Liverpool have “genuine” interest in one of the best players in the Premier League ahead of the January transfer window, but they face competition from a number of top flight clubs.
Liverpool shopping for Salah replacements
The talk around Anfield shifted away from the Reds’ perilous form last week courtesy of Mohamed Salah’s comments in the aftermath of the 3-3 draw at Leeds.
The legendary winger suggested there are forces within the club driving him out, but captain Virgil van Dijk has insisted he wants Salah to stay.
“I speak to him about everything. I told him I want him to stay,” said Van Dijk.
“I would love to have him around as he is one of the leaders, but the fact is he is going to AFCON. We will be in contact over the next days and weeks like we always are and let’s see.
“I wish him absolutely all the best – and (to) come back. Hopefully. I have no control over that.
“We hope he will be absolutely successful there and we all hope he will be coming back to be important for the rest of the season.”
Salah suggested the Brighton game could be his last in a Liverpool shirt, revealing he told family members to come to Anfield for what could be his final bow ahead of his departure for AFCON.
Liverpool are expected to shop for replacements for the Egyptian in January, and Fabrizio Romano, writing for Give Me Sport, has confirmed Antoine Semenyo is a “genuine” target.
However, he also reports Semenyo is dominating the transfer lists of several clubs, with Manchester United, Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester City also expected to compete for the Bournemouth winger’s signature.
Semenyo prefers to join Liverpool over Man Utd
Semenyo has reached elite level in the Premier League this season, scoring six times and providing three assists in 14 games – which is more direct goal involvements than any Liverpool player has in the league this season.
“He is incredible, he shows it every game now,” teammate Justin Kluivert said in October.
“He is just world-class. We are glad to have him and that is why I said we have a good team. He is the one that scores goals for us and we appreciate that. He’s doing an amazing job.”
And according to reports, Semenyo has chosen to join Liverpool over Manchester United, so the Reds may be able to fend off competition for his signature if they can stump up his £65m release clause, which becomes active only for certain teams in January.
We run the rule over the sides ahead of this year’s expanded competition
ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2018Western StormCoach: Trevor Griffin Captain: Heather Knight Overseas: Stafanie Taylor (WI), Smriti Mandhana (Ind), Rachel Priest (NZ) Last season: WinnersThe 2017 champions look well-equipped once again, led by England captain Heather Knight and bolstered by new overseas signing, India batting star Smriti Mandhana. Last year’s leading run-scorer in the competition, Rachel Priest – who thrashed 72 from 36 balls in the final – returns alongside allrounder Stafanie Taylor, whose bowling was a key factor in their success. Their England contingent includes Anya Shrubsole, Player of the Match in the 2017 World Cup final, and Fran Wilson, the Middlesex batsman looking to push her claims for a T20 recall. Look out for spinner Claire Nicholas, who took eight wickets (one fewer than Taylor) and had an economy of 5.47.Southern VipersCoach: Nick Denning Captain: Suzie Bates Overseas: Bates (NZ), Mignon du Preez (SA), Amelia Kerr (NZ) Last season: Runners-upThe Vipers have reached the final in both previous editions of the tournament, winning the inaugural competition in 2016. Last year’s decider at Hove against Western Storm was Charlotte Edwards’ final match as a professional, but she has been replaced as captain by a woman of huge experience in New Zealand’s Suzie Bates – in her third season with the Vipers, and the only player other than Priest to pass 200 runs in 2017. Teenage sensation Amelia Kerr, who last month became the first cricketer to score a double-hundred and take five wickets in an ODI, comes in, while the arrival of England opener Tammy Beaumont from Surrey is only likely to strengthen the XI.Surrey StarsCoach: Richard Bedbrook Captain: Nat Sciver Overseas: Lizelle Lee (SA), Marizanne Kapp (SA), Dane van Niekerk (SA) Last season: Play-offSurrey last year became the first county to appoint a full-time women’s coach, with Richard Bedbrook stepping up after previously combining the role with that of performance manager. Their 2017 campaign, in which they finished second in the group stage before losing to third-placed Western Storm in the play-off, represented an improvement but Surrey are an ambitious club and will hope to go a couple of steps further. England wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor has joined from Lancashire, which should make up for the loss of Beaumont, while their trio of South African overseas signings adds heft to the batting and bowling. In captain Nat Sciver they have one of the world’s best allrounders and last season’s leading wicket-taker.Western Storm celebrate with the trophy•Getty ImagesLoughborough LightningCoach: Rob Taylor Captain: Georgia Elwiss Overseas: Elyse Villani (Aus), Rachael Haynes (Aus), Sophie Devine (NZ) Last season: 4thLoughborough will have a big hole to fill, particularly in their batting, after Australia allrounder Ellyse Perry opted not to return for a third season at the KSL. They have also lost their leading wicket-taker from 2017, with Beth Langston joining Yorkshire, but coming in the opposite direction was canny England allrounder Jenny Gunn, who along with big-hitting New Zealander Sophie Devine and Rachael Haynes, who captained Australia during the winter’s Ashes, will add plenty of depth and international experience to the side. They have also added a couple of handy signings, with Linsey Smith – one of the stars of Vipers’ 2016 victory – and Georgia Adams heading up to the Midlands.Yorkshire DiamondsCoach: Paul Grayson Captain: Lauren Winfield Overseas: Beth Mooney (Aus), Chamari Atapattu (SL), Delissa Kimmince (Aus) Last season: 5thThere have been a number of changes at Yorkshire, with only six players involved last time out returning for 2018 as the Diamonds look to reach the knockout stage for the first time. Powerful opener Beth Mooney is back, having worn Yorkshire blue in 2016, while the presence of Chamari Atapattu and Lauren Winfield, looking to win her England place back, should mean plenty of runs from the top order. Langston’s arrival will bolster the bowling, alongside overseas signing Delissa Kimmince, Alice Davidson-Richards, who won an England call-up on the back of her performances last season, and promising legspinners Katie Levick and Helen Fenby.Lancashire ThunderCoach: Alex Blackwell Captain: Danielle Hazell Overseas: Amy Satterthwaite (NZ), Harmanpreet Kaur (Ind), Nicole Bolton (Aus) Last season: 6thThings can only get better for Lancashire, after losing five out of five to finish bottom for the second year running. They will be hoping that the arrival of former Australia international Alex Blackwell as coach can inspire a turnaround – and turn will be the order of the day, much like in the men’s T20 team, as Lancashire have a battery of spinners to deploy, led by captain and England veteran Danielle Hazell and the left-arm pair of Sophie Ecclestone and Alex Hartley, who has moved to her home county from Surrey. India’s T20I captain Harmanpreet Kaur is a marquee signing and will be expected to carry the batting, while England seamer Kate Cross has a point to prove.
Everton's strikers so far this season haven't set the world alight with their finishing, Dominic Calvert-Lewin has two goals to his name in the league after eight games whilst new attackers Beto and Chermiti have yet to score in the Premier League so far.
It's led to the Toffees struggling early on under Sean Dyche, a lack of clinical finishing versus Luton Town at Goodison Park recently meant the visiting Hatters grew in confidence and picked up a 2-1 victory despite Everton registering 23 shots on goal over the 90 minutes.
Everton'sDominicCalvert-Lewin
Strikers disappointing in an Everton jersey isn't unique to the Toffees situation in the present though, the Merseysiders signing one particular dud up front during the 2017-18 season that severely disappointed punters.
When did Everton sign Cenk Tosun?
Cenk Tosun arrived under the tenure of Sam Allardyce, signing for the Toffees in January 2018 for a reported £27 million fee, as per Sky Sports.
At the time, it looked as if Everton had purchased a clinical forward who was ready for the demands of top-flight English football – his goal return for Beskitas in Turkey was deadly, scoring 20 goals from 33 appearances in his final full campaign for the Black Eagles.
The Turkish striker wouldn't score his first goal for his new employers until March however when relocating to England, netting his first goal for the Toffees away at Burnley in a slim 2-1 defeat.
This would see the experienced marksman go on a mini purple patch for the Blues, scoring three goals in his next two appearances for the club versus Brighton and Stoke City with a double against the Potters ensuring Allardyce's side won the tight contest 2-1.
Unfortunately for Tosun, his goals would dry up after.
He would only go on to score another five in the Premier League for Everton before he was moved back to his native Turkey, leading to Guardian journalist Aaron Sharp branding him as "awful" and crying out for central defender Yerry Mina to play up front instead of the 6 foot dud.
Thankfully for the latter man, he has managed to turn his career around since departing Merseyside.
Where is Cenk Tosun now?
Tosun would move back to Turkey after his disastrous couple of seasons at Goodison Park, even a loan spell with Crystal Palace away from the Toffees couldn't kickstart his Premier League career again – managing a solitary goal with the Eagles from a forgettable temporary switch.
He would return to his best with former club Beskitas, picking up from where he left off as a clinical finisher in the Süper Lig.
He now has 86 goals from 190 appearances with the Turkish club across his various spells, outscoring the likes of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Neal Maupay and others who have slotted into the Blues attack since Tosun's exit.
It could well be that Tosun thrives surrounded by home comforts, netting 15 goals last season for the Istanbul outfit as they finished in a respectable 3rd spot in the league.
On the contrary, Everton's main man Calvert-Lewin managed a meagre two goals during the entire 2022-23 Premier League season, while the club's leading scorer in the competition was Dwight McNeil with just seven goals.
Dyche and co likely could have benefitted from a prolific talent like Tosun last term, although the 32-year-old will himself be delighted that he's been able to shrug off his nightmare spell with the Toffees and become a star man for Besiktas once more.
Phil Parkinson has explained why he is ignoring Wrexham’s League Two rivals, with there “no benefit” to be found in constantly checking results.
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Red Dragons riding high in League TwoAiming to secure a top-three finishHollywood co-owners watching onWHAT HAPPENED?
The Red Dragons are looking to chase down back-to-back promotions in 2024, with Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney continuing to make the funds available that allow a meteoric rise up the EFL ladder to be enjoyed.
AdvertisementGettyWHAT PARKINSON SAID
Wrexham have 10 games left on their League Two schedule, as they sit third in the table, and Parkinson has said of turning a blind eye and deaf ear to events outside of his control: “At this stage of the season, there is absolute no benefit in me knowing the results elsewhere because every game, if we are drawing we are going to try and win it anyway. I always say when you are at the top and you come off the pitch, expect the top teams in the main to have won because that is what happens. The top teams win so we have got to keep winning and do everything in our powers to keep ourselves in there.”
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Parkinson did take to shuffling his promotion-chasing pack in February, but has settled on a favoured starting XI again in Wrexham’s last two games. He added on the importance of stability and continuity: “We freshened the team up in that run we had in February, which we had to do because it's unrealistic when you have got six games in 21 days to expect the same players to keep going. I didn't feel we needed to do that on Saturday [against Morecambe]; the team was in a good rhythm and the lads who played last week had trained well so everyone deserved the chance to go again.”
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Getty/GOALWHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?
Wrexham’s next two games will be at SToK Racecourse, against Harrogate and Tranmere, and they continue to boast the best home record in the division – which bodes well as they seek to deliver on the ambition of Reynolds, McElhenney and an excited fan base.
England were bowled out in a session on the second day at Trent Bridge with an unlikely figure doing much of the damage
ESPNcricinfo staff19-Aug-201824.1 – Root c Rahul b Pandya 16 (86 for 4)Pandya to Root, OUT, has that carried to second slip? KL Rahul has certainly celebrated like it has. Hard to think the soft signal will be anything other than out, given that. Yes, soft signal is out…it is a legal delivery…oh this will be close! There is possibility of there being a bounce and he can only possibly have fingertips under it…third umpire rules he has fingertips under it! Joe Root cannot believe it. Neither can the crowd. By the rules, that is the correct decision – there wasn’t conclusive evidence to overturn an out decision. But it wouldn’t have been overturned if it was given not out in the first place. It’s that soft signal debate lurking again. That was short of a length and straightening in the corridor as Root defended inside the line. Pandya bowled from wide of the crease. Root never looked convinced, not even before the replay was taken. He was marking his guard as the review happened.30.1 – Bairstow c Rahul b Pandya 15 (110 for 6)Pandya to Bairstow, OUT, What a ball, Hardik Pandya! What a spell, Hardik Pandya! Perfectly-pitched ball, full, angling in towards middle and off, makes Bairstow play, the late seam movement squares him up, and finds the outside edge. This is held comfortably by Rahul at second slip. From 54 for 0, England have fallen to 110 for 630.6 – Woakes c Pant b Pandya 8 (118 for 7)Pandya to Woakes, OUT, Pant takes a step to the leg side, then stretches out his right glove, the ball just about sticks in his webbing even as it keeps swerving away from his reach. Umpire Erasmus raises his finger and gives Woakes out caught behind. Woakes challenges the on-field out decision. Bouncer aimed at the arm-pit, cramps the batsman for room. Woakes still dares to hook, he only tickles it off the bat to Pant32.1 – Rashid c Pant b Pandya 5 (128 for 8)Pandya to Rashid, OUT, Four wickets for Pandya, five catches for Pant. Pant dives to his right and snaffles this edge. Shastri and Bangar are up on their feet, applauding their boys. Full, angling in just a shade outside off, and nibbling away, Rashid has a defensive push at it and nicks it behind to the debutant. England’s procession continues…32.5 – Broad lbw b Pandya 0 (128 for 9)Pandya to Broad, OUT, Pandya bags his maiden five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He holds the red ball aloft and celebrates. Broad thinks about a review but decides against it. Plumb. This is full and straight, swings in, 142ks, Broad falls over a leg-side flick and is pinned in front of middle. This is some spell from Pandya. Five wickets inside five oversGraphic: Hardik Pandya’s maiden Test five-for took all of 29 balls•ESPNcricinfo Ltd
Sunderland made a surprising charge into the play-offs last season following their promotion from League One and a similar narrative is unfolding this time.
With six victories from their opening 11 matches, the Black Cats are purring at the prospect of promotion, although north east rivals Middlesbrough did hand them a 4-0 stuffing last time out.
A humiliating defeat against a rival is undoubtedly a bitter pill to swallow, but the biggest disappointment was the red card brandished to Dan Neil in the first half, handing Boro the initiative in the contest.
Ahead of their trip to Stoke, Tony Mowbray will be without the suspended midfielder and that has dealt them a significant blow.
How has Dan Neil performed this season?
Neil is the enforcer in Sunderland's midfield and has demonstrated that through his abundance of technical attributes, demanding the ball from his defence and spraying passes short and long.
A forward-thinker in possession and a key cog in Mowbray's fast-paced attacking football, there aren't many others, if any, who can dictate the tempo of a match quite like him in the division.
Dan Neil and Abdoullah Ba of Sunderland.
According to FBref, Neil is one of the best deep-lying playmakers in the Championship this term, ranking in the top 1% against his positional peers for progressive passes, top 4% for passes into the final third, top 11% for pass completion and top 25% for assists.
As demonstrated by the above statistics, the 21-year-old is in the upper echelon of players who take a risk in possession, rarely going for a simple pass to ensure that every action he makes is done with a purpose.
Compared to Michael Carrick by talkSPORT's Neil Danter for how he dictates a football previously, there are other parts to Neil's game that don't go unnoticed, and his exceptional ball-carrying is one of them.
He places within the 4% for successful take-ons, the top 16% for progressive carries and the top 13% for carries into the final third.
Praised by former Black Cats ace Stephen Elliott for "having everything you'd want in a central midfielder", Neil has also showcased that his importance stands up against his Sunderland peers.
His average Sofascore rating of 7.23 is the fourth highest in the Mowbrays squad this season, behind only Pierre Ekwah, Bradley Dack and Jack Clarke, the former of which could be in line to replace him against Stoke after recovering from his injury.
Will Ekwah feature against Stoke?
Since Ekwah sustained an injury in the 3-1 victory over Queens Park Rangers in September, Sunderland have missed the Frenchman's robust and aggressive nature of his performances in midfield.
Fortunately, he is in contention to return this weekend, with the Sunderland Echo reporting that he was back in training over the international break.
Lauded by journalist Phil Smith as "monstrous", the 21-year-old has operated in a deeper role this term, sweeping up possession in front of his backline and allowing Neil to have a greater creative influence going forward.
Sunderland midfielder Pierre Ekwah.
The pair have formed a strong partnership at the heart of Sunderland's midfield and started each of their opening six Championship fixtures as Ekwah began to showcase his prominence as a tackling machine, averaging 1.3 interceptions, 1.7 tackles and 7.3 balls recovered per game, as per Sofascore.
With the 6 foot 2 midfielder displaying the physical attributes and stature that have been so desperately missed by Mowbray, the veteran manager could throw him straight back into the team against Stoke in place of Neil.
Borussia Dortmund are set to continue talks with Manchester United over the permanent transfer of Jadon Sancho, as they set an initial transfer fee.
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Sancho happy on loan at DortmundTalks scheduled over permanent moveInitial transfer fee set by BVBGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
The English winger re-joined the Bundesliga side on a short-term loan in January having been frozen out by Erik ten Hag at United. Sancho has made a decent start to life back in Germany with a goal and two assists to his name, and 's Florian Plettenburg reports he wants to stay at Dortmund. As such, more talks are scheduled in the "next weeks" between the two clubs to see if a deal can be agreed.
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As Plettenburg notes, the main obstacle to any permanent move will be the salary, with Sancho reportedly earning nearly £300,000 ($381,000) a week at United. Dortmund do, however, already know how much they would be willing to fork out on Sancho should an agreement over salary be reached. According to the report, the German club would pay up to €35 million (£30m/$38m) to United for Sancho, a fair bit shy of the £73m ($93m) the Red Devils splashed out in 2021.
Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?
In addition to financial, the report raises other issues that may hinder a permanent move for Sancho. Ten Hag, a vocal critic of the Englishman, may yet be replaced at the helm, while it is unclear what stance incoming part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe will take on the matter.
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WHAT NEXT FOR SANCHO?
In any case, Sancho will continue to put in the work at Dortmund, either to convince them to fork out more or to put himself on the market for other potential suitors. The 23-year-old is said to have many admirers in Saudi Arabia, who are readying another summer of lavish spending after a quiet January window.
Opening batsman M Vijay and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav were dropped from the squad
ESPNcricinfo staff22-Aug-20181:57
‘Vijay’s exclusion is slightly perturbing’ – Chopra
Batsmen Prithvi Shaw and Hanuma Vihari have been called up to India’s Test squad for the final two matches in England. Opening batsman M Vijay, who was out for a pair at Lord’s and then dropped from the XI at Trent Bridge, and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav, whose selection in the second Test had raised eyebrows, have been dropped.It is understood that Vijay’s poor form – six single-digit scores in his last 11 innings – has prompted the team management to think about grooming a younger opener. At 34, Vijay’s international future now looks uncertain.Kuldeep has been sent back home to play for the India A team in two four-day matches against Australia A in Visakhapatnam. The decision is believed to be made because of the conditions in England, where one spinner in the XI has usually sufficed. India coach Ravi Shastri told the media at the end of the Trent Bridge Test that offspinner R Ashwin, who was suffering from a hip injury, would be fit in time for the next Test in Southampton starting August 30. There is also left-arm spinner Ravindra Jadeja in the squad.”Ashwin will be okay,” Shastri said. “The fact that he bowled 20-25 overs clearly suggests it [the hip injury] is not that bad. This break will be ideal for him. If there was a Test match starting in three days’ time, then it would have been a problem.”1:39
The Prithvi Shaw story
The 18-year old Shaw captained India to the Under-19 World Cup title in February and has since been part of India’s A teams. He also has an IPL contract with Delhi Daredevils. Vihari, meanwhile, has been a consistent performer in domestic cricket, and the 24-year old averages 59.79 from 63 first-class matches. No one currently playing first-class cricket has a has a better average.Both men are in good form as well, having each struck centuries against South Africa A in Bengaluru at the start of August. They were also part of the A team in England last month, when Shaw was especially effective as an opening batsman, scoring 188 in a four-day game against West Indies A. That is his highest score – he has seven centuries in all – in 14 first-class games since making his debut for Mumbai in January 2017. Vihari began his career with Hyderabad but has now moved to Andhra, a team he now captains. Among his 5142 runs are 15 hundreds and 24 fifties, including a highest score of 302 not out.Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who was ruled out of the first three Tests with a lower-back issue, was absent from this squad as well. Having aggravated the injury while playing the third ODI against England in July, he has been undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru. BCCI’s release announcing the squad did not contain any updates on the fast bowler’s fitness.India squad: Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Prithvi Shaw, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Jasprit Bumrah, Ishant Sharma, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Karun Nair, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Hanuma VihariIndia A squad for four-day matches against Australia A: Shreyas Iyer (capt), Mayank Agarwal, R Samarth, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Ankit Bawne, Shubman Gill, KS Bharat (wk), Shahbaz Nadeem, Kuldeep Yadav, K Gowtham, Rajneesh Gurbani, Navdeep Saini, Ankit Rajpoot, Mohammed Siraj
Leeds United were relegated from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign after three years at the top table of English football.
The Whites were promoted under Marcelo Bielsa in 2020 and stayed up under the Argentine boss and then Jesse Marsch. However, a combination of Marsch, Javi Gracia, and Sam Allardyce failed to keep them up last term.
An instant return to the top-flight is now on the agenda for the Yorkshire-based outfit and German boss Daniel Farke has been brought in to secure it.
The impressive tactician won two Championship titles during his time with Norwich City earlier in his career and is now looking for a third promotion to the Premier League.
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):
However, his squad was dealt a number of blows as the likes of Tyler Adams, Rodrigo, Max Wober, Robin Koch, Jack Harrison, Luis Sinisterra, and Marc Roca moved on either permanently or out on loan.
One decision that the German head coach made that may come back to haunt him, though, is the one to loan out talented young midfielder Sam Greenwood, who has outscored Wilfried Gnonto, Dan James, and Jaidon Anthony this season.
Why Leeds could lose Greenwood permanently
The Whites could lose the ex-Arsenal prospect on a permanent deal at the end of the 2023/24 campaign as they included a purchase option within his loan deal with Middlesbrough.
It was recently reported by The Athletic that Boro negotiated an option to sign Greenwood for £1.5m during next summer's transfer window if they decide the fit is right by that point.
This means that, essentially, Farke and Leeds have little say in what happens with the midfield technician next year as his current club have the chance to snap him up permanently if they want to.
Leeds United forward Sam Greenwood.
If Middlesbrough do decide that they want to activate that £1.5m buyout clause and the Whites do not want to lose him then they would need to convince the player to turn down the opportunity to return to Teesside.
This could be a difficult task when you consider that Leeds were willing to sanction a possible permanent exit for him last summer and decided that he was not ready for their first-team.
Greenwood has been shown faith by Boro and may, therefore, prefer a switch to Michael Carrick's side over coming back to Elland Road if it comes down to it next summer.
Sam Greenwood's statistics this season
The 21-year-old whiz, who former Leeds ace Noel Whelan hailed for his "immense" ability, endured a slow start to life at Middlesbrough as his first four appearances for the club came as a substitute in the Championship.
However, he has since broken into the starting XI and has started each of their last four league matches, which has allowed him to showcase his quality out wide.
Greenwood has been deployed on the left of an attacking midfield trio behind the main centre-forward and has caught the eye with his recent attacking contributions.
The right-footed wizard has scored two goals in four starts, both of which came within the last three games, and the latest of those came in their 2-1 win over Norwich City on Tuesday night.
He produced a fantastic display against the Canaries earlier this week with a Sofascore rating of 7.7, which was the highest score of any player for either side.
The English dynamo scored the opening goal for Boro as he arrived in the right place at the right time to finish from close range after Norwich gave possession away on the opposite side of the pitch.
Greenwood also won seven of his 12 duels and completed all three of his attempted dribbles. These statistics show that the talented gem offered strength out of possession and helped to carry his team up the pitch with his dribbling quality.
To the latter point, the former Sunderland academy ace has completed 15 progressive carries in his last four matches for Boro and this shows that, alongside a goal threat, the Leeds loanee can provide value in transition.
Farke may now be looking at the gem's recent performances and wondering whether or not it was a mistake to part ways with the 21-year-old ace, particularly when he looks at how his current wing options have performed in front of goal.
Wilfried Gnonto's statistics this season
Gnonto has scored one goal in six Championship starts, with one further appearance off the bench, throughout the 2023/24 campaign so far.
The Italy international was brought back into the starting XI against Stoke on Wednesday night and failed to make the most of his opportunity to shine. He failed to provide a single shot on target, completed dribble, or chance created for his teammates in 70 minutes on the pitch.
Leeds forward Wilfried Gnonto.
Chances have not been particularly hard to come by for the 19-year-old whiz as he has already missed two 'big chances' and taken 1.6 shots per game, which suggests that his current return of one goal has been an underperformance.
Whereas, Greenwood has taken 1.3 shots per match and has not missed a single 'big chance' in front of goal to go along with his two league strikes.
Gnonto is not the only Leeds forward who has been outperformed in front of goal by the Boro star, though, as Anthony and James have also only scored one goal each in the league so far this season. The latter has, at least, provided four assists but the Bournemouth loanee is yet to register a single assist.
Meanwhile, Ian Poveda, Patrick Bamford, and Joe Gelhardt were all kept around to be part of the squad and have combined for zero goals and zero assists in 15 league appearances between them.
These statistics suggest that Leeds could have benefitted from keeping the 5 foot 11 dynamo as part of their squad to bolster their attacking options out wide.
The Whites have not had a steady stream of goals from those positions, outside of Crysencio Summerville's four strikes, and this was illustrated on Wednesday as Anthony and Gnonto started out wide and failed to make an impact in the final third as Farke's men lost 1-0 to Leeds.
USMNT star Matt Turner offered his wife Ashley Herron tickets to a Nottingham Forest game as a prize in their baby delivery time “bet”.
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Goalkeeper now at the City GroundBecame a father back in September 2023Patience tested by his pregnant partnerWHAT HAPPENED?
The couple are among those to have allowed cameras into their lives as part of the ‘Married to the Game’ documentary series on Amazon Prime. They were covered at an exciting time in their lives, as they prepared to welcome daughter Everley into the world back in September 2023.
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Turner and his partner wanted to make that delivery interesting by speculating on the moment at which they would become parents. That discussion left United States international Turner, who joined Forest from Arsenal a matter of weeks earlier, a little puzzled.
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Turner said of his wife’s deliberation after making his own prediction: “There’s no quick decisions with this one. There’s no prize! You can’t even choose a time, have to look up number meanings now. It’s unbelievable. You see what I’m dealing with!”
Turner then went on to say, in a gesture that lacked any kind of romance: “If she is born at 3:33, I’ll get you tickets to the next Nottingham Forest game.” His former NFL cheerleader wife responded with a sarcastic, “wow!”