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Leeds United’s signing of Dan James just over a year ago looks ‘baffling’ in hindsight, The Athletic’s Phil Hay has said. 

The lowdown

The Whites paid £25m to sign the Welshman from Manchester United on the final day of the 2021 summer transfer window as director of football Victor Orta successfully negotiated the deal after previous heartbreak (via Yorkshire Evening Post).

Leeds had first tried to land him in 2019, during his time at Swansea, but the deal fell through even after he passed a medical.

Just a year on from finally securing his services, though, the Yorkshire club have decided to send him on loan to fellow Premier League outfit Fulham.

The latest

Hay issued his verdict on the signing of James on The Athletic’s matchday discussion forum on the day of Leeds’ 5-2 defeat at Brentford this weekend.

The journalist was left baffled that Leeds fought so hard to sign him and then disposed of him so quickly, stating: “James just hasn’t worked, has it? Such a long pursuit, £25m last summer, fleeting impact and now, off to Fulham. Somewhat baffling when you think about the time and attention devoted to him.”

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The verdict

James is the third-most expensive signing in the history of Leeds United, as per Transfermarkt, but he has not lived up to that billing so far.

The Welshman scored just four goals and provided five assists across 40 competitions in all appearances for the club.

In summer arrival Luis Sinisterra, Leeds have another right winger ready to take his place. The Colombian has got off to a fine start at Elland Road, scoring on his first two Premier League starts after notching a goal and an assist against Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

Hay suspects that James’ career at the Yorkshire club is now over, even if there doesn’t seem to be an obligation to buy in the loan agreement. We can only watch with interest to see if the 24-year-old enjoys an upturn in fortunes during his time at Craven Cottage…

Nottingham Forest have made an enquiry regarding Chelsea defender Emerson Palmieri, according to the Evening Standard. 

The lowdown: Moreno alternative

The Reds had been actively pursuing a deal for Real Betis left-back Alex Moreno and were seemingly edging towards a deal for their long-term target before the Spaniard opted to stay in his homeland.

Forest were even believed to have reached an agreement to sign the full-back for £9million, taking the overall expenditure at the City Ground beyond the £90million mark for the Premier League new boys.

Now, it appears as though Dane Murphy is wasting little time in moving on to alternative options and 28-year-old Italy international Emerson could be the next on the radar in the Midlands…

The latest: Enquiry made

As per the Evening Standard, Nottingham Forest are understood to have ‘enquired’ about the availability of the 27-cap star.

It’s claimed that Serie A giants Juventus are also ‘still interested’ in acquiring Emerson’s services this summer, although the capture of Filip Kostic this week could cool their admiration.

The report makes no mention of a fee required to sign the Brazil-born ace who was praised for his ‘unbelievable qualities’ by Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel in 2021.

The verdict: Make it happen

Boasting a wealth of experience from his spells at Lyon, Roma and Santos, Emerson would be a smart addition to Steve Cooper’s ranks.

Predominantly utilised as a left-back last season, the marauding Italian scored once and provided two assists in 36 appearances across all competitions, earning a 6.91 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.9 duels, completing 1.0 successful dribble and making 2.1 clearances on average per Ligue 1 outing on loan at Lyon.

Capable of operating in more advanced positions and centrally, Emerson – who shares similar stylistic traits to the likes of Dani Carvajal, Benjamin Pavard and Alex Telles (FBref) – appears ready-made to slot into Cooper’s preferred 3-4-1-2 system.

Valued at £12.6million and under contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt), this is likely to be an affordable venture for the Forest hierarchy and if possible, the Reds should look to reach an agreement at around a similar fee to that agreed for Moreno.

Celtic got their latest SPFL campaign off to a strong start as the Bhoys took the first step towards regaining the title by securing a 2-0 win over Aberdeen.

Their next league outing sees Ange Postecoglou’s side travel to Dingwall to take on Ross County for their first away class of the season.

On the chalkboard

In terms of what the starting XI could look like for Saturday’s clash, one figure in the squad that didn’t start on the opening day of the season that we feel should be unleashed on this occasion is David Turnbull.

With 66 minutes on the clock last weekend, the midfielder came on for his first appearance of the season by replacing Reo Hatate.

After just nine minutes of action, Turnbull provided the assist for Jota’s stunning goal that doubled the home side’s lead and secured the three points for Celtic.

In addition to that, the 23-year-old totalled three key passes in total and ultimately earned himself an overall match rating of 7/10 from SofaScore, making him the highest-rated player that made an appearance off the substitutes bench.

The Scottish Daily Express picked up on his impressive cameo performance by saying that the midfielder delivered “a few sublime passes and could have added to the scoreline.”

Having been praised for his “phenomenal” performances for the Hoops in the past by former Scotland defender Alan Hutton, Turnbull has proved how significant he can be in front of goal from the middle of the pitch as he has racked up 19 goals and 17 assists in 78 appearances for the Parkhead club.

This sort of attacking prowess would surely be enough to put a lot of fear into County and their defenders, especially since they faced more shots at their goal (621) than any other side in the division last season.

In terms of who could come out of the starting XI to make way for Turnbull on Saturday, the fact that Hatate picked up some hefty knocks during the game against Aberdeen that ultimately led to him getting subbed off could make it a fairly straightforward decision for Postecoglou to make providing he is unfit to take part.

Should the Hoops boss decide to give the Scotsman his first league start of the season, this would surely give the away side a great chance of securing a win and adding more goals to their tally for the campaign.

Leeds United are interested in a deal to bring Carney Chukwuemeka to Elland Road this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent report by Leeds Live, who claim that the Whites are the latest side to join the race for the Aston Villa central midfielder’s signing in the summer transfer window – with the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund all believed to be extremely keen on a move for the 18-year-old.

The report goes on to state that, after Steven Gerrard omitted the England U19 international from Villa’s squad for their pre-season tour of Australia – as a result of the teenager rejecting the club’s offers of a new contract – the West Midlands side would be willing to accept an offer in the region of £20m for the Austrian-born starlet this summer.

“Generational talent”

Considering the sheer amount of potential Chukwuemeka undoubtedly possesses, it is not difficult to understand why Victor Orta would be keen on a deal to bring the 18-year-old to Elland Road ahead of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

While it is true that the £5.4m-rated starlet is yet to make a huge impact within the Aston Villa first team – having featured just 16 times for the club’s senior side – the midfielder’s returns at youth level have been incredibly eye-catching.

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Indeed, over his 26 fixtures during his time with Villa U18s, the youngster scored a quite remarkable ten goals and registered eight assists from the middle of the park, while, over his 28 fixtures for the U23s, the talent also bagged three goals and provided five assists.

Furthermore, the £2.4k-per-week sensation played a starring role in England’s U19 European Championship victory this summer, with the 18-year-old scoring three goals over his four appearances in the competition, including the all-important second to take an extra-time lead against Israel in the final – with his displays seeing him named in UEFA’s Team of the Tournament.

Further still, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie clearly believes that Chukwuemeka has a huge future in the game, stating of the youngster last August: “This boy is going to be the future. You talk about the [Jack] Grealish’s of the world. This boy has got composure, silk, [strength] and I think they are looking more from him in that he adds goals to his game.”

As such, should Orta manage to fight off the fierce competition for the player who Patrick Rowe dubbed a “generational talent” this summer, the Spaniard could well have unearthed a new Grealish-level talent – who left Villa for Manchester City in a £100m deal last summer – for the Whites, something that is sure to be an extremely exciting prospect for everyone involved with the club.

AND in other news: Sky Sports reveal “breaking news” that’ll leave Leeds United supporters gutted

Nottingham Forest are reportedly closing in on the signing of Troyes defender Giulian Biancone, according to journalist Jacque Talbot. 

The lowdown: Career so far

A product of the youth system at AS Monaco, the 22-year-old signed for Belgian outfit Cercle Brugge on loan twice before being sold to Troyes last August.

The France youth international enjoyed a superb campaign in Ligue 1 as Troyes finished 15th on their return to the French top flight.

It now appears as though a move to the Premier League could be the next step in a promising career for Biancone…

The latest: ‘Will join…’

Taking to Twitter, Talbot – a European football correspondent for numerous outlets – claimed on Saturday afternoon that the 22-year-old had passed his medical and was on the verge of completing a transfer to the City Ground.

He stated: “Exc: Told Giulian Biancone passed his medical an hour ago at Nottingham Forest and will join the side ahead of pre-season. Moussa Niakhaté will be done soon and there is confidence in Liverpool’s Neco Williams getting wrapped up as well. #NFFC”

Elsewhere on the deal for Biancone, The Athletic reported that the Reds will pay £5m for the versatile defender, who earned £3,200 per week at Troyes during 2022 (Salary Sport).

The verdict: Smart business

Holding a perceived market value of £3.6m and under contract until 2026 (Transfermarkt), signing the Frenchman for the aforementioned fee must to be regarded as a shrewd piece of business from the Forest hierarchy.

Last season, the former Monaco youngster earned an impressive 6.88 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.9 duels and making 1.6 interceptions and two clearances per game, showcasing superb defensive attributes in the process.

Capable of operating as a central defender, in either full-back role and in more advanced wide positions, Biancone adds invaluable versatility to Steve Cooper’s squad as the Welshman plans for life managing in the Premier League.

Aston Villa are looking to strengthen their team ahead of the next Premier League season, and now a new potential transfer target has been revealed.

What’s the latest?

According to journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones, Aston Villa are interested in signing Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain this summer.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT;

“He is a player of interest, but there are others they want to look at too in that situation.

“I think the really interesting thing about Oxlade-Chamberlain is he’s so adaptable in terms of where they could play him.”

Gerrard loves him

There is no doubt that Steven Gerrard has played a part in the interest in signing the Liverpool midfielder this summer, and has always had high praise for Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Back in 2017, Gerrard was the Liverpool U18’s coach and praised the club’s signing of the former Arsenal star:

“Well I think he’s already become a fantastic player, and that’s the reason why we spent £35m on him.

“I think he definitely strengthens the group and the team.”

Since the compliments from the current Villa boss, the £10m midfielder who was dubbed “dynamite” by Jurgen Klopp has gone on to prove him right, playing a role in Liverpool’s success in winning the club’s first-ever Premier League title and a Champions League over the last five years.

This season Oxlade-Chamberlain has had more of a bit-part role in the Merseyside giant’s squad making 28 appearances, scoring three goals and contributing three assists in all competitions.

Despite his lack of game-time at Liverpool, the central midfielder is attracting attention from a number of clubs with Manchester United and West Ham United both linked with interest in the player this summer, so if Gerrard is interested he will need to make an attractive offer for the star.

The Villa boss could reunite Oxlade-Chamberlain with Philippe Coutinho after the pair played together at Anfield, and if Johan Lange can secure a deal it could be an opportunity for Gerrard to spark a formidable partnership between the two players at Villa Park next season.

With that being said, it would be a major coup for the Villains if Johan Lange could bring in a player with Oxlade-Chamberlain’s experience and winning mentality into the centre of the pitch for just £10m this summer.

AND in other news: Great news: Gerrard makes exciting AVFC summer decision that’ll delight supporters

Manchester United may have a chance to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice this summer.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report from Mark Ogden, via The United Stand, who has proclaimed positivity over the potential signing of the England star.

The United Stand Twitter page relayed the original quote from their YouTube channel, in which Mark Ogden states:

“United have a chance [to sign Rice] this year. Chelsea are in turmoil with the ownership, City and Liverpool have said they aren’t interested, Spurs and Arsenal aren’t an appealing move for him. United might have a free run to Declan Rice.”

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Ten Hag needs him

With the likes of Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic set to leave this summer in what is expected to be a mass clearout at Old Trafford, Declan Rice, who has been dubbed an “explosion” by David Moyes, is the exact signing that a club who lack motivation and direction need.

The acquisition of the defensive midfielder could make Ten Hag’s rebuild job a lot easier. His talent, desire and ability in possession is suited to that of a Dutch-orientated, mass-possession, total-football system that could also serve as a platform for Rice to elevate his game, whilst building towards success at Old Trafford.

The £150m midfielder’s match average of 54.29 passes completed per 90 bodes well, though it’s his 90.6% pass accuracy that makes him such a composed and reliable asset in the centre of the pitch.

With a match average of 6.60 passes into the final third, he poses threat even if his game is more defensive.

His ability to carry the ball makes for another case as to why the 52-year-old should sign him, with United lacking a forward-thinking and defensively sound asset in their engine room.

A large majority of United’s 57 goals conceded, at a rate of 1.5 per game, have come from poor organisation making for easy penetration through the midfield, so Rice, who is a natural leader, would have a licence to make his presence in the middle of the park known.

Out of the aforementioned clubs that Ogden mentioned, Rice would have the biggest impact at United.

In other news: Offer made: Man United have submitted bid to sign £85.4m “lion”, he’s Lewandowski 2.0 

Sky Sports journalist Tom White has now revealed some ‘talks’ going on behind-the-scenes at Sunderland.

The Lowdown: Shares sold?

There have been rumours circulating on social media that both Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven have now sold up their shares at the Stadium of Light.

Football Insider have reported that they would part with their shares for £10.7m, while The Sunderland Echo claim that Kyril Louis-Dreyfus is looking to take full-control of the Wearside club.

The Latest: Sky Sports update

Taking to Twitter, White, a presenter on SSN, has revealed that Donald and Methven have not shared their shares at the Black Cats, in spite of the rumours, but ‘talks are at an advanced stage’ with one group:

“Regarding the rumours that Stewart Donald and Charlie Methven have sold their shares in Sunderland, it’s my information that talks are at an advanced stage with one group, but there is still a long way to go.”

The Verdict: Get it done

Donald and Methven are clearly not connected to the club anymore, as finance expert Kieran Maguire has claimed that they have left a ‘toxic legacy’, and so their shares need to be sold as soon as possible.

Whether Louis-Dreyfus takes full control, or their shares are sold to another bidder, they need to get their board structure finalised before the start of next season.

Rich Energy drink founder William Storey has reportedly submitted his own takeover offer to the club, and so this is another path to consider as they look to cement their place in the Championship, and potentially push for promotion to the Premier League in the future.

In other news, find out which three Championship clubs are now eyeing this ‘incredible’ SAFC star here!

Everton’s decision to sign Theo Walcott from Arsenal in 2018 proved to be a disaster as he struggled to show anywhere near the level of performance at Goodison Park as he had done with the Gunners.

The Toffees confirmed in January 2018 that the 28-year-old had completed a move to the club, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract having spent almost all of his senior career with Arsenal.

During his time with the north London club, he hit 108 goals in 397 appearances but he would show no such form in Merseyside, registering just 11 goals and nine assists in 85 appearances for the club.

The 2020/21 season saw Walcott shipped to Southampton on loan as the club looked to ease their wage expenditure and inevitably, after a year on the south coast, the former England international completed a permanent move back to the club where it all started for him.

To sign a player for £20m and let him leave on loan the season before his contract ends represented awful business by the Toffees, as surely they could have simply sold him to Southampton the season before to avoid losing him for nothing, as even a minimal fee is better than nothing.

It was clear from when Walcott signed that he was no longer at his best, as he featured in just 63 minutes of Premier League action for Arsenal in the 2017/18 season before his January switch to Everton, which again begs the question of why the club felt he was worth £20m.

It has been a sad decline to Walcott’s career after he showed such promise as a youngster with the Gunners, with the 2012/13 season perhaps the best of his career, when he managed 12 goals and 13 assists in the top flight.

During a strong run of form in 2016, Arsenal legend Lee Dixon sang the winger’s praises, saying:

“His speed and quality on the ball is unquestionable.

“Now all of a sudden he is unplayable. He is thinking about the game. It seems like he has turned into a different player.”

Unfortunately for Everton, just two years later and he was unplayable in a different sense, in that you couldn’t justify his selection anymore because his performances were so poor, as he averaged a shocking 6.51 rating from WhoScored in his first full season with the club.

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While the Toffees have signed some poor players in their history, the deal to sign Walcott and then release him a few years later will surely go down as one of the board’s worst transfer decisions.

CA chief Kevin Roberts also lauded the work done by Tim Paine and Justin Langer in leading Australia onwards from the Newlands scandal

Daniel Brettig14-Sep-2019Australia’s selection panel is to be overhauled over the next six months, with the imminent retirement of Greg Chappell and the expiry of Trevor Hohns’ contract at the end of the home summer ushering a generational change to better reflect the Twenty20 era the game has now spent more than a decade in.Reshaping the way Australian teams are chosen is a key plank of the job for the new head of national teams Ben Oliver, who commenced his role at the outset of the Ashes series after a lengthy interim stint by Belinda Clark. Kevin Roberts, the Cricket Australia chief executive, has flagged it to be one of the first issues he and Oliver will address upon his return home from England, via a brief visit to Pakistan that is part of CA’s wider efforts to improve relationships with other boards.Nevertheless, there have already been plenty of moves afoot around the selection area, ever since ESPNcricinfo revealed that Chappell would exit at the end of the Ashes. Discussions have revolved around whether or not the current panel format should be retained or pared down to a single selection convener working with the national team coach Justin Langer and the state and Big Bash League coaches, and also the need for more contemporary voices, particularly relevant to T20. The likes of Cameron White and Michael Klinger have been raised as possible selectors, though there is also a view that selection, complete with an ever more comprehensive use of statistics and analytics, is a skill requiring more than playing experience.Cameron White had a distinguished career with Victoria•Getty Images”Certainly we need to take into account the sorts of experience that are required,” Roberts said. “If you look at the shape of the panel now, one of the things we’d like to have more of in the future is more experience in T20 games as an example. So rather than targeting an individual person, it’s really about determining what are the characteristics or capabilities we need among the panel and who are the people in Australian cricket who can fulfil those.”I think it’s knowledge of the T20 game, whether it be playing, coaching, and various other roles in the T20 game. So I probably wouldn’t describe it as generational change but I would absolutely say it is a matter of having a really deep knowledge of T20 cricket. A lot of Australians have been involved in the IPL and the BBL as well and some of those are young, some are not so young. Really it’s about the experience they’ve had as opposed to when they might’ve been born.A hallmark of Roberts’ tenure so far has been to repeatedly emphasise the need for deeper and better relationships between CA and the state associations, something he said needed also to be reflected in the way selection was done. “The main thing I would say is certain is that we need to deepen the links through the state system and domestic competitions and make sure that we’ve got the best possible view of all players who are in contention to play,” Roberts said.”What sort of form are they in, how’s their physical health, how’s their mental well-being. That’s a key consideration these days in all walks of life and the same certainly goes for players. One of the benefits of splitting the old role and having Ben Oliver playing the national teams role and Drew Ginn the high performance role working with the states is Drew can then work with the states and make sure we’ve got a very clear overview of the top X number of players, their position in terms of form, physical and mental well-being and everything else that contributes to how they’re going as a player. I’m really looking forward to that coming to fruition too.”

“I don’t think there’s another leader in Australian men’s cricket that could’ve done the job that Tim Paine has done over the last 18 months.”CA chief Kevin Roberts

Following the successful retention of the Ashes, the next major goals for Australian cricket are the women’s and men’s Twenty20 World Cups on home soil in 2020, while balancing a sustained bid to contest the first World Test Championship final in 2021. Roberts was rich in his praise for Langer and the Test captain Tim Paine, declaring that no other figure in Australian cricket could have led the team through the choppy waters of 2018 and into the success of this Ashes tour.”I don’t think there’s another leader in Australian men’s cricket that could’ve done the job that he’s done over the last 18 months,” Roberts said. “I also think he’s only been able to do that job because if you think about his challenges over the years he was almost out of the game for a number of years with a smashed finger. He gained some life experience during that time that’s really set him up to be the leader that he is and without that I’m not sure he could’ve done it the way that he has.”We’ve just been so happy with the way he’s led from the front and there’s no thought of succession planning at this stage. He’s got our support to continue leading from the front the way that he has done so far. We couldn’t be happier with the performance of Justin or Tim in terms of the cultural transformation of the men’s team and what that’s contributed to Australian cricket more broadly.”Most pointedly, the Australians have avoided run-ins with officialdom or opponents since the Newlands scandal, returning a clear rap sheet in terms of ICC code of conduct breaches for more than 18 months. “Look at the commitment they’ve made to make Australians proud, and also the commitment we’ve all made as an organisation,” Roberts said. “We’ve said before it’s a professional sport so the goal will always be to win and we shouldn’t hide from that.”The opposition should always know they’re in a contest when they play against Australian but at the same time the non-negotiable expectation we have of ourselves on and off the field is we compete with respect. And Justin has really led that strongly, a values-driven culture. Tim has complemented Justin brilliantly and led with real courage. They deserve huge credit. There’s been so many milestones in the way the men’s team has performed on the field, but the way they’ve done it as well.”If you look at the code of conduct charges, or the lack thereof, over the Australian summer, no code of conduct charges against the men’s team – first time in many many years and not surprisingly that saw a similar trend right across Australian cricket because of the role models the men are. The women’s team are obviously outstanding ambassadors for the game and for our country as well. It’s brilliant to know I can sleep soundly at night in the knowledge we’ve got a men’s team and a women’s team living the sort of values and behaviours that we aspire to as a sport.”As for the use of the Dukes ball in Sheffield Shield cricket, something that better equipped the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Wade and Michael Neser for their selection on this tour, Roberts indicated that CA should maintain a habit of ensuring players are bred to be versatile. “I think if you ask Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Steven Smith they’d say it’s been tremendously successful, coming into this day Josh and Pat were averaging less than 20 and going for about two and a half runs an over and of course Steve has shot the lights out with the bat,” he said. “In all seriousness we need to keep preparing our players to play in different conditions overseas, whether it be the swinging ball or the spinning ball.”