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According to reports in The Sun, Leeds United have shown an initial interest in bringing Fabian Delph back to the club, although a deal will prove too expensive for them.

The Man City midfielder spent eight years at the Yorkshire club from the age of 12, before being signed by Aston Villa in 2009.

What’s the story?

The paper are reporting that Delph will be available for £15 million as he is entering the final year of his contract.

The 29-year-old has won two Premier Leagues and earnt 18 England caps since leaving Elland Road, and as he reaches the back end of his career it may be time for him to give back to the club that gave him his big break.

He turns 30 in November and with the current project that Marcelo Bielsa is orchestrating at Leeds, he may indeed choose to go back and help his old team reclaim their place at the top table of English football.

Phillips going?

The fact that Victor Orta and Andrea Radrizzani are eyeing up such a deal may show that Kalvin Phillips is headed away from Elland Road for a reasonable price.

The report states that Delph would be too expensive for Leeds, and they’re right. There is no way that the Yorkshire club would be able to afford his reported £90,000 a week wages on top of the hefty transfer fee unless their most valuable player was headed elsewhere for a huge amount.

Delph would more than likely occupy the position that Phillips will leave open, and the £15 million that City are asking for will most likely be funded by the sale of the 23-year-old.

Whether this is a good thing for Leeds remains to be seen. Their current defensive midfielder works so well in Bielsa’s system, and it may be tough to get Delph motivated to do the same amount of running that Phillips does as he’s so used to playing at the very top level.

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When Newcastle United moved to sign Fabian Schar for just £3 million it felt as if Rafa Benitez was being victimised by the tyranny of Mike Ashley.

Another average transfer completed within the remits of a shoestring budget; another example of why the Sports Direct tycoon is the most unpopular man on Tyneside; another player to cement the painful mediocrity of a prestigious club punching well beneath its weight.

Why would Deportivo La Coruña willingly allow a quality central defender to leave the club for a pittance in a transfer market where bargain hunting is a practice that is snowballing towards extinction?

Well, their hands were of course tied as Newcastle triggered a release clause in his contract, but the mere existence of a release clause set the alarm bells ringing anyway.

The cunning individuals responsible for bringing Schar to St James’ Park, however, are certainly no fools and it has since become apparent that the signing was much more than a hopeful stab in the dark.

Jamaal Lascelles was the star of Newcastle’s defence last season, commanding interest from Manchester United in the process and leaving the supporters in a state of bewilderment at Gareth Southgate’s stubborn refusal to bring him into the England fold.

The aspiring England international, though, has since been upstaged by the brilliance of Schar. Plenty of players need to be afforded time during their transition to Premier League football but the Switzerland international has required no such treatment, starring on his maiden campaign and offering a level of ball-playing quality which wouldn’t go amiss at a top-six club.

Schar has played with tenacity and composure, strength and finesse, technique and desire. Combining old-school defensive arts with the progressive ball-playing principles which defenders are required to adhere to in the modern game, Newcastle fans have watched a player of genuine quality blossom under their noses this season.

He has been eulogised over by the Magpies faithful yet acknowledgements of the genius behind the transfer deal don’t seem to transcend much further than the Angel of the North.

Sky Sports produced an article on the candidates for signing of the season back in March. The four players identified were Salomon Rondon, James Maddison, Raul Jimenez and Alisson. Come on, Alisson? Really? He cost £67 million. What a farce. As if Liverpool fans needed any more ego-feeding in the media.

Listed in the list of potential alternatives to the aforementioned quartet were: Ben Foster, Felipe Anderson, David Brooks and Matteo Guendouzi. The absence of Schar was an utterly predictable but equally inexcusable omission.

Perhaps his absence from the conversation can be explained by the unassuming manner in which he walked through the door at St James’ Park. Nobody envisaged that he would do anything more than mirror his modest price-tag when, in fact, the standard of his performances suggest his true valuation dwarfs the cost of his transfer.

His goal-of-the-season contender against Burnley, multitude of incisive diagonals and crunching tackles point towards a level of flair and star quality of a potential award winner, but he has stealthily swerved serious consideration for esteemed recognition. Newcastle fans won’t mind that injustice too much, however, with the transfer window looming and a handful of top-six clubs seemingly in need of defensive recruits.

It’s not a sentence which many could have envisaged at the beginning of the season but Schar is surely the value-for-money, unsung signing of the Premier League season.

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Alfredo Morelos has scored 29 times in 45 appearances for Rangers this season, and 47 in 88 games in total for the Scottish giants since arriving in 2017.

At his best, the 22-year-old is a devastating striker.

At his worst, though, he can be a real problem.

Three red cards in the league this season – including during the last meeting with Celtic on March 31 – means that his position in the XI for this weekend’s clash with the Hoops is far from secure.

Indeed, it has been suggested that Jermain Defoe could get the nod against Celtic, who have already wrapped up the league title.

It will be fascinating to see what Steven Gerrard decides to do on Sunday afternoon, and a number of Rangers fans have been on social media offering their views.

Whilst some want Morelos to be handed a starting berth this weekend, others clearly feel that the Colombian cannot be trusted.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Arsenal fans have celebrated on Twitter after an image of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette wearing the club’s home and away kits for next season was leaked.

Having been with Puma since 2015, the Gunners announced the switch to Adidas in October 2018 on a five-year deal that will net the club somewhere in the region of £300m.

While attentions have started to turn to next season, Arsenal are yet to complete the current campaign with the Europa League final against Chelsea on May 29 still to play.

Victory for Arsenal in Baku would see Unai Emery’s side don the new kits in the Champions League, but defeat would equal another season in the Europa League.

There is yet to be official confirmation of Arsenal’s kits for next season, but Gunners fans are getting excited after the image of Aubameyang and Lacazette was released.

Check out the best of the reaction below!

You can’t help but feel so bad for the Reds this season. The highest achieving second-placed side the Premier League has ever seen, and what a title race it was. However, the campaign isn’t over yet and Jürgen Klopp will have to ensure his team is ready for the highly-anticipated Champions League final.

Despite the excitement of that European final, Klopp and his backroom staff will certainly have questions on their mind as to how they didn’t capture the Premier League trophy. Being 10 points clear at Christmas, it truly was theirs for the taking.

There will no doubt be discussions as to where they went wrong and how they can improve on that for next season. Here’s a couple of mistakes the German will no doubt bring up.

Finding a draw a good result on the big occasions

On multiple occasions this season we have seen Liverpool succumb to a draw when in reality they should have won the game, most notably, the matches against Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford and the Goodison, both ending in a 0-0 draw.

Throughout both games, Liverpool dominated and should have really taken the lead. However, towards the end of those fixtures, Klopp decided to make defensive changes and looked as if he was scared to lose the game, therefore possibly costing his side the four points they needed to win the league title.

Falling out of domestic cups too early 

After failing to proceed past the third round in both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, it can be argued that dropping out of these competitions may have just cost Liverpool this season.

Losing to Chelsea and Wolves in the cup fixtures left Liverpool with less games than City, but was that really a good thing? Challenging in all competitions for as long as possible gives you more of a chance to have an off-game that doesn’t impact any chance of a title challenge, even if it does come at the cost of being knocked out of the cup.

But let’s face it, if you could choose between the Carabao Cup or Premier League, I know what I would be choosing.

With the transfer window in Scotland days away from opening, Steve Gerrard is already trying to get the most of his summer dealings done early.

A plethora of new faces have already been confirmed to be joining the club this summer with more expected to come as the Rangers manager aims to build a side that can compete with Celtic for the upcoming season, although not every player linked with the club can help achieve this goal.

According to Sky Sports News journalist Keith Downie, Rangers are one of the clubs interested in Middlesbrough playmaker Stewart Downing, who is likely to be released this summer at the age of 34, and if Gerrard is aiming to build a side that can compete with Scotland’s best, the former Liverpool man isn’t the answer.

Downing has not been at his best for a very long time, and although he is a fairly big name and could have done a job in Scotland three or four years ago, at this stage of his career, the former England international is simply way too past it to be even considered an actual signing.

The veteran playmaker will be unable to match the impact Ryan Kent made at the club last season and Downing would also be an expensive signing on the wage-bill front, with a currently reported wage of £35,000-a-week on Riverside.

Gerrard should be looking for players that can make the fans excited and make rival supporters fearful, however, signing Downing will have the opposite effect, and the club should reconsider their options this summer when it comes to replacing Kent.

Rangers fans, who should the club bring in this summer to replace Kent? Let us know!

توج الأهلي بلقب دوري أبطال إفريقيا على حساب الزمالك في مباراة القمة التي جمعت بينهما في نهائي البطولة الإفريقية على استاد القاهرة مساء اليوم الجمعة.

وفاز الأهلي على الزمالك بهدفين مقابل هدف في المباراة التي جمعتهما في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا الذي جمع لأول مرة في تاريخ البطولة الإفريقية بين فريقين من نفس البلد.

اقرأ أيضًا.. فيديو | أفشة يسجل هدف الأهلي الثاني أمام الزمالك في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

وبهذه البطولة حقق الأهلي اللقب التاسع في تاريخه ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، حيث نجح الأحمر في تحقق اللقب 9 مرات أعوام 1982، 1987، 2001، 2005، 2006، 2008، 2012، 2013، 2020، فيما حل وصيفًا 4 مرات أعوام: “1983، 2007، 2017، 2018”.

وفي السطور التالية يرصد “بطولات” أرقام ونتائج مباريات الأهلي في نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا:

1982

فاز الأهلي بنتيجة 3-0 أمام أشانتي كوتوكو ذهابًا وتعادل في العودة بنتيجة 1-1، ويحصد اللقب الأول في تاريخه.

1983

تعادل الأهلي 0-0 ضد أشانتي كوتوكو من جديد، وتلقى الخسارة بهدف وحيد ويخسر النهائي الثاني له.

1987

اصطدم الأهلي مع نظيره الهلال وتعادل سلبيًا في الذهاب وخطف فوزًا صعبًا خلال العودة بثنائية نظيفة.

2001

واجه الأهلي نادي ماميلودي صنداونز وتعادل بالذهاب 1-1، قبل أن يفوز في مباراة العودة بثلاثية نظيفة.

2005

التقى الأهلي منافسه النجم الساحلي ذهابًا وتعادلا سلبيًا، قبل أن يفوز المارد الأحمر بالقاهرة بنتيجة 3-0.

2006

وفي النسخة الأسطورية فشل الأهلي في الفوز بمباراة الذهاب وتعادل 1-1 أمام العنيد الصفاقسي التونسي.

ولكن استطاع الأهلي خطف الفوز التاريخي على حساب الصفاقسي بهدف محمد أبو تريكة الشهير قبل نهاية لقاء الإياب بلحظات.

2007

عاود الأهلي مواجهة النجم الساحلي من جديد ليتعادل أيضًا في الذهاب سلبيًا ثم يلتقي خسارة فادحة بنتيجة 3-1 باستاد القاهرة.

2008

خاض الأهلي مواجهة قوية أمام القطن الكاميروني فاز خلال الذهاب بنتيجة 2-0، بينما تعادل بالإياب بنتيجة 2-2.

2012

اصطدم الأهلي أمام الترجي في مباراة ذهاب نهائي البطولة وتعادل في القاهرة 1-1، قبل أن يفوز بملعب رادس 2-1.

2013

تأتي هنا آخر ذكريات الأهلي مع اللقب القاري عندما تعادل مع أورلاندو بايرتس ذهابًا في جنوب إفريقيا بنتيجة 1-1 ويحقق الفوز في الإياب بثنائية نظيفة.

2017

الأهلي سقط في فخ التعادل مع الوداد البيضاوي ذهابًا، قبل أن يسقط بهدف وحيد سجله أشرف بن شرقي لاعب الزمالك الحالي.

2018

ثم خاض الأهلي التقى ضد منافسه الترجي وتمكن لاعبو القلعة الحمراء من الفوز ذهابًا بنتيجة 3-1، قبل أن يسقطوا بهزيمة قاسية 3-0.

2020

وأخيرًا نجح الأهلي في التتويج باللقب التاسع في تاريخه على حساب الزمالك، بعدما فاز بهدفين مقابل هدف في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما اليوم، حيث أحرز للأحمر عمرو السولية ومجدي أفشة، فيما أحرز شيكابالا هدف الزمالك. صور تتويج الأهلي بدوري أبطال إفريقيا

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Leeds United fans on Twitter are praying that Phil Hay’s most recent update on Marcelo Bielsa’s future at the club is accurate.

Speculation has been rampant in the period since Leeds were knocked out of the playoffs, with many experts and fans growing in concern that the Argentine won’t be at Elland Road next season.

The Whites have been completely transformed under Bielsa, and it looked like their 15-year wait to return to the Premier League would finally be over before they fell at the final hurdle.

Of course, promotion to the top flight remains the main goal for the Yorkshire club, and fans are still confident that the 63-year-old is the man to take them up.

The Yorkshire Evening Post writer gave an encouraging update for the fanbase on Friday morning, posting: “My understanding from people in Argentina is that Bielsa is minded to stay put give it another go at Leeds next season. But as ever, you’d be loath to second guess him.”

This update sparked a huge reaction from the fanbase with almost every Whites supporter hoping that Hay was right in what he was saying.

Here’s what the Elland Road faithful have been saying on Twitter…

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According to reports from both Football Insider and the Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds United want to loan Helder Costa from Wolves.

This wouldn’t be the first time the Whites have done business with Nuno Espirito’s side in the past 12 months. Barry Douglas swapped Molineux for Elland Road this time last year.

The Scot endured quite a difficult first 12 months in Yorkshire as injuries hampered his development and he had to share a lot of game time with Ezgjan Alioski.

On the chalkboard

Douglas arrived at Leeds in summer 2018 with a high amount of expectation. He had been the best left-back in the Championship the season prior, and he was set to strengthen a position that Leeds had often lacked in.

He created an astonishing 14 assists for Wolves in 2017/18, and the Whites looked to have secured themselves an absolute bargain.

But his assist tally dropped to just five last season, and he didn’t demonstrate the same qualities that saw him earn promotion the year before.

Costa can help

Leeds would be pulling off somewhat of a double whammy if they signed Costa on loan.

Not only would they be securing the services of one of the best wingers in the division, but they would get the most out of Douglas.

When the pair played together at Wolves, the left-back would often play long switches across the pitch to find Costa making a run in behind. This season that element of the Scot’s game was taken away from him as Pablo Hernandez operated much in a much deeper role on the right side.

If Douglas is allowed to rekindle the connection that he and Costa had at Wolves, then his game will undoubtedly improve.

Costa’s movement at the back post also aided the full-back on his way to 14 assists in 2017/18. Although Douglas only assisted the right winger once, his ability to create gaps in the defence opened up a lot of space for the left-back to deliver a cross that would then be finished by one of Wolves’ other talented attacking options.

Having suffered an incredibly disappointing end to the 2018/19 campaign, Leeds United’s future suddenly looks very unclear.

With Marcelo Bielsa yet to commit to a new deal at Elland Road, it would not be at all surprising if the Whites end up having to recruit a new manager this summer.

However, when you consider that the Argentine is immensely popular amongst Leeds’ supporters, they will be hoping that chairman Andrea Radrizzani can offer the necessary incentives required to keep him at the club.

Yet regardless of who is in charge at Elland Road next season, in order to launch a sustained push for promotion the Whites must get their recruitment spot on over the coming months.

Although the club need to bring in a forward to challenge the likes of Kemar Roofe and Patrick Bamford, they should steer clear of signing Michael Frey when the transfer window opens in July.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the 24-year-old is reportedly on Leeds’ radar despite experiencing a difficult year with Turkish side Fenerbahce.

Having scored just three goals in 14 league appearances for the Istanbul-based side, it would be a huge risk for Leeds to take if they were to bring him in, especially when you consider that is extremely injury-prone.

During the last six months alone, the £2.25m-rated ace (via Transfermarkt) has been sidelined on four different occasions with his inability to stay fit clearly hampering his development as a player.

Instead of wasting their money on Frey, the Whites should focus instead on targeting a marksman who has a track-record of firing in the goals in English football.

What do you think Leeds fans? Would signing Frey this summer be a mistake? Who do you want your side to sign in the transfer window? Let us know below.