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Leeds United were seemingly extremely close to the signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven last summer before a deal fell through at the final hurdle.

What happened between Leeds and Cody Gakpo?

Then-director of football Victor Orta even flew to the Netherlands to conclude a deal for the 24-year-old attacker, with former manager Jesse Marsch later expressing his frustration as the deal was, in his words, 99.9% done.

He would go on to enjoy a superb start to the season with the Dutch giants, notching a remarkable nine goals and 12 assists in just 14 Eredivisie games, leading to a phenomenal 8.50 average rating from WhoScored for his performances.

His form at the World Cup in Qatar, where he managed another three goals in five appearances for the Netherlands, would only serve to increase his reputation further, and it seemed clear at this point that Leeds had missed out on a gem, and they'd have no chance of returning for him in the January transfer window.

In the end, the Netherlands international would make a move to the Premier League, joining international teammate Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool in a £35m deal, with the exciting young forward only adding to Leeds' pain when he grabbed a goal and an assist in the 6-1 demolition at Elland Road earlier this year.

Would Gakpo have been better than Bamford?

Although Leeds' defensive issues are perhaps the main reason they find themselves in the relegation places once again with only two games left to play, as no Premier League side has conceded more this season, fingers will surely have to be pointed at Patrick Bamford after his recent misses in front of goal.

The one-time England international spurned a glorious chance to win the game in the draw against Leicester City, while his tame penalty prevented Leeds from going 2-0 up against Newcastle United last weekend.

Bamford has just four goals and two assists in 27 Premier League appearances this season, which is 5.77 fewer than expected, which shows just how unreliable he has been in front of goal. He has looked every bit like a shadow of himself, having pocketed a whopping 17 goals during the Whites' first season back in the big time.

Gakpo, meanwhile, has overperformed by 0.4 on his expected goals ratio (xG) to hit six goals in just 19 appearances for Liverpool, which suggests that he would have been a big success as a regular in Leeds' team throughout the season.

The former PSV dynamo, who was described as "constantly threatening" by De Telegraaf journalist Valentijn Driessen during his time in the Eredivisie, has featured as a striker for Jurgen Klopp's side and for the Netherlands, which suggests that he could have replaced Bamford as the starting striker in Elland Road.

If Leeds do succumb to relegation this season, then fans will no doubt be wondering why Orta couldn't get the deal for Gakpo over the line, as the statistics show that he could have been a far better option for the Yorkshire outfit in attack.

It'll surely serve as one of his most disappointing blunders throughout his controversial tenure at Elland Road.

The rise of James Vince to England’s Test team has left his county, Hampshire, looking for a replacement captain, with Sean Ervine named as the man to take charge in T20 and 50-over cricket.Ervine, 33, is one of Hampshire’s longest-serving players and captained the team on their pre-season tour of Barbados, when Vince was away at the World T20.”It feels great to be captain,” Ervine said. “Whilst we’re disappointed Vince can’t be with us, it’s brilliant he’s been selected for England.”I’ll bring calmness, and try and use my experience from over the years to counter certain situations – it can get quite manic out there. I captained in Barbados during pre-season and I really enjoyed the experience. Jimmy [Adams] has been a brilliant example and Vince has done an amazing job. It’s just about making sure we continue the success we’ve had over the last few years.”Vince was named Hampshire’s T20 captain in 2014, then took over in 50-over cricket at the start of last season. Adams’ decision to relinquish the Championship captaincy midway through 2015 saw Vince elevated in all three formats but this has coincided with his England career taking off and the club may not see much of him this year.A former Zimbabwe international, Ervine has played a key part in Hampshire’s limited-overs success, helping them to lift the C&G Trophy in 2005, as well as T20 titles in 2010 and 2012. He was the first Hampshire player to make 100 T20 appearances and has helped them to a record six successive Finals Days.His first match in charge will come next Friday, when Hampshire begin their NatWest Blast campaign with a fixture away to Middlesex at Uxbridge.

أفاد الصحفي الموثوق، فابريزيو رومانو، عن اقتراب لاعب مانشستر يونايتد حنبعل المجبري من الانتقال إلى الدوري الإسباني خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية الجارية.

ويحتل مانشستر يونايتد المركز الثامن في سلم ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج” برصيد 31 نقطة.

اقرأ ايضًا.. تقارير: مانشستر يونايتد يعرض لاعبه على برشلونة للتخلص من راتبه

وأكد رومانو عبر حسابه الرسمي على منصة “إكس”، أن لاعب مانشستر يونايتد الدولي التونسي حنبعل المجبري قرر الانضمام إلى إشبيلية على سبيل الإعارة من مانشستر يونايتد.

وتابع رومانو أن كل من فرايبورج الألماني وليون الفرنسي طلبا الحصول على خدمات لاعب مانشستر يونايتد أيضًا لكن، التونسي قرر الالتحاق بصفوف إشبيلية.

وأكد رومانو أن إدارة مانشستر يونايتد وإشبيلية يناقشان الآن شروط الإعارة وستشمل أيضًا الخيار المحتمل وشرط إعادة الشراء.

Newcastle United are interested in making a move for Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse this summer, according to a new transfer report.

The Lowdown: Ward-Prowse a standout for Saints

Saints are having a tough season in the Premier League, looking like they could get relegated to the Championship, as things stand.

While many of their players have struggled throughout the campaign, one individual who seems to have continued to produce consistently strong performances is Ward-Prowse.

The 28-year-old has been a talisman for Southampton, scoring seven goals and registering two assists, including a stunning trademark free-kick winner away to Chelsea.

Ward-Prowse could feel that it is time for a fresh challenge this summer, however, and if Saints go down, it is difficult to see him remain at the club.

That’s where Newcastle come into play, as they look to make significant signings during the summer transfer window.

The Latest: Newcastle eyeing up move

According to Football Insider, the Magpies are ‘eyeing up a move’ for Ward-Prowse at the end of the season, seeing him as a strong option to bring in.

The report states that the Englishman ‘is set to quit the Saints in the summer if they fail to stay in the Premier League’ and Newcastle have sent scouts to watch him in action. They are not alone in that respect, though, with Liverpool and Manchester United doing the same.

Ward-Prowse’s current Saints deal doesn’t expire until the summer of 2026, so it will likely take a big offer to prise him away from the south coast club.

The Verdict: Great option for Magpies

Ward-Prowse could be an excellent signing by Newcastle, coming in as someone with a wealth of experience and quality who can enhance Eddie Howe’s squad depth greatly from the off.

At 28, the 11-cap England ace is at the peak of his powers and that shouldn’t change over the next three or four years, especially given his endurance levels in midfield.

Ward-Prowse’s free-kick ability speaks for itself, with few in Europe better than him in that area, and Nathan Jones hailed him as ‘absolutely world-class’ during his time in charge of Southampton.

Away from the technical aspects of his game, the £100,000-a-week midfielder is also a tenacious figure who would suit Newcastle’s hard-working style well, having averaged 1.7 tackles and 1.4 interceptions per game in the league this season, as well as picking up a total of five yellow cards.

Tottenham Hotspur may have seen a new potential managerial candidate emerge over the last hours in Julian Nagelsmann following his sacking from Bayern Munich.

Could Nagelsmann replace Conte?

The future of Antonio Conte at Spurs is still seemingly hanging in the balance with some reports suggesting there were discussions taking place over a compensation package to see him leave.

And a new twist in the Spurs managerial debacle may have emerged on Thursday night when it was reported that the 35-year-old had been relieved of his duties by the Bundesliga giants.

Speaking on the House of Champions YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed this is a name that we should keep an eye on with Spurs potentially looking for a new coach:

"'It's a situation to watch. As you mentioned with Tottenham, we have to see what happens, because as of today [Thursday] they didn't have any kind of conversation with Nagelsmann and they are still trying to understand how to proceed. But [Thomas] Tuchel was one of the possibilities in their list.

"I think we have to keep an eye on him. If not in the next weeks, for sure at the end of the season. And for the new season, the 23/24 season, he's going to be one of the big names around, so one to watch for sure."

Should Spurs appoint Nagelsmann?

The young manager could certainly offer someone with one eye on the future given his experience despite still only being 35 years old.

Nagelsmann has already managed two of Germany's biggest sides in Bayern and RB Leipzig, winning multiple trophies along the way.

However, it seems the reigning Bundesliga champions were keen to bring in a manager who had even more experience at the top end of the game in Thomas Tuchel, with Bayern currently sitting in second spot.

In comparison to Tottenham's current manager, Nagelsmann has shown versatility in his willingness to change the formation of his side throughout the season.

Despite Spurs struggling in large part of the 2022/23 campaign, Conte has stuck with his three-at-the-back system, which has seen Tottenham fail to win any of their last five away games.

Yet with Nagelsmann, the £134k-per-week German has been willing to change between a three and four-man defence, which is something that could potentially benefit the north London side (via Transfermarkt).

High intensity is something which this Spurs side has not really seen under Conte and is something which could prove a big boost for both the players and the fans if Nagelsmann was able to implement his style before the end of the season.

However, it will be interesting to see whether the 35-year-old is willing to immediately hop into another job on the back of losing an important role at one of the world's biggest clubs.

With 10 games of the Premier League season remaining, he could be tempted to wait until the summer to make a decision on his future.

That being said, there has been no indication at all whether the job in north London would even appeal to him.

Everton have developed a bad reputation for poor transfer business since the arrival of Farhad Moshiri at Goodison Park, so much so that is often overlooked whenever the club gets it right.

Indeed, the amount of money spent by the Toffees’ recruitment powers has rightly come under fire, with roughly £600m spent and little to show for it other than multiple relegation scraps, poor performances and financial strain.

However, there have been occasions when the club have made the right decision on a player’s future and earned a profit in the process, with Tom Cleverley the perfect example of a rare transfer masterclass from the Merseysiders.

The English midfielder joined the Toffees in 2015 when Roberto Martinez held the reins at Goodison Park, penning a five-year deal as a free agent after his contract at Manchester United expired.

Cleverley’s stint on Merseyside was far from a success despite costing Everton absolutely nothing to acquire, ultimately scoring two goals and registering seven assists in just 42 appearances and averaging a mere 67 minutes per game before he was sold for £8m to Watford just two years later.

It was Ronald Koeman’s arrival at Goodison Park which cost Cleverley opportunities to cement a place in the Everton team as Martinez was sacked just under 12 months after signing the Englishman, who was shipped off on loan to Watford six months ahead of his permanent move to Hertfordshire in 2017.

What happened to Tom Cleverley after Everton?

Now 33, Cleverley remains at Vicarage Road since his move six years ago, signing a new three-year contract in 2020 to extend his stay until at least this summer.

Over the past six years at his current club, the 5 foot 9 midfielder has tallied 181 appearances, 19 goals and 15 assists, but within a year at Watford he began suffering with consecutive long-term injury issues.

The former Man United flop has struggled with five separate injuries ruling him out for between 40 and 175 days, accumulating 602 days in total as he has faced more than 19 months out of action and missed 86 matches.

The former England international is now set to be out of contract at the end of the season, with Watford unable to take anything from the player’s departure after spending millions on him.

As a result, Everton had a very lucky escape by selling the midfielder when they did in 2017, as Cleverley’s poor injury record has left the recent years of his career in a state of inconsistency, and it can be said without doubt that Moshiri struck gold on selling him to the now-Championship club.

Scottish pundit Tam McManus has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur should’ve signed Jordan Pickford from Everton in January.

The Lowdown: Pickford links

Journalist Graeme Bailey claimed that Antonio Conte’s side is interested in signing the Premier League stopper this summer.

Last month, Pickford was linked with a January move to the north London outfit according to a report from The Mirror.

Spurs are one option short when it comes to their goalkeeping options Hugo Lloris will be out for ‘at least’ six weeks with an injury to his knee.

The Latest: McManus’ Pickford assesment

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus tore into Tottenham for not moving for Pickford in January.

He stated, “They should have gone for someone like Pickford in January,

“Even before the injury, Loris was making so many mistakes. Pickford was right there at a team fighting relegation, he would jump at that move.

“To go and be Tottenham’s number one instead of battling relegation with Everton, it’s a no-brainer. I don’t know why they didn’t do it.

“It sounds like there is interest so why didn’t they seize the moment? You could now be bringing in Pickford instead of Fraser Forster.

“That’s a massive upgrade on your goalkeeping options. It’s the obvious move but we know Tottenham don’t do the obvious things with transfers.”

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The Verdict: Attractive prospect

We believe that Pickford would certainly be open to a move to a bigger club, Pickford is England’s number one but he’s yet to play his football for one of his nation’s traditional big clubs.

A move to Tottenham could take his reputation to the next level in our view, he’s certainly an experienced pro at club and international level.

Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has praised the Toffees stopper in the past and said that he’s ‘handled’ the responsibility as England’s number one ‘really well’ as quoted by BBC Sport.

Having said that, we think that McManus’ criticism of Spurs’ lack of action for a goalkeeper is a little bit reactionary.

The Frenchman has had some form issues in recent times, but we believe that given experience and long-standing service to the club dropping him would’ve been very harsh.

Judging by his age, the 36-year-old will likely be leaving the club sooner rather than later, so looking at options in the summer would make sense in our view, but we thought Lloris deserved to play at least until the end of the 2022/23 campaign had he stayed fit.

Aston Villa centre-back Diego Carlos could potentially make a welcome return from injury later this month, reliable journalist Ashley Preece has claimed.

The Lowdown: Cruel start for Carlos

The Brazilian joined Villa in a big-money move last summer, coming in as someone who would be a key player and mainstay at the heart of the defence.

Cruelly, Carlos suffered a serious achilles tendon injury after just two appearances for the club and he hasn’t returned to action in the six months or so since.

It now looks as though the 29-year-old is closing in on a pleasing comeback, however, following a fresh update.

The Latest: Injury return nearing

Writing on Twitter, Preece claimed that Carlos will either be back in action late this month or at the beginning of March:

“Diego Carlos still stepping up for his return later this month/beginning of March.”

The Verdict: Massive boost for Villa

This is an undoubted boost for Villa, with Carlos a player who can take them to another level, having been hailed as ‘amazing’ by former striker Kevin Campbell.

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The former Brazil Under-23 international looked the part in his first two matches this season, averaging 1.5 aerial duel wins per game, and he is an upgrade on Tyrone Mings and Ezri Monsa, both of whom have had bad performances.

At 29, there is a slight concern that the severity of Carlos’ injury could have a long-term impact on him, so Unai Emery must handle him with care upon his return, allowing him time to find his rhythm.

Realistically, next season should be viewed as the time for him to kick on fully again, with a full pre-season behind him.

Newcastle United remain interested in a deal to bring Youri Tielemans to St. James’ Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Luke Edwards, with the journalist revealing in his latest article for The Telegraph that the Leicester City central midfielder ‘remains of interest’ to Dan Ashworth this winter, with the 25-year-old believed to be available for a figure in the region of £20m due to his current contract at the King Power Stadium being set to expire at the end of the season.

However, back in December, it was reported that the Foxes were keen to open fresh contract negotiations with the Belgium international, while the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea are also thought to be keen on a move for the midfielder this month.

Ashworth must move

Considering just how impressive Tielemans has been in a struggling Leicester side so far this season, the argument that Ashworth simply must do everything in his power to fight off the competition for the 25-year-old’s signature prior to January’s transfer deadline is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 19 appearances in the Premier League in the current campaign, the £44.5m-rated talent has been in fantastic attacking form, having already bagged three goals – outperforming his xG of 2.20 – registered one assist and created seven big chances, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.6 dribbles per game.

The £35k-per-week midfielder has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, playing an average of 2.6 long balls, 2.3 chipped passes and completing 46 total passes – at a success rate of 84% – per match, in addition to making an average of 2.1 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, regaining possession 0.6 times and winning 4.2 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per outing.

These returns have seen the player who Jaquob Crooke dubbed both “exceptional” and “divine” average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.17, not only ranking him as Brendan Rodgers’ second-best performer in the league but also as the joint 32nd-best player in the division as a whole – a remarkable feat considering the Foxes’ 15th place position in the table.

As such, with Tielemans quite clearly being a player who can do it all in the middle of the park, coupled with the fact the Belgian is reported to be available for a fee roughly £24.5m less than his current market valuation, should Ashworth be able to beat none other than table-toppers Arsenal to a deal for the 25-year-old this winter, it would undoubtedly represent an exceptional coup for the Magpies.

Liverpool have now picked back up on their summer interest in the now Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Matheus Nunes.

What’s the latest?

Reports on Tuesday emerged suggesting Jurgen Klopp’s side could now look to the 24-year-old Portuguese midfielder as a potential option likely to be in the summer.

The Telegraph explained the Reds came close to signing the midfielder during the summer before he made the move to Molineux after a proposed deal fell through.

However, as Liverpool’s need for midfield reinforcement continues to rear its ugly head following their defeat away to Brentford, Sky Sports man Anton Toloui has been speaking about the Reds’ interest in the Wolves midfielder.

He said: “It’s an interesting one this, isn’t it, because Liverpool are interested in Matheus Nunes. Now, he’s a player that came to Wolves only in the summer.

“This deal is more likely to be pursued, if they are going to, in the summer – not now. But obviously, this is an interesting topic considering Liverpool, as we know, their weakness is their midfield.”

Reds regret

Given the Reds were believed to have shown their interest in the midfielder over the summer, it would suggest they feel some regret in not landing Nunes when they had the opportunity.

Instead, the 24-year-old made a club-record move to Molineux in a deal believed to be worth in the region of £42.2m, but it has not been an easy ride for Nunes in the Premier League.

Since making the move, Nunes’ successful passes per 90 minutes has taken a hit with less than 30 in a Wolves shirt compared to 42 for Sporting CP last season (via FBref).

However, he has seen an increase in his tackles per game playing for the Premier League outfit with over two per game on average compared to under 1.5 for Sporting.

And it seems as if that is what could Liverpool need to solidify their midfield which does not seem to be providing much support for the back four.

“People talk about Jude Bellingham but Liverpool don’t have a problem going forward, they need a player to stop the opposition coming right through them,” Jamie Carragher said on Monday after the Brentford defeat.

In a Wolves shirt, Nunes has played only once as a defensive midfielder with the majority of his minutes coming from either central midfield or an attack-minded midfield position (via Transfermarkt).

So there may be some concern that Nunes is still not the type of player Liverpool need when you consider Thiago and Fabinho have both completed more tackles this season than the Portuguese midfielder.