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Former Brighton defender George Cox has completed a permanent transfer to Fortuna Sittard, where he had been on loan during the 2019/20 season.

Brighton & Hove Independent reported that the 22-year-old has ended his time with the Seagulls to make a permanent switch to the Eredivisie outfit, with the English club’s technical director Dan Ashworth wishing the youngster well upon his Amex Stadium exit.

That Cox should decide to leave Brighton permanently comes as no great surprise – despite featuring 59 times for the Seagulls’ under-23 side, he never made a senior appearance or even featured in a matchday squad. By contrast, he had been given 21 Eredivisie starts by Fortuna Sittard in the most recent campaign, scoring his first senior goal.

The 22-year-old was unable to displace ex-Brighton player Gaetan Bong, or current Amex Stadium defenders Bernardo and Dan Burn, in the left-back slot in recent seasons. Indeed, the latter has played mainly as a centre-back during his career and began the season in that role before Graham Potter moved him to the left, where he has played the vast majority of this campaign.

Cox has posted some impressive defensive statistics in Netherlands this season, with match averages of 1.9 successful tackles, 2.2 interceptions and two clearances. By way of comparison, Burn has averaged two successful tackles, 1.3 interceptions and 3.3 clearances per game in 2019/20. Meanwhile, Bernardo has won 2.2 tackles per game but averaged a paltry 0.4 interceptions and just 1.3 clearances.

Cox’s defensive averages suggest that he should have been given a fairer chance by Brighton, with his favourable interceptions per game figure over Burn standing out.

However, that he never even made the bench for a first team game, and that Potter has preferred a long-time centre-back as his first-choice left-back this season, indicated that the Fortuna Sittard defender would likely have struggled to make any headway in his career had he remained in Sussex. Therefore, it was a decision which makes perfect sense from his point of view.

Brighton fans, are you disappointed that Cox was sold without ever making a breakthrough at the Amex? Have your say by commenting below!

Leeds United are finally a Premier League team once again, and 16-years of pain and anguish has finally been extinguished.

Not only does this spell the end of arguably the worst period of the club’s history, it should spell a change in philosophy around the club.

Far too often in recent years, Leeds have sacrificed long-term aims for attempted short-term success, sacking manager after manager when things don’t go right straight away, and selling young players before they’re able to reach their potential.

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Talented managers have been cast aside by Leeds due to their lack of patience, with proven managers at Championship level such as Neil Warnock and Brian McDermott being given less than two years in the job.

It’s not just managers either, young players have been let go far too soon, with Leeds cashing in on the likes of Lewis Cook, Ronaldo Vieira and Sam Byram so that they can reinvest in players they thought would get them up quicker.

The short-term planning was bound to work eventually, but now that United are back in the top-flight they need to start thinking years in advance, implementing a proper philosophy at the club that will remain even after Marcelo Bielsa leaves.

This means making informed decisions in the transfer market and making sure that every move the club makes is moving towards a goal a few years down the line, whether that’s winning a piece of silverware, finishing in the top half or even qualifying for Europe.

For the first time in 16 years, Leeds can afford to progress slowly, just being in the Premier League is enough at the moment, and the financial boost that comes with being a top-flight team can set the club up for success down the line, and that’s how Andrea Radrizzani and Victor Orta have to approach the upcoming years.

According to The Telegraph, Leeds are interested in signing Newcastle starlet Matty Longstaff this summer.

What’s the word?

Longstaff’s future at St James’ Park has been the subject of much speculation, with his contract with the club coming to an end this summer – reports had even suggested that Serie A side Udinese had offered him a contract.

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Now, The Telegraph claim newly promoted Leeds have entered the race to sign the 20-year-old, with Marcelo Bielsa keen to make some reinforcements ahead of their return to the Premier League.

A priority for Victor Orta

With the chance to potentially snap him up for a compensation fee, Leeds trying to sign Longstaff this summer should be a no-brainer.

At just 20, the English prospect has plenty of time to further grow and develop, and his break-out performance against Manchester United earlier in the 2019/2020 campaign proved he has a lot of potential.

His long-range strike was to be the match-winner, with Match of the Day pundit Martin Keown raving about his performance. He said: “The young lad should be knocking on Steve Bruce’s door and saying ‘Why didn’t you play me sooner?!’ He played more passes, covered more distance and really put in a performance. It was like a Paul Scholes. I know they’re big boots to fill but him and his brother were like Scholes and Carrick.”

Hailed as simply “talented” by Jamie Redknapp, the sky really does appear to be the limit for Longstaff, and given his contract situation with Newcastle, Victor Orta must surely be considering the midfielder as a priority.

Arsenal continue to be linked with several players during the current transfer window and one of those rumours involves a winger from the Eredivisie.

According to The Sun, Mikel Arteta has identified Ajax winger Quincy Promes as one of the players he wants in his rebuild of the Gunners’ squad.

The Spaniard is hopeful of the club being able to make an offer for the 28-year-old in the region of £25m, with fellow Premier League side Liverpool said to have been interested in the player previously.

The Dutch attacker had a very impressive 2019/20 season in all competitions for Ajax, as he has made 28 appearances, including five in the Champions League, and scored 16 goals whilst supplying four assists, via WhoScored.

This was indeed an impressive return and his attacking threat is further highlighted by his match statistics, as he averaged 2.7 shots and two key passes per game, via WhoScored. Also, at the age of 28, he may well be in the peak of his career now.

However, this transfer does not make any sense in Arsenal’s current situation, as Arteta has emphasised his fear of the club not being able to make a plethora of signing this summer as they are struggling financially, per BBC Sport.

The attack is also arguably the position where they have the most depth, as they have eight players who can either play at centre-forward or in the wide attacking areas. Therefore, irrespective of the quality of Promes, the move would not be a sensible one for Arsenal to make at this moment in time.

Gunners fans, would you like to have Promes at Arsenal or should other positions be prioritised? Let us know your views in the comments below!

Newcastle United are reportedly said to be rivalling fellow Premier League teams Aston Villa, Fulham and West Ham United for Juventus ace Gonzalo Higuain, according to Calcio Mercato.

As per the outlet, Andrea Pirlo does not see the former Chelsea man in his plans for the new 2020/21 season and is thus keen to offload him in the summer transfer window.

The Italian giants are currently looking at the possibility of terminating his contract, or as an alternative trying to find a suitable buyer, with plenty of suitors in the top flight, however Higuain is not thought to be keen on moving to any of them.

Nevertheless, Steve Bruce could look to try and persuade him to move to St. James’ Park given his pedigree in the beautiful game.

Higuain has scored a rather impressive 306 goals in his club career so far, playing for the likes of Real Madrid, SSC Napoli and AC Milan, with a further 31 strikes while playing for Argentina, giving him a grand total of 337 goals.

However, the 32-year old did not enjoy the best of seasons while playing under Italian coach Maurizio Sarri, as he managed to score just 11 times in 44 games in all competitions (via Transfermarkt),  giving him a strike rate of one in four.

Nevertheless, currently valued at £13.5 million on the market, the striker would still provide some experience in the North East and he has shown before that he has the goal-scoring touch.

At that kind of price, Higuain may turn out to be a bit of a gem if he makes the move to the Tyneside club.

Geordies, would Higuain be a good signing? Comment below!

Fabrizio Romano has suggested that Wolverhampton Wanderers are “one step away” from signing Barcelona full-back Nelson Semedo.

The trusted journalist suggested the Premier League outfit submitted a bid on Saturday, which the Catalan giants are now ready to accept.

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There is still some work to be done before the deal can be completed, as Wolves’ representatives will need to agree on personal terms with the 26-year-old, who has a total of 14 caps for Portugal.

Despite the progress that still needs to be made, Romano has suggested the deal could be completed “soon”, with Arturo Vidal also likely to leave Camp Nou, alongside Semedo, to join Internazionale.

Semedo was an unused substitute in Barcelona’s 1-0 victory over Elche in the Joan Gamper Trophy, which was won thanks to a second-minute goal from Antoine Griezmann, with Sergi Roberto playing the entire 90 minutes at right-back.

The right-back started 31 games across La Liga and the Champions League for Barca last term, coming off the bench eight more times, scoring one goal and providing three assists for his teammates throughout the campaign.

Semedo has been likened to Dani Alves in the past because of the way he “loves to attack the wing, get behind defenders and latch on to through balls. He’s incredibly quick and his skilful feet allowing him to beat a man.”

This move comes after Wolves sold Matt Doherty to Tottenham Hotspur for £14.7m earlier in the transfer window, as was reported by The Guardian at the time.

He’s likely to cost Molineux owner Jeff Shi around €40m (£36.7m) with super-agent Jorge Mendes representing the player.

Newcastle United are set to confirm the signing of Jamal Lewis as Sky Sports have reported that the Norwich City ace is currently undergoing a medical ahead of a £15 million move.

As per the outlet, the player sat out Northern Ireland’s 5-1 home defeat at the hands of Norway in the UEFA Nations League last night in order to complete his move to St. James’ Park.

Indeed, the Tyneside club seem to have beaten off competition from the likes of Leicester City and Liverpool, with Jurgen Klopp’s team reportedly having a £10 million bid rejected for the Canaries man.

Despite the relegation of NCFC from the top flight to the EFL Championship in the last season under German coach Daniel Farke, Lewis still had a relatively good term at Carrow Road.

In the 28 games that he played in England’s highest division, the 22-year old showed his defensive qualities by averaging two clearances and 1.8 tackles per match, while also demonstrating his attacking prowess by averaging 1.2 successful dribbles per game, according to Sofascore.

It looks as if, pending a successful medical, Steve Bruce may have won the race to sign the promising left-back, who could fill in a problem position for the English coach given that Danny Rose and Jetro Willems have both returned to Tottenham Hotspur and Eintracht Frankfurt respectively following both of their loan spells in the North East in the 2019/20 campaign.

At just 22 years of age as well, Lewis has the potential to occupy that role for the Magpies for several years to come.

Geordies, is Lewis a good signing? Comment below!

Hands up if you saw that performance coming after the dismal opening day defeat to Newcastle?

West Ham finally got their Premier League campaign up and running with a superb 4-0 win over Wolves at the London Stadium on Sunday night, with goals from Jarrod Bowen (2), Sebastien Haller and an own goal from Raul Jimenez ensuring they got their first points of the season.

But whilst Bowen capped a fine individual performance with a brace – including an excellent run and finish for his first goal – it was Michail Antonio who set the tone for the Hammers and arguably stole the show.

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As per Sofascore, he won a mammoth 14 duels on Sunday which was a game-high, whilst he was also the most fouled player on the pitch, earning five free-kicks.

The 30-year-old never stopped fighting for the cause, and despite having to come up against Wolves’ back-three of Roman Saiss, Conor Coady and Wily Boly, he ran them ragged – the centre-back trio recorded a match rating of 6.2 or less.

Despite having a thankless task and often being asked to do a one-man job as the lone front-man, Antonio rose to the challenge with aplomb.

Even though he lost possession 21 times, it wasn’t for a lack of effort or ability, instead more an indicator of the kind of risks he was willing to take whenever he had the ball – it was no surprise that by the end of the game, his total of six completed dribbles were the highest of any Hammers ace.

So whilst Bowen may be the one to take all the headlines in the aftermath of a stunning victory, Antonio’s display was the epitome of everything that West Ham did well on the night.

Celtic signed no fewer than six players during the summer transfer window but it seems one name escaped their grasp – for the time being at least…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the defending Scottish champions could revisit their pursuit of Charlton Athletic starlet Alfie Doughty, either in January or next year.

He claims that the club are playing the long game after having bids knocked back throughout the last few months.

It’s been previously claimed that the Hoops had at least two offers rejected in September and that they had been planning to offer £800k for him in a third ploy, but evidently, that did not come to fruition.

The 20-year-old could be signed on a pre-contract for free in the winter window.

Lawwell masterclass

Neil Lennon did get an addition in the wing-back position having landed AC Milan outcast Diego Laxalt on loan, though that is merely a temporary switch at this stage which means he could be in the same scenario next summer.

And waiting for it too all unfold over the young League One winger could prove to be a masterstroke from Celtic chief Peter Lawwell as instead of paying close to seven figures for what could be a generational talent, he may well get him for free in the next three to nine months.

Doughty has begun the season in superb form for the Addicks, scoring one goal in four league starts whilst also averaging 2.8 tackles, two key passes, 1.8 dribbles and 1.3 shots per game, via WhoScored.

This makes him seem like the ideal man for that left wing-back position long-term.

Former Kingstonian boss Leigh Dynan gave the youngster his debut in the men’s game, and once dubbed Doughty a “tremendous footballer” with a “big future” before also adding: “There’s a diamond there to be polished. I can assure you that.”

Lawwell’s shrewd stance could mean that it’s the Bhoys’ diamond to polish and by the time he arrives at Parkhead, he may well have enjoyed a full season under his belt – another plus for Lennon.

They must revisit this deal in January.

AND in other news, Brendan Rodgers flop has finally found his feet…

Let’s face it, Glasgow Rangers winger Brandon Barker has failed to make the most of his second chance under Steven Gerrard. The former England U20 international, who was widely tipped to leave the Ibrox outfit, was given a big opportunity alongside Alfredo Morelos on the right wing, with Ianis Hagi named on the bench in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Although Rangers romped to a 2-0 win over their arch-rivals Celtic, it’s fair to say that he didn’t really do much, if anything at all, to justify his place in the starting line-up.

The Independent gave him an average grade of 6/10, claiming “he ran hard, but ultimately didn’t provide too much of an impact before being replaced”, whilst The Daily Record gave him the same score, saying he was “handed a big opportunity on the sides of Morelos and was urged by his manager to start offering a bit more with just a quarter of the contest having elapsed.”

Since then, Barker was subsequently dropped to the bench for the game against Standard Liege in the Europa League group stages, whilst he wasn’t even named in the squad for the 2-0 win over Livingston last weekend, which implies that Gerrard’s patience is rapidly wearing thin.

And with reports over the summer suggesting that Gerrard’s side were keeping tabs on Newcastle United winger Jacob Murphy, it may be time for the Light Blues to cut their losses.

Reports in recent times had revealed that Murphy was interested in a loan move to the Ibrox outfit but Newcastle boss Steve Bruce wanted him to stay and fight for his place at St James’ Park.

Whilst a move failed to materialise at the time, Rangers chief Ross Wilson must return for the attacking midfielder, who can play on the left or right flank, in the winter transfer window before it’s too late.

Bye-bye Barker?

Bruce has heaped praise on Murphy for his return to form in recent weeks, but he will face a fight to fend off interest from elsewhere as he has entered the last year of his current contract.

The 25-year-old was given his time to shine against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Premier League at the weekend and he seized the opportunity with open arms after he scored on his first start in the English top flight since 2018.

This season, Murphy is averaging 1.5 dribbles in the Premier League, via WhoScored, whilst Barker is only managing fewer than one dribble per game in the Scottish Premiership, as per WhoScored.

Once hailed as a talented player who has “great ability” by his teammate Rob Elliot, the Englishman arguably played some of the best football of his career whilst on loan at Sheffield Wednesday last term, where he scored nine goals and supplied four assists in the Championship, whilst he averaged 1.7 shots, 1.1 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game via WhoScored. By comparison, Barker only managed to score one goal in the Scottish top tier last term, via Transfermarkt.

The versatile player was deployed as a full-back in a back five at Molineux, which suggests that he could provide injury cover and competition for club captain James Tavernier as well. We reckon Rangers would be better off binning Barker and bringing Murphy in instead. Get it done, Gers, by any means necessary.

AND in other news, Joe Aribo marks his Glasgow Rangers return with dominant display against Livingston…