It's Friday 31st December. Here’s to another year of making memories. Happy New Year to you all Sunday's game in doubt Sundays game against Burnley could still be in doubt after it was revealed last night that Josh Brownhill, Nick Pope, Jay Rodriguez and Kevin Long all missed last nights 3-1 defeat at Old Trafford due to Covid 19. The League exercises their right to postpone games where squads have been decimated by the deadly outbreak and/ or injury. The Clarets were also without Ashley Barnes, Maxwel Cornet and Connor Roberts due to injury. Should Burnley suffer any more Corona related casualties, Sean Dyche may opt to ask the League for a postponement. please log in to view this image Clubs taking advantage of Injury situation Some top fight Managers have expressed their angry that clubs are taking advantage of their injury list, and getting games postponed. Newcastle's trip to Goodison Park was supposed to take place last night, but after injuries to their three key players, compounded by Covid, the game was postponed. The rules state that if a team cannot select fourteen fully fit players from their first team, they can have the game called off. Newcastle had fourteen players, but were granted a postponement. Saints Manager Ralph Hasenhüttl recently said:- “There’s talk about cancelling games because teams have a lot of injuries, but there were times last season where we had nine out injured – and we played academy players,” “That was maybe the toughest half of a season here. Injuries are not Covid cases. Injuries are also here for us. "They (Newcastle) had seven or eight players on the bench during their last game, and now they have two more injuries. “They should still have thirteen players plus one (goalkeeper). This is the message from the Premier League.” "We’ll prepare for the game, like always, with the players we have,” “We're not moaning about it. We're taking it as it is. This is the toughest league in the world – we know this." Leeds currently have a 26-man squad. As soon as a U23 player represents the first team, the Premier League considers them part of the first team squad. Therefore Summerville, Cresswell, Costa, McKinstry (3 mins), McCarron (9 mins), Drameh, Greenwood (12 mins) and Gelhardt are also considered first team players. There was a very interested article just before Christmas from Phil Hay stating that Bielsa would not dream of taking advantage of the system. Let's hope his morals don't have a detrimental effect on our standing, come May! please log in to view this image Simeone off to ER Leeds are closing in on Cagliari forward Giovanni Simeone, (son of Diego) according to media sources in Italy. The 26yo is enjoying a rich vein of form whilst on loan at Hellas Verona, scoring twelve times, in fifteen appearance. He came through the youth ranks at River Plate before finally ending up at Cagliari in 2019, where his performances havn't exactly set the World alight (18 goals in 71 appearances). Cagliari find themselves second to bottom of Serie A, and are in desperate need to free up cash, to invest in new players, hence an asking price of 10m. Reports earlier this week also suggested that they would be willing to cash in on long term target Nahitan Michel Nández for 22.5m. please log in to view this image
Been doing some digging on this Simeone story yesterday, but to put his strike rate into perspective he has always scored goals every season, except last season where hit a wall only scoring 6 from 30 and why he was loaned out to Verona this season where he has scored 12 in 15. At Genoa when he first came to Europe he scored 12 in 35. Fiorentina he scored 20 in 74 but much of the time played wing. Caliagri he scored 12 in 37 before his failure of only 6 last season. He can play either wing or as a 10. Like his dad a big fan of Bielsa, but lets see what happens because at the moment its just paper talk
Phillips and Cooper out until March (season almost over) Shackelton and Cresswell back in February Koch, Firpo, Llorente, James and Harrison available for Burnley Bamford healthy but not played for a while so back anytime and may be on the bench. Rodrigo and Struijk must be almost ready too
Well well well look who finally got a move away from Bayern. We knocked him back then he was loaned for a season to Nice and didnt pull up any trees. Nice refused the buy option so he went back to Bayern and has played twice off the bench in cup games…….
He’s now the most clinical finisher in Europe https://www.footballtransfertavern....leeds-whites-eye-up-giovanni-simeone-signing/
Well in a couple of hours the window opens and West Ham fans have had this kid on their minds for a few months, but are now upset that Leeds have entered the fray? https://www.hammers.news/transfer-n...-now-want-to-sign-brilliant-giovanni-simeone/
Heres an old chestnut from the past couple of years. Esequil Ponce still only 24yo and came up through Bielsas Newells Old Boys. When Bielsa tooke over at Lille he took Ponce on loan from Roma, but Bielsa didnt spend too much time at the club, but never forgot him as Orta was sent to watch him when he was on loan from Roma at AEK Athens where he was scoring lots of goals. Now in Moscow but you know what Bielsa is like
Read a great piece today about Idaguci and why Bielsa chose Klich instead of the jap. He was raving about Idaguci and said he loved the commitment and he loved the jap people and he even brought in an interpreter because it was hard explaining what he wanted him to do. So the interpreter was done over face time ffs. Anyway we know Klich got the gig but you knew e was easier to communicate with and so Idaguci went back home via credit lyonaise whatever they were called. Idaguci played really well in Germany on loan in Berlin until he smashed his leg. But lets remember Orta got him because he was the best DM he could find, and Bielsa hadnt arrived to tell Phillips he was the new DM
Just spat red wine over Mrs Doc as my mate told me Arron Ramsey is on £400k per week because he went on a freebie and now they cant afford him. He has only played 98 minutes all season, they want rid but nobody will paynthose wages not even Elland
