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Leeds United’s transfers this summer haven’t been bad by any stretch, but there is always room for a little bit of improvement.

The Whites spent almost £100m on new talent in the window, but interestingly, not one of these players had ever worked with Marcelo Bielsa before, despite the Argentine having a huge network of ex-players he could call upon.

Bielsa has worked with some of the most talented players in the game at the moment with the likes of Man City’s Aymeric Laporte and Benjamin Mendy, as well as PSG’s Ander Herrera developing under him, but for one reason or another he hasn’t worked towards bringing in any of his ex-players at Leeds.

Familiarity with your playing staff can be a great thing, and using your connections to make signings can be incredibly lucrative, as shown by Garry Monk’s time at the club.

The former Swansea City boss brought in three players who he worked with in south Wales, and it’s fair to say that this strategy was a rousing success, with both Pablo Hernandez and Kyle Bartley earning a place in Phil Hay’s Leeds United Team of the Decade.

Bielsa has a litany of stars in his contact book from his spells at Marseille, Athletic Bilbao and Chile, and while many have been linked, not a single one of his ex-players have signed for Leeds.

Perhaps this is down to Victor Orta having the main say on Leeds transfers, but it’s been well-documented that Bielsa has a sway on the club’s transfer activity, so it may just be that the Argentine is actively deciding against using his contact book.

However, with Leeds seemingly having huge financial resources these days, there are plenty of players he worked with at his former jobs that could slot nicely into United’s XI, especially seeing as Marseille and Bilbao are regularly playing in European competitions.

Signing players who know Bielsa’s methods would also negate the need for the lengthy bedding in period that the Argentine likes to give his new signings, as it wouldn’t take them too long to get up to speed with a manager they’ve already worked with.

This is a transfer plan that the Argentine should look to implement in the near future.

According to The Express, Liverpool are ready to reignite their interest in Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly this summer.

What’s the word?

Jurgen Klopp’s side were reported to be interested in the ace last year, but a deal failed to materialise before the end of the transfer window.

Now however, the Cherries’ relegation from the Premier League has opened up the team to a raid from some of the big-hitters in the top-flight, with Liverpool eyeing up a move for Kelly in particular.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

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The report claims that following Dejan Lovren’s departure to Zenit St Petersburg in recent days, Klopp is interested in bringing in a new centre-back to the club, with Kelly also being able to play at left-back too.

A masterstroke from Michael Edwards

Standing at 6 foot 3 and being left-footed, Kelly does inspire comparisons with former Liverpool centre-back Daniel Agger, who played for the Reds 232 times.

The Cherries defender is comfortable with the ball at his feet – he averaged an 80.1% pass accuracy in the Premier League this season – and has the kind of mobility that marks him out as a potentially elite centre-back in the modern game.

After completing a deal to sign him for Bournemouth, Eddie Howe said: “Lloyd is an exciting talent and a player of real potential, while at the same time already possessing good experience for someone so young. He is athletic, versatile, physically excellent and has a very bright future ahead of him.”

Still only 21, and earning only a reported £30k-per-week, Kelly would slot in seamlessly as a rotation option in the Liverpool back-line, and as a left-footer, offers the Reds something completely different in the centre of their defence. Michael Edwards could pull off a masterstroke by finally landing him for the Merseyside club this summer.

أكد الفرنسي باتريس كارتيرون المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي الزمالك على أهمية مباراة توسكر الكيني في ذهاب دور الـ32 لبطولة دوري أبطال أفريقيا، والمقرر لها في كينيا يوم 16 أكتوبر الجاري.

وشدد المدير الفني في تصريحات خاصة للموقع الرسمي لنادي الزمالك على أنه لا بد من احترام فريق توسكر في مواجهتي الذهاب والإياب من أجل الفوز والتأهل لدور المجموعات بدوري أبطال أفريقيا.

طالع أيضا.. مدرب الترجي: أتمنى مواجهة الأهلي والتتويج بدوري أبطال إفريقيا

وأوضح كارتيرون أنه يدرس الفريق المنافس في الفترة الحالية من أجل معرفة نقاط القوة والضعف لاستغلالها في المباراة المقبلة لتحقيق نتيجة إيجابية في لقاء الذهاب.

وشدد المدير الفني على أن فريقه لن يتهاون أمام المنافس وسيلعب بجدية وتركيز للعودة من كينيا بنتيجة إيجابية.

Everton supporters have been getting involved in a Dominic Calvert-Lewin debate on Twitter this week and it has resulted in comparisons to former Toffees strikers.

Names such as Graeme Sharp, Nikica Jelavic and Bob Latchford were all mentioned.

The 23-year-old is enjoying a breakthrough season at Goodison Park having bagged 15 goals in 32 appearances, and has thrived under the stewardship of Carlo Ancelotti with over half coming since the Italian was appointed, via Transfermarkt.

Calvert-Lewin was signed for £1.5m from Sheffield United in 2016 and was part of the England U20 squad that won the World Cup in 2017. He’s now valued at £21.6m as per Transfermarkt.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

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And whilst he is yet to feature for Gareth Southgate’s senior Three Lions side, there were solid calls from the media over him being on the radar for a potential call up ahead of Euro 2020 – and with that being put back a year, it could bolster his chances even more should he enjoy another impressive campaign.

Here’s what fans have been saying about him…

AND in other news, Richarlison fires transfer message to Romelu Lukaku

MatériaMais Notícias

É tempo de Botafogo. Esse é o lema que embala a torcida nesta temporada histórica do clube, e parece fazer cada vez mais sentido. Além de liderar o Campeonato Brasileiro e estar na semifinal da Libertadores, o Alvinegro também é o líder do campeonato de Aspirantes, o sub-23 do futebol masculino. Um dos destaques da equipe no torneio tem sido JP Galvão, que retornou ao clube após empréstimo à Chapecoense.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBotafogoAlexander Barboza se revolta após empate do Botafogo: ‘Estou enojado’Botafogo19/10/2024BotafogoJohn Textor diz que comparação com 2023 é ‘estúpida’ e lamenta empate do BotafogoBotafogo19/10/2024BotafogoArtur Jorge lamenta tropeço do Botafogo e comenta gol sofrido: ‘Evitável’Botafogo18/10/2024

▶️ John Textor diz que comparação com 2023 é ‘estúpida’ e lamenta empate do Botafogo

▶️ Alexander Barboza se revolta após empate do Botafogo: ‘Estou enojado’

O jovem de 23 anos não é novidade para os botafoguenses e chegou a jogar algumas partidas pelo profissional na última temporada. Em 2024, o lateral-direito foi emprestado para a Chapecoense, mas retornou ao clube nesta janela de transferências.

Ao voltar ao Botafogo, o jogador integrou ao elenco sub-23 para disputar o Campeonato Brasileiro de Aspirantes. O Glorioso se tornou líder do Grupo A, com oito pontos, após golear o Atlético-MG por 4 a 0 no último domingo (13) e ver o Fluminense ser derrotado pelo Fortaleza por 1 a 0 nesta quarta (16).

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O Campeonato Brasileiro de Aspirantes 2024 tem 16 clubes inscritos em dois grupos. A competição começou no dia 25 de setembro e vai até a última semana de novembro. Confira os grupos:

Grupo A: CRB-AL, Vitória, Fortaleza, Atlético-MG, Sport, Botafogo, Fluminense e Vasco da Gama.
Grupo B: Goiás, Vila Nova-GO, Cuiabá, Juventude, Criciúma, Red Bull Bragantino, Santos e Mirassol-SP.

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Na primeira rodada, o Botafogo venceu o Vasco por 1 a 0, empatou sem gols com o Vitória, fora de casa, empatou em 2 a 2 com o CRB, e agora, goleou o Galo por 4 a 0. O gol que abriu o placar foi de JP Galvão, que falou em exclusividade ao Lance! sobre o momento vivido em seu retorno ao clube. Confira!

Momento do sub-23, invicto no Brasileirão Aspirantes

É uma competição difícil, com grandes times do futebol brasileiro. Mas o time está empenhado em dar o seu melhor e acredito que estamos conseguindo. Importante seguirmos invictos, para sempre estarmos somando pontos na tabela. Encaramos cada jogo como um grande desafio, com muito foco e dedicação de todos. Vamos buscar esse título até o fim.

Expectativa de voltar ao profissional

Acredito que estou vivendo um momento de cada vez. Feliz por ter voltado ao Botafogo, estar perto da minha família e amigos de time. O futuro, deixo nas mãos de Deus. Claro que quero chegar ao profissional e ajudar o time principal, mas estou feliz em estar contribuindo no sub-23. Temos grandes objetivos no Brasileirão de Aspirantes. Espero fazer o melhor para o Botafogo!

Momento mais marcante até aqui nesse retorno ao Botafogo

Acredito que foi o meu gol, no último final de semana, contra o Atlético-MG. Sabíamos que seria um jogo difícil, mas todo o time se dedicou até o fim e ganhamos com uma boa vantagem. Fiquei muito feliz em voltar a marcar com essa camisa, que tem tanta importância no futebol nacional. Espero continuar ajudando dentro de campo, para conquistarmos nossos objetivos.

A próxima partida do Botafogo, no sub-23, será contra o Sport Recife, a partir das 15h (de Brasília), pela 5ª rodada do Campeonato de Aspirantes. O Leão do Norte é o penúltimo colocado na classificação, com dois pontos, atrás apenas do Vasco, com um ponto.

Tudo sobre

Botafogo

James Tomkins insists that Crystal Palace are aiming to finish in the Premier League top 10 this season, per Palace TV via FourFourTwo.

What’s he said?

The Eagles are currently 10th in the table, taking 22 points from their opening 16 games of the season.

They are level on points with both Arsenal and Newcastle United, and are seven clear of the relegation zone, with Southampton in 18th.

And Tomkins has set his sights on finishing in the top half of the table.

He said: “The target is to break into the top half if we can. Last season, we fought long and hard to keep ourselves up and at the end of it, we did pretty well and made a great job of it.

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“But that’s not ideally where we want to be, we want to be in and around the other half of the table.”

Set sights higher

This feels like a bit of a nonsense statement from Tomkins.

Of course, Palace have never finished higher than 10th in the top-flight, achieving that finish in 2014/15.

In the last three seasons, they have finished 12th, 11th and 14th respectively.

And one has to reason that they are absolutely fine with that; they don’t have the ambition to attempt to qualify for the Europa League or even potentially push onto the Champions League.

To say that this team could do the latter, of course, is ridiculous but Wolves, who were promoted just two seasons ago, are already playing European football. Leicester City were promoted and won the league within a couple of seasons.

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

Palace, though, are clearly happy with mediocrity, as Tomkins has suggested.

It’s a shame, and it shows why the club can’t take that next step.

Meanwhile, Palace could be set to move for a former Premier League striker. 

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

West Bromwich Albion still sit atop the Championship table as the final international break of 2020 takes centre stage.

The following two weeks give manager Slaven Bilic an opportunity to refresh his mind ahead of a hectic festive period as the Baggies will surely look to continue their promotion push.

He’ll have the headache of trying to decide who will temporarily replace both Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers in the heart of midfield as they face a one-game suspension, but other more long-term factors could shape their season.

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Experimental361’s xG (expected goals) model revealed that the club should actually be sitting in sixth position, rather than at the summit, meaning to some extent, West Brom have had luck on their side.

One potential root of their problems, and it is no secret, lies in attack as their strikers have only combined for six goals in the Championship, which is merely 20% of their total scored.

Matty Phillips has bagged six himself, so that tells you all you need to know.

A striker could well be on the cards in January as Bilic looks to atone for his mistakes in signing the likes of Kenneth Zohore and Charlie Austin.

It is the latter’s performance which has been most surprising as the 30-year-old has an impressive record in this very division, scoring 69 goals in 143 appearances, per Transfermarkt.

However, this campaign he has only managed the solitary goal from ten starts.

That’s less than another one of their forwards, who is currently out on loan in the Championship…

Jonathan Leko has proven to be a vital member of Lee Bowyer’s Charlton Athletic side this campaign, scoring three goals and assisting two more.

The 20-year-old is a natural wide player, but he’s mainly been deployed as a striker, meaning he could come back to the Hawthorns with added versatile qualities that would make him of serious value to Bilic.

He’s performing better than Austin in the same league, can play in the number ten role, wide or upfront so it would make a ton of sense to recall him in January.

Leko’s pace and drive could well suit the system Bilic is trying to play too, you only have to look at how Grady Diangana and Matheus Pereira have thrived this season to see that

They have contributed with seven goals and ten assists, per WhoScored.

The Addicks loanee has scored more goals than Austin with fewer shots at goal (one per game), while his passing accuracy (78.5%) is much higher, meaning he should be more suited to the slick style of football on display in the west Midlands as Albion rank second in the league for pass success rate.

Gabriel Martinelli has been named as Arsenal’s player of the month for October, and although the club’s results have been extremely inconsistent as of late, these fans have been stating their appreciation for the forward’s goalscoring contribution so far in 2019/20.

Martinelli has scored seven goals since arriving from Ituano in the summer transfer window, whilst also particularly impressing in the Europa League, scoring three goals in three European appearances.

Yet despite this, the 18-year-old is yet to start a Premier League game in the current campaign. 

Although the last month has been a difficult period for Arsenal, with Unai Emery’s side now sitting in fifth, six points off Champions League qualification, the form of their Brazilian youngster is unquestionably a positive element of an underwhelming campaign so far.

Following the announcement that Martinelli had won the club’s player of the month award, these fans were quick to sing his praises.

Here are some of the best reactions following an official club tweet.

It was a disappointing result for Rangers against Hearts of Midlothian.

With Celtic hammering Ross County 6-0 on Saturday, the Gers needed a victory against the Jam Tarts to move back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table. However, they could only manage a 1-1 draw, and they only got that after Alfredo Morelos had levelled following their opponents’ opener in the first half. They now sit second in the table on goal difference.

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There were plenty of displays that were lacking, but right-back James Tavernier’s was particularly disappointing. The 27-year-old was at fault for Hearts’ goal and other than that, he did not manage to reach his usual high standards.

His display did not go unnoticed by the Ibrox outfit’s supporters, and they were quick to slam his performance. They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Just doing enough to keep the fans attention.

Birmingham have been struggling for goals so far this season, with twelve goals in their thirteen games.

However, things could have been a whole lot different if they’d have completed the signing of George Puscas before he chose Reading.

Puscas got off to a flying start, with three goals in his first three games, but has been on a quiet streak recently, before finding the back of the net against QPR in midweek.

Which led to @Blues_HQ on Twitter asking fans if they thought that they would end up regretting not pushing the boat out a little more when they were trying to sign him.

It seemed to get an almost unanimous response from the fans on Twitter, with fans saying that they’re glad the two sides couldn’t quite come to an agreement…