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Leeds United were unable to make much use of the January transfer window and as such, they will see out the rest of the 2020/21 season without any new personnel. However, their summer business was fruitful enough to ensure that they look certain to survive in the Premier League upon their return to the big time.

Despite the injury problems that are hindering their backline, the Whites are benefitting from the likes of Raphinha and Jack Harrison week in, week out. Between them, the creative duo have contributed nine goals and eight assists so far this season, according to BBC Sport.

However, due to their untouchable status in Marcelo Bielsa’s lineup, Helder Costa has slipped drastically down the pecking order. Despite playing a huge role in Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign, the former Wolves man has been a bit-part player at best this time around.

As per Transfermarkt, the 27-year-old hasn’t started for the Whites since November. The Championship winners fell 4-1 to Crystal Palace and Costa was responsible for one of their goals after putting the ball into his own net. Since then, he has been reduced to mere cameo appearances for Leeds and has just one goal and two assists to his name for the season.

With the emergence of youngster Ian Poveda, the role of Raphinha’s deputy is now highly contested. The 20-year-old has already bagged himself ten senior appearances this season and is quickly becoming one of Bielsa’s go-to options from the bench.

Poveda is very likely to usurp Costa in the pecking order at Leeds and once that happens, the Portugal international could waste his years on the bench at Elland Road.

Costa has failed to impress onlookers as well this season. In a recent Q&A for The Athletic, Phil Hay admitted that the summer signing has “fallen well behind Raphinha” and was a “big disappointment” for Leeds against Crawley Town back in October.

Indeed, the Whites suffered a shock defeat to the League One side, who dumped them out of the FA Cup after firing three goals past them. According to Sofascore, Costa had two clear-cut chances to find the back of the net, but squandered both opportunities.

Although he has only recently signed permanently for Leeds, Andrea Radrizzani will not take kindly to forking out £70,000 per week for a player who rarely sees first team action these days. A transfer away from Elland Road may appear rash on paper, but as things stand, it looks to be the best move for all involved.

In other news, Leeds can’t afford to let Raphinha leave amid Liverpool interest…

When you narrow down the transfer business that every Premier League club is set to do this January, Leeds’ expectations will probably be somewhere near the bottom.

It’s unlikely they will add any bodies but an exceptional circumstance may have presented itself to Marcelo Bielsa and Victor Orta.

What’s the word?

Last month, it was revealed that former Chelsea striker Diego Costa would be leaving Atletico Madrid on a free transfer.

The forward’s contract was set to expire at the end of the season but he had his terms in Spain mutually terminated.

As a result, a number of clubs have put themselves in the race to land the Spain international. Wolves are one team, but Leeds have now been thrown in the hat by pundit Kevin Phillips.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said:

“They might need someone like Diego Costa, he might be looking at Leeds and thinking: ‘Look at the way they play football, I could score goals in there’,”

“I know he’s been linked with Wolves but he’s a free agent, isn’t he, so it would not surprise me with Bielsa if he pitched up at Leeds.”

Bring him to Elland Road

This is an interesting take from Phillips and it will be interesting to see whether Orta tries to pursue this deal.

Last January, they got things horrifically wrong they brought Jean-Kevin Augustin to the club. On paper, it looked an eye-catching addition. However, what followed was just 48 minutes of football and a legal battle after Leeds refused to pay their obligation to buy the striker from RB Leipzig.

Consequently, Bielsa may think twice before green-lighting a transfer this January. Though, if they do choose to sign anyone, they wouldn’t go too far wrong with Costa.

Patrick Bamford is having a fabulous season with ten Premier League goals in 16 outings, but the man in question here is a proven international footballer. He’s capped 24 times and has enjoyed enormous success throughout Europe.

It would also give Leeds a different option in attack and provide a quality they haven’t necessarily had since the days of Chris Wood. The Kiwi was a brute in the air and used his seismic strength to bully opponents.

That’s exactly what Costa does too. For context, the former Atleti attacker won 3.1 aerial duels this season in La Liga, which is only 0.2 below the number Wood amassed in his final campaign at Elland Road.

Speaking about the 32-year-old in 2019, Diego Simeone typified him perfectly: “Costa is a beast, he’s raring to go, he’s ambitious and as everyone knows, he’s a warrior.”

This would be a brilliant addition, especially on a free transfer. Costa could carry Leeds to a top-half finish.

AND in other news, Forget Rodrigo: Leeds must move for “extraordinary” £30m gem, Orta has found Pablo 2.0…

Celtic are reportedly looking to offer a new bumper deal to reserve goalkeeper Conor Hazard. That’s according to Football Insider, who claim that Peter Lawwell is looking to increase his terms after the 22-year-old stepped up to the plate in Celtic’s last two matches.

Hazard started ahead of Scott Bain and Vasilis Barkas against both Lille and Kilmarnock, helping the Hoops return to the winning streak they are more than capable of maintaining.

It’s likely that Neil Lennon will now turn to the youngster for the remainder of the season. Celtic are playing catch up as they hope they still have time to close down rivals Rangers and take back the top spot in the Premiership.

Big responsibility for Hazard

Summer signing Barkas has had a disappointing debut season so far after struggling to cement himself as his new club’s first choice. Bain took over from the Greece international after he struggled with a back injury and he has rarely been seen since. But now, even his teammate has disappointed Lennon and he has been forced to call upon Hazard to step up.

Before his back-to-back starts, the Northern Ireland international had featured just one other time for the Celtic senior team. This was way back in 2017, in a cameo appearance against Partick Thistle in the league (via Transfermarkt). However, being just a teenager at the time, he clearly wasn’t viewed as a reliable option to integrate into the team.

His patience and hard work has paid off though and he could now be looking at becoming Celtic’s No.1 next season. With Lawwell acknowledging his work ethic and eagerly lining up a new deal for him, this could spell a very fruitful career for Hazard at Parkhead. It’s also a smart piece of business from the Englishman, who will be more than aware of other clubs noticing the goalkeeper’s progress.

Tying him down whilst he is still on the rise is essential for the Bhoys if they want to return next season and punish Rangers.

In other news, Mark McKenzie is ideal signing amid potential Ajer departure…

Sheffield Wednesday boss Tony Pulis is eyeing key reinforcements ahead of the January transfer window as he looks to defy the odds and stave off the threat of relegation.

Maybe it is time to revisit someone available for free…

What was the word?

According to The Sun on Sunday back in October (4th, page 59), the Owls were considering a move for out-of-work winger Andre Green, who is still without a club.

The Athletic’s Gregg Evans has since provided an update on the former Aston Villa graduate, he told fans in a recent mailbag:

“It’s a case of waiting for the right club. Green has been a little unfortunate with previous loan spells that haven’t quite worked out for him. He’s had a couple of injuries that knocked him off track, too.

“He would also likely need to take a significant pay cut to drop into the Championship or League One, particularly given the COVID-19 situation means clubs are tightening their belts.”

So should Pulis be eyeing him up?

Squad depth option

It is thought that the 62-year-old is wanting at least four new faces in at Hillsborough before the end of January, and there are certainly plenty of gaps to plug – none more so than upfront.

Only Jordan Rhodes is an out-and-out centre-forward.

But Pulis ought to consider his squad depth on the wings too, as it is only really Kadeem Harris and Adam Reach capable of producing regularly.

In reality, loan star Jacob Murphy was never replaced by Garry Monk in the summer, and now they’re being made to pay for it. One injury to either of the aforementioned pair would spell serious trouble.

Green may have been out of the game for a while, as well as not doing himself any favours at Preston last season, but could be well worth the punt as it won’t cost Dejphon Chansiri a penny – a good thing given the situation regarding players being paid on time.

He’s racked up 55 appearances in the Championship, where he has delivered four goals and two assists, via Transfermarkt.

During a spell at Charlton Athletic at the end of last term, Green’s striking partner Lyle Taylor lauded the forward as a “real handful.”

It could be well worth taking a bargain punt on the free-agent ahead of January.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Pundit reveals what Josh Windass has told him about Tony Pulis’ squad…

MatériaMais Notícias

Depois de participar da jogada do primeiro gol e marcar o segundo do Palmeiras na vitória sobre o Libertad (PAR), Moisés disse que sua estreia no clube foi “para poucos”. Elogiado por Marcelo Oliveira, o polivalente meio-campista pode receber uma chance como titular já no sábado, na final da Copa Antel. Arouca, quem ele substituiu na quarta, e Robinho serão analisados pela comissão técnica, e caso apresentem cansaço, podem ser poupados.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasPalmeirasTécnico do Palmeiras elogia reservas: ‘Futebol se ganha com o banco’Palmeiras20/01/2016PalmeirasATUAÇÕES: Moisés estreia com gol e é o melhor em campo do PalmeirasPalmeiras20/01/2016PalmeirasPalmeiras estreia três reforços, e Moisés começa pedindo passagemPalmeiras20/01/2016

-Não vamos fazer experiências no sábado, vai ter jogo-treino amanhã (quinta, contra o River-URU) e só vamos tirar se o jogador estiver muito desgastado porque não vale a pena correr o risco de lesão, como foi com o Vitor Hugo e com o Barrios, que ficou. Com dois temos um certo cuidado, não preocupação: o Arouca e Robinho. Eles retomam o recondicionamento com mais lentidão, por isso os substitui. No sábado precisamos entrar com um time competitivo, se algum deles estiver muito cansado, podemos trocar – analisou o técnico.

Moisés, além de ter feito um bom jogo contra o Libertad, torna-se uma das primeiras opções para as duas vagas por conta de sua versatilidade. Depois de iniciar a carreira como volante, função que desempenhou nessa quarta, o jogador foi também armador na Portuguesa e na Croácia. Por isso, ele tem uma característica que pode lhe favorecer:

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“Muito boa a estreia do Moisés. Ele é alto, tem um bom poder de marcação, bom chute de longe, de falta, e participa da bola parada ofensiva e defensiva”, analisou Marcelo Oliveira

-Eu comecei como segundo volante, sempre joguei dessa forma. Os times jogavam com três volantes, e eu tinha essa liberdade de sair. Na Europa, comecei a jogar como meia. Quando jogo como meia, tenho facilidade de ajudar na marcação. Mais recuado, tenho facilidade para chegar na frente – analisou o jogador, empolgado com seu começo de passagem no Verdão.

-Felicidade muito grande. De início temos de agradecer, porque começar desta forma é para poucos. Fico feliz de ter contribuído, fico feliz pela vitória da equipe. Foi um bom início, importante, ainda mais por serem adversários com forma de jogar e costume de jogar Libertadores – encerrou.

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تحدث أحمد مرعي المدير الفني لنادي الاتحاد السكندري لكرة السلة، عن فوز فريقه بلقب السوبر المصري بعد الفوز على الزمالك.

الاتحاد السكندري واجه الزمالك، اليوم الإثنين، في إطار منافسات كأس السوبر المصري لكرة السلة.

وانتصر فريق سلة الاتحاد السكندري على الزمالك بنتيجة 95/ 46 طالع التفاصيل من هنا.

وقال مرعي خلال تصريحات نقلها مراسل “بطولات”: “قدمنا مباراة قوية أمام الزمالك، ولا تعليق على قرار إدارة الفارس الأبيض بلعب المواجهة بفريق الشباب”.

وتابع: “أهنيء جماهير نادي الاتحاد السكندري للفوز بسوبر السلة، وأعدهم بالمزيد من الألقاب”.

وأتم: “تركيزي الفترة المقبلة على سلة الاتحاد السكندري، وقدمت كل شيء لمنتخب مصر، وأتمنى نجاح الجهاز الفني المقبل”.

وكانت لجنة إدارة الزمالك قد اعتذرت عن خوض مباراة الاتحاد السكندري، وقررت اللعب بفريق تحت 20 عامًا، بسبب عدم اكتمال قائمة الفريق ولائحة الانتقالات المطبقة من قبل الاتحاد المصري لكرة السلة.

West Brom’s lively second-half showing at the AMEX Stadium saw Slaven Bilic’s side snag a point late on thanks to a strike from summer signing Karlan Grant.

The battle of the two Albion’s ended in a 1-1 stalemate after the recent £15m arrival cancelled out an own goal from Jake Livermore just seven minutes from time.

It was perhaps a fair result with the Baggies slightly edging it on paper having recorded more possession (51%) and more shots (nine) than Brighton on the night.

Whilst Grant will quite rightly take the plaudits, scoring his first goal for the club in just his second appearance for the club, another West Brom player shone immensely.

He didn’t go into the campaign as a first-choice option nor was he one last season, but Conor Townsend is seriously starting to cement his name down as Bilic’s number one left-back option.

The 27-year-old hadn’t played in the Premier League until his start against Chelsea but going by this latest display, you wouldn’t know that.

Per SofaScore, Townsend recorded three tackles, two clearances and one interception. He also won seven duels, both aerially and on the ground, had 97 touches and made one key pass.

Prior to kick-off, he was dealt the hard task of keeping young wing-back Tariq Lamptey at bay and given the former Chelsea prospect recorded the Seagulls’ lowest rating (6.3), he evidently did his job to a tee.

Lamptey lost possession 21 times, won just 42% of his duels and failed to record a single accurate cross or even a successful dribble despite five attempts.

Townsend was tough and industrious, thus making it seem like Kieran Gibbs has an impossible test to break back into Bilic’s plans, especially as he’s not featured since his sending off against Everton.

In the past, the Baggies faithful have been fully against Townsend featuring in the starting XI, once dubbing him a “huge liability” during a game last season.

The former Hull City man is fully vindicating the faith put in him by his manager.

AND in other news, Dowling must not make an inexcusable mistake over £7m weak link…

Carlo Ancelotti must regret handing Andre Gomes a starting role in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby after witnessing the Everton midfielder struggle against Liverpool.

The Toffees hosted their Stanley Park neighbours at Goodison Park this weekend looking to maintain an unbeaten start to the season, having won each of their opening Premier League and Carabao Cup fixtures.

An early goal from Sadio Mane left Everton on the back foot from the third minute, but the Blues refused to break and moved level through Michael Keane midway through the first half.

Mohamed Salah later restored the Premier League champions lead, yet Everton were able to dig deep again through Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s tenth goal of the season and seventh in the league.

The Merseyside Derby continued to edge in Liverpool’s favour through a late sending off for Richarlison, with referee Michael Oliver showing the Brazilian a straight red card for a studs-up foul on Thiago Alcantara.

Jordan Henderson appeared to further punish Everton when his stoppage-time effort found a way past Pickford, but would be denied following a VAR check which deemed Sadio Mane to have been marginally – albeit debatably – offside in the build-up.

Everton were able to hold on and claim a draw as a result of David Coote’s decision at Stockley Park, however Ancelotti will have been questioning his decision to start Gomes having witnessed the 27-year-old struggle throughout the affair.

Gomes returned to the Everton starting line-up to face Liverpool having sat out the Blues’ 4-2 win over Brighton & Hove Albion prior to the international break through a minor issue, marking his fourth appearance of the league season.

Ancelotti ultimately had to haul the £21.6m-rated midfielder off in the 72nd-minute once Liverpool moved into a 2-1 lead, however, after a lapse second of concentration from Yerry Mina presented Salah with his chance to strike past Jordan Pickford with a well-placed volley.

Gomes was seemingly always at least a yard off the pace during his time on the field, with the former FC Barcelona midfielder Marco Silva once hailed as “a player with high quality” (Liverpool Echo) losing possession 13 times and losing nine of his 13 duels, per SofaScore.

The £112,212-per-week man, in fact, won just three of his 12 ground duels, committed four fouls, was caught offside once, dribbled past once, misplaced each of his three long balls, failed to find a teammate with his sole cross, failed in two of three attempted dribbles, failed to record a single effort on goal and was shown a yellow card.

Gomes was able to record one key ball from his 20/26 accurate passes, two tackles and one clearance, but his overall impact on proceedings left Liverpool able to utilise their right-hand options in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Salah.

AND in other news, a Premier League rival has shown Everton a great deal of respect by blocking the Blues’ bid to land Carlo Ancelotti’s £10m target.

MatériaMais Notícias

O hexacampeonato do Corinthians está cada vez mais perto, mas ainda não veio na última rodada. A campanha no returno, no entanto, se aproxima das melhores da história dos pontos corridos de 20 clubes.

Com 36 pontos em 15 rodadas, o Timão encaminha o título simbólico de campeão do returno. São seis pontos de vantagem sobre o Santos, segundo colocado. A melhor marca desde 2006 pertence ao Grêmio, que fez 43 pontos em 2010. Restando 12 pontos, o Timão pode bater mais este recorde e alcançar 48 pontos.

O empate por 0 a 0 com o Joinville deixou o Santos com 30 pontos, seis atrás do Corinthians no returno, mas mostra a força do Peixe no segundo turno. Além disso, o clube tem a segunda melhor defesa do returno, com 14 gols em 15 jogos.

O Atlético-MG conseguiu impedir o título do Corinthians na rodada e de quebra segue com a terceira melhor campanha do returno, com 29 pontos.
Fechando o G4, o Internacional derrotou a Ponte Preta e soma 28 pontos no segundo turno. Dois pontos de vantagem sobre o Cruzeiro, que já tem quatro pontos a mais do que no turno anterior.

Com a goleada sobre o Goiás por 4 a 1, o Flamengo é o sexto melhor do returno, com 24 pontos e oito vitórias. O Mengo já tem mais pontos no segundo turno do que no primeiro. A mesma pontuação tem a Ponte Preta, apesar da derrota para o Inter.

Grêmio, São Paulo e Sport fecham os 10x Mais. Entre as curiosidades do returno, o Fluminense tem dez pontos em 45 possíveis, a pior campanha. Com a derrota, o Palmeiras tem a terceira pior defesa, com 26 gols sofridos, atrás apenas de Fluminense e Avaí, que sofreram 27. Penúltimo colocado, o Vasco já fez 20 pontos no segundo turno, contra 13 no primeiro.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is keen for additions to bolster their chances at a genuine run at the title and this week, he’s been linked with a move for a former Ibrox star.

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Scottish giants have joined the race to clinch Josh Windass from Wigan Athletic this summer with his loan club Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough also in the hunt.

It’s claimed that the Gers are keen to bring him back to Glasgow just two years after he was sold on deadline day for £2.5m.

Meanwhile, leading talisman Alfredo Morelos is edging ever closer to an exit after Lille opened negotiations with Rangers over a record-breaking £17m deal, so a new threat is certainly going to be required in the attack.

Smart call?

Windass’ time in Scotland was pretty decent overall, providing 19 goals and 13 assists in 73 appearances, via Transfermarkt, and ultimately, he was a player that Gerrard didn’t want to let go in the first place.

The 26-year-old revealed in an interview with Open Goal, via the Scotsman, that the Rangers boss was keen to keep hold of him – “He basically said, ‘you’ve got a decision to make. The board have accepted this offer, I don’t want you to go but obviously it’s down to you’.”

Whilst the former Reds midfielder labelled Windass a “good boy” but claimed that he couldn’t guarantee him starts as a number nine, and now it appears that time may have arrived.

This season, the attacking maestro has split time between Wigan and the Owls, where he has netted seven goals from 25 matches whilst averaging 2 shots, 0.9 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per game playing predominantly through the middle, via WhoScored.

Those at Ibrox know Windass all too well and given the uncertain future of Morelos, bringing back the former midfielder could be a wise decision for Ross Wilson to make.

AND in other news, Rangers should dump Bongani Zungu move in favour of long-term Gerrard target…