All posts by n8rngtd.top

Journalist Phil Hay has revealed how negatively Leeds United’s supporters reacted to the Whites’ hugely disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Leicester City.

The Lowdown: Whites beaten at Leicester

Jesse Marsch’s side are desperate for a positive result in the Premier League, making the trip to a Foxes side sitting in the relegation zone before kickoff.

A limp performance with some brutal first-half mistakes saw Leeds deservedly beaten at the King Power Stadium, with nowhere near enough quality on show from the visitors.

It was a defeat that leaves the Whites 16th in the table after ten matches and there appears to be growing dissent from the supporters, something that will surely increase the pressure on the manager.

The Latest: Hay reveals away fans’ reaction

Taking to Twitter after the game, Hay shared the unhappiness of the travelling fans:

“You can read a lot from an away end and the dissent has been very audible tonight. They’re not having this at all.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-53/” title=”Latest Leeds United news” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Marsch under pressure

Having made a fairly strong start to life at Elland Road after replacing Marcelo Bielsa, there is now undoubted pressure on Marsch after a poor start to the season.

The American doesn’t appear to be getting the most out of the squad and performances feel like they are getting worse rather than better, with three defeats in a row and the display at Leicester perhaps the worst of the lot.

For now, Marsch still seems to have the backing of the board, but the turning of the fans is always a significant moment in a manager’s future – just ask Steven Gerrard – so the clash with Fulham this weekend now feels like a must win.

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has urged Rangers youngster Leon King to stay at Ibrox despite strong transfer interest emerging from the Premier League.

The Lowdown: Interest in King

As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, a number of English top-flight sides are keeping an eye on the 18-year-old defender, leading media members to say the Gers will be ‘concerned’ over a potential exit.

Manchester United, Newcastle and Leeds have all sent scouts to watch the U21 Scotland international, whose Light Blues contract expires in the summer of 2024.

The teenager has made an impressive step-up to the first-team this season, having amassed 12 senior appearances thus far – including four appearances in the Champions League.

The Latest: Stay put 

Robinson, who works as a pundit for Sky Sports, believes King would be better off staying at Ibrox rather than making the move below the border to the Premier League.

Speaking with Football Insider, the former England goalkeeper said:

“For the player, it would be best to stay at Rangers.

“You have to question whether it would be wise to come into the Premier League at 18 years old. Would he be involved in the first team? He would probably play in the under-23s or be loaned out.

“He would be far better off playing for a top-quality team like Rangers week in, week out. You will learn more quickly that way.

“It is better for the player and better for the club. The club will be able to sell you for more in a few years time when you have 50 games behind you.

“Premier League clubs try to sign these young players on the cheap. They try to sign them before they develop into top players.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/rangers-news-5/” title=”Rangers news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Why leave?

Having featured for a minimum of 45 minutes in three of four Champions League games for the Gers this season, King has been rewarded for his strong performances by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

As per WhoScored, in the European competition, the centre-back has impressively averaged 2.5 tackles, 2.3 clearances and 1 interception per game – illustrating his ability to perform at the highest level.

If he does end up making the move to England, the 18-year-old would not be given the sort of opportunities he gets at Rangers – he would not be exposed to the Champions League with the sides currently linked, for starters.

King should absolutely remain at the Ibrox and develop his career with the Glasgow club – if he continues along his current development path, the Gers could bank a massive profit further down the line.

Football Insider pundit Tam McManus believes Leeds United could sack Jesse Marsch, should they fall to another Premier League defeat this weekend.

The Lowdown: Board backing Marsch

Leeds are currently in the bottom three and are eight games without a win after their 3-2 defeat to Fulham on Sunday.

Despite that, the Whites board are still backing Marsch to turn things around at Elland Road, with the American set to be in the dugout once again this weekend.

Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool are Leeds’ next opponents, and McManus believes that the trip to Anfield could be Marsch’s final game in charge.

The Latest: McManus’ comments

Talking to FI, McManus feels a defeat to Liverpool ‘might do it’ when it comes to Marsch’s future, believing that Leeds’ owners may start to panic.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-9/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

“I think for any manager on the run Leeds are on, as soon as you drop into the relegation zone, I think the owners start panicking.

“I mean, look at the finances – relegation from the Premier League is not an option when you look at how much money is at stake.

“I think he is under serious pressure. They started the season well, but you look at their next games and they have Liverpool away next Saturday.

“If he doesn’t get sacked before then, which is likely, then a loss to Liverpool might do it. He’s on borrowed time, basically. A lot of supporters are still upset about how Bielsa left, he was a real cult hero to those fans.

“They went on a terrible run and dropped into that bottom three, then they pressed the panic button. I think they might do that again.”

The Verdict: Why not now?

Marsch has failed to pick up a win in eight relatively favourable fixtures, so why not make the change this week? The head coach looked like a defeated man against Fulham on Sunday, and the Whites won’t be expected to take anything at Anfield this weekend.

It will be interesting to see Leeds’ stance should Marsch fall to another defeat on Saturday, and they may look back on the situation and wish they acted sooner when it comes to a managerial change.

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar kicks off later this month and two Celtic players have recently found out that they will not be heading to play in the competition.

Japan have announced their provisional squad for the tournament and manager Hajime Moriyasu has surprisingly omitted Hoops duo Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi from the 27-man list, whilst their teammate Daizen Maeda has made the cut.

Kyogo has scored 29 goals in 45 matches in all competitions since joining Celtic in the summer of 2021 and may be wondering what else he could have done to secure a place.

Whilst those two Hoops stars will be disappointed, another player in Ange Postecoglou’s squad who must now be called up to go to the tournament is USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers, as he has been in phenomenal form since the start of last season.

He was not included in his country’s squad for their friendlies in September and has played more than 45 minutes in just two of the four matches he was involved in earlier this year, failing to come off the bench in one of them.

Carter-Vickers has only been included in two squads and has been capped just three times since 2019 but his performances for the Hoops suggest that he is deserving of a place on the plane to Qatar.

Walter Zimmerman and Aaron Long started ahead of him in the USMNT’s last match against Saudi Arabia and there is a case to be made for the Celtic man to start ahead of them. The former has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.10 – winning 62% of his duels – in the 32 appearances in the MLS in 2022, whilst Long has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.82 – winning 60% of his battles – in 30 outings in the American top-flight.

Meanwhile, the £20k-per-week Celtic defender, who Jan Vertonghen once described as an “absolute beast”, has averaged a score of 7.09 in the Premiership this season and won 66% of his duels, which shows that he is delivering quality displays on a consistent basis.

In the 2021/22 campaign, the 24-year-old helped the club to keep 17 clean sheets in 33 league matches and showcased his ability on the ball as he completed 90% of his attempted passes in those games, whilst averaging a SofaScore rating of 7.33 and impressively winning 68% of his battles.

USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter must now pay attention to the Celtic machine’s form in Scotland and call him up to the squad.

Indeed, his statistics suggest that he could offer more than Zimmerman and Long in terms of his general performances and his physical dominance against opposition attackers.

Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak is making positive progress in his recovery from a thigh injury, according to an update from fitness expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Isak out injured

The Swede was a high-profile signing for the Magpies during the summer transfer window, bringing a huge amount of firepower and potential to the squad.

Unfortunately, Isak has been limited to just three appearances in the Premier League because of a thigh issue, with his last game coming against Bournemouth in the middle of September.

It does look as though the 23-year-old’s return isn’t too far away, however, following a fresh claim.

The Latest: Positive update emerges

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Dinnery said that Isak was making good progress in his recovery:

“We have every indication at this stage that that’s going to be okay. The difficulty that Newcastle had when they brought Isak in is that he wasn’t 100% fit anyway.

“And circumstances were such, following that injury to Callum Wilson, that he was ultimately thrown right in the deep end, when ideally, again, we talked about this period of adaptation and the player’s acclimatised, particularly to the rigours of the Premier League.

“And he came in and did a great job, I think he got two goals in those three appearances, then went on national team duty and picked up an issue, shall we say, in training with them, and he thought it was just to be a minor concern, two or three weeks out, but he was on the cusp of a first-team return for Newcastle and then suffered that setback.

“So again, you’re back to square one in terms of that process and just easing back the player.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/newcastle-news-7/” title=”Newcastle news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Post-World Cup brilliance?

It is hugely encouraging to see Isak working his way back to full fitness – Gary Lineker has called him ‘exceptional’ – and he should now be treating the period during the World Cup break as a chance to find his top level again.

He has already scored twice in his first three league matches and there is no reason why he can’t return after the World Cup in the ideal shape to take the Premier League by storm.

Isak will be well-rested by the time the fixtures start up again on Boxing Day and he could end up being Newcastle’s most important player in their top-four push.

Arsenal defender Benjamin White has staked his biggest claim yet to be in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the upcoming World Cup in Qatar.

The Gunners returned to their place atop the Premier League standings with a typically synonymous 1-0 victory over London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

However, the scoreline did not truly reflect the nature of the game as Mikel Arteta’s men dominated throughout the 90 minutes and were more deserving of a couple more goals, particularly as the Blues never looked like scoring.

That’s because Arsenal’s backline put in a “monstrous” display – in the words of GOAL journalist Charles Watts – against their former teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The pre-game narrative was very much centred around him but the former Gunner could only muster up eight touches during his time on the pitch.

Brazil colossus Gabriel and France hopeful William Saliba, who is trying to break his way into Didier Deschamps’ squad this month, were rock solid and the latter certainly did his chances of making the tournament the world of good.

As did White, who must now be on the Three Lions’ radar, as he’s capable of playing through the middle and at right-back, where he thwarted the likes of Mason Mount and Raheem Sterling, who are likely shoo-ins to make Southgate’s squad right now.

Indeed, the 25-year-old defender won five of his six ground duels (83%), registered four clearances – the most in the game – and put in one tackle and one block too, as per SofaScore.

But it was his attacking endeavours that caught the eye the most and will surely leave Southgate pondering, given Reece James’ likely absence and doubts over Trent Alexander-Arnold’s defensive ability.

White – who was once lauded as a “warrior” by talent scout Jacek Kulig – was successful in 100% of his dribbles, whilst the £120k-per-week phenomenon also got forward to create one key chance from his 41 accurate passes. He even won his side three free-kicks and only two other players saw the ball more than him, having recorded 69 touches across the 90 minutes.

‘[He] has added to the offensive side of his game since coming out to right back and showed that side even more today. Some good work defensively when needed too. If he’s not in the World Cup squad serious questions have to be asked,” wrote football.london reporter Kaya Kayak in his post-match ratings column.

The Englishman, who cost Arsenal around £50m from Brighton and Hove Albion in July 2021, must add to his four caps in Qatar this month.

His versatility and clear improvement in both a defensive and attacking sense is surely going to be valuable to Southgate, just as much as it is to Arteta right now.

AND in other news, Edu in early Arsenal talks to sign 29-goal “monster”, he can explode at the World Cup…

Aston Villa recently appointed Unai Emery to replace Steven Gerrard in the dugout and the Spanish head coach is already looking at potential signings for the upcoming January transfer window.

The former Villarreal manager will have his first opportunity to bring his own players into Villa Park in just under two months as the market reopens for business at the start of 2023.

One player he reportedly has his eye on is Inter central midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu. It has been claimed that the Villa boss wants to snap the Turkey international up and would be willing to send Philippe Coutinho to the Italian side in exchange.

However, the Serie A giants are not interested in a swap deal, including the Brazilian playmaker, and this means that the English side may well need to splash the cash in order to get a move over the line.

Irrespective of whether or not Coutinho is directly involved in the negotiations, Emery could land a big upgrade on the ex-Liverpool gem by securing a swoop for Calhanoglu in January.

The £156k-per-week maestro, who was once hailed as a “world-class” set-piece taker by Carlo Garganese, is one of the best playmakers in European football – ranking in the 99th percentile among players in his position in Europe’s top five leagues in the last 365 days for assists, shot-creating actions, and expected assisted goals per 90.

These statistics show that he is dining at the top table when it comes to creating high-quality chances consistently over the past year for Inter.

Coutinho, meanwhile, ranks in the 43rd percentile or lower in all three measurements and this suggests that the Turkish creator would offer far more than the current Villa man when it comes to creating opportunities in the final third.

The Brazil international has scored five goals in 31 Premier League appearances for the club in 2022, whilst Calhanoglu has scored nine times in 48 Serie A matches since the start of last season.

There is not a major difference in the goalscoring output that they provide but couple it with the gigantic gap between their respective chance creation numbers over the past year and it seems as though the Inter man would be a sizeable upgrade on Coutinho for Villa.

Therefore, Emery must push for the club to secure a deal for the 28-year-old playmaker in January as he has the quality to improve the team with his fantastic ability to score and provide goals at the top level.

Aston Villa boss Unai Emery appears to be keen on securing midfield reinforcements after the World Cup as the Midlands outfit eye one of his former players…

What’s the word?

According to reports in Spain (via Sport Witness), Emery is keen to reignite Villa’s interest in Atletico Madrid star Geoffrey Kondogbia after an unsuccessful attempt to sign him during the summer.

The 51-year-old and the Central African Republic international briefly crossed paths at Sevilla in 2013 and it’s believed that Villa could submit a €25m (£21.5m) bid in January.

After the arrival of Axel Witsel, the 29-year-old has found game time hard to come by at the Metropolitano, whilst he is also considered to be a player that could generate money for Los Rojiblancos.

McGinn upgrade

An upgrade in the engine room could be exactly what Villa need to reignite their season under the former Arsenal boss and Kondogbia is a worthy target indeed.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, the Atletico powerhouse has averaged 3.32 tackles and 2.29 interceptions per 90 over the last year and when compared to his positional peers across Europe’s top five divisions, it ranks him within the top 5% and the top 2%, respectively.

Meanwhile, last season in LaLiga, the 6 foot 2 brute ended the campaign as Diego Simeone’s fourth-best player, as per WhoScored figures, outperforming the likes of Rodrigo De Paul and Antoine Griezmann – both of whom are starring at the World Cup right now.

Kondogbia could represent a better option for Emery’s system than McGinn, who does register a similar output of successful tackles but falls short in other areas of the defensive game.

Currently, there are three other midfielders performing better than the Scotsman, according to WhoScored, whilst he was even dropped for the Spaniard’s first game in charge against Manchester United, in which Villa ran out victors.

McGinn has struggled for form ever since being appointed captain by former manager Steven Gerrard at the start of the season, so it could be wise to bring him out of the firing line heading into 2023 and the prospective arrival of Kondogbia could certainly aid that.

Once described as an “octopus” for his imposing ability to win back possession, the Atletico outcast has also been likened to Paul Pogba by his former Inter Milan boss Frank de Boer.

“Kondogbia is like Pogba,” he said (via the Daily Mail). “They play the same position.”

That sort of review makes the potential £21.5m fee look like a drop in the ocean, so it could well be worthwhile for sporting director Johan Lange to push ahead with Emery’s plan to bring Kondogbia to Villa Park this winter.

On the above evidence, the 29-year-old could well be a big upgrade to the struggling McGinn.

AND in other news, Emery could land his own Yaya Toure in Villa swoop for “devastating” £52m-rated powerhouse…

Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams is attracting increasing interest ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport, who claim that, as a result of the 23-year-old’s impressive performances at the Qatar World Cup this winter, Inter Milan have now joined Manchester United in taking a vested interest in the midfielder.

However, the report goes on to state that, with Victor Orta having only signed the USMNT captain in a £20m deal this summer, it would not appear as if Inter have a chance of landing the engine ‘anytime soon’, with it taking an ‘indispensable figure’ in order to convince the Whites to part with Adams in January.

Leeds struck gold

While the news that Adams is attracting interest from two European heavyweights in United and Inter may not be overly comforting for the Elland Road faithful, the 23-year-old’s extremely impressive performances and subsequent admiring glances are proof that Leeds well and truly struck gold when bringing the American to the club this summer.

Indeed, Adams has been a defensive rock in the heart of Jesse Marsch’s side over his 13 Premier League appearances in the current campaign, with the £41m-rated talent making an average of 4.0 tackles – the second-most in the league – 1.2 interceptions, 0.8 clearances and winning 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 55% – per game.

The midfielder has also impressed in possession of the ball, creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to enjoying an average of 72.4 touches, making 1.2 key passes, playing 1.8 long balls and completing 47 total passes – at a success rate of 82% – per match.

These returns have seen the £57k-per-week “engine” – as described by analyst Statman Dave – average an excellent Sofascore match rating of 6.92, currently ranking him as Marsch’s fifth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

However, it has not only been at club level that Adams has been impressing, as the 23-year-old has also been “doing Leeds United proud on the world stage” – in the words of Leeds Live journalist Beren Cross – at the World Cup this winter.

Indeed, over his three appearances in Qatar, the former RB Leipzig ace has been one of America’s star players, making an average of 3.3 tackles – the joint 27th-most in the competition – one interception and winning 6.3 duels – at a success rate of 63% – per game, as well as playing an average of 4.3 long balls and completing 54.7 passes – at a success rate of 89% – per fixture.

These metrics have seen the USA dynamo average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.07, ranking him as Gregg Berhalter’s fifth-best performer in the tournament, playing a key role in – rather remarkably – helping the USA qualify for the last 16 in the biggest competition in world football.

As such, it is clear for all to see just how talented a player Adams undoubtedly is, with Victor Orta’s £20m signing of the 23-year-old already appearing to have been one of the Spaniard’s best transfer masterclasses at Elland Road.

A further update has emerged regarding Leeds United’s settlement with RB Leipzig over the transfer of Jean-Kevin Augustin.

The Lowdown: Leeds statement

The Whites released a statement earlier this week, confirming they have ‘reached an amicable resolution of the dispute’ over the transfer of Augustin.

Leeds agreed on a deal to sign the forward permanently, should the club win promotion to the Premier League in the 2019/20 season.

A dispute has been ongoing ever since, with Leeds’ argument seeming to be the impact of the pandemic on that campaign. Financial details have now been shared on the situation after the club lost their appeal with The Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Latest: Update

LeedsLive relayed an update from Bild with ‘further details’ on Leeds and Leipzig’s settlement.

They claimed that the Whites will pay the full €21m fee, as well as €340,000 in interest for Augustin, however, Leipzig are reported to have been ‘accommodating with the payment modalities’, suggesting it can be paid in instalments.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-12/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Bad news

Some may have seen Leeds’ statement earlier in the week and thought that the two clubs could have struck a deal below the full €21m fee.

However, that isn’t the case and it seems to have been confirmed that Leipzig will eventually receive the full amount.

That will only come as bad news for Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises, with Augustin only playing 48 minutes for Leeds and now on the books at FC Basel, where he holds a mere €1.5m Transfermarkt valuation.