Antony has been told that he can leave Manchester United in the January transfer window following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, per a new report.
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United sacked ten Hag this week Antony already told he can leave Ruben Amorim lined up to replace Dutchman Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
United sacked ten Hag earlier this week, with the club currently languishing in 14th in the Premier League table. Reports suggest Ruben Amorim has been targeted as the Dutchman's replacement and talkSPORT now reports that Antony has already been told he can find a new club in January, having managed just five goals since arriving in 2022 for a staggering £85m ($110m).
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United know they have no chance of making anything but a significant loss on Antony, but both his former club Ajax and Fluminense are interested in securing his signature. Antony has a contract that runs until 2027, but the club may be forced to simply accept any bid that comes their way for a player who has scored just one goal in five outings this season.
DID YOU KNOW?
Antony has never scored more than nine goals in a single league campaign, and his highest-scoring campaign at United came in 2022/23, when he netted four times. At Ajax, his most prolific season came in 2020/21, when he scored nine and registered eight assists.
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AFPWHAT NEXT?
United play Leicester in the EFL Cup before taking on Chelsea in the Premier League this weekend. They have made an official move to appoint Sporting CP manager Ruben Amorim as Ten Hag's replacement, having communicated their desire to pay his €10m (£8m/$11m) release clause.
The trouble with surging up the Premier League table is that other teams start to pick off your best talent, and unfortunately for Crystal Palace, that looks to be happening to them this summer.
Oliver Glasner has only been in the job for four months but is already set to lose Michael Olise to German behemoths Bayern Munich, and Tottenham Hotspur are ominously circling above Eberechi Eze.
Crystal Palace star Michael Olise.
However, with the club now looking like a great environment to play football, attracting exciting players should be a lot easier, and one of the stars touted for a move to Selhurst Park could be the ideal Olise replacement.
Crystal Palace transfer news
A report last month from journalist Bobby Manzi revealed that Palace were interested in Norwich City's Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara following his magnificent form in the second tier, which was then corroborated by the BBC a couple of weeks later.
Norwich midfielder Gabriel Sara.
The good news for the Eagles is that Manzi's initial report claimed that the Canaries would be tempted by offers in excess of £20m.
However, the bad news is that more recent reports from this week suggest that Serie A giants AS Roma are now keen to bring the player to Italy in the coming weeks.
It could be a complicated deal to get over the line, but Sara looks like an exceptionally talented player, and if Steve Parish and Co can get ahead of the Giallorossi, then they absolutely should, as he could be the ideal Olise replacement.
Why Sara would be a great Olise replacement
Unfortunately for Palace, it's unlikely that they will be able to find a like-for-like replacement for Olise in the market this summer simply because the Frenchman is such an exceptional player.
However, Sara certainly seems to be someone who could provide Glasner with some of the attacking impetus he'll lose following the former Reading man's departure.
For example, in his 53 appearances for Norwich last season, he scored 14 goals and provided 13 assists, meaning he maintained an impressive average of a goal involvement every 1.9 games. In comparison, the South Londoner's star attacker scored ten goals and provided six assists in 19 games, equating to a staggering average of a goal involvement every 1.1 games.
Now, the Hammersmth-born gem's numbers are more impressive. However, it should be noted that the Brazilian started 15 games in defensive midfield and still managed to provide a goal contribution more than once every other game, suggesting he could become a potent force under the tutelage of the progressive Glasner.
None-Penalty Goals
0.29
Top 2%
Expected Assists
0.26
Top 2%
Shot-Creating Actions
4.96
Top 2%
Non-Penalty Expected Goals + Assists
0.40
Top 3%
Assists
0.26
Top 4%
Total Shots
2.22
Top 6%
Moreover, according to FBref, which compares players in a similar position across the next best 14 competitions, the "outstanding" 25-year-old, as dubbed by former manager David Wagner, sits in the top 2% of midfielders for non-penalty goals, expected assists and shot-creating actions, the top 3% for non-penalty expected goals and assists, the top 4% for assists and the top 6% for total shots, all per 90.
Ultimately, while Olise will be near enough impossible to replace in a single player, Sara looks like he'd at least be able to help replace some of the Frenchman's output, and under Glasner, who knows how good he could become?
Palace can repeat Wharton masterclass by signing £20m "wonderkid"
The promising talent could develop in the same way as the Palace star.
Chelsea goalkeeper Hannah Hampton was surprisingly left out of the starting lineup in the Blues' Champions League clash against Real Madrid.
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Hampton benched against Real Madrid
Bompastor explains omission
Chelsea beat Real 3-2
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The English goalkeeper failed to make it to Sonia Bompastor's starting lineup as Chelsea faced Real Madrid in their 2024-25 Women's Champions League opener on Tuesday. In a closely fought game, the reigning Women's Super League champions edged out the Spanish giants 3-2 to begin their journey in the competition on a winning note.
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Hampton started the new season on a positive note and had performed exceptionally well in the Blues' Women's Super League opener last month as they breezed past Aston Villa 1-0. Therefore, fans were left bemused when she was dropped from the lineup, however, Bompastor has now revealed the real reason why the England international was left out on the bench.
WHAT SONIA BOMPASTOR SAID
Speaking to the club's website after the game, the Blues boss said, "Hannah felt unwell just before they went out. She’s now feeling better, she recovered. It was a situation that happened right before we went out and we had to manage that. Zecira was ready. We have two really good goalkeepers and she was ready to play."
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WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?
The West London club will be back in the WSL on Saturday as they take on rivals Arsenal in a crunch encounter.
England Test batsman Zak Crawley hammered an imperious 94-ball century to help Kent to a comfortable seven-wicket Bob Willis Trophy win over Hampshire in Canterbury.Crawley, who stroked 18 boundaries during his 146-minute stay, joined forces with Marcus O’Riordan (52 not out) – his former Tonbridge School team-mate – to mark their maiden first-class partnership with a match-winning second-wicket stand worth 157 as Kent cantered home with a day and 21 overs to spare.Crawley, who suffered an eight-ball duck in the first innings here, reached three figures for only the fifth time in domestic first-class cricket with a rasping pulled four against seamer Ajeet Dale.With the hosts needing only 16 for victory, Crawley blotted his copybook by missing an ambitious sweep against leg-spinner Mason Crane to depart leg before for 105.Jack Leaning was bowled by Dale for a duck during the final throes, but O’Riordan, diligent to the end, saw the job through with an unbeaten 52, reaching his maiden first-class fifty from 121 balls and with six fours.Kent had made a miserable start to their successful pursuit when acting captain Daniel Bell-Drummond became a first-over casualty, bowled for seven after allowing the ball from Ian Holland to spin back onto his stumps and dislodge the off bail.But O’Riordan, playing as Kent’s makeshift opening bat due to Jordan Cox’s issues with stomach cramps, combined with Crawley to add 50 inside 66 minutes.On his competition debut, Crawley should have gone for 35 but saw his lofted, bottom-handed on-drive against Tom Scriven dropped by Dale at wide mid-on and, much to Scriven’s annoyance, parried to the ropes for four.The tall right-hander celebrated the let-off by cracking three more quick-fire boundaries off Scriven to reach a 44-ball 50 with 10 fours.The pair took their run-a-minute stand into three figures inside 24 overs, by which time the classy Crawley was virtually playing see-ball, hit ball.Despite dropping six cordon catches in the opening two days of the game, Kent polished off their win soon after tea to secure their third Willis Trophy victory in five starts. Their only defeat coming in the opening round away to Essex, who had secured their south group title with a nine-wicket triumph over Middlesex at Chelmsford earlier in the day.Hampshire had started day three on their overnight total of 108 for five – for an overall lead in the match of 129 runs – yet failed to bat out the morning session despite a three-hour career-best vigil worth 68 by Scriven.They added only two before Lewis McManus steered Harry Podmore’s lifting leg-cutter to third slip without adding to his 95-ball half-century.Scriven, the 21-year-old all-rounder making his second Willis Trophy appearance, reached his maiden first-class 50 from 96 balls and with nine fours with a rasping square drive against Grant Stewart who, somewhat unusually, opened the bowling ahead of Kent’s leading wicket-taker Darren Stevens.Podmore bagged his first five-wicket return of the campaign in his next over by enticing debutant Scott Currie to follow an away-swinger and edge low to slip.Stevens replaced Stewart at The Nackington Road End after 40 minutes’ play and, as if to make a point to acting skipper Bell-Drummond, struck with his fifth ball by removing Crane after a sliced drive to gully.With Matt Milnes unable to bowl and off the field with a stiff back, Stewart was switched to the Pavilion End to replace Podmore but, despite beating the bat on numerous occasions struggled to find an edge.Kent’s relentless pressure paid dividends, however, when Scriven dragged an attempted straight drive against Stevens straight into the hands of Podmore at mid-on.Stewart finally got his deserved wicket and denied Stevens another five-wicket return when last man Dale edged an attempted push drive through to the keeper.Podmore closed with season’s best figures of 5 for 43 and Stevens returned 4 for 35 and match figures of 9 for 72.
O empenho de Daniel Alves por incluir uma medalha de ouro na sua vasta lista de títulos foi norteado por uma missão dupla. Além de se sobressair como lateral-direito da Seleção Brasileira nos Jogos de Tóquio, o jogador de 38 anos foi um pilar para que a promissora geração comandada por André Jardine se aprumasse rumo ao título.
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Sua chegada à Olimpíada aconteceu por linhas tortas. Inicialmente chamado por Tite para a disputa da Copa América, o lateral não disputou o torneio com a Seleção principal devido a uma lesão no joelho direito. Semanas depois, Jardine o anunciou entre a lista de “veteranos” do grupo que iria para o Japão.
O jogador de 38 anos foi crucial para deixar os seus companheiros mais centrados e, em especial, não se deixarem levar pela ansiedade em uma campanha que se mostrou desafiadora.
– Todos os momentos que ele passa com a gente são fundamentais. A experiência que ele passa é importante, fico feliz e honrado de dividir este momento da briga pelo título com ele – afirmou o meia Claudinho, na última entrevista coletiva antes do duelo com a Espanha.
O camisa 13 já mostradas que não fugiria da sua responsabilidade, tanto de liderar a equipe quanto de momentos cruciais. Além de se apresentar para investidas jogo a jogo, na semifinal ele já havia convertido o primeiro pênalti da série contra o México.
O lateral também havia alertado a maneira como o Brasil teria de se comportar contra os espanhóis.
-Será um dia especial, temos que desfrutar, não é todo dia que chegamos numa final de Olimpíada. Cada um fará o seu para conquistar o sonho da medalha de ouro – disse.
O Estádio Yokohama International trouxe sua forma de “desfrutar” este clássico. Após o início no qual o Brasil suou para furar a marcação adversária, o primeiro gol canarinho passou por sua perseverança. Após o cruzamento de Claudinho, Daniel Alves lutou até o fim e jogou a bola para o meio da área. Matheus Cunha achou espaço e abriu o placar.
Na volta do intervalo, as oscilações defensivas da equipe brasileira refletiram também pelo lado do lateral. Com a Espanha impetuosa especialmente pelas pontas, Daniel Alves não chegou a tempo de evitar a conclusão deOyarzabal.
Após travar disputas acirradas por seu lado e contar com a ajuda de Antony para fechar os espaços, o veterano viu o camisa 11 lançar e Malcom, na medida, garantir o ouro do Brasil.
Com a sensação de quem deixa de lado o estigma da idade avançada (“Não me considero uma pessoa velha, por mais que queiram me retirar”, disse dias antes da decisão), o lateralcomprovou que o Brasil podia contar com sua luta e seu espírito de liderança para se firmar nesta Olimpíada.
-Sabíamos que a luta ia ser muito difícil, mas que ia valer a pena. É um momento indescritível, que temos que desfrutar. Temos que comemorar essa honra de colocar uma medalha no peito – declarou.
Todd Boehly is likely to have to pay an "enormous" amount of money to buy out Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali amid a rift at the top of the club.
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Chelsea owners want to buy each other outClearlake duo Boehly & Eghbali in reported riftWill take 'enormous' sum to buy one another outWHAT HAPPENED?
A Boehly-led consortium completed a £4.25 billion ($5.57m) takeover of Chelsea in May 2022, but he is a minority investor with a 12.8 per cent stake in the club. Eghbali, who is the co-founder of private equity firm Clearlake Capital, is said to have a 61.5 per cent share in the Blues; with the two locked in a dispute over the direction of the Premier League side. Now, a financial expert believes the co-owners would have to pay between £2-3bn ($2.6-3.9bn) to buy the other out.
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Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider: “We will have to see where it goes. Clearly, Clearlake have got the dominant position in terms of having 61 per cent of the shares. Then you have got three individuals who have got 13 per cent each. If they talk as one as a 39-per-cent block, then clearly they have got quite a lot more power. But it’s not a foregone conclusion how this pans out. The sums that are required are still enormous, assuming that the valuation is broadly what they paid or a little bit more. These parties could need £2-3bn to get rid of the other. It’s not that easy to raise those kinds of numbers for a club that is currently losing £200m a year at the operating level. I would say that Clearlake given the dominant position they have on the board in terms of 61 per cent of the shareholding and the number of seats that they have are in the driving seat. But it’s not a foregone conclusion how it ends.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Boehly has been mischaracterised as the main figurehead at Chelsea but the co-owner of the LA Dodgers baseball team owns the same amount as fellow billionaires Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss – limiting his power at the Blues. While he wants to run the ship, Clearlake are reportedly aiming to increase their stake, rather than selling it. A big power struggle appears to be coming to the fore at Stamford Bridge.
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While these internal board struggles continue, Chelsea travel to London rivals West Ham next weekend after beating Bournemouth 1-0 on Saturday. That result lifted Enzo Maresca's men to seventh in the table after four matches of the Premier League season.
No estádio Barradão, em Salvador, em partida válida pela 11ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro da Série B, o Vitória aproveitou as duas chances que teve na primeira etapa e abriu dois a zero, mas não conseguiu aproveitar as chances para ampliar o marcador e cedeu o empate para o Sampaio Corrêa nos acréscimos. Placar final: 2 a 2. Os gols do Leão foram marcados por Dinei e David. A Bolívia Querida foi à luta e conseguiu com Ciel duas vezes igualar o placar.
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Mesmo com o resultado de empate, o Vitória saiu da zona de rebaixamento, subiu para a 16ª colocação e agora soma 09 pontos. O Sampaio Corrêa permanece no 3º lugar e está com 19 pontos.
CALENDÁRIO Na próxima rodada, o Sampaio Corrêa recebe o Coritiba, no Castelão, em São Luís, dia 16 de julho, às 21h30. No dia seguinte, o Vitória visita o time do Brasil de Pelotas, no Bento Freitas, às 11h.
O jogo PRIMEIRO TEMPO
SAMPAIO CORRÊA ERA NO COMEÇO DO JOGO E TOMA O GOL Os times ainda se estudavam quando aos 6 minutos a defesa do Sampaio Corrêa vacilou e acabou proporcionando ao Vitória a oportunidade do gol. Após lançamento, o goleiro Mota, da Bolívia Querida, atropelou David dentro da área e o árbitro não teve dúvida e marcou a penalidade máxima. Dinei bateu e fez: 1 a 0 Vitória.
SAMPAIO PRESSIONA, MAS O VITÓRIA NÃO PERMITE QUE CHANCES CLARAS SEJAM CRIADAS Mesmo com a vantagem no placar e jogando em casa, o Vitória mostrou dificuldade para se impor na partida e mais ainda para ficar com a bola. O Sampaio Corrêa até era superior e buscou mais o gol, mas não conseguiu transformar esse domínio em oportunidades claras para empatar o jogo.
VITÓRIA APROVEITA NOVO ERRO DA DEFESA DO SAMPAIO E AMPLIA O PLACAR Como o Vitória tinha dificuldade no ataque, só mesmo uma bobeira da defesa do Sampaio Corrêa para o Leão voltar a ter uma chance para marcar. E isso aconteceu! A zaga do time maranhense dormiu, David avançou em velocidade e finalizou bem para ampliar: 2 a 0.
SEGUNDO TEMPO
DEFESA DO SAMPAIO CONTINUA VACILANDO, MAS ATAQUE DO VITÓRIA NÃO APROVEITA O cenário da etapa inicial continuou se repetindo no segundo tempo. A defesa do Sampaio Corrêa permaneceu vacilando e proporcionando chance para o Vitória ampliar ainda mais a vantagem. Mas Bruno Oliveira e David não aproveitaram as oportunidades.
QUEM NÃO FAZ, TOMA! Como o Vitória não aproveitou, o Sampaio Corrêa foi em busca de diminuir o prejuízo e obteve êxito. Após receber passe, Ciel acabou sendo derrubado dentro da área e árbitro marcou a penalidade. O próprio Ciel bateu e fez o gol para a Bolívia Querida: 1 a 2.
VITÓRIA SE FECHA NA DEFESA, MAS CEDE O EMPATE NOS ACRÉSCIMOS Com o jogo indo para o seu final, o Vitória se fechou na defesa para segurar o resultado. Mas o Sampaio Corrêa foi para o abafa no fim do jogo e já nos acréscimos conseguiu achar o gol de empate. Aos 47 minutos, em cobrança de falta, Ciel soltou uma bomba e conseguiu igualar o placar no apagar das luzes: 2 a 2.
VITÓRIA 2 x 2 SAMPAIO CORRÊA – CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO SÉRIE B – 11ª RODADA Estádio: Barradão, em Salvador (BA) Data: 13 de julho de 2021, às 21h30 (de Brasília) Árbitro: Rodrigo José Pereira de Lima (PE) Assistentes: Ricardo Bezerra Chianca (PE) e Francisco Xavier Bezerra Júnior (PE) Cartões amarelos: Thalisson Kelven, Wallace Reis, Marcelo Alves, João Pedro, Gabriel Bispo e Dinei (VIT), Mota, Ferreira e Pimentinha (SAM) Cartões vermelhos: GOLS: Dinei, 08’/1ºT (VIT), David, 30’/1ºT (VIT), Ciel, aos 17′ e 47’/2ºT (SAM).
VITÓRIA (Técnico: Ramon Menezes) Ronaldo; Cedric, Thalisson Kelven, Wallace Reis (Marcelo Alves, aos 09’/2ºT) e Pedrinho; João Pedro (Eduardo, aos 34’/2ºT), Gabriel Bispo, Fernando Neto e Bruno Oliveira (Soares, aos 19’/2ºT); David (Roberto, aos 34’/2ºT) e Dinei (Eron, aos 34’/2ºT).
SAMPAIO CORRÊA (Técnico: Felipe Surian) Mota; Luis Gustavo (Watson, aos 29’/2ºT), Paulo Sérgio, Nilson Júnior e Zé Mário (Felipinho, aos 29’/2ºT); Ferreira (Jefinho, aos 41’/2ºT), Mauro Silva e Eloir (Romarinho, aos 17’/1ºT); Pimentinha, Ciel e Jean Silva (Roney, aos 29’/2ºT).
Sporting director Edu and the Arsenal board are ready to green-light three senior players' exits this summer in an effort to fund the major signing of a £100 million star.
Arsenal draw up plans to sign striker, midfielder and winger
The north Londoners are preparing for what will be another crucial summer window, regardless of whether or not they pip Man City to the Premier League title.
Clubs fear £51m striker is certain to join Arteta with Arsenal impressed
The Gunners also think he’s affordable.
ByEmilio Galantini May 2, 2024
Arsenal have scored more goals and conceded the fewest of any other side in the top flight, but City are usually near-unstoppable at this point of the season and currently hold all the cards with a game in hand on Mikel Arteta's side – who currently top the league by one point.
Following what has been an excellent campaign in terms of form, it will be a real disappointment if Arsenal miss out on the title again after also coming close last season. However, if that is to be the case, Edu and co will soon have an opportunity to shore up the squad and come back stronger next campaign.
The Brazilian and Arsenal chiefs are thought to be eyeing a new striker, midfielder and potentially another winger – according to reliable journalist Charles Watts.
"It's no great secret that Arsenal want to sign a striker this summer. When the window opens it will be the priority, along with a midfielder and potentially another wide attacker," Watts said to CaughtOffside recently.
Arsenal's top scorers in all competitions this season
Goals
Bukayo Saka
19
Leandro Trossard
15
Kai Havertz
13
Martin Odegaard
11
Gabriel Jesus
8
"It will be interesting to see whether they move for Victor Osimhen. He, like Toney, is a player they like and I know that his representatives have visited Arsenal's training ground for talks with Edu. Those talks took place in the summer when Arsenal eventually signed Gabriel Jesus. Jesus was always the priority that year, but Osimhen was definitely a player they viewed as a serious alternative.
"That interest will remain, but the Nigerian could prove to be too costly an option in a summer given Arsenal want to spread their budget around as they look to take the squad to the next level."
In terms of the midfield players attracting Arsenal interest, one big name who's been repeatedly linked is Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes.
The Magpies midfielder has continued to star under Eddie Howe this season, leading to big clubs targeting a summer move for him, but sides will have a limited time to pay the £100 million release clause in his contract – which is only valid from the last week of May to the beginning of the last week of June (Fabrizio Romano).
Arsenal are considering a summer bid for Guimaraes alongside Man City, and a new report has shed light on how they plan to move for him.
Edu ready to sanction triple Arsenal exit to afford Guimaraes deal
According to Football Insider, Arsenal are ready to offload Reiss Nelson, Emile Smith Rowe and Eddie Nketiah to fund a move for Guimaraes this summer – as all three don't feature in Arteta's long-term plans.
All three are also homegrown and will count as pure profit, as Arsenal look to try and afford a move for Guimaraes without sailing too close to the wind in terms of potentially breaching Profit and Sustainability rules.
It's added that the Gunners face a race against time to raise the funds needed to sign the £160,000-per-week Guimaraes, due to his release clause only being valid until the end of next month.
Leeds United are no strangers to a transfer flop and their recent squad that was relegated from the Premier League last season was littered with them.
The likes of Brenden Aaronson, Rasus Kristensen, Weston McKennie, and Marc Roca came through the door during the 2022/23 campaign but failed to do enough to keep the team in the top-flight.
Former Whites sporting director Victor Orta did not make enough successful additions to bolster Jesse Marsch's squad to help the American coach avoid the sack, despite breaking the club's transfer record during the January window.
Former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch.
Leeds smashed their record to land Hoffenheim youngster Georginio Rutter for a staggering fee of £35.5m in an attempt to fire the side to safety during the second half of the season.
However, there have been signings made by the Whites in the past that have been more expensive relative to the time they were made, when you adjust for the inflation of transfer fees in football over the years, including Robbie Keane – who the club had a howler with.
The Ireland international, unfortunately, did not turn out to be as successful as Rutter has turned out to be, even after an underwhelming start from the Frenchman.
Georginio Rutter's Leeds career so far
After arriving for a club-record £35.5m, the Bundesliga starlet failed to hit the ground running in the Premier League and played under three managers in five months; Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce.
The young gem failed to score a single goal and registered one assist in 11 top-flight appearances for the Whites, which included one start, as Leeds were relegated down to the Championship.
Orta and the club may have expected a bigger impact from their record signing to help the team to avoid the drop from the Premier League, but the relegation has provided Rutter with an opportunity to shine in the second tier.
The 21-year-old magician has plundered six goals and created 15 for his teammates in 37 league appearances for the Yorkshire-based outfit during the 2023/24 campaign.
Rutter has only scored six goals from an xG (Expected Goals) of 11.37 in the Championship, and this suggests that the forward needs to work on his finishing as he has not made the most of the opportunities his fellow attackers have created for him.
Assists
15
1st
Expected Assists
10.06
1st
Big chances created
22
1st
Key passes per game
2.2
2nd
Dribbles completed per game
2.8
1st
As you can see in the table below, the talented whiz, however, has not had many issues when it comes to creating chances for his teammates in the final third.
He has been the outstanding creative threat for Daniel Farke at the top end of the pitch with his ability to split open opposition defences to create high-quality opportunities on a regular basis.
Rutter has five assists in his last six Championship appearances for Leeds at the time of writing (22/03/2024), which shows that the former Hoffenheim wizard has been on fire in recent weeks as the Whites challenge to secure automatic promotion to the Premier League.
His impressive performances in attack this season suggest that he is well on his way to being a success at Elland Road, which was, unfortunately, not the case for Keane in Yorkshire.
How much Leeds paid to sign Robbie Keane in 2024 money
Former Leeds manager David O'Leary swooped to sign the Irish centre-forward on loan from Italian giants Inter in January 2001 before making the move permanent in the summer of that year.
Per Totally Money, the club paid £16.2m in total to land the attacker and, per their index, that would be worth a staggering £36.58m in today's (2024) money. This means that Keane was worth more than Rutter at the time of their respective arrivals relative to the time that they were signed.
Robbie Keane
The attacker had only scored three goals in 15 matches for Inter after his move from Coventry City, where he had plundered 12 goals in 31 Premier League games.
Keane hit the ground running at Elland Road during his loan spell from the Italian giants, with a return of eight goals and one assist in 18 top-flight outings, and zero in two FA Cup clashes, in the second half of the 2000/01 campaign.
His impressive goalscoring record during his time on loan made the big-money permanent deal look sensible at the time. Unfortunately, it did not turn out to be a good use of funds by O'Leary and the club, as they had a howler with the Elland Road flop.
Robbie Keane's struggles at Leeds
The Ireland international scored nine goals in 33 appearances in all competitions for the Whites throughout the 2001/02 campaign, as he only scored one more goal in 13 more outings than he did for Leeds during the second half of the previous season.
Three of his nine goals also came in a 6-0 thumping of Leicester City in the League Cup, and another three of his strikes came in six UEFA Cup games.
This meant that only three of his goals came in the Premier League as the forward managed three goals and one assist in 25 top-flight appearances for O'Leary.
Robbie Keane
A return of just three league goals for Keane in the 2001/02 season shows that he was a flop in front of goal after being signed for a whopping £36.58m in 2024 money, as he scored less than half as many Premier League goals that term as he did in his five-month loan spell in Yorkshire.
Terry Venables then arrived as the new Leeds manager in the summer of 2002 and left the striker on the bench for the first two games of the season, which – along with some convincing from Glen Hoddle – led to a £7m transfer to Tottenham Hotspur that year.
Keane, therefore, spent just one season and only scored three Premier League goals in his time at the club on a permanent basis, which shows that the club had a big howler with his signing – given the relative money spent on him in 2001.
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The centre-forward went on to score over 100 goals for both Spurs and MLS giants LA Galaxy respectively later in his career, which shows that the Leeds flop did go on to achieve success in front of goal in his career after his struggles in Yorkshire.
Celtic could drop down to second in the Scottish Premiership table this week if their closest rivals win their game in hand on Wednesday night.
The Hoops could have gone four points clear at the top of the division with a win against Rangers on Sunday but failed to make the most of their leads during the match.
Brendan Rodgers' side were 2-0 and 3-2 up at points throughout the game and allowed the hosts to get back into the clash on both occasions at Ibrox.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers looks on.
The Scottish giants are still fighting to end the season with silverware to show for their efforts, having already been knocked out of Europe and the SFA Cup, and the Premiership title looks set to go down to the wire.
One player who will be particularly keen to secure a trophy or two before the summer is veteran goalkeeper Joe Hart, who has confirmed that he will be retiring from professional football when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Celtic's interest in international goalkeeper
The Hoops will need to dip into the market to replace the former England international shot-stopper ahead of the 2024/25 season, and they are reportedly keen on a Turkey international.
According to Turkish outlet Kontraspor, Celtic are interested in a deal to sign Trabzonspor number one Ugurcan Cakir to replace Hart this summer.
The report claims that the Bhoys have requested permission from the Super Lig side to negotiate a possible transfer for the experienced titan.
Ugurcan Cakir
It states that Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson has invited the player's agents and lawyers to Glasgow to discuss a move ahead of the upcoming transfer window, whilst Rodgers is said to have requested a meeting with Cakir via a Zoom call – seemingly to convince him to make the switch to Scotland.
Konstraspor add that Celtic are prepared to pay as much as £7.5m to sign the talented colossus this summer, but the Turkish side are currently looking for €15m (£12.8m) to allow their star to depart.
His current contract with Trabzonspor does not expire until the summer of 2027, and this means that they are not under any pressure to cash in on the 28-year-old giant, as his deal is not close to running down at this moment in time.
Therefore, it looks like the Hoops will need to negotiate with the Turkish outfit and attempt to either drive the price down or add incentives, via add-ons and clauses, to get a deal over the line for a reasonable price.
If Celtic can secure a swoop for the Turkey international, however, then Rodgers could land an upgrade on the retiring Hart ahead of next season.
Joe Hart's season in numbers
The 36-year-old ace, who turns 37 later this month, has been a solid, if unspectacular, performer between the sticks for the Scottish giants this season.
22/23 Premiership
Joe Hart
Appearances
37
Penalties saved
0/7
Save success rate
65%
Errors leading to shots
4
Ground duel success rate
50%
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, Hart ended a difficult 202/23 campaign in the Premiership under Ange Postecoglou, with a whopping four errors that directly led to shots for the opposition.
This term, however, the English veteran has only made one error in 31 league appearances and has improved his save success rate to 67%, which means that he has kept a higher percentage of the efforts on his goal.
The former Manchester City star has, though, let himself down in ground duels as opposition forwards have beaten him in 60% of his contests on the deck.
Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Hart also struggled in the group stages of the Champions League earlier this season. He ranks within the bottom 22% of goalkeepers in the competition for percentage of crosses stopped (1.2%), and the bottom 1% for average distance of defensive actions (5.9 yards).
This shows that the experienced stopper is hesistant to come off his line to deal with crosses or balls in behind his defence to alleviate pressure off the backline.
Celtic could now land an upgrade on the Englishman by securing a deal for Cakir, whether that is by convincing Trabzonspor to lower their asking price or by Rodgers convincing the goalkeeper – in the proposed Zoom call – to push for the transfer to be completed.
Why Ugurcan Cakir would be an upgrade on Joe Hart
The impressive titan, who only turned 28 earlier this month and is almost nine years younger than Hart, has been in fine form so far this season in Turkey.
He has saved 68% of the shots on his goal across 28 Super Lig appearances for Trabzonspor, and prevented 0.23 xG. This shows that he has been a fantastic shot-stopper and has not been a liability between the sticks.
23/24 league season
Ugurcan Cakir
Joe Hart
Appearrances
28
31
Save success rate
68%
67%
Errors leading to shots
0
1
Ground duel success rate
80%
40%
Ball recoveries per game
7.8
7.6
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, they have performed to a similar level in terms of their shot-stopping quality but the Turkish star has been significantly better in ground duels and has not made a single error leading to a shot or goal for the opposition.
In fact, Cakir has only made two errors leading to shots since the start of the 2021/22 campaign, which shows how reliable he has been in goal for Trabzonspor in comparison to Hart – who has made five since the start of last term.
The 28-year-old titan could also be an upgrade on the current Celtic number one in terms of his ability to come off his line to deal with danger.
In the 2022/23 Europa League campaign, Cakir collected 4.3% of the crosses into his box – in comparison to Hart's 1.2% in the Champions League this season – and his average distance of 10.0 yards per defensive action was also higher than the Hoops man's 5.9 yards this year in Europe.
This suggests that the £12.8m-rated star could provide more quality when it comes to commanding his box and coming out to act as a sweeper, rather than being rooted to his line.
Overall, Cakir's quality as both a shot-stopper and a dominant figure in the box suggests that he could come in as an upgrade on Hart, which is why Celtic must push to get this move done in the summer.