Championship – Sport Witness http://sportwitness.co.uk Wed, 01 Nov 2023 09:32:07 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.1.15 “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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“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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Man United, Aston Villa and Southampton on weekend scouting mission – Manager not panicking yet http://sportwitness.co.uk/man-united-aston-villa-southampton-weekend-scouting-mission-manager-not-worrying-losing-star/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/man-united-aston-villa-southampton-weekend-scouting-mission-manager-not-worrying-losing-star/#respond Mon, 30 Oct 2023 11:16:32 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445208 Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Brøndby IF star Nicolai Vallys, according to Ekstra Bladet. The attacking midfielder has impressed this season, scoring seven goals and registering one assist from 11 games. On Sunday, he starred by netting the winner in his side’s 2-1 victory over FC

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Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton are among the clubs keeping close tabs on Brøndby IF star Nicolai Vallys, according to Ekstra Bladet.

The attacking midfielder has impressed this season, scoring seven goals and registering one assist from 11 games. On Sunday, he starred by netting the winner in his side’s 2-1 victory over FC Nordsjælland.

Vallys’ performances have caught the attention of several clubs, including Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton.

It’s claimed the Premier League duo, the Saints, VfL Wolfsburg, Real Betis, Marseille and PSV Eindhoven all had officials in attendance yesterday to watch the 27-year-old live in action against Nordsjælland.

Among these clubs, the report states PSV had sent their chief scout to take a closer look at the Denmark international and others.

When describing his latest performance, Ekstra Bladet say Vallys showcased his qualities to the scouts who were in attendance and he’s the ‘epitome of football intelligence at a high level.’

The Dane’s deal lasts until 2026 and Brøndby manager Jesper Sørensen has admitted that he’s not surprised other clubs have set their sights on him.

“I don’t go about my day worrying about whether we can keep Vallys. But if there is someone else who thinks Vallys is more talented than us, then I can really understand that,” he said.

Despite the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa and Southampton watching Vallys, the newspaper questions if many big clubs would ‘put large sums of millions’ on the table for a player who turned 27 years of age in September.

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Southampton man set for injury spell as old problem re-emerges – Manager can’t rule out surgery http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-set-injury-spell-old-problem-re-emerges-manager-cant-rule-surgery/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/southampton-man-set-injury-spell-old-problem-re-emerges-manager-cant-rule-surgery/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 15:16:43 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=445081 Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering another shoulder injury on loan at PSV Eindhoven. That’s according to Voetbal International, who carry quotes from PSV boss Peter Bosz today on the defender, who is set to miss this weekend’s clash with Ajax. The newspaper explains that Bella-Kotchap,

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Southampton defender Armel Bella-Kotchap could be facing an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering another shoulder injury on loan at PSV Eindhoven.

That’s according to Voetbal International, who carry quotes from PSV boss Peter Bosz today on the defender, who is set to miss this weekend’s clash with Ajax.

The newspaper explains that Bella-Kotchap, who arrived in a last minute, deadline day move from Southampton in the summer after a potential loan to Germany fell through, ‘is not available’ for PSV for the time being.

They explain that the central defender is ‘struggling’ with a shoulder injury, the fourth time in his career he’s had such a problem.

The German defender has reportedly been struggling with a shoulder injury for a week, which means he already missed games against Fortuna Sittard and Lens.

“He’s not here for the time being. But it’s not up to me to say whether he needs surgery. I think the club will make a statement about this early next week,” Bosz said at a press conference when asked about the player.

VI explain the shoulder injury is a long-standing one for the centre-back, who missed seven games at VfL Bochum and spent two separate spells on the sidelines at Southampton with the same injury.

He was also on the sidelines for ten games with a knee injury last season and it now remains to be seen how many PSV matches he will have to miss with this problem.

That’s something the Dutch club will presumably announce next week when it’s been decided whether he needs surgery.

Either way, it appears his loan spell is set for an abrupt halt, with an old injury flaring up and causing problems at his new club.

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Leeds United surprisingly linked to Uruguay international – Whites ‘monitoring’ fullback http://sportwitness.co.uk/leeds-united-surprisingly-linked-uruguay-international-whites-monitoring-fullback/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/leeds-united-surprisingly-linked-uruguay-international-whites-monitoring-fullback/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 09:16:40 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444959 Leeds United fans may be hearing some rumours from Brazil saying the Whites are interested signing Joaquin Piquerez from Palmeiras. It’s been said that the Whites, as well as other English clubs, and some sides from France, have been monitoring the 25-year-old. Even though Piquerez has been doing great for Palmeiras, we’d say it’s better

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Leeds United fans may be hearing some rumours from Brazil saying the Whites are interested signing Joaquin Piquerez from Palmeiras.

It’s been said that the Whites, as well as other English clubs, and some sides from France, have been monitoring the 25-year-old.

Even though Piquerez has been doing great for Palmeiras, we’d say it’s better to wait for major media outlets to report Leeds’ interest before buying that.

One of the stories we’ve seen comes from Diego Firmino on Twitter, as well as other accounts on social media, and those are really not the most reliable sources out there.

Piquerez was one of the players who stood out in Palmeiras’ big 5-0 win over São Paulo on Wednesday evening, and since then, there have been many rumours about European clubs wanting him all of a sudden.

The player has been doing well for Palmeiras for a couple of seasons, and it’d be strange that those clubs only become interested in him just after the window closed.

So even though Leeds’ interest wouldn’t be shocking, we better hold up a little until something more reliable comes out.

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Club ‘not panicking’ despite ‘slow start’ for Southampton transfer – Yet to overcome ‘disadvantage’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-not-panicking-despite-slow-start-southampton-transfer/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-not-panicking-despite-slow-start-southampton-transfer/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 16:16:07 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444934 Bayer Leverkusen are ‘not panicking’ over the signing of Nathan Tella from Southampton this summer, despite him not yet making much of an impact at the club. That’s according to Fussball Transfers, who carry quotes from Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes on the player’s struggles. Tella joined Leverkusen in a €23.3m deal from Southampton in the

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Bayer Leverkusen are ‘not panicking’ over the signing of Nathan Tella from Southampton this summer, despite him not yet making much of an impact at the club.

That’s according to Fussball Transfers, who carry quotes from Leverkusen director Simon Rolfes on the player’s struggles.

Tella joined Leverkusen in a €23.3m deal from Southampton in the summer as the German side paid big to continue improving Xabi Alonso’s squad.

He was brought in as a replacement for Moussa Diaby, who had left for Aston Villa earlier in the summer and left a big hole that needed to be filled.

He’s yet to fill the boots left behind by the Frenchman, though, with no goals in the Bundesliga so far and just one goal in two games in the Europa League.

Indeed, he’s barely featured in the Bundesliga to date, participating in just 7% of the available minutes in the league, not the kind of numbers expected given the money paid to sign him from Southampton.

Fussball Transfers, though, insist the club are ‘not panicking’ just yet despite a ‘slow start’ for the winger.

They say the former Southampton man has suffered from a clear ‘disadvantage’ in that his preference to dribble with the ball goes against the possession style of play adopted by Alonso.

The belief is that Tella needs time to adjust and work out how he fits in, something Rolfes has echoed.

“All players who came to us later have this problem,” he said. “So far we have been very dominant, but we will still need these facets this season.”

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Club need ‘low double-digit million’ to sign Leeds man – Transfer ‘by no means guaranteed’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-need-low-double-digit-million-sign-leeds-man-transfer-no-means-guaranteed/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-need-low-double-digit-million-sign-leeds-man-transfer-no-means-guaranteed/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 12:16:20 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444877 Borussia Mönchengladbach need a ‘low double-digit million’ fee to sign Maximilian Wöber permanently from Leeds United this summer, something which means a deal is not guaranteed. That’s according to Kicker, relayed by Fussball News, who a permanent stay for the Leeds loanee is ‘by no means guaranteed’ at this point. Wöber is currently on loan

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Borussia Mönchengladbach need a ‘low double-digit million’ fee to sign Maximilian Wöber permanently from Leeds United this summer, something which means a deal is not guaranteed.

That’s according to Kicker, relayed by Fussball News, who a permanent stay for the Leeds loanee is ‘by no means guaranteed’ at this point.

Wöber is currently on loan with the German side after taking advantage of a clause in his contract at Elland Road that allowed him to leave temporarily following relegation.

He’s been a big hit at Gladbach since his arrival, establishing himself as a key player in their defence and earning rave reviews from fans and pundits alike.

The belief is that the German side would look at a permanent deal in the summer, although it has been made clear on several occasions that that entirely depends on whether Leeds are promoted this season.

Kicker now follow that up and say another potential impediment to the deal is the figure that Leeds would want for Wöber.

According to them, it would take ‘a transfer fee in the low double-digit million range’ for to convince Leeds into a sale.

They paid €12m to sign Wöber from RB Salzburg in the January transfer window so it’s easy to imagine they’d want at least that to let him go next summer.

Whatever the figure, it is seemingly one that Gladbach have doubts about paying, although it’s not clear if they think it’s too much or just don’t have the money to do the deal.

Either way, it seems there are plenty of doubts about whether Wöber will end up in Gladbach permanently once his loan deal comes to an end.

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Club ‘determined’ to sign Leicester City man permanently – Proven to be a ‘valuable acquisition’ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-determined-sign-leicester-city-man-proven-valuable-acquisition/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/club-determined-sign-leicester-city-man-proven-valuable-acquisition/#respond Thu, 26 Oct 2023 10:16:03 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444855 Sevilla are ‘already considering’ activating the purchase option they have on Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumaré after his impressive early performances at the club. That’s according to El Sevillista, who say the Spanish side are determined to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis and not lose him. Soumaré joined Sevilla on a season long

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Sevilla are ‘already considering’ activating the purchase option they have on Leicester City midfielder Boubakary Soumaré after his impressive early performances at the club.

That’s according to El Sevillista, who say the Spanish side are determined to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis and not lose him.

Soumaré joined Sevilla on a season long loan deal from Leicester in the summer, joining the list of players to leave the Foxes following their relegation last season.

That loan deal includes an option for the deal to be made permanent for €15m and Sevilla are now ‘determined’ to activate it.

According to the website, Soumaré’s ‘excellent performance’ against Arsenal in the Champions League this week was one of several this season and he’s more than proven to be a ‘valuable acquisition’ for the Spanish cub.

He’s ‘generated positive expectations’ and as a result Sevilla are already considered exercising the purchase option that they have on him.

His ‘skill and solidity’ in midfield have become ‘fundamental’ to the team and Sevila are now ‘determined’ to ensure he remains and doesn’t return to Leicester at the end of the season.

Whether that means they look to buy him early, in the January transfer window for example, or wait until next summer remains to be seen but it seems they’re keen on using that clause either way.

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Leeds United deal ‘could be extended’ after early success – All depends on how this season goes http://sportwitness.co.uk/leeds-united-deal-extended-initial-success/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/leeds-united-deal-extended-initial-success/#respond Wed, 25 Oct 2023 11:16:14 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444651 Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca could stay at Real Betis on loan again next year, as long as Daniel Farke’s side are not promoted back to the Premier League. That’s according to Mucho Deporte, who cover the player today and how he’s on course for his best goalscoring season if he maintains his early season

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Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca could stay at Real Betis on loan again next year, as long as Daniel Farke’s side are not promoted back to the Premier League.

That’s according to Mucho Deporte, who cover the player today and how he’s on course for his best goalscoring season if he maintains his early season form.

They explain that Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini ‘has great confidence’ in the Leeds loanee and believes he can be a valid player in attack, leaving defensive duties to Guido Rodríguez y Andrés Guardado.

Roca has already scored two goals this season and if everything goes with a ‘certain normality’ then he should exceed that and, in the process, better his personal goalscoring record for a campaign. He’s never managed more than two for Espanyol, Bayern or Leeds.

Doing so at Betis would only further confirm to him and the Spanish club that the deal was a smart one to do and Mucho Deporte report it could be extended too.

Roca is only on loan at the club for the season, having taken advantage of a clause in his Leeds contract that allowed him to leave on loan following relegation.

He’s been delighted with the move to date, saying so whenever possible, and it’s even been reported in Spain that he’s shown a ‘total predisposition’ to staying at Betis long-term.

That could be on offer as it’s now claimed that his loan ‘could be extended for another year’, if Leeds are not promoted back to the Premier League.

Now, it’s not made clear if this is a clause in the original loan deal or it would simply be a case of Leeds letting him go again temporarily should they fail to return to the top flight.

Either way, this is the first we’ve heard of Roca’s loan potentially being extended so it’s something to keep an eye on moving forwards.

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“He doesn’t have to hide” – Leeds United man backed for step up, better than others http://sportwitness.co.uk/doesnt-hide-leeds-united-man-backed-step-better-others/ http://sportwitness.co.uk/doesnt-hide-leeds-united-man-backed-step-better-others/#respond Wed, 25 Oct 2023 09:16:20 +0000 http://sportwitness.co.uk/?p=444612 Robin Koch’s decision to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in the last window has paid off as he’s enjoyed an impressive start to this season. The centre-back, who is still owned by Leeds United, has been one of the key players in helping the Bundesliga side have the best defensive record in the league. They

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Robin Koch’s decision to join Eintracht Frankfurt on loan in the last window has paid off as he’s enjoyed an impressive start to this season.

The centre-back, who is still owned by Leeds United, has been one of the key players in helping the Bundesliga side have the best defensive record in the league. They have conceded only six goals from eight games.

According to Bild, the Leeds owned player is the German club’s ‘head of defence’ after playing a decisive role this season. They further add the 27-year-old has been ‘promoted to the team council’.

In September, Eintracht Frankfurt legend Charly Körbel had met Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann and had urged him to include Koch in the squad for October’s international break.

“Better take Robin Koch, you won’t go wrong,” he reportedly told Nagelsmann.

However, the former Bayern Munich manager didn’t call-up the 27-year-old, who’s last outing with the national team was in 2021.

His omission for the last two matches has not pleased Körbel, who has also explained why Nagelsmann must change his stance about the Leeds man.

“He hardly makes any mistakes in the game, has a good eye and top positioning. It’s not spectacular, but it’s incredibly safe, with this stability he holds everything together at the back,” Körbel explained.

“I didn’t understand that Robin wasn’t there on the trip to the USA, I would have taken him with me anyway. He deserves a chance in the national team, he doesn’t have to hide behind anyone. When I see the mistakes others make…”

Koch has already talked about his desire to represent Germany at the Euros next summer and Körbel has now sent a message to him.

“The European championship train hasn’t left for him yet, he has to keep hoping for his chance. He has to put Nagelsmann under pressure with strong performances, then a lot can happen,” he concluded.

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