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Beren Cross has dropped an update on the future of Leeds United right-back Cody Drameh.

What’s been said?

In a recent Q&A on Leeds Live, the journalist revealed that, should Jesse Marsch’s side suffer relegation from the Premier League this season, he would expect the 20-year-old to remain at Elland Road in order to compete for first-team minutes with Luke Ayling in the Championship next term.

However, the journalist also stated his belief that, if the Whites were to secure survival on the final day of the current campaign, the England under-21 international could once again find himself preparing for a temporary move away from LS11 in the summer transfer window.

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Regarding the defender’s future, Cross said: “Drameh’s deal also expires in 2024. In the second tier, I would back him to stay and duke it out with Ayling for starts, but in the PL he may not quite be ready for the quantity of minutes he is looking for.

“His recent comments would suggest he wants another loan if he’s not getting the lion’s share of starts. Surely Leeds would only consider a sale of such an asset with a decent fee and plenty of add-ons.”

Marsch can save millions with Drameh

Considering how impressive Drameh was during his short-term loan at Cardiff City this season, and with Luke Ayling looking as if he could be ruled out of action for around four months after undergoing knee surgery, it would seem advisable for Marsch to finally give the 20-year-old a shot in the first-team.

Indeed, over his 22 Championship appearances in the current campaign, the £2.7m-rated defender was in fantastic form for the Bluebirds, providing three assists and creating four big chances for his team-mates, in addition to making 0.6 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game.

The £4.4k-per-week full-back also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, helping Cardiff to keep six clean sheets, along with making one interception, 3.8 tackles and two clearances and winning 6.9 duels (at a success rate of 57%) per match.

These metrics saw the player who Steve Morison dubbed a “Duracell Bunny” average a splendid SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as Cardiff’s fourth-best performer in the Championship.

As such, regardless of which division the Whites find themselves in next season, it would very much appear as if Drameh has proven that he deserves a shot in Marsch’s senior squad ahead of 2022/23.

Should the England youth international go on to thrive in the absence of Ayling, the decision to finally unleash the 20-year-old on the right of the Whites’ backline could be one which ends up saving the club millions of pounds in the transfer market.

AND in other news: Orta must brutally axe “pathetic” £50k-p/w Leeds flop, he’s “papering over the cracks”

West Bromwich Albion haven’t been shy when it comes to spending money on bringing new players to the club over recent years.

Taking a look into the past, though, it seems that the Midlands club made the mistake of not signing one player in particular when they had the chance, indecision which they will have undoubtedly gone on to regret.

According to former Albion technical director Dan Ashworth, the club were interested in signing Nemanja Matic before he joined Chelsea in 2009.

Ashworth revealed that the Baggies could have signed the Serbian for a cut-price fee of €200k (£170k) but ultimately didn’t.

In the 2009 summer transfer window, the west London club secured the midfielder from Slovakian outfit MFK Kosice in a deal worth £1.5m. The Blues then sold Matic to Portuguese club Benfica in 2011 before re-signing him for £21m in January 2014.

In the summer of 2017, the midfielder made the move to Manchester United in a deal worth a reported £40m.

With 526 senior club appearances under his belt, the 33-year-old – who is currently picking up £120k-per-week according to Salary Sport – has scored 25 goals and delivered 36 assists across all competitions.

The veteran has also won numerous trophies in his career, including three Premier League titles, one FA Cup and one League Cup, all with Chelsea.

Since the 2017/18 season, the former Stamford Bridge colossus has racked up an average pass completion percentage of 88.2%, along with 198 shot-creating actions, 230 tackles, 207 successful aerial duels and 182 interceptions in the Premier League.

This shows just how impressive the 33-year-old he has been in the English top flight for so many years and highlights the sort of player that the Baggies could have had in their ranks.

Labelled a “top-class professional” by his United boss Ralf Rangnick and a “genius” on the pitch by his former manager Jose Mourinho, Matic would undeniably have been a great signing for West Brom if they were able to get him for the fee that Ashworth mentioned.

Despite the nightmare outcome of missing out on signing the former Chelsea star, Albion will have to put it behind them and focus on the players they currently have in their squad, along with those they want to sign in the summer.

In other news: West Brom can finally land Pereira replacement as Bruce now eyes £6.3m “game changer”

Manchester City are three games away from potentially securing their fourth Premier League title in five years.

Despite the focus being on making sure they lift the league trophy once these three games are played, it seems as though a development has emerged regarding a potential summer transfer swoop that the Citizens have been mentioned with recently.

What’s the news?

According to journalist David Ornstein in a recent report for The Athletic, Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba has “opted against” joining City after the Frenchman was linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium last week.

Given how successful City have been in recent years in terms of winning domestic trophies, it’s surprising that the France international has passed up a potential opportunity to join them.

With 233 senior appearances to his name for the Red Devils, Pogba has found the net 39 times and delivered 51 assists.

Supporters will be gutted

During his time with Juventus between 2012 and 2016, the Frenchman scored 34 goals and provided 40 assists in 178 appearances across all competitions.

This shows just how much of an attacking and creative player the 29-year-old can be from the midfield and why it’ll be a blow for City to potentially miss out on signing him on a free transfer this summer once his deal at Old Trafford runs out.

The City fans will also be gutted to hear that a move across town from United won’t be on the cards.

Given the success that the Citizens had with their 2009 swoop for Carlos Tevez, who went on to score 73 goals in 148 appearances for them, it would have been a great sight for the City fans to see something similar happen with Pogba, having both had spells with United.

Furthermore, with current City midfielder Fernandinho set to leave the club in the summer when his contract expires, they will now have to look elsewhere in order to find a suitable replacement for the Brazilian veteran, and presumably at a costly price too.

In other news: “Man City will..”: Romano drops behind scenes transfer claim, it’s bad news for Pep

Rangers boss Giovanni van Bronkhorst has been handed a big lift at Ibrox ahead of next season’s Champions League…

What’s the talk?

A decision has now been made that will have big implications for teams in Scotland and Rangers specifically as it directly impacts how they will be able to qualify for the Champions League next term.

Indeed, The Scotsman have reported that UEFA has now decided to ban all teams in Russia from European competitions for the 2022/23 campaign.

For starters, the champions of the Premiership will gain automatic qualification for the competition, with Rangers currently sitting six points behind their rivals in the table.

Secondly, the runners-up in the Scottish top-flight will now enter into the third qualification round, instead of the second, next term.

Van Bronckhorst will be delighted

The Ibrox giants head coach will surely be delighted with this news as it is a huge boost to his side heading into next season.

This change to the qualification rules means that the Gers have a better chance of making the group stages of the Champions League as they will not have to play the first two games that they would have otherwise had to play.

They are set to skip the second round, assuming they finish second in the Premiership and do not win the Europa League, and van Bronckhorst will be buzzing with that. Not only does it increase their chances of qualifying, as it removes the possibility of them being knocked out before the third stage, but it also means that his players have two fewer games to deal with.

Rangers will, therefore, have a smaller risk of burning their players out as they will save, at least, 180 minutes of football in the early parts of 2022/23. The head coach will be delighted by this as it will keep his players fresh and fit to compete on all fronts next season, with the Gers potentially competing in the Champions League, Premiership and both domestic cups.

Although, it is worth stressing that Rangers can still qualify for the group stages of Europe’s premier competition without needing to go through the qualifying rounds. If they are able to overturn their 1-0 deficit against RB Leipzig on Thursday and then win in the final of the Europa League then they will follow the winners of the Premiership into the tournament at the same stage.

AND in other news, Rangers played an Ibrox blinder with £22k-pw “cornerstone” who’s like “Graeme Souness”…

Manchester United are reportedly ‘on pole’ to sign Napoli striker Victor Osimhen this summer.

The Lowdown: Nunez links with Man Utd

New United manager Erik ten Hag is set to make a start on the club’s summer targets soon, and it looks as if a star striker is high on his wish list.

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Benfica’s Darwin Nunez has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, with recent reports suggesting that Ten Hag has made an ‘express request’ to sign the Uruguayan.

United are now ‘one of the best-placed clubs’ to land the  22-year-old striker this summer, but it looks as if another marquee forward could arrive in Osimhen.

The Latest: Osimhen transfer latest

Sport Witness relayed an update from La Repubblica regarding United and Osimhen.

They claimed that the Red Devils are currently ‘on pole’ to sign the Nigeria international, although Premier League rivals Newcastle United are also ‘ready to go crazy’ for the Napoli star.

A €90m (£76.8m) figure was mooted for the 23-year-old, who was labelled ‘highly unpredictable’ during his time at Wolfsburg.

The Verdict: Sign them both?

You could argue that United could do with signing both strikers this summer, with Edinson Cavani set to leave the club at the end of the season.

Ten Hag could be left with Cristiano Ronaldo as his only senior centre-forward, although Anthony Martial will return from his Sevilla loan spell in the summer.

Nunez and Osimhen have both had outstanding seasons in front of goal, and with the former able to play out wide and in a deeper second striker role, they could both possibly find a spot in Ten Hag’s side.

However, the pair would come at a big cost, potentially more than £150m combined, a figure which is thought to be just about within Ten Hag’s budget.

In other news: Man Utd want to hijack Man City’s move for ‘explosive’ star who ‘has no weakness’. 

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United side face Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in Saturday’s evening kick-off, with both teams in need of a result for their respective battles at the bottom and top of the Premier League table.

Indeed, with Leeds sitting just five points above the relegation zone, the 48-year-old will be hoping to secure a surprise victory against City which would all but seal the Whites’ place in the top flight for next season.

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However, with the American revealing in his pre-match press conference that Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts will once again be unavailable for selection, and confirming that both Adam Forshaw and Crysencio Summerville will be out for the remainder of the season with knocks, he has some tough calls to make concerning his starting XI against Guardiola’s side.

Will the former RB Leipzig manager make any changes to the team which lined up for the 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace last Monday ? Here’s how we at Football FanCast think the Leeds starting XI could look against Man City…

With Bamford remaining sidelined, and Mateusz Klich having struggled in the middle of the park against Palace last time out, we predict that Marsch will make two changes to his starting XI at Elland Road today.

The back five remains intact, with Illan Meslier starting between the sticks, while Stuart Dallas, Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Luke Ayling make up the defensive quartet.

In the middle, Kalvin Phillips once again starts, while the £34k-per-week Klich – who Clinton Morrison dubbed as being “non-existent” in some games – makes way after a poor showing against the Eagles, with the more defensively-minded Robin Koch coming in to start, having replaced the Poland midfielder as a half-time substitute on Monday.

The forward-thinking midfield three of Jack Harrison, Rodrigo and Raphinha remains unchanged, while after a run of 11 Premier League games without a goal, Daniel James is dropped. Joe Gelhardt – who was dubbed a “promising” talent by Daniel Mann – instead ought to be given the chance to lead the line against City this evening.

AND in other news: Marsch must finally axe “pathetic” £50k-p/w Leeds flop vs City, he’s not good enough

Tottenham Hotspur have experienced all the emotions over the past several years, and the plan is that Thomas Frank will instil stability and a winning culture over the years at the helm.

However, the Danish coach has been through some turbulent waters across his first several months in the dugout, with attacking play far from fluid.

Creativity has been at a low ebb in the Premier League, and while neither James Maddison nor Dejan Kulusevski has kicked a ball this season due to injury, Frank will be expected to spark more fruitful playmaking returns going forward.

(1) Man City

2nd

29.1

(2) Man United

6th

26.8

(3) Arsenal

1st

25.4

(4) Chelsea

5th

24.7

(5) Crystal Palace

4th

24.3

(17) Tottenham

11th

14.8

We have seen green shoots in recent weeks, Spurs currently riding a two-match winning run, but the squad need to kindle some new talismanic figures, with the absence of the likes of Heung-min Son keenly felt.

Why Spurs are missing Son

Tottenham have markedly failed to replace Son and Harry Kane after the respective superstars’ sales in recent years, and though the South Korean was on the decline last year, he still posted 23 goal contributions across all competitions.

That’s natural potency you just can’t teach, only guide in the right direction. The 33-year-old is now playing over the pond for Los Angeles FC, but Frank could certainly do with a new superstar to emerge and prove themselves in Son’s stead.

His leadership and devastating ability were something shared with Kane, but stripping it further back, Christian Eriksen too.

For sure, the Lilywhites would benefit from the Dane’s creative flair right now, especially with Maddison and Kulusevski both out of action. Eriksen notched 69 goals and 88 assists across 305 games for the north London club, and former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy marvelled at his “world-class” quality while at White Hart Lane.

It would be easy to turn toward the transfer market for solutions, and though Frank needs to find a formula that creates a natural well of creativity and coherence in offence, he may actually have two new recruits who are well on their way to emulating the likes of Son and Eriksen before them.

Spurs' new Son and Eriksen duo

Eriksen and Son were instrumental parts in creating a Tottenham team, led by Mauricio Pochettino, that was among the most feared and entertaining on the continent.

It was always going to be a struggle to replace such players, but in Mohammed Kudus and Xavi Simons, Frank might just have the tools to resculpt the aforementioned.

Simons, 21, has endured a tough start to life down N17, but with two goals from two matches, the Dutch number ten is beginning to show why ENIC Group paid north of £50m to bring him over from RB Leipzig during the summer, beating Chelsea in the transfer battle.

He has been hailed as a “superstar” of a talent by analyst Ben Mattinson, and he ranks among the top 3% of positional peers in the Premier League this season for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref, emphasising that Eriksen-esque passing range that will only develop further over the months and years.

Kudus might not be cut from the same cloth as Son, but he certainly has that wow factor about him, capable of doing things with a football that those around him and against him simply can’t match.

Mohammed Kudus

14

6

Bruno Fernandes

15

6

Rayan Cherki

10

5

Jeremy Doku

15

5

Seven players…

n/a

4

The fact that the former West Ham winger sits as the Premier League’s joint-top assist maker this season says much of his ability. Analyst Raj Chohan has even hailed Simons’ “game-changing” ability, suggesting he has more in his locker than the still-impressive Kudus.

Perhaps the most exciting part is that the best is yet to come. After all, Son took a while to get going after joining Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015, while Eriksen needed Christmas to come and pass before uncovering a Midas touch in the final third in 2013/14, when he joined from Ajax.

We must be patient, but there’s no denying that Tottenham have signed several forwards with the capacity to stand out not just among their peers but against anyone in the Premier League.

Tottenham haven’t clicked into gear yet this season, but there have been plenty of positives to take as Frank navigates through the first months of this post-Ange Postecoglou era.

And with Simons coming into his own and Kudus showing off his skilful qualities, the Londoners have all the tools they need to reach the next level when the different parts all come together.

Udogie upgrade: Spurs enter race to sign "the world's most coveted left-back"

Frank is expected to be backed in the upcoming transfer windows by Tottenham owners ENIC Group.

ByAngus Sinclair 4 days ago

It would not be overdoing it to suggest the wheels have well and truly come off at West Ham United this season.

Well, we say this season, but in reality, things have been going wrong for East Londoners for some time, and Graham Potter has not helped.

The former Chelsea manager led the club to a 14th-place finish in the Premier League last year, but as things stand, he has them in the relegation zone, with one win and three losses this year.

Regardless of what happens this weekend, it’s time for the Hammers to find a new coach, and while Slaven Bilic’s name has been thrown around, there is another out-of-work coach who’d be a far better option.

The coaches linked with West Ham

Given the size of the club, it’s not been a surprise to see a host of pretty good managers linked with West Ham over the last couple of weeks.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

One of those has been Gary O’Neil, who has been out of work since being fired from Wolverhampton Wanderers last season.

Now, there is certainly a line of thinking that suggests hiring a manager who was fired by another relegation candidate is a bad idea, but it’s important to remember he also saved the Old Gold and Bournemouth before that from going down.

So, while he might not be the perfect long-term option, he might be worth bringing in for this season to stabilise the ship – he can’t be worse than Potter.

Another, more exciting name touted for the job has been Nuno Espírito Santo.

The Portuguese boss is another one fired by a Premier League side, but it’s really not the same, as after saving Nottingham Forest from relegation, he then led them back into Europe for the first time in generations.

Lastly, as we’ve already mentioned, Bilic has been touted for a return to the London Stadium.

Now, while there is an undeniable romanticism to that idea, there is another free coach who’d be a way better hire.

The manager West Ham should hire over Bilic

There are quite a number of quality managers out of work at the moment, from Marco Rose to Sean Dyche.

However, the one West Ham should be going all out for, and should stand a chance of getting, is Luciano Spalletti.

The Italian coach is currently out of work after being let go by the national team.

Still, fans shouldn’t be put off by the fact that things didn’t work out there, as even Roberto Mancini failed to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, despite being European champions at the time.

Moreover, it was his record at club level that even earned him the chance to manage the Azzurri, and it is an impressive one.

For example, he won back-to-back promotions with Empoli, two league titles and two cups with Zenit Saint Petersburg, back-to-back Coppa Italias with AS Roma and the big one, Napoli’s first Serie A title in a generation in 22/23.

Unsurprisingly, then, when we hold up his record to Bilic’s, there is only one winner.

During his last spell in club football, the coaching “phenomenon,” as dubbed by former Roma sporting director Walter, oversaw 96 games, of which he won 62, drew 16 and lost 18, resulting in a points per game average of 2.10.

In contrast, Croat’s last job was with Al-Fateh, where he oversaw 36 games, won 13 of them, drew nine and lost 14, which came out to an average of 1.33 points per game.

Games

96

36

Wins

62

13

Draws

16

9

Losses

18

14

Points per Game

2.10

1.33

Ultimately, while Bilic would probably do a better job than Potter, it’s crystal clear that Spalletti would be a far better hire for West Ham.

"Fantastic" manager now tempted to replace Graham Potter at West Ham

Graham Potter could be gone in the next few games.

ByEmilio Galantini Sep 19, 2025

Now that it’s closed, it would be fair to say West Ham United had a relatively good transfer window this summer.

They didn’t spend an egregious amount of money, and it took them a while to get going, but Graham Potter’s squad is now stronger than it was at the end of last season.

The pick of the signing might just be Mateus Fernandes, who enjoyed a strong first campaign (individually) in the Premier League with Southampton last year.

However, a player sold by David Moyes a few years ago is now being compared to the Portuguese ace.

Reviewing West Ham's transfer window

Alonfside Fernandes, West Ham made a number of exciting additions to Potter’s squad over the summer, such as El Hadji Malick Diouf.

The Senegalese international cost £19m from Czech outfit Slavia Prague, and while that’s no small amount, he’s already proving to be more than worth the outlay.

For example, he impressed in the pre-season, and then, in just three league appearances and one Carabao Cup game, he has racked up two assists from left-back and left wing-back.

On the other side, Kyle Walker-Peters has already shown why a number of teams were keen to sign him, as he’s already registered an assist in three appearances.

Even Callum Wilson, who was a signing that raised plenty of eyebrows, has started life in East London well enough, scoring a goal in the win over Nottingham Forest last week.

These three, plus the highly-rated Soungoutou Magassa and Fernandes, could end up looking like an excellent window come the end of the season.

Although as exciting as the Portuguese ace is, the club has already sold a player compared to him for a sizable loss in the past.

West Ham's original Fernandes

West Ham saw plenty of players come and go over Moyes’ two stints in the dugout, but in this instance, we are talking about Pablo Fornals.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

The Spanish midfielder joined the club in the summer of 2019 for a fee of around £24m and went on to make 203 appearances, totalling 12,221 minutes.

During his time in East London, the “unbelievable” midfielder, as dubbed by journalist Karl Matchett, would score 23 goals, provide 19 assists, play in the Europa League and be a part of the iconic Conference League-winning side under Moyes.

However, minutes were harder to come by in the 23/24 season, and when Real Betis came knocking in the January window, the Hammers were happy to let him leave for around £6.8m – a £17.2m loss.

With all that said, then, where does this comparison to the Irons’ new boy Fernandes come from?

Well, it stems from FBref, which determined that the Portuguese ace has been the fourth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Spaniard across Europe’s top five leagues in the last 365 days.

We can gain a better understanding of how this conclusion was reached by examining the underlying numbers in which the pair rank closely.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.25

0.22

Passing Accuracy

80.0%

80.1%

Expected Assists

0.14

0.11

Shots

1.13

1.32

Ball Recoveries

5.62

5.58

Carries into the Penalty Area

0.34

0.28

These include metrics like non-penalty expected goals plus assists, shots, ball recoveries, carries into the penalty area, passing accuracy and more, all per 90.

In other words, the 29-year-old looks to be as creative when it comes to passing, and just as effective a carrier of the ball.

Ultimately, Fernandes should be an excellent signing for West Ham, and it’s probably a good sign that he’s as comparable to as big a fan favourite as Fornals.

West Ham starlet looked a bigger talent than Rice & Paqueta, now he's got no club

The former West Ham gem’s career hasn’t gone to plan at all.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Sep 5, 2025

A Champions League club are now “pushing hard” to sign a Sunderland star “immediately”, with a bid currently in the works, according to Sky Sports reporter Patrick Berger.

Wembley trip on the horizon for the Black Cats

The Black Cats didn’t exactly finish the Championship campaign in ideal fashion, losing their final five games, but they have managed to turn on the style when it matters, booking their spot at Wembley for the play-off final with a dramatic victory against Coventry City.

However, Regis Le Bris isn’t content with simply reaching the final, with the manager insisting his side must get the job done, saying: “Our focus is now fully on the final. It’s really clear — this is the main objective of the season.

“We have to take the final step. It will be tough, but we must put the work in now to make sure we’re ready.”

The importance of Sunderland restoring their Premier League status cannot be understated, not least because they could have a battle trying to keep hold of their key players beyond the summer, should they fail to return to the top flight.

In fact, in an update on X, Berger has now revealed that Borussia Dortmund are “pushing hard” to sign Jobe Bellingham “immediately”, with the German club keen to sign the midfielder prior to this summer’s Club World Cup.

An offer is currently being prepared, which Dortmund are planning to submit after Saturday’s play-off final, although they are yet to reach an agreement with Bellingham on personal terms, and they don’t believe they are in pole position for the youngster.

Should the Black Cats be willing to sanction a departure this summer, they would be looking to receive a fee of €25m – €30m (£21m – £25m).

Black Cats could struggle to keep hold of Bellingham even if they go up

It could be a very difficult task for Le Bris’ side to keep hold of the 19-year-old beyond the summer, given that a number of other English clubs are also in the race for his signature, such as Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace.

The hope will be that the teenager is tempted to test himself in the Premier League, should Sunderland prevail against Sheffield United, but the opportunity to play in the Champions League could be tempting, with Dortmund recently securing qualification for next season’s competition.

Sunderland now want to sign 26 y/o defender who has just been relegated

He is expected to leave his current club.

ByHenry Jackson May 20, 2025

In truth, news of Dortmund’s increased interest is an unwanted distraction ahead of the play-off final, and full focus must remain on Saturday’s game, which could be pivotal in terms of Sunderland’s future trajectory.

The Championship play-off final has become known as the ‘richest game in football’, and this year’s edition is set to be the most lucrative to date, with the winners set to receive a minimum of £220m in extra income next season.