Mary Earps is making sure to enjoy home comforts like Match of the Day and a full English breakfast before her Paris Saint-Germain career gets going.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has proven that he has the willingness to involve and develop young players in the first-team setup since his move to the club last summer.
Then-17-year-old Archie Gray was thrown in at the deep end by the German head coach at the start of the season and has been trusted by the boss throughout the campaign, which helped him to earn the Championship Young Player of the Year award earlier this month.
The Whites have had a number of impressive young players come through the academy system over the years; including the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Lewis Cook, Jack Clarke, and Leif Davis, among others.
One academy star Leeds hit the jackpot with in the past was central midfielder James Milner, who came up through the ranks in Yorkshire before completing a big-money move away from Elland Road.
The 5 foot 9 star was born in Leeds and did not cost the club a penny to sign as he joined their youth setup at a young age and worked his way up to the first-team.
Milner, who therefore cost the club £0, made his senior debut for the Whites during the 2002/03 campaign as he went on to play 21 matches across the Premier League and FA Cup in all competitions.
After a one-month loan spell with Swindon in the Second Division at the start of the 2003/04 season, the English dynamo nailed down a spot in the middle of the park for Leeds.
|
2003/04 Premier League |
James Milner |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
30 |
|
Minutes played |
2,380 |
|
Goals |
3 |
|
Assists |
0 |
|
Yellow cards |
2 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
|
As you can see in the table above, Milner emerged as a regular fixture in midfield for the club and scored his first three goals in the Premier League.
At the end of his second season at senior level, Newcastle United swooped in to secure his services on a permanent deal in the summer of 2004.
Per Totally Money, the Magpies splashed out a fee of £6.6m at the time, which – per their transfer index – would be worth a whopping £23.8m in today's money.
When adjusting for the inflation of transfer fees over the subsequent 19, almost 20, years, Newcastle paid a sum that would be worth close to £25m in the current day, which shows that Leeds hit the jackpot with Milner.
They developed a young player in their academy and offered him a chance to showcase his quality in the Premier League, which then earned the club a huge payday – relative to the time – for a player they did not pay a penny to sign.
The now-38-year-old has gone on to enjoy a fantastic career in England; playing for Newcastle, Aston Villa, Manchester City, Liverpool, and (his current club) Brighton & Hove Albion.
Milner has racked up a staggering 634 appearances in the Premier League, with a return of 55 goals and 89 assists in total, for all of those teams and Leeds combined.
Overall, the Whites should be proud of his career, having come through the academy at Thorp Arch, and should be happy with the money they raked in for a youth team product almost 20 years ago.
Angry Aston Villa fans have hit out at the club's "greed" following the release of their Champions League ticket prices.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Alisha Lehmann featured in Juventus' final pre-season game as they thrashed Serie B side Freedom FC 4-0.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Arsenal have tabled a five-year contract offer to try and tempt a £69 million striker into joining them, and he actually shares the same agent as Gunners defender Cedric Soares.
It is perhaps one of the worst-kept secrets in football that Arsenal are keen on bringing in a new number nine when the transfer window reopens.
Arsenal really want to sign £214,000-per-week star, Mikel Arteta is a fan
The Spaniard is rumoured to be “attracted” to his style.
By
Emilio Galantini
Apr 24, 2024
Fabrizio Romano has backed that Arsenal wish to acquire an "important" striker for manager Mikel Arteta, as sporting director Edu sets his sights on the likes of Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres among other options.
"Arsenal will sign an important striker this summer, and one of the names on their list is Viktor Gyokeres," said Romano on one of his Daily Briefings recently.
They’ve been following the Sporting Lisbon striker during this remarkable season, but they’re not the only ones. Gyokeres is appreciated by Arsenal, but they still have to decide what they’re going to do, and remember that the Swedish striker has a €100m release clause, with Sporting insisting that they want something very close to this fee, not something like €50 or €60m as reported by some media outlets.
|
Arsenal's top scorers in the league this season |
Goals |
|---|---|
|
Bukayo Saka |
14 |
|
Kai Havertz |
11 |
|
Leandro Trossard |
10 |
|
Martin Odegaard |
8 |
|
Declan Rice |
6 |
"Let’s see what happens with Arsenal, but they could have other options too."
In terms of the "other options" reportedly being targeted, there are many, with the likes of Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Brentford striker Ivan Toney linked in the last few months alone.
Arsenal have been one of the league's most imperious attacking sides this season, and are still firmly in the title race as they wait for a potential slip up from Man City and look to keep chase with Pep Guardiola's side.
Three Gunners stars in Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard boast double digits in terms of league goals scored, but that hasn't deterred Arsenal's transfer plans as they still look to add a goalscorer.
Another target who's been widely linked is Bologna forward Joshua Zirkzee.
The £68 million Serie A star's netted 11 goals in 31 league games this season, and it is believed his playing style is an attraction for Arsenal. Now, according to Tuttosport in Italy, via Sport Witness, the north Londoners are ready to accelerate their pursuit of the striker.
Indeed, it is believed Arsenal have tabled a five-year contract offer for Zirkzee via his agent, Kia Joorabchian, who also manages the affairs of Soares (Transfermarkt). The salary offer comes in at around £98,000-per-week, according to this report.
“He’s a great player," said AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli on Zirkzee this season.
"I’ve followed him since his days at Bayern Munich and then at my Parma. A fantastic player, with physicality and quality. He has everything. He’s doing very well at Bologna."
Leeds United were beaten 2-1 by promotion rivals Southampton at Elland Road on the final day of the 2023/24 Championship season last Saturday.
Their place in the play-offs was confirmed, as Ipswich Town won their match to finish second in the division, and they will now face off against Norwich City in two legs for a place at Wembley in the final.
Daniel Farke will face off against his former club, where he won two promotions to the Premier League, and the first leg will be at Carrow Road at noon on Sunday.
The Whites will want to ensure that they take the tie to Elland Road with something to play for, whether that is a draw or a win, and that makes the first leg crucial to their success.
Therefore, the German head coach needs to ensure that his team selection is spot on and does not let him down in Norfolk, which is why Ilia Gruev should finally be ruthlessly ditched from the starting XI as time is now up for him.
The Bulgaria international was selected to start in midfield against Russell Martin's side on Saturday but failed to justify his continued selection with another underwhelming display.
LeedsLive's Beren Cross awarded Gruev a player rating of 4/10 for his display, writing that he looked yards off the pace and was rusty against the Saints.
The former Werder Bremen star did complete 98% of his attempted passes (50/51) on Saturday but only created one chance, and zero 'big chances', which suggests that there was not much quality or progression in his ball-playing.
He was also, as the aforementioned journalist claimed, off the pace from a defensive perspective as the lightweight lost three of his four duels during the game, which shows that the opposition dominated him from a physical perspective.
The Athletic's Phil Hay posted on X during the match that Gruev, and Glen Kamara, was "struggling" to get in position to cut out Saints attacks, and that is reflected in his 25% duel success rate.
In the 4-0 loss to QPR in the previous match, LeedsLive reporter Cross handed the midfielder a dreadful match rating of just 2/10, writing that he had 'zero presence' in front of the back four to provide an effective screen in the middle of the park.
Much like the clash with Southampton, Gruev's work out of possession left a lot to be desired as he lost all six of his ground duels on the night, and failed to close down his man quickly enough for the first two QPR goals.
He has not been a substitute in the Championship since New Year's Day against Birmingham and Farke must finally drop him down to the bench due to his poor form in recent matches ahead of this big play-off clash with Norwich.
His recent underperformance in the middle of the park is a big shame as the former Bundesliga ace had been fantastic for large parts of the campaign prior to these recent games during the run-in.
Signed from Werder Bremen on a permanent deal last summer, Gruev had to bide his time for starts as he made nine appearances off the bench during the first half of the season.
In 20 starts, and 29 appearances in total, the Bulgarian maestro has displayed his quality in and out of possession, with his composed play on the ball and his defensive strength off of it.
|
23/24 Championship |
Ilia Gruev |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
29 |
|
Ground duel success rate |
54% |
|
Aerial duel success rate |
62% |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
3.1 |
|
Possession lost per game |
4.6 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old gem has won the majority of his battles on the ground and in the air throughout the season.
He currently ranks within the top 3% of Championship midfielders for pass accuracy (90.0%) and the top 47% for progressive passes per 90 (4.36), which shows that the talented gem has been extremely reliable on the ball and progressive with his passes.
Gruev also ranks within the top 20% of his positional peers or higher for tackles per 90 (2.38) and interceptions per 90 (1.37) respectively, which speaks to his defensive awareness and willingness to get stuck in.
However, the left-footed whiz has lost nine of his ten ground duels and only made three combined tackles and interceptions over the last two games, against Southampton and QPR, which shows that he is completely out of form and why the time should be up for him in the XI.
Dropping Gruev to the bench would free up a space in midfield next to Kamara for another player to step up in the play-off clash with Norwich on Sunday.
Farke could turn to the youthful enthusiasm of Archie Gray in the middle of the park, after the Championship Young Player of the Season was a substitute against Southampton.
His last start came against QPR in the 4-0 defeat at Loftus Road but the teenage sensation was one of the better performers on the night for Leeds, winning 100% of his ground duels (4/4) and making five combined tackles and interceptions to go along with a 90% pass success rate.
Norwich's Gabriel Sara has racked up 13 goals and 12 assists from midfield for the Canaries so far this season and Gray's defensive strength could be useful against the Brazilian maestro, whereas Gruev's recent form suggests that he would be caught out in duels against the talented star.
|
23/24 Championship |
Archie Gray |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
44 |
|
Starts |
40 |
|
Tackles and interceptions per game |
2.8 |
|
Ball recoveries per game |
4.5 |
|
Duel success rate |
55% |
|
Ground duel success rate |
57% |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the England U21 international has been consistent throughout the season in his duels, winning the majority of his battles across 40 starts.
Therefore, Gray should be unleashed ahead of the underperforming Gruev in midfield next to Kamara against the Yellows on Sunday, to give Farke's side the best chance of picking up a positive result to take back to Yorkshire for the second leg.
The U.S. seemed like they'd cap a memorable night with a win, but a late disaster saw them settle for a frustrating draw
CINCINNATI — American soccer only had one eye on Tuesday night's friendly against New Zealand. The other was hyper-focused on an auspicious announcement. If you didn't hear, there's finally a new coach in charge and as expected, it is Mauricio Pochettino.
Attention will widely be on Pochettino's first game in charge in October. Yet, those who did watch what happened in a friendly against New Zealand Tuesday night saw some level of improvement, but also a whole lot to be worried about.
Christian Pulisic came off the bench to score for the USMNT, who couldn't hold the lead in what ended as a 1-1 draw. A defensive breakdown led to Mark McKenzie clearing the ball directly of Ben Waine and in. That's just how things are bouncing right now for the USMNT. On the pitch, they can't catch a break.
The match was played before an announced attendance of only 15,711, much less than FC Cincinnati's season average of 25,292.
"Obviously difficult results for us, and it’s not a great feeling. But I think moving forward, it’s time to turn a page and we really have to pick it up a level – I mean everyone that’s a part of this," Pulisic said on TNT. "It feels pretty low right now but I know there’s better times ahead."
Fortunately for the U.S., the page has largely been turned due to Tuesday's coaching hire. Tuesday was Pochettino's day, and the road to the 2026 World Cup really starts now, even if the performance in Cincinnati shows there's still so much work to be done.
GOAL rates USMNT players from TQL Stadium.
Harry Kane has broken another record at Bayern Munich after becoming the highest-scoring Englishman in the Bundesliga.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
Manchester United have struggled to perform on the pitch this season but you can't dispute the loyalty and support of the fanbase.
Rain or shine, the Red Devils cheer their team on in booming, infectious voice. Last week, a chastening 4-0 defeat at Crystal Palace sent United to new depths under Erik ten Hag but the visiting faithful roared and clapped and cajoled the first-team squad, who failed to repay the faith.
Ten Hag's eighth-placed Premier League strugglers need to tailor their strategy this summer but Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS have sparked optimism that the ship can be steadied.
Much needs to happen during the off-season, however, to narrow the canyon that United's arch-rivals reside on the other side of.
A clearout must be the first port of call for the United bosses this summer: too many high-paid stars have failed to impress and the club will not rebuild without a certain streak of ruthlessness, and the likes of Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Christian Eriksen and more are in troubled waters – with only Kobbie Mainoo, Rasmus Hojlund and Alejandro Garnacho seemingly untouchable.
Others must be permitted more time to find their feet, with Mason Mount a perfect example of this. Signing from Chelsea for an initial £55m fee last summer, the England international has endured a torrid campaign but it's improbable that he will be ousted this year.
Despite this, Man United are understood to be interested in RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo, who, according to Spanish newspaper SPORT, could be on the move this summer, with plenty of admirers.
Olmo is also attracting attention from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, while Barcelona have long been known suitors after releasing the Spaniard during his youth.
Leipzig will hold out for a fee of €60m (£51m), and Ratcliffe, Dan Ashworth and co will need to decide whether to launch such a fee on the player, who could further impact Mount's career next term.
Almost three years ago, Mount threaded a wonderful pass through to Kai Havertz to hand Chelsea the lead in the Champions League final against Manchester City. It was the only goal of the game. Mount crystallised his name.
The 25-year-old left Chelsea last year as the Blues slumped from that point on, and while Havertz joined him in departing Stamford Bridge, the former peers have yielded disparate results during the 2023/24 campaign.
Once hailed as a "generational" talent by journalist Benjamin Lynch, Mount endured an injury-hit 2022/23 campaign with Chelsea, failing to influence or ignite his struggling side, who slumped to a 12th-place league finish.
This season, his luckless fitness record has prevented him from starting more than five Premier League matches for United, of which he has endured mostly miserable results.
|
Mason Mount's PL Starts for Man Utd |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Fixture |
Date |
Result |
|
Crystal Palace (A) |
06/05/24 |
4-0 loss |
|
Brentford (H) |
07/10/23 |
2-1 win |
|
Crystal Palace (H) |
30/09/23 |
1-0 loss |
|
Tottenham Hotspur (A) |
19/08/23 |
2-0 loss |
|
Wolverhampton Wanderers (H) |
14/08/23 |
1-0 win |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
One of the main issues is that Ten Hag doesn't appear to have worked out what Mount's best position is thus far, playing him across the midfield and on the wing.
Injuries have damaged his hopes of a successful season but considering Mount earns £250k-per-week at Old Trafford – more than Bruno Fernandes (£240k-per-week) – he faces the possibility of another depth of despair next year if he cannot pull his act together.
His conundrum will be compounded by Olmo's possible arrival, but Ratcliffe must be bold in demanding perfection from his new outfit.
Olmo, like Mount, has been beset by injuries throughout the current campaign, but unlike the Man United man, he has grasped his opportunity with both hands and has led talent scout Jacek Kulig to claim that he has been "stealing the show" in 2023/24.
Indeed, across all competitions, the Spain international has scored eight goals and added five assists from just 20 starting appearances, principally playing on either attacking flank but also boasting qualities that allow him to serve in a creative central role.
|
Dani Olmo: 23/24 Stats by Position |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Apps |
Goals |
Assists |
|
Right winger |
15 |
2 |
4 |
|
Left winger |
6 |
5 |
1 |
|
Attacking midfield |
3 |
1 |
0 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
|||
As the table above highlights, Olmo is able to find prolific levels wherever he is deployed, though the right-footed ace is naturally able to find better goalscoring success when on the left.
But his shooting is certainly not the only area of importance here. As per Sofascore, Olmo has completed 80% of his passes in the German Bundesliga this season, creating eight big chances and averaging 1.5 key passes and dribbles, 3.6 ball recoveries, 4.0 successful duels and 1.2 tackles per game.
Given that he's only started 17 times, the £156k-per-week dynamo has crisp and technical qualities that would make a marked impact on a Man United team begging for fluency and fizz.
Ranking among the top 17% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists and the top 20% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref, Olmo has the rounded skill set that is required for a positive Premier League career.
Olmo's ability to maintain impressive levels of sharpness despite enduring a season punctuated by setbacks is a testament to his quality and tenacity, and he would truly be a wonderful addition to a Man United squad entering a transformative period.
Man Utd could axe Ten Hag for “one of the greatest tactical minds”
The Dutchman’s hold on his manager’s position at Old Trafford dangles by a thread.
By
Angus Sinclair
May 11, 2024
While Olmo would not come cheap, he's got a dynamic and daring array of abilities and he might just prove to be the perfect upgrade on a struggling star like Mount.
Red Devil fans would love to see the Englishman performing at the top of his game at the Theatre of Dreams, but United are at a critical juncture and must act with conviction to enjoy a resurgence next year.
Antonio Rudiger has suggested Arsenal defender William Saliba could soon join him at Real Madrid, if he keeps up his current form.
Article continues below
Article continues below
Article continues below
| Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱 |