Sports
‘Shut Your Mouth’, Jackson Fires Back At Mikel
Chelsea forward, Nicolas Jackson has hit back at former Blues midfielder Mikel Obi, who recently criticised his performance.
Jackson bluntly told the ex-Chelsea star to “shut his mouth” after Mikel suggested the striker wasted too many chances during last Sunday’s match against Manchester City.
Mikel also hinted that Chelsea might want to consider signing Victor Osimhen as a potential alternative.
In response, the Senegalese forward highlighted his form by sharing an image from the popular football page #433, celebrating his opening goal in Chelsea’s 6-2 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The post read: “Jackson answered his critics on the pitch by scoring Chelsea’s opening goal in their 6-2 win over Wolves, marking the club’s fastest Premier League goal since 2017.”
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Jackson, who scored inside the opening two minutes against Wolves, took to social media to address Mikel’s comments directly.
“Mikel Obi, shut your mouth, don’t talk nonsense. We are killing ourselves for Africa,” Jackson wrote on Instagram, clearly expressing his displeasure with the criticism.
Mikel, 37, had targeted Jackson’s goal-scoring ability on beIN Sport following Chelsea’s 2-0 loss to Manchester City last weekend.
He remarked, “We created chances but didn’t take them. Just look at Jackson’s finishing. Even though he was offside, he dribbles past one or two or three players, but his shooting needs to improve.
“We need a striker who can consistently put the ball in the back of the net, which we currently lack. I know I sound critical, but I’m not trying to disrespect him. Chelsea needs a top striker, similar to Haaland, who has scored an unbelievable 91 goals for City.”
Chelsea will host fellow London club Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, September 1, in the third week of the Premier League.
Mohamed Salah has officially extended his stay at Liverpool, signing a new contract that will keep him at Anfield beyond the 2024-25 season.
The Egyptian forward, now 32, continues to shine for the Reds and remains central to the club’s ambitions going forward.
In another standout campaign, Salah has scored 32 goals in 45 matches across all competitions, including 27 in the Premier League, where he currently leads the goal-scoring charts.
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He’s also provided 22 assists, highlighting his all-round contribution to the team.
Speaking after putting pen to paper, Salah shared his enthusiasm for the future.
“Of course I’m very excited. We have a great team now. Before also we had a great team. But I signed because I think we have a chance to win other trophies and enjoy my football.”
Since joining Liverpool from AS Roma in 2017, Salah has established himself as one of the club’s greatest-ever players.
With 243 goals in 394 appearances, he sits third on Liverpool’s all-time scoring list.
During his time at Anfield, he’s helped the team win seven major honours, including the Premier League and Champions League.
Reflecting on his journey so far, Salah added: “It’s great, I had my best years here. I played eight years, hopefully it’s going to be 10. Enjoying my life here, enjoying my football. I had the best years in my career.”
His continued presence at the club is expected to be a huge boost for new manager Arne Slot, who is preparing for his first full season at the helm.
Salah’s leadership, experience, and consistent output will be vital as Liverpool chase more silverware.
Individually, Salah’s accolades include three Premier League Golden Boot awards, two PFA Players’ Player of the Year titles, and two FWA Footballer of the Year honours.
With a heartfelt message to the supporters, Salah said, “I would like to say to [the fans], I am very, very happy to be here. I signed here because I believe we can win a lot of big trophies together. Keep supporting us and we’ll give it our best, and hopefully in the future we’re going to win more trophies.”
Southampton have parted ways with manager Ivan Juric following the club’s relegation from the Premier League, the club confirmed in a statement released Monday.
The decision comes just 24 hours after the Saints were officially condemned to the drop with a 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
The loss cemented Southampton’s place at the bottom of the table, sealing their relegation with seven games still to play – a new Premier League record for the earliest demotion, surpassing Derby County (2008) and Huddersfield Town (2019), who both went down with six matches remaining.
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Juric, 49, was appointed in December to replace Russell Martin, inheriting a side already entrenched in relegation danger.
However, his tenure failed to inspire a turnaround, yielding just one league victory – away at Ipswich in February – in 17 matches. Southampton have lost 25 of their 31 Premier League fixtures this season, including seven of their last eight.
“We can confirm that we have today reached an agreement with our men’s first-team manager, Ivan Juric, to end his spell at the club,” Southampton said in a club statement.
“Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.”
Simon Rusk will take charge as interim manager for the remainder of the season, supported by former Southampton midfielder Adam Lallana.
With their return to the Championship now confirmed, the club emphasized the importance of providing clarity as they prepare for a crucial summer of rebuilding.
“We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans. Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club,” the statement added.
“Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again.”
Southampton earned promotion to the Premier League last season through the Championship play-offs but have endured a torrid campaign in the top flight.
Abia State took its turn to play host to the Niger Delta Sports Festival (NDSF) torch tour in brief ceremonies at the Umuahia Township Stadium and at the Government House.
The state Commissioner for Youth and Sport, Hon Nwaobilor Ananaba Nwadinma received the torch at the Umuahia Township Stadium before leading Team Abia to the Government House where it was presented to the Executive Governor of Abia State, Dr Alex Otti.
On arrival at the Government House, Team Abia was treated to a sumptuous dinner with the governor.
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The team then proceeded to the governor’s yard, where the torch was lit and presented to the governor by the commissioner to the admiration of everyone who witnessed the lighting of the torch.
In his speech the governor charged Team Abia to go and conquer in Uyo and come back to receive a state reception.
Gov Otti expressed appreciation to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for initiating the sports festival, which he noted will go a long way to create unity, spot and harness untapped talents in the Niger Delta states.
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