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Daniel Farke will be relieved that Mateo Joseph is finally coming into his own in a Leeds United strip, with the striker department at Elland Road not exactly overflowing with top quality.

Joseph hasn’t proven himself to be a deadly goalscoring machine yet, with only one goal next to his name in the Championship to date, but he does have an impressive three assists this campaign as a worthwhile asset for the German boss to rely on.

Away from Joseph, the options aren’t brimming, with an injury-prone Patrick Bamford rarely available for selection, on top of former Swansea City man Joel Piroe often slotting in behind the sole striker instead of leading the line.

But, it’s forgotten man Joe Gelhardt that will frustrate Leeds fans most when looking over what is available up top, considering his unbelievable burst onto the scene under Marcelo Bielsa once upon a time.

Gelhardt's unbelievable form under Bielsa

Bielsa just had that knack of enhancing players when fixed in the Elland Road dug-out, turning Kalvin Phillips into a £45m star when he was still manager, whilst also helping Bamford pick up a senior England call-up under his guidance.

Gelhardt also felt the magic of the South American manager first-hand, with the former Wigan Athletic striker getting his first chance in the Whites senior mix under the mercurial Argentinian, which saw him shine during the 2021/22 campaign.

He would help himself to two goals and two assists from 20 Premier League clashes that season, with the promising attacker showcasing why he had previously earned comparisons to top-flight great Wayne Rooney, having been described as “looking Rooneyesque” when taken on trial by Merseyside Boys’ manager Tim Wyatt as a teenager.

His former Wigan teammate Chey Dunkley also noted those comparisons, having stated: “Most of the lads called him Wazza because there were so many similarities in his stature and style.”

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Since then, however, his Whites career hasn’t ever really progressed any further, with the now 22-year-old striker – who was previously referred to as a “human wrecking ball” for his tenacity and bravery by pundit Jamie Redknapp – a forgotten figure constantly warming the substitutes bench for Farke’s men, whilst Joseph steals the limelight now as the new exciting talent for the future.

Leeds even had interest from the likes of West Brom earlier in the year for the reserve attacker’s services, but batted away any parties looking at the left-footer.

Yet, if this season is anything to go by so far, his days in West Yorkshire look to be gradually becoming more and more numbered.

Gelhardt's season so far

The former Latics striker is yet to start a game this season for the Whites in the league, with his only appearance from the get-go full stop this campaign coming against Middlesbrough in the EFL Cup, as Leeds were humbled 3-0 by Michael Carrick’s men.

Not given the freedom to play up top, Gelhardt was shoehorned into the side in a right midfield spot, and visibly struggled on the night consequently.

It was very much a showing from a player low on confidence, with only one shot attempted on the Boro net all evening, before Gelhardt was then replaced by first-team stalwart Wilfried Gnonto just after the hour mark.

He was given a brief run-out away at Norwich recently, as the Whites had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road, but it does feel as if the 22-year-old is now running out of time to break back into the first-team fold.

It has been a sharp fall-off for a promising talent once loved by Bielsa, but as Leeds continue to eye up winning promotion through any means necessary, Farke can’t be too charitable with giving Gelhardt more minutes to impress.

At this rate, the end of the line looks to be on the horizon very soon for the once much-talked-about attacker at Elland Road.

He could be Gnonto 2.0: Leeds lining up swoop for "electric" sensation

The Whites are reportedly keen on a deal for the teenage EFL starlet.

By
Dan Emery

Sep 30, 2024

Much has been made of Manchester United’s new boardroom setup under the INEOS regime, but it’s fair to say that Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co have merely kicked the can down the road with regard to Erik ten Hag’s position.

Leading up to May’s FA Cup final, the Dutchman was a dead man walking, but having overseen a shock Wembley triumph, the powers that be decided – eventually – to back their man. (Well, they extended his contract by a year, at least.)

Whether they were swayed by fan sentiment or the euphoria of the cup win, the new hierarchy opted for a U-turn on their Ten Hag stance, seemingly overlooking a season of turmoil that had left the club languishing in eighth in the Premier League table.

A ruthless outfit would’ve sacked the 54-year-old regardless of whether or not he had bettered Pep Guardiola’s side, with INEOS now left in a scenario where a change in the dugout may have to be made mid-season – costing the club a reported £17.5m if they are to part ways with the former Ajax boss.

For many among the United faithful, the hope was that Ten Hag could finally be the man to shake off the spectre of Sir Alex Ferguson, and while two trophies have been acquired, the current campaign is already gearing up for disaster.

Back-to-back 3-0 league defeats at Old Trafford to rivals Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur has brought with it a palpable sense of Deja Vu, echoing the last days of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and David Moyes – the pair both having been humbled at home to the Anfield side and Manchester City before facing the axe.

Ten Hag now heads into a pivotal week with away trips to Porto and Aston Villa to seemingly save his job, although with the October international break to follow, a new face could well be taking charge later this month…

Man Utd's manager search

Fresh from leading England to the European Championship final, Gareth Southgate – who worked under Dan Ashworth at the FA for a time – has long been touted as Ten Hag’s successor, with reports recently indicating that the ex-Three Lions boss is willing to wait to replace the Dutchman at the Theatre of Dreams.

According to the Daily Star, however, Southgate isn’t the only candidate that the Red Devils are believed to be considering, with Inter Milan’s Simone Inzaghi deemed to be a ‘serious contender’ for the role.

The report suggests that while Ratcliffe is ‘reluctant’ to sack Ten Hag just a matter of months after extending his contract, there is a feeling that a change may need to be made, with Inzaghi among those to have ‘impressed’ the club’s new hierarchy.

As per the piece, the 48-year-old – who led Inter to the Champions League final in 2023 – only signed a new deal earlier this year, with it yet to be seen whether he would be willing to take on the poisoned chalice that is being United’s main man in the dugout.

Why Inzaghi would be a good appointment

While United have toiled under Ten Hag’s watch, Inzaghi has been instrumental in steering Inter back to the top of the European and domestic scene, having seen his side only narrowly beaten in Europe’s showpiece last year.

Had it not been for Rodri’s late strike – and a handful of Romelu Lukaku missed chances – the Nerazzurri could well have curtailed Man City’s treble charge, showcasing just why the United target has been lauded as a “genius” by Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry.

While the in-demand coach did miss out on that occasion, he is certainly no ‘nearly man’ when it comes to winning silverware, having claimed five Italian Super Cups and three Coppa Italia’s, as well as last season’s Serie A title.

In 165 games in charge of the Milan giants, the former Italy international has achieved a stellar points per game average of 2.13, with Ten Hag, meanwhile averaging just 1.87 from his 123 games in charge of United. An upgrade, indeed.

What also sets Inzaghi apart from the man he could potentially replace is his clear identity, with Ten Hag – who Rene Meulensteen claimed has “no playing style” – seemingly the opposite.

The Inter boss notably utilises his preferred 3-5-2 formation at San Siro, with that tactical set-up potentially set to help revive a certain Bruno Fernandes if deployed at Old Trafford.

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How Inzaghi could revive Bruno Fernandes

At his current side, Inzaghi has worked wonders by overseeing the transformation of Turkish playmaker, Hakan Calhanoglu, with the former AC Milan star having been successfully converted from a number ten into a deep-lying midfield asset.

Hailed as arguably “the best midfielder in the world” by national team boss Vincenzo Montella, the one-time Bayer Leverkusen star – who, like Fernandes, is now 30 – was instrumental in his side’s title success last season, scoring 13 goals and providing three assists in Serie A, while also enjoying a 92% pass accuracy and registering 2.9 tackles per game, as per Sofascore.

In his final season at Milan in 2020/21, by contrast, the experienced asset registered just 13 goals and assists, while recording an 87% pass accuracy and winning just 1.3 tackles and interceptions per game, indicating the improvements that have been made under Inzaghi’s watch.

The hope would be that similar could occur if the Italian is to take charge of Fernandes this season, with the Portuguese maestro having started the new campaign in miserable fashion, chalking up just one goal involvement in the league, while also – harshly it must be said – seeing red against Spurs last time out.

The United skipper was particularly underpar in the draw away at Crystal Palace after losing the ball on 34 occasions, with Ten Hag seemingly not getting the best out of his talisman at present.

While the creative genius has dazzled in a number ten role for the Red Devils to date – chalking up 149 goals and assists in all competitions – he has previously outlined his desire to drop into a deeper number six berth in the latter stages of his career, thus ensuring he could mirror Calhanoglu’s revival in the near future.

Fernandes points to the 2-0 win against Everton back in April 2023 as one of the finest of his career, a game that, interestingly, saw him deployed as a number six, rather than off the striker:

“In fact, against Everton, I played no.6 and I still think it was one of the most complete games I’ve played, at all levels. In terms of passing, game organisation, defence, tactics. I have a little thought in my head that I’m going to end my career further back, because everyone who started there and went to no.10 ended up retreating on the field at the end.”

Perhaps a change in manager could be just what is needed for the £300k-per-week star to get back to his best or even to reach a new level, with Inzaghi – and his 3-5-2 set-up – potentially the perfect solution for this struggling United side and its skipper.

Man Utd have already sold ideal Bruno Fernandes replacement for just £200k

Bruno Fernandes hasn’t been at the races over the last week.

By
Matt Dawson

Oct 1, 2024

Gimenez made an instant impact for Milan, coming off the bench to provide an assist in a debut Coppa Italia win over Roma.

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• USMNT's Pulisic and Musah start
• Gimenez provides assist for fellow newcomer Felix
• Milan advance in Coppa Italia

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  U.S. men's national team stars Christian Pulisic and Yunus Musah started for Milan, who jumped out to an early lead behind Theo Hernandez and Tammy Abraham. That duo combined for both goals, with the former assisting the latter in the 17th and 43rd minutes to give Milan the lead heading into the halftime break.

  Roma pulled one back early in the second half through Artem Dovbyk, but Milan pushed back with another goal of their own thanks to two newcomers. Mexico's Santi Gimenez provided the assist and fellow January signing Joao Felix, on loan from Chelsea, provided the goal, giving Milan a 3-1 lead.

  That scoreline would hold, despite a Roma goal called back, as AC Milan booked their spot in the tournament's semifinal round.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  It was a big debut for GImenez, who adds a bit more CONCACAF flavor to one of the world's biggest clubs. The Mexican star emerged as a top goalscorer at Feyenoord, with 65 goals in 105 appearances for the club. Those goals earned him a move to Milan in a deal worth around $35 million.

  He started on the bench, though, as the two Americans were named to the starting XI. Pulisic went 59 minutes and could have had a goal if Abraham had opted to square it instead of taking it for himself on his second finish. Pulisic did have one shot and one chance created while completing all but two of his passes. Musah, meanwhile, started in central midfield and put in a very strong shift. The American had some good moments defensively while helping Milan drive the game forward, completing two dribbles while creating a chance and firing a shot on goal.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN?

  With the win, Milan will face either Inter or Lazio on April 2 in the first leg of their semifinal clash. Before that, though, the club will look to climb out of its Serie A hole starting this weekend against Empoli. After that, they'll coincidentally head to the Netherlands to face Gimenez's former club Feyenoord in the Champions League on Feb. 12.

Tottenham Hotspur endured a tough final outing before the ongoing international break, losing 3-2 to Brighton despite holding a two-goal lead at the break.

The absence of Premier League football has undoubtedly given boss Ange Postecoglou an opportunity to mull over the embarrassing defeat, conjuring a plan to avoid such a result in the future.

Before the loss on the South Coast, Spurs were enjoying a five-game winning run, but it all came to a crashing end, either the supporters hoping that the result doesn’t derail their Champions League aspirations.

However, the international fixtures over the last few days have prevented Postecoglou from working with his side ahead of the return of club football this weekend.

It has allowed some players to star for their respective nations, potentially helping them arrive back in North London full of confidence ahead of the derby meeting with West Ham United.

Spurs' best players on international duty

Striker Dominic Solanke has already found the back of the net three times for Spurs since his club-record move this summer, allowing him to finally become part of the England national team.

The 27-year-old received his first call-up in seven years and whilst not starting the meeting with Greece last week, the forward did lay on the assist for Jude Bellingham, as Lee Carsley’s side fell to defeat at Wembley.

The international break couldn’t have come at a worse time for winger Brennan Johnson, after his career-best run of scoring in six consecutive games for Postecoglou’s side.

However, the Welsh star has continued his personal run, scoring in the 2-2 draw with Iceland and taking his run to seven games for club and country.

Full-back Pedro Porro has been handed a regular starting role for Spain during this round of fixtures after Dani Carvajal’s ACL injury – with the Spurs ace taking his opportunity with both hands.

The 25-year-old was hugely impressive on Tuesday night, registering an assist and helping the European Champions keep a clean sheet in the 3-0 win over Serbia.

However, despite the aforementioned trio’s impressive performances, one other first-team star excelled last night – producing some mind-boggling stats in the process.

Spurs ace stars on the international stage

Midfielder Pape Sarr had already impressed at club level so far during the 2024/25 campaign, registering two goals and one assist – with both of his strikes coming in the Europa League.

He didn’t start the latest defeat to Brighton, coming on as a 79th-minute substitute, but the international break has allowed the 22-year-old to star for Senegal, producing some incredible figures in their 1-0 win over Malawi on Tuesday.

Sarr featured for the entirety of the victory, registering a whopping total of 102 touches and completing 65 passes at a completion rate of 91%.

He also completed seven dribbles as he played a huge role in progressing the play in possession, but it was his numbers out of possession that caught the eye.

The midfielder won a staggering 17 duels during the victory, whilst also completing three tackles and making two interceptions – playing a vital role at the heart of the Senegal side.

Such figures will give the youngster a huge confidence boost ahead of the return to club football in the coming days, doing his chances of a start under Postecoglou no harm.

Sarr’s display showcased how capable he is as a box-to-box option, providing that solidity that the Spurs midfielder looked to have lacked before the recent international break.

1 goal & 1 assist: Spurs ace dropped a perfect display for his country

The international break came to a close with one Spurs star shining on Tuesday evening.

By
Matt Dawson

Oct 16, 2024

The 26-year-old goalkeeper produced an Olimpico on the training ground much to the shock of the fans and his teammates alike

• Freese scored directly from a corner kick, known as an Olimpico
• The feat impressed teammates and fans alike
• The 26-year-old was one of NYCFC’s best players last term

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• WHAT HAPPENED

  Who says goalkeepers can't score stunners? New York City FC and USMNT goalkeeper Matt Freese proved otherwise.

  The 26-year-old wowed fans and teammates in training, effortlessly curling in an Olimpico from a corner. The rare feat drew cheers and stunned some teammates at NYCFC's preseason at Coachella.

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• WHAT THE CAMERA CAPTURED

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Freese needs no introduction. The star goalkeeper shined during the 2024 MLS season, finishing as one of the league’s best. His All-Star snub frustrated fans, but the 26-year-old didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he helped lead New York City FC to the Eastern Conference semifinals, earning praise from both supporters and critics.

  His standout performances also earned him a first USMNT call-up in January, though he remained behind Matt Turner and Patrick Schulte in the pecking order. Back with NYCFC, Freese returned to action in a preseason clash against Sporting Kansas City.

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  WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR FREESE AND NEW YORK CITY FC?

  New York City FC have been in preseason action since late January but have won just one of their three matches so far. However, they remain unbeaten, securing draws against Real Salt Lake and Sporting KC while defeating reigning MLS Cup champions LA Galaxy. The Eastern Conference side has three more friendlies left before opening the 2025 MLS season with an away match against Inter Miami on Feb. 23.

As Mohamed Salah’s contract continues to run down at an alarming rate, Liverpool could yet turn towards the Serie A and one star player who now reportedly favours a move to Anfield.

Liverpool transfer news

Things can’t get much better for Liverpool on the pitch. Arne Slot has enjoyed one of the best starts in the club’s history and is already breaking records, having won 11 of his first 12 games in charge. The Reds have looked relatively untouchable unless Nottingham Forest are in town, which continued against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, as Darwin Nunez’s goal sealed all three points.

Away from the pitch, however, problems remain. Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah are all on course to leave as free agents at the end of the season as Liverpool head towards what would be the ultimate disaster. And although the best-case scenario is that all three sign fresh deals at the club, those at Anfield must prepare for the worst, which could see one Serie A star arrive.

According to reports in Spain, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia now favours a move to Liverpool if he decides to leave Napoli after contract talks with the Italian club reportedly reached a standstill, eyeing up the possibility to step into Salah’s shoes. The ‘Egyptian King’ of course followed a similar career path, launching his career on Merseyside after an impressive spell in Serie A.

Slot convinced by powerful £17m right-back as Liverpool eye Trent successor

The Reds could land a bargain deal…

By
Tom Cunningham

Oct 24, 2024

With his current deal not set to expire until 2027, the winger certainly has time to make his decision but if the Reds come calling in their search to replace Salah, the Georgian may well join international teammate Giorgi Mamardashvili at Anfield in 2025.

By completing such a move, Kvaratskhelia will get a hefty pay rise that is yet to come his way at Napoli, where he earns a reported £24,000-a-week.

"Cheeky" Kvaratskhelia could replace Salah

Of course, it’s not so long ago that Kvaratskhelia was causing Fabinho and Trent Alexander-Arnold all sorts of nightmares as Napoli defeated Liverpool 4-1 in 2022, and now he can take that earlier audition and potentially replace Salah at Anfield.

The Georgia star earned the praise of former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp during that campaign, with the Liverpool legend telling reporters via This Is Anfield after his battle against Alexander-Arnold: “I know people will talk about one or two situations when Trent tried to be in front of him and the ball goes through.

“But he is really good, the boy, and really quick and you have to defend him together in these moments. When he has the advantage of the first movement, then he is already gone.

“You have to try to be there in the moment when the ball arrives, but if you cannot do that then you need to be protected because he has speed, he is cheeky, he goes inside, he can go outside, that makes it always really difficult.”

The Napoli man has certainly got off to a eye-catching start under new boss Antonio Conte too, scoring four goals and assisting another two in eight Serie A games to leave his stock higher than it’s been since 2022.

Kylian Mbappe is being backed by Carlo Ancelotti to “reach Cristiano’s level”, with Real Madrid’s latest ‘Galactico’ following in Ronaldo’s footsteps.

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• CR7 is Blancos' all-time leading scorer
• French forward now their top marksman
• Mbappe prioritising collective success

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Portuguese superstar Ronaldo is the Blancos’ all-time leading scorer, with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner registering 451 goals for the club through 438 appearances. He bid farewell to the Spanish capital in 2018 and is still going strong at 40 years of age with Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Real moved to bring in another prolific presence when acquiring Mbappe as a free agent in 2024. He had previously netted 256 goals in 308 outings for Paris Saint-Germain and has reached 28 in his debut campaign for Madrid after bagging a hat-trick in their Champions League play-off demolition of Manchester City.

• WHAT CARLO ANCELOTTI SAID

  Ancelotti sees no reason why Mbappe cannot emulate CR7, telling reporters of his fearsome French forward: “He has the quality to reach his [Ronaldo’s] numbers, but he has to work, because Cristiano set the bar very high, but he is so excited to play here, he can reach Cristiano's level.

  “Everyone was waiting for this hat-trick from him and it has finally arrived. But Mbappe is not the only one, we have many players who make a difference. And they make a difference with their collective work above their individual quality which is remarkable.”

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Mbappe has taken the No.9 jersey at Santiago Bernabeu and become an on-field leader for Real. He is, however, eager to point out that collective success will always mean more to him than individual honours – as he once again tops the Champions League scoring charts in 2024-25.

Liverpool are ready to step back into the Champions League limelight, with Bayer Leverkusen making the trip to Anfield as they looked to blemish Arne Slot’s perfect record in Europe’s elite competition.

Led by Anfield legend Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen have not been quite so imperious as last year when they won the domestic double as invincibles, but they still pose a high-level threat and could easily waltz away from Merseyside having leapfrogged the Reds.

With the shock home defeat against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League still the only blot on the copybook, there’s good reason to be excited, but Liverpool must pass this gruelling test, with Real Madrid the next opponent in the Champions League.

Liverpool team news

Slot has no new injury concerns to report after Brighton & Hove Albion were defeated in the top flight on Saturday, with Ibrahima Konate confirmed to be fit after Virgil van Dijk accidentally trod on his wrist.

Alisson Becker remains injured, as do Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Diogo Jota. None of these key players are expected to return until after the November international break, but Liverpool still have plenty of options to inflict damage on Die Werkself.

It’s no secret through online Reds discourse that Slot has been… averse to rotation since taking the helm, but that’s not to say he doesn’t place a rogue option in the starting line-up from time to time.

Konate should start, for he and the skipper have sculpted a redoubtable defensive axis that can withstand the mightiest of frontlines. However, he might be convinced to make the bold – some might even say brazen – call to drop Trent Alexander-Arnold for Conor Bradley.

Why Liverpool should unleash Conor Bradley

Dropping Alexander-Arnold for such a big game might seem ridiculous at a glance, but there is reasoning behind enforcing such a change.

Firstly, Alexander-Arnold has played a lot of football, starting each of Liverpool’s 13 matches across the Premier League and Champions League campaigns. He is fit as a fiddle, of course, but rotation is important and Aston Villa loom up ahead.

Villa will present a difficult test for Slot’s side, and given Liverpool hold a two-point lead over second-placed Manchester City in the top flight, it’s paramount that three points are placed in the bag.

Bradley has also been stuck playing a bit part role this season and must be raring for an opportunity to showcase his skills on the major stage for the Reds, with his only starts under Slot’s guidance arriving in the Carabao Cup, against West Ham United and Brighton & Hove Albion.

The table highlights the core qualities that were on show across those two cup matches, and though Bradley faced some difficulties against the fleet feet of Brighton mavericks Simon Adingra and Kauro Mitoma, his athleticism and roundedness allowed him to produce a sufficient showing after an injury-hit start to the season.

Across his 11 top-flight appearances last year, Bradley averaged three tackles and 6.3 successful duels per game, as per Sofascore, and clearly carries the defensive acumen to thrive at the top level.

He’s also robust and energetic, operating down a different lane to that of Alexander-Arnold, ranking among the top 5% of full-backs across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for assists per 90, as per FBref, but also among the top 4% for progressive carries, the top 6% for successful take-ons and the top 5% for tackles won per 90.

Bradley has already been likened to Gareth Bale for Northern Ireland, but he could actually channel such quality into the forthcoming fixture against Leverkusen, perhaps using the Bundesliga champions as his own version of Inter Milan, harnessing his electric pace and ball-carrying ability to wreak havoc.

Overlapping movements could see him link up wonderfully with the evergreen Mohamed Salah, who will be desperate to get himself on the scoresheet and extend his record of 49 Champions League goals, joint-11th in the all-time rankings.

Salah is one of the greatest forwards of his generation, and though he’s not the same dribble-mad machine of once before, he’s refined his game and remains a world-class menace aged 32, with nine goals and seven assists across 15 fixtures for Liverpool this term.

Bradley’s pace and propensity to stretch the lines could make him a perfect option for the Egypt international, whose spatial awareness and ability to find space to swing that wand of a left foot is an uncanny thing.

It’s time to hand the Northern Irishman his big chance of the Slot era (so far). He’ll be chomping at the bit, desperate to earn a shot. For a young man who has been full of praise for Alonso, saying that “he was silly” when referencing the Spaniard’s quality back in his playing days.

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There’s also a good chance that Liverpool will need to work round the clock to dismantle the finely wrought Leverkusen system.

Of course, losing Trent’s celestial range of passing is something that Slot will not want, but he can always introduce the England international after the break, ready to pluck the visitors apart, having been tired out by Bradley’s indefatigable engine.

Liverpool thought they had the next Alonso before he was sold for just £6m

Liverpool once sold a flop for £6m who was supposed to be the next Alonso.

By
Angus Sinclair

Nov 4, 2024

Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta has now been discharged from hospital following a horrific head-high tackle by Millwall goalkeeper Liam Roberts.

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• Mateta discharged from hospital after challenge
• Striker undergoes 25 stitches to his left ear
• Palace chairman tears into Roberts' tackle

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mateta was stretchered off at Selhurst Park on Saturday during the Eagles' 3-1 win over Millwall, after the French striker was caught by a head-high tackle by the visitors' goalkeeper Roberts outside the box. Crystal Palace have now announced that Mateta has been discharged from hospital after having to undergo 25 stitches to a "severe laceration" to his left ear. The statement also confirmed that the 27-year-old had normal scans and was feeling well despite the concerning scenes on the field.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Initially, surprisingly enough, Roberts was not sent off by referee Michael Oliver; however, after VAR stepped in, the Millwall keeper was shown a straight red card for the dangerous tackle. Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has now labelled Roberts' challenge as "the most reckless" he has ever seen and claimed that the keeper was "endangering a fellow professional".

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  WHAT PARISH SAID

  Speaking to the media at half-time, Parish said: "There's a lot of emotion in football but we need to talk about that challenge. I've never seen a challenge like it… that's the most reckless challenge on a football pitch I've ever seen.

  "He needs to have a long, hard look at himself because he's endangering a fellow professional with a challenge like that.

  "And why the referee needs to go to the screen, I have no idea… If you're kicking him in the head at full force, who knows what kind of damage could be done."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MATETA?

  The French striker provided an update from the hospital on Saturday night and wrote on Instagram: "I'm doing well. I hope to be back soon and stronger than ever." However, Mateta's recovery schedule will now depend on how his injury continues to heal.

In Julen Lopetegui’s first summer in charge, West Ham United spent around £120.3m on eight permanent deals and two loan signings.

In order to fund this, they did have to make a few sales, shopping on eight players -including Flynn Downes and Said Benrahma – for a collective haul of £37.2m.

The big signing of the summer was Max Kilman, signing from Wolves for a fee of around £40m. The 27-year-old played under Lopetegui at Molineux and has been ever-present in the side this season, making 13 appearances, providing one assist, and contributing to three clean sheets in his 1,170 minutes on the field.

The Hammers also acquired Carlos Soler and Jean-Clair Todibo on loan deals, but perhaps the most exciting deal for fans this summer was the addition of last season’s Championship Player of the Year, who they thought could bring real flair and creation to their attacking ranks.

Crysencio Summerville at West Ham

The 23-year-old Crysencio Summerville joined from Leeds in the summer, having just scored 21 goals and provided ten assists in 49 games last season. This saw him crowned the very best player in the division as Leeds narrowly missing out on promotion, losing the play-off final 1-0.

But Summerville has struggled to find his way into the West Ham side on a regular basis, making 12 appearances, but only totalling 507 minutes, just managing one goal.

The Dutch winger has only started three of the 11 Premier League games, coming from the bench on seven occasions.

So, West Ham look to replace Summerville already, as they look to improve the squad and add more creation in attacking areas. With a slow start from Mohammed Kudus too – scoring just twice and being sent off – adding more goal output is necessary.

West Ham's Summerville upgrade

According to reports in Spain (via Football365), West Ham are interested in bringing AC Milan attacker, Christian Pulisic, back to the Premier League having left Chelsea to join AC Milan in 2023.

Paulo Fonseca has praised Pulisic’s performances this season, labelling the USA international as “fantastic”, following his red-hot start to the season, scoring seven goals and providing five assists in 15 appearances, totalling 1,169 minutes.

The 26-year-old winger has, of course, played in England already, making 145 appearances for Chelsea, scoring 26 goals and providing 19 assists.

His best season for the Blues came under Frank Lampard, netting nine Premier League goals in 25 games during the 2019/20 season. In the words of NBC commentator, Arlo White, he was “borderline unplayable” at times.

But, in the present, how does he compare to Summerville? Well, you can see from the metrics below that the American is heavily outperforming the Hammers’ summer signing so far this season.

Not only does the former Chelsea ace have a better goal and assist rate, but he’s significantly better in one-on-one situations, notably delivering a far higher rate of progressive carries, getting his team up the field in a more efficient manner. He’s certainly more creative too with those key passes and progressive passes standing out.

Thus, if the Hammers could pull off a move for the USA superstar, it could help propel them up the table, and release the burden from the likes of Jarrod Bowen for output.

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By
Ross Kilvington

Nov 12, 2024