David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady appear to have acknowledged their failings in the summer transfer market through West Ham United’s rumoured defence of signing Craig Dawson on loan from Watford.

What’s the word?

According to Irons insider ExWHUemployee, while speaking on the West Ham Way Podcast, the Hammers ownership were reluctant to commit to Dawson long-term this summer as they do not consider the Watford defender to be a first-choice option in David Moyes’ plans.

The east London outfit acquired Dawson following the closure of the international transfer market on a season-long deal, which is rumoured to include an option to buy next summer for around £2million.

West Ham were linked with a myriad of defensive options this summer but saw their efforts fail to result in done deals, with Burnley opposed to accepting bids worth up to £30m for James Tarkowski as the Clarets valued the England international at £50m, while Bayer Leverkusen were approached too late in the market to sell Jonathan Tah and Olympique de Marseille ace Deja Caleta-Car did not wish to leave the Ligue 1 outfit.

Dawson is yet to feature for West Ham since joining the London Stadium natives on loan, but could make his debut against Manchester City on Saturday with the 30-year-old in contention for a place in Moyes’ matchday squad.

If Moyes does include the Hornets loanee, it will likely only be among the substitutes, and come as his first chance to change opinions in east London with ExWHUemployee noting that fan unrest also played a key part in GSB’s reluctance to sanction a long-term deal.

“We ended up signing Craig Dawson, he is a Will Salthouse player as I’ve clarified before,” ExWHUemployee noted. “We were going to sign him on a permanent deal for around £2m. But we were only going to offer him a one or two-year contract and I think he had a three-year contract at Watford.

“And it proved quite hard to get him to sign when he knew he wouldn’t get a contract the same length as the one he had. Also, because there was quite a lot of negativity from the West Ham fans, the club erred on the side of caution and thought: ‘right we’ll get him on loan, he’s probably only going to be a back-up anyway’.”

GSB acknowledged their failings

Having failed in so many attempted swoops this summer, Gold, Sullivan and Brady could easily have opted to award Dawson a contract matching the length of his Watford terms in order to add depth to Moyes’ backline.

However, they appear to have acknowledged their failings in securing a first-choice option and decided best to only acquire Dawson on a temporary deal as the move offers the east London outfit an easy out in 2021 should the Watford loanee fail to establish himself.

The decision also prevented GSB from facing greater fan unrest following the protests seen outside of the London Stadium on the opening day, as they did not commit to keeping a player supporters were opposed to signing but without leaving Moyes weak in defence.

Had Dawson been signed permanently, West Ham may have found themselves in a position next summer where they need to sell the 30-year-old in order to sign the first-choice option they hoped to land this year, as the Watford man would be taking up wages and a squad place he may not deserve – a situation which would surely have angered the Irons faithful.

AND in other news, West Ham risk a Jack Wilshere 2.0 scenario by signing a once-£42.4m-valued outcast backed by a club legend.

Manchester United defender Diogo Dalot has been linked with various sides throughout this transfer window, and the latest news suggests that the player might be one who could leave before the window shuts.

According to  The Transfer Window Podcast, via The Express, the full-back is not happy at the Red Devils due to his lack of game time, and he would therefore like to leave the club sooner rather than later.

However, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is not ready to sanction an exit for the 21-year-old as he still wants defensive cover, but there might be the possibility of letting the Portuguese right-back leave the club on a loan deal for the season.

The 21 year-old, per Transfermarkt, who is valued at £10.8 million, has made 34 appearances for Manchester United, picking up a goal and three assists along the way, but only featured in the Premier League four times last season and with Aaron Wan-Bissaka signing for the club last summer, and this is why it makes sense that he wants to leave as it would benefit him if he wants to play consistently.

He also seems to have moved further down the pecking order as Timothy Fosu-Mensah has been featuring more lately than Dalot and a loan deal for the player would benefit all parties as the club still have enough depth in that position and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer can see if Dalot improves and plays well consistently elsewhere and the player gets what he wants.

It will be interesting to see what happens, but if he is not happy to stay at the club, then it would definitely be best for him to leave as soon as possible as his mood could affect the squad and Solskjaer will not want that before the season gets underway.

Man United fans, what are your thoughts on this news? Comment below!

تحدث طارق مصطفى مدرب منتخب مصر السابق، عن مباراة الأهلي والزمالك المقرر إقامتها في قمة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

الأهلي يلتقي مع الزمالك في المباراة التي ستقام على استاد القاهرة الدولي في الجولة الثالثة من المسابقة المحلية، غدا الجمعة.

وقال طارق مصطفى في تصريحات فضائية لقناة “أبو ظبي”: “الأفضل منذ فترة كبيرة، ومستواه ثابت هو الزمالك، التشكيل ثابت ويوجد استقرار فني، التغيير يكون في عنصر أو عنصرين وفي خط الهجوم وليس الوسط أو الدفاع”.

تابع: “كارتيرون من المدربين القادرين على تجهيز اللاعبين بدنيًا”.

واضاف: “رتم الزمالك من أول دقيقة في المباراة حتى النهاية لا يتغير، عكس الأهلي، موسيماني في اعتقادي الشخصي الضغوط عليه أكثر”.

وأكمل: “الأهلي في الفترة الأخيرة لم يسير بشكل جيد وتغيير طريقة اللعب لأكثر من مرة سواء أمام الإسماعيلي أو البنك الأهلي، لدرجة المباراة الأخيرة مانت الأمور صعبة وهذا جعل جماهير الأهلي تشعر أنه قد يحدث تغييرًا، وهذا لم يكن يحدث في القلعة الحمراء”.

طالع أيضًا.. سيد معوض: مباراة الزمالك ستؤثر على مستقبل موسيماني.. ومستوى الأهلي متذبذب

واردف: “إنما في نادي الزمالك لو قلت لأي أحد ما تشكيل الفريق، سيقوله بنسبة 90% والتغيير يكون في لاعب واحد فقط”.

وزاد “من وجهة نظري الشخصية هي مباراة صعبة في كل الأحوال، ومباريات القمة الذي يكون موفقًا وخاصة في البداية ويستطيع أن يحرز هدفًا، ينال الثقة”.

وعن غياب شيكابالا عن القمة: “هو لاعب كبير ومؤثر وبالفترة الأخيرة كان مميزا جدًا في مباريات الأهلي تحديدًا، ولكن شيكابالا في اعتقادي الشخصي إيقافه أخذ فترة طويلة جدًا، والجماهير كانت تحب تواجده، واللاعبين المتواجدين سيكون لهم تأثير قوي جدًا، لأن معظمهم يعتمد على المهارة”.

من الأفضل في خط الهجوم الجزيري أم السعيد؟: “السعيد يختلف عن الجزيري، الأخير يعتمد دائمًا على الاختراق في المساحات خلف خط الدفاع والسرعات، لكن السعيد يمتاز بضربات الرأس وقادر على الوقوف على الكرة”.

وواصل: “كارتيرون يضع نظاما يسير به دائمًا، لم يشرك الجزيري في المباراة الماضية في اعتقادي سيبدأ بسيف أمام الأهلي والسعيد سيكون متواجدًا على دكة البدلاء، حيث يريد لاعب متحرك بين الخطوط”.

وأختتم: “الزمالك سيفوز على الأهلي بهدفين مقابل هدف”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Fluminense, cinco vezes da Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior (atrás apenas do Corinthians, com nove), estreou com vitória na edição 2016 do torneio. Neste sábado, em Capivari, pelo Grupo 13, o Tricolor goleou o Real Noroeste (ES) por 4 a 1, gols de Paulinho (2), Pedro e Wendel, enquanto Patrick descontou. No outro jogo da chave, o anfitrião Capivariano foi batido pelo Água Santa (2 a 0).

Na próxima rodada, na segunda-feira, o Fluminense enfrenta o Água Santa, às 20h, enquanto Real Noroeste e Capivarianojogam a preliminar, às 18h. Os dois primeiros da chave avançam à segunda fase.

O Fluminense foi avassalador logo no início e, com 16 minutos de partida, fez 3 a 0. Paulinho, aos oito, Pedro, aos12, e novamente Paulinho quatro minutos depois. Ainda no primeiro tempo, aos 37, Patrick descontou. Na etapacomplementar, Wendel, aos 31, transformou o resultado em goleada e deu números finais ao confronto.

O Fluminense atuou com: Jennerson, Breno Caetano, Frazan, Derlan e Marquinhos; Guilherme, Wendel e Pedrinho (Andrey);Patrick (Talles), Pedro e Paulinho (Mascarenhas). Técnico: Luiz Felipe Santos.

RelacionadasFutebol NacionalHenrique no Flu: namoro antigo, salário elevado e disputa com rivaisFutebol Nacional02/01/2016FluminenseNos EUA com o Flu, Ronaldinho terá programação particularFluminense02/01/2016FluminenseNegociação entre Flu e Ponte por Wellington Paulista ‘esfria’Fluminense02/01/2016

Brighton could face a battle to retain the services of teenage defender Haydon Roberts, who has been the subject of renewed interest from Leeds.

Football Insider reported that the Whites have rejected a second bid for the 18-year-old, having already turned down an initial offer from the Elland Road outfit last week.

A Leeds source indicated to Football Insider that the club went back to the Seagulls with an improved offer of £800,000 for the England under-18 international, but that has also been rebuffed.

Roberts is in the final year of his contract at the Amex Stadium but Brighton do not want to lose the youngster, who they believe is capable of becoming a Premier League player (as per Football Insider).

The 18-year-old made his second senior appearance for the club in last week’s Carabao Cup win against Portsmouth, having also played (and scored in) the competition a year ago against Aston Villa. However, he has yet to even feature in a matchday squad for a Premier League fixture. [via TransferMarkt]

According to Football Insider, the teenager has been compared to Seagulls team-mate Ben White, who plays in the same position and has also been the subject of renewed transfer interest from Leeds. Following a fruitful loan spell at Elland Road last season, the Yorkshire club made three unsuccessful bids to try and sign him permanently, with the 22-year-old signing a new contract at the Amex at the start of this month.

Roberts, who made 14 appearances for Brighton’s under-23 side in Premier League 2 last term, has stiff competition ahead of him in Graham Potter’s first team, with five centre-backs in the senior Albion squad.

Considering that Brighton had assigned a £50m price tag on White to ward off prospective suitors, for Roberts to draw comparisons with the 22-year-old is a glowing reflection on the teenager.

It is quite understandable why the Seagulls are reluctant to sell him, particularly for a measly sum of £800,000; although they ought to give consideration to a potential loan exit for the youngster so that he, like White has done, can gain valuable first team exposure elsewhere before returning to his parent club when the time is right.

Brighton fans, what do you make of Leeds’ reported offer for Roberts? Have your say by commenting below!

Leeds United are never far from a bit of drama, and despite a transfer window that seemed to mostly go swimmingly, the Whites still managed to find time for a gripping transfer saga that all went wrong.

Of course, we’re talking about the failed signing of Michael Cuisance.

The French midfielder seemed set to come to Elland Road on a permanent deal, but complications with his medical saw the deal fall apart at the 11th hour.

Unfortunately, Leeds won’t get the chance to revisit this one in January as he’s already found himself a new club, joining Marseille on loan, with the French club holding the option to buy him.

To make matters even worse, he’s been solid since joining the French outfit.

The 21-year-old may not have any goals or assists to his name as of yet, but he has been brilliant in a defensive sense, something his Leeds counterpart Mateusz Klich has struggled with.

We’ve covered Klich’s defensive problems in some depth before, but to cut a long story short, his main issue is that he’s dribbled past far too often.

Indeed, the Pole is dribbled past 2.7 times per game, making him the second-most dribbled past player in the division, but while Klich is struggling in that area, Cuisance is thriving.

It’s rare to see Cuisance taken on, with the Frenchman being dribbled past just once per game, and it’s not as if he’s one to shy away from putting a foot in either, making three tackles per game this season.

It has to sting to see Cuisance thriving where Klich is coming up short.

There was plenty of disappointment for everyone associated with the club when the initial deal fell through, perfectly highlighted by Noel Whelan’s comments at the time:

“Disappointment because I think everyone was getting quite excited, 21-years-old from Bayern Munich, big prospect so on that front, very disappointing. It is a setback, absolutely.”

Leeds fans can only be left wondering what could have been after missing out on their man.

The Rafa Benitez to Newcastle rumours just won’t seem to go away, will they?

The Spaniard left St James’ Park back in the summer of 2019, with the club releasing a statement that despite working hard to extend his contract, they couldn’t reach an agreement with him.

And despite it being well over a year since he made his exit, his name still continues to be a major talking point on Tyneside, and his latest interview during the week once again opened up a tonne of speculation over a potential return.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live’s Euro Leagues Show, Benitez said: “When I left Newcastle I was waiting until the last minute for a takeover but obviously it didn’t happen. I have a very clear idea that in the situation it was impossible to stay, even if I was really pleased and really happy there.

“So with all of these things in your head, if I decided to stay when we had no money, imagine with a takeover. At the moment I have a lot of respect because I have a job and I am very grateful to Dalian and Wanda but the Premier League is a target for me.”

As the former Magpies boss says himself, he worked under a set of very strict financial restrictions at St James’ Park, and it really is a case of ‘what if?’ in terms of just what he could have achieved had he been given some extra backing.

Newcastle’s outlay after Steve Bruce’s arrival, both last summer and the one just got by, shows that Mike Ashley may be loosening the purse strings ever so slightly, whilst a takeover is still also on the cards.

Many of the players at the club have already worked with him before, with Matt Ritchie admitting that his work was “unbelievable”, particularly tactically.

Described as someone who did miracles in his first stint as Newcastle boss by Ian Wright, just imagine what Benitez could do with the whole club pushing in the same direction as him.

Celtic could be on the verge of a delivering a masterclass on deadline day if emerging reports ring true…

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, the defending Scottish champions have submitted a loan offer for West Ham outcast Robert Snodgrass with Neil Lennon keen to add a new winger to his ranks.

When asked about potential incomings after their 2-0 win over St Johnstone, the Bhoys boss remained coy, saying: “You can link names at me all you like but you’re not going to get a straight answer. I’ll be with Peter [Lawwell] and Nick Hammond tomorrow and we’ll be looking at a few things.”

The 33-year-old was born in Glasgow and is a lifelong Hoops supporter.

Wing upgrade?

Snodgrass is a vastly experienced wide man who could instantly improve Lennon’s side even despite his advancing years, we’ve seen with Scott Brown that players can still cut the mustard well into their thirties.

The Scotsman is able to play on both sides as well as through the middle. He also still delivered five goals and five assists from just 17 starts last season, via WhoScored.

Whilst throughout his career, Snodgrass has averaged 1.9 key passes, 1.6 shots and 1.2 dribbles per game, hinting that he’s very much a creative outlet which is perhaps what the Bhoys currently lack in Moi Elyounoussi.

When playing on the left-wing this season, the Saints loanee has failed to deliver a single goal or assist, per Transfermarkt.

Fellow Hammers teammate Mark Noble once lauded Snodgrass as “a top player, he’s got loads of quality” whilst Sky Sports pundit Chris Kamara believes he can “show lots of trickery” and is “absolutely superb.”

And unlike Elyounoussi, he’s not on as much money. Spotrac claim the veteran midfielder is raking in around £40k-per-week in comparison to the Saints man’s £60k-per-week.

This could be a bargain masterstroke from Nick Hammond and co.

WHILE in other news, Celtic move for £10m flop would be an unforgivable error

Plenty of Everton fans have been flocking to a tweet from Dominic Calvert-Lewin reflecting on his goal for England against Wales.

The 23-year-old headed in from a cross by Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish after his first call-up to the senior Three Lions team by Gareth Southgate.

After sharing a highlight video of the goal on his Twitter profile, Calvert-Lewin captioned it as “the most incredible feeling” as he scored on his senior international debut.

The striker will now look to add to that goal if he is given the chance by Southgate in England’s UEFA Nations League games at home to Belgium and Denmark respectively, as he looks to maintain his excellent form in time for the Merseyside derby against Liverpool at Goodison Park on Saturday.

Nonetheless, it is a moment that Calvert-Lewin will remember forever and he will no doubt hope that there are many more goals to come both at international level and for the Toffees.

Everton fan reaction to Calvert-Lewin’s tweet

These Everton supporters flocked to the tweet from the 23-year-old to show their support, with one fan branding him as ‘class’:

Evertonians, will Calvert-Lewin score in the Nations League this week? Comment below with your views!

Tottenham Hotspur were one of the teams mooted with interest in James Rodriguez during the summer transfer window, but the 29-year-old would opt for a reunion with his former Real Madrid and Bayern Munich boss Carlo Ancelotti at Everton…

What was the word?

According to the Daily Mail in August, Spurs had the Colombian sensation on their radar, though several Premier League clubs were also in the race as it was believed Rodriguez was keen to make the move to England.

He would then sign for the Toffees for free despite claims he would cost around £22m – Rodriguez’s former club, Banfield, released a statement (via Goal.com) claiming they would not be receiving any funds from the transfer as he didn’t cost the Merseyside outfit a penny.

Perhaps that only goes to show just how desperate the La Liga giants were to offload his £140k-per-week wages from their financial bill.

Everton’s steal

The £31.5m-rated playmaker has already proven that, on his day, he’s still that world-class sensation we witnessed at the 2014 World Cup.

Per WhoScored, Rodriguez has delivered three goals and three assists in ten starts, whilst also averaging 2.5 key passes, 2.2 shots and 1.9 dribbles per game.

Gabby Agbonlahor’s misguided claim that his recent form had tailed off due to the “cold” English weather is merely an uneducated view as he’s been so much more than what the numbers state.

Even during their drab 1-1 draw with Burnley last week, the enigmatic maestro, who’s now only on £90k-per-week, led Ancelotti’s pressing system and attempted more tackles than any other player on the pitch and no other attacking Toffees player made as many defensive contributions either.

In reality, he would’ve been the perfect fit for Jose Mourinho, especially with performances like the one we just saw against Arsenal – doing the dirty work when needed and the ability to turn on the style at a click of the fingers.

The sort of player that Spurs have lacked ever since the departure of Christian Eriksen.

Not a single player of the north London outfit has managed more key passes or dribbles than Rodriguez, whilst it is only Harry Kane that has managed more attempts at goal per game, via WhoScored.

During his time in Munich, Jupp Heynckes lauded him a “god-send” for the club whilst Madrid president once claimed Rodriguez was “a new talent” who “oozes quality.”

Kane’s international teammate, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, has also waxed lyrical, he told the ECHO: “He’s a top, top player and for me, as a centre-forward, I knew chance-creation would be there and it would be down to me to put the ball in the back of the net. I’m really enjoying playing with him. He’s a different level. He dictates games.”

You could only imagine how good a midfield of Rodriguez, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele would’ve been at Spurs.

AND in other news, Levy must perform a U-turn over £150k-p/w “freak of a talent” amid fresh Mourinho claims…