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We’re more than a quarter of the way through the Championship season already.

How quickly has that gone? Fans of every club in the division have now had 13 games to judge their teams this term, and there’s been a lot to reflect on.

As always, one of the biggest headline-grabbing sides in the second-tier has been Leeds United.

Once again, the Whites are in and around the automatic promotion places, and there have been some fantastic performers throughout this first portion of the campaign.

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The Elland Road faithful were asked to name who their Player of the Season up until this point was, and the consensus around the fanbase was that one of their summer signings has been the most impressive individual.

Indeed, many members of the fanbase named Brighton loanee Ben White as Leeds’ best player and you can’t really blame them. After all, he was named the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for August.

White had big shoes to fill when he came to Elland Road after the departure of Pontus Jansson, but he’s been a huge part of the Yorkshire club conceding the fewest number of goals in the entire division.

Here’s what Leeds fans have been saying on Twitter…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolves are back in Europa League action this week, 14 days after their disappointing defeat to Braga at Molineux which kickstarted the group stages.

They have worked ever so hard to reach this point by winning all six qualification games, and that run started before the Premier League season had even got underway – a time where plenty of other clubs were still enjoying pre-season.

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Now they set out on their first away day of the group campaign with a trip to Besiktas, who themselves will be looking to put behind an embarrassing defeat as Slovan Bratislava netted twice in injury time to clinch all three points.

Most shockingly, their domestic form has taken a gigantic hit with just one win in six matches this term, putting them in one of the three relegation places.

But that doesn’t mean they won’t have a threat. In fact, there is one man Wolves will need to be very wary of.

On the Chalkboard

Adem Ljajic has been the Black Eagles’ dangerman so far this season.

The 28-year-old has netted two goals across the Super Lig and the Europa League while also providing three assists.

In the league alone, he averages 49 passes per game, 3.4 of which are key passes, meaning he is at the focal point of pretty much everything they do – particularly in attack where he is recording 1.8 dribbles and 2.2 shots per match, via WhoScored.

His primary position is as a central attacking midfielder, but he can sometimes line up on either flank.

With him being the crucial instigator to Beskitas’ attack, it makes sense for Conor Coady to be the man that can thwart his advances.

The Wolves skipper plays a crucial role in the centre of defence which allows him to come forward slightly as the ball-playing defender or even drop back as a sweeper.

A lot of Nuno Santo’s system runs through the 26-year-old, and that’s reflected in his 41.3 average passes per game – not too much of a surprise considering he used to be a midfielder himself.

Coady has been a mainstay in defence for the last few seasons having made a minimum of 37 league appearances each year at Molineux.

This term he is averaging 3.9 clearances and 1.7 tackles per match which could suggest he’s more than capable of battling it out with Ljajic.

Another thing on his side is his ability to not concede so many fouls at 0.6 per game, but he can be exposed to the odd dribble – 1.1 times per match on average, so he will need to be very, very careful on Thursday night.

The international break is finally coming to an end.Of course, that means that the return of club football is just around the corner, and we can all start paying attention to the domestic season once again.Watch Liverpool Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Premier League will be back with a bang too, as we’re set to be treated to one of the most mouth-watering fixtures this division has to offer as Liverpool head to Old Trafford to face Manchester United.

As soon as the last international fixtures are played (or before they even started) football fans all over the world will be looking forward to that behemoth clash, and it appears the players are already focusing their efforts on Sunday’s match too.

Indeed, despite having another fruitful spell with the Netherlands national team, Georginio Wijnaldum is only thinking about his Liverpool duties, as he sent a no-nonsense message immediately after the Dutch team’s last game.

Wijnaldum is completely focused on Sunday’s game against Manchester United, though don’t count on him replicating his incredible Dutch form in a red shirt.

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Liverpool announced on Monday that teenage midfielder Jake Cain had signed his first professional contract with the Merseyside giants.

And it would be fair to say that the news has been well received by the club’s fans.

Cain, who only turned 18 at the start of September, has been in fine form for Liverpool’s Under-18s in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign.

Indeed, the youngster has scored twice and registered four assists in four outings in the Under-18 Premier League this term.

The Wigan-born ace has been with the Reds since the age of nine, and Liverpool’s official website point out that he made his debut as an Under-16 player under Steven Gerrard.

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It remains to be seen whether Cain can make the breakthrough into the first team, but the fans appear to be very excited about his credentials.

A selection of the Twitter reaction to the contract announcement can be seen below:

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Simon Mignolet has told The Daily Mail that he was frustrated in his final year at Liverpool due to a lack of game time, but fans have shown little sympathy for the goalkeeper.

The Belgian had been number one before Jurgen Klopp’s arrival, before losing his place to Loris Karius prior to the arrival of Alisson, who featured in all but two of Liverpool’s games in 2018/19.

Despite having two years remaining on his contract, Mignolet said he was desperate to depart this summer, revealing that his patience with his manager had run out due to “giving everything”  but receiving “nothing in return.”

It is a natural response from a player who spent a year on the sidelines when he could have featured regularly for another side, but Liverpool fans aren’t ready to show too much empathy despite him making 204 appearances for the club, as they believe he would have played more if he was good enough.

The former Sunderland player joined Club Brugge over the summer for a reported £6.4m, and he has since kept six clean sheets in nine matches for his new team.

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Here is some of the reaction from Liverpool fans to Mignolet’s revelation.

Newcastle United will be desperate to climb even further away from the relegation zone, with consistency being the main focus from here on in until the end of the season.

Indeed, one thing that has been playing on fans’ minds in recent times is the lack of support that Salomon Rondon has received at the pinnacle of the attack, as he has had to fend for himself.

However, it appears as if the the Magpies have their sights set on a possible summer swoop as they’ve reportedly (as per Teamtalk) scouted Che Adams in recent times, and Birmingham City want £20 million for his services, while Newcastle will have to put together a package worth £16 million if they want to sign Rondon permanently.

So, Mike Ashley should set his sights on securing a double summer swoop that involves bringing Rondon to the club on a permanent deal and Che Adams as well for a potential combined £36 million.

Che Adams has established himself as one of the most dangerous forwards in the Championship this season, having scored an impressive 21 goals already. And, he has plenty of potential and bags of pace, which has been missing at the pinnacle of the attack for the Magpies in the current campaign.

Meanwhile, Rondon has been the standout performer at St James’ Park this season, with seven goals and three assists to his name up until this point, so he’s done more than enough to warrant a permanent switch.

Of course, Mike Ashley hasn’t really been known to splash too much cash over the years at St James’ Park, but it’s safe to say that this potential double raid is definitely needed as they’d be lost without Rondon and Che Adams’ pace and constant goal threat would work wonders.

What do you think Newcastle United fans?

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.

Tottenham Hotspur rather strangely described Eric Dier as a ‘versatile defender’ in an injury update on their official website on Thursday, and given their issues at right-back at the moment it may hint he could be in line for a rare start there.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Spurs were providing the latest on their squad prior to the visit of Crystal Palace to north London on Saturday, and said that Tanguy Ndombele, Ryan Sessegnon, Kyle Walker-Peters and Eric Dier are all back in training, but that Davinson Sanchez could be a doubt following irritation on his ankle.

The Colombian started at right-back ahead of the available Serge Aurier in Walker-Peters’ absence against Arsenal prior to the international break, and if he is ruled out it may leave manager Mauricio Pochettino with a bit of a conundrum if Walker-Peters also isn’t fit enough to start.

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While the latter was described as a right-back on the official website, the labelling of Dier was a little more confusing.

Dier set for right-back role?

Of those matches in which Dier’s position played has been recorded by Transfermarkt, the large majority of them show that he has either featured in a defensive midfield role or as a centre-back, so the wording of him being a ‘versatile defender’ rather than a ‘versatile defensive player’ is certainly notable and timely given their right-back issues.

According to Transfermarkt, he has played there on 25 occasions so he does have previous, and given the shortage of options there it wouldn’t be a total surprise if he was being considered, especially following on from potentially controversial comments from Aurier this week having already been left out against the Gunners.

Given you would think Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld would be guaranteed to play at centre-back if Sanchez is absent, that leaves right-back as the role the ‘versatile’ Dier could fit.

It may all be pure coincidence, but we for one certainly wouldn’t be surprised to see the England international selected there against the Eagles.

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Manchester United have now turned down an enquiry from Tottenham for midfielder Jesse Lingard, ESPN report.

And, as to be expected, a number of United fans have been reacting to the news on social media.

Lingard is out of contract at Old Trafford at the end of the season, with his immediate future seemingly up in the air after starting just two games in all competitions this season.

The midfielder, who Rio Ferdinand labelled as ‘amazing’, is in Dubai with some of his United teammates, with Newcastle reportedly offering £10m to take Lingard on loan until the end of the season.

According to ESPN’s Rob Dawson, both Spurs and West Ham have also made enquiries to sign Lingard this month, but they were turned down as United don’t want to ‘strengthen clubs also competing for a place in the top four.’

United fans react

@utdreport relayed Dawson’s claim regarding Lingard on Twitter. This is what these United supporters had to say in reply, with many not exactly thrilled at United’s reasoning.

“Nonsense surely?! The mighty Spurs and West Ham”

Credit: @Niall_UTD

“This club @ManUtd might actually be finished because what is this??”

Credit: @Doye_A_Doyen

“This is embarrassing beyond belief, how low we’ve fallen.”

Credit: @AdamManred

“Total madness”

Credit: @JohnK4nM

“Are we that finished? Wow”

Credit: @UtdJuice

“This tweet sums up the downfall of Manchester United”

Credit: @UTDFrankie

In other news: ‘Wow’ – Lots of Man United fans erupt as ‘ridiculous’ transfer news emerges

Aston Villa are reportedly now in serious danger of losing Matty Cash in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Standout right-back

Cash has no doubt been one of the standout right-backs in the Premier League so far this season. He is ranked as the third-best player to have played in 15 or more games in the position, per WhoScored, just behind Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold and Arsenal’s Takehiro Tomiyasu.

Described as ‘one of the best’ full-backs in the top flight by Kevin Phillips, Cash also averages the most tackles (2.9) and interceptions (1.8) per game (WhoScored), and so Villa may face a battle to keep hold of him for next season.

The Latest: Atletico Madrid have ‘serious’ interest

Taking to Twitter, Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Villa are now in serious danger of losing Cash to La Liga and UEFA Champions League giants Atletico Madrid come the summer:

“Atletico Madrid are seriously interested in signing Matty Cash for next season.

“Direct contacts started in January and he’s still in Atleti list as potential new right-back for Diego Simeone, highly appreciated.

“Cash will be in Atletico list again for sure.”

The Verdict: Potential huge blow

Even though Villa are an established Premier League side, and the owners clearly have big ambitions of their own after the captures of Phillipe Coutinho and Lucas Digne last month, it seems sadly inevitable that heads will be turned by mega clubs, such is the quality in Steven Gerrard’s squad.

Indeed, Atletico regularly compete for the Champions League and won La Liga last season – no matter how much Cash loves his life in the Midlands, it would be hard to begrudge him such a move.

He would no doubt be a huge loss, given his importance to the team, as he is currently ranked as their fifth-best player this term.

Nonetheless, at 24 years of age, the Poland international still has so much potential, and it would be very difficult to find a like-for-like replacement.

In other news, find out which clubs have been named as the ones who potentially bid for Douglas Luiz here!

Norwegian football is going through a golden spell with a number of players now performing at the highest level in Europe. They look like a national team that are on the up and should start making their mark in major tournaments in the near future.

Here is a look at four of their players who could be set for big moves in 2022.

Erling Haaland

Striker Erling Haaland is the real star of Norwegian football. The Dortmund striker is considered to be one of the best strikers in the world at the moment. His goal scoring record at the German club over the last three years backs that up.

Last season’s Best Forward of the Season in the Champions League is being monitored by all the major European clubs, including Manchester United; their boss Ralf Rangnick is thought to be an admirer of the player. They will be fully aware that Haaland’s release clause of £64 million will be activated in the summer. This is much lower than what they will value the player at, as he would be expected to go for at least £100 million in today’s market.

As reported by ESPN, Barcelona are thought to be preparing a move for the striker this summer. They are doing their best to reduce their wage bill before then by offloading players like Philippe Coutinho and Samuel Umtiti. This will allow them to be able to finance a deal later this year.

Haaland will be hoping he can help Dortmund to some silverware this season if it does end up being his last campaign for their club. They are the 11/2 favourites to win the Europa League with Unibet, one of the leading sport betting sites in Norway who offer odds on the European competition.

Jørgen Strand Larsen

Another Norwegian striker who has a big future is Jørgen Strand Larsen. He currently plays his club football for Groningen in the Eredivisie in the Netherlands. In his debut campaign for the Dutch club last season, he scored nine goals. He looks on course to beat that record this year.

Stand Larsen has played for Norway and may end up being Haaland’s strike partner going forward. He has recently been linked with a move to the Premier League to join Leicester.

Celtic are another club who are thought to be interested in Larsen. They bought Virgil van Dijk from Groningen in 2013. If they do sign the 21-year-old, they will be hoping the striker goes on to have a similar career to the former PFA Player of the Year.

Ola Brynhildsen

Only one player had more assists in Norway’s Eliteserien last season than Ola Brynhildsen. He helped Molde finish second in the final standings behind FK Bodø/Glimt.

The 22-year-old joined Molde from Stabaek in July 2020. He signed a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Norwegian club. Despite his age, he has already appeared 100 times in the Eliteserien, so he has lots of experience.

Brynhildsen has featured for Norway under-21s, however, he remains uncapped with the senior team. That is likely to change in 2022, especially if he continues with the form he showed last year.

Unlike Haaland and Strand Larsen, it may not take a huge transfer fee to scoop the talented attacking midfielder away from Molde. There are likely to be clubs across Europe who are happy to take a chance on him to see if he can step up to a higher level. It would be relatively low risk for them.

Marius Lode

Defender Marius Lode has been an integral part of FK Bodø/Glimt’s title success in 2020 and 2021. The towering centre-back has played in the heart of their defence and his form has been very consistent.

Lode received his first two caps for Norway in 2021. Unlike many players in his position, Lode is very comfortable with the ball at his feet. He is also versatile in that he can play at full back and as a defensive midfielder, if required.

The Bodø/Glimt man has featured in Europe across all three leading competitions. British clubs will get a chance to see him close hand when the Norwegian club take on Celtic in the Europa Conference League knockout round play-offs, which takes place over two legs.

In the Europa League Conference League group stage, Lode finished fourth in the most completed passes. As documented by UEFA, he ended the group with 392 passes. Those sorts of stats showcase how much of an all-round player he is.

Stoke City are one of the clubs in England that has been linked with the Norway international. They are unlikely to be the only Championship side to do be doing so. Many English clubs have scouts regularly watching football in the Eliteserien.

If all four of the above players get their moves to bigger clubs in 2022, it can only benefit the Norway national team, as they look to improve their results on the international stage.

Photo by Emilio Garcia on Unsplash