All posts by h716a5.icu

Leeds are currently boasting some seriously exciting young players as more and more teenagers look to push their way up through the academy. But one man who might beat them to the punch is recent youth signing Joe Gelhardt, who joined from Wigan for a nominal fee this summer.

The 18-year-old impressed at his boyhood club and has taken to life at Leeds like a duck to water. So far this season he has tallied four goals and one assist in seven Premier League 2 appearances (via Transfermarkt).

Marcelo Bielsa must consider promoting the teen, who has already been named on the Argentinian’s roster this term. Leeds need to add more coal to their attacking fire, with only Patrick Bamford to rely on at the moment. Unleashing Gelhardt could be the fresh injection of energy they need to return to form.

Leeds could create Bamford and Gelhardt partnership

The Whites’ No.9 is one of the most clinical and natural strikers in the Premier League this season. There’s no question over his ability to finish and bully the opposition’s defence. However, when starved of chances from his fellow attackers and the midfield, it’s a lot to ask of Bamford to carry the team on his own.

Bielsa has already made some cut throat decisions, including hauling off Jamie Shackleton at half-time after he fell short of the mark against Leicester in their 4-1 loss. He was then dropped completely from the squad as Leeds suffered yet another 4-1 defeat, this time at the hands of Crystal Palace.

Bielsa’s defence is something he should be focusing on, but his attack is equally in need of some TLC. Giving an exciting new signing the chance to shine at his new club could pay off in dividends as he is sure to grab the opportunity with both hands.

Phil Hay certainly backs Gelhardt – he waxed lyrical about the 18-year-old on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show.

“He’s been hugely impressive in the [Under-23s],” The Athletic reporter said. “Every time I see him, he looks like a massively talented player.”

Such a promising young player could balance 27-year-old Bamford out perfectly in a new Leeds era.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa must change formation tactics or risk Premier League exit…

After picking up a hugely impressive 1-0 win against Manchester United at the weekend, Arsenal return to Europa League action when they take on Molde on Thursday night.

The Gunners have secured two wins from two in the competition, beating both Rapid Vienna and Dundalk. They could take another huge step to securing qualification from the group stage with a win at the Emirates, and boss Mikel Arteta will know the importance of ensuring there are no slip-ups and that momentum is continued.

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With the chance to rotate players ahead of a Premier League clash against Aston Villa at the weekend, Arteta will surely ring the changes. And with that in mind, below is a look at how the Gunners might line up.

In goal, Runar Runarsson should make his second ever appearance in an Arsenal shirt, after making his debut against Dundalk last week. In front of him, Arteta is likely to freshen things up even more, with the likes of Sead Kolasinac, Shkodran Mustafi and Ainsley Maitland-Niles coming into defence.

Having seen Mohamed Elneny and Thomas Partey run themselves into the ground in that 1-0 win over United, it wouldn’t be surprising at all if Arteta decides to rest them both on Thursday. That could see the return of familiar faces Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos.

And after a pair of impressive displays last time out, the likes of Reiss Nelson and Joe Willock should get themselves another opportunity. Fellow academy product Folarin Balogun may fancy his first start in an Arsenal shirt after coming off the bench last week, and that could give the Gunners a very exciting attack.

Predicted XI: Runarsson; Maitland-Niles, Mustafi, Gabriel, Kolasinac; Ceballos, Xhaka; Pepe, Willock, Nelson; Balogun.

To suggest sacking a manager just six points off the automatic promotion spots would be slightly harsh.

However, when assessing Sunderland it merely seems common practise.

Phil Parkinson was unable to get the Black Cats promoted last season and indeed, it would appear that the former Bradford boss is struggling again.

Sunderland are eight points off top spot and any thought of gaining entry to the Championship automatically is already fading.

In simple terms, it sums up what Sunderland have become. This is a team who at the very least should be competing at the top of the Championship. If you look at their facilities and stadium you’d instantly assume they were a Premier League outfit.

The reality, though, is that they’re languishing in the third tier of English football.

So what has to change? Well the arrival of Juan Sartori and Kyril Louis-Dreyfus could give the business side some fresh ideas and impetus.

However, it will be no easy task. It’s already been reported that Dreyfus is not aware of the financial complications at Sunderland and thus, he could be in for quick a shock once he gets his hands on the keys to the club.

Things could be worsened with a move for Nigel Pearson, someone linked with the north-east club this week. The former Watford boss was described as “incredible” by Pep Guardiola for the work he did last season in nearly keeping the Hornets up and has a reputation for getting teams promoted, both as a player and as manager.

He achieved it twice with Leicester, taking them from League One to the Premier League and that’s the kind of experience Stewart Donald will be lusting for.

That being said, it would surely be nothing short of a huge financial gamble to bring him to the Stadium of Light. The fact of the matter is that they’d presumably have to give Pearson a pretty hefty pay packet.

After taking the Foxes to the top-flight, it was claimed that Pearson wanted to take his £750k-a-year salary to £3m-per-annum. That would have been an absurd £57k-a-week. Clearly, he is used to taking jobs on for a comfortable salary.

Even if he replicated the £750,000 annually he received in the Midlands at Sunderland, it would mean that Donald or Dreyfus would have to pay him just over £14k-a-week.

For context, Sunderland defender Bailey Wright is currently on £13k-a-week so it seems manageable. However, it’s important to remember that Pearson’s latest job was in the Premier League, a role where he earned £1m in bonuses alone when he left Watford.

This seems like too much of a financial burden and if Sunderland brought him in before the takeover is done, Dreyfus would be walking into nothing short of a financial disaster.

One of the most important things Sunderland have thought about in the last 18 months is the sustainability of the football club from a financial point of view.

On the pitch, Pearson would more than likely deliver results but if the Mackems fail in terms of promotion again, it would not have been worth the risk on spending so much.

Donald has already taken a gamble on Will Grigg which didn’t work out. He needs to make sure he doesn’t take the same financial punt once again.

Meanwhile, some very BAD NEWS has emerged for Sartori and Dreyfus in their takeover attempt…

Glasgow Rangers sealed their place in the knockout stages of the Europa League with a thrilling 3-1 win over Standard Liege at Ibrox on Thursday night.

Standard Liege took the lead twice but Steven Gerrard’s side bounced back on both occasions before Scott Arfield fired home to secure the victory.

Connor Goldson and James Tavernier got themselves on the scoresheet with the club captain scoring his 15th goal of the season from the penalty spot.

Despite the result, several first-team regular starters were out of sorts, none more so than star striker Alfredo Morelos, who had been linked with an exit in the summer. Rangers value their talisman in the £20m region.

SofaScore graded the 24-year-old as one of the worst players on the pitch with a lowly 6.4 rating as only Kemar Roofe and Allan McGregor received lower ratings – the misfiring ace lost possession 14 times, only won three ground duels from nine attempts, took just one shot on target and made a pathetic 64% of his 22 passes.

Morelos only took 34 touches of the ball, which was even fewer than Ryan Kent managed, and wasn’t able to do an awful lot with it, as his end product was once again nowhere to be seen.

He received a similar rating from GlasgowLive, who claimed ‘he worked hard and tried his best but struggled in the first half in particular’, whilst The Daily Record were equally scathing in their assessment, saying he ‘got next to nothing out of the Liege defence and wasn’t bringing his mates into play either.”

Morelos, who earns wages worth £33,000-per-week, which makes him one of the club’s top earners, even failed to register a single key pass, so it’s no wonder he was replaced by Joe Aribo with Roofe moving into a more central role.

Not only was he erratic, but he was largely anonymous as well with Kent and Roofe completing at least one successful dribble attempt themselves.

There’s no doubt he should be nervously looking over his shoulder with Roofe and wily veteran Jermain Defoe both being in red-hot form in recent weeks and he could find himself on the chopping block before the trip to Ross County at the weekend.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers must get James Tavernier to sign new deal amid links abroad…

Just like that, everything looks a lot rosier at the Stadium of Light – certainly in terms of performances.

Although Sunderland drew 1-1 with Wimbledon on Tuesday evening, their progress was halted due to eight first-team players missing through a COVID-19 scare.

It was a huge shame, especially given the 4-0 drubbing they handed Lincoln last weekend.

On the chalkboard

Due to the sheer amount of absentees on Tuesday, it meant that Lee Johnson was able to hand a rare start to summer signing Aiden O’Brien.

The winger hadn’t been seen since the beginning of November when he took to the field in the Papa John’s trophy against Fleetwood.

He has started only six times in all competitions since arriving but this was perhaps one of his most lively displays yet. Although he never really looked like scoring, he gave the Wimbledon defence a torrid evening with his tricky dribbling.

While he was on the pitch, O’Brien managed to perform three successful dribbles, providing two key passes in the process.

Furthermore, the attacker also completed 88% of his passes in what was an assured display. It was needed too given how many players were missing.

Yet, there is a huge takeaway from this performance.

Parkinson’s wish

Just over a year ago Phil Parkinson took the decision to axe Aiden McGeady from the squad. He was banished from the first-team picture and loaned to Charlton. He hadn’t played for the Black Cats in 2020 at all until Johnson’s first game against Wigan.

Of course, he was never going to set the world alight considering how much football he’s missed but he did claim an assist against Lincoln last weekend.

That being said, it was always Parkinson’s wish to get rid of him completely. Towards the end of 2019, the former Sunderland boss transfer listed the Irishman and considering his colossal wages of £31k-a-week, few can blame him for wanting rid from a financial point of view.

Although he’s only just come back into the side, the Mackems could honour Parkinson’s wish if O’Brien continues to demonstrate the form he showed on Tuesday evening. A similar player in terms of their dribbling, he has the ability to become a key player and a thorn in the opposition.

Speaking about O’Brien after he signed, Kevin Phillips said: “He has a bit of everything about him. He can play as a nine, a ten and he can play out wide. A player that gets himself in the box and can score a goal. I am very excited to see this lad play.”

If he continues to play well, it’s a distinct possibility that McGeady’s time in the north-east could finally come to an end.

After all, there are plenty of wingers in the squad and Sunderland are right on the cusp of the EFL’s wage restrictions.

In other news, woeful Sunderland ace who lost possession 15x will have left Johnson furious…

Crystal Palace’s progress has been stopped in its tracks by the embarrassing defeat to Liverpool at Selhurst Park earlier this month.

Jurgen Klopp’s side utterly dominated proceedings from start to finish, leaving the Eagles trailing in their way as they surged to the top of the table.

With Leicester City on the horizon, Roy Hodgson faces some tough decisions to avoid a repeat of the 3-0 defeat at the King Power Stadium towards the latter stages of last season.

Hodgson’s side have rarely been so badly humiliated but they were put the sword as the Reds ran riot over their helpless defence.

Vicente Guaita was called into action almost immediately from the get-go but the veteran goalkeeper was largely forced to sit and watch as Liverpool took an astonishing 14 attempts on goal, including eight shots on target, as per SofaScore. The final score finished 7-0 with the 33-year-old failing to register a single save or punch a single shot on target.

However, he can’t be solely to blame for their problems at the back, as Gary Cahill, Nathaniel Clyne and Cheikhou Kouyate were mostly at fault for the poor defensive performance. Clyne particularly caught the eye for all the wrong reasons as he was caught out of possession time and time again by Sadio Mane and Mo Salah, losing 100% of his duels overall.

There’s no denying the fact that Palace need to stop the rot from spreading even further, at least until new summer recruit Nathan Ferguson has recovered from his latest injury setback.

Hopefully cooler heads prevail and Hodgson hands Joel Ward his second consecutive start to face the Foxes, as they arguably need all the experience they can get to shut up shop and plug the gap in their leaky defence. The Eagles have conceded more goals than Burnley, Brighton and Premier League strugglers Sheffield United so far this season which makes for pretty grim reading.

Although he started against Aston Villa, Ward, 31, is an experienced campaigner who knows what it takes to stop the Foxes in their tracks. After all, he has won four and drawn one out of nine games in the top flight against the one-time Premier League champions, via Transfermarkt.

Standing at 6 ft 1 in, he’s certainly a force to be reckoned with, but has made just six starts across all competitions this season so far, and was left as an unused substitute on the bench as Palace were dispatched by Liverpool.

Valued at £2m via Transfermarkt, in six appearances in the Premier League so far, Ward is averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and a staggering 4.3 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

WhoScored lists some of his strengths as his ability to intercept the ball, win individual battles in the air, and his strong tackling, which shows that he is armed with the tools to deal with the likes of Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy, and is more than can be said for Clyne, who has done very little to justify his valuation. Transfermarkt value him at £3.6m.

Granted, Hodgson doesn’t exactly have the best of options, but it’s now up to the Palace boss to put his faith in Ward and unleash him on the right flank as he will have a tough task trying to contain the attacking duo who have scored 14 goals between them in the Premier League at the time of writing.

AND in other news, Steve Parish must look to cash in on Crystal Palace defender James Tomkins in January…

Some Everton fans have been blasting the fact that Tom Davies was named in the starting eleven for their game versus Arsenal in the Premier League – he gave away a penalty with a reckless first half challenge.

The central midfield player replaced the injured Allan for the Merseyside club at Goodison Park, and so started alongside Abdoulaye Doucoure in the heart of midfield, with Gylfi Sigurdsson playing slightly further up.

Alex Iwobi, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Richarlison were of course deployed further forward, with Mason Holgate, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey making up the back four for Carlo Ancelotti’s team.

Jordan Pickford starts in between the sticks for the Toffees, replacing Robin Olsen from the 2-0 win away at Leicester City.

Davies had yet to score or assist in his eight previous games in all competitions in the 2020/21 term so far before this match (Transfermarkt), and so it is understandable that there is some frustration that the England U21 international has been chosen to start.

Everton fan reaction to Davies starting

These EFC supporters blasted the idea of Davies starting on Twitter, with one Blue even claiming that the 22 year-old is a ‘liability’:

In other news, find out why Everton fans have been slamming one EPL manager here!

Marcel Brands risks following Steve Walsh in signing unneeded players for Everton with a summer move for Granada goalkeeper Rui Silva currently being touted.

What’s the word?

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Toffees are showing a determination to acquire Silva at the end of the season when his £2,700-per-week contract is due to expire.

Sevilla, Valencia and Real Betis have been considering moves for the Portuguese shot-stopper, who Granada are yet to rule out offering a new contract to, despite him having one foot out the door since last summer and him rejecting new terms already.

Betis had sought to sign Silva in January after failing to complete a deal in the off-season, with Granada rejecting the Benito Villamarin Stadium natives’ offer of just over €4m (£3.5m) as Director of Football Fran Sanchez pushed for the 26-year-old’s €15m (£13.5m) release clause to be met in full.

Silva, who his Granada teammate Aaron Escandell lauds for playing at a “top level”, is now able to agree pre-contract arrangements with any side of his choosing ahead of becoming a free agent in the summer.

Caution advised

Mundo Deportivo describes Silva as one of the best goalkeepers in Spanish football over the past year and a half, but caution must be advised as there are a smattering of key flaws to the former U21 international’s game.

No ‘keeper has allowed a higher number goals to be scored in La Liga fixtures from shots taken inside the penalty area than Silva has over the opening 17 games of the season, with the Portuguese titan allowing 18 in 14 appearances despite keeping five clean sheets, per SofaScore.

He allows a goal to be scored inside the box with almost every other shot faced, in fact, with Silva recording 22 saves to date, while also rarely leaving his line to collect the ball with just one punch, four high claims and four successful runs out to his name.

Silva’s pass accuracy is additionally the 11th-worst by a goalkeeper in Spain’s top-flight at 55.76%, which drops to 39.18% for long balls, areas where Jordan Pickford’s current understudy, Robin Olsen, excels with a 64.58% pass accuracy rating and 45.16% for long balls.

With Carlo Ancelotti also keen to retain Olsen beyond his season-long loan deal, it would be very questionable for Brands to acquire Silva at the end of the campaign, unless he expects to offload either Pickford or 21-year-old prospect Joao Virginia.

But retaining both and signing Silva alongside Olsen would only serve to see the Dutchman repeat the Walsh blunder of acquiring Maarten Stekelenburg, who went three seasons without playing a single minute in the Premier League before his departure last year.

AND in other news: Marcel Brands must axe a total dud costing Everton £600k-a-game.

For Wolves, it looks as though spending any money this window will be incredibly tough. Considering they are in dire need of improving their forward line, that isn’t news that supporters will want to hear.

What’s the word?

Reports early this week suggested that Wolves had been told to forget about signing the likes of Divock Origi and Olivier Giroud because of a lack of finances.

Despite that, there are still rumours swirling around about possible incomings. One player reportedly on their radar is Montpellier striker Andy Delort.

According to Le Buteur (via Sport Witness), Wolves have made a serious offer for the striker and want to sign him at ‘any price.’

Unfortunately, they are facing competition from Newcastle for his signature. It’s claimed that the Magpies have made him a priority this month.

Ideal for Wolves

Delort has come a long way in his football career and is the definition of a late bloomer. The Algerian has risen through the ranks of both English and French football and was coincidentally wanted by Kenny Jackett when he was at Wolves back in 2014.

The forward was at Tours in Ligue 2 at the time and before a move to Wigan materialised, Jackett said the following: “We put a bid in for Andy Delort but we haven’t been able to close that deal. Nothing has been agreed. But we did put a considerable bid in. I don’t know where it is but no deal has been done.”

It’s probably quite fortunate that happened because Delort ended up scoring a tally of zero goals during his time in the north of England.

However, since then, he has become a fearsome striker, one to be reckoned with at the top level. For Montpellier this season, the 29-year-old has netted eight goals – more than anyone in the Wolves side – and also has more assists than anyone at Molineux – six.

With that kind of record, he’d be a valuable asset for Nuno Santo to have. That being said, the £27k-per-week forward isn’t all about scoring goals.

Like the injured Raul Jimenez, he is adept in physical situations and has won a colossal 4.5 aerial duels per game. For context, that’s more than even Willy Boly has amassed (3.2) at the heart of Wolves’ defence.

Considering that, he’d be an important player in both penalty boxes. Jackett may have failed to sign Delort seven years ago but Wolves cannot afford to make the same mistak, especially with Jimenez out injured with a fractured skull.

With their man striker still absent, Wolves desperately need someone who can firstly score goals, and secondly, offer similar qualities to the Mexican. Delort, therefore, is their man. If Jeff Shi can find the finances to fund the deal, they must complete this move as soon as possible.

AND in other news, Worse than Silva: Wolves “liability” who lost possession 13x will have Nuno fuming…

Tottenham Hotspur are thought to be keen on signing Nikola Milkenovic

What’s the word?

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Spurs are keeping tabs on the Fiorentina colossus ahead of a potential swoop. He told We Are Tottenham TV last week:

“Milenkovic is an interesting situation because his contract expires in two years. At the moment he doesn’t want to extend his contract and Fiorentina knows that he wants to move.

“Let’s see if Tottenham will go for him or not, but for sure he’s appreciated. At the moment he’s not the first choice, but he is appreciated.”

Imagine him & Hojbjerg

It’s no secret that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho would like a new centre-back this window, so perhaps he ought to urge Daniel Levy into making a move this window.

After all, the north Londoners remain firmly in all competitions at the half-way point of the season, meaning there’s a genuine chance they could seal their first piece of silverware since 2008 – especially given they are in the Carabao Cup final.

If Mourinho is to meet such ambitions, then he quite clearly needs that new central defensive option, and there’s surely no one better out there right now considering the 6 foot 5 Serbian doesn’t want to remain at the Serie A outfit for the long-term.

The 23-year-old is also thought to be available for just €25m (£22.5m) as per La Nazione.

Despite being nowhere near his peak, the La Viola powerhouse has been making great strides in the league. Per WhoScored, he’s been their best player, managing a squad-high average rating of 6.94.

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He’s also topped the charts for key defensive attributes, averaging 3.7 aerial duels won, 3.3 clearances, 1.6 tackles and 0.9 blocks per game. This makes him not only an aerial monster but also equally adept when the game is played on the deck as clearly, he’s not an easy man to bypass.

For comparison, this is largely better than all of Mourinho’s current central options as Milenkovic ranks better than Eric Dier and Toby Aldweireld for all but clearances and blocks, whilst he’s clear of Davinson Sanchez in all facets, per WhoScored.

Having such an imposing figure, one that has been likened to Premier League great Nemanja Vidic, could hand Mourinho a perfect spine for the future as he’s only 23.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has been a resolute presence just in front of the defence – arguably their player of the season so far, and the ‘captain without the armband’ is only 25.

That’s one solid backbone for the next four to five years, at least.

Also dubbed a “beast” by former coach Ivan Tomic, Milenkovic is evidently a colossal defender and given his comparisons to Vidic, he must be a leader-like figure too – just as Hojbjerg is.

These are all characteristics that’ll suit Mourinho to a tee and thus, the ‘Special One’ must urge Levy into sanctioning a deal for the Fiorentina star this month.

Whilst it would help their immediate quest for silverware immensely, he’d be a piece for the long-term future. Alongside Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp and Tanguy Ndombele, Spurs would be set for many, many years.

AND in other news, Levy struck DREAM deal over £45m-rated “born leader” who’s a “steal”…