Leeds United have made an admirable start to their first season back in England’s top flight after 16 years of waiting.
The Whites have already banked impressive results including a win over Everton and a surprise 1-1 draw against Manchester City.
However, Marcelo Bielsa seems to rely too much on star striker Patrick Bamford and this has been made clear on several occasions this campaign.
Indeed, the 27-year-old is the club’s top scorer this term by some margin with eight goals. The next highest scoring Leeds player is Mateusz Klich, who has just two to his name (via BBC Sport).
The gap in stats in worrying for the Whites, who are in need of an extra injection of creativity.
Rob Lee spoke to Football FanCast about this and he believes that Victor Orta must take to the market in January and recruit a partner for Bamford.
“Patrick Bamford has done brilliant, I think he’s done a fantastic job,” the ex-midfielder said. “He’s their focal point, he plays every game, he’s scoring goals – which people probably questioned whether he would in the Premier League. But I think they need someone who can help him.”
Whilst Leeds aren’t in any danger right now, they risk slipping into extremely hot water if Bamford is to pick up an injury at all throughout the season. Bielsa also risks over-working him as he is currently the only source of the team’s goals.
Come January, Orta and Andrea Radrizzani must put their heads together and poach someone who can lighten the load on Bamford’s shoulders and help the Whites develop their attack.
In other news, Signing Dean Henderson will only hinder growth of Illan Meslier…
Leeds United’s U23s outfit looks incredibly exciting at the moment.
Last week we discussed how Joe Gelhardt has all the tools needed to be a success at the club, but while we were busy fawning over Gelhardt, his strike partner was picking up a PL2 Player of the Month award.
Sam Greenwood has been exceptional since joining United’s academy, netting five goals in four games, and he more than deserves the recognition he’s received.
Gelhardt himself has one goal this season, taking their combined tally to six goals in four games, but it’s their incredible partnership that has helped them hit this patch of form.
U23s manager Mark Jackson has previously spoken about their brilliant partnership on the pitch as well as their budding friendship off of it.
“Sam and Joffy have got a good relationship in regards to playing together,” Jackson said.
“They’ve done that in the national team, so they tell me anyway. You can see that on the training field. They spend a lot of time together and they have a good playing relationship on the pitch.”
The idea of this budding strike partnership coming through is very exciting to say the least, especially when you consider that Leeds haven’t had a partnership like this for a long time.
Be it down to football tactics moving towards favouring one-striker formations or a lack of quality at the club, Leeds haven’t had a top-class strike partnership since Jermaine Beckford and Luciano Becchio.
A decade ago, Becchio and Beckford were banging in 47 goals between them for Leeds, and since then, the Whites haven’t had two forwards put up those types of numbers.
Ross McCormack and Matt Smith came closest with 42 goals between them in the 2011/12 season, and even then, McCormack was starting a lot of games in a deeper role, and he did most of the heavy lifting towards that tally with 29 strikes, so they weren’t your traditional strike partnership.
Gelhardt and Greenwood look like a strike pairing that can work in perfect tandem, and if that can translate to the first team, Leeds may have something special on their hands.
Glasgow Rangers dodged a bullet by not signing Juninho Bacuna from Huddersfield Town in the summer…
What’s the word?
Recent reports had revealed that Rangers were interested in a move for the 4-cap Curacao international, with the club keep to take him on loan for the rest of the season with an option to buy.
The Sun’s Alan Nixon added that Steven Gerrard was searching for an attacking midfielder, as the Ibrox outfit had enquired about Bacuna’s availability, but their request had been rejected, and they ended up bringing in Bongani Zungu on a season-long loan deal from Amiens instead.
Rangers dodged a bullet!
Bacuna clearly has bags of potential, that much is almost obvious, but his inexperience would’ve made this a hard sell with supporters. He broke through the ranks at FC Groningen after scoring 13 goals for their academy teams, via Transfermarkt. Since then, it’s fair to say that he has struggled for consistency so far, as he has only managed to score seven goals in 68 appearances for the Terriers in all competitions.
When you consider that Glen Kamara, Steven Davis and Scott Arfield have been in such fine form in recent weeks, and that’s without even mentioning Ryan Jack, it’s difficult to see which player would’ve been forced to make room for him in the Rangers midfield.
Coupled with the fact that the 23-year-old earns weekly wages worth £17,000, which is more than what Arfield earns every week, it’s safe to say that it would’ve been a nightmare move for the Gers. The last thing that Gerrard needs is an inconsistent, inexperienced midfielder, who would cost a fair amount of money. It almost doesn’t bear to think about.
Former Terriers striker Dale Tempest once criticised the £4.95m-rated ace for his inability to concentrate during a game, saying he often “falls asleep”. He told The Examiner: “He is a technically brilliant player and physically fantastic, but tactically and mentally he falls asleep and doesn’t fully fulfil his responsibilities in a central role.
“Every time I watch a Town game, I swear to myself and to anyone I am with – I wish Bacuna would stop rolling his foot over the ball!!”
Hardly the stuff that legends are made of, that’s for sure. Rangers will be glad that they signed Zungu instead. Now they just have to make sure that he is fully fit and firing on all cylinders.
AND in other news, Rangers must watch out for Standard Liege’s Mehdi Carcela in Europa League…
Leeds United have a number of talented young players on their books, but with the club now battling it out in the Premier League, some of these players have had to be loaned out in order to earn some first-team experience.
Robbie Gotts is tipped to join Huddersfield or Hull in the coming days, while Alfie McCalmont and Jordan Stevens have already departed on a temporary basis.
Stevens made his first start for Swindon Town on Saturday, and his career for the Robins got off to the best possible start.
Seven minutes into his first game Stevens scored an absolute cracker that would have certainly caught Marcelo Bielsa’s eye.
In a very Bielsa-esque phase of play, Stevens showed exactly what he’s about sliding in to win the ball back high up the pitch before playing a one-two that saw him free on the edge of the Burton box.
The winger then took aim, firing the ball low towards the far post, with the ball nestling in the bottom corner to put his new side 1-0 up.
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The move had Bielsa’s fingerprints all over it with Stevens’ pressing intensity and work-rate directly leading to the goal.
Unfortunately, things quietened down after that goal, with the 20-year-old not having another shot for the rest of the game.
However, his defensive stats throughout the whole match do stand out, especially when you consider he was playing on the wing.
The youngster made two tackles and one interception during the match, and with Bielsa emphasising pressing and defensive output from his attackers, it’s good to see that his influence has seemingly rubbed off on Stevens.
It’s a long season, but if the Leeds loanee can keep this form up throughout the campaign he could be one to watch.
Arsenal’s transfer plans seem likely to revolve around whether or not Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is going to stay at the club or not.
The Gabon international is in the final year of his contract at the Emirates, and if he doesn’t put pen to paper on a new deal, the Gunners will have to start looking at alternate attacking options.
Luckily, recent reports indicate that the London club already have a contingency plan in place for if they do lose their top scorer.
What’s the story then?
Le10 Sport are claiming that Arsenal have a number of attacking options on their watchlist for if Aubameyang leaves, and one man they’re looking at is Memphis Depay.
The Dutch attacker has been plying his trade over in France for the past few years with Lyon, and if he can bring that sort of form over to England he could be a real coup.
Arsenal’s Salah
It would be very easy for any Gunners supporter to turn their nose up at the idea of signing Depay after his lacklustre spell with Manchester United in the Premier League.
However, the old adage is ‘form is temporary, class is permanent’ for a reason, and Depay has more than proven he has bags of talent during his time at PSV and Lyon.
The 26-year-old won an Eredivisie Golden Boot at PSV, and this season he’s netted 14 goals in 18 appearances for Lyon across Ligue 1 and the Champions League.
For some players, their first stint in the Premier League just doesn’t go to plan, just look at Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne’s stints at Chelsea where they couldn’t buy a start or a goal.
Since returning to the league for both Liverpool and Man City respectively, they’ve gone on to arguably be two of the best players the division has ever seen with Salah breaking the record for goals in a 38-game season and De Bruyne on the brink of breaking the assists record.
If Depay can showcase his talents this time around he could be a real star for the Gunners.
Caledonian Stadium has been the home of Scottish Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle since it opened in 1996, two years after the club was formed.
Caledonian Stadium was redeveloped in 2004-05 which included the construction of two new stands as well as converting the ground into an all-seater with a capacity of over 7,500.
A history of Caledonian Stadium
When Caledonian and Inverness Thistly proposed to merge and join the Scottish Football League in 1994, it gave them more of a chance to build a brand new state of the art stadium. After two years of negotiating, work on the Caledonian Stadium finally commenced in October 1995 with Provost William Fraser cutting the first ceremonial turf. The first competitive league match played at the new ground was on 9 November 1996 when almost 4,000 fans witnessed a 1-1 draw with Albion Rovers.
Despite a successful opening of Caledonian Stadium, it was soon revealed that the ground did not meet the Scottish Premier League’s criteria of 10,000 seats and it looked as if the club’s hopes of playing in the top flight would be damaged. Somehow, Caley Thistle proposed a 100-mile ground share move at Pittodrie, Aberdeen so that they could play in the Scottish top flight for the first time.
Despite the odds, the SPL agreed that it would be possible for Caledonian Stadium to be upgraded before late January 2005. In addition to this good news for the club, the criteria had changed to 6,000 seats rather than 10,000 ahead of the next season. Redevelopment of Caledonian Stadium began shortly after, with the construction of two new stands at either end of the ground.
They were extraordinarily built in just 47 days by the Tulloch Construction Company who are also the club’s biggest shareholder. As part of the redevelopment cost, Tulloch’s name was added to it upon completion, though in February 2019, the stadium was renamed Caledonian Stadium after long-time sponsors Tulloch gifted the stadium to the club.
An initial club record was set at 7,045, during a league match against Celtic in 2005, and this was surpassed by Old Firm rivals Ranges who attracted a crowd of 7,512 at Caledonian Stadium a few months later. The West Stand was erected opposite the Main Stand in 2007, and it has a small capacity of just 400 – it was initially intended to be a singing section for the hardcore Calley fans. During 2018, Inverness CT replaced the original manned turnstiles with modern barcode scanning ones.
Tickets to Watch Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Caledonian Stadium
Adult season tickets are available from £20, senior citizens and 16-25 from £15, and under-16s from just £6. Adult season tickets are priced at around £246, seniors at £199, 16-25s at £179, juniors at £81, and under-12s for just £46.
Related Links
https://ictfc.com/ – Official Website of Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Wolverhampton Wanderers must consider signing Mohammed Salisu after transfer news emerged from El Desmarque that they are one of a high number of clubs interested in signing the Real Valladolid central defender in the upcoming summer transfer window.
As per the outlet, Southampton and Watford, amongst other teams outside of the Premier League, have all courted Salisu and may be looking to pounce for his signature once the window opens.
Indeed, the centre-back is valued at 11 million euros (roughly £9.9 million) and has made an appearance in every game in La Liga in this season so far, according to Transfermarkt.
In those matches, the left-footed centre-half wins 4.5 duels on average, and also averages five clearances, 1.4 tackles and 1.1 interceptions, keeping a total of seven clean sheets (via Sofascore).
Given those relatively impressive stats and the fact that he is left-footed, Salisu could arguably slot in nicely as the left-sided man of Nuno Espirito Santo’s back three.
It is a position that Romain Saiss has had to fill in Transfermarkt).
If Salisu plays on the left side, then captain Conor Coady can play in the middle of the three central defenders and Willy Boly can play on the right given that he is right-footed.
At a potentially bargain price, and given also the apparent competition for his signature, Wolves should at least consider the Ghanaian as a possible swoop.
WWFC fans, do you think Salisu would be a good signing? Comment below!
With Amanda Staveley on the brink of brokering a deal for a Saudi-led consortium to buy Newcastle United from Mike Ashley, speculation over their summer priorities has been rife.
After years of Premier League preservation being the club’s primary goal, the Magpies are now being linked with a host of names as they seek to climb the table.
Currently sat 13, Steve Bruce has done a commendable job in keeping his goal-shy side closer to mid-table than to the bottom, but it appears that he, like many of his players, could be looking at the exit door.
On the incoming side of things, the club are said to be interested in players from across Europe of all positions and given their potential financial situation, they are one of a small group of clubs not expected to be impacted by the global economic situation.
Here, we look at five players the North East side should look to target this summer.
Odsonne Edouard
Soccer Football – Europa League Play Off First Leg – Celtic v AIK – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Britain – August 22, 2019 Celtic’s Odsonne Edouard celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Craig Brough
A player that has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs of late, Odsonne Edouard has had an outstanding season with Celtic this term.
Bagging 22 goals from 27 league starts, the 22-year-old has stepped up this term and could offer the perfect option for Newcastle.
Joelinton has managed just one goal this term and while he can still play a valuable role, it makes sense to add a goalscorer to the squad.
According to the Daily Record, the Magpies could seal a deal for around £25m plus add-ons, in a move that could provide good value for all parties.
Dean Henderson
Having conceded just 22 goals so far this league season, Dean Henderson has been one of the form goalkeepers.
On loan at Sheffield United from Manchester United, he earned his first England call-up and will surely be looking for regular game time at Old Trafford or a permanent move away.
With David De Gea currently in possession of the number one jersey at United, Newcastle could offer an exciting opportunity for a young and ambitious player like Henderson.
Martin Dubravka has been an ever-present this term, but at 31 years of age, the club could well look to upgrade with the 23-year-old.
Wilfried Zaha
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Linked with a move to Arsenal and Everton last summer, Wilfried Zaha could finally be set to get his move away from Selhurst Park.
According to The Sun, Zaha is valued at around £60m by Crystal Palace and is very much on the radar of Newcastle, who The Sun claim could spend up to £300m this summer.
An academy graduate at Palace, Zaha had a brief spell at Old Trafford before returning and appears keen to test himself at the top level.
With Newcastle said to be very ambitious it is a deal that makes plenty of sense and even though the Ivory Coast international is having his worst goalscoring season since 2015/16, his proven quality at Premier League level makes him an obvious target and upgrade on their current options.
Houssem Aouar
One of the most sought after midfielders in Europe, Houssem Aouar has emerged as a target for Newcastle according to reports in France.
Reportedly valued at around £45m, Newcastle are to be keen on the player who is said to be a target for Real Madrid, Juventus and Manchester United.
An outstanding dribbler and passer, Aouar is averaging 2.6 dribbles, one key pass and 42.1 accurate passes per match in a struggling Lyon side this term, while he has also scored three and assisted four goals in Ligue 1 so far.
Aged 21, he is the perfect profile for a club looking to build to the future and offers an upgrade on the likes of Isaac Hayden and Jonjo Shelvey.
Kalidou Koulibaly
In what would be a fantastic coup for the club, Newcastle are being linked with a move for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly according to reports in Italy.
The club are reportedly in pole position to sign the 28-year-old due to the financial toll borne by the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United, who had been linked with the Senegal international.
Averaging 58 completed passes per match as well as 2.6 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 2.8 clearances, Koulibaly is rated by many as one of the best defenders in Europe and is said to be keen on a move away.
However, with Newcastle potentially one of the few sides that can afford his wages and transfer fee, it may be a choice between staying in Naples or moving to the North East.
If and when Newcastle’s proposed takeover goes through, Steve Bruce’s future at the club promises to be one of the main topics for discussion.
The current Magpies boss took on the difficult task of trying to replace fans favourite Rafa Benitez, and to his credit, has ensured the Tyneside club are well clear of the relegation zone – in fact, at the time that all football was postponed, they were just two wins behind eight-placed Tottenham.
The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?
Now, The Sun claim that Newcastle’s players are very keen on seeing Bruce stay at St James’ Park, and that he remains very popular among his squad “who are determined to prove to the new owners that he should be kept on beyond this season”.
After hearing about the update on Bruce’s future, Newcastle fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.
One Newcastle fan simply suggested that as well as getting rid of Bruce, the Magpies should get rid of the entire playing squad too.
Whilst Bruce has done a fine job in the circumstances, surely Newcastle won’t turn down the opportunity to potentially bring in someone like Mauricio Pochettino?
The ex-Spurs manager is of course available following his sacking from the Lilywhites earlier this season, and based on the work he has done in rebuilding the likes of Southampton and Spurs in the Premier League, he appears to be the perfect fit for Newcastle.
It remains to be seen how things pans out.
Meanwhile, Newcastle fans react to Craig Hope’s update on the future of this ace.
Kevin De Bruyne, who has played a starring role in Manchester City’s side this season after coming back from an injury-ridden campaign, recently blasted the Euro 2020 format in a post-match interview after his native Belgium beat Cyprus 6-1.
The Belgians qualified for Euro 2020 through finishing top of their qualifying group, beating the likes of Russia and Scotland to cement their place at the Championships next summer in a bid to take advantage of their golden generation and win a coveted international prize.
However, according to De Bruyne, the competition is already sucking the tension out of its group stage draw given the fact 12 cities throughout Europe will host games – with Wembley hosting the semi-final and final.
Judging by the format rules, Belgium already know who they are going to get – with Denmark and Russia looking like their Group B opponents due to the fact Ukraine and the Russians cannot play each other for geopolitical reasons.
Meanwhile, Belgium’s opponents will also have home advantage due to the fact they are both part of the 12 host nations.
De Bruyne, speaking to HLN Sport (via Daily Mail), labelled the competition a ‘disgrace’, stating:
“It’s a disgrace. For me this feels like competition distortion. Football has become more and more a business.”
As a result, City supporters had mixed reactions on social media, with a few confused about the format itself – and let’s face it, they aren’t the only ones:
City fans, do you agree with De Bruyne? Let us know in the comments below!