Latest news with #Gabonese
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Returns To Marseille After Saudi Stint : Report
Last Updated: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has rejoined Marseille after he terminated his contract with Al-Qadsiah, as per reports. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reportedly agreed to return to Marseille on a free transfer after his one-year stint in the Sadui Pro League. The Gabonese striker moved from Marseille to Al-Qadsiah last summer on a two-year deal but terminated his contract with the Saudi Pro League club after just one season. As per reports, many Premier League clubs and Saudi giants Al Ettifaq presented lucrative offers, but the former Arsenal star chose to return to the Ligue 1 giants. The 36-year-old will sign a two-year contract lasting until 2027 with Les Minots. 'Thank you, Oba. All the best," Al-Qadsiah posted on X without providing more details. Thank you, @Auba for every moment, every goal, every roar ❤️ #AlQadsiah — AlQadsiah Saudi Club (@AlQadsiahEN) July 17, 2025 Aubameyang has demonstrated he is improving with age after a successful campaign in Saudi Arabia last season. He scored 21 goals and provided three assists in all competitions, including a goal in the King's Cup final defeat against Al Ettifaq. Even in the 2023/24 season, Aubameyang was at the peak of his abilities, scoring 30 goals and providing 11 assists, finishing as the Europa League's top scorer. Aubameyang will compete with talented Algerian Amine Gouiri for the centre-forward role at Marseille. Who Is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang started his senior career at AC Milan but did not make a first-team appearance, spending time on loan at several French clubs instead. He joined Saint-Étienne in 2011, winning the Coupe de la Ligue before transferring to Borussia Dortmund in 2013. While in Germany, he became the Bundesliga's top scorer in the 2016–17 season and won the DFB-Pokal, becoming Dortmund's eighth-highest all-time scorer. In 2018, he signed with Arsenal for a then-club record £56 million, making him the most expensive Gabonese player. He won the FA Cup and was the Premier League's joint-top scorer in the 2018–19 season. Following periods at Barcelona and Chelsea, he joined Marseille in 2023 and then joined Saudi Pro League's Al-Qadsiah in 2024. view comments First Published: July 19, 2025, 17:25 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Morocco World
a day ago
- Sport
- Morocco World
Youssef En-Nesyri Under the Radar of Al-Qadisiyah FC
Rabat – Youssef En-Nesyri, the Moroccan striker for Turkish Fenerbahçe SK, is under the radar of the Saudi club Al-Qadisiyah after the departure of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. According to international press reports, the club has expressed its willingness to sign the player during the summer transfer, aiming to reinforce the offensive side in preparation for the 2025-26 season. This comes as Gabonese Aubameyang terminated his contract ahead of time and headed back to France as a free agent. The Moroccan starlet played a remarkable season, attracting the attention of various clubs, according to head coach Jose Mourinho in a statement reported by AfricaFoot. Mourinho asserts that the player is worth 'no less than 40 million euros.' The striker is still under contract till June 2029, attracting interest from several teams for this transfer window including Manchester United, West Ham, Tottenham, AC Milan, and a number of Saudi Arabian sides — notably Al-Qadisiyah FC. Tags: Al-QadisiyahMoroccan footballYoussef En-Nesyri
Saudi Gazette
2 days ago
- Sport
- Saudi Gazette
Aubameyang exits Al Qadsiah as club turns to youth with Retegui signing
Saudi Gazette report ALKHOBAR — In a move that has stirred debate among fans, Al Qadsiah has officially parted ways with star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang despite the Gabonese forward still having one year remaining on his contract. The 35-year-old said farewell to his teammates at the club's preseason camp in the Netherlands, bringing an end to a season in which he made a notable impact with 21 goals and three assists in 36 matches across all competitions. His overall contribution included 24 direct goal involvements and 715 successful passes, solidifying his role as one of the Roshn Saudi League's standout attackers. Aubameyang missed the season opener against Al Fateh due to a FIFA-imposed suspension carried over from a previous stint, but quickly made his mark—scoring his first league goal via penalty in a match-winning performance against Al Ahli on Matchday 5. He would go on to find the net against nearly every top-flight opponent, reaffirming his credentials as a high-caliber forward with a résumé spanning top European his contributions, head coach Michel González opted for a new direction this summer, citing fitness dynamics and a strategic youth indicate the club's decision was influenced by both technical and medical evaluations, and Aubameyang's exit was ultimately settled by mutual former Arsenal and Barcelona striker appeared surprised by the decision and took to social media to defend his form and athleticism, comparing his running statistics favorably against other veterans in the league, including Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema. 'I'm 36, not 63,' he wrote in a post, attaching a sprint chart showcasing his top-level physical replace him, Al Qadsiah have completed the signing of young Italian striker Mateo Retegui, signaling a generational shift as the club prepares for a new move aligns with González's vision of building a younger, faster squad capable of maintaining momentum after reaching the King's Cup final and finishing fourth in the league last season.
The Hill
3 days ago
- Business
- The Hill
Trump's foreign and domestic policy goals clash in Africa — can he thread this needle?
President Trump's approach to Africa has shown potential but is reaching a critical point. The president's focus on pursuing greater economic and security cooperation with key countries has gained traction, but it is clashing with competing domestic priorities, like immigration and tariffs. If the administration cannot reconcile these goals, it risks leaving massive opportunities on the table. Trump's recently concluded July summit with five West African leaders displayed many of the characteristics of his second-term Africa strategy thus far — it was direct and transactional, with a focus on areas where interests converge. This strategy has shown substantial promise, albeit unfulfilled. For example, U.S. diplomacy between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda has, for now, limited fighting in their conflict-stricken border area while creating potential opportunities for U.S. investment and critical mineral access as part of a broader peace framework. Such access would conveniently also help the U.S. diminish Chinese dominance of several critical minerals found in the region. The small U.S.-Africa summit focused on a handful of countries — Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal — that can provide the administration a big 'bang for its buck.' All five countries play various roles in Trump's key priorities: combating Chinese influence, stemming migration, accessing critical minerals, and containing the spread of Salafi-jihadi terror groups. They also highlight the central tension of the Trump administration's Africa policy, where foreign policy goals and domestic priorities compete. In Gabon, greater U.S. investment and defense cooperation can address two of Trump's objectives: critical minerals and China. The United States has an opportunity to support Gabonese efforts to grow its domestic refining capacity to counter China's outsized influence on the manganese market, which multiple U.S. agencies list as a critical mineral due to its role in steel production and lithium-ion battery manufacturing. Gabon has little domestic refinement capability, exporting most of its manganese to China. China has the second-largest manganese reserves and is largest manganese consumer but is heavily reliant on imports, 22 percent of which come from Gabon. However, Gabon has made it a priority to boost domestic refining capacity and courted U.S. investment to help reach this goal. Greater economic engagement opens other opportunities to counter China. Gabon is a top target of Chinese efforts to secure an Atlantic coast naval base, and the two countries conducted joint naval exercises earlier in 2025. However, Gabon's president has so far rejected China's base overtures and tried to balance ties with the West. Gabonese forces have also participated in numerous U.S.-led exercises and training programs over the last decade. Stronger partnerships with Mauritania and Senegal can also address two of Trump's other key objectives: migration and terrorism. Mauritania and Senegal have become increasingly popular destinations for migrants attempting to reach Europe and — to a lesser extent — the U.S. Both countries are also next-door to the ' epicenter ' of global terrorism, where strengthening al Qaeda and Islamic State affiliates 'could have the capacity to attack the homeland,' according to U.S. officials. The U.S. should coordinate with its European partners and build upon pre-existing ties with Mauritania and Senegal to address these shared challenges. On migration, the U.S. can augment the efforts of the European Union, which has already invested hundreds of millions of dollars into both countries to address the root drivers of migration and help security forces contain illegal migration. The U.S. and European allies should build upon preexisting defense cooperation with both countries to help address shared security concerns, especially given the terror groups increasingly pose a direct threat to Mauritania and Senegal. Looking beyond the countries that attended the summit, Trump has said he wants to revive peace talks in Sudan. Doing so would bolster Trump's status as a peacemaker, help address the world's largest humanitarian and migrant crisis, and support his Red Sea strategy by containing opportunistic Iranian and Russian efforts to access Sudan's Red Sea coast. U.S. officials should use their peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a template and bring key external actors — namely the United Arab Emirates, which is a major U.S. defense partner and a critical backer of one of the warring sides — to the table. Doing so will help limit the scale of the violence and create space for the U.S. to bring in other partners to help engage the Sudanese factions. But amid these many opportunities to pursue peace, power and prosperity in Africa, there are clear tension points with Trump's 'America First' domestic agenda. The president's tariffs, for example, undermine his 'trade, not aid' and 'equal partnership' mantras, encouraging other countries to turn to China. Beijing continues to give nearly the entire continent no-tariff access to its markets, which helps expand the already sizeable gap between Chinese and U.S. trade figures with Africa. The Trump administration and Congress should consider ways to save and improve the African Growth and Opportunity Act, which has given African countries tariff-free access to U.S. markets for 25 years, instead of killing it altogether. Trump himself said he would 'look into' saving the program during the recent summit. On migration, some U.S. policies have further undermined Trump's narrative of an equal U.S.-Africa partnership. Multiple African officials condemned visa restrictions and tariffs as unacceptable and counterproductive during the U.S.-Africa business summit in June. This backlash highlights that U.S. officials should seek to limit the damage hardline policies in this area have on commercial and diplomatic ties with Africa. The administration's push to have African countries accept third-nation migrants deported from the United States, while threatening two-thirds of the continent with a travel ban, also appears lopsided. The administration has a chance to fine-tune aid cuts and travel restrictions in ways that support the president's Africa agenda. Saving a program like Power Africa, which supported energy and internet projects, is one clear opportunity. The United States can help African countries generate the electricity they need to boost critical mineral production and refinement and secure American access to resources in places such as Gabon. Growing the number of African student visas — where China has a numbers advantage — is another way to ensure the United States is building ties with the continent's best and brightest, as Africa's youth boom positions it to emerge as a major force in the coming decades. The first six months of Trump's second term have shown the promise of Trump's approach to the continent. But U.S.-Africa relations do not take place in a vacuum. Trump will have to continue to thread the needle between his domestic agenda and foreign policy goals to fulfill this massive potential and truly redefine U.S.-Africa relations in a way that will leave a lasting legacy.
Middle East
7 days ago
- Politics
- Middle East
OPEN// Sisi meets African leaders at AU summit in Malabo
MALABO, July 13 (MENA) – Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met on Sunday with many African leaders on the sidelines of the African Union's mid-year coordination summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. According to Presidential Spokesman Mohamed El Shinawy, Sisi held talks with each of Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El-Ghazouani, Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema, Chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohamed Al-Menfi, and former Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou, who leads efforts on the African Continental Free Trade Area. He added that the meetings addressed ways of enhancing regional cooperation, development, and stability across the continent. (MENA) H A T/R E E
