Helder Costa joining Valencia this summer works for all parties, says former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Valencia are currently monitoring Costa, though no formal offer has been made yet.

The 27-year-old played a huge role in Leeds winning promotion to the Premier League back in the 2019/20 season, making 43 Championship appearances for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Last term, however, he was forced to play more of a supporting role, starting just 13 league games.

Ultimately, for Palmer, now may be the right time to move on and joining a team like Valencia could be a good move for the winger.

“I think it’s a good fit for all parties, a good fit,” the ex-Leeds player exclusively told TT when discussing Valencia’s interest in Costa. “He’s not a regular at Leeds United.

“I don’t think he’s going to be in the starting line-up, he’s basically a squad player at Leeds United and the lad probably wants to go and play.”

Costa played down both flanks last season and chipped in with a few goals, so he is a squad player you would probably want to keep around.

However, if the former Wolves man does want regular starts and Leeds want to generate some money or trim down their wage bill, then a move to Valencia does make a lot of sense.

Yuvraj Singh, the Kings XI Punjab captain, was pleased with Kumar Sangakkara’s performance on his return from injury but had concerns over his side’s poor fielding against the Deccan Chargers.”We need to sort out our fielding,” Yuvraj said. “This is something we are going to have a chat about.” Sloppy work on the field allowed Deccan to set Punjab a competitive target of 176. While Ramesh Powar and Sreesanth gave away runs with mis-fields, VRV Singh dropped Rohit Sharma on the boundary when he was on 6 and that proved costly for Punjab as Rohit went on to score a 27-ball 50.”We have to improve our fielding if we have to go to the final,” Yuvraj said. Punjab, who are through to the semi-finals, beat Deccan by six wickets following Sangakkara’s 84-run opening partnership with Shaun Marsh.”Sangakkara has shown a lot of discipline. The way he has been preparing himself during the past two weeks with his rehabilitation and workouts needs to be appreciated,” Yuvraj said. Sangakkara missed five matches because of a rib injury but looked in fine touch on Friday as he scored the second fastest half-century – 50 off 23 balls – for the second time in the tournament.Adam Gilchrist, Deccan’s captain, felt his side had made positive strides in their last two games. “I think we as a group have not contributed … however, I have belief in these guys and believe they can make an impact,” Gilchrist said. “My experience in the IPL has been fantastic and I have really enjoyed it though I had to sit back and wonder why we did not do better.”Both teams have two league games left – Deccan against Bangalore Royal Challengers and Chennai Super Kings in Hyderabad and Punjab against Kolkata Knight Riders away, before facing Rajasthan Royals at home.

Everton’s transfer window has burst into life during the last 24 hours with Rafa Benitez finally getting to work in the market.

Andros Townsend has arrived on a free transfer to bolster their wide options while Asmir Begovic has signed as a back-up in the goalkeeping department.What’s the word?With Richarlison and James Rodriguez mooted as potential departures from Goodison Park this summer, Benitez needs to continue searching for offensive players in the window.Demarai Gray has been a name on their shortlist but another name has now come to the centre of their attention.According to The Athletic, Villarreal winger Samuel Chukwueze is interesting Everton.They suggest that the Toffees have ‘extensively assessed and have garnered positive feedback’ on the 22-year-old.However, they will hope to negotiate a lower fee than his buy-out clause of £55m.A player to set Everton on fireChukwueze’s numbers for goals and assists don’t point to an enormously productive player but judging by his talent and ability, he’d be a wonderful capture for Everton.The youngster has immense potential and showed against Arsenal in last season’s Europa League that he can dominate Premier League defences.He limped off injured in the second leg of the semi-final between the two teams but was a rampant threat in the first match.[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-everton-news-benitez-kamara-romero-dumfries” title= “Read the latest Everton transfer news!”]Chukwueze supplied the opener for Manu Trigueros while attempting nine dribbles and providing two key passes.He is a wily character who is capable of tormenting even the very best defenders. He recorded 2.4 dribbles per match in Europe last term, a number that usurps every player at Goodison.Described as “exciting” by ex-footballer Mutiu Adepoju, he’s also rapid. He’s been recorded at a speed of 34.58 km/h which would put him among the quickest players in Benitez’s side. For context, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been tracked at 35.1 km/h.With dribbling and speed as eye-catching as that, he could whip up a storm in offensive areas for Everton.Quotes from West Brom defender Semi Ajayi also put him in a particularly good light. He once said:“I’m on the B team [at Nigeria], not in the starting lineup, and Samuel Chukwueze is in my team and he destroyed the whole first team on his own, just give him the ball, he kept destroying them to the point the coach changed his mind, that he doesn’t think it’s three at the back, it won’t work.“These times, the pitch that we were on, one pitch in Asaba, the pitch is terrible, anyone that plays for Nigeria would tell you how bad the pitch is, you cannot dribble on it.“Chukwueze got the ball at his feet, dribbling around people as it’s nothing, like he’s playing at Old Trafford.”With 17 senior career goals to his name, he does need to improve in that department but that will come with time. At the moment, he is still an incredibly dangerous player.Supporters should relish a potential opportunity to see him in Merseyside next season.

AND in other news, Rafa could discover Everton’s new Leon Osman by signing “special” 34-cap maestro…

West Indies’ fighting performance in the first Test has convinced Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen that his opponents are on the way up

Cricinfo staff29-May-2008
Tim Nielsen: “Test cricket is definitely about talent … but in the end it is the ability to execute your skills and reproduce them over and over again” © Getty Images
West Indies’ fighting performance in the first Test has convinced Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen that his opponents are on the way up the world rankings. Currently placed at No. 8, West Indies battled with Australia over the opening four days in Jamaica before folding in the 95-run loss.”They could definitely be up in the middle rungs and fighting for a top three or four spot with the quality of player and the natural talent they’ve got in their team,” Nielsen told the Sydney Morning Herald. “We kept saying the whole way through the game that our challenge was not to have fits and spurts, but to do it as well as we possibly can for five days. I think that was the difference in the end.”Nielsen warned West Indies more was needed than relying on natural ability. “Test cricket is definitely about talent … but in the end it is the ability to execute your skills and reproduce them over and over again,” he said. “That’s probably the difference in the two sides at the moment. If the Windies can do that, they’ll definitely jump up the ladder.”The below-par performances of Mitchell Johnson and Stuart MacGill in the first Test did not concern Nielsen. MacGill picked up four wickets for the game while Johnson was out-bowled by Stuart Clark and Brett Lee.”While Mitch didn’t get the figures as such, I wasn’t too worried about his performance,” Nielsen said. Nielsen believed MacGill improved as the game wore on, despite his inability to make any middle-order breakthroughs on the final day.”He probably rolled in and out of his rhythm a little bit in this game,” Nielsen told AAP. “He probably didn’t have a real consistent patch where he bowled as he’d like for a session.”But I thought there were some pretty pleasing signs at the end where he was able to rip the ball past the bat a few more times. Considering he hasn’t played a hell of a lot of cricket, I expect him to get better and better as the series goes on.” MacGill will have another chance in the second Test in Antigua from Friday.

MatériaMais Notícias

Na manhã desta sexta-feira, o Cruzeiro informou que o zagueiro Manoel e o volante Ariel Cabral já receberam alta e estão em casa. Os jogadores passaram por cirurgias nesta quinta-feira, após sofrerem lesão no jogo contra o São Paulo, realizado na última quarta-feira pela Copa do Brasil, em que a Raposa eliminou os paulistanos e garantiu vaga nas oitavas de final.

Ariel sofreu um trauma na região pélvica durante o primeiro tempo da partida. No procedimento cirúrgico foi realizada uma drenagem no local. O período de cicatrização dura pelo menos três semanas. Durante esse tempo, o volante ficará afastado dos gramados.

A lesão de Manoel foi uma fratura no quinto metatarso do pé esquerdo ao disputar jogada. Apesar de ter se machucado, o jogador seguiu em campo mancando e só deixou o jogo quando não aguentou mais a dor e caiu no chão para receber atendimento. Durante dois meses o zagueiro vai ficar fora dos gramados, mesmo iniciando fisioterapia daqui a dez dias.

Com os dois desfalques, o Cruzeiro encara o América, neste domingo, às 18h, no Mineirão, pela partida de volta válida pela semifinal do Campeonato Mineiro.

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AS Roma have made a bid for Aston Villa winger Anwar El-Ghazi, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Villa wanted to keep El Ghazi

The 26-year-old ended the previous campaign in fine form, scoring four of his 10 Premier League goals in the final seven games of the season.

Reports back in May suggested that Villa had made a transfer U-turn and would look to keep El Ghazi beyond the summer following Trezeguet’s injury.

However, it appears as if Villa many now made a second transfer U-turn on the £38,000-a-week Dutchman.

The Latest: Source shares update

According to Football Insider, who were informed by a Villa source, Dean Smith is now ready to listen to offers for El Ghazi, with the report suggesting that Villa are closing in on multiple wide additions.

Todd Cantwell and Leon Bailey have been two wide men that have been linked with a move to the Midlands.

It is believed that a fee in excess of £10m will be required to sign El Ghazi, with Jose Mourinho thought to be a major admirer of the Villa man.

The Verdict: Incomings key

As long as Villa can get their multiple wide additions over the line, with the latest report believing the club are closing in on their targets, then selling El Ghazi may not be too big of a blow.

Smith would have Jack Grealish, Emiliano Buendia, Bertrand Traore and possibly two more who could play out wide against Watford on August 14th, with Trezeguet set tobe sidelined for a prolonged period of time.

However, if Villa move on El Ghazi and fail to bring in any more wide additions, it could turn out to be a costly call.

In other news: ‘Classic Villa’ – Many AVFC fans react to ‘strange’ transfer update. 

Tottenham Hotspur boss Nuno Santo has been handed an encouraging boost ahead of the new Premier League season this weekend…

What’s the latest?

According to The Athletic, Bryan Gil will return to Spurs training on Wednesday and as such, he could make his debut against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon.

The 20-year-old winger was signed for around £21m plus Erik Lamela from Sevilla and will face tests at Hotspur Way before linking up with the rest of the squad later this week.

Gil featured at the Tokyo Olympics this summer, as recently as last weekend, as Spain were beaten by Brazil in the gold medal match. However, he was not selected at Euro 2020, so he has had some time off without any fitness concerns.

He will be considered for selection ahead of kickoff.

Selection boost

This should come as a massive boost to the Portuguese head coach as it gives him another solid option in attack and given Harry Kane’s lack of a pre-season amid speculation linking him to this weekend’s opposition, he may well be required.

The Olympics has effectively been his ‘pre-season, having featured in five of Spain’s six matches, playing on both flanks, as per Transfermarkt.

There is also a bunch of excitement surrounding the young prodigy as he has been touted for big things alongside fellow countrymen Pedri and Ansi Fati, both of Barcelona.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/spurs-latest-team-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-more” title= “Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, gossip and much more!”]

Indeed, Gil has been described as a “big talent” with “huge, huge potential”, whilst he is said to have a “left foot made of pure gold” and has even been lauded as a “flamboyant winger” by football scout Jacek Kulig.

During 2020/21, the former Sevilla talent averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga, via WhoScored, which suggests that he is very good at providing his teammates with chances.

Only Heung-min Son managed to create more key passes (two) than Kane (1.4) last season, so having a player of that calibre in the squad for a game as big as City is undoubtedly a boost to Nuno’s chances of pulling off a shock result.

Even if he’s used from the bench, it gives Spurs a potentially lethal threat to bring on if the game is tight and when the opposition’s defence is tiring.

Therefore, the possibility of having him involved is a big, big plus for Nuno and the Lilywhites.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Ndombele: Spurs must sign £12m-rated “great talent” who’s “similar” to Eriksen…

Joe Wainman, formerly of All Leeds TV, expects Leeds United to make a serious push for FC Midtjylland midfielder Jens Cajuste after missing out on Conor Gallagher to Crystal Palace.

Leeds were said to be keen on bringing Gallagher in on loan from Chelsea but, in the end, the 21-year-old opted for Palace.

The Yorkshire club will now have to turn their attention elsewhere and have been linked with Cajuste.

Prior to losing the race for Gallagher, SportExpressen reported that Leeds have shown concrete interest in the Sweden international.

They could face competition, though, with The Athletic claiming that Premier League rivals Newcastle United, Wolves and Palace are also interested.

Whatever the case, for Wainman, Cajuste is now likely to be a priority for Marcelo Bielsa and Leeds.

“He seems to be the next target on the list, Jens Cajuste,” Wainman told TT.

“I think we do need someone who can go box-to-box, you know, a little bit like Conor Gallagher really, to be fair. I think he would have been the ideal signature, but I think the thing with Jens Cajuste, he’s 21, Swedish international, clearly a prospect. 

“I think the figures, I think it’s around 15 million I’m seeing that he could move on for, so I think he would be a great signing.”

Described as an “all-action” midfielder who has flair to his game by Leeds Live, it looks like the Whites have stumbled across a gem in the 21-year-old.

After watching Gallagher go to Palace, Bielsa will surely be desperate to get this one over the line.

An update has emerged on Everton target Rafael Leao, regarding how much AC Milan want for his services.

What’s the talk?

According to Calcio Mercato, Milan are willing to listen to offers in the region of £26m (€30m) for Everton transfer target Rafael Leao this summer.

The report claims Mino Raiola is attempting to get him a move to the Premier League.

Richarlison 2.0

Marcel Brands and Rafa Benitez must work together to seal a deal for Leao this summer as he could be Richarlison 2.0 for the Toffees. The Milan forward is a quality young attacker who could come in and provide an extra option at the top end of the pitch to challenge the Brazilian and Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Goalscoring was a big issue for the Blues last season, with Calvert-Lewin the only player who managed more than seven Premier League strikes. Richarlison and James Rodriguez provided seven and six respectively, with no other forwards managing more than one goal.

Therefore, Everton are in desperate need of an extra goalscorer to come in this summer. That is where Leao could be the perfect addition as he scored seven goals and provided six assists in just 24 starts.

This suggests that he could get near double figures for goals and assists if he is given more starts in the league by the Toffees than Milan were able to offer him.

Former striker Rolando Bianchi once lauded him as spectacular. The ex-forward also previously said that Leao was playing like a great player. He said:

“Leao is very young and is having a great season. Sometimes young people give the impression of mirroring themselves a bit, but his performances are that of a great player. I had seen him at the U20 World Cup with Portugal and he made spectacular plays. He has great speed, he has a touch of the ball.”

Richarlison is also a young talent, but the comparisons between the two do not end there. They are also both right-footed attackers who can play out on the left-wing or through the middle as centre-forwards. Both players are keen dribblers, as they like to run at players with the ball to create chances and score goals.

Therefore, Everton could land their next Richarlison by bringing Leao to the club for £26m. At the age of 22, he also has plenty of room for development and could improve over time, which means that he is a player Benitez could work with on the training pitch to continue his growth.

AND in other news, Everton must act swiftly to land dream deal for powerhouse who “towers above” players…

Everton supporters are the most pessimistic in the entire Premier League this season.

The Toffees have barely spent a penny in the transfer window, have limited finances and have lost Carlo Ancelotti.

Consequently, you can hardly blame the fans for feeling a lack of hope ahead of the opening day.

On the chalkboard

Rafa Benitez’s team face a team with their own problems on the opening weekend of the top-flight season.

They take on Southampton, who have sold Danny Ings and Jannik Vestergaard. Widely tipped for relegation, this is the ideal opposition for the Merseyside outfit to face.

However, with Everton’s issues in mind, it won’t be as straightforward as you may think.

They were demolished 4-0 at the hands of Manchester United during their final pre-season friendly, a game which has set a rather terrible tone ahead of the new campaign, and one player who was torn apart by some supporters during the match was Alex Iwobi.

The Nigerian signed in a deal worth £34m back in 2019 but he is yet to justify that price tag. He has scored just four times and has rarely offered any sign of attacking intent.

Consequently, with new signings Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend keen to make an early impact at Goodison Park, Iwobi should be axed from the starting XI this weekend.

Against United last week, just 41% of the actions carried out by the winger in the clash were successful according to Wyscout. He completed just 83% of his passes while failing to provide an accurate shot at goal or complete a cross.

Furthermore, he was successful with just one of his three dribbles and lost a whopping 74% of his ground duels, winning only five of 19.

This was a poor performance from a player who has previously been described as “embarrassing” by the Liverpool Echo’s David Prentice.

With a tally of just two goals to his name in 2020/21, it’s highly unlikely that he’d pose much of a threat this weekend.

Iwobi has been linked with a move away from Merseyside this summer so, Benitez must take the opportunity to axe the £100k-per-week earner from his plans. He simply isn’t good enough.

AND in other news, Everton must swoop for “exceptional” 19-goal beast who Rafa said is on “another level”…