Manchester United have been dealt a huge blow with the news that Lucia Garcia is to leave the club and join fellow Spain star Jenni Hermoso in Mexico.
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Antoine Griezmann reportedly has a €15 million release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract, with that transfer option keeping MLS sides keen.
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تحدث محمد حبشي وكيل اللاعبين، عن تفاصيل صفقة اللاعب آرون بوبيندزا، ومحاولة الزمالك لضمه، موضحاً أن الأبيض استلم البطاقة الدولية للاعب.
وأثار آرون بوبيندزا حالة من الجدل داخل أوساط الكرة المصرية، وتحديدًا نادي الزمالك، حيث تم الإعلان عن حسم الصفقة قبل أيام، لكن نادي رابيد بوخارست الروماني أعلن اليوم الجمعة التعاقد مع آرون بوبيندزا بشكل رسمي.
وقال محمد حبشي في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “آرون بوبيندزا فسخ تعاقده مع ناديه الأمريكي في شهر 8، وتم التواصل بيني وبينه لأنه كان يريد العودة للشرق الأوسط، وجلبت له عرضًا من السعودية ولكن لم يتم الأمر بسبب عدم اكتمال الاتفاقات المالية”.
طالع أيضاً.. أمام أنظار الزمالك.. رابيد بوخارست يعلن تعاقده مع بوبيندزا
وتابع: “بدأت أحدثه عن الزمالك وعن المشروع، وأن يتنازل عن جزء من راتبه الكبير في مقابل وجود مكافآت في عقده، ووافق على ذلك، والزمالك أرسل عرضًا للاعب، والأخير وقع، وهو عرض بصيغة اتفاقية لأننا وضعنا كل النقاط”.
وأكمل: “اللاعب كان يتقاضى راتبًا 2 مليون أو 2 مليون ونصف دولار في الموسم في الأندية التي لعب بها، لكن أقنعناه بأن يحصل على 800 ألف دولار مع الزمالك ومكافآت تزيد قيمة تعاقده”.
وأفاد: “بوبيندزا عندما اتفق مع الزمالك لم يوضح أنه مرتبط بوكيل آخر، والدليل أنه وقع على الاتفاقية بنفسه”.
وأشار: “كان الاتفاق بينه وبين الزمالك على الانضمام لمدة 3 سنوات، وزيادة 10% أو 20% سنوية”.
وأردف: “بعد التوقيع على العرض بدأنا في إجراءات وصوله إلى مصر، واتفقنا بعد توقيعه يوم الإثنين أن يحضر يوم الأحد التالي، ورتبنا كل الأمور، واللاعب كان في إجازة وقتها واختفى، وبدأت الأخبار يتم تسريبها بأنه انضم للزمالك، وبدأت ضغوطات على اللاعب، دخلت أطراف في الموضوع، بعض الناس أرسلوا للاعب أمور تخص قضايا ومشاكل على الزمالك، وأرسلها اللاعب لي، كانت أخبار تخص القضايا ضد النادي باللغة الفرنسية، وأنا فهمته الوضع وطمأنته”.
واستطرد: “الزمالك معه اتفاقية موقعة من اللاعب والبطاقة الدولية استلمها النادي من الاتحاد الأمريكي”.
وأضاف: “الوكيل الآخر للاعب ظهر بعد أن تم تسريب اسمه وانتقاله إلى الزمالك، أعتقد أن كل ما حدث أثر على بوبيندزا”.
هل الزمالك سيشتكي في فيفا؟ أتم قائلاً: “النادي على دراية بما سيفعل، لكن بالتأكيد لن يترك حقه”.
Everton manager Sean Dyche took his side's ten-point deduction with a shrug of the shoulders and the kind of galvanising stoicism that has been a trademark of his demeanour and deceptive charisma on the Premier League scene.
The Toffees lost 3-0 to Manchester United after the deduction but then won away against Nottingham Forest to move within two points of 17th-placed Luton Town – technically, Everton have 17 points right now, two off tenth-placed Chelsea.
There is every confidence that the ship will be steered back on course, but Dyche would be wise to make a shrewd investment in the January transfer window, and Lyon's Jake O'Brien could be the man.
According to French outlet Foot Mercato, Everton are 'thinking' of making a winter swoop for the defender as Dyche looks to strengthen his relegation-threatened squad.
O'Brien joined the struggling French club from Crystal Palace for a reported fee of £1m in the summer, and while he has impressed recently, the Merseysiders could look to lure him back across the channel.
Self-described as a "ball-playing centre-back who likes to bring the ball out and distribute", as well as noting his Irish "fighting spirit", O'Brien didn't feature across Lyon's opening five league matches but has since started seven times in succession, remarkably scoring three goals – including a recent brace against Lens.
As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of centre-halves across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 11% for pass completion and the top 15% for touches in the attacking box per 90, underpinning his offensive style.
Having scored three goals in Ligue 1, the Irishman has actually outscored Tottenham Hotspur's Richarlison this term having played fewer league matches, with the Brazilian forward scoring two Premier League goals since the start of last term.
Richarlison, who joined Spurs from Everton for £60m in 2022, was an immense talisman for the Merseyside outfit but has struggled to impress in London.
While James Tarkowski, aged 31, has been brilliant under Dyche's wing this season and certainly isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future, O'Brien could be brought in to succeed the one-time Burnley titan.
Perhaps even forming a dynamic partnership with Jarrad Branthwaite, who's turning out to be quite the player.
After Everton felled the Tricky Trees at the City Ground, talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded another "superb performance" from Branthwaite, saying: "Everton's biggest jewel. A very complete CB profile for such a young age. Definitely should be on the radar of Gareth Southgate and many TOP European clubs."
Branthwaite completed a loan spell with PSV Eindhoven last season and has returned to Goodison Park with so much to praise, starting 12 Premier League matches and remarkably averaging 2.1 tackles, 5.1 clearances and 7.4 ball recoveries per game, winning 63% of his duels, as per Sofascore.
As the chart highlights above, the 6 foot 5 titan is fantastic across all of his defensive metrics but tends to stray away from offensive movements.
That's okay though, with the notion that all defenders in this modern age of football require ball-playing skills to make Johan Cruyff tip his hat simply untrue – an industrious and iron-solid star such as Branthwaite is perfect in protecting the Toffees goal.
And with the 6 foot 6 O'Brien offering a divergence in traditional style, Dyche's prospective partnership could work wonders in continuing Everton's evolution after a period of great turmoil.
The road ahead is rocky, no question, but amid all of the chaos there is a sense that Everton are headed toward greener pastures, and O'Brien would be an excellent addition to the project.
Leeds United have had to think outside the box this season on a number of occasions when it comes to the defenders selected to start for the West Yorkshire giants, with teenage sensation Archie Gray – who usually operates as a midfielder – even being deployed as a full-back this campaign.
Likewise, the Whites have surprisingly given Sam Byram free rein to make the left-back spot his own despite only rejoining the club this summer and other options being available to start ahead of the injury-prone 30-year-old.
Junior Firpo's minutes have been significantly cut as a direct consequence, the £12.8m mega buy in the summer of 2021 by Marcelo Bielsa and Co reduced to appearances from off the bench this season with only one start in the Championship this campaign handed to the 27-year-old.
He will be actively looking to pack his bags and leave Elland Road if recent transfer rumours are also correct coming out of Leeds, Daniel Farke's side pursuing a move for KAA Gent full-back Archie Brown with Premier League suitors also reportedly curious about signing the defender.
Leeds United transfer latest – full-back hunt
Daily Mail football journalist Adrian Kajumba reported on the possibility of Leeds swooping in for the Gent man this week, but the second-tier club face fierce competition to land his signature.
Indeed, Everton and Burnley are also keen to sign the former Derby County youth product, the Whites hoping that Brown chooses the Championship side over the bright lights of the Premier League owing to Leeds offering more game-time being a decisive pull factor.
Any potential deal will be stopped in its tracks in January however, Brown has already played for two clubs this season so he cannot add a third in quick succession in accordance with FIFA regulations.
Still, Firpo will see this noise around Brown potentially joining at some point as grounds to leave Elland Road – TEAMTalk reporting that the ex Barcelona man has held talks with Real Betis over a possible transfer reunion in the works.
Leeds would be more than happy to wave goodbye to the underperforming full-back, waiting it out to land Brown who would be a significant upgrade on their current number three.
The stats that show why Brown would be a good signing for Leeds
Looking at Brown's FBRef profile, the current Gent man would be perfect for the style of football Farke demands his players stick to.
Brown is very much a forward-thinking presence, averaging 4.42 progressive carries per 90 minutes over the last year according to FBRef alongside receiving a remarkable 7.39 progressive passes.
In stark contrast, Firpo – who was labelled as an "absolute disaster" by 90min's Scott Saunders – comes in at a pitiful 2.15 progressive passes received with only 1.44 carries attempted as well.
Moreover, Brown has more pedigree at this moment in time compared to the fading Leeds defender – even despite Firpo donning a Barcelona strip early into his career.
The 21-year-old has played in the Europa Conference League for Gent this campaign, winning all but one of his duels in an October clash versus Maccabi Tel Aviv in the competition as per Sofascore.
It's even seen Brown be referred to as a "standout" performer for Gent according to Kajumba, the huge 6 foot 3 left-back a regular first-teamer for the Belgian outfit before a recent injury was picked up.
Brown's game could even be compared to that of former Leeds reject turned Ipswich Town hero Leif Davis, with both full-backs eager to rampage forward as much as they are content to complete their standard defensive duties.
Leeds will have to play the long game to land the promising 21-year-old, but if Farke's men can win promotion with an attractive brand of football at the heart of it, Elland Road could be even more of an attractive next destination for the ex-Rams youngster turned standout Gent star.
Ipswich Town face a tough test this Saturday when they travel to the Hawthorns to face off against West Brom, Carlos Corberan's Baggies in the promotion hunt much like Ipswich but for the playoff positions as opposed to the automatic spots.
The Tractor Boys will hope they can add another win to their sequence of results in November, picking up back-to-back draws before the 3-2 win versus Swansea City last time out.
Kieran McKenna could fancy freshening his first team for their trip to the West Midlands, with a congested fixture schedule awaiting the Tractor Boys in December very soon.
With that in mind, here's how McKenna's line up could look this weekend…
1 GK – Vaclav Hladky
Hladky will be Ipswich's goalkeeper of choice for the West Brom away game, the Czech shot-stopper present in all 16 games this season in the league.
Despite the Suffolk-based club leaking 21 goals from 16 games played, Hladky remains McKenna's preferred goalkeeper and will retain his spot against the Baggies.
2 RB – Harry Clarke
The former Arsenal youth product has become an established first-team presence under McKenna, which should see him start at the Hawthorns on Saturday.
Always wanting the ball down the channels with an average of 62.5 touches per 90 minutes this season, according to Sofascore, Clarke is as important as Leif Davis is at right-back in how his team play out from defence and begin attacking moves.
3 CB – Luke Woolfenden
Much like Clarke next to him in defence, Luke Woolfenden is a starter week in, week out for Ipswich in the second tier under McKenna.
Recovering the ball an average of 6.5 times per game this season, the lofty centre-back is key for Ipswich when he recycles the ball and then plays it to the more forward-thinking presences in the team who then kickstart an attack.
4 CB – Cameron Burgess
Signed from Accrington Stanley on the eve of Ipswich's 2020-21 League One campaign, Cameron Burgess has been a regular in the first-team ranks ever since in Suffolk.
The two-time Australia senior international has played every minute of Ipswich's last three contests after being absent from the squad for the Plymouth Argyle home win, and should start again at the weekend when his team travel to West Brom.
5 LB – Leif Davis
Leif Davis is arguably the man making the Tractor Boys tick going forward, despite the former Leeds United man playing in defence and the plethora of attacking talent at Ipswich's disposal away from him.
His performances on the pitch see him push so far forward to the point where the 23-year-old is positioned like a winger for his team – it has worked too with Davis notching up a staggering ten assists already this season from 15 second-tier matches played.
6 CM – Sam Morsy
Sam Morsy will not be dropped from the Ipswich first team any time soon, the Tractor Boys captain is loved and adored by the Portman Road masses and presumably his boss who continues to field him.
Scoring versus Rotherham United in Ipswich's last away game – a collector's item for the Egyptian midfielder who isn't known for his prowess in front of goal – he will revert back to being a defensive midfielder for his team against West Brom to thwart the likes of opposing midfielder Alex Mowatt centrally.
7 CM – Jack Taylor
The first notable call McKenna could make is sticking by Jack Taylor instead of starting Massimo Luongo.
Taylor was dubbed "excellent" by his manager after netting against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the EFL Cup, prior to scoring an equally breathtaking strike against Swansea.
The 25-year-old's ability to conjure up a beauty from nowhere could be an effective weapon when coming up against a resilient and dogged West Brom team, another wonder goal from the 6 foot 1 machine could make all the difference in a potentially tight affair.
8 RM – Wes Burns
McKenna could decide to start experience over youthful exuberance at the Hawthorns on Saturday, Wes Burns eager for a first-team return with Chelsea loanee Omari Hutchinson likely to be sacrificed to make way for the Welshman.
Burns had a successful 26-minute cameo against Swansea to brush off any cobwebs after a shoulder knock had kept him out of the side, dragging one shot wide, but looking back to full sharpness.
If he is performing back to the peak of his powers versus West Brom, Burns could be the difference maker as a full-throttle option down the flanks to come out on top up against a tough West Brom side.
9 CAM – Conor Chaplin
Chaplin hasn't let the step-up to the Championship faze him one bit, consistently popping up with vital goals this season for the Tractor Boys – scoring six times in the league to date, all whilst playing in a second strike role behind the lone forward.
The ex-Portsmouth man will be hungry for more goals up against West Brom, hoping he can add another important strike to his back catalogue.
10 LM – Nathan Broadhead
Let go by boyhood club Everton permanently this summer, the Toffees are now, no doubt, regretting their decision to offload their former Academy prodigy.
Broadhead has been a goal machine down the channels for Ipswich so far this campaign, scoring six goals which means he's tied with Chaplin at the top of goalscoring charts for the Suffolk-based club this season.
The 24-year-old will start against West Brom this Saturday, looking forward to potentially turning his marker inside out and netting another goal at the Hawthorns.
Former England opener Marcus Trescothick feels counties should be allowed more scope in preparing surfaces that aid spin bowling
George Dobell03-Nov-2018Marcus Trescothick has called for a “mentality change” in county cricket in a bid to better prepare players for overseas tours. Trescothick, the former England opener, feels counties should be allowed more scope in preparing surfaces that aid spin bowling and feels his own club, Somerset, have been “harshly put under the spotlight” for producing such pitches.”People are never going to get better playing on spinning pitches if they don’t play on spinning pitches,” Trescothick said. “It’s frowned upon when you produce something that is spinning but of course it shouldn’t be.”We’re so used to seaming pitches in England. That’s what we’re notorious for. Especially in April or late September. But what’s wrong with producing something different? It shouldn’t be frowned upon as it has been.”Somerset have attracted criticism for preparing surfaces that aid their spinners. Angus Fraser, the Middlesex director of cricket, called one such pitch in 2017 “dreadful” and “disgraceful”, while last season Paul Allott, the Lancashire director of cricket, said another was “below average verging on poor”. On that occasion, Somerset narrowly avoided sanction from the ECB.But Trescothick, who made his maiden Test century in Galle, the venue of the first Test of the series between Sri Lanka and England, believes that such surfaces provide a rare opportunity for England-qualified players to experience the sort of conditions that are prevalent in many other parts of the world.”If you’re going to learn to play spin you’re going to have to face it, and when you come to Taunton you have to learn the art of playing on tough pitches,” he said. “We at Somerset have harshly been put under the spotlight for producing pitches that have spun. Other counties have had pitches reported, but because it’s a seaming pitch it doesn’t get talked about. If you play on pitches that spin it gets highlighted quickly and wrongly.”[South Africa opener] Dean Elgar said he didn’t face a ball of seam throughout the series when he went to Sri Lanka. But how often do you get to face a spinner opening the bowling? If you come to Taunton, it’s pretty much the only place you’ll get to do it at the moment. It shouldn’t be penalised too much. Yes, there needs to be a mentality change.”Jack Leach finally got the chance to press his case•Getty ImagesApart from warning England they would face a large amount of spin, Trescothick feels the conditions render Sri Lanka an especially demanding tour. But he said he had “no doubt” that his Somerset team-mate, the left-arm spinner Jack Leach, would succeed.”It’s very hot,” Trescothick said. “It’s probably the hottest play they’ll go. It’s very demanding.”Jack has had a couple of nice pitches to bowl on at Taunton and he’s produced the goods. He’s worked really hard to come back from injury and hopefully he’ll flourish.”This is a great chance for him, whether he takes the new ball or not. He’s played on pitches that have spun more than anywhere else at Taunton, so he’s used to those sorts of environments. I have no doubt he’ll succeed. I’ve seen him produce it at Somerset for a number of years.”Marcus Trescothick was speaking at the relaunch of the Professional Cricketers’ Trust, which provides support for PCA members and their immediate families when they need it most
The string-pullers at Liverpool will be delighted with the squad's rectification following last season's dreadful decline, slumping into the Europa League after many years of illustrious success as Champions League juggernauts under Jurgen Klopp's guidance.
Klopp remains, but there were concerns that the fall from grace was enough to place him in contention for the sack, with the German even admitting that another manager might not have received such true-blue support from the powers that be.
Perhaps it was a natural end for a side that had reaped such gleaming rewards for a number of years, and with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson and co now shipped on over the summer, it does feel like Klopp recognised that his engine room was at its end, and must be written off.
Having reshaped the midfield on an industrial scale, Liverpool are flying in the Premier League and perch in second place, also topping their Europa League group after four matches and awaiting the visit of West Ham United in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
There is still much work to do, and Klopp's proclivity for energy and enthusiasm calls for certain upgrades across the pitch, with the left side of the defence understood to be targetted for investment.
Liverpool transfer targets – Rayan Ait-Nouri
According to Spanish reports, Liverpool are hot on the trail of Wolverhampton Wanderers defender for defender Rayan Ait-Nouri, who has bloomed into an exciting prospect over the past several months.
Rated at £17m by CIES Football Observatory, Ait-Nouri has been noted for his pace and dribbling skills, and he could be the perfect option to serve as Andy Robertson's understudy and replace the under-fire Kostas Tsimikas.
The Montreuil-born player is considered a key cog in Gary O'Neil's system, however, and prising him away from Molineux at the season's midpoint will certainly not be straightforward.
Last week, French outlet Le 10 Sport confirmed that the two Premier League sides have been in regular contact, but it will indeed take a sizeable offer to convince Wolves to release their hold on the dynamo.
Rayan Ait-Nouri's style of play
Fast and ferocious, Ait-Nouri has been making waves in Wolverhampton this season with his heavy-metal approach, catching the eye for an Old Gold team that is perhaps surpassing expectations after losing Julen Lopetegui before the start of the campaign.
Dribbling
Ball retention
Tackling
Concentration
Short distribution
*Sourced via WhoScored
Signed from French club Angers for around £9.5m in 2021, Wolves have been nurturing the 22-year-old to the fore over the past few seasons and he now looks cemented as the starring left-back, impacting play and proving to be effective from both sides of the pitch.
The £10k-per-week whiz started just nine matches in the Premier League last season (with seven of such appearances coming across the opening 11 games of the term), though his chances of sculpting a promising start to the season were marred by a torrid opening game against Leeds United, where he made an error leading to a goal and scored an own goal.
Lopetegui issued an admission that while the ace was talented with the ball at his feet, there were certain areas of his defensive game that needed work, though it was stressed that he holds all the tools to build a tremendous career.
Rayan Ait-Nouri's season in numbers
Since the summer, it's fair to say that Ait-Nouri has held some pensive internal discussions regarding an up-and-down campaign, and having been entrusted with a starring role under O'Neil's management, he is now flourishing.
As per Sofascore, the 5 foot 10 gem has started 11 of Wolves' 12 Premier League matches so far, completing 84% of his passes, averaging 0.4 key passes, 2.5 tackles and 4.4 ball recoveries per game and succeeding with 58% of his attempted duels.
If we compare this with last year, it becomes crystal clear that he has ramped up the gas, having averaged just 0.3 key passes and 1.6 tackles per game.
This is a testament to his unwavering belief in his ability and work-rate in improving upon his past travails, and given that he is making such increments, it may well be the apt moment for Liverpool to swoop, providing Robertson with competition and providing the prospective acquisition with a pathway to the No. 1 spot at Anfield in the future.
Robertson, aged 29, will hope to retain his prominent position for several years to come, but, is currently sidelined with a shoulder injury and is still expected to be out for a further two months.
Tsimikas has been promoted to the first team in the Premier League in the Scotland captain's absence, and while he bagged two assists in the 3-0 victory over Brentford before the ongoing international break, he has not quite grasped his opportunity, instead receiving criticism for his defensive displays.
How Rayan Ait-Nouri compares to Kostas Tsimikas
Tsimikas was cheaply dispossessed for Toulouse's opener in Liverpool's shock Europa League defeat before the November break, which was yet another deflating moment after a terrible display against LASK earlier in the competition, where he was branded "abysmal" by one Liverpool-focused podcaster.
Klopp clearly doesn't trust him, and has even fielded right-footed Joe Gomez in the left-back role on occasion as he looks to settle the defence's equilibrium; were Virgil van Dijk not in such stunning form, there might be more noise surrounding the £75k-per-week player's performances.
He does have his qualities, of course, but he is effectively a simulated version of Robertson, which is indicative of how Klopp wants the role to be utilised in fairness, but by signing Ait-Nouri, a whole new realm of dimension would be opened.
For example, Tsimikas ranks among the top 2% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 10% for shot-creating actions and the top 6% for passes attempted per 90, as per FBref.
As the statistic highlights, Tsimikas may well be the more 'creative' of the pair at the moment, but Ait-Nouri is far most robust and progressive as a whole, with FBref ranking him among the top 3% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues for successful take-ons and the top 5% for tackles per 90.
It's important to note that while Ait-Nouri has not actually been providing any assists recently, he has been an exceptional presence in O'Neil's side, crucial in driving forward and crowbarring his way through opposition backlines.
The three-cap Algeria international has been hailed for his "phenomenal" skills by The Athletic's Tim Spiers already, and while he is still developing, Klopp will be certain that Ait-Nouri's natural talents can be nurtured and refined under his leadership.
While Tsimikas is a decent backup option on Merseyside, he is definitely not the standard to start in the best team possible, instead called upon for the major moments when all else fails.
Ait-Nouri, however, boasts enough potential to possibly make the position his own in the future, and the Reds must now make their move to secure his signature and seal a big upgrade on their Greek left-back.
Leeds United made the decision to appoint Daniel Farke as their new head coach for the 2023/24 campaign after Sam Allardyce left at the end of last season.
The Whites were relegated from the Premier League under the one-time England manager and opted to go in a new direction by bringing in the German tactician.
He is a proven performer at this level as the former Borussia Dortmund II boss earned promotion from the Championship in two of his three second division seasons with Norwich City.
|
Statistic |
2018/19 |
2020/21 |
|---|---|---|
|
Points |
94 |
97 |
|
Goals for |
93 |
75 |
|
Goals against |
57 |
36 |
|
Games won |
27 |
29 |
|
Farke's Championship title-winning seasons with Norwich (via Sky Sports): |
||
As you can see in the table above, Farke has what it takes to lead teams to glory and can coach attack-minded sides that can score at will.
He currently has Leeds in fourth place with 17 goals in 11 matches and they are currently still in the race to secure an instant return to the top-flight.
The Whites may also have appointed Farke due to his proven ability to work with and develop young players. James Maddison, Todd Cantwell, Max Aarons, Ben Godfrey, Emiliano Buendia, and Oliver Skipp are just a few of the talented youngsters he developed during his time at Carrow Road.
Leeds have a number of fantastic prospects within their academy system at the moment and one player who could be unearthed as a future star is 20-year-old gem Sean McGurk, who could be Cantwell 2.0 for the German boss.
Journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, recently reported that the club are prepared to send the young midfielder out on loan for the second half of the campaign.
The Whites want the U21 starlet to gain valuable minutes playing for a senior side at the start of next year, after they opted to keep him around the group for the first half of the season.
However, it remains to be seen how much interest there will be in the talented gem and if he will be able to secure a Championship, League One, or League Two switch to gain experience.
His season could end up being similar to the one that Cantwell went through during Farke's first year at Norwich in the 2017/18 campaign.
The English wizard made his first-team debut in an FA Cup clash before being sent out on loan to Fortuna Sittard in the Netherlands for the second half of the season.
Cantwell went on to produce two goals and three assists in ten league appearances for the Dutch side before breaking into the first-team at Carrow Road the following term.
He had put himself into a position to impress the head coach after a return of five goals and five assists in 42 U21 matches for the Yellows.
The former England U21 international scored 14 goals in 129 first-team appearances for the Canaries throughout his time at senior level for his hometown club.
Cantwell's first experience of regular football for Norwich came during the 2018/19 promotion season as he played 27 matches in all competitions and contributed with one goal and two assists.
His real emergence as an impressive force for the East Anglian side came the following year as the talented wizard racked up six goals and two assists in 37 Premier League games, which included goals against Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal.
He followed that up with six goals and seven assists in 33 Championship clashes throughout the 2020/21 campaign, which led to another league title for Cantwell and Farke.
The German head coach was relieved of his duties in November 2021 and the Canaries academy product did not score or assist another goal for the club before his move to Rangers at the start of this year.
However, the versatile ace, who can play as a central midfielder, a number ten, or on either flank, was an excellent attacking option for Farke during their time together, at Premier League and Championship level.
The 20-year-old dynamo has contributed with six goals in all competitions for the U21s so far this season and has showcased his ability to make an impact at the top end of the pitch on a regular basis.
McGurk has chipped in with six goals and four assists in nine matches and this shows that the Thorp Arch ace has been a nightmare for opposition defences throughout the 2023/24 campaign.
His immense form, which shows that he can score and assist goals in Cantwell-esque fashion, this term has come off the back of a return of three goals and one assist in 15 Premier League 2 outings last season.
The Liverpool-born whiz started his career with Wigan and scored three goals and provided one assist in five FA Youth Cup matches before Leeds snapped him up in 2021.
McGurk can play off either flank or in an attacking midfield position, like Cantwell, and is now starting to show off his ability to contribute with goals and assists week-in-week-out at U21 level.
The plan appears to be for the 20-year-old marksman, who journalist Josh Bunting claimed has a "big future", to continue to shine for the U21 side between now and January to drum up interest in him for a beneficial loan move for the second half of the campaign.
He has previously displayed his ability to perform against lower league opposition in the EFL Trophy for Leeds. McGurk produced 2.3 key passes per game across three matches against Tranmere, Oldham, and Salford during the 2021/22 season.
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That was an impressive return when you consider that no Leeds player has created more than 2.5 chances per match in the Championship for Farke's first-team so far this term.
The Thorp Arch prospect has the potential to make a breakthrough at senior level in the future, based on his exceptional form this year, but he needs to prove himself in a first-team environment out on loan during the second half of the season, as Cantwell did under Farke back in 2018.
It will then be down to McGurk to make the most of his opportunity and then return to Leeds next summer with the aim of making his way into the German's plans in the same way that the ex-Norwich midfielder did.
Therefore, Farke could unearth his new version of the Rangers star by working with the exciting talent to unlock his ability at senior level over the coming years.
Atletico Madrid fans made their feeling about Joao Felix crystal clear as he returned to the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium with Barcelona.
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Atletico fans burn Felix's shirtsAlso spit on Portuguese's plaqueForward scored against parent clubWHAT HAPPENED?
Felix left Atletico on loan for the Catalan side in the summer after announcing it was his dream to play for Barcelona. However, his actions have clearly triggered Atletico fans who set fire to his shirt and made spat on his plaque at the Wanda Metropolitano ahead of the two sides' La Liga clash.
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Felix was clearly unaffected as he opened the scoring for Barcelona against his former club. The Portugal international also scored against Diego Simeone's side when the two teams met at Montjuic earlier in the campaign. Felix's goal set Barcelona up for a comfortable 3-0 win over Atletico, with Robert Lewandowski and Fermin Lopez also on target.
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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR FELIX?
The former Benfica forward will now join up with the Portuguese national team as he prepares with Roberto Martinez and the national side for their friendlies against Sweden and Slovenia.