Manchester United go into the international break sitting in seventh place, nine points off Manchester City in fourth. and it proves they’ve hardly moved forward since they sacked Jose Mourinho last December. This time last year they sat in eighth, but were seven points behind the top four.

Victor Lindelof was signed by Jose Mourinho and has taken to the media to praise him this week, saying to Aftonbladet (via Metro): “He is one of the world’s best coaches and he is supposed to have a job at one of the biggest clubs. I miss him in football. He’s a great coach and a great person, whom I owe a great deal. It was he who gave me the chance here.”

The centre-back has been a mainstay in the United’s line-up so far this season, starting 11 games in the league. However, even with Harry Maguire in the side, they’ve managed just two clean sheets so far this season. Fans saw Lindelof’s comments when United news aggregator Utd Xtra posted them on their Twitter account, and the reaction wasn’t all positive. Some fans clearly believe the 25-year-old isn’t good enough for their club and that his comments on Mourinho aren’t accurate.

You can see some of their reactions to the tweet below:

Man United fans, what have you made of Victor Lindelof’s start to the season? Let us know below!

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 six years in the international wilderness, the Netherlands will appear at Euro 2020 after drawing 0-0 with Northern Ireland to seal their qualification.

Although Germany currently top the group, the Oranje will join them in next year’s tournament after winning five of their seven matches so far. Their qualification process is not yet finished, however, with them still having one game to play against Estonia before ending their calendar year.

For that match, they will be without Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, who will miss the encounter because of “personal reasons”. Considering the 28-year-old’s recent form, it is perhaps not the worst idea in the world for him to miss out on a game and rest.

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The former Southampton defender has been tipped to be a real contender for the Ballon d’Or, but that will be based more on last season’s form, when the Reds had the best defence in the Premier League, rather than this term.

Van Dijk has played in 18 games in all competitions for the Anfield outfit this time around – including the community shield, and the Reds have kept just two clean sheets during that time, conceding 20 goals. That works out at a ratio of 1.1 per match, which is a huge increase on the 0.68 per game last campaign.

Van Dijk has not been terrible, but considering he was recently named as the best centre-back in Premier League history by Vincent Kompany, it doesn’t fit in with the narrative.

He is essential to Liverpool’s title hopes, no doubt, but the recent level he has been playing at has not quite been to the same imperious heights he has set previously. His absence from this fixture against Estonia, therefore, is fantastic news for Jurgen Klopp.

It will allow his star £90m-valued defender – as per Transfermarkt – to take a break and rejuvenate a little before a busy upcoming period.

Who will be the hero of a potential return to the big time at Leeds?

It’s an open question, one that would provoke many a response. Marcelo Bielsa is the brains behind the team but Victor Orta was the man to thank for bringing the likes of Ben White and Eddie Nketiah to the club.

Andrea Radrizzani, however, has changed the landscape – certainly from an investment point of view.

While the Italian has made mistakes in the past, something he’s willingly admitted to, he could be on the verge of securing a colossal deal that puts Leeds back at the top table.

For better or for worse, it might change the face of the football club. If it doesn’t however, there would be no excuses left for a businessman who has come so far, yet still missed out on promotion.

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Leeds’ owner has been open in the past about possible investment at Elland Road but never has it felt so close and such a feasible option for Radrizzani.

The club is stuck at a crossroads now where investment this season would be massive, yet they also risk upsetting the upper powers who deal with profit and sustainability laws.

A few weeks ago he was his most transparent about new assets. In a lengthy interview with The Times, he claimed that Qatar Sports Investments could put them on a par with Manchester City.

Since he walked through the door at Thorp Arch, this was perhaps his biggest statement yet.

The 45-year-old has overseen a revival of sorts at Leeds. Before he appointed Bielsa, they were a team languishing in mid-table.

They now stand on the verge of the Premier League – they can nearly taste England’s top-flight again. Yet, at the same time, it has never felt so far away.

A third-placed finish and ultimate playoff failure last season has put the club under huge pressures, particularly with a wage bill now nearing £40m.

If they don’t achieve promotion in 2019/20, they will be staring at the need to cut that down significantly. Will Bielsa leave? It’s not beyond the realms of possibility given his track record.

After all, it was a surprise he even signed a new deal back in May.

But the sheer revenue QSI have earned from their relationship with European heavyweights PSG has been gigantic. It’s money that if replicated at Leeds would surely see them back among some of the elite clubs.

That is a distant dream but it’s certainly not impossible.

However big a stake Nasser al-Khelaifi does end up investing in Leeds, that’s if he even does, would leave Radrizzani and the club with huge demands.

The PSG owner is incredibly wealthy and if he does indeed plough money into Leeds this term, they’d be left with no excuses in terms of earning promotion now or further down the line.

It would lift the burden on the wage bill but it would also serve as a double-edged sword. Investment is a good thing but it might actually be the factor that sees Radrizzani leave Leeds altogether.

BBC journalist Adam Pope claimed in September that it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’d left in a year’s time. That tells you all you need to know.

Even if the Whites end up achieving promotion and backing from Qatar subsequently comes in over the summer instead, the pressure would be felt again.

The stresses of living up to what Radrizzani has documented about Man City would become a reality.

There is clearly a plan in place at Leeds. Angus Kinnear has a vision for a 50,000 capacity Elland Road if they go up and further investment would almost definitely benefit that.

It’s easy to forget just where added monetary muscle took Aston Villa. They were a club spiralling down until Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris pumped their financial prowess into the Midlands.

They eventually went up and a similar scenario could play out further north in England.

However, there would be a larger weight of anticipation. Not only would Leeds be expected to merely stay up in the Premier League, but competing among some of the best in the division seems to be on the agenda too.

If they failed to achieve promotion and eventually compete with the top ten Premier League clubs following QSI’s backing, the investment would surely be regarded as a big failure.

This deal has the potential to be game-changing for Leeds, but it might also be the tectonic shift that sees Radrizzani lose his job.

He and Leeds need to tread very carefully and come to the best possible agreement for the club’s future.

From Francis Jeffers to Andrey Arshavin, Arsenal have really made some awful of signings over the years, especially under the 22-year reign of Arsene Wenger.

There’s so many that we struggled to fit them all into this list and had to leave out some strong contenders!

Anyway, here’s Arsenal’s 20 worst signings of the Premier League era so far…

Mikael Silvestre

We start with a great player who the Gunners just decided to prise away from Manchester United way too late in his career, versatile French defender Mikael Silvestre.

The 31-year-old at the time of his Emirates Stadium arrival really struggled to have the same impact he had at Old Trafford in north London and featured a mere 43 times in two years.

Andre Santos

Arsene Wenger scouted the former Brazil international at Fenerbache and decided to take a near £5m punt on the left-sided star, it was one that failed to pay off with Santos only able to provide three goals and no assists in 33 outings.

He also hardly endeared himself to the red army, see Robin van Persie incident.

John Jensen

Curly-haired Danish 1992 UEFA European champion John Jensen became something of a cult hero at Highbury right at the beginning of the Premier League era.

However, that doesn’t really take away from the fact that he never really delivered in the tricky pre-Wenger period for the North Londoners and he was signed as a result of an agent giving George Graham a back-hander – at least he’ll always have that seminal goal against Queens Park Rangers to remember.

Denilson

When the Gunners forked out £3.4m to sign little-known 19-year-old Brazilian Denilson in the summer of 2006, there was a feeling of excitement and bemusement around the club.

The latter one turned out to be the more appropriate reaction.

Despite making over a century-and-a-half of Arsenal appearances, the central defensive midfielder never really lived up to his potential and comfortably makes it onto this list.

Sebastien Squillaci

Taking about easily being one of the Gunners’ worst signings in Premier League history, Sebastien Squillaci is right up there and could even be the worst.

The ill-disciplined ex-France centre-back never really settled into English football, struggling from the off and the fact that his international career was brought to a halt after he moved to north London says it all really.

Denis Suarez

Denis Suarez’s loan from Barcelona to Arsenal in the second half of 2018/2019 was certainly one of the most pointless transfers of the Premier League era.

The agile attacking midfielder played just six times, a cameo role from the bench on each occasion, before picking up a groin injury a month before the end of the campaign and spending the rest of it on the sidelines.

Junichi Inamoto

There was definitely something fishy about Japan legend Junichi Inamoto’s switch to Highbury in 2001 as he was plucked out of the microscopic J-League on loan only to ever feature four times in cup competitions.

Looking back now it very much appears that there were other motives behind this move, perhaps the Gunners wanted to raise their profile and sell more shirts in Japan ahead of the 2002 FIFA World Cup? And maybe the transfer was successful in that sense?

Nevertheless, Arsene Wenger’s face above doesn’t in the least suggest suspicion…

Yaya Sanogo

Former Golden Boy nominee Yaya Sanogo is a classic example of that player who impresses hugely in pre-season and turns out to be a flop when they start to sink their teeth into some competitive action.

The French youth prodigy did what Arsenal’s official social media accounts are still referring to as a “madness” against Napoli in the Emirates Cup in just his second pre-season, scoring four times in a 5-1 victory.

However, his form competitively was a world apart from this as Sanogo pathetically never scored a Premier League goal in four years before a free transfer back to his homeland with Toulouse.

Richard Wright

It’s simply laughable that not only did the Gunners spend £2m, some sum in 2001, to bring goalkeeper Richard Wright in from Ipswich Town, Arsene Wenger saw him as the long-term replacement for ageing club legend David Seaman.

Wait, it gets better, Wright actually managed to earn a Premier League winners’ medal during his mistake-laden Highbury spell but unsurprisingly, he didn’t even come close to establishing himself as the new first choice in north London.

Andrey Arshavin

Andrey Arshavin is a man who will always polarise opinion in world football – there was no doubting his talent though he could never really get over his frustrating inconsistency.

The fact remains, however, that the Gunners never really got anything more than THAT performance against Liverpool at Anfield out of the controversial Russian for their lofty £14.85m.

أعلن نادي أياكس أمستردام، تجديد عقد مدربه إريك تين هاج، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الهولندي.

تين هاج، عقده سينتهي في صيف العام القادم، 30 يونيو 2022، ولكن مُتصدر الدوري الهولندي، قرر إغلاق الباب أمام الأندية الراغبة في الحصول على خدمات هاج بتجديد عقده.

وقال النادي في بيانه: “يُسعدنا أننا توصلنا إلى اتفاق مع تين هاج لتجديد عقده، حيث سيستمر معنا حتى 30 يونيو 2023”.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تين هاج: جوارديولا عنيد بفلسفته.. وأخطأ عندما قلل من قوة الدوري الإنجليزي

تين هاج خلال الفترة الماضية، كان مطلوبًا لدىّ أكثر من نادٍ أوروبي، على رأسهم توتنهام هوتسبير الإنجليزي، الذي أقال مدربه البرتغالي، جوزيه مورينيو لسوء النتائج، كما ارتبط بإمكانية تدريب برشلونة؛ حال إقالة مواطنه رونالد كومان.

يُذكر أنّ أياكس يتواجد في صدارة الدوري الهولندي الممتاز، برصيد 76 نقطة، وبفارق 12 نقطة عن الوصيف آيندهوفن.

His home? Amsterdam… ❌❌❌

+1 for Erik ten Hag ➥ 2023 — AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) April 30, 2021

Liverpool’s youngsters did them proud against Arsenal and one player in particular left a lasting impression on fans, Rhian Brewster.

He didn’t just impress with his footballing ability, either, after scoring an important penalty in the shoot-out, but also through his display of emotion throughout the evening.

Some supporters have enjoyed seeing the passion of Brewster, with one suggesting it shows his love of the club. It also shows the desire he has, and how keen he was to progress to the next round, where he may get another chance to start.

It has been a big journey already for the 19-year-old since coming back from a serious injury, and his involvement in the first-team squad, alongside his fellow academy players, likely means a great deal.

If his post-match reaction is anything to go by, his celebration when he scores his first for the club is probably going to be one to watch out for, and some fans will be eagerly anticipating that event.

Here are some of the reactions to Brewster’s passionate display against Arsenal.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Manchester City’s trip to Liverpool was billed as the biggest game of the season and victory for the Reds has put them in a magnificent spot to snatch the title.

In truth, any defensive unit selected by Pep Guardiola to face Jurgen Klopp’s men was going to struggle, as Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane have now racked up 21 goals between them. Plus, whoever occupied the left-back spot up against the Egyptian was set for an almighty task, whether it had been Benjamin Mendy or Oleksandr Zinchenko.

However, it was the inexperienced Angelino who stepped in for this vital clash, and unsurprisingly, the Spaniard struggled against the Golden Boot holder. Throughout the game, the left-back was exposed defensively and failed to get Salah under his control.

The former PSV Eindhoven man signed for City for £5.3m and was playing in just his ninth game for the Premier League champions.

However, going forward, the left-back showed serious attacking intent throughout. Although he lost possession 28 times and completed just one of nine crosses, Angelino was consistently threatening Trent Alexander-Arnold.

The 22-year-old managed to create one big chance and made three key passes. So although he lost the ball 28 times, it is important to remember he troubled Liverpool often enough to worry the Anfield faithful.

Angelino also registered a shot which struck the woodwork for City on Sunday, and proved to Guardiola that he can be a valuable attacking weapon this season. Mendy’s troublesome record with injuries and Zinchenko’s current layoff may force in Angelino in on a more regular basis, and his display against the Reds suggested there was promise to be nurtured there.

Just because he couldn’t get hold of Salah doesn’t mean he can’t be a great asset for the champions moving forward. In truth, very few defenders struggle to contain the Egyptian.

It was another impressive attacking display from the left-back and it is important to assess his statistics in the context of the magnitude of the occasion from both an individual and collective perspective.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

Leeds United are desperate for a goalscoring striker.

There are no two ways about it, the Whites dominate the xG league table, yet they currently sit third in the Championship 12 points behind where they supposedly should be.

This is undoubtedly down to their lack of finishing ability in front of goal, and one way to remedy that would be to buy a new striker.

One man who Leeds were linked with over the summer was Dwight Gayle.

However, the latest update from Leeds Live may mean they have to forget about Gayle ever lining up at Elland Road.

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What’s the story

Leeds Live hosted a Q&A session about the club on Tuesday, and understandably, the question was asked about Gayle as some fans remained hopeful that a deal could be done.

However, Beren Cross’ response quickly shot down any possibility of the Yorkshire club signing the Newcastle man.

The journalist wrote a rather long response to a question about external investment and Pablo Hernandez’s injury, but the part we’re concerned with is right at the bottom where he says.

“As for Gayle, no chance. Financial Fair Play would be obliterated.”

Radrizzani must be blamed

There’s only one man you can point the finger at for Leeds’ current predicament with FFP, and that’s Andrea Radrizzani.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

The Italian has previously admitted that he’s made mistakes in terms of wages and transfers before, and now those are coming back to haunt him.

If the chairman had been a little savvier in the past, perhaps Leeds could have made this deal for the 29-year-old happen.

However, due to the mistakes he has made in the past the Whites are out of the running for a striker who would certainly have improved their promotion chances. After all, he scored 24 goals last term in the Championship.

Leeds moved on as many as 31 players either on a temporary or permanent basis in the summer, something that provides evidence of how many surplus players they had on their books.

It says a lot, though, that they still don’t have the means to bring in players on a permanent basis.

Radrizzani has helped changed Leeds’ fortunes in terms of league position but they still appear to be reeling on the financial front.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Sheffield Wednesday will be looking to get back on track with their promotion push when the international break comes to an end next week, and they can boost their chances by delving into the academy set up for an answer to one of their biggest problems.

Garry Monk’s side sit eighth in the league, three points outside of the playoff zone, having succumbed to the loss of points in back-to-back games.

Blackburn Rovers first came from behind to clinch a victory, then Swansea City salvaged a point in injury time just minutes after the Owls thought they had won it last time out.

One of the increasing problems facing the Wednesday chief is their frailty in front of goal.

Earlier in the season, it appeared as if the side had too much reliance on top goalscorer Steven Fletcher, but he’s been unable to find the net in six straight matches now, and a potential solution was found in Massimo Luongo, who netted twice in three games before he picked up an injury.

In the ten league games Monk has been in charge, the south Yorkshiremen have only scored 13 goals, and four of those came in a single game.

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This week, academy striker Omar Damba was called up to the Gambia U20 squad despite not yet featuring in a senior competitive game at the club.

Might he provide an answer?

The 20-year-old has only held a professional contract at the club for 11 months, but in the summer, he was handed an opportunity to train with the first-team, according to his Instagram post per Football League World.

Former Wednesday centre-back Rob Jones played a part in his move to Hillsborough as the youngster netted a hat-trick against their U23 squad when playing for the RIASA programme, which Jones runs.

Speaking about Damba, he said: “The sky is the limit for Omar. I believe that we have only scratched the surface of his potential. As time progresses in his new environment and his focus and drive remain the same, he will have a long and fruitful career ahead of him.”

Not one striker in the Owls ranks offers any kind of threat through pace and acceleration, bearing in mind the youngest striker is Sam Winnall, who turns 29 in the New Year.

The promising forward is well worth a chance alongside a presence like Steven Fletcher, and given the club are out of the Carabao Cup, the heightened risk could pay off in their quest for promotion in the league.

Monk will also be able to start eradicating the unwanted acclaim of being the ‘oldest’ squad in the division, per Transfermarkt.

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 Championship is finally back in action this weekend as Sheffield Wednesday return with a testing trip south as they look to put any off-field demons to the side for the time being.

League leaders West Brom play host at the Hawthorns, and it is a game in which Garry Monk can hugely exploit if he sets out his team correctly on Saturday afternoon.

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The Baggies will be without two of their most influential players as both captain Jake Livermore and midfield partner Romaine Sawyers will be absent through suspension.

The pair have started every single game this campaign with the latter featuring for every single minute available.

And while they would have had two weeks to prepare for this very moment, it is something that the Owls chief in command needs to make the absolute most of as they can make up some much-needed ground on those around the playoffs.

At the very least, it may help their cause later down the line if they do get any points deducted too.

On the Chalkboard

West Brom’s central midfield pecking order is substantially weak as outside the two suspended protagonists, there’s only really two true options, but they both come with their doubts.

Gareth Barry has only just re-signed at the club after a career-threatening injury and has played one U23 game while Rekeem Harper has only featured for a whole six minutes in the league.

Albion’s number ten Matheus Pereira still offers a massive threat at the peak of their midfield having scored three and assisted six goals, so the above factors combined make a 4-3-3 formation a must for Wednesday.

Sam Hutchinson is so crucial at the base of that three as his tackling stats will go a long way in neutralising the Brazilian’s threat, he averages 2.2 per game.

In front of him needs to be two of Barry Bannan, Massimo Luongo, or Kieran Lee, depending on who is fit enough to play, given that the Australian hasn’t featured since the win over Stoke City nearly a month ago.

These three offer creative and attacking threats, which they can really take advantage of in the absence of Livermore, who averages 2.1 tackles per game and Sawyers, who manages approximately 69.6 passes per match at an accuracy rate of 91.9%.

Bannan is joint-top in the squad for assists, Luongo has two goals in his last three appearances, and Lee managed an assist against Swansea City last time out in just his second start since the end of September.

The midfield will almost certainly hold the keys to whether or not Wednesday come out on top at the Hawthorns.