AC Milan president Paolo Scaroni has slammed Serie A's decision to postpone this weekend's clash with Bologna, insisting it is "incomprehensible".
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
A wantaway Leeds United "leader" may reportedly miss out on the chance to seal a move away from Elland Road, due to his price tag being "too much" for one club.
Whites supporters may be dreaming of shiny new signings coming to Elland Road this summer, but there is also a genuine risk of losing a number of key players between now and the start of next season.
Archie Gray has already completed a summer move from Elland Road to Tottenham, with Joe Rodon heading the other way, but others could be set to join Gray out of the exit door. Young defender Charlie Cresswell is believed to be edging towards a departure to Toulouse, with a medical to the Ligue 1 club already completed.
Brenden Aaronson is another individual who seemingly feels that his future lies away from Leeds, having spent last season on loan at Union Berlin. The American is unlikely to want to ply his trade in the Championship, so it would be a surprise if he stayed put.
Whites hero Illan Meslier is another player who could be heading to France, with the 24-year-old keen on a move to Marseille. Meanwhile, Crysencio Summerville could seal a switch to the Premier League as Leeds attempt to receive as much as £40m for the Dutchman's signature.
Taking to X, Sky journalist Florian Plettenberg claimed that Borussia Monchengladbach believe Maximilian Wober's price tag is too high, even though they want to make his loan move from Leeds permanent this summer:
"Leeds United is currently demanding around €10-12m for a sale of Maximilian Wober! This is too much for @borussia. M‘gladbach would like to keep Wober but could only do so with another loan. The 26 y/o central defender is informed about that. The clear trend is that Wober will leave Leeds United. Contract valid until 2027."
This feels like a frustrating situation for Wober, who seems happy at Monchengladbach after admitting his willingness to join them last summer, proving to be a wantaway figure at Leeds.
He started 24 matches in the Bundesliga, winning an average of 1.9 aerial duels per game, proving to be a key figure in the process, and former RB Salzburg sporting director Christoph Freund has heaped praise on the 26-year-old in the past, saying: "Max is not only a really good defender just in the way we want of him. He is also a real leader in the team who is happy to take on responsibility, which is an important factor for our young team."
Leeds hit gold on "world-class" star who's now worth even more than Gray
Leeds United could bank even more cash if they end up selling on this star as well.
By
Kelan Sarson
Jul 5, 2024
With the defender seemingly not interested in remaining a Leeds player moving forward, the hope is that the Whites will be able to shift him permanently for a decent transfer fee during this transfer window, be it to Monchengladbach or elsewhere.
Plettenberg seems to suggest that a move will materialise one or another in the coming weeks, so something may have to give sooner or later.
Erik ten Hag was spotted attending first his football match in the Eredivisie since he was shown the door by Manchester United.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
Anthony Elanga remains absent without leave and has even declined calls from Sweden's manager as Jon Dahl Tomasson awaits a response from the winger.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
Leeds United missed out on promotion to the Premier League last season as they were beaten 1-0 by Southampton in the Championship play-off final at Wembley in May.
The Whites attempted to return to the top-flight at the first time of asking under head coach Daniel Farke but finished third in the second tier, just below automatic promotion, before falling short in the play-offs.
This means that the West Yorkshire side are now preparing for a second season in the Championship and have to be wary of losing their best players throughout the summer transfer window.
Teenage sensation Archie Gray has already completed a move away from Elland Road to sign for Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur, with Joe Rodon returning to Leeds on a permanent deal coming the other way.
The Whites are also at risk of losing some more of their top players as it was recently reported that Crysencio Summerville, Wilfried Gnonto, and Georginio Rutter are 'likely'.
Alongside the superstar names who could depart from Yorkshire, Leeds are also reportedly on the verge of selling one of their key performers from last term.
Fabrizio Romano recently reported that the club have agreed a deal with Ligue 1 side Rennes to sell defensive midfielder Glen Kamara this month.
The two teams have reached an agreement for a fee of €10m (£8.4m) and the Finland international is now set to complete an exit from the side after just one year.
Leeds swooped to sign the star from Glasgow Rangers last summer for a reported fee of £5m and are now set to make a profit of more than £3m on a player who turns 29 later this year.
That appears to be good business on paper for the Whites, purely from a financial perspective, as they are set to make money on an experienced ace, rather than an up-and-coming talent, which could then give them money to reinvest in the team.
Farke could now perfectly replace Kamara before the end of the transfer window by swooping to sign reported target Oliver Skipp from Tottenham Hotspur.
GIVEMESPORT claimed at the start of July that the club want to snap up the former England U21 international but they could struggle as Spurs are not desperate to cash in on them, due to the homegrown quota in the Premier League.
However, it was said that his relationship with Farke, who he worked with during their time together at Norwich, could help Leeds in a potential deal.
Skipp could come in as a brilliant replacement for Kamara in the middle of the park for Leeds as he can offer similar qualities at Championship level.
The Finland international provided a calming and reliable presence on the ball for the Farke in the second tier during his first, and likely only, season at Elland Road.
He used his athleticism and quality to buzz around the pitch and pop passes off to control games by dictating the tempo and moving teams around to then find the team's attacking players in dangerous positions.
Kamara ranked within the top 10% of Championship midfielders for passes attempted per 90 (65.01) and the top 6% for progressive passes per 90 (6.87).
This shows that the former Rangers star, who also provided three assists in 37 league outings, is an excellent passer as he ranked highly among his positional peers at getting on the ball and progressing play with his passes.
|
23/24 Championship |
Glen Kamara |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
37 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
1.9 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
4.1 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
58% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
54% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, Kamara also provided quality out of possession for Leeds with his strong play in duels both on the deck and in the air.
The 28-year-old ace used his physicality to win the ball back multiple times per match, through tackles, interceptions, and recoveries, to cut out opposition attacks.
These statistics show that he was an ideal deep-lying midfielder for Farke due to his quality play in possession, getting on and progressing the ball, and his strength in duels to compete in challenges defensively.
This is why his exit will come a blow to Leeds in the here and now, but Farke could move on from Kamara by brilliantly replacing him with Skipp.
The Whites must push to secure an agreement with Spurs to sign the former Norwich loanee as he is a proven Championship performer who has also worked with the manager before.
Farke, who hailed the midfielder as a "perfect" and humble person, had the young starlet on loan with the Canaries during the 2020/21 campaign, and the English ace's performances landed him a place in the league's Team of the Season that term.
Skipp has not played more than 23 Premier League games in a single season since he returned from Norwich in the summer of 2021 and Leeds could look to tempt him with the prospect of regular game time under a manager who knows how to get the best out of him.
When he did play week-in-week-out for Norwich in the 2020/21 campaign under Farke in the Championship, the 23-year-old metronome's performances suggest that he would be a fantastic replacement for Kamara.
|
Championship |
Oliver Skipp (20/21) |
Glen Kamara (23/24) |
|---|---|---|
|
Appearances |
45 |
37 |
|
Goals |
1 |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
3 |
2 |
|
Dribbles completed per game |
0.6 |
0.5 |
|
Tackles + interceptions per game |
3.3 |
1.9 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
62% |
58% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
||
As you can see in the table above, both players offer very little in the final third when it comes to scoring and creating goals but excel out of possession.
Skipp made 1.4 more tackles and interceptions per game and won a higher percentage of his duels on the ground in comparison to Kamara, which suggests that the potential is there for him to improve Leeds' play off the ball.
The £40k-per-week ace also ranked within the top 28% of midfielders for progressive passes per 90 (4.86), which shows that he can also progress play in a similar fashion to the Finnish star.
Farke could forget about Gnonto with Leeds swoop for "ridiculous" star
The Whites were linked with a potential swoop for the winger earlier this summer.
By
Dan Emery
Jul 10, 2024
Therefore, Farke could brilliantly replace the Rennes-bound ace by signing another midfielder who can dominate opposition midfields with his play in and out of possession.
After once again beating their city rivals to the Scottish Premiership title, Celtic are now set to bolster Brendan Rodgers' squad with a player he is familiar with.
The big story out of Celtic in recent weeks has been the ongoing saga around the future of Adam Idah. The Irish striker spent last season on loan from Norwich City and quickly established himself as an integral part of Rodgers' team.
Celtic set to pull off "miracle" as £4m+ sale of forward expected
The Hoops are reportedly set to cash in on the rarely-seen attacker this summer.
1
By
Dan Emery
Jul 9, 2024
Recent developments suggest that the Hoops are confident of agreeing a permanent deal for Idah with a fee between £4million and £5million quoted for the player.
A new goalkeeper is also high on Celtic's list of priorities after Joe Hart retired at the end of last season. Liverpool's Caoimhin Kelleher and Newcastle United's Martin Dubravka have been two names doing the rounds since Hart's departure, but recent news points towards a move for Swiss shot-stopper Yvon Mvogo.
With Celtic clearly eager to bring in new players this summer, the club appears to be edging closer towards bringing a popular player back to Parkhead.
As reported by Sport Witness, the Portuguese press are claiming that Celtic are ironing out the final details to bring Paulo Bernardo to Parkhead on a permanent deal this summer. The current Benfica man spent last season at Celtic, with the Hoops eager to pay a little over £4million to bring him to Glasgow indefinitely.
This development follows news from last week that talks were taking place over Bernardo but no fee had been agreed on as of yet. The latest report from Sport Witness suggests that the issues over a fee have now been solved with the only matter for discussion being the percentage that Benfica will have on a future transfer.
This news will be music to the ears of Rodgers, who was a big fan of Bernardo during his time at Parkhead last season. Speaking back in January, the Celtic boss sang the praises of the 22-year-old telling the press: "I’m delighted with the emergence of Paulo. There is an agreement with the club, an option for us to activate that, if we want to do it.
"He came in and gradually he has learnt the principles of our play. Leading into the Rangers game last month I knew he was going to start and we wanted to give him a run of matches. He’s been fantastic.
“And he has got an old head on young shoulders. He’s a top professional. I can see him emerging and growing now as a person, feeling more confident amongst the players."
Whilst Celtic have chosen to negotiate with Benfica rather than opt for the £6.3million option that Rodgers is referencing, there is no doubt that he will be a huge asset for the club going into next season if the deal is to get over the line.
Genoa boss Alberto Gilardino has challenged Mario Balotelli to prove that he is still good enough to make a difference in Serie A.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
Unai Emery is leading Aston Villa into an illustrious future. Over the past few years, the Premier League outfit has gone from strength to strength, rising from its struggling spot at the floor of the English top flight and enjoying football on the continent.
Qualifying for the Conference League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign was a momentous moment for a club on the rise, but Villa simply had a taste of success and wanted more.
Now, last season's top-four finish has opened up a world of opportunity, and despite the need to swerve PSR sticking points, cashing in on Douglas Luiz to avoid a financial penalty, the Lions have been active in the market, making a wealth of signings.
Of course, Moussa Diaby's proposed sale to Al-Ittihad is the current story at Villa Park, but Monchi has already identified the dream replacement and is hoping to hijack a top European side's move to bring him in.
According to TEAMtalk – as reported earlier this week – Aston Villa have held talks with Nico Williams as they incredibly plot to hijack Barcelona's £46m deal for the Spain star.
The Athletic Bilbao winger has been one of football's hottest commodities after lighting Euro 2024 up en route to winning the trophy, and Villa are seeking to exploit their newfound position in the Champions League to turn the odds in their favour.
With Diaby moving to the Saudi Pro League for around £60m, the coin is in the purse to move ahead with this stunning signing.
Even the most optimistic of Aston Villa supporters might raise an eyebrow at their club's chance of pipping Barcelona and the like to Williams' signing, but the groundwork has been paved.
In January 2023, Villa failed to entice a teenage Williams to move to the Premier League despite meeting his release clause, and while that attempt was botched, it could hold sway as they look to go again.
|
Nico Williams: Euro 2024 Stats |
|
|---|---|
|
Statistics |
# |
|
Matches played |
6 |
|
Matches started |
6 |
|
Goals |
2 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Pass completion |
90% |
|
Key passes per game |
2.2 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
3.8 |
|
Dribbles per game |
2.2 |
|
Duels won per game |
3.3 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
He was a superstar for his nation, though frankly, this was just a continuation of the efforts made for Bilbao over the past year, notching 27 goal contributions from 37 fixtures across all competitions last season, instrumental as the Basque side ended a 40-year trophy drought as they conquered the Copa del Rey.
As per FBref, he ranked among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues last season for assists, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, highlighting the imperious athletic ability that journalist Antonio Mango has described as "mind-blowing".
It's so impressive, in fact, that Williams' 3.42 successful take-ons per 90 over the past year rocket above that of Manchester City's Jack Grealish, who employs one of the silkiest ball-carrying games in Europe, though averaged 1.40 per 90 of the same metric.
Grealish, moreover, succeeded with 62% of his attempted dribbles in the Premier League last term but averaged 0.9 per game. While this is principally due to the system that Pep Guardiola implements, restricting such freedom of movement, it's hard to argue against Williams on current ranking – especially when considering that the 21-year-old averaged 2.8 dribbles per outing in La Liga.
Signed, he would unquestionably walk right into Emery's starting 11, and while this would come at the expense of Morgan Rogers' hopes to solidify a regular starting berth, it would only serve to lift Villa even higher in their fight to reach the pinnacle of European football.
Villa signed Rogers, 21, in a deal rising to £16m in January, plucking the talented winger from Middlesbrough after being coloured impressed by his electric, snappy performances. A product of Man City's unrelenting academy belt, the England U21 international "developed hugely in less than three months" following his move – as per The Athletic's Jacob Tanswell – now a crucial part of Emery's first-team plans.
Rogers scored three goals and added an assist in the Premier League last season, starting eight times, and caught the eye with his dribbling skills, averaging 1.5 per game.
His tactical fluidity is a big bonus. He's nicely rounded, creative and combative, ranking among the top 8% of positional peers for assists and the top 17% for tackles per 90, but he's simply not on Williams' level, who eclipses him in both regards. Take note of the Spaniard's aforementioned goal contributions.
This is not to say that signing Williams would preclude the £20k-per-week winger's chances of succeeding in the Midlands, rather, relegate him to a second-class standing on the flank, albeit with plenty of time and opportunity to make his mark and continue his remarkable rise.
Let's not forget, having sanctioned Diaby's sale and previously swerved the ire of PSR after cashing in on Luiz and academy graduates Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman, such a deal is firmly within the realm of possibility.
Villa, if there is a chance to do so, have to sign Williams this summer. It could be the watershed moment in Emery's quest to take the club back to the most golden of one-time glory days.
Cole Palmer tells Aston Villa star to join Chelsea with swap move possible
He wants him to quit Villa Park for Stamford Bridge.
3
By
Charlie Smith
Jul 18, 2024
Manchester United defenders Harry Maguire and Lisandro Martinez have returned to training under new coach Ruben Amorim.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |
Real Madrid are not looking to “wash their hands” of Kylian Mbappe, with Karim Benzema held up as an example of how to handle ‘Galactico’ additions.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |