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Loads of Leeds United fans on Twitter are excited at the prospect of signing Helder Costa this summer after Phil Hay wrote an article linking the Whites to the Portuguese winger.

The 25-year-old was electric for Wolves when they were in the Championship, but now the Midlands club seem content to let him go out on loan after a lacklustre first season in the top flight.

The winger scored just once last term while adding only two assists. A significant decrease on the 15 goals he scored over two seasons in the Championship where he also crafted 14 assists.

Hay has previously reported that Marcelo Bielsa’s side want to strengthen out wide this summer, and this signing would certainly help towards that.

It remains to be seen whether Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta can negotiate this signing successfully, but if they do, it will undoubtedly be a very popular move.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

It was a truly awful night to be a Leeds United supporter on Wednesday, wasn’t it?

With Marcelo Bielsa’s side entering the second leg of their play-off semi-final clash with Derby County as overwhelming favourites to progress in the competition having won 1-0 at Pride Park on Saturday, the Elland Road faithful must have been extremely confident about the showdown.

However, with the pressure of expectancy proving too much for the Whites, they produced a dreadful defensive display which resulted in them conceding four goals to the Rams.

Although Stuart Dallas managed to fire in a double for the hosts, Jack Marriot’s strike in the 85th minute for Derby was enough to bring Leeds’ season to a halt.

Now facing the prospect of another year in the Championship, the Yorkshire-based outfit will almost certainly have to kiss goodbye to any chance they had of signing Dan James from Swansea City.

According to Football Insider, the Whites’ director of football Victor Orta was considering a move for the winger but only if the club were able to secure promotion to the Premier League later this month.

Yet with their dreams of top-flight football being shattered by Derby, it is unlikely that James will be willing to stay in the second tier next season with top-flight suitors lining up for the £2.7m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt).

Having missed out on signing the 21-year-old in the January transfer window after Swansea pulled out of a deal on deadline day (via the Telegraph), Leeds will understandably be very disappointed if he does indeed move on this summer to another club, especially if it ends up being arch-rivals Manchester United.

What do you think Leeds fans? Are your hopes of signing James all-but over following your play-off defeat? Would you have been able to secure promotion if Swansea had allowed the winger to leave in January? Let us know below.

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Back in 2012, Watford were taken over by the wealthy Pozzo family. What’s occurred since has been a roller coaster of a ride for the Hornets.

From a failed promotion campaign to a stint in the Premier League, the club is now on the verge of FA Cup glory.

This weekend, the Hertfordshire side will make the short journey south to Wembley. It’ll be their first appearance in an FA Cup final for over 30 years.

The club has clearly come a long way since.

But it’s not just matters on the pitch that have been boosted. The environment and atmosphere surrounding the club has improved too, and opinions on Watford from supporters elsewhere has also risen in stock.

This is largely thanks to Javi Gracia. The Spanish manager has done a phenomenal job, doing what no other Watford boss has done since the Pozzo’s arrived: achieve stability and long-term success.

The Hornets have gone through nine managers in seven years, Gracia is just the second to clear a half-century of games. Symbolically, the other was Gianfranco Zola, the man who started the Pozzo’s revolution.

Zola’s first season saw the club score 85 goals, it also saw that classic ‘Hogg-Deeney’ moment against Leicester in the play-off semi-final. But despite all that, the club failed to go up.

Before that campaign, Watford were easy to dismiss. However, the Pozzo’s influence eradicated that. Along came ten Udinese players, all signed on loan as a wave of hostility towards the club began.

Watford’s new owners had ties with the Italian club and Granada, two teams they’d also stabilised. However, it provoked a feeling of hatred. With Twitter still relatively in its infancy, individuals were quick to jump on the bandwagon, slamming the way the club operated.

This was a key theme from the Pozzo’s early days at Watford. They were ridiculed, as the club was predominantly made up of players not even belonging to them.

Almen Abdi and Matej Vydra were chief suspects, playing hugely influential roles in the club’s early success. The latter was vital, striking up a fine partnership with Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney in the year Watford achieved promotion.

Whether or not you agree with how the club went about doing things, you can’t argue it didn’t work.

But those admissions have now essentially been forgotten about. No longer are fans calling Watford a B team. Rather ironically, it’s Udinese now benefiting. In January, Stefano Okaka, Marvin Zeegelaar and Ben Wilmot all joined them on loan. It’s funny how times change.

Watford are now at the top of the Pozzo’s thoughts. Udinese finished 16th in Serie A, Granada spent the season in the Segunda Division.

But those two teams aren’t the story here, Watford are. Ahead of their first major cup final since 1984 they have a list of people to thank.

Not least Gracia who has them playing an entertaining brand of football supporters would only have dreamt of before 2012.

Slavisa Jokanovic also deserves praise for getting the club promoted. Yet, in typical Watford fashion, he wasn’t to last.

Initially, it looked as though the policy to change managers on a regular basis was vindicated. After all, it kept them in the Premier League. Quique Sanchez Flores and Walter Mazarri’s methods weren’t always easy to agree with but they ensured survival.

The Pozzo’s best appointment was arguably last season. It wasn’t Gracia, but instead, it was Marco Silva. He took their football to the next level and with players like Richarlison and Ricardo Pereyra brought a style that had never been associated with the club.

Silva’s replacement then took over the mantle to devastating effect

Are Watford the most likely club to break the top 6 next season? The fans in the video below certainly agree the ‘W’ part of that statement is correct…

The thought is now no longer about being Udinese B’s team and that’s been significantly aided by Gracia.

Watford has never been a club to rave about but the last seven years have been fascinating to watch. Should they beat Manchester City on Saturday, it’ll be up there as one of the greatest achievements in their history.

For a team who were once so reliant on players from other clubs, it would be quite the story.

أعلن الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم “كاف” رسميًا تعيين الحكم الدولي الجزائري مصطفى غربال لإدارة ‏مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

ويعاون غربال المغربي رضوان جيد حكمًا لتقنية الـ”‏VAR‏”، وحكمًا رابعًا الزامبي ‏جاني سيكازوي.‏

ليكيب: نهائي الأهلي والزمالك “الناري” سيفقد جزءًا من المتعة

وعقد اليوم الاجتماع الفني الخاص بالمباراة باستاد القاهرة بحضور سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير ‏الكرة، ‏وسمير عدلي المدير الإداري، والدكتورعمرو محب المترجم، ووائل محمد ومحمد ‏أسامة ‏الإداريين.‏

وأسفر الاجتماع عن ارتداء الأهلي القميص الأحمر والشورت الأسود والجورب ‏الأحمر، فيما ‏يرتدي الحارس الزي “الموف”، ويرتدي الزمالك الزي الأبيض كاملًا، ويرتدي الحارس الزي الأخضر.‏

أقرأ ايضًا.. حكم مباراة الأهلي والزمالك.. مصطفى غربال “وش السعد” على القطبين في إفريقيا

وخلال الاجتماع تم التأكيد على موعد وصول الفريقين إلى استاد القاهرة قبل ساعة ونصف ‏الساعة ‏من انطلاق المباراة.

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When it comes to robust forwards in the Premier League there aren’t many better than Salomon Rondon.

The striker doesn’t find the net on a regular basis and has failed to come close to matching the 17 strikes he netted in 2014/15 over the last four years.

Yet, he’s still a force to be reckoned with. The Venezuelan scored 11 goals this term on loan at Newcastle. It’s hardly impressive, but it didn’t have to be given his contribution to the team in other areas.

It took Rondon seven games to score his first Newcastle goal after signing temporarily from West Brom. For all the world it looked like he was going to struggle again. But what followed was five strikes in his next eight matches. It was a superb turnaround.

However, despite being inconsistent in front of goal for large parts of the season, he was anything but when it came to aerial duels.

At 6 ft 1, the 29-year-old isn’t the tallest of attackers but his ability to bully defenders and gain an advantage with his physicality is phenomenal.

Over the course of the 2018/19 Premier League campaign, he won 146 aerial duels, winning on average five per game.

It’s a tally that puts him behind just Aleksandar Mitrovic, Steve Mounie, Troy Deeney and Glenn Murray for battles won in the air by out-and-out strikers. Considering Newcastle don’t particularly play long ball football, it’s hugely impressive.

Given his aerial prowess, he’d make a superb addition to the Wolves squad. Last week The Daily Mail claimed that the club had made contact with West Brom for his services.

The player has a £16.5m release clause according to the report and, for the benefit of Nuno Santo’s wing-backs, they have to trigger it.

This season Matt Doherty claimed five assists from the right whilst Jonny only claimed the one from out on the left.

However, if Wolves are able to bring in Rondon, who was able to win as many as nine aerial duels in one game this term, they could be in dreamland.

Raul Jimenez isn’t exactly weak in the air but both Jonny and Doherty could find themselves boasting far greater attacking stats if they have Rondon to aim for with their crosses.

Wolves have been brilliant to watch on the counter-attack this campaign, but they could be about to discover another devastating form of attack.

Although Leeds United’s signing of Kiko Casilla in January created a lot of buzz amongst their supporters, it could be argued that their other acquisition during the transfer window could end up being a fantastic move by director of football Victor Orta.

Having been impressed by Mateusz Bogusz’s performances for Polish side Ruch Chorzow, the Spaniard decided to swoop for the 17-year-old after consulting with Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa.

Since making the switch to West Yorkshire, the midfielder has established himself as a key player for the club’s under-23 side and played a defining role in helping them win the Professional Development League North title in March.

Despite being made to wait for his first-team debut by Bielsa, it is surely only a matter of time before Bogusz is given the opportunity to prove himself for Leeds having been included in all four of their previous match-day squads.

An outstanding talent, the fact that Premier League champions Manchester City were reportedly interested in bringing the midfielder to the Etihad Stadium (via HITC) suggests that he has all the ingredients needed to become a superstar for Leeds in the future.

Speaking about Bogusz’s qualities to Polish news outlet Przeglad Sportowy, Citizens’ scout Jakub Bokiej admitted: “Mateusz, despite his young age, is so intelligent and technically developed that he often avoids contact with his opponent without losing the ball thanks to good ball control or directional admission.

You can also see that he has made enormous physical progress in the last 3-4 months,”

“Leeds United is currently the perfect place to grow.

“A great training centre, a coach with whom many players from the world leaders and two Poles would like to work – Mateusz Klich and Kamil Miazek, thanks to whom Bogusz’ acclimatisation has been optimal.

I can only regret that he did not go to Manchester City.”

With the likes of Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton benefitting significantly over the past 10 months from Bielsa’s willingness to place his trust in Leeds’ younger players, Bogusz will be looking to follow in their footsteps next season.

Already capped at under-19 level by Poland, the midfielder could end up outshining his team-mates over the coming years if he manages to stay on the right path for the Whites.

What do you think Leeds fans? Does Bogusz deserve the chance to impress next season? Or will he benefit more from playing under-23 football in the upcoming campaign? Let us know below.

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It’s official.

Daniel Sturridge will be leaving Liverpool after a six-and-a-half year stay at Anfield, where he has arguably enjoyed the prime years of his career.

After showing flashes of his potential with Chelsea, the England international’s career really took off at Anfield, where he managed to score an impressive 68 goals in 160 appearances, finding the back of the net every 2.4 games on average.

His partnership with Luis Suarez in the 2013/14 season, where Sturridge managed to hit 22 goals in 29 league games as the Reds came within touching distance of the title, was arguably his best campaign as a professional footballer.

You can relive Liverpool’s Champions League celebrations in glorious 2D thanks to the guys at 442oons in the video below…

Sadly, injury problems stopped the 29-year-old recording an even more prolific strike rate, although his time as a Liverpool player did end romantically with a Champions League trophy – his second after winning it with Chelsea.

There have been a fair few, but let’s take a look at a handful of Sturridge’s best moments in a Liverpool shirt…

[snack_break title=”Scoring just eight minutes into his debut against Mansfield in the FA Cup”]

Sturridge found the back of the net just minutes into his first ever appearance for Liverpool, netting a well-taken effort against Mansfield in the FA Cup. Not a bad way to start things off.

[snack_break title=”Notching an exquisite double against Everton in the Merseyside derby (Ignore the other bloke)”]

The Englishman was at the top of his game when Everton travelled to Anfield in 2013/14, where Sturridge scored two excellent goals – he could’ve had a hat-trick if he hadn’t missed a late penalty!

[snack_break title=”Scoring a world-class chip vs West Brom to announce himself as a truly top-tier Premier League player”]

This was the strike that truly proved Sturridge was one of the league’s finest forwards and a player brimming with confidence. A shot didn’t even look on, but Liverpool’s No.15 found the top right corner with an audacious chip which worked perfectly.

[snack_break title=”Netting in the Europa League final with a delightful outside-of-the-boot curler”]

Sadly, this goal isn’t remembered as much as it should be after Liverpool lost 3-1. Despite the scoreline, Sturridge’s amazing curler with the outside of his boot was one of the finest goals you’ll see in a cup final.

[snack_break title=”Finally winning a trophy with Liverpool in his last ever game for the club”]

Sturridge’s excellent goalscoring form throughout his time at Liverpool was finally rewarded with silverware at the last possible opportunity. It was the second Champions League title he has won after picking up a medal for Chelsea’s win in 2012.

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According to a report from The Burnley Express, Crystal Palace are among a number of Premier League clubs who have been alerted to West Bromwich Albion centre-forward Jay Rodriguez.

What’s the word, then?

A clause was inserted in the contract of the 29-year-old last summer as a reward for his loyalty to the Baggies, and it stated that if the player is sold by mid-July 2019 buying clubs will only need to pay £5m plus £5m in add-ons for his signature.

This development has caught the eye of the Eagles themselves as well as Leicester City, AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City, Sheffield United and former side Burnley.

Rodriguez is a goal-getting striker with one full England international cap under his belt – during a journeyman-like career so far he has represented the likes of the Clarets, Southampton and current team West Brom.

This cheap signing would be quick fix to Palace’s biggest problem

It’s not hard to see that this cheap signing would be an excellent quick fix to Palace’s biggest problem, and one Roy Hodgson must ensure he beats his top-flight rivals to secure.

The Eagles have been way too reliant on their wingers Andros Townsend and Wilfried Zaha to assist and mostly score the bulk of their goals recently.

Members of the Selhurst Park faithful can hardly remember the last time they were watching a centre-forward who can score regularly week-in-week-out with none of the current crop – Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham – up to the task.

Check out a fan’s outrageous call for England to take a leaf of out cricket and rugby’s book after a limp Nations League performance in the video below…

Rodriguez netted a staggering 22 goals in the Championship last season as the Hawthorns outfit narrowly missed out on promotion, enough to make him the joint-sixth top scorer in the division.

Plus, the Englishman is proven at finding the back of the net at the highest level as well with 33 strikes in 141 Premier League appearances.

At just £5m plus add-ons, Rodriguez is an absolute bargain and someone who has the pedigree to finally get Hodgson the goals he needs to start seeing from his strikers.

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Tottenham Hotspur have sold Connor Ogilvie to Gillingham, the BBC have confirmed.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old has spent two seasons on loan at the League One club and has now made the move permanent.

Ogilvie never once made a first-team appearance for Spurs, despite coming through their youth academy, and also took in two loan spells with Stevenage.

A defender who can play at left-back and centre-back, he has made a total of 79 appearances for the Gills; he turned out 36 times for Tottenham’s Under-23 side.

An England youth international who has won caps at both Under-16 and Under-17 level, Ogilvie will be out to get his career back on track in Kent.

The first of many

This is a positive step for Spurs; Ogilvie was always likely to leave the club but this shows that chairman Daniel Levy has his priorities right this summer.

There are plenty of players at the club, both at youth level and in the first-team, who need to be shipped out; namely Kieran Trippier, Erik Lamela and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou.

With Mauricio Pochettino surely set to reshape his squad this summer after reaching the Champions League final and finishing in the Premier League top-four, there are likely to be plenty more outgoings.

And if big fees can be garnered, there could be something of a war chest that Pochettino can dip into.

Ogilvie, then, needs to be first of many, and a sign of things to come from Levy.

كشف لاعب فريق مانشستر يونايتد دوني فان دي بيك إصابته بعد مباراة اليوم أمام ساوثهامبتون، في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وتلاقى الفريقان في الجولة العاشرة من البريميرليج، حيث فاز الشياطين الحمر بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين.

وشارك فان دي بيك في المباراة كأساسي مع كتيبة أولي جونار سولشاير، وخاض اللقاء بأكمله.

وعقب المباراة، نشر فان دي بيك عبر حسابه الشخصي بموقع “تويتر” صورة لقدمه حيث يبدو الكاحل متورمًا بشكل واضح.

وكتب اللاعب الهولندي: “مرحبًا بكم في الدوري الإنجليزي”.

وكان فان دي بيك قد تعرض لتحدي قوي من لاعب خط وسط ساوثهامبتون جيمس وارد براوز، في الشوط الأول.