Leeds haven’t had many England internationals pass through their ranks in recent years.
Fabian Delph and Lewis Cook have both earned caps for the Three Lions, but other than that it’s been a dry spell for one of England’s most historic clubs.
However, if recent reports (Telegraph via LeedsLive) are to be believed, one Elland Road star could be in line for a call-up sooner rather than later.
Indeed, the newspaper have reported that Kalvin Phillips may be called up to the England squad, but we have to wonder whether or not Southgate is looking at the right man.
Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
The England boss has been seen at Elland Road this season, reportedly looking at both Phillips and Ben White, and it seems as though he has been more impressed by the Yorkshire Pirlo than the Brighton loanee.
Now, Phillips is a fantastic player, and he has been hailed as the best in the Championship, but it’s difficult to say that he’s been in great form of late. His WhoScored average rating over the last 10 games is just 6.69.
In contrast, White is averaging a rating of 6.89 over his previous ten outings at centre-back, so it’s easy to see who is in better form.
Southgate has previously stated himself that he’ll only be picking players on form, so it’d make more sense for him to pick the defender.
On top of this, the centre-back position has been more of a problem position for Southgate than defensive midfield. Since his appointment he’s been desperately searching for the right player, calling up James Tarkowski, Alfie Mawson, Lewis Dunk, Tyrone Mings, Fikayo Tomori and Ben Gibson in a desperate effort to find the solution to his depth problem in that area. That’s alongside the usual suspects like Harry Maguire and John Stones.
Meanwhile, in midfield, he’s happily opted for either PFA Player of the Year candidate Jordan Henderson, or £90m rated Declan Rice, with the pair picking up 14 caps between them over the past 12 months.
We’re not saying that Phillips doesn’t deserve consideration, he’s been excellent, but his recent form indicates that the timing is off and there isn’t much need for further depth in his position.
In other news, one former star’s comments indicate that Leeds should change their stance on this man.
Wolverhampton Wanderers pulled off a stunning scalp on Sunday afternoon to bolster their chances of playing in Europe once again next season.
Nuno Santo’s side clinched all three points in a five-goal thriller against Tottenham Hotspur in north London to overtake them into sixth place.
Spurs twice held the lead in the first half before Raul Jimenez popped up with the winner in the 73rd minute with a coolly slotted finish.
Jose Mourinho’s post-match comments, as relayed by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers, has riled some members of the Wolf Pack on social media.
Here’s what has been said…
Plenty slammed the Portuguese boss’ comments, claiming he was a “bad loser” who was “salty” while one supporter claimed he was “predictable”.
Mourinho was also labelled as “classless” as well as a “fraud.”
Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Some others wondered why he said such a thing considering his players got away with similar things to Ruben Neves – Serge Aurier and Ben Davies both committed three fouls, which was more than the Wolves midfielder per SofaScore.
The previous head-to-head at Molineux earlier in the season was also referenced with one supporter brandishing it “karma.”
There was even an accusation that the Spurs players purposely tried to disclose Adama Traore’s shoulder.
And then some fans compared the former Chelsea and Manchester United manager to his fellow countryman Nuno Santo…
A further member of the Old Gold faithful said Mourinho was the “anti-Nuno” whilst another claimed the Wolves chief was indeed the ‘special one’.
Obscure Footballers – Old School edition: Nobody can score more than 70% on this quiz…
And in other news, Wolves fans lay into OVERRATED ACE despite Spurs win…
Sunderland have been up for sale since the beginning of January but it appears the club may be nearing a change in hands following a recent update from Stewart Donald.
The owner stated previously that he was hoping to have the ownership situation sorted out quickly, but with multiple parties rumoured to be interested it could take some time before the club is sold.
Despite the positive news, Sunderland fans are choosing to be pessimistic, as a number have grown impatient with Donald’s broken promises and believe this is another untruth.
As a result, they probably won’t be getting their hopes up regarding a takeover until a sale is offcially announced, with one fan pointing out that such a time will likely be delayed until the end of the season.
The fact Donald has suggested his asking price for the club will change depending on whether the team is promoted this season shows that supporter may be accurate in his assessment.
While the owner is sharing information it is still very vague currently, with none of the parties that are supposedly interested being made public, though the fact they are undergoing due diligence is an update of sorts.
One fan seems to be encouraged by the news but a rather more cynical viewpoint has also been expressed, one that suggests Donald is looking to drum up excitement for season ticket renewal by announcing this news, given it was the fans who had called for him to go in the first place.
Premier League experts will get full marks: The ultimate quiz on top flight transfer flops…
In other news, Sunderland fans have been reacting to injury news that could impact the team’s ambitions this season.
Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after German outlet Bild claimed that the European champions could sign RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner, before loaning him back to the Bundesliga title chasers.
The Reds completed a similar deal when signing Naby Keita from RB Leipzig, agreeing to pay his £48m release clause before allowing the Guinea international to remain in Germany for the following campaign.
Bild are now reporting that Jurgen Klopp’s side could do the same with Werner, who has been strongly linked with a switch to Anfield – so much so that The Athletic’s James Pearce said that he’d be “surprised” if the German didn’t become a Liverpool player (TV 2 Sporten via Empire of the Kop).
It would be an excellent addition to Klopp’s squad if the Merseysiders managed to get the former Stuttgart striker to sign for them.
The 24-year-old has a quite phenomenal goal-to-game ratio this season, netting 21 goals in 24 Bundesliga starts, as well as four Champions League goals in just seven appearances in the competition – Werner also has two goals in three DFB-Pokal outings.
Let’s see what the Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying about Bild’s report…
To kick off the reaction, one supporter described the potential situation as their “worst nightmare” – perhaps a slight overreaction.
Two more fans said that loaning Werner back would only make sense if Jadon Sancho was also signed this summer – in that case, we would be inclined to agree as Klopp would potentially struggle to squeeze both world-class attackers into his already star-studded attack.
Elsewhere, three other fans expressed their bafflement at the news.
No clues: Can you name the season these iconic Liverpool images belong to?
While it wouldn’t be ideal given Liverpool’s lack of world-class depth behind Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino, it could actually make sense to loan Werner back for the first half of the campaign, and then implement him into the XI when Salah and Mane begin their Africa Cup of Nations exploits – the tournament begins in January of next season.
In other news, James Pearce has provided a timely boost for Liverpool ahead of the clash with Atletico Madrid…
When you have a formidable figure such as Virgil van Dijk marshalling your backline, you’d probably be forgiven for not scouring the transfer market for another centre-back.
However, when that was the case for Southampton in 2017, Vice Chairman Les Reed still decided to look under a few rocks outside Europe’s top five leagues for the next big thing.
While he didn’t find another player of Van Dijk’s ilk, Reed did unearth a rough diamond – Jan Bednarek.
The Saints eventually signed the Polish centre-back from Lech Poznan, handing them £5m for the 21-year-old’s services.
Now 23 years of age, Bednarek has proven to be an astute capture, even more so given the finances involved.
As aforesaid, the defender cost only £5m, which in itself is a bargain. However, he has also been earning just £20k-a-week during that time – we say ‘just’ as it’s nothing, although in the modern footballing era, it really isn’t much.
Bednarek arrived at St Mary’s on July 1st 2017, signing a five-year contract.
If you were to count the weeks from that date to now, the 21-cap Poland international has been at Southampton for 141 weeks, meaning that he has earned a total of £2.82m in wages.
Add that to his £5m transfer fee, and Bednarek has only cost Southampton £7.82m – a true bargain given his current status as a first-team regular.
The 23-year-old has started 27 Premier League games out of a possible 29 this term, and has made 67 appearances for the Saints in total – that means he has cost the club only £116.7k per appearance since his arrival.
At just 23 years of age, Bednarek’s best years are surely ahead of him and his value – according to Transfermarkt – stands at £13.5m, so it was a wise investment from Reed and one that looks sure to land Southampton a profit.
Are you a true Saints expert? Test your knowledge on these famous academy graduates…
He is far from the finished article, but the Pole was an excellent capture in a financial sense.
In other news, this Southampton man has been draining Gao’s bank account for 88 weeks…
After scoring a dream winner against Manchester United earlier in the season, Matty Longstaff was no doubt the player on everybody’s lips.
Newcastle’s hometown hero had blown the roof off the place at St James’ Park, and pundits like Graeme Souness and Gary Neville waxed lyrical about him after the match. Jamie Redknapp in particular lauded him as being “tenacious”, and hailed his midfield partnership with brother Sean.
At that point, a big-money move was easily in sight, but following a pretty average few months since then, teams should perhaps think again about making a move. But according to TEAMtalk, Everton are amongst a bunch of teams who have expressed an interest in signing him amid suggestions he is contemplating leaving the Magpies this summer.
Watch Everton Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below
Whilst Longstaff enjoyed a memorable occasion against United, that wonder goal still remains his one true highlight this season. It’s a situation that is arguably eerily similar to the one being endured by Tom Davies, who is still perhaps best known for his solo run and strike against Manchester City a few seasons ago.
The duo are also fairly similar in respects to their styles of player, with neither goal-scoring or ball-winning midfielders. Longstaff has managed just three strikes this season, whilst Davies has fared worse with just two to his name. Both also average less than 1.2 tackles per game, whilst they also win less than 50% of their total duels too.
How much do you really know about the Farhad Moshiri era? Answer 25 simple questions below…
These aren’t players at the top of their games, and their influence on matches has been rather non-existent. How much of the interest in Longstaff is still based on his exploits against United a few months ago? The Toffees would do well to do some more work in terms of scouting before splashing the cash on a potential unknown.
Marcel Brands is at risk of recruiting yet another Davies in signing Longstaff, and that would go down as a complete waste of money at Goodison Park.
Meanwhile, Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is missing a trick with this ace.
Loris Karius is unlikely to ever get another chance at Liverpool, given that Adrian is actually a better goalkeeper than the on-loan pariah.
On the chalkboard
Karius, of course, was at the centre of much outrage after the 2018 Champions League final, as he made two horrendous mistakes en route to a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid.
So bad was the backlash, he was sent on loan in the subsequent transfer window and has been with Besiktas ever since.
His short-term stay will come to an end this summer, though, and one has to think that he may be hopeful of fighting for his place in Jurgen Klopp’s XI.
Indeed, fans also targeted Adrian after a mistake against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League as the Reds were eliminated.
However, statistically, Karius, who cost £4.7m when he was signed from Mainz, simply doesn’t stack up.
This season, he has made 25 starts for Besiktas and has conceded 29 goals, at a rate of 1.16 per game, per fbref.
He has kept eight clean sheets in that time, meaning he has a clean sheet percentage of 32%, and he has been on the losing side seven times this term, while they have drawn five games and won 13.
In addition to that, he has a passing accuracy of 66.3%, per WhoScored.
Adrian, by comparison, has made 11 appearances in the Premier League, with nine starts, per fbref.
In that time, he has conceded 10 goals, at a rate of 1.03 per game.
While he does have a lower clean sheet percentage than Karius – 22.2% – he has never once been on the losing side in the league, and he has a passing accuracy of 71.9%.
Call yourself a Liverpool expert? How much did each of these big-money January signings cost?
No second chance
Karius will surely be cut adrift this summer.
Reports claim that Sporting Lisbon are interested in ending his Anfield nightmare and it would be a move that suits all parties involved, giving the German stopper a chance at a fresh start.
Adrian, meanwhile, may have made an error against Atletico but one has to think that unless he is guilty of a particularly egregious error before the summer, he will be kept on as deputy to Alisson Becker.
There have been several youngsters at Arsenal who have slipped through the net only to impress at other clubs across Europe.
Donyell Malen and Jeff-Reine Adelaide are just two examples. Both were on the books of the Gunners as youngsters, and are now regular features at PSV Eindhoven in the Eredivisie and Lyon in Ligue 1 respectively.
Calling all FFC readers! Raise money for charities and bring together communities this Saturday the 28th at 3pm by taking part in the #FLYTHEFLAG campaign. Click this banner to find out how you can get involved.
Ismael Bennacer is another who can be added to that list. He was contracted by the north London outfit for two years before leaving for Empoli in Serie A.
Now, he is impressing at AC Milan.
Let’s have a look at exactly how he is getting on…
Time at Arsenal
As per Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old cost the Emirates side just £270,000 in 2015 from French side Arles Avignon – he had already made seven appearances for them by that time.
Originally as a member of the youth squad, he did make one appearance for the side under Arsene Wenger, in the League Cup, but that was to be the beginning and the end of his Arsenal career.
He spent one season on loan at Ligue 2 side Tours, where he scored once in 16 matches, before moving to Empoli for a fee of just £900,000. That represented a £630,000 profit, but he would prove to be worth an awful lot more in the future.
Where is he now?
It was with Empoli where he made his first real impression on European football. Immediately after signing from Arsenal, he was thrust into the first team, and played 39 out of a possible 42 matches in Serie B as Gli Azzurri earned themselves promotion to the top flight.
He was a regular once again amongst the elite. He would miss just one match during the 2018/19 season, and was a reliable rock in the middle of the park – he averaged 2.6 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per match. That was not quite enough to help Empoli survive in Serie A, but they can consider themselves desperately unlucky to be relegated with 38 points.
Last summer, he introduced himself to a wider audience. As Algeria won the African Cup of Nations, he played all but 33 minutes, providing three assists as well. Those displays contributed to him being nominated for the African Player of the Year award alongside the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane.
Whilst his side dropped down a division, he would end up staying in the top tier.
AC Milan decided to pay €16m (£14.4m) for his services, with Arsenal turning down the chance to re-sign him in the process. He was one of the Rossoneri’s best performers, amassing an average WhoScored rating of 7.02 before the league was suspended due to the current worldwide pandemic.
Now valued at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, his departure could be one Arsenal live to regret.
Brought in from Dutch side FC Twente for a reported £7m, Nacer Chadli showed flashes of promise in his time at Tottenham.
The Belgium international only ended up playing 119 times for the north Londoners, after signing back in the summer of 2013 when Andre Villas-Boas was in charge of the club.
Spot the fact from the fib: Are these Premier League records true or false?
The 30-year-old scored 25 times and provided a further 16 assists during his time with the Lilywhites, and Spurs fans have taken to Twitter to share their memories of their former ace.
A few Spurs fans revealed that they felt it was a mistake letting him go, with one supporter in particular calling it one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest errors.
A couple of fans simply insisted that he is as good as, if not better, than the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela.
With Steven Bergwijn arriving on the books in the January transfer window, Spurs have got another winger to pin their hopes on to deliver success.
The Dutchman has similarly shown early signs of being a real coup for the Lilywhites, not least his superb volley against Manchester City in the Premier League.
He will however have to be a whole lot more consistent than Chadli was to ensure that he goes down in the history books as a real Spurs success.
Meanwhile, Spurs fans are reminiscing over this former powerhouse.
Whilst the sporting market climate continues to be affected by the current global crisis, it looks more and more unlikely that clubs will be able to splurge on the transfer targets they had in mind this summer.
According to a recent report by Transfermarkt, player values have dropped by up to 20%, which could impact the way teams go about their summer business.
If spending big, or even at all, is not an option in the upcoming window then clubs may need to turn to their youth ranks in order to provide depth for the senior players next season.
Tottenham haven’t had the best of seasons, as they currently sit eighth in the Premier League table. If financial difficulties prevent Jose Mourinho from bringing in new personnel, here’s five youngsters the club should look at giving a chance next season…
Troy Parrott
Soccer Football – Audi Cup – Real Madrid v Tottenham Hotspur – Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany – July 30, 2019 Tottenham’s Troy Parrott reacts REUTERS/Michael Dalder
A name that fans have been hoping to see more of in the first team is 18-year-old Troy Parrott. The Irish youth has been given minimal time in the Premier League this season – just five minutes across two appearances – but has impressed in the reserves league and other youth competitions.
Parrott has accumulated 11 goals across all matches played this season, which is very impressive form for a player who has only recently turned 18.
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min’s injuries set this Spurs side back majorly before the league was paused, with Dele Alli having to fill in up front. However, if Mourinho continues to integrate Parrott into the first team, he could rapidly become an ideal back-up for Kane if something similar happens again.
Dilan Markanday
Spurs are strapped for reliable forwards this season, whether that be down to poor performances or injuries. The addition of Dilan Markanday could strengthen Mourinho’s team in multiple positions as the youngster has played across four different roles this campaign.
The Englishman has played mostly on the right-wing but has also occupied the opposite flank, the No.9 role and played one game in midfield. Markanday has three goals and four assists from the wide positions this term, more than senior winger Erik Lamela and first team prospect Ryan Sessegnon.
The addition of the 18-year-old could help bolster this Spurs side and provide them with adequate cover going into next season.
Jamie Bowden
Tottenham currently have just two first team players who operate in the defensive midfield role, Eric Dier and Oliver Skipp. The latter has played just 55 minutes of Premier League football this season, with Dier reportedly linked to a West Ham move (Daily Star via Hammers News).
If Dier is to be sold in the summer, Spurs must ensure their deep midfield role has a replacement, and Jamie Bowden could be the option. The 18-year-old operates in the defensive midfield position and yet has still managed to score three goals and assist one. He has also played in a more forward role in the middle of the park, showing he can adapt when required.
Bowden has worn the captain’s armband 12 times this season, proving he’s already taken on authority. A defensive-minded leader with goalscoring abilities should be a player Mourinho is closely monitoring to bring into the first team.
Tariq Hinds
Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Newcastle United, Premier league match at White Hart Lane, Sunday 25th August 2019.Editorial Use Only
Something any club is in need of is depth, and it’s even more valuable if back-up players can be versatile. Right-back by nature, Tariq Hinds is extremely versatile across the back four and will provide cover for Tottenham’s one recognised senior right full-back.
Serge Aurier’s career with the London outfit is reportedly on the rocks after it was revealed the club could be looking to sell him (via Daily Mail). If the Ivorian leaves this summer and Mourinho can’t bring in new personnel, it might be time for Hinds to show what he’s made of.
Not only is he primarily a right-back, but Hinds has spent a lot of time on the left-flank as well and has bagged himself two assists from this position. Adding him to the team will not only fill Spurs’ need for a new right-back but he will provide cover for Ben Davies as well.
Gedson Fernandes
Soccer Football – Premier League – Watford v Tottenham Hotspur – Vicarage Road, Watford, Britain – January 18, 2020 Tottenham Hotspur’s Gedson Fernandes Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Couldridge EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or “live” services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for f
Brought in by the club in January, Gedson Fernandes has joined the London outfit from Benifica on loan until next summer. Despite making just four Premier League appearances so far, Mourinho should consider utilising the 21-year-old a lot more moving forward.
This season alone, the midfielder has operated in six different positions, including playing as a second-striker and filling the right-back role. He has only registered the one assist this season but tallied three goals and six assists last campaign from the central, attacking and right midfield roles.
A fresh injection of creativity from someone who is comfortable playing in any position in the middle of the park could be what Spurs need to spice up their games. Fernandes has a way to go before he proves himself as starter, but Spurs have his services for another year and should make the most of him while they can.