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Leeds United put in an impressive performance, keeping their first clean sheet since returning to the Premier League, as they went on to beat Sheffield United 1-0.

Patrick Bamford and Jack Harrison will understandably take a lot of the plaudits, due to their respective involvements in the only goal of the game.

However, plenty of other players are deserving of praise for their individual contributions to the cause and Luke Ayling is certainly one of those.

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He epitomised what Marcelo Bielsa demands his players bring to the team, as he was relentless, played with conviction and showed the quality in his game.

The mix of these qualities can be seen in the 29-year-old’s defensive statistics from the match, as he completed all four of his attempted tackles, while also making two clearances – Enda Stevens was the only player on the pitch to make more tackles.

He also battled for the ball well in the air, winning two of the three aerial duels that he competed in throughout the 90 minutes.

The right-back also showed attacking intent, completing all of the four dribbles he attempted, which is more than any other player on the pitch managed.

In addition, he completed 75% of his passes, one of which was a key pass, and also got two shots off.

It was an all-action performance from the Leeds man, who has shown, alongside his teammates, that he can take the step up from Championship level, translating Bielsa’s philosophy in a higher division.

Ayling’s overall performance, as well as those from various others in the team, is likely to leave the Argentinian feeling very satisfied.

Scottish publication The Courier have claimed that Coventry City boss Mark Robins sent a scout to cast an eye over Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland.

Sky Blues boss Robins followed up his excellent promotion and title winning League One season last term with a number of significant arrivals at the club.

A whole host of new faces came into the Warwickshire based club including the likes of Gustavo Hamer, Ben Sheaf and Callum O’Hare.

Starting the Championship season, the Sky Blues lost their opening fixture against Bristol City but an excellent result at the weekend saw Robins’ side beat Queens Park Rangers.

Following that victory, Robins has now been linked with a potential 10th summer signing in the form of Shankland.

The report claims that a Coventry scout attended Dundee United’s 2-1 win over St Mirren, a game which saw the striker score an impressive volley.

Valued at £585,000 by Transfermarkt, the 25-year-old Glasgow born striker has netted 129 goals during his career in which he has made 256 appearances.

This could prove to be a superb signing for Coventry and one that would add some consistently proven firepower to Mark Robins’ squad.

Shankland’s record in Scottish football is impressive to say the least, last season alone he netted 24 goals in just 26 Championship appearances for Dundee United.

Whilst he may need time to adjust to the life in England, a striker with such a pedigree would still be well worth a gamble.

Do you think Shankland would make a good signing for Coventry City this summer? Let us know in the comments section below…

Despite his good showing against both the likes of Manchester City and even against Chelsea in the FA Cup victory, a new report from The Sun claims Arsenal have put Ainsley Maitland-Niles on the transfer list. And if that wasn’t shocking enough, they go on to state the 22-year-old could indeed stay in London and move to Tottenham Hotspur instead as Jose Mourinho’s men have shown some interest in the youngster.

Needless to say, this is quite the claim from the papers but the Gunners are in dire need of raising some funds and that could well include selling their talent to the highest bidder. In fact, The Sun state they are hoping to get around £30m for the England U21 star but may also have to settle for £20m due to the outside circumstances and the financial struggles of most teams out there.

And since Mourinho is planning a rebuild of his own in the ongoing summer transfer window, Maitland-Niles could be a welcoming addition to the team. Of course, Spurs are not nearly the only ones registering their interest as the same outlet mentions ‘every Premier League club in London except Chelsea’ might go in for the 22-year-old.

Mikel Arteta, on the other hand, likes him a lot and if Arsenal were not in this financial hole, in all likelihood he would’ve liked to keep him. But this sale is more of a necessity than anything else. At least if the Gunners want to go shopping themselves.

Verdict

Buying a player from your city rivals is always a slightly controversial thing, especially when you’re trying to snatch away their talented academy product. But Mourinho’s interest in Maitland-Niles is not that surprising.

The 22-year-old is quite versatile and despite not getting a big chance throughout 2019/20, he can still perform on a high level across multiple positions both in midfield and in the backline. This kind of adaptability and potential is something Spurs could definitely use in their squad.

Wolves’ midfield is a fine engine room indeed – you’ve got the brawn of Leander Dendoncker, the control of Ruben Neves and some finesse from Joao Mourinho, though it is still lacking in one department.

Creativity.

And it appears that they missed the perfect solution this summer.

What was the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon last January, the Midlands outfit were “desperate” to sign then-Birmingham City wonderkid Jude Bellingham, but they faced competition from Manchester United as well as teams from within Europe’s top divisions.

The 17-year-old eventually opted for Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund in July, joining them in a record-breaking £25m deal and following in the footsteps of Jadon Sancho.

Speaking about the move, BVB sporting director, Michael Zorc, said: “He has enormous potential that we want to develop with him in the coming years. He already has a surprising amount of quality in his own possession as well as against the ball, and on top of that, the player also has a strong mentality.”

One that got away?

The decision to not push for a player that Nuno Santo seemingly was keen to sign has already proven to be a costly mistake.

This week, Bellingham was called up to Gareth Southgate’s England squad for games against Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Iceland. He’s still only 17.

Bukayo Saka claimed that his new Three Lions teammate was “doing amazing things” whilst Tyrone Mings believes he looks like a “fantastic talent” from training alone.

It’s no wonder that this amount of faith has been put in him, as he’s been performing substantially well in Germany since his mega-money switch.

The Dortmund sensation has scored one goal and provided two assists in all competitions whilst also averaging a passing success rate of 88.3%.

In the Bundesliga alone, Bellingham has averaged two tackles, 1.2 shots, 1.2 dribbles and one key pass per game, via WhoScored.

By comparison, none of the aforementioned Old Gold trio have contributed to a goal in the Premier League this season and only Neves surpasses the young England teen for key passes per game.

Bellingham has even been compared to Steven Gerrard in the past – Jermaine Pennant told talkSPORT (via Bundesliga.com): “He reminds me of a young Steven Gerrard. He throws himself about, he can get up and down the pitch, he can score goals and assist goals, he’s got trickery. He’s a fantastic young player.”

You can’t help but feel that Jeff Shi has missed out big time here, especially when one of his key philosophies revolves around bringing such fantastic potential to Molineux.

AND in other news, Shi dodged a huge £23.5m bullet in “fearless” Wolves target once dubbed a “nightmare”…

The proposed takeover of Newcastle United would be a game changer for the Premier League as new figures from The State of Football Finance project (via ChronicleLive) analysed the respective turnovers of the clubs in the top flight over the last four seasons.

As per the outlet, the so-called ‘big six’, consisting of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, had a combined turnover of £2.998 billion in the 2018/19 campaign, compared to £2.145 billion for all of the other teams in England’s highest division in the same year.

Income is counted as money from game days, broadcast, and commercial deals, and Man Utd led the way with an overall income of £627.10 million, with £275.09 million of that coming commercially.

The Magpies had an overall turnover of £176.45 million, less than what the Red Devils received in commercial revenue, £24.85 million from match days and £123.94 million from broadcast.

The fact that the overall turnover of the Tyneside club was less than what MUFC made just commercially suggests that if the prospective takeover does eventually go through at St. James’ Park, then these figures could all change, hence it would be a ‘game changer’.

The would-be owners could be set to sit on a big pile of wealth, given that the buying side consists of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabain (KSA) crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners Amanda Staveley and the billionaire Reuben brothers who are originally based in India but are now based in London.

The rather huge sum of money that could be available to NUFC if the £300 million deal with Mike Ashley is approved could potentially see them break the trend of the ‘big six’, but the bid has to be approved by the Premier League first.

Geordies, would the Toon’s turnover break the ‘big six’ after the takeover? Comment below!

The Daily Record has suggested that Glasgow Rangers and Steven Gerrard should look at bringing in Stewart Downing this summer.

The 35-year-old currently plays for Blackburn, and his contract is set to run out at the end of this current campaign. Downing is actually a former teammate of Gerrard’s, with him playing with the Gers boss following his £20m move to Anfield in 2011.

Now, as a free agent this summer, he could be available for a move to Ibrox, and there is no doubt that he would add a potentially massive edge to Gerrard’s squad. There are few players who are as experienced in English football as the 35-time England international – he has made 408 appearances in the Premier League and 171 in the second tier as well during a career that has taken him from his home town of Middlesbrough to Sunderland, the Reds, Aston Villa, the Rovers and West Ham United.

He has been a creative force no matter where he has been, regularly averaging over 1.5 key passes per match, and he has regularly contributed with a number of goals and assists.

At his age, and with the likes of Ryan Kent for Gerrard to choose from, it is unlikely Downing would be a guaranteed starter, but his experience could be a huge boost to the Gers’ chances of winning a first major trophy since 2011. It may be a deal worth looking at for the 54-time Scottish champions.

Let us know what you think below!

Ipswich Town have joined Sunderland in the race to sign recently-released Everton left-back Luke Garbutt, according to The Northern Echo.

Despite making a number of summer signings already, bringing in Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, and agreeing a new contract with Tom Flanagan, Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson knows that he may still need further additions to his squad if they are to earn promotion to the Championship in 2020/21.

To that effect, the Sunderland boss has shown interest in former Everton man Garbutt, although it is now being reported that League One rivals Ipswich are also keen on the 27-year-old.

The report claimed that Ipswich see themselves as favourites to sign the defender after having him on loan last season.

The Tractor Boys are also claimed to have held talks in an attempt to sign him permanently, whilst Sunderland officials are said to have issued a formal contract offer, as per The Northern Echo.

Garbutt is expected to resolve his future in the coming days as the majority of Football League sides have already returned to pre-season. The new League One campaign is due to begin on the weekend of September 12.

Judging by The Northern Echo’s report, Ipswich seem to be in pole position for Garbutt, who could be inclined to go back to a club with which he is already familiar.

However, Sunderland came closer to the play-off places than the Suffolk outfit last season, so if they can make a convincing case to the defender, it could open up an exciting transfer tussle between the two clubs.

Do you think Garbutt would be a good signing for Sunderland? Let us know in the comments section below…

Chelsea have been named amongst the clubs interested in acquiring the services of England international Declan Rice this summer.

According to Bleacher Report, Frank Lampard has been monitoring the West Ham star and is keen on bringing him to Stamford Bridge.

The Hammers are currently locked in a tough relegation battle, and the chances of them facing the drop are worryingly high.

Rice has established himself as one of the most sought after young talents in the Premier League. After showcasing his versatility by integrating from a central defender to a defensive midfielder, the 21-year-old has turned a lot of heads.

The England international, who has seven caps so far, made his Hammers debut in 2017, at just 18 years of age. Since then he hasn’t looked back. This season especially, Rice has been an integral part of West Ham’s set up as an ever-present figure. He also sported the captain’s armband against Leicester in December (via Transfermarkt).

As it stands, David Moyes’ side are 16th in the table on 27 points, but only out of the drop-zone on goal difference. If the Irons slip up once the season resumes, they could be in serious trouble.

Chelsea are steadily making their way to a place in the Champions League next season and the team morale under Lampard seems to be at an all time high. The Blues are currently fourth in the table after taking on a positive run of form.

Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham have particularly impressed, notching 19 Premier League goals between them this season (as per Transfermarkt). But if they want to ensure squad depth is healthy and their chances of bagging some silverware are high, the club will need to invest.

Chelsea’s latest signing has shown they mean business going into the next campaign. The addition of Timo Werner will likely be their marquee signing and poaching Rice would be another great addition.

If West Ham are relegated, they will likely offer up a friendly asking price for the Republic of Ireland turned England international, as they’ll need all the funds they can get to bounce back next season.

Do you think Chelsea should sign Declan Rice this summer, Blues? Have your say in the comments below…

Having joined from Scottish giants Celtic last summer, it hasn’t been the most enjoyable of debut campaigns for Kieran Tierney at Arsenal.

The Scotland international has struggled with injury problems all season, and it has meant that he has only featured 11 times across all competitions for the first-team at the Emirates.

Reports in recent months had even suggested fellow Premier League side Leicester were interested in signing him, but judging from his latest comments, it appears he has his heart fully set on staying with the Gunners.

Hilariously obscure Premier League players – Can you name them all?

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When asked about what his favourite thing about living in London was during an Ask Me Anything session, Tierney replied: “Playing for Arsenal. I didn’t move to Arsenal to live in London. I came here to London so I could play for Arsenal.”

Naturally, once Gunners supporters had heard of his answer, they took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the left-back.

A couple of fans even called for him to be given the captain’s armband – an honour currently held by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Some simply praised the kind of attitude he showed with his words, with one fan in particular saying it’s exactly the kind of personality an Arsenal player should have.

If he can stay clear of injuries for next season, then the £22.5m-rated Tierney could form a tantalising full-back partnership with Hector Bellerin on the right-flank.

The Gunners have been blessed with a couple of Premier League greats in that position in Nigel Winterburn and Ashley Cole. Tierney will no doubt be hoping he can follow in those footsteps too.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can land their new Santi Cazorla with this ace.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolves’ January transfer plans have really ramped up in recent weeks. A move for Ruben Dias has again been touted (O Jogo, via Sport Witness) while there is also the possibility of signing goalkeeper Jose Sa as well.

However, one link that appeared over the weekend was for Portuguese defender Aurelio Buta of Royal Antwerp in Belgium.

According to The Sunday Mirror (print edition, 17th November), a loan move is edging closer as Nuno Santo looks to bolster his ranks for the second part of the campaign.

On the chalkboard

With Adama Traore playing further forward again, Wolves could well be light at right-back and right-wing back.

Matt Doherty has struggled to replicate his impressive 2018/19 season, largely because of injury and as a result, he has started just eight times in the top-flight.

A full-back by trade, Buta would add a much-needed body in this third of the pitch. However, given his attacking nature, he’d be absolutely ideal for Nuno’s system.

He’s claimed three assists and scored once in 2019/20, demonstrating traits that he’s developed while also playing as a right wing-back and also as a right-winger during his career too.

The 22-year-old is a promising player who initially came through Benfica’s academy but he was never afforded a chance to prove himself. In the Jupiler League, however, the £2.7m-rated defender has shown how capable he is in forward areas, something that suggests he could fit the 3-4-3 and 5-4-1 formations Wolves are playing with like a glove.

Doherty has scored just the one goal so far this term and his attacking qualities have been severely down on what he registered last season. Last campaign the 27-year-old averaged one key pass per game but that now sits at just 0.4.

Failing to register an assist, a move for the attacking Buta could be extremely timely.

With The Sunday Mirror citing an option to buy being included in the deal, this isn’t just one for the short-term.