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Leeds United striker Joe Gelhardt may earn opportunities under Jesse Marsch than he did under Marcelo Bielsa, according to journalist Joe Donnohue.

The lowdown

The young striker played the final half-hour as the Whites fell to a 1-0 defeat at Leicester City in the American’s first game in charge on Saturday.

The 19-year-old, who has 18 goals in 27 games for Leeds at under-23 level, has featured in the Premier League matchday squad 20 times this season but only made 11 appearances (totalling 411 minutes) and has been awarded just two starts up to this point (via Transfermarkt).

Freelance sports journalist Pete O’Rourke told Give Me Sport on Saturday that ‘the Leeds fans have been crying out for him to be given more of a chance’.

The latest

Donnohue feels it was significant that, in his first game as Leeds manager, Marsch turned to Gelhardt ahead of Tyler Roberts and Patrick Bamford, even if the latter was ‘lacking match fitness’.

The journalist tweeted on Saturday evening: “With the game poised at 0-0, Jesse Marsch turned to Joe Gelhardt from the bench. He’s worked with him for less than a week, but was summoned ahead of Roberts & Bamford – albeit lacking match fitness – today. Impression made, and rewarded.”

In a corresponding article for Leeds Live, Donnohue stated: “If his first thought when seeking a breakthrough was to turn to Gelhardt, this certainly bodes well for the young striker’s first-team prospects.”

The verdict

Gelhardt should arguably be given a start against Aston Villa on Thursday night.

Bamford returned to the bench on Saturday but he may not be ready to play from the off just yet, having been out injured since early December and also had a prolonged absence during the autumn.

As for Roberts, he could well miss the game after ‘struggling’ with an apparent injury he sustained after coming on at the King Power Stadium yesterday.

If Gelhardt is to break into the team, Rodrigo should be the man to make way from the starting line-up. In the words of BBC Sport’s Raj Chohan, ‘he makes too many mistakes with his final pass or shot’, so the Spaniard may yet find himself as Marsch’s fall guy.

In other news, this duo looked ‘nervous’ in Marsch’s first game 

Wolverhampton Wanderers suffered another major blow to their hopes of securing a top-six finish with a 1-0 loss at West Ham United on Sunday afternoon, with Hammers midfielder Tomas Soucek scoring the sole goal around the hour mark.

The defeat comes just three days after Bruno Lage’s side were crushingly beaten in the 95th minute by Arsenal on Thursday evening, five miles away from Sunday’s venue at The Emirates.

Having taken an early lead through Hwang Hee-Chan, the West Midlands side conceded twice in the final 13 minutes to lose against another serious contender in the race for Europe.

Having lost twice in the capital within the space of four days, Wolves sit eighth, five points off sixth-placed Arsenal who also have two games in hand.

What will also be of concern for Lage is the injury to right wing-back Nelson Semedo, who was absent in East London with Ki-Jana Hoever taking his place. However, it was a tricky afternoon for the 20-year-old.

According to SofaScore, the Dutchman was Wolves’ second-worst player, picking up a 6.3/10 rating behind Fabio Silva’s 6.1 in what was a slightly rotated side after two trips to London in quick succession.

Sunday’s game was just Hoever’s seventh Premier League appearance of the season, having started on just two other occasions this campaign in the top-flight.

The youngster had a nervy performance, losing the ball on 20 occasions, having made 55 touches all game, meaning that the Dutchman gave away possession every 2.7 touches.

Although he was able to make three tackles, other departments of the wing-back’s defensive game lacked, with Hoever making just one clearance and an interception with no blocks whilst winning just 36% of his duels.

It’s a wing-back’s job to be flexible in both offence and defence, and at the other end of the pitch, the 20-year-old’s fortunes didn’t improve.

The right-wing-back failed to get a single shot away whilst having zero dribble success, attempting two. Moreover, Hoever failed to complete a single cross or long ball and didn’t make a key pass whilst averaging a 73% passing success rate.

After Semedo was forced to be withdrawn on Thursday night after an hour against the Gunners, with Jonny Otto taking his place, it seems as though the Portuguese may be set for a spell on the sidelines, meaning that Hoever has an opportunity to impress.

However, timid performances such as Sunday’s won’t support the 20-year-old’s cause with Jonny, although usually left-sided, certainly waiting in the wings for whatever opportunity comes his way.

In other news: Fosun disaster: Wolves dropped huge clanger over “exceptional” £54m-rated “monster”

Rangers have paid a loan fee of £2m to sign Aaron Ramsey from Juventus, Michael Bridge has told Give Me Sport. 

The lowdown

The Wales midfielder arrived at Ibrox on deadline day, becoming the Gers’ third loan signing of the January transfer window after deals for Amad Diallo (Manchester United) and James Sands (New York City FC).

Rangers say they have managed to preserve their wage structure by agreeing a favourable split with Juventus, but his salary is too large for them to entertain a permanent option (via The Athletic).

Ramsey brings vast experience of playing at the top level, having made 262 Premier League appearances and 78 appearances in the Champions League and Europa League. He has also won eight trophies in his career, including Serie A in 2019/20 and three FA Cups with Arsenal.

The latest

Sky Sports journalist Bridge has learned that Juventus are keen to see the back of Ramsey. For context, Rangers paid more than £2m to sign a central midfielder who had played just 23 minutes in continental competition – Huddersfield Town’s Juninho Bacuna – last summer.

The reporter told Give Me Sport: “My colleagues in Italy are telling me that Juventus just actually want him out of the door. So Rangers might be paying a loan fee potentially of around £2 million.”

The verdict

An outlay of £2m will feel like a very small price to pay indeed if Ramsey proves to be a difference-maker in the remaining months of the season.

Indeed, Rangers could bank a whopping £35m if they win the Premiership and earn automatic qualification to next season’s Champions League group stage, and that’s before you even consider the prize money they may receive if they can stun Borussia Dortmund and advance in the Europa League over the coming weeks.

In other news, many Gers fans were buzzing over this transfer update

Celtic might have a key advantage in the race to sign Cameron Carter-Vickers, according to sports journalist Pete O’Rourke. 

The lowdown

The American is approaching the final two months of his season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, although Celtic are hopeful of signing him permanently and held talks with the Premier League club in January to that effect.

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Hoops team-mate Greg Taylor has raved about the ‘outstanding’ performances of the on loan defender, who the Scot described as ‘quick’ despite being ‘some size’.

The loan agreement includes a purchase option of around £10m, which would make the American Celtic’s record signing. However, they will still need to agree a contract with Carter-Vickers, and other suitors have emerged for the 24-year-old.

According to TEAMtalk, five Premier League clubs – Leicester City, West Ham, Wolves, Burnley and Watford – are all interested in the player.

The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke suggested that Celtic would have the ‘edge’ over their rivals for Carter-Vickers’ signature because of the faith they have shown in the defender.

The journalist claimed: “Because of his top performances, it might give them the edge of securing Carter-Vickers’ signature on a permanent basis this summer.”

The verdict

Carter-Vickers knows where he stands at Celtic. Since he joined the club, he has been one of the first names on Ange Postecoglou’s team sheet, starting every Premiership game for which he has been available.

Also, the manager regards him as a ‘really calm character’ who has demonstrated a maturity ‘beyond his years’.

Were the 24-year-old to join one of his English suitors, there might be no such guarantees about his playing time. There is also the potential carrot of playing Champions League football at Parkhead, should Celtic win the Premiership and secure group stage qualification for Europe’s premier club tournament.

The challenge for Celtic will be footing the mooted £10m fee, but his £22,000-per-week salary should at least be affordable, especially if they have the riches of Champions League group stage participation to come.

In other news, read this BBC man’s Kyogo Furuhashi claim

A major update has emerged in Newcastle United’s attempts to sign Bayer Leverkusen beast Mitchel Bakker…

What’s the talk?

According to The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, the Magpies have agreed a deal in principle with the Bundesliga club as they close in on their third signing of the window.

The report claims that they are now poised to discuss personal terms with the full-back, as Eddie Howe looks to add to the two signings he has already made this month in Chris Wood and Kieran Trippier.

Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope claimed over the weekend that he is valued at £16m by Leverkusen, although the exact figure Newcastle have now agreed for Bakker remains to be seen.

Delight

Newcastle fans will be delighted with this news for several reasons.

Firstly, it suggests that the club’s third signing of the window is not a million miles away as PIF have been able to agree a fee with the German outfit, which shows that they are working hard behind the scenes to get things completed.

Supporters will also be happy with the club’s efforts to bolster Howe’s squad, with this news making it clear that bids are going in and negotiations are happening as the window progresses.

They want to add to the team to improve their chances of avoiding relegation and the signing of Bakker could be a strong step in their journey to doing so.

The left-back position has been a big problem for the ex-Bournemouth head coach this season and the Dutchman could come in and nail down the role.

Paul Dummett started at left-back in the 1-0 win over Leeds and was dribbled past twice, whilst losing 50% of his ground duels, before being taken off with an injury – with Jamal Lewis also having been out since the 16th of December.

Bakker has played 13 times in the Bundesliga for Leverkusen this season and featured in 26 Ligue 1 matches for PSG last term, showing that – at the very least – he is reliable in terms of his availability. He has also made 2.3 tackles and interceptions per game in the German top-flight, whilst registering one goal and three assists.

This suggests that he could add an extra attacking dimension to Newcastle’s side along with being a strong defender who can step in and win the ball back for his side.

Therefore, fans will be delighted to read that the club have agreed a deal for him.

AND in other news, Howe plotting late NUFC swoop for “outstanding” £61k-p/w beast, fans will be amazed…

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has revealed the latest on the respective recoveries of injured duo Leon Bailey and Marvelous Nakamba ahead of the Villans’ home clash with Manchester United.

What’s the latest?

Speaking to the media ahead of Villa’s second meeting with United this week, Gerrard said: “Leon Bailey and Marvelous Nakamba are still out. They’re progressing well in their rehabs.”

The Villa boss also added that young winger Jaden Philogene-Bidace will miss out whilst midfielder John McGinn is serving a one-match suspension for picking up his fifth yellow card of the season.

Villa fans will be buzzing

Although they’re not available, Villa fans will be pleased to know that Bailey and Nakamba are both progressing well and will be excited at the prospect that they could return earlier than planned.

Bailey has been absent for over a month since picking up a thigh injury in the 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in early December. The 24-year-old’s start to life in the Premier League has certainly been frustrating, having made the squad for just nine league games whilst only starting four of them.

There was plenty of excitement from Villa fans after their capture of the Jamaican from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen for around £25m. However, his career in the West Midlands is still yet to fully get up and running.

As for Nakamba, the midfielder had been one of Steven Gerrard’s top performers in the 41-year-old’s first weeks at Villa Park but now faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines with a knee injury sustained in the 1-0 defeat at Liverpool last month.

Alongside John McGinn and Douglas Luiz, the 27-year-old was part of a solid midfield trio that proved to be a major contributor to the West Midlands club’s impressive early form under the Englishman as Gerrard oversaw three wins from his first four games in the Villa dugout.

What Villa fans won’t be pleased about though is that, according to Premier Injuries, the Zimbabwean still may not be available until early April.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops major Villa transfer update that’ll have fans buzzing

Australia and Sri Lanka enter their second Super Eight encounter with bright hopes after they were successful in the opening fixtures

The Preview by Peter English08-May-2010Match FactsSunday, May 9, Bridgetown
Start time 1330 (1730 GMT)Master and commander: Mahela Jayawardene has held together Sri Lanka’s batting•AFP

The Big PictureThe last time Australia and Sri Lanka played in Barbados was the 2007 World Cup final, an ODI which finished in darkness and with a third global trophy in a row for Ricky Ponting. Both teams have changed considerably since then, with Australia having only four players in the Caribbean who appeared in that game and Sri Lanka six.Each side enters their second Super Eight encounter with bright hopes after they were successful in the opening fixtures. Australia have shown their power and no signs of the slips that have softened up their previous two World Twenty20 campaigns. Following group victories against Pakistan and Bangladesh and a convincing 49-run win over India, they are the form team of the competition.Sri Lanka, who stumbled in the tournament-opener against New Zealand, lost the rust that their board complained publicly about with a 57-run thrashing of West Indies on Friday. Both teams have on-song batsmen at the top of the order while their bowling attacks are also clicking. Whoever wins will probably have done enough to earn a spot in the semi-finals, so there is extra motivation in this compelling fixture.Form guide (most recent first)Australia WWWTW
Sri Lanka WWLLWWatch out for…Mahela Jayawardene is the player of the tournament so far and a shining example for the team. In only three matches he has flooded 279 runs at 139.50, with a strike-rate of 163.15, and done it while being true to the roots of his traditional technique. If Jayawardene can keep his streak going – he has scores of 81, 100 and 98 – he can carry Sri Lanka to the final.In comparison to Jayawardene’s heroics, Shane Watson isn’t doing anything stunning. However, Watson and his partner David Warner are quickly forging a reputation as the most feared combination in the game. Watson has two half-centuries in his collection of 139 runs at 46.33, along with a strike-rate of 157.95. Sri Lanka will increase their chances of success if they take care of this brutal pair.Team newsMitchell Johnson returned against India as Australia chose their preferred XI, and there will be no need to change unless Johnson’s elbow infection flares. With their batsmen and bowlers firing, Australia have no concerns.Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Brad Haddin (wk), 5 David Hussey, 6 Cameron White, 7 Michael Hussey, 8 Steven Smith, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Dirk Nannes, 11 Shaun Tait.Muttiah Muralitharan is out of the tournament after re-injuring his groin against West Indies and will leave a big hole. This should give another chance to the offspinner Suraj Randiv, who stepped in for Murali against Zimbabwe, or the last-minute replacement Thilan Thushara.Sri Lanka (possible) 1 Sanath Jayasuriya, 2 Mahela Jayawardene, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (capt, wk), 4 Chamara Kapugedera, 5 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 6 Angelo Mathews, 7 Thissara Perera, 8 Lasith Malinga, 9 Ajantha Mendis, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Suraj Randiv.Pitch and conditionsThis is the final game of the Super Eight stage in Barbados before the tournament heads back to St Lucia. The surface has suited the bounce of the Australian fast bowlers and the Sri Lankan batsmen can expect a lot of short balls. Another warm day is predicted for Kensington Oval.Stats and trivia Mahela Jayawardene needs another 39 runs to overhaul Tillakaratne Dilshan’s World Twenty20 tournament record of 317, which was set last year. Jayawardene has already passed Matthew Hayden’s haul of 265 in South Africa in 2007 The last time the teams played Sri Lanka knocked Australia out of the 2009 World Twenty20 in Nottingham. Australia won the only other exchange they have had in this format, which occurred in the 2007 event Michael Clarke dropped himself down the order and didn’t get a hit against India. He hasn’t batted in T20 internationals six times and on five of those occasions Australia have wonQuotes”Whatever the role you’re given, you back yourself to contribute. Opening the batting gives you more time, it suits my game.”
Mahela Jayawardene”If we can continue to make totals like that, with our bowling and the way we’re fielding, it’s going to be hard for opposition teams to beat us.”
Michael Clarke has faith in his men after they disposed of India

دافع قلب الدفاع المصري الدولي أحمد حجازي عن مدربه البرتغالي نونو سانتو في ظل الانتقادات القاسية التي يتعرض لها المدرب في الفترة الماضية.

وكانت تقارير صحفية وصفت “نونو سانتو” بالمدرب الدفاعي بسبب قلة أهداف الفريق الاتحادي في بداية مشواره بالدوري السعودي في الموسم الحالي.

وكان حجازي قاد الاتحاد للفوز بهدف دون رد أمام الوحدة، وسجل اللاعب المصري هدف اللقاء الوحيد برأسية في الدقيقة 75 من عمر المباراة.

اقرأ أيضا..بتواجد أحمد حجازي.. إعلان تشكيلة الجولة الثامنة من الدوري السعودي

وقال أحمد حجازي في تصريحات لقناة “MBC”: “المباراة كانت صعبة وازدادت صعوبة عقب طرد لاعبنا عبد الرحمن العبود، تحدث معنا المدرب بين شوطي المباراة وطلب منا اللعب من أجل حسم اللقاء في الشوط الثاني”.

وعن تركيز الفريق على الكرات الثابتة لتسجيل الأهداف قال حجازي: “قمنا بخلق العديد من الفرص لكننا لم نتمكن من تحويلها إلى أهداف، تسجيل أهداف من الكرات الثابتة هو جزء من كرة القدم”.

وقال مراسل برنامج “أكشن يا دوري” أن الاتحاد غير قادر على تحقيق الفوز بلقب الدوري هذا الموسم بسبب أسلوب نونو سانتو، ليرد حجازي غاضبا: “نحن اللاعبون نرى أن نونو سانتو أفضل مدرب، ونشعر بالراحة النفسية مع المدرب، الفريق جيد معه وهذا أمر واضح”.

وواصل حجازي حديثه: “لا يمكنك قول هذا السؤال عن مدرب كبير مثل نونو سانتو، سنستغل فترة التوقف الدولي بأفضل شكل ممكن مثل باقي الفرق، وأعتقد اننا سوف نظهر بشكل قوي في النصف الثاني من الدوري”.

يذكر أن الاتحاد يتواجد بالمركز الثالث في جدول ترتيب دوري روشن برصيد 18 نقطة، بفارق 4 نقاط عن الشباب المتصدر، ونقطة وحيدة عن النصر الوصيف.

With Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side heading into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Watford off the back of a disappointing 1-1 draw against 10-man Southampton last time out, the 52-year-old would have been hoping for a much-improved display at Vicarage Road this afternoon.

While the Italian would have certainly enjoyed the match a great deal more if his side had managed to seal all three points slightly earlier, Spurs nevertheless came away with maximum points thanks to Davinson Sanchez’s dramatic 96th-minute winner, with the game ending 1-0.

However, despite the victory, there were still a number of performances within the team which will have given Conte cause from concern, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Sergio Reguilon and Emerson Royal all enduring something of an afternoon to forget against Watford.

It will undoubtedly be the latter of this trio who would have been most disappointed with his own display on the bus home from Vicarage Road on Saturday evening.

Lost the ball every 5.4 touches

While Emerson’s metrics over his 90 minutes on the pitch were not overly disastrous, the wing-back’s wastefulness in the final third was undeniably the 22-year-old’s downfall against Watford.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated man had a whopping 113 touches of the ball, but he found his intended target with just four of his 13 attempted crosses and lost possession a whopping 21 times, meaning that he ceded possession with every 5.4 touches.

This is something which was also picked up by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who awarded the defender a five in his player ratings, as well as stating of the £62k-per-week right-back’s performance: “No-one was allowed more space and time in the final third but the Brazilian put in a succession of poor crosses. You couldn’t escape the feeling that Watford knew he wasn’t much of a threat.”

As such, it is unavoidable that Emerson’s poor decision making in the final third of the pitch badly let his side down on Saturday despite Tottenham’s ultimate victory, and is an area of his game that the Brazil international must improve if he is to finally disprove Kieron Dyer’s claim that he is “miles off it” for Spurs.

In other news: Spurs begin talks for £116k-p/w gem dubbed “the best”, he’s “more stable” than De Ligt

According to a report in the print edition of the Sunday Mirror, a shock West Ham transfer update has emerged involving Real Madrid forward Eden Hazard.

The Lowdown: Moyes in forward hunt…

Irons boss David Moyes has set his sights on improving West Ham in January as they become linked to many new attacking additions.

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Antonin Barak, Jesse Lingard and Adam Hlozek have been mentioned most recently with West Ham now having to compete in Europe as well as on the domestic front.

The Evening Standard claim West Ham will be backed to bring in a new striker, top centre-half and potentially Lingard but it’s the Mirror who have now come out with, what perhaps is, the news of the day.

The Latest: West Ham ‘leading chase’ for Hazard…

As per their information, West Ham and Everton are ‘leading the chase’ for Hazard as he gets told to pack his bags and leave in January.

Real are desperate to get his £416,000-per-week wages off the books, so much so they are willing to accept half of their original £43 million asking price for the player.

Indeed, if any club can convince him to join on loan in January with an obligation to buy later, they will accept a final fee of £21m.

The Verdict: Get it done?

Signing Hazard for just £21m would have been unthinkable a few seasons ago, with West Ham legend Tony Cottee dubbing him ‘unplayable’ back in 2018 (Sky Sports).

However, after a spell of injury woes and failing to rekindle his previous Premier League form (The Mirror), the Belgium international is now in a totally different spot.

So much so, we believe West Ham are actually better placed looking elsewhere, especially considering the 30-year-old winger has been accused of laziness and a bad attitude in training by former teammates (John Obi Mikel to beIN Sports via Sky).

The last thing Moyes needs is a player of this nature disrupting the harmony of his squad, no matter his obvious quality in past seasons.

In other news: Journalist hints West Ham now in pole position to sign ‘world class’ striker, find out more here.