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Leeds United could be without one of their "top performers" for longer than they first thought.

Leeds defence shining under Farke

The 2022/23 season was quite a turbulent one for Leeds, with the club being relegated from the top flight after garnering just 31 points. This term in the Championship has had a fairly different outcome. Daniel Farke's men are currently battling for the second tier title and are just three points behind league leaders Leicester.

Their performances across the campaign have no doubt been thanks to not only the tactical decisions made by Farke, but the performance of the players themselves. Their defence in particular has been an area which has often stood out ahead of the rest of the crowd. The West Yorkshire club have conceded the least goals in the Championship (28) with the next closest being Leicester (33).

As with most relegated clubs, the Whites had something of a clear-out in the summer with a multitude of players leaving for pastures new. Some departed on permanent deals, whilst others have just found themselves plying their trade for another team temporarily.

Leeds' defensive summer departures

Robin Koch

Loan

£427k fee

Maximilian Wober

Loan

£427k fee

Cody Drameh

Loan

£0 fee

Rasmus Kristensen

Loan

£0 fee

Data via Transfermarkt

The additions of the likes of Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram and Joe Rodon have all helped, while Pascal Struijk has kicked on to become a really top player under the former Norwich boss. Described as a "top performer" by former Leeds defender Leigh Bromby, Struijk staked his claim for a starting spot both in the Premier League and the Championship.

“I think he’s solid. He’s a top performer at this level, at Championship level. He’s a top centre-back,” Bromby told BBC Radio Leeds. "Being left-footed gives that real balance with him and Rodon in terms of trying to play out, which Daniel wants all the time. And he did not put a foot wrong today."

The centre-back was a mainstay in Farke's starting 11 and played a total of 25 games in all competitions prior to suffering an injury on Boxing Day.

Struijk's injury not recovering as expected

Despite being absent since Boxing Day, Struijk was making "positive" improvements and was almost "ready to join" first team training as per Farke. However, Phil Hay of The Athletic has now shared that the injury is more severe than first thought, and not only is Struijk not playing this weekend, that's not even the worst of it, with surgery possibly required.

If surgery is needed, this would likely mean the end of the Netherlands youth international's season, which would massively hinder Leeds' promotion push. Only time will tell whether the versatile defender will be able to recover in time for the end of the campaign.

As Ange Postecoglou looks to enter his second summer in charge of Tottenham Hotspur as a Champions League manager again, the Lilywhites have reportedly been handed a boost in pursuit of one of their targets.

Tottenham transfer news

Daniel Levy hasn't been afraid to back Postecoglou so far, that's for sure. The Australian enjoyed a busy first summer in charge last year, in which James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven and Brennan Johnson all arrived as Harry Kane left for Bayern Munich. Then, he was backed again in the January transfer window, as this time Timo Werner and Radu Dragusin came through the North London doors.

That said, the former Celtic boss recently admitted that Spurs are not likely to be in a position to be spending the same type of money as their rivals, telling Football.London:

"To a certain extent but I don’t think we are in a position to spend £100million on a player, if that is what you are suggesting. That is not the case and I don’t think it will ever be the case for the club. Our competitors are, irrespective of their positions."

One deal that the Lilywhites could be in a position to get over the line, however, is for current target Roony Bardghji, with the club pushing for a deal. According to Tottenham News, Bardghji is now ready to leave Copenhagen amid links with a move to Spurs this summer in a boost for those in north London.

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The right-winger, himself, failed to rule the move out when asked about the potential of following fellow Swede Lucas Bergvall to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer, telling Sports Bladet:

"It's fun to think about. You never know, it could happen. Hard to say now."

With Spurs pushing for his signature and Bardghji now reportedly ready to leave Copenhagen, the forward is set to be one to watch this summer.

"Superb" Bardghji will be better than Kulusevski

At just 18 years of age, Bardghji is already one of the standouts at Copenhagen and even stole the headlines for his winning goal against Manchester United in the Champions League earlier this season. Given the inconsistencies of Dejan Kulusevski too, Spurs would be wise to make their move as early as this summer for the youngster. Here's how Bardghji's stats have compared his compatriot's this season:

Starts

14

23

Goals

7

6

Assists

0

2

As things stand, Kulusevski has been involved in just one more goal than the teenager this season, highlighting just how talented Bardghji already is. If Spurs can strike a deal as soon as possible, then they may get in before his price is out of reach, as Postecoglou claimed would likely prove to be the case at the £100m mark.

Wherever the young winger ends up this summer, Football Talent Scout's Jacek Kulig will no doubt be keeping an eye out for his performances, having sung his praises earlier this season. Kulig posted on X:

When the summer arrives though, Spurs may well be hoping that Kulig will be watching on as Bardghji stars in North London.

Nathan Lyon recalls nerve-shredding final moments of Old Trafford Test

Daniel Brettig09-Sep-2019Nathan Lyon’s spinning finger made a good metaphor for the Australian spin bowler’s nerves by the end of the Old Trafford Test, its callus split in two, held together by superglue, painkillers and a fierce desperation to win the Ashes.As his teammates all looked achingly towards one of the ground’s big screens for confirmation of the final wicket with less than an hour’s play remaining, Lyon’s head was turned in the other direction – he could be forgiven for not bearing to look. After Edgbaston, where Lyon had dominated England with a second innings display redolent of the 2017-18 series in Australia, he and the team had looked set for a straightforward steamrolling. The story that has unfolded since has taken it out of Lyon in ways he has never had to deal with before.First, he drew level with Dennis Lillee’s Australian wickets tally at Lord’s, then struggled to go past him, a sensation shared by none other than Shane Warne in 2000. Next, came Headingley with all its many traumas. Lyon fumbled the critical run out chance, was denied the crucial lbw, and sank to the floor in desolation when Ben Stokes fashioned victory in the following over. With that result arrived a torrent of abuse, referencing some of Lyon’s more unkind comments about England in 2017 and the fact that he had effectively dropped the Ashes.At Old Trafford, the crowds took to ironically cheering him whenever he caught the ball before ambling in for his next delivery, meanwhile hurling all sorts at him from closer range. For a team that had already weathered the persistent booing of David Warner and Steven Smith, this underlined, as the captain Tim Paine said, “It’s a nice place to play cricket but it is bloody difficult in England if I am honest.”Also read: A scream, a win and an urn dearly earnedCertainly Lyon, his spinning finger cut open in the first innings then only barely held together in the second, could relate. “I split my finger in the first innings but in Test cricket you have to find a way to compete,” Lyon said. “It’s probably like a singer losing the vocals probably. I was pretty proud of that bowling effort, to take 20 wickets on that pitch.”You hear it [the crowd] for the first over or two then it just becomes white noise, if that makes sense. I know that’s hard to believe but when you’re a professional sportsman – your job is to come out and bowl well, compete against whoever you’re playing. To be honest with you, I didn’t really feel it or hear it at the back end, so it doesn’t worry me. We’re sitting up there, we’re going to have a couple of beers tonight and celebrate because the urn is coming home. I’m not sure what the 9000 people in that stand are doing tonight.”What Lyon was doing after Headingley was grieving the defeat, his role in it, and trying to deal with a myriad of personal issues back home, one of which has been an ill uncle. But somewhere, perhaps from Paine’s early advice to him in the aftermath of defeat, or perhaps from a text message sent to him by Smith – relating his own learnings from his one-year ban from cricket – Lyon found a way to drag himself back into a frame of mind capable of doing a job in Manchester.”Obviously you’re devastated. I wear my heart on my sleeve and playing cricket for Australia means everything for me, it’s not about personal success for me,” he said. “But I’ve had some family issues over the past – my uncle’s quite sick. You realise quite quickly it’s just a game. It does impact a lot of people. Mistakes happen. I didn’t meant to drop the run out or anything like that but I had him plumb next ball. That’s just the game of cricket. You’ve got to pick yourself up and it’s just the way you bounce back.”I would’ve loved to win five-nil, don’t worry about that. That means a lot of parties. But you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. Both sides have played some really decent cricket. You’ve got to respect the opposition. We’re playing against some absolute superstars of the game. You look at Archer, Root, Stokes – that’s just three and we could sit here all night and talk about them – but they’re absolute superstars of the game. I think this series is rivalling the ’05 series, as a spectator back then you were riding the waves with the Australian cricket team. The sport in this country, England, alone over the past five months has done wonders for cricket.”You get the chance to come out here and play cricket for Australia and represent your family, friends and everyone back home. I guarantee when I get my phone back I’ll have a fair few messages from mates staying up – I think it’s about 3.30am back home. It’s quite a special moment that a sport can bring a nation together. I daresay that the boys in that change room up there, where we’re going to celebrate tonight, have brought a nation together.”Nathan Lyon doffs his hat as Steve Waugh looks on•Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesIn both the first innings and on the final day, Lyon was not the dominating figure of the last Ashes series or Edgbaston, rather a supporting character to the unstinting brilliance of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, with help at vital times from Mitchell Starc and, finally, Marnus Labuschagne. Their collective performance was enough for Lyon to make the sort of blanket statement that comes with winning Ashes series.”Everyone is going to think this is a big statement but I think the bowling squad in that change room there is the best in the world,” Lyon said. “I believe that and I’m very confident that we are the best in the world. To have the fast-bowling stocks that we’ve got as the Australian Cricket Team at the moment we’re very lucky. But in saying that the boys are working their backsides off. There’s no surprise they’re out there reaping the rewards they deserve.”You’ve got Pat Cummins, the best bowler in the world in my view but then Josh Hazlewood, jeez, if he’s not second I don’t know what is. That’s my personal view. But then you’ve got Starcy, Patto, Sidds, Michael Neser as well. We had an hour to do our skill [get the last wicket] and, to be honest with you, I was quite confident in our skill, we’d be able to get the job done.”It’s about positive thoughts and backing the bowlers, even the decision from Tim Paine to give Marnus a bowl was a very brave and ballsy decision but it paid off. Marnus is a guy who wants to do well for the Australian cricket team, he wants the ball in his hand. Hats off to him, spinning into the rough into a left-hander. Personally, I’d rather bowl to a right-hander on those wickets. Hats off to Marnus and hats off to Tim.”But for all that bravado there were nerves, of course there were. Lyon knew from his square position that Craig Overton’s lbw was not going over the top of the stumps, but the interminable moments before the final confirmation arrived were torturous given all that had come before, as the words in the team huddle emphasised. “‘Is it out? Is it out? What do you reckon Josh? Is out out? Is it sliding’?” Lyon recalled.”I felt pretty confident from point. I know I can’t see the line or anything but I can see the length and I knew it wasn’t going over the top, so I was pretty confident. But I was nervous. All I was hoping was three reds or umpires call and it was out. It’s a dream come true. I’ve wanted this. Personally and as a team, it’s pretty special that the urn’s coming home.”As a kid growing up, and as soon as i got my baggy green – the biggest goal in my career has been to win the Ashes away. We’re 2-1 up and I want to go 3-1 up and when we hold the urn up at The Oval, it’s going to be an amazing feeling. Yeah we’re going to enjoy this tonight and take in this moment, but there’s still a lot of work to do if we want to become a great cricket side and get to where we want to go to.”

MatériaMais Notícias

O CSA tem o seu 15º reforço para a temporada 2021. Trata-se do zagueiro Matheus Felipe, que estava no Juventus-SC.

A chegada do defensor ao Azulão é um pedido do técnico Mozart, que solicitou a vinda de um atleta rápido na marcação.

Antes de desembarcar no CSA, Matheus Felipe também defendeu as cores do Mirassol-SP, Grêmio Prudente e Juventus-SC.

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Sepp van den Berg accused Liverpool of sabotaging his future as he looks to exit Anfield permanently this summer.

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• Van den Berg hits out at Liverpool
• Spent last season on loan at Mainz
• Made only four senior appearances for the Reds

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Dutch defender joined the Reds in 2019 from PEC Zwolle but in the last five years he made just foursenior appearances for the club and had three different loan spells at Preston North End, Schalke and most recently Mainz.

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  The Reds are now looking to sell the player permanently in the upcoming summer transfer and have set a price at £20 million ($25.6m) amid interest from Premier League clubs Brentford and Southampton. Mainz too attempted to make his signing permanent for under £5m ($6m) but the Merseyside club are not ready to let him leave for such a small sum of money.

• WHAT VAN DEN BERG SAID

  In an explosive interview with , the 22-year-old claimed that the Premier League giants are trying to spoil his future as he said, "I knew that I couldn't get from PEC Zwolle [straight] to Liverpool's first team. I could have been at Liverpool for one or two more years, but I wanted to play with all my might. I demanded to be [loaned] out. Every time, because I felt that I was getting better and better. I also made great strides physically.

  "Just the whole [first] season. On the one hand, that was great. Yes, how does that work, you're 17, 18 years old, you're central to the defence in training against the starting XI, you have to build up and then Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah come running towards you. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. But in all honesty, I wasn't looked after anymore. I also felt 'ready' [in 2021]. I had a good conversation with the management. He said he had received good reports. I understood that I wasn't going to play Van Dijk, Matip or Konate out [the team]. But I thought I could be right behind it. When I didn't get a chance again, I said: 'Figure it out, I want to leave."

  He added, "You (Liverpool) didn't exude confidence in me all this time, but you do want to hinder my future. I want to keep playing every week and develop myself further. In Germany, I enjoy Dortmund away with 70,000 people, Bayern Munich away against Harry Kane, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Leverkusen, against clubs like that I am challenged every week."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  The young defender who appeared in 36 games across all competitions this season for the German side, will aim to find an amicable solution with the Premier League giants to seal a move away from the club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are in the market to add some quality additions this month and have now opened talks with an experienced Premier League operator who could arrive before the end of the window, according to a report.

Wolves scour the market…

The month of January can sometimes prove to be a complex time for clubs looking to seal deals; however, the Old Gold have already completed one developmental signing in the form of Fletcher Holman, who joins from National League South outfit Eastbourne Borough and will link up with Wolves' Under-21 set-up.

Academy chief Jon Hunter-Barrett has shared his delight at being able to bring Holman to the West Midlands, stating via the club's official website: "Once again our recruitment team have done a fantastic job in unearthing a talent playing in non-league football who is capable to come into our building.

"The big thing with Wolves is we’re a football club and academy that provides opportunities for players who have been here a long time and also players who have come from a different environment into ours."

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Nonetheless, Gary O'Neil will be keen to acquire players equipped to join his first-team squad and contribute for the remainder of the campaign. Financial prudence is a central feature of the Old Gold's approach to the mid-season market and Paris Saint-Germain outcast Hugo Ekitike is reportedly a target to add some offensive impetus in the final third.

Conversely, new information has come to light claiming that a striker with significantly more experience could instead be brought in to spearhead O'Neils's attack.

Wolves open Danny Ings talks…

According to Football Insider, Wolves have opened talks with West Ham United over a loan deal for striker Danny Ings, who has fallen out of favour at the London Stadium. The Old Gold are believed to be in the market for a poacher after letting Sasa Kalajdzic move to Eintracht Frankfurt this month.

Danny Ings' career goals – club level (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

390

Goals

123

Assists

39

Danny Ings' international record

England – 3 appearances, 1 goal

England Under-21 – 14 appearances, 3 goals

Hwang-hee Chan has departed for the Asian Cup and left a void to be filled at the top end of the field; nevertheless, Wolves don't have the financial muscle available to bring in a permanent reinforcement and have turned to Ings as a known operator with goalscoring ability. If he arrives at Molineux, they will need to cover his wages and pay a loan fee for his services.

Labelled "brilliant" by former teammate Matty Cash, the 31-year-old has made 18 appearances across all competitions this season, though he is yet to put himself on the goal trail.

Despite this, his record over the course of his career speaks for itself and Ings would be an ideal short-term solution for Wolves as they look to maintain their impressive exploits in the Premier League.

Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has issued a response after reports emerged about an agreed move that would take him to Newcastle United.

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• Ramsdale linked with Newcastle
• Deal reportedly 'agreed'
• Ramsdale responds on social media

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ramsdale, 26, has taken to his personal X (formerly Twitter) account to share an honest response to rumours that he had agreed a move to Newcastle.

  The England international claimed the proposed deal was 'news to me' after the reports emerged, hinting that the speculation is wide of the mark.

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  According to The Telegraph, the Magpies are 'pushing ahead' with a £15 million ($19m) bid to sign Ramsdale from Arsenal.

  The former Sheffield United and Bournemouth goalkeeper has fallen out of favour at the Emirates Stadium, with Brentford loanee David Raya being preferred by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta this season.

  It had previously been claimed that a deal to send Ramsdale to Newcastle was 'agreed' between the two sides.

• WHAT RAMSDALE SAID

  "News to me," he wrote on X along with a laughing emoji.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR RAMSDALE?

  Ramsdale has started just six games in the Premier League this season and will likely watch the final game against Everton from the bench once again.

  Arsenal currently sit two points off Manchester City at the top of the table as we head into the final fixture. Arteta's side will need to beat the Toffees and hope London rivals West Ham United win or draw against City on Sunday if they are to secure the title.

The January transfer window is just around the corner and it will be interesting to see whether or not Leeds United do any business next month.

German head coach Daniel Farke is tasked with leading the Whites back to the Premier League at the first time of asking after their relegation from the top-flight under Sam Allardyce earlier this year.

His team are currently third in the Championship and seven points off the automatic promotion places as it stands, which shows that they are competing for a top two spot but still have some way to go before they can believe that it is a realistic goal.

Therefore, the ex-Norwich City and Borussia Monchengladbach tactician may want to dip into the market to bolster his side to give them a better chance of closing that gap to move ahead of Ipswich Town and Leicester City.

Angus Kinnear has confirmed that there is wiggle room for the club to make further additions to the playing squad if the manager feels the need is there to do so.

This comes after Farke was allowed to bring in nine new signings during his first window in charge; including Sam Byram, Ethan Ampadu, Karl Darlow, Ilia Gruev, Joel Piroe, Djed Spence, Jaidon Anthony, Joe Rodon and Glen Kamara.

Leeds transfer news – David Turnbull

Ahead of the January transfer window, the Whites have been named as a possible landing spot for Celtic attacking midfielder David Turnbull.

Speaking on Go Radio this month (via HITC), pundit and former Hoops centre-forward John Hartson has claimed that he could see the Scotland international moving to a 'top' Championship club "like a Leeds United".

The 24-year-old whiz is out of contract at the end of the current campaign and this means that the Whites could swoop in to secure a pre-contract deal ahead of next summer or look to snap him up for a cut-price deal in January.

However, any such plans would be ruined if the Scottish giants decide to agree a contract extension with the talented wizard between now and the turn of the year.

Whilst it may seem to be a random comment for Hartson to make, as Leeds have not been linked with any real interest in Turnbull, it would make some sense when you consider that Farke was once close to signing him during his time at Norwich.

In the summer of 2019, the German head coach attempted to sign the young talent from Motherwell and the Canaries had a bid of £3.25m accepted by the Premiership side.

However, he turned down the move to Carrow Road and opted to complete a transfer to Celtic instead. It was reported that the player turned down higher wages in England to join the Hoops due to footballing reasons.

Norwich had been promoted to the Premier League ahead of that summer and Turnbull would have been fighting against relegation instead of competing for trophies, which is what he has been doing over the last few years in Glasgow.

This suggests that Farke is, or at least was, a big fan of the player and he must now reignite that interest to secure a deal for him in January as the impressive ace could be a lethal partner for Georgino Rutter.

Rutter's season in numbers

The current Leeds star has been in phenomenal form in the Championship so far this season as a centre-forward who can link play brilliantly to create huge opportunities for his fellow forwards on a regular basis.

Farke has managed to get the best out of the French dynamo, who joined from Hoffenheim in January of this year, after his struggles under the previous managers in the Premier League last term.

Statistic	Rutter in 22/23 Premier League (via Sofascore)
Appearances	11
Sofascore rating	6.53
Goals	Zero
Assists	One
Big chances created	Zero
Dribble success rate	41%

Rutter has racked up an eye-catching four goals, seven assists, and 16 'big chances' created in 17 league starts for the Whites so far this season.

He currently ranks within the top 1% of Championship forwards for Expected Assisted Goals (0.45), assists (0.43, and shot-creating actions (4.59) per 90 this term.

This shows that he has been an outstanding creator within the division as the 21-year-old star has consistently split open opposition defences to create chances for his teammates to score from.

His sublime creativity could make him a lethal partner for Turnbull at the top end of the pitch as the Celtic gem could be an excellent alternative number ten option to Joel Piroe.

The statistics that show why Leeds should sign Turnbull

The 24-year-old number ten is a goalscoring midfielder who also has the quality to create chances at an impressive rate, which makes him a different type of player to the club's current star in that role.

Piroe has managed eight goals in 19 Championship starts this season, although three of those appearances came at Swansea, but he has only created one 'big chance' for his fellow forwards.

He is a natural centre-forward who has been deployed in a deeper role and has not offered much in the way of creativity, whereas Turnbull is more of a traditional attacking midfielder.

That is not to say one is better than the other but variety can provide opposition teams with different problems to deal with, which is why the Hoops gem could be an excellent signing to add competition and quality to the squad.

Turnbull has scored seven goals and created four 'big chances' for Celtic in eight Scottish Premiership starts and 12 league appearances in total this season.

The £16k-per-week magician produced ten goals and 12 'big chances' created in 26 league starts over the previous two top-flight campaigns combined.

He averaged between 2.9 and 3.2 key passes per game across the 2020/21 and 2021/22 league seasons for Celtic, and Crysencio Summerville (three) is the only Leeds player with more than 2.3 per match this term in the Championship.

Turnbull, who was hailed as "excellent" by boss Brendan Rodgers earlier this season, has the goal record to suggest that he has the quality to finish off the chances that Rutter can create, and the creative attributes to break down opposition defences to set-up the club's other forwards.

Therefore, the pairing could be a lethal one for Leeds as they both have the ability to be outstanding creators who can also chip in with goals to punish teams in the final third.

Newcastle United have already made contact to register their interest in an overseas striker, and a fresh report has now revealed that he's made one specific transfer demand that could determine whether he'll join in January.

Newcastle's attacking options

The Magpies have Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson as their natural options at centre-forward in the building as it stands, but it appears that the club are looking to bolster their attacking frontline ranks during the upcoming transfer window due to injury issues.

PIF and Eddie Howe are reportedly keeping a close eye on Paris Saint-Germain’s Hugo Ekitike and Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the latter being more of a target for the summer, chiefs have identified an alternative should a switch for the former fail to come to fruition at the start of next year.

At Santos, Marcos Leonardo has firmly established himself as Marcelo Faria Fernandes’ best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Santos statistics), and the 20-year-old’s impressive form has already been catching the eye of clubs in the English Premier League.

Brazil’s youth international has emerged as a target for Arsenal, Manchester United and West Ham so far, but if the following update is to be believed, he’s also been brought onto the radar of the black and white stripes at St. James’ Park.

PIF given demand from Marcos Leonardo

According to Brazilian outlet Globo Esporte (via Sport Witness), Newcastle have already made an approach for Leonardo ahead of January, but he's reportedly made a demand over any possible transfer.

Arsenal and Real Madrid are the two other clubs to have also made their interest known in the striker, and whilst he waits to receive an offer from one of his potential suitors, it’s believed he’s told his entourage that his aim is to compete in next year’s Olympics.

The Santos talisman wants to strike an agreement with any potential new club before signing a contract, and whilst talks are only “informal” at this stage, he’s serious about his fresh move being a long-term project to progress his career.

Leonardo could be a "natural goalscorer" for Newcastle

Since the start of his career, Leonardo has posted 65 contributions, 54 goals and 11 assists, in 164 appearances which shows how prolific he can be in the final third (Transfermarkt – Leonardo statistics), and he’s constantly posing a threat even if the end product isn’t always there.

Sponsored by Nike, Itapetinga’s native has recorded 70 shots over the course of this campaign which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Santos statistics), highlighting his desire to hit the net and his striker’s instinct in the opposition’s area.

Furthermore, Howe’s target has even received four Man of the Match awards this term in the Serie A (WhoScored – Leonardo statistics), so it’s clear to see that the individual contribution he makes to a side is recognised and deservedly rewarded.

As described by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Leonardo is a “natural goalscorer” so it’s no surprise to learn that there are so many clubs interested in him, and that’s why it would be a huge coup if he was to choose Newcastle as his next destination in January.

Celtic have been told to sign a wide man in January who will be a familiar foe to many of the Hoops' supporters once the winter window opens.

Celtic collapse at Kilmarnock…

Last Sunday, Celtic engineered their own problems at Rugby Park and fell to a surprising 2-1 defeat at Kilmarnock despite Matt O'Riley's opening strike, as a Nat Phillips own-goal followed by a Matty Kennedy winner turned the tide against the Scottish Premiership champions in Ayrshire.

Truth be told, the hosts deserved their victory on the day and managed to subdue Brendan Rodgers' side for more or less the entirety of the second half, which ensured that the Glasgow giants remain just five points clear of rivals Rangers in the league standings.

In his post-match press conference, boss Rodgers bemoaned the second half display as a reason why his side ended up second best at Rugby Park, stating via STV News: "In the second half, we never got started. You expect a wee bit of pressure for 10 or 15 minutes, which we weathered at set-pieces and corners. But we never passed the ball."

He then added: "We were under a bit more pressure, sure, but you have to be resistant to that pressure. We weren’t able to make passes to take us up the pitch and that was the biggest disappointment of the second half. We couldn’t sustain any attacking threat in the game."

Nevertheless, nothing is won or lost at this stage of the campaign and the Hoops will now compete in their final Champions League fixture against Feyenoord at Parkhead before facing Heart of Midlothian at home next weekend in the Scottish Premiership.

Now, one journalist has made a surprise recommendation regarding a player that he believes Celtic should look to target as they seek reinforcements.

Bill Leckie says Celtic should target Danny Armstrong

According to journalist Bill Leckie, writing for Sunsport, Celtic should target Kilmarnock winger Danny Armstrong, who laid on the assist for Kennedy's winner at Rugby Park.

Luis Palma vs Danny Armstrong in 2023/24 – Scottish Premiership (via WhoScored)

Luis Palma

Danny Armstrong

Goals – 5

Goals – 3

Assists – 6

Assists – 5

Shots per game – 2.8

Shots per game – 2.8

Key passes per game – 2.8

Key passes per game – 3.3

Completed dribbles per game – 1.8

Completed dribbles per game – 1.4

Average match rating – 7.67

Average match rating – 7.29

In his column, the reporter claims that Armstrong's impressive performance brought more to the table than Hoops' winger Luis Palma, also criticising Oh Hyeon-gyu and Yang Hyun-jun. At the same time, he also indicated that Celtic should look to snap up the winger due to his creativity, pace and the unique talent of being able to take long throw-ins.

Without a doubt, Armstrong, who has previously been labelled "different class" by Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes, is a talented player that deserves credit for establishing himself as a key asset at Rugby Park.

Nevertheless, his performance shouldn't be artificially conflated to convey that he is automatically good enough to start for a club such as Celtic, who, as a consequence of being the dominant team in Scotland, expect their star men to perform at an extremely high level every single week, which is probably why they spent £3.5 million on someone of Palma's ilk to produce the goods.