All posts by h716a5.icu

After an arduous 16-year absence from the Premier League, Leeds United are proving they are here to stick around this time.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have quickly established themselves as a side that can kick it with the best.

The Whites may only sit in 12th place, but they gave Liverpool a shock in the season-opener, drew to Manchester City and thrashed Villa the week after their 7-2 demolition of the defending champions.

And things could go from good to even better if emerging claims are to be believed.

In a recent Q&A on YorkshireLive, journalist Graham Smyth delivered a fresh update on those takeover rumours that never seem to leave Elland Road, he said:

“[QSI] never made an official bid and never did any due diligence or visited Elland Road to look at the books, but they are the kind of outfit who could take the lot, lock, stock and barrel without worrying too much about the present state of club finances.

“The 49ers seem to get lost in any takeover talk, despite already having their feet firmly under the table.

“It seems inevitable that they will up their stake this season at some point, too.” 

Whilst it appears that Leeds will not be getting a wealth of riches from the Paris Saint-Germain owners anytime soon, there is substantially good news on the investment front with the San Francisco 49ers, who already have a small piece of the pie.

Leeds and the 49ers have a lot in common, historically, they are both massive teams with silverware in their trophy locker – though, it’s been a while for both.

The NFL outfit last won a SuperBowl in 1994 – their fifth one – whilst the Yorkshire giants last won the First Division in 1992. That said, they are both hot property right now.

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Marcelo Bielsa has guided them back into the top-flight for the first time in 16 years and the 49ers reached last year’s SuperBowl, losing out to the Kansas City Chiefs.

When you take a look at some of the wealthiest teams in England’s top-flight, ignoring Manchester City’s funding from the Middle East, then you’ll soon see that all have ties to American sport.

Spurs have a deal with the NFL to host their international matches, the Glazer family at Manchester United also own the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arsenal are backed by the LA Rams’ owner Stan Kroenke and Liverpool’s John W. Henry holds 80% of the Boston Red Sox.

If United want to truly be one of the big boys once again, then the 49ers increasing their share of the club would be a major game-changer from current chairman, Andrea Radrizzani.

According to Forbes, the York family are worth in excess of $3.2bn (£2.4bn). Just imagine backing Marcelo Bielsa with that sort of money.

AND in other news, Bielsa missed chance to sign his next Samuel Saiz this summer…

Manchester United have been linked with AC Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, but Ed Woodward could be walking the Red Devils right into a trap.

What’s the word?

According to Bild, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are already holding talks with the Turkey international over a possible move to Old Trafford.

It’s claimed that Solskjaer is a big admirer of Calhanoglu as he could be available for a free transfer in the summer, as he is currently involved in ongoing discussions concerning his contract with AC Milan. However, Man United must avoid signing the 26-year-old at all costs.

Major mistake

The Red Devils really don’t need any more attacking midfielders at the moment, as even new summer signing Donny van de Beek is struggling to get some minutes under his belt.

As we’ve previously discussed, we think United could be on to something here with the Dutch international.

Last season, Calhanoglu scored nine goals and supplied nine assists in Serie A, whilst he averaged 2.9 shots, 2 key passes and 0.8 dribbles per game, via WhoScored. Impressive enough indeed, we’ll give him that.

Sometimes it is no wonder that current Milan manager Stefano Pioli has dubbed him “generous” and “exceptional.”

However, it’s worth remembering that Van de Beek actually managed more dribbles per league game than the £27m-rated Turkish midfielder last term, as per WhoScored.

Calhanoglu also has a chequered injury history as he missed several games last season with calf problems. Throw in the fact that he has also been criticised by ex-AC Milan boss Gennaro Gattuso for his attitude in the past and you will start to question why the club were even interested in him in the first place.

And that’s without even mentioning the wage bill, as he currently earns wages worth a whopping £78,000-per-week, whilst Woodward will surely want to avoid another Alexis Sanchez situation, at any rate.

In fact, it’s fair to say that the last thing he will want to see is another disgruntled expensive signing sat on the sidelines as an unused substitute as its hard to imagine Calhanoglu will start ahead of either Bruno Fernandes or Paul Pogba.

AND in other news, Cavani & Rashford start, no van de Beek: Predicted Manchester United XI vs Arsenal…

Manchester City starlet Jayden Braaf must surely be knocking on Pep Guardiola’s door in the hopes of earning a spot in the Spanish manager’s first-team, as he continues to impress for the academy sides.

The 18-year-old was signed from PSV Eindhoven’s youth team in 2018 and was quickly promoted to City’s Under-23 side, despite his tender age (per Transfermarkt).

The Dutchman has hugely impressed with the academy sides at City, having now scored 12 goals in just 23 appearances for the U’23s.

It was reported towards the end of the 2019/20 season that Braaf was training with Guardiola’s first-team but he is yet to make an appearance for the senior side.

There have also been suggestions that he is becoming frustrated with his lack of opportunities under the Spanish manager and you imagine that if he did want to leave the Etihad Stadium outfit, there would be no shortage of interest in the 18-year-old.

City must therefore do everything they can to avoid a situation similar to Jadon Sancho’s, with the Englishman deciding, after a lack of opportunities, that his future lay away from Manchester City.

He joined Borussia Dortmund for a fee of just £7.05 million and has gone on to establish himself as one of the hottest prospects in European football after some superb displays for the Bundesliga side.

In just 108 appearances for BVB, he has contributed 36 goals and 47 assists (per Transfermarkt), which has led to him being valued at an eye-watering £105.3 million and he obviously attracted some serious interest from Manchester United during the summer.

Therefore, City should perhaps consider giving Braaf an opportunity in their first-team in the near future, otherwise, they risk a repeat of Sancho’s situation.

Former Manchester City U’23 coach Paul Harsley was full of praise for Braaf during his time managing the youngster, saying:

“Jayden’s a real handful for opposition full-backs when we can give him the ball and he’s got space to go and run at them.

“You can see with the goals he has scored and the chances he has created that – whether he goes outside or inside – he gives opposition defences all sorts of problems.

“He has performed well – along with all of the rest of them.

“Jayden has only just turned 17 and though he is still growing, it’s incredible to see his physique.”

Braaf has certainly impressed at academy level and it is now time to give him a chance to show what he can do in senior football.

Everton are set to face an enormous battle to keep one of their most promising youngsters…

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Mail, some of Europe’s heavyweights, including Bayern Munich and Juventus, are keen on signing 16-year-old defender Thierry Small.

It’s claimed that the Toffees are doing all they can to keep hold of him having offered a bumper three-year deal, but it could be too little too late now that there are a plethora of teams chasing his signature.

Small features regularly for the U23 squad after being poached from West Brom aged 11 whilst Puma are said to have tied him down to a sponsorship deal.

Could lose the next Baines?

It seems as if Everton have always had decent options at left-back, going from Leighton Baines to Lucas Digne is pretty impressive, and Niels Nkounkou is even staking a claim in the cup competitions.

But just because the club already have two firm options doesn’t mean they should let their teenage sensation depart. In fact, it would be a massive mistake to see him leave as they’re not just missing out on a piece of the future, but also, potential profit.

And we’ve seen this before under Marcel Brands. He left Antonee Robinson join Premier League rivals Fulham for just £2m. His exposure to the top-flight and continuous impressive displays will only make that seem like a bargain on Scott Parker’s part.

The aforementioned report from the Mail goes onto suggest that Small is ‘regarded by many as the best left-back in the country of his age’ as well as comparing him to Alphonso Davies.

Although, he very much appears to be another Baines as the official Everton website notes his crossing and one-on-one abilities.

Whether he’s the next Baines or merely Robinson 2.0, it would be a catastrophe to see him depart Goodison Park.

AND in other news, Everton could secure Ancelotti his new Robben this January…

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa transfer target Jesse Lingard is ready to leave Manchester United in the upcoming January window.

What’s the story?

The England international has been a peripheral figure at Old Trafford this season, with the signing of Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek further dropping him down the pecking order – in fact, he’s made just two appearances in total, and both of them came in the Carabao Cup.

Now, TEAMtalk claim that Lingard – who has been touted as a potential option for Villa recently – is ready to ask United to let him leave the club in January unless they exercise their option on him before the end of the year.

The 27-year-old’s current contract comes to an end in the summer, and would thus be able to leave on a free transfer, but it appears he is ready to cut ties with United much sooner than that.

Shades of Barkley

Whilst Lingard’s wretched form over the past couple of seasons in particular has seen his career take a nosedive – he’s managed just five Premier League goals since the start of the 2018/2019 campaign – it doesn’t detract from the fact Villa could potentially revive a player who’s made 24 appearances for England.

Dean Smith has already shown he has the Midas touch with the way he has revitalised Ross Barkley, another promising England talent who seemed to be floundering at Chelsea.

Sometimes, all it takes is a change of scenery and a fresh start for a player to get back to their best, and current United coach Michael Carrick has gone on record to reveal his admiration of the kind of “unique” abilities Lingard has.

He said: “I think his movement is excellent. It’s something that sounds quite simple, but it’s difficult to defend against. He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic.

“How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”He may be a £100k-a-week outcast at Old Trafford, but Villa could land a shock bargain by getting Lingard on the cheap.

When Chelsea set their eyes upon Arsenal’s team sheet at the Emirates on Saturday evening, they will have lit up.

They were missing a host of senior players including new summer signing Gabriel, their captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and former Blue, Willian.

However, if they took added confidence from that, it clearly didn’t show on the pitch.

This was arguably one of Chelsea’s worst displays of the season as they missed the chance to go second and suffered a disappointing 3-1 defeat. Frank Lampard was understandably angry at full-time – this was a display that lacked quality, desire and urgency.

They were playing a team who hadn’t won in seven Premier League games so on paper, they should have come away with all three points. Instead, they were battered and bruised by a heavily improved Arsenal side.

One of the worst performers was Reece James, someone given a torrid afternoon by the rampant Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli.

Time and time again the full-back was beaten and caught out of position, eventually giving away a penalty after contentiously bringing down Tierney. It was a moment that summed up his game and it didn’t get better.

James is known for being a fabulous crosser but on this occasion, he was poor in attack too. The England international succeeded with just 12.5% of the balls he delivered into the area.

Furthermore, the 21-year-old conceded two fouls and lost possession a mammoth 17 times. To put things simply, this was a horrible outing for the youngster.

To make matters even worse, James failed to win any of the ground duels he contested, being bullied down Chelsea’s right-hand side.

It was a surprise that he wasn’t withdrawn at half-time but the defender did combine more nicely with Callum Hudson-Odoi when he was introduced at the break. Unfortunately for Lampard, it was too little too late.

James hasn’t done too much wrong this season but this performance has to draw questions about his place in the side. Cesar Azpilicueta may have lost a yard of pace, but he is still capable defensively.

The manager has some thinking to do.

Tottenham Hotspur are heading into what feels like a defining transfer window in terms of how Jose Mourinho’s side could shape up for the long-term.

Recent defeats to Liverpool and Leicester City in the Premier League show that the north Londoners have it all to do before they mount a serious title charge, so the right additions may be imperative next month.

There are also futures to resolve for many of Spurs’ current stars who have hit a crossroad in their career – both Dele Alli and Harry Winks instantly spring to mind.

They both were regular starters early on in the Mourinho reign but now find themselves flirting with an exit from the north London outfit.

And the same could be said of Davinson Sanchez, who continues to be completely snubbed by the ‘Special One’ despite only having two other senior centre-backs on the payroll.

The £36m-rated Colombian has made just one Premier League matchday squad since their late capitulation against arch-rivals West Ham in October – that’s eight of nine games that he hasn’t even made the bench – even with the new increase from seven to nine players.

It seems the Irons’ late come back from 3-0 down was the final straw for Mourinho as Sanchez has only featured in the Europa League (five starts), often to give Toby Alderweireld a break.

Indeed, we know that the Spurs boss has never really been a fan of the 6 foot 1 colossus as he targeted the centre-back during Manchester United’s Europa League triumph back in 2017.

The Red Devils eased to a 2-0 victory with Sanchez failing to cope with the likes of Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford.

Former rival striker Tony Cascarino dubbed the 24-year-old their main “weak link” during the summer, telling the Evening Standard that a defensive pairing involving Sanchez and Eric Dier was a “disaster zone.”

Whilst ex-England defender Danny Mills believes the outcast is everything Mourinho doesn’t want in his centre-backs, he told Football Insider:

“Davinson Sanchez can be a little up and down at times. His performances can be fabulous and then not so much. His form is sporadic. We know what Mourinho likes. He wants defenders to defend, to be consistent and just do the simple things.”

According to Calciomercatio.it earlier this month, Sanchez has been warming to the idea of a switch to the Serie A to revive his faltering career with AC Milan mooted as a potential destination.

If any offers do come in for the £75k-per-week calamity, then Daniel Levy absolutely has to sanction the exit before he continues to burn a massive hole in his pockets.

Having been signed by Mauricio Pochettino in whopping then-club-record £42m deal in 2017, the disastrous signing has cost the club a total of £55m – and counting.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Spurs tipped to secure “unbelievable” deal for £30m maestro…

In the words of UFC octagon announcer Bruce Buffer, “IT’S TIME!!!”

The January transfer window has finally opened its doors, meaning Manchester United may be tempted to dip into the market to strengthen their squad before the end of the season.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish publication AS (via Sports Witness), Real Madrid star Isco is on the Red Devils’ radar and the La Liga giants are open to offloading the attacking midfielder.

Ever since he first arrived at Madrid from Malaga back in 2013, Isco, 28, has provided 51 goals and 55 assists in 318 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

However, it seems his time at the Bernabeu is finally coming to an end as it appears he is deemed surplus to requirements after falling down the pecking order under Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, having made just three starts thus far this season.

Mata 2.0?

Bruno Fernandes has cemented his place on the world stage as he is unequivocally the biggest creative asset at the club right now – since his arrival at Old Trafford this time last year, the former Sporting Lisbon playmaker has scored 26 goals and supplied 17 assists in 45 appearances, which is a pretty remarkable record.

But the same can’t be said for Daniel James, Juan Mata or indeed Donny van de Beek, who has arguably struggled to hit the ground running after Ed Woodward signed the 23-year-old from Ajax for £35m on a five-year deal last summer.

Mata has been a loyal servant of the club and has produced some memorable moments over the years since joining the club six years ago, including his famous bicycle kick away at Anfield.

While Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does have several options to provide cover and competition for the advanced player position – namely Fernandes, Mata and Van de Beek – there isn’t a lot of depth in this area.

In fact, we’d even go so far as to say that the former Spanish international would be a significant upgrade on most of the midfield options that are currently available, barring Fernandes.

Recently described as a “fantastic” beast by his former Madrid and now-Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti, the 28-year-old played four games in the Champions League last season and scored one goal, whilst he averaged two shots, 1.5 tackles and 1.8 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, Mata could only muster 1.4 dribbles on average per game in the Europa League last season, as per WhoScored.

Ed Woodward simply can’t afford to ignore a player such as Isco, let alone let him slip through his fingers, especially when you consider the fact that his market value is estimated at a mere £18m, via Transfermarkt. However, it seems his former club Malaga are in the driving seat, so the board may have a bidding war on their hands should the Spaniard pique their interest.

AND in other news, Manchester United can sign their next David Beckham in Bundesliga starlet Solskjaer wants…

Spurs are once again being linked with a move for Christian Eriksen and the Danish international could add something different to Jose Mourinho’s midfield.

What’s the word?

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that Jose Mourinho would like to have the Danish international back at Spurs, although his wage demands are currently proving to be an issue.

Whilst there are no advanced talks between Spurs and Inter yet, Romano claims that the 28-year-old would love to return to the Premier League, so perhaps we will see him back at the North London club in the not too distant future.

Imagine him and Hojbjerg

Spurs have dropped a lot of points from winning positions in recent fixtures and adding the creative influence of Eriksen in their midfield could allow them to kill games off.

The attacking-midfielder could also form a strong connection with international teammate Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in Mourinho’s side, as the former Southampton man can do the dirty work in midfield, allowing Eriksen more freedom to find space and play through balls to the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son.

During his last spell with the Lilywhites, Eriksen would contribute an impressive 69 goals and 89 assists in 305 appearances, so whilst his time with Inter hasn’t exactly gone to plan, it is hard to argue that he wouldn’t add a creative spark in this Spurs side.

In his career thus far, the Dane has managed an impressive 157 club assists in all competitions, whereas the majority of Spurs assists this season have come from either Kane or Son, with Hojbjerg, Tanguy Ndombele and Giovani Lo Celso all tied on one assist in the Premier League, suggesting that they are definitely lacking the quality final ball in midfield.

With Mourinho’s wingers also struggling for form so far this season, with Steven Bergwijn, Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale and Erik Lamela having all disappointed with their performances, the arrival of Eriksen could allow the Portuguese manager to switch to a diamond midfield, with the former Ajax man at the tip behind Kane and Son up front.

It is clear that Mourinho would love to have him back and although his performances in his last season with Spurs weren’t the best, if he can rediscover the sort of form he showed under Mauricio Pochettino, it would surely be worthwhile for Daniel Levy to pay the wages necessary to bring him back to the North London club.

The January transfer window is usually a high octane affair for Leeds but it would appear that Victor Orta has learnt the error of his ways.

It’s unlikely the Whites will do any business this month but despite the hiccups they had with Daniel James and Jean-Kevin Augustin in years gone by, it would be a mistake to completely ignore the opportunity to strengthen.

Leeds are hardly impressing at the moment and are yet to win in 2021. A 3-0 defeat to Crawley in the FA Cup just about summed up their issues.

They are lacking depth and they don’t have the strength in numbers to truly compete. Though, we should hardly be surprised. Marcelo Bielsa isn’t a coach who likes to work with a big squad and he barely ever rotates his starting XI unless there are injuries or fitness concerns.

He did tinker against Crawley, though, and it didn’t pay off. Pascal Struijk was hauled off at half-time and was also far from impressive during the defeat to Brighton. He was playing as a makeshift defensive midfielder in both ties and it demonstrated that without Kalvin Phillips in that role, they have a big problem.

Phillips bizarrely played at centre-half in the FA Cup and was then suspended when the Seagulls defeated Bielsa’s men at Elland Road. They lacked a link from defence to attack but they could solve that in the transfer market.

Truth be told, any midfielder would add more depth, but if they can sign one as talented as Erick Pulgar they’d be in serious business.

The Argentine has been linked with Leeds this month but they’re now facing competition from Real Bets and Sevilla in Spain.

The battling Fiorentina midfielder is on a salary of £41k-per-week so would be a pretty pricey capture. That being said, for a player of his quality and versatility, they cannot ignore him based on that.

Described as a “powerful” individual by Italian coach Cesare Prandelli, Pulgar is the definition of a midfield workhorse – someone who runs himself into the ground and tackles with great regularity.

Though, his ability to score goals – he netted seven times last season – proves he wouldn’t just add depth in defensive midfield but he’d also be able to stand in and compete for a place alongside Rodrigo and Mateusz Klich further forward.

Considering the club-record signing has found life difficult since signing and that Klich has scored just once since the opening week of the campaign, it would be a valuable addition.

After all, he is a bundle of energy and has made more ball recoveries per 90 minutes (12.6) than his main competitors for a position in Leeds’ midfield. Struijk is the next best on 12.1, but Phillips (11.7) and Klich (10.5) are slightly further behind.

On that evidence, he would be perfect for Bielsa. He can hound the opposition and thus, would not only fix their struggling midfield but add even more quality.

This would be an exceptional addition from Orta.

AND in other news, Leeds could find their new Jansson if Orta brings £5.4m-rated colossus to Elland Road…