Tag Futebol

Marcelo Bielsa ended Leeds United’s 16-year wait for a return to the Premier League when he led the Whites to promotion in the 2019/20 campaign.

The Argentine head coach needed two seasons in charge to successfully end their run of almost two decades in the Championship or League One and they have remained in the top-flight ever since, with Jesse Marsch now at the helm.

They were in the third tier of English football for three seasons between 2007 and 2010 and Simon Grayson was the man who managed to bring them back up to the second division.

He led them to a second-placed finish in the 2009/10 campaign and then finished seventh in their first season back in the Championship in 2010/11.

Grayson enjoyed a successful spell at Elland Road during this period but was let down by former owner Ken Bates in the summer of 2011 when it came to dealing with Bradley Johnson’s situation.

The central midfielder was a huge part of the team in the two aforementioned seasons. He played 36 times in the League One promotion and chipped in with seven goals and three assists from the middle of the park, before managing five goals and four assists in 45 outings in the second tier.

However, he was out of contract at the end of 2010/11 and Bates refused to play ball with the midfielder over an extension, with Johnson explaining: 

“It was time to negotiate a new contract and I said ‘I want to earn what this guy’s earning or the same as what this kid’s earning’. Ken Bates was just like ‘nope, this is what we’re offering’, so I didn’t sign it. It got ugly towards the end with the chairman, but the fans understood.”

He ended up departing that summer and he eventually left on a free transfer, joining then-manager Paul Lambert’s Norwich Cith. This turned out to be a huge blunder by the club as Johnson went on to be a big player for the Canaries for a number of years and made them a hefty profit when he left East Anglia.

Johnson, who Paul Clement once dubbed “invaluable”. played 97 Premier League matches in his first three years at Norwich and produced six goals and nine assists from central midfield.

He then enjoyed a phenomenal campaign in the Championship in 2014/15 as the machine found the back of the net 15 times in 41 games as he helped his side to win promotion back to the top-flight, winning the club’s Player of the Year award.

Norwich then opted to cash in on the Englishman by selling him to Derby County in the summer of 2015. They raked in £6m from the Rams for his signature, which was a sizeable payday for the Canaries given that he arrived at Carrow Road on a free transfer from Leeds four years prior to that.

Therefore, Bates committed a blunder with Johnson as Leeds missed out on enjoying his superb talent on the pitch in those years, along with a multi-million compensation for his services further down the line.

West Ham United are ‘in the market’ for a ‘few’ more signings this summer, Sky Sports News’ Dharmesh Sheth reports. 

The lowdown: Busy Hammers

The Hammers have already added Alphonse Areola, Flynn Downes, Maxwel Cornet, Gianluca Scamacca, Thilo Kehrer and Nauef Aguerd to the London Stadium ranks during the ongoing transfer window.

Italian left-back Emerson then became the latest addition to David Moyes’ squad as the 28-year-old completed a switch from London rivals Chelsea to take their summer expenditure to £125.1million (Transfermarkt).

However, with links to the likes of Hans Vanaken, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Conor Gallagher continuing to circulate, one well-informed onlooker has suggested that GSB could be willing to sanction yet more arrivals…

The latest: ‘They’re in the market…’

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Sheth has claimed that West Ham remain ‘in the market’ for further additions to the squad prior to the September 1 deadline.

 “I still think they’re in the market to bring in a few.

“They’ve already signed seven players and Emerson’s arrival has taken their spending to more than £120million. This is the biggest outlay in any window for West Ham United.

“It’s not that they’re not backing the manager – they are. There’s concern at the start of the season because of the results and they haven’t scored. There’s no panic, though.”

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The verdict: More needed

Despite entering the season with confidence of another positive campaign ahead, the Irons have made a sluggish start to their Premier League quest, losing all three of their opening three fixtures without scoring a single goal.

Albeit their early European ventures have been more successful, Rob Newman and Moyes are wise to be looking to add further reinforcements to the squad and a big-money swoop for Lyon midfielder Lucas Paqueta looks to one they are focusing on.

Beyond the mercurial Brazilian, there remains room in the east London ranks for another centre-forward and perhaps another central defender as injury-prone players in both positions continue to cause issues with their availability.

Derby County are ‘showing interest’ in West Ham United winger Armstrong Oko-Flex, according to a report from insider ExWHUemployee.

The Lowdown: Forwards wanted

On Wednesday, the Rams announced the signing of Everton forward Lewis Dobbin, but Liam Rosenior appears to be keen to bolster his attacking ranks even further.

With money still tight, the League One outfit’s best chances of bringing in fresh faces is to look to the loan and free agent markets, just like they did with the Toffees teenager, and the Rams are now once again eyeing a deal for a young, talented prospect from the Premier League.

The Latest: Derby monitoring Oko-Flex

Writing on his Patreon (as quoted by West Ham Zone), ExWHUemployee revealed that the Irons are likely to allow Oko-Flex to make a temporary exit this window, with Derby a possible destination.

“As reported before we have heard a number of academy players could be about to go on loan too with Derby County showing interest in Oko-Flex for example.”

The Verdict: Next up after Dobbin?

Derby will be hoping to bounce back up to the Championship at the first time of asking, and it’s apparent that they are targeting new additions in the final third to try and help them achieve that.

Alongside Dobbin, Oko-Flex, once labelled a ‘very dangerous’ player by former West Ham’s U23s coach Dmitri Halajko, would be an energetic and pacy fit in the Rams’ starting XI given he’s still only 20 years old.

The Irishman netted 11 goals and provided two assists in 21 Premier League 2 outings last season, via Transfermarkt, showing that he can contribute in the one area of the pitch that matters most, making him the profile of player that Rosenior needs to look at getting in the building as soon as possible.

Joe Donnohue has dropped an update on Leeds United’s bid to sign a new left-back this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent post on Twitter, the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist revealed that, following Monday’s confirmation that Leif Davis has secured a £1m move to League One side Ipswich Town, it is now expected that Victor Orta brings a new left-back into Elland Road over the remainder of the summer transfer window.

In his tweet, Donnohue said: “Leif Davis joins Ipswich Town on a permanent deal. Fee in the region of £1m. Left-back expected to come in at LUFC now.”

Supporters will love Donnohue’s update

Considering just how underwhelming Junior Firpo was throughout his debut campaign at Elland Road last season, and with both the former Barcelona left-back and Stuart Dallas missing the start of 2022/23 due to injury, Donnohue’s update suggesting that Orta will now make a move for a new player in the position this summer is sure to have left Leeds supporters buzzing.

Indeed, over Firpo’s 24 Premier League appearances in 2021/22, the £12.8m signing failed to convince on the left of the Whites’ backline, being beaten by an opponent 1.2 times, losing possession 9.2 times and committing 1.6 fouls per game.

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These metrics contributed towards the £55k-per-week defender averaging a disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.60, ranking the 25-year-old as Jesse Marsch’s seventh-worst performer in the league last time out.

As such, when taking into account Davis’ recent departure, coupled with Dallas being ruled out until roughly the turn of the year, it is clear to see that Leeds are in rather desperate need of reinforcements at left-back if they are to improve upon last season’s disastrous total of 79 goals conceded.

With Orta recently being linked with moves for a number of impressive talents – such as Stoke City’s Josh Tymon and Anderlecht’s Sergio Gomez – it would seem as if the Spaniard does have a few potential options to pursue in the position over the remainder of the transfer window.

That is sure to delight both the Elland Road faithful and Marsch alike.

AND in other news – “Talks still ongoing…”: Journalist reveals latest Leeds transfer twist, Orta must now act

Tottenham insider John Wenham has made a claim regarding Leeds United transfer target Sonny Perkins, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Perkins leaves West Ham

The 18-year-old, who Leeds reporter James Marshment has said could be a ‘£20m’ player in ‘three or four years’, officially left West Ham earlier this month.

The Whites were thought to be lining up a deal for Perkins in June, but Tottenham have reportedly made a late move for the ‘stand out’ forward.

Phil Hay has recently stated that it wouldn’t be a surprise if the player ends up at Elland Road after his exit from the London Stadium and that the matter would need to go to tribunal.

The Latest: Wenham’s comments

Talking to Football Insider, Wenham stated that he knows Leeds want to sign Perkins, but he believes that Spurs may hold an advantage due to the player being a lifelong fan and season ticket holder of the north London club.

The Tottenham insider said of the teenager:

“I wasn’t totally sure Tottenham are going to sign him, I know Leeds want him.

“Leeds can offer a better pathway, just look at how much Joe Gelhardt has played.

“But, I don’t know how widely known this is, Sonny is a season ticket holder at Tottenham, as is his Dad.

“They are lifelong Spurs fans. I appreciate he is the jewel in West Ham’s crown but before he signed for them, his parents were pushing him to sign for Tottenham.

“Personally, I would make that move all day long. Hopefully next season we will loan out Troy Parrott, Kion Etete and Dane Scarlett.

“Our youth teams have a lot of football to play next season, we are playing in the youth Champions League and we will need a youth striker if all of those players leave.

“I would be more than happy for Tottenham to make a move for Sonny, he is a really good prospect.”

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The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Leeds are also in pursuit of a senior striker to complete their first-team transfer business, but Victor Orta and co managing to pip Spurs to Perkins’ services could be another great move in the long run.

It looks as if they have a real challenge on their hands, though, with Spurs keen on the 18-year-old, but Perkins may well be tempted by the realistic chance of breaking into Jesse Marsch’s first-team plans.

He only has to look at Joe Gelhardt, Sam Greenwood and most recently 16-year-old Archie Gray to see that there is a clear pathway through to first-team football at Elland Road.

More than a week on from his West Ham departure, there could well be a decision made on his next club soon.

Leeds United have enjoyed a productive transfer window so far with the Whites sealing the signings of three new faces. However, there is plenty of work left to do for Victor Orta and co.

What’s the word?

According to Spanish publication Marca, via TEAMtalk, Leeds are one of the sides interested in signing Manchester United centre-back Phil Jones.

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They suggest that the £110k-per-week earner has also taken the fancy of Southampton and newly-promoted Fulham.

Jones is still under contract by United and is valued at just £2.7m by Transfermarkt.

Their next Woodgate?

Leeds United need to add far greater depth and quality to their squad ahead of the upcoming campaign as they aim to have a much smoother run of things after their worrying relegation battle.

In Jones, however, Marsch may be on the verge of making his first transfer mistake since taking over at Elland Road.

He has recruited smartly so far in the shape of Brenden Aaronson, Marc Roca and Rasmus Kristensen but the signing of the Red Devils defender would be a puzzling one.

Sir Alex Ferguson once suggested that he could be one of the greatest ever players to don the famous red jersey at Old Trafford but a quite horrendous streak of injuries has led to a rather disappointing and frustrating playing career for a man who is now 30 years of age.

That is still a great age for a centre-back but the fact of the matter is that he’s now incredibly unreliable from a fitness point of view.

Jones has played just four times in the last two years, which comes down to both a lack of quality and his injury record.

The former England international has had 22 separate issues since signing for United which means he’s missed a whopping 1239 days of action. That also amounts to a rather incredible 205 matches.

All of that suggests he could be Leeds’ next Jonathan Woodgate. The former defender turned manager played 137 times for the Yorkshire club, the most appearances he made for any side.

He came through the academy of Leeds but after leaving, saw his career plagued by injuries, just like Jones.

Such was his frustration that he turned to desperate measures such as botox and boiled grass in a bid to end his ‘injury hell’ when he was at Real Madrid.

Both defenders have endured sorry careers, spending more time on the treatment table than out on the pitch. That once led Rio Ferdinand to dub Jones a “waste of time” in a rather harsh assessment of the player’s time at Man United.

However, what that should tell the hierarchy at Leeds is that he’s a player not worth investing in this summer.

AND in other news, Marsch could secure the next £33m monster as Leeds eye “wonderful” 49-goal starlet…

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has shared his verdict on a change of approach from Leeds United in the transfer window this summer. 

The lowdown: Decimated

Leeds were badly impacted by injuries throughout 2021/22 as both Marcelo Bielsa and more recently Jesse Marsch felt the full effect of being without key players.

The likes of Patrick Bamford, Liam Cooper and Kalvin Phillips all missed large parts of the campaign, whilst utility man Stuart Dallas was also ruled out of the Premier League run-in after suffering a terrible leg break against Manchester City.

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After surviving on the final day of the season in spite of the regular absentees, Marsch has already acted to bolster the ranks at Elland Road and one well-versed onlooker has had his say on the incomings…

The latest: ‘Absolutely huge’

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, the man behind the popular Premier Injuries site and a contributor for Sky Sports, has suggested that the capture of Red Bull Salzburg duo Brenden Aaronson and Rasmus Kristensen is ‘absolutely huge’ due to their durability – the pair have suffered just one and two career injuries respectively.

He said: “If you want to play in a set way, you need players who are fit for purpose. You need players who can deliver. Often overlooked in terms of a player’s attributes is availability.

“That’s absolutely huge. You could be the best player in the world, but if you’re only available for 50% of the time – you aren’t much use. I think that’s where Bielsa fell down, in my opinion. There never seemed to be any plan B.

“When you’ve got a solid nucleus of 13 to 14 players who are robust and can tolerate the demands of playing up to three times a week, then great. The problems for Bielsa occurred when he started to lose players like Phillips, Bamford, and Cooper. They just didn’t have the depth to compete – the demands were too much.

“Marsch has got an understanding of how he wants to play, and he’s going out to get players he knows can cope with the intense nature of the Premier League. It’s never going to be seamless for these new players, but he is mitigating the risk of being hit by injury again by making his squad bigger.”

The verdict: Spot on

Ultimately, the lack of reinforcements in the January transfer window would appear to have cost Bielsa his job when the squad was stretched particularly thin.

Perhaps somewhat set in his ways, Marsch’s innovative approach to the transfer market – which has already seen Orta land two players – is a welcome change from the Argentinian’s small squad mentality.

Time will only tell whether those new arrivals can flourish in the English top-flight, but there will at least seemingly be more options at the manager’s disposal in 2022/22.

In other news: Leeds now eyeing move for ‘lethal and sublime’ gem, read more here

West Ham United are plotting a summer move for Club Brugge winger Noa Lang this summer but face competition from other clubs.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet CalcoMercarto, West Ham are interested in signing the £19.8m-rated star but will have to compete with fellow Premier League club Leeds United and AC Milan for his services.

The report states that The Hammers are ahead of Milan in the race and are willing to offer the player more money in order to convince him to move to The London Stadium.

However, with Milan in a position to offer Champions League football he could be tempted by a move there instead.

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Imagine him and Bowen

West Ham’s standout man this season has been Jarrod Bowen. He has been vital to their success in the league and their run to the Europa League semi-final.

If David Moyes is to have any chance of better their seventh-place finish, then they need to be recruiting well and showing ambition that will be key in persuading key players like Bowen to stay at the club.

It’s not a surprise that big clubs such as Liverpool are interested in the Englishman, and West Ham need to do all they can to keep hold of him.

If the Hammers secured the services of Lang then it would be a great addition to their forward line with both players complementing each other nicely.

Lang has made 31 appearances in the Pro League this season and directly contributed in 19 goals during that time. At 22-years old it’s time for him to prove himself at a better level, but he has to make sure he goes to a club where he will get game time.

For that reason, West Ham seems the better option and would give him the chance to show everyone just how good he is. He’s been described as “unstoppable” by Jacek Kulig.

If you compare him directly to Bowen he averages a higher number of assists per 90 minutes than the Englishman, albeit in an easier league.

However, if he could replicate that form in the Premier League then West Ham would have a great player on their hands.

AND in other news: Moyes eyes bargain West Ham swoop for £15m “cerebral” brute, he’s an upgrade on Dawson…

Liverpool defender Joe Gomez is attracting serious interest from Anfield icon and Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard, according to Darren Lewis of The Daily Mirror.

The lowdown

Gomez currently finds himself fourth in Jurgen Klopp’s centre-back pecking order. He’s actually played the majority of his football this season a right-back, providing cover for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The Englishman has only started three Premier League matches all season, as well as two Champions League games.

His £75,000-per-week contract is due to expire in just over two years’ time, but the Liverpool Echo’s Theo Squires has recently reported from club sources that Julian Ward has been tasked with extending his deal.

The former Charlton Athletic man has made 141 appearances for the club, failing to score in that time but registering five assists and racking up multiple trophies.

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The latest

Lewis, an assistant editor at The Mirror, says that Gerrard wants a new centre-half to help prepare his squad for a European push.

He believes that Villa’s ‘poor defensive record’ has held them back during his first season at the helm and he’s identified Gomez as the man to sort that out, so could thwart the plans of Liverpool and Ward to extend the player’s deal.

The verdict

Gomez knows that he’s good enough to be playing regularly for most sides in the Premier League.

After all, this is a player who started 22 matches for the side that won the title with 99 points in the 2019/20 season.

Klopp regards him as a ‘world-class’ centre-back and an ‘exceptional talent’, but hasn’t been able to find room for him for the most part this term.

With Liverpool seemingly inclined to keep hold of him rather than listen to offers, it could come down to what the player decides.

And he may view a move as his best bet of securing the opportunities he needs to earn a place in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad.

In other news, a major development in the race to sign Tchouameni. 

With 22 wins as India Test captain, Kohli only has MS Dhoni ahead of him

Bharath Seervi22-Aug-201822 – Tests won by Virat Kohli as captain – the second-most among India captains. He has edged past Sourav Ganguly’s 21 Test wins. Now only MS Dhoni has more wins for India – 27 in 60 Tests. Kohli’s win-loss ratio of 3.14 is the third-best among all captains who have led in a minimum of 35 matches.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2- Bigger Test wins for India against England by a runs margin than the 203-run victory at Trent Bridge. The 279-run win at Headingley in 1986 and the 246-run victory in Visakhapatnam in November 2016 are the only two bigger wins.5- Instances of teams winning by a margin of 200 or more runs in the third Test of a series (four or more matches),after being 0-2 down in the series. India have achieved this twice and both times outside home; the other instance came in Australia in 1977-78. The other three instances were for teams at home.

Largest wins by runs in the third Test after being 2-0 down in the series (series of 4+ matches)

Team Win margin by runs Series Final result Home/AwayAustrala 382 Eng in Aus, 1894-95 England 3-2 HomeAustrala 365 Eng in Aus, 1936-37 Australia 3-2 HomeIndia 222 Ind in Aus, 1977-78 Australia 3-2 AwayAustralia 216 Eng in Aus, 1903-1904 England 3-2 HomeIndia 203 Ind in Eng, 2018 – Away4- Number of times India have won the third Test after losing the first two Tests in a series of four or more matches. The first three three instances were: against West Indies in 1974-75 at home, and in Australia in 1977-78 and 2007-08.80.21- Control percentage of India’s batsmen in this Test in comparison to England’s 73.34. England had better control percentages than India in the first two Tests. The team with better control percentages have won all three Tests in this series so far.

Control percentages in this series

Batting team Test #1 control % Test #2 control % Test #3 control%England 77.75 78.26 73.34India 75.03 69.83 80.2119- Wickets by India’s fast bowlers – their second-most in any Test. They have only taken all 20 wickets once, at the Wanderers earlier this year. The previous most wickets by India’s fast bowlers in a Test in England was 17 – at Lord’s in 2007 and at Trent Bridge in 2011.2- Successive defeats for England at Trent Bridge, both by large margins. In the Test against South Africa last year they lost by 340 runs. They were undefeated in seven Tests prior to these two matches – won six and drawn one. Five of those victories were by either by an innings or by margins of 300 or more runs or nine or more wickets. Thus, seven of the last eight results at Trent Bridge have been decided by big margins.5- India captains to win Player of the Match in Tests outside Asia, excluding Zimbabwe. Virat Kohli joined the list, which includes Kapil Dev, twice, in Adelaide in 1985-86 and at Lord’s in 1986, Sachin Tendulkar at the MCG in 1999-00, Sourav Ganguly at the Gabba in 2003-04 and Rahul Dravid in Kingston in 2006.