Akwa United have announced the signing of five new players as they continue their push for a return to the Nigeria Premier Football League (NPFL).

The Promise Keepers are currently top of Conference B in the Nigeria National League (NNL) and have strengthened their squad to maintain their strong form in the second half of the season.

The new signings include forward Dada Oladimeji, midfielders Nsikak Raphael, Kingsley Uduak and Aniebiet Sunday, as well as central defender Melvin Ebitimi.

All five players have joined the team in training and featured in the club’s six mid-season friendly matches.

Club Chairman Joseph Eno expressed confidence in the quality of the new players and urged them to settle quickly into the squad. He also said the club is committed to the Akwa Ibom State Government’s target of returning Akwa United to the NPFL this season, promising top-class welfare and support for the players.

Head coach Paul Offor also said he believes the new players have what it takes to help the team achieve promotion at the end of the campaign.

During the mid-season transfer window, Akwa United released nine players. Midfielder Anietie Uko joined Mbeya Kwanza FC in Tanzania, winger Erikan Francis moved to Heartland FC on loan, while Lazarus Ebuka, Itebu James, Joshua Unoro, Babatunde Omosebi, Onhanedo Onyedikachi, Emenike John and Emmanuel Ita returned to their parent clubs.

Akwa United will face Rovers of Calabar on Matchday 10 on Sunday, 15 February 2026, at the Uyo Township Stadium. Kick-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm, with the Promise Keepers hoping to complete a double over their neighbours.

David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £5.9m – Brentford (a) and Wolves (a)

Gabriel (captain), Arsenal, defender, £7.1m – Brentford (a) and Wolves (a)

Jurrien Timber, Arsenal, defender, £6.4m – Brentford (a) and Wolves (a)

I’m going for the defensive triple-up again after it worked a treat in gameweek 25.

And Gabriel is the premium captaincy choice this week. He’s averaging 7.1 points per match this season, making him the fourth highest-scoring asset in the game.

The Wolves match feels like a nailed-on clean sheet and, given their current defensive form, you’re hoping they can keep Thiago and Brentford at bay too.

Daniel Munoz, Crystal Palace, £5.8m – Burnley (h)

Chris Richards, Crystal Palace, £4.4m – Burnley (h)

This week’s team is also all-in on the Palace defence at home to struggling Burnley.

Richards has hit ‘defcon’ on 10 occasions this season and missed out by a point four times too.

Munoz, surprisingly, does not stand out stats-wise in many areas, unlike last season.

But you only have to watch a Palace game to see the attacking threat he poses – he’s basically a right-winger.

The Minnesota Vikings probably “won too many games” to be in play for Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love during April’s draft, but the man would love to land in Minneapolis nevertheless.

The comment doesn’t guarantee anything, but it’s the kind of signal that keeps Minnesota’s draft radar humming.

Love wasn’t shy last week about his zeal for the Vikings, and if he slid on draft night, well, the purple team might just pounce.

Best RB Prospect in 2026 Draft … Likes the Vikings

Remember Love’s name because there’s a slight chance he ends up in Minnesota.

Love on the Vikings

This one is pretty damn straightforward — Love loves the Vikings.

He said on The Paul Harrington Show last week when asked about the idea of the Vikings drafting him in Round 1, “I would be blessed to go there. Lot of great guys.”

Love, along with Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, was heavily in the mock-draft mix for Minnesota two months ago when the team had a 4-8 record. The Vikings, at least for a couple of weeks, held the 10th overall pick in the draft, prime territory for Love and Downs.

Then, Kevin O’Connell and friends won five straight games to close out 2025, nudging the draft pick from 10 to 18 and pricing themselves out of the Love and Downs sweepstakes.

Still, if there’s a way, Love wouldn’t mind turning purple.

The Scouting Report

Love is 6’0″ and 214 pounds with 4.4 speed. In the last two seasons at Notre Dame, he’s banked 2,497 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, chipping in 5 receiving scores for good measure.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein named a comp for Love — Jahmyr Gibbs — and outlined his scouting report: “Three-phase running back capable of stressing defenses with big-play speed and untapped pass-catching value. Love shared carries but was the heartbeat of Notre Dame’s offense over the last two years.

“He runs with a fierce tempo and processes the front with adequate eyes to find entry points and burst through them. Urgency works in his favor, but he’ll occasionally miss open lanes when he gets too deep too quickly. Outstanding speed erases pursuit angles to the corner and helps him pull away from tacklers once he opens his gait.”

The Vikings haven’t employed a game-changing running back arguably in five years; the last guy was the 2021 version of Dalvin Cook.

Zierlein added, “He’s live-legged with violent cuts in segmented bursts that can elude tacklers but slow his momentum. He’s not a pile-mover but he runs through contact and squeezes out extra yards as a committed finisher.”

“He’s a talented route runner and pass catcher who can work from the slot and mismatch linebackers. Love is a three-down, scheme-independent player who would benefit from a complementary back to preserve his big-play ability.”

A Game-Changer of Offense

While Love probably isn’t gettable for the Vikings after their five-game win spurt to close out 2025, he will change some team’s offense next autumn. He has the production, speed, size, and versatility to step in as an RB1 immediately.

Not for nothing, that’s what’s missing from the Vikings’ offense. O’Connell got the memo down the stretch of the 2025 campaign that he needed to run the ball more frequently, especially with poor quarterback play from J.J. McCarthy, Carson Wentz, and Max Brosmer. When the shift occurred — not passing the ball more than 60% of the time with struggling quarterbacks — Minnesota ripped off the five-game win streak.

While Love likely isn’t available to Minnesota, aside from a trade, the Vikings will still need a young, dynamic running back, whether that’s Breece Hall from free agency or one of Love’s draft mates, like Jonah Coleman (Washington), Jadarian Price (Notre Dame), or Nick Singleton (Penn State)

Realistic Draft Destinations

Approximately six teams will prevent Love from sliding to the Vikings and fulfilling his de facto request to join the team. The list of teams on the board before Minnesota that could draft Love looks like this:

• Baltimore Ravens
• Dallas Cowboys
• Kansas City Chiefs
• New Orleans Saints
• New York Jets
• Washington Commanders

SI.com‘s Sam Dehring mock-drafted Love to the Chiefs on Saturday and explained, “Some of my picks might be repeats from last week, and this is one of them. It seems likely that the Chiefs could lose Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt in free agency. Jeremiyah Love would be a match made in heaven selection for the Kansas City Chiefs.”

Kansas City finished 6-11 in 2025 after a down season and ACL tear for Patrick Mahomes. Lucking into Love for their troubles would feel downright nasty for the NFL and might indefinitely prolong the now-paused dynasty.

Otherwise, if Love tumbles to Minnesota at No. 18, he won’t be upset about it.

Shakur Stevenson has highlighted the type of fighter who is likely to present him with the greatest problems.

The 28-year-old comes off a masterful performance against Teofimo Lopez, losing just one round as he outpointed and dethroned the then-WBO super-lightweight champion last month.

In doing so, Stevenson became a four-division world champion and cemented himself as a top five pound-for-pound star, joining the likes of Oleksandr Usyk and Naoya Inoue.

Because of his truly dominant performance against Lopez, though, many are now wondering whether the elite technician will ever be beaten in the professional ranks.

He has, after all, breezed past most of his 25 opponents with relative ease, utilising his defensive ingenuity and prolific jab to remain largely unscathed.

Prior to his clash with Lopez, the one fighter that many believed would cause him the most issues is William Zepeda, who entered their lightweight contest last July as an unbeaten contender.

Given the style of Zepeda, who typically fights at a terrific pace, it was only natural to suspect that his tremendous punch output would, at the very least, make for a competitive affair with Stevenson.

In reality, though, Stevenson was able to expertly manage his opponent’s intensity through 12 rounds, defending his WBC title via a wide unanimous decision.

Speaking with Cigar Talk, the American insisted that Zepeda is the only fighter that stood even a slight chance at beating him.

“It ain’t going to happen [somebody make a close fight against me]. The most y’all ever going to get is Zepeda – that was y’all’s best hope and chance at getting resistance.

“His style, styles make fights. The style that would give me the most resistance would be the guy who throws a million punches a round, and doesn’t stop punching.”

Unless a fighter emerges with a similar work rate to Zepeda, it is highly unlikely, according to Stevenson, that he will ever be beaten as a professional.

It was after Manchester United’s first game against West Ham this season that Ruben Amorim let his guard down on Kobbie Mainoo.

United drew 1-1 with the relegation-threatened Hammers at Old Trafford in December, with Mainoo left on the bench throughout – and Amorim deciding Lisandro Martinez for Luke Shaw was a better final substitution as he looked for a winner.

“You always ask me the same thing,” said United’s then manager, when questioned why he had left the 20-year-old on the bench.

“I understand what you are saying. You love Kobbie. He starts for England, but that doesn’t mean I need to put Kobbie on when I feel I shouldn’t.”

The “you love Kobbie” comment felt personal. The rationale, in Amorim’s mind, for why he was repeatedly being asked by the media why he hardly used Mainoo.

That assessment missed the point.

It was not that the media loved Mainoo. It was that they had previously seen the positive benefits he can bring to a team.

Judging by the 25,000 likes on a social media post on X during the 2-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday, observing that with each passing game Amorim’s stance on Mainoo looks ridiculous, huge numbers of fans had seen it too.

Fans also failed to understand why the academy-raised midfielder did not start a single Premier League match this season prior to Amorim’s departure.

Amorim’s initial replacement, Darren Fletcher, brought Mainoo on for the final 16 minutes of last month’s draw at Burnley, having ditched the three-man central defence to allow for an extra player in the middle of the pitch.

The midfielder started the following game against Brighton in the FA Cup and has kept his place for all four matches of Michael Carrick’s short reign.

Against Tottenham, Mainoo created Bryan Mbeumo’s opener with a deft pass to the edge of the penalty area with the inside of his right foot after dashing across the goal to meet Bruno Fernandes’ short corner.

“Yes, there’s no doubt,” said Carrick afterwards, upon being asked whether Mainoo was back to the level of his breakthrough season in 2023-24, when he scored in the FA Cup final and started for England in the Euros final defeat by Spain.

Some still do not get it.

On the face of it, seven goals and five assists in 90 first-team appearances does not look much.

But that is not the point. Mainoo has an excellent feel for the flow of games and is an all-round midfielder.

That applied to Carrick himself two decades ago. It was the reason Sir Alex Ferguson brought him north from Tottenham.

In a chat with his brother Graeme for the Football Association before he left United in 2018, Carrick himself explained the subtleties of a “great pass”.

“The execution is probably the easiest bit a lot of the time,” he said.

“It is about preparing for it, getting your body position right, understanding the context of the game, knowing the risk and reward.

“Even if it is a three-yard pass, you are giving the ball to someone for them to do something instantly. If they have to take a touch and another touch to get hold of the ball, it is not a great pass.

“You should be dictating what the next pass should be, and your own passing angle should be right.

“It is a great pass if the next part is how you see it in your head.”

Indiana University Athletics has announced plans for a statue to honor former men’s basketball coach Bob Knight, who won three national titles during his 29 years in Bloomington. 

Knight’s statue will be displayed alongside the 1976 national championship statues in the south lobby of Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall. The 1976 team — Knight’s first national championship squad — remains the most recent Division I men’s basketball team to go undefeated, finishing the year with a 32-0 record. 

Knight, who passed away in 2023 at the age of 83, posted a 662-339 during his time at Indiana that included two more national titles (in 1981 and 1987), five Final Four appearances and 24 NCAA Tournament appearances. He is a member Naismith Hall of Fame, the National College Basketball Hall of Fame, and the IU Athletics Hall of Fame. 

The announcement of the commission of Knight’s statue was made on the night where members of the 1976 team were honored at Assembly Hall. 

The announcement of the statue comes just over 25 years after Knight’s run at Indiana ended on a tumultuous note. In September of 2000, Knight was relieved of his duties after violating a “zero-tolerance” policy regarding his behavior. Knight and the school had been under the microscope for months after a former player claimed he had been chocked by Knight during a practice several years earlier. A video later surfaced that appeared to show Knight placing a hand on said player. 

Many Indiana fans were outraged at the school’s decision to fire Knight, who finished his coaching career with a largely successful, seven-year run at Texas Tech that included a Sweet 16 appearance in 2005. 

Knight, who retired from coaching in 2008, kept his distance from Indiana during his first dozen years of retirement. 

“Well, I think that I’ve always really enjoyed the fans, and I always will,” Knight told Dan Patrick in 2017. “On my dying day, I will think about how great the fans at Indiana were. As far as the hierarchy at Indiana University at that time, I have absolutely no respect whatsoever with those people. That in mind, I have no interest in ever going back to that university.”

The relationship did repair itself to the point where Knight did return to Assembly Hall in February of 2020 to honor the 1980 Big Ten championship team. Knight and his former players received a thunderous ovation from fans who had waited nearly 20 years to give the old coach a proper sendoff. 

The statue announcement is confirmation that the school will continue to honor Knight’s legacy as one of the most successful coaches in basketball history. 

“Coach Knight’s influence on the game of basketball is immeasurable, but his impact on this university and Hoosier basketball fans is even deeper,” said IU vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics  Scott Dolson. “On a personal level, having started my career here as a student manager under Coach Knight, I saw firsthand the unparalleled standard of excellence he demanded. He taught me, and countless others, that success is the result of meticulous preparation and unwavering discipline. 

“This statue will be a well-deserved tribute to a man who didn’t just win games; he changed how the sport is played.”

Incognito, previously the market leader for the Golden Slipper, is still considered for the richest juvenile showdown globally, but modifications to his gear aim to steady his path forward.

The Breeders’ Plate champion came up short in the Canonbury Stakes on his freshen-up last weekend, jockey Tommy Berry suggesting afterwards the colt endured palate displacement.

Trainer Michael Freedman agreed post-vet exams lent credence to the assessment, adding the condition, while variable, is typically controllable.

“It can be displaced for a very short period of time then go back in place very quickly,” Freedman said.

“It’s a bit of a frustrating one and they can do it once and never do it again. It’s one of those racing things that can happen sometimes. Hopefully we can just make a few subtle changes because he is obviously a lot better than that.

“I was, to some degree, quite happy to find an issue. If you go home with no issues, you think maybe we’re not good enough.”

Freedman stated stewards from Racing NSW see no need for Incognito to trial again, plotting his return in the Silver Slipper (1100m) at Rosehill on February 21.

Barring complications, the Golden Slipper a month along remains the goal.

“He’s in good order so the plan will be to change a little bit of gear on him,” Freedman said.

“I’m not exactly sure what that will be, maybe a tongue tie and a different type of bit, and then go to the Silver Slipper, although if we decided we wanted to wait an extra week, we could.”

The trainer’s other youngster Outspan enters the Pierro Plate (1100m) next Saturday at Randwick, with the Bivouac colt building nicely since his Rosehill triumph.

“He will be here next Saturday, that’s the plan,” Freedman said. Fans can find competitive betting markets for the race via trusted online bookmakers.

“I’m very happy with him. He did a nice bit of work (Saturday) morning, and he will have a gallop on Tuesday.”

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