England Head coach Gareth Southgate is paying serious attention to the transfer Brighton and Hove Albion defenders Levi Colville First senior call-up.
The highly-rated 19-year-old, who moved on a season-long loan Chelsea In August, started the campaign on the bench but has become an integral part of Roberto de Zerbi’s first team in recent weeks.
He has only made seven top-flight appearances but has played every minute of Brighton’s last five league games, including Liverpool won 3-0 in Saturday’s match — a first home league win against the Merseysiders since 1961 and another notable scalp in a season that was already overrun. Manchester United and Chelsea.
That form has impressed England’s coaching staff as Southgate weighs up his options for the squad. Italy and Ukraine in the Euro 2024 qualifiers in March.
Levi Colville has impressed for Brighton this season, in Saturday’s win over Liverpool (Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Colwill’s timing could hardly have been better. Southgate, who committed his future to England shortly after his side lost France in world cup The quarter-finals in December, could begin to refresh his squad, allowing young players to force their way into his set-up.
Colville was not on Southgate’s 55-man long list for the World Cup, but as a left-sided centre-back, he offers an option in a position where England are not well stocked. He has also progressed internationally, representing his country at the Under-16, Under-17, Under-19 and Under-21 levels.
The SouthamptonThe natural-born defender impressed on a season-long loan Huddersfield Town Last season and there was some surprise that Chelsea were ready to send him out again, many fans felt that he could have been part of the club’s rebuilding defense this term.
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As this column reported last weekHe is still very much part of Chelsea’s long-term plans, though The recent arrival of 21-year-old defender Benoit Badiachile from Monaco, and Colville is expected to challenge for a first-team place next season.
England keep a close eye on all eligible talent as they build their squad and map of the future Rico LewisThe Manchester City The right-back, who has impressed in his senior outings this season, is another youngster who could come to Southgate’s thinking.
Lewis, 18, has no England Under-21 experience and while that in itself is not a barrier to selection, it is unclear whether stiff competition in his position means he will make the squad for the games in March.
49ers key to Leeds’ rooter deal
This is a sign of conspiracy Leeds UnitedThe club’s minority shareholder, 49ers Enterprises, was influential in moving the boardroom forward. Georginio Rutter signed his record.
Rutter joined Leeds from Hoffenheim on Saturday night for a fee that broke their previous club record of £27 million ($33m), which was paid for. Rodrigo In 2020. The transfer could earn Hoffenheim around £35 million if all add-ons are completed.
Discussions over the router’s cost were unexpectedly complex, stretching over several days last week. Hoffenheim held out for a higher price but the proposed deal was discussed at Elland Road – and at shareholder level, who would foot the bill.
Georginio Rutter’s performances for Hoffenheim convinced Leeds to sign him (Photo: Christian Kasper-Bartke/Getty Images)
Leeds is majority-owned by Andrea Radrizzani, its president since 2017, but 49ers Enterprises, the investment arm of the San Francisco 49ers NFL The franchise controls more than 40 percent of the club and has been targeting full ownership for some time.
Option to get leads from Radrizzani, As revealed by athletic, runs through January 2024, but 49ers Enterprises is considering moving forward with its takeover before that date. Talks about the proposed transition have recently intensified and figures attached to the deal expect a sale by summer at the latest.
49ers Enterprises’ active role in supporting Rutter’s bid and agreeing to meet future payments for him is another strong sign of an ownership change. Leeds, like most clubs, will make payments to run on the new signing’s contract – Rutter’s runs until 2028 – and it is likely that the 49ers will be responsible for meeting many of those installments.
Spurs offer £12m Trossard
Leandro TrossardBrighton’s future looks like it’s going to end later His public controversy With head coach Dee Gerby last week, writes Andy Naylor.
Trossard’s agent, Josie Comhair, claimed his client was no longer on speaking terms with De Gerby after a row with another Brighton player effectively ruled Trossard out of first-team consideration.
Kamher has called on Brighton to facilitate a move for the Belgium international this month, but it is unclear what his options might be.
Tottenham A verbal offer of around £12 million was made for Trossard which was rejected by Brighton, who valued him much higher. That casual interest has not been pursued since.
De Zerby made the suggestion after Brighton’s 3-0 win Liverpool that The door remained open to Trossard To return to his team if he accepts his way of doing things.
“I’m fine with myself and I’m ready to open the door for him, because he’s a good guy and a very important player for us,” he said.
“He changes the team, but he has to understand my approach and work, my way, because I am the coach. I set the rules inside the dressing room.
Hudson-Odoi faces summer D-Day
Callum Hudson-Odoi will make a decision on his Chelsea future this summer, writes Simon Johnson.
The winger is currently on a season-long loan after being offered a five-year deal in 2019 after turning down the chance to join Bayern Munich. Bayer Leverkusen To get regular first team football.
A combination of a serious Achilles injury four years ago and former manager Thomas Tuchel’s selection policy has limited him to just 66 starts for Chelsea, and Graham Potter likes the player. Signature of Mykhailo Mudryk Only added to the competition for places under attack.
A number of clubs across Europe are keen on 22-year-old Hudson-Odoi and have started registering their interest this month. He is likely to be available for a bargain fee as he will only have 12 months left on his contract in the summer.
Callum Hudson-Odoi is currently on loan at Bayer Leverkusen (Photo: Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images)
Chelsea will have to give him a contract extension or risk losing him on a free transfer. Hudson-Odoi will be able to start talks with overseas clubs in January 2024 about joining as a free agent at the end of next season.
Another factor in Hudson-Odoi’s thinking would be if Chelsea signed him on loan Joao Felix Permanent in summer.
Hudson-Odoi does not want to rush into any decisions and is focusing on continuing his promising form for Bayer Leverkusen, where he has made 15 appearances.
Fraser and Darlow can leave Newcastle
Ryan Fraser Newcastle United are free to leave this month, but a lack of offers for the club’s fringe players is likely to affect Eddie Howe’s plans before the January window closes, writes Chris Waugh.
The 28-year-old is seen as Newcastle’s most salable asset with players accepting mid-season loser Howe. The Newcastle boss is looking to make room in his squad for a defensive midfield signing. Howe already has 27 senior players and can only register 25 for the remainder of the campaign. Newcastle are also keen to reduce the burden on their wage bill by moving to some peripheral figures.
At the start of pre-season, Fraser asked to leave. However, Newcastle’s failure to sign the wide forward prevented him from moving despite interest from Southampton and Bournemouth.
Ryan Fraser is surplus to requirements at Newcastle (Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
Fraser has started just three league games this season and has not played for Newcastle since October. Howe is reluctant to risk him this month, fearing he picks up an injury that scuppers his chances of a January move.
Newcastle Fraser prefer to sell but will consider loan offers. He could also give permission Carl Darlow To leave, they have five senior goalkeepers to follow Martin DubravkaHe has been recalled from his Manchester United loan.
Howe’s signing potential isn’t based on Newcastle’s outgoing business, but bringing in new faces will help his chances.
Hughton in the frame for the Ghana job
Chris Hughton is a contender to become the new head coach Ghana Men’s National Team, writes Andy Naylor.
The former Newcastle and Brighton manager was appointed as the country’s technical adviser in February but his contract expired after the World Cup, when Ghana crashed out of the group stage.
Former Ghana international Otto Addo stepped down as head coach in December, 11 months after being appointed. He expressed his desire to leave the Ghana Football Association after the tournament in Qatar.
Chris Hughton acted as Ghana’s technical advisor during the World Cup (Photo: Stephen McCarthy – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
The Ghana FA said last week that about 60 people had applied for the position and none were from Ghana.
Hughton, 64, has not worked as a manager since being sacked in September 2021. Nottingham Forest.
He wants to be No.1 again and is keen on the Ghanaian role but is open to a return to club management if the Black Stars decide to pursue other options.
The new multi-club frontier? Poland
In the week that new Bournemouth boss Bill Foley added a stake in French side Lorient to his portfolio of sports teams, one of the pioneers of the multi-club ownership model moved closer to its first addition back east, writes Matt Slater.
Pacific Media Group (PMG), which has full or partial stakes in seven teams from seven countries, including BarnsleyKaiserslautern and Oostende are close to completing a deal for Polish second-tier side GKS Tychy.
Based in Poland’s industrial heartland, the club can trace its history back to the early 1970s and has enjoyed two spells in their country’s top division, the most recent in the mid-1990s. Like many Polish teams, it is currently majority owned by the local council.
PMG, run by American investor Paul Conway and his Chinese-American partner Chien Li, has been looking to invest in Poland for more than a year, as the Polish market has experienced significant volatility.
With a population of around 40 million, Poland is the fifth largest country in the European Union, its national team has qualified for the last two Euros and the World Cup, and there are now Polish players plying their trade in the continent’s top-flight leagues. . That last point is especially important since PMG’s business plan is based on player-trading.
And PMG is not the only US-funded multi-club conglomerate eyeing the country, with IT billionaire Michael Dale’s investment firm MSD Partners partner Robert Platek in talks to buy another Polish second-division club, LKS Lodz. Playtech owns Casa Pia in Portugal and Spezia in Italy.
With several lucrative deals already snapped up in Belgium, France and the Netherlands, value-seeking multi-club investors will follow PMG and Platek to Poland and other less developed football markets.
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