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Tag: Leeds

  • ​EPL: Thomas Tuchel fumes at Chelsea, Leeds fixture

    ​EPL: Thomas Tuchel fumes at Chelsea, Leeds fixture

    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has complained about the lack of turnaround time between their Champions League clash and a Premier League game against Leeds United.

    The Blues face their third game in eight days as they take on the Whites at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

    Both Chelsea and Leeds are facing injury issues in the squad, and Tuchel complained about the game being on Saturday, after his side’s Champions League clash with Zenit St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

    “The game tomorrow [against Zenit] is not the problem, it’s more the game that comes up on the Saturday,” he said before the game his side drew 3-3 in midweek.

    “We had an early game against West Ham and then a late game against Zenit. We had a day off and good training session today.

    “We can let anybody play of the 17 players plus goalkeepers we have.

    “The problem is the next match on Saturday because we will lose time to sleep, arrive back very early on Thursday, and then we face an intense team in Leeds who have prepared to face this match.”

  • San Francisco 49ers ready to buy Premier League club

    San Francisco 49ers ready to buy Premier League club

    San Francisco 49ers are planning to buyout Leeds United by the start of 2024 in a deal worth more than £400m.

    The investment arm of the NFL franchise – 49ers Enterprises – has an option to take 100 per cent control of the club by January 2024 in a deal which would include ownership of Elland Road, reports the Athletic.

    A deal for a full buy-out in excess of £400m was struck in January this year, when the 49ers’ stake went up to 37 per cent, but now a deal which could be worth as much as £475m is set to be completed in just over two years’ time.

    The report also details that a buy-out could come sooner than January 2024, which is the current deadline.

    The 49ers are owned by American billionaire Denise DeBartolo York, 71, and her family, who own over 90 per cent of the franchise which is now worth $3.5 billion.

    York’s father Edward Debartolo Sr bought the team in 1977 but Denise took control in 2001.

    Her son, Jed, is now the CEO of the 49ers – the York family are worth $4 billion as of June 2021 according to Forbes.

  • Rodrigo secures Leeds win to heap more misery on Norwich

    Rodrigo secures Leeds win to heap more misery on Norwich

    Bottom club Norwich City remain without a Premier League win 10 games into the season after slumping to defeat against fellow strugglers Leeds United at Carrow Road.

    After a dour first half, the match burst into life when Raphinha dribbled past three players to fire the visitors into a 56th-minute lead after being picked out by Dan James.

    Norwich were level inside two minutes when 19-year-old defender Andrew Omobamidele headed home from a corner needlessly conceded by keeper Illan Meslier.

    But Leeds restored their advantage on the hour through Rodrigo’s long-range effort after Norwich had lost possession outside their own box.

    It was an improved performance by the Canaries after their humiliating 7-0 defeat at Chelsea last week, but Daniel Farke’s side have now lost eight of their 10 matches since winning the Championship with 97 points last season.

    James went closest to scoring in the first half after rounding Tim Krul but Grant Hanley was in the right place to clear his attempt off the line.

    The hosts at least showed more desire than they did at Stamford Bridge, but once again they lacked any real attacking threat.

    Teemu Pukki and Mathias Normann both went close with first-time attempts and Milot Rashica forced a save from a free-kick.

    Norwich also felt they should have had a penalty in the early stages when the ball struck James but referee Anthony Taylor waved away their appeals.

     

    BBC

  • Llorente gives Leeds first league win against Watford

    Llorente gives Leeds first league win against Watford

    Leeds picked up their first victory in the Premier League this season as defender Diego Llorente returned from injury to score the winner over Watford.

    Llorente, who picked up a hamstring injury in the defeat by Liverpool, instinctively poked it in from close range after a corner delivery bounced off Watford’s Juraj Kucka at the back post.

    It capped off a dominant first-half display from Leeds but failure to take their chances made for a nervy ending.

    Watford, who were sloppy in possession and passive for large parts of the game, had a goal ruled out in the second half for a foul in the build-up after goalkeeper Illan Meslier’s fumble almost proved costly.

    But despite the narrow scoreline, Leeds were comfortably the better side, leaving Elland Road with three points for the first time this season.

  • Salah scores 100th EPL goal in Liverpool win

    Salah scores 100th EPL goal in Liverpool win

    Liverpool kept pace with the Premier League’s leading pack as Mohamed Salah’s 100th English top-flight goal helped them to victory at Leeds.

    The game was somewhat marred, though, by a serious injury to young midfielder Harvey Elliott, who was stretchered off following an initially innocuous-looking sliding challenge from Pascal Struijk that ultimately saw the Leeds player sent off.

    Liverpool were already firmly in control of the game by then, though.

    Egyptian forward Salah was perfectly placed to tap in Trent Alexander-Arnold’s low cross and give the Reds a 20th-minute advantage, with Fabinho bundling home the second following a corner five minutes after the break.

    Sadio Mane had missed a number of chances in the game, but made absolutely certain of the points with a low finish into the far bottom corner in injury time.

    Leeds had their chances too, with Rodrigo firing the best of them straight at Alisson with the game still goalless.

    But with a man fewer, Leeds could not muster the challenge required and have now failed to win any of their first four top-flight matches in a season for the first time since 1958-59.

    They will also now have to deal with a shortage of numbers in central defence, with Struijk banned and Diego Llorente limping off in the first half to join Robin Koch on the treatment table.

    Jurgen Klopp’s side move to 10 points, level at the top, but with a lower number of goals scored than Manchester United and level with Chelsea.

  • Spanish club plan to keep Nwakali , reject Leeds, Watford bids

    Spanish club plan to keep Nwakali , reject Leeds, Watford bids

    Second division club Huesca have plans to keep hold of Kelechi Nwakali and as a result have turned down a summer transfer bid from Leeds United for the Nigerian midfielder.

    According to The Athletic, Leeds are keen on signing Nwakali before this summer’s transfer comes to it’s conclusion.

    Watford are also monitoring the Nigerian international who started his career at Arsenal and he is keen on returning to England for another chance to impress after failing to break into the Gunners first-team.

    Nwakali has just one year left on his contract at the Spanish second division side and could be on the move in the coming weeks, the monitored report had suggested.

    Leeds need another central midfielder badly this summer and they feel that while he is not a popular name, Nwakali could prove to be a quality addition to their squad.

    A new twist has emerged in the past 24 hours which is that Huesca are set to snub all interest in Nwakali who is now expected to remain in Spain for at least one more season.

    Described as a “rough diamond”, the 23-year-old is expected to have been told to hold off on his dream of playing Premier League football at least for now.

    Given that Nwakali wants a return to England, he could look to force the move but it is difficult to see anyone paying Huesca the £15million they are demanding.

  • EPL: Ten-man Leeds beat Man City at Etihad

    EPL: Ten-man Leeds beat Man City at Etihad

    Stuart Dallas scored an injury-time winner as 10-man Leeds United beat runaway leaders Manchester City at Etihad Stadium.

    Dallas gave the visitors a surprise lead three minutes before the break with a low shot that went in off the inside of a post.

    However, the dismissal of skipper Liam Cooper for a tackle on Gabriel Jesus before the opening period was over appeared to have given the visitors an impossible task.

    City predictably dominated the second period but were made to wait until the 76th minute for their equaliser, when Ferran Torres drove home his first Premier League goal since December.

    Instead of City completing a triumphant comeback, however, it was Leeds who came up with the winner as Dallas ran on to Ezgjan Alioski’s through ball before sending a shot past Ederson from the edge of the area.

    It completed Leeds’ best win since their return to the top flight – and means Manchester United can cut City’s lead at the top to eight points if they win their games in hand against Tottenham and Burnley. City must take 11 points from their remaining six games to guarantee a third league title in four seasons.

  • Leeds frustrate Chelsea to goalless draw at Elland Road

    Leeds frustrate Chelsea to goalless draw at Elland Road

    Chelsea missed a chance to cement their place in the Premier League’s top four as Leeds held them to a frustrating 0-0 draw on Saturday.

    Thomas Tuchel’s side had plenty of chances but couldn’t deliver the knockout blow in a hard-fought clash at Elland Road.

    The Blues remain in fourth place and fifth-placed West Ham are just three points behind them with two games in hand as the race to qualify for the Champions League looks set to go down to the wire.

    Tuchel is now unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions since replacing the sacked Frank Lampard in January.

    With clean sheets in their last five games, Chelsea has conceded only two goals in that period.

    However, their goal-scoring issues under Tuchel resurfaced as opportunities came and went in the Yorkshire rain.

    They have yet to score more than two goals in any match in the Tuchel era.

    Wednesday’s Champions League last 16-second leg against Atletico Madrid at Stamford Bridge — with Chelsea holding a 1-0 lead — will be another stern test of their renaissance under the former Paris Saint-Germain boss.

    Tuchel made six changes from Monday’s win against Everton as Christian Pulisic replaced Timo Werner after reports the United States winger was unhappy with his lack of action since the German took charge.

    On Friday, Tuchel had urged Pulisic to seize his chance when it came, saying of a player he worked with at Borussia Dortmund: “He is in my plans. When the moment comes you have to be ready.”

    Leeds and Chelsea have been fierce rivals since their brutal FA Cup final clash in 1970, but the absence of fans due to the coronavirus lockdown diluted the Blues’ first league visit to Elland Road since 2003.

    The poor quality of the Elland Road pitch was almost reminiscent of the battles on fields of mud that defined Chelsea’s encounters with Leeds in the 1970s.

    Pulisic wasn’t fazed by the rutted surface as he scampered down the right and whipped over a low cross that Kai Havertz poked straight at Leeds keeper Illan Meslier

    Leeds launched a penetrating counter immediately after Havertz’s miss and Patrick Bamford’s cross was turned in by Tyler Roberts, only for the offside flag to come to Chelsea’s rescue.

    If that was a stroke of luck for Chelsea, Leeds benefitted from their own good fortune moments later when Diego Llorente whacked a clearance against team-mate Luke Ayling, with the ball looping onto the crossbar before falling into the grateful Meslier’s arms.

    As ever with Leeds and their wide-open style, chances came thick and fast and Roberts was inches away from opening the scoring when Chelsea keeper Edouard Mendy tipped his curler onto the bar.

    Chelsea defender Ben Chilwell fired just wide from the edge of the area before Mason Mount’s 25-yard drive was pushed out by Meslier.

    Havertz finally delivered an influential display against Everton after a wretched first season with Chelsea.

    But the Germany forward was back to his diffident worst here and shot tamely at Meslier from Hakim Ziyech’s pass.

    Granted space by the statuesque Leeds defence, Havertz should have done better with a close-range blast that Meslier palmed over early in the second half.

    Mendy saved well when his former Rennes team-mate Raphinha had a sight of goal from Rodrigo’s knock down.

    Chilwell had a golden opportunity to break the deadlock, but he scuffed wide with just Meslier to beat after surging into the area.

    Antonio Rudiger’s hopeful effort from 30 yards sent Meslier sprawling to save, while Callum Hudson-Odoi was denied by the keeper as Chelsea’s challenge petered out.

  • How Terry helped me at Chelsea – Bamford

    How Terry helped me at Chelsea – Bamford

    Leeds United striker Patrick Bamford says working with John Terry at Chelsea toughened him up.

    Speaking on the Official Leeds United Podcast, the 27-year-old shared how Terry, now Aston Villa assistant coach, helped him develop.

    “I have got to be honest and say he was nice,” Bamford said. “He was a good captain, put a lot of time aside for the young lads and made you feel welcome.”

    Terry ended his career without facing Bamford, but the striker remembers how he toughened up all the young players at the training ground.

    “In training, he was not scared to, even if you were young, he would go down the back of your heels and stuff.

    “So, I think he was good for the youngsters, toughened you up and got you ready, but I have not played him in a match.”

  • Mourinho’s Tottenham knocks Leeds 3-0

    Mourinho’s Tottenham knocks Leeds 3-0

    Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were again Tottenham’s talismen in a 3-0 win over Leeds to kickstart their title challenge on Saturday but a third Premier League game this week was postponed due to coronavirus outbreaks.

    Burnley’s clash with Fulham, scheduled for Sunday, was called off due to a number of positive cases among the Fulham squad.

    Fulham’s trip to Tottenham was also postponed just hours before kick-off on Wednesday, to the frustration of Spurs boss Jose Mourinho.

    But even as his side ended a four-game winless run with a return to form against Leeds, Mourinho also lambasted three of his players for breaking coronavirus restrictions.

    Giovani Lo Celso, Erik Lamela and Sergio Reguilon were pictured attending a large party with family and friends over Christmas along with West Ham’s Manuel Lanzini.

    “We are extremely disappointed and strongly condemn this image showing some of our players with family and friends together at Christmas, particularly as we know the sacrifices everybody around the country made to stay safe over the festive period,” a Tottenham statement said. “The matter will be dealt with internally.”

    The latest breach by players will do little to ease the pressure on the Premier League to halt the season as a “circuit-breaking” measure to cope with the soaring infection rates across England.

    Despite the latest postponement, the Premier League again insisted there were no plans for a pause.

    “With low numbers of positive tests across the overwhelming majority of clubs, the League continues to have confidence in its COVID-19 protocols, fully backed by the Government, to enable fixtures to be played as scheduled,” the league said in a statement.