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[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…ÂLeeds’ campaign has got off to a steady start and they remain unbeaten after their first three matches of the season.The Whites won their opening match and then drew against Nottingham Forest but bounced back against Salford on Tuesday evening.Bielsa rotated his side to a degree but there was still room for Kalvin Phillips, a player due to open contract negotiations over his future.In a game where Leeds did less defending, it meant a new role for the 23-year-old.

On the chalkboard

To gather an understanding of just where Phillips played, we need to take a look at his heat map as provided by stats expert LUFC Data.

As can be seen, the midfielder offered an effective screening in front of the back four as he usually does, but he also did a lot of his work higher up the pitch, demonstrating his ability to take on a new role.

Although playing as high up as an attacking midfielder behind the striker seems far-fetched, there was certainly evidence of Phillips’ qualities as a box-to-box man.

He remained tight and compact in the middle of the pitch but instead of just sitting, he got forward at regular intervals, making a career-high 128 passes.

That was perhaps indicative of the 62% of possession Marcelo Bielsa’s side had but it should tell the Argentine a lot about Phillips.

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In 2018/19, he was trusted to play in defence on occasion but this proves there is an extra layer to his game and that he can get forward.

Playing as a number six, he completed 99 passes as Leeds sealed a comfortable 3-0 victory.

This offers the potential for Bielsa to play him in a new position when Leeds come up against defensive opposition, allowing him a free role to roam further up the field.

Against Forest last weekend, his side played 13 key passes but only scored once.

Perhaps pushing someone like Phillips on as they did in midweek would have beneficial.

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Aston Villa have gone bonkers in the transfer market this off-season as manager Dean Smith looks to strengthen his squad ahead of the club’s Premier League return in two weeks time.

No fewer than ten players have walked through the door at Villa Park, including four centre-backs.

Both Kortney Hause and Tyrone Mings have returned on permanent deals following successful loan spells last season with Ezri Konsa and Bjorn Engels the latest additions to the central defensive ranks.

However, after making his debut in pre-season, some Villa fans have made it very clear on who they would like to see line-up alongside Mings against Tottenham on the 10th of August. That man is Engels.

One member of their support claimed the 24-year-old looked very comfortable in slotting in alongside Mings, highlighting his good range of passing out from defence. Others could foresee the pair becoming a great partnership saying Engels was composed and calm.

Villa thrashed League Two side Walsall 5-1 thanks to goals from fellow new signings Wesley Moraes and Jota as well as captain Jack Grealish. Engels played 70 minutes in the game and clearly impressed the Villa faithful.

The 6 foot 4 defender was also called an array of superlatives including quality, cool, and solid.

You can read the best of the reaction below:

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أكد محمود فتح الله، المدير الرياضي لنادي بيراميدز، أن رمضان صبحي لاعب الفريق لا يحتاج لمن يؤهله نفسيا من أجل تحمل الضغوط، مُشيرا إلى أنه لاعب كبير اعتاد ذلك.

ويتعرض رمضان صبحي لهجوم شديد من قبل جماهير النادي الأهلي، من وقت إعلان رحيله عن القلعة الحمراء صوب بيراميدز.

طالع أيضًا.. رمضان صبحي يعلن اتخاذ إجراءات قانونية ضد هؤلاء

وقال فتح الله خلال مداخلة ببرنامج “بي أون تايم” عبر شاشة “أون تايم سبورت”: “رمضان إضافة قوية لنا، ويؤدي بشكل جيد حتى من الناحية التهديفية، ويقاتل مثل بقية زملائه، كنت سأتحدث معه لو كان لاعبًا صغيرًا ولكنه لاعب كبير واعتاد الضغوط”.

وتابع: “دعمنا خط الدفاع بلاعبين جيدين، الجميع يقاتل من أجل أن يحصل على فرصة المشاركة بشكل أساسي، وأسامة جلال مكسب لنا وأدى مباراة قوية أمس أمام الجيش”.

وأضاف: “عبد الله السعيد لاعب كبير جدا، وهناك لاعبون في الفريق يستطيعون اللعب في مركز 10 إذا غاب عبد الله، وأوقات نغير الطريقة في وجوده ونلعب بثلاثي في وسط الملعب”.

وأتم: “عبد الله السعيد لاعب كبير ولديه مرونة في اللعب بأكثر من مركز، ولو أروابارينا يريد التعاقد مع بديل للاعب كان سيتحدث مع الإدارة لكنه لم يطلب ذلك”.

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Celtic are interested in signing Huddersfield Town full-back Tommy Smith, according to The Daily Mail.

What’s the story?

The Hoops have said goodbye to three right-backs this summer already, with the long-serving Mikael Lustig’s contract expiring and other options like Cristian Gamboa and Jeremy Toljan also leaving Glasgow.

The Mail report that the £3m-rated Tommy Smith is now a contender to fill the position, although the Hoops do have competition from English Championship side Stoke City for his signature.

How can Celtic improve next season? A Hoops fan tells us how in the video below…

What’s his pedigree?

As club captain of the Terriers, Smith clearly has strong leadership qualities, and that’s something the Hoops will be missing in the absence of Lustig, who was the designated vice-captain to Scott Brown in the dressing room at Celtic Park.

Smith’s initial football education came at Manchester City before moving to Huddersfield in 2012.

Since then the 27-year-old gone on to make 200 appearances for the club, proving to be a big part of their promotion to the top-flight in 2016/17 with four goals and eight assists. In the two subsequent seasons he’s featured 39 times in the top-flight.

Celtic need a player ready to hit the ground running in the first-team this season.

For all Lustig’s faults, he was an experienced campaigner and it’d be a mistake to trust the position to a young, untested talent.

The Hoops may need to enter the market for yet another right-back to have the competition and back-up required but it seems Smith, with his experience in two competitive leagues, at least ticks the boxes required to be one of the players that arrives at the Hoops this summer.

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The news continues to come thick and fast at Elland Road as Leeds United prepare for the new season. Today’s Leeds transfer roundup includes a target potentially moving to another club, interest in a former player and the release of a Spanish youngster.

Leeds miss out on Becker

Kicker are reporting that Leeds target Sheraldo Becker (The Mirror, 19/05, page 70 – also covered on FLW) could be joining Union Berlin this summer. Union were promoted to the Bundesliga last season, and it appears as though the Dutchman may well favour a move to Germany over England.

Snodgrass on Leeds 

Robert Snodgrass is a target for Leeds United according to trusted West Ham insider EXWHUEmployee. Talking on The West Ham Way podcast yesterday, he credited Leeds with an interest in a loan deal but the Hammers are reluctant to do a deal on those terms this summer.

Diaz leaves

Leeds United player Hugo Diaz has confirmed that the club has released him this summer in a post on his Twitter page. The Spaniard made just one appearance during his time in Yorkshire.

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Arsenal have enjoyed a very mixed first season under the Unai Emery reign and the coming months are going to be crucial in determining the Spaniard’s legacy in North London.

While last year was deemed a free hit for the ex-Sevilla man, this summer the head coach is seriously under the microscope as fans keep a watchful eye over on-goings at the club.

With a reported transfer budget of just £40m, are there any youngsters primed to break into the XI this coming season who can realistically have an impact for the club going forward?

Here’s our top five…

Joe Willock – Central midfielder – 19

Willock ended this current campaign with more game-time than perhaps most imagined he’d enjoy. Starts against Burnley on the final day of the Premier League season and a brief Europa League final cameo suggests he’s firmly in Emery’s plans going forward.

The versatile midfielder is dynamic, has an eye for goal and seems an intelligent player as well, having looked very comfortable against Chelsea in Baku where other stars flopped. Considering Arsenal need a versatile, all-action midfielder who can slot in next to the impressive Lucas Torreira, perhaps they’ve already got their man in Willock.

Eddie Nketiah – Forward – 20

Nketiah, like Willock, has been exposed to the first team on a few occasions, and when he has he’s certainly made his impact, scoring two goals from the bench against Norwich in the Carabao Cup last season.

He’s able to play comfortably on the left or the right of a front-line, an attribute his more clinical and experienced team-mates Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang certainly lack. He’s direct, skilful, and ready to finally get more game time, especially with Europa League football to contest once more.

Bukayo Saka – Winger – 17

By far the most inexperienced of the list, but potentially the most talented. Saka is in many ways everything Arsenal need right now. He’s a direct winger who can cut inside onto his left foot from the right of the pitch, he’s very fast, can play on either wing and boasts an unpredictability in his play when he attacks.

Arsenal are desperate for wingers, and even though he’s just 17, Saka could be the man Emery turns to from within to fill a much-needed hole in the Gunners XI.

From 6-0 FA Cup final maulings to Mkhitaryan missing the Europa League final, is football broken? Fans discuss in the video below…

Emile Smith Rowe – Attacking midfielder – 18

The youngster has had game-time under Emery in cup competitions and looks a very, very mature player despite his young age.

He’s cultured on the ball, calm and intelligent in possession. At 18, these are very impressive traits to have.

While Willock is a marauding midfielder who can operate box-to-box, Smith Rowe possesses the ability to knit the play together for his side through passing and positioning. He definitely deserves game-time next season, especially as creative maestros Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil have struggled to find their best form all season.

Reiss Nelson – Winger – 19

Nelson is perhaps the only player on the list who, if left out, would cause fans to truly raise the heat on Emery. With Jadon Sancho playing wonderfully at Borussia Dortmund, Nelson has at times mirrored this progression at Hoffenheim, but it hasn’t been as consistent for various reasons.

Despite this, the youngster has tremendous talent and looks like the winger Arsenal have craved for years. He’s direct and comfortable playing on either side of the pitch, but he needs the game time. With the Gunners needing a proper wide-man, the stage could be set for the youngster to thrive.

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A busy summer is in store for Everton.

Marco Silva and Director of Football Marcel Brands have been hard at work identifying the players they want to keep at Goodison Park, and those who they want to get shot of with a major clear-out reportedly planned.

The Toffees supposedly want to get rid of 15 players according to the Daily Mail, with the likes of Cenk Tosun, Oumar Niasse, Jonjoe Kenny, Leighton Baines, James McCarthy, Yannick Bolasie, Sandro Ramirez, Kevin Mirallas, Muhamed Besic, Ademola Lookman and Maarten Stekelenburg on that list – Theo Walcott may also be sold.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

Add in the fact that two heroes of the campaign just gone – Andre Gomes and Kurt Zouma – will be returning to their parent clubs in Barcelona and Chelsea respectively, and it will be a majorly important summer for Everton.

How could they line up for the start of next season? Football FanCast takes a look…

As you can see, there are a few notable absentees from the Toffees’ 2018/19 lineup.

At right-back, club icon Seamus Coleman has been shunted out due to his consistently poor performances in the campaign just gone, which rightfully drew criticism from the Everton supporters.

The Toffees have been linked with a move for Benfica right-back Andre Almeida, a player who enjoyed an eye-catching season with the Portuguese giants last term – the 28-year-old racked up two goals and an impressive 12 assists, form that has led to talk of an £8m move to Merseyside.

Fan favourite Kurt Zouma is also missing from the side, as we suspect that the Frenchman will not be allowed to leave Chelsea after they were hit with a transfer ban and will need a centre-back when Gary Cahill departs the club.

Further up the field, we also think that another loan star in Andre Gomes will not be returning to the club due to strong interest from Tottenham; the Champions League finalists have reportedly already made advances towards the Portuguese international.

With that taken into account, attacking midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson could drop into the space vacated by Gomes and replace the 25-year-old’s technical ability in the middle of the park alongside Idrissa Gueye.

Everton are looking for a new striker and are reportedly ‘very interested’ in Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who hit 11 goals for Fulham in the league last term.

He could form a deadly partnership with the hard-working Dominic Calvert-Lewin up top whilst the width is provided by Brazilian duo Richarlison and Bernard.

كشف سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير الكرة بالنادي الأهلي إصابة علي لطفي حارس مرمى الفريق خلال مشاركته في مران اليوم الخميس استعدادًا لمواجهة أبو قير.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب الأهلي ضد أبو قير بعد غدٍ السبت ضمن منافسات ربع النهائي من كأس مصر.

وقال سيد عبدالحفيظ لـ بطولات: “على لطفى يعاني من إصابة بكدمة في الركبة قد تبعده عن المشاركة أمام أبو قير”.

واختتم: “علي لطفي سيخضع لفحص طبي غدًا لتحديد موقفه من مباراة أبو قير للأسمدة”.

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Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Ruben Neves shone and scored a brilliant free-kick in his side’s 3-1 win against Arsenal at Molineux on Wednesday night, and his display didn’t go unnoticed by Tottenham Hotspur fans who are keen for their club to sign him.

The 22-year-old was one of Wolves’ biggest stars in the Championship last term and he has brought that form into the Premier League during the current campaign, scoring four goals and providing a further two assists in 32 top-flight outings.

His stunning set-piece against the Gunners was particularly impressive and proves the quality he has in his locker when it comes to taking free-kicks, and that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Spurs supporters who were clearly watching on as their arch-rivals suffered a defeat in the exciting race for a top-four finish.

Should Neves end up arriving at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium he would likely be competing with the likes of Moussa Sissoko, Harry Winks and Christian Eriksen – if he stays – for a spot in the starting XI.

Speaking about the Portuguese’s latest performance, one Spurs fan said it’s “my dream” to see him play for his team, while another said “get him in a Spurs shirt”.

Relive all the drama of Man City v Spurs through the eyes Spurs’ fans in the video below…

Mauricio Pochettino and Daniel Levy may well choose to make waves in the summer transfer window following two without any additions, but it remains to be seen whether they would be interested in Neves.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

[ad_pod ]Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has revealed that he isn’t adverse to staying at the club even if they don’t get promoted to the Premier League.

These comments put smiles on the faces of fans but perhaps they should have caused alarm bells to ring in their heads instead.

What’s been said then?

The Whites manager provided what seemed like a massive boost to all Leeds fans with his comments in Friday’s presser.

The Argentine somewhat quashed rumours that he would depart the club if they failed to gain promotion to the Premier League this season.

The 63-year-old has gained a reputation for not sticking with teams for an extended period, his lengthiest spell at a club was with Athletic Bilbao where he lasted just two years, managing 112 games during that time.

HeÂadmitted that he isn’t opposed to spending another year in the Championship, which will surely delight the supporters.

How could his words be interpreted?

Although this update may seem like a positive one on the surface, it is actually swarmed with negativity.

Bielsa shouldn’t be talking about spending next season in the Championship just a week before his team embarks on a playoff run that could see them promoted to the Premier League.

For the first time all season the Leeds boss is showing signs that he doesn’t have faith in his squad to get the job done. It’s no surprise as he has watched from the sideline as his team have picked up just one point from their last three league games – a run which ruined their chances of automatic promotion.

Keeping the former Marseille boss next season was always going to be a priority for the club, and this update provides a massive boost on that front.

Although, it does go to show the mood around the club at this moment is drab as even Bielsa isn’t hopeful of his team’s chances anymore.