Newcastle United enjoyed a fantastic January transfer window as they made a number of key additions to Eddie Howe’s squad.
PIF brought in Kieran Trippier, Dan Burn, Bruno Guimaraes, Matt Targett and Chris Wood and they have all played a part in the club’s revival in the second half of the season.
The Magpies are now 14 points clear of the bottom three and look set for another campaign in the Premier League, with central defender Burn playing a huge role in their recent success.
He joined from Brighton in January and has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 7.01 in the top-flight this season for the Toon and the Seagulls combined.
Forget Dan Burn
Whilst the giant Englishman has been an excellent addition to the team, the Magpies now have the chance to sign a player who will make the fans quickly forget about him.
German outlet Bild recently reported that Newcastle are interested in signing Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka, who is valued at £24m (€28m).
The French tank can be the club’s new defensive leader and be an upgrade on Burn or play alongside him as he has proven his quality in Germany this year.
Frankfurt boss Adi Hutter previously showered the gem with praise, saying: “I honestly have to say that I was surprised by his development. Evan has developed phenomenally. He’s very attentive in the analysis of his own game. He’s very modest and always takes a lot on board.”
The centre-back has also received applause from former Frankfurt player Alexander Schur as he claimed the Frenchman “shows no nerves” and “plays with great authority.”
In the Bundesliga this season, Ndicka has averaged a fantastic SofaScore rating of 7.14. He has made an impressive 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game and won 60% of his duels, showing that he has been putting in consistent performances and dominating opposition attackers throughout the campaign.
Ndicka also ranks higher than Burn for progressive passes, progressive carries, dribbles completed and pass completion per 90 mins over the last 365 days. This means that the Frankfurt man would be an upgrade on the current Toon star in terms of what he offers in possession, whilst his statistics in the Bundesliga in comparison to Burn’s in the Premier League suggest that his all-round displays would also be better.
Therefore, Howe can land a new defensive leader for Newcastle by bringing him to the club this summer. He has shown that he has the quality to be a major player at St. James’ Park and he has the potential to improve further at the age of 22, which means that he would be a sublime signing for now and for the future.
AND in other news, Bid planned: Howe must seal NUFC deal for £30m “monster” whose “simplicity is genius”…
Thursday, September 16 Start time 1730 (1530 GMT)Dwayne Bravo was in top form with the bat, but his bowling was less exemplary•AFP
Big Picture
Top seeds are expected to breeze into the second week of Grand Slams, but the combined wattage of Mumbai Indians’ stars is struggling to keep their campaign glowing five days into the Champions League Twenty20. On paper, their clash against Guyana should be one of the biggest mismatches of the tournament. On the one side, a line-up littered with the most valuable players in Twenty20 cricket and complemented by a bunch of the most consistent domestic batsmen of IPL 2010; on the other, a bunch of little-knowns whose most recognised batsmen, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine, pushed themselves to No. 8 and below in a crunch Twenty20 game against the more favoured Trinidad & Tobago (a strategy which, however, proved successful).Two Trinidad & Tobago men playing for Mumbai here, Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo, learnt in that game that entering the match as heavy favourites doesn’t have any effect on the end result. The rest of Sachin Tendulkar’s side also discovered that after slipping up against the low-profile Lions on the opening day. Bravo maintained T&T are the best Twenty20 team in the region despite that loss to Guyana, and will be craving a victory over his bitter Caribbean rivals.The worry for Guyana is their bowling attack, bereft of pace and heavily reliant on spinners. The slow bowlers are likely to have a tough time against Mumbai’s brutal hitters, who caned South Australia’s spin pair of Aaron O’Brien and Cullen Bailey for 79 runs in seven overs on Wednesday.Neither team can afford defeat on Friday: for Mumbai it will certainly be curtains, while Guyana will be left with a slim mathematical chance of qualifying, especially after the battering their net run-rate took against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Team news
It will be interesting to see what changes Mumbai make to their XI. As far as overseas players are concerned, the only option is to swap JP Duminy for Ryan McLaren. Among the Indians, Abhishek Nayar is perhaps the best player on the bench but his chances of getting a game diminish due to the presence of two other quick-bowling allrounders in Bravo and Pollard. They may also toy with the idea of bringing in R Sathish, if for nothing else, at least to improve the appalling fielding standards.Mumbai Indians 1 Shikhar Dhawan, 2 Sachin Tendulkar (capt), 3 Ambati Rayudu (wk), 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 JP Duminy/Ryan McLaren, 8 Ali Murtaza, 9 Harbhajan Singh, 10 Zaheer Khan, 11 Lasith MalingaGuyana are likely to go in with the same side that lost to Bangalore, mainly because the four players who were left out have the combined experience of two Twenty20 matches.Guyana 1 Travis Dowlin, 2 Sewnarine Chattergoon, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan (capt), 4 Narsingh Deonarine, 5 Christopher Barnwell, 6 Royston Crandon, 7 Jonathan Foo, 8 Lennox Cush, 9 Esuan Crandon, 10 Derwin Christian (wk), 11 Devendra Bishoo
Watch out for …
Dwayne Bravo was outstanding coming in to bat late in the innings against South Australia, blitzing a 12-ball 22 to propel Mumbai to what seemed a winning score. He’ll need to up his game with the ball, though, havinng leaked 46 in four.Like the rest of the Guyana team, opener Travis Dowlin didn’t have the best of times in the opening match against Bangalore. He needs to recapture the steady form of the Caribbean T20, where his two half-centuries were pivotal to Guyana’s run to the title.
Key contests
Kieron Pollard v Jonathan Foo: The battle within the T&T v Guyana grudge match will pit Pollard against the youngster many believed would reprise his heroics from last year’s Champions League. Foo did not make an impact in his opening game, but one failure hardly counts in this format. Can he make a name for himself here? Will Pollard stop him in the tracks?
Stats and trivia
With a quarter of the year still remaining, Pollard has already played an eye-popping 53 Twenty20s in 2010. In 2009, Tillakaratne Dilshan played the most Twenty20s, a comparatively paltry 37
Pollard is also the leading wicket-taker this year (60), fourth highest run-scorer (1004) and fourth in number of catches held (21)
While Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side ultimately sealed their place in the Scottish Cup quarter-final with a 4-0 win over Raith Rovers on Sunday afternoon, in truth, the final scoreline rather flattered the Bhoys.
With the 56-year-old Hoops boss having made seven changes to the side that defeated Aberdeen in midweek, Celtic required a spectacular strike from left-back Liam Scales to break the deadlock midway through the first half, before Giorgos Giakoumakis, Daizen Maeda and Nir Bitton all added goals after the hour mark – despite the Bhoys’ lacklustre display.
Indeed, speaking after the fixture, Postecoglou said of his side’s performance: “I think the urgency wasn’t quite there. It’s not about singling out individuals. We have an intent and ambition to be a certain kind of team, training is intense, so gameday we are intense no matter who starts.”
And, while the Greek-Australian coach may not have wanted to comment on the individual performances of a number of his side, it was clear for all to see that both of Celtic’s starting wingers, Mikey Johnston and James Forrest, were miles off the pace on Sunday – something that will be extremely concerning for the 56-year-old manager, especially considering the duo were up against a Rovers side who currently occupy fourth place in the Scottish Championship table.
Forrest may have blown his final chance
Indeed, with summer signing Liel Abada taking to life in Scotland like a duck to water, with the 20-year-old Israel international having already bagged 14 goals and registered 11 assists over 40 appearances for the Hoops, Forrest already looks to be Postecoglou’s second-choice on the right-hand side of the Celtic front three.
And, while it is true that a series of niggling injuries have limited the number of minutes the 30-year-old has played so far this season, the £5.4m-rated forward has nevertheless returned a disappointing three goals and three assists over his 23 outings for the Bhoys this term – with only one of these goal contributions, an assist against Dundee in a 6-0 win at the beginning of the current campaign, coming in the Premiership.
However, the £19k-per-week Scotland international had the perfect opportunity to prove to Postecoglou that he is capable of challenging Abada for his spot on the right-wing over the remainder of the season on Sunday, with the 56-year-old handing Forrest his 13th start of the current campaign against Raith Rovers.
Although, if this was Forrest’s last big chance to stake his claim on a starting spot, it is an opportunity the 30-year-old blew completely, as, over the course of his 69 minutes on the pitch, the winger offered his side next to nothing going forwards, with the Scottish Daily Express awarding the 38-time capped international a four in their player ratings – the worst of any Celtic player on the day – as well as stating of his display:
“Looked off the pace again, couldn’t trouble Raith down the right flank. Seemed to inexplicably hold back from releasing the ball at key moments.”
As such, while it is undeniable that Forrest is a player who has contributed a great deal for the Bhoys over the years, often being the club’s saviour in the biggest of games, considering his overall level of performance so far under the management of Postecoglou, this could well be the beginning of the end of the Parkhead hero – as the 30-year-old well and truly fluffed his big chance on Sunday.
In other news: Imagine him & Kyogo: Ange can form “dangerous” duo as Celtic plot bid for £20m machine
Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Leicester City are all weighing up offers for Ajax midfielder Edson Alvarez.
That’s according to Football Insider, which has led to a number of Eagles fans giving their thoughts to the news on social media.
Alvarez is a holding midfielder who can also line out as a centre-back, and he currently holds a career-high Transfermarkt valuation of £18m. Only Christian Benteke among Palace’s squad can exceed Alvarez’s 3.7 headers per game this season, while his passing success rate of 88% trumps every player at Selhurst Park.
The 24-year-old has been with Ajax since 2019 and has made 84 appearances for the Dutch giants. A Mexico international, Alvarez is seemingly on Palace’s radar, with the club making regular checks on him this season.
Football Insider claim that Ajax are braced for offers from the Premier League trio and face a battle to keep him at the club beyond the end of the January transfer window.
Palace fans react
Both @cpfc_xtra and @CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news regarding Alvarez’s Eagles links on social media. Here is what these Palace supporters had to say in reply, with one labelling a possible move as ‘class’.
“We’re big time under PV”
Credit: @tomjones2610
“Get it done, honestly he’s class”
Credit: @SteYouLater24
“This would be CLASS. I rate him big.”
Credit: @common_wishbone
“Omg Edson is so so good, I’d love him”
Credit: @WardTheGenie
“52 Mexico caps at 24, get the man in”
Credit: @LlLFishy
“Now this would be a great signing but can’t see it happening”
Credit: @mandyswagsta
In other news: ‘I’m honestly surprised’ – Matt Woosnam reacts as ‘great’ off-field news emerges from Palace
Chesney Hughes, the Anguilla-born left-handed batsman, has been awarded a three-year contract with Derbyshire
Cricinfo staff16-Jun-2010Chesney Hughes, the Anguilla-born left-handed batsman, has been awarded a three-year contract with Derbyshire. Hughes, 19, made his first-class debut in the County Championship this season and in four games has shown a lot of promise, scoring 393 runs at 65.50. He holds a British passport, and his contract with the county runs till the 2013 season.”Chesney Hughes has shown a great deal of promise from the moment he joined the club and he deserves the reward of a new contract,” said John Morris, Derbyshire’s head of cricket. “We are delighted that he has committed to Derbyshire for the next three years as he continues to develop as a cricketer.”Derbyshire chairman Don Amott lauded Hughes’ signing, and also took the opportunity to point out positive developments off the field such as the recent opening of a new 1,800-seater stand at the County Ground.”Retaining our young talent is a crucial element in that success and I’m sure that all Derbyshire supporters share my excitement in continuing to watch Chesney develop his considerable talent for the next three seasons,” Amott added.
Aston Villa are pushing to sign Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, according to French journalist Nabil Djellit.
The Lowdown: Bissouma links
Villa have been heavily linked with a move for the 25-year-old for the majority of the January transfer window.
They now have just a few hours to get it over the line, with Brighton reportedly wanting at least €45m (£37.4m) for their star midfielder, who is into the final 18 months of his contract at the Amex Stadium.
Villa have already had a £25m bid rejected by the Seagulls for Bissouma, with Premier League rivals Manchester United and Tottenham also showing an interest.
The Latest: Djellit’s post
Journalist Djellit took to Twitter on Monday afternoon to provide an update on Bissouma’s future.
He claimed that Villa are pushing for the 25-year-old, adding that Steven Gerrard ‘loves’ the Mali international. Djellit also stated that Spurs are still interested.
The Verdict: To be continued?
Djellit ended his post with a cryptic ‘to be continued’ message, and that may well be the case regarding Villa’s and Spurs’ interest in Bissouma.
It could prove to be too tricky for NSWE to push through a transfer in the final hours of the January window, but Villa are expected to be in for the player in the summer.
Who knows, his €45m (£37.4m) valuation may drop ahead of the 2022/23 campaign. Should his situation remain the same by then, he will be into the final year of his Seagulls contract.
He’s clearly a long-term target at Villa Park, and hopefully the club will secure his services – it’s just a question of when that might happen.
In other news: ‘Hats off to the board’ – Sky Sports pundit purrs at ‘amazing’ out-of-the-blue Villa transfer news
Matt Doherty endured another disastrous Tottenham Hotspur outing as the north Londoners crashed out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.
Antonio Conte was beaten by his former side 3-1 across two legs in the semi-final, leaving him with only the Premier League – where a place in the top four is the target – and the FA Cup left to play for.
And he will surely be reeling by another abject outing from his wing-back.
In the absence of Sergio Reguilon, the £10.8m-rated Irishman was trusted to start once again, even over the more natural left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon.
That plan lasted only 65 minutes after he was hooked by the Spurs head coach.
It was 20 minutes longer than he lasted in the first leg but it’s evident that Doherty is just not delivering whenever given an opportunity.
Back-up goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini was at fault for the Blues’ only goal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium but it’s not as if the rest of the squad looked like ever testing the Champions of Europe, so he can’t front the blame.
Players like Doherty badly failed Conte, not for the first time in this case, either.
Wing-backs are crucial to the Italian’s system, so to actually manage fewer touches of the ball (21) than the goalkeeper (24) is appalling. And with what time he did have in possession, he was either lacklustre or weak.
As per SofaScore, the 29-year-old made only 13 passes, failed to deliver a single cross and won none of his ground duels. He also did not register a single tackle or interception.
This train of thought was echoed by The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, who slammed the defender in his post-match ratings column.
‘Offered no threat down the left flank, frequently cutting inside on his right foot and slowing down attacks. Having struggled at Stamford Bridge, his selection again was strange,’ he wrote.
He was a disaster in the first leg, he was a disaster in the second leg. It’s time for Conte to stop trusting the struggling £74k-per-week calamity.
AND in other news, Contact made: Spurs have “sounded” out “phenomenal” 35-goal star, fans will be fuming…
A round-up of the action from the fifth day of matches in the 2009-10 Vijay Hazare Trophy
Cricinfo staff14-Feb-2010
With Rajasthan Royals opting to do without Ravindra Jadeja’s services for the third season of the IPL, the allrounder decided to bring out his best for Saurashtra•Getty Images
West ZoneWith Rajasthan Royals opting to do without Ravindra Jadeja’s services for the third season of the IPL, the allrounder decided to bring out his best for Saurashtra as they thrashed Baroda by seven wickets at the Sardar Patel Stadium B Ground. Baroda were gritty in their approach, after being put in, and managed to reach 105 for 4 in the 30th over. But Jadeja, along with Jayesh Odedra, had other plans as they ran through the rest of the batting line-up. While Jadeja picked up four wickets with his left-arm spin, Odedra partnered well with 3 for 18, as Baroda were shot out in 40.2 overs. Captain Jaydev Shah’s dismissal during the reply gave Baroda some hope, only for Chirag Pathak (47) and Cheteshwar Pujara’s second-wicket stand of 53 to snuff it out soon. Pujara brought up his fifty, including seven fours and two sixes, and remained unbeaten with Jadeja to complete formalities by the 32nd over. Saurashtra are the only unbeaten team in the West Zone and will no doubt look to extend their supremacy when they play Gujarat on Tuesday.A classy century from captain Wasim Jaffer laid the foundation for Ranji champions Mumbai’s crushing win against Maharashtra at the Sardar Patel Stadium C Ground. Maharashtra wilted in the 40th over in reply to Mumbai’s imposing 308, with Ramesh Powar and Avishkar Salvi sharing the majority of the spoils. Choosing to bat, Mumbai were given a strong start by opener Sushant Marathe (53), before Jaffer and Rohit Sharma (96) took centrestage. The 172 run-stand for the third wicket had them in pole position early on. Sharma hit five fours and six sixes during his 78-ball stay, while Jaffer smashed eight boundaries during his 128-ball 109. Twin fifties from Sangram Atitkar and Kedar Jadhav were not enough as Maharashtra failed to cope with Powar (4 for 44) and Salvi (3 for 21) during the reply. The negative point they earned added more sorrow to another disappointing campaign.East ZoneA fascinating high-scorer at the Ravenshaw College Ground went Bengal’s way as they beat Assam by seven wickets in a match that witnessed over 600 runs being scored. Bengal’s choice to field first looked to have backfired as Assam openers Dheeraj Jadhav and Parvez Aziz took the score to 176 in the 32nd over. Though Aziz departed for 83, Jadhav continued the charge, finishing unbeaten on 148 off 150 balls, comprising 15 fours. Ashok Dinda’s 3 for 57 in the late overs kept Assam to just below 300. It was once again Shreevats Goswami who was the star for Bengal as they maintained a terrific pace during the chase. Goswami hit a breezy 133 off 114 balls, smashing 18 fours and three sixes, and figured in two key partnerships with Sourav Ganguly (64), who returned for this fixture, and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala (83 not out). The fast rate of scoring worked well in Bengal’s favour as Jhunjhunwala and Wriddhiman Saha completed the victory with more than seven overs to go.Middle-order masterclasses were on display as Orissa edged out Jharkhand by 11 runs at the Barabati Stadium. Put in by Jharkhand, the hosts were struggling at 68 for 5, thanks to Varun Aaron’s early strikes, before wicketkeeper-captain Haladhar Das and Rashmi Das combined for a 173-run stand. While Haladhar exercised control during his 98-ball 88, Rashmi was merciless during his hurricane 104, which included 15 fours and two sixes. The target of 279 looked all the more imposing when Jharkhand stuttered to 37 for 3, but Ishank Jaggi led a spirited revival which had Orissa sweating. His fluent 109 from 111 balls though, failed to inspire any of the remaining batsmen. Debasis Mohanty was Orissa’s most successful bowler with 4 for 56, as Jharkhand could manage only 267.Central ZoneRashmi Parida and Rajasthan must have fancied their chances getting to 303 after being put in, but Naman Ojha’s sparkling century ensured unbeaten Madhya Pradesh took the honours at the Emerald High School Ground. Rashmi’s run-a-ball 122, comprising 11 fours and a six, along with Robin Bist’s 57 proved to the highlights of Rajasthan’s innings, with the two adding 93 for the third wicket. During the reply, it was the stand of 146 between Ojha and Monish Mishra (83) which lent the initial momentum. Having lost fellow-opener Jalaj Saxena early, it was Ojha who rose to the occasion and tore into the opposition bowling with 12 fours and four sixes, before falling with the score on 216 for 4. But Shadab Khan’s quick unbeaten 40, coming in at No.7, took them home with four balls to spare.Uttar Pradesh made amends for the loss in their opening match with a thumping nine-wicket win against Vidarbha at the Maharani Usharaje Trust Cricket Ground. Choosing to field, Uttar Pradesh were lifted by Sudeep Tyagi, who was recently axed from India’s Test squad to take on South Africa. The right-arm fast bowler finished with a five-for and repeatedly dented the Vidarbha batting line-up to ensure their downfall for 141 in the 38th over. The below-par target was never going to trouble Uttar Pradesh and twin fifties from wicketkeeper Eklavya Dwivedi and Ali Murtaza helped them wrap up the win in 24.4 overs.North ZoneHimachal Pradesh picked up their first win of the campaign, an impressive seven-wicket defeat of Delhi at Shah Satnam Ji Stadium in Sirsa. After being put in, Delhi were floundering at 58 for 4, with Virat Kohli and Mithun Manhas dismissed. Rajat Bhatia and Puneet Mehra started a recovery with a 65-run stand, before half-centuries from Puneet Bisht and Joginder Singh pushed Delhi to 234. Himachal were never in trouble during the chase, with opener Sangram Singh making a century and adding 127 runs for the third wicket with captain Paras Dogra. The target was reached with 21 deliveries to spare, Dogra remaining unbeaten on 70.At the Tata Energy Research Institute Oval in Gurgaon, Punjab brushed aside Jammu & Kashmir’s challenge, cruising to a eight-wicket victory with 97 deliveries remaining. Punjab’s new-ball bowlers Jaskaran Singh and Manpreet Gony reduced J&K to 13 for 3, and except for a 53-run stand between Parveez Rassol and Obaid Ahmed for the fifth wicket, it was a steady procession. Rassol held the innings together with an unbeaten 81 but no one else passed 25, and J&K could manage only 170. Punjab captain and opener Karan Goel’s unbeaten century and a 57 from wicketkeeper Uday Kaul made short work of the target, reaching it in the 34th over.A meltdown from the Services’ lower-order handed Haryana a five-run victory in a 49-over-a-side match at Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. After choosing to bat, Haryana slid to 11 for 2 before a stabilising 118-run partnership between opener Rahul Dewan (76) and Sachin Rana (45). The pair used up more than 33 overs to add those runs, and Haryana needed captain Joginder Sharma’s 29-ball 44 to get them to 209. Services’ chase got off to a similarly dreadful start, but Jasvir Singh’s 78 kept them afloat. With Soomik Chatarjee on a 31-ball 33, and Services on 196 for 6 with 11 balls to go, Haryana’s chances were fading. Chatarjee was then run-out and Services lost two more wickets over the next eight deliveries to end up five short.South ZoneDefending champions Tamil Nadu pulled off a thrilling two-run win over Karnataka in a high-scoring top-of-the-table clash at the Indian Institute of Technology Chemplast ground in Chennai. The Tamil Nadu top order delivered yet again, this time Abhinav Mukund being the standout performer with a near run-a-ball 89. Saturday’s centurion S Anirudha blitzed a 43 before being run out and No. 4 K Vasudevadas chipped in with 65 to help Tamil Nadu to 316. Karnataka’s chase got off to a poor start when R Jonathan was dismissed for a duck in the first over. Their other opener, Robin Uthappa, though made his first century of the season to drive the reply. He and Manish Pandey (57) put on 120 for the third wicket and at 208 for 2 in the 32nd over, it was Karnataka who were on course for a victory. However, both were dismissed in the space of eight runs and the run-out of a rampaging Vinay Kumar in the 45th over turned the match Tamil Nadu’s way. Karnataka needed 13 off the final over, but Raju Bhatkal could only manage ten in the company of last man KP Appanna. Both teams have already qualified for the next round.In another batsmen-dominated game, at the India Cement Limited Guru Nanak College ground, it was the chasing team that won, Goa picking up their second victory of the weekend. Powered by opener Akshath Reddy’s 121, and half-centuries from Ambati Rayudu and Neeraj Bist, Hyderabad piled on 310 for 7. The cornerstone of Goa’s reply was opener Amit Yadav’s maiden century, assisted by S Sriram’s 32-ball 48. Still, Goa were at 285 for 8 in the 47th over and only made it past the finish line thanks to No. 8 Shadab Jakati’s 19-ball 25.Andhra slumped to their four straight defeat, going down by six wickets to Kerala at the MRF Pachyappas Ground. Their batsmen turned in a decent effort: Y Venugopal Rao made 113 and was supported by Y Gnaneswara Rao’s 67, the pair bailing Andhra out from 22 for 3 and taking the side to a competitive 269. A solid effort from the Kerala top-order, though, dampened Andhra’s chances of a first victory. Opener VA Jagadeesh went on to make a century, and No. 3 Robert Fernandez scored 62 to take Kerala to 193 for 1. It could still have been a close finish had it not been for a hurricane 18-ball 41 from P Prasanth, who ensured the game ended with 14 deliveries remaining.
Leeds United’s latest Premier League outing saw them secure a 2-2 draw at home to Brentford thanks to a late equalising goal from striker Patrick Bamford.
One player that did not feature in the match against Thomas Frank’s side after picking up an injury in their 1-0 win over Crystal Palace last week was defender Pascal Struijk.
However, it seems as though there has been a fresh update on the matter that should have a lot of Leeds fans thrilled.
What’s the news?
Leeds journalist Phil Hay shared a post on his official Twitter page sharing news after the Brentford draw that Struijk has a hip problem and is finishing his recovery.
The fact that Struijk is finishing his recovery should leave plenty of Leeds fans buzzing ahead of their next league match against Chelsea at the weekend. After all, if fellow defender Liam Cooper is unable to play after being forced off the pitch with an injury against Brentford, it will be a seismic boost to get the 22-year-old back.
In the 12 Premier League games he’s appeared in so far this season, Struijk has shown just what an important defensive unit he is for Leeds by racking up an average of 2.3 tackles, 1.6 interceptions and 1.4 clearances per game as well. For context, that tally of tackles is the highest by an out and out defender in Bielsa’s squad this term.
Labelled as a player that has “got it all” by former Leeds star Dominic Matteo, Struijk has certainly proved himself as an important player for the Whites after making his Premier League debut in their opening game of last season against Liverpool at Anfield.
If the Dutchman can be fit enough to play in the game against Chelsea, this would surely give the Yorkshire club a better chance of securing a positive result against Thomas Tuchel’s side, especially after they conceded three goals in their latest league game against West Ham United.
With Leeds having games against the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league before the end of the current calendar year, everyone at the Yorkshire club will undoubtedly be hoping that Struijk will be able to stay fit and available for those tough games to give his side the best chance of getting some more points on the board.
He has been vitally important to their cause this term so fans will undoubtedly be elated to see that he’s well on the recovery trail.
In other news: Huge setback: Leeds struck with double injury blow that’ll surely have Bielsa fuming – opinion
O comentarista esportivo Neto voltou a polemizar em seu programa. Nesta segunda-feira, o ex-jogador deu sua opinião sobre a confusão entre Felipe Melo e Clayson, no intervalo do derby e criticou o volante palmeirense. No Twitter, outro conhecido da torcida do Palmeiras e também desafeto de Neto se meteu na confusão. O Mago Valdívia apareceu e comentou a fala de Neto.
— Tudo mentira, vc não briga Neto vc processa. aliás vc já disse q m processo(sic)? Fortão só de boca velho. Quando recebe sai chorando na justiça rss — tuitou Valdívia — Melhor não responder , se não vai na justiça processar o homem de ferro, fortão, briguento. Kkkk na huela só se for com advogados — finalizou o Mago
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Tudo mentira,vc não briga neto vc processa. aliás vc já disse q m processo? Fortão só d boca velho.quando recebe sai chorando na justiça rss https://t.co/PGVRuYRTy5
— Jorge Valdivia (@el_mago_oficial) 7 de novembro de 2017
Melhor não responder , se não vai na justiça processar o homem de ferro , fortão, briguento . Kkkk na huela só se for com advogados
— Jorge Valdivia (@el_mago_oficial) 7 de novembro de 2017
Felipe Melo arremessou uma munhequeira no atacante corintiano alegando que o mesmo havia cuspido na direção dele antes. Primeiro, Neto saiu em defesa de Clayson, afirmando que o atacante não havia cuspido e relembrando o caso em que ele mesmo cuspiu no árbitro José Aparecido, no campeonato paulista de de 1993 e depois mudou de ideia quanto a cusparada de Clayson.
— Eu [sou] o único sujo que tem no futebol, que cuspi. O menino, não. Ele, não. Não venha com palhaçada que você não vai entrar nessa. Briga comigo, meu irmão. Você que é trouxa. Se quiser vir ao programa, vem aqui discutir, porque você é bonzão fora, com um monte de gente. Aqui, não — falou o comentarista.
Veja na íntegra a fala de Neto:
Tem muita gente que acha que é espertinho, né? Quer transferir a responsabilidade dos erros. A única pessoa que cuspia aqui no futebol brasileiro era eu, que cuspi no José Aparecido. Foi imperdoável o que eu fiz. E ele já me perdoou e pedi perdão para Deus. O único vagabundo, sem vergonha, o único cara que fez esse negócio nojento fui eu, mais ninguém. Isso é um recado para você, Felipe Melo. Parar de dormir na garagem, de transferir os seus erros para os outros. Eu [sou] o único sujo que tem no futebol, que cuspi. O menino, não. Ele, não. Não venha com palhaçada que você não vai entrar nessa. Briga comigo, meu irmão. Você que é trouxa. Se quiser vir ao programa, vem aqui discutir, porque você é bonzão fora, com um monte de gente. Aqui, não. E aqui não vai ter matéria em cima do menino, não. Vamos mostrar outras coisas de você. Você é ídolo para os palmeirenses sem jogar nada. Por sinal, não joga nada. Perdemos uma Copa do Mundo por sua causa (…) Na verdade, o Clayson cospe mesmo. É verdade, e eu não minto na televisão, não uso a televisão. Um erro não justifica o outro. O que fez o Felipe Melo eu não sei, mas não dá direito do Clayson cuspir nele. O Felipe Melo tem que ser mandado embora do Palmeiras por tudo o que fez, mas quem começou foi o Clayson, que tem que ser punido (…) Esse cara só fez coisa errada no Palmeiras. Aí vem falar em ser bíblico, evangélico, não sei o quê. Ô meu irmão, os caras que estão em todos os presídios em todos os lugares do mundo viraram evangélicos, tem a Bíblia lá (…) E vocês acham que ele é ídolo do Palmeiras. Ídolo do Palmeiras é o Velloso, é o Marcos, Ademir da Guia, Evair, Djalminha, o Luizão. Ele, não. Ele só conseguiu fazer com que o Palmeiras não ganhasse nada, é o maior culpado