Leeds United were linked with a plethora of players during the summer, ranging from potential Ben White replacements to strikers that could maybe usurp Patrick Bamford.

And to be fair to the Premier League newcomers, they did some smart pieces of business, so much so that they avoided an absolute financial catastrophe along the way.

The Sun’s Alan Nixon reported at the end of August that the Whites were keen admirers of Liverpool outcast Harry Wilson, who the defending champions wanted around £20m for.

He is a player that Leeds director of football Victor Orta is said to rate “very highly,” as per Phil Hay at The Athletic.

The 23-year-old Welshman had no permanent suitors at that jaw-dropping price, which is hardly a surprise, and has now since gone out on loan to the Championship once again.

You get the feeling that he just isn’t going to make it in the big-time just yet as his switch to Cardiff is his fifth temporary spell away from Anfield since 2015, and his third in the English second-flight.

It is true that his spell in the Welsh capital is going to plan, he has contributed two goals and two assists in eight starts whilst also averaging 2.4 key passes, two shots and 0.8 dribbles per game playing primarily as a right-winger or through the middle, via WhoScored.

However, United need to make the £15m investment in Helder Costa work, on top of the obvious value that Jack Harrison holds as the Yorkshiremen can sign him permanently for a fraction of Wilson’s mooted fee at £10m.

Wilson has also continued to feature on the international stage, leading to former Wales star Dave Edwards lauding the speedster as “unplayable at times.”

Although, the Elland Road tenants have added further depth in wide areas, signing Ian Poveda in January and then Raphinha this summer. It very much would be hard to foresee where a player like Wilson would fit in under Marcelo Bielsa.

Orta dodged an almighty bullet here.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Palmer tips Leeds gem for one of the Premier League’s ‘top five’…

According to The Evening Standard, Arsenal are looking at Crystal Palace starlet Tyrick Mitchell.

What’s the story?

With Sead Kolasinac out on loan at Schalke for the rest of the season, and his long-term future at the Gunners uncertain, it’s no surprise that Mikel Arteta’s side are on the look-out for a new left-back.

And as per The Evening Standard, the north London side are scouting Palace’s Mitchell, and that they are one of several Premier League teams watching the 21-year-old.

The report adds that Arsenal are monitoring his situation at Selhurst Park, and whilst it was initially suggested his contract expired in the summer, it is thought to run longer than that.

Arsenal’s next Ashley Cole

Described as a “silent assassin”, Mitchell is perhaps atypical of the modern left-back, being really strong defensively.

One of his former coaches at Brentford, Gabriel Flores, raved about Mitchell’s work going back towards his own goal, saying: “When he is defending, we all see the film Rocky and think of Eye Of The Tiger (the theme song for the third movie in the series), and someone needs to have that. This kid has it.

“I always tell players if you want to see someone having that fire in his eyes, having the eye of the tiger, then watch him. Watch when he defends, when he tracks players down, when he goes to look, he has this look in his face and he still has it now. That’s just in him. He has a real hunger, passion and desire to not get beaten.”

And that was clearly seen in his impressive performance in Palace’s hard-earned 0-0 draw against Arsenal last week. Mitchell came up against the Gunners’ man of the moment, Bukayo Saka, and he completely nullified the England starlet.

As per Sofascore, he made three interceptions for Palace which was the second-most of any player for Roy Hodgson’s side, whilst he also made five clearances too, with only James Tomkins making more in that department.

Saka on the other hand could only complete one of his three attempted dribbles and lost possession 17 times, with Mitchell sticking touch tight to him and giving him little room to manouevre. It was a superb defensive performance against a player who had been in sparkling form for Arsenal.

As young and English, Mitchell is the closest thing Arsenal could have to the next Ashley Cole, who of course came through the Gunners’ academy and was part of the Invincibles.

If the 21-year-old enjoys half the success that Cole did at the Emirates, then he will have been a superb signing for the north Londoners.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can get Hector Bellerin’s successor in this starlet…

MatériaMais Notícias

A lista com os 30 jogadores que defenderão o Atlético-MG na primeira fase da Copa Libertadores está definida. Na noite desta segunda-feira, o clube divulgou os inscritos para a competição continental, trazendo como destaque as presenças do badalado Robinho, além do recém-contratado Junior Urso e de Juan Cazares, que é pivô de uma polêmica por seus direitos econômicos envolvendo Banfiled (ARG) e Independiente del Valle (EQU).

O “Rei das Pedaladas” Robinho retornará a uma disputa de Copa Libertadores ostentando a camisa 7. Já Junior Urso, que volta ao país após defender o Shandong Luneng, ficará com a camisa 20. A dupla ainda não entra em campo na quarta-feira, contra o Melgar (PER).

RelacionadasAtlético MineiroVazam fotos de supostas camisas do Atlético-MG feitas pela DryworldAtlético Mineiro15/02/2016Atlético MineiroGalo registra contratos de Robinho e Júnior Urso no BID da CBFAtlético Mineiro15/02/2016

Já Juan Cazares viajou para Arequipa (PER), amparado por uma inscrição provisória junto à Conmebol. Porém, sua presença na partida ainda é um mistério.

Outro dado curioso é em relação à numeração de Erazo. Além de suceder Jemerson, que foi negociado com o Monaco (FRA), o equatoriano herdou a camisa 4.

CONFIRA A LISTA DO ATLÉTICO-MG NA ÍNTEGRA:

1-Victor

12-Giovanni

24- Uilson

2- Marcos Rocha

3- Léo Silva

4-Erazo

5-Rafael Carioca

6-Douglas Santos

7-Robinho

8-Leandro Donizete

9-Lucas Pratto

10-Dátolo

11-Cazares

13-Carlos

14-Mansur

15-Edcarlos

16-Pablo

17-Hyuri

18-Lucas Cândido

19-Carlos César

20-Junior Urso

21-Gabriel

22-Thiago Ribeiro

23-Dodô

25-Yago

26-Tiago

27-Luan

28-Henrique

29-Patric

30-Eduardo

رفض مدرب فريق تشيلسي توماس توخيل توجيه اللوم إلى حارس المرمى إدوارد ميندي بعد خسارة السبت أمام وست هام، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في إطار منافسات الجولة الخامسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي على ملعب لندن الأولمبي، حيث خسر تشيلسي بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين. أهداف مباراة تشيلسي ووست هام

وتراجع تشيلسي نتيجة لذلك إلى المركز الثالث بدلًا من الأول، خاصة بعد فوز ليفربول على ولفرهامبتون بهدف دون رد وصعوده إلى المركز الثاني، وحصول مانشستر سيتي على الصدارة بعد فوزه على واتفورد 3-1.

وقال توخيل في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “فوتبول لندن” الإنجليزية: “يعاني ميندي من فترة عصيبة، لا أعرف السبب بالضبط ولكن يبدو أنه فقد بعض الثقة”.

وأضاف: “لم يكن قراره على أعلى مستوى مع الهدف الأول للخصم، ولكننا وضعناه أيضًا في موقف محرج حقًا، كان بإمكانه أن ينقذ الموقف لكنه لم يفعل”.

وواصل: “نحن بعيدون تمامًا عن إلقاء اللوم على أي شخص، ولكننا بحاجة إلى الاعتراف بأننا ارتكبنا الكثير من الأخطاء الفادحة في الوقت الحالي والتي كلفتنا الفوز على مانشستر يونايتد ووست هام أيضًا”.

وعندما سُئل عما إذا كان يفكر في إبعاد إدوارد ميندي عن حراسة المرمى في الفترة المقبلة، رد الألماني باقتضاب: “لا أعتقد ذلك”.

Steve Howey has exclusively told Football FanCast that he could see Christian Eriksen joining Everton from Inter Milan during the January transfer window.

The Toffees are one of several sides to have been linked with a move to end Eriksen’s Serie A nightmare during the mid-season window, with initial talks over a potential loan deal thought to have taken place.

Inter are keen to send Eriksen out on loan this month having seen him fall out of favour under Antonio Conte, who opted to overlook the £31.5m-rated maestro during Sunday’s 2-2 draw with AS Roma.

Eriksen has failed to score or provide an assist in any of his 13 appearances across all competitions this season, yet has been linked with winter moves to a host of clubs including Everton, Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal, Manchester United, Aston Villa and with a potential return to Tottenham Hotspur.

But former Newcastle United defender Howey can see Goodison Park serving as Eriksen’s next home, as the Denmark international is the type of player Ancelotti loves to work with.

He told FFC: “I can see somebody like Eriksen fitting in (at Everton). Absolutely. He’s that kind of Ancelotti type of player. He’s neat and tidy. He can score goals. So, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Inter Milan are not understood to have yet fielded any official offers for Eriksen this month with West Ham and Aston Villa only testing the water, while PSG, Arsenal and Manchester United monitor his situation.

But a move to the London Stadium or Villa Park is not seen as an appealing destination for the 28-year-old, who provided four goals and three assists during his first half-season at the San Siro after netting three times and creating three for Tottenham before his £17m exit.

Everton striking a deal for Eriksen would likely prove costly with the Nerazzurri reportedly demanding that his £229,000-per-week contract is covered in full should he leave on loan, or a club would need to pay £27m for a permanent transfer.

Ancelotti currently has Rodriguez, Andre Gomes, Davies, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Sigurdsson and Alex Iwobi to call on to offer creativity from midfield, yet has only seen three assists from Rodriguez and two from Doucoure, Iwobi and Sigurdsson in Premier League games, so he might fancy a look at Eriksen, if the finances work for the Toffees board.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands must sign “quick” Everton target who “makes football look easy”.

It ended all square in the Premier League clash between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side will go away the happier of the two teams as they held City to a goalless draw in the first Manchester derby of the season, having conceded seven goals in their past three games in all competitions.

It was a relatively even first half with clear cut chances few and far between as Gabriel Jesus sliced his shot wide whilst Scott McTominay missed United’s best opportunity as he couldn’t reach a layoff from Victor Lindelof.

VAR was once again the centre of attention when Marcus Rashford went down in the box after a challenge from Kyle Walker, only for the decision to be overturned after it was revealed the striker was offside.

Despite the result, there weren’t too many positives to take away from a solid albeit unimpressive team performance overall, although Harry Maguire was the real standout.

Maguire has oft been criticised for his inconsistent run of form after he suffered a defensive meltdown during the humiliating defeat to Tottenham Hotspur towards the start of the season.

But the centre-back seems to have exorcised those demons as he kept Raheem Sterling in his back pocket for large parts of the game and made some key blocks to deny both Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

SofaScore graded the 27-year-old as the best player on the pitch with a high 7.5 rating – he won 100% of his aerials, 100% of his tackles, made two interceptions, two clearances and blocked three shots, which shows that he was a ballast at the back as United kept their first clean sheet since the 1-0 win at home to West Brom.

The Manchester Evening News gave him a similar grade, claiming he ‘dominated the majority of his duels with Sergio Aguero absent’, whilst 90min were equally impressed, as they insisted he ‘did well overall and held his own in the odd one-on-one situation he was left in.’

Maguire has been a much-maligned figure in recent months after a string of incidents on-and-off the field, but it looks like he has begun to turn things around, if this latest showing is anything to go by, at any rate.

Valued at £45m via Transfermarkt, he was recently described as an “inspirational” player by Solskjaer and has started to show signs that he is rediscovering the form that saw him win a trio of awards during his time at Leicester City.

AND in other news, Man Utd striker Marcus Rashford was woeful against Man City…

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are reacting to a tweet from Dom Howson which highlights how manager Tony Pulis has been piling the praise on midfielder Joey Pelupessy.

The manager was full of praise for the player after their victory over Coventry City. Howson tweeted out that Pulis said:  “He has got a heart the size of a lion and he is a really good kid around the place.”

It is understandable to see why Pulis was so happy with his performance. The Dutchman picked up a 7.3 rating (SofaScore), won six ground duels and four aerial duels. He also made five tackles.

However, it seems like this type of good performance does not come around enough in the eyes of the Owls fan base, with many fans not believing he is good enough. One fan even called him ‘useless’.

Clearly, the player will have to put in a lot more solid performances to impress the fan base and if he does and helps the side stay up, then these supporters will be sure to change their opinions on him.

Here is what Owls fans said following the comments:

In other news, fans were discussing midfielder Izzy Brown. Have a read why here!

During pre-season, Jack Diamond looked in fabulous form, albeit in a new position.

The Sunderland youngster was afforded an opportunity at left wing-back and looked convincing, quickly sparking claims that the Black Cats had solved a problem area.

Of course, Denver Hume has been capable in that third this season but supporters were right to be worried. Moves for both Declan John and Laurens De Bock failed to work out last season.

Yet, Phil Parkinson neglected Diamond and handed the young attacker very few opportunities.

He did score in the Papa John’s trophy but it has taken a change of management for the 20-year-old from Gateshead to finally thrive at the Stadium of Light.

Since Lee Johnson walked through the door he has been exceptional, proving a livewire in attack and offering Sunderland something they didn’t previously have – pace and direct running.

“We have to be careful with Jack and make sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself, but what he gives us an attribute that we haven’t otherwise got and that is the ability to stretch the play,” Johnson said at the weekend.

Indeed, he frightened the life out of the Lincoln defence and scored in the process. Diamond completed two dribbles and was also fouled on two occasions, building on a display where he played two key passes and managed four dribbles against Oldham.

In his last two matches, the prodigy has been a breath of fresh air to a Sunderland side who needed reinvigorating in attack.

Johnson commented last week: “He’s got mega-bucks of work to do, and he’s got to sleep with a futsal ball under his pillow because he needs to learn how to master the ball, but wow, he’s so powerful, direct and dynamic, and we need that in our team.”

Leaving the head coach wowed after just a week in charge is quite special and it speaks volumes about the player they have on their hands. Sunderland have seen a number of academy players break through in recent years and in terms of his direct nature and confidence, Diamond has similarities to a certain Josh Maja.

Another forward who scared defenders and scored goals, he eventually left, but the academy product very quickly became the centre of everything good the Black Cats did.

It looks as though Sunderland may well have another case here. After all, he’s starting ahead of last season’s top scorer Chris Maguire, someone who has only scored three times this season.

It wouldn’t be a surprise if Diamond surpassed that over the festive period.

In other news, Forget Wyke: “League One cheat code” with 97 touches was Johnson’s real hero last weekend…

أوضح المدرب الألماني رالف رانجنيك، المدير الفني لنادي مانشستر يونايتد، موقف ثنائي الفريق، رافاييل فاران وإدينسون كافاني، من المشاركة في مباراة نورويتش سيتي بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويُعاني فاران من إصابة في أوتار الركبة، وهي نفس الإصابة التي يُعاني منها المُهاجم الأوروجوياني، حيث يغيب الأول عن الملاعب مُنذ 3 نوفمبر الماضي، في حين أن كافاني لم يلعب مع يونايتد من 27 نوفمبر.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيرجسون يتجاهل رونالدو ويختار أيقونة مانشستر يونايتد المفضلة

وقال رانجنيك في تصريحات للموقع الرسمي لليونايتد: “لقد خضنا جلسة تدريبية، وسيكون لدينا جلستين تدريبيتين للتحضير لمباراة نورويتش سيتي، اليوم وغدًا الجمعة”.

وأضاف: “فاران وكافاني عادا للتدريبات، ولكن أعتقد أنه لا يزال من المبكر أن يتواجدا في مباراة السبت”.

وعن إصابة آرون وان بيساكا والذي يُعاني من إصابة في الركبة: “بالتأكيد لن يتواجد معنا، وستكون هُناك فرصة لديوجو دالوت أن يلعب أمام نورويتش”.

مانشستر يونايتد يحل ضيفًا على نورويتش سيتي يوم السبت القادم على ملعب “كارو رود”، بالجولة السادسة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، وتنطلق المباراة في تمام الساعة السابعة والنصف بتوقيت القاهرة.

Liverpool will be looking to bounce back from Sunday’s disappointing draw against West Brom by picking up all three points when they travel to face Newcastle United on Wednesday, and Jurgen Klopp should consider handing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain a start.

Despite all their possession against the Baggies, the Reds would register just two shots on target during the game, emphasising that, from a creative point of view, they were nowhere near their best against Sam Allardyce’s side.

This could be due to the lack of goal threat in the Liverpool midfield, as whilst Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum are both excellent players, neither have been especially prolific during their time with the club.

Curtis Jones has made a promising goal-scoring start to his career with the Reds but it could certainly be argued that when he was replaced by Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on Sunday, Klopp’s side looked a lot more dangerous.

The former Arsenal man was keen to run at the Baggies defence with his pace and skill, whilst he also delivered a sumptuous cross for Roberto Firmino, which the Brazilian was extremely unfortunate not to score from after a superb save from Sam Johnstone in the West Brom net.

Therefore, Klopp should definitely consider starting the 27-year-old, who earns £120k per week at Liverpool, against the Toon on Wednesday as he could provide a much-needed spark in midfield.

Back in 2019, the German manager was full of praise for the Englishman after he enjoyed a scoring run which included a superb brace against Genk, saying:

“He had a lot of moments where he was really outstanding, but then other moments where he’s not really involved.

“And these things, that’s our life as a footballer, we always try to reach perfection. There are so many games where he still needs to find rhythm and stuff like this.”

Therefore, it can definitely be argued that Oxlade-Chamberlain is capable of special moments but needs to work on his consistency in a Liverpool shirt.

After recovering from another long-term injury, Wednesday looks the ideal time to hand the midfielder his first start of the season and hopefully, he could help the Reds be a lot more creative than they were against the Baggies last time out.

And, in other news… Klopp could sign teen sensation on a free transfer; he could be Liverpool’s next Owen