After agreeing a new five-year contract with his hometown team, England defender Myles Lewis-Skelly says he wants to “create a legacy” at Arsenal.
Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances in all competitions before joining the first team last year, making his name as a regular under Mikel Arteta.
The 18-year-old’s previous agreement was set to expire in 2026.
In Senegal’s 3-1 defeat this month, he won a third cap for England.
“I want to win trophies on the biggest stages while also being a person who is always learning and maintains a sense of purpose, which is extremely important.”
Since making his Premier League debut against Manchester City in September, Lewis-Skelly has excelled at left-back with a license to step into midfield. Previously, Lewis-Skelly was a central midfielder in Arsenal’s academy.
The Premier League’s best record for any player with at least 15 starts saw him dribble past once was against him.
He also placed third in terms of fouls won (3. 1) and won the most duels (16) per 90 minutes.
Lewis-Skelly’s pass accuracy is fifth among players who played at least 1, 000 games last year, and it is his fifth-highest in the league.
After agreeing a new five-year contract with his hometown team, England defender Myles Lewis-Skelly says he wants to “create a legacy” at Arsenal.
Lewis-Skelly made 39 appearances in all competitions before joining the first team last year, making his name as a regular under Mikel Arteta.
The 18-year-old’s previous agreement was set to expire in 2026.
In Senegal’s 3-1 defeat this month, he won a third cap for England.
“I want to win trophies on the biggest stages while also being a person who is always learning and maintains a sense of purpose, which is extremely important.”
Since making his Premier League debut against Manchester City in September, Lewis-Skelly has excelled at left-back with a license to step into midfield. Previously, Lewis-Skelly was a central midfielder in Arsenal’s academy.
The Premier League’s best record for any player with at least 15 starts saw him dribble past once was against him.
He also placed third in terms of fouls won (3. 1) and won the most duels (16) per 90 minutes.
Lewis-Skelly’s pass accuracy is fifth among players who played at least 1, 000 games last year, and it is his fifth-highest in the league.
The governor of Katsina State, Dikko Radda, has designated Friday, June 27, 2025, as a workday to observe the new Islamic Year 1447AH.
Civil servants and residents can observe the holiday in order to reflect on its spiritual significance and to observe it together.
Governor Radda congratulated all Muslims in the state and across the nation on the occasion of the new Islamic Calendar, according to Abdullahi Faskari, the state government’s secretary on Thursday.
The governor also urged Katsina State’s citizens to continue to coexist peacefully and harmoniously.
Without peace and stability, he argued, there couldn’t be any meaningful development.
Radda reawakened his administration’s commitment to delivering people-centered initiatives that would enhance people’s lives.
The governor of Katsina also reiterated his call for farmers and those receiving government agricultural assistance to use judiciously the fertilizers, tractors, and other farming implements that were given out to improve food security as it continues to rain.
Therefore, he urged farmers to stop encroaching on all grazing areas, forests, and cattle routes.
Radda prayed for Katsina State’s and Nigeria’s general peace, unity, and prosperity.
Schools and Other Places Are destroyed by a Rainstorm.
In the Funtua District of the state, some schools and staff quarters have been destroyed by a severe windstorm.
The severe windstorm that struck the affected area on Sunday afternoon caused significant damage to the facilities of numerous educational institutions.
The Katsina State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education expressed the government’s sincere condolences to the affected schools, staff, and families in a statement.
The Katsina State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education releases a statement that reads, “With deep sorrow and complete submission to the will of Allah, the severe storm that struck the Funtua Senatorial zone on June 22, 2025,” in part.
Liverpool have taken their summer spending to about £170m with the signing of left-back Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth in a deal worth £40m.
The 21-year-old Hungary international has signed a five-year contract with the Reds.
Kerkez is Liverpool’s third major signing of the transfer window, following the arrival of attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz and right-back Jeremie Frimpong, both from Bayer Leverkusen.
Liverpool paid a club record £116m, made up of an initial £100m and a further £16m in potential add-ons, for German interntaional Wirtz and £29.5m for Dutchman Frimpong. Hungary Under-21 keeper Armin Pecsi has also arrived at Anfield for a fee of up to £1.5m.
“It’s a real honour for me, a privilege to come to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, [the] biggest club in England. I’m just really, really happy and excited,” said Kerkez.
“After this, I’ll go home and in my hometown enjoy a few days, and then I can’t really wait to come back and put the training kit on and start to train and prepare for the season.”
Liverpool will also sign Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili this summer, having agreed a deal to sign him from Valencia for a fee of £25m plus £4m in add-ons last summer.
It is a major step in the career of the left-back, but Kerkez has played for a European ‘super club’ before.
In early 2021 he received a phone call from AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini, who convinced him to join the Serie A side.
As the 17-year-old Kerkez said at the time, you don’t turn down Maldini.
With hindsight, he possibly wishes he had.
The Hungarian never started a competitive match for Milan and a year later was shipped off to AZ Alkmaar in the Dutch Eredivisie.
Bournemouth saw potential in the market and took a chance on Kerkez by signing him for an undisclosed fee in July 2023. The gamble paid off.
Kerkez started all 38 of the Cherries’ Premier League games in the 2024-25 season, helping them to a club-record total of 56 points in the top flight.
Kerkez is now at a giant European club once more.
How did Kerkez perform for Bournemouth?
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In short, he was a top performer for the Cherries.
Bournemouth breezed past their top-flight record points total in April and managed to finish in the top half of the Premier League for the second time in their history.
Their fine form was largely thanks to manager Andoni Iraola’s high-intensity, high-energy and high-pressing philosophy.
Adventuring up the left side, Kerkez played a major part in the team’s success.
The left-back ranked third for the most distanced covered among all Premier League full-backs in 2024-25 and third for most sprints.
He made the third-most crosses from open play in the Premier League and had seven goal involvements (two goals and five assists).
Defensively, Kerkez may not be the game’s most prolific tackler, but he is still firmly in the Premier League’s top 20 full-backs for interceptions (1.21) and ball recoveries (4.55) per 90 minutes.
Arguably his best game of the season came in Bournemouth’s 2-1 home win over champions Manchester City in November when he set up both goals after lung-busting runs and pinpoint crosses.
“Kerkez was brilliant, not only offensively but defensively as well,” former Manchester City defender Micah Richards told BBC Match of the Day that evening.
Former Bournemouth defender Joe Partington told BBC Radio Solent a few months later: “He’s a standout player. He’s involved in moments that define the outcomes of games.”
Will Kerkez fit in at Liverpool?
Liverpool currently have an established left-back in Andy Robertson, who played in 33 of 38 league games in the 2024-25 campaign.
Robertson, 31, joined Liverpool from Hull City for £10m in 2017 and has won a raft of major trophies with the club, including a Champions League and two Premier League titles.
But Robertson trailed Kerkez in key areas like assists, distance covered and possession won in the season just ended and is a target for Atletico Madrid.
“If they want that style of full-back, then Kerkez has already shown he can do it in the Premier League,” said BBC Radio Solent’s Bournemouth commentator Jordan Clarke.
“He’s very self-confident. That’s what comes across and what you hear from those in the club. He’ll back himself going to a big club.”
That view is shared by Liverpool fan and podcaster Lukleiva who told BBC Radio Merseyside this month: “Kerkez wouldn’t come in and only play half the games.
“He’s one of the breakout stars of the Premier League season. You definitely want Kerkez [to start].
“Whether that is something Robertson is willing to side with or whether he’d then want to move on, that’s something they need to talk about.”
Kerkez’s arrival will probably signal the end of the road at Anfield for either Robertson or second-choice left-back Konstantinos Tsimikas.
From AC Milan to AFC Bournemouth
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Kerkez was convinced by five-time Champions League winner Maldini to choose AC Milan when he left Hungarian side Gyor.
He was given some minutes in pre-season in summer 2021 but always ranked behind Milan’s more senior left-backs Theo Hernandez and Fode Ballo-Toure.
Kerkez departed for AZ Alkmaar in January 2022 having never played a competitive match for the Serie A club.
The Hungarian told journalist Gianluca di Marzio that asking Milan to leave on a permanent basis was “the best decision of my career”.
The following season Kerkez played in all but one Eredivisie match as AZ finished third, and he helped his side reach the Europa Conference League semi-finals where they lost 3-1 on aggregate to West Ham.
From there he moved to Bournemouth for an undisclosed fee in summer 2023.
“When Kerkez first arrived, Bournemouth had been looking for a very specific type of attacking full-back, someone who ticked all the boxes,” said BBC Radio Solent’s Clarke.
“There was a lot of hype around him joining, the fans were excited. He was a very raw talent and he had a few problems early on playing to Bournemouth’s intensity and struggling to get through the full 90 minutes. But you could always see the talent was there.
“Credit to Bournemouth’s coaches, they’ve developed him into a brilliant attacking left-back who this season has added goals and assists to his game.
What’s Kerkez like off the pitch?
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One word: haircuts.
Kerkez has had a lot of them in the past year, changing his style, and his barber.
Back in November, Justin Kluivert said he had been given the task of cutting his team-mate’s hair.
In the next game, away to Wolves, Kerkez scored one and Kluivert struck a hat-trick.
“That tells you a little bit about the kind of person he is in the dressing room. The confidence and the positivity he brings,” added Clarke.
Shaughna Phillips, the star of Love Island, opens up about the rollercoaster ride that led to her second pregnancy with jailbird lover Billy Webb, who she admits would like more.
Digital Reporter Jessica Clarke
Shaughna opens up about being pregnant while boyfriend Billy is in prison(Image: shaughnaphillips/Instagram)
Love Island favourite Shaughna Phillips was flooded with congratulations earlier this week after she announced she’s expecting her second child. But fans will be shocked to learn that the star fell pregnant during a brief home visit from her jailbird lover, Billy Webb – who’s currently serving a nine-year sentence for Class A drug offences.
And although Shaughna admits she planned the pregnancy, even tracking her ovulation to boost her chances of conceiving, she says she was stunned that her baby dream came true so quickly. “It was the first time that my ovulation window coincided with Billy being home,” says Shaughna, who is four-and-a-half months pregnant. “I was like, ‘You know what? Why not? Let’s just see’. And literally, the next day, I said to Billy, ‘I think I’m pregnant.’”
READ MORE: Primark’s ‘hidden gem’ £20 outfit shoppers ‘can’t wait to wear on holiday’
Pregnant Shaughna already has daughter Lucia, 2(Image: shaughnaphillips/Instagram)
Her gut feeling was confirmed ten days later, when multiple pregnancy tests showed up positive. “I found out very, very early on,” she exclusively tells The Mirror. “I was doing maybe five tests a day. I’m not even exaggerating. It was borderline mental illness.”
Shaughna says Billy, who was jailed in 2023, is currently allowed out on home visits for “a few days” each month. And while she has so far been forced to raise her daughter as a single parent, the star says Billy is due for early release and should be reunited with his family in time for their new arrival. “I know the date that he’s due to be home, but I’m not saying it just because anything could happen,” she says carefully. “But he will be fully home before my baby is due.”
Shaughna is anticipating having a “person there” when the new baby arrives because Billy missed those sleepless nights and cuddles with Lucia the first time around. He undoubtedly desired more. She jokes that she wants Billy to “experience the newborn stage and everything it has to offer, because he does not know what is coming his way, and that’s what he wanted” while not giving Lucia that newborn experience.
Continue reading the article.
Shaughna, who’s currently living with her solicitor mum while her home is being renovated, welcomed Lucia in April 2023, by which time Billy had already been taken into custody after being charged with possession with intent to supply a Class A drug.
Despite “hating every minute” of seeing her young daughter in jail, she remained committed to keeping the father-daughter relationship strong. She regularly went with Lucia to visit him.
The Love Islander knows the gender of her second baby but is keeping it a secret for now(Image: Getty Images for SHEIN)
She said, “I never would have chosen this life for my daughter.” I don’t believe it until I entered the building to find out what was happening. Although I was so anxious, I never had a question. I was anticipating visiting Lucia’s father from the beginning.
Shaughna maintains the gender hush-hush claim that she is already aware of whether to give Lucia a brother or a sister. She says, “I do know, but I’m keeping it a little secret for now.” “I really don’t intend to make it known. I’m not sure whether I’ll or not. However, I am aware of what I am experiencing, so I will need to make an effort to avoid a blunder.
Shaughna admits that she was upset when she first learned she was pregnant because she didn’t want her daughter to feel like she was “being replaced.”
She says, “I was hoping for it, but the moment I learned,” I felt bad for Lucia. What have I done, I was like, “Oh my God, I’m sorry? ” I don’t want you to ever believe you were being replaced or something similar. When I consider it, my heart literally breaks.”
The reality star jokes that “she probably thinks I’ve had a really big dinner” and claims that her daughter “hasn’t got a clue” that her mother is pregnant.
Shaughna recently revealed that she has lost a staggering 6st in the past 14 months, but she says she is determined to be kind to herself both now and in the future. Three weeks after having Lucia, she recalls, “I signed up for a gym.” “I didn’t go, but I did sign up and was trying to fit into my jeans.”
The reality star admits she’s been ‘spiralling’ about her body image(Image: Instagram)
She also admits to putting herself under unnecessary pressure after receiving hurtful comments online. “People are cruel to me regardless – whether I’m skinny, overweight, pregnant, not pregnant, single or not,” says Shauna, who has rubbished claims that her dramatic weight loss is the result of fat jabs. “So I really need to try and drown out that outside noise.”
Despite this, it appears as though she is having trouble overcoming some of her past demons. She acknowledges that the body image situation has been spiraling throughout her entire life. “I don’t know why, and it probably hastens things a little bit.”
“When I got pregnant this time, I was about 3st lighter than what I was when I got pregnant with Lucia. So I don’t know whether I’m seeing the changes more because I weighed less. I’ve got a bump quicker and all of my new clothes obviously don’t fit me anymore.
“I’m just trying to stay positive,” he says. There is no greater blessing than a child, so I need to get out of my own head, so it definitely affected me more in the beginning than it does now. I’ve been fine, though, other than that. When I was pregnant with Lucia, I actually felt much more worn out than I did this time.
Shaughna and Billy first got together in January 2020, after they were introduced by a mutual friend. But the pair put their fledgling romance on hold after Shaughna got the call from ITV2 asking her to appear on the winter series of Love Island. “I was like, ‘I’m not giving up the opportunity for Love Island for a boy I’ve known for less than a month at this point’,” she says.
Shaughna found fame on Love Island in 2020(Image: ITV)
After Shaughna left the villa, the pair rekindled their relationship, living together until 2023, when Billy was arrested while she was seven months pregnant with Lucia.
He admitted conspiring to supply 4.5 kilograms of cocaine worth at least £360, 000, and was given a nine-year prison sentence. Shaughna refers to the terms of his early release, saying that he had already served one year. You now serve 40% of your sentence because of that.
By the time he leaves, “he would have spent more than two and a half years on tag,” he said. By the time he’s off tag, essentially, it would have been a four-year sentence.
She says, “Obviously, he’d done this, which was not ideal, and he’s paid his price for it,” when she thinks about Billy’s crime. Although we are still unmarried, I do try to live by the adage “for better or for worse,” which, sadly, turned out to be true.
Shaughna claims Billy is “excited” about having another child, but that Shaughna jokes that he won’t know what will happen to him when the baby is born. According to Shaughna, who reveals she’ll be having her second baby via C-section, he was able to accompany her for the 12-week scan.
Continue reading the article.
She claims that when I went to a hospital recently, they said they might need a C-section because of where my placenta is. Regardless, I was planning a C-section, but it appears that I might have had to have done so. Therefore, this baby will exit the sunroof rather than any other exit.
After arriving for Jeff Bezos’ wedding, Orlando Bloom, who has reportedly recently split from his ex-girlfriend, was spotted chatting with Kim Kardashian and sister Khlo Kardashian.
Kim Kardashian seemed very pleased to meet ‘newly single’ Orlando Bloom(Image: GC Images)
Orlando Bloom has broken cover in new photos after reports he has split from Katy Perry.
The newly single actor, 48, was seen chatting with Kim Kardashian and sister Khlo Kardashian as they rub shoulders with expected guests at the nuptials of the Amazon billionaire businessman and bride Lauren Sánchez.
In front of an A List crowd in Venice’s romantic city, Jeff, 61, and Lauren, 55, are expected to exchange vows there. Kim, 44, and her sister Khloe, 40, both from Kardashian, are scheduled to attend, and they both looked overjoyed to see Orlando, 48, who is reportedly newly single, also showing up for the wedding.
As Kim reached for the Lord of the Rings character while sporting dramatic sunglasses, Kim flashed a beaming smile. As they stepped to the side together, it appeared to be having a lively conversation.
The father-of-two appeared to be overlooking the younger sister Khloe as she pouted beside the sex tape star. As Jeff and Lauren’s wedding countdown approached, the wedding guests were still wearing matching black.
The pair were spied chatting ahead of Jeff Bezos’s wedding(Image: GC Images)
Continue reading the article.
The wedding is scheduled for the weekend of June 27 with a host of celebrations planned as well as the arrival of famous friends in the Italian city. However, not everyone in the area is pleased with the wedding.
Furious locals have targeted the wedding to accuse Jeff of not paying enough taxes considering he is one of the richest men in the world. Demonstrations against the businessman have even led to a last minute change in wedding venue after it was previously cited to take place in Cannaregio – a popular and central nightlife area.
According to Reuters, “some local residents and pressure groups have been voicing their concerns about the planned transformation of the picturesque city of gondolas and palazzi into a private amusement park for the wealthy and threatened peaceful blockades.”
Katy Perry reportedly won’t be at Jeff Bezos’s wedding(Image: Getty Images)
Around 200-250 VIP guests from show business, politics, and finance will now travel to a hall of the Arsenale, a vast 14th-century complex in the eastern Castello district, whose location and exact date are unknown, despite the anticipated date being between Thursday and Saturday.
Reports suggest that Orlando and Katy have split up after nine years of dating, amid the marital excitement comes heartache. The couple engaged in February 2019 and welcomed daughter Daisy in August 2020. They first started dating in 2016 and started dating in 2016.
Despite being close friends with Jeff and Lauren, Katy reportedly won’t attend their wedding and even went to space earlier this year with her. She is currently preparing for her Lifetimes World Tour, which will include stops in Canada this weekend.
A source earlier this month claimed that the couple’s relationship was “over,” and they are awaiting her end of her world tour in December. After the release of the album, a source told PEOPLE that the pop singer’s most recent album, 143, “caused some tension” between the pair, with Katy being “stressed” and “deeply frustrated” ().
Katy and Orlando have split, according to a source who spoke to Us Weekly. At the moment, it’s not contentious. Katy is obviously upset, but she is relieved that she won’t have to go through another divorce because that was her worst experience. The source claimed their relations have been tense for months and that the alleged split was “a long time coming.”
