Latest news with #Ighodaro
The South African
a day ago
- Business
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs target poised to turn down Amakhosi for Russia
Kaizer Chiefs have several striker targets. However, those players have other options on the table as the winter window approaches. According to Soccer-Laduma , Russian side Beltika have stolen a march on Kaizer Chiefs and made a proposal to sign Etiosa Oghodaro. The 23-year-old Nigerian scored five times in the league last term for AmaZulu, on loan from Mamelodi Sundowns. The promising marksman is valued at R28.5 million by transfermarkt. 'It's a team from Russia. Yes, they've been monitoring Ighodaro for some time now, and it's believed they have eventually made up their mind and they want to sign him. They are happy that he is a big striker who can use both his feet to shoot, can dribble and can also score with his head. That's very rare, and that's what they are looking for. That's what they are looking at. Yes, it's a big club. It's called FC Beltika,' said the source. 'There is a big offer there. Actually, it's a huge offer from Russia. It's approximately $400,000 (R7.1 million). That's over R7 million just in salaries. So that means they are really serious about him. That's the offer in salaries only without the signing-on fee,' said the source. Is Oghodaro worth the fuss? Let us know by leaving a comment below or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Also, subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
a day ago
- Sport
- The South African
R7 million offer made for Kaizer Chiefs striker target!
Kaizer Chiefs are reportedly already moving to ensure they put to an end their goal scoring woes for next season. Chiefs struggled to score goals with their forwards failing to get over the five-goal mark in the 2024/25 season. Coach Nasreddine Nabi made it no secret that he wanted to bring in a striker, when he arrived at Chiefs. He didn't get his wish in his first window but was able to add two forwards in January. These being Tashreeq Morris and Glody Lilepo. These experienced stars were brought in to supplement a blunt-looking attack which featured Ranga Chivaviro, Ashley du Preez and a young Wandile Duba. While Morris proved to be a flop, Lilepo ended up being the club's joint top goal scorer with young Duba with five. That, however, just highlighted the need for a senior striker to shoulder that goal scoring burden. There have been a number of players mentioned in that regard, with DRC international Fiston Mayele one. The latest striker linked to Chiefs is Mamelodi Sundowns loanee Etiosa Ighodaro according to Soccer-Laduma . Now according to the latest from same publication, Chiefs could be beaten to Ighodaro by a Russian club! 'It's a team from Russia. Yes, they've been monitoring Ighodaro for some time now and it's believed they have eventually made up their mind and they want to sign him. They are happy that he is a big striker who can use both his feet to shoot, can dribble and can also score with his head. That's very rare and that's what they are looking for. That's what they are looking at. Yes, it's a big club. It's called FC Beltika,' said the source. A second source went on to mention that Beltika could trump Chiefs with a salary offer for Ighodaro! 'There is a big offer there. Actually it's a huge offer from Russia. It's around US $400,000 (approximately R7,1 million). That's over R7 million just in salaries. So that means they are really serious about him. That's the offer in salaries only without the signing on fee,' said the source. Chiefs fans, should the club fight for Ighodaro to sign for them ahead of Beltika? Let us know by clicking on the comment tab. Or by emailing info@ or sending a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. You can also follow @TheSAnews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest news.
The South African
4 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Kaizer Chiefs reignite pursuit as Sundowns prepare for exit
Kaizer Chiefs are set to make headlines once again as they revive their interest in a familiar target, Nigerian striker Etiosa Ighodaro, with fresh optimism that a deal could finally materialise. After missing out on him two seasons ago, the Soweto giants are now carefully monitoring Ighodaro's situation at Mamelodi Sundowns. Chiefs had initially tried to land the striker when he was on loan at Chippa United, but their efforts fell short as Sundowns opted to loan him to SuperSport United instead. This time, however, the cards appear to be stacked differently. 'Yes, it's true. Chiefs are believed to have enquired about Mamelodi Sundowns striker Etiosa Ighodaro,' a source close to the negotiations confirmed. 'You know the thing is the same people who scouted him from Nigeria for Sundowns are the same who have enquired about him for Chiefs. Actually it's not the first time they have enquired about him. They tried before when he was on loan at Chippa United but Sundowns sent him on loan at SuperSport United. But now they are apparently looking at the possibility of Sundowns letting him go and they can pounce on him.' Having spent the recent season on loan at AmaZulu FC and scoring six goals, Ighodaro may now be deemed surplus to requirements at Sundowns, opening the door for Chiefs to finally make their move. Kaizer Chiefs are not only keeping tabs on Ighodaro, they are actively scouting for reinforcements up front. With management keen to secure a striker before the pre-season training camp kicks off in late June or early July. 'Chiefs have made it clear that they need a striker before they start their pre-season training camp.' Alongside Ighodaro, Amakhosi are also eyeing a number of other attacking options to bolster their squad. These include: Yanela Mbuthuma, the promising talent from Richards Bay. Fiston Mayele, currently making waves at Pyramids FC. Thapelo Matlhoko, the rising star from Kruger United. Michael Olunga, Kenya's national team captain, known for his lethal finishing. Will Ighodaro fit in at Kaizer Chiefs? Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
The 22-year-old NBA rookie with big offseason plans: Burritos, besties and basketball
Oso Ighodaro just wrapped up his rookie NBA season with the Phoenix Suns, but the Arizona native isn't exactly off the clock just yet. The 22-year-old is entering his first professional offseason and looking to his more seasoned teammates for guidance on what he should be doing now to help him thrive when he's back on the court. 'I view recovery as a long-term thing,' Ighodaro tells me during an interview for Yahoo Life's OT Diaries. 'Right now, I'm young, and my body may feel good even after I play a game or the next day or whatever. But all year, I've just been asking questions to the older guys like, 'What do you wish you would have done at this point in your career to help maintain your body when you're older?'' And with veterans like Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Tyus Jones on the Suns roster, Ighodaro is learning from the best — and he's been paying attention to their game-winning habits all season long. 'All the little things that they do on road trips or at home to take care of their bodies … I'm trying to implement those things into my routine,' he says. I had to ask: What's on his agenda for this summer? It all starts with soaking up some morning sun — and maybe installing a cold plunge. Here's what else he told me. Congratulations on your first NBA season! Is there anything that you're most looking forward to this offseason? Definitely just spending a lot of time with my friends and family. Even though my family lives in Arizona, the season is so long and I travel so much that I don't really get to spend as much quality time as I would like with them. So I'm going to spend a lot of time with my loved ones. I want to travel a little bit. I have some stuff planned to see my people, and then definitely just work on my personal development and my basketball development. So just trying to have a good summer, growth-wise. I'm curious about your desire to get away because you do a lot of traveling during the season as it is. Do you ever just want to chill at home? The travel during the season definitely doesn't feel the same as a vacation, so I try to mix it up a little bit. And during the offseason, you kind of get into a different routine with your workouts and your lifts [weightlifting sessions] all throughout summer. So even working out in other states or different locations helps to mix up the scenery so you don't get stagnant. The offseason allows you to relax a little bit while still working hard because you don't have as many time commitments. But with my free time, I'll relax a lot more and just chill. Are you going to be sleeping more? I already try to get my eight hours every night. Especially on game days, I'll get those eight hours, and then I usually take, like, an hour and a half nap before I head to the arena. I'm pretty strict with that routine. I'm actually trying to clean off my patio this summer and try to start my mornings outside, getting morning light. I've read a lot about that and how beneficial that can be. So that's something that I'm going to try to implement this summer — not sleeping in crazy late and starting my mornings like that. But I definitely want to try to maintain my eight hours of sleep. I love the idea of some morning light. Would you add a sauna or cold plunge out there? Yeah, for sure. A lot of my older veteran teammates have cold plunges at their houses and use those daily. So that's something I'm looking into in the long run. They are kind of expensive, so I want to research and make sure that I get a high-quality one. Right now, I've just been using the cold tub as my cold plunge. What will your training schedule look like to make sure you're staying in basketball shape? Last summer, while I was with the Suns, it was usually an hour on court and then a lift. I would usually go work out with my trainer in the afternoon on top of that. So about two court sessions and a weight room session every day. That sounds like a lot! Are there workouts that you like doing outside of basketball? I actually started swimming last summer. There's a lap pool at my apartment complex, so I started doing that for extra conditioning. I really enjoyed that, so I'm definitely going to continue. Are you as consistent with your nutrition in the offseason as you are with workouts? Yeah, pretty consistent. Obviously, if I'm hanging out with friends or we're going to eat somewhere, I'll definitely be less strict in the offseason. But usually, I just try to avoid fried foods 'cause those types of foods don't make my body feel great. I usually have a pretty solid routine, and luckily, one of my favorite restaurants makes fresh food that makes you feel good. It's a place called Rubio's, right by the practice facility, that I get multiple times a week. It's one of my favorite restaurants since I was a kid. So having a favorite restaurant that is also healthy, clean food is definitely a blessing. You seem to have a lot of plans with friends. Do you prefer spending your downtime with others or by yourself? I love being around people. I think one thing people don't realize about the NBA season is that you're actually alone a lot of the time. You're with [your teammates] a lot, and especially during long road trips, so on those days off you're typically by yourself. So I definitely spent a lot of time by myself. In the offseason, I want to surround myself with as many friends and family that I usually don't get to hang around during the season. That's what I'm looking forward to. So the offseason really is your social season? For sure. And luckily, a lot of my close friends are former teammates and also athletes, so I can spend time with them and work out. You kind of get that two-for-one, which is nice. Basketball really is life for you, isn't it? How long do you think you'll go without picking up a basketball? Man, I'm trying to think of the longest time I've taken off. Going from my senior year at Marquette to this year, I didn't have an offseason. So I think I took maybe a week off after the season last year and then straight into predraft. So it's kind of a year-round thing. But this year, I'll probably take two weeks off after the season. Let's get into some rapid-fire questions real quick. If you could only eat one food, what would it be? Oh, definitely a Rubio's burrito. That's not a question. If you could only drink one beverage, what would it be? I'll stick with water, my go-to. I like to just keep it water during workouts, and then afterward, I like my protein shakes, my recovery shakes, that type of thing. If you could choose one wellness treatment or activity, what would it be? I would say the BFR [blood flow restriction training]. It's a recovery tool that we use with the Suns. I use it for my knees and my quads, and it helps my body feel good. So I would definitely say that, or the hyperbaric chamber, which I did during predraft. I really enjoyed that. If you could only watch one TV show, what would it be? I'm going to have to say Power. If you could only watch one movie, what would it be? I love The Avengers.
USA Today
29-01-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Suns' Oso Ighodaro drops monster double-double in G League debut
Suns' Oso Ighodaro drops monster double-double in G League debut Phoenix Suns rookie Oso Ighodaro registered a double-double on assignment in the G League on Tuesday to help the Valley Suns defeat the Salt Lake City Stars on the road. Ighodaro produced 18 points, 18 rebounds, five assists and one blocked shot in the 122-115 win at the Maverik Center. He finished by shooting 9-of-14 from the field and was a team-high plus-13 on the court in 33 minutes as the Suns improved to 9-6 in the regular season. The 40th pick recorded 10 points and 11 rebounds in the first half alone to help the Suns build an early 12-point advantage. He had several key players throughout the contest, including some timely rebounds late to help close out the Stars. Ighodaro was assigned to the G League on Tuesday after playing sparingly over the last two weeks with Phoenix. He will likely remain with the team throughout the week, with upcoming games on Wednesday against the Stars (9 p.m. EST) and Friday against the San Diego Clippers (9 p.m. EST). The 22-year-old is averaging 3.8 points, 3.5 rebounds and one assist on 55.8% shooting from the field in 36 appearances with the Suns. He has scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 12 points and seven rebounds on Nov. 18. The opportunity to play with the Valley Suns will enable him to maximize his development on the court and improve his overall skill set, with minutes at a premium in Phoenix. He has performed well when given the chance, and the team is excited about his potential.
