All posts by h79snht.top

An update has emerged on Leeds United and their pursuit of a new left-back heading into the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Journalist Connor McGilligan has revealed that a German full-back is on Victor Orta’s radar as the Lillywhites chief plots new additions to Jesse Marsch’s team.

Speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, McGilligan said:

“Apparently Leeds United are out there looking at left-back as well in Kai Wagner. I believe he plays for Philadelphia Union.

He went on to add: “But that is just a rumour. A little bit of a very quiet rumour that I’ve been told off air. So yeah, we’ll have to wait and see with that one.

“But it is good that Leeds are focusing in on a left-back as well because I’m a little bit worried I’m not hearing anything on that, apart from a couple of quiet rumours behind closed doors.”

Big Junior Firpo upgrade

Orta can land a big upgrade on the club’s current left-back by sealing a deal to sign the 25-year-old MLS gem in the coming months.

Firpo endured a torrid first season in the Premier League as he struggled throughout the campaign. He averaged a poor SofaScore rating of 6.60 as he played in 24 matches for the Lillywhites, showing that he failed to deliver quality displays on a consistent basis.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-united-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-and-much-more-2″ title=”Read the latest Leeds news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Robin Koch (6.52) was the only senior member of the squad with a lower average rating than the ex-Barcelona man and this illustrates how disappointing he was for Marcelo Bielsa and then Marsch.

In Wagner, however, Leeds can improve their options in that area of the pitch. The German defender has been in sensational form in the MLS this year as he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.36 in 14 outings, showing that he has been able to maintain a high standard in his performances.

He was dubbed “fighter” by ex-Union defender Aurelien Collin and lauded as a “very unique” by Philadelphia Union boss Jim Curtin, which shows how highly he is rated by those within the game.

In 2022, he has made 3.2 tackles and interceptions and created 2.4 chances per game in the MLS. This shows that he can make an impact at both ends of the pitch as he can defend and win the ball back for his team whilst also providing quality in the final third.

Therefore, if he can adapt to English football, he can be a big upgrade on the underperforming Firpo and is a player Marsch would love to work with.

AND in other news, Orta can seal “outstanding” Raphinha replacement with Leeds bid for £72k-p/w “machine”…

Leeds United are ‘one step away’ from signing RB Salzburg right-back Rasmus Kristensen, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Aaronson arrival

The Whites have acted quickly when it comes to bolstering Jesse Marsch’s side ahead of his first season in charge.

Attacking midfielder Brenden Aaronson made the move to Elland Road for a fee in the region of £25m, becoming the club’s first senior midfield addition since 2018.

Another Salzburg star is now on the radar, and it looks as if Marsch is set to reunite with a second player he managed for the Austrian side in Kristensen.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Transfer expert Romano took to Twitter on Thursday morning to provide a big development on Leeds’ pursuit of Kristensen.

He revealed that the Denmark international is ‘one step away from joining Leeds’ with an agreement ‘now close’ and an ‘opening bid around €10m’ set to be accepted.

Previous reports had suggested the bid was closer to £10m, so it is not yet clear which currency that figure is in.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-updates-4/” title=”Latest Leeds United updates!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Perfect

Marsch has got the best out of Kristensen in the past after signing him back in 2019, with the 24-year-old winning back-to-back league and cup doubles under the now Leeds head coach.

Kristensen contributed to 15 goals in 64 games under Marsch and it looks like he’ll come straight into the first-choice XI due to Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas’ respective injuries.

It’s good to see that the club aren’t hanging around, and it doesn’t appear as if Kristensen will be the last, with Victor Orta already plotting more deals further up the pitch.

In other news: Victor Orta now spotted 5.6 miles from stadium of ‘quality’ Leeds target dubbed the ‘new Drogba’. 

Everton have been linked with a move for Manchester United midfielder James Garner this summer and the Englishman could be the Toffees’ own Frank Lampard.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, Everton, Leeds United, Leicester City, Southampton and Nottingham Forest are all monitoring the 21-year-old after his impressive performances on loan in the Championship last season.

The young midfielder, who was spending his second successive season with Nottingham Forest, contributed four goals and eight assists in 41 league appearances for Steve Cooper’s side as they earned promotion back to the top flight via the playoffs.

The Athletic suggest that Erik ten Hag will first assess the young midfielder to see if he could be part of his squad at Old Trafford next season but that a loan move could be on the cards.

Everton’s own Lampard

Goals were a serious problem for the Toffees last season as they nearly swapped places with Forest and Lampard will surely be targeting a midfielder of his own ilk next season if his side are to challenge at the right end of the Premier League table.

Abdoulaye Doucoure’s two goals were the most of any central midfielder at Goodison Park last season, while he also topped the assist charts, with just four.

Garner showed with his performances in the Championship that he can be a threat in the final third and the Premier League seems like the natural next step for him after earning a lot of plaudits in the second tier.

Trevor Sinclair was particularly impressed with the youngster’s ability from set-pieces, as he revealed on talkSPORT:

“James Garner’s deliveries remind me of David Beckham’s.

“He’s got that dip and that whip and it causes so many problems. The pace on the ball, he’s putting it on a sixpence every time.

“The advantage is with the attackers because they know where he’s aiming depending on what signal he puts up.

“It’s an absolutely phenomenal cross that he’s got in the locker.”

Working under Lampard, who is undoubtedly one of the best midfielders to ever do it in the Premier League, would surely be good for all parties involved, and a loan deal would represent a low-risk transfer for the Toffees after some less than successful deals in recent seasons.

Consider his four goals and ten assists this season and it’s clear he can make an impact at the top end of the pitch, something Lampard made a name for throughout his playing career.

Therefore, a move for the £6.3m-rated midfielder would make a lot of sense for Everton this summer, and with the right guidance and coaching, the Toffees could soon have their own version of Lampard on the pitch.

And, in other news… Bernard 2.0: Moshiri heading for transfer disaster deja vu with 5 ft 7 weakling

Crystal Palace are said to be interested in a move for Chelsea starlet Levi Colwill.

What’s the word?

That is according to a report by The Sun, who claim the Eagles like Colwill and see him as a long-term project.

It is said that Everton are keen on the 19-year-old, with Frank Lampard hoping he can add to their backline with a loan move for the starlet.

The competition from Lampard could cause a hurdle for Vieira, with the report claiming that Crystal Palace may not be able to offer the young defender regular first-team football next season.

Gallagher 2.0

Chelsea’s loan policy of late has worked well for the club.

This season has seen the likes of Colwill and Gallagher announce themselves to the footballing world, with some tremendous displays from both youngsters across their different spells.

The former has spent the season on loan at Huddersfield Town, where he has enjoyed regular first-team football in a campaign that has taken the Terriers to the Championship play-off Final.

He’s featured 29 times for Huddersfield this season, starting 57% of games and amassing two goals and one assist along the way. In the process, he has been hailed on a regular basis, particularly by scout Jacek Kulig who called him both “outrageous” and a “huge talent.”

For his first season in professional football, it’s an impressive return for a 19-year-old, so you can understand the level of interest that surrounds him.

The aforementioned Gallagher’s progress in his loan spell at Selhurst Park is a worse kept secret and has seen the 22-year-old flourish in the Premier League, scoring eight goals and assisting three in 34 appearances for Vieira’s side.

Having signed Chelsea youngster Guehi, the Palace boss will greatly understand the potential of Cobham prospects and could move for Colwill in a deal reminiscent of Gallagher’s loan move.

For Palace, Colwill could become a Gallagher 2.0 with the style of this move and, being a natural left-footer, could fit more naturally at left centre-back than the likes of Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen who are both right-footed.

In other news: Forget Zaha: Crystal Palace talent who won 83% duels stole the show vs Man Utd 

As recent as 2015, former West Bromwich Albion attacker Saido Berahino had the world at his feet.

He’d just come off the back of a Premier League campaign with West Brom that saw him bag 14 goals as a promising player in his early 20’s.

The summer of 2015 saw the Baggies turn down multiple offers for what was their star striker at the time, with Spurs placing a reported £25m bid in order to prise him from the clutches of the Baggies.

Naturally, West Brom rejected the offer for their star academy graduate whose goals had helped the Baggies achieve a 13th place finish in England’s top flight the season prior.

Though, this exact moment can be traced back to the ignition of Berahino’s downward spiral.

In the run-up to the August deadline, Tottenham were desperate in their attempts to sign the forward and Berahino made the feelings mutual, with the whole debacle made even worse when he found out that the Baggies had blocked his dream move.

He took to Twitter to state his frustration, saying he would never play for Chairman Jeremy Peace again and consequently went on strike.

This strike lasted for the first half of the season, until Tony Pulis was appointed as manager and tried to reintegrate the forward back into the starting XI.

Though it was a move that did not play out how the Welshman would have expected it to, and as a result, he lost patience with Berahino – whose career was now starting to pass him by.

Pulis sold the striker onto former club Stoke City, who were willing to take a chance on Berahino and splashed a total reported fee of around £15m back in 2017.

It took the forward 35 appearances to grab his first goal in a Stoke shirt and after suffering relegation with the Potters and failing to find form in the Championship, he was released just one month after a conviction for drink driving.

The now 28-year-old is meant to be in the prime of his career and after three attempts to get his career back on track in the form of Belgian top-flight sides Zulte Waregem and RSC Charleroi, along with a season at Sheffield Wednesday, he now finds himself as a free agent, after being released from the latter – despite grabbing nine strikes and four assists.

It’s all gone so wrong for the player who Joe Chapman dubbed “quiet” after he burst onto the scene for West Brom.

And whilst he cost the Baggies nothing, they cashed in at the right time to coup a sweet £15m in total fees for a player who is now worth just £1.35m.

In other news: Bye-bye: Bruce heading for disaster over West Brom’s 43-goal “baller”