After Nottingham Forest achieved promotion to the Premier League with a squad full of loan players, it was pivotal that the club invested in the squad during the summer of 2022.

The Reds have made 34 new additions since their return to the Premier League, a monstrous amount, with it to be expected that not all of the signings would be a hit at the City Ground.

Emmanuel Dennis and Ibrahim Sangare are arguably the two that stand out for their lack of impact at the club, having joined for £20m and £30m respectively, but failing to prove any sort of value for money.

The Nigerian only managed to score two goals last season, with the Ivorian midfielder only starting two games under Nuno Espirito Santo in 2024.

However, despite the pair's unsuccessful stint in the East Midlands, one player endured a torrid time for the club, leaving after just one season following a long spell on the sidelines.

Giulian Biancone's stats at Nottingham Forest

After arriving for a fee in the region of £5m from French side Troyes, defender Giulian Biancone became the Reds' second addition under Steve Cooper following promotion back to England's top flight.

The defender, who can play at right-back and centre-back, was seen as a versatile option for the Reds, bolstering their backline ahead of a tricky campaign for the club.

However, the move was a disaster for both parties, with Biancone suffering an ACL injury in training that would see him miss the vast majority of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Frenchman only managed three appearances throughout the whole season under Cooper, featuring for just 116 minutes, including 90 minutes against Grimsby Town in the Carabao Cup.

Biancone only made it onto the pitch twice in the Premier League, coming on as a substitute on both occasions against Manchester City and Brighton and Hove Albion.

Premier League

2

0

16'

Carabao Cup

1

1

90'

He failed to appear at all on home soil, leaving the club for Olympiacos last summer on a permanent basis, with the club making the right decision in offloading the youngster.

Giulian Biancone's wage at Nottingham Forest

Upon joining the club, the now-forgotten defender signed a three-year deal on a reported £20k-per-week, as per Capology.

Biancone took home £1m a year at the City Ground, a huge amount for a player who only managed three appearances during his time on Trentside.

When combining his yearly earnings with his £5m transfer fee, he cost the club £6m for a single season and £2m per appearance – a huge contributing factor to the club's recent PSR situation.

He's since only managed 16 appearances during his time in Greece, mainly being utilised as a squad player – failing to find his feet despite a fresh start in the summer.

Whilst at the time he was seen as a shrewd addition for Forest, the Frenchman wasn't up to the level required for the Premier League and his misery was compounded by his long-term knee injury.

He was a character off the field during his time at the club, but given his lack of impact on the field, the club did the right thing in offloading him, with the Reds saving a decent chunk of money each season following his departure.

Nuno must offload Nottingham Forest dud who hasn't featured since January

The club have found this position a problem in recent months.

ByEthan Lamb May 8, 2024

Celtic ensured that they will be lifting the Scottish Premiership title for a third year in a row with a thumping 5-0 win over Kilmarnock on Wednesday night.

The Scottish giants fought off competition from their closest rivals to win the division and, after their final league game of the campaign on Saturday, they will then have the SFA Cup final to focus on.

Following the end of the 2023/24 campaign, Brendan Rodgers and his team will turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window and how they can make changes to the squad to improve their performance next term.

The Hoops were knocked out of the League Cup and the Champions League during the first half of the season and may want to fare better than an early exit from Europe next time around.

It will be interesting to see who Celtic decide to go ahead and pursue to bolster their squad in the summer. One player they must push to sign if possible is a forward from the English Championship.

Celtic's interest in Championship star

Earlier this year, it was reported by Football Insider that the Hoops are interested in a possible swoop to sign Blackburn Rovers attacker Sammie Szmodics.

They are not the only team in the running to land his signature, though, as the outlet claimed that Premier League side Brentford are also set to be in the mix to sign the Republic of Ireland international ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Football Insider went on to reveal that other teams from the bottom half of the Premier League could also join Celtic and the Bees in the pursuit of the former Colchester star, which suggests that there could be a big battle for his services.

However, the same source then provided an update at the start of April that made it seem unlikely that the Scottish giants will be able to get a deal over the line, as the English teams are said to have the advantage over them given what they can offer as a fee and wages.

That second report did, though, claim that Blackburn may not be able to keep hold of the attacking midfielder amid strong interest from elsewhere, which suggests that there may be an opening to exploit this summer.

Should the Irish sensation become available as an option for the Hoops to bring in, Rodgers could finally reignite Luis Palma by snapping him up ahead of next season.

Luis Palma's inconsistent season

The Bhoys reportedly splashed out a fee of £3.5m to sign the Honduras international from Greek side Aris FC during last summer's transfer window.

He started the season in fantastic form at the top end of the pitch, with a return of five goals and nine assists in 16 appearances in the Premiership in 2023.

14 direct goal involvements in 16 matches in the league shows that the attacker was contributing on a regular basis as both a scorer and a creator for Rodgers.

The exciting winger hit the ground running in Glasgow and looked set to be a terrific signing for the Northern Irish manager. However, there is a stark contrast between his form over the last five months and the first half of the season.

Since the turn of the year, Palma has only produced two goals and one assist in 14 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants.

11 of those games came in the Premiership and he chipped in with one goal and zero assists for the side in that time.

This shows that his form has dropped off a cliff during the second half of the campaign and Celtic must find a way for him to hit his best levels again next season.

23/24 Premiership

Luis Palma

Appearances

27

Starts

17

Goals

6

Assists

9

Big chances created

13

Key passes per game

2.4

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Palma is a creative talent who has the quality to provide his teammates with high-quality opportunities in front of goal.

Therefore, Rodgers could, potentially, finally reignite the forward, after months of poor form, by signing a player – Szmodics – who could make the most of his creativity on the flank.

How Sammie Szmodics could reignite Luis Palma

Firstly, it is worth noting that Celtic's first-choice centre-forward for the majority of this season has underperformed in front of goal, given the quality of chances that have been created for them.

Kyogo Furuhashi has scored 13 goals from 17.49 xG in the Scottish Premiership, which is an underperformance of 4.49 – the highest of any player in the Hoops squad.

The 29-year-old attacker, who has averaged one goal every 187 minutes, has missed a staggering 23 'big chances' in the final third, to go along with his 13 goals in 33 matches.

This means that the forward was not able to make the most of Palma's creativity, which is illustrated by the winger's nine assists from 13 'big chances' created.

Szmodics, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed is "dangerous", rattled in an astonishing 27 goals from 21.41 xG for Blackburn in the Championship this season, which is an overperformance of 5.69.

The 28-year-old star scored a staggering 33 goals in all competitions for the English outfit, with six goals in three FA Cup matches alongside his 27 league strikes.

He only missed 17 'big chances' in 44 Championship appearances for Blackburn and ranked within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the division for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.62).

These statistics suggest that Szmodics would be a far better option than Kyogo in the final third, due to his sensational finishing quality.

The Ireland international is a clinical and prolific forward who has proven that he has the ability to find the back of the net at an exceptional rate.

Related Alongside O'Riley: 9/10 star just helped secure the title for Celtic

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Posts ByDan Emery May 16, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could reignite Palma by bringing Szmodics into the club to provide the winger with a lethal attacker, who can make the most of the 'big chances' that he has proven he can create consistently.

It is now down to the club to battle it out to win the race for the Blackburn star ahead of rival interest from English sides in order to bolster his attack with a terrific new signing.

The board is yet to advertise for the vacant CEO, CFO and NCA COO positions

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jul-2020The BCCI has invited applications for the post of general manager – game development, one that has been vacant since Ratnakar Shetty’s retirement in March 2018. The advertisement for the role follows Saba Karim’s resignation as the board’s general manager.Karim is the fourth managerial officer of the BCCI – after Rahul Johri (CEO), Santosh Rangnekar (CFO) and Tufan Ghosh (NCA COO) – to quit since the new administration, led by president Sourav Ganguly, took charge last October. The BCCI has, however, not invited applications for any of those posts yet, with Hemang Amin, the IPL COO, filling in as the interim CEO.Applicants for the new role can send in their resumes until 6pm IST on August 7. Post that, the BCCI will shortlist applications and conduct interviews either in person or via video conference.As per the BCCI, the person who is appointed will be “supporting the CEO to deliver on BCCI’s vision and strategy” and determine and monitor the “compliance of match playing regulations, standards of venues, and administration of the Domestic Tours Program”, among other responsibilities.Meanwhile, uncertainty looms over the future of Ganguly and BCCI secretary Jay Shah, who are due to serve cooling-off periods. But the board has twice filed pleas in the Supreme Court for several amendments to the constitution, which, if approved, will extend Ganguly and Shah’s tenures. The Supreme Court has “tentatively” listed the hearing for August 17.17.30GMT The article has been amended to reflect Ratnakar Shetty as the previous GM, game development, not Saba Karim as the article earlier implied

It would be difficult to find any individual who spent more time training, playing or celebrating at the SCG than Phil Emery. Across nearly 200 first-class and one day games for New South Wales between 1987 and 1999, many of them as captain, Emery became almost as synonymous with the grand old ground as the Members and Ladies stands that still give it among the most distinctive silhouettes in world cricket.Next week, however, Emery will find a new way of experiencing the SCG, by sleeping rough on its outfield as part of the Sport Stars Sleepout for the Chappell Foundation, an event held in an effort to raise money for the cause of youth homelessness in Australia. For Emery, the average figure of about 30,000 homeless Australians under the age of 25 on any given night is maddening.The onset of Covid-19 this year has capped the number of SCG sleepers for the third edition of the event at 32, but provides still more impetus to raise money for the cause. Emery, who over the past 20 years has built a business career in the insurance industry while also serving as chairman of the “Baggy Blues” New South Wales past players association, said he had been floored by the numbers when asked to take part by the foundation’s patron Greg Chappell.Emery will join the likes of Mitchell Starc, Alyssa Healy, Lisa Sthalekar, Steve O’Keefe, Russel Arnold, Stuart MacGill, Alex Blackwell and Daniel Hughes among cricketers taking part on Monday night. Donations, pledged to an individual sleeper, can be made here.”People never believe it, seeing the numbers it’s ridiculous. Hopefully we raise lots of money, increase awareness about the issue and we can do some good with it,” he said. “From sending out a message about it at 4 o’clock yesterday, I think at 6 o’clock I had A$2,200 in the space of two hours, of just people generously giving stuff straight away. Extremely generous, it’s great.”While the unchanging elements of the SCG have been a big part of its charm, Emery reflected on some of the hidden elements of the ground that he and other state teammates became well familiar with over the course of a career that featured three Sheffield Shield wins in 1990, 1993 and 1994 – the last two as captain.Phil Emery goes up in appeal, Sydney, March 27, 1993•Fairfax Media via Getty Images

“It was funny, when you were playing it was like your second home,” he said. “There’s a bar now underneath the members bar, but it used to be like an underpass with a road that ran through it. We used to park in there in what would be the middle of the bar now. You were out there from pre-season in July, August, even just for fielding, and we used to train on the ground, so you’d spend an enormous amount of time on the field.”I first went onto the field when I was 11, and that was when the Sheridan Stand was there and the Brewongle and all the old concourse, the big hill, and the Paddington hill and all those things. Playing through the era when they took the hill away, I remember doing an interview with Tracey Holmes and I was facing the members stand on the ground, and she said ‘so what’s it going to be like playing without the hill’ and I went ‘what have they done’, and I turned around and there were bulldozers on it. I wasn’t paying that much attention back then!”As the son of the former Wallabies international Neville, Emery experienced the old precinct before the advent of the Sydney Football Stadium – currently being rebuilt – and redevelopment of the adjoining showgrounds into a studio complex.”Going back now, it’s still got the same feel to it with the Ladies Stand and the Members Stand, around the back, the nets are the same,” Emery said. “But when I was first there we had the No. 2 ground and I played a NSW Colts game there. You used to be able to walk through a little hole in the fence at the top and go through to the sports ground. I played a rugby grand final, my first year out of school in third grade on the sports ground. You had the showground oval, the SCG Nos 1 and 2 and the sports ground all in a row.”But it’s still a fabulous place, it’s just got an aura about it, it’s a big ground but it’s not the MCG. If you put the wicket in the middle its a biggish ground, but it’s intimate if that makes sense. The visitors’ dressing room has still got the split room between professionals out the back and the gentlemen out the front. That’s still there. The home dressing room’s changed a bit since I first went in it, there’s some mod cons in there, but the layout hasn’t changed really, and you wouldn’t change that for the world.”Fabulous feel in the old room, even the little windows and banister out the front where you sit outside. You’re not in a dungeon, you get natural light into the place. You can actually stand in the change room and watch the game – not the best view but the best place to be. You can walk out through the bar and then out to bat if you want. That sort of thing – it’s connected to the building, you’re not hidden away, and that’s part of its charm.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers can end their 2023/24 season on a high this afternoon by ruining Jürgen Klopp’s farewell at Anfield.

The German ends his nine-year association with Liverpool today, but a win for Gary O’Neil’s men would be the perfect way to wrap up a decent campaign, giving them some momentum heading into the summer.

Wolves suffered a 3-1 defeat to Crystal Palace during their final home game of the season in midweek and O’Neil could perhaps make a few changes to his starting XI for the visit to Anfield.

Hwang Hee-Chan may have scored 13 goals this term, but the South Korean was poor throughout the clash against the Eagles, and he could well be replaced.

Hwang Hee-Chan’s game in numbers vs Crystal Palace

Tasked with leading the line just in front of Matheus Cunha, O’Neil was looking for the former RB Leipzig centre-forward to offer a dangerous threat against a resurgent Palace side.

Instead, the manager was forced to watch a poor display which saw the South Korean manage just one shot all match (which was off target), succeed with zero dribble attempts and miss a big chance.

Goals

0

Assists

0

Key passes

0

Big chances created

0

Dribble attempts (successful)

1 (0)

Not only that, but Hwang’s distribution was also poor, as he completed just 14 of his 19 attempted passes while taking only 27 touches, 20 fewer than Daniel Bentley in goal.

Winning one duel out of five and losing possession nine times throughout the game suggests it wasn’t his finest performance for Wolves. Could O’Neil make a bold call ahead of the match against Liverpool and bring Pablo Sarabia into the starting XI after he started on the bench in midweek?

Pablo Sarabia’s statistics this season

The Spaniard has enjoyed a good season for the Old Gold, registering 14 goal contributions – four goals and ten assists – across 36 matches.

Sarabia’s goal involvements have come against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United and Chelsea, which suggests he could be the ideal player to call upon against Liverpool this afternoon.

Thomas Tuchel, his former manager at Paris Saint-Germain, hailed Sarabia for his excellent abilities and work rate, saying:

"Pablo is really impressive. He runs well, with and without a ball. His game without the ball is a great example. He plays with a lot of intensity and does not stop [working] defensively."

Having a player who is willing to track back and commit to defensive duties could be vital if O’Neil wants to secure a point or three against the Merseyside outfit, with the former Bournemouth boss likely keeping his fingers crossed that the playmaker will be available, amid a "slight doubt" over his availability.

Sarabia currently ranks fourth among his teammates for overall Sofascore rating (7.22) in the top flight, while also ranking third for shots on target per game (0.6) and first for big chances created (nine), which is yet more evidence that he should be unleashed this afternoon.

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Dropping Hwang would be a bold call by the manager, but Sarabia clearly has a lot to offer, both in the final third and when Wolves don’t have the ball, indicating he could be the player who may make the difference against Klopp’s men in the final match of the season.

أعلن الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم “فيفا” عن مواعيد وتوقيتات مباريات كأس العالم للأندية 2025 والتي ستقام في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية بالصيف المقبل.

وتقام مباريات البطولة خلال الفترة من 15 يونيو إلى 13 يوليو 2025 بمشاركة 32 فريقًا في 11 مدينة وعلى رأس تلك الفرق نادي مانشستر سيتي بطل دوري أبطال أوروبا موسم 2022/2023.

ووضعت القرعة التي أقيمت يوم الخميس الماضي نادي مانشستر سيتي ضمن فرق المجموعة السابعة مع الوداد البيضاوي، العين ويوفنتوس.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مواعيد مباريات ريال مدريد في كأس العالم للأندية 2025

مواعيد مباريات مانشستر سيتي في مونديال الأندية 2025

الجولة الأولى: الوداد البيضاوي – ملعب “لينكولين فينانشال فيلد” في مدينة “فيلادلفيا” – يوم 18 يونيو 2025 في تمام الساعة التاسعة مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

الجولة الثانية: العين – ملعب “مرسيدس بنز” في مدينة “أتلانتا” – يوم 23 يونيو 2025 في تمام الساعة الخامسة صباحًا بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

الجولة الثالثة: يوفنتوس – ملعب “كامبنج ورلد” في مدينة “أورلاندو” – يوم 26 يونيو 2025 في تمام الساعة 11 مساءً بتوقيت “القاهرة”.

جميع التوقيتات بحسب ما نشره الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم قابلة للتغيير خلال الفترة المقبلة.

“He made me realise the importance of big stride, a forward press against fast bowlers”

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2020Virat Kohli has credited Sachin Tendulkar’s technical inputs, including the importance of “the forward press against fast bowlers,” to help him regain his touch after a dismal England tour in 2014. Despite managing only 134 runs in 10 innings on that tour, Kohli said it was actually the “milestone” series in his career.In a recent Instagram chat with Kevin Pietersen, Kohli had called the same tour “the lowest point” of his career. A few months later in 2014, Kohli bounced back during the Australia tour compiling 692 runs at 86.50 with four centuries in as many Tests.To analyse his struggles in England, Kohli sought the help of Tendulkar on return, particularly on his hip position.”My hip position was an issue during that England tour,” Kohli told Mayank Agarwal on bcci.tv. “If the right hip opens or closes too much you, you are in trouble. [You have to] keep that hip position nice and side-on and balanced so that you can play through both off side and leg side with equal control is very very important.”I came back from England and spoke to Sachin and had a few sessions with him in Mumbai. I told him that I am working on my hip position. He made me realise the importance of big stride, a forward press against fast bowlers. The moment I started doing that with my hip alignment, things started falling in place nicely and then the Australia tour happened.”

“In Test cricket, I realised, when it gets tough, to maintain your composure is the most difficult thing. That was something I really needed to correct in me”

In a chat with in 2016, Kohli had said he sought out Tendulkar’s advice during a training session in Mumbai, to not just focus on the technical aspects, but also “to pick his mind on how he dealt with difficult times.” Summing up his struggles against James Anderson on that tour, Kohli said: “I kept standing in the same position. I kept getting out the same way.”On the England tour in 2014, Anderson had troubled Kohli a lot with outswingers. But Kohli felt he compounded things for himself by worrying too much about the inswinger and that left him vulnerable against the away-going deliveries.”I was too worried thinking about the ball that might come in,” Kohli said. “I was opening up a bit too early so the ball that was going away I was getting out to it every time. I just couldn’t get past that confusion. Even my stride to the ball was not as confident as it should have been. I relied on my hands a lot which in this day and age bowlers find pretty quickly and start targeting the areas you are uncomfortable in.”The 2014 [tour] will be a milestone in my career. A lot of people take good tours as a milestone but for me that tour of 2014 is always going to be milestone in my career from where I thought the thing might go bad for me very soon.”The next was the big tour of Australia. I really had to sit down and change things about the way I thought, I approached the game, the way I played the game.”In Test cricket, I realised, when it gets tough, to maintain your composure is the most difficult thing. That was something I really needed to correct in me. If that tour hadn’t happened I would have continued probably the same way I was. I wouldn’t have improved upon things. I think that tour really made me think about how I needed to approach my international career and if I just wanted to be a pushover every time I play Test cricket.”Kohli also credited Ravi Shastri, who was named India’s team director after the England Tests, and Duncan Fletcher, then head coach, for the transformation. While Shastri asked Kohli to stand outside the batting crease, Fletcher suggested the tweak to make his stance wider.”He (Shastri) told me to stand outside the crease. He explained the mindset behind it: ‘You should be in control of the space you are playing in and not give the bowlers so many opportunities to get you out.’ So many dismissals get taken out when you are standing outside the crease. So I started practising that the same year and results were unbelievable.”Ravi asked me that if I was scared of short ball,” Kohli laughed. “I said, ‘I am not scared and I don’t mind getting hurt but I don’t want to get out.'”I made my stance bigger after a conversation with Duncan Fletcher, who has amazing understanding of the game. He only asked one question, ‘Will I be able to play the short ball with a forward press and that base (widened stance)’. I said, ‘I can.'”When asked if the criticism after his poor show in England affected him, Kohli said: “I never really paid attention to what people perceived me after 2014 but obviously it troubled me a little bit because all my credibility as a player went away in a month or so. You do feel like you know you are good enough but then you are focusing too much on what people say about you. That can disappoint you. I did that as well. I went through that journey of mine but then I stopped focusing on what people had to say about me.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Marco positivo. Os dois gols marcados pelo Botafogo na vitória contra o CSA, nesta terça-feira, em jogo atrasado da 6ª rodada da Série B do Brasileirão, fizeram o clube de General Severiano ter o terceiro melhor ataque da competição.

+ ATUAÇÕES: Rafael Navarro comanda a vitória do Botafogo sobre o CSA e recebe a maior nota

Agora, o Alvinegro tem 19 bolas na rede em 14 rodadas disputadas. O número é o mesmo do Vasco, rival do próximo sábado no Estádio Nilton Santos. À frente, estão Náutico e Guarani, com 23 gols, e CRB, com 21.

RelacionadasBotafogoAuxiliar do Botafogo elogia atuação de Chay em vitória sobre o CSA no Brasileirão: ‘Sensacional’Botafogo28/07/2021BotafogoApós vitória, auxiliar técnico Luís Fernando comemora eficiência ofensiva do Botafogo: ‘O grupo é bom’Botafogo28/07/2021BotafogoDiego Gonçalves valoriza vitória do Botafogo: ‘Estava difícil para nós’Botafogo27/07/2021

Vale ressaltar que o Alvinegro é a equipe com mais chances claras desperdiçadas nesta Série B. Ao todo, o Botafogo deixou 19 oportunidades promissoras pelo caminho. Ou seja, o número poderia ser ainda maior.

A equipe comandada por Enderson Moreira retorna aos gramados no próximo sábado para enfrentar o Vasco, às 21h30, no Estádio Nilton Santos.

The left-back position at Manchester United has caused Erik ten Hag plenty of issues this season, despite starting the campaign with four options.

Luke Shaw is without doubt the number one, but his continuous injuries have left United extremely weak, as highlighted by Victor Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka filling in.

There’s no doubt that the Red Devils are a better team with the number 23, but the fact that he’s only played 12 Premier League games underlines that his lack of reliability is an issue.

With that in mind, it’s no surprise to see that Sir Jim Ratcliffe is already searching for a replacement, with one particular target potentially helping save Marcus Rashford’s Man United career.

Man Utd’s search for a Shaw replacement

As per a report from GiveMeSport, United are 'looking closely' at making a move for Miguel Gutierrez.

The former Real Madrid prospect has been one of the standout players in the fantastic Girona side this season, impressing enough to potentially be on the move this summer.

Because of this, plenty of top clubs, including Arsenal, are also keeping an eye on the left-back, but it’s Real Madrid who pose the biggest threat, due to a buy-back clause struck with Girona.

No fee is mentioned in the report, however, according to CIES Football Observatory, Gutierrez is estimated to be worth around the £26m mark, making him a relatively affordable option.

How Gutierrez could revive Rashford

Unfortunately, it’s fair to say that Rashford’s season has been a complete disaster compared to his 30-goal campaign in Ten Hag’s first campaign.

Across all competitions, the number ten has netted just eight times, yet despite this, he’s still the Red Devils' joint-third-highest scorer in the league with seven.

The 26-year-old looks visibly frustrated and lacking in confidence during almost every game, yet the lack of a constant left-back partner certainly won’t have helped his performance levels.

However, signing Gutierrez could just be the lifeline that Rashford desperately needs, and together, they could nail down the left side of the United team for years to come.

Gutierrez's 23/24 La Liga Stats
Stats	Gutierrez
Assists	6
Big chances created	18
Touches	68.1
Key passes	1.2
Pass accuracy	88%
Tackles	0.9
Dribbled past	0.6
Via Sofascore

Firstly, it’s incredibly clear that the 22-year-old is the definition of an attacking fullback, whose first thought is to impact the game positively in the final third – Shaw has been rather unsuccessful in this regard of late, failing to register a single assist and creating just one 'big chance' in the league this term.

The Spaniard is an extremely technical player who always seems to make the right decision when in possession, whether that be making a progressive pass or simply having the composure to retain the ball even under pressure.

The fact that he’s not afraid to fire the ball further forward would instantly make Rashford more dangerous, simply by getting him involved in the play much more often and not leaving him constantly isolated.

However, what makes the number three such an “incredible” star, as dubbed by football scout Jacek Kulig, is his ability to be a creative outlet, as shown by the fact he’s created the most big chances in La Liga this season, 18 – which is two more than Bruno Fernandes for context.

This would inevitably take the pressure off Rashford to create from the left, while Gutierrez’s energy and overlapping runs would allow him to cut inside on his stronger foot to strike at goal, which is where he’s at his best.

Furthermore, as basic as it sounds, Gutierrez is extremely reliable and always available, as the last and only injury of his career was at the start of 2022, which is the main reason he'd be an upgrade on Shaw as it would allow Rashford to build a more telepathic relationship with his fullback.

Overall, Ratcliffe has to move for the Spanish international, and if he can help get the best out of Rashford, then that’s also almost a new signing in itself.

Man Utd eyeing Ten Hag replacement who's "similar to Jurgen Klopp"

The Man United target has a 100% win record vs PL teams this season.

By
Tom Lever

Apr 26, 2024

Norwich City's 2023/24 season ended in dismal fashion on Thursday night as they were humiliated at Elland Road in a 4-0 defeat to Leeds United.

The Canaries had held the Whites to a 0-0 draw at Carrow Road in the first leg and gave themselves a platform to go and attack the match in Yorkshire, but failed to do so.

David Wagner's side knew that they could not let the hosts get off to a fast start, to prevent the crowd from getting behind them early, yet that is exactly what happened.

Leeds dominated the game from the first whistle and found their first goal, through Ilia Gruev, after seven minutes and were 2-0 up inside the opening 20, thanks to a header from Joel Piroe.

Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville then added a third and a fourth either side of half time to book the Whites a place at Wembley and the Canaries a ticket to their summer holidays.

Norwich now have another season in the Championship beckoning and have reportedly decided to sack Wagner, with Carlos Cuesta and Steve Cooper of interest, but the German boss was not the only person from last night's encounter who must surely have no future in Norfolk.

One player who must have played his final game for the Yellows after his poor showing at Elland Road is central defender Ben Gibson.

Ben Gibson's performance against Leeds in numbers

The 31-year-old defender's lack of mobility was on full display in Yorkshire as he simply struggled to cope with the pace and intensity of the performance from the home side.

Rutter, Wilfried Gnonto, and Summerville's athleticism and pace when running at the Norwich backline was a frightening sight, as Shane Duffy and Gibson looked terrified every time a Leeds player got turned and started running towards them.

In 63 minutes on the pitch, before Kenny McLean was moved back to centre-back in his place, the veteran defender failed to win a single duel on the deck or in the air.

Minutes played

62

Duels won

0/2

Clearances

1

Interceptions

1

Tackles

0

Dribbled past

1

As you can see in the table above, Gibson did very little to stem the flow of Leeds attacks during the match, as he was dribbled past as many times as he made tackles and interceptions.

His failure to win a single duel, as well as the fact the defender only competed in two, summed up the team's performance from a Norwich perspective. The Canaries did not get close enough to the hosts all evening and came out second best all over the pitch with their passive approach.

Gibson did complete 95% (56/59) of his attempted passes but they did not amount to much as the Yellows failed to score and did not offer a consistent threat in possession.

The Pink'Un's Samuel Seaman awarded the former Middlesbrough star a dismal player rating of 4/10 for his display on Wednesday night, which may even seem generous given the score and his lack of impact on the defensive end – as shown in the aforementioned statistics.

It is now time for sporting director Ben Knapper to be ruthless in his approach, unlike Norwich on the pitch this week, and ditch the left-footed enforcer when his contract expires later this summer.

Why Ben Gibson should be released

The experienced defender's current deal at Carrow Road is due to expire at the end of June and the time now feels right for the club to move on from him ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

Gibson has racked up 124 appearances for Norwich since his initial loan move from Burnley in 2020, which turned into a permanent one in 2021, and the 4-0 defeat to Leeds must be his last.

The 6 foot 1 colossus started 33 Championship games during the regular season and both of the play-off semi-final clashes with Leeds, which shows that Wagner relied upon him in the heart of his defence.

Norwich ended their campaign with the fifth worst xGA per 90 in the division (1.45), below relegated Huddersfield Town, and this speaks to how vulnerable their backline was with Gibson, along with the likes of Duffy, Jack Stacey, Sam McCallum, and Dimi Giannoulis.

Ben Gibson

£40k-per-week

Jack Stacey

£35k-per-week

Shane Duffy

£35k-per-week

Ashley Barnes

£30k-per-week

Josh Sargent

£25k-per-week

As you can see in the table above, the central defender is currently the highest earner in the squad and his performance in the play-offs and Norwich's defensive record this term suggests that they have not been getting value for money.

At the age of 31, there may not be much, if any, development left for Gibson to go through, which is why Knapper must now look to the future beyond him, and hope to bring through a younger, more athletic, heir.

The player who could replace Ben Gibson

Norwich may already have a replacement for the veteran centre-half already in the building in the form of academy graduate Brad Hills, who just spent the year on loan with Accrington Stanley in League Two.

The 20-year-old, who was born in Norwich, won the fourth tier side's Player of the Season award for his fantastic efforts in the heart of their defence.

Whilst not a naturally left-footed player, Hills could play on the left side of the Canaries backline or he could play on the right, with another signing brought in to offer a left-footed balance when playing out from the back.

Appearances

35

41

Sofascore rating

6.85

7.10

Tackles per game

0.5

2.1

Interceptions per game

1.3

1.8

Clearances per game

3.7

5.6

Duel success rate

54%

66%

As you can see in the table above, the young colossus enjoyed a significantly better season than Gibson, albeit in League Two and it remains to be seen how he would cope with the step up to the second tier.

Hills, as shown in those statistics, has the potential to be an upgrade on the current Norwich centre-back by winning the ball back with greater regularity, whilst also dominating opposition players in physical duels with greater success.

The first step for the Canaries and Knapper, however, is to release Gibson at the end of his contract, making the 4-0 defeat to Leeds his final game for the club.