Latest news with #AlexIwobi
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The stats do not lie - ranking Africa's Premier League stars
Fulham midfielder Alex Iwobi, Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba and Manchester United defender Noussair Mazraoui would all make Africa's best XI for the 2024-25 Premier League season [Getty Images] The curtain has come down on the 2024-25 Premier League season, with Mohamed Salah instrumental as Liverpool wrapped up the title with four games to spare. The Egyptian was named Premier League player of the season on the back of his 47 goal involvements (29 goals, 18 assists), a tally which moved him level with 90s icons Alan Shearer and Andy Cole for the most ever in a season. Advertisement Cameroon's Bryan Mbeumo also had an impressive campaign, with his career-best 20 strikes and seven assists likely to spark transfer interest in the Brentford forward. But which other Africans made an impression? BBC Sport Africa has been crunching the data to find out. Bees strike force provide sting Standout forwards: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Bryan Mbeumo (Brentford), Yoane Wissa (Brentford) Among attackers, it was a case of Salah leading the way. Not many could keep up. The 32-year-old topped the division's charts for expected goals (25.4), minutes per goal (116.5), total shots (130), total shots on target (61) and touches in the opposition box (394). Advertisement His 89 chances created was the joint-second highest in the top flight, while Mbeumo's tally of 70 was fifth-highest, the next best by an African and a club record for a Brentford player. By finding the net 20 times, Mbeumo also notably outperformed his expected goals, with the metric which rates the quality of chances suggesting that his efforts were worth only 12.3 goals. He formed a deadly partnership with 19-goal forward Yoane Wissa, with the DR Congo man scoring every 154.1 minutes to give him the second-best strike rate of any player from the continent. Antoine Semenyo also stood out as his last-day double for Bournemouth secured him double figures for goals (11) for the first time in the top flight. Advertisement His 211 touches in the opposition box were second only to Salah, while the Ghanaian ranked third in the league for both total shots (125) and dribbles completed (69). Gueye shows his experience Everton's Idrissa Gana Gueye made the most tackles by an African midfielder [Getty Images] Standout midfielders: Alex Iwobi (Fulham), Idrissa Gueye (Everton), Carlos Baleba (Brighton & Hove Albion) Alex Iwobi proved to be the most creative African midfielder with his nine goals and six assists for Fulham just ahead of Manchester United's Amad Diallo (eight goals and six assists) – although the Nigerian played 1,093 more minutes than the Ivorian. Iwobi also led the way for chances created (59) and successful passes into the final third (508), while Ghana's Thomas Partey recorded the most successful passes (1,631) of any African midfielder as Arsenal once again fell short in the title race. Advertisement Elsewhere, Idrissa Gana Gueye made his experience count to help Everton comfortably secure their Premier League status in their final season at Goodison Park. The 35-year-old Senegalese made a league-high 133 tackles and won 221 duels, the most of any African midfielder. Cameroon's Carlos Baleba proved that he is on his way towards becoming a top talent, winning back possession for his Brighton side 197 times. That figure leads the way for the continent's midfielders, with Gueye close behind on 194. Bassey commanding in the box Fulham and Nigeria centre-back Calvin Bassey led the way in clearances and blocks [Getty Images] Standout defenders: Calvin Bassey (Fulham), Aaron Wan-Bissaka (West Ham), Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves) Advertisement Three full-backs stood out with their performances. Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who has switched his allegiance to DR Congo, made the most interceptions (66) and completed the most dribbles (64) among Premier League defenders – form that saw him voted West Ham's player of the season by fans. Algeria's Rayan Ait-Nouri provided a serious attacking threat playing as a wing-back, bagging four goals and seven assists in a struggling Wolves side. Ola Aina had the best season of his career for Nottingham Forest, impressively winning back possession 190 times - the highest figure recorded by any top-flight defender. Advertisement The Nigerian right-back also made a joint-high three clearances off the line, a figure which was matched by six other players including, unexpectedly, Everton and Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye. Aina's international team-mate Calvin Bassey touched the ball 2,536 times for Fulham - more than any other African in the Premier League – and his 1,926 successful passes, 113 clearances and 17 blocks were the most by a defender from the continent. Meanwhile, Noussair Mazraoui's 115 tackles and 216 duels for Manchester United ranked the Moroccan second and third respectively among the league's defenders. A season to forget for Onana Andre Onana came under scrutiny after several high-profile errors for Manchester United, who finished in 15th and were beaten in the Europa League final by Tottenham [Getty Images] Andre Onana, the only African goalkeeper in the Premier League, endured a disappointing time as Manchester United recorded their worst finish in 50 years. Advertisement The Cameroon number one did keep nine clean sheets, but that meant the 44 goals he conceded came in just 25 games. His 90 saves were the 12th most of any keeper while his save percentage of 66.9% ranked him 15th among those who made 10 or more appearances. The 29-year-old made three errors leading to goals, with only three men making more. The unwanted records Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson hit the woodwork six times and was flagged offside more than any other African [Getty Images] The player who committed the most fouls in the Premier League in 2024-25 threw up a surprising name, with Bournemouth's Semenyo drawing the referee's whistle 73 times. That number was well above anyone else from the continent, as Gueye and his Everton team-mate Aboulaye Doucoure of Mali registered 55 and 49 fouls respectively. Advertisement Ipswich Town and Egypt midfielder Samy Morsy picked up the most yellow cards by an African (10), with Gueye and Semenyo both getting one fewer and rounding out a podium of indiscipline. Mohammed Kudus was dispossessed a league-high 93 times, and the Ghanaian also struck the woodwork six times – an unfortunate tally matched only by Nicolas Jackson, Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer. Chelsea's Senegalese forward Jackson was offside more times than any other African, drifting past the last man 23 times. Only Chris Wood, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Jamie Vardy were on the wrong end of an assistant referee's flag more often. Taiwo Awoniyi got used to being left out of Nottingham Forest's starting XI as Wood spearheaded an unlikely, but ultimately successfully, challenge for Europe. Advertisement Only two players – Forest team-mate Jota Silva and Ipswich midfielder Jack Taylor – made more substitute appearances than Awoniyi, with 23 of the Nigerian striker's 26 outings coming from the bench. Data via Opta and Premier League
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
'I'm a Premier League star - Arsenal forced transfer and I couldn't say goodbye'
Arsenal academy graduate Alex Iwobi left the Emirates Stadium in 2019 in a big-money move to Everton and has now explained how the shock move to Goodison Park came about Alex Iwobi has revealed he was given no choice but to leave Arsenal with Gunners chiefs keen to move him on. The Nigerian winger departed the Emirates back in 2019 in a £34m move to Everton. The switch brought an end to Iwobi 's 15-year stint with Arsenal having graduated from the North London side's academy. But he has revealed that he wasn't particularly sold on a move to Goodison initially. Speaking on The Inside Scoop podcast, Iwobi said: 'Three or two days before the transfer deadline day, my agent said Everton are interested. I said nice. He said 'what do you think?' I said 'I'm kind of comfortable at Arsenal.' But Arsenal have just signed Pepe for this amount. 'They said 'do you still want to stay?' I said 'Yeah, I don't mind'. I've had competition all my life like that's another winger. I'm going to respect him but I'm going to prove my point." And while Iwobi wasn't too convinced on a switch to Merseyside, he soon realised that a return to Arsenal wasn't an option. The now 29-year-old has revealed that Arsenal pushed through a swift sale from their side, with Iwobi not even getting the chance to bid farewell to his boyhood club. He added: 'Normally, you need a medical before you go. He said 'Arsenal have already handed in the medical, they might want you gone because they need to sell someone'. And they had players who weren't ready to go. But the easiest one and the biggest fee was me. So I was like 'ah Arsenal want to let get of me'. 'And you have to sign something on transfer deadline day to make sure you get an extra hour added. I had to sign that, I was in my room signing everything and eventually, it goes through. 'So I've landed back from Dubai. I just had to go train. I didn't see anyone, collected my boots and go straight to Everton, didn't say bye to no one. It was mad. Fortunately for Iwobi, he still got an explanation from former boss Unai Emery. Asked if he was hurt by the nature of his departure, he said: 'Yeah a bit, at least let me decide for myself. 'It would have been nice to say bye but what was nice was I was staying in a hotel at the time and Arsenal must have played Liverpool. I come back from training and see the whole team having lunch. 'I spoke to Unai Emery and he said 'look Alex, this is football, I didn't want you to go, I had you in my plans, you've always been someone willing to work for the team. I didn't want you to go but at the end of the day, this is business.' I said there's no hard feelings, it's fine. He spoke to me on a level, that's why I have respect for him. I've always had respect for him.'
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Adama Traore shows off his monstrous strength by FLOORING Calvin Bassey during friendly tussle in the Fulham changing room as fans tell the hulking winger to try UFC
Fulham winger Adama Traore has shown off his monstrous strength by powerfully flooring team-mate Calvin Bassey. The 29-year-old, who is notorious for his impressive physique, dumped the centre-back on the ground during a light hearted play fight in the dressing room at Fulham's Motspur Park training ground. In a video first posted on Snapchat by Alex Iwobi with the caption 'LOOK AT THE STRENGTH!', the pair can be seen wrestling in front of amused team-mates before Traore twists Bassey, pushing him to the ground and leaving him lying flat on the floor. The dressing room antics elicit a hilarious response from onlookers who are impressed by the former Barcelona forward's power. The video was then reshared on Instagram and captioned: 'VIOLATION. Adama casually flooring Calvin Bassey in their training facility dressing room'. Bassey, who joined Fulham in 2023 and represents Nigeria internationally, was quick to defend himself. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Secret Scout (@thesecretscout1) Adama Traore has shown off his monstrous strength by powerfully flooring Calvin Bassey The 29-year-old dumped the centre-back on the ground during a light hearted play fight Responding to the Instagram post, he said: 'How's that a vio[lation]. Go and fight him he will throw you across the room.' Meanwhile, fans pointed out the Spaniard should try his hand at UFC. One said: 'Lol, would've had better chances with UFC than with football.' Another added: 'His agent should call Dana White. A summer UFC fight won't be bad'. Fulham currently sit in 11th place in the Premier League as they battle to secure the final European qualification spot. Eighth place will equal a Europa Conference League berth, if Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup Final. Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Marco Silva's side are separated by just two points with three league matches remaining. Fulham host Silva's old side Everton at Craven Cottage on Saturday before a west London derby against Brentford. Fans took to social media to suggest that Fulham star Adama Traore should try his hand at UFC The Portuguese boss has been linked with a move away from Fulham. One Saudi outlet claimed the manager is willing to join Al-Hilal, who sacked their head coach Jorge Jesus last week, before the Club World Cup begins in June. But Silva, who is contracted at Craven Cottage until 2026 and turned down a £40m deal to manage Al Ahli in 2023, brushed aside rumours of an impending exit.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to Watch Fulham vs. Everton FC: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time
How to Watch Fulham vs. Everton FC: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time | 5/10/2025 Two clubs in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Fulham (11th) and Everton FC (14th), square off on Saturday at 10:00 AM ET. The match will stream on Peacock Premium. Fulham lost its last game 1-0 against Aston Villa away from home on May 3. Aston Villa outshot Fulham by a margin of 10 to seven. In its last outing on May 3, Everton drew with Ipswich Town 2-2 at home. Ipswich Town outshot Everton 10 to six. How to watch Fulham vs. Everton FC When: Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET Saturday, May 10, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET Where: Craven Cottage in London, England Craven Cottage in London, England Live Stream: Peacock Premium Watch live sports and more without cable on Peacock Premium. Click here to watch Premier League action. Fulham key players Alex Iwobi has nine goals (on 48 shots, 1.9 per game) and six assists for Fulham. Raul Jimenez has 10 goals (on 65 shots, 1.4 per game) and three assists. Antonee Robinson has no goals, but nine assists (on 30 chances created, 0.9 per game). With six goals and two assists, Emile Smith-Rowe is chipping in, too. Everton key players Dwight McNeil has four goals (on 23 shots, 1.8 per game) and four assists for Everton. Iliman Ndiaye has scored seven goals this season. Beto has seven goals (on 35 shots, 0.8 per game). Abdoulaye Doucoure has three goals and two assists. To watch live sports and more without cable, head to Peacock Premium. Click here to watch Premier League action. Fulham vs. Everton match breakdown
USA Today
23-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
How to Watch Southampton FC vs. Fulham: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time
How to Watch Southampton FC vs. Fulham: Live Stream, TV Channel, Start Time | 4/26/2025 The ninth-place team in the Premier League, Fulham, visits 20th-place Southampton FC on Saturday at 10:00 AM ET. You can stream it on Peacock Premium. Fulham's last game was a 2-1 loss at home against Chelsea FC while being outshot by seven in the matchup, 11 to four. Southampton finished with a 1-1 road draw against West Ham United in its most recent match on April 19. Southampton outshot West Ham United 12 to 11. How to watch Southampton FC vs. Fulham When: Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM ET Where: St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England St. Mary's Stadium in Southampton, England Live Stream: Peacock Premium Watch live sports and more without cable on Peacock Premium. Click here to watch Premier League action. Fulham key players Alex Iwobi has nine goals and five assists, a key contributor for Fulham. Raul Jimenez has 10 goals and three assists, another key player for Fulham. Antonee Robinson has no goals, but nine assists (on 30 chances created, 0.9 per game). Rodrigo Muniz has scored eight goals but has no assists. Southampton key players Mateus Fernandes has two goals (on 20 shots, 1.0 per game) and four assists for Southampton. With four goals and one assist, Paul Onuachu is another important player for Southampton. Adam Armstrong has two goals and two assists. Joe Aribo has three goals (on 12 shots, 0.4 per game). To watch live sports and more without cable, head to Peacock Premium. Click here to watch Premier League action. Fulham vs. Southampton match breakdown
