Tag Futebol

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa could land a superb signing in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah this summer.

What’s the story?

The England under-21 international was on the books at Elland Road during a half-season loan spell when the Whites were in the Championship, and while the Gunners ended up recalling him in January 2020, it appears they are now keen to offload him on a permanent basis.

According to Football Insider, Leeds have been offered the chance to sign Nketiah permanently, with Arsenal willing to listen to offers in order to fund a summer rebuild.

Bielsa rates him

Despite only briefly playing under Bielsa – he featured just 19 times and scored five goals – the £17m-rated forward appeared to leave a big impression back at Elland Road.

Bielsa himself said: “He’s a specialist great player with a lot of resources and our play is a collective way of playing and one player needs to adapt to this style.

“For this reason when we felt he was part of the team we thought that we were going to feel the same and that he would continue with us. He didn’t take this decision but he is a great player, an excellent professional and he had very good behaviour, he is a gentleman in every sense.”
Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has waxed lyrical about Nketiah, claiming that his style of play is very much reminiscent of Jermain Defoe. He said: “He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham. He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eyes off because his movement’s so good.”

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Given his previous experience of playing at Elland Road under Bielsa, Nketiah would fancy his chances of hitting the ground running were he to join Leeds a second time.

Meanwhile, Bielsa can sign this Championship starlet who silenced Elland Road for free…

Flocking to an official club post, many West Ham United fans have been left ecstatic by news regarding midfielder and favourite Tomas Soucek.

Soucek, becoming a mainstay under manager David Moyes in his first full season for the Irons, signing from Slavia Prague in the summer of 2020, has certainly done enough to impress critics.

As per WhoScored, the 26-year-old played every minute of West Ham’s remarkable Premier League campaign and helped to guide them to a surprising sixth-placed finish – meaning qualification for the Europa League group stage.

He also won more aerial duels on average (6.2) than any Hammers man domestically, with news now emerging that he has been rewarded for these efforts.

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Indeed, as shared by the club, Soucek has been officially nominated for the Premier League Player of the Season award.

Flocking to this news, many Irons supporters have been left in delighted and joyous mood as the midfielder receives due recognition for his performances.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans ecstatic with Soucek news

“Letsssss goooo”

Credit: @conwhufc03

“What a time to be alive. Go on big Tommy S”

Credit: @TomQuirkeJourno

“The big man. The potato salad king. Joint-top goalscorer. Head scout. Legend. So so deserved. Announce Alex Král.”

Credit: @WestHamCF

“YESSS”

Credit: @JackkWHU

“GET INNNN”

Credit: @JshWHU

“Totally agree great asset this season to our team and outstanding player to”

Credit: @sue19762050

“Has to be the winner!!!! Great player, great guy and an all round gem.”

Credit: @RodgerBurbidge

“Yes! Amazing player! Well deserved!”

Credit: @irenerainbow99

In other news: West Ham source lifts lid on promising new transfer priority for Moyes, find out more here.

Stylish left-handed opener Tim McIntosh batted throughout the day mixing classical strokeplay with excellent judgement to take Auckland within sight of first innings points at the end of day three

Steve Deane08-Dec-2000Stylish left-handed opener Tim McIntosh batted throughout the day mixing classical strokeplay with excellent judgement to take Auckland within sight of first innings points at the end of day three.McIntosh began the day on 54 and by stumps he was undefeated on 172. His marathon innings has so far lasted 524 minutes, 438 balls, and has included 20 fours and a six.He said he it was a great feeling to achieve the milestone of a first-class hundred and his highest score in any form of cricket. After fielding for a day and a half he had felt “a bit knackered” at the start of his innings yesterday, but today he felt capable of batting for long periods of time.He had to endure being struck on the body and helmet by some venomous short-pitched bowling.”He (Shane Bond) got me a beauty yesterday, just on the shoulder. There was a big bruise overnight, so I was quite happy to bounce back today and felt a bit more confident after seeing off a few overs from him.”He didn’t play the hook or pull much throughout his innings as he had been dismissed in his previous innings against Northern Districts when attempting a pull shot.He said his immediate goal was to cement his place in the Auckland team and he was aiming to score at least four first-class hundreds this season, while his long-term goal was to play for New Zealand.Auckland cruised through the first hour with McIntosh and Lou Vincent adding 48 runs without offering a chance. With the ball 40 overs old Canterbury resorted to the bowling of Chris Harris but neither batter looked in a mood to gift their wicket to the bald avenger.In the second session McIntosh went on to record his maiden first-class century. The 206 runs he added with Vincent for Auckland’s fourth wicket eclipsed the previous record against Canterbury of 177 set by L.G. Hemus and A.E. Relf at Christchurch in 1907/08.McIntosh offered a chance when on 112, edging a Shane Bond delivery with the second new ball low to wicket keeper Gareth Hopkins’ left but the catch was spilled and Bond remained wicketless.Wisneski finally ended the marathon partnership, which had lasted 272 minutes and 451 balls, claiming his fourth wicket when Vincent lazily cut a short, wide delivery to Jarred Englefield in the gully.Tama Canning struck in breezy 35, adding 64 with McIntosh before mistiming a drive and being caught and bowled by Carl Anderson.Richard Irving departed quickly for four, caught behind off the bowling of Wisneski, giving the tireless seamer five wickets for the innings.Wisneski has been the pick of the Canterbury bowlers returning figures of 40 over, 5 for 115.But the story of the day was McIntosh whose maiden undefeated century was an innings of genuine quality and assurance. The 21-year old looks to have a big future, starting tomorrow when he’ll chase a double-century and hope to guide Auckland to first innings points.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إنجليزية أن فريق آرسنال قد يفتقد أحد مدافعيه خلال مواجهة ليفربول، مساء اليوم في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويستضيف ملعب الإمارات مباراة الفريقين مساء اليوم، وهو اللقاء المؤجل من الجولة السابعة والعشرين من البطولة.

وذكرت شبكة “فوتبول لندن” الإنجليزية أن المدير الفني لفريق آرسنال قد يفتقد خدمات المدافع جابرييل في مباراة اليوم المرتقبة أمام ليفربول.

وأوضحت أن المدافع البرازيلي لم يشارك في التدريبات رفقة زملائه في آرسنال، أمس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام آرسنال اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

وأشارت إلى أنه لا يوجد أي إعلان رسمي من قِبل آرسنال حتى الآن، ولكن صديقة جابرييل في الشهر التاسع حاليًا وقد يكون ذلك هو السبب وراء الغياب المحتمل للاعب الليلة.

وأفادت أنه في حال غياب جابرييل عن مواجهة كتيبة يورجن كلوب، فإن أرتيتا قد يلجأ إلى اللاعب روب هولدينج بعدما أثبت نفسه في أكثر من مباراة سابقة.

After tasting his first Premier League defeat as a manager against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, Tottenham caretaker boss Ryan Mason will no doubt be searching for answers over the course of the week.

The Lilywhites looked second best all afternoon, mustering just three shots on target in the entire 90 minutes and eventually falling to a timid 3-1 defeat at Elland Road.

While Spurs’ star-studded attack failed to light up a wet and windy Yorkshire afternoon, it was Giovani Lo Celso’s performance in the middle of the park which surely raised the most eyebrows.

The Argentina international has become a regular starter in the opening weeks of Mason’s tenure as interim boss and was once again deployed in a much deeper role against Leeds.

However, the midfielder failed to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and was too often guilty of either misplacing easy passes or just running into a cul-de-sac – one particular moment in the second half saw him simply run the ball out of play while trying to dribble along the touchline.

As per Sofascore, he completed just one of his four attempted dribbles on the day, the worst of any Spurs player, managed no shots on goal and provided just one accurate cross. That sloppiness in possession was reflected by the fact he lost the ball on 19 separate occasions, the joint-most of any player in a Spurs shirt, while a measly 76% passing accuracy rate also told a story of his wastefulness.

In his post-match player ratings for The Independent, Andrew Gamble gave Lo Celso a five, saying: “Completely anonymous as he was dominated by Klich.”

The Spurs Web’s verdict on the Argentine was even more scathing, giving him a three with this assessment: “Lo Celso didn’t do enough to win the midfield battle off the ball today. Also misplaced so many key passes that could have led to goals.”

With just one goal and one assist in 17 Premier League games all season, Lo Celso has been rather poor in recent months, and it’s surely on Mason now to make a ruthless early call and drop him from the starting line-up.

With a talent like Tanguy Ndombele waiting in the wings, Spurs could give the Frenchman the chance to impress his new boss by taking Lo Celso out of the firing line.

In other news, this manager could restore shades of Pochettino if Spurs choose him as Mourinho’s successor.

Keith Downie has dropped some promising insight on Mike Ashley and the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Ashley accuses Premier League

As per The Shields Gazette, Ashley and the St. James’ Park faithful have accused the Premier League of what they believe to be anti-competitive behaviour in their decision-making process on the proposed deal between the chief executive of Sports Direct and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The are looking to take the top flight to court for this, and have also taken on an anti-competition case given to them by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited (NCSL), with the division given fresh legal papers as Ashley looks to force them to push through the bid.

Ben Jacobs was worried by the developments this week, believing it could be a case of Ashley seeking damages for a losing battle, but Downie has dropped what sounds like a slightly more optimistic take.

The Latest: Downie drops Ashley insight

Townie was reporting for Sky Sports (via Football Daily) with regards to Ashley, saying that “he will leave no stone unturned to try and get this takeover pushed through.”

Given that there is already an arbitration case to be held between the English tycoon and the PL over the failed takeover, on top of what is now another legal battle, Ashley is clearly more determined than ever to get his deal over the line.

The Verdict: Arbitration key to potential takeover

The pending arbitration hearing still holds the key in determining whether the potential takeover still has legs, regardless of what other pathways Ashley tries to take.

A positive result could pave a pathway for the bid to come back to the table, and if the league are found to have been anti-competitive in the takeover process, then that will only add fuel to the fire.

Nonetheless, time will tell if Ashley is successful in finally giving Toon fans what they’ve been chasing for so long.

In other news, find out what big update has been dropped on the potential takeover involving the ‘Big Six’ here!

Manchester United face Leeds United on Sunday afternoon aiming to rubber-stamp their place in the top-four.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils need another four points to guarantee a Champions League place and it goes without saying that a win at Elland Road would go a long way to achieving their goal.

One man who could certainly help them get a win is wideman Daniel James, who was infamously close to signing for Marcelo Bielsa’s men just months before arriving at Old Trafford.

He could definitely prove a point against Leeds should he be selected by Solskjaer from the start.

The winger, who earns £45k per week at Old Trafford, is in the midst of his most prolific season as a Red Devil having notched five goals thus far in all competitions, one more than he managed in the entirety of 2019/20.

That eye for goal then could certainly come in handy against a Leeds side who have found it tough to defend this season, having conceded 50 goals and kept just nine clean sheets – only keeping one shutout in their last seven games.

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However, it is his “explosive” pace that is more than likely going to come in the most useful at Elland Road. Should he be deployed on the right flank by Solskjaer, this would see the Welshman directly matched up against Ezgjan Alioski.

Whilst the Macedonian is a competent option at left-back for Bielsa, James would surely back himself to be able to get beyond him and cause problems for the Leeds defence.

After all, the 23-year-old has already managed to have an impact against Leeds this season, netting in the 6-2 thumping of the Whites at Old Trafford back in December, once again vying up against Alioski.

Heading to a stadium where he could have been plying his trade had things gone differently, James will certainly want to prove a point and he has a great opportunity  to do that as United aim to seal their top-four place.

AND in more news, read about which former hero Solskjaer must bring back to Old Trafford…

Former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that the Villans have considered loaning out striker Keinan Davis on more than one occasion.

Davis helped Villa turn things around against Fulham earlier this month after he came off the bench to assist Trezeguet’s second goal of the game which made it 2-1, before Ollie Watkins finally put the nail in the coffin.

Undoubtedly, it was a match where Davis showed his quality and what he has to offer, perhaps giving manager Dean Smith something to think about going forward.

Things, however, could have ended so differently, with Hendrie revealing that the 23-year-old has had opportunities to go out on loan.

On Davis, the ex-Villa player told FFC:

“I know they like him. I know they like him, hence they’ve kept hold of him. He could have gone out on loan a few times and they’ve kept hold of him. I know the striker situation has been a bit of an issue there, but when he’s come on he hasn’t let the team down.”

There is probably a long way to go until Davis can start to really stake a claim for a starting spot in Villa’s XI, with top scorer Watkins currently standing in his way.

However, as he showed against Fulham, the Englishman can certainly have an impact off the bench.

أحرز لاعب السنغال وكريستال بالاس الإنجليزي، شيخو كوياتيه، الهدف الثاني لمنتخب السنغال في شباك غينيا الاستوائية بالمباراة الجارية بينهما الآن في كأس أمم إفريقيا المقامة بالكاميرون.

السنغال تواجه غينيا الاستوائية على ملعب “أحمدو أهيدجو”، بدور ربع نهائي أمم إفريقيا 2021، والفائز من المباراة سوف يتأهل لنصف النهائي لملاقاة بوركينا فاسو.

ودفع المدرب أليو سيسيه، بـ كوياتيه بدلًا من باب جايي في الدقيقة 65، ولاعب كريستال بالاس في الدقيقة 68، سجّل الهدف الثاني لـ أسود التيرانجا.

هدف كوياتيه جاء بعد خطأ دفاعي من لاعبي الرعد الوطني في التغطية الدفاعية، وكوياتيه الخالي تمامًا من الرقابة الدفاعية سجل الكرة في الشباك من داخل منطقة الجزاء. شاهد هدف السنغال الثاني في غينيا الاستوائية

Teemu Pukki continues to make Celtic’s decision to sell him in 2015 look like a humongous error six years later.

The Finnish striker was jettisoned from Parkhead by former boss Ronny Deila after failing to find his best form in the Scottish Premiership.

Indeed, he could only find the net on nine occasions in 38 appearances with the club following his arrival from Schalke 04.

Moved onto Brondby for a reported £600k after just two years as a Bhoy, Pukki has continued to plunder goal after goal. He was lethal in the Danish Superliga and then continued that rich form in both the Championship and Premier League with current employers Norwich City,

Since departing the club on a permanent deal, the now 31-year-old has scored 124 goals. For comparison, current Hoops forward Odsonne Edouard has found the net on just 82 occasions in the same period, albeit having only arrived at Celtic in 2017.

Pukki’s performances only seem to be improving as he ages. He has already scored 22 goals in the league this season, just seven goals fewer than his lethal 2018/19 campaign. He has a further seven league games to beat that haul.

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Pukki’s displays also continue to draw praise from his manager. Norwich boss Daniel Farke has hailed the striker as “unplayable” throughout the 2020/21 campaign.

He is now rated at £6.3m as a result, indicating just how much he was undervalued by Celtic.

With the Canaries now look set to seal a return to the Premier League with yet another promotion, Pukki is once again set to be a top-level forward.

Should he equal or even better his last season in the Premier League then that will only continue to prove that Celtic made a huge error in selling him for what now looks like a pittance of a fee.

AND in more news, take a look at which current Premier League star the Hoops will also regret not keeping…