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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

It’s been two years since Dani Ceballos originally joined Real Madrid from Real Betis. It was a big transfer for a young and talented midfielder who had plenty to prove in a much bigger team.

But somehow, the now 23-year-old never truly found his footing and in the last summer transfer window he was shipped off to Arsenal on loan.

And, since leaving the Spanish capital, something has clicked and the young Spaniard has been enjoying himself in north London.

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So far, he’s played four games for Unai Emery’s Arsenal in the new 2019/20 Premier League campaign, starting two of those and coming on as a substitute in the other two. But he’s been extremely proficient, too.

In those four games, he already tallied two assists and averaged 1.3 key passes, 1.8 dribbles, 86.7% passing accuracy and even 1.3 shots per game. These are impressive stats that illuminate his ascendancy since landing in England, and his dynamic-shifting impact from the bench in the north London derby also proved his appetite for the big occasion, as he recorded two shots, two key passes and 89.5% passing accuracy in an electric cameo.

Just for comparison’s sake, in 2018/19 for Real Madrid, he averaged one key pass, 0.6 dribbles, 92.6% passing accuracy and one shot per game. Granted, that’s over a much bigger sample of games but Ceballos is definitely off to a great start at the Emirates.

Particularly impressive was his first Premier League start against Burnley. In that game, he tallied two assists, three shots, three key passes, 90% passing accuracy and a total of four dribbles. By anyone’s standards, he was Arsenal’s top performer on the day.

He may not have found his groove at Real Madrid but this loan spell seems to be doing him the world of good thus far.

If he continues progressing and improving steadily, Zinedine Zidane might be looking at a serious reinforcement to restore to his ranks in 2020.

Maybe a spark of creativity and youth would do the current Real Madrid a lot of good.

Only time will tell, though.

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Leeds suffered a disappointing draw against Derby at the weekend as they conceded just their fourth league goal of the campaign.

The Whites spent the majority of the game with the ball at their feet, registering over 60% of the possession.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men rarely had any defending to do until the final 15 minutes when three of Derby’s five shots were taken.

Ben White was again in the defence but despite dropped points, Leeds supporters still found a reason to rave over the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month for August.

One fan determined that he would play for England in the future while another suggested he would be at Manchester City in the next two years.

A further individual went as far as saying he was the best defender they’ve seen at Elland Road since a certain Rio Ferdinand. White was also hailed as top class.

The 21-year-old signed on loan from Brighton during the transfer window and has won 2.9 aerial duels per game this term. He’s also been hugely successful with the ball at his feet, completing 88.2% of his passes.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Goal, Leeds United are making progress over an initial £7m deal for Liverpool winger Ryan Kent, but spending that amount on the 22-year-old would be ultimately puzzling.

What’s the word, then?

Goal reports that the wide man has been a long-term target for Whites manager Marcelo Bielsa, who is keen to strengthen his side’s attack ahead of another gruelling Championship campaign.

Goal say that talks are going well over a £7m deal, which could rise to £10m with add-ons.

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Meanwhile, The Daily Record report that discussions were underway between the two clubs before the ink had even dried on Kemar Roofe’s move to Anderlecht, with Bielsa confident that a deal would be done before the 5pm deadline on Thursday.

Puzzling

While it is obviously great that Leeds are willing to spend £7m on a new signing given all of their additions this summer have been loans – albeit Helder Costa’s will turn into a £15m permament deal next summer – it is a little confusing.

Find out which stadiums fans have nominated for the worst atmosphere in football in the video below…

Roofe’s departure has left the Yorkshire outfit with one senior striker in Patrick Bamford, with youngsters Ryan Edmondson and Kun Temenuzkhov as back up.

Meanwhile, Pontus Jansson left for Brentford and has so far been replaced by Ben White, who made his Championship debut at the weekend.

Leeds are clearly lacking depth and quality in those two positions, which makes it strange that they are willing to spend big on a player in a position where they have plenty of depth.

Costa, Jack Harrison, Ezgjan Alioski, Jack Clarke, Stuart Dallas and Pablo Hernandez can all play on the flanks, so surely it would make more sense to use the £7m in an area that needs more work.

Bielsa is an experienced manager who knows what he wants, but in this instance he may leave some scratching their heads if Kent proves to be Leeds’ final permanent signing of the summer window.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking to talkSPORT, via Wolves Bite, pundit David Connolly has had his say on Wolves’ deal for Patrick Cutrone, revealing his scepticism over the move.

What’s he said?

Cutrone signed for Wolves on Tuesday evening, becoming the second addition of the window after they also brought in Jesus Vallejo on loan.

The Italian signed for the club in an initial deal worth £16m according to BBC as he arrives to bolster Nuno Santo’s forward line.

Talks had been ongoing in recent days for a transfer that could rise to £20m including add-ons.

However, amid Wolves’ big news, one of their former players, Connolly, had some slight doubts surrounding the transfer.

Talking to talkSPORT, via Wolves Bite, he revealed:

“Cutrone is pretty young; he hasn’t scored that many goals. He might be considered a gamble but probably one where, because he’s young, it’s probably a good deal money-wise.

“He’s not that expensive at an initial £16m, so it could be worth the risk. And you have to say a lot of their signings have worked out. Not too many have gone wrong of late.”

A major bargain

Following on from last season Connolly is right to have slight doubts in his mind. After all, the 21-year-old went from scoring 18 times in 2018/19 to only finding the net on nine occasions last term.

It was quite the drop from the young forward but it’s hard to ignore the sheer potential he has.

At £16m there is barely any risk to it and Cutrone could turn out to be one of the bargains of the summer if he replicates similar form to two years ago.

Wolves have already done fabulous work in regards to transfer fees in the past, bringing in Joao Moutinho for just £5m last summer.

This is yet more evidence of the shrewd value to be had in the market and the fee involved makes it far less of a gamble.

Check out the reaction to Wolves’ first European game since the ’80s in the video below…

After all, Oliver McBurnie, a player who isn’t proven in one of the top five leagues in the world has been the subject of a £20m bid from Sheffield United.

He scored 22 goals in the Championship but beyond that hasn’t achieved a great deal.

That tells you all you need to know about how good a deal Wolves have got with their latest signing.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday, Pep Guardiola has hit back at Jurgen Klopp’s comments on the club’s spending and insisted that it’s simply “not true”.

What did he say?

Klopp suggested earlier in July that Liverpool have less money to spend in the summer transfer window because they don’t live in a “fantasia land where you get whatever you want”.

Now, Guardiola has rejected his managerial counterpart’s claims and admitted that the German’s comments had “bothered” him.

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He said (as quoted by Sky Sports): “Yeah it bothers me because it is not true that we have spent £200m every transfer market. Also it’s Liverpool – ‘you’ll never walk alone’ – it’s not a small team. Of course I don’t like it because it’s not true. Last season we spent (net) £17m on just one player.

“Two seasons ago when I spent a lot, it’s because I took over the team with 10 or 11 players over the age of 30 – you have to (replace them). But we can’t spend £200m every season. For example, Liverpool spent over £200m last season, and they can’t do it this season. For us it is the same. We bought one player this season and then Angelino with a buy-back clause. Today the clubs cannot spend every season a lot of money.”

The mind-games have begun

And so it begins. The new season is well and truly upon us and it appears the Premier League’s top titans have decided to start the customary psychological warfare rather early. Klopp’s comments were certainly designed to get under the skin of Guardiola and City, who have been plagued by claims that they have simply bought their way to success.

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In pointing back to how Liverpool spent heavily last summer, the Spaniard seemed quite adamant to try and paint a clearer picture of the two sides. Whilst City have undeniably spent big in recent seasons, it by no means implies that Klopp’s side have just sat by the side-lines twiddling their thumbs.

As the pre-cursor to the beginning of the Premier League campaign, the Community Shield is likely to be a tasty affair after Guardiola and Klopp’s jibes.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Last Tuesday evening, Aston Villa completed yet another signing.

It’s been a busy summer at Villa Park and after confirming the addition of Bjorn Engels, it signalled their fourth foray into the market for a central defender.

The Belgian has arrived from Reims in Ligue 1 for an undisclosed fee and arrives, so he claims, with the offering of being a threat at set-pieces.

With that in mind, it appears as though he could be equally as important in attack, as he could be in defence.

On the chalkboard

One of Villa’s greatest strengths last season was their danger from set-pieces. In the Championship, they scored 24 goals from dead-ball situations, the joint-most of anyone in the division.

However, that plus point could be about to get even better if Engels has anything to say about it.

In his first interview with the club after signing last week, he told the club’s website about his strengths, saying the following:

“I like to play from out of the back. I like to play football. I’m also good in duels and can be a threat at set-pieces.”

The 24-year-old may only have netted one goal last term but it did come from a set-piece and he has already amassed seven goals from headers throughout his career.

When in Belgium, he scored 11 times 57 matches in total, and despite only finding the net on a solitary occasion for Reims, it’s hard to ignore the impact he could have in set-piece situations for the Villans.

Per Understat, he managed six shots on goal from corners, whilst having a further three attempts from corners in 2018/19. That is demonstrated below.

It may not look like a lot but it shows the sorts of positions he gets into.

Rather than getting close to the goalkeeper, it appears as though Engels drifts in and around the penalty spot which gives an idea of where Villa’s set plays may be aimed next term.

But to further substantiate his threat from these scenarios, he managed to create five chances for other teammates from balls that were played into the box throughout his time with Reims.

This specific aspect of Engels’ game bodes well, particularly if you take into account Villa’s threat last season.

Danny Welbeck has had a really unlucky season at Arsenal. Ridden with injuries, this 28-year-old centre-forward only managed eight appearances in the Premier League, scoring and assisting once in the process.

But, as was also quite expected, Arsenal released the English forward 10 days ago when his contract was confirmed to have expired. Still, it seems that that didn’t affect his good spirits as Welbeck posted an

/Byp9QhVHD0m/” data-lasso->Instagram snap of his holiday trip to the seaside.

Naturally, his ex-teammates and friends were quick to jump to make some quality banter content as well as showing their love for Welbeck. Alexandre Lacazette posted a series of emojis to his ex-teammate, showing his love for the Englishman.

Jesse Lingard, his compatriot and rival on the pitch, also took to Instagram to reply but in a more banter-like manner, teasing Welbeck that vitamin D, in fact, stands for Daniel.

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Eric Dier has been urged to repeat his training ground heroics in the Champions League final by excited Tottenham Hotspur fans after a video emerged of him scoring a brilliant free-kick.

The England international, who netted a stunning set-piece against Russia at Euro 2016, was videoed practicing free-kicks prior to Saturday’s mammoth clash with Liverpool.

Dier, who can play as both a midfielder and a defender, bent the ball into the top corner via the post, leaving his teammates awe-struck.

And supporters have urged him to repeat the trick when Mauricio Pochettino’s men bid to win their first ever Champions League trophy.

Spurs have qualified for the final after a miraculous run that has seen them draw with Barcelona in the group stages and beat Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax in the knockout rounds.

Dier has made a total of five appearances in Europe this season and has only completed the 90 minutes once, in the first fixture, a 2-1 defeat to Inter Milan.

He was on the bench for both legs of the semi-final but, still, supporters are hopeful that he could well see the net ripple in Madrid.

Take a look at the best of the reaction below!

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Marcelo Bielsa has long been revered as one of the best managers in the world by his peers.

He has been an influencer for the likes of Pep Guardiola and Mauricio Pochettino, and it may be time for those two to give a little back to the man who helped make them the managers they are today.

Bielsa’s influence

It’s no secret that the Argentine was a hugely important part of making Pochettino one of the world’s leading coaches.

The Leeds manager initially scouted the Spurs boss at the beginning of his playing career, and he eventually played under him as he took the reins at Newell’s Old Boys.

Pochettino went into detail about his time working with Bielsa in an interview with Gazzetta Dello Sport (Via SportWitness) saying:

‘I was 13 when Bielsa and Jorge Griffa took me from a small town called Murphy and brought me to Newell’s. He gave me my debut.

‘He’s like my second father. We were also together at Espanyol and in the national team. I owe him everything.’

The former Marseille boss also has a strong relationship with Guardiola, who once described him as “the best coach in the world.”

Ask for a favour

Although Bielsa is a very proud man, he shouldn’t hesitate to ask his two protégés for a favour now that they’re managing two of the biggest clubs in the world.

City and Tottenham both have a wide array of youngsters available for loan, and Leeds should have first dibs due to their manager’s close ties with the men in charge in both Manchester and north London.

Guardiola has already helped the 63-year-old by sending him Jack Harrison last year, but they should approach the Citizens for a few more players.

Patrick Roberts, Tosin Adarabioyo, Douglas Luiz and many others could be useful additions to the Leeds squad next season, and Bielsa could use his relationship with the City boss to broker a deal.

The same goes for Pochettino and Spurs, Josh Onomah, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Oliver Skipp are all candidates to go out on loan to the Championship this summer.

The Whites will almost certainly dip into the loan market again in the upcoming window, and when they do their first port of call should be their gaffer’s two close allies.

It is fair to say that when the final whistle blows on Sunday during Huddersfield’s clash at Southampton, the majority of their supporters will be breathing a sigh of relief that their nightmare of a season is over.

With the Terriers suffering defeat after defeat in the Premier League, there has been very little to cheer about at the John Smith’s Stadium this year and therefore their imminent return to the Championship may be a blessing in disguise.

Considering the fact that the majority of their players have demonstrated that they are more suited to the second tier in comparison to the top-flight, relegation could result in an air of positivity to return to West Yorkshire.

However, this will all depend on what Jan Siewert decides to do to his squad this summer.

With Steve Mounie and Laurent Depoitre both expected to leave Huddersfield when their contracts expire next month, the club will need to bring in at least one striker in order to replace this duo.

According to Hull Live, the Terriers are reportedly interested in signing Frazier Campbell from Hull City on a free transfer when the window opens in July. Now 31-years-old, the former Blackpool ace enjoyed a fruitful year with the Tigers as his 12 goals and 6 assists helped the club secure a 13th place finish in the Championship.

Although he would be a cost-efficient signing to make, if Huddersfield are serious about launching a sustained push for promotion next season, they must resist the temptation to bring in Campbell.

Not only is the forward edging ever closer to the twilight of his career but it could be argued that he would struggle to get into the Terriers’ side ahead of Karlan Ahearne-Grant.

Signed from Charlton Athletic in the January transfer window, the 21-year-old has been one of the club’s only shining lights in the Premier League during the 2018/19 campaign and has all the ingredients needed to become a modern-day hero for the Terriers if given the chance to lead the line over the coming years.

What do you think Huddersfield fans? Should Siewert consider a move for Campbell in the summer? Or is Ahearne-Grant the right man to fire you to success next season? Let us know below.