Entertainment / LGBTQ / News

Marvel comics to introduce new gay Spider-Man character

Confirming the newest addition, Comic book author Steve Foxe revealed that the character named Web-Weaver will posses a ‘fearlessly femme identity’. He further detailed that they were careful to develop a queer character that did not generalize LGBTQ stereotypes.

“Surprise: I had the huge gay honor of helping to co-create Web-Weaver, who’ll make his debut in Edge of the Spider-verse this September,” Fox announced on Twitter.

He added: “Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t – and shouldn’t – represent ALL gay men. No single character cant.

“His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY… Which you can experience for yourself in September!”

Web-Weaver’s debut issue has been confirmed for an August 3 release. The character will debut alongside three other renditions of Spider-Man, including Spider-Man Noir and a Spider-Man Rex dinosaur hybrid.

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BBNaija / Entertainment / News

BBNaija season 7 confirmed for double entry show premiere this July

Season 7 of the hit reality show will premiere on July 23-24, 2022, following last season’s double entry style.

The show’s organizers confirmed season seven’s launch at a recently held press junket in Lagos.

This year’s BBNaija edition will see a lucky Nigerian take home N100 million worth of prizes, the biggest in the show’s history.

Season seven will also spot some pre Covid elements including the return of the fan-favorite ‘Ninjas’ and a live studio audience. It’s set to be a winning season for BBNaija fans as the organizers confirmed a promo that would see 30 fans win N1 million each.

The new season will retain its voting style from last year as voting remains exclusive to the Big Brother Naija website, mobile site, and the My DStv and MyGOtv apps for active customers. The number of votes each subscriber will have will be determined by their subscription packages, with DStv Premium and GOtv SUPA subscribers receiving the most votes.

Headline sponsor for BBNaija season 7 is Pocket by Piggyvest and associate sponsor is Flutterwave.

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Lifestyle / Music / News

‘Music is the only thing moving Nigeria forward’ Paul of P-Square says

Imagine the only thing that is moving forward in Nigeria is something that the government are not in control of #music,” He said in a tweet on Wednesday 4th July 2022.

Paul Okoye’s thoughts are coming at the back of P-Square’s appearance at Afronation Portugal 2022 where they were a very special guest.

Considering the steady ascension the Nigerian music industry and the entertainment sectors have enjoyed, it can be agreed that Nigeria’s creative industry is the most promising aspect of the Nigerian economy.

Many factors both political, economical, and social accounts for why the success recorded in the Nigerian music industry has not been replicated in other key sectors of the society, and Nigerian youths will be hoping to change this at the 2023 Presidential polls.

Paul Okoye and his twin brother Peter have both been vocal about their support for one of the candidates in the coming elections and their choices might have been inspired by a desire for other aspects of the society to experience the success recorded by the entertainment industry.

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Music / News

Wizkid scores fourth Billboard Hot 100 entry

Chris Brown tapped Wizkid for his Afrobeats-inspired single ‘Call Me Everyday’ which is one of the songs in his latest album ‘Breezy’.

This becomes Wizkid’s fourth entry on America’s official music chart after previously recording entries with Drake’s 2016 hit single ‘One Dance’ which peaked at number one, Beyoncé’s ‘Brown Skin Girl’ which reached Number 76 on the chart, and ‘Essence’ featuring Tems and Justin Bieber which peaked at number 9.…

Gospel / Movies / News

Popular Pastor gifts homeless veteran Nollywood actor Kenneth Aguba free accommodation

It was recently revealed that the veteran actor has been homeless for a while. Following the reports of the news, Chinyere who is the senior pastor at Omega Power Ministry reached out to the homeless actor, stating that the actor will be given accommodation in one of the ministry’s free estates in Rivers State.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=773298693847751

In a series of posts shared via the official page of the church on Tuesday, July 5, 2022, the veteran actor was welcomed to Port harcourt while his accommodation was sorted.

“The veteran Nigerian actor Kenneth Aguba who was recently found homeless has been found by the General Overseer of OPM, Apostle Chibuzor Chinyere, he has been given an accommodation at one of the OPM free estates, he is now at the OPM free hospital for medical checkup. God is great,” the post read. Aguba went viral on social media after a Twitter user revealed that he had been living in a dilapidated building after becoming homeless.

Popular for playing comic and ‘red cap’ chief roles, Aguba has been in over a dozen Nollywood home videos.

Since the viral photos, the Actors Guild of Nigeria has come under intense criticism, with disturbed fans questioning the Guild’s mandate.

While the AGN is yet to react to Aguba’s viral photos, its national president, Emeka Rollas has made recent moves to address crowdfunding for veterans in distress.

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News / Oil & Gas / politics

Nigeria’s outgoing OPEC Secretary-General dies hours after meeting with Buhari

Nigeria’s Dr. Mohammed Barkindo, the Secretary-General of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, is dead.

Mele Kyari, Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Company, confirmed the development on Wednesday.

Kyari spoke in a statement posted on his official Twitter page in the early hours of the day.

He tweeted: “We lost our esteemed Dr Mohammed S Barkindo. “He died at about 11.00 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Certainly a great loss to his immediate family, the NNPC, our country Nigeria, the OPEC and the global energy community.

“Burial arrangements will be announced shortly.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Barkindo, who is the outgoing OPEC Secretary General, was in Nigeria where he delivered the Chairman’s Keynote Address at the ongoing Nigerian Oil and Gas Conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

At his last official outing at the NOG, Barkindo was given a standing ovation by industry stakeholders for his outstanding contributions to the Nigerian and global oil and gas industry.

He had earlier in the day visited President Muhammadu Buhari in the Presidential Villa (see photograph used for illustration), where he was hailed by the President for being a “worthy ambassador to Nigeria.”

Born on April 20, 1959 in Yola, Adamawa State, Barkindo served as the Secretary General of OPEC since August 1, 2016 and would have bowed out on July 31, 2022 following the completion of his tenure.

He completed his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria in 1981 and Masters of Business Administration degree from Washington University in 1991.

Prior to the MBA, in 1988 he earned a Post Graduate Diploma in Petroleum Economics from Oxford University.

Also, he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Federal University of Technology Yola.

Barkindo previously served as the acting Secretary-General in 2006 and represented Nigeria on OPEC’s Economic Commission Board from 1993 to 2008.

He also led the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation from 2009 to 2010 and headed Nigeria’s technical delegation to United Nations climate negotiations since 1991.

Barkindo will be replaced by Haitham Al-Ghais, a veteran of …

Education / Health / News

Crack in ASUU, as medical lecturers distance selves from strike

The ongoing strike embarked upon by four university-based unions has taken a new twist, as lecturers in medical schools of some Federal Universities have distanced themselves from the industrial action.

This came on a day the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, said the Federal Government’s promise of immediate reply to its submission to the committee set up to negotiate with it had not been fulfilled, nearly a month after.

In a letter to the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, by the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, MDCAN, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, UMTH, branch, the lecturers said they never joined the strike and, consequently, requested for  payment of their withheld salaries from March to June 2022.

The lecturers also sent the same letter to the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, as well as the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. The letter, dated June 29, 2022, signed by the Assistant Secretary of the union, Dr. Mohammed Abdulahi, and entitled: ‘Request for Payment of Our Withheld Salaries from March-June 2022’, read: “We, members of the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria, University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital branch, majority of which form the College of Medical Sciences Academic Board, University of Maiduguri, wish to kindly request for payment of our withheld salaries from March 2022-June 2022.

This is because our members (medical lecturers in the University of Maiduguri) have been patriotically doing their work, which includes teaching, training and conducting examinations of medical students throughout the period of the ongoing strike.”

They drew the attention of the minister to their earlier correspondences in March, with the Provost, College of Medicine, and Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, notifying them of their resolve to remain at work, notwithstanding the strike declared by ASUU.

They explained that the proactive step was taken in case the Federal Government decides to stop the salaries of ASUU members.

The medical lecturers, therefore, appealed for the kind intervention of the minister to encourage their patriotic members to …

Football / Sports

Tyrell Malacia signs for #mufc on a four-year contract plus the option of an extra year

“Tyrell [Malacia] is an exciting, dynamic young footballer with excellent experience for his age, including five seasons in the Eredivisie, a European final and full international honours for the Netherlands.

John Murtough: “We look forward to seeing him [Malacia] continue to develop under the guidance of Erik ten Hag and his coaching team in the years ahead. Everyone at #mufc welcomes Tyrell to the club.”

Tyrell Malacia: “It’s an incredible feeling to have joined #mufc. This is a new chapter for me, a new league with new team-mates and a tremendous manager leading us.” “I know from playing against his [Ten Hag] teams in the Eredivisie, the qualities that he has and what he demands of his players. “Whilst I know that I am still young and will continue to develop, I can promise the #mufc fans that I will leave everything on the pitch every time I pull on the red shirt.…

Basket Ball / Sports

Trade grades: Jazz net huge haul for Rudy Gobert; Wolves must contend for title to justify paying steep price

The Utah Jazz are trading Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a six-player deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski. Minnesota is sending Utah Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt and four first-round picks for the All-Star center. Those picks are unprotected first-rounders in 2023, 2025, and 2027, an unprotected swap in 2026 and a top-five protected pick in 2029.

Gobert is a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year and is widely considered the league’s best rim protector. In Minnesota, he will link up with Karl-Anthony Towns, who is one of the NBA’s better offensive big men, to form one of the NBA’s best frontcourts.

Minnesota finished a surprising 13th in defense last season with an aggressive trapping scheme, but Gobert takes them to an entirely different level. The Wolves will have to change their style, but no Gobert defense has finished below 13th in the past seven seasons. Utah, meanwhile, officially ends one of the more successful runs in franchise history. The Jazz have been a consistent playoff team with Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, but after a first-round flameout against the Dallas Mavericks, it became clear that change was needed. With head coach Quin Snyder also out, the Jazz will enter the 2022-23 season with a completely different looking team.

Now the question is whether or not Mitchell will be the next Utah star out the door. Rumors have linked him to the New York Knicks for years, and the Miami Heat also appear to be on the prowl looking for star talent. If they could get four first-rounders for Gobert, they’d likely be able to fetch even more for the younger Mitchell, and moving him now would have the added benefit of positioning the Jazz to potentially land one of the top picks in the loaded 2023 NBA Draft. Headlining that class is another French center, Victor Wembanyama, who has been compared to Gobert defensively, but has a much more diverse game offensively.

For most of Utah’s time in the playoffs, Minnesota has been …

Football / Sports

Mauricio Pochettino sacked at PSG: What’s next for the Argentine manager?

After weeks of being one of the worst kept secrets in European soccer, it is now official: Mauricio Pochettino is no longer Paris Saint-Germain head coach. The Argentine has been shown the door by the French giants along with sporting director Leonardo with Luis Campos of AS Monaco and Lille OSC fame now shaping the project and Christophe Galtier leading it on the pitch.

“Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club,” read an official statement on Tuesday. “The Argentine coach and his team joined the club in January 2021. A former captain of the Rouge & Bleus, Pochettino took charge of 84 competitive games. Under his tenure, Paris Saint-Germain won the 2020 Trophée des Champions and the 2020/21 Coupe de France, as well as the club’s historic 10th Ligue 1 title last April. The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future.”

Galtier, who led the Lille OSC side which pipped PSG to the 2020-21 Ligue 1 title, replaces Pochettino in the French capital after an underwhelming 18-month spell at Parc des Princes with a 50% domestic cup success rate given that he secured one Championnat, Coupe de France and Trophee des Champions title apiece. The 50-year-old South American did manage one UEFA Champions League semifinal from two which can only be bettered by predecessor Thomas Tuchel, but the recent round of 16 exit at the hands of Real Madrid negates that somewhat.

Ultimately, the ex-PSG captain’s spell in France was a false dawn given that the emotional return of a former player who had spoken so highly of never truly materialized. However, where Pochettino was judged and failed to deliver was on the pitch with his only full season in charge bitterly disappointing despite the presence of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi in his squad.

The man from Murphy’s inability to stamp any real identity on this group of players meant that PSG never really felt like a …

Education / News

Lagos Govt shuts Redeemer’s school over death of 5-yr-old pupil

The school was shuttered after a five-year-old pupil drowned during a swimming lesson.

The pupil, Chidera Eze was reported to have drowned during a swimming lesson organized by the school at the Ivory Health Club, Ogundana Street, Ikeja, in May.

According to Punch, Chidera and his colleagues were playing at the tip of the pool when he slipped into it.

In a statement announcing the development, the commissioner said the school is yet to conclude its registration and is, therefore, not yet an approved school.

Adefisayo said: “The school will remain closed, pending an administrative investigation of its operations and procedures as well as the conduct of its officials — in line with schools’ safety standards and guidelines.

“The investigation is sequel to the death of a five-year-old pupil, who is suspected to have drowned during a swimming lesson while in the custody of the school.

“The police are investigating the matter.

“A preliminary probe by the Office of Education Quality Assurance of the Ministry has shown that the Redeemers Nursery and Primary School, Ogba, is yet to conclude its registration and is, therefore, not yet an approved school.

“The Ministry is concerned about the safety of the pupils, hence the need for intervention.

“The school will remain closed until all the required approval processes are concluded. Parents are advised to note the closure and wait for the conclusion of the administrative investigation.”

The deceased’s father, Mr Anthony had blamed the death of his child on the negligence of the school officials.

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News / politics

PDP crisis deepens as Wike reportedly refuses to meet Atiku’s emissaries

Since the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar picked Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate last month, the PDP has been a divided house.

Atiku was said to have rejected Wike as his running mate, despite his recommendation by a 17-man committee set up by the party.

Following Okowa’s emergence as the PDP Vice Presidential candidate, some Wike loyalists dumped the party.

And in a bid to pacify Wike and his followers, the opposition party recently set up a nine-member committee to resolve the lingering crisis, but the Rivers state governor is reportedly not willing to meet the committee.

Also, his continuous silence over the crisis unsettles the party as nobody in the party knows his next move.

Abia State Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, Samuel Ortom of Benue and former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose are believed to be Wike allies.

Some of the party leaders like Fayose and Ortom had recently expressed their displeasure over the emergence of Atiku and Okowa as the party’s flag bearers for the 2023 presidential elections.

Criticizing the party on Twitter, Fayose recently opposed the PDP, insisting that power must return to the South in 2023.

Also, Governor Ortom during his interview on Arise TV said he had not made up his mind to support Atiku. He also called out the PDP for allegedly betraying Wike.

It would be recalled that in 2021, Southern Governors reached an agreement that power just shift to their region in 2023.

The governors vowed to oppose any political party that presents a northerner as its presidential candidate.

Despite the clamor for power to return to the south, the PDP decided to throw its presidential ticket open to aspirants from all regions, and Atiku, a northerner emerged as the party’s presidential candidate.

Wike came second in the primary election that produced Atiku as the PDP flagbearer.

Speaking on the crisis, a PDP chieftain in Rivers State told Daily Trust that Atiku would be paid back in his own coin, adding that

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Crime / News / Security

4G Network rearrested by police after jail break in Owo Prison

The Ondo State Police Command has re-arrested one Ikuemelo Tosin, aka 4G Network, a convict, who escaped during the jailbreak in Owo Correctional Centre in March.

The spokesperson of the Command, SP Funmilayo Odunlami, disclosed this in a statement on Monday in Akure.

Odunlami recalled that the convict was arrested and arraigned in court for alleged cultism and murder, and was remanded at Owo Correctional Centre.

He, however, escaped from custody in March during a jail break. The statement by Odunlami said: “Today, 4th of July, 2022 at about 0700hrs, information was received by men of Igbokoda Division in Okitipupa Local Government Area of Ondo.

“That one Ikuemelo Tosin ‘m’, AKA 4G network, a convict, who escaped during Owo Correctional jail break, was in town.

“Immediately, the Divisional Police Officer of the division and his men went after him and was re-arrested in a soak away.”

Odunlami, therefore, said that Tosin would be charged to court immediately.…

News / Transportation

Sallah: FRSC to deploy breathalysers

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Ogun Sector Command is to deploy breathalyzers to test motorists in order to detect those who drive under the influence of alcohol during the Eid al–Adha  (Sallah) festivities.

The Sector Commander of FRSC,  Ahmed Umar, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Ota, Ogun.

Umar said that any motorist who tests positive to alcohol would be subjected to a drug test.

He said that the National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) would be engaged for this purpose during the festival. “We are therefore appealing to motorists to avoid drink driving during and after the festive period.

“People should not indulge in drinking and driving at the same time to prevent unnecessary loss of life,” he said.

Umar also said that any vehicle impounded because the driver violated traffic rules and regulations would not be released until after the Sallah festival.

The sector commander said that the FRSC would collaborate with the police to check Road Traffic Violations (RTV) on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

”We are also collaborating with the Navy and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps to maintain sanity during the Sallah festival on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Sagamu -Ijebu Ode-Ore Expressway.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2022, Eid al–Adha is expected to be celebrated on Saturday.…

MMA / Sports

Israel Adesanya survives Drake curse with victory against Jared Cannonier

Nigerian-born New Zealand professional Mixed Martial Artist (MMA) Israel Mobolaji Adesanya was victorious against Jared Cannonier at the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) 276.

The 32-year-old Adesanya recorded a unanimous decision victory against Cannonier after five rounds in the octagon.

Adesanya the reigning UFC middleweight champion came into the fight with pressure as Canadian rapper, singer, and actor Aubrey Drake Graham made a huge bet on him to win.

Drake bet one million dollars that Adesanya would win and even had a face time with him a day before the fight.

Adesanya showed no signs of pressure as he came into the fight with the theme song of popular wrestler the Undertaker.

At the octagon at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, Las Vegas Metropolitan Area Adesanya established his dominance from the start to put Cannonier on the back foot.

His tactics resulted into a convincing victory despite a late combination of hits by Cannonier.

After the fight, it was confirmed that Drake had won his one million dollar bet on Adesanya.

The Drake curse was coined after the Canadian star loses whenever he places a bet on a fighter to win.

Nigerian born-British professional boxer suffered from the Drake curse when he posed with the Canadian rapper ahead of his first fight against Andy Ruiz in New York.

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Sports / Tennis

Tatjana Maria Stuns Jelena Ostapenko for first Wimbledon quarterfinals

Tatjana Maria, 34, stunned Jelena Ostapenko in the Wimbledon last-16 and made tennis history in the process as she is now the oldest woman in the Open Era to make a Wimbledon quarterfinal debut. Maria had her back turned against the wall and was facing an elimination but somehow was able to produce a stunning comeback and edge out 12th-seeded Ostapenko 5-7 7-5 7-5.

Ostapenko was up by a set and a break before Maria stormed back to win in three sets. In the 10th game of the second set, Maria saved two consecutive match points and then also won the following two games to force a decider.

Ostapenko started the second set with an early break and a 2-0 lead but Maria managed to recover and complete a stunning comeback win. In 2021 July, Maria returned to tennis following a second maternity leave.

Maria after stunning Ostapenko

“There’s always the belief that I can do it.

I mean, that’s why I came back after the first one. It’s why I came back after the second one. If not, if I don’t believe I can do these things, then I would not be here. So there’s always this believing and keep going and improving and trying my best at the end,” Maria explained, per the WTA website.

“It’s also really hard work. It’s not coming from nowhere, let’s say. We are outside on the court every day. We are working. Yeah, like I said, we are trying to improve. But maybe in myself there’s this feeling now, OK, I can do it, I can go for it.

Sometimes little things can change a whole match. It’s really little parts.” Maria now has a good chance of reaching her first Wimbledon semifinal as she plays next fellow compatriot Jule Niemeier. Niemeier is also having a great Wimbledon and it will be interesting who of the two Germans will reach the semifinal.…

Sports / Tennis

Lorenzo Sonego admits he was not happy with Rafael Nadal action during their match

Italian tennis player Lorenzo Sonego said Rafael Nadal distracted him with his action and added the Spaniard should have had a word with the chair umpire if he was having some issues. After Sonego broke back Nadal in the eighth game of the third set to tie the set to four games apiece, Nadal went to the net and called Sonego for a quick chat.

Once the match continued, Sonego got broken back in the ninth game as Nadal served out for a 6-1 6–2 6-4 victory in the 10th game. “A player should not call his opponent on the net. You cannot do that at Wimbledon.

Nadal should have just had a word with the umpire. He distracted me,” Sonego said after the match.

Nadal apologized to Sonego

After the match, Nadal went to Sonego in the locker room to apologize. Also, Nadal admitted he was wrong in his decision to call Sonego to the net in the middle of action.

“Well, first of all, I have to say that I was wrong,” Nadal said. “I should not call him to the net. So apologize for that. My mistake in that. No problem. I recognize that. “Then after that, all the stuff during the match that I don’t want to comment, because is something that I spoke with him in the locker room and it stays there.

Only thing I can say is I saw him personally. I apologize for that. My intention was never to bother him at all. Just to tell one thing that was bothering me that I think he was doing
in that moment, but that’s it. I think there is some codes between players.

Yeah, we had some issues there. But that’s it”. Even though Nadal didn’t publicly disclose what was the reason for his decision to call Sonego to the net, many suspected that the reason for that was the Italian’s grunt.…

Music / News

‘Behold The L.A.M.B’ by Loose Kaynon, AQ, MI Abaga, and Blaqbonez now available on Boomplay

The 12-track album sponsored by one of Nigeria’s biggest streaming platform Boomplay features guests appearance by Psycho YP, Kenya rapper Kaligraph Jones, Oxlade, Chike amongst others. The Chocolate City affiliated rappers have collaborated in the past and their new collaboration album promises to be a thrilling one.

Stream Here Live on BOOMPLAY…

Football / Sports

Arsenal sign Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City

Arsenal have completed the signing of Gabriel Jesus from Manchester City, both clubs and the player announced Monday.

Sources also added that Arsenal will pay £45 million plus a further £10 million in add-ons to sign the striker, who will wear their No. 9 shirt.

“It’s been a pleasure to play for Manchester City,” Jesus said. “I feel like I am a better player now than when I arrived — and to win 11 trophies has been amazing.

“My four Premier League titles are particularly special for me. I want to thank everyone at City — the manager, my teammates and the fans — for all the support they have given me over the past 5½ years.”

As Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta added, “I’m very excited. The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature. I know Gabriel personally very well, and we all know him well from his time in the Premier League and being really successful here.

“This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now, and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”

Arsenal, who have already signed midfielder Fabio Vieira and United States goalkeeper Matt Turner, are looking to strengthen after missing out on Champions League football.

Arteta’s side were in need of a striker after Alexandre Lacazette returned to Lyon on a free transfer this summer while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang joined Barcelona for free in January.

Jesus, who had only one year remaining on his contract at City, contributed 13 goals and 12 assists in all competitions for the Premier League champions last season, and the 25-year-old can play in all attacking positions.

In total, he scored 95 goals in 236 matches for City.…

Football / Sports

Man City sign Kalvin Phillips from Leeds United

Manchester City have completed the signing of Kalvin Phillips from Leeds on a six-year contract, in a deal worth an initial £42m.

Phillips becomes the Premier League champions’ third signing of the summer following the arrival of Erling Haaland and back-up goalkeeper Stefan Ortega Moreno.

The 26-year-old, who will wear the No 4 shirt at the Etihad, was Pep Guardiola’s priority target to replace Fernandinho at the base of midfield.

Phillips leaves boyhood club Leeds having become a key figure at Elland Road as part of their return to the Premier League during Marcelo Bielsa’s three-and-a-half seasons in charge.

“I am absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City,” Phillips said. “City have again proved to be the best team in the country with an amazing squad and a manager in Pep Guardiola who is rightly considered to be the finest in the world.

“To be able to play under Pep and learn from him and his coaching staff as well as be part of such a fantastic squad is a prospect that I am incredibly excited about.

“City are a world-class club with world-class staff and facilities and it’s a dream come true to have joined the club. Now I can’t wait to get started and to look to try and help the team to go on and achieve more success.”

Injury restricted Phillips to just 23 appearances in all competition last season but he returned towards the end of the campaign to help Jesse Marsch’s side escape relegation to the Championship.

The 26-year-old is also considered a key part of Gareth Southgate’s England set-up and is expected to travel as part of the squad for the World Cup in Qatar in November.

Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, said: ““We are absolutely delighted to be able to welcome Kalvin to Manchester City.

“He is a player that we have long admired, and at both domestic and international level, he has proved his fantastic ability and quality over the past few seasons.

“His reading of the game, alongside his passing …