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Tottenham Hotspur could be in for a busy end to the January transfer window as they look to make further additions to their playing squad ahead of the second half of the season.

Tottenham's search for a midfielder

The Lilywhites are reportedly looking to add a central midfielder to the group to bolster manager Ange Postecoglou's options in the middle of the park. Daniel Levy has already brought in Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig and centre-back Radu Dragusin in on a permanent deal from Genoa, and now has a third addition in his sight.

It was recently reported that Spurs are preparing a late swoop to sign England international Conor Gallagher from Premier League rivals Chelsea, as they look to take advantage of the Blues' need to make a profit before they can spend significantly more on their own squad.

Journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that the club also have a genuine interest in Blackburn Rovers dynamo Adam Wharton, who has caught the eye with his performances in the Championship. A new midfield target has now emerged for Tottenham as they have been linked with an interest in Aston Villa and England U21 star Jacob Ramsey.

Jacob Ramsey transfer update

According to The Athletic's David Ornstein, Spurs are one of a number of clubs interested in a possible swoop to sign the 22-year-old this week. Tottenham and German giants Bayern Munich have both made it clear that they appreciate the attacking midfielder, who has the same agency – Unique Sports Group – as Brennan Johnson, perhaps smoothing the path to negotiations slightly.

Newcastle United have also made an approach to take him to St. James' Park before Thursday's deadline. However, the report claims that a move to Tyneside is unlikely unless the Magpies complete a significant sale to fund a transfer over the next few days,

Levy is eyeing up Ramsey to bolster Postecoglou's creative midfield options and Ornstein's reveal states that there is a feeling that a fee in excess of £50m could be enough to tempt the Villans into doing a deal. Villa are aware of their possible need to raise funds to comply with profit and sustainability regulations by July and cashing in on Ramsey could be an option for them, given his homegrown status and the interest from Newcastle, Spurs, and Bayern.

The English gem has only started four Premier League matches so far this season due to injury, but caught the eye with his displays in midfield during the 2022/23 campaign.

Non-penalty goals (0.20)

Top 16%

Non-penalty expected goals (0.17)

Top 14%

Assists (0.24)

Top 5%

Expected assists (0.17)

Top 14%

Progressive carries (3.21)

Top 9%

Ramsey, whose form was dubbed "amazing" by scout Jacek Kulig, produced six goals and seven assists in 31 top-flight starts for Villa throughout the 2022/23 campaign and, as you can see in the table above, he ranked highly among his positional peers for his contributions in the final third.

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No Spurs central midfielder managed more than five goals or five assists in the Premier League last term, which suggests that the Villans starlet could provide Postecoglou with a much-needed attacking threat from that position to help the likes of James Maddison and Heung-min Son.

MatériaMais Notícias

A nova temporada acabou de começar, mas a diretoria do Botafogo ainda é pressionada pelos acontecimentos da época passada. No último sábado, a Torcida Jovem, uma das Organizadas mais famosas do Alvinegro, foi ao Estádio Nilton Santos para preparar faixas de apoio para a partida do Carioca, diante do Resende, mas também protestou.

A principal faixa da Organizada, que leva o nome da própria Torcida Jovem, foi colocada de cabeça para baixo, em forma de protesto. Em uma rede social, a instituição se pronunciou. Tudo aconteceu de forma pacífica, vale ressaltar.

Os torcedores afirmaram que não acreditam que é cedo para cobranças, pediram que Durcesio Mello, atual presidente do Glorioso, corte laços do passado e reclamou de jogadores do atual elenco.

RelacionadasBotafogoReforços são a principal atração do Botafogo diante do Resende, pelo CariocaBotafogo06/03/2021BotafogoBotafogo x Resende: prováveis times, onde assistir, desfalques e palpitesBotafogo06/03/2021Futebol NacionalBotafogo vence o Vasco e se recupera no Carioca FemininoFutebol Nacional06/03/2021

NOTA DA TORCIDA JOVEM DO BOTAFOGO:

“Começaremos o ano com cobrança. Alguns podem achar que é cedo demais pra cobrar, mas pra gente não é. A Torcida Jovem acompanha esse clube desde 1969, são 51 anos de apoio à instituição. Estávamos lá desde os títulos até os rebaixamentos, sempre dando a vida por esse ideal. Nós queremos ver TRABALHO por parte dos jogadores e dirigentes, enquanto não demonstrarem que de fato estão engajados em colocar esse clube no lugar onde nunca deveria ter saído, não ficaremos satisfeitos. Ao presidente Durcesio e companhia, enquanto o laço com o maior câncer que já passou pela história do Botafogo, o senhor Carlos Augusto Montenegro não for cortado, não sairemos desse fundo do poço que o clube chegou. Aqui ninguém tem rabo preso com diretoria, somos independentes e fazemos a nossa caminhada sem ajuda de ninguém. Queremos respeito com a camisa do clube mais tradicional desse país, é inadmissível que jogadores que desrespeitaram essa camisa ainda entrem em campo. Marcelo Benevenuto, Kevin, Luiz Otávio (contrato renovado e aumento de salário? Isso é um tapa na cara do torcedor). Vocês vão mesmo insistir nos mesmos erros de 2020? Ninguém aguenta mais a falta de profissionalismo! Queremos o sócio torcedor com direito a voto! Queremos responsabilidade fiscal com as finanças do clube! Estaremos aqui, como sempre, apoiando até o final, mas queremos respeito com a torcida botafoguense!”

Tottenham Hotspur came from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United in the Premier League on Sunday.

Ange Postecoglou had the likes of James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Pape Matar Sarr, and Manor Solomon, among others, unavailable for selection but still mustered up an impressive performance.

Goals from Richarlison and Rodrigo Bentancur after Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford put the hosts 1-0 and 2-1 up helped the side to avoid defeat in Manchester.

Liverpool

1

20

45

Man City

2

20

43

Aston Villa

3

21

43

Arsenal

4

20

40

Tottenham

5

21

40

West Ham

6

20

34

However, it could have been better for Spurs if they had taken advantage of the situations that their excellent build-up play allowed them to create.

There was plenty of space in the wide area but Brennan Johnson, in particular, struggled and was worse than Timo Werner, who made his debut on the left.

Timo Werner's key contribution against Manchester United

The Germany international joined on loan from RB Leipzig earlier this month and was thrown straight in at the deep end with 80 minutes of action at Old Trafford.

It was far from a perfect debut for the former Chelsea man, however, as he wasted two good opportunities to work Andre Onana in the United goal during the first half.

He blazed the ball well over the bar from the edge of the box under no pressure and, minutes later, dragged a low shot wide of the goalkeeper's left post after working his way into the penalty area.

Werner, who completed 91% of his attempted passes, did provide a crucial contribution shortly after the half-time break, though. The forward intelligently cut inside from the left wing and slipped a sharp pass through to Bentancur, who was then able to rifle the ball in to make it 2-2.

Brennan Johnson's lightweight showing at Old Trafford

Meanwhile, Johnson lined up on the opposite flank and failed to grasp his opportunity to catch the eye in a huge game, despite being on the pitch for 96 minutes.

The former Nottingham Forest attacker was ineffective in his actions in and out of possession for Spurs and looked reluctant to get forward and attack Aaron Wan-Bissaka at times.

Appearances

18

Expected Goals

3.46

Goals

1

Expected Assists

1.86

Assists

4

Johnson failed in all three of his attempted dribbles throughout the match and lost 60% (6/10) of his duels in total, which shows that United's players found it too easy to get the better of the Spurs lightweight in physical contests.

The £70k-per-week Wales international, who lost possession of the ball 14 times, only created one chance for his teammates in 96 minutes, which was worth 0.05 xG. Essentially, the shooter would be expected to score one in 20 attempts from that opportunity.

During the first half, he was released down the right channel and had an opening to slide the ball across the box for Richarlison, who got ahead of his marker, but blazed a cross well over the Brazil international's head. What made matters even worse was that he had fewer touches (43) than even goalkeeper Vicario.

Gary Neville, who was the co-commentator on the game for Sky Sports, described it as "disappointing" from the 22-year-old forward, which summed up his performance in general.

Therefore, Johnson was worse than Werner, who was on his debut and played for the first time since the 13th of December, as did not have an influential impact on the match, on or off the ball.

The momentum built by Rangers prior to the international break has come to a shuddering halt following the previous two matches.

First up was an away tie against Aberdeen in the Premiership and despite creating more clear-cut chances, they had to rely on a late penalty by James Tavernier to secure a share of the points.

The tie against Aris Limassol in midweek wasn’t much better either. Once again, the Gers conceded a tame goal, with the defenders caught in no man's land as a high ball over the top evaded them.

Ross McCausland did score an equaliser which salvaged a point, but it means they could drop into the Europa Conference League if results don’t go their way in the final group-stage matches.

Philippe Clement will be looking at rotating his starting XI for the league tie against St Mirren at Ibrox on Sunday afternoon and introducing a fresh face or two.

With three points vital in the chase for the Premiership title, we at Football FanCast predict the Rangers starting XI that will take to the pitch tomorrow at a packed Ibrox.

1 GK – Jack Butland

The former Crystal Palace goalkeeper was one of Michael Beale’s better signings during the summer transfer window, and it bolstered an area which was badly needed rejuvenating.

Butland has perhaps been let down by his defence on numerous occasions this season as he has single-handedly kept the club in matches.

The 30-year-old has kept 11 clean sheets in 25 matches and keeping a 12th one would go a long way to three points vs the Buddies.

2 RB – James Tavernier

The captain needs to start showing more leadership qualities, especially as the pressure is now firmly on the manager following two poor results.

The defender may chip in with crucial goals and assists and who knows where the club would be without these, yet he needs to give more belief to the team, as clubs like Aberdeen and Aris should be fearful of playing against the Gers.

3 CB – Connor Goldson

Connor Goldson was suspended for the European tie in midweek, and it was just the second game he has missed throughout the whole 2023/24 campaign.

The Light Blues missed his presence against Aris as John Souttar and Ben Davies played together for the first time this season.

His return would give Clement a boost, and he could turn to an experienced head to partner him…

4 CB – Leon Balogun

The 35-year-old looked like he was going to play a peripheral role under Beale, making just two appearances under the former manager.

Under Clement, however, he has been utilised more often, starting four of his opening nine matches in charge, and it would have been more had he been available to play in Europe.

5 LB – Borna Barisic

The Croatian will start against St Mirren on Sunday, and he will be looking to put in a solid performance, especially with his contract due to expire in the summer.

Across nine Premiership ties this season, the 31-year-old has registered two assists and while his defensive abilities are questionable at times, his attacking talents are solid.

6 CM – John Lundstram

The former Sheffield United midfielder has returned to form this term, having endured a rather forgetful 2022/23.

He has started every single game under the Belgian and across the whole squad in the league, the 29-year-old ranks third for accurate passes per game, along with ranking fourth for interceptions per game and fifth for big chances created, indicating how impressive he has been at the heart of the midfield.

7 CM – Jose Cifuentes

Despite arriving to much fanfare, the midfielder has failed to live up to the hype and his latest performance against Aris proved that he needs a spell out of the starting XI.

With Ryan Jack and Nico Raskin injured, however, Clement will need to play him against St Mirren.

Clement must now bench Rangers star who lost possession 12x vs Aris

Rangers face an uphill battle to progress to the knockout stages of the Europa League

ByRoss Kilvington Dec 2, 2023

In midweek, the 24-year-old looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights at times as he lost possession 12 times along with being dribbled past twice.

A big performance on Sunday could go a long way to righting his wrongs from the other evening, but he really needs to step up to the plate.

8 RW – Ross McCausland

Todd Cantwell was substituted off after just 36 minutes against Aris due to not following Clement’s instructions and this gave the Northern Irishman another chance to impress, just days after signing a new contract until 2027.

He took full advantage of the opportunity and scored his first-ever goal for Rangers with a low drive that nestled into the far corner of the net and his future looks incredible.

Clement could unlock the St Mirren defence by unleashing the youngster, and he will be eager to build on his first-ever senior goal.

9 AM – Tom Lawrence

Sam Lammers was woeful against the Cypriots, being dribbled past four times across while completing just nine passes during his 58 minutes on the pitch and this is simply not good enough.

He is lightweight and clearly lets matches pass him by due to the lack of output and this should give Clement the licence he needs to unleash Tom Lawrence.

Hailed as “unplayable” by Steve Evans while at Derby County, the Welshman has built up his fitness and a spell in the starting XI could do wonders for his confidence.

He will surely offer a bigger threat than Lammers and his creativity could unlock the St Mirren defence.

10 LW – Abdallah Sima

The on-loan Brighton winger enjoyed a productive start to his spell in Scotland, scoring seven goals prior to Clement arriving, yet he has netted just twice since then.

He has gone off the boil recently, but until Rabbi Matondo is ready to start matches, the 22-year-old will continue to be used on the left wing.

Sheffield United have become the first team to be relegated from the Premier League this season after a big loss to Newcastle.

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Sheffield United relegated to ChampionshipBlades go down 5-1 to NewcastleMagpies set new record against Chris Wilder's sideWHAT HAPPENED?

Chris Wilder's side will play Championship football next season after having their relegation from the Premier League confirmed on Saturday. The Blades took the lead against Newcastle but went on to lose 5-1 to the Magpies at St James' Park. It's a record-breaking victory for Eddie Howe's side who have now scored 13 goals against the Blades this season. The total is the most one team has scored against another in a single campaign in the competition's history.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

It remains to be seen who will join Sheffield United in the Championship, with Burnley, Luton and Nottingham Forest all battling to avoid the drop. Meanwhile, Leicester City have already confirmed their place in the Premier League for next season as they return after just one season away.

DID YOU KNOW?

Only Swindon Town (100 in 1993-94) have ever conceded more goals in a single Premier League campaign than Sheffield United this term.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR SHEFFIELD UNITED

The Blades have only pride to play for in the final weeks of the season. Wilder's side finish their top-flight campaign with games against Nottingham Forest, Everton and Tottenham.

Erin Cuthbert's goal gave the Blues a 1-0 win in Catalunya and if they avoid defeat at Stamford Bridge next week, they'll be in the UWCL final

Chelsea caused an incredible shock on Saturday afternoon when their 1-0 win in Catalunya ended Barcelona's incredible unbeaten streak at home, one which stretched back to February 2019. There is still a second leg at Stamford Bridge to come, one in which Barca will no doubt be better and throw everything at their hosts, but the Blues are now just one game away from the Women's Champions League final.

Erin Cuthbert's goal decided the game, Sjoeke Nusken doing some fantastic work in the Barca box before teeing the Scot up to strike into the top corner before half-time. It felt like Chelsea would have to do some backs-to-the-wall defending to see the game out but that wasn't really the case. The Catalans dominated possession, yes, but their biggest chances didn't come until the final minutes of the game and England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton didn't have a single save to make in the opposing goal.

Barca did think they had a penalty just after half-time but VAR intervened as Salma Paralluelo was adjudged to have been interfering with play from an offside position at the same time that Kadeisha Buchanan handled the ball. If anyone thought that was controversial, it was probably evened out by Irene Paredes getting away with a kick on Mayra Ramirez in the other box a little later on.

Despite the reigning European champions being nowhere near their best, they will still feel they should not have lost this game after carving out two huge opportunities to get at least a draw. First, Paralluelo could only connect with Caroline Graham Hansen's cross with her shin, thus sending it well wide, then Alexia Putellas had a golden chance with the last kick of the game, only to miss the target from close range.

Chelsea had to ride their luck a little bit in the closing moments but it would be harsh to say they didn't deserve a positive result. After all, their game plan was perfect and the players executed it brilliantly. Do that one more time, back in London on April 27, and they will be in a second Women's Champions League final.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys…

• Getty Images
  

  WINNER: Erin Cuthbert

  Erin Cuthbert has been one of Chelsea's best and most consistent performers this season. However, she probably doesn't get the credit she deserves for that, maybe because of the battling midfield role she plays as opposed to one of a headline-grabbing forward.

  Her superb strike against Barcelona in this first leg could go a long way in helping her to get that recognition. It wasn't just that which made her performance so impressive in Catalunya either, with her also ranking second for tackles won and possession won as Chelsea kept an unlikely clean sheet.

  Cuthbert's leadership was another vital part of an incredible day's work and the Scot could well be leading her team out in a Champions League final next month, if she can guide them to another positive result at Stamford Bridge.

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• Getty
  

  LOSER: Alexia Putellas

  If Barcelona were able to pick which player they would want a golden chance in the final minute of the game to fall to, Putellas would possibly be that player. We're talking about a two-time Ballon d'Or winner, one of the very best footballers on this planet, someone who has won almost everything possible in her career to date.

  Yet, when the ball fell to her in a fantastic position in stoppage-time on Saturday, she missed. The opportunity was there to make it 1-1 with the final kick of the game and she somehow sent her shot wide of the goal. It was a moment that capped a difficult afternoon for Putellas, one she started on Barca's bench.

  That will have been a frustration in itself for one of the game's best but she's had some injury troubles this season and has her work cut out trying to re-establish herself in Barca's best XI, following the arrival of Keira Walsh during her ACL rehab and the way that others have been performing, too.

  That she couldn't take this opportunity to be a stoppage-time hero will be even tougher to get over, with her sure to be replaying the moment over and over in her head for a little while yet.

• Getty Images
  

  WINNER: Emma Hayes

  Chelsea needed the perfect game plan to beat Barca and that is exactly what Hayes crafted. The manager dusted off the 5-3-2 set-up that has not been seen for quite a while, shifted attacker-turned-defender Niamh Charles into an unfamiliar role in the back three and deployed Ashley Lawrence to her left in a move that was extremely effective in limiting Caroline Graham Hansen's influence. On the opposite side, Johanna Rytting Kaneryd was excellent up and down the right, while Jess Carter, starting just inside of her, was a colossus in a back three that seems to suit her more than a back four.

  Further forward, there was a big question of what to do with Lauren James and Mayra Ramirez and Hayes decided to start them together, which worked a treat. They were never going to steal the show away at the European champions but the way James was able to give Chelsea some respite when she got on the ball, and how Ramirez caused problems with her physicality, proved the perfect formula.

  The players deserve a lot of credit for executing Hayes' plan so well, too, and the manager will hope both can repeat this success with their approach to the second leg.

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  LOSER: Salma Paralluelo

  Putellas wasn't the only top quality player guilty of missing a big chance to give Barca a more favourable result. Paralluelo has scored 30 goals in all competitions for the Catalans this season, including six in the Champions League, but she lacked that clinical touch when Chelsea came to town.

  The big chance came five minutes from time and she failed to connect with the ball as she would've liked, as Graham Hansen's cross bounced off her shin and out for a goal-kick. That, however, wasn't the only disappointing moment from a 20-year-old who has so often looked at home on the biggest of stages.

  Paralluelo's decision-making in general was off, with there a particular moment in the second half that stood out in that sense, when she opted to have a shot at goal from the edge of the box rather than feeding a wide open team-mate to her left. As a young player, she's still growing and improving but sadly this just wasn't her day, as was the case for most of the Barca team.

Victoria coach Andrew McDonald has declared that opener Marcus Harris is ready to play Test cricket and believes Aaron Finch, who like Harris also plays for Victoria, is more suited to the middle order.Harris, 26, put himself in contention for the first Test against India in Adelaide with a sparkling start to the Sheffield Shield season: he made 250 not out against New South Wales and two other half-centuries in his last three games. Finch made his Test debut on Australia’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the UAE in October, and made 62, 49, 39 and 31 at the top of the order.McDonald said Harris was ready to go after watching his development over the last two-and-a-half seasons.”He’s [Harris] ready,” McDonald told . “He’s matured. He knows his game better than previous seasons. The way he batted down (in Hobart) albeit he only got a 20-odd (22) and 67 in that run chase, it would have been nice to see him go on and get a bigger score, but the way he played, his batting movements are really, really repeatable, and his decision-making has been a lot better this year.”He scores runs quickly, generally speaking. He played an innings of 250 earlier in the season, which was sizeable, where he showed a lot more patience. So that was the moment where some people out there may have said the penny may start to be dropping.”We’ve seen him play some patient innings. But one of his traits is that against quality fast bowling he can score and put them under extreme pressure.”Harris had spoken about his own development this season, particularly in his decision-making. He had a lengthy conversation about the mental side of elite performance with Cathy Freeman, the Australian Olympic gold medallist and two-time World Champion 400m runner, during the off-season.McDonald also said he would likely bat Finch in the middle order for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland starting next Tuesday – Finch’s only red-ball warm-up before the first Test against India.”We’ve picked him in the middle order in the last three seasons I’ve been coach, so that gives you some thought on where I believe he’s best suited,” McDonald said. “We’ve got a couple of really good openers that complement each other really nicely at the top of the order. But there’ll no doubt be some conversation around that depending on what the national selectors are going to do and the direction they’ll take.”McDonald said he had not spoken to either Australia coach Justin Langer or chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns regarding Finch’ batting position.”I don’t know their policy on that,” McDonald said. “Look, I think any sort of cricket or any batting in any position for both Finch and Glenn Maxwell to put their hand up for selection, if they get time in the middle from whatever position they bat, I think that’s probably fair preparation for the Test series. Albeit they may not be batting the specific position that they’re going to play in. But that’s not uncommon.”Finch had spoken about the challenge of having to switch between formats over the past month but McDonald said the change of position would be a greater challenge.”I think the preparation won’t be something that’s out of the ordinary for him because of the fact that he’s played county cricket, where they do shift between formats quite rapidly at times,” McDonald said. “He can go from red ball to white ball and white ball to red ball throughout that season quite comfortably. I don’t know where he’s going to bat in the Australian line-up. If he does open that’s probably going to be the big shift, marking centre, day one first up, as opposed to sitting down having a coffee and coming in in the middle order.”So that will be something they will be preparing him for if that’s where they’re going to bat him. If not then he’ll be pretty familiar with a middle order role if they go that direction as well.”

Leeds United ended their three-year stay in the Premier League earlier this year as they were relegated from the top-flight under Sam Allardyce.

The experienced English coach arrived in an attempt to save the day but was unable to prevent the relegation after Javi Gracia and Jesse Marsch had left the club in a difficult position.

Whilst the managers can take responsibility for their respective failures, former sporting director Victor Orta should shoulder some of the blame for his work to assemble the playing squad that failed to perform.

Orta's most-expensive Leeds signings

Player

Fee (via Transfermarkt and Sky Sports)

Georginio Rutter

£35.5m

Brendan Aaronson

£28.4m

Rodrigo

£25.9m

Dan James

£25.1

Luis Sinisterra

£21.6m

As you can see in the table above, the Spaniard was able to splash the cash on several occasions in an attempt to bolster the squad, for Bielsa and Marsch, but rarely had success at Premier League level with those big-money moves.

Rutter and Aaronson – the two most expensive signings of Orta's time at Elland Road – combined for one goal and four assists in 47 top-flight matches throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

The now-Sevilla chief is not the only Leeds figure to have made mistakes in that department over the years, though, and one famous transfer market blunder was the signing of attacker Tomas Brolin.

The fee Leeds paid for Brolin

Back in November of 1995, the Whites agreed a club-record deal to sign the Sweden international from Italian side Parma for a reported fee of £4.5m.

It was claimed that the club paid £600k upfront for the talented forward and the remaining £3.9m was due to be paid to the Serie A outfit over the subsequent two-and-a-half-years.

Parma reportedly announced that the deal was off as Brolin had failed to agree personal terms with Leeds but the move eventually went through, and then-managing director Bill Fotherby stated that he was always confident that it would go ahead as planned.

It was a big gamble from the Whites as they decided to smash their club record to sign a player who had only played three matches for his club that season and was coming off the back of recovering from a broken foot the previous year.

Brolin has since revealed that he did not want to leave Parma and that his belief was that the Italian side wanted to cash in on him before his contract expired, as the Bosman ruling was due to come in and they did not want to lose him on a free transfer.

Brolin's goal record for Parma

The excellent midfielder enjoyed an impressive spell in Italy with the club as he racked up 31 goals in 190 appearances in all competitions, with spells there on either side of his time with Leeds.

He proved himself to be a goalscorer from a midfield position and contributed to a successful period in Parma's history as they won four trophies during his time there.

The Italian team won the UEFA Supercup, the UEFA Cup, the Europapokal, and the Italian Cup between 1991 and 1995, with Brolin playing a part in their successes.

His best season for goals came during the 1990/91 campaign as the Swedish wizard smashed in seven goals in 33 Serie A outings for Parma.

Brolin's goal record for Sweden

Brolin also caught the eye on the big stage for his country as the impressive attacker racked up an outstanding 25 goals in 46 caps for Sweden throughout his career.

He burst onto the international scene with a fantastic 1992 European Championship performance as the gem ended the tournament as the top-scorer with three strikes.

Two years later, the attacker enjoyed an excellent World Cup as he managed three goals in six outings as his country reached the semi-finals before their loss to Brazil in the last four.

His exploits for Parma and Sweden seemingly convinced Leeds that he was the right player to smash their club record transfer fee on as they swooped to sign him for £4.5m just over a year on from his World Cup heroics in America.

Brolin's goal record for Leeds

However, things did not go to plan for Brolin at Elland Road as his big-money switch to England turned out to be a nightmare for everyone involved.

Howard Wilkinson was the Leeds manager at the time and the Sweden international claimed that the head coach promised him a creative midfield role, where he could get on the ball to make things happen in the middle of the park.

This was not to be the case, though, as he was, instead, utilised as a centre-forward or out wide and was never able to play in the position that was promised to him, as per his claim.

Brolin went on to score just four goals in 24 appearances for the Whites in all competitions throughout his time in Yorkshire, which worked out as around £1.1m per goal from his £4.5m transfer fee.

In 1996, the forward had to apologise to Wilkinson after telling Swedish television that he had agreed to join Norrkoping on loan as an April Fool's interview, which ended up being taken seriously in the English media.

The club eventually opted to release him from his contract in 1997 for a reported £140k to end a dismal spell at Elland Road after his club-record switch from Parma.

What Brolin is up to now

He retired at the age of 28 and ventured into the business sector having met Swedish inventor Goran Edlund in 1997, who had developed a new vacuum cleaner nozzle.

In 2018, The Sun reported that Brolin was a 50% partner in The Twinner and that the brand had become popular in Sweden over the subsequent two decades. By that point, they sold 130,000 products per year and the company was said to be worth 'millions of pounds'.

The Swedish former professional has, therefore, become a successful owner of a vacuum company, which is not the traditional route that former international players take after their retirement, but it has seemingly worked out well for him.

The Daily Star claimed, earlier this year, that the ex-Leeds flop donates 30% of his earnings from sales of the vacuums to a children’s rights society in Sweden.

He has had success off the field since his retirement, with a thriving business, and it is great to see that his sour spell with Leeds was quickly put behind him, as it was a nightmare move for all involved on the pitch.

انتهت قبل قليل مباراة الأهلي والألومنيوم، بفوز القلعة الحمراء بنتيجة 1-0، في المواجهة التي أقيمت ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس مصر.

والتقى الأهلي مع الألومنيوم على أرضية استاد القاهرة، وذلك باللقاء الذي جمع بينهما في إطار لقاءات دور الـ32 من المسابقة المحلية.

طالع.. فيديو | بشق الأنفس.. الأهلي يهزم الألومنيوم بهدف قاتل ويتأهل لدور الـ16 من كأس مصر

وكان الأهلي قد نجح في الفوز بلقب كأس مصر عن الموسم الماضي بعدما انتصر على الزمالك بنتيجة 2-1.

ويستكمل الأهلي مشوار بطولة الدوري المصري بخوض مباراة قوية أمام بيراميدز، والتي تُلعب على أرضية استاد الدفاع الجوي.

وفاز الأهلي في مواجهة الدور الأول على بيراميدز والتي جمعت بينهما منذ أيام بنتيجة 3-2، في ظل الصراع القائم بينهما على لقب الدوري المصري بالموسم الجاري. موعد مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز في الدوري المصري

ويواجه الأهلي منافسه بيراميدز يوم الإثنين المقبل 22 يوليو الجاري، في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساء بتوقيت مصر والسعودية.

ويواصل بيراميدز تصدر جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 68 نقطة، بينما يأتي الأهلي في الوصافة بـ64 نقطة، ولكن تتبقى للقلعة الحمراء 3 مباريات مؤجلة.

Liverpool see a widely regarded future superstar as a "priority" transfer target moving forward, according to an update from journalist Christian Falk.

Liverpool transfer news

The Reds have had some fairly quiet transfer windows in recent years, with the club even coming in for criticism about not giving Jurgen Klopp enough new players to bolster his squad over time.

The recent summer window was different, however, with Liverpool completely revamping their midfield after a season of huge struggles there. Dominik Szoboszlai has arguably been the most eye-catching and influential new signing to date, but Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo have all shown their worth to differing extents, too.

It was evidently clear that the Reds' midfield was the only area of the pitch that Klopp was desperate to address, but with that issue now largely sorted – a new No.6 wouldn't go amiss in January – the club could turn to players in different positions, in order to keep things fresh.

Jamal Musiala to Liverpool update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk talked up the idea of Jamal Musiala to Liverpool happening instead of his teammate Leroy Sane, who has also been linked, with the Reds seeing the younger Bayern Munich starlet as a "priority" signing:

"Bayern also has a problem with Leroy Sané, who is playing his best season since he first arrived at Munich. The problem is that the national player only has a contract until 2025.

"The other problem is that, so far, the club has not spoken to him about a new contract following the changes at the top with the board. Now Sane is thinking about perhaps looking for a new challenge again in the summer.

"Liverpool are also interested in the player. The 27-year-old could replace 31-year-old Mohamed Salah if he leaves the club in the summer. Sane is quick like Salah and just as flexible on offence. But I heard Musiala is Liverpool’s priority – should they fail in their pursuit here, only then will Sane come."

Musiala's progress in the last few years has been rapid, and along with Real Madrid and England sensation Jude Bellingham, there is an argument to say that he is the most exciting young player in Europe at the moment, given the influence he is having at a major club.

At just 20 years of age, the German has already become one of the first names on Bayern's team sheet, and Musiala's stats are hugely impressive, having scored 32 goals and registered 25 assists in 133 appearances for the reigning Bundesliga champions. He has also netted twice for Germany at international level.

The idea of Musiala playing for Liverpool is a mouthwatering prospect for any Reds supporter, considering he is threatening to be one of the leading footballers of his generation, with former Bayern manager Julian Nagelsmann once describing him as "world-class", even though he was still only a teenager at that point.

The young attacker is someone who Bayern clearly won't want to be losing any time soon, though, so it is difficult to see Liverpool wrestling him away from them, unless they come up with an incredible offer for the former England Under-21 international.