Admittedly, it takes some ability to get the ball into the back of a tiny net at an impossible angle like that. Now, he just needs to transfer that into the game against Tottenham at the weekend.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
Whether or not Andrea Radrizzani will sell a slice of his stake at Leeds has been a topic doing the rounds for what feels like an eternity.
The Italian businessman hit back in February, suggesting that the idea of a total sale was nonsense.
However, the fact he could be open to more investment further down the line hasn’t been ruled out and that’s clear for all to see judging by his latest comments.
Whether or not you’re a fan of the Qatar Sports Investment who own European heavyweights PSG, it’s hard to deny their funding couldn’t help take Leeds further up the pyramid in England.
Their financial might has been colossal in the French capital, helping them to buy players like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.
They’ve won multiple titles in what has been one of the greatest periods in their history, and it’s all primarily come as a result of QSI’s funding.
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Supporters seem divided on what the future would hold if they arrived in west Yorkshire in a story lingering around Elland Road since June.
L’Equipe initially reported that discussions could take place between Nesser al-Khelaifi and the Leeds board but nothing seemed to materialise.
However, the potential of mass investment further down the line could soon become a reality. Telling The Times, Radrizzani said the following about future buyers:
“The option of Qatar Sports Investment and Nasser — first of all they are friends, we have had a good relationship for a long time. Secondly, they have the possibility to bring this club to compete with Manchester City, so for the fans that could be a fantastic opportunity.”
The fact Leeds could be on par with a club like Manchester City is quite the statement but it’s hard to deny just what added financial firepower can bring to a club.
After all, the way PSG’s revenue has spiralled in a positive fashion is quite frankly breathtaking.
Before QSI took over, their total revenue from the 2010/11 season stood at €101m (£88.7m at the time of writing). Once they’d been in control for a season, that went up to €221m (£194.2m).
But the biggest sign of just how far PSG have come under their Qatari owners is the €542m (£476.3m) they brought in from the 2017/18 season.
Considering that number, is it really any surprise the Ligue 1 side have done so well? Probably not.
It’s investment and revenue that shows just how Leeds could place themselves back on the map, competing among the big boys of English football again.
The club have been stuck in the doldrums of Championship football for a while and not since 2000/01 have they been in the Champions League.
Investment has been made from Radrizzani but added help from a company as rich as QSI could finally be the catalyst they need to get back into the Premier League and consequently compete for European places as well.
It’s a long way off, but it’s not beyond the realms of fantasy. Just look at how Wolves have now placed themselves in the Europa League.
This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…
Just recently, the sporting director of the Dutch Football Federation (KNVB), Nico-Jan Hoogma, spoke to Fox Sports (via ESPN) and revealed that Ronald Koeman has a clause in his contract that will allow him to potentially return to Barcelona in the near future.
What did he say?
Koeman is no stranger to Barcelona.
After all, the now 56-year-old head coach of the Netherlands arrived at Barcelona in 1989 and ended up playing a total of 252 games for the Catalan giants until he finally left the club in 1995 and moved to Feyenoord.
But if Hoogma’s words are any indication, Koeman actually has a “Barcelona clause” in his contract that states he can be released to become their coach after the conclusion of the 2020 European Championship, assuming the Catalans pay a fee to the Dutch team.
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If true, this could mean that he is already preparing for the moment Ernesto Valverde is shown the door.
Here’s what Hoogma said in full:
“I hope that we can work together for a very long time, because I think it is going very well. But Ronald has long indicated that he wants to be a Barcelona coach someday.”
Asked whether there was a specific Barcelona clause, Hoogma added:
“Agreements have been made about that. They have to pay for that.”
The clock is ticking
It’s safe to say that Ernesto Valverde is not really a beloved figure among the fans right now.
Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…
Even though the Basque coach has already clinched two La Liga titles in his ongoing tenure at the Catalan capital, Champions League blunders seem to haunt him, seeing how his team blew 4-1 and 3-0 leads in the knockout stages of their last two campaigns against Roma and Liverpool respectively.
And it seems that Koeman is holding out hope for the possibility of Barcelona sacking their man and then knocking on his door.
After all, why would he insert a “Barcelona clause” in his contract if he wasn’t planning on coaching them in the near future?
We don’t know whether it’s going to come to that or not but in any case, it seems that there are already people waiting in line for Valverde’s sacking.
If the results don’t go Barcelona’s way this season, and this is probably with an emphasis on the Champions League trophy, we could be seeing a new Blaugrana boss come the end of the campaign.
Koeman may be hoping that it is him.
During the last decade, Italian football was dominated by Juventus, winners of multiple Serie A trophies and Champions League finalists. There were no shortage of challengers and Napoli was the team to play this role more often, but none were strong enough for the task. A new season has started and one team stands out from the crowd, ready to challenge Juventus in the Italian first division.
Antonio Conte is the Best Coach for Inter
Antonio Conte is an experienced manager and the decision to bring him to Inter Milan should pay dividends. He was able to achieve success with different teams and he doesn’t mind starting from scratch, when there is real potential to triumph. He was able to bring Bari and Siena back to the first flight and his performance at Juventus confirmed his coaching abilities. Under his helm the team won three consecutive titles and became ready to challenge the best opponents continent-wide in the Champions League.
Having the best coach in the league definitely improves the perception of Inter Milan, among sports books and punters alike. They are now regarded as the second most likely team to win the trophy, as mentioned here and the main favourite for the second place. Not even the best coach can work wonders with the mediocre squad, but this is not the case here. Inter Milan have one of the strongest lineups in the Serie A and replacing the Argentinean striker Mauro Icardi won’t be a problem.
Lukaku’s arrival from Manchester United will breathe fresh life into the offensive department. The strong and accurate striker will be able to spearhead their offensive and defeat even the best back lines in the championship. Not only the attack has been improved, but also the midfield, which was rebuilt to better meet the expectations of Conte. This is a manager that values discipline and is willing to go the extra mile to keep players in check, for the good of the team.
Capitalising on Juventus’ Problems
Inter Milan has the best chance to win the Serie A in decades and that’s not exclusively their merit. Granted they have a solid midfield, a better than ever backline and a penetrating attack, the Milanese would’ve still been outclassed by a Juventus squad in its prime. Luckily for them, this is not the case as the multiple champions from Turin are making major changes to their roster. They have an ageing team and Maurizio Sarri will soon need to make changes that are not necessarily popular with the fans.
This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.
Ipswich finished a respectable 12th in the Championship in 2017/18, scoring 57 league goals, but their striking resources were heavily depleted the following summer with the departures of Martyn Waghorn, Joe Garner and David McGoldrick, who between them had scored 34 times in all competitions that season.
The loss of that trio affected the Tractor Boys terribly as they finished rock bottom of the Championship last season, managing a paltry 36 league goals. Their top scorers in all competitions, Gwion Edwards and Freddie Sears, managed only six each.
Their next most prolific player was Kayden Jackson, who came to the club in August 2018 from Accrington Stanley for a fee of just £1.62m, according to TransferMarkt. As noted by the Lancashire Telegraph, that made him the first million-pound sale for Accrington, who had just been promoted to League One.
He didn’t quite shoot the lights out in his first season at Portman Road, with just four goals in 38 appearances across 1,698 minutes of football, but patience has proven to be a virtue for those who felt he would come good in Suffolk.
Albeit in the less testing climes of League One, Jackson has enjoyed a fine start to the current campaign as Ipswich seek to emulate the likes of Leicester, Wolves, Southampton and arch-rivals Norwich in being an ex-Premier League club propelling back to the top flight having bottomed out in the third tier.
In the space of 12 days in late August, he matched his entire season’s tally from 2018/19, a run kick-started by a stoppage-time winner against AFC Wimbledon and culminating with him being nominated for the League One Player of the Month prize.
Jackson was also on target against Tranmere and Fleetwood in recent days to take his tally for the season to six goals in just 12 games and 860 minutes, a drastically improved return on last term. [via TransferMarkt]
If he can maintain that form throughout the campaign and inspire Ipswich to an immediate return to the Championship, the £1.62m paid to Accrington Stanley for his services will have proven to be a bargain.
Ipswich fans, do you think Jackson has been a value for money signing? Let us know your views in the comments section below!
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Following the 3-0 win over BATE Borisov on Thursday night, which saw Arsenal progress into the Europa League last 16, Alex Iwobi was quizzed on what the out-of-favour Mesut Ozil brings to the side.
The game against the Belarus-based side was only the second time the German playmaker had started in 2019, and was the first time he had completed 90 minutes since December.
There seems to be somewhat of a rift going on between Ozil and Gunners boss Unai Emery, but Iwobi’s latest comments suggest that some of the players are on the former Real Madrid star’s side – or at the very least, aren’t fully backing their manager over the midfielder’s regular exclusion.
What did he say?
The Nigerian international said: “We know what Mesut is like because we see him in training every day.
“He’s world class. We scored three goals as a result of him playing. I know if I make a run he has the vision to find me. Hopefully he can keep on playing.”
What do Iwobi’s words suggest?
Well, for a start, the fact that Iwobi credits his side’s goals to Ozil and not to the management and tactics of Emery speaks volumes alone.
Arsenal have won four and lost four of their last eight games across all competitions, struggling for form and looking devoid of any attacking identity or creativity in Ozil’s absence.
If Iwobi is feeling this way, the chances are a few more Arsenal players share the same opinion. Whilst the Gunners don’t seem like the sort of club to have the players capable of a dressing room revolt, such as we’ve seen Chelsea do in the past, the situation could worsen unless Emery finds a speedy solution.
The former Paris Saint-Germain boss has told Ozil that he ‘needs to be consistent in training and for matches, without injury or being sick’, implying that the 30-year-old’s Arsenal future is in his own hands and that he must be more professional.
However, the fact that Iwobi said ‘hopefully he (Ozil) can keep playing’ suggests that the squad feel the decision lies with Emery, and that Ozil should be more involved in the first-team right now. Iwobi, at least, appears a little bemused that the German playmaker isn’t taking a starring role at the moment.
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Nottingham Forest continued on their upward trajectory under Sabri Lamouchi on Saturday as they saw off the challenge of Barnsley.
Ben Watson’s goal was the difference between the two teams as his strike settled the points.
However, the game could have been far different if it wasn’t for their man between the sticks.
25-year-old Brice Samba was impressive in goal as he made five saves and also won an aerial duel.
It was a performance from the stopper that earned a huge amount of praise from the Forest faithful on Twitter.
One hailed him as outstanding while another claimed the team would have been unbeaten if he started against West Brom instead of Aro Muric.
A further individual stated he was the man of the match.
The Congolese is a new recruit at the City Ground having been signed from Caen over the summer.
He has so far made four appearances in the Championship, quickly becoming a fan favourite in the Midlands.
Here’s the best of the discussion.
A major update has emerged on Newcastle United and their plans for left-back Jamal Lewis…
What’s the talk?
Daily Mail reporter Craig Hope claimed on deadline day that the Northern Ireland international has been omitted from the club’s list of players heading into the second-half of the campaign.
He Tweeted: “Also understand Ciaran Clark & Jamal Lewis have turned down moves away from NUFC despite not being in the 25-man squad to be submitted to Premier League.”
D-Day clanger
Whilst fans may want to focus on transfers the club missed out on, such as the deal for Hugo Ekitike collapsing, this decision on Lewis’ future represents a huge clanger from Eddie Howe.
Forget missing out on the French striker for now, the call to brutally axe the former Norwich defender from the squad appears to be a baffling one on paper.
Howe has seemingly decided to pick Matt Ritchie, 32, among others, ahead of him in the 25-man list. The 24-year-old is still a prospect and could have benefitted from battling with Matt Targett for the left-back spot over the next few months.
Meanwhile, Ritchie is well into his 30’s and has been poor this season. He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.43 across 16 Premier League appearances, showing that he has been far from good enough over an extended period of time.
Lewis, on the other hand, showed signs of promise prior to picking up an injury in December. In the 1-0 win over Burnley, he was given a WhoScored rating of 7.00 as he made four tackles, four clearances, one interception and one block.
Ex-England striker Darren Bent previously lauded the £50k-per-week flyer’s talents, saying: “Jamal Lewis, when you think about it, defensively I think he’s a little bit better than Max Aarons. I think going forward and defensively he’s very good, and underrated as well.
“I’m telling you, if he keeps progressing at Newcastle, he might be a dark horse. He could turn out to be one of the best left-backs in the country this season.”
This highlights the player’s potential and why Howe has dropped a clanger by refusing to include him in his squad for the rest of the campaign. He is a young talent with potential and he is now set to waste away on the sidelines until the summer.
Lewis will be forced to play for the U23’s or simply work hard in training for the next five months, unless he is able to secure a move to a country where the transfer window remains open. For example, the Turkish market does not slam shut for another week and it could be an avenue worth exploring for the full-back instead of stunting his development with no competitive football for months.
AND in other news, “I heard a slight whisper”: Downie drops big NUFC claim on live TV, Howe surely gutted…
The 2021/22 Premier League campaign has once again thrown up a few stories for football fans to salivate over. Whether it was the expected two horse race between Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City and Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool for the top flight title or simply what would eventually happen to a couple of managerial hot potatoes given the relative states of Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and particularly, Manchester United.
The Old Trafford outlet continues to be a source of massive press speculation as despite numerous attempts since 2013, they have simply been unable to adequately replace Sir Alex Ferguson following his retirement. Whilst there was better success under Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho, each spell had its own pitfalls and the club ultimately seemed to totally lose its way under former star striker and fan favourite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, despite the odd brighter moment and a reasonably fair 91 wins in 168 games.
You just can’t not view the club as an outsider without thinking there is no long term plan in place, certainly not a sensible transfer strategy, as they continue to overpay massively for players who have failed to make a major impact and justify the investment made – whilst also seeming to more marginalise their own Academy talent, and a longer term future, by relying on well known and more commercial names.
You’d get silly odds from the likes of asiabet8888.com for current incumbent Ralf Rangnick to last beyond the 2021/22 campaign in the managerial hotseat, as every expectation suggests there’s no deviating from the consultancy role plan that exists, and many would say why would he want to stay in that role given he’s had his own off pitch issues to deal with and despite the glitz and glamour Ronaldo’s return created in the press, he’s being shoehorned in for goals and it has noticeably effected their style of play and approach in matches. Not least, The Red Devil’s are openly touting for Rangnick’s replacement and the media are understandably lapping it up.
Following Solskjaer’s departure back in November, one of the latest names in the frame is highly rated Ajax coach Erik ten Hag and he appears to have been added to a shortlist that already reportedly contains names such as Mauricio Pochettino, Julien Lopetegui and Luis Enrique. Given the success Ten Hag has tasted in the Eredivisie, it’s not really a great surprise to see him linked by United’s hierarchy are probably not best pleased with former gaffer van Gaal given his latest comments where he not so subtly warned Ten Hag off taking the job.
“I’m not going to advise, he’ll call me himself. But he must choose a football club and not a commercial club. Erik ten Hag is a great coach and that is always good for Manchester United. But Manchester United are a commercial club, so it’s a difficult choice for a coach. He’d better go to a football club.”
With the summer quickly approaching, this particular piece of speculation is set to run and run.
Photo by Unsplash
An update has emerged regarding the Ibrox future of Rangers dud John Lundstram…
What’s the talk?
Journalist Pete O’Rourke has suggested that the Gers could sell the midfielder this month in order to make a quick profit on him.
He told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously he was signed by a different manager, in Steven Gerrard.
“So for Rangers, they might decide to cash in on Lundstram right now and they make a bit of money out of it after getting him on a free transfer.”
This comes after The Daily Record claimed that Chris Wilder is interested in signing Lundstram for English Championship side Middlesbrough. The pair worked together at Sheffield United in the Premier League and a reunion could be on the cards in the coming weeks.
Fans will love it
Rangers fans will surely love this update from O’Rourke, as Lundstram has struggled since his move to Glasgow, so selling him for an instant profit could be a great move for the club from a footballing and financial perspective.
In terms of the off-field benefits, it would mean that Ross Wilson managed to bring a player in for nothing before selling him for a profit just six months later, handing him more funds with which to improve Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s squad.
On the pitch, it just has not worked out for the English midfielder, and fans could well love to see him being moved on. He has been unable to nail down a regular starting spot and has only started twice since Van Bronckhorst took over from Steven Gerrard, suggesting that the Dutchman is not a fan of his style of play.
Last month, Frank McAvennie has suggested that the end to Lundstram’s Blades career foreshadowed what has happened at Ibrox this season, saying: “He’s dropped off the map. Rangers made a big fuss of signing him in the summer and to me, it seems like he never gets a game.
“I know he’s scored a couple of goals so clearly he can hack it up here. I remember Sheffield United fans being happy he was leaving, that was never a good sign.”
This highlights how much of a disaster the last 12-18 months have been for Lundstram, as he seemingly had a poor end to his spell at Bramall Lane and could now be dumped by Rangers. Hopefully, if he does leave Ibrox, he is able to find his feet and enjoy a good run of form to rejuvenate his career.
AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst could land the new Prso as Rangers submit offer for “groundbreaking” January transfer…