Leeds should experiment with Roofe and Bamford, says Whelan

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to Football Insider, Noel Whelan has urged Leeds to experiment with two of their forward players heading into the new season.

What’s he said?

As Leeds embark on their mini pre-season tour of Australia, two members of the squad who could find themselves vying for the same spot in Marcelo Bielsa’s side are Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford.

The former has been linked with a move away but is among the travelling party for pre-season despite the likes of Helder Costa and Jack Clarke missing out.

Both Roofe and Bamford started together against York in the Whites’ friendly last week and it’s a tactic that has sparked Whelan into urging Leeds to experiment with the pair.

Talking to Football Insider, he revealed how they could do it, commenting:

“This is where you experiment, isn’t it? We didn’t see it much last season because of injuries to the two of them.

“This is where you figure out what you’re going to play, what formation. I very much doubt he’s going to change his thinking but can you put Kemar Roofe in a number 10? That’s something worth thinking about, can he play behind Bamford and play off him?”

Can they do it?

Last season Leeds were extremely unfortunate to lose Bamford for such a lengthy period of time. Per Transfermarkt, he missed 22 games through injury whilst Roofe was forced to sit on the treatment table for six matches too.

As a result, the pair of them failed to actually play alongside each other on too many occasions.

Yet, if Leeds can get both of them fit and firing properly next term it will without a doubt ensure they have a better chance of achieving promotion.

In 2018/19, Tyler Roberts and Mateusz Klich were preferred behind the striker but, as Whelan says, this is the ideal time to now experiment with what they’ve got.

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The fact only 16 squad members have travelled to Australia means there should be a greater license to play the pair of them together, and experimenting with Roofe in behind Bamford could be on the cards given Klich hasn’t travelled.

It could also prepare them for a potential departure if the Pole joins Burnley, a club he was the subject of interest from over the weekend.

Roofe scored 15 goals last term, cementing himself as one of the biggest threats in the side.

Moving him from his favoured position up front could seem foolish on paper, but if it gets both him and Bamford scoring at the same time, it could be game-changing for Bielsa.

على رأسهم بارتوميو.. ماركا تكشف الأسماء المتورطة من برشلونة في تسريب عقد ميسي

كشفت صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية أسماء المتورطين المحتملين من نادي برشلونة في أزمة تسريب عقد مهاجم وقائد الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، ليونيل ميسي، عبر صحيفة “آل موندو”.

وكانت إذاعة “راك 1” الكتالونية قد أكدت على أن ميسي بصدد مقاضاة الصحيفة التي نشرت تفاصيل عقده الرسمي مع برشلونة الذي بدأ في عام 2017 وحتى نهاية الموسم الحالي والذي يتقاضى الأرجنتيني فيه 555 مليون يورو على تلك الفترة. (طالع التفاصيل)

وبحسب صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية أن محاميي ميسي يدرسون إمكانية مقاضاة ثلاثة أشخاص وهم جوسيب ماريا بارتوميو، أوسكار جراو (الرئيس التنفيذي السابق) وكارليس توسكيتس (رئيس برشلونة الحالي) بالإضافة إلى شخصين آخرين.

ويشكك المحامون الخاصون بالأرجنتيني في بعض الأشخاص وعلى رأسهم بارتوميو رئيس برشلونة السابق، والذين في استطاعتهم الوصول لعقد ميسي بكل سهولة داخل النادي الكتالوني.

الجدير بالذكر أن برشلونة قد أصدر بيانًا منذ قليل حول رفع قضية ضد صحيفة “آل موندو” الإسبانية بسبب تسريب وثيقة رسمية.

Leeds fans excited about Alfie McCalmont

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Leeds United fans are expecting big things from young midfielder Alfie McCalmont after he posted an image on Twitter of him in training.

McCalmont is a young midfield player who could very easily play a part in Bielsa’s side next term.

The teenager returned to training this week for pre-season, and some fans have been talking up his abilities.

The 19-year-old is yet to make a single senior appearance for the Whites, but his impressive performances for the U23 squad has led to a number of supporters clamouring for him to get a chance.

The Northern Irishman has been rated as one of Leeds’ brightest young talents, and he has been capped at under-19 level for Northern Ireland.

His performances for the U23s caught the eye of many supporters as he showed his talents, with goals such as the one against Millwall showing exactly what the youngster is capable of.

One supporter compared him to England international Jack Wilshere, while another stated he could be a replacement for Kalvin Phillips if he left for Aston Villa.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

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

West Ham: Manuel Pellegrini won’t win many fans by signing Fabian Delph

You know the transfer window is open for business when West Ham are linked with every player under the sun.

It is set to be a massive summer for the Hammers, with players expected to leave and even more likely to join. Every area of the pitch could do with some work, and for Manuel Pellegrini, finding the perfect members for his side will be his utmost priority for the next two months.

With a limited budget to work with, it could be a summer where West Ham gets players in on the cheap, and the latest rumours have the east London side linked with a newly crowned Premier League winner, just not one that will get Hammers fans off their feet.

According to Football Insider, Pellegrini is eyeing up a move for City Swiss Army knife Fabian Delph, who could leave Manchester this season after a lacklustre campaign of sitting on the bench and being subject to only eight Premier League starts.

Whilst the England international’s versatility could make him a useful player in both the midfield and defence for West Ham, if the club wants to progress, they should be avoiding the likes of Delph this summer.

The former Aston Villa captain won’t be the player to score the goals or create chances in the attacking third, which you can argue is what West Ham need the most this summer, not a defensive minded player.

Delph’s experience and ability to play multiple positions might make him a solid signing on the cheap, but the England international isn’t a marquee ‘wow’ signing that fans want, nor the man to win those vital points for West Ham next season.

West Ham fans, would you take Delph this summer? Let us know!

Celtic: Lennon destined to fail unless he’s backed financially

Neil Lennon being offered the permanent job at Celtic reeks of Peter Lawwell and the Parkhead board taking the easy option. The Hoops know that Lennon can win silverware, and he’s proven that before, but they run the risk of being caught by Rangers if funds aren’t made available in the next couple of months of the transfer window.

The next two or three years are going to be massive for Celtic. Scott Brown, Mikael Lustig, Craig Gordon, Emilio Izaguirre, Jonny Hayes and Scott Sinclair are coming to the end of their time at Parkhead and will need to be replaced over the next few years, which can only be done if adequate funds are made available for Lennon to go out and splash in the market.

Then there’s the threat that Rangers are providing. The Gers may not be in a position to challenge next season for the Scottish Premier League title, but should Lennon be left to feed off of scraps in the market then ten in a row will be monumentally harder, and it was never going to be easy to begin with. Steven Gerrard will be eyeing up title #55 to prevent ten in a row, and it cannot be allowed to happen.

Lennon won’t exactly need a war chest to match the fees spent by the European giants this summer, but making funds available to finally replace Moussa Dembele and bring in some new fresh faces will be imperative if the club wants success. Glasgow has been green and white for a long time and the way football is going to keep it that way it will cost money, which the Parkhead higher-ups will all know, so making it happen is going to be crucial.

Celtic fans, do you think Lennon will have any cash to splash this summer? Let us know, comment below!

ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد نهاية الجولة العاشرة

انتهت مساء أمس الاثنين منافسات الجولة العاشرة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني، حيث فاز أتلتيك بلباو بأربعة أهداف دون رد على ريال بيتيس.

وشهدت هذه الجولة استمرار نتائج برشلونة السيئة حيث خسر أمام أتلتيكو مدريد بهدف نظيف، بينما تعادل ريال مدريد مع فياريا بهدف لمثله.

وتخطى ريال سوسيداد نظيره قادش بهدف دون رد، في حين أن إشبيلية اكتسح سيلتا فيجو بأربعة أهداف مقابل هدفين. ترتيب الدوري الإسباني بعد نهاية الجولة العاشرة

1 ريال سوسيداد، 23 نقطة.

2 أتلتيكو مدريد، 20 نقطة.

3 فياريال، 19 نقطة.

4 ريال مدريد، 17 نقطة.

5 قادش، 14 نقطة.

6 غرناطة، 14 نقطة.

7 إشبيلية، 13 نقطة.

8 أتلتيك بيلباو، 12 نقطة.

9 فالنسيا، 12 نقطة.

10 إلتشي، 12 نقطة.

11 خيتافي، 12 نقطة.

12 ريال بيتيس، 12 نقطة.

13 برشلونة، 11 نقطة.

14 أوساسونا، 11 نقطة.

15 ألافيس، 10 نقاط.

16 إيبار، 10 نقاط.

17 بلد الوليد، 9 نقاط.

18 ليفانتي، 7 نقاط.

19 هويسكا، 7 نقاط.

20 سيلتا فيجو، 7 نقاط.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب الدوري الإسباني مُحدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

Pep Guardiola needs Champions League success with this Manchester City team

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“I didn’t come to Manchester City to win the Champions League”.

These were the words of Pep Guardiola prior to the quarter-final tie against Tottenham, in which they narrowly crashed out on away goals and at the cruel hands of a stoppage-time VAR decision.

However, the Spaniard has never really set the tone for his side in this competition, his words above being a key example of that.

442oons have charted the entire career of Man City’s main man Sergio Aguero through song in the hilarious video below…

If he didn’t come to City to win the Champions League, what did he arrive to do?

Both of his predecessors in Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini managed to win the Premier League; the former managed to pick up an FA Cup as well, whilst Pellegrini had two League Cup successes under his belt, the same total as Guardiola.

If he is simply matching the domestic achievements of the club’s managers from years gone by, what more is he bringing to the table?

European success in the near future is vital for the club’s growth, make no mistake about it.

You could see the sheer explosion of emotion when Guardiola watched what he though was a 93rd-minute Raheem Sterling winner bounce in off Hugo Lloris on Wednesday. The former Barcelona boss sprinted down the touchline, jumping for joy as if an extremely weighty monkey had been prised from his back.

Guardiola knows he needs this personally just as much as City need it. He has never won the Champions League without Lionel Messi in his squad, hasn’t made the final since 2011, hasn’t made it further than David Moyes has in Europe since arriving in England, despite spending £527m.

Contrastingly, his look of horror as VAR chalked the goal off for offside was there for all to see. He looked pale. He looked shell-shocked. He knows that he needs this, that European success is the next step for this dominant City side as well as for his own reputation.

Of course, it goes without saying that Guardiola is undoubtedly a far better manager than Mancini or Pellegrini, but it is a results business at the end of the day.

When he eventually leaves City, people will judge him on the trophies that he helped bring to the club – if all that remains are a few League and FA Cups and the odd Premier League title, is that enough to distinguish him from a good manager to a great one?

Liverpool fans react as Klopp plans to extend Origi’s contract

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Loads of Liverpool fans have been reacting to some contract news, as Jurgen Klopp has reportedly changed his mind about the future of Divock Origi.

Not too long ago, Origi and Daniel Sturridge both looked destined for Anfield exits this summer.

According to a report from Sports Illustrated, both strikers were on the chopping block – Sturridge will be out of contract while Origi’s current deal ends in 2020, meaning this summer is the club’s last chance to get reasonable compensation for his departure.

However, a new report from Football Insider claims Klopp has been “blown away” by Origi’s attitude and work ethic and will now offer the youngster an extended deal.

Indeed, Origi was out in the cold earlier this season, but has come off the bench to make a positive impact on several occasions recently, and who could forget his derby day winner at the expense of Jordan Pickford?

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

It appears Klopp has done a complete U-turn and the club can now strengthen elsewhere with a back-up striker already secure, but plenty of fans are taking issue with this.

Anfield has long been in need of a “super-sub” type who can take pressure off Roberto Firmino, and sacrificing that to re-sign Origi has caused some controversy.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, where fans are split on Klopp’s change of heart…

The verdict: Tottenham’s legends give their take on the club’s new stadium

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Tottenham Hotspur opened their glistening new stadium two weekends ago, as their Under-18s team took on Southampton and won 3-1.

On Saturday, another match was played, this time from the other end of the era spectrum as a legends team took on Inter Forever.

The likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Robbie Keane and Darren Anderton all took to the pitch, and all took the time to give their take on the ground, which was home to 45,000 fans against the Nerazzurri.

Take a look at their verdicts below!

Darren Anderton – Long-serving former midfielder

Anderton, who played for the club between 1992 and 2004, believes the club are now well-positioned to bring in some of the best players in the world, saying:

“The club wants to be one of the best clubs in the world and to do that you have to have one of the best stadiums in the world, that’s exactly what we need and you want the best players to want to come and play for you and who wouldn’t want to play out there every week?

“The wall was unbelievable. Even in the warm up it really was a different sort of sound and it reverberated around there, it was amazing. I can’t wait to hear Wednesday night, when it’s a full stadium.”

David Ginola – A free-scoring dribbler in his heyday

Liverpool v Tottenham 8/11/97 Premiership
Pic : Darren Walsh / Action Images
Tottenham’s David Ginola gets away from Liverpool’s Steve McManaman
Tottenham Hotspur

Ginola insists that Spurs are now well-placed to enter something of a golden era, adding:

“For the club it is a massive step forward because playing away from your home is not something that you want and it’s been for a long time now.

“First of all, they deserve to play at their home ground and now it’s over, the wait is over and Wednesday is going to be the start, hopefully, of something really, really interesting and I think it’ll be fantastic.

“The stadium is part of the whole project, there’s the training ground, the new stadium, everything is going forward, so I think the future of Tottenham Hotspur is really bright.”

Steffen Freund – cult hero and former coaching staff member

Freund enjoyed a five-year spell at the club before returning in 2012 as assistant head coach, and believes the club have sent a message to the entire footballing world, claiming:

“It’s a special place and you can see the difference to other new stadiums, like Arsenal, the Etihad, supporters are closer to the pitch and the south stand is a bit like the south stand at Borussia Dortmund. Everything, from the whole staff here at Tottenham was well organised.

“I came in 2012 as assistant coach, I saw the plans of what they could do and now the stadium is even bigger, that time it was 55,000, now 62,000, the second biggest in London. That’s a message to everyone in England, and to the world, that you can build a nice stadium with a nice atmosphere and still have over 60,000 supporters.”

Robbie Keane – The club’s 11th-highest goalscorer

Keane scored a genuinely brilliant goal during the legends game, having played for the club across two spells, and was especially impressed with the south stand, the largest of its kind in England. When asked about the atmosphere, he said:

“In terms of atmosphere, yeah. You can see it tonight, the atmosphere was fantastic.

“It’s certainly a historic moment for Tottenham Hotspur and it’s a credit to everyone at the club, certainly that big wall at the back there will put shivers down their spine.”

David Howells – A 13-year veteran

Howells, at the age of 51, completed the entire 90 minutes against Inter, having played as a midfielder for the club between 1985 and 1998, and believes Spurs have replicated the feel of the old White Hart Lane, claiming:

“The first thing I noticed was the noise. When we went out, the crowd, just when they were cheering the names as they were read out, it was ‘oh my god, that is noisy’. We all noticed it.

“It feels like home, it really does, I know it’s brand new and the standard of the whole building is absolutely phenomenal but it feels like home, it feels like you’ve come home, which is amazing. I suppose because the journey’s the same, we’re in the same area, but it does still have that feeling.”

Dimitar Berbatov – Former striker

Berbatov played for the club between 2006 and 2008 before earning a major move to Manchester United and was impressed with the facilities in north London, saying:

“It’s going to be a big step to getting Tottenham even bigger, in the world, as a club. They have everything now.

“I think this is one of the best stadiums I’ve been in, if not the best one. So now it’s down to them to show on the pitch how good they are.”

Mason Holgate can save Everton millions on Coleman replacement

It’s about time Seamus Coleman was replaced at Everton. With that in mind, and while the club surely has the funds to splash the cash, the best option would be to give Mason Holgate a chance instead.

The 22-year-old, dubbed the ‘next John Stones’, went out on loan to West Brom in January and has made 10 appearances in the Championship, even scoring a goal and making three assists. He made 38 appearances for Everton before the loan spell but it was seemingly deemed he needed to grow more as a player.

That seems to have happened and now’s the right time to bring him back and ease him into this youthful squad Marco Silva is building. If he’s not brought back now, it’s hard to see how he’ll ever make it in this Everton team, because they’ll have to buy someone for Coleman’s position soon.

Everton will have to spend a lot of money to catch up with the big six in the Premier League as they hope to do, so saving money by promoting youth talent when it’s there will mean more cash is available for other positions. There’s no harm in giving the youngster a chance.

He could even act as Coleman’s understudy for a period, so the pressure isn’t all on him to perform as first choice. That way he can apply his skills acquired in the Championship to the Premier League as he’s bedded in slowly.

Holgate has done what Everton have asked him to do by proving his worth out on loan in the Championship, so next season it’s time to reward him with the opportunity to join this Everton squad that hopes to break into Europe.

Everton fans, what do you think your club should do with Holgate when he returns from his loan this summer? Join the discussion by commenting below.

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