Sports
Wenger reveals Man U job offer and why Arsenal rejected Guardiola …says ‘I’ll return to Arsenal one day
Arsene Wenger has revealed he was once offered the Manchester United job – and the chance to sign Pep Guardiola at Arsenal.
He also says he is ready to return to Arsenal “one day”, having not set foot in Emirates Stadium since leaving two years ago.
Wenger, 70, stepped down in May 2018 after helping the Gunners win three Premier League titles and seven FA Cups during his 22 years in charge.
The Gunners legend is now working as FIFA’s Head of Global Development, with a managerial career spanning four decades to reflect on.
Towards the end of his Arsenal tenure and since his exit, Wenger was linked with a return to France to take over at Paris Saint-Germain, but it wasn’t the only high-profile job he turned down.
“I was offered that job (PSG) a few times,” Wenger said in a lengthy interview with The Times.
He also confirmed he had the chance to take over at Old Trafford – but he wouldn’t reveal when.
“I don’t tell you that,” Wenger said. “But I can tell you Man Utd offered me the job.”
“Ah, we had some good battles,” he added on former adversary Sir Alex Ferguson. “He’s an intelligent man. You don’t have a career like this guy if you’re stupid.”
Wenger never took up residence in Manchester but one man who did was City boss Guardiola. Had things worked out differently, he might have joined Wenger in north London during his playing days.
“When Guardiola was still a player, he came to my home to ask to play for Arsenal,” Wenger said. “At the time I had [Patrick] Vieira. I had Gilberto Silva. I couldn’t take him.”
While Guardiola never got the chance to be Wenger’s protege, City starlet Phil Foden is now developing under the Catalan at the Etihad.
Wenger says he watched Foden in England’s recent 1-0 victory over Iceland, and he wants to see him given more opportunities despite a turgid game.
“It was bad. I’ve seen so many good players not doing well for England. They’re scared to play.
“Phil Foden is a guy with big quality, but at the moment he has not made it. He hasn’t played enough at Manchester City. You need about 100 games to know your job in the Premier League.
“I follow every English game on television. It’s my league. You don’t need to come from a special school to know Bayern Munich will win the championship in Germany, that Juventus will win it in Italy, that PSG will win it in France.
“England is still the most unpredictable league in Europe, even if last year was not a good year and English teams didn’t do well in Europe.”
Meanwhile, Wenger says he is ready to return to the club “one day”.
He has been invited back since, but says it was best to “cut completely” from the club after his departure.
“I thought it’s better to follow from a distance,” he told The Times.
Wenger says his exit from Arsenal was a “very lonely, very painful” separation and he currently has “no connection at all with the club”.
That is in contrast to another of the Premier League’s long-serving managers, Sir Alex Ferguson, who was offered a seat on the Manchester United board when he retired from management in 2013.
Wenger said he did not know why he had not been offered a role with the north London club, but would have accepted it had he been given the opportunity.
“I always said I would still play a part in the club, but I could understand that at the start it’s better that we take a complete distance,” he said.
Wenger previously stated he wanted to return to management in early 2019, but instead took up a role as FIFA’s job in November of that year.
Having spent some time away from the dugout, he now admits he’s “not sure” if he will manage a club again,
“For 40 years I did only that every day in my life,” he said. “[Now I am] Making some sport. Visiting my family and friends. Holidays. Reading a lot. Enjoying life but in a sensible way, because I’m a little bit drilled by 30, 40 years of discipline, you know?”
Sports
Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76
Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76
Two-time world heavyweight boxing champion and successful entrepreneur George Foreman has passed away at the age of 76.
His family announced that he died peacefully on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones.
“With profound sorrow, we announce the passing of our beloved George Edward Foreman Sr, who peacefully departed on March 21, 2025, surrounded by loved ones,” his family said in a statement posted on the boxer’s official Instagram page.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers and kindly ask for privacy as we honour the extraordinary life of a man we were blessed to call our own.”
Born in 1949 in Houston, Texas, Foreman overcame a challenging upbringing, finding direction through the Job Corps programme, where he discovered boxing.
“At 13 years old, George was about 6-foot-2, 200 pounds and the terrorist in the neighbourhood,” his younger brother Roy told the BBC in 2024.
READ ALSO:
- Tinubu as yesterday’s rebel and today’s tyrant, By Farooq Kperogi
- Communal Clash: Gov Adeleke imposes new curfew on Ifon, Ilobu communities
- BREAKING: IGP redeploys 38 police commissioners
“And when you’re bigger and stronger and think you’re better than everyone else, you take things.”
Foreman’s athletic ability was shown when he won a gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics.
At 19, he crushed his way to the super-heavyweight title, brandishing an American flag in the ring just days after Tommie Smith and John Carlos’ historic Black Power salute.
Standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) and known as ‘Big George’, he was a formidable presence in the heavyweight division.
His destructive power and quickness propelled him fast up the professional ranks. In 1973, he won the heavyweight belt by destroying Joe Frazier in two rounds.
By October 1974, when Foreman defended his title against Muhammad Ali in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), he had a perfect 40-0 record.
Ali’s ‘rope-a-dope’ tactic wore him down, and tired, Foreman gave up in the eighth round.
Foreman’s impact on boxing and beyond is permanent.
A two-time heavyweight champion, an Olympic gold medallist, a preacher, an entrepreneur, and a devoted family man, his life was one of success, atonement, and reinvention.
Boxing heavyweight champion, George Foreman, dies at 76
Sports
Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record
Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record
Former Nigeria international Segun Odegbami has expressed delight after Super Eagles striker Victor Osimhen surpassed his long-standing goal record for the national team.
Osimhen scored his 24th and 25th goals for Nigeria during Friday’s 2-0 victory over Rwanda in the 2026 World Cup qualifier in Kigali, moving him to second place on Nigeria’s all-time scorers list behind only the late Rashidi Yekini, who holds the record with 37 goals.
“Osimhen has finally overtaken me and I think that is good because the record has been hanging on for a very long time. I am very happy for him and I want to say good luck to him,” Odegbami said .
“He is still young and he has a long way to go.”
Odegbami, who retired from international football in 1981, had held the position of Nigeria’s second-highest goal scorer for 44 years before Osimhen’s breakthrough.
READ ALSO:
- Akpabio denies giving $15,000 bribe to senators to support Rivers emergency rule
- PDP crisis over secretary lingers despite Supreme Court ruling
- 12 suspects arrested over Kaduna mosque attack
The legendary winger, nicknamed ‘Mathematical’ for his precision crosses and intelligent play, scored 23 goals in 47 appearances for Nigeria between 1976 and 1981.
The Galatasaray striker, who is enjoying remarkable form this season with 20 goals and four assists in 20 Super Lig games, connected with Ademola Lookman’s free kick at the far post to score the opener against Rwanda on Friday.
Prior to this match, Osimhen had equalled Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw against Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying game in Abidjan, heading home in the 81st minute for his 23rd goal in 38 appearances.
The 26-year-old forward now needs 12 more goals to equal Yekini’s record of 37 goals, which has stood since the striker’s last game for Nigeria in 1998.
Odegbami, who was a key member of Nigeria’s 1980 Africa Cup of Nations winning squad, scoring in the final against Algeria, also praised the team’s overall performance against Rwanda.
“I am really impressed with the Eagles performance in Kigali and that is their most convincing win in 10 years,” he added.
Osimhen, who made his Super Eagles debut in June 2017 in a 2-0 defeat against South Africa, has become the team’s talisman, including notable performances in AFCON qualifiers where he scored two hat-tricks in 2023.
Odegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record
Sports
Osimhen breaks Odegbami’s Eagles goal record
Osimhen breaks Odegbami’s Eagles goal record
Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen has eclipsed legendary striker Segun Odegbami on the country’s all-time leading goal scorers list after scoring his 24th and 25th goals against Rwanda in Nigeria’s critical 2026 World Cup qualifying game on Friday.
Ademola Lookman’s soaring free kick found the Galatasaray striker, who turned the ball home with a superb touch at the far post to give Nigeria the lead in the game.
With the goal, Osimhen moved into second place on Nigeria’s goal-scoring table, trailing only the late Rashidi Yekini’s 37-goal total.
Osimhen, who is playing his debut game in the 2026 World Cup qualification series, scored his 25th goal in the 45th minute of regular time against Rwanda in his 39th appearance for Nigeria.
READ ALSO:
- 2026 WCQ: Super Eagles move up to third place with 2-0 win in Rwanda
- Nnamdi Kanu returns to court, apologises over attacks on judge, others
- Binance delists five cryptocurrencies
He tied Odegbami’s record last November during Nigeria’s 1-1 draw with Benin Republic in a 2025 AFCON qualifying encounter.
This season, the 26-year-old has been in excellent form, scoring 20 goals and providing four assists in 20 Super Lig games for league leaders Galatasaray.
He has also scored 26 goals and provided five assists in 30 games across all competitions.
Osimhen breaks Odegbami’s Eagles goal record
-
International3 days agoUK announces new passport application fees starting April 2025
-
metro1 day ago‘We’re not hiring,’ NNPC denies viral recruitment adverts
-
metro20 hours agoNatasha: Court blocks recall attempt, stops INEC
-
Sports21 hours agoOdegbami speaks on Osimhen breaking his 44-year goals record
-
metro2 days agoMore trouble brews in Rivers as Ijaw congress considers self-determination option
-
metro3 days agoCourt lifts order stopping Senate probe on Natasha Akpoti
-
metro3 days agoMohbad’s brother, Adura, arrested by police in Lagos
-
Entertainment21 hours agoI didn’t snatch Asake’s mother from her husband -Musibau Alani
You must be logged in to post a comment Login