Sports
Pinnick Wants England U-21Star To Improve Super Eagles

Nigeria Football Federation (NFF)President, Amaju Pinnickhas said that persuading England Under-21 player, Ebere Eze to play for the Super Eagles would improve the squad.
The NFF is hoping to convince the Queen’s Park Rangers midfielder to play for them rather than England at senior level.
Eze, who was born in England to Nigerian parents, played twice for the Three Lions at under-21 level in November.
But Pinnick wants Eze to switch allegiances to boost Nigeria’s midfield as they plan for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“We need to make a solid representation at Qatar 2022 and it starts with improving on your squad with quality players like Eze,” he insisted.
“Can you imagine a midfield with Ndidi, Aribo, Etebo and Eze? it is one that will improve our squad.”
Pinnick has already held meetings with the 21-year-old and his parents and believes they have gone well.
“I had a positive meeting with Ebere Eze in London and I spoke to his parents as well,” said Pinnick.
“He requested for the chance to continue to focus on his club career which is going well so far, and that further progress will be made in due course
“But I am confidently hopeful that he will play for Nigeria soon,” he said.
Eze, who has scored seven goals and provided four assists so far this season, is considered as one of the hottest prospects outside of the Premier League.
His late penalty double and overall performance in a 3-2 away win at Hull City in October were particularly eye-catching.
However Pinnick’s public pursuit of the player has come under criticism from fans and local media, after a similar approach with Tammy Abraham ended in failure as the Chelsea striker chose to play for England instead.
“I have no regrets talking to Eze, who visited me at home with his girlfriend,” he added.
Nigeria have previously succeeded in snapping up former England youth internationals like Sone Aluko, Victor Moses, Shola Ameobi, Alex Iwobi and Ola Aina for the Super Eagles.
Eze was one of a number of British-born players, along with Ola Aina and Chuka Akpom, invited to train with the Nigeria squad in London back in March 2017 – following a cancelled friendly with Burkina Faso.
Uncapped and overlooked by coach Gernot Rohr after the London gathering, the former Wycombe Wanderers loanee then went on to earn seven caps for the England under-20’s between 2018 and 2019.
In August 2018, he agreed a new contract to stay at Championship club QPR until 2021.
Sports
City’s January Spending Propelled By Fears Of Transfer Ban?

Pep Guardiola has denied that Manchester City spent big in January in case the club are hit with a transfer embargo for alleged Premier League financial rule breaches.
City splashed out around £170 million ($211 million) on Omar Marmoush, Abdukodir Khusanov, Vitor Reis and Nico Gonzalez before Monday’s transfer deadline.
They are much-needed reinforcements for a side who are well off the pace in the Premier League and who just scraped into the Champions League play-offs.
Guardiola, whose side edged third-tier Leyton Orient in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday, was asked whether the club’s striking outlay was triggered by the possibility they would be hit by a transfer ban.
Sports
Chelsea Fall Short Against Brighton

Brighton came from behind to beat Chelsea and reach the fifth round of the FA Cup.
The Blues took a fortunate lead early on when Cole Palmer’s volleyed cross from the left was fumbled into his own net by Bart Verbruggen.
But Albion came back and Georginio Rutter headed in from Joel Veltman’s cross.
And they took the lead when Rutter picked out Kaoru Mitoma, the subject of a rejected £54m bid from Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr before the transfer deadline, who dinked the ball over Robert Sanchez.
Chelsea felt the goal should have been disallowed, as the ball struck Tariq Lamptey’s arm in the build-up, though there are no video assistant referees in the FA Cup fourth round.
Those goals came from Albion’s only shots in the first 60 minutes.
Sports
FA Cup: Minnows Stun Liverpool, End Dream

Plymouth Argyle produced a classic FA Cup giant-killing as the Championship’s bottom club stunned Premier League leaders Liverpool at a raucous Home Park.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot made 10 changes from the side that swept Tottenham aside to reach the Carabao Cup final and paid the price as Plymouth made the most of the opportunity to secure a place in the fifth round.
A scrappy tie came to life eight minutes after the interval when Plymouth were awarded a penalty after Harvey Elliott’s handball, Ryan Hardie drilling home the spot-kick in emphatic fashion.
Hardie almost added a second shortly afterwards when his shot was turned on to the post by Liverpool keeper Caoimhin Kelleher.
Liverpool applied some pressure in the closing stages, keeper Conor Hazard saving superbly from Diogo Jota then miraculously from substitute Darwin Nunez’s header, but Plymouth closed out a landmark win under new manager Miron Muslic.
Plymouth’s atmospheric Home Park erupted with a deafening roar as the final whistle sounded on a victory they will recall forever in Devon.
The sinking of Liverpool was a triumph for Plymouth’s charismatic manager Muslic, who has won the hearts of the ‘Green Army’ since succeeding the sacked Wayne Rooney.
In a stunning atmosphere, Plymouth sensed their chance when Liverpool’s teamsheet landed, with stellar names such as Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk not even on the bench.
Plymouth, as they had to, made the tie a scrap and then the decisive moment came when Elliott needlessly handled, allowing Hardie to assume the role of match-winner.
And they found a hero in keeper Hazard in those closing moments as he saved from Jota, then miraculously from Nunez’s header.
The main priority remains survival in the Championship, but the FA Cup demonstrated its enduring magic by producing a result that Plymouth hope will help their fight to stay up
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