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[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…ÂOn Wednesday evening Leeds United stepped back onto a football pitch for the first time since their heartbreaking playoff semi-final loss against Derby County.The Whites wasted no time in getting back to their very best as they rushed into a 4-0 lead before half-time against York City.Interestingly, we saw Marcelo Bielsa do something he rarely did last term, as he opted to start Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford up top together.

Last season

Last term Bielsa almost exclusively used a 4-1-4-1 formation which left room for only one striker in the starting line-up.

This meant that Roofe and Bamford rarely played together – in fact, they appeared on the same pitch just five times last season, and Leeds won only one of those games.

The duo also both failed to score when they did feature together, so you can see why Bielsa was hesitant to utilise both of his forwards in the same XI.

Against York

Pre-season is always a good chance to experiment with different styles, and on Wednesday the Argentine opted to take a different approach up top.

Instead of opting for a 4-1-4-1 with an attacking midfielder, Bielsa instead lined up with more of a 4-1-3-2 with Roofe acting more fluidly as a forward.

Fans were impressed by the understanding Roofe and Bamford had together as the 26-year-old continuously dropped deep to play balls through to his partner.

Some fans even thought that last season’s top scorer was playing as a number 10, but he would still be in and around the box whenever the ball was out wide. He was essentially acting as more of a deep-lying striker, whereas Bamford was always looking to get in behind.

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Unfortunately, Bamford couldn’t find the net against York, but with the number of chances the pair created for one another on the night, this partnership could be fruitful for Bielsa’s side next term.

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What does the rest of the transfer window have in store for the six-time European Cup winners? Today’s Liverpool transfer roundup brings you Serie A interest in a Croatian defender, a report on the Reds’ transfer budget and plans for a rumoured new 16-year-old signing.

Milan keen on Lovren

According to Calcio Mercato, AC Milan are ready to step up their pursuit of Dejan Lovren. The Rossoneri have made signing a centre-back a priority this summer and the 30-year-old is the ‘profile’ key figures at the club are most convinced by.

£20m on a new face

Liverpool will only spend up to £20m on a new attacking player this summer according to the Mirror. Jurgen Klopp and co have adapted their transfer strategy after last year’s eventful summer during which Alisson, Fabinho, Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita moved to Anfield.

Elliott will join senior squad

The Liverpool Echo is reporting that Harvey Elliott will join up with the first team rather than one of the youth squads when he completes his move to the Merseyside outfit. The youngster is reportedly close to a switch to the Premier League club.

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In today’s Arsenal transfer roundup we look at three stories that are currently attracting a fair bit of attention. Dani Ceballos is finally announced as a new Arsenal loan signing, more news is incoming on the future of Kieran Tierney and the Gunners are reportedly interested in Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy.

Ceballos signs

Report: This was a deal that was expected to go through. Although a spanner was thrown into the works when Marco Asensio suffered a horrific injury against the Gunners – Unai Emery questioned whether Real Madrid would sanction the deal having lost the former Mallorca man for such an extended period – in the end, it was irrelevant. The Spain international has moved to the Gunners on a season-long loan and will take the number eight shirt recently vacated by Aaron Ramsey.

Verdict: Emery has finally captured his man, and he can be pleased with this acquisition. Ceballos brings with him top-level experience as a Champions League winner with Real Madrid, as well as the quality and guile that is perhaps lacking in the other central midfielders currently at Arsenal’s disposal –  last season, he completed over 92% of his passes in La Liga including one key pass per game. There is no purchase option in the deal, which is a slight blow, but the former Real Betis man should play a big role for the team next season as they attempt to return to the Champions League.

How likely is the deal? Completed

Arsenal close to Tierney valuation

Report: Tierney is clearly a wanted man in North London. Arsenal are already said to have had made two bids for the 22-year-old, with the latest one worth £25m. They were both rejected, and the deal seemed dead in the water after Neil Lennon’s recent comments. There is still life in this saga yet though, it appears. According to Sky Sports reporter Kav Solkehol, the Gunners are “only a couple of million pounds” away from Celtic’s valuation of the Scotland international, and the left-back himself would be open to talking to last season’s Europa League finalists if a deal can be agreed.

Verdict: Arsenal are desperate for a left-back, with just 33-year-old Nacho Monreal, who has spent almost as much time at centre-back as on the left side of the defence recently, and an underwhelming Sead Kolasinac to choose from. And Tierney appears to be the only player they are targeting to fill the position. It is still unclear exactly what the Bhoys’ valuation is, and the Gunners’ slender transfer budget will not make this deal any easier, but they would be wise to do all they can to bring Tierney in. Whilst they may have come in Scotland, he has won a plethora of trophies – 11 to be exact – which can not be said of a lot of Emery’s current squad. He also has many years of football ahead of him. The Emirates outfit’s interest has been so strong that they seem to agree. This is a deal that should go through, although it will probably go to the wire in true Arsenal style.

How likely is a deal? 8/10

Arsenal eye El Shenawy

Report: It is being said by Egyptian outlet Nile Sports that Arsenal are looking to bring in Egypt goalkeeper Mohamed El Shenawy. Aston Villa are also interested in the 30-year-old, but the Gunners are currently believed to be the favourites to sign him from current club Al Ahly.

Verdict: Following the retirement of Petr Cech, Emery only has Bernd Leno as a realistic option between the posts. Another goalkeeper wouldn’t go amiss, and El Shenawy is not only experienced but would not break with his valuation of just £2.5m. A move to Europe would no doubt be appealing, especially given Arsenal’s qualification for the Europa League, which is another aspect in the Gunners’ favour. Villa’s interest may be an issue though. Dean Smith should be able to offer a better chance of first-team football, whilst compatriots Ahmed Elmohamady and new-boy Mohamed Trezeguet would make him feel at home.

How likely is a deal? 7/10

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Portuguese publication O Jogo, Manchester United have had an offer turned down by Benfica for centre-back Ruben Dias.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks have suggested that United continue to pursue a move for Leicester star Harry Maguire, but that a potential deal for the England international has been complicated due to the Foxes’ valuation of the defender.

O Jogo claim that the Red Devils turned their attentions towards Dias, but that their offer fell short of the €66m (£59.9m) release clause in his contract and was subsequently rejected.

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The report adds that Benfica are under no pressure to sell having already sold a host of other stars, including Joao Felix for big-money, and are currently in talks with Dias over raising the price of his release clause.

Younger and more promising

Going for the essentially tried-and-trusted option of Maguire certainly has its appeal. The Leicester defender has shown he is more than a capable defender at Premier League level, and has the technique and physicality to become a dominant United defender.

In Dias, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side would be getting a 22-year-old who has already represented the Portugal senior side on numerous occasions, and has plenty of experience in European cup competitions with Benfica. Indeed, such has been Dias’ rise, that the defender was named as part of the UEFA Nations League Finals Team of the Tournament this summer.

Indeed, former Benfica manager Rui Vitoria previously remarked: “He’s a young lad who is making immense and significant progress. He has enormous potential and is still only 20, but he knows that sometimes the hardest part is not getting there, it’s staying there.”

Watch the video below to see the most insane overhead kick you will see this week…

Whilst Maguire would be the safe-and-sound signing this summer for United, opting to go for Dias would land the Red Devils a young star who has the mentality and playing experience already to get to the very top.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Gavin Rae has revealed the one Rangers player he wouldn’t have sold this summer – Daniel Candeias.

What’s he said?

The Portuguese winger was sold to Turkish side Genclerbirligi last month for the modest sum of £250,000, per The Scottish Sun, and Rae would’ve liked Rangers to hang onto the 31-year-old.

The wide-man was a prominent fixture in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI last season, racking up 52 appearances in his second and final season at Ibrox. The winger was productive too, scoring six and setting up another 12 as the Gers finished second in the Premiership.

Despite his importance to the side he was moved on, and when asked which player Rae wished the club had held onto this summer, he said: “Candeias was a good player, for the most part, while he was at the club. But he has moved on and that is fair enough.”

How big a loss is Candeias?

Rae’s concession that he wanted to hold onto the ex-Benfica man, yet isn’t heartbroken that he’s found pastures new in Turkey, is a fair assessment of his time at Ibrox.

The wide-man played nearly 100 times for the club and was a popular figure with the fans, but his loss won’t be felt as much as you’d anticipate when losing a player who featured so many times in Gerrard’s debut campaign.

18 goal contributions in 52 games last season is respectable but at a side who have clear ambitions of reaching the summit of Scottish football and making serious inroads in European competition, you’d expect those numbers to be higher – James Forrest racked up 38 goal contributions last season from a similar position, despite Celtic scoring less goals than the Gers.

The Portuguese winger was a hard-working player that supplemented the incredible James Tavernier well, but recouping any sort of fee for a 31 year-old, while creating space for new signings Sheyi Ojo, Greg Stewart and Jordan Jones, could allow the club to make the step-up from contenders to champions.

That said, should the new arrivals fail to flourish in their new environment, Rae’s suggestion that it was a mistake to dump Candeias could well come to the fore, and perhaps be a black mark on what has otherwise been a successful summer.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In The Pipeline series, which takes a look at some of the most promising young talent either linked with clubs or emerging from their academies…

Not many players in the world look capable of challenging Alisson Becker’s position at Liverpool No.1 right now.

The Brazil international – who cost the Reds £66.8m when they signed him from Roma last summer – won the Premier League Golden Glove for his efforts last season, and also recorded the most clean sheets in the Champions League as the Merseysiders won the competition.

Alisson also won the Golden Glove at this summer’s Copa America, again ending the tournament on the winning side.

He seems practically immovable inbetween the sticks right now.

However, he won’t be Liverpool’s No.1 forever. Nor will 31-year-old Simon Mignolet be his backup for much longer given his age.

The Reds will eventually need fresh blood, and 20-year-old Kamil Grabara could well become Alisson’s successor later down the line.

The Poland Under-21 international – who appeared at this summer’s European Championships – recently joined Huddersfield on a season-long loan deal.

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Whilst that alone would’ve been an encouraging sign, he looks set to be Jan Siewert’s No.1 for the 2019/20 campaign after first-choice stopper Jonas Lossl joined Liverpool’s Merseyside rivals Everton earlier in the window.

The 6 foot 5 glovesman is expected to start the Terriers’ Monday night curtain-raiser against Derby County, where in doing so, he will be making his senior debut in English football.

Kamara has only ever appeared on the bench for the Liverpool first-team in a competitive fixture, but signed a new long-term contract before being shipped out on loan to the John Smith’s Stadium – the Reds clearly have a lot of faith in him for the future.

The Championship is an extremely tough division consisting of 46 long, gruelling games between a number of committed outfits, so Kamara should learn his trade in the senior game pretty quickly given the circumstances.

Alisson may have the shirt for the next four, five or even six seasons, but Kamara is definitely taking the right steps to put pressure on the Brazilian for his spot a few years down the line.

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Earlier last week, Manchester United officially unveiled Harry Maguire as their latest and final addition of the 2019 summer transfer window.

The 26-year-old defender joined from Leicester City and didn’t really have to wait too long to don the Red Devils’ kit in front of their roaring fans at Old Trafford.

Maguire played his maiden game just this last weekend in Manchester United’s 2019/20 Premier League opener against Chelsea.

Needless to say, it was quite a night for all of them since the hosts crushed their guests with a 4-0 scoreline.

Some time after the game, Maguire took to

/B1DwVL-pw08/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link” data-lasso->Instagram to share some of his first post-match snaps.

And soon enough, he was swarmed by some of the big names who posted a reply, either congratulating the defender or just complimenting him for a great debut performance.

One of them was Manchester United icon, Rio Ferdinand, who just told him that he did well.

But he was not the only one commenting on the snap.

Manchester United’s next challenge pits them against Wolves on 19 August.

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Marco Silva has suggested that Moise Kean is set to stay on the Everton bench for a while longer, as reported by The Telegraph.

Everton signed Kean from Juventus for an initial £25.1m this summer, as reported by BBC Sport, but he hasn’t started either of the Toffees’ two matches so far this season.

He was quoted as saying: “JP [Jean-Philippe Gbamin] is a 23-year-old player with experience, and he has to adapt fast to the way of thinking because it is faster in the Premier League.

“With Kean it is really different, we are talking about a really young player. Last season he started about five matches at a high level, so we have to give this time to him to learn. He can help the team in specific moments, and then we work with him to get him ready.”

Kean started five Serie A matches for Juventus last season, coming on as a substitute eight times, scoring six goals, as per WhoScored.

So far this season he has come on as a substitute in both of Everton’s Premier League matches, amassing a total of 39 minutes.

That is, of course, very little time for anyone to make an impact in a new team and league – so far he has averaged 1.5 dribbles and has been fouled 1 time per games, while he hasn’t misplaced a pass yet.

It seems as though Kean will need to be patient in his pursuit of regular minutes at Everton, as Silva looks to nurture the Italian into someone he feels is ready to lead the line as well as get the goals.

The 19-year-old’s time will surely come though and, looking at some of the raw stats above as well as his impress record at Juventus, it’s not hard to imagine him taking it.

How many goals do you see the young Italian bagging this season? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

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Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to heap praise on Cheikhou Kouyate, after the midfielder put in an excellent performance against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

The Senegal international was making his first start of the season after helping his country to the Africa Cup of Nations final this summer, and was simply outstanding as he helped his side record their first win of the season.

Not just any win either. The Eagles’ victory against United was their first ever in the Premier League era, whilst they also became the first side in Premier League history to score a stoppage time winner against the Red Devils at Old Trafford.

The 29-year-old made a game-high five tackles, and also recorded one interception, one clearance and one block in what was a real defensive masterclass from the former West Ham man.

His return seemed to have a real impact on the side, and he was instrumental in the win.

Let’s see what some Palace fans on Twitter have been saying about Kouyate’s performance…

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Wolves are unbeaten in their three Premier League matches, with three draws and three points.

They needed Raul Jimenez to hold his nerve and slot home a 96th minute penalty to keep that zero in the loss column still intact against Burnley.

At right wing-back, Matt Doherty, who was the regular choice last season playing a part in all 38 Premier League matches, has continued the three trend by starting all three games so far – despite revealing that he’s not even 100% fit yet.

The 27-year-old was hauled off at half-time against Manchester United just over a week ago and then could only manage 76 minutes in the game against Burnley.

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Doherty had missed the majority of pre-season due to a knee problem and made his first appearance of the season against Pyunik in the Europa League.

And some fans on social media can’t understand why he’s even being risked after his revelation, especially after Adama Traore’s recent performances, which have improved his claims for the position – many supporters have also praised the winger-turned-wingback in recent weeks.

One member of the Molineux faithful believes Traore is a better option as Sunday made it glaringly obvious that Doherty wasn’t fit, whilst another added that the 27-year-old looks lost, questioning whether his poor performances are even down to his fitness or simply a loss of form.

Here’s the best of the reaction:

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