Elite £50m-rated Leeds star advised by Sky Sports man against Man Utd transfer as Whites are told on
Leeds United star Archie Gray has been advised to think twice about a move to Old Trafford amid claims Manchester United have become the latest Premier League giants to express an interest in his services, and with the Whits told exactly how they can avoid an unwanted sale.
Daniel Farke’s side have been on an incredible run of form since the turn of the year, winning 11 of their 12 Championship matches with a run of form that has catapulted Leeds firmly into the promotion mix. At one stage a huge 17 points behind runaway leaders Leicester, Leeds have the opportunity to go top of the table on Sunday when they entertain Millwall at Elland Road.
With the Foxes in FA Cup action on the same day away to Chelsea, Leeds know a win over the Lions will elevate them to the top of the table, albeit having played a game more than Enzo Maresca’s side.
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The Whites’ incredible run of form, which has seen them concede just three times this year (not once from open play), has been aided by the fact that Farke has finally settled on his best side this season.
And with Joe Rodon and Ethan Ampadu now fixtures at the heart of defence, teenage talent Gray has also made the right-back spot his own in recent months.
The teenager, who turned 18 earlier this week, is a midfielder by trade by has shown himself more than capable of shining in the full-back role, which sees him roam into midfield when the Whites are in possession and proving himself a tireless worker down that right-hand flank.
Related video: Leeds United: The importance of Illan Meslier (Dailymotion)
Archie Gray told Man Utd transfer would be a mistake
One of the stories of the season, has undoubtedly been the emergence of Gray, who has already racked up 40 appearances.
As a result, it’s no surprise to see a plethora of the game’s big-spending sides linked with moves to lure Gray away from Elland Road, with the player widely regarded as their best prospect since the emergence of James Milner.
Liverpool and Manchester City are among the sides to have scouted Gray on a number of occasions, while TEAMtalk also exclusively revealed the player has attracted attention from Borussia Dortmund, who have a good history with plucking English football’s most talented young prospects and transforming them into superstars.
However, it has now emerged that Manchester United are also admirers of Gray too and have also been making checks on his progress over what would be a hugely-controversial move across the Pennines were it to happen.
Of course, Leeds have no intentions of selling their prized young asset, least of all to Man Utd, while Gray himself has made clear his happiness at Elland Road having also recently signed a new long-term deal.
All the same, that has not stopped Sky Sports pundit and co-commentator Don Goodman from advising Gray away from Old Trafford, explaining why a move there would not be in the best interests of his career.
“It’s a tough one because of the history and the rivalry between the sides, going back many, many years,” he told MOT Leeds News. “Being a member of the Gray family, I’m sure he’s fully up to speed with the dislike those two football clubs have.
“Whether it comes down to that remains to be seen. But, if I’m honest, at the moment he could probably get better options than Manchester United.”
Whites advised how to prevent teenage star from leaving
Goodman continued: “That’s looking at it purely from a football perspective, rather than looking at their stature as one of the biggest clubs in the world. He is absolutely flying, and I don’t think I’ve seen a 17-year-old play with such authority and class in my time.”
With Leeds well placed in the promotion race, Gray will hope to experience Premier League football with the Whites next season.
A failure to secure promotion though will leave Leeds vulnerable to a sale, especially given the number of clubs interested in the teenager’s services.
And whether Leeds return to the Premier League next season or not, Goodman believes Gray is destined to grace English football’s top flight sooner rather than later and insists the only way they can genuinely safeguard against his sale is by securing promotion themselves.
He added: “It’s really important for Leeds to get back to the Premier League if they want to keep him. If not then he will end up a Premier League player with someone else.”
Gray’s contract at Leeds runs to summer 2028 and the player has two assists to his name this season, with what looked like his first senior goal in their recent home win over Leicester ultimately credited as a Wout Faes own goal.
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Man Utd’s 7 most improved players in 2023-24 according to Whoscored
We set out to write a nice informative article on the seven most-improved players at Manchester United this year, according to Whoscored.
After doing some basic maths, we discovered that there are literally only United seven players who have improved since last season, so it’s a good job we didn’t aim for eight.
It’s been yet another confusing season for the Red Devils. They look persistently odd every time they play, yet they’re still somehow currently sitting in sixth place in the Premier League table, with a flat zero goal difference. We’re convinced the Prem isn’t real.
Let’s take a look at those seven bright sparks in the murky football hinterland that is Manchester United. Before you press send on your angry reply, note that we haven’t included Kobbie Mainoo as he only played ten minutes of senior football last season.
7. Diogo Dalot (+0.02)
The versatile Portuguese full-back is actually rated as Man United’s second best player this season, having marginally improved on his form from last season.
One of United’s few consistently good and often underrated players.
6. Rasmus Hojlund (+0.05)
There was a lot of excitement around Hojlund when he was signed from Atalanta, despite only managing nine goals for the boys from Bergamo last season.
It took the Dane a little while to find his feet in England, but he’s finally found a bit of form and, according to Whoscored, has taken his average rating from 6.67 in his season in Serie A, to 6.72 in the Prem.
© Provided by Planet Football
READ: The 10 Premier League players with the most goals and assists in 2024: Hojlund, Saka…
5. Johnny Evans (+0.12)
Return of the Mack (There it is)
Return of the Mack (Come on)
Return of the Mack (Oh my God)
You know that I’ll be back (Here I am)
Return of the Mack (Once again)
Return of the Mack (Top of the world)
Return of the Mack (Watch my flow)
You know that I’ll be back (Here I go)Related video: United start their season off with a win (KOAT Albuquerque)
4. Andre Onana (+0.15)
Apparently, the Prem’s most enigmatic keeper is performing better for United this season than he did for Inter last season. That’s despite conceding fifteen more goals this season than he did in Serie A over a similar amount of games. Your guess is as good as ours.
=3. Harry Maguire (+0.28)
The memes can die now. You can’t keep a good man down — Harry is redeemed. A textbook example of blocking out the haters. Try forcing him to move to West Ham now, you f*ckers.
© Provided by Planet Football
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every Manchester United club captain of the PL era?
=3. Scott McTominay (+0.28)
Another player who was almost pushed out of the Carrington door in the summer, showing up and potentially saving Erik Ten Hag’s bacon with his goals.
In the words of Joni Mitchell, Don’t it always seem to go / that you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s nearly gone to Newcastle.
1. Alejandro Garnacho (+0.45)
According to Whoscored, Garnacho is only Man United’s sixth-best performer this season, but he’s easily their most improved player.
The Madrid-born Argentine has already improved upon his appearance and goal tally from last season, and has finally taken the Premier League bull by the testicles.
He has also scored one of the greatest goals in Premier League history, cementing himself in football lore forever.
Crazy eyebrows, though. Really stressful eyebrows.
READ NEXT: The mindblowing XI Man Utd would have now if they’d listened to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every player to score one PL goal for Manchester United?
Tottenham transfer: Van der Vaart urges club to ‘immediately get rid’ of Spurs target for cut-price fee
Former Tottenham Hotspur star Rafael van der Vaart has urged Feyenoord to “immediately get rid” of Santiago Gimenez if they receive a bid this summer.
The 22-year-old has been one of the leading strikers in the Eredivisie in recent years and he has 24 goals in his 34 appearances across all competitions this season.
Gimenez to Tottenham…
The Mexico international’s form has fuelled reports linking him with a move to the Premier League and he has been mentioned as a potential target for Tottenham.
Spurs are yet to sign a natural replacement for Harry Kane, who left his boyhood club to join Bayern Munich in a deal worth around £86m with add-ons last summer. Richarlison and Heung-Min Son have stepped up in the Englishman’s absence but they are still expected to pursue a new striker in the summer.
On the face of it, Gimenez appears like a decent option for Tottenham but the striker has had his critics this season. Last month, journalist Valentijn Driessen insisted he “would not pay €5m” to sign him.
“He is not worth €50million,” De Telegraaf journalist Driessen said.
“[€50million] is the value they think they will sell him for. If you watch him now, I would not pay €5million for him.”Related video: Spurs can't sign a £100 Million player - Postecoglou (Dailymotion)
Former Tottenham midfielder Van der Vaart has also hit out at Gimenez. He thinks Feyenoord should “get rid” of him “immediately” if a suitable offer comes in.
“We have already discussed that Feyenoord will lose many players. Many players who are in the spotlight,” Van der Vaart told Studio Voetbal.
READ MORE: Liverpool top the list of 10 best Premier League clubs to support in the last decade
“I have a lot of doubts (about Gimenez). I once said that he took away my doubts when he was really good. But even after this goal (vs Heracles) I didn’t think he played very well.
“If someone offers 20 or 25 million euros, then you really have to get rid of him. If someone wants to pay a lot of money for him, do it (the deal) immediately.”
Towards the end of last year, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed Spurs have “sent their people to follow Gimenez”.
“We continue to have rumours about Santiago Gimenez, who is doing very well at Feyenoord – rumours about Chelsea and about Tottenham,” Romano told Caught Offside.
READ MORE: Justice for Bentancur… A Tottenham win may never have felt more satisfying
“But from what I can tell you, Tottenham sent their people to follow Gimenez multiple times, he’s going very well and scoring goals, but at the same time I’m hearing Chelsea are not making him a priority and are focusing on other players.
“Chelsea know the situation well, that Gimenez could be available for around €45m in January, but at the moment nothing concrete is ongoing, but I’ll keep you posted if the situation changes.
“It’s also important to say that Tottenham keep following the player, so that could be one to watch as it looks like Gimenez could be an important player on the market in the near future.”
Martin Odegaard warns Arsenal teammates ahead of Champions League draw
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard has warned his teammates they cannot afford to carry an inferiority complex heading into Friday’s Champions League draw.
An agonising 14-year wait to reach the quarter finals of Europe’s elite club competition came to an end last night in dramatic fashion as the Gunners beat Porto 4-2 on penalties, following a 1-1 draw on aggregate.
Leandro Trossard, courtesy of Odegaard’s delicious assist, put the home side back on terms in the tie shortly before half-time, but thereafter Arsenal struggled to put their obdurate opponents to the sword.
And so it was left to goalkeeper David Raya to produce the heroics with two saves that booked Arsenal’s place in the last eight where they could draw the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or Manchester City.
Despite having made hard work of their last 16 tie, however, Odegaard insists Arsenal cannot afford to live in fear of facing a traditional European heavyweight in the next round.
‘To be honest, we can’t think like that,’ he replied when asked if there was anyone he wanted to avoid in Friday’s draw. ‘It’s the biggest tournament in the world and, no matter what team we get, it’s going to be a good team. We will just take what we get and we will try to win.Related video: Simon Collings reacts to Arsenal penalty shootout drama (Dailymotion)
‘That’s where we want to be. We want to be on the biggest stage. We want to play the biggest games and fight for the biggest trophies. When I came here I believed in the project, in the club, what they were doing, everything around the club, I believed in it – and now we are here doing well.
© Provided by Metro
‘We just have to keep pushing each other and make sure we get a little bit better every day. We will see where it takes us.’
Those improvements could also yet take Arsenal to a first Premier League crown in two decades, having fallen agonisingly short last year. After leading the way for 248 days of the campaign, they were pipped at the post by Treble-winning City.
However, a 2-1 victory over Brentford on Saturday followed by a draw between City and Liverpool means Arsenal will be top heading into the international break.
They travel to the Etihad Stadium on March 31 and Odegaard wants the win over Porto to act as fuel for their title drive.
‘I think it is a massive boost for everyone,’ the Norway international added. ‘The way we did it also, it maybe wasn’t the best game, but you just saw everyone pushing so hard, digging so deep.
‘I think you saw the mentality in the team when we stepped up for the penalties. I am really proud of everyone.
‘We have to use this in a good way. I think we have to use this, we have to grow off this. It is a massive night for everyone. We are still a young squad, but this was another big experience for everyone.
‘We have to keep building on that and use it in a good way going into the end of the season. It should be a massive boost for everyone. Every time we play, we want to win. We want to fight for all the trophies we can.’
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Chelsea chief Todd Boehly copies Man Utd transfer tactic as sales deadline emerges
Chelsea co-controlling owner Todd Boehly recently held meetings in Saudi Arabia, fuelling speculation that the club will attempt to offload players to the Saudi Pro League in the summer.
The Blues have spent over £1billion on transfers alone since Boehly and Clearlake Capital acquired the Londoners back in May 2022. The American and his partners have failed to secure a return on that investment, though, with Chelsea currently languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.
It's been widely reported that Chelsea will be proactive in their attempts to trim their squad - and that could lead to more business being done with clubs from Saudi Arabia.
A new report from The Telegraph has outlined that Boehly recently travelled to the Gulf State and met with Michael Emanalo, the Saudi Pro League's director of football. It's believed Boehly is planning to try and raise funds by dealing with clubs from the Middle East in the summer.
Chelsea announced pre-tax losses of more than £90million last week and the report goes on to highlight that some of the club's rivals believe they need to raise £100m in sales by the end of June, although the Blues disagree.
Romelu Lukaku and Kepa Arrizabalaga are two of the players touted for a summer move. Both are currently on loan at AS Roma and Real Madrid respectively and would likely garner interest from Saudi Arabia should they be made available for transfer.Related video: The One Player Who Would Fix Chelsea's Biggest Problem (FourFourTwo)
Anyway, yes, Chelsea, this is Chelsea right now.
Intriguingly, Boehly is not the first high-profile figure from a Premier League club to travel to Saudi Arabia in recent months. It was outlined back in December that Manchester United football director John Murtough made a similar trip in a bid to drum up interest in some of the club's players.
Join the debate! Who do you think Chelsea should sell in the summer? Let us know here.
© Kevork Djansezian/Manchester United via Getty Images
It was claimed by The Mail that Murtough was attempting to find buyers for some of United's highest earners, including Casemiro, Raphael Varane and Jadon Sancho. It was said at the time that Murtough had established relationships with Saudi chiefs which could pave the way for future deals to be made.
Like Chelsea, United are expected to try and move several players on in the summer. Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the club's new part-owner, will drive that strategy alongside his Ineos team after taking control of sporting operations at Old Trafford.
A host of blockbuster names, including several established Premier League players, moved to the Saudi Pro League last summer with more expected to follow this year.
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