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Leeds United commentator Bryn Law appears to have confirmed a new contract for defender Pascal Struijk.

The Lowdown: Struijk rumours

Struijk has been turning out at left-back so far this season due to Junior Firpo’s injury issues. The 23-year-old has missed just one Premier League game and has been the club’s best-performing player this season, as per WhoScored.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed at the beginning of the month that Struijk has agreed on a new deal at Elland Road until 2027, although it is yet to be confirmed officially by the Whites.

The Latest: Law’s comments

Law was covering the club’s 2-1 mid-season friendly win over Elche on Thursday.

Relayed by MOT Leeds News, the LUTV commentator congratulated Struijk on a new deal during the first half, labelling him as a ‘stand-out find’.

“Pascal Struijk recipient of a new contract, so congratulations to him as he’s been a stand-out find.”

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The Verdict: Good news

Struijk’s current contract runs until 2024, so a new deal through to 2027 can only be viewed as good news. He has gone from strength to strength in Yorkshire and according to Romano, will be viewed as a ‘key player’ going forward.

The defender turned out in his natural central role against Elche, with Leo Hjelde at left-back, so Jesse Marsch may look to make Struijk a first-choice centre-back going forward.

Newcastle United are reportedly eyeing a deal for Fulham defender, Antonee Robinson, with manager Eddie Howe keen to strengthen his left-back ranks.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Magpies are set to join the battle to sign the United States international, with the 25-year-old said to be on Howe’s ‘list of targets’ as the 44-year-old seeks to recruit a ‘specialist’ left-back in the January window.

The report suggests that the Tynesiders will face competition from Serie A giants Inter Milan in their bid to land the former Wigan Athletic ace, with the full-back having previously come close to joining fellow San Siro outfit, AC Milan, two years ago.

The piece also adds that the Cottagers are currently readying themselves for offers for the Milton Keynes-born gem ahead of the winter window, with the player having just 18 months left on his existing deal in west London.

Disastrous deal

Despite that hefty interest in the £27.5k-per-week man’s signature, it could well prove something of a disastrous move were the St James’ Park outfit to make an approach in the near future, with Robinson having notably struggled while on international duty in recent weeks.

Although the electric asset featured in all four games of the USA’s World Cup run in Qatar, the 6 foot speedster seemingly proved something of a liability at times, having been described as the “weak link” during the narrow win over Iran, in the words of journalist Joe Callaghan.

For all his attacking endeavour from his left-sided berth, the Craven Cottage ace notably lost possession 27 times during that final group-stage clash, having also been dribbled past on two occasions after seemingly neglecting his defensive duties.

That was also evident during the 3-1 loss to the Netherlands in the round of 16 tie at the weekend, as Robinson was notably culpable for the opposition’s third goal of the night, after allowing Denzel Dumfries free rein to power home at the back post.

As journalist Casey Evans stated, the one-time Everton menace wasn’t “getting back fast enough” to try and prevent the aforementioned Dumfries from threatening in the final third throughout the game, having also dubbed him something of a “ghost” due to his abject defensive display.

That errant showing saw the £8.6m-rated man again squander possession far too regularly after losing the ball on 23 occasions, having also recorded a mediocre match rating of just 6.7, as per Sofascore.

With Howe’s side currently looking rock solid with Dan Burn as a makeshift left-back, having shipped just 11 goals in the Premier League this season, it could well prove somewhat disruptive if they were to bring in Robinson in January.

Pundit Tam McManus has backed Newcastle United in their pursuit of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk in the January transfer window after a fresh update.

The Lowdown: Newcastle interested in Mudryk

As per Football Insider recently, the St James’ Park club are laying the groundwork to sign the 21-year-old for what could end up being a new club-record fee in January.

An update this morning from the same outlet has revealed that the Magpies regard the Ukraine international a ‘viable target’ for the winter transfer window, although he is just one of numerous potential forward targets on whom they are currently working.

The Latest: Magpies backed in Mudryk pursuit

Speaking to Football Insider, McManus has backed the Premier League club to sign Mudryk in January, with the 41-year-old claiming that they just ‘might go for it’ and that the Tyneside club is one of the most attractive in football right now.

The former Hibernian striker said of Mudryk and Newcastle: “He could come in and make them better. I saw him play against Celtic and he scored an incredible goal. He looks ready for the Premier League.

“You look at Newcastle’s wide options. It’s only Almiron who is producing. Saint-Maximin has been injured, Murphy works hard but doesn’t really score or assist and Ryan Fraser hasn’t been anywhere this season.

“You bring Mudryk in and he is a clear starter, especially for the money you would have to spend to sign him.

“He has such a high ceiling and we have spoken before about how Newcastle might go for it in January now they are in the top three.

“There can’t be many better clubs to sign for than Newcastle at the moment, the place is buzzing.”

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The Verdict: Statement move

Given that Mudryk has been linked to the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal as well as the Tynesiders, the current top two in the Premier League, signing him ahead of their rivals would be a real statement of intent from the owners.

Lauded as ‘absolutely unreal’ and ‘undefendable’ in explosive bursts by football presenter and pundit Jack Collins, the 21-year-old is having an unbelievable season so far, with eight goals and eight assists in 16 games across all competitions, including five goal contributions in the Champions League (Transfermarkt).

Only Miguel Almiron can match him for goals in the top flight at St James’ Park, while nobody in Eddie Howe’s squad comes close to the Ukrainian in terms of assists, as per WhoScored.

Mudryk is an upgrade on what the Magpies already have, and the fact that he is only 21 means that his potential could be truly frightening.

Liverpool have taken ‘legal steps’ over off-field claims made about manager Jurgen Klopp, Ian Doyle has reported in the last 48 hours.

The Lowdown: Controversy at Anfield

The Reds secured a 1-0 victory over Manchester City in the Premier League last weekend, but the celebrations were marred by controversial chants coming from the away end regarding the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters.

A national media report after the game suggested that Sky Blues sources felt that the German boss’ pre-match comments were ‘borderline xenophobic’ and thus partly to blame for agitating the visiting supporters, and the 55-year-old has of course denied all claims.

The Latest: Liverpool take legal action

Taking to Twitter, Doyle revealed that the Reds have now taken legal action behind the scenes at Anfield over the allegations made towards Klopp.

“LFC have taken legal steps over the strong claims made about their manager following the Premier League game against MCFC on Sunday.”

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The Verdict: Correct decision

Liverpool are right to have pursued this case further, and the fact that it was ever allowed to get this far is unbelievable.

The Merseyside manager has been charged following his sending off during the highly-tempered game against Pep Guardiola’s side, though to start making such accusations in a potential bid to gloss over the actions of supporters is unacceptable.

Whatever the outcome of the legal battle, Liverpool and Klopp shouldn’t allow this to affect their performances on the pitch having secured back-to-back victories, where they will now be looking to reduce the points deficit to the teams at the top of the table.

Mumbai Indians’ third IPL title was a product of a united group combining teamwork with intelligence, their captain Rohit Sharma believes, and this was best exemplified by their plucky one-run win over Rising Pune Supergiant in the 2017 final on Sunday night. While Mumbai’s earlier title wins in 2013 and 2015 were driven by strong individual performances, Rohit took pride in how the latest conquest was achieved by a collective assault.”I personally feel it is how you prepare at the start of the tournament – getting your combinations right and going on to the field is the most critical part of winning the tournament,” Rohit said. “Individual brilliance can win you a few games, but what is required to win this championship is team unity, team work and intelligence.”We spoke about it at the start of the tournament. If you look at the first two titles we won, we probably had one batsman in the top five [leading run-getters]. We didn’t have [even] one batsman in the top-five this time which is a little bit sad, but that goes to show that different individuals have come up at different times and taken up responsibility. That is the hallmark of this team, especially this year.”We’ve never relied on one individual to win us the game. Today was the perfect example. The bowling unit came in together. Again, we have got a few youngsters, a few inexperienced players and a few legends in our bowling unit. It was a combination of both, and we gelled quite nicely. We mixed it up nicely.”In their previous two finals, Mumbai set a target and let the bowlers do their thing. So when Rohit elected to bat on Sunday night, they were merely sticking to a tried and tested template.”In a big game, it’s good to put runs on the board,” he said. “The history at this place is such that there have been 200 runs scored in an innings and also just 140. So if you don’t bat well, you won’t make a big target.” There was acknowledgement in the team talk at the halfway mark that, with 130, they had given themselves only a below-par total to defend. But, that wouldn’t deflate their morale.”I don’t think we applied ourselves too well. Our target was between 140 and 160. If we had tried to overreach to 180, then you could’ve been bowled out for 120,” Rohit said. “So our talk was that we try and make 140 so we may even get to 160. One-hundred and sixty on this wicket would’ve been a match-winning score, as you saw.”When you are playing on a slow pitch, it’s important to believe you can defend any target when you are fielding. So that was the talk when we came into the change room after our poor batting display. We spoke about how we played our last game against one of the better batting units in the tournament – KKR – and bowled them out for 105 [107]. Why can’t we do it here? The guys knew the challenge but they rose to the occasion”.Mumbai’s defence began in nervy fashion with a few fielding lapses. The most glaring mistake was made by Krunal Pandya, who fluffed a simple chance offered by Ajinkya Rahane, who was then on 14, at short extra-cover in the fourth over. Rahane went on to make 44. Rohit said the team had to regroup at the first strategic time-out and address the anxiety. The message was simple: don’t overreach, just force the batsmen to make mistakes.”When you are defending such a low target, it’s so important for the fielders to try and create some magic – taking a brilliant catch or stopping those crucial runs,” Rohit said. “We spoke about it in the change room that we wanted to add 20 runs extra with our fielding. But yeah, the first ten overs we were a little sloppy in the field.”These things can happen, sometimes you are so nervous you try and overdo it. [During] the break we had after six overs, we just got together and asked everyone to be calm. You can’t come and play your shots; it’s such a slow wicket. We always had that belief that things can change anytime.”We had to stay in the game for 20 overs. [It] didn’t matter if they create a partnership for 10 overs or whatever, we wanted to stay in the game. One wicket here and there and things can change. And that’s exactly what happened. We squeezed in and spinners came in and bowled those dot balls, created pressure, which made them play big shots. That’s where they made mistakes.”Rohit Sharma: ‘We always knew we had a great backup in Johnson’•BCCI

One of the key architects of Mumbai’s successful night with the ball was Mitchell Johnson. Entrusted with defending 10 runs off the last over, Johnson conceded four runs off the first ball but hit back with the wickets of Manoj Tiwary and Pune captain Steven Smith off successive deliveries. With four required to win off the last ball, Johnson held his nerve.”Mitchell McClenaghan, who was playing well for us, was injured and unfortunately he couldn’t find a place in the finals, but we always knew we had a great backup in Johnson, who is again a proven customer,” Rohit said. “He has done it for Australia and Mumbai as well. He has been in this atmosphere as well. I could happily rely on him when I needed him the most. The last over was very crucial. Steven Smith was set, batting really well. So is Dan Christian, he has played against him on many occasions.Rohit also lauded the Pandya brothers – Krunal and Hardik – for contributing in every facet of the game. While Hardik has played the finisher’s role and scored 250 runs at a strike rate of 156.25, Krunal has clicked with both bat and ball in the tournament. He made 243 runs from 11 innings with the bat and picked up 10 wickets while being the team’s second most economical bowler behind Harbhajan Singh. In the final, it was his 38-ball 47 that nudged Mumbai towards a decent total following which he bowled a typically tight spell of left-arm spin.”I think both Pandya brothers have something special in them,” Rohit said. “When you see them on the field, they are so excited to play the game. They want to contribute in some or the other way. It’s just not about bowling or batting; they contribute in fielding as well which is such a critical part in this format.”Krunal has become mature now. Last year he was nervous to start with. Now he knows he is a core member of the squad. He just goes out and plays freely. He has got no pressure. Of course, if you drop the catch, there is a chance of coming back and bowling a good over. That’s exactly what he did.”

Sunderland ended their four-year stint in the third tier of English football as they beat Wycombe 2-0 in the League One play-off final last season.

The Black Cats had been stuck below the Championship since their relegation in the 2017/18 campaign and finally made their way back via the play-offs.

Lee Johnson failed to succeed in taking the club up to the second division during his time at the Stadium of Light and Alex Neil arrived on Wearside earlier this year to succeed where his predecessor failed.

The Scottish coach, who was at Preston North End and Norwich previously, led Sunderland to glory by winning the play-offs and securing Championship football for the 2022/23 campaign.

Of course, he has since left the club to join rivals Stoke City and been replaced at the helm by ex-Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray.

However, supporters can still appreciate what he did during his time with the Black Cats and one piece of management that he deserves to be praised for is his decision to make Anthony Patterson his number one.

Ron-Thorben Hoffmann was the first-choice between the sticks as he started 23 League One matches under Johnson’s reign in the first-half of last season.

It could have been an easy call for Neil to stick with the on-loan Bayern Munich goalkeeper as the inexperienced Patterson had not played a single professional league match above National League level prior to the 2021/22 campaign.

Sunderland were pushing for promotion and the Scottish manager took a gamble by placing his faith in the youngster, who was valued at £270k by Transfermarkt.

He repaid the head coach by keeping ten clean sheets and averaging a SofaScore rating of 6.88 in 23 League One starts to help the club seal their place in the Championship. This included him receiving a SofaScore rating of 7.5 at Wembley as he kept a shutout in the play-off final against Wycombe.

The stopper retained his position as the number one heading into the current campaign and was tasked with proving that he has the quality to play in the second tier.

Journalist Josh Bunting recently claimed that the gem has made the grade at this level, Tweeting: “Anthony Patterson our best player tonight, he’s coming along really well. Some really nice saves throughout the game but he was commanding of his box most importantly. Was questioned at the start of the season if he could handle the step-up he absolutely can. Solid performance.”

His performances back up that claim as he has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.91 – keeping three clean sheets – in ten appearances this term. He ranks 8th in the squad in terms of average ratings and is performing to a higher standard than he was in the third tier, which shows that he has taken to the Championship like a duck to water.

At the time of writing (20/09/22), Transfermarkt values him at £720k. This means that his value has rocketed up by 167% in 2022, something that illustrates his meteoric rise to the first team this year.

Therefore, Neil played a blinder with the 22-year-old by bringing him through into the starting XI and allowing him to flourish between the sticks, becoming a vital member of the team.

Steven Gerrard has had a difficult start to the season at Aston Villa. They have only won once in the Premier League this season, a 2-1 victory over Everton almost a month ago; and despite a credible draw against champions Manchester City, the Midlands side need to start winning, and fast, to avoid a relegation battle.

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The 42-year-old’s transfer business was diligent in the summer transfer window, which makes the poor start to the season even more surprising. In came quality additions such as Boubacar Kamara and Diego Carlos, along with Philippe Coutinho signing on a permanent deal, while Jan Bednarek and Ludwig Augustinsson arrived on season-long loan deals.

It could have been even better, though, with Gerrard missing out on Watford winger Ismaila Sarr despite a fee of £25m being agreed, which represented an excellent deal considering that the Hornets paid £40m to secure his services three years ago, and he would have added something extra to this Villa side.

Villa have struggled so far this term, especially in front of goal, with Gerrard’s side only netting four times in their first six Premier League matches.

With far too much stress put on Danny Ings and Ollie Watkins last season as they scored 18 goals between them, it took Coutinho to arrive mid-season and chip in with five goals to alleviate the pressure on the front two.

Over the previous two seasons, Sarr has netted 18 goals and registered a further 12 assists from a right-wing position, proving that he can offer an excellent goal threat, and this is something that Villa needed heading into the 2022/23 campaign, as winger Leon Bailey only scored once last term.

The Senegalese winger has impressed so far this season too, averaging a 6.94 rating from SofaScore while adding four goal contributions in just five Championship games (two goals and two assists).

His game doesn’t just revolve around scoring, despite the winger netting 59 goals in his career – with the 24-year-old creating two big chances and making 0.8 key passes per match, his willingness to produce opportunities for team-mates also makes him stand out.

Current Villa right winger Bailey has scored once and registered one assist this season while averaging 0.7 key passes per match.

These statistics suggest that Sarr could well have been a better option on the right wing at Villa Park than the Jamaican, and for the aforementioned fee of £25m, it would have represented a bargain of sorts, compared to the massively inflated fees being paid.

The 24-year-old’s former Watford team-mate Ben Foster has dubbed him “scary” and he was just the type of player that Gerrard needed.

The Villa manager surely he will regret the move not going through, especially if his team’s poor start to the campaign continues.

Leeds United are reportedly ‘very close’ to signing FC Zurich forward Wilfried Gnonto.

The Lowdown: Gnonto linked with Leeds

The Whites have been heavily linked with a move for the 18-year-old over the last seven days after Sky Sports journalist Gianluca Di Marzio broke the news regarding a potential move to Elland Road.

Subsequent reports have suggested that an agreement on personal terms with the player, who has been hailed for his ‘technical’ qualities by Italy coach Roberto Mancini, is ‘essentially there’.

Leeds still need to reach an agreement with Zurich, who may be willing to cash in on the forward given that he is into the final 12 months of his contract in Switzerland.

The Latest: Gnonto transfer update

Ahead of today’s Premier League clash against Chelsea, MOT Leeds News relayed an update from Corriere Dello Sport on Saturday, who claimed that Gnonto is ‘very close to Leeds’, with the Whites ‘in a hurry to close and define all the agreements’.

They also relayed an update from The Scotsman, who say that the teenager is still expected to be in the UK next week for Zurich’s Europa League qualifier away to Hearts.

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The Verdict: Head south after Hearts?

Should Gnonto travel to Scotland with Zurich for Thursday’s clash against Hearts, he may well look to head south shortly after the match to tie up a move to Leeds, if a transfer falls into place over the coming days.

Jesse Marsch confirmed on Friday that the Italy international is a player of interest but more of a long-term project, although it would still be good to wrap up a deal relatively quickly.

That would allow the Whites to focus on potentially signing a first-team forward along with Gnonto, so it looks as if this will be one to watch over the coming days.

Leeds United have discovered the asking price of their reported summer transfer target Ismaila Sarr.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football League World, who claim that sources have revealed that Watford will be demanding a figure in the region of £25m in order to part with the 24-year-old forward prior to September’s transfer deadline – a considerably lower fee than the €35m (£29m) figure Foot Mercato had suggested the Hornets would be looking for last week.

This is sure to come as a huge boost to Victor Orta and the Whites, with the Spaniard reported to have identified the Senegal international as a potential option to add to Jesse Marsch’s attacking arsenal ahead of the bulk of the club’s 2022/23 campaign, while Manchester United are also reported to be keen on the signing of the former Stade Rennais starlet this summer.

Raphinha 2.0

With Leeds having lost the services of their star attacking talent Raphinha this summer, it is not difficult to understand why the Whites’ director of football would be interested in a deal to bring Sarr into Elland Road as the Brazilian’s long-term replacement.

Indeed, there are a number of very clear similarities between the two talents, the first of which comes where the duo both cut their teeth in the professional game – Stade Rennais.

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Prior to Sarr’s £40m move to Vicarage Road back in the summer of 2019, the £24.3m-rated talent had proven himself as one of the Ligue 1 side’s brightest prospects, scoring 18 goals and registering 16 assists across 77 appearances for Les Rouge et Noir.

It is a similar story for Raphinha, as, before the 25-year-old sealed his £17m move to Elland Road back in October 2020, the £40.5m-rated forward also proved himself to be one of Rennais’ most exciting talents, bagging eight goals and providing seven assists over his 36 appearances for the club.

Both players also highly impressed following their respective moves to the top flight of English football, with Sarr scoring ten goals and registering eight assists over his 65 top flight outings for the Whites.

Further still, both the Watford star and the now-Barcelona forward are also extremely talented carriers of the ball, with the former completing an average of 1.7 and 1.5 dribbles per game in 2019/20 and 2021/22 respectively, while the latter completed an average of 1.9 and 1.8 dribbles per fixture in the 2020/21 and 2021/22 campaigns.

As such, considering the incredibly similar profile of Brazilian and the £71k-per-week player who Ben Foster dubbed a “freak”, it is not hard to understand why Orta would be targeting a move for the 24-year-old over the remainder of the summer transfer window, as the Senegalese sensation could well prove to be the Whites’ next Raphinha on the right wing.

Tottenham Hotspur could include Giovani Lo Celso in an offer for Roma winger Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Calciomercato Web. 

The lowdown

Lo Celso, as per Transfermarkt records, is one of the five most expensive signings in Spurs’ history, but just two years on from his permanent arrival, he’s seemingly been deemed surplus to requirements.

The news may not come as a particular surprise to Spurs fans given that the 26-year-old spent the second half of last season on loan at Villarreal.

Roma meanwhile are of course managed by former Lilywhites boss Jose Mourinho, who may retain a fondness for Lo Celso.

Zaniolo, a 23-year-old right winger who can also play as an attacking midfielder or a second striker, is under contract at the Stadio Olimpico until June 2024.

The latest

The report stresses that Roma do not need to shift Zaniolo, even after the arrival of Paulo Dybala, and so they won’t reduce his €50million (£42million) price tag.

Fabio Paratici may then look to use Lo Celso, a player who could ‘appeal’ to the Europa Conference League winners, as part of the deal.

Lo Celso is seen as a €20million (£17million) asset, and so Spurs would only need to offer a further £25million to meet Roma’s valuation.

It’s also noted that Juventus are in for the Argentine midfielder, and have been alerted to this possibility.

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The verdict

Tottenham correspondent Jack Pitt-Brooke recently suggested that Spurs could do with an attacking midfield option that would enable Conte to move away from a 3-4-3 and towards a 3-5-2 in certain games.

And Zaniolo may fit that bill, as well as being able to compete with Dejan Kulusevski for the right-wing berth.

The Italian, who’s recorded 197 appearances, 50 goals and 27 assists to date (including 8G 9A last season), produced a moment of ‘magic’ to score the winner in the UECL against Feyenoord in the words of Corriere dello Sport.

It makes sense for Spurs to utilise an unwanted asset in order to reduce the price.