Tag Futebol

Leeds are one of a number of Premier League sides interested in signing Barnsley striker Daryl Dike this summer.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old has been in fine form since joining the Championship side on loan back in the January transfer window, netting five goals in league games.

According to TEAMtalk, Marcelo Bielsa’s side are among the clubs interested in signing the 20-year-old, with the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea also said to have been impressed.

The report adds that as it stands, it’s Everton who are the most interested in Dike, and that the only way Barnsley would be able to keep the striker on a more permanent basis, is if they earn promotion – they currently lie in fifth in the Championship table.

Tailor-made for the Premier League

Despite being 20, Dike already looks like a real handful as a striker, standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, and bullying Championship defences already.

A player profile done by SBNation noted: “A physical striker, Dike is more than a bruising finisher. His ‘delicate touch’ and high level of technical ability belie his size, enabling a confidence in possession with both passing and dribbling. That said, he scores a lot of goals in a variety of ways. Headed finishes, short-range placement, and long-range bombs, the 6’2” attacker can do it all.”

His teammate Jordan Williams meanwhile said: “Daryl has got a rocket of a right foot. I think he’s similar to Lukaku. He hasn’t scored as many goals yet, but he can hit a ball just as hard. He’s only 20 years of age. It’s amazing.”

Apart from having surprisingly good technical ability for a player of his size, it’s his temperament that has really got some of his former mentors talking.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]

His former coach at Virginia, George Gelnovatch, raved: “But one of the things about him that nobody ever talks about is relentlessness. He is a relentless competitor, a ruthless guy on the field. You put that inside a body like his, and it’s pretty impressive.”

Given his natural physical attributes, and the fact he seems to have the perfect mentality, Dike seems tailor-made to succeed in the Premier League.

Bielsa could help Leeds wreak havoc in the top-flight next season by signing the powerful centre-forward this summer.

Meanwhile, Leeds must keep this man at all costs this summer…

Glasgow Rangers will be hoping for a win in the Old Firm derby as they look to bounce back from their Europa League defeat on Thursday, but Leon Balogun has struggled so far.

The Gers travelled to Parkhead after losing 2-0 to Slavia Prague during the week. While they are now out of European competition, they still have a chance to go the Premiership season unbeaten (BBC).

However, their clash against Celtic didn’t start fantastically as Mohamed Elyounoussi put the Bhoys 1-0 up, and Balogun was arguably at fault for the goal after he was caught out at right-back. Alfredo Morelos equalised shortly before half-time with his first goal in an Old Firm derby.

Usually a central defender, Balogun has looked particularly poor in an unfamiliar position – Steven Gerrard may decide to bring on 19-year-old Nathan Patterson for the second half even though he was an injury doubt in the build-up to the game (Daily Record).

These ‘Gers fans were far from happy with Balogun’s first half performance, with one calling it a ‘disaster’, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Balogun below

“Balogun down the right is a health hazard”

Credit: @AndrewKelly_

“Balogun is a disaster at RB. Get Patterson on. Even injured he’ll be better.”

Credit: @jaayfc

“Balogun again, horrendous”

Credit: @1872Curt

“Get Balogun off he’s awful”

Credit: @rob_wils

“Balogun gives me the fear today”

Credit: @cameronamcg

“Balogun is so so bad”

Credit: @JamieRFC14

In other news, some Rangers fans slam this BBC pundit.

This has been a torrid old season for Wolves. They’ve been missing Raul Jimenez since November and any dream of securing European football is long gone.

Therefore, this is a critical summer for the Old Gold.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, Wolves are considering a phenomenal return for Matt Doherty.

The Irishman only left last summer but, after a difficult campaign with Tottenham, he could return to the Midlands.

Doherty has started just 12 of 29 Premier League matches this term and thus may be searching for an escape route.

Sources have told Football Insider that Wolves are keen to re-sign him for a fee lower than the one Spurs paid last summer. The Lilywhites initially dished out £16m for his services, paying him a wage of £74,000 per week.

Nuno’s dream

Wolves have recruited poorly over the past 12 months, something evident in what they did last summer.

Jeff Shi replaced Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota, 25% of Wolves’ goals last term, with Nelson Semedo and Fabio Silva.

Wolves paid out £27.61m for Semedo while Silva set them back £35.6m. It’s safe to say that neither of them have been worth the money.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-news-on-wolves-from-molineux” title=” Check out the latest news on Wolves from Molineux!”]

The former has been a defensive calamity while the latter has scored just twice since arriving, so Doherty would be a welcome addition. The wing-back has played 302 times for Wolves, displaying immense consistency throughout his time at Molineux.

The defender very quickly became a dream for Nuno Espirito Santo, someone capable of fitting into Wolves’ desired system and style of play perfectly.

Speaking about him when he left for north London, the manager said: “Such a nice person, it was a pleasure to work with Matt. He had to adjust and adapt to so many things and the way he grew as a player was amazing. I wish him all the best. I will miss him. It’s up to us to find solutions (to replace him).”

Unfortunately, Wolves haven’t been able to replace him sufficiently. Semedo has been criticised for his role in the defensive, being beaten all too easily on numerous occasions. Recall his performance against Arsenal and you’ll envisage the torment that Nicolas Pepe gave him.

Doherty, on the other hand, was a loyal servant to Wolves, being described by journalist Tim Spiers as “superb” during his time at the club.

He wasn’t just defensively astute, but he was adept in offensive areas too. During his two seasons in the Premier League with Wolves, he scored eight goals and claimed the same number of assists.

It goes without saying that he should be a tremendous addition if they can bring him back.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves must swoop for “special” £30m beast with 27 goals this term…

Ben Jacobs has reacted to some latest findings from CNN and what they could mean in context of the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

As per the news outlet, the two private jets used by a Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) squad who assassinated journalist Jamal Khashoggi were owned by a company that a few months prior had been seized by Mohammed bin Salman (MBS).

The KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) is chaired by MBS, and the documents establishing the link between the planes and the prince were filed by a group of Saudi-state owned companies.

Evidence that ownership of the group of private planes had been moved into PIF has not been yet been reported and gives a link between Khashoggi’s death and MBS.

Jacobs has since given his thoughts on the findings, tweeting: “In the context of the takeover, it is still very difficult for the EPL to take a moral stance (prior to any conviction). But any evidence of MBS using PIF for his own ends (in this case a murder) do show a lack of separation regardless of what legal classifications say.”

Problem for the potential Newcastle takeover?

One of the main arguments presented in the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) was whether PIF is a separate entity from the KSA government, but as Jacobs has claimed, this new evidence could be found to show a lack of separation, which may well turn out to be problematic for the potential revival of the takeover at St. James’ Park by the KSA consortium.

Nonetheless, whether this evidence will have a direct impact on the possibility of the deal is another question for now, but it may certainly worry some members of the Toon Army.

In other news, find out which ‘exceptional’ ace is to be axed versus Wolves here!

Manchester United play host to Everton in the Premier League at Old Trafford on Saturday night, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side set to play their first league game since they humiliated Southampton at home.

The Red Devils ran riot over Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, putting nine goals past the nine-man Saints, with Anthony Martial ending his eight-game goal drought after the Frenchman bagged a brace in the second half.

Unfortunately for Solskjaer, it wasn’t all rosy, as both Edinson Cavani and Luke Shaw were substituted at half-time having struggled with injuries, with Eric Bailly a doubt ahead of the game against the Toffees.

With that in mind, Football FanCast has predicted how United may line up for tonight’s action, which sees Solskjaer make three changes to the team that thrashed the Saints.

Solskjaer’s side are currently second in the table, just three points behind Manchester City, who have built up a tremendous head of steam.

In defence, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka should start as usual, with Victor Lindelof and Alex Telles making up the rest of the numbers.

This game may come too soon for Shaw after he appeared to suffer a knock against his former club, so it’s likely Telles will slot into place alongside the club captain instead.

Paul Pogba is likely going to return to the midfield, which means Scott McTominay will be forced to settle for a spot on the bench.

After a goal drought stretching to 12-and-a-half hours, Anthony Martial ended it with a double against the Saints, and his return to form was warmly welcomed by manager Solskjaer.

As such, Solskjaer will have to decide whether to opt for experience and go with the £49.5m-rated Martial and Marcus Rashford out wide or the fresher, younger option in Mason Greenwood on the right wing.

With Cavani expected to be fit to face the Toffees given Solskjaer’s pre-match press conference, the United boss could start the Uruguayan, drop Martial and have Greenwood to his right and Rashford on the left.

It would certainly be a bold call to move Martial to the bench given his double against the Saints, but that was against a side who ended up going down to 9-men.

Solskjaer will recognise that an Everton side who beat Leeds away from home last time out will surely prove a sterner test of their title credentials, and will need his most reliable and consistent players on the pitch, and Cavani has delivered him for whenever he’s played – the Uruguayan has bagged five goals and provided two assists in just 663 minutes of Premier League football.

Predicted XI: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Maguire, Lindelof, Telles; Pogba, Fred; Greenwood, Fernandes, Rashford; Cavani.

AND in other news, Man Utd can find perfect Harry Maguire partner in Real Madrid’s Raphael Varane…

When Leeds are in trouble, Marcelo Bielsa is never going to let you get away with it if you’re a player.

Last week, he put his side through the ultimate test – double murderball.

His unrelenting training methods have been a focus of attention throughout his entire stay at Elland Road, but it looked as though their fierce coping methods have paid dividends.

Before their clash with Newcastle, Leeds hadn’t won in 2021. Amazingly, they hadn’t scored either. Therefore, the way in which they beat a demoralised Magpies team on Tuesday evening will settle them down considerably.

Summer signings Rodrigo and Raphinha combined nicely for goal number one and although Miguel Almiron gave United a scare, Jack Harrison’s looping volley in the second half won them the game 2-1.

There were a number of convincing performances and it will have pleased Bielsa that even without Mateusz Klich, they played well. This was just the second time under the Argentine manager that the Poland international didn’t start a league game. It was a big message and one the boss must use now to axe Gjanni Alioski, who reportedly earns £15,000-a-week.

In the build-up to Tuesday’s encounter, FFC discussed the need to drop the North Macedonia defender to the bench. True to form, he disappointed again and was hauled off without having a positive impact on proceedings.

Alioski has always had immense energy going forward but defensively, he has been suspect. The very fact that Bielsa substituted him as soon as he received a yellow card speaks volumes.

The left-back was robbed in a dangerous area towards the start of the second half and thus, was forced to stop a counter-attack. He received a caution for his troubles and then just moments later, was replaced by the aforementioned Klich.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-leeds-news” title=”Read this week’s latest Leeds news!”]

If anything summed up Alioski, it was that. He suffers lapse moments in possession of the ball and surrendered it to the opposition on no fewer than 12 occasions in just 56 minutes at St James’ Park. It was a torrid evening for the full-back who was run ragged by Jacob Murphy.

The Newcastle winger succeeded with 100% of the dribbles he attempted and was also able to fire in five crosses towards the penalty box. Had Alioski been stronger then perhaps Leeds could have negotiated parts of the game in a more efficient manner.

Previously described as a “liability” by Noel Whelan, this performance will have done himself no favours. Although Stuart Dallas offered plenty in midfield during the win, it would be wise if he was moved to left-back instead.

Alioski is continuing to let Bielsa down even when they win.

AND in other news, 3 new signings, Bielsa favourite axed: How Leeds’ XI could look after deadline day…

As the January transfer window draws closer, it’s become increasingly apparent that Glasgow Rangers could do with a couple more additions in the market. Namely, another wide option and a holding midfielder.

Despite their summer spending spree, Steven Gerrard faces some tough decisions ahead of the Premiership clash with St. Mirren as he looks to trigger a big reaction after the Betfred Cup exit.

Whilst the Ibrox boss will no doubt want to strengthen at the back, his wide options could do with his undivided attention too. Ianis Hagi has been in such fine form since the beginning of the month, having bagged two goals in his past three games, but Ryan Kent seems to be in some sort of a rapid decline and Kemar Roofe is in danger of being stretched too thinly.

Although Kent has showed glimpses of quality, he has been unable to produce magic as consistently as he managed last season.

What’s the word?

There’s no doubt Gerrard has a plethora of options out wide at his disposal with Jordan Jones re-entering the fold after serving a suspension for breaching rules. However, despite all of the options currently available, it’s fair to say that Rangers lack any real depth on the right-wing, as both Jones and Brandon Barker have been deemed surplus to requirements.

But there’s one player in particular who may be able to fix their problems once and for all.

According to The Daily Record, Airdrieonians winger Thomas Robert is still of interest to Rangers and Airdrie are bracing themselves for a bidding war in the January transfer window.

Premiership rivals Celtic, Hibernian, and Scottish Championship side Heart of Midlothian are also keen to land the Parisian-born right-winger, whose contract will run out at the end of the season.

Robert, the son of former Newcastle United star Laurent, has been in prolific form since the start of the season, providing four goals and two assists across all competitions so far, via Transfermarkt.

Perfect partner for Kemar Roofe

The 20-year-old scored directly from a corner against Clyde during the 4-2 win at the Broadwood Stadium at the weekend.

By comparison, Kent finds himself in the midst of a goal drought, with his last goal coming during the 4-0 win at home to Aberdeen last month.

Comfortable on both wings, Ross Wilson would be wise to sanction a move for Robert as not only would the set-piece specialist be able to provide cover and competition for Kent, he’d also be able to do the same for Hagi on the opposite flank. Just imagine him slotting into place alongside Roofe up front.

Airdrie manager Ian Murray heaped praise on the Frenchman following his latest impressive performance, saying: “It wouldn’t surprise me if we have a fight to keep him. Thomas has done really, really well.

“He showed his class again against Clyde with the corner kick, but it wasn’t just that, in the first half he was excellent, his touches on the ball, his movement, his timing in the releasing of the ball, the way he picked up space, was excellent.

“We’ve had loads of clubs looking at him, a few of them were pretty impressed.

“Were they impressed enough to make a bid, I’m not sure, but I think there are a couple who are not too far away from that.”

Despite his young age, Robert’s versatility would make him a most useful addition to the Govan-based Glaswegian giants, as both Kent and Roofe have been run ragged for most of the season so far.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must unleash Calvin Bassey vs St. Mirren…

Glasgow Rangers currently sit at the Scottish Premiership summit, eleven points clear of their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the table.

However, if you cast your minds back to the beginning of the year, Steven Gerrard’s side found themselves floundering in a very different position indeed.

The Daily Record reported that the Ibrox boss sought to bolster his attacking options after Jermain Defoe suffered an injury and had drawn up a list of targets.

Chief among them was Burnley striker Matej Vydra, who had grown frustrated by a lack of game time under Sean Dyche as he had made just nine appearances for the Clarets at the time, and was angling for a move away from Turf Moor.

But Burnley rejected a bid from the Light Blues as they were only interested in selling him on a permanent basis.

The Gers signed centre-forward Florian Kamberi from Premiership rivals Hibernian on loan until the end of the season in the end instead.

We hate to say it, but hindsight’s a wonderful thing, as the Czech Republic international scored two goals in the Premier League shortly afterwards to send Gerrard a timely reminder of his obvious talents.

Valued at £3.6m via Transfermarkt, the 28-year-old has scored six goals and supplied four assists in 48 appearances for the Clarets, which is a pretty paltry record, especially when you consider the fact that they signed him for an undisclosed fee which is believed to be somewhere in the region of £10m in 2018.

But it’s worth remembering that the versatile forward was the top scorer in the English Championship the season beforehand, which raises more questions about Dyche’s style of play than anything else, really.

In 95 appearances for Watford, Vydra bagged 38 times and 15 assists in all competitions. Despite Kamberi’s best efforts, as he scored and assisted in the 2-2 draw with St Johnstone, the 25-year-old was never really given the time to shine, which suggests that Gerrard never full trusted him to fill in for Alfredo Morelos despite Defoe’s absence due to injury.

Without wishing to add insult to injury, Dyche heaped praise on the impact substitute after he inspired the Clarets to a 2-1 win over Southampton at St Mary’s back in February.

He said: “No (seriously) I mean you need big moments to win games and that was a big moment in a tight game, and Vyds has stuck at it.

“He does do as well as many other players here when they are not in the side and he has the respect of the group.“I can assure you when he walked in they were all buzzing for him and we have got such an honest group, they know when you are not playing it is hard.“But the players here know and respect the people who are not playing because they know when they come in, they have got to be ready and they are.“He showed signs of that and not just the finish, but the work ethic to work for the side and obviously the finish is the icing on the cake. It was a brilliant goal.”

There’s no doubt that Vydra’s versatility would have proven to be an added bonus as the Light Blues battled various injuries and an inconsistent run of form last season. Would he have made a big impact? Probably. Would he have helped the Gers regain the title? Probably not.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must unleash Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe against Standard Liege…

Tottenham Hotspur could have been given a golden chance to make a handsome profit on outcast midfielder Dele Alli. Leeds Live have reported that bookmakers have made Marcelo Bielsa’s newly promoted side 25/1 to land a deal for the England international.

After falling out of favour under Jose Mourinho, Daniel Levy will be looking at his options and whether the time has come to cash in. According to CIES, Alli’s value has skyrocketed to a mammoth €70million (£62.2million), a huge spike from the initial £5million Spurs paid for his signature back in 2015.

Should Spurs look to sell Dele Alli?

It seems a surreal concept that the man Mauricio Pochettino loved so much would have his Tottenham future hanging in the balance. During the Argentinian’s reign, Alli flourished into one of the league’s most clinical midfielders. His best season was unarguably in 2016/17, where he netted a superb 18 Premier League goals and contributed an additional eight assists (via Transfermarkt).

Pochettino lauded Alli for his influence on the Spurs attack, generously comparing him to the likes of Diego Maradona and Ronaldinho. Even new boss Mourinho values the playmaker despite his decision to drop him on nine occasions this season.

“[Alli’s] too good to not be one of the best players in the world and not playing with the national team,” the three-time Premier League winner said last season (via The Independent).

But despite his comments on the 24-year-old, it seems that Mourinho has moved his team on as he looks to push Spurs up the Premier League table. Alli is a solid option to have on the bench and the club will be in no hurry to sell considering the fact he is contracted until 2024.

However, if Leeds are seriously considering bringing him to Elland Road, Levy and co could target their need for an attacking midfielder and push to bank a healthy sum of cash from the Yorkshire club, even if it doesn’t quite reach the £62m mark.

In other news, Spurs could unearth their next Dembele in teen prodigy Harvey White…

Carlo Ancelotti must not grow overconfident of taking a result against Manchester United on Saturday after claiming Everton will have an “advantage” over Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

The Red Devils visit Goodison Park for this weekend’s early Premier League kick-off striving to avoid a third defeat in a week, having succumbed to losses at home to Arsenal and away to Istanbul Basaksehir.

Manchester United will have just two days rest between their Champions League Group Stage affair and lining up on Merseyside, much to Solskjaer’s frustration.

The Old Trafford coach believes United have been hard done by through this weekend’s tie being selected for the 12:30 kick-off with his side also competing on Wednesday night, but saw an attempt to postpone the match by 24-hours blocked.

“Twelve-thirty on a Saturday doesn’t help us but that’s what the Champions League gives to you,” Solskjaer told United’s official website. “It gives you a challenge because you want to be in this competition playing in midweek and we’ve just got to take it as it comes.

“We asked for a Sunday game but there was absolutely no help to get that.”

Ancelotti likewise can see the quick turnaround causing the Red Devils difficulties, noting ahead of the match that Everton should have a physical advantage on Saturday.

“It can be an advantage,” the Italian said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “As I said before, the top teams have a really, really big schedule, so it is really difficult for them. So, we can take advantage of this on a physical aspect, above all.

“But I think we did better when we had games every three days. But from a physical point of view, we have an advantage for sure.”

Ancelotti risks making a major mistake here though and must avoid growing overconfident of taking a result at home to Manchester United due to their fixture congestion, though, as Everton will be striving to avoid a third-straight Premier League defeat themselves.

Solskjaer rotated his starting line-up heavily against Istanbul Basaksehir from the XI which lost at home to Arsenal, with United facing their Turkish opposition without starters David de Gea, Victor Lindelof, Paul Pogba, Fred, Scott McTominay and Mason Greenwood.

Marcus Rashford was also brought off in the 76th-minute at the Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium, likely to rest the England international, while Pogba, Greenwood and McTominay were only relied on to play sparing roles in the second-half.

The physical advantage Ancelotti has alluded to will be far from as strong as the Italian may like, and should focus on how Everton can best thwart the Red Devils instead with Solskjaer warned he could be sacked should the flailing visiting side fall short at Goodison Park.

United will arrive on Merseyside down in the bottom-six of the Premier League table after just two wins in six games, potentially even just three points above the drop zone should Burnley beat Brighton on Friday night.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti’s injury blow comes as a timely boost for an “important” Marco Silva signing’s Everton career.