Leeds United
Bielsa set for court appearance today – the story behind suing his former club
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa will appear in court today – virtually, via video conference – as he sues Lille for severance pay. The Argentine boss is seeking more than €19 million in damages and severance pay and could get a massive payout if he wins the court case against the Ligue 1 club. According to Get French Football, should the two clubs fail to reach a settlement, it would be the biggest employment case of all-time and the second-largest payout in French football history since Laurent Blanc walked away with €22m from Paris Saint-Germain. Bielsa will speak at the tribunal for 20 minutes, while the tribunal’s decision will not be known for three months. In fact, either of the parties is expected to go for a further hearing if the verdict does not go in their favour. Lille...
Bielsa confirms Leeds star out for Arsenal clash, one key player doubtful
Marcelo Bielsa has confirmed that midfielder Kalbin Phillips is a big doubt for Sunday’s Premier League clash against Arsenal. The Argentine has confirmed in the press conference today (via Phil Hay of the Athletic) that Pablo Hernandez is definitely out for the clash. The two summer signings – Diego Llorente and Robin Koch – are still absent. Latest from Bielsa’s presser – Phillips is a doubt for the Arsenal game but no decision on him made yet. Hernandez out again. Llorente and Koch still missing. #lufc — Phil Hay (@PhilHay_) February 12, 2021 Phillips picked up a knock in the 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace and was taken off in the 88th minute. Bielsa has confirmed that he is a doubt for the trip to the Emirates and that no decision has been taken on him as yet. The Argentine a...
West Ham set for injury boost, Chelsea hoping star will return
The Premier League season continues this weekend, with the 24th round of fixtures featuring some high-profile matches. There are four games on Saturday, two of which will have a big bearing on proceedings at the top of the EPL table. The action gets underway at 12.30 pm as Leicester City welcome Liverpool to the King Power Stadium. Both teams head into the game in the top four and will be eager to pick up three points to keep themselves in the title hunt. Crystal Palace versus Burnley is next on the agenda, but that will merely serve as a warm-up for the early evening game. Table-topping Manchester City have been in imperious form over the past few weeks and will fancy their chances of beating Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. There are four games on Sunday, with the pick of the bun...
‘There’s been an evolution’: Bielsa really impressed with two Leeds players
Marcelo Bielsa has showered praise on Leeds United duo – Patrick Bamford and Raphinha – ahead of the Whites’ trip to Arsenal on Sunday. In his press conference today, Bielsa has said that he is impressed with Bamford’s evolution and that the praise he is getting is fully ‘deserved’. He has urged the former Chelsea striker to maintain consistency for the rest of the season. Bamford earned a reputation for himself for being a very reliable team player, but doubts were raised over his conversion ability. Popular football pundits – Jamie Carragher and Darren Bent – have praised him heavily, suggesting he deserved a chance to play for England. The 27-year-old has been in brilliant form this season, managing 12 goals in the Premier League, and his strike against Crystal Palace was the 100th goal...
‘We’re losing’, ‘Leeds will put us to the sword’ – Some Arsenal fans react to news ahead of Whites’ visit
Leeds United visit Arsenal on Sunday and will look to leave London with all three points in order to keep their chances of finishing in the top half of the Premier League table alive. The Whites are currently 10th in the standings following 10 wins, 10 losses and two draws, and a victory at the expense of the Gunners will be huge. Arsenal are right below Leeds, with a point separating both sides, and Mikel Arteta’s men will be desperate for a win following back-to-back defeats at the hands of Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Both sides played out a goalless draw at Elland Road back in November, but Leeds will fancy their chances of scoring and picking up a win following a double injury blow to the north London side. Defensive midfielder Thomas Partey and versatile defender Kieran T...
Bielsa lines up an exciting target for Leeds…could be another transfer masterstroke
According to reports from Juve Live, Marcelo Bielsa has identified Douglas Costa as the ideal replacement for Raphinha in case he leaves the club in the summer. Raphinha’s situation Leeds signed Raphinha during the summer transfer window from Rennes for a fee of around £17 million. The jet-heeled winger has dazzled in the Premier League, with four goals and four assists to his name already. He was sensational against Crystal Palace in the last game and earned rave reviews from the UK press. Raphinha v Crystal Palace: 76 touches40/53 succ. passes20 sprints (🌟 most on pitch)18/27 final third passes18 pressures9 progressive ball carries9 pen box touches4 shots2 on-target4 duels won1 tackle won1 nutmeg 🔥1 big chance created Phenomenal. Poor Gary Cahill. pic.twitter.c...
The best and worst transfers between Premier League rivals
Title contenders often follow a golden rule in the transfer market: don’t sell to direct rivals. However, there are a fair few occasions where this rule hasn’t been followed. Sometimes the player wanted to leave; other times the club received an offer they couldn’t refuse. Some of these players went on to be superstars at their new clubs, bringing in almost instant success. Others were…well…a bit rubbish. In no particular order – here we go: Carlos Tevez (Manchester United to Manchester City, £25m) 1/2 OTD in 2009 Carlos Tevez signed for Manchester City. This ‘Welcome’ poster soon appeared close to Manchester’s city border on Deansgate- pic.twitter.com/rTPWEmDsNO — Dr Gary James (@GaryJamesWriter) July 13, 2017 After winning two titles and a Champions League at Manchester...
Leeds star deserves international chance, but hopes will probably be scuppered – opinion
Patrick Bamford’s performances for Leeds United have sparked talk that he could force his way into the England squad for this summer’s European Championships. The 27-year-old is enjoying an excellent season, scoring 12 goals with six assists in 22 appearances for the Whites. SL View Bamford represented England at youth level, but he has never previously come close to being in the conversation for a senior call-up. However, he has improved massively under manager Marcelo Bielsa and probably deserves a chance to stake his claim for a place. Unfortunately for Bamford, there is plenty of competition with Harry Kane, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Marcus Rashford all ahead of him in the pecking order. Factor in the likes of Tammy Abraham, Jadon Sancho and Phil Foden, and the Leeds star has his work ...
‘He’s flying’, ‘surprised himself’: Carragher and Bent agree over £35k-per-week Leeds player
Former Liverpool defender turned popular pundit Jamie Carragher has showered praise on Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford after his impressive display against Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Elland Road on Monday. The 27-year-old striker scored the second goal of the match as Marcelo Bielsa’s side earned all three points to move to 10th in the Premier League table. The Whites have now won three of their last four Premier League games and could soon be challenging for a European spot. praised Bamford after his recent performances saying that it’s great to see he is in a brilliant run of form. Bamford earned a reputation for himself as a very reliable team player, but doubts were raised over his conversion ability. The former Liverpool defender has also suggested that he would love...
‘What’s more they’ve done’: Gary Lineker and Jermaine Beckford react to Leeds win on Twitter
Patrick Bamford scored the 100th goal of his career as Leeds United edged out Crystal Palace with a comfortable 2-0 win on Monday night. Jack Harrison scored the other goal inside the opening three minutes as Leeds picked up all three points and jumped to the top half of the Premier League table. It was a completely dominant performance from the home side, with Bamford grabbing all the headlines in the UK press today. Former Leeds United forward and club hero Jermaine Beckford posted a series of tweets last night during the Leeds game and, needless to say, he was very impressed. Name me a team in the premier league that are more exciting to watch than @LUFC I’ll wait… #MOT #LEECRY #Bamford #Raphinha 🔥 pic.twitter.com/2GMVotqvWs — Jermaine Beckford (@jermainebecks83) February 8, 202...
Report: European giants running the rule over Leeds man ahead of potential summer swoop
According to France Football (via GFFN), Liverpool scouts have placed Leeds United forward Raphinha at the top of their shortlist for targets that they intend to recommend for the summer. Sportslens View The 2018-19 Champions League winners could do with some quality additions to their attack given their recent struggles in front of goal, and it is not a surprise that their recruitment department feels that the Leeds man is worth being watched in the coming months. Liverpool scouts would have run the rule over Raphinha against Crystal Palace last night, and there is no doubt that they would have been left impressed with what they saw. The Brazilian joined Leeds from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes for around £17 million last summer, and he has since established himself as a regular under head coach ...
The worst title defences in Premier League history
Liverpool’s title defence hasn’t exactly gone to plan. Following a severe injury crisis in defence which saw Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip, the Reds find themselves ten points off the summit. Sunday’s 4-1 home defeat to leaders Manchester City compounded their misery further, leaving them with 40 points – 27 fewer than they had at this stage last season. This is statistically the biggest drop off from a title winner in the history of the English top flight. 27 – After 23 games this season, Liverpool (40) now have 27 fewer points than they did at the same stage last season (67), the biggest drop by any reigning champion at this stage of a campaign in English top-flight history. Molehill. #LIVMCI pic.twitter.com/lrwiL8Ndko — OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 7, 2021 However, maybe it’s...
