Sport Witness http://sportwitness.co.uk Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:15:42 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.15 From Brazil: Why Marcos Leonardo could be a good signing for Newcastle United http://sportwitness.co.uk/brazil-marcos-leonardo-good-signing-newcastle-united/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/brazil-marcos-leonardo-good-signing-newcastle-united/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 19:15:42 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445427 Newcastle United fans were probably caught by surprise this week, when the Magpies were linked to Santos wonderkid Marcos Leonardo. At least three reports from Brazil claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have made contact for the signing, and could soon make a bid for the youngster. Even though that story came out of nothing, it

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Newcastle United fans were probably caught by surprise this week, when the Magpies were linked to Santos wonderkid Marcos Leonardo.

At least three reports from Brazil claimed that Eddie Howe’s side have made contact for the signing, and could soon make a bid for the youngster.

Even though that story came out of nothing, it makes a lot of sense. And we’re here to explain why Marcos Leonardo is a reasonable target for Newcastle and any other Premier League clubs.

Just like most of Santos’ home-grown talents, the striker made his debut quite early, at the age of 17. That’s why now, despite being just 20, he already has some decent experience and that shows in his game.

Over the past couple of years, Marcos Leonardo has been showing how much of a goalscorer he is. First with 21 goals in 2022, now with another 21 in 2023 so far.

The reason why he isn’t in Europe yet is simply because of Santos’ strategy. He had been heavily linked to AS Roma and Lazio last summer, but since the club had already sold Deivid Washington and Angelo to Chelsea, they couldn’t lose another attacker, even though they had promised him he’d be sold in that window.

That was a tense situation because Marcos Leonardo could well have rebelled against the Brazilian side, but he didn’t. He not only stayed and committed himself, but is also saving them from relegation, because despite how bad the team is doing, currently standing 16th in a league of 20 clubs, he’s the league’s second top goalscorer.

The striker also impressed at the U-20 World Cup this year, with five goals in five appearances, and there he definitely drew interest from many European sides.

What impresses in Marcos Leonardo the most is that he isn’t just a goalscorer. His speed and strength make him a dangerous weapon in counter-attacks, even though his height and age may fool some who won’t think he’s that strong.

There’s obviously a lot to be polished, especially in terms of finishing. But if we’re talking about the big talents in Brazil, he’s definitely one of the most promising players coming through, and Newcastle investing in him could be wise, especially with Santos reportedly demanding less than €25m.

The Magpies seem fine with their attacking options for now, and it would be good for the Brazilian to arrive with time to adapt and develop before he’s urged to deliver.

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“Clubs will come” – Leeds United star backed for January transfer window exit http://sportwitness.co.uk/clubs-will-come-leeds-united-star-backed-january-transfer-window-exit/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/clubs-will-come-leeds-united-star-backed-january-transfer-window-exit/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 18:16:27 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445487 Crysencio Summerville could be on his way out of Leeds United in the January transfer window as his performances will be earning him admirers. That’s according to journalist Suleyman Özturk, who believes the winger should also be a permanent fixture in the Netherlands squad under Ronald Koeman. Summerville has started this season in superb form

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Crysencio Summerville could be on his way out of Leeds United in the January transfer window as his performances will be earning him admirers.

That’s according to journalist Suleyman Özturk, who believes the winger should also be a permanent fixture in the Netherlands squad under Ronald Koeman.

Summerville has started this season in superb form for Leeds with six goals and four assists in 11 games so far despite only featuring in 65% of the available minutes.

The season is looking likely to be a defining one for him if he continues on his current path, particularly as Leeds look to secure a quick return back to the Premier League.

Summerville might not be around long enough to help them achieve that, though, at least as far as Özturk is concerned.

“He is one of, if not the best player in the Championship,” he said.

“Clubs will come for him in January. Because they are looking for players who can make a difference. And he can. He is important with through passes, pulls two to three opponents with him and can play someone out.

“He reminds me a bit of Kaoru Mitoma. He really is a complete left winger. The Championship is a playground for him.”

In the meantime, Summerville will continue to shine for Leeds, with his performances so far meaning he has been involved in a goal every 136 minutes.

Those are the kind of numbers which would usually ensure a call up to the national side, but that is yet to happen for him with the Netherlands, where he has only featured for the youth sides.

Current Oranje boss Ronald Koeman is yet to give him his chance to impress, instead preferring to continue with the likes of Steven Bergwijn, Xavi Simons, Donyell Malen and Cody Gakpo, to name a few.

That’s wrong according to Özturk, who feels the Leeds star should be given his chance sooner rather than later.

“I think he is eligible for the Dutch team,” he added.

“You can bring him in in the last half hour, when the spaces become larger, and you have to force something against Italy or France. If Koeman takes football seriously, he will put him on the list.”

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Club ‘evaluate their options’ to sign Manchester City star – Ballon d’Or desires lead to ‘colossal signing’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-evaluate-options-sign-manchester-city-star/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-evaluate-options-sign-manchester-city-star/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 18:16:03 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445475 Real Madrid are continuing to position themselves for a potential move to sign Erling Haaland from Manchester City, so they can potentially dominate the Ballon D’or in future. That’s according to AS and journalist Carlos Forjanes, who say the Spanish side want to ‘assault’ the competition and potentially dominate next year’s edition. The newspaper explains

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Real Madrid are continuing to position themselves for a potential move to sign Erling Haaland from Manchester City, so they can potentially dominate the Ballon D’or in future.

That’s according to AS and journalist Carlos Forjanes, who say the Spanish side want to ‘assault’ the competition and potentially dominate next year’s edition.

The newspaper explains that this year’s ceremony has left the Spanish giants in ‘disbelief’ as, aside from Jude Bellingham winning an award, they were largely absent from proceedings.

They want to change that for next year and they will ‘once again evaluate their options’ to sign two of the players who could dominate it in future, Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.

Haaland currently has a release clause in his contract, something which AS dramatically label and ‘escape mechanism’ but those in charge at the Etihad have been ‘actively working’ for weeks to renew it.

Their plan is to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League and link Haaland to the club for the forseeable future without a release clause.

That is ‘increasing the degree of difficulty’ for Madrid in their attempts to lure him to Spain but they’re not giving up, particularly after watching him win the Gerd Müller trophy for the best striker.

That, coupled with him placing second in the overall rankings is something they particularly appreciate.

They see him as the ideal man to fill the hole in their forward line left behind by Karim Benzema’s departure, something they never resolved in the summer, and something who can given them an ‘increasingly greater media accent’, which they value, particularly when it comes to a ‘colossal signing’.

They are increasingly keen to get him from Manchester City and potentially partner him with Bellingham, Mbappé and even Vinicius Junior to dominate the Ballon d’Or in the years to come.

 

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Nottingham Forest player bothered by lack of minutes – Club’s policy going against him http://sportwitness.co.uk/nottingham-forest-player-bothered-lack-minutes-clubs-policy-going/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/nottingham-forest-player-bothered-lack-minutes-clubs-policy-going/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:42:24 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445464 At the start of the season, when Chelsea finally landed Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama, the Blues decided to loan the midfielder out to Nottingham Forest. The player even had pre-season with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but wasn’t expected to get many chances in his team, and ended up sent to the City Ground for

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At the start of the season, when Chelsea finally landed Andrey Santos from Vasco da Gama, the Blues decided to loan the midfielder out to Nottingham Forest.

The player even had pre-season with Mauricio Pochettino’s side, but wasn’t expected to get many chances in his team, and ended up sent to the City Ground for a season-long spell.

It turns out that he hasn’t been playing a lot at Nottingham Forest, and outlet Premier League Brasil features an interesting story on that situation.

Their report claims that Andrey is currently bothered by his situation, even though he’s keeping his head in the right place to deal with the scenario.

It’s said that despite this is being ‘complicated and evidently uncomfortable situation’, he hasn’t been complaining.

According to PL Brasil, Nottingham Forest do see some quality in the Brazilian, but don’t use him because they plan to give more time to players who are at the club under longer contracts, which is not his case.

Andrey reportedly left a good impression in his few minutes against Liverpool, and now waits for a new chance.

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Brighton player linked with big money move – Entourage interested in ‘lucrative contract’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/brighton-player-linked-big-money-move-entourage-interested-lucrative-contract/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/brighton-player-linked-big-money-move-entourage-interested-lucrative-contract/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:38:02 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445450 On Tuesday morning, Catalan newspaper Sport had a story about Ansu Fati. It was claimed that following his season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Barcelona will be listening to offers for a permanent transfer, including from the Seagulls. Now it’s time for Estadio Deportivo to share a story on the forward, this time

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On Tuesday morning, Catalan newspaper Sport had a story about Ansu Fati.

It was claimed that following his season on loan at Brighton & Hove Albion, Barcelona will be listening to offers for a permanent transfer, including from the Seagulls.

Now it’s time for Estadio Deportivo to share a story on the forward, this time pointing out an alternative destination for him.

The outlet writes that Fati’s entourage ‘would not see with bad eyes’ signing a ‘lucrative contract’ with clubs from Saudi Arabia.

Barcelona are not making any decisions for now, as they’d even consider using him in case he has an impressive season with Brighton.

Now with the player switching between La Liga and the Premier League, it’s interesting that Saudi football come up as a scenario, especially because he’s just 21.

Since joining Brighton, Fati has three goals and ten appearances, and is still fighting for a place in Roberto De Zerbi’s starting team.

Estadio Deportivo make it clear he’s set to have many options next summer, as even if he fails to impress at the Seagulls, there may be some good money waiting for him.

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“Should’ve been more patient” – Player suggests he moved to Watford too soon, transfer decision fueled by excitement http://sportwitness.co.uk/shouldve-patient-player-suggests-moved-watford-soon-transfer-decision-fueled-excitement/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/shouldve-patient-player-suggests-moved-watford-soon-transfer-decision-fueled-excitement/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:37:49 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445410 Belgian forward Obbi Oularé has told Het Laatste Nieuws that he no regrets over joining Watford despite struggling to impress during his time at Vicarage Road. The 27-year-old spent a year at Standard Liège’s academy before becoming part of Club Brugge’s youth system in 2013. He impressed for the latter and that helped him make

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Belgian forward Obbi Oularé has told Het Laatste Nieuws that he no regrets over joining Watford despite struggling to impress during his time at Vicarage Road.

The 27-year-old spent a year at Standard Liège’s academy before becoming part of Club Brugge’s youth system in 2013. He impressed for the latter and that helped him make his way into their first team a year later.

His displays for the Jupiler Pro League side convinced Watford to invest in his services in 2015.

Oularé finished his debut season with the Hornets with only three appearances as he was overlooked by their then manager, Quique Sánchez Flores.

Watford sent him out on loan to Zulte Waregem, Willem II, Royal Antwerp and Standard Liège for three years, before they sold him to the latter in 2019. The attacker has struggled with fitness and HLN points out that he has missed 701 days due to injuries.

When asked if he would have wanted to change anything from the past, he said: “I would tell my younger self to be patient. In the beginning of my career, things may have happened too quickly. It was also just difficult to stay calm. I played for the reserves of De Rode Duivels.

“I broke through at Club Brugge, the best team in Belgium. The press wrote pages full of all the clubs that were supposedly interested in me. It was about money, a lot of money. Then it’s not easy to make the right choice at that moment, at that age.”

According to HLN, the Belgian made only 13 starts for the first team before Watford paid €8m for his signature.

On his move to Watford, Oularé explained: “I should have been more patient. Stay one or two more years. But I’m not going to say that I regret my choice either. What if I had been given opportunities at Watford and had broken through in England?

“But in retrospect I would approach it differently. I would think more about the transfers I would make. About my entourage and people I surround myself with. I was young. I trusted people quickly, sometimes too quickly. Unfortunately, football is not a world in which you are allowed to do that.”

Oularé returned to Belgium when he joined second division side Lierse Kempenzonen in the last window.

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Tottenham want player ‘at all costs’ – Spurs seriously considering making ‘tempting proposal’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/tottenham-want-player-costs-spurs-seriously-considering-making-tempting-proposal/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/tottenham-want-player-costs-spurs-seriously-considering-making-tempting-proposal/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:37:21 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445420 Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Real Sociedad star Brais Méndez ‘at all costs’, according to Fichajes.net. Operating mainly as an attacking midfielder, he’s scored five goals and registered five assists from 14 games this season. The 26-year-old’s fine form has seen Tottenham take notice and they are closely following him. The report further adds they are

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Tottenham Hotspur want to sign Real Sociedad star Brais Méndez ‘at all costs’, according to Fichajes.net.

Operating mainly as an attacking midfielder, he’s scored five goals and registered five assists from 14 games this season.

The 26-year-old’s fine form has seen Tottenham take notice and they are closely following him. The report further adds they are ‘seriously considering’ making an offer to secure his services in January.

As it stands, Spurs are still in an active planning phase, to present a ‘tempting proposal’ that matches his performances on the pitch.

It’s claimed Ange Postecoglou’s side keeping tabs on the Spain international’s impressive displays shows their genuine interest in acquiring his signature.

Méndez has a contract lasting until 2028 and Fichajes.net state he could consider leaving La Real to try a new experience in the Premier League.

Even though the outlet has repeatedly insisted the north London club could make an offer for the player, they make no mention of the figure Tottenham are willing to table or the fee needed to convince the La Liga side to sell.

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Strange claims about Manchester United scouting mission – Red Devils linked with €75m signing http://sportwitness.co.uk/strange-claims-manchester-united-scouting-mission-red-devils-linked-e75m-signing/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/strange-claims-manchester-united-scouting-mission-red-devils-linked-e75m-signing/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:37:15 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445412 On Monday morning, we covered claims from the Portuguese media which said Manchester United had a scout at the weekend match between Vizela and Porto. In our piece, we pointed out that it wasn’t revealed who the Red Devils had been watching, and even mentioned a few names who may have impressed the emissaries. It turns

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On Monday morning, we covered claims from the Portuguese media which said Manchester United had a scout at the weekend match between Vizela and Porto.

In our piece, we pointed out that it wasn’t revealed who the Red Devils had been watching, and even mentioned a few names who may have impressed the emissaries.

It turns out that as newspaper A Bola now has a story about that scouting mission, they claim Manchester United’s target was Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa.

The outlet writes that the Red Devils keep their old interest in the player, and could make a new move for him in the January transfer window.

It’s said the goalkeeping position is one of the ‘more deficient’ at Manchester United, and Costa is the main candidate for that. THe club are set to make new scouting trips to watch the Portuguese star and move for him either in January or next summer, while Porto demand €75m for his transfer.

Well, it’s always interesting when Portuguese reports reveal who the scouts from English clubs had been watching, but in this case, it’s hard to find any sense in what they claim.

Manchester United have just spent over €50m on signing Andre Onana from Inter Milan, and despite the Cameroonian’s mistakes in his first months, his improvement has been clear, as he made many important saves in the derby against Manchester City, not to mention the penalty save against Copenhagen.

Even if Erik ten Hag was thinking of keeping Onana on the bench for a while, the Red Devils signed Altay Bayındır from Fenerbahce this summer.

So spending €75m on a new goalkeeper would be one of the strangest moves Manchester United could make. It’s well known they watch lots of games in the Portuguese league, and Costa may continue to impress there, but definitely not enough for an investment in the January window.

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Dutchman unsurprised by Ten Hag issues at Manchester United – Has an idea for him http://sportwitness.co.uk/dutchman-unsurprised-ten-hag-issues-manchester-united-idea/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/dutchman-unsurprised-ten-hag-issues-manchester-united-idea/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:16:46 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445473 Erik ten Hag’s problems at Manchester United are no surprising as you need to “forge a team” and not just buy one. That’s according to former Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde, who says it would be great for Ten Haag to return to former club Ajax and rebuild them instead. Ten Hag currently finds

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Erik ten Hag’s problems at Manchester United are no surprising as you need to “forge a team” and not just buy one.

That’s according to former Dutch winger Andy van der Meyde, who says it would be great for Ten Haag to return to former club Ajax and rebuild them instead.

Ten Hag currently finds the pressure increasing on himself after a dismal start to the season for Manchester United in the Premier League and the Champions League.

Sunday saw their latest disappointing defeat at the hands of fierce rivals Manchester City, who secured a comfortable 3-0 win at Old Trafford.

That was the latest to raise questions about Ten Hag and what he is doing at the club, with many debating what Manchester United want to be or how they plan to get there after two big summers of spending.

For many the belief is that despite Ten Hag making big major purchases, the club are no closer to being challengers than they were before his arrival, even if they did qualify for the Champions League last season.

Van der Meyde is not surprised by that, insisting it takes more than merely spending big sums to create a winning team.

“Let him come back to Ajax and rebuild a team. That would be great,” he said.

“Things can move so quickly in football. You cannot buy a team together. You have to forge a team.”

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“The dream is there” – Tottenham man reveals transfer he’d “love” and conversations with manager http://sportwitness.co.uk/dream-tottenham-man-reveals-transfer-hed-like-conversations-manager/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/dream-tottenham-man-reveals-transfer-hed-like-conversations-manager/#respond Tue, 31 Oct 2023 17:16:00 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445462 Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has revealed he wanted to play for Uruguay in the September international break, despite being out injured with a knee ligament rupture. That Uruguayan has been speaking to Sport 890 in his homeland, relayed by El Pais, regarding his international future under Marcelo Bielsa. Bentancur has been out injured since February

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Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has revealed he wanted to play for Uruguay in the September international break, despite being out injured with a knee ligament rupture.

That Uruguayan has been speaking to Sport 890 in his homeland, relayed by El Pais, regarding his international future under Marcelo Bielsa.

Bentancur has been out injured since February with a cruciate ligament rupture that saw him spend 245 days on the treatment table.

He returned on Friday in the 2-1 win over Crystal Palace, playing a minute in the second half and making his long-awaited return from the injury absence.

His plan is now to get back to full fitness as soon as possible and compete for a place at Tottenham, where he will have to work hard to get Ange Postecoglou’s favourite pairing of Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr out of the team.

His focus is also on the national team, though, and he’s revealed he was even ready to go play for Uruguay in September, despite still being out injured.

“The national team is always in contact with me. I always have the hope and desire to go,” he said.

“I have to show that I’m fine. I’m ready to play, I’m no longer injured. If Marcelo Bielsa calls me, I’m there. I had two talks with him about the position I was going to play in and what he wanted from me.

“Then I continued having contact with the doctors. If it was up to me, I would go on the double date in September. The desire and willingness are there.”

The question now is whether Bentancur can force himself back into Tottenham’s team and re-establish himself as the key player he was previously.

That will certainly be difficult given the relationship that has formed between Sarr and Bissouma this season and the performances they’ve put in.

With Tottenham also flying high at the top of the league, it seems unlikely that Postecoglou will be rushing to change his team anytime soon either.

There may be a point where Bentancur looks elsewhere, and it appears there is one transfer he would particularly like at some point, a move to Peñarol.

“I am a fan, and I would love to play for the club,” he added.

“Federico Valverde is crazy. If it were up to him, he would come back now. Two out of three times tells me to play together and try to fight for a Copa Libertadores. The dream is there.”

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