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Sophie Baggaley may only have been a regular in the Women’s Super League for two years after joining the Robins in 2017, but she has already made a name for herself.

Last season the goalkeeper featured in every match under Tanya Oxtoby and helped her side to an sixth-placed finish due to her goalkeeping heroics, keeping six clean sheets in the process.

As a result, she was recognised with the FAWSL Players’ Player of the Year award. However, in looking back on her short career thus far she instead looks to team achievements, rather than personal glory.

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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Baggaley commented on her greatest career achievements: “We reached an FA Cup final with Birmingham.

“Last season was quite successful as a whole, individually and we did well as a team too, so probably last season.”

Despite the success achieved last term Baggaley hasn’t limited herself yet, and at 22 she offers a lot of promise to improve, but perhaps more importantly knows what it takes to repeat her accomplishments, and take her game to the next level.

So far this season Bristol City haven’t fared too well. Baggaley has two clean sheets from four games but only one of those came in the WASL – and the team remain winless in the league following a 4-0 defeat to Chelsea in their last match.

“You’ve just got to look at what you need to improve on and also look at what you’re good at, work on your weaknesses in order to improve your game all over and I think if you do that then the performances will come with that,” Baggaley added.

It shows a strong mindset for someone so young and a focused determination not to rest on her laurels, also stating that she wishes to have a 20-year long career in the game.

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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… 

Marcelo Bielsa has made a habit of playing some of the rising stars within the Leeds United squad.

By last January, he’d handed first-team debuts to ten players under the age of 21.

That number has since risen with Mateusz Bogusz and Alfie McCalmont earning minutes in the first team this term.

That being said, there are still a number of young individuals banging on the door.

One of which happens to be Ryan Edmondson, a teenager who must be on the verge of gaining an opportunity.

On the chalkboard

Only this week Leeds saw Callum Nicell walk out of the exit door after his contract was mutually terminated.

Formerly an Academy Player of the Year at Thorp Arch, it may have been somewhat of a surprise that he left having not made a first-team appearance.

Featuring in squads under Garry Monk and Paul Heckingbottom, he didn’t actually receive minutes.

It’s worrying that he was allowed to seep through the net so easily but it’s a poignant reminder. If you don’t play your best young prospects, they’ll search for opportunities elsewhere.

For someone like Edmondson, this is unlikely to be too different.

He is one of the rising stars from Leeds’ academy and it’s a little bizarre he hasn’t been seen under Bielsa in 2019/20.

Leeds have a lack of depth in attack with Patrick Bamford and Eddie Nketiah so it’s certainly not out of the question that he could play second fiddle.

After all, the 18-year-old is making all the right noises.

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Against Tadcaster Albion in pre-season alongside a team that featured Ben White and Helder Costa, he netted a hat-trick.

The opposition may not have provided much quality during a 5-1 defeat but it provided evidence that he knows where the net is.

More recently, however, he’s earned his debut for England’s U19 side. Last Thursday he was given a flavour of international youth football as he netted in front of Gareth Southgate against Greece.

It was yet another loud knock on the door of Bielsa who must surely be casting his beady eyes on the promising striker who played once under the Argentine in the Championship last term.

Football Insider revealed this week that Leeds turned down loan offers for Edmondson in the summer. On that evidence, they must have plans to utilise him this season.

If that is the case, the Whites should start giving him chances to show what he can do, even if it’s just from the bench.

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It has finally happened – Manchester United have now officially confirmed the signing of Harry Maguire from Leicester City.

The 26-year-old England international joins on a six-year contract and will also have an option to extend it for a further year if he wishes to do so in due time.

The Red Devils have broken the world record with this signing that’s reportedly worth £80m, making Maguire the most expensive defender in the world. The transfer eclipsed the £75m Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in January 2018.

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Of course, the new Red Devil was quickly welcomed into the team by some of his new teammates.Jesse Lingard shared a hilarious snap on Instagram that saw both players in a pool, riding inflatable unicorns.This was Lingard’s way of welcoming United’s new signing and immediately making him feel at home.Maguire will be looking to potentially make his debut as soon as the new Premier League season kick-off at Old Trafford against Chelsea on 11 August.[ad_pod ]

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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 The Daily Mirror, Manchester United have no interest in making a double swoop for Sporting CP’s Bruno Fernandes and Lille’s Nicolas Pepe this summer amid speculation of potential moves for the pair.

What’s the word?

The report claims that the Red Devils feel clubs have used the side’s desire to strengthen their squad this summer as a way of hiking up the prices of players they want to sell.

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It adds that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are not interested in either Fernandes or Pepe and that the constant rumours surrounding the duo potentially joining United has begun to “irritate” the Red Devils.

A public battle

One of the biggest issues that his blighted United’s summer transfer window this summer has simply been that every club in Europe is aware of the Manchester side’s desire to sign players. It puts the Red Devils at a distinct disadvantage as selling clubs know that the club are desperate for new signings and know they can use that to their own benefit.

The Daily Mirror’s claim that there is a suspicion amongst the club hierarchy’s that agents and clubs are trying to use speculation to increase the asking price of players certainly feels like it has a lot of weight to it. United have been linked with what feels like every player on the planet, and yet they have only managed to sign two this summer.

Fernandes and Pepe are fine footballers, but are they the kind of signings that United feel is a priority? The moves for Harry Maguire and Sean Longstaff feel more in line with the supposed thinking at the club to sign young, British players, and a major contrast to the kind of European bidding war you would expect with a swoop for either Fernandes or Pepe.

As the transfer window deadline inches ever closer, The Daily Mirror’s report certainly raises the need to take rumours with a pinch of salt and a touch of caution.

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Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie was forced off for the Magpies during Tuesday’s pre-season clash with Hibernian after picking up a hamstring injury.

And head coach Steve Bruce has revealed that the Scotland international will “have a scan in the next 48 hours” to determine the extent of the damage.

The 29-year-old played a lot of football as a left-wing-back during the 2018-19 campaign and, given Bruce is keen on playing with wing-backs this season, his injury could be a huge blow to the club with the new campaign less than two weeks away.

Ritchie was pivotal to Rafa Benitez’s system last season and it’s unlikely that Paul Dummett could offer the same level of dynamism within a similar role.

As expected, a number of Newcastle fans took to social media to react to the news that the former Bournemouth man had suffered a problem.

And many insisted that the injury should force the club into the transfer market as soon as possible, with the new campaign on the horizon.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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Oh Luis Suarez, just never stop being you. Whether you love him or you hate him, the Uruguayan is pure box-office when it comes to what he does on the pitch. But sometimes it’s not an acrobatic volley or a thunderbolt from the edge of the area. Sometimes it’s trying to claim handball off a goalkeeper, from inside the penalty area.

Yes, you read that right. The Barcelona superstar was involved in Copa America action against Chile on Monday night and in a clip posted on Twitter, the 32-year-old gets to the by-line inside the box and sees his clipped cross come off the glove of Chile shot-stopper Gabriel Alias.

His reaction? He immediately calls for a handball offence before it dawns on him seconds later that he’s read the rulebook all wrong.

The hilarious clip understandably got a lot of Liverpool fans to flood to Twitter to post their responses. Some of them were ruthless about their former Anfield star, who will do absolutely anything to win – just ask poor Asamoah Gyan or Giorgio Chiellini.

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Some jokingly sided with Suarez over his claims for a penalty and insisted that only “haters” would deny that it wasn’t a spot-kick.

Others certainly took the banter up a notch and simply suggested the Uruguayan was rather helpfully pointing out what part of the goalkeeper he would be “feasting” on next.

Check out some of the amusing reaction of Liverpool fans below:

أعلن سيد عبد الحفيظ مدير الكرة بالنادي الأهلي سلبية المسحة الطبية الثانية التي خضع لها اللاعب أكرم توفيق.

وتغيب أكرم توفيق عن مباراة الأهلي والمقاولون العرب، التي نجح الأحمر في الفوز فيها بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، وذلك بعدما قرر الجهاز الطبي للفريق إعادة المسحة الطبية التي خضع لها قبل المباراة، التي أقيمت ضمن منافسات الجولة التاسعة من مسابقة الدوري المصري.

اقرأ أيضًا.. كاف يفتح باب الترشح لاستضافة نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا والكونفدرالية 2021

وقال سيد عبد الحفيظ في تصريحات خاصة لـ”بطولات”: “مسحة أكرم توفيق سلبية، واللاعب جاهز للمشاركة في التدريبات الجماعية”.

ونشر أكرم توفيق ستوري خاص به عبر حسابه الرسمي على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “إنستجرام”، قال خلاله: “سلبي.. الحمد لله رب العالمين”.

Liverpool will set their sights on the future with Southampton’s Matthew Targett, after releasing Alberto Moreno at the end of this month, according to TEAMtalk.

Indeed, the Reds are apparently ready to raid Southampton once again, after signing Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Nathaniel Clyne, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana from them in recent years.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is thought to be looking for competition for Andrew Robertson, who arguably had his best season yet for Liverpool, booking himself a place in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year for the first time, and former England under-21 star Targett is being considered.

It is reported that the Southampton youngster would consider a move to Anfield but has been encouraged by England coaches to seek regular first-team football elsewhere in a bid to stake his claim in the international first-team setup.

Targett struggled to overthrow Ryan Bertrand from the starting spot last season, making just 21 appearances in total, 13 of which were in the starting line-up. But that isn’t to say he doesn’t possess the ability to develop into a star.

The 23-year-old most definitely has age on his side, and his statistics aren’t half bad either. According to WhoScored, he produced on average 1.7 tackles (compared to Robertson’s 2.2), 1.7 interceptions (almost double Robertson’s 0.8), 1.9 clearances (Robertson: 1.3) and was dribbled past 0.9 times – the same amount as his prospective Liverpool senior.

In terms of his attacking ability, he doesn’t fare much worse, either. Targett provided 0.7 shots per game and 1.4 key passes (compared to Robertson’s 0.4 and 1.4, respectively), and while his assists and dribbling statistics do pale in comparison to the flying Scotsman’s, there isn’t many in the league that would come out on top in that contest.

One of the major themes of Klopp’s work in making Liverpool a force to be reckoned with again has been his ability to pick players up from the lower half of the Premier League and mould them into better players. Robertson himself is perhaps the key example of this but Georginio Wijandlum and Xherdan Shaqiri have fit the collective well after moving from relegated sides.

Even as a potential back-up, this move makes complete sense from Liverpool’s perspective.

Liverpool fans, would you be happy with Targett providing competition? Do you think there’s any chance anyone could dislodge Robertson? Let us know in the comments below…

It’s that time again. With Wembley awaiting Aston Villa’s presence, all fans are hoping the Villans can pull through and return to the Premier League.

To find yourself in the play-off final two years in a row is some achievement and Dean Smith should take massive credit for what he has thus far achieved in a short space of time at Villa Park.

A depleted, beaten group of players is what he most likely saw when walking into the changing room in October but now Aston Villa are a group of individuals highly motivated to achieve what was the unthinkable at one stage in the season and that’s gain promotion.

The turnaround hasn’t been easy but one thing that definitely made it more straightforward is the impact Tyrone Mings has made.

Mings (who is valued at £3.1 million on Transfermarkt) has been nothing short of brilliant since joining Aston Villa in January.

Alone, he has massively helped improve their overall ability to defend and Aston Villa have surged into the play-off final almost because of it.

His form has been so good that plenty of teams will be flocking to try and sign him as well, though if Villa do gain promotion back into the Premier League, they should really fancy their chances of keeping him on a permanent basis.

The 26-year-old was completely out of favour at Bournemouth and this loan to the Villans has brought him back to life and he’s currently playing some of the best football of his life.

Their fate is soon to be sealed and as soon as it does happen, great effort must straight away go into signing Tyrone Mings.

Do you want Aston Villa to sign Tyrone Mings whatever the cost… Let us know!

[ad_pod ]Upon his shock departure from the club back in 2017, Sam Allardyce at least gave Crystal Palace some advice on who should replace him after his sudden exit from Selhurst Park – a nice gesture considering he could have just left south London with the club in the lurch.The former England manager recommended Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder to Eagles supremo Steve Parish, a man who has vast experience in the Football League and had already worked wonders with the Blades in League One.Previously, Palace had thrived under British managers, who seemed to resonate with the majority of the squad and get the best out of them.A Crystal Palace fan shares his most gutting moment of the last 10 years supporting the Eagles in the video below…The likes of Tony Pulis, Neil Warnock, Alan Pardew and Allardyce all arrived in SE25 and fared quite well, getting good results before ultimately taking the team as far as they could.As a season ticket holder myself, Wilder’s no-nonsense approach but advanced attacking tactics – particularly in comparison to bosses such as Pulis – would have gone down well at Selhurst Park, in my honest opinion.This was the only real opportunity the Eagles had had to truly make a considered, well thought-out appointment since their return to the top-flight.Their previous hires had been as a result of Ian Holloway’s sudden departure, Pulis’ untimely resignation on the eve of the season, Warnock’s mid-season sacking as well as Pardew’s – Allardyce had commendably declared his intentions to leave early, and gave Palace an entire summer to find a replacement.But no. Instead of opting for a lesser-known, not-so-fashionable but solid gaffer in Wilder, Parish opted to take a gamble on a glitzy European name in Frank de Boer.The Dutchman had made his name in management with Ajax, winning four straight Eredivisie titles with the Dutch giants before joining another colossus of a club in Inter.However, he failed miserably in Serie A. De Boer was sacked after just 85 days in charge at the San Siro in what was a truly miserable tenure in every sense of the word.With his only accomplishments coming in Holland, a division that is vastly different to that of the Premier League, appointing De Boer was a huge risk and one that ultimately backfired.

The 49-year-old lasted even less time in the Selhurst Park dugout than he did at the San Siro, managing to survive for just 77 days before being given the chop – he didn’t even see his Palace side score a single league goal.

So, Parish and Palace had messed up their opportunity for stability, and were forced into a hurried appointment yet again: Roy Hodgson was hired on a two-year contract.

Since then, whilst they have stayed up comfortably in two successive seasons under the 71-year-old, the Palace fans have grown tired of Hodgson’s football and have called for him to leave at times throughout the campaign.

In stark contrast, Sheffield United fans seem to be absolutely loving life under Wilder.

The 51-year-old has just led them to a 2nd-place finish in the Championship to secure automatic promotion, where his incredibly inventive overlapping centre-back system has been a sight to behold – he also has the 4th best win percentage in England since 2015/16, behind only Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Pep Guardiola.

Straying away from the typical defensive minds of Warnock and Pulis, Wilder has his side playing some exquisite football. The Blades hit an impressive 78 goals this term, whilst conceding just 41, the joint-least in the Championship.

They are now back in the Premier League for the first time since 2007, where Wilder will finally face the side who ignored Allardyce’s recommendation to appoint him.

Meanwhile, Palace’s talismanic forward Wilfried Zaha has revealed he wants to leave Selhurst Park for Champions League football, and it would be a real hammer blow to the Eagles if the Ivorian gets his wish.

Interestingly, if he does leave, there is a very real chance that Wilder could finish above a toothless Palace side with his Blades; for those of you saying that’s unrealistic for a newly-promoted side, just take a look at Wolves.

It would be a truly embarrassing moment for Parish if the man he ignored when he was in League One led his team to finish above Palace, which is a very real possibility given how they usually fare without Zaha in the side; Palace hadn’t won without the 26-year-old for over two years before they beat Leicester without him this season.

They are well and truly in danger of being made to look foolish for ignoring Allardyce’s excellent recommendation.