Sports

Coventry City Owner Dismisses Concerns Over Frank Lampard’s Chelsea links

Published

3 months ago

April 24, 2026

The owner of Coventry City has said he is not worried about speculation linking head coach Frank Lampard with a possible return to Chelsea, insisting the club remains focused on its long-term plans following promotion to the Premier League.

Coventry chairman Doug King said supporters should not be distracted by “what may or may not happen” amid growing reports that Chelsea could consider Lampard for a third spell in charge at Stamford Bridge following the departure of Liam Rosenior.

Lampard has enjoyed a highly successful spell at Coventry, guiding the club to the Championship title and securing promotion back to the top flight for the first time in more than two decades. The achievement capped an impressive first full season in charge after he was appointed in November 2024.

As reported by BBC Sport on Thursday, speaking about the speculation, King praised Lampard’s impact at the club but acknowledged that success inevitably attracts outside interest.

He’s done a fantastic job,” King said, highlighting the scale of Coventry’s achievement in winning the Championship without the financial advantages of parachute payments. “It’s a huge achievement nobody can take away from him.”

He added that managerial movement in football is now constant and often unpredictable, describing it as a “merry-go-round” where speculation follows success.

Despite the rumours, King said Lampard appeared settled at Coventry and emotionally invested in the club’s progress.

You can see how emotionally connected he is with the city,” he said. “I think he’s found a happy place at the moment.”

However, he also accepted that strong performance naturally brings attention from bigger clubs. “It doesn’t mean there’s not going to be interest in the summer,. “He’s shown his credentials as a high-quality head coach,” he said.

Coventry are now preparing for life in the Premier League and have begun planning their recruitment strategy. King stressed that the club would not simply rely on heavy spending to compete at the top level, insisting that smart recruitment and value for money would be central to their approach.

“People spend money very badly at times,” he said. “We will look for value. Don’t associate success just with how much money you spend.”

Coventry’s return to the Premier League marks the start of a new challenge for the club, which last played in the top flight in the 2000-01 season. King said the squad and staff are embracing the opportunity, while acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead.

Asked about the prospects of avoiding relegation in their first top-flight season since 2000-01, King said: “It’s taken a long time to get there. Obviously, we have beaten two teams who will join us so we have only got to beat one more, if we can beat them again next year, right? If you put it like that.

I’m embracing it, the team’s embracing it, it’s exciting, it’s a challenge. We had a challenge to get out of the Championship and we’ve spectacularly achieved that and now the next one is to challenge ourselves to see what we can do in the top league.

King said simply throwing “zillions” at signing new players was not the way to approach the Premier League, adding: “People spend money very badly at times, I would say what we do is we look for value.

“A very expensive footballer might still be valuable, there are a lot of footballers who are very expensive but who are not valuable.

“We will do what we’ve got to do, but don’t associate staying in the league and being very successful just with how much money you throw out of the door, I think that would be a mistake.”

Sports

Super Eagles: Ex-Chelsea Star Takes First Step To Dump France For Nigeria

Published

4 days ago

July 24, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Super Eagles coach Eric Chelle might get a new option to pick from, as a player with dual nationality is set to switch allegiances to Nigeria, Soccernet.ng reports.

This comes as former Chelsea midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu has taken his first few steps to switch allegiances from France to Nigeria.

The 22-year-old midfielder was born in France to Nigerian parents, and he represented France at youth level.

However, he is 22 now and cannot play youth-level football anymore. He is due for the senior team, but he has yet to receive an official call-up to the senior Les Bleus team. But according to FIFA rules, a player can still switch allegiances to Nigeria. As a result, the Super Eagles door is still open.

It appears that the former Chelsea man is willing to try that route. In the summer, he was in Nigeria and was even spotted playing football with Super Eagles star Kelechi Iheanacho in Owerri.

Now, reports have emerged that he has started the process of acquiring his Nigerian passport which will make him a bonafide Nigerian.

Once Ugochukwu gets his Nigerian passport, the next thing for him will be to switch his nationality with world football governing body FIFA so he can start playing for the Super Eagles.

A player of Ugochukwu’s profile would be a good fit for Eric Chelle’s system and he can give Nigeria a few good years.

The 22-year-old is originally a defensive midfielder, but he is more of a box-to-box player. He is physically strong, has composure on the ball, and is a decent carrier. The Rennes academy product also has the work rate which is needed to thrive in Chelle’s system.

His switch to the Super Eagles would provide healthy competition and depth in Nigeria’s midfield, and he can also chip in with the odd goal.

Ugochukwu just completed a loan move from Burnley to Galatasaray, and he will be looking to produce top performances for his new employers.

Sports

FULL LIST: Top 16 Ballon d’Or Contenders After 2026 World Cup

Published

7 days ago

July 21, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

The race for the 2026 Ballon d’Or has intensified following Spain’s FIFA World Cup triumph, with England captain Harry Kane emerging as the bookmakers’ favourite to win football’s most prestigious individual award.

According to odds published by the Independent UK, citing Betfair, on Tuesday, Kane leads the contenders ahead of Spain’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal and Argentina captain Lionel Messi.

Kane strengthened his credentials after finishing the World Cup with six goals and becoming England’s all-time leading scorer at the tournament.

The performance added to his already staggering 2025–2026 campaign, where he scored 72 goals and provided 7 assists in 61 appearances for Bayern Munich and England. Kane won three trophies with Bayern Munich, finished third at the FIFA World Cup 2026 and claimed the European Golden Shoe.

Spain’s World Cup-winning duo of Yamal and Rodri, who won the 2024 Ballon d’Or, also rank among the leading contenders after helping their country lift the trophy. Messi remains firmly in the race after leading the Albiceleste to a second consecutive World Cup final, despite missing out on FIFA’s Golden Ball award to Rodri.

Messi won his eighth Ballon d’Or in 2023, partly thanks to Argentina winning 2022 FIFA World Cup
At 39, the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner recorded 8 goals and 4 assists before also missing out on the Golden Boot to France star Kylian Mbappe by two goals.
Mbappé once again proved his elite status. In a prolific 2025–2026 campaign for Real Madrid, he became La Liga and Champions League top scorer.
He is also the 2026 World Cup top scorer and became the all-time leading scorer with 22 goals.

Manchester City and Norway striker, Erling Haaland, also enjoyed another prolific season, scoring 27 Premier League goals and eight in the UEFA Champions League.
He carried that form into the 2026 FIFA World Cup, scoring seven goals in five games to inspire Norway to a historic first-ever quarter-final appearance.

Erling Haaland #9 of Norway celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group I match between Iraq and Norway at Boston Stadium on June 16, 2026 in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
France’s Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise and England midfielder Jude Bellingham are also among the favourites.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled to take place in London on October 26.

Top 16 Ballon d’Or favourites (Betfair odds):

Harry Kane – 13/8
Lamine Yamal – 9/4
Lionel Messi – 11/4
Kylian Mbappe – 7/2
Rodri – 9/2
Ousmane Dembele – 14/1
Jude Bellingham – 14/1
Michael Olise – 20/1
Erling Haaland – 22/1
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – 28/1
Declan Rice – 28/1
Vitinha – 28/1
Fabian Ruiz – 33/1
Vinicius Jr. – 40/1
Bruno Fernandes – 50/1
Desire Doue – 50/1

Sports

Chelsea To Seal £117m Morgan Rogers Deal, Villa Replace Him With Joao Gomes

Published

1 week ago

July 20, 2026

Uthman Abdulganiyu

Chelsea are on the brink of completing a British record deal for Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers after the England international arrived for a medical earlier today, July 20, ahead of his proposed £117 million switch to Stamford Bridge.

According to Sky Sports, Morgan Rogers is expected to sign a six-year contract, with Chelsea holding the option to extend the deal by a further 12 months until 2033, provided he comes through his medical.

The 23-year-old returned from the United States on Sunday after helping England secure third place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and is now set to finalise his move in the coming days.

Chelsea acted decisively to beat Arsenal to Rogers’ signature after the Gunners refused to match Villa’s asking price, despite identifying him as their leading attacking target. The agreed fee will set a new British transfer record.

Rogers’ departure marks another major change in Aston Villa’s midfield, with the club already moving to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad.

Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazil international Joao Gomes from Wolves in a deal worth up to £38 million. The agreement includes an initial £34 million payment, with a further £4 million in performance-related add-ons.

**Joao Gomes during his unveiling as an Aston Villa player.**

The 25-year-old had also attracted interest from Atletico Madrid but left Wolves’ pre-season training camp in Portugal last week to complete his medical before sealing the move to Villa Park.

Gomes becomes Villa’s second high-profile midfield signing in quick succession after the club completed a deal worth more than £50 million for Freiburg’s Johan Manzambi on Friday, beating Newcastle United to the Switzerland international.

Villa’s transfer activity follows a difficult spell in midfield. Amadou Onana has been ruled out until next year after sustaining a serious knee injury while on World Cup duty with Belgium. The club have also sold Youri Tielemans to Manchester United for £35 million.

Gomes leaves Wolves after making 130 appearances and scoring seven goals since joining from Brazilian side Flamengo in 2023. He featured 41 times last season as Wolves endured a disappointing campaign that ended with relegation after finishing bottom of the Premier League.