EPL

Rodgers: Fofana not for sale

By Sports Desk August 18, 2022

Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has reiterated that defender Wesley Fofana is "not for sale" as Chelsea reportedly remain keen to secure his services.

The 21-year-old centre-back has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge after missing out on Jules Kounde, who joined Barcelona.

The Foxes are said to have rejected two bids from Chelsea and it has been suggested that a world-record fee for a defender may be required to prise him away from the King Power Stadium.

That record currently stands at £80million, which Leicester received from Manchester United for the signature of Harry Maguire.

Fofana has played in Leicester's opening two league games of the Premier League season, and Rodgers expects him to stay at the club.

"The idea is that he’s still very much a Leicester City player," Rodgers told reporters. "I’ve said a number of times that he’s not for sale.

"The club have made that clear so unless anything changes, I would expect him to be here."

Fofana is one of a number of players linked with a move away from Leicester, with midfielders Youri Tielemans and James Maddison linked with Arsenal and Newcastle United respectively.

Related items

  • Bayern's Palhinha sidelined for weeks with adductor injury Bayern's Palhinha sidelined for weeks with adductor injury

    Bayern Munich confirmed Joao Palhinha will be sidelined for several weeks after suffering an adductor injury while on international duty.

    The midfielder sustained the issue while training with Portugal, and withdrew from the squad, missing both of their Nations League fixtures against Poland and Croatia. 

    Palhinha, who joined Bayern on a four-year contract in July from Fulham, has made 13 appearances in all competitions and boasts a 100% tackle completion rate in the Bundesliga (7/7).

    "FC Bayern's medical department has confirmed that Joao Palhinha suffered a torn muscle fibre in his right adductor while training with the Portugal national team," the club said. "The midfielder will therefore be sidelined for the coming weeks."

    Bayern have been boosted by Aleksandar Pavlovic's return to first-team training over the international break, though he has still not returned to full fitness.

    The Bavarians, top of the Bundesliga with a five-point advantage over RB Leipzig, have a busy schedule ahead of them with four matches in 11 days.

    Bayern take on Augsburg in the league on Friday before hosting Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League next Tuesday. They then travel to Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga and face holders Bayer Leverkusen in the DFB-Pokal on December 3.

  • Hemp ruled out of England squad after knee surgery Hemp ruled out of England squad after knee surgery

    Lauren Hemp has been ruled out of England's upcoming friendlies after Manchester City confirmed the forward had surgery on a knee injury.

    Hemp has missed City's last two matches, including their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Women's Super League on Saturday.

    Sarina Wiegman confirmed the surgery was not related to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury, and the club have also not confirmed how long she will be out.

    The 24-year-old recently became the youngest player in WSL history to reach 50 goals and also leads the way for assists (five) and chances created (26) in the competition this season.

    Overall this term, she has scored two goals and registered seven assists in all competitions, including setting up three goals in City's 4-0 win over Tottenham, her last appearance.

    Manchester United's Ella Toone is also unavailable to Wiegman this international break due to a calf injury.

    Her absence in their victory over Leicester City on Sunday ended a run of 96 consecutive league starts.

    Niamh Charles, Lauren James and Lucy Parker are also out through injury, with the Chelsea pair having failed to recover from problems that kept them out of the previous international break.

    It means there are first international call-ups for Laura Blindkilde Brown and Ruby Mace, while Gabby George is named for the first time since November 2022.

    England take on the United States at Wembley on November 30 in the first of their two friendlies, before facing Switzerland three days later.

    England squad in full:

    Mary Earps (Paris Saint-Germain), Hannah Hampton (Chelsea), Anna Moorhouse (Orlando Pride), Mille Bright (Chelsea), Lucy Bronze (Chelsea), Jess Carter (Gotham), Gabby George (Manchester United), Alex Greenwood (Manchester City), Maya le Tissier (Manchester United), Esme Morgan (Washington Spirit), Millie Turner (Manchester United), Leah Williamson (Arsenal), Laura Blindkilde Brown (Manchester City), Grace Clinton (Manchester United), Fran Kirby (Brighton), Jess Park (Manchester City), Georgia Stanway (Bayern Munich), Keira Walsh (Barcelona), Ruby Mace (Leicester City), Aggie Beever-Jones (Chelsea), Chloe Kelly (Manchester City), Beth Mead (Arsenal), Jess Naz (Tottenham), Alessia Russo (Arsenal)

  • Jonathan David names Barcelona as dream club amid Lille uncertainty Jonathan David names Barcelona as dream club amid Lille uncertainty

    Jonathan David admits it is his dream to play for Barcelona as he prepares to enter the final six months of his Lille contract.

    The Canada international is into his fifth season with the Ligue 1 side but is due to become a free agent at the end of the current campaign.

    Lille have attempted to persuade David with a new deal, though he looks set to depart Stade Pierre-Mauroy in 2025 – potentially as early as January if a club is prepared to pay a transfer fee.

    However, while the 24-year-old is seemingly open to a move to Barcelona, he suggested he would prefer to wait until the end of the campaign before taking the next step in his career.

    "Going to a club midseason is never easy," he told The Athletic. "It's not like the beginning of a season where you have a pre-season, you get to know your team-mates, you have time to gel. 

    "In January, things are very hectic. It's about right now. It's tougher."

    "[Barcelona] was always the team I grew up supporting. When you grow up supporting a team, it's your dream to play for them.

    "Some people might say, 'Oh, he's staying at Lille, this is a downgrade, he's not getting better'. But for me, there's always opportunities to get better."

    David has scored 13 goals in 19 games for Lille in all competitions this season, including goals against heavyweight sides Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the Champions League.

    Including penalties, eight of those goals have been scored via his stronger right boot, four with his left and one with his head – an area the forward accepts he can still improve.

    "Aerially, I can get better," he said. "Getting that header on target and scoring. 

    "I can get in good positions and win headers but the finishing touch, I'm still missing. With my back to goal, I can also get better."

    David is averaging a goal every 112 minutes across all competitions this season, which compares to one every 139 minutes last season and 131 in 2022-23.

    However, he still has some way to go to match the 18 goals scored in 27 league games for former club Gent in 2019-20.

    "Things are good right now because I'm scoring goals," David said. 

    "But is this the best I've played in my life? Probably not. For me, it was my second year in Belgium. That was the season of my life."

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.