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Leeds United chairman has been named amongst some of the richest sports club owners in the world. The Italian businessmen has just scraped into the Top 100 list for 2020 ranking at number 100 by OLBG.com.

For a team to have only just made it back into the Premier League after 16 years, this is mammoth news for the board, the players and indeed the fans. With Radrizzani on the same list as the likes of Manchester City’s Sheikh Mansour, it’s a very telling statement for Leeds that could spell success in the near future.

Radrizzani update exciting for Leeds

The Whites enjoyed a lavish summer transfer window as they splashed the cash on several new recruits. Victor Orta snagged permanent deals for the likes of Helder Costa, Robin Koch and Raphinha, majorly bolstering the first team roster.

But with Radrizzani now on the list of the wealthiest sports club owners in the world, he could be about to pump even more money in the Yorkshire outfit. Leeds are enjoying a respectable start to their Premier League season, but are struggling to muster up many chances in front of goal that don’t involve Patrick Bamford.

With a healthy money pot to dip into in January and the summer, Leeds could rapidly establish themselves as a tough side to beat next season. They already have a threat in the form of 27-year-old Bamford, but he needs some support in attack. Orta must be eyeing up some new midfield options to alleviate the pressure from the Englishman, who is the club’s leading scorer this term by some margin.

One injury to Bamford and Bielsa could struggle to keep his side above water. The Leeds board must take this opportunity to bring in another batch of new players in order to give the Whites their best chance of surviving their first season back in the Premier League in more than a decade.

And if a new spending spree brings in some more exciting players to Elland Road, then the Leeds faithful will absolutely love it.

In other news, Radrizzani must not waste money on signing Gyrano Kerk…

Leeds icon Danny Mills has predicted that a loan move could be on the cards for Tyler Roberts in January (via Football Insider). The 21-year-old has started just two Premier League games this season and was left on the bench on two other occasions. Already this campaign is echoing the club’s Championship title-winning run, in which the midfielder was left out of the action a total of 23 times in the league alone (via Transfermarkt).

Mills believes that Roberts needs to return to a Championship club in order to bag himself regular game time and boost his confidence. Indeed, if Marcelo Bielsa was already on the fence about fielding the Welshman last season, the demands of the Premier League would surely only put him further out of favour.

Leeds must recruit in January

Whilst a loan move for the remainder of the season, if not beyond, would do wonders for Roberts, Leeds must also act fast for themselves. If they allow the £47,000 per week creator to leave Elland Road in the next window, they will have just one senior attacking midfielder on their roster.

Pablo Hernandez is Bielsa’s only other choice in that role and he doesn’t seem to be in the manager’s good books at the moment. After his blow up during the Leicester match, Gabriel Agbonlahor has revealed that he wouldn’t be surprised if Bielsa opts to sell him over his unacceptable actions.

If such a prediction comes true, Leeds will be bare in their attacking midfield department. But even if Hernandez stays, the Whites will benefit from signing a younger player to contrast the 35-year-old. The new signing could also serve as competition for Roberts once he returns, which could create an interesting chemistry between the trio and even bring the best out of all three players.

Bielsa has often been branded as a “ruthless” manager, which will bode well for the club in situations like this. He and Victor Orta will know that by shipping Roberts out loan, someone new must come in during the January window if Leeds are to stay in the Premier League.

In other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer discusses this Leeds player’s recent flurry of criticism…

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa midfielder Henri Lansbury is in line to leave the club before the end of next week.

What’s the word?

The former England U21 international has only featured in the Carabao Cup this season, and made just ten appearances in the top-flight in the previous campaign.

Now, Football Insider claim that Villa are keen to get rid of the £40k-per-week ace off the wage bill as he is now dropped out of first-team reckoning.

The report adds that the Midlands club are currently listening to offers for the 29-year-old, with his contract at Villa Park coming to an end next summer. It’s further suggested that Lansbury’s wages are a stumbling block for moving him on, and that whilst a permanent exit is possible, a loan to a Championship club seems more likely.

Villa need to cut their losses

Even despite the spending spree that Villa went on in the summer transfer window, there’s absolutely no way they can afford to be paying a player £40k-a-week to be playing in the odd Carabao Cup game.

It’s clear to see that Smith simply doesn’t fancy him, with it being particularly telling that Lansbury hasn’t crossed the ten appearances mark in the league for the past three seasons.

With his contract expiring in the summer of 2021, Villa won’t have to put up with the midfielder’s wages for too much longer, but if they can strike a deal where another club takes on his contract either via a loan or a permanent deal, then they have to take it.

Johan Lange and co have to be ruthless, and Lansbury’s departure would be a step in the right direction.

And in other news, this Aston Villa ace outshone Jack Grealish on international duty.

Michael Keane offered an impressive performance in Everton’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Saturday, standing out in the Merseyside Derby with pinpoint vision and an eye for goal.

Carlo Ancelotti awarded the 27-year-old his 115th appearance for the Goodison Park outfit since a then-club record-equalling £30million move from Burnley in 2017, and continuing a run of opening the Toffees’ last 16 Premier League games.

Keane was unable to help goalkeeper Jordan Pickford to his 39th Blues clean sheet, but there was little the centre-half could have done to prevent Sadio Mane or Mohamed Salah from firing past his fellow England international.

Mane broke the deadlock inside the third minute of the Merseyside Derby having run off the shoulder of Abdoulaye Doucoure and behind Yerry Mina to find the space in-between Everton’s two centre-halves, poking home Andrew Robertson’s delivery with a powerful effort into the top corner.

Mina was then at fault for Liverpool’s second of the match when he calamitously attempted to volley away Trent Alexander-Arnold’s cross with the outside of his right boot despite running back toward his own goal, leaving the ball falling perfectly falling into Salah’s path to volley in his sixth of the Premier League season.

Everton’s Colombia international was otherwise alert to a number of Liverpool’s attacks as Mina and Keane combined well to mostly thwart Jurgen Klopp’s title-holders, and restrict the Anfield outfit to striking just 36% of their shots on target.

Keane also demonstrated his eye for goal to head home James Rodriguez’s corner to initially equalise the Merseyside Derby following Mane’s early effort, marking his second of the league campaign after scoring in Everton’s 5-2 win over West Bromwich Albion last month.

Beyond his goal in the 19th-minute, Keane impressed against Liverpool on route to a 7.6/10 match rating from SofaScore, having recorded 65 touches, completed 44 of his 52 passes (84.6%), played one key ball and scored from his only effort of the game.

The £65,000-per-week defender also won each of his two aerial duels, one of his two ground duels, was never dribbled past, made one tackle, two clearances and blocked two shots, while displaying his pinpoint vision to find teammates with seven of ten attempted long balls.

No outfield Everton player who started against Liverpool registered a higher number of accurate long passes on Saturday, with James Rodriguez’s six from seven the next-best tally while star left-back Lucas Digne misplaced eight of his nine attempted long balls.

Rodriguez has often ranked highly for accurate passes in the Toffees’ league fixtures since his summer arrival from Real Madrid, with the 29-year-old’s average 6.8 accurate long balls a game the best in Royal Blue by an outfield player ahead of Keane (5.0) and Digne (3.0).

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti must regret starting a £21.6m-rated man vs Liverpool after his challenging performance.

Ben Jacobs has relayed a claim on the proposed takeover of Newcastle United by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group from a Premier League source on his official Twitter page.

According to a tweet from the Sports journalist, Jacobs claimed:

“PL source tells me it is NOT true all #NUFC listed directors passed O&D Test. “No determinations were made prior to the consortium’s withdrawal.†If directors had been cleared, with Al Rumayyan being most contentious from those listed, #NUFC would know. Easy for them to confirm.”

Indeed, this is contrary to a report from The Shields Gazette that claimed that all directors and organisations put forward have passed the Owners’ and Directors’ Test (ODT) set out by the top flight and Richard Masters as to deem whether the Saudi-led consortium were fit and proper owners to be running the Tyneside club.

However, England’s highest division will not sign off as they believe that the heads of the kingdom should be run through the tests, with Middle Eastern crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) to potentially be included in that list.

Indeed, MbS and his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) were due to hold a majority stake of 80% at St. James’ Park should the prospective £300 million deal between Mike Ashley and the Saudi-led consortium have been approved by the EPL, but instead the league decided to reject the bid on the grounds of their ODT.

The businesswoman and head of PCP Capital Partners Amanda Staveley, as well as the billionaire Reuben brothers, who are originally from India but are now based in London, were also due to split the other 20% between them if the deal were to be given the green light.

However, it now looks as if the matter will go to court, and it is then anyone’s guess as to who will win that case.

Geordies, who do you think would win the case? Comment below!

Lots of Everton fans are glad that they did not sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg from Southampton after the Danish international emerged as a transfer target for Carlo Ancelotti’s team in the summer window.

However, he ended up joining up with Jose Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur, whom the Merseyside club beat 1-0 away from home in their 2020/21 Premier League season opener.

Hojbjerg was arguably far from impressive in the game, getting a yellow card as well as failing to block any shots or make any interceptions, picking up a measly 6.7 overall rating by Sofascore.

With new signings Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and James Rodriguez making up Carlo Ancelotti’s new-look midfield along with Andre Gomes, it did not seem as if the 25-year old would have improved upon it.

These members of the Goodison Park faithful were glad that they did not end up signing Hojbjerg on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even labelling him as ‘dross’:

I was delighted with Højbjerg’s performance, and also delighted we did not sign him 🙂

— Daniel Vickers (@DaN__Research) September 13, 2020

Evertonians, are you glad you didn’t sign Hojbjerg? Comment below!

Mark Douglas has revealed some insight into the Tyneside club’s transfer pursuit of former Burnley ace Jeff Hendrick.

According to a tweet from the journalist, he understands that the Magpies are “pushing” to sign Hendrick as a free agent and sources close to the deal are “hopeful” that a deal can be finalised in the summer window.

This comes after a recent report stated that the Magpies look set to sign him, so all signs look to be pointing at Hendrick playing his football at St. James’ Park in the 2020/21 season. Indeed, the central midfield player is now available on a free transfer after failing to agree on a new deal with Sean Dyche’s Clarets.

With no transfer fee to pay, the potential capture of Hendrick may well be a decent bit of business for Steve Bruce’s side. Across the last four campaigns, the 28-year old has played in 122 games in the Premier League, scoring nine goals and providing five assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Indeed, he has plenty of experience in the top flight behind him, which may prove useful for the upcoming term.

Hendrick is also a well-established senior international, as he has played in 54 matches for his native Republic of Ireland since his debut back in 2013 under Giovanni Trapattoni, netting twice (via Transfermarkt).

The midfielder would provide some healthy competition for the likes of Isaac Hayden, Jonjo Shelvey and Sean Longstaff in the middle of the park, and so Newcastle should maybe look to pounce soon before any other clubs come in for him.

Geordies, would Hendrick be a good signing for Newcastle? Comment below with your views!

Manchester United’s dominant display against Bournemouth showcased the wealth of attacking talents Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has at his disposal. 

United romped to a 5-2 victory over Bournemouth at Old Trafford which has kept them in fifth place in the Premier League, only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, with only five games remaining.

However, Solskjaer still isn’t satisfied, and has made it clear he wants to sign a new striker and right winger in the summer.

The Red Devils had been in the middle of planning for a long-term rebuild before the nationwide lockdown was imposed in response to the pandemic.

United have been chasing Jadon Sancho for more than three years now and are seemingly no further forward.

Solskjaer considers Sancho central to his plans for the future but has already started drafting up a list of possible replacements in the event he cannot bring the Englishman back to the Premier League.

According to David Ornstein, as per @utdreport, the Red Devils have now entered the race to sign Bayer Leverkusen star Leon Bailey.

The Norwegian has indicated the right flank is an area that urgently needs addressing, as Daniel James has struggled for consistency this season, and scouts have also been monitoring Argentine winger Thiago Almada and Welsh youngsters David Brooks and Rabbi Matondo.

Bailey, who is currently valued at £40m by Leverkusen, would be significantly cheaper than Sancho. Indeed, Dortmund are demanding £108m for the club’s top scorer.

The 22-year-old, who can play on the left or right of the midfield, played 22 games in the Bundesliga this season, scoring five goals, supplying three assists, taking 1.3 shots per game, averaging 1 key pass, and completing 1.6 dribbles on average (via WhoScored).

However, it is worth noting he has received a lower WhoScored rating than Sancho.

While his versatility could prove useful, Ornstein adds Bailey is not a first-choice target for United or their rivals Manchester City.

Failing to sign Sancho would be a bitter blow for Solskjaer, who has been pursuing the England international for several months now, as he missed out on his teammate Erling Braut Haaland last year.

Despite his insistence Sancho remains his top priority, the fact the board are considering other options shows they are unwilling to take any risk.

United fans, do you think the board should sign Leon Bailey instead of Jadon Sancho? Let us know in the comments below!

Key Information about Hillsborough Stadium

Hillsborough has been the home of Yorkshire located football club Sheffield Wednesday since it opened back in 1899.

On 15 April 1989, the ground was the unfortunate scene of the Hillsborough Stadium disaster where 96 Liverpool fans tragically passed away by a fatal human crush as a result of overcrowding in the central pends of the Lepping Lane stand allocated to the Reds.

The stadium now has an all-seated capacity of almost 40,000; however, this has temporarily been reduced to just under 35,000 on safety grounds. Hillsborough comprises four stands; the North Stand, Leppings Lane End (West Stand), the South Stand, and the Spion Kop.

A history of Hillsborough Stadium

The Owls were informed during the 1898-99 season that their home ground of Olive Grove would be needed for railway expansions, therefore they had to find a new ground in time for the following season. After months of searching, James Willis Dixon of Hillsborough House, offered a 10-acre site at Owlerton to the football club. This offer was accepted by the Owls, and they purchased the land for £5,000.

The first match to be played on the ground was on 2 September 1899 against Chesterfield which Wednesday went on to win 5-1. The ground was known as the Owlerton Stadium until 1914, when it was re-named Hillsborough Stadium after the ground’s history and improvements. The stadium came with plenty of early success for the Owls as they won their first-ever league titles in 1902-03 and 1903-04, in addition to a second FA Cup in 1907.

After the World Wars, Hillsborough was notably one of the top stadiums in the country having hosted a total of 27 FA Cup semi-finals, as well as it being selected as one of the venues for the Football World Cup in 1966 where it hosted many matches including a quarterfinal, Hillsborough Stadium also hosted its first national cup final in 1977 when Everton took on Aston Villa in the Football League Cup final replay.

The very sad Hillsborough Stadium disaster was the worst tragedy in English sporting history. A fatal human crush during an FA Cup semi-final match against Liverpool in April 1989 where 96 fans passed away as a result of overcrowding in the central pens of the Lepping Lane stand allocated to Liverpool supporters. It was later revealed that the Leppings Lane End of the ground did not hold a valid safety certificate, and as a result of the tragedy emerged the Taylor Report in 1990 which made it compulsory for all teams in the first two divisions to have all-seater stadiums.

Moving on from such tragedy, Sheffield Wednesday won promotion back up to Division One in 1990-91, and subsequently found themselves as founder members of the inaugural Premier League in 1992. In just their first season back in the top flight of English football, they finished seventh and managed to reach the second round of the UEFA Cup, playing a club-record four games in Europe.

Tickets to Watch Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough Stadium

Adult tickets at Hillsborough range from £20-42, and season tickets can be purchased for £455. Under-11 season tickets work out to be priced at just £1 per game. Concession season tickets start at £255.

Related Links

https://www.swfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Sheffield Wednesday

https://www.swfc.co.uk/tickets/match-ticket-prices/ – Sheffield Wednesday Ticket Office

Just what must Ryan Sessegnon be thinking watching on from the side-lines at Tottenham?

The former Fulham youngster has barely featured under Jose Mourinho since his arrival as manager at the back end of last year, making just ten appearances across all competitions for the Portuguese man – although it must be said, injuries have of course played its part.

But after watching Spurs get turned over so easily by Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Thursday night, Mourinho simply cannot ignore Sessegnon for any longer.

Whilst Mourinho has previously insisted the young starlet isn’t ready to be a left-back right now, Ben Davies’ abysmal performance against the Blades means the Spurs boss surely has no excuse not to throw him in.

In what was a shocking team performance – Spurs managed just two shots on target all night – the Wales international had a torrid time on a personal note, with his positioning going all awry defensively, and hitting a roadblock in terms of his offensive contributions too.

As per Sofascore, he managed just one tackle and interception apiece, whilst winning only one of his five total duels, and losing possession 17 times.

And whilst he had a miserable night defensively – Lys Mousset’s goal for Sheffield United’s second was a particularly harrowing piece of marking to watch – he had an even worse time when going forward.

Spurs’ game-plan of trying to work it out wide and exploit the gaps in behind the Blades’ wing-backs were clear to see, but the 27-year-old just didn’t have the skill or technique to take advantage of it.

Out of three crosses he attempted, none of them were successful, and just four out of his 14 long balls found their mark. And perhaps a key reason why Sessegnon should now seriously be considered, is that he only attempted one dribble, and that too also failed.

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

Sessegnon has been described by Mourinho himself as “absolutely fantastic”, and as someone who is capable of playing at left-wing, would give Spurs a far more natural fit as a more attacking-minded full-back.

In his fledgling career, he has averaged one shot and one dribble per game, and that natural explosiveness and pace would give Spurs a different dimension to Davies’ frustrating lack of end product.

And after a particularly awful display on Thursday, Mourinho simply must start Sessegnon over Davies from here on in.