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Leeds United supporters will not have much to thank Massimo Cellino for during his tumultuous three-year spell as the owner of the Whites, with the Italian appointing and sacking no less than nine managers during his time in charge in LS11, as well as signing a total of 26 players – with many of these additions proving to be colossal wastes of money.

However, while the 66-year-old undoubtedly did more harm than good at Leeds in the grand scheme of things, the Italian did get a few calls right during his tenure at Elland Road, including the additions of players such as Liam Cooper, Stuart Dallas, Luke Ayling, Chris Wood, Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernandez – all of whom made a positive impact on the Whites.

And, with the benefit of hindsight, Cellino’s decision to cash in on Sam Byram for a figure believed to be in the region of £4.3m back in January of 2016 has also proven to have been something of a masterstroke by the former chairman, as the right-back’s career has not exactly gone the way many were predicting at the time of his departure six and a half years ago.

Indeed, it was clear that the 66-year-old did not want to lose the services of the defender, with Cellino himself revealing that Byram had turned down multiple contract offers from Leeds amid reported interest from Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool.

Speaking about the full-back’s situation, the Italian said (via Sky Sports): “Sam Byram is the only one that maybe thinks Leeds is too small for him.

“He maybe thinks he deserves to be in a bigger team and a bigger club, and maybe he’s right. But when I hear that a player from Leeds, with his agent, that he thinks that Leeds is not big enough for him, that he wants something bigger, I felt really embarrassed.

“He didn’t sign the new contract and he won’t sign it anymore. He’s been offered a contract a few times, but he didn’t want to sign and I am deeply offended. I can’t believe that we’ve fallen out with it. I am so hurt inside that if he comes asking for a contract I would prefer to sign someone else.

“There is already a list and there is already maybe something better than him. I need to fall in love with my players. They are like my kids and I don’t want to let them go. Byram is one of those, but we don’t get on with the agent.”

However, with Bryam’s contract at Elland Road set to expire at the end of the 2015/16 campaign, and with the prospect of losing the right-back for nothing that summer, Cellino eventually accepted West Ham United’s £4.3m bid for the former England U20 international in the winter window.

And, considering the fact that Byram would make a total of just 36 appearances for the Hammers over his three-and-a-half-year stint at the London Stadium before being sold to Norwich City for a nominal £750k fee in 2019, it would very much appear as if the former Leeds owner hit the jackpot when cashing in on the defender when he did.

Indeed, it is true that the 29-year-old has got his career somewhat back on track in the time since at Carrow Road, however, with the full-back still only boasting a Tranfsermarkt valuation of £1.8m – a figure 58% less than Leeds received from his sale back in 2016 – it is nevertheless still clear to see that Cellino made the right call on the £16k-per-week defender.

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge injury boost concerning Richarlison.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by BBC Sport, Antonio Conte revealed that, despite leaving the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on crutches following Spurs’ 2-0 win over Everton on Saturday, the 25-year-old’s calf injury is not as serious as first feared, before suggesting that the Brazil international should return to action before the World Cup this November.

Regarding the condition of the forward, the 53-year-old said: “The player is not risking to miss the World Cup, absolutely not. He has an injury but it is not a serious injury. I hope he can play games for us before the World Cup.”

Later on Monday, Richarlison himself spoke out regarding his knock in a post on Twitter, revealing that he should be back in first-team action in two weeks’ time, with the striker stating: “Guys, thank god it was just a big scare! Two weeks and I’ll be back!”

Fantastic news for Conte

Considering how impressive Richarlison has been for Spurs since his £60m move to north London this summer, the fact that the forward could return to action in around a fortnight is undoubtedly fantastic news for Conte and his side.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances so far this season, while the £61m-rated talent is yet to hit the back of the net himself, he has provided three assists and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.2 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.4 dribbles per game.

The £90k-per-week attacker has also impressed over his four outings in the Champions League, scoring two goals and creating one big chance, as well as taking an average of 2.3 shots, making 1.5 key passes and completing 0.8 dribbles per fixture.

These returns have seen the 25-year-old average an eye-catching SofaScore match rating of 7.20, currently ranking him as Conte’s third-best performer in Europe’s most prestigious club competition.

As such, with Richarlison having played an incredibly important role for Spurs over the last few weeks in the absence of Dejan Kulusevski, the fact that the Brazilian’s injury is not too serious is undoubtedly a huge boost for everyone involved with the club.

Indeed, should Conte wish for his side to compete in both domestic and international competitions for as long as possible this season, the Italian manager will need as many of his first-team regulars fully fit and firing as possible – Richarlison included.

West Ham United summer signing Lucas Paqueta has been an “enigma” for the club so far, according to journalist Paul Brown.

THE LOWDOWN: A THREAT BUT NO END PRODUCT

The 24-year-old has shown signs of threat at the London Stadium, but he has failed to deliver consistently as a creative asset thus far, failing to score in his first 10 matches for the club.

Prior to last night’s match against Bournemouth, he was averaging 3.3 shots per 90 in the Premier League, the joint-highest in the squad along with fellow summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca.

The Brazilian is undoubtedly proactive in the final third, but he is failing to have the creative impact which may have been expected upon his arrival from Lyon for a club-record fee in August.

THE LATEST: DEJA VU

In discussing Paqueta’s influence for West Ham – or apparent lack thereof – Brown drew comparisons with another player who swapped Lyon for London, namely former Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.

The journalist recognises the Brazilian’s qualities but is concerned about the lack of consistency in his game right now, which ultimately led to Ndombele being regarded as a flop.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the journalist said of Paqueta: “For whatever reason, he’s like a little bit of an enigma at the moment.

“It reminds me a little bit of Ndombele, when he first went to Spurs, someone else that a paid a lot of money for a player, and he was full of the tricks and there would be highlight reels on social media, weaving a little bit of magic, every game or every other game, but he was finding it hard to fit into the structure and wasn’t contributing enough, and things are going that way a little bit for Paqueta.”

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THE VERDICT: GIVE HIM TIME

Whilst Paqueta has so far failed to transfer the form which saw him bag 14 or more attacking returns in back-to-back Ligue 1 seasons with Lyon during his first few weeks with the Irons, that he is getting into positions to have plenty of shots on goal would suggest that his fortunes will turn eventually.

The Brazil international is technically superb and can be a real talismanic figure for David Moyes’ side, ranking among the top 10 percentiles for positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes, balls into the final third, pressures and tackles.

It’s much too early to write him off just yet, and he deserves to be given time to truly make his mark at the London Stadium.

Celtic may have only recently secured nine major deals in the recent window, although manager Ange Postecoglou is already seemingly focusing his attention on the potential of further recruits in the near future, with the Old Firm outfit seemingly not yet satisfied with their current squad.

The Hoops could well save themselves millions next summer, however, by turning to a familiar face in the form of Mikey Johnston, with the 23-year-old currently proving his worth out on loan in Portugal.

The young Scotsman was shipped off to Vitoria Guimaraes on deadline day in search of regular game time, having endured an injury-disrupted past few seasons in Glasgow, notably making just five starts for the Scottish champions in all competitions last term.

That temporary move is already paying dividends for the fleet-footed forward as he has since scored twice and laid on one assist in just four games in all competitions already this season, notably earning comparisons to a certain Lionel Messi from teammate Tiago Silva after netting a brilliance brace in a 3-1 win over Canelas last week.

The “quality” asset – as dubbed by Vitoria assistant coach Joao Aroso – has seemingly already made a fine impression in his new surroundings, with the hope being that he can maintain such form to eventually return to his parent club full of confidence.

There is still seemingly a way back for the exciting winger with the Bhoys winger having been dubbed an “outstanding talent” by Postecoglou prior to his departure, with his recent contract extension also a possible sign that the former Scotland U21 international could still have a role to play at Celtic Park in the near future.

Johnston could well follow a similar path to one of his former teammates – having previously been described as the “new Ryan Christie” by pundit Chris Sutton – with that man Christie having endured stints out on loan before finally making his mark with the Hoops.

The 5 foot 10 ace – who joined Bournemouth on a £2.5m deal last summer – had been snapped up from Inverness Caledonian Thistle back in 2015, although would initially struggle to make his mark in Glasgow, eventually enjoying an 18-month stint on loan at Aberdeen.

That spell at Pittodrie seemingly helped to reinvigorate the playmaker as he netted 15 goals and provided 18 assists in just 57 games in all competitions, with his subsequent return to Paradise in the 2018/19 campaign seeing the left-footed starlet take his chance, providing 20 goal contributions that season.

The 34-cap gem would ultimately go on to score 41 goals and record 44 assists in 151 games for the Scottish Premiership side over the next few years, prior to joining the Cherries, having seemingly benefitted from that spell with the Dons.

The hope will be that Johnston can enjoy a similar tale to that of Christie should he continue to impress at his current temporary home, with Postecoglou likely hoping that the loanee can return refreshed ahead of next season.

While competition for places is fierce in the Hoops squad, the £720k-rated ace could potentially steal a march on Japan international Daizen Maeda, with the forward enduring a difficult start to the season with just two goals to date.

The 24-year-old has notably been particularly wasteful in front of goal of late, having played his part in the club’s early Champions League exit after missing three big chances in just four group-stage games thus far.

Celtic may well be considering a new addition to replace the profligate marksman, although the club could potentially make a wise and astute move in turning to Johnston as a possible, ideal solution instead.

Leeds United have been in contact with Spanish coach Paco Gallardo over a potential move to Elland Road to work alongside Jesse Marsch.

The Lowdown: Gallardo profiled

The 42-year-old has previous coaching experience with Sevilla, starting out as a coach for their C team back in 2017 and progressing to the first team as a technical coach and an advisor.

He then went on to manage Sevilla’s reserve team, where he played a 4-2-3-1 system, but he has been out of work for more than 12 months now.

The Latest: Leeds linked with Gallardo

Sport Witness relayed an update from Mucho Deporte regarding Leeds and Gallardo on Tuesday.

They claimed that the 42-year-old has spoken to Victor Orta and will be given a crucial role at Elland Road, where he is set to work with the first team, under-21 side and further youth teams.

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The Verdict: Orta influence?

Phil Hay previously hinted that there could be some changes to Marsch’s backroom staff, and it looks as if Gallardo is now set to come in.

Orta may well have used his Spanish links and previous association with Sevilla to identify Gallardo, who looks set to be handed a variety of roles at Thorp Arch.

A move could be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks, which will give Gallardo the time to build relationships with everyone in Yorkshire, including Marsch.

MatériaMais Notícias

Se para atletas, funcionários e torcedores da Chapecoense como um todo o resultado obtido na partida de ida da semifinal do Catarinense contra o Marcílio Dias foi digno de muita comemoração, o sabor da vibração para o meio-campista Ronei foi ainda mais doce.

>As dez primeiras rodadas da equipe no retorno à elite do Brasileirão

Isso porque, depois de 44 partidas como profissional disputadas no clube em que fez sua formação nas categorias de base, ele marcou seu primeiro tento após ter ascendido a equipe principal. Algo que, em palavras ditas ao site oficial do clube, ficou bastante explícito o caráter especial.

Apesar de muito feliz pelo tento que ajudou a ampliar a vantagem da Chape, Ronei não deixou de pontuar que ele e seus companheiros não podem dar o duelo por vencido antes do embate decisivo marcado para às 15h30 (de Brasília) da próxima quarta-feira (19) na Arena Condá.

– Vinha buscando esse gol faz muito tempo, ano passado tive várias oportunidades, acabou batendo na trave e tirando em cima da linha. Graças a Deus veio em um momento muito bom, para o grupo também, um gol importante, mas sabemos que vamos ter mais um jogo quarta-feira – afirmou.

Com o resultado do primeiro jogo, o Verdão do Oeste pode perder até por dois gols de diferença que segue adiante na busca do bicampeonato estadual. Como não há gol fora de casa como critério qualificado no Campeonato Catarinense, qualquer derrota por três tentos de diferença leva as penalidades.

Sunderland battled well to earn a fine victory last night away to Huddersfield Town, who continue to prop up the bottom of the Championship.

Despite conceding 16 shots and only putting three on target themselves, it marked a clinical performance from the Black Cats to hold them whilst scoring two themselves.

This proficiency can be attributed to the tricky set of attackers deployed by Tony Mowbray, with Amad Diallo holding particular pressure as he continued his inclusion.

The 20-year-old – who was dubbed a “special one for the future” by Owen Hargreaves – has yet to live up to the incredible ceiling bestowed upon him.

However, finally handed a run in the side and clearly playing with confidence, he put the final nail in the Terriers’ coffin with his late strike.

This shot his SofaScore rating up to 7.3, the highest on his team other than Alex Pritchard who opened the scoring.

However, he was decidedly more involved than the attacking midfielder who recorded just 47 touches.

His performance aside from the goal would have warranted merit, as his desperation for the ball was outlined in his 64 touches.

 Of this possession, he was certainly not wasteful.

He was accurate in 87% of his passes and successful in his only dribble of the game. To pair his skill and flair with pinpoint accuracy makes him a frightening prospect for the rest of the league, should his form continue.

He also managed three shots, outlining him as a true goal threat despite deputising across the front line.

The Ivorian has struggled since his big-money move to Manchester United, with various loans yet to spark his career into action.

However, with this classy and workmanlike performance, he has shown signs of the player that was so highly rated.

He competed in eight duels throughout the game, winning an admirable half of them.

It was a complete performance where he really stepped up for his manager, capped off by his goal.

This could truly see his career take off at the Stadium of Light, as he hopes to return to Old Trafford to stake his claim as part of Erik ten Hag’s revolution.

Leeds United’s academy has produced several success stories in the modern era and another fine example is starting to bear fruit within Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad.

It’s now three goals in three games for young diminutive winger Crysencio Summerville, including two late match-winners against Liverpool and at the weekend, against AFC Bournemouth.

The 21-year-old, who hails from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, was signed for the club’s youth setup in a £1.3m deal from Eredivisie giants Feyenoord back in September 2020.

Under former Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa, the 5 foot 7 dynamo struggled for minutes, leading to his desire to leave the club on loan in January 2022.

It wasn’t until the American was hired that the Dutch gem had a genuine chance of breaking into the starting lineup, something he did for the first time in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester City last month.

Back-to-back 90-minute appearances for Summerville would suggest that he’s done enough to become a regular starter for Marsch and it’s easy to see why given his electric impact on the pitch.

“I am so happy for him. He is flying at the minute. I think he has scored three games in a row,” lauded his teammate and compatriot Pascal Struijk to LUTV. “Let’s hope he stays healthy and get him to do more of this.”

By comparison, it’s been ten games since fellow winger Jack Harrison has provided a direct goal contribution for Leeds.

At just 21 years of age, Summerville – who has also been dubbed “unplayable” and a “speed merchant” in the past – could represent a player that earns the Yorkshire outfit lucrative profit as if he keeps up this form, then other – and respectfully, bigger – teams will come calling, just as they did for Raphinha and Kalvin Phillips.

The latter is the perfect model of what the Thorp Arch youth system can deliver – now an England regular, the defensive midfielder saw the Whites pocket an eye-watering £45m, which was their biggest-ever sale before FC Barcelona swooped for the Brazilian just weeks later.

‘Cree’ as he’s known by most around the club is certainly capable of following in these footsteps, considering he’s bagged a last-minute winner at Anfield in recent times.

That mix of pace, skill and pure composure at his age is certainly a blend of talent that’ll have many teams across Europe watching on eagerly ahead of a potential swoop.

AND in other news, Leeds’ £46k-p/w “fish out of water” is now in danger of missing out on World Cup call…

Wolverhampton Wanderers head into the winter break bottom of the Premier League table following their 2-0 defeat to Arsenal at the weekend.

With Julen Lopetegui officially taking charge as of today, a new era will soon be underway at Molineux and the Spaniard faces a huge task on his hands to save the club from relegation.

With just two league wins all season, the majority of players have been performing far below the required standards expected at the club, and the 56-year-old will take the break to assess who can play a part going forward and who needs to be moved on.

He could find an unlikely saviour in Boubacar Traore however, with the 21-year-old making just four starts all season.

Bruno Lage signed the midfielder on a season-long loan deal from French side Metz with an option to buy included in the deal, thought to be £9.5m and Lopetegui should be focusing his midfield around the youngster, especially with his enthusiasm and energy.

He didn’t make his debut until midway through September, coming off the bench against Manchester City for a 20-minute cameo and receiving a SofaScore rating of 7/10, which was better than everyone minus Ruben Neves.

His form recently has shown that he should be starting more often. The player scored the winner against Leeds United in the EFL Cup last week, while putting in a solid display against Arsenal despite the defeat.

Traore won six out of his eight defensive duels while also succeeding with 100% of his attempted dribbles, proving he has the required strength and ball-playing ability to perform at the highest level.

Analyst Liam Henshaw dubbed the midfielder a “dribbling machine” and his stats from Saturday night certainly justify this praise.

Lopetegui will have a solid four to five weeks to work with his players before their next league match on Boxing Day against Everton.

The 56-year-old should give the Malian more game time and integrate him into a midfield three alongside Neves and Matheus Nunes going forward.

Should the new boss do so successfully, Traore may just play a vital rescue act in the second half of the campaign as they aim to climb the table.

An early piece of team news has emerged ahead of Glasgow Rangers’ clash with St Mirren in the Premiership this afternoon…

What’s the latest?

Light Blues manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has confirmed that Ryan Jack will play a part in the game after missing the last eight matches with a calf injury.

He told reporters, via the club’s official Twitter account:

“It’s been a busy period for everyone involved in football at the moment. You are seeing a lot of teams at the highest level struggling with injuries and the packed schedule ahead of the World Cup.”

The head coach then added:

“Ryan Jack will be involved in the squad tomorrow, it should also be beneficial for him to get minutes with Scotland.”

Big boost

This piece of early team news is a big boost for van Bronckhorst heading into the trip to St Mirren in the final Premiership match before the World Cup break.

Coincidentally, Jack’s last appearance for Rangers in the Scottish top-flight was the 4-0 win over today’s opponents at Ibrox back at the start of October.

He dominated the Saints on that occasion as he put in a fantastic performance in the middle of the park, earning a SofaScore rating of 7.6. The Scotland international won four of his five individual duels, making three tackles and one clearance, whilst also completing 91% of his attempted passes and creating two chances for his teammates, also per SofaScore.

Jack’s last outing for the Gers in any competition was the 7-1 loss to Liverpool in the Champions League when he registered an assist for Scott Arfield’s ultimately irrelevant opening goal.

He has proven himself to be an instrumental player for the Light Blues when he has been available for selection in recent years. Last season, the midfield maestro averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.92 across nine appearances in the Europa League – making 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game and completing 84% of his passes on the club’s way to the final of the competition.

However, injury issues have been his downfall in the last two seasons as he missed 69 competitive games between the start of 2020/21 and the end of 2021/22. Jack needs to remain consistent in terms of his availability in order for the manager to benefit from his evident quality on the pitch more often.

The Scottish metronome has proven, with his aforementioned statistics, that he has the ability to put in impressive performances in the Premiership and in Europe, and that is why having him in contention to feature against St Mirren is a big boost for van Bronckhorst.