stay at West Ham – expect more front-foot defending
Jean-Clair Todibo stood forlornly, then gazed towards the technical area as he removed the white taping from his wrist. Moments earlier, he had grimaced in the direction of the West Ham United bench, having felt pain in his lower leg. The 25-year-old defender was consoled by team-mates but headed towards the tunnel knowing another spell on the sidelines awaited him. Advertisement It came during a chastening 4-1 away defeat against Manchester City on the first weekend in January. He had aggravated a previous calf problem and would be out this time for nearly six weeks. Todibo showed glimpses of his quality following his arrival on a season-long loan from French side Nice in August, a deal which carried an obligation to buy. But following the news that West Ham have now completed the signing of the centre-back on a five-year contract for £32.9million (€39m; $44.4m), doubts over his fitness linger. Todibo, who won two caps for France in 2023, made 27 Premier League appearances last season, 20 of them starts, but was substituted off on 11 occasions. Following Graham Potter's appointment as coach in January, the Frenchman was one of his preferred defensive options. Todibo, who had interest from Juventus and Newcastle United last summer before his move to the London Stadium, mostly featured alongside Maximilian Kilman in the middle of a back four but also played in a three-man defence. His ball-carrying ability is his strength but lapses in concentration and his aerial presence still require work. That said, his arrival at West Ham was considered a coup in a window that saw the departures of fellow central defenders Nayef Aguerd and Kurt Zouma on season-long loans to Real Sociedad in Spain and Saudi Arabia's Al Orobah respectively. Todibo made his debut in August's opening-weekend home loss against Aston Villa as a late substitute but West Ham's then head coach Julen Lopetegui only introduced him to the starting XI gradually. A player once signed by Barcelona at age 19 came off the bench again at Crystal Palace the following weekend, started the Carabao Cup win over Bournemouth but got replaced at half-time and was then an unused sub in the next three league matches against City, Fulham and Chelsea. He did not make his first Premier League start until the 1-1 draw away to Brentford on September 28, six weeks after signing. Advertisement A mitigating factor behind his slow start was the fact he did not have a proper pre-season, featuring in Nice's friendlies against Lausanne (July 10) and Leganes (July 19) but not playing for them again as the move to West Ham gathered pace. 'I'm happy because the club gave me the time to get fit,' Todibo told the club's website after his first full 90 minutes that day in west London. 'It took me a bit of time to come back well. The game is more intense in the Premier League than in Ligue 1, more intense than all the leagues in the world, I think. Today I'm not 100 per cent, but I think I'm going to improve more with time, and have a good impact in the team.' However, the forthcoming months were laced with frustration. As a result of his calf injury, the centre-back missed games against Leicester City (December 3), Bournemouth (December 16), Villa (in the FA Cup, January 10), Fulham (January 14), Palace (January 18), Villa again (January 26) and Chelsea (February 2). Todibo did then offer encouragement as far his his fitness was concerned, starting 12 of the final 13 league fixtures from the middle of February. In an attempt to address the muscular difficulties that stunted his momentum, Todibo travelled home to France in January to get a second opinion from his private doctor of eight years. A scan revealed issues with his lower limb. His path to truly winning over the West Ham fans starts this summer. When fully fit, Todibo is capable of being a solid performer, someone whose skillset aligns with Potter's preferred style of play. He was admired by Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, and had trials with both before joining Toulouse from Les Lilas, an amateur club in the Paris area, at age 16 in summer 2016. Over the past nine years, Todibo has developed into an aggressive defender. The graphic below, which looks at his 'true' tackles — a combination of tackles won, tackles lost, and fouls conceded while attempting a tackle per 1,000 opposition touches — gives an indication of how often he likes to leave a mark when the opposition have the ball. Todibo ranked eighth among centre-backs with 900+ minutes of Premier League game time in this metric last season, while his true-tackle win rate of 73 per cent is also very high — which suggests he often backs that front-footedness up by escaping from a challenge with the ball more often than not. A weaker side of his game, however, is the ball in the air — though he is 6ft 3in (192cm), only nine Premier League centre-backs with 900-plus minutes last season won a lower proportion of their aerial duels. But, similar to his central-defensive colleague Kilman, there are no concerns with Todibo's passing ability. He is a strong ball-carrier and when in possession, rarely opts to go long. Having said that, there is scope to be more expansive with his varied passing range; around 8.5 per cent of Todibo's passes last season were progressive — just 11 top-flight centre-backs look forward with their passes less often. Dubai is Todibo's preferred destination when in search of rest and relaxation during the off-season. He is spending quality time with loved ones but is intent on avenging those debut-year setbacks and helping his new parent club return to previous heights. 'In France, we say 'Rome ne s'est pas faite en un jour', which is like the saying 'Rome wasn't built in one day', because it takes time,' Todibo told West Ham's website in April. 'The manager (Potter) came and the situation was difficult, and we need to build something. We just need more time with this manager, because when you have the positives in the game, the result is going to come. 'There is no rush. You don't have to rush. I think if you want to be smart and productive, you should work for it. It's more like this and we prepare for the next season — because next season has to be big.'