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Former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer has told Football FanCast in an exclusive interview that he cannot see Tyler Roberts leaving his old side for Newcastle United this summer.

Roberts is out of contract next summer and has been linked with a move to St. James’ Park.

The 22-year-old attacker recently revealed that his agent has held talks with the club over a new deal. However, prior, it was reported by Football Insider that Marcelo Bielsa was facing a fight to keep his player, with Newcastle keeping tabs on his situation.

For Palmer, though, a contract extension is probably the more likely outcome given where Leeds are at the moment compared to Newcastle.

“The player, I don’t think will want to go,” the ex-England international exclusively told FFC. “Newcastle’s a massive club, but they’re behind Leeds United in the way that Leeds United are performing at the moment.

“If Bielsa’s there next season, I’m sure he’ll be asking for funds to push for, you know, top seven, top-eight finish next season.”

Roberts was an important player for Bielsa during the 2020/21 season. The Wales international made 27 appearances for the Whites in the Premier League, so he is an asset the Argentine will surely not want to lose in this transfer window.

An ineffective Paris Saint-Germain created little and were made to pay by a clinical Lyon in their fifth Ligue 1 loss of 2023.

The boos rang around Parc des Princes at full-time as Lionel Messi strolled off the pitch. And PSG's notoriously passionate ultras had reason aplenty to be upset. They had put up with a miserable Paris showing, watching their World Cup winner unceremoniously exit after turning in a drab showing in a 1-0 loss to a mid-table Lyon side.

There is unlikely to be much jeopardy in the rest of PSG's season. They have a healthy lead atop Ligue 1, and after being bounced from both the cup and Champions League, are only expected to see out the campaign.

But that doesn't mean it's not without drama. Messi has been linked with a sensational return to Barcelona, and parts of the Paris crowd made their feelings known about their superstar with constant jeers. And his team didn't do much to help him, either.

Lyon took the lead in the second half, with substitute Bradley Barcola sneaking in at the back post to finish a sweeping counter-attack — a deserved opener from a well-drilled opponent.

The last time PSG went behind at home, they were ineffective in their search for an equaliser. And it was the same case here. Manager Christophe Galtier made a few attacking changes, while Messi picked up pockets of space. But the Parisians rarely tested Anthony Lopes, with a deflected strike that required a diving stop the closest PSG came to a real threat.

PSG will likely still see out the league, and were done a favour by Montpellier, who scraped a point against Marseille on Friday. But it's not going to be pretty, especially if these performances continue.

GOAL breaks down the winners & losers from Parc des Princes…

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  WINNER: Bradley Barcola

  He wasn't even supposed to be on the pitch.

  The mercurial Barcola was benched for the first time since February 17, with manager Laurent Blanc leaving the pacy attacker out of his XI. And after Barola entered play for the injured Amin Sarr, he made his case for a regular start. Barcola was impactful from his first few minutes on the pitch, terrorising the languid Danilo Pereira with his electric pace and trickery.

  And it was that athleticism that provided Lyon's opening goal. Barcola dashed in front of Achraf Hakimi to meet a cross at the back post and finished calmly across a sprawling Gianluigi Donnarumma. He could have added a second shortly after, cutting inside Pereira and firing on goal — but the keeper made a neat stop to keep him out.

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  LOSER: Lionel Messi

  The Barca links can't have helped, but it is slightly baffling to see Messi this sloppy. Usually so smooth and reliable on the ball, the forward surrendered possession three times within the first 20 minutes, including a blunder inside the Lyon box that saw a promising counter fall apart.

  There were further mistakes, too. The Argentine consistently saw the ball trickle away from his reliable left foot and also blasted a shot over from long-range in a desperate attempt to make something happen late. As the contest drew to a close, Messi was jeered whenever he touched the ball by PSG's passionate ultras. Perhaps a move away is in everyone's best interests at this point.

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  WINNER: Laurent Blanc

  The first time these two sides met this season, back in September, Lyon could have felt hard done by the result. They conceded an early goal, and had their chances, but fell to a frustrating 1-0 loss. That was under fomer manager Peter Bosz, though. This is a new era.

  And Blanc clearly knew how to make things happen against his former club. Lyon were bold here, with the away side unafraid to challenge a makeshift PSG backline. He was happy to go long and use the hold-up abilities of Alex Lacazette to allow his side to saunter forward. Meanwhile, he was sturdy at the back, and ensured that Mbappe was always double-teamed. It all amounted to an opportunistic goal and stout defensive showing.

  It is, admittedly, rather easy to take points away from PSG these days. Still, Blanc had the perfect plan to do so. It must have been all the sweeter for the fact that it came against his old club.

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  LOSER: Kylian Mbappe

  Can this really be the same player that dominated the Netherlands a week ago? Are we sure that the real Mbappe is not hiding somewhere, disguised?

  Some players operate more effectively in certain systems, and Mbappe has always been electric for France. But this sort of drop off is near hard to believe. Mbappe was wasteful and lacking in direction against Lyon. He tried to break out the signature moves and darting runs, but found himself swarmed every time. And it led to a selfishness of sorts, the player refusing to pass and instead going alone on a few occasions.

  The loss cannot be entirely pinned on him, but the change in quality that comes with a switch in badge is alarming.

Many Wolves fans will be wondering how will be their next manager but Steven Gerrard is someone that Wolves legend Steve Bull does not see fitting in at Molineux, at least not at the minute.

Gerrard is likely to be linked with several jobs over the summer and coming months as his work north of the border has not gone unnoticed, with Rangers overthrowing Celtic as champions for the first time in nine seasons.

Rangers managed to go the entire league season unbeaten, losing just two matches in 2021 against Slavia Prague in the Europa League and St Johnstone on penalties in the Scottish Cup, which led to them accumulating an impressive 102 points. Former Newcastle defender, Steve Howey, exclusively told Transfer Tavern that Wolves would be an attractive job for Gerrard.

Wolves will have to ensure they get this managerial appointment spot on given how they slipped closer to the relegation zone this season. and Bull does not believe that Gerrard would be the man for the job, exclusively telling Football FanCast:

“I don’t think it will be Gerrard because it’s probably something that would come two years down the line. I think he’s just learning his trade at the minute so I think it would be too early for him.

“Whether he could blend in with the Wolves culture and all the Portuguese players, I don’t think so and I think he will stop where he is.”

Following the shock news of Nuno Espirito Santo leaving Wolves, Bull also told Transfer Tavern that Zinedine Zidane would do a good job if handed the reigns at Molineux and he could be a candidate given that he looks set for the exit door at Real Madrid.

One of the reasons cited why Nuno and Wolves decided it was best for the two parties to part ways was that not enough funding was going to be provided ahead of a huge summer for Wolves.

How to watch Croatia vs Wales in the Euro 2024 qualification stage from the US, as well as kick-off time and team news.

Croatiawill take on Walesin their EURO 2024 qualificationopener at Stadion Poljud in Split on Saturday.

💻 Watch Croatia vs Wales live on Fubo in the U.S.

After guiding Croatia to a third-place finish in the World Cup, Luka Modric will be back in action for the Checkered Ones along with another veteran Ivan Perisic. They have never lost a match against the Dragons and have won three successive games since a 1-1 draw in 2002.

Meanwhile, Wales are set to embark on a new journey without Gareth Bale in the squad, leaving coach Robert Page with some rebuilding to do. Both teams are the prime contenders to finish the group on top, which also comprises Turkey, Armenia and Latvia.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the Euro 2024 qualifier fixture plus team news, recent form and more.

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  Kick-off time

  Date:	March 25, 2023
  Kick-off time:	3.45pm ET
  Venue:	Stadion Poljud

  The game is scheduled for March 25, 2023 at StadionPoljud. It will kick off at 3.45pm ET in the US.

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  How to watch Croatia vs Wales online – TV channels & live streams

  TV channels & streaming options

  Country	TV channel	Live stream
  U.S.	N/A	Fubo, VIX+

  In the U.S., the match can be watched on Fubo, & VIX+.

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  Team news & squads

  Croatia team news

  Josip Sutalo is likely to replace Dejan Lovren at the heart of defence. Josko Gvardiol will play alongside him.

  Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, and Nikola Vlasic are likely to start in attack with Modric,Marcelo Brozovic and Matteo Kovacic at the centre of the park.

  Croatia possible XI: Livakovic; Juranovic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Dominik Livaković, Ivica Ivušić, Nediljko Labrović
  Defenders:	Domagoj Vida, Borna Barišić, Josip Juranović, Joško Gvardiol,Borna Sosa, Josip Stanišić, Martin Erlic, Josip Šutalo
  Midfielders:	Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Lovro Majer, Luka Ivanušec, Luka Sučić
  Forwards:	Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Marko Livaja, Bruno Petković, Mislav Oršić, Petar Musa

  Wales team news

  Wayne Hennessey and Ben Davies have withdrawn from the squad and been replaced with Danny Ward and Ben Cabango.

  Robert Page might opt for a midfield five with Aaron Ramsey as the linchpin.

  Wales possible XI: Ward; Mepham, Rodon, Cabango; Roberts, Ramsey, Ampadu, Wilson, Williams; Johnson, Moore

  Position	Players
  Goalkeepers:	Danny Ward, Adam Davies, Tom King
  Defenders:	Connor Roberts, Chris Mepham, Joe Rodon, Neco Williams, Tom Lockyer, Ben Cabango, Morgan Fox.
  Midfielders:	Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Ethan Ampadu, Joe Morrell, Sorba Thomas, Wes Burns, Oli Cooper, Jordan James, Luke Harris.
  Forwards:	Daniel James, Kieffer Moore, Mark Harris, Tom Bradshaw, Nathan Broadhead, Liam Cullen.

  Head-to-head record

  Date	Result	Competition
  May 23, 2010	Croatia 2-0 Wales	Friendly
  October 16, 2012	Croatia 2-0 Wales	World Cup Qualifiers
  March 26, 2013	Wales 1-2 Croatia	World Cup Qualifiers
  June 8, 2019	Croatia 2-1 Wales	European Championship Qualifiers
  October 13, 2019	Wales 1-1 Croatia	European Championship Qualifiers

  Croatia are unbeaten in the last five matches and have won four of them. However, their last meeting ended in a draw back in 2019.

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  Useful links

  • Croatia team page

  • Wales team page

  • Live soccer on TV in the U.S.

Robert Lewandowski's three-game ban has been upheld, leaving Xavi with something of a selection headache for Sunday's showdown with Atletico.

The Robert Lewandowski saga finally appears to be over.

The striker was handed a three-match ban for making an allegedly lewd gesture towards a match official during a Liga game just before the World Cup but Barcelona have spent the two months since appealing the Spanish Football Federation's ruling (twice!), with a view to getting their star man back on the pitch.

The Catalans did manage to get the suspension delayed for their first post-Qatar 2022 outing, with Lewandowski faltering in a tepid 1-1 draw with Espanyol.

But now, the Spanish Court of Arbitration for Sport, the nation's highest sporting governing body, has upheld the original ruling, meaning he will not be in the squad for this weekend's massive Liga showdown with Atletico Madrid this weekend.

It leaves Xavi with a real selection headache. Lewandowski is the club's leading scorer and second only to Manchester City's Erling Haaland in Europe's Golden Shoe race.

Despite Barcelona's depth in central midfield and out wide, they don't possess much depth at No.9, so how exactly they will attempt to replace their prolific Polish striker remains something of a mystery.

It's pretty much guaranteed that Ousmane Dembele will continue on the right wing, while Ferran Torres seems to be first choice on the left. But who starts in the middle?

GOAL takes a look at a few of Xavi's options below…

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  Give Memphis Depay his chance

  Perhaps the most obvious choice is to turn to Memphis Depay. The Dutchman certainly has the tactical intelligence and finishing ability to play through the middle.

  He's hit double digits in terms of goals in four of the last five seasons and bagged 12 in only 20 Liga starts last year. Hardly prolific numbers, but he could be a good option to lead the line without Lewandowski.

  The issue is, Depay has rarely played up front. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang often operated as a No.9 following his arrival from Arsenal last January, with the Netherlands international employed more as a left winger.

  Depay is undeniably versatile and could prove a decent stop-gap solution but there is an obvious fear that he will drift wide too much and leave Barca without a reference point up front.

  Possible Barcelona front three: LW: Torres – ST: Depay – RW: Dembele

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  Shift Ferran Torres across

  Xavi has struggled to find a position for Ferran Torres. Although the Spaniard is a left winger by trade, he doesn't necessarily have the same speed or dynamism as Ousmane Dembele on the other flank.

  His crossing and passing skills are sometimes lacking, although his combination play is often impressive. Torres certainly links well with Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, but that usually only happens when Lewandowski drops deep to create space for the 22-year-old.

  When he is in front of goal, Torres tends to be pretty deadly. The former Manchester City forward scored three times in five appearances in the Champions League this season.

  So, with Ansu Fati or Raphinha as options to play on the left, Torres could slot into the central position and conceivably thrive.

  Possible Barcelona front three: LW: Fati – ST: Torres – RW: Dembele

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  Play Ansu Fati through the middle

  Ansu Fati is not a striker.

  However, in this scenario, he doesn't have to be. Indeed, if Xavi wants Ferran Torres to stay on the left, and doesn't trust Depay to spearhead the attack, Fati could serve as a makeshift No.9.

  Xavi wants Fati to be in the box and get into more goalscoring positions anyway – he said as such to in May.

  Dubbing such a positional switch a 'false nine' would be slightly inaccurate. The Spain international isn't really that kind of player – he's a left winger by trade and doesn't have the passing ability associated with that role.

  Still, Fati's scored three goals and provided three assists – that might be enough to justify his inclusion in a central role while Lewandowski is sitting in the stands.

  Possible Barcelona front three: LW: Torres – CF: Fati – RW: Dembele

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  Push Pedri up

  Gavi and Pedri will be Barca's midfield pairing for the foreseeable future, with Frenkie de Jong playing in a defensive midfield role behind the talented Spain duo. That said, the Catalans have experimented with Pedri in a more attacking position in the past, and it's possible that he takes on a similar role in the coming weeks.

  So talented is the 20-year-old that he could play on the left wing, or even as a false nine, creating for two of Barca's more direct attacking players.

  It would, admittedly, take some of the goalscoring punch out of the team – Pedri only has 16 career goals to his name – but for link-up play, and allowing Ousmane Dembele and Ferran Torres to get into good areas, it might just work.

  Possible Barcelona front three: LW: Torres – CF: Pedri – RW: Dembele

GOAL takes a look at the numbers behind Arsenal's latest accounts, which have just been released.

Arsenal have announced a loss for the year ending May 31, 2022 of £45.5 million ($55.8m) after tax, with the club pointing to the lack of European football as the significant factor behind the figure.

The loss, although relatively large, is way down on the club's results that were released in 2021, which saw the Gunners report losses of £107.7m ($131.6m) following a season that was impacted heavily by the coronavirus pandemic.

Here are the headline figures behind Arsenal's latest financial results.

• Football revenue increases

  Arsenal's football revenue for the year was £369.1m ($453m), up from £327.6m ($402m) the previous year. The return of supporters to games at Emirates Stadium following the pandemic was the major factor in the rise, with matchday revenue increasing to £79.4m ($97.5m) from just £3.8m ($4.6m). Across Arsenal's 23 home fixtures (19 Premier Leaguer and four Carabao Cup), the club had an average attendance of 59,568.

  Broadcasting revenues dropped sharply, however, falling to £146m ($179m) from £184.4m ($226m), with the lack of UEFA broadcasting revenue singled out as a major factor, as well as the TV revenue for more than just one season had been included in the previous year's accounts due to the Covid-delayed completion of the 2019/20 campaign.

  Commercial revenues did increase, but only slightly to £141.7m ($174m) from £136.4m ($167.5m).

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  Wage bill slashed

  One of the biggest takeaways from Arsenal's new accounts is the drop in the wage bill.

  In the previous year's accounts, wage costs were listed at £244.4m ($300m). That has now dropped significantly to £212.3m ($260.6) following the departure of several big-name players.

  Explaining the drop, Arsenal said: "On the player side, there has been a process of restructuring the men's first-team squad to improve the efficiency of spend; this includes changes made in earlier years but were the full benefit has only been realised in the 2021/22 figures."

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  Player sales profits go up – but club admit they must do more

  The total profit on player sales was £20.2m ($24.8), up from £11.8m ($14.5m) the previous year, with player loans bringing in a further £2m. Arsenal accept that this in an area where they must improve as they look to return to a self-financing model.

  A statement in the financial results said: "Player trading profits continue to have a significant impact on overall profitability and the club’s ability to realise profits during 2021/22 was adversely impacted by market conditions, with reduced overall liquidity as clubs’ acquisition budgets were impacted by the financial pressures of the pandemic."

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  Year end cash position rises

  The year-end cash position of the club was £30m ($36.9m), up from £18.8m ($23.1m).

  Arsenal added that the "renewal of season tickets for the 2022/23 was very strong, but the timing of renewal meant that the cash impact of this was mainly deferred until June.

Mitrovic gave the Reds a torrid afternoon

Liverpool had to come from behind twice to secure a 2-2 draw with newly-promoted Fulham in their first Premier League game of the season.

Mohamed Salah’s late strike rescued Jurgen Klopp’s men at Craven Cottage, after the home side had twice led through Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Darwin Nunez marked his league debut with the Reds’ first equaliser, having come off the bench early in the second half, but Liverpool were far from their usual selves all afternoon and lost the influential Thiago Alcantara to injury to make matters worse.

Jordan Henderson almost won it for the visitors in stoppage time, but saw his 25-yard effort come back off the crossbar as Fulham began life in the top-flight with a deserved point.

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  The Winners

  Aleksandar Mitrovic

  He scored only four times in his last Premier League campaign, but after 43 goals in the Championship last term, all eyes were on Mitrovic to see whether he could carry that form into the new season. 

  He could, needing a little over half an hour to open his account with a towering back-post header. 

  His tail up, he remained a menace thereafter, worrying Virgil van Dijk into conceding a penalty 19 minutes from time, which he then stepped up to convert coolly.

  Other than that, this was an accomplished performance from the Serbia international, who ruffled Van Dijk and Joel Matip throughout and led the line superbly for Marco Silva’s side.

  Darwin Nunez

  It hasn’t taken long for the Uruguayan to show what he is all about. Having scored off the bench in last weekend’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, Nunez was at it again here.

  Replacing Roberto Firmino early in the second half, the 23-year-old immediately brought a threat that had been previously lacking. He grabbed Liverpool’s equaliser, albeit in somewhat fortuitous fashion, and then got the assist for Salah’s late strike.

  His ability to create chaos in and around the penalty area is already clear. He can tidy himself up, for sure, and will need time to read his team-mates’ moves and tendencies, but Nunez’s potential is huge.

  Liverpool needed him here.

  Mohamed Salah

  Another day, another record, for this relentless goalscoring machine. 

  For the sixth year in a row, Liverpool’s Egyptian King marked the opening day of the Premier League season with a goal.

  Fulham may have thought, with some justification, that they had handled Salah pretty well for an hour, but you can’t keep the Reds’ No.11 quiet for long, and by the time the final whistle came, he had written his name all over another game.

  He set up his side’s first goal, sliding in a perfect cross for Nunez to – eventually – force home at the near post, and then picked up one for himself, a poacher’s effort after Nunez’s touch fell to him in the box.

  Whatever Liverpool achieve this season, Salah will have a huge role to play again.

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  The Losers

  Jurgen Klopp

  Another game, another injury. That’s 10 first-teamers on the sidelines for Liverpool now, with Thiago Alcantara the latest to fall. 

  Klopp’s squad, when all are available, is extremely strong, but at the moment it looks wafer-thin, which does not bode at all well ahead of such a gruelling campaign. 

  The bench here, for example, contained three players – Sepp van den Berg, Luke Chambers and Stefan Bajcetic – without a single minute of Premier League experience. 

  Klopp says, as things stand, there are no plans to dip into the transfer market before the window closes, but his side already look stretched, and August is barely underway.

  Virgil van Dijk

  There haven’t been too many games like this for the Dutchman, since his move to Anfield four-and-a-half years ago.

  But Van Dijk, normally so cool and composed, was given a hell of an examination from Mitrovic here, and came off second best.

  It was his dangling leg which led to the penalty from which Fulham won the game. A piece of defending we rarely associate with the 31-year-old, who was far from his usual self throughout.

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  Liverpool Ratings: Defence

  Alisson (5/10):

  Could he have done better for the opening goal? It certainly looked that way. Otherwise had little of note to do, until he was beaten well by Mitrovic from the penalty spot.

  Alexander-Arnold (5/10): 

  Nullified as an attacking threat in the first half, and exposed at the back post by Mitrovic for the opening goal. Better in the second half, and his ball brought about the second Liverpool equaliser, but overall he was far from his best.

  Robertson (6/10):

  Important block to deny Reed, and Liverpool’s threat in the first half came mainly from him and Diaz. Less effective after the break.

  Matip (6/10):

  Forced into some important blocks and headers in the opening stages, he caused problems when stepping into midfield initially but his distribution faded in the second half.

  Van Dijk (5/10):

  Tested by Mitrovic’s physicality and work rate, the Dutchman’s trademark diagonals were not to there usual high standards, and he conceded the penalty from which Fulham’s No.9 made it 2-1.

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  Midfield

  Fabinho (5/10):

  Not given time and space in a hectic midfield, the Brazilian looked ill at ease and couldn’t influence the game at either end.

  Henderson (5/10):

  Sloppy in possession and looked leggy. Lucky to stay on as long as he did, in truth, though he almost won it for his side in stoppage time with a stunning strike which hit the bar.

  Thiago (6/10):

  Making his 50th Premier League appearance, the Spaniard tried to inject some tempo into Liverpoo’s play, but succumbed to an injury early in the second half. Worrying, to say the least, given Liverpool’s already-large absentee list.

Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is seemingly plotting a potential masterstroke as a major update emerges on Mateusz Bogusz.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from Polish publication Meczyki, Bogusz’s time at Elland Road may be coming to an end, with Legia Warsaw in advanced talks to sign him this summer.

Now, WP SportoweFakty (via Sport Witness), claim that while Bielsa is keen on sending him out on a loan deal, the Whites would also be prepared to let him go on a permanent deal at the end of that spell, if Legia agree to include a buy-back clause in any transfer.

The report reveals that “if there’s an option to make the deal permanent in 2022, then the English club will also insert a €8m (£7m) buyback clause.”

A masterclass from Bielsa

While the 19-year-old hasn’t exactly lit Elland Road up with his time at the club, he is certainly someone with a lot of potential and a player who could grow into a very fine performer in the future.

Czeslaw Michniewicz, his manager at international youth level, hailed his potential, saying: “He is at a similar level as (Poland international) Sebastian Szymanski in his previous youth. He has great talent.”

Meanwhile, he has also earned rave reviews from the Yorkshire Evening Post, with Lee Sobot describing him as a player “brimming with pace, confidence and natural talent.”

Bielsa himself has previously gone on record to talk about Bogusz, saying: “He is growing in training. He’s an offensive playmaker. I thought he would be an option for today’s match. He is more offensive than (Jamie) Shackleton and (Robbie) Gotts.”

The addition of a buy-back clause in a potential deal that would see Bogusz leave on a permanent basis would protect the Whites’ long-term interests.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

If the Polish youngster does indeed turn into a real star in his time away from Leeds, then Bielsa’s side can simply exercise their option and bring him back to Elland Road when they see fit, for a very reasonable price too.

It has all the hallmarks of being a real masterstroke idea, and one that should have fans very much relieved that they won’t just be losing a bright young talent for absolutely no reason with no way of getting him back if he flourishes away from the Elland Road spotlight.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally wave goodbye to this star…

There were some huge deals made this summer, with Kai Havertz, Leroy Sane, Thomas Partey, Victor Osimhen and Ruben Dias among the most eye-catching

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  20Nelson Semedo | Barcelona to Wolves | £28m/$36m

  Wolves fans were left disappointed when right-back Matt Doherty moved to Tottenham, but they will hope to have brought in an upgrade with the arrival of Nelson Semedo from Barcelona.

  "It isn’t often that we have the opportunity to sign a world-class player from a world-class club," said Wolves chairman Jeff Shi. "Nelson’s signing shows we will never stop progressing and we are still hungry and humble in our heart."

  The fee for Semedo was slightly more than those reported for Sergio Reguilon, Thiago, Gabriel Magalhaes and Jonathan David this summer.

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  19Ollie Watkins | Brentford to Aston Villa | £28m/$36m

  After three hugely impressive seasons in the Championship, Ollie Watkins made the step up to the Premier League this summer, becoming Aston Villa's record signing in the process.

  Eyebrows were raised over the fee but the 24-year-old wide forward has already looked to justify his hefty price tag, scoring in back-to-back games in the Carabao Cup before netting a sensational hat-trick against champions Liverpool.

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  18Francisco Trincao | Braga to Barcelona | £28.3m/$37m

  Barcelona announced the signing of Portuguese wonderkid Francisco Trincao back in January, but the move did not become official until July 1.

  The 20-year-old winger is thought of as one of Europe's most exciting young forwards, and he came off the bench in each of Barca's first three games of the season.

  Since joining Barca, Trincao has also made his senior international debut, replacing Bernardo Silva in a 4-1 Nations League win over Croatia.

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  17Rodrigo | Valencia to Leeds | £30m/$39m

  Leeds showed they mean business on their return to the Premier League with a number of big signings, but Spain international Rodrigo topped the lot.

  Now 29, the forward is back for a second shot at English football after a brief stint at Bolton 10 years ago. Since then, he has impressed at Benfica and Valencia, though 2019-20 only brought seven goals in all competitions.

  Rodrigo opened his Leeds account with the equaliser in his side's thrilling 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City.

Jisheng Gao has seemingly been handed a huge boost at Southampton this week, as Bayern Munich have appointed Julian Nagelsmann as their new manager, a move which should see Ralph Hasenhuttl remain at St Mary’s.

The Austrian had been touted as a potential replacement for Hans-Dieter Flick at the Allianz Arena, after he announced that he wanted to leave the Bundesliga side following their Champions League exit against PSG.

Although Southampton have struggled in the second half of this season, Hasenhuttl has won a lot of plaudits for the way in which his side plays, whilst he has also impressed in the Bundesliga in the past with RB Leipzig, so could definitely have been an attractive option for Die Roten.

Saints fans were clearly behind Hasenhuttl in the summer after a superb end to last season which saw them comfortably avoid relegation, with a poll run by The Athletic revealing that they had the most optimistic fans ahead of the new season.

The South Coast club were able to continue that fine run of form into the new campaign and they topped the Premier League table for the first time in their history after recording a 2-0 win against Newcastle United back in November.

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He earned a lot of praise from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola earlier in the season, with the Spanish manager suggesting that he is an “exceptional manager”.

Unfortunately, the Saints have capitulated since the turn of the year, although injury problems and a serious lack of squad depth have certainly played their part.

Hasenhuttl has promised a rebuild this summer and there is no major reason why the Saints can’t push on next season should he be backed in the transfer window.

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Therefore, it is a big relief for Gao and Southampton fans that Bayern Munich are appointing RB Leipzig boss Nagelsmann, as if they had made an approach for Hasenhuttl, surely the opportunity to manage the current Champions League holders would have been too good for him to turn down.

And, in other news… Bye-bye Vestergaard: Semmens should seal Saints swoop for £4.5m-rated beast