England Head coach Gareth Southgate gives serious attention to deliveries Brighton & Hove Albion Defender Levi Colwell First call for seniors.
The highly rated 19-year-old, who moved on a season-long loan from Chelsea In August, she started the campaign on the bench but has been an integral part of Roberto De Zerbi’s first team in recent weeks.
He made just seven Premier League appearances, but has played every minute of Brighton’s last five league matches, incl Saturday’s 3-0 win over Liverpool – Their first home league win over the Merseysiders since 1961 and another notable scalp in a season already marked by victories over the Merseysiders Manchester United and chelsea.
The form impressed the England coaching staff as Southgate weighed his options to take over the team Italy And Ukraine in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in March.
Levi Colwell has impressed Brighton this season, including beating Liverpool on Saturday (Picture: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Colwell’s timing could hardly have been better. Southgate, who dedicated his future to England shortly after his team lost to France In the world Cup In the quarter-finals in December, he could set about modernizing his squad, allowing young players to forcefully enter his squad.
Colwell hasn’t been part of Southgate’s long 55-man World Cup squad, but as a left-wing centre-back he offers option in a position where England aren’t so well filled. He also progressed on the international track, representing his country at the Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels.
the SouthamptonThe born defender impressed during his season-long loan spell at Huddersfield Town Last season there was some surprise that Chelsea were ready to send him off again, with many fans feeling he could have been part of the club’s rebuilt defense this season.
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As reported in this column last weekalthough it remains a big part of Chelsea’s long-term plans Defender Benoit Badiachel, 21, recently arrived From Monaco, Colwell is expected to challenge for a first-team spot next season.
England are keeping a close eye on all eligible talent as they draw up their future squads and Rico Lewisthe Manchester city The right-back, who has impressed in his senior games this season, is another young player who could be on Southgate’s mind.
Lewis, 18, lacks England Under-21 experience and while this is not in itself a barrier to selection, the fierce competition in his position means it is unclear if he will feature in the squad for matches in March.
49ers key to Leeds’ Rutter deal
It is a sign of intrigue Leeds UnitedBoardroom that 49ers Enterprises, the club’s minority shareholder, has been influential in moving forward Their record signing of Georginio Rutter.
Rutter joined Leeds from Hoffenheim on Saturday night for a previously club-record-breaking fee of £27 million ($33 million), which was paid for. Rodrigo in 2020. The transfer could earn Hoffenheim a total of around £35m if all add-ons are met.
The discussions about the cost of a router were unexpectedly complex, and lasted several days last week. Hoffenheim held out for a high price tag, but the proposed deal has also led to discussions about how to fund the move at Elland Road – and at a shareholder level, who will foot the bill.
Georginio Rutter’s offers for Hoffenheim convinced Leeds to sign him (Picture: Christian Kaspar Bartky/Getty Images)
Leeds is majority owned by Andrea Radrizzani, chairman since 2017, but 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise, controlling more than 40 percent of the club and targeting full ownership for some time.
The option to acquire Leeds from Radrizzani, As revealed the athleteHowever, the contract extends through January 2024, but 49ers Enterprises is increasingly tempted to move forward with the acquisition before that date. Talks about the proposed move have been intense lately and figures involved in the deal expect the sale to be completed by summer at the latest.
The proactive role of 49ers Enterprises in backing Rutter’s bid and agreeing to make future payments to him is another strong indication of an upcoming change of ownership. Leeds, like most clubs, are structuring payments to match a new signing contract – Rutter runs until 2028 – and it seems likely that the responsibility for meeting many of those premiums will fall to 49ers Enterprises.
Trossard offered £12m for Tottenham
Leandro TrossardBrighton’s future looks set to end after that his general dispute With head coach De Zerby last week, Andy Naylor writes.
Trossard’s agent, Josy Comhair, claimed his client was no longer speaking to De Zerbi after an altercation with another Brighton player effectively suspended Trossard from first-team consideration.
Kumher called on Brighton to help facilitate the Belgium international’s transfer this month, but it is unclear exactly what his options are.
spurs He made a verbal offer of around £12m for Trossard which was rejected by Brighton, who valued him much higher. This casual interest has not been pursued since.
De Zerby proposed after Brighton won 3-0 Liverpool that The door remained open for Trossard To return to his team if he accepts his modus operandi.
“I’m fine with myself and I’m ready to open the doors for him, because he’s a good guy and a very important player for us,” he said.
“He changes the team, but he has to understand my style and work according to my style, because I am the coach. I decide the rules inside the dressing room.”
Hudson-Odoi is facing Summer D-day
Simon Johnson has written that Callum Hudson-Odoi will make a decision about his future with Chelsea this summer.
The winger, who was awarded a five-year contract in 2019 after turning down the chance to join Bayern Munich, is currently on a season-long loan at Bayer Leverkusen In order to get a regular football team.
A combination of a serious Achilles injury four years ago, and former coach Thomas Tuchel’s selection policy has restricted him to just 66 starts for Chelsea, while Graham Potter loves the player, Signed by Mikhailo Modric It only added to the competition for places to attack.
A number of clubs across Europe are keen on Hudson-Odoi, 22, and have started registering their interest this month. He will likely be available for a deal fee as he will only have 12 months left on his contract in the summer.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen (Photo: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Chelsea will have to give him a contract extension or risk losing him on a free transfer. Hudson-Odoi will be able to start talking to foreign clubs in January 2024 about joining them as a free agent at the end of next season if they don’t.
Another factor in Hudson-Odoi’s considerations is whether Chelsea make a loan signing Joao Felix permanent in the summer.
Hudson-Odoi does not want to rush into making any decisions and is focused on continuing his promising form with Bayer Leverkusen, where he participated in 15 matches.
Frasier and Darlo can leave Newcastle
Ryan Fraser Chris Waugh writes that the lack of offers for key players the club are free to leave Newcastle United this month is likely to affect Eddie Howe’s plans to strengthen before the January window closes.
The 28-year-old is seen as Newcastle’s most sold asset among players Howe accepts losing mid-season. The Newcastle head coach is seeking to make room in his squad for a defensive midfield signature. Howe already has 27 seniors and can only score 25 for the remainder of the season. Newcastle are also keen to ease the burden on their wage bill by moving to some minor numbers.
At the start of the pre-season, Fraser asked to leave. However, Newcastle’s failure to sign a wide striker prevented him from making a move, despite interest from Southampton and Manchester United Bournemouth.
Ryan Fraser is surplus to requirements at Newcastle (Picture: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Fraser has only started three league matches this season and has not played for Newcastle since October. Howe is reluctant to take a risk with it this month, fearing he could suffer an injury that could undermine his transfer chances in January.
Newcastle would prefer to sell Fraser but would consider loan offers. They can also allow Carl Darlow to leave, given that they have five senior goalkeepers following them Martin DubravkaHe was recalled from Manchester United loan.
Howe’s ability to sign the outgoing Newcastle business is not dependent on him, but will help his chances of bringing in new faces.
Hughton in the Ghana framework
Chris Hughton is one of the contenders to become the new head coach Ghana Men’s National Team, Andy Naylor Books.
The former Newcastle and Brighton coach was appointed as technical advisor to the country in February, but his contract expired after the World Cup, when Ghana was knocked out in the group stage.
Former Ghana international Otto Addo left his post as head coach in December, 11 months after his appointment. He had already informed the GFA that he intended to leave after the tournament in Qatar.
Chris Hughton acted as technical advisor for Ghana during the World Cup (Photo: Stephen McCarthy – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The GFA said last week that about 60 people had applied for the position, none of them from Ghana.
Hughton, 64, has not worked as a manager since September 2021, when he was fired by Nottingham Forest.
He wants to be number 1 again and is keen on a role for Ghana but is open to returning to club management if the Black Stars decide to pursue other options.
New multi-club frontier? Poland
Matt Slater writes that in the week that new Bournemouth owner Bill Foley added a stake in French side Lorient to his portfolio of sports teams, one of the pioneers of the multi-club ownership model approached the first addition in the East.
Pacific Media Group (PMG), which owns full or part stakes in seven teams in seven countries, including BarnsleyKaiserslautern and Ostend, are close to finalizing a deal for Polish second-division team GKS Tychy.
Based in Poland’s industrial heartland, the club can trace its history back to the early 1970s, and they have enjoyed two spells in their country’s top flight, most recently in the mid-1990s. Like many Polish teams, it is currently majority owned by the local council.
Managed by US investor Paul Conway and his Sino-American partner Shen Li, PMG has been looking forward to investing in Poland for more than a year, as it believes there is a great improvement in the Polish market.
With a population of nearly 40 million, Poland is the fifth largest country in the European Union, its national team has qualified for the last two Euros and the World Cup, and there are now Polish players plying their trade in premier leagues across the continent. . This last point is particularly important as PMG’s business plan is based around player trading.
And PMG isn’t the only US-funded multi-club conglomerate eyeing the country. Robert Blaytek, a partner at IT billionaire Michael Dell’s MSD Partners, is in talks to buy another Polish second-tier club, LKS Lodz. Platek already owns Casa Pia in Portugal and Spezia, Italy.
With many of the most attractive deals already taken in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, multi-club investors looking for value will have to follow PMG and Platek to Poland and other less developed football markets.