EPL

Howe 'hugely worried' about former Newcastle winger Atsu following earthquakes in Turkey

By Sports Desk February 10, 2023

Eddie Howe has expressed concern for former Newcastle United and Bournemouth winger Christian Atsu amid conflicting reports over the Hatayspor player's welfare after earthquakes hit Turkey and Syria.

More than 21,000 people have died after southern Turkey and northern Syria were struck by earthquakes on Monday.

Atsu, who enjoyed five years with Newcastle after spending six months on loan at Bournemouth under Howe in the 2015-16 season, was reported to be missing in the aftermath of the tremors.

There appeared to be a positive update on Atsu when Hatayspor vice-president Mustafa Ozat said he had been "removed from the wreckage" on Tuesday, but the club remained unable to confirm his whereabouts the following day and said there was no update on Atsu's condition.

Howe had Atsu and his family in his thoughts ahead of Saturday's meeting between the winger's two former clubs, saying: "It's hugely worrying. 

"I really, really enjoyed working with Christian, a great lad, great player. Our thoughts are with him and his family.

"We hope for some good news, we hope he's okay, but we're really concerned for him and his welfare this week.

"It has been difficult because there have been conflicting stories coming out about his whereabouts, so it's been very tough. I can't imagine how his family are feeling.

"But from the bottom of our hearts, we wish him well and hope there's a positive ending."

Related items

  • Arteta wants to prove supercomputer wrong as Arsenal prepare for derby test Arteta wants to prove supercomputer wrong as Arsenal prepare for derby test

    Mikel Arteta is looking to prove the Opta supercomputer wrong as Arsenal prepare for perhaps the biggest test of their Premier League title credentials, in Sunday's North London derby at Tottenham.

    Arsenal began the weekend one point clear of Manchester City at the top of the table, though Pep Guardiola's men have a game in hand and have been in ominous form lately, winning their last four league matches. 

    Five wins for City will ensure they retain their crown, and according to the Opta supercomputer, the champions started the weekend with a 71.7% chance of topping the pile, compared to 26.6% for Arsenal and just 1.7% for Liverpool.

    Arteta hopes to see Arsenal's figure boosted by a derby win, saying: "I don't know what to say, hopefully we can trick that computer and make it a bit higher! 

    "Maybe it needs to update the software, we need to help it or give it more tools. Hopefully we can change that!

    "We are there. We have to look at ourselves and try to perform in the best possible way to win our matches and I can't wait to see what happens.

    "We had a big win in the last London derby against Chelsea and now we have another big one. I'm sure if we're going to win the league, we're going to have to beat Spurs as well."

    Tottenham, meanwhile, need points if they are to overhaul Aston Villa in the battle for Champions League qualification, with fifth place now extremely unlikely to be enough.

    Ange Postecoglou, though, is more interested in seeing how Spurs measure up to a side they hope to challenge in the future.

    "We understand the importance of the game but ultimately, it's still about us measuring ourselves against the teams we want to be challenging on a more consistent basis," Postecoglou said.

    "It's a great opportunity to do that on Sunday."

    PLAYERS TO WATCH

    Tottenham – Son Heung-min 

    Son scored twice for Spurs in the reverse fixture against Arsenal in September – a 2-2 draw at the Emirates Stadium. In all competitions, only five players have scored more goals in the fixture's history than Son's seven. 

    The only player to score multiple goals in both north London derby matches in a league season was Arsenal's Ted Drake, who did so back in 1934-35.

    Arsenal – Martin Odegaard 

    Odegaard has been involved in six goals in his last six away appearances in the Premier League, scoring three and assisting three.

    The Gunners captain was in mesmerising form in Tuesday's 5-0 win over Chelsea, leading all players on the pitch for assists (two), chances created (eight), passes into the final third (34) and duels won (eight). A repeat performance would be huge for the visitors' title hopes.

    MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

    Tottenham have won just one of their last six Premier League games against Arsenal (one draw, four defeats), with their four losses in this span as many as they had suffered in their previous 16 against the Gunners (six wins, six draws).

    They also lost this exact fixture 2-0 last season, meaning the Gunners could win on back-to-back league trips to Tottenham for the first time since enjoying a run of three victories there between 1987 and 1988.

    Arteta's men know there is no margin for error with the title race in City's hands.

    Even a draw could prove fatal to their hopes – at the end of the 2015-16 season, the North London derby was the most drawn fixture in Premier League history, with 20 of 48 meetings finishing level (42 per cent). Since then, only four matches between these rivals have seen the points shared (27 per cent).

    Arsenal have kept six straight clean sheets on their travels in the Premier League, with only two teams ever keeping seven in a row – Chelsea from September to December 2008 and Manchester United from November to February in 2008-09. The Gunners should have enough to grind out a huge win.

    OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

    Tottenham – 31%

    Arsenal – 41.3% 

    Draw – 27.7%

  • Leicester City seal automatic Premier League return Leicester City seal automatic Premier League return

    Leicester City are once more a Premier League team, having bounced straight back after relegation last season.

    The Foxes secured automatic promotion without kicking a ball, as title rivals Leeds United lost 4-0 away to Queens Park Rangers on Friday.

    Marti Cifuentes' Hoops side gave their fans a reason to cheer in their final home game of the season, and the emphatic win means they are now seven points clear of the relegation zone.

    The Hoops boss told BBC Sport: "I came here, perhaps I was crazy thinking we could manage the great escape.

    "The atmosphere has been unbelievable since I came here. Everybody thought tonight could be a special night to achieve our target.

    "Big players deliver big performances and our players all did that tonight."

    Defeat ensured only Ipswich Town can now finish above Leicester, meaning the Foxes will be back in the big time.

    Ipswich, who have three games left to play, face play-off hopefuls Hull City on Saturday.

    Speaking to BBC Sport, Leeds boss Daniel Farke said: "It's not in our hands any more [automatic promotion], we need to be honest.

    "The race is not over. If Ipswich win the next two games then I will say congratulations, but if they don’t win them then we will have a lot to play for.

    "As long as we have a chance, I’m far away from giving up."

    Leicester could be crowned champions if they beat Preston North End on Monday and if Hull beat Ipswich.

    The Foxes are looking to break the 100-point barrier, despite a wobble from Enzo Maresca's side in recent months.

    After they had been so far ahead and top for all but two of the 176 days between 23 September and 17 March, an untimely dip in form handed Leeds and Ipswich hope.

    However, while Leicester celebrate their promotion, they face the daunting prospect of starting next season with a points deduction, after they were charged by the Premier League with alleged breaches of the competition's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR).

  • Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football

    Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.

    The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.

    She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.

    The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

    Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year's Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

    "If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team," Marta told CNN in an interview on Thursday.

    "There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.

    "I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes."

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.