Christian Pulisic has responded to the questions of his character after being accused of being a “bad sport” in AC Milan’s 1-0 win over Lazio.

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American drew two dismissals in RomeAccused of unsporting behaviourAdamant that he did nothing wrongWHAT HAPPENED?

The United States international was heavily involved in that contest, drawing two red cards from opponents that lost their composure in the heat of Serie A battle. The first of those, when Luca Pellegrini was dismissed, saw Pulisic brought down after Lazio thought the ball was being played out so that Taty Castellanos could receive treatment for an injury.

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Pulisic was blasted by those in the Italian capital for a supposed display of “unsporting behaviour”, with Lazio picking up two more dismissals deep into stoppage-time after seeing Noah Okafor snatch an 88th-minute winner – with Pulisic hauled down by Mateo Guendouzi prior to the former Arsenal midfielder being ushered down the tunnel.

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Pulisic has told of the criticism that he has attracted: “For me, this was not a question of being a bad sport. I saw nothing behind me, I play to the whistle and I was brought down. I had no intention of doing anything like that, the whole situation got out of control. People who know me will know that, people outside can say whatever they want, but I didn’t mean anything against Lazio.”

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR PULISIC?

Milan had Pulisic to thank again in their latest outing – as he grabbed the winner in a 1-0 victory over Empoli – and the USMNT star admits that he is producing the best form of his career after posting personal bests in 2023-24, while still having the promise of more to come.

Since securing promotion back to the Championship last season, to say that Sheffield Wednesday have failed to hit the ground running would be an incredible understatement. The Owls sit on just two points in 10 games, resulting in the dismissal of manager Xisco Munoz, who failed to win a single league game in charge in the club's worst ever start.

After doing so well to earn promotion through the play-offs last season, the last thing that Sheffield Wednesday will want is to plummet straight back down to League One, where instant promotion is hardly a guarantee. With that said, they must get their next appointment right, which could come in the form of a certain manager who has recently been linked.

What's the latest on Sheffield Wednesday's manager search?

Following the sacking of Munoz, Sheffield Wednesday's managerial search is on. Given that we're in the middle of a busy stage of the season, it may not be a long search, either, with those at Hillsborough likely keen to fill their vacancy over the coming weeks, and watch on in the hope that their new appointment can turn what is currently a sinking ship around. And that's where Steve Evans could come in.

According to TeamTalk, the Owls are eyeing a move for the Stevenage boss, who is now in the frame for the job due to his previous experience in relegation fights. Evans currently has Stevenage in fifth in League One, and firmly in the early race to achieve a play-off place come the end of the campaign. It remains to be seen whether Wednesday push on and entice Evans away from his post at Stevenage, but what is certain is that it would be a major blow for those at the League One club if they lost their manager.

Should Sheffield Wednesday hire Steve Evans?

If it's experience that Sheffield Wednesday want, then turning to Evans wouldn't exactly be a bad thing. The 60-year-old, who often uses a 5-3-2 formation, has seen it all in the EFL, having managed the likes of Leeds United and Gillingham, whilst also enjoying spells at Boston United in the early stages of his career, which you can see in full below, via TransferMarkt.

Steve Evans' Clubs

Points Per Game

Boston United

1.15

Crawley Town

1.99

Rotherham United

1.51

Leeds United

1.42

Mansfield Town

1.66

Peterborough

1.50

Gillingham

1.28

Stevenage

1.80

With that said, it's fair to say that Evans has remained consistent throughout his career, and has got even better with age, given just how successful his Stevenage stint has been so far, making Sheffield Wednesday's reported interest little surprise. He has earned plenty of praise during a lengthy career, too, including from West Ham United manager David Moyes, who previously said:

"Steve Evans and I were players at Celtic Boys’ Club – he was in a slightly older group to me, so we go back to that time. We played against each other at different times. He’s had a great record at the level he manages at, he’s done a brilliant job wherever he’s been, and he’s got Gillingham playing well in League One."

Leeds United head coach Daniel Farke was brought in ahead of the 2023/24 campaign to lead the club back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

The Whites were relegated from the top-flight at the end of last season and now have a squad full of players with top level experience and a great chance to compete for promotion back to the big time.

Who did Leeds sign this summer?

Although they were able to keep hold of the likes of Georginio Rutter and Crysencio Summerville, Leeds did allow a host of first-team players to depart and this meant that new signings were needed to bolster the squad.

Ethan Ampadu, Sam Byram, Joel Piroe, Glen Kamara, Karl Darlow, Joe Rodon, Ilia Gruev, Djed Spence, and Jaidon Anthony were all brought in to improve the depth and quality of Farke's options across the pitch.

Whilst Darlow was signed, from Newcastle United, to compete with Illan Meslier for a starting spot between the sticks, the ex-Hull City loanee has not been trusted in the Championship so far.

This could open the door for Leeds to sign a goalkeeper who has the quality to immediately replace the Frenchman between the sticks in January.

Were Leeds interested in Angus Gunn?

Phil Hay revealed, on The Square Ball podcast, during the summer transfer window that Norwich City colossus Angus Gunn was on the list of shot-stoppers that were appreciated by the Whites as they looked at their options.

That interest came two years on from the club's failed effort to land him in a £5m deal from Southampton ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, as the Canaries secured his signature amid late pressure from the Yorkshire-based side to snap him up.

However, their latest round of interest did not amount to anything as Darlow was brought in as a back-up to Meslier and they did not splash the cash on a new number one.

Football Insider had reported that Leeds were planning to sell the French shot-stopper during the summer transfer window but a move failed to materialise before the deadline passed.

The same outlet claimed that the club value him at a minimum of £20m and that Premier League sides Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur had both shown an interest in him, although they seemingly opted against a serious effort to sign him.

This suggests that the door could still be open for Meslier to depart in the upcoming January window if an attractive bid comes in for him, as the Whites were prepared to part ways with the former Lorient prospect ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Therefore, Farke must revive his interest in Gunn at the start of next year in order to finally ditch his current number one heading into the second half of the season.

How many clean sheets does Gunn have for Norwich?

The Norwich-born goalkeeper, who was twice-signed by Farke – in 2017 and 2021 – during their time together in Norfolk, has racked up 29 clean sheets in 106 competitive games for his current club.

He kept 15 shutouts in 45 matches on loan from Manchester City with Norwich during the 2017/18 campaign under the German head coach.

His form for the Yellows led to a permanent switch to Premier League side Southampton, where he only made 30 appearances and kept eight clean sheets in total before his move back to East Anglia two years ago.

Appearances

31

Goals conceded

65

Clean sheets

Six

How has Gunn performed for Norwich?

Since the start of the 2022/23 campaign, Gunn has been an excellent performer at Championship level and established himself as a star for the Canaries since taking the number one duties from the experienced Tim Krul.

The Scotland international has been an outstanding shot-stopper in the second tier over the last 15 months or so, as he has consistently proven himself to be capable of pulling off superb saves to keep out excellent efforts against his goal.

Gunn has saved 7.5 more goals than the average goalkeeper would have been expected to based on the post-shot xG value of the strikes he has faced in the Championship for Norwich.

This, essentially, means that the ex-Manchester City man has been significantly above average as a shot-stopper for the Canaries since the start of last season.

He has also showcased his ability as a sweeper. Over the last 365 days, Gunn ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers among the Men's Next 14 Competitions for the average number of defensive actions outside of his box (1.98) and the average distance of his defensive actions from his own goal (18.6 yards) per 90, as per FBref.

How has Illan Meslier performed for Leeds?

Meslier, meanwhile, has been a below-average performer between the sticks in terms of his shot-stopping ability since the start of last season.

The French prospect, who was signed for £5m from Lorient in 2020, conceded a staggering 12.4 more goals than the average goalkeeper would have been expected to have let in from the post-shot xG value of the shots against him in the Premier League last term.

He has been unable to push himself over the line into being an above-average shot-stopper with the drop down to Championship football as the 23-year-old dud has conceded 0.8 more than expected over the first 11 games of the campaign.

This suggests that Gunn is a considerably better goalkeeper when it comes to keeping out quality shots against him, particularly in the second division.

Meslier, who was once dubbed a "liability" by journalist David Kent, is also not as prevalent of a sweeper in comparison to the Norwich star as he does not rank inside the top 20% of goalkeepers in the Men's Next 14 Competitions for either of the aforementioned sweeping statistics over the last 365 days.

Therefore, Farke must now revive his interest in the 6 foot 5 EFL titan during the upcoming January transfer window as their respective statistics suggest that Gunn would come in as a big upgrade on the current number one.

The Scotland international is a proven Championship performer who has already worked with the German tactician and could, as a result, hit the ground running and take over from Meslier without being a liability between the sticks.

Memphis Depay insisted that he "remains friends" with Quincy Promes even after the ex-Ajax star was convicted of cocaine smuggling.

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Promes convicted of cocaine smugglingDepay shares a close bond with PromesKoeman advised Depay to refrain from commenting on PromesWHAT HAPPENED?

In the tumultuous world of professional football, relationships often transcend the boundaries of the game itself. Such is the case with Depay, who has publicly affirmed his friendship with Promes despite the latter being convicted by an Amsterdam court for his alleged involvement in smuggling over 1,350 kilograms of cocaine. The severity of the charges has led to Dutch authorities seeking his extradition from the United Arab Emirates, where he has reportedly been apprehended.

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Amid these legal proceedings, Depay, a fellow footballer and friend of Promes, found himself embroiled in controversy after sharing photos of their past holiday together on Instagram. Despite facing criticism for his actions, Depay defended his decision and instead emphasised his loyalty to his friend.

WHAT DEPAY SAID

Speaking to reporters, Depay said: "We are football players and we post a lot of content. At least I do. It was just a photo on holiday, I didn't see the harm in it. I understand that the outside world views this differently and I take responsibility for that. I have friends, when you go out to eat together you don't know exactly what they do and don't do. Or that you agree with everything someone does. You don't know the Quincy Promes I know. I don't know the Quincy Promes that you know or describe.”

When told that the facts were clear concerning Promes, Memphis replied: “I don't know. I don't know that Quincy. But I don't come from an easy background. Once people have read my book, they will understand that. I have a brother who was incarcerated for ten years. Quincy is a famous person, but my brother is not. But I never get questions about my brother. I'm also friends with Dani Alves and Benjamin Mendy. I've never had any questions about that before.”

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DEPAY TO DISCUSS THE ISSUE WITH KOEMAN

However, not everyone shares Depay's perspective on the matter. National team coach Ronald Koeman cautioned against commenting on Promes' situation, advising Depay to exercise restraint on social media. "You can sometimes make it easier for yourself by not doing those kinds of things. They are friends and it is conceivable that he would do it, but it is of course a delicate matter."

Depay mentioned that he would take up the issue with Koeman and clear the air.

“I'm going to talk to the coach about it," he said. "We remain friends and I won't drop friends, but that doesn't mean you support someone in everything. That post was not to provoke and show 'Look: I'm here with Quincy'. I was on vacation and I went to dinner with friends. Pogba was also sitting next to me. We had a good time. That's kind of the life I'm in.

"I think it is quite logical that everyone has an opinion. And that it is logical for the trainer to answer a question when he receives it. And that he gives his opinion about it. I haven't discussed that with him personally yet. The trainer and I have a great relationship, which also extends off the field. Of course, I played for him at Barcelona. An opinion is always welcome, especially when he says it. We can talk about it privately, and that is what we will do.”

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou reportedly wants to "replace" two players of his players as Spurs eye a move for one "incredible" star.

Spurs' form under Postecoglou

Nobody could have envisaged such a bright start to the season for Postecoglou, nor could they guess that Spurs would be making their best start to a campaign since their double win in 1961. The Lilywhites have clinched victory in six of their opening eight league matches, remaining unbeaten over that period while sitting top of the Premier League table. Tottenham faced tough, tough tests against the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in that time, but came through both matches unphased and undeterred.

Speaking after their 2-2 draw away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last month, Postecoglou heaped praise on his Tottenham squad for a growing will and desire to improve as a team.

"There's a real will and desire to become the team we want to be, which includes making sure that you're disciplined and you're buying into the team ethos and we had a really young team out there," said Postecoglou to Tottenham's official website.

"Vic, that's his first derby, Destiny, van de Ven, Pape Matar Sarr, Brennan, they're all in their early twenties, Porro, even Kulusevski is only 23, so it was a young team but just super proud of the experienced players we did have in there. Romero was outstanding, Bissouma has been brilliant all year, Maddison, and Sonny was just on a different level, not just his goals, although they were outstanding, but his work rate, his work ethic was incredible."

Who could Spurs sign in January?

Despite their electric form right now, it has been claimed that the north Londoners could move to strengthen their ranks in the new year. Indeed, one of the rumoured transfer targets is Al-Ittihad winger Jota, who could well be on the move back to Europe after very little time in Saudi Arabia.

There are reports that the former Celtic star is keen to reunite with his ex-boss at Tottenham (90min), and it is believed the feeling is very much mutual from Postecoglou. Now, a new report has shed light on this, with journalist Rudy Galetti sharing a Jota transfer update for Tribal Football. He says that Postecoglou's "priority" is to "replace" both Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon on that side with another option, leading to Tottenham's interest in signing Jota next year.

Nothing is added beyond that point, but we believe Jota could be an excellent alternative to the Spurs duo. Pundit Alan Hutton, speaking last year, revealed he is a big fan of the "incredible" Portuguese.

"Jota's only 23-years-old, he's still developing," explained Hutton to Football Insider.

"He's probably only going to get better, I think he can get better. What he's done this season has been incredible, for him to come from his parent club, where he's not really been playing. Benfica are a big club in their own right but to come to another club where there's a lot of pressure, to perform at such a young age, he's stood up to that task.

“Jota's that player fans want to see. He's exciting, he takes people on, he makes things happen, he scores goals and ticks all the boxes."

ScorecardJonathan Trott, in his penultimate match at Edgbaston, held Warwickshire together with batting of high class on a truncated first day of their Specsavers County Championship match against Durham.Warwickshire closed a day stripped of 12 overs by rain and bad light on 184 for 6 with Trott unbeaten on 67 – a patient and skilful innings in testing batting conditions.After early-morning rain and a wet outfield prevented play before lunch, batting was never easy with moisture in the air under a canopy of thick cloud and with the floodlights on. Those conditions were exploited by Durham’s seamers who were rotated at one end while, curiously, left-arm spinner Axar Patel was left to wheel away, spearing the ball in without looking particularly threatening, from the other.Warwickshire were deeply indebted to Trott who reached the crease at 47 for 2 and stayed firm while middle-order partners came and went.After taking up the option to bowl first, Durham struck with the 18th ball of the day when Dominic Sibley edged Chris Rushworth to third slip. Will Rhodes and Ian Bell added 38 in 12 overs before Barry McCarthy came on from the Pavilion End and removed Bell lbw with his fifth ball.Rhodes applied himself with customary diligence for 105 minutes to reach 36 then perished when he turned spinner Patel off the face of the bat to short leg.Jonathan Trott, in the familar routine•Getty Images

McCarthy struck again when Sam Hain edged to wicketkeeper Stuart Poynton, a wicket which left Warwickshire uneasily perched on 100 for 4 at tea. That became 114 for 5 when Tim Ambrose went back to a full-length ball from Rushworth which hit middle and off.Trott reached his half-century from 115 balls with his ninth four, cut off a short delivery from Patel, in a partnership of 36 in 16 overs with Keith Barker before the latter fell to a fine catch at second slip by Alex Lees off Matt Salisbury.Trott remained resolute though to ensure that the Division One leaders have power to add tomorrow as they seek a third successive win to keep the pressure on challengers Kent and Sussex in the promotion race.

Bangladesh’s bowling coach wants the team to have faith in their young fast bowlers and give them a run of matches to gain experience and build their skillsets

Mohammad Isam08-Sep-2018More faith has to be placed on Bangladesh’s young pace bowlers if the best is to be brought out of them, Courtney Walsh has said. Walsh, who last week completed two years as Bangladesh’s fast-bowling coach, said the tendency to drop a pace bowler after one bad performance has hampered the team’s progress in international cricket.Walsh took over after Heath Streak had completed exactly two years as the pace bowling coach in 2016. The one constant across both coach’s reigns has been Mashrafe Mortaza leading the ODI attack superbly. The output of the Test pace attack, however, has deteriorated.During Streak’s tenure, Bangladesh’s fast bowlers averaged 44.73 in Test cricket and took a wicket every 90.8 balls. Under Walsh, their strike rate has been slightly better (87.5) but their average is significantly worse, at 53.66.Walsh has acknowledged that more work needs to be done.”It is still a work in progress,” Walsh said. “There is a lot of youngsters coming through. If they don’t get selected to play, you won’t know what they are. It is one of the things we have to look at a little bit more. We can’t be too afraid to give the youngsters a chance to express themselves a bit more. If they are kept waiting in the wings, they will never get a chance to play.”The more you play the best chance you will get to learn. You will get more experience by playing in the middle. Sometimes you have to throw these youngsters in the deep to see what they are made of. But if you keep protecting them and say they are not ready, they might never get ready. Sometimes you have to expose talent, you have to give them a chance.”Walsh’s first experience of seeing the pace bowlers getting few opportunities came as early as his first Test series in October 2016, when Bangladesh prepared spin-friendly tracks in Chittagong and Dhaka against England. Shafiul Islam and newcomer Kamrul Islam Rabbi only bowled 31 overs between them in the Test series, picking up one wicket, while the debutant offspinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz took 19 wickets.The most wickets any Bangladesh fast bowler has picked up in a series during Walsh’s tenure is Mustafizur Rahman’s eight, at an average of 27.50, in Sri Lanka in early 2017.The fast bowlers have especially struggled outside the subcontinent, where they have had to bear the bulk of the bowling workload. In New Zealand, they returned a combined average of 63.54. In South Africa, Mustafizur, Shafiul, Taskin Ahmed, Rubel Hossain and Subashis Roy combined to average 81.11.In helpful conditions in the West Indies, the quicks averaged 36.62, but that figure must be viewed against the host seamers’ average of 11.31. Rabbi, Rubel and newcomer Abu Jayed were no match for Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, Jason Holder and Miguel Cummins, who led West Indies to a 2-0 series win.AFPWalsh said giving the young quicks a longer stretch of matches could give them more confidence and help them build their skillsets.”I don’t think they lack the hunger,” he said. “They haven’t been given that opportunity to play consistently. It is where the difference might come from. Some of the youngsters we have, they need to get a good run. Not just one or two games and then get dropped. You can have good and bad matches.”I have seen that as soon as you have a bad game, everyone wants you to be dropped. It is not going to help a youngster.”All of us can have a bad game, and when that happens, we need to be given a chance to redeem yourself. It is a case of striking the right balance. Youngsters are keen and want to perform at the highest level. They just need to be given a chance.”Walsh praised Mashrafe for continuing to use his experience to lead the ODI attack, having taken 41 wickets at 31.41 in the last two years. Rubel and Mustafizur too have been more comfortable in ODIs. Taskin’s stocks have declined, meanwhile, and Al-Amin Hossain, a fairly frequent limited-overs participant under Streak, has not featured under Walsh.”Mash’s experience and skillset is much different and much better than the other guys,” Walsh said. “Experience has been carrying him through but he was always a very good fast bowler. If he wasn’t injured, he’d be playing Test cricket. The first time I saw him, I told him that he was good enough to play Test matches.”He is a high-class fast bowler for Bangladesh for a number of years. It is up to the youngsters now to have that hunger. Mash takes pride in his performance. It is the big difference. He wants to do well and compete, and that’s what we need.”Bangladesh’s immediate assignment is the Asia Cup, and Walsh hoped the likes of Mashrafe, Mustafizur, Rubel and Abu Hider would be able to adapt quickly to conditions in the UAE.”I don’t think it will be perfect for pacers in the Asia Cup,” he said. “I think the wickets in Dubai and Abu Dhabi are normally pretty flat and docile. Some are expecting the pacers will adapt and be able to use their variations.”Whenever the bowlers do well in one-day cricket, we have to give them the credit because it is not easy to bowl in these good batting wickets.”Bangladesh will depart for Dubai on September 9.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has an issue of trust with one first-team player who could now exit the club in January, according to a report.

Manchester City updates: Liverpool clash twist, Kroos on radar, Vermeeren latest

As per The Daily Mail, Manchester City's upcoming Premier League clash against Liverpool on November 25th has been moved from a 5:30 pm start to a 12:30 pm kick-off due to potential fan trouble at the Etihad Stadium.

Arsenal were originally scheduled to face Brentford at 12:30 pm; however, both fixtures will now effectively swap times and prevent the chances of trouble in and around the ground between rival supporters.

In a shock Manchester City transfer update emerging out of Spain, Real Madrid veteran Toni Kroos is believed to be a target for the Citizens once his contract expires at the Santiago Bernabeu next summer.

The report states that the Germany international could receive around double his wages at Manchester City if he was to move to England in 2024. During the summer transfer window, Kroos rejected advances from the Saudi Pro League and Major League Soccer to pen a 12-month extension to his deal at La Liga giants Real Madrid. Nevertheless, Guardiola and his recruitment team are now said to be leading the chase for the former Bayern Munich star.

Royal Antwerp midfielder Arthur Vermeeren is claimed to be attracting attention from Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur alongside a host of clubs in mainland Europe as he continues to make waves in his homeland this campaign.

Manchester City top scorers 2023/24

Player

Appearances

Goals

Erling Haaland

12

8

Julian Alvarez

13

6

Rodri

10

3

Jeremy Doku

8

2

Phil Foden

8

2

Manchester City transfer news – Kalvin Phillips potential exit

According to a Manchester City transfer update on Kalvin Phillips from Football Insider, it is believed that the England international is likely to leave the Etihad Stadium in 2024 after falling out of favour under Citizens boss Guardiola this term. The report states that Phillips now finds himself essentially frozen out at Manchester City due to the summer arrivals of Mateo Kovacic and Matheus Nunes.

Guardiola left Phillips out of his side's 1-0 defeat to Arsenal last weekend at the Emirates Stadium, instead opting to utilise Rico Lewis and Bernardo Silva in a double pivot, which the outlet indicates is a sign that the former Barcelona boss doesn't trust Phillips to perform and could now pave the way for his eventual departure.

Since joining Manchester City from Leeds United for a fee in the region of £43 million in 2022, Phillips has gone on to make just 26 appearances in total for his current employers and is yet to register a single goal or assist (Phillips statistics – Transfermarkt).

Despite being hailed as "superb" by Barcelona manager Xavi back in 2021, it is hard to see a way back for Phillips at the Etihad and he may now have to seek a new challenge in the near future to avoid a prolonged career stagnation.

Glasgow Rangers made the decision to part ways with manager Michael Beale earlier this month after the English tactician endured a difficult start to the season.

The Light Blues lost three of their opening seven Scottish Premiership matches and were knocked out of the Champions League by PSV during the play-off round, which meant that the club moved into the group stages of the Europa League.

This came after the former Chelsea youth coach was allowed to oversee an overhaul of the playing squad over the course of the summer transfer window.

Jack Butland

Free

Dujon Sterling

Free

Leon Balogun

Free

Kieran Dowell

Free

Jose Cifuentes

Permanent

Sam Lammers

Permanent

Cyriel Dessers

Permanent

Danilo

Permanent

Abdallah Sima

Loan

As shown in the table above, the former Rangers chief was able to snap nine new recruits to bolster the team after the likes of Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent, Scott Arfield, Antonio Colak, Fashion Sakala, and Ianis Hagi moved on, either on loan or permanently.

The results on the pitch did not justify the mass changes and the board made the decision to ditch the English tactician, who has since been replaced by Belgian boss Philippe Clement.

However, not all of Beale's deals were to the detriment of the club as one player who has been a standout performer on the pitch since his arrival is goalkeeper Jack Butland.

How much did Rangers pay for Butland?

Rangers did not pay a penny for the former England international as they agreed a pre-contract deal for the shot-stopper back in June, ahead of his contract with Crystal Palace expiring at the end of the month.

At the time of the move, Beale claimed that the club had signed an "excellent" goalkeeper who is now in the prime years of his career at the age of 30.

His performances so far this season have backed up that claim but there may have been some doubts over how it would pan out at the time due to his difficulties in England in recent years.

How many Premier League appearances did Butland make?

He racked up 87 Premier League appearances throughout his time down south with various clubs but none of those came during a loan spell with Manchester United last season.

Butland spent the second half of the campaign on loan at Old Trafford but Erik ten Hag did not feature him in a single competitive match before his return to Palace, and eventual move to Ibrox.

That came after the 30-year-old ace only played ten top-flight games in two-and-a-half seasons with the Eagles as he failed to displace Spanish titan Vicente Guaita to earn a regular spot in the starting XI.

He did play nine times during the 2021/22 campaign. However, the Englishman was unable to catch the eye as 43% of the shots on his goal found the back of the net and his side only kept one clean sheet, as per Sofascore.

His troubles at Palace, and United, came after an impressive start to his senior career with Birmingham and Stoke in his younger days. He racked up 214 competitive appearances for those two clubs combined and kept 60 clean sheets in total.

Butland became the youngest goalkeeper in England history when he made his debut against Italy in 2012 at the age of 19 and has earned nine caps for his country to date.

The 6 foot 5 colossus enjoyed a fantastic spell with Stoke after coming through the academy system at Birmingham as he won their Player of the Year award for the 2015/16 and 2018/19 campaigns.

He kept 18 clean sheets and saved 71% of the shots on his goal across 45 Championship starts during the latter season but failed to build on his form for the Potters as his career fell by the wayside at Palace after a move to Selhurst Park in 2020.

How has Butland performed for Rangers?

Rangers now appear to have benefitted from Butland's declining career as they swooped in to sign him for £0 and the towering gem has been a revelation this season.

The former England international has hit the ground running at Ibrox and already established himself as a star and key player for the club with his fantastic performances between the sticks.

He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.11 across nine Scottish Premiership starts and kept an eye-catching six clean sheets to date, with an impressive 77% save percentage.

Whereas, Allan McGregor only saved 57% of the shots on his goal and kept eight shutouts in 24 top-flight appearances for the Light Blues last season.

This suggests that Rangers have secured a huge upgrade in goal by replacing the veteran Scotsman with Butland, who was hailed for his "outstanding" goalkeeping by journalist Josh Bunting in August, over the summer transfer window.

The former Stoke star has also enjoyed a strong start to life in Europe with an average Sofascore rating of 7.35 and a save percentage of 75% across two Europa League group stage outings.

How much is Butland worth now?

Football Insider recently reported that the Light Blues value the 30-year-old colossus at a fee of at least £5m amid interest from Championship side Birmingham.

The outlet claimed that his former club are keen on a deal for the Gers star, just months on from his move to the Scottish giants, but also add that the Ibrox side will not entertain any offers for his services during the upcoming January transfer window.

They have also stated that his internal valuation at Rangers will only increase further beyond £5m if his impressive performances on the pitch continue throughout the rest of the 2023/24 campaign.

The interest from Birmingham highlights how much of an impact Butland has made for the club this season as he has done enough to attract attention from elsewhere after three months of competitive football.

His valuation has quickly soared from £0 to £5m since Beale snapped him up for nothing from Palace and the former Gers boss, therefore, deserves credit.

The ex-QPR head coach hit the jackpot for the club with his move to sign the giant stopper, who now looks set to play a key role for Clement moving forward.

Leeds United are eyeing up four wins in succession when they travel to Stoke City this evening in the Championship.

The Whites secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Norwich City last time after returning from 2-0 down as a Shane Duffy own goal and a Crysencio Summerville brace sent the away end into pandemonium.

Ahead of this fixture against the Potters, Daniel Farke is anticipating an intense performance from the opposition, which could mean making some alterations to his side to freshen up proceedings.

What is the latest Leeds United team news?

Farke confirmed that there were no fresh injury concerns to his squad following their win over Norwich, however, Junior Firpo, Djed Spence and Stuart Dallas remain the only absentees.

Theoretically, the German head coach could name the same starting XI as last time out but given the Championship's hectic schedule, it would be wise for him to utilise the full breadth of his squad.

With that being said, he could drop Dan James, who was wasteful against Norwich and replace him with Wilfried Gnonto.

How did Dan James perform against Norwich?

The fleet-footed winger terrorised the Canaries' back line with his searing pace but once he got himself in a position to produce the final pass or cross, he showed a lack of composure.

Throughout his career, James has been criticised for his wastefulness in the final third – having been dubbed "headless" by pundit Darren Bent – and despite Leeds dropping down to the Championship, that continues to be a theme that plagues the rest of his game.

In his 84 minutes on the pitch at Carrow Road, the 26-year-old was threatening in the build-up phase but he was seriously lacking any substance to go with his approach play, aside from supplying the cross that was inadvertently turned into his own goal by Duffy.

According to SofaScore, James only made one successful dribble, misfired two of his eight attempted crosses, lost possession on 17 occasions and missed one big chance.

That is an indication, if it was ever needed, that the former Manchester United man lets the ground swallow him up when he enters a dangerous position, instead of remaining composed and producing a piece of quality to go with it.

Gnonto's performances, however, paint a picture of someone who can provide the X Factor in the final third having burst onto the scene in the Premier League last season.

How has Wilfried Gnonto performed for Leeds this season?

When Wilfried Gnonto handed in a written transfer request in the summer, few would have expected him to still be plying his trade in the Championship.

However, a move never materialised and the Italian now looks set to play a huge part in the Whites charge for promotion.

The "special" forward – as lauded by former Leeds assistant coach Michael Skubala – made an instant impact on his return from injury by providing the assist off the bench for Crysencio Summerville's curled effort.

In his six appearances under Farke this term, Gnonto has averaged more successful dribbles than James per game (2.2/0.6), a better pass completion (82%/77%) and fewer big chances missed, as per SofaScore.

Whilst James has supplied four assists compared to Gnonto's one, the 20-year-old can prove against Stoke, if given a start, that he has the capacity to punish teams emphatically, unlike the Welshman.

If the diminutive teenager is unleashed from the off, the Potters won't know what's hit them.