All posts by n8rngtd.top

It’s safe to say Leeds have already enjoyed a lively start to the new season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were hugely unlucky to be on the wrong side of a 4-3 thriller in their opening Premier League game of the campaign against Liverpool, before bowing out on penalties to Hull in the Carabao Cup in mid-week.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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Now, the Whites turn their attentions back towards the league, with a clash against fellow newly-promoted side Fulham at Elland Road on Saturday afternoon.

Having run the changes for the game against Hull on Wednesday, Bielsa will no doubt revert to type, and go with his more senior options. And with that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds could line up against Fulham.

Despite naming him as captain against the Tigers, Kiko Casilla is likely to drop back to the bench, with Illan Meslier coming back in to take the starting goalkeeper slot.

In front of him, Bielsa will further ring the changes, with a complete revamp of the back-line that started against Hull, with Luke Ayling, Robin Koch, Pascal Struijk and Stuart Dallas all taking their places in the starting line-up.

Kalvin Phillips, Mateusz Klich and Pablo Hernandez should form the central midfield trio, with Jack Harrison coming in on the left flank. One key decision Bielsa may be tempted to do, is keeping Ian Poveda in the team, and hoping that a game at home to Fulham – which should theoretically be the ‘easiest’ game of the season given the Cottagers earned promotion via the play-offs – could see him finally make his mark for the club.

And up front, the sooner Rodrigo starts firing the better, and what better chance to do that then on Saturday?

Predicted XI: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Struijk, Dallas; Phillips, Klich, Hernandez, Harrison, Poveda; Rodrigo

A number of West Ham fans have been reacting to a claim made by former Irons defender Don Hutchison regarding Bayern Munich’s Michael Cuisance.

The 21-year-old midfielder is reportedly closing in on an £18m move to Leeds, as per the Daily Mail, having been part of the Bundesliga side’s Champions League-winning squad earlier this year.

Hutchison took to Twitter (via @donhutch4) to claim that he had recommended the French youngster to West Ham three years ago when he was a teenager at Borussia Monchengladbach.

Indeed, the ex-Hammers defender also brought that up at the time of Cuisance’s move to Bayern last year, saying that the youngster has a “wand of a left foot” and “fantastic vision” as well as being a “great athlete”.

While the 21-year-old, who already has a rich CV, could soon be on his way to Leeds, West Ham are left searching for their first new arrival of the transfer window with less than a week remaining, amid massive discontent from many supporters towards the club’s owners.

These Irons fans on Twitter feel that the club should make more use of Hutchison’s eye for a player by offering him a formal role at London Stadium:

West Ham fans, how sickened would you be if Cuisance goes to Leeds? Have your say by commenting below!

Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa is keen to bolster his midfield options this summer following an injury blow to Pablo Hernandez last week.

The Telegraph claim that the Yorkshire giants are now poised to move for AZ Alkmaar captain Teun Koopmeiners, who has become a regular in the Eredivisie in recent seasons.

Bielsa lost his veteran playmaker during the warmup against Fulham, resulting in striker Rodrigo playing behind the striker.

United have considered moves for Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul, Atalanta’s Ruslan Malinovskyi and Levante maestro Jose Campana but have struggled to meet the asking prices of all three players.

It’s thought that the 22-year-old Dutchman would only cost a little over £10m and is also on the cusp of a call-up to the national side.

Koopmeiners played 25 times last year where he scored 11 goals from midfield whilst averaging 2.1 tackles, 1.4 shots, 1.2 dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Alan Pardew, who briefly managed league rivals Ado Den Haag, waxed lyrical about the box-to-box powerhouse – speaking to the Daily Mail, he said:

“The AZ captain Teun Koopmeiners, a left-footed centre back who can sit in midfield, is probably the best player in Holland in defensive areas.”

Whilst Smarter Scout claim he is “probably a better tackler than two-thirds of Premier League DMs, and he’s also outstanding in the air on dead balls. In terms of style, Koopmeiners offers a great mix of short and long passes, and can also take the ball forward himself,” and they also compare him to Granit Xhaka of Arsenal and Espanyol’s Marc Roca.

As alternative options go, Leeds should absolutely consider a move for the Alkmaar sensation.

AND in other news, Leeds plot record-breaking move for former Palace midfielder…

Norwich City are ‘confident’ of keeping hold of Todd Cantwell, who has been linked with a move to Leeds United.

English football’s domestic transfer window closes on 16 October and links of a move for Cantwell to Elland Road continue to be reported by Football Insider.

The young midfield talent is currently playing for Norwich City in the Championship, having been part of the Canaries side that suffered relegation from the Premier League last season.

Despite the disappointment suffered by the youngster, he managed to impress throughout the 2019/20 campaign with six goals and two assists in his 37 top-flight appearances.

Norwich hoping to fend off Leeds’ interest in Todd Cantwell

With few days remaining in the current window, Football Insider claimed that Norwich are keen to fend off any interest after receiving two bids from Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the past month.

The report added that a recruitment source claimed that Norwich fully expect the attacking midfielder to be at the club beyond the 16 October domestic transfer deadline.

Cantwell, who is valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, has two years remaining on his contract at Carrow Road after renewing terms in July 2019 and is said be keen on a move to Elland Road.

Cantwell the final piece of Bielsa’s puzzle

Spending just under £100m thus far in the transfer window, Argentine tactician Bielsa is seemingly desperate to bring in a new and young midfielder to Leeds, having missed out on Michael Cuisance last week.

Cantwell, who is claimed to be dreaming of a move to Leeds, would seemingly improve his game further if he were to move to Yorkshire, potentially learning from the likes of Pablo Hernandez over the coming months.

A move for the young English midfielder would seemingly be a real coup for Bielsa, but Norwich certainly aren’t going to let him depart too easily.

Do you think Cantwell will join Leeds before the end of the domestic transfer window? Let us know your views in the comments section below…

Newcastle United boss Steve Bruce has left Carlo Ancelotti in an ideal position ahead of Everton’s trip to St. James’ Park on Sunday.

Bruce has been full of praise for the defensive work of midfielders Ryan Fraser and Miguel Almiron in the Toon’s recent Premier League fixtures, and is likely to ask the duo to again aid efforts to thwart the Toffees this weekend to avoid a home defeat.

It was a tactic the Magpies opted for against Wolverhampton Wanderers in their last top-flight fixture, allowing the Molineux natives to enjoy 63.4 per cent of the possession before salvaging a 1-1 draw in the 89th-minute with only their second shot on target, per WhoScored.

Everton will arrive on Tyneside reeling from a first defeat of the season to Southampton last time out, but remain atop the league standings on goal difference to Merseyside neighbours Liverpool.

The Saints opted to go for the jugular against Everton with 13 shots, while enjoying more of the ball (54.3%), more passes (610 to 509), attempting more dribbles (26 to 21, with 18 successful) and restricting Ancelotti’s men to just two efforts on target, per WhoScored.

Nevertheless, Bruce is unlikely to try similar this weekend and instead, favour the relentless workrate of Almiron and Fraser.

“If you watch him [Almiron] week in, week out – it has been difficult to leave him out, because of what he gives you,” Bruce said, via quotes by the Chronicle. “I have asked him to play the left side of midfield at Wolves. He was tireless in his work.

“Him and Ryan Fraser ran themselves into [a] standstill. That’s what you have to do when they are playing the way they are.”

Bruce persisting with a defensive display will be a welcome relief for Ancelotti, as it will offer Everton the perfect chance to bounce back from a first defeat of the season by playing their own brand of football rather than trying to soak up the pressure once more.

Neither Fraser nor Almiron are superb defensively, either, with the former only winning 0.5 tackles a game in the Premier League this season, while the latter has been dribbled past on average 1.4 times a match.

Ancelotti will see the wide duo as the perfect players to exploit this weekend, especially if the Italian is able to call on James Rodriguez following the Colombian’s injury scare.

Rodriguez appeared to be struggling in the closing stages of the Southampton loss and was scheduled for scans this week, though Ancelotti was not overly concerned at the early prognosis.

“I think we have to check in the next few days,” he said, via quotes by the Liverpool Echo. “He was tired at the end, he felt his muscle a little bit. But I don’t think it’s a big problem. It’s true that the game was difficult for everyone.”

Rodriguez would be expected to play an instrumental role against Newcastle should he overcome the muscle issue, having thus far record Everton’s highest number of key balls (18), big chances created (five), accurate final third passes (70), successful dribbles (16) and taken their third-most shots (10) in the Premier League this season, per SofaScore.

The former Real Madrid ace’s 72.73% dribble success rate will also come in handy in attempting to exploit Fraser and Almiron, with Richarlison – who completes 84.21% of his dribbles – still suspended.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti has landed a big break but it comes as an unfortunate blow for a “talented” Everton ace.

Leeds United could have missed out on another gem during the summer transfer window, and it wouldn’t be for the first time either…

What was the word?

Ahead of the domestic deadline, the Whites were touted as a potential destination for Norwich City playmaker Emi Buendia just a few months after the Daily Mail claimed that it would cost £25m for Victor Orta to land him.

Although, the Yorkshire giants massively missed out back in the summer of 2018 – prior to his move to the Canaries.

The 23-year-old maestro impressed during a spell on loan to Cultural Leonesa, who have a special partnership with Leeds United.

Sporting director Stuart Webber told the Telegraph: “We literally found him from nowhere. The most interesting part of it is that Buendia was on loan at Cultural Leonesa, who are owned by Leeds. Luckily we got in there under Leeds’ noses.”

One that got away?

He may find himself back in the Championship, despite a transfer plea for a top-flight side to come and sign him this summer, but he’s continued to punish United for not signing him when they had their chance.

At the weekend, he scored his first goal of the season to take his total to three goal contributions from six league appearances. Buendia is also averaging an enormous 3.5 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Throw in an average of 2.8 shots and 1.8 tackles per match too, and then you’ve got a player who seems ripe for Marcelo Bielsa’s style of football – high-intensity pressing and very much direct.

Buendia tore apart Bielsa during one game in his first season, managing six dribbles, one key pass and 11 ground duels won against Gjanni Alioski (per SofaScore) – it’s no wonder the live-wire is no longer considered a left-back anymore.

He was available for just £20m in the summer if reports are to be believed.

Bielsa only really has Pablo Hernandez, who isn’t getting any younger and stormed off the pitch when substituted on Monday, and summer signing Rodrigo able to play that creative role behind the striker, so adding Buendia couldn’t have been a more sensible decision.

Once dubbed a “game-changer” by Daniel Farke, the Argentinian dynamo would’ve been the perfect arrival having contributed to eight goals in 28 starts in the Premier League last term.

Bielsa and Orta could long regret this one.

AND in other news, Leeds star who lost 66% of his duels let Marcelo Bielsa down badly in Foxes mauling…

Former Glasgow Rangers manager Alex McLeish has told Ibrox News that Steven Gerrard will regret not signing Lyndon Dykes.

Dykes the one that got away

The Gers were heavily linked with Dykes over the summer before he eventually moved to QPR for a fee believed to be in the region of £2m.

Discussing the 54-time Scottish champions’ interest in the 25-year-old, McLeish appears to believe that the Gers should have done more to secure his services. He said:

“I don’t really want to criticise Rangers because they’ve done so well in strengthening their squad over the summer.

“And you can’t argue with signing Kemar Roofe.

“I’ve got to say, though, that I felt that Dykes was someone they would go for, in terms of the squad.

“Back in the day when I was at Rangers and we had a successful period, I brought it Kris Boyd and Steven Thompson, and they were both confident and knew their way around the Scottish game.

“They may think that that’s one they missed out on with Dykes but Steven Gerrard is the only one who can really answer that.”

Doing well without him

It has been a good few months for Australia-born Dykes. Since his move to London, he has three goals in nine matches for the Rs, and he also has two strikes in six caps for Scotland after making his international debut this season. He has also received plenty of praise, with QPR boss Mark Warburton saying his work-ethic is “outstanding”.

However, it doesn’t seem like the Gers are missing his signature. They are currently top of the Premiership by nine points, whilst they are also joint-top of their Europa League group. In fact, they have not lost a single game in 20 matches in all competitions. Whilst Dykes may be a good player, he does not appear to be someone Gerrard is crying out for.

In other news, Rangers fans react to this big club announcement.

Scoring goals has been a problem for Fulham so far this season, with the Cottagers having managed just seven goals in their opening eight Premier League fixtures.

This suggests that Scott Parker’s side are really lacking some creativity in midfield, as well as someone who can take the strain off Aleksandar Mitrovic, with the Serbian having contributed two of those seven goals in the top-flight.

Fortunately for the West London club, they have an academy talent in Tyrese Francois, whose performances for the U23s in recent seasons suggest that he is more than ready to make his mark in the Fulham first-team.

The 20-year-old midfielder has grabbed two goals and one assist in just two appearances for the U23 side so far this season and is clearly pushing for a promotion to the first-team, having made his second appearance for the club – a 19-minute cameo after a 10-minute one in the same competition last term – earlier this season in the 2-0 win against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup.

Francois’ debut came in a 1-0 defeat against Southampton in the same competition early last season, suggesting that he has been pushing for a first-team spot for some time now, and Parker must be well aware of his talent.

Following the win against Sheffield Wednesday, the Fulham manager was full of praise for Francois and fellow youngster Fabio Carvalho, saying:

“I thought they were brilliant. They did really well, to be fair.

“They’ve trained really well with us over the last few weeks. I thought they were positive when they came on and they created a few chances as well, so I was really pleased for those boys.

“Tyrese and Fabio, two very good football players who I’m sure will have a bright future here.” (per FTBL)

Therefore, Francois is clearly knocking on the door for Parker’s side and considering their lack of creativity this season, it might be worth giving him a chance in the first-team.

His Fulham profile suggests that he is “not the most physical, however, [he] makes up for it with excellent technical ability and skill. He has a lot of pace on and off the ball and is very alert in and out of possession” which sounds exactly like the sort of player the Cottagers might need right now.

Wolves sensation Raul Jimenez has been backed to secure a move out of Molineux in the near future by former striker Marlon Harewood.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, the 41-year-old claimed that the Old Gold forward deserved a move to a bigger club, even though it would be a massive miss for the club.

Since his rise to stardom in the Midlands, Jimenez has been linked with an exit to Manchester United and Juventus, as revealed by the Mexican himself in an interview with TUDN, via Goal.

The £36m-rated talisman is an integral part of Nuno Santo’s squad having netted 48 goals and delivered 18 assists since arriving from Atletico Madrid in 2018.

He would then cost a club-record £30m after an initial loan spell.

And Harewood claims that he’s earned a move elsewhere, despite being a perfect fit for Wolves.

He told FFC:

“He just fits them nicely. He has an understanding with all the players, he’s a really top class player. When he’s with Wolves, he fits them well. And when you need a goal, and you can see it coming, and he’s going to be that person to score that goal.
“It’s strange, but all the best to him. I hope he does get his move that he’s worth because over the last couple of years he’s been top class, and he’s helped Wolves a lot.
“He’d be a miss, so I can’t see him going easily or the club letting him go because it will be very hard to replace a player like that. They will need him and he will be very missed up there if they let him go.”
Jimenez has continued to be Nuno’s main man, scoring four goals from nine games in the Premier League this season, which is double what anyone else has managed, per WhoScored.
No wonder club captain Conor Coady believes the Wolf Pack monster is a “sensational footballer” who “works hard every single day.”
It would certainly be a devastating blow to lose the no.9 having already seen Diogo Jota depart for Liverpool, and that only goes to show that chairman Jeff Shi is willing to sell his key stars if the price is right.
With the January transfer window on the horizon, you’d be a fool if you thought Jimenez’s future is going to go under the radar. This saga will continue to rumble on alongside his impressive form.

AND in other news, Wolves target “big player” who would be a dream Fosun signing…

Steve Parish can deliver Crystal Palace their next Patrick van Aanholt in Marseille defender Jordan Amavi.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, Marseille are worried about Amavi’s future at the Orange Velodrome as he is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

The 26-year-old uncapped former France international has been linked with a possible move to Selhurst Park as the Eagles are tracking a number of potential replacements for Patrick van Aanholt, with his contract set to run out in the summer.

Palace prioritised several other positions in the off-season as Parish sought to bolster Roy Hodgson’s arsenal of attacking options in the summer after Alexander Sorloth left the club for RB Leipzig.

With the winter transfer window fast approaching, Marseille coach Andre Villas-Boas is believed to be concerned that the club are running out of time to sell one of their valuable assets before his contract expires, which is something that Parish could look to exploit.

Perfect PVA replacement

If Parish can get a deal over the line in January, Hodgson could see the Eagles land their next Van Aanholt, with the former Aston Villa starlet once described as a “terrific” talent after he signed a five-year deal at Villa Park.

Amavi spent two years at Aston Villa before joining Marseille in 2017, helping the Olympians reach the Europa League final a year later.

It goes without saying that he has become one of the top players in Europe in his position, with Villas-Boas recently heaping praise on the 26-year-old in an interview with La Provence.

The former Chelsea boss said: “Amavi is one of the players who has improved the most. He has a great frame of mind.”

His ability to break up attacks, combined with his ability to dribble past players as well as being a strong threat in the air, is something that sets him apart from the rest of his competitors, as Marcos Alonso has often been criticised for his lack of pace.

Valued at £9m via Transfermarkt, in eight appearances in Ligue 1, the left-back has scored one goal so far this season, whilst he is averaging 1.4 tackles, 3.3 interceptions and 2.9 clearances per game, via WhoScored.

In contrast, even Van Aanholt has only mustered 1.3 tackles, 0.5 interceptions and 0.8 clearances on average per game in the Premier League this season so far, as per WhoScored.

Suffice it to say the young Frenchman would be an upgrade on the 30-year-old, who didn’t cover himself in glory against Newcastle United last month, and is arguably entering the twilight of his career.

AND in other news, Parish masterclass: Crystal Palace struck gold by signing Eberechi Eze from Queens Park Rangers…