Away from the usual candidates of Jamie Vardy, Harvey Barnes and James Maddison, Youri Tielemans has been just as vital for Leicester City this season.

The Belgian midfielder has been one of the most consistent performers throughout 2020/21 as the Foxes attempt to secure a Champions League place.

Amid rumours suggesting that Manchester United have been scouting Tielemans, the former Monaco man has said that he is “really having fun” at the King Power Stadium, a statement which will satisfy Leicester of his loyalty – and fantastic news for the club.

Since joining Leicester, initially on loan from Ligue 1 side AS Monaco before making the move permanently, the 23-year-old has made 96 appearances for the club scoring 15 goals and providing a further 18.

He is currently in the midst of one of his most productive seasons at the King Power Stadium, having netted seven goals and notched five assists in all competitions.

It’s not just his statistics which display where he has excelled, though.

Having missed just two matches in all competitions – a 1-0 Europa League defeat to Zorya Luhansk and a 2-0 reverse at the hands of Arsenal in the Carabao Cup – it indicates how much Brendan Rodgers relies on him.

Their midfield would be utterly devastated to lose a player of such quality should another club move for his signature.

However, rated at £49.5m by Transfermarkt and with two years left to run on his current contract, it appears that it would take a considerable fee to prise the Belgian out of the King Power Stadium, even more so considering that Leicester boss Rodgers is “very keen” for the midfielder to pen a new deal.

With Tielemans seeming settled, it appears that his “fun” is set to continue both on and off the pitch with Leicester City alongside the club’s somewhat more celebrated stars.

AND in more news, have a look at which Leicester flop could be deserving of a second chance at the King Power Stadium…

Speaking exclusively to Transfer Tavern, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has suggested that instructions from Dean Smith may be playing a role in some of the defensive mistakes the Villans are making.

Some sloppy play from Tyrone Mings at the back resulted in Fulham taking the lead against Villa last weekend, but Hendrie believes the central defender is not entirely at fault due to the emphasis managers today put on passing the ball out.

In total, Villa have committed 11 errors leading to goal in the Premier League this season, which is the second-worst record in the division.

Discussing Mings’ latest error at the back in an exclusive interview with TT, Hendrie said:

“If the manager is telling you to do that and your manager is trying to drill that into you, that he wants you picking the ball, he wants you trying to play as much as possible, then you are going to get mistakes.”

On the same topic, the ex-Villa player went on to add:

“If the manager is all for that, then you can see why the manager is not coming out and going ‘oh, well, he should have done that and he should have done that.’ They’re encouraging players to play in that manner.”

Despite those mistakes at the back, Villa’s defence has been far from porous. Overall, the Midlands club have the third-best defence in the Premier League after conceding just 31 goals in 29 games.

That defence will be tested on Saturday, though, when Smith’s side travel to Anfield to take on Liverpool.

علّق نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي على تأهل منتخب مصر إلى ربع نهائي بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا، بعد فوزه اليوم على منتخب كوت ديفوار.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في إطار منافسات دور الـ16 من البطولة الإفريقية المُقامة حاليًا في الكاميرون، حيث فازت مصر بركلات الترجيح 5-4. ركلات ترجيح مباراة مصر وكوت ديفوار

وشارك النجم المصري محمد صلاح في المباراة بأكملها وسنحت له أكثر من فرصة للتسجيل، وسدد آخر ركلة ترجيح للفراعنة بنجاح.

وكتب نادي ليفربول عبر موقعه الرسمي بشبكة الإنترنت: “سجل محمد صلاح ركلة الجزاء الحاسمة فيما تأهلت مصر إلى ربع نهائي كأس الأمم الأفريقية بفوزها على ساحل العاج”.

وأضاف: “حافظ صاحب القميص رقم 11 على هدوئه لينفذ ركلة الجزاء الخامسة لبلاده بعد أن فاز المنتخب بركلات الترجيح 5-4 في مباراة دور الـ16 يوم الأربعاء في دوالا بالكاميرون”.

وواصل: “لم يُحسم أي شيء بين الفريقين على مدار 90 دقيقة، إلى جانب الأشواط الإضافية في مباراة متوترة، مما أدى إلى دراما ركلات لترجيح”.

وتابع: “صلاح، الذي شارك في المباراة بأكملها، أتيحت له الفرصة ليحقق الفوز لمصر وسدد ركلته في الجهة اليمنى من الشباك لتأكيد تأهلهم للدور التالي”.

وستلتقي مصر مع المغرب في دور الثمانية مساء الأحد، وهي المباراة التي ستسبق مباراة ربع النهائي للسنغال بقيادة ساديو ماني.

It may be five years since Aston Villa sold Adama Traore to Middlesbrough, but there can surely be no questioning that the Midlands club got the wrong end of the bargain.

It was Roberto Di Matteo who was in charge at Villa Park when the decision was made to let Traore go, with Albert Adomah arriving in the opposition direction instead.

At the time, Di Matteo seemed to be thrilled with the club’s business, saying: “Albert is a player I’m really happy to have brought to the club and like others he knows what is required to win promotion from the Championship. He is an attacking player who creates goals and I’m confident he will be an impressive addition to the group.”

But since then, it’s Traore who’s really had the last laugh.

Now, a five-cap Spain international, the 25-year-old has firmly established himself as a Premier League star, and has kept that X-factor that really made him stand out as a youngster.

As per Whoscored, his average of 4.2 dribbles per game in the top-flight this season ranks him as the most prolific dribbler in the division, while he also ranks in the top six for earning the most fouls per match too (2.2).

Dubbed as “unplayable” by Jurgen Klopp following an impressive display against his Liverpool side, Traore also has a fan in Graeme Souness, with the Sky Sports pundit saying: “He is now not only a winger anymore, he keeps the ball, holds the ball and sets up goals, obviously. That makes it so difficult, each ball you lose is 100 per cent a counter-attack and half a goal.”

CIES now value him at a whopping £35m, and that’s a testament to just how much he has grown since leaving Villa Park, with the Spaniard now very much a key part of Nuno Espirito Santo’s side at Wolves – he’s now played well over 100 times for the Molineux based club.

Given how much he has progressed over the years since his departure, Villa must surely look back at Traore’s exit back in 2016 as one they got completely wrong.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa played a blinder in signing this star… 

Frank McAvennie has exclusively told Football FanCast that adding another striker should be David Moyes’ priority this summer.

The Hammers are currently sitting fifth in the Premier League table following an impressive campaign under the Scot, but desperately need to bolster their strike department, especially with the prospect of European football at the London Stadium next season.

Moyes doesn’t currently have a senior recognised striker at his disposal after club-record signing Sebastien Haller wasn’t replaced after leaving for Ajax in January.

The versatile Michail Antonio had started 12 of West Ham’s previous 14 Premier League matches up front, but has suffered from different muscle injuries over previous seasons, including one that kept him out of the win against Leicester City at the London Stadium on Sunday.

Teenager Ademipo Odubeko started West Ham’s FA Cup fifth-round tie against Manchester United, but is too inexperienced to be Antonio’s understudy.

And whilst McAvennie recognises that Moyes generally has a settled squad, he’s urged his Scottish counterpart to sign a forward once the window opens.

He told Football FanCast:

“I think they need a couple of players in. They need cover for the striker, I definitely think they need cover. I do think they have enough defenders, but a striker and signing Lingard, those are the two signings I would want.”

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Frank McAvennie has told current caretaker manager John Kennedy that he must “liven up” and admitted the Celtic job is “too big” for him.

Kennedy joined the Hoops as first-team coach back in 2014, and has worked under Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon before being put in temporary charge following the latter’s recent sacking.

The former Scotland midfielder, who has remained unbeaten in his four games in the dugout, including the Old Firm draw with Rangers last month, is currently second-favourite behind former Bournemouth manage Eddie Howe to succeed Lennon.

Kennedy looks set to remain in charge for Celtic’s final five Scottish Premiership fixtures, and he’ll be desperate to salvage some pride and ensure the Glasgow giants avoid their first trophyless season since 2010 by winning the Scottish Cup next month.

But McAvennie has advised Kennedy to earn his stripes as a manager in the lower leagues before considering a job the size of Celtic.

He told Football FanCast:

“No disrespect to John, I think Celtic is too big a club. Neil Lennon done it, but Neil was such a legend. And he had that behind him, so the fans gave him time, but they won’t give John time because he’s not held in the same regard.

“I think he might be a good manager, but I don’t know him well enough to say what his persona is, but he has got to liven up. If you walked into a dressing room, I wouldn’t be inspired, I would want someone to come in and fire me up.

“I think he might be a good manager, but he’s seen off four managers. I would think it’s time to go away, do something different, manage a lower league team, like Hamilton, Dundee, Dundee United. You’re going to get time at other jobs, but you won’t get time at Celtic.”

As Benji Kimpioka wheeled away after scoring in the 90th minute to rescue a draw with Coventry in 2019, it felt like a landmark moment.

11 months on from when Josh Maja had been sold, a member of Sunderland’s academy was scoring goals again.

Unfortunately for the 21-year-old, he has not scored for the senior team in league action since.

Chances have been hard to come by for Kimpioka, a young talent who swapped Swedish shores for the north-east of England in 2016.

It was in Scandinavia where he learned the game, but it’s at Sunderland where he’s been developed and tailored.

That being said, it has not been an easy ride for the striker, someone who has struggled to make a sufficient impression under both Jack Ross and Phil Parkinson.

Ross was the man to give him his senior debut but he’s not kicked on and has also had his troubles with injury.

Speaking in October 2018, just over a year before he scored his first league goal, Ross commented: “He’s an enigma at times. He’s got really good attributes. It’s just about trying to piece it all together.”

Indeed, not a single manager has been able to piece them together until recently. Kimpioka has been busy making a big impression for Elliott Dickman’s U23s but his season hasn’t been without its setbacks.

The talented forward didn’t even have a club at the beginning of the term. He was out of contract with the Black Cats and even went back to his native Sweden to train with his former club, IK Sirius.

He eventually penned new terms at the Stadium of Light in October and immediately hit the ground running, scoring four goals in five Premier League 2 outings.

A hamstring injury in November proved another setback, but we’re starting to see signs of a revival. He was among the substitutes bench for the EFL Trophy final at Wembley just over a week ago which clearly shows Lee Johnson has him on his radar.

The arrival of Ross Stewart has damaged the potential of further senior minutes but with Will Grigg out on loan, there is a spot in the first-team with Kimpioka’s name on it.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-sunderland-news-and-gossip” title=” Latest Sunderland news and gossip!”]

If he continues to score with great regularity for the U23s, there’s no reason he can’t make an impression at first team level. After all, Johnson has already handed minutes to the likes of Dan Neil and Ollie Younger.

Could Kimpioka be the next in line? You should hope so. The forward has proven he can hit the back of the net this season and Sunderland are surely done with Grigg.

Therefore, the youngster should be unleashed next season instead.

AND in other news, Drop him: Sunderland gem who lost 67% of his duels continues to let Johnson down…

Birmingham take on Watford at Vicarage Road in the Championship on Saturday as they look to build momentum from their win in midweek.

Bowyer’s side came away with all three points when they beat Reading 2-1 on Wednesday. This was their first game with Lee Bowyer in charge after Aitor Karanka was sacked last week.

Lukas Jutkiewicz netted his 50th goal for the club in the fourth minute before Harlee Dean scored the winner with 20 minutes left to go. They are now six points and one place above the relegation zone.

It seems as if Bowyer will keep a similar starting XI going into this fixture, with a couple of additional changes to maintain their improving run of form. There are no known injury concerns for the Blues at the moment, which leaves lots of options for the manger.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Bowyer to line his side up against Watford, with two changes from the team which started against Reading in midweek…

Mathew Etheridge unsurprisingly starts in goal, and his saves could prove costly against a dangerous Watford side who have scored the fourth-highest amount of goals in the Championship this season.

The backline remains the same, with Harlee Dean and Marc Roberts starting to create a formidable partnership in central defence. Kristian Pedersen and Maxime Colin both look set to retain their places as full-backs after also impressing on Wednesday.

The £4.05m-rated Ivan Sunjic could return to their midfield after missing out on their win in midweek, but Rekeem Harper should keep his place in the starting lineup after a superb display against Reading.

Jeremie Bela continues on the left and has scored three goals and set up six so far this season. Ivan Sanchez Aguayo could come in on the right-hand side of midfield if Lee Bowyer chooses to stick with a 4-2-2 formation. Aguayo has also impressed this season, setting up two goals.

Scott Hogan and Jutkiewicz should both lead the line again for Birmingham. Hogan is their top scorer this season with six goals and Jutkiewicz netted in Bowyer’s first game in charge.

MatériaMais Notícias

Avançar na Copa do Brasil após perder de 5 a 2, em casa, seria muito difícil. Por isso o Botafogo entrou com muitos reservas no jogo de volta, contra o Cruzeiro. Por isso também não buscou a vitória de maneira desorganizada. Assim, o zagueiro Emerson Silva lamentou a derrota, mas entende que foi uma boa oportunidade para fazer entrar em campo quem vem atuando pouco.

– Sabíamos da dificuldade, tomamos muitos gols em casa. Sabíamos que seria difícil. Entraram vários jogadores, o Jair pôde dar uma olhada. Não vencemos, mas ganhamos ritmo, tempo de bola. Agora é ter tranquilidade – analisa.

Emerson Silva vem sendo titular e utilizou até a faixa de capitão na partida do Mineirão. Ele, Bruno Silva e Rodrigo Lindoso foram os únicos habitualmente titulares que tiveram chance.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalATUAÇÕES: Time misto não brilha e Fogão perde para o Cruzeiro. Vote!Futebol Nacional22/09/2016Futebol NacionalCruzeiro vence o Botafogo novamente e avança na Copa do BrasilFutebol Nacional21/09/2016BotafogoBotafogo e Sidão iniciam conversas por renovação até o final de 2017Botafogo21/09/2016

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who scored 11 goals as a centre-back for Manchester City, claims Jesse Lingard isn’t that good of a player to have made a difference to Newcastle United’s side.

In January, the Magpies were reportedly interested in signing Lingard on a loan deal until the summer, however, he turned down that interest in favour of a move to West Ham United.

Newcastle only brought in one player during the January transfer window as Joe Willock arrived on loan from Arsenal, registering one goal on his debut whereas Lingard has five goals and two assists for the Hammers

Speaking on how Lingard wouldn’t have made an impact at Newcastle and how he made the right choice to join the Hammers, Howey told FFC:

“Jesse Lingard is not that good, he couldn’t carry a full team and I’m not being disrespectful to him because he is a very good player, but he’s not that good.

“You can’t carry the number of players that Newcastle are at the moment and I think that’s the real problem as you could maybe get away with one, maximum two in the Premier League.

“There wasn’t one player against Brighton that I could say, ‘well to be fair, he did alright’. You could possibly say Hayden because he shuts down the play and Dummett does what Dummett always does but the others, ‘wow’.”

The Magpies are currently on a run of just two wins from 20 games and with injuries to Miguel Almiron, Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson making them a far worse side, so the £75,000 per week Man United loanee may not have been such a bad signing for Newcastle.

David Moyes’ side currently have top-four ambitions which, if achieved, may convince Lingard to sign permanently.