Leeds United
‘The situation has changed’: €20m Leeds target says he is ready to listen to offers
Orkun Kokcu has insisted that he is ready to listen to offers in the summer. The 20-year-old midfielder penned a new deal in January, and he has a contract with Feyenoord with 2025. However, the Dutch club are struggling financially. Kokcu understands the situation and says that he is ready to listen to good offers if Feyenoord can make money from his sale. “I still have a contract until 2025, but the situation has changed,” the midfielder said. “Feyenoord have been very open about the financial situation, and it is clear that the club is ending up in the minus,” he said. “If a club comes to me with a good story and Feyenoord can make money from it, I can imagine that I will listen to it.” Leeds are reportedly interested in signing the young midfielder, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side could...
Gareth Southgate names 26-man squad for World Cup qualifiers
The latest England squad has been released ahead of the upcoming international break. The Three Lions are set to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the closing days of March. They begin by welcoming San Marino to Wembley before a trip to Albania. Finally, they’ll face Poland at home. Several players miss out on the squad through injury. Leicester City duo James Maddison and Harvey Barnes have been sidelined in recent weeks, while wingers Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish are also unavailable. Regular number one Jordan Pickford misses out after being substituted early against Burnley, while Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez remain long-term absentees. Jesse Lingard has earned a recall to the England setup following an impressive loan spell at West Ham United. John ...
‘Shame’, ‘Absolute joke’: Some Leeds fans react after England squad announced
The latest England squad has been announced for the upcoming World Cup qualifying games. Leeds United fans are absolutely furious with Gareth Southgate’s decision to leave out Patrick Bamford for their upcoming games. The Three Lions are set to begin their qualifying campaign for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the closing days of March. They will face San Marino first at Wembley before a trip to Albania. Finally, they’ll play Poland at home. David Anderson of The Mirror claimed yesterday that Southgate was considering giving Bamford his senior national team debut. Luke Ayling was also in line for a call-up, with Anderson claiming that Southgate is impressed by the right-back. However, apart from Kalvin Phillips, who retains his place, neither Bamford nor Ayling managed to find th...
Gabriel Agbonlahor urges Leeds United to sign ‘reliable’ defender with 209 PL appearances
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, Gabriel Agbonlahor has said that Leeds United should consider a move for Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt. Van Aanholt has been with the Eagles for the past four years, where he has accumulated 130 appearances across all competitions. His current deal expires at the end of June, and it appears that he could leave on a free transfer with Leeds and Arsenal interested in signing him. In an interview with Football Insider, Agbonlahor said that Van Aanholt would be a ‘great signing’ for a team outside of the top six in the Premier League. He said: “He’s played a lot of Premier League games. He’s Mr Reliable, and he’s very good going forward. “I think that would be a great signing, and it’s something that Leeds should pursue. “Any club in...
‘I’ve been told’: Leeds fans will love what Sky Sports journalist has just tweeted about 27-year-old
Sky Sports journalist Rob Dorsett has claimed on Twitter that Patrick Bamford is in Gareth Southgate’s thinking for England national team call-up. Southgate will announce his squad for England’s World Cup qualifiers tomorrow, and Bamford could get his first senior call-up. Patrick Bamford is in Gareth Southgate’s thinking for a first #England call up when he announces the squad tomorrow, I’ve been told. Bielsa has confirmed this lunchtime he is fit to face Fulham on Friday night. #lufc — Rob Dorsett (@RobDorsettSky) March 17, 2021 Earlier today, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that the 27-year-old striker is fit to face Fulham on Friday night. Bamford limped off during the first half against Chelsea in the last match, but he is fit for the trip to Craven Cottage. The Argentine boss...
Leeds told £20m star to prove them wrong…and he is now sparkling at Everton
Ben Godfrey has impressed heavily in his first season at Everton. The Toffees spent £20 million to sign Godfrey from Norwich City during the summer transfer window. The 23-year-old has made 21 appearances in the league this season, and the defender has impressed heavily, earning rave reviews from Carlo Ancelotti and other pundits. The Everton official website shared a brilliant interview with Godfrey earlier today. Like most young players, he has had ups and downs during his formative years. But there is something we found interesting. Godfrey was on the books at Middlesbrough, but after two years – while he was in school – the club decided to let him go. York’s The Press newspaper described then 13-year-old Godfrey as “… captain and a leader passionate about the team…...
‘Thinking seriously’: Phil Hay makes claim about Leeds summer transfer plans
Leeds United have done remarkably well this season, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side still in with a chance of finishing in the top half of the Premier League table. While it’s still unclear whether Bielsa will continue at the club (although the Argentine has recently stated that he would love to do so) beyond the end of the campaign, it seems Leeds have already started planning for the summer transfer window. Phil Hay has claimed that one of the priorities for Leeds this summer is to sign a midfielder who would be a like-for-like cover for Kalvin Phillips. Note, they want cover, not a replacement. He writes for The Athletic that Leeds are “thinking seriously” about recruiting cover for the England international. The reason being Bielsa currently doesn’t have anyone who is “quite the perfect mat...
Tony Cascarino makes bold claim about Leeds man who is getting better ‘with every passing week’
Popular football pundit Tony Cascarino has suggested that Illan Meslier has the ability to become the first-choice goalkeeper for the France national team. The 21-year-old cemented his position in Leeds towards the end of last season when they were in the Championship. He has faced criticism this season, as Leeds have struggled to protect him with a steady backline with injuries to key players at various points. Despite this, Meslier has shown great presence, leadership and command in the box. He has kept nine clean sheets in 27 games for the club. Marcelo Bielsa has defended the youngster whenever he was criticised heavily by the press. After his mistakes against Arsenal, Bielsa protected him by drawing reference to Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker who has made some uncharacterist...
‘Christ, here come the injuries’: Some Leeds fans react to official tweet about ‘magnificent’ player
Leeds United defender Diego Llorente has been named in Luis Enrique’s Spain squad for their upcoming games against Greece, Georgia and Kosovo. Llorente picked up a muscle injury whilst on international duty back in October and it took him till December to regain full fitness. The 27-year-old got injured once again in the 3-1 defeat against Chelsea and didn’t return till Boxing Day. Unfortunately, he got injured yet again and only returned in February. Since then he has been playing regularly for the Whites. The Leeds defender has played a full 90 minutes in their last four games, including Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Chelsea. Many Leeds fans are hoping that he doesn’t pick up another injury again. He has been brilliant in recent games, and Leeds need him to play till the end of the seaso...
‘We don’t need to sell’: Former Leeds star misses the point about in-demand winger
Rarely a day goes by in football without at least one pundit spouting some nonsense or other. Former Leeds forward Noel Whelan is the latest ‘expert’ to join the list with his comments to Football Insider about Raphinha. The 24-year-old has been linked with Manchester United and Liverpool in recent weeks, but Whelan has claimed he will not be sold. “They don’t need to do anything – he’s under contract for four years,” he said. “All he needs to do is just keep playing his game. What Leeds United need to do is stay strong. It’s what they will do because they’re building their team around these sort of players. “They’re not for sale, that’s just the way it is. We’re not a Brentford, we don’t need to sell. The club’s in a really healthy state. “We own the football club again, we own the stadiu...
Leeds United join Arsenal in race to sign Dutchman with 12 international caps
Leeds United are likely to compete with Arsenal for the signature of Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt this summer, The Mirror reports. The Netherlands international has been with the Eagles since 2017 and he has accumulated 130 appearances for the club across all competitions. He was the subject of interest from the Gunners during the backend of the January transfer window as they were eyeing a back-up option for left-back Kieran Tierney. However, a deal never materialised and it appears that the Dutchman could leave the south London outfit on a free transfer when his contract expires in June. It is now reported that Leeds have entered the pursuit of the former Sunderland man as they are bracing for the departure of Ezgjan Alioski. The North Macedonia international has repo...
‘Absolute class’, ‘Fantastic’: Some Chelsea fans praise 29-year-old’s display in Leeds United draw
A selection of Chelsea fans on Twitter heaped praise on goalkeeper Edouard Mendy for his splendid performance against Leeds United on Saturday. The Blues went into the game with the chance to do the Premier League double over the Whites for the first time since the 1936/37 campaign. However, they were unable to do so as they settled for a goalless draw and needed to thank Mendy, who made two top-class saves between the sticks. The Senegalese international came up with a sublime finger-tip save to deflect Tyler Robert’s shot onto the cross bar in the first half. Prior to the hour mark, he produced the moment of the match. Raphinha shot on the turn took a deflection which saw Mendy wrong-footed. However, the 29-year-old managed to shift his weight and got a strong left hand to claw the attac...
