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Name: Michael Obafemi

Club: Southampton

Date of Birth: 6 July 2000

Position: Centre-forward/Winger (Right)/Second-striker

Michael Obafemi – his career so far

Michael Obafemi is now already a fully-fledged senior team member at Southampton and given his pedigree and success at youth level, that statement doesn’t really come as a big surprise at this point. But the Irish centre-forward is not exactly a product of the Saints’ academy but has had quite a colourful path towards it.

Before joining Southampton’s own development squads, Obafemi spent some time in revered academies at Chelsea, Arsenal and even Watford as he progressed through the ranks, impressing the right people and turning some heads along the way as well. Still, he would have one more stop after all those spells before he could join his current team.

The now 19-year-old talent played for Leyton Orient for a while before he was scouted and scooped up by the Saints in the summer of 2016, first joining up their U18 squad in the U18 Premier League and FA Youth Cup during the 2016/17 campaign.

But he was quick to impress his new club as well and the following season brought more success his way with Obafemi splitting his time between the U18 and U23 squads and even getting his first senior team exposure as well.

As a whole, however, the now 19-year-old centre-forward would tally a total of 32 appearances for Southampton’s U18s, scoring 15 goals and assisting further two and then recording 21 appearances for the U23s with eight goals and five assists under his belt in the process as well.

Needless to say, his stay in the academy and the development squads was quite successful and was rewarded with his professional debut as a substitute in the 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur in January 2018, aged just 17 years and 199 days.

Since then, he’s made a total of 27 senior team appearances, scoring four goals and assisting two on the side as well. Interestingly enough, his first goal meant he would become the club’s youngest scorer in the Premier League to date, at 18 years and 169 days old.

Even though he’s already reached the heights of the first-team squad, there is more to come from this talented young centre-forward.

Transfer latest

At the moment, there don’t seem to be any transfer rumours or transfer news surrounding Obafemi and the young player is likely to stay at Southampton at least for the time being. Seeing how his contract is still valid until 2022, the 19-year-old could be looking to impress even further once football finally resumes.

Of course, with the summer transfer window rapidly approaching, no one is really exempt from transfer rumours but so far, it’s been quiet on that front in regards to Southampton news on possible exits from the club.

But that should be a blessing for the Saints since Obafemi certainly has a lot more to offer in the near future and they should do what they can to ensure he stays at St. Mary’s Stadium.

Player profile

Obafemi is clearly far from a finished product but he’s been showing glimpses of his brilliance throughout the stay at Southampton. The youngster’s natural fitness is certainly what immediately catches the eye and his raw pace, agility and strength are definitely one of the highlights of his player profile.

Despite not having a very big frame, the Irish striker has the power to engage and win duels but will mostly use his acceleration to blaze past defenders and get into favourable positions. While he also has a great mentality, the technical side of his player profile could still be improved.

He is decent on the ball but is still far away from a modern striker who regularly links up with his teammates and supports the build-up phase of their attack. But seeing how he’s only 19, there is still time for him to polish some of the traits and keep progressing even further.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Southampton defender Jan Bednarek was in top form for Poland over the weekend.

On the chalkboard

The Saints have endured a tricky start to the 2019/20 campaign, winning just two games in the Premier League and lying 19th, three points off safety.

The centre-back has played in every single top-flight game; Southampton have conceded 29 goals, more than any other club in the league.

Nevertheless, Bednarek played 90 minutes as his country beat Israel 2-1 in a Euro 2020 qualifier.

Per SofaScore, he made a total of three clearances, blocked two shots, made four interceptions and won two tackles; he was never dribbled past.

Bednarek had a total of 65 touches throughout the game, won four ground duels and was also fouled once.

This was a remarkably stoic performance from a player who has struggled throughout the campaign and Saints fans will be hoping it can be replicated this weekend.

Not a bad defender

Southampton have a very good centre-back on their hands but, of course, they are conceding goals and have the leakiest defence in the league.

Against Israel – not the best opposition possible, but still, one can only play the team in front of them – Bednarek, who is valued at £13.5m by Transfermarkt, turned in an all-action performance.

He can step out of defence to win the ball, put his body on the line, and is good at reading the game too.

All he needs is a bit of confidence and Southampton will have to hope that this game has helped with that.

Clearly, there is a player in there who can help shore up the Saints’ defence, provided he can repeat this showing week in, week out.

They play Arsenal at the Emirates this weekend; it remains to be seen if Bednarek can build on this promising performance.

انتصر فريق المصري على نظيره أسوان، بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في المباراة المثيرة التي أقيمت مساء اليوم الأربعاء، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

المصري واجه أسوان، على ملعب استاد الإسكندرية، في إطار مواجهات الأسبوع الـ20.

وتقدم المصري في الدقيقة الأولى عن طريق عمر كمال عبد الواحد، بعدما تلقى تمريرة طويلة مرسلة من أحمد رفعت من وسط الملعب، إلى داخل منطقة الجزاء ليستلمها بهدوء ويسددها في مرمى عمر رضوان حارس أسوان.

وفي الدقيقة 39 من عمر الشوط الأول، تعادل محمد جابر لاعب أسوان لفريقه، من رأسيه رائعة استقبلها من عرضية من الجانب الأيسر عن طريق عمر الحلواني.

وعاد المصري للتقدم مرة آخرى في الدقيقة 51، عن طريق أحمد جمعة، الذي تابع الكرة المرتدة من يد حارس أسوان، ليسددها في المرمى.

أسوان لم يتأخر كثير في الرد، وأحرز الهدف الثاني والتعادل في الدقيقة 54، عن طريق محمد أسامة الذي استلم كرة من داخل منطقة الجزاء، وراوغ مدافعي المصري وسدد الكرة في مرمي حارس الفريق البورسعيدي.

وسجل المصري هدف الفوز والحسم في الدقيقة 66، بعد مرور رائع من عمر كمال لاعب المصري لمدافعي المصري، وإرسال كرة عرضية لـ أوستن أموتو مهاجم الفريق البورسعيدي المتواجد خالياً من الرقابة أمام المرمي، ليضعها برأسيه في الشباك.

وبهذا الفوز يرتفع رصيد المصري إلى النقطة 32 محتلاً المركز الثالث، مُزيحاً بيراميدز إلى المركز الرابع بـ31، في حين يأتي أسوان في المركز الخامس عشر برصيد 20 نقطة. شاهد أهداف المصري وأسوان

Leeds’ striker position has been the topic of a number of debates ever since this season started.

Eddie Nketiah continues to perform, and Patrick Bamford continues to fluff his lines in front of goal.

The Whites only managed to pick up a draw against Preston North End on Tuesday evening, but they could have very easily won it if Bamford had his shooting boots on.

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His poor finishing was the exclamation point on what was an all-round poor evening for the former Middlesbrough man, and a look at his stats after the game shows just how bad he was.

The main point of concern is obviously Bamford’s inability to hit the target with his shots.

Six efforts came and went from the 26-year-old, yet the goalkeeper wasn’t tested by any of them.

Check out the real life version of FIFA 20’s Volta Football in the video below…

It’s not as if these were potshots from 30 or 40 yards either, these were efforts that many strikers in the Championship would have a great chance of scoring from.

This isn’t a new phenomenon either as it’s now eight matches since Bamford found the net.

However, there is always the argument that his game is about so much more than just goals, but we didn’t get to see that at Deepdale.

The striker was barely involved in the game having just 26 touches, and he made just one key pass – the least out of any of the Whites’ outfield players barring Leeds’ two centre-backs. Therefore, it’s not just his finishing let him down.

While there is great value in having Eddie Nketiah on the bench and bringing him on for Bamford late on, if the 26-year-old is going to perform like this when he does start it may be time for Bielsa to start looking at some different options upfront.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

The second international break of the season is finally coming to an end as the Championship season resumes this weekend.

Slaven Bilic’s West Brom face a trip to Middlesbrough on Saturday afternoon looking to continue their fine form into the festive period.

They currently top the table after 11 games as their 4-2 victory over Cardiff City last time out saw them overcome the first defeat of their season, which came just days earlier to Leeds United.

Watch West Bromwich Albion Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Croatian manager may even be able to call upon one of last season’s influential players after he made a return from injury on Monday afternoon.

On the chalkboard

Ahmed Hegazi featured for the full 90 minutes for the Egypt national team as they defeated Botswana 1-0, and the 28-year-old played a vital role.

Firstly, he kept a clean sheet on his first start since undergoing surgery for a persistent ankle problem, but he also provided an accurate long-ball pass to Mahmoud Alaa, who then whipped in a cross for Hamdy Fathi to slot home late on in the match.

The centre-back had featured for the Baggies’ U23 squad a few weeks ago, but this was his first real taste of competitive football action, and he may have just proven his fitness in doing so.

This should serve as a warning to Kyle Bartley, who has been quite an inconsistent figure in the Albion squad so far this season.

Against Blackburn Rovers, the 29-year-old was particularly error-prone, as the Express & Star pointed out in their match report of the game by saying: “In a mistake that mirrored last season’s woes at the back, Kyle Bartley played a poor pass in field to Romaine Sawyers, who was tackled on the edge of his own box before Bradley Dack swept the ball home.”

When comparing Hegazi’s 40 Championship appearances to Bartley’s start to the season, you start to see that the Egyptian may be the man to help put a stop to their defensive woes.

West Brom have kept just one clean sheet in 11 matches.

Via WhoScored, Hegazi averaged more clearances (6.1) and blocks (1.3) per game while conceding fewer fouls than Bartley at 0.8 per match.

It appears that a switch in defence could be inevitable – certainly if Bilic wants to stop leaking goals, as that could well be the difference between finishing top and having to fight it out in the playoffs.

This week Aston Villa are celebrating the one year anniversary of Dean Smith’s appointment as their manager.

This has led to a lot of reflection on the past 12 months, and eventually, the question was put to the gaffer about which goal was his favourite since taking over.

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The former Brentford boss had a lot to choose from as the Villans have scored 92 goals in 48 games since his appointment, but in the end, he decided on two strikes that he couldn’t quite choose between.

It should come as no surprise that one of Smith’s favourite goals was Alan Hutton’s incredible solo effort against Birmingham City.

The right-back uncharacteristically went on a marauding run from his own half before slotting past Lee Camp to put Villa 4-2 up against their fiercest rivals.

The other finish that Smith considered was Jack Grealish’s effort against Rotherham.

The Villa captain netted a fantastic strike against the Millers while the Villans were down to ten men, and Smith believes that his goal swung the game in his side’s favour.

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Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans are relieved their club didn’t sign one-time target Jack Grealish following his performance in Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw against West Ham United on Monday night.

Spurs have long been linked with a move for the 24-year-old, who signed a new five-year contract with the Midlands outfit 12 months ago, with a report in The Daily Express as recently as March saying they were keen, but a transfer has never materialised.

Villa captain Grealish played an influential role in his team winning promotion to the Premier League back in May, but he wasn’t at his best against the Irons earlier this week – especially later on in the second half when he made some poor decisions on the ball against 10 men.

Supporters of the north London outfit watching on clearly weren’t impressed with what they saw from the midfielder, and took to the popular social media platform to reveal they were happy Daniel Levy never ended up completing a deal for the Villan.

While one individual described him as “bang average”, another believes Tottenham “dodged a bullet”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After getting back to winning ways against Leicester on Saturday, Manchester United open up their Europa League campaign with a clash against Ukrainian side Astana on Thursday night.

It may not have the same glitz and glamour of the Champions League, but the competition still has plenty of advantages, not least of which is the opportunity for younger players to make their mark.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side have plenty of up-and-coming talents just waiting on the side-lines, and the clash against Astana is surely the perfect moment for the United boss to unleash them. And with that in mind, here’s a look at how the Red Devils could potentially line up on Thursday.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Solskjaer confirmed the side’s number two goalkeeper, Sergio Romero, would get the nod ahead of David de Gea. In front of him, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof’s fledgling partnership will be given a rest, with the United boss confirming Axel Tuanzebe will be given a rare start. Alongside him, Phil Jones could make his return from the wilderness for a rare appearance too.

Fred’s impressive cameo against Leicester is enough to get himself a place in the starting eleven, whilst Nemanja Matic has been pretty vocal about his desire to play more this season. Experience in the middle of the park is a must.

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United fans could be most excited about the kind of players Solskjaer chooses to use in the attacking positions. Tahith Chong and Mason Greenwood were two of the stars of the club’s pre-season tour over the course of the summer, and the Europa League no doubt represents their best chance of first-team football.

Solskjaer has already confirmed Greenwood will start from the off, and there will no doubt be hope for someone like Chong to follow his academy teammate into the line-up too.

And with Anthony Martial still having not recovered from his injury, Marcus Rashford looks set for another chance in the number nine role. It may not be a side completely dominated by youngsters, but the likes of Chong and Greenwood would help make for an exciting team should Solskjaer decide to throw them in.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Samuel Umtiti’s Barcelona career has unfortunately taken a swift tumble. Ever since his career was disrupted by serious knee problems, the great Frenchman’s game time has diminished greatly.

And with the news that he has once again been sidelined, maybe the time has finally arrived for Jean-Clair Todibo to assume a bigger role within the Blaugrana squad.

But Umtiti hasn’t always plagued by these fitness problems. It all started in 2018 with his first serious knee injury and since then the Frenchman has refused to have surgery to fix the issue, instead opting for alternative treatments.

And it seems that that decision has come back to haunt him as he hasn’t been able to completely shake the injury ever since.

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To make things even worse, Umtiti has also been struck by the infamous “FIFA virus” and suffered another setback during his outing with France just recently. This time, though, it’s his foot that’s proven problematic rather than his knee.

With all those injury problems, Barcelona might have a real conundrum to face but, luckily, there is still someone who can take over from Umtiti and finally make a big step up.

And it wouldn’t be the first time they tampered with the pecking order in their defence. Ever since Umtiti’s injuries have come to light, Barcelona have reshuffled the cards at centre-back. At first, Umtiti and Gerard Pique were the two designated starters but soon Clement Lenglet took over from Umtiti as the 25-year-old started experiencing issues with his knee.

But even with that being said, Umtiti was still the third-choice centre-back and, as such, he played 14 games last season in La Liga and started a total of 13 of those. Todibo, on the other hand, only played two in 2018/19 – the only two games in his Barcelona career so far.

His lack of opportunities made it clear that he would be limited to the role of fourth choice centre-back. It was a rather weird move by Barcelona, who were betting on an injury-prone player rather than putting some trust into the young 19-year-old talent.

Back then there still may have been some lingering optimism regarding Umtiti’s issues but now, with yet another injury coming his way, it is time to start investing into Todibo instead.

Having such a talented player rotting on the bench because of Umtiti should not be acceptable. If the former Lyon enforcer was fit and firing on all cylinders, then there would be no dispute at all.

But with the situation being as it currently is and Umtiti unfortunately spending more time in the stands than on the pitch, Blaugrana might want to reshuffle the deck once again.

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Sheffield Wednesday head into the international break with quite the dilemma if reports are to be believed.

On Tuesday evening, Sky Sports claimed the club were in advanced talks with Lincoln City boss Danny Cowley and his assistant, brother Nicky, over becoming their permanent manager.

Currently, the club have had Lee Bullen in caretaker charge for a third spell after Steve Bruce left on the eve of the new season last month.

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Earlier in the week, Tony Pulis had been linked to the job by The Sun, but it appears that Cowley could be a serious contender to the post.

The 40-year-old rejected a move to Huddersfield in order to continue his journey at the Imps, so it remains to be seen whether or not he will actually become the Owls’ new boss.

This is how Wednesday could lineup under Cowley:

In four years at the club, the Cowley’s have guided Lincoln to two promotions as well as an EFL Trophy – playing very much the same brand of football throughout.

They believe in their philosophy and stick to it.

The formation most used by the management team is a 4-4-1-1 which utilises a lone target man in attack with a deep-lying forward playing just off him, and it is something that the Owls do have at their disposal with both Steven Fletcher and Fernando Forestieri being able to occupy those two spots.

Cowley also likes his team to play out from the back so it could see Sam Hutchinson drop into defence having played in midfield this season because he averages a passing success rate of 83.5% which is higher than Tom Lees (72.8%), whilst Julian Borner is likely to play alongside him (83.7%).

Jacob Murphy can play the inside forward role on the left-flank, averaging 2.2 shots per game as well as 2.6 dribbles, per WhoScored. He’s also scored one goal in four starts this season.

On the other side, Adam Reach can become the more traditional winger, whipping in crosses for the target man – he averages 0.8 per game and has already recorded one assist this season.

It would appear that Wednesday have all the tools needed to suit a Cowley system, meaning the lack of a transfer window shouldn’t be too much of an issue. It’s just if he can make the next step up, a considerable step up at that.

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