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Aston Villa’s generally impressive season continues.

On Saturday, the Claret and Blue Army beat Leicester 2-1, thanks to goals from Ross Barkley and then Leon Bailey, meaning they’re now unbeaten in ten Premier League home games, winning four of the last five.

Unai Emery’s team are currently eighth, a little bit lower than they’d surely have hoped, albeit the fact Villa are fifth in the gigantic Champions League table, on course to go straight through to the round of 16, means one has to cut them a bit of slack.

Nevertheless, continuing to juggle both continental and domestic commitments, the Villans will surely be looking to strengthen their squad in January, so it’s set to be a busy month in the Midlands.

Aston Villa lining up new wing-back

According to a report from Spain, Aston Villa are interested in signing Celta Vigo defender Óscar Mingueza, with Fabrizio Romano on Twitter adding that the Villans “have started talks to explore” the potential move.

It’s believed that Mingueza has a release clause of €20m (around £16.5m) although, as reported by others, they plan to negotiate in an attempt to secure his signature at a lower price or to avoid paying the entire fee up front.

Of course, both manager Emery as well as President of Football Operations Monchi know the Spanish market very well, so it’s no surprise they’ve looked to La Liga for reinforcements.

Mingueza is a La Masia graduate, joining Barcelona at the age of eight, making 66 appearances for Barça’s first-team, most-notably starting their Copa del Rey Final victory over Real Sociedad in April 2021, having scored in el Clásico at Estadio Alfredo Di Stéfano a week earlier, albeit in vain as Real Madrid prevailed 2-1 in the pouring rain.

However, after falling out of favour the following season under Xavi, Mingueza was sold to Celta Vigo for just €3m (£2.5m), albeit they do have a 50% sell-on clause, so the Catalan giants would earn a much-needed windfall should Villa secure their man.

Now 25-years-old, he’s made 82 appearances for O Celtiña, starting 16 of their 18 La Liga matches during this campaign so far, hence why Celta boss Claudio Giráldez will be determined not to lose him.

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Expand Collapse How Mingueza could improve Aston Villa's defence

Mingueza is a very versatile player, predominantly deployed at right-wing-back in Celta Vigo’s 3-4-3, although he has filled in on the opposite side six times this season, including during their most-recent league fixture, a 2-0 victory over Real Sociedad at Balaídos just before Christmas.

His impressive club form saw him start Spain’s UEFA Nations League clash with Switzerland in Tenerife in November, just his second senior cap and first for over three years.

So, what could he offer Emery’s side? Well, European football expert Zach Lowy on Twitter notes that Mingueza began his senior career as a César Azpilicueta-esque centre-back/right-back “hybrid”, but has now become a “buccaneering wing-back” who can both “invert and push forward”.

Meantime, according to Data MB football’s performance index, Mingueza is the joint-second best-performing full-back in La Liga this season, behind only Jules Koundé of Barcelona.

So how does he compare to Aston Villa’s existing right-back Matty Cash?

Óscar Mingueza vs Matty Cash 24/25 comparison

Statistic

Óscar Mingueza

Matty Cash

Appearances

19

15

Minutes

1,499

1,148

Assists

5

0

Expected assists

4.3

0.4

Progressive carries

41

23

Passes attempted

1031

555

Pass completion %

75.8%

82%

Tackles

20

37

Blocks

15

11

Interceptions

10

15

Touches

1158

683

Statistics courtesy of FBref.com

As outlined in the table, Mingueza and Cash are stylistically very different.

The Spaniard ranks significantly higher for attacking metrics, assists and progressive carries, helped by the fact he’s playing wing-back, while the data suggests Cash is more defensively solid, racking up more tackles and interceptions.

However, as outlined by Ahmed Walid of the Athletic, Villa’s width comes from their full-backs, suggesting Mingueza would be a good fit and potentially even an upgrade on their current options.

Also, Cash has already missed nine matches this season due to a hamstring and then a calf injury, leading to Ezri Konsa being forced to fill in at right-back on ten occasions already, with youngsters Lamare Bogarde and Kosta Nedeljković the only natural deputies.

Thus, as alluded to earlier, Villa’s Champions League commitments mean games will continue to come thick and fast, with right-back an obvious area in which a reinforcement would be helpful.

Related Winter transfer window 2025: All the latest deals from England and Scotland

Find out who is on the move this winter with our comprehensive list of done deals from the Premier League, EFL and Scottish Premiership.

Posts ByStephan Georgiou Feb 3, 2025

Wolverhampton Wanderers fans will be praying that a change in manager will inspire the Old Gold players to leap out of those dreaded relegation spaces in the Premier League.

At the moment, the top-flight standings are hard to digest from a Wolves fan’s perspective, with just nine points next to their stuttering club’s name, as Gary O’Neil bowed out with just two wins

picked up from his last 16 league contests.

Now, it’s time for a fresh approach at the Wolves helm to try and save their dying season, with one name edging closer to taking over from O’Neil.

The latest on Vitor Pereira to Wolves

Various outlets are reporting the fact Al-Shabab manager Vitor Pereira is set to be the former AFC Bournemouth manager’s successor, with GIVEMESPORT stating that a deal could already be wrapped up.

Wolves certainly haven’t messed about in finding a quick replacement for the 44-year-old, with Pereira’s appointment one that will no doubt come with intrigue attached to it, considering the Portuguese manager has never graced the English game from the sidelines.

But, he could be just what the Old Gold need in attempting to resurrect their campaign, with the in-demand 56-year-old boasting seven victories from 12 this season in the Saudi Pro League.

Of course, the demands of the Premier League are a different kettle of fish altogether, but his new methods could also mean certain frozen-out individuals at Molineux gain more opportunities moving forward, including notable Wolves dud Goncalo Guedes.

He could even become the club’s next iteration of Pedro Neto if everything slots into place under Pereira, particularly when you consider his previous excellent numbers from the wings.

Pereira's very own Pedro Neto at Wolves

Away from picking up those wins for Al-Shabab this season, Pereira has also made his current employers very easy on the eye to watch, with 49 strikes flooding in from his 30 games in charge of the Middle East outfit.

Often utilising the 3-4-3 formation there – something Wolves have experience of – Guedes could be in for a shout of more first-team chances if Pereira uses this same set-up at Molineux, having once starred all across the attacking positions at Valencia before making a major £27.5m switch to England a reality.

Guedes’ numbers by position for Valencia

Position

Games played

Goals scored

Assists

LW

102

16

17

SS

27

13

7

CF

18

4

6

RW

14

1

0

AM

4

0

0

RW

2

0

0

Sourced by Transfermarkt

But, it’s obvious his best position when at the Mestalla was down the left flank, with a stunning 16 goals and 17 assists amassed from 102 games.

Unfortunately, since his move to Wolves, Guedes hasn’t been able to dazzle in a similar way on the left, with zero goals and assists coming his way from that spot.

But, he will be gifted a clean slate in the West Midlands under the fresh reign of Pereira, as the 56-year-old is tasked with getting the best out of the “lightning” quick attacker having been labelled that by European football expert Andy Brassell. That trait is certainly one he shares with the former Old Gold winger.

Dazzling wide play isn’t the only similarity between Guedes and Neto in their approach down the wings, with the ability to score an audacious effort like the one above also linking the pair together.

Scoring twice in the EFL Cup this season, it wouldn’t be a stretch to state that the former Valencia man was just a background figure under O’Neil.

Now, however, his importance could increase as Pereira prepares to walk into the building to leave his mark on proceedings.

Perhaps he could unleash a new Neto-like figure in the much-maligned Guedes.

Related Wolves teen could be Ait-Nouri's dream replacement under Vitor Pereira

If Wolves do hire Vitor Pereira then his first task will be trying to find a replacement for Rayan Ait-Nouri.

Posts ByConnor Holden Dec 15, 2024

MatériaMais Notícias

A segunda-feira é de novidade para o torcedor do Sport, que viu a diretoria apresentar o técnico Gilmar Dal Pozzo para a vaga de Gustavo Florentín.

– VEJA A TABELA DA SÉRIE B

Na coletiva de imprensa, o novo treinador distribuiu sorrisos e frases impactantes, como, por exemplo, a sua rejeição na rede social.

A torcida do Sport não gostou da escolha dos diretores e criticou a chegada de Dal Pozzo, antes mesmo de o trabalho ter sido iniciado.

‘Isso é normal. Na época que fui para a Chapecoense, tive uma rejeição de 80%. Não posso controlar. É a opinião do torcedor. Eu tenho a oportunidade de mudar esse cenário, com trabalho, com meus conhecimentos. Na Chapecoense, com 80% de rejeição, a gente conseguiu sair de uma Série C para uma Série A do Brasileiro. Isso não me preocupa. Pelo contrário, me estimula ainda mais. Trato com naturalidade, mas como estímulo, quando sou afrontado, quando sou desafiado’, afirmou.

No comando do Leão, Gilmar Dal Pozzo terá pela frente o Campeonato Pernambucano, Copa do Nordeste e Série B.

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Bayern Munich winger Leroy Sane has sparked controversy in Germany after an allegedly "disrespectful" gesture towards a fourth official.

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Sane criticised for clash with officialCriticised by Stefan EffenbergWinger in hot waterFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

During Bayern's defeat to Bochum at the weekend, Vincent Kompany shuffled his pack and substituted Sane just after the hour mark, introducing Michael Olise as his replacement. As the substitution was taking place, fourth official Tom Bauer raised his arm while standing in Sane's way, and the former Manchester City winger dismissively pushed it away, to Bauer's shock.

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Now, Sane has been criticised for his behaviour, with former Germany international Stefan Effenberg claiming he was "very disrespectful". It is unclear if there will be any further sanctions against the winger, but he was not punished by the referee.

WHAT EFFENBERG SAID

Effenberg called Sane "very disrespectful" and told : "You can often tell from a player's body language whether they feel comfortable. And you can see that with Sane. This is not about the match itself but about his overall situation."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN?

Bayern face Bayer Leverkusen in an all-German Champions League tie on Tuesday evening. The Bavarians lead 3-0 from the first leg on home soil.

Aston Villa are among the Premier League teams interested in signing a £150,000-a-year La Liga ace, according to a recent report. The Midlands side were very busy during the summer, as Unai Emery put together a squad capable of competing both domestically and in Europe, but they already have their eye on fresh additions for the New Year.

£15m Aston Villa target considering leaving Boca Juniors in 2025 transfer

Villa are considering making a move for a player who is happy to leave his current club.

ByBrett Worthington Oct 30, 2024 Aston Villa transfer news

The January transfer window is still a bit away, but NSWE, Monchi and his recruitment team at Villa look to be getting their plans in place for what could be a busy January. It has been revealed that Monchi has sent scouts from Villa to watch young French defender Nathan Zeze, as they look to make a move in 2025.

But while they look at potentially strengthening their backline, Villa are also interested in signing Alex Baena. The Villarreal winger is known to Emery already, as the pair worked together at the Spanish side, and he could now be pushing Villa to bring him to England. However, it isn’t considered an easy deal to complete, as they face competition from Newcastle United, and Villarreal will not let him leave on the cheap, as he’s got a £50 million release clause.

The Villans are also leading the race to sign Boca Juniors’ Kevin Zenon, as his performances in Argentina have impressed the Midlands side, as well as Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle. But the transfer stories don’t stop there for Villa and Emery, as they are also pushing to sign another player from Spain, this time a 21-year-old.

Aston Villa set to bid hard for £150k-a-year ace in January

According to reports from Spain relayed by Sport Witness, Aston Villa are interested in signing Getafe’s Christantus Uche. The attacking midfielder joined the La Liga side in July, and his performances have already caught the eye of Newcastle and AFC Bournemouth, as well as Villa.

Uche, who earns €180,000 a year, which is roughly £150,000, started his career at Campos FA in Nigeria, but in 2022 he was picked up by Moralo B. The 21-year-old stayed with them until July 2023, when he joined AD Ceuta, playing 36 times for them in all competitions.

The report states that Villa, as well as Newcastle and Bournemouth, are all in “pole position” to sign the midfielder, who has been deployed as a striker at times this season. Uche is under contract at Getafe until the summer of 2028, and they have an option to extend that by another 12 months.

Apps

11

Goals

1

Assists

0

But despite him having four years left on his contract, his time at the La Liga side seems to be coming to an end, given the interest from the Premier League. It adds that Villa and these other English teams will be “bidding hard” for Uche in January, as they all look to strengthen their team in the winter transfer window.

The Premier League season is nine games old now, and while Ipswich Town are still without their first win, they have every chance of staying up.

Despite already facing Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Brighton & Hove Albion, the Tractor Boys remain above the relegation zone on four points, and while there have been a few suspect performances at the back, they’ve looked reasonably threatening in attack.

However, survival is an extraordinarily tough objective for the Suffolk side as, even though they signed several talented players over the summer, Kieran McKenna still has a number of players in his squad who were there when he took charge of the club in League One.

However, they are without one of the team’s top goal-scorers in the league that season, as his career has taken on a very different trajectory from that of Ipswich over the last couple of years.

Ipswich's rapid rise

This season is Ipswich’s first back in the Premier League for 22 years, and just a few years ago it looked like they wouldn’t be back in the top-flight for some time.

However, following the sacking of Paul Cook in December 2021, the club appointed the inexperienced McKenna as his replacement in what was the Northern Irishman’s first managerial role, and to say it was a masterstroke would be an understatement.

He would stabilise the club in that first campaign, leading them to an 11th-placed finish before mounting a promotion charge the following campaign that saw the Tractor Boys finish second with a mammoth points total of 98 and a frankly ridiculous goal difference of plus 66, which was unsurprisingly the best in the league.

Now, the team would have been forgiven for just looking to establish themselves in the Championship the following season and build from there, but they didn’t do that. Instead, as he had the previous year, McKenna led his side on an incredible promotion charge that once again saw them finish in second place and secure Ipswich’s place in the Premier League for the first time in many fans’ lives.

Amazingly, there are still many players from League One in the current squad, such as, Sam Morsy, Wes Burns and Conor Chaplin, but someone who is no longer in the team is Macauley Bonne.

Macauley Bonne's post Ipswich career

It might be a name some Ipswich fans have forgotten in the blur that’s been the last few years, but during McKenna’s first season at Portman Road, Bonne ended the campaign as the club’s joint top goalscorer in League One alongside Burns, with 12 a piece.

However, the Ipswich-born poacher was only at the club on a season-long loan from Queens Park Rangers, so he returned to West London in the summer.

His contract was terminated by mutual consent the following January as he struggled to make an impact at Loftus Road, and the subsequent years would see the Zimbabwean international play for Charlton Athletic, Gillingham and Cambridge United as he struggled to find form.

Bonne’s senior career

Club

Appearances

Goals

Assists

Leyton Orient

91

45

9

Colchester United

84

15

1

Charlton

56

14

2

Ipswich Town

46

12

4

QPR

44

3

1

Gillingham

31

5

2

Cambridge

16

1

0

Southend United

10

0

2

Lincoln City

8

1

0

Woking

7

0

0

All Stats via Transfermarkt

Things got worse for the 29-year-old in July of this year as he was released by The Gills, and for a few months, he was a free agent until he dropped down another division to join non-league side Southend United on a one-year deal.

Unfortunately, the former Ipswich ace has seriously struggled for form at the former Football League giants so far this season and, as things stand, has just two assists to his name in ten appearances, which isn’t the sort of form that will see him retained next year.

Ultimately, while he was great for Ipswich and McKenna in the Northern Irishman’s first season at Portman Road, the last few years haven’t been kind to Bonne, and if his form doesn’t improve, he might not make it back to the Football League.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 31, 2024

The Reds need to put their Merseyside frustration behind them against Wolves on Sunday and playing with a proper centre-forward would help

Arne Slot summed it up perfectly. When asked about his dismissal after the full-time whistle at Goodison Park on Wednesday night, the Liverpool manager replied, "My emotions got the better of me." Which was understandable, of course. He wasn't the only person to lose their head after a chaotic conclusion to a "mental" Merseyside derby – Slot's assistant Sipke Hulshoff and midfielder Curtis Jones also saw red.

However, the Dutchman was understandably disappointed with himself because of the way in which he expressed his frustration with Michael Oliver's horribly inept handling of the 2-2 draw with Everton. "I should have acted differently," Slot told reporters on Friday. "It is an emotional sport and sometimes individuals with emotions make the wrong decisions. That is definitely what I did. I would have loved to do it differently if I could go back. I hope to do it differently next time as well."

Of course, Liverpool's legion supporters will be hoping that there won't be anymore flash points involving Slot or his players between now and the end of the Premier League season. The Reds let their emotions get the better of them last year and that played a big role in the mental and physical fatigue which led to their late collapse. This, then, is a time for cool heads – and some serious thought on what Slot should do to ensure Liverpool maintain their seven-point lead at the top of the table.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  History repeating itself?

  As Everton fans revelled in pointing out, Liverpool effectively lost the league at Goodison last April after putting in a performance so poor that then-manager Jurgen Klopp felt compelled to apologise to the fans. However, as the German acknowledged himself, the real damage had been done at Old Trafford.

  On March 17, Liverpool were beaten 4-3 at Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. The shock exit shouldn't have affected the title challenge – but it did. Badly.

  Klopp admitted that losing a derby that they should have won easily felt like "a catastrophe" to the players and it was clear during the subsequent 2-2 draw with United in the league three weeks later that they still weren't over it.

  "We lost more in that [FA Cup] game than the game itself," Klopp later admitted. "It didn't help at all."

  The natural fear is that another bitterly frustrating 2-2 draw coming so soon after a Cup loss to a poor team (Plymouth Argyle in this latest instance) could send Liverpool careering out of control once again.

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  Diaz up top no longer working

  The Reds were certainly rattled at Goodison – even before Abdoulaye Doucoure elected to wind up the away fans – and it was telling that Harvey Elliott admitted afterwards that, from the players' perspective, it was a draw that felt like a defeat.

  So, with Wolves up next at Anfield on Sunday, Liverpool would appear to have an ideal fixture to help them immediately put Wednesday behind them ahead of two of their toughest remaining fixtures: Aston Villa and Manchester City away.

  No matter whom Slot selects, one would imagine that the Reds will have far too much firepower for a team currently sitting 17th in the standings, just two points above the drop zone.

  However, it feels imperative that he restores one of his recognised centre-forwards to the starting line-up as it's become clear that deploying Luis Diaz as a No.9 is no longer working.

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  A masterstroke against Leverkusen but…

  Arne Slot's decision to play Diaz through the middle in the Champions League clash with Bayer Leverkusen in November proved a masterstroke, with the Colombian scoring three times in Liverpool's rousing 4-0 win over Xabi Alonso's side.

  However, even Slot admitted he was surprised at just how well it worked out, while he also acknowledged that it was never meant to be a long-term strategy.

  Slot simply felt it was the best option at that time, in that particular game, because Diogo Jota was out injured and he also felt that Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah "prefers to play against a target man".

  Diaz as the 'false nine' has subsequently worked well against Spurs, West Ham and arguably also Manchester City. However, the former Porto player's dramatic drop in output has become impossible to ignore.

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  The frustrating final product

  The one frustration with Diaz since he arrived at Anfield has been his end product. He proved himself a real livewire from the moment he signed in January 2022 but there was always the feeling that if the best dribbler at the club could increase the accuracy of his crossing and finishing, he'd be unstoppable.

  There were signs at the start of the current campaign that he was on the cusp of doing precisely that, at least in terms of adding goals to his game.

  Slot and his coaching staff concentrated a lot of time and effort on getting Diaz to get himself into more dangerous positions in the area during pre-season – and the hard work initially looked set to pay off, with the winger netting five times in Liverpool's first five Premier League games.

  However, he's managed just three since (and two of those came in the same game, the 6-3 rout of Tottenham).

  Diaz is still well on track to surpass last season's tally of 13 goals in all competitions (he currently has 12) – but he's yet to score or assist in 2025 despite starting the past six league games up front.

Sussex lose last six wickets for 12 runs and three more after being made to follow on

ECB Reporters' Network08-Sep-2021

Luke Hollman claimed his maiden first-class five-wicket haul•Getty Images

An astonishing collapse by Sussex, who lost nine wickets for 97 runs, with their last six crashing down for just 12, allowed Middlesex to glimpse victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship match at Hove. Middlesex legspinner Luke Hollman took a career-best 5 for 65 on a flat pitch on which only six wickets had fallen in the opening seven sessions.Sussex, following on 357 runs behind, then lost Ali Orr, Ben Brown and Sean Hunt and closed on 88 for 3.Sussex started the third day on 103 without loss, chasing a mind-boggling 527 just to avoid the follow-on. A more realistic survival target was to get into the final day with first-innings wickets in hand.Fast bowler Blake Cullen broke through with the first ball of the second over of the day when he found the outside edge of Orr’s bat for keeper John Simpson to take the low catch in front of first slip. But after that Sussex had the better of the opening session and reached lunch on 217 for 1 with Tom Haines unbeaten on 109 – the fifth century of his career and the third of the season – and Brown 76 not out.Brown, anxious to use his feet to counter the spin of Hollman, was stumped ten minutes after the break. But the real Sussex implosion started at 250 when George Garton, possibly a little giddy-headed in his No. 4 position, swiped Hollman to deep midwicket. He looked so disappointed with his shot that he held his position at the crease for some moments before ripping off his gloves.It wasn’t going to get any better for the home side. At 272 the very promising Danial Ibrahim skied Sam Robson to midwicket for just 5. It was only legspinner Robson’s seventh first-class wicket, and came having made his highest score of 253 the day before.Then Middlesex took the new ball and Fynn Hudson-Prentice, who had hit a few pleasing drives, got one that lifted and left him from Tim Murtagh. At 308 Haines played a weary stroke and was caught behind off Murtagh, but not before he had reached 156, his highest first-class score, beating the 155 he made against Lancashire at Old Trafford at the start of the season.Delray Rawlins was bowled for a duck having a heave and Jack Carson, Oli Carter and Henry Crocombe followed almost immediately. Hollman then struck twice more in the second innings before Robson enjoyed another rare success by removing nightwatchman Hunt.Before play Sussex announced the retirement of seamer Stuart Meaker. Meaker, 32, who previously played for Surrey, was capped by England in two ODIs in 2011 and two IT20s in 2012.

Leeds United reporter Joe Donnohue has described an update on midfielder Ao Tanaka as “far from ideal” following Ilia Gruev’s injury.

Gruev out for months not weeks as Leeds consider free-agent market

The Whites’ injury list has grown over the last week, with club captain Ethan Ampadu suffering a serious knee injury against Coventry City in the Championship at the end of September. It has been confirmed that Ampadu will be out until 2025, and his midfield partner Gruev will also be joining him in the Thorp Arch treatment room.

The Bulgaria international had to be replaced in Leeds’ 1-1 draw with Norwich City in the week, and scans have since confirmed Gruev has sustained a serious meniscus injury that will keep him out for months rather than weeks.

As a result, Daniel Farke now has just Tanaka and loanee Joe Rothwell as his senior midfield options, with teenager Charlie Crew likely to feature in regular matchday squads between now and the New Year. There is also the opportunity to bring in a midfielder without a club, and Farke has claimed the free agent market will be checked by those at Elland Road.

“If I’m really honest, I’m not a big friend of signing players who are out of contract in the beginning of October, because it means, more or less, they are out of team training since May. That means they are out of team training since whatever, five months.

“And even if you bring them in, it lasts also a while until they are really ready to go and fully fit and really could play first team football and then, quite often the player who is right now injured for the next few weeks, he’s even back in perhaps and ready to go earlier than the players who are out for since five months.

“I think quite often it’s a bit like a panic buy or like to pretend to do something anyhow. I think it’s professional to check it, and sometimes, out of coincidence or out of a special situation, there could be someone out who really suits the needs in this moment.”

Free agent: Ex-Leeds ace linked with return after Ampadu and Gruev injuries

He’s made 244 appearances in the Championship.

5 ByCharlie Smith Oct 4, 2024

In the meantime, Leeds will need to wrap Tanaka and Rothwell up in cotton wool, however, the former is set to rack up the air miles in the upcoming international break.

Ao Tanaka international break update “far from ideal”

The summer signing has been called up to the Japan squad for games against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Thursday, October 10 before a meeting with Australia five days later.

As YEP reporter Donnohue alludes to, Tanaka will be travelling around 18,000 miles and may not be back at Thorp Arch until Leeds’ final training session prior to their crunch clash with Sheffield United on Friday, October 18.

Leeds officials will be having everything crossed that Tanaka returns to Yorkshire later this month injury-free, as his partnership with Rothwell over the coming months could be crucial for the club’s promotion push.

The 26-year-old’s limited appearances so far have seen him record an impressive pass completion percentage of 91.9%, as per WhoScored.

Barcelona could reportedly lose over £218 million after La Liga rejected their attempts to register Dani Olmo before January.

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• La Liga have rejected Barcelona's attempt to register Olmo
• Catalan club could lose upto £218m ($273m)
• Olmo is currently a free agent and could sign for another club

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona received grim news as La Liga rejected their attempt to register Olmo before the January deadline, putting the Catalan giants in a precarious financial situation. Currently, Olmo is technically a free agent. Despite this, his agent, Andy Bara, confirmed to Fabrizio Romano that the player's intention is to "stay at Barcelona" and that they are "not considering any other option." However, if the situation isn't resolved, the financial repercussions for Barcelona could be staggering, according to .

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Barcelona would still owe Olmo £41m ($51m) in wages for the remainder of his contract, which runs until 2030, even if he departs the club. Additionally, the club is still obligated to pay RB Leipzig £47m ($59m) as part of the transfer agreement when they signed the forward. Furthermore, Barcelona would miss out on any potential transfer fee for Olmo, whose market value is currently estimated at £53m ($66.5m) by Transfermarkt.

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  The financial blow doesn’t stop there. Barcelona recently sold VIP boxes at the Spotify Camp Nou for £87m ($109m) as part of a revenue-generation strategy during the stadium's ongoing renovations. However, experts believe the club could have secured double that amount—an additional £87m – had the sales been properly optimized. When all these figures are combined, the potential loss exceeds £218 million ($343m), a sum that the cash-strapped club cannot afford to lose. While some fans hold onto a sliver of hope that Barcelona can reverse the ruling by January 3, the dominant mood among supporters and insiders surrounding the club is one of pessimism.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  This isn’t just a footballing crisis; it’s a financial catastrophe that could have long-lasting effects on the club's operations and ambitions. With mounting obligations and diminishing revenue streams, the Catalan giants face an uphill battle to stabilize their accounts. As the saga unfolds, Barcelona will have to move forward without Dani Olmo. The team is set to face lower-league side Barbastro in the Copa del Rey on Saturday. Following that, they will compete in the Supercopa de España semi-final against Athletic Club.