However, together with Atalanta as a whole, Lookman’s form has dropped off in 2025 and he has not managed a single assist this year, although he has still added eight goals.
Sports
Salah stars again as Liverpool move closer to Premier League title
Salah stars again as Liverpool move closer to Premier League title
Mohamed Salah celebrated his new contract with another Premier League record as Liverpool moved to within two wins of clinching the title despite a lacklustre 2-1 victory over West Ham.
Two days after top-flight defenders had to come to terms with the prospect of another two years of torment from the Egypt international, the Hammers’ 19-year-old wing-back Ollie Scarles found himself in the firing line.
Scarles was turned inside and out by Salah, whose cross for Luis Diaz’s 18th-minute effort was his 45th Premier League goal involvement (27 goals, 18 assists) and the most in a 38-game season.
Salah, favourite for a fourth Golden Boot in eight seasons, is now only two away from the all-time assist record jointly held by fellow Premier League greats Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne.
Anfield came to celebrate their ‘Egyptian King’ but in reality other than that and Diaz’s 15th goal of the campaign there was little else to cheer until a late flurry prompted by Andy Robertson’s 86th-minute own goal.
It was Virgil van Dijk’s attempted clearance of Aaron Wan Bissaka’s cross which cannoned off his team-mate but the captain, set to join Salah in soon signing a new contract, made amends by powering home a late header and wheeling away to kiss the badge on his shirt.
Conor Bradley’s start at right-back after last week’s substitute appearance following injury had made a major improvement to the side, as did Alisson Becker’s return as he found himself the busier goalkeeper in the second half as West Ham seized on their hosts’ lethargy.
Salah is on his worst goalscoring drought since February 2023 with no goals in five games but his value to the team was evident in a first half in which Scarles was given a real education.
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The 57 minutes he faced Salah will have felt like an eternity and his second-half substitution will have come as something of a relief.
His wily opponent’s movement was a major concern for Scarles, who let his man escape for the goal.
Salah had already left him trailing in his wake when cutting inside to curl a shot wide of the far post but when he turned him again on the touchline seconds later the result was more devastating.
His curling pass with the outside of his left foot was intended for Diogo Jota but Max Kilman cancelled him out and it ran through for Diaz to convert.
Salah’s clever clip saw Alexis Mac Allister volley at Alphonse Areola, having just seen his Liverpool counterpart tip Mohammed Kudus’ shot onto the crossbar after being caught out of position.
West Ham centre-back Konstantinos Mavropanos headed over at a corner in added time but after Mac Allister crashed a free-kick against the crossbar and forced a scrambling Areola to waft behind his cross-shot, Liverpool retreated into their shell and the visitors should probably have won as a result.
Carlos Soler diverted over a cross from Jarrod Bowen, who was denied by a charging Alisson before Kudus flashed a shot across goal.
Salah’s influence had waned by this point and he cut a frustrated figure when he was substituted five minutes from the end, showing little interest in receiving the accolades.
Within a minute West Ham equalised as Liverpool paid for their lethargy and it needed a towering header from Salah’s main rival for Player of the Year to finally kick-start a party.
Even then they were not safe with substitute Niclas Fullkrug heading against the crossbar.
Salah stars again as Liverpool move closer to Premier League title
Sports
Osimhen’s ‘relatives’ in Edo accuse him of abandoning his hometown
Osimhen’s ‘relatives’ in Edo accuse him of abandoning his hometown
Two elderly men who claim to be relatives of Victor Osimhen have expressed disappointment over what they describe as the Super Eagles striker’s “neglect” of his ancestral home in Edo.
The men spoke in a now-trending video filmed by a blogger who claimed to have visited the footballer’s hometown in Okhuesan, Esan, in Edo state.
The aged men, identified as Omuyiwa John and Monday Egbe, claimed that the striker has not returned to his roots or offered support to the people he grew up with.
John said they grew up with Osimhen’s father in the same village and attended primary school together.
They alleged that they even helped raise funds for the burial of Victor’s mother, who was from Obiaruku in Delta state.
John expressed shock that despite their contributions to his family, the African Footballer of the Year has not “acknowledged or visited the community”.
“The father is of the same grandfather as me. We are surprised how the boy said he does not know Okhuesan again. Because the father grew up here. All of us grew together here. We attended the same primary school here. The father’s name is Patrick Osimhen,” he said.
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“The father married from the Delta side in Obiaroko.
“Even when Victor Osimhen’s mother died, she was out in a mortuary at Obiaroko. They said that until we come and do everything in marriage, they would bury her because she has given birth to many children for us.
“The father came from Lagos to come and meet us because he has no money, and his wife’s family is making demands. We sold everything and contributed money to take to Obiaroko to bury Victor Osimhen’s mother.”
John added that the community celebrated Osimhen’s rise to fame but was saddened by his apparent detachment from his roots.
“There was nothing we did not do for Victor or his father. When we later heard that the boy is now a footballer, we were happy. The whole community is happy for him,” he said
“He has never stepped foot in the village here. Even when the father died, he was buried in Lagos. We sent messages through our people in Lagos to bring the deceased back home, but the children refused.”
As of now, Osimhen has not publicly responded to the allegations.
Osimhen’s ‘relatives’ in Edo accuse him of abandoning his hometown
Sports
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Nottingham Forest striker Taiwo Awoniyi is out of an induced coma and recovering steadily following emergency surgery on an abdominal injury sustained in a frightening collision with the goalpost during Sunday’s clash against Leicester City.
The Nigerian forward underwent a procedure on Monday night, with doctors placing him in a medically induced coma to limit movement and regulate his heart rate. While the injury was not considered life-threatening, the precautionary measure was taken to aid his recovery.
According to Mail Online, the second stage of the procedure was completed on Wednesday, and Awoniyi is now awake and recuperating in hospital, surrounded by family.
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In the aftermath, Nottingham Forest issued a strongly worded statement defending club owner Evangelos Marinakis, who stormed onto the pitch after the match.
The club clarified that the severity of Awoniyi’s injury prompted his reaction and dismissed reports claiming he confronted manager Nuno Espírito Santo as “fake news.”
Taiwo Awoniyi out of induced coma, begins recovery
Sports
Liverpool eye Ademola Lookman in stunning swap deal
Liverpool eye Ademola Lookman in stunning swap deal
Liverpool are reportedly considering a sensational swap deal that would see Nigeria International Ademola Lookman and his Italian counterpart Federico Chiesa change clubs.
Italian media outlet, Quotidiano Sportivo, claimed that Chiesa is likely to leave Liverpool and return to Serie A after a miserable first season at Anfield. Despite picking up a Premier League winners’ medial, Chiesa barely featured at all – making just five league appearances totalling 41 minutes, all of them from the substitutes bench.
Incidentally, Liverpool are among the clubs who are big fans of Atalanta’s star Lookman, and the report further claimed that the Reds could consider a swap deal that sees the Nigerian move to Anfield in exchange for cash plus Chiesa.
The African Footballer of the Year is expected to leave Atalanta at the end of the season if the Italian club receives a suitable offer believed to be around €60 million.
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Lookman has been heavily linked with virtually every top team in Europe over the past months.
A return to the Premier League is believed to be the likeliest destination for the 27-year-old, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Man Utd, Liverpool and Newcastle all interested. Barcelona and PSG are also big fans.
Earlier this year, Lookman was crowned African Footballer of the Year and finished 14th in the 2024 Ballon d’Or race after a stunning 2024.
He scored a legendary hat trick for Atalanta in the 3-0 Europa League final victory over Bayer Leverkusen last May. He hit 27 goal contributions for the season before taking that brilliant form into the 2024/2025 season.
In the first half of the season he was arguably the best player in Serie A, as Atalanta looked a good bet for the Scudetto.
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