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Leeds United are willing to sell attacking star Helder Costa this summer, according to a report from Football Insider.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men picked up an impressive victory in the Premier League on Friday night, winning 2-1 away to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Goals from Patrick Bamford and Raphinha sent Leeds to 11th place in the table, as they picked up their first league victory since  the 3-0 victory at home to Southampton on February 23rd.

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Somebody who didn’t feature in the win over the Cottagers was Costa, who watched on from the substitutes’ bench.

Costa linked with Leeds exit

Costa has struggled to play a starring role for the Whites in 2020/21, chipping in with three goals and assists apiece in the league, and this fresh report claims a Leeds source has told them that the club will listen to offers for the 27-year-old.

It is claimed that Leeds see him as a player who can ‘raise cash’ for new signings to come in instead, as Bielsa looks to ‘reshape’ his squad moving forward.

Orta masterclass

Costa has unquestionably slipped down the attacking pecking order at Elland Road this season, with just 10 starts in the league testament to that.

For that reason, it make sense to move him on to pastures new, receiving a potentially healthy fee for his services and allowing Bielsa to bring in a replacement.

Victor Orta has proven to be very successful as Elland Road’s Director of Football and the plot to offload a player Bielsa doesn’t seem to rate that highly in search of a superior star would be another smart play.

In other news, one popular Leeds player has been seen back in training – read about who it is here.

Leeds United bounced back from their loss against Everton with a convincing 2-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League last night. Goals from Jack Harrison and Patrick Bamford ensured the Whites banked all three points and are now into tenth place in the table, ahead of the likes of Arsenal and Southampton.

Bielsa will delighted with the result, which puts his side in good stead as they prepare to face the Gunners next time out and vie to put more daylight between the two clubs.

The Yorkshire outfit kept an impressive 68% of ball possession and created four big chances, along with their seven shots on target compared to Palaces’ three, as per Sofascore. It was a solid performance from all involved, but Liam Cooper stood out across the backline.

Liam Cooper vs Crystal Palace

Leeds are currently fielding a mismatched defence due to their several injury problems. Summer signings Robin Koch and Diego Llorente are still sidelined and it has put a lot of strain on the captain and his backline. However, Cooper was a standout performer against the Eagles, showing just why Bielsa has so much faith in him.

According to FotMob, the 29-year-old completed the most accurate passes (97) out of anyone else on the pitch and he also made the most tackles (3) and won the most duels (9). This is a strong improvement on his performance against Everton, in which he managed 83 passes and two tackles. It shows that when the whole team is clicking, he is almost unbeatable at centre-back.

Cooper is a player that has been heavily relied on this season. He has missed just six matches this Premier League season and he will take huge pride in knowing that his side will be sailing into next season without any relegation worries.

Bielsa will be counting his lucky stars that even whilst having two new signings out of action, he can lean on his £45,000 per week skipper to ensure results are still positive moving forwards.

In other news, Leeds must look to cut their losses on Helder Costa…

MatériaMais Notícias

Atendendo à exigência da Federação Paulista de Futebol de inscrever 28 nomes para a disputa do Campeonato Paulista, o Santos divulgou oficialmente os atletas que poderão participar do torneio com algumas surpresas.

Com os quase recuperados David Braz e Valencia na lista, jogadores importantes sob o comando de Dorival Júnior no ano passado foram “deixados de lado”. São os casos do lateral-direito Daniel Guedes, que ainda trata de tendinite, e do zagueiro Paulo Ricardo, que ainda ainda não tem previsão para deixar o departamento médico.

Por outro lado, jogadores como Lucas Otávio e Leandrinho não foram inscritos por opção técnica. A dupla não agradou o comandante santista neste início de temporada e pode inclusive ser emprestada pelo clube.

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Entretanto, a inscrição do atacante Lucas Crispim foi uma das principais novidades. O atacante ainda não foi relacionado para nenhuma partida no ano, mas ganhou um voto de confiança de Dorival. O jovem goleiro John Victor, recém-promovido da base, também está na lista dos 28 inscritos.

Confira abaixo todos os atletas inscritos:

Goleiros: Vanderlei, Vladimir e John Victor
Zagueiros: Gustavo Henrique, Lucas Veríssimo, Luiz Felipe e David Braz
Laterais: Victor Ferraz, Zeca e Caju
Volantes: Alison, Renato, Valencia e Thiago Maia
Meias: Elano, Lucas Lima, Vitor Bueno, Serginho, Léo Cittadini, Rafael Longuine e Ronaldo Mendes
Atacantes: Patito Rodriguez, Neto Berola, Gabigol, Ricardo Oliveira, Joel, Paulinho e Lucas Crispim

Leeds United were heavily linked with a move for Cagliari midfielder Nahitan Nandez during the summer transfer window and it seems as if they made an error in not bringing him to Elland Road.

According to Italian news outlet Centotrentuno, both Leeds and West Ham made offers for the Uruguayan in the summer but saw their bids for the 24-year-old rejected.

It was previously reported that Marcelo Bielsa saw him as the ‘perfect’ option for his midfield ahead of their Premier League campaign but the Yorkshire club were seemingly unwilling to pay Cagliari his release clause, which reportedly stands at €36 million (£32.5 million).

Since joining the Serie A club from Boca Juniors in August 2019, he has gone on to make 46 appearances for Isolani, in which he has contributed three goals and five assists (per Transfermarkt).

So far this season, Nandez, who is valued at £20.7 million by Transfermarkt, has made seven appearances in the Italian top-flight, scoring one goal, which has seen him average a solid 6.88 rating.

Despite being just 24, the midfielder has already earned 34 caps for his country and he is also capable of playing in a number of positions across midfield, suggesting that he would have been a solid addition to Bielsa’s squad.

Nandez’s agent Pablo Bentancur was full of praise for the midfielder last year after it was reported he was attracting interest from Inter, as he told CalcioMercato:

“I had no doubts about him adapting to Italian football, it’s a perfect league for his characteristics. Nandez is certainly a great player. The fans always like him because he leaves the last drop of sweat on the pitch.”

This sounds like exactly the sort of player that would do well with Leeds United, considering the amount of running Bielsa encourages his players to do in every game, so it seems as if the Yorkshire club missed out on a really strong potential addition.

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Therefore, with his release clause still active, perhaps we will see Leeds return for Nandez in the January transfer window, as it could definitely be argued that they missed out by not signing him during the summer.

And, in other news… Bielsa will be fuming with 28-year-old’s abject display against Chelsea

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former West Brom and England midfielder Carlton Palmer has dropped an interesting takeover claim amid the club’s change of manager.

Slaven Bilic was sacked on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after earning a well-fought point at Manchester City and he was quickly replaced by veteran boss Sam Allardyce before the day was out.

The 66-year-old has signed an 18-month contract at the Hawthorns, one that is thought to include a break clause should the Baggies be relegated from the Premier League.

And Palmer believes it has something to do with their prospective new owners.

According to the ever-reliable Telegraph reporter John Percy, current Albion chairman Guochuan Lai has held talks with an unnamed American consortium over purchasing the club for £150m.

He claims that negotiations are still ongoing over either a potential full takeover of the club or a minority stake of up to 15 per cent.

The Baggies great told FFC:

“So whether there’s a takeover happening, and the new owners have already been in conversations with Sam, and that’s the person they want to bring in.

“There’s something happening behind the scenes and obviously, it’ll all be revealed in the next few weeks.

“There’s something going on, I think a takeover is imminent, and the new owners wanted Big Sam.”

West Brom are only one victory away from moving out of the drop zone, so the decision to sack Bilic – especially after their disappointment in the transfer window – appears to be a little harsh.

The Croatian also had a player sold behind his back, so tensions understandably grew off the pitch alongside their poor results on it.

Whether Big Sam’s hiring has anything to do with a change in the boardroom still very much remains to be seen, but Palmer’s claim isn’t out of the realms of possibility.

The Baggies will need serious investment in January if they are to remain a top-flight team going forward.

AND in other news, How West Brom’s starting XI may look under Sam Allardyce…

Duncan Watmore was a player who when he first broke through had the world at his feet.

Kevin Phillips spoke highly of him and his sheer pace was enough to scare some of the best defenders in the Premier League.

In 2015, the former striker said: “In John Stones, Watmore was up against a defender that Chelsea were prepared to pay more than £35m for in the summer.”

He continued: “But Watmore caused Stones all kinds of problems, and was unlucky not to score at Goodison Park.”

However, his career, much like Sunderland as a football club has only plummeted.

Watmore was a talent who was tipped to go to the very top but after a succession of brutal injuries, has found life difficult.

In the last few years, the 26-year-old has had a wretched time with his fitness – predominantly because of a knee issue.

In 2016/17, he missed 36 games and 286 days of football but it went from bad to worse. The following season and into 2018/19, Watmore was absent for a period of 54 outings and 372 days.

He made his return in November but in March 2019, he was ruled out for the remainder of the season with an ankle problem.

In total, the tricky attacker played just five times under Simon Grayson and didn’t get to play at all under Chris Coleman.

For Phil Parkinson and Jack Ross, meanwhile, he managed just 38 outings.

It has been a torrid time for the former Sunderland man and it was unsurprising that he was finally released last summer. With financial constraints and his medical history, it certainly made sense, but did Stewart Donald jump the gun too early?

Watmore has now signed for Middlesbrough and on Wednesday evening, he proved what an asset he still is. For Boro in the Championship, he scored twice in what was a ruthless display from a man who was once described as someone who “finishes expertly.”

He was rarely involved in the play against Swansea, touching the ball 14 times and completing just seven passes, but unlike Danny Graham when he’s anonymous, Watmore actually found the back of the net.

Scoring goals at the level above Sunderland should be an enormous kick in the teeth. After all, neither Graham nor Will Grigg have found the net at all this season.

Watmore is already outperforming them, and he is doing so in a better league.

The decision to release him might actually come back to bite Sunderland and their promotion hopes.

In other news, Will Grigg could transform himself if the Black Cats hire THIS manager…

Leeds United’s top priority at the start of the summer transfer window was to bring in some centre-backs.

At one point, United had just one fit senior centre-back in their squad after Gaetano Berardi’s ACL injury and Ben White’s return to Brighton, and it was up to Victor Orta to fix this mess.

Understandably, his first port of call was to try and sign White on a permanent deal, but with Brighton holding out for more than £30m, Leeds had to look elsewhere.

In the end, they signed German international Robin Koch and La Liga ace Diego Llorente to plug the gap left by White, and those decisions have already been justified.

Signing two players with experience of playing in a top European league ahead of a man who had only ever played in the Championship and League One seems like a no-brainer on the surface, but after his heroics last season, Leeds were willing to spend big on White.

Luckily, they didn’t splash out on the centre-back as his early season performances indicate that he isn’t quite ready to be a Premier League star at this point in his career.

Brighton have conceded 10 goals in four games, and while that is one better than Leeds’ record of 11, United haven’t yet played Llorente, while they’ve seen marked improvement as the weeks have gone by, conceding just once in their last two games, despite having to face one of the best teams in the world in the shape of Manchester City.

White has been culpable for some of Brighton’s woes at the back, he was torn to bits by Marcus Rashford against Man Utd as he left the 22-year-old on the floor, not once, but twice, before he fired past the Seagulls’ goalkeeper last week, and white was powerless to stop the Everton onslaught as the Toffees netted four over the weekend.

The defender has played just 349 minutes in the Premier League, and he already doesn’t look like the commanding centre-back he was in the Championship last term, averaging just one clearance and 1.3 successful tackles per match. Leeds should feel quietly pleased with themselves for not offering any more than £30m to land their man.

Manchester United are seemingly drawing close to a move for Porto defender Alex Telles.

Journalist Fabrizio Romano tweeted (via @FabrizioRomano) that the Red Devils have agreed personal terms with the Brazil left-back, with talks having now moved on to final details of the move such as the transfer fee and commission for agents.

Valued at £36m by TransferMarkt, Telles has been hailed by one of his most famous predecessors as a left-back for Brazil, namely Roberto Carlos, while Porto manager Sergio Conceicao has praised his “professionalism” after he recently scored twice against Braga amid continuing speculation over his future at the club (as per Goal.com).

Indeed, the 27-year-old has an excellent record in terms of his attacking contribution, given that he plays in defence. In 315 career appearances he has scored 29 goals (one per 10.86 games) and provided no fewer than 65 assists (one per 4.85 games), as per TransferMarkt.

There is more to his game than simply bombing forward to set up attacks, though – match averages of 1.5 successful tackles and three successful headers in the early weeks of the season illustrate that he is also committed to his defensive duties.

While Telles’ statistics would make him seem like an excellent acquisition by United, who appear close to clinching the deal, his arrival could spell danger for two English defenders already at the club.

Luke Shaw has started both of United’s league games so far this season but the injury-prone ex-Southampton man has often been a lightning rod for criticism from numerous supporters, while he has contributed just two goals and 11 assists in 141 games for the club.

Youngster Brandon Williams, who broke into the first team over the last year, is seemingly already behind Shaw in the pecking order, reduced to a solitary Carabao Cup appearance thus far in 2020/21, and Telles’ signing could leave him badly struggling for game-time.

It may not be a welcome development for those two, but with United making just one signing so far in a window which will shut in seven days’ time, the Red Devils need to get the Telles deal done rather than be left regretting any last-gasp mistakes which could scupper the transfer.

Man United fans, how big a coup would Telles be if the deal is completed? Comment below with your views!

Dele Alli may only be 24 years old, but it wouldn’t be too out there to suggest that he’s past his best.

The attacking midfielder was nothing short of a revelation when he first arrived in the Premier League, providing 44 goal contributions in his first two seasons at White Hart Lane, but his numbers have regressed heavily since then, with his last two campaigns producing only 20 goals and assists combined.

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The recent Amazon Prime documentary around Tottenham made it very clear what Alli’s problem is, with Mourinho even saying it himself, Alli is a bit lazy, and while he is an unbelievable talent, that can only get you so far.

His development has plateaued, and perhaps that is because he feels too comfortable and he’s resting on his laurels, and while sending one of your most important players out on loan never sounds like a good idea, that may be exactly what Spurs need to do.

PSG are apparently looking at loaning him, and maybe starting from scratch in a team where he isn’t one of the biggest names in the squad is exactly what he needs to relight the fire inside of him.

It’s cruel to cast him aside, albeit temporarily, after five years of good service, and to be honest, he’s earnt a chance to fight for his spot, but if Tottenham are solely focused on getting him back on track, a loan spell away from the club could be exactly what he needs as a wake-up call.

Alli’s talent has never been doubted, but his consistency, attitude and work rate are all questionable, so a change of scenery under a new manager where he has to prove himself could be the key to once again getting the best out of the England international.

After opening their Premier League campaign with a hugely disappointing home defeat to Newcastle last weekend, West Ham make the short trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal on Saturday evening.

David Moyes’ side slipped to a 2-0 reverse against the Magpies, before getting back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 triumph over Charlton in the second round of the Carabao Cup.

The Hammers will undoubtedly go back to a stronger line-up for the game against Arsenal, having made a few changes in mid-week.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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Some players’ performances against Charlton may just have given Moyes some food for thought, and with that in mind, below is a look at how West Ham could take to the field against the Gunners on Saturday.

Having not featured against the Addicks on Tuesday, Lukasz Fabianski will surely return to the starting line-up and reclaim the number one goalkeeping spot against his former club.

In front of him, Ryan Fredericks and Angelo Ogbonna could come back in to make a more familiar defence, whilst Moyes may make the choice to drop Aaron Cresswell after a disappointing display that saw Hammers fans criticise him post-match – Arthur Masuaku could therefore keep his place.

After missing the game against Charlton, Moyes confirmed in his pre-match press conference on Friday that captain Mark Noble has undergone an injection in his toe and is likely to be touch and go for the clash against Arsenal.

If Noble doesn’t make it, then Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice could be joined in a four-man midfield by Jarrod Bowen and Andriy Yarmolenko, with the latter picking up an assist in the win over Charlton – that could see Pablo Fornals drop to the bench.

And in attack, Sebastien Haller’s mid-week brace may have earned him a starting spot at the Emirates, with Michail Antonio alongside him in a two-man strikeforce.

Predicted XI: Fabianski; Fredericks, Diop, Ogbonna, Masuaku; Soucek, Rice, Yarmolenko, Bowen; Antonio, Haller.