All posts by h716a5.icu

The Athletic’s Phil Hay wants Robin Koch to be starting at centre-back so that Maximilian Wober can play on the left for Leeds United moving forward.

The Lowdown: On-field changes now needed

Leeds have taken the first step to make changes at Elland Road to ensure they secure their spot in the Premier League for next season by sacking Jesse Marsch.

However, things on the pitch have to be addressed by whoever the next manager to walk through the door is to replace the American. This includes the defence, which is performing much worse than they should be compared to their expected goals against (xGA) total (as per FBref).

One thing that looked to have been addressed last month was the left-back situation, with Pascal Struijk deployed there until the January signing of Wober.

However, his arrival has done little to improve their fortunes at the back. Indeed, he has been slotted into centre-back instead of left-back – where he had been playing for RB Salzburg this campaign.

The Latest: Koch has to return

Something Hay wants to see addressed quickly is getting Germany international Koch back in at centre-back in order for Wober to take up a role at left-back.

Speaking on The Phil Hay Show, he said: “They’ll be helped by Robin Koch coming back, which might allow Wober to play at left-back – which to my mind, would be no bad thing and probably needs to be done.”

The Verdict: Round pegs have to go in round holes

If Leeds want to have a fighting chance against the drop this season, they have to be playing players in their most-suited positions – even if that means dropping others from the side.

Therefore, if Koch is available, he should go straight in at centre-back alongside either Liam Cooper or Struijk and take the Dutch youngster out of the firing line, as it has been an experiment that’s failed miserably.

Leeds currently have two more conventional left-backs on their books in the form of Wober and Junior Firpo, so there is no need to be playing a 6ft 3in centre-back there and making the team unnecessarily lopsided.

Luke Edwards has admitted on Sky Sports that he’s not thrilled by the idea of Newcastle United setting up a fanzone outside of St James’ Park.

The Lowdown: PIF making moves off the pitch

One of the last actions Mike Ashley did to try and leave a legacy at Newcastle was to sell off the Strawberry Place land which left developing St James’ Park almost impossible given the listed buildings around the stadium.

However, PIF – more specifically, Mehrdad Ghodoussi – has stepped in and managed to broker a deal between the club and the owners of the land which will allow the Magpies to extend St James’ Park if they wish to in the future.

The news obviously got fans excited on Tyneside, but plans certainly aren’t anywhere near coming to fruition at the moment instead, PIF are looking to install a fanzone behind the ground for the time being.

The Latest: Newcastle looking towards the future

Edwards certainly isn’t impressed that all PIF have lined up is a fanzone for before games to entertain perhaps the younger fanbase, as he spoke about live on Sky Sports.

He said: “I think the story is absolutely 100% correct but what they’re going to do with it is what we really need to know now. At the moment, it’s going to be a fanzone, which I’m slightly underwhelmed by, if I’m perfectly honest. I’m not a huge fan of fanzones, but that might be my age.”

The Verdict: Toon looking to modernise the club

While the fact Newcastle are looking to do something other than expanding the stadium may well be disappointing news for fans, especially ones that don’t have a season ticket, this is a sensible step for the club.

This is because if PIF just ploughed on and expanded the stadium with very little thought or reasoning as to what they’re doing then it would only be worse in the long-term, so the club must consult the council and also some of the best architectures around to come up with the best result.

A fanzone certainly isn’t for everyone, but to get the younger fans engaged and loving both football and Newcastle, this is the best way to go about it by having a dedicated area right next to the stadium where they can be entertained before heading to the match.

Journalist Charlie Wyett has insisted Southampton will put Ruben Selles in charge until the end of the season, while criticising the ongoing mess at St Mary’s.

The Lowdown: Southampton taking a huge risk

Southampton have found themselves in a whole load of trouble this season having sacked long-term boss Ralph Hasenhuttl earlier in the campaign before appointing Nathan Jones, only to hand him 14 league games.

This then saw the Saints approach recently sacked Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, but talks broke down at the final hurdle, which has left assistant coach Selles as the man in the hotseat.

It is indeed yet another huge risk for Sport Republic to be taking if they do leave Selles in charge until the end of the season as he has no experience of being a first-team manager, while the Saints’ Premier League status is at stake.

The Latest: Selles has huge pressure on his shoulders

Speaking on Sky Sports, Wyett was far from thrilled by Southampton’s managerial situation and the mess which occurring on the south coast.

He said: “I think, probably, Southampton will stick with Ruben Selles, who’s the caretaker, who was assistant to Nathan Jones and Ralph Hasenhuttl. But again, this is a big ask.

“He’s 39, he’s only ever been an assistant manager. He only became an assistant manager 13-14 years ago; he was pretty much a fitness coach before that. So this is a big ask.

“Maybe the other option is to bring in an experienced coach to work alongside him, but it is a bit of a mess, that’s for sure.”

The Verdict: Sport Republic taking a huge gamble

The club’s downturn in fortunes was arguably set in motion during the summer, when Southampton made the bold and risky decision to recruit a number of young players with either none or very little Premier League experience which now appears to be backfiring.

Then the merry-go-round of managers followed, and that has done nothing to help their form on the pitch this season, with the Saints sitting rock bottom of the Premier League with just four wins to their name.

Selles will likely be delighted if he’s handed the job on a full-time basis, but it’s a big ask for someone so young and inexperienced to lead a club like Southampton out of the rut they are in and away from relegation trouble.

Leeds United are in pole position to sign Club Brugge and Canada winger Tajon Buchanan this summer, a new report has claimed.

The Lowdown: Buchanan appears at World Cup

The 24-year-old was a key member of Canada’s squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, starting all three matches in the group stage before their exit.

Buchanan chipped in with one assist in the competition, coming against eventual third-place finishers Croatia, and he enhanced his reputation in Qatar.

The winger isn’t out of contract at Brugge until 2025 but now a rumour has emerged regarding his future.

The Latest: Leeds in pole position…

According to Calciomercato [via Sport Witness], Leeds are interested in snapping up Buchanan this summer, with Inter Milan also keen on signing him.

Brugge are believed to be ‘asking for €30million (£26.6m)’ for the Canadian – but Leeds think they could even get him for €25million (£22m).

It’s added that the Whites are ‘in the lead’ in the race as they enter pole position for his signing.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-copy-2/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates (Copy)” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Strong wide addition

Buchanan’s performances at the World Cup showed what he is capable of and he is someone who could be an astute attacking signing by Leeds this summer.

[freshpress-quiz id=“418869″]

He has been hailed as a ‘tireless’ player by journalist Kristian Jack in the past and four goals in 28 caps for his country is a solid return for someone who should only improve in the coming years.

Granted, Buchanan’s performances for Brugge haven’t been too eye-catching, with only one league goal and assist coming his way in 15 appearances, but he is an exciting footballer who could provide Leeds with much-needed attacking depth.

Everton have been prone to the more than occasional gaffe in the transfer market and have not had the greatest success in recent windows at Goodison Park.

However, whilst the likes of Neal Maupay, Jean-Philippe Gbamin, and Moise Kean have struggled, one player Farhad Moshiri struck gold on was the signing of Demarari Gray from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer 0f 2021.

Then-boss Rafa Benitez revealed that he played a big role in the deal as the Spaniard had been tracking the gem. The manager said: “When I was at Newcastle we played against Leicester and he did really well. Since then we were following him and I was in contact with his agent asking about how he was doing.

“I also sent the boy a message when he was in Germany asking how he was getting on and how was he adapting to the style of life in Germany?

“So I had communication and was following him. I told my staff to keep an eye on him because we knew he has the potential.”

Moshiri and Benitez worked to secure a deal for the English forward for a fee in the region of £1.7m and that move has turned out to be an outstanding piece of business.

How much is Demarai Gray worth?

At the time of writing, Football Transfers have placed the attacker’s Expected Transfer Value at £11m (€12.7m) with that representing a whopping increase of 547% from the initial fee they paid to sign him from Leverkusen.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand hailed the signing as an “unbelievable find” by the Toffees and the dynamo’s statistics since arriving at Goodison Park back that up.

In his debut campaign, Gray averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.94 in the Premier League as the magician produced five goals and four assists from out wide in 34 appearances. The forward also created six ‘big chances’ and provided 1.2 key passes per game, which shows that he was a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch in terms of creating opportunities for his teammates.

This season, the Englishman has scored three times and created a furher three ‘big chances’ in 19 starts in the top-flight and delivered 1.2 key passes per match – continuing the fine form that he showcased in his first year on Merseyside.

The 26-year-old has scored 11 goals and assisted six in 64 outings for the club in all competitions to date and proven that he has the quality to make a significant impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis for Sean Dyche’s Toffees.

Couple his excellent performances on the pitch with his soaring market value and it’s easy to see why Moshiri struck gold for Everton by signing him.

Manchester United are undoubtedly a club famed for their production of young talent, with the Red Devils having repeatedly promoted players from the academy ranks into the first-team, from the Busby Babes to the ‘Class of 92’, right through to the likes of Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo.

For every success story, however, there is a notable figure who simply falls by the wayside – for every Paul Scholes there is a Ravel Morrison. For every Ryan Giggs, there is a Callum Gribbin.

In the case of the latter man, the Englishman is a prime example of the perils of hyping up players too young, as well as a warning as to the brutal nature of the game, with once-promising figures able to be so ruthlessly cast aside after years on the books at a club.

What happened to Callum Gribbin?

Gribbin’s tale is arguably one of wasted potential but also likely one of frustration – both for the player himself and for United – with the emerging gem having never been able to truly live up to his early, outstanding promise.

The Salford native – who would ultimately spend 11 years at Old Trafford after joining in 2008 – had been setting tongues wagging among supporters in the know for years as a result of his displays at youth level, having even been hailed as the “English [Lionel] Messi” due to his precocious talent, as The Athletic’s Daniel Taylor revealed.

Lauded as a “fantastic technician” by former assistant coach Kieran McKenna, the playmaker was notably included in the Guardian’s Next Generation list in 2015 alongside the 20 best talents in the Premier League, with that selection including current Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold, as well as ex-Tottenham Hotspur sensation, Marcus Edwards.

That wider acclaim was mirrored by the glowing reports coming out of United, with youth coach Paul McGuiness stating at the time: “Callum’s a very talented player and the type English football does not have a lot of. He can keep the ball with people around him. He can manipulate it and give space for a creative pass. Also, he’s waiting to look for a creative pass all the time too.”

The forward’s quality unsurprisingly sparked comparisons to club legend Giggs, with that likeness having become even more apparent following the youngster’s stunning, solo goal against Barcelona in the Otten Cup back in 2016.

An “unreal talent” – in the words of fellow academy graduate Charlie Scott – Gribbin appeared destined to eventually force his way into the first-team picture, having possessed that innate gift to be able to “glide past players with the ball tied to his feet”, according to club historian, Tony Park.

Despite enjoying a “light-bulb moment” – in the words of Nicky Butt – after producing an all-action display against Wolfsburg in the UEFA Youth League in 2015, the 5 foot 10 ace was never able to make that step up, with injury also playing its part in curtailing his progress.

Having been unable to ever make his senior bow, the former England U17 international was ultimately released in 2019, going on to endure a brief stint at Sheffield United, before joining League Two side Barrow in 2020.

That switch again failed to have the desired impact as Gribbin only made five appearances for the club, having subsequently been snapped up by lower-league side Radcliffe with the aim of kickstarting his career.

Now 24, the former wonderkid is currently on the books at seventh-tier outfit, FC United of Manchester, with that slide down the footballing pyramid representing a sad decline for a player who once promised so much.

With time still on his side, however, hopefully Gribbin can get back to where he belongs sooner rather than later.

Glasgow Rangers are back in action just six days after their League Cup final defeat, which was Michael Beale’s first loss in charge of the Ibrox side.

The club now realistically have the chance at winning just the Scottish Cup this season, having slipped nine points behind their Old Firm rivals in the Premiership title race and this will be Beale’s main focus from now on.

A home tie against Kilmarnock awaits this afternoon and gives the Light Blues a chance to close the gap to six points at the top of the table, temporarily at least, although the 42-year-old will need to choose a better starting XI as opposed to the one that took to the field at Hampden last week.

Will Todd Cantwell start against Kilmarnock?

Beale chose John Lundstram and Glen Kamara as the two players to form the midfield axis in the cup final, while Malik Tillman was given a starting slot in the attacking midfield role, however, none of them performed particularly well, with all three players receiving a rating of just 4/10 for their performances at Hampden via the Scotsman.

Cantwell has started off his Rangers career in a positive manner with the 25-year-old, averaging a 7.22/10 rating via Sofascore across his four league appearances so far, and it was a shame that he did not start against Celtic.

In those four games, he has managed to grab an assist, make 1.5 key passes per game, create one big chance, and take 64 touches on average, certainly proving that he has settled into life in Scotland with relative ease by creating opportunities for his teammates on a regular basis.

In only his second match for the club, Cantwell came on as a substitute for the final 14 minutes against Hearts and made his presence felt and this led journalist Jordan Campbell to lavish praise on him, saying: “Cantwell has been superb since he came on. Nearly every time he has got on the ball he has dribble past someone or produced a lovely pass.”

The magician’s former youth coach Gary Cockaday praised him previously, saying: “He did things every week that were just special. It was God-given.”

The 5 foot 10 maestro could unlock the Killie defence should he be unleashed this afternoon and with the cup final defeat scars still healing, it may be a match that needs just one moment of magic to ensure the club gets the three points.

Cantwell is capable of producing these moments and ‘lovely’ passes, as shown by his aforementioned statistics in the Premiership, and, thus, Beale should make up for last week’s mistake by starting the Englishman.

Leeds United are thought to be keeping tabs on Arsenal left-back Kieran Tierney ahead of a potential move.

The Lowdown: Lack of minutes

Tierney hasn’t featured heavily this season at the Emirates, playing just 468 minutes of Premier League action, starting only four top-flight games.

That has been due to Oleksandr Zinchenko’s arrival in the summer, with Mikel Arteta’s side currently on course to pip Manchester City to the title.

Tierney shares the same agent as Patrick Bamford and is under contract in north London until 2026, however, he is being linked with a summer exit, with Elland Road named as a potential destination.

The Latest: Transfer update

90min shared a story on Wednesday regarding Tierney, who is attracting interest from a number of top-flight sides including Leeds.

Those at Elland Road are monitoring the Scot’s situation, with Arteta aware that his lack of minutes may become an issue for Tierney.

The Verdict: Needed

Junior Firpo has found some form of late, scoring the winner against Southampton and starting every game under Javi Gracia. However, the Spaniard is the only recognised left-back on the books in Yorkshire, so a move for Tierney, hailed as a ‘warrior’ by Ashley Cole, could be required.

The Whites will need to remain in the top flight for a transfer to gather any real pace, though, but it looks as if Tierney may be a name to keep an eye on heading into the summer when Leeds are likely to be under new ownership in the 49ers Enterprises.

Pundit Kenny Cunningham believes that a back three could be the way Wolves manage to avoid relegation this season.

The Lowdown: Wolves still have breathing space

Julen Lopetegui has been able to steady the ship and slowly turn things around since replacing Bruno Lage at Wolves having won five league games – but they are still very much in a relegation battle.

Wolves sit just three points above the bottom three which means they can’t be classed as safe from the threat of relegation, however, if they keep up this form, they should be okay.

However, after going to a back three against Newcastle United on Sunday, which resulted in them getting immediately back on level terms, this could be the formation that Lopetegui turns to moving forward.

The Latest: Moving to a back three could be the solution

Cunningham has suggested on the Off The Ball YouTube channel that Wolves should stick with a back-three system as it clearly worked immediately at the weekend.

He said: “I couldn’t look at that performance today [Sunday] or generally how they’ve performed all season and say it’s an absolute given they’re going to stay up, [but] I still feel as if they’ve probably got enough.

“Interesting they went to a back three today when Nathan Collins came on. I just feel that might be the solution for them maybe going forward between now and the end of the season.”

The Verdict: Lopetegui must pick a formation and stick with it

Since taking over at Molineux, Lopetegui has tried several different formations and none of them have been able to get the Midlands side out of danger in the bottom half of the table, so there’s every chance a back three could be the best setup.

It would allow Wolves to be solid defensively while incorporating several attacking players as showcased on Sunday, when the likes of Pedro Neto, Raul Jimenez and Hwang Hee-chan were all on the pitch in the second half.

Therefore, if Lopetegui can deploy a back three and ensure Wolves are still solid at the back and not giving up many chances, he may allow the team more licence to attack in order to address their woes in the final third, and with the Old Gold having scored just 20 times this term, it seems like a pretty sound solution.

Dan Cook has urged Crystal Palace and Steve Parish to not bring back Roy Hodgson.

The Lowdown: Palace still searching for a Vieira replacement

Crystal Palace will have been hoping for a sort of bounce when they sacked Patrick Vieira and put Paddy McCarthy in temporary charge against Arsenal, however, the complete opposite happened as they shipped more than two goals in a game for the first time since the start of January.

Following the shock decision to sack Vieira, reports started to emerge about a sensational return for former manager and now retiree Roy Hodgson, who is said to be open about taking charge until the end of the season.

However, given that Vieira was appointed as this young and forward-thinking coach as well as being allowed to overhaul the squad by losing veteran players and bringing in more youthful talents he could help develop, going back to Hodgson is a bizarre move.

The Latest: Parish must avoid managerial mishap

Following the defeat against Arsenal and talk of Hodgson returning to Palace, Cook has urged Parish to not return to the veteran manager while speaking on the HLTCO podcast.

He said: (3:15) “In this particular instance, I’m going to nail my colours to the mast, I don’t see what bringing Roy Hodgson back to this football club achieves in the short term or the long term.

“I understand that maybe the Patrick Vieira experiment and the dynamic behind the scenes had shifted dramatically post-the decision to relieve Shaun Derry of his duties as one of his coaching staff.

“But, if the upshot of a break in the relationship between the ownership and Patrick Vieira is to get rid of him and bring Roy Hodgson back to the football club, then I just don’t see what purpose it serves, I can’t understand the decision making.”

The Verdict: Hodgson is not the answer for Palace

Bringing in Hodgson could be a panic appointment from Parish and the Palace board, the logic would be sound as he’s been there and done it at Selhurst Park managing to keep the Eagles in the top flight during his previous tenure.

However, given his age and the fact he willingly retired in 2022 should suggest that going back to the Englishman would be a poor decision and only show Palace to be going one way and that’s backwards.

Palace looked to be moving in the right direction by signing young exciting players such as Michael Olise, Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen, but calling a manager out of retirement just for short-term gain would signal that parish may well have lost vision of what he wants the Eagles to be like as a club.