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Aston Villa enjoyed a busy few months of business throughout the summer transfer window as they bolstered Unai Emery's playing squad with a number of new additions.

Who did Aston Villa sign this summer?

The headline signing for the Villans was the £51.9m capture of France international Moussa Diaby from Bundesliga outfit Bayer Leverkusen, which smashed the club's transfer record and showed the ambition of the side this season.

Emery also dipped back to his former club, Villarreal, to secure a £35m swoop to sign Spain international Pau Torres to improve his options at the heart of the defence.

Villa also bolstered their midfield with the arrivals of Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City, who were relegated to the Championship, and Nicolo Zaniolo on a season-long loan from Turkish giants Galatasaray.

The Villans were then forced back into the market to sign another central defender as former captain Tyrone Mings suffered a horrible knee injury that is set to keep him out for a significant period of time.

This led to Emery completing a deal to bring in French enforcer Clement Lenglet on a season-long loan from Barcelona as cover for the England international.

However, the Spanish boss could have saved the club millions in loan fees and wages for the ex-Spurs loanee by unleashing academy ace Josh Feeney as Mings' replacement.

Who is Josh Feeney?

The 18-year-old centre-back has been an impressive performer for the academy side in recent seasons and earned himself a call-up to the first-team squad for the recent Europa Conference League qualifiers against Hibernian, although he did not receive any minutes on the pitch in either leg.

Despite only turning 18 in May, the talented youngster has already racked up 43 U21 appearances for Villa as he made his breakthrough at the age of 16 during the 2021/22 campaign, in which he appeared in 16 Premier League 2 matches and scored twice.

Feeney almost bypassed U18 level entirely, with only seven outings in that age group, with this highlighting how highly rated he is within the club. Indeed, the youth coaches clearly believed that the 6 foot 3 titan was good enough to play with and against much older players on a regular basis.

The towering brute's performances have also been recognised by his country as the excellent prospect has been capped 13 times by England's U16, U17, and U18s combined.

He has also captained the U18 team on several occasions, which suggests that the Villa teen is able to offer the leadership qualities that Mings, who was the club's captain prior to John McGinn taking the armband, provided at the heart of the defence.

Feeney's former coach Phil Hulme once claimed that the central defender has the ability to "dominate" opposition players by winning the ball back off an attacker before driving forward to set his team up on the counter in possession, indicating that he is an aggressive player who wants to be on the front foot and would suit a forward-playing side.

His displays for the club in the EFL Trophy have further shown that he has the potential to be a superb first-team player.

The English prodigy made 3.5 tackles/interceptions and seven clearances per game across two appearances in the competition last season, whilst he also won 57% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

This came after Feeney averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 over two EFL Trophy matches during the 2021/22 campaign with five tackles/interceptions and 2.5 clearances per match alongside a duel success rate of 71%.

These statistics suggest that the potential is there for the teenager to be a solid operator for Emery if given the opportunity to shine in a senior environment, particularly when you compare them to Lenglet's at Tottenham.

How did Clement Lenglet perform last season?

The France international spent the season on loan with Spurs from Barcelona and struggled to deliver consistently impressive performances at the back.

He averaged a dismal Sofascore rating of 6.65 across 26 Premier League appearances and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions and 2.6 clearances per game for his side as a central defender.

That rating would have placed him 19th within the Villa squad last term and among their worst-performing players, illustrating how poorly he performed for then-Antonio Conte's side.

The 28-year-old, who won 54% of his ground duels, also allowed opposition players to go past him far too easily as he was dribbled past 0.7 times per match. To put that into context, Feeney was dribbled past just 0.5 times per outing across his two EFL Trophy seasons.

Therefore, the 18-year-old colossus could offer more to Emery than the Barcelona loanee if his academy form can be translated over to the first team. Indeed, his ability to consistently win possession back for his side and deliver a higher average performance level to go along with his superior strength in physical contests bodes extremely well.

Feeney's EFL Trophy form also stacks up well against Mings' Premier League displays last term.

The former Bournemouth star averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.91 and made 1.9 tackles and interceptions and 4.5 clearances per clash, whilst he also won 51% of his battles on the deck.

This suggests that the England U18 international, who has often been deployed as a left-sided centre-back in spite of being right-footed, could step up to be an excellent stand-in for his compatriot.

Ezri Konsa, Diego Carlos, and Pau Torres appear to be Emery's first choices for the central defensive positions as it stands, meaning that Mings' replacement is not needed as a regular first-team starter, so bringing an academy prospect up could have been an ideal solution.

Instead of spending money on Lenglet for a season, the head coach could have offered a chance to Feeney be around the senior group week-in-week-out, which could also have aided his development by learning from the likes of Torres and Carlos.

Therefore, the signing of the Barcelona flop could end up being a mistake by the club, particularly if he replicates the poor performances he showed during his time with Spurs.

Burnley’s proposed deal to sign Arsenal central midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga is now “complicated”, and a reliable journalist has revealed the reason why.

How old is Albert Sambi Lokonga?

Lokonga is 23 years of age and has been plying his trade at the Emirates Stadium since 2021 having joined from Anderlecht, but after spending the second half of last season out on loan at Crystal Palace, he’s clearly out of favour under Mikel Arteta and has therefore attracted interest from Turf Moor.

The Clarets reportedly entered advanced talks over an initial loan swoop with an option to buy for the Belgium international last month, and whilst he had an opportunity to make the move overseas to Spain, Vincent Kompany having managed him in the past, alongside his desire to prove he’s capable of competing in the Premier League, they held the advantage.

Since then, Football Insider had claimed that the Gunners star reached a full agreement to put pen to paper following a breakthrough in negotiations, though it would appear that the move is now severely at risk of falling through after a face-to-face discussion didn’t go as well as both parties would have hoped.

Are Burnley signing Albert Sambi Lokonga?

Taking to X, Sacha Tavolieri revealed that Burnley and Lokonga didn’t see eye-to-eye over the finer details of his switch, and therefore, chiefs have temporarily stopped pursuing him and could miss out on his signature with the player also being monitored by AS Monaco. He wrote:

“While discussions on loan deal with mandatory option were fluid with #ArsenalFC… Been told Sambi Lokonga’s side meeting with #BurnleyFC about personal terms didn’t meet expectations and that it’s now more complicated than expected. Also the reason why it’s been so quiet since the 2nd of August.

"#ASMonaco (who was on the player even before his transfer to #AFC) still got an interest for the Belgian midfielder & took information recently but nothing concrete so far. To be continued towards the end of the window.”

How much does Albert Sambi Lokonga earn?

At Arsenal, Lokonga currently pockets £50k-per-week, which he isn’t really earning considering his lack of game time, but that could all change should he sign on the dotted line at Burnley.

He’s been dubbed a “tireless” runner and "aggressive tackler" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, and last season ranked in the 97th percentile for pass completion and won ten out of his 13 tackles made at Crystal Palace, so is super calm and composed in possession and loves to get stuck in.

The youngster is also capable of getting involved in the final third having posted 12 goal contributions (eight assists and four goals) since the start of his career.

Furthermore, Lokonga is a versatile operator having previously been deployed in four different positions, including in defensive, attacking and on the right side of a midfield alongside usual role in the centre circle.

We think he’d be a great option for the boss to have in the building should any unexpected injuries ever occur and they shoud be nailing down those last few details to get this one done.

MatériaMais Notícias

Pela quinta rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro da Série B no próximo sábado (22), o CRB jogará em seus domínios, no Estádio Rei Pelé, diante do Vitória às 21h30.

As duas equipes tiveram um começo de torneio semelhante no aproveitamento, tendo nesse momento o Regatiano sete pontos ganhos na quinta colocação (apenas três unidades a menos do que o líder Paraná) e o Nego seis unidades na oitava posição.

Apesar da proximidade com a parte alta, o fato de atuar na próxima quarta-feira (26) diante do Cruzeiro na volta da Copa do Brasil (venceu o embate de ida por 2 a 0 em pleno Mineirão) deve conduzir o técnico Marcelo Cabo a poupar algumas peças do plantel. Com isso, nomes que poderiam retornar a lista de opções após recuperação de lesões como o lateral-esquerdo Igor, o zagueiro Ewerton Páscoa e o meio-campista Claudinei devem seguir de fora.

O Vitória também tem compromisso pela competição em formato mata-mata na próxima semana, precisando reverter a desvantagem contraída na Arena Castelão frente ao Ceará por 1 a 0. Todavia, até o momento, não houveram indicativos de nomes poupados, pelo contrário.

Reforço recentemente contratados pelo Rubro-Negro de Salvador, o meio-campista Lucas Cândido teve seu nome publicado no Boletim Informativo Diário da CBF e, assim como Fernando Neto e sua extensão contratual também figurando no BID, se tornaram alternativas para o técnico Bruno Pivetti.

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Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is expected to receive an offer to extend his contract at the club, according to manager Unai Emery.

When did Ollie Watkins join Aston Villa?

England’s seven-cap international first arrived in the Midlands from Premier League rivals Brentford back in 2020, and during his three years at the club so far, he’s clocked up a total of 116 appearances to date whilst becoming one of the most integral members of the manager’s squad.

The Villans centre-forward still has another two years to run on his deal, but having emerged as his side’s both offensive and overall best-performing player last season with a WhoScored match rating of 6.96, he’s bound to attract some kind of interest during the ongoing window.

Back in April, the Daily Mail reported that the 27-year-old had entered talks regarding putting pen to paper on an extension, but obviously, nothing has since come to fruition and it’s important that it does should NSWE and Monchi not want to lose their prized asset.

Is Ollie Watkins signing a new contract at Aston Villa?

As per Birmingham's Live John Townley, Emery was asked where Aston Villa were at with regards to fresh terms for Watkins, to which the manager gave a hugely promising response.

He said: "The idea is of course to extend his contract because we are very happy with him and he is our striker, not only him because we also have Jhon Duran and Cameron Archer. We have to use every player and we need other players as well to help and support us. Ollie Watkins’ experiences, his capacity and his commitment to Aston Villa is very important and it’s very important to try and get him for a long time."

How many goals has Ollie Watkins scored?

In the Premier League last season, Watkins racked up 21 goal contributions (15 goals and six assists) over the course of the campaign so played a major role in the club’s success having secured qualification for the Europa Conference League, and being offered a new contract would be nothing less than the striker deserves.

The Under Armour client, who earns £75k-per-week, also recorded a total of 84 shots which was the highest number out of the whole of the squad, via FBRef, and even proved to be an extremely useful target man, averaging 1.9 aerial wins per top-flight game, displaying the excellent physical presence that he has up top.

The Torquay-born talent, who has the versatility to operate in six different positions across the attack, has additionally been dubbed the “perfect” player for his impressive performances by journalist Josh Bunting and it is hard to imagine what the boss would have done without him at his disposal during the previous term.

Aston Villa will obviously want to continue spending their summer bringing in even more fresh faces having already secured the signings of Youri Tielemans, Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby, but it's equally as important that Emery is able to retain the services of Watkins because there's no doubt that he will carry on being a key player for his side moving forward.

Tottenham Hotspur could make a bid to sign Barcelona midfielder Franck Kessie "next week" if they sell Harry Kane, and it is believed he "would welcome" a move to England.

Who will Spurs sign?

Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou has been backed with three major signings so far this summer, not including Tottenham's permanent deals for defender Pedro Porro and forward Dejan Kulusevski.

The north Londoners have reinforced their goalkeeping department with the signing of Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli for around £17.2 million, and he was followed closely by England international star James Maddison.

Winger Manor Solomon, after an impressive spell on loan at Fulham last campaign, then joined on a free transfer from Shakhtar Donetsk – with the trio of new additions making their Spurs debuts in pre-season.

Attention now turns to star centre-backs, and it is believed they're eyeing two senior defensive signings for that area of the pitch, which doesn't include their potential deal for Blackburn Rovers starlet Ashley Phillips.

"That's definitely our intention, absolutely," said Postecoglou when asked about signing new defenders.

"We've been working on it for a while and we'll definitely try to get it done as quickly as possible.

"I don't think it's any secret about some of the areas we needed to strengthen. Some of it I identified early on. The goalkeeper was one and central defence is another.

"In terms of the other boys, we've got a big squad but my view is I wanted to bring them along and just work with them, get some clarity in my head and give clarity to them."

Elsewhere, as Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg edges closer to Atletico Madrid, Spurs may well look for a replacement if he does go. Star striker Kane's future is also shrouded with uncertainty, coming as Bayern Munich make a serious push for him.

Now, according to Spanish news outlet Sport, one midfield ace attracting Postecoglou's serious interest is Kessie of Barca.

Tottenham have apparently "warned" the La Liga champions that they could make an offer him just "next week" – if they receive funds from Kane's potential sale.

Kessie, who is a real candidate for the chopping block as Barca look to get rid of one player per position, is apparently considered an interesting player at Spurs.

The £199,000-per-week ace, for his part, "would welcome" a move to the Premier League as Tottenham eye a move.

How good is Franck Kessie?

His best season at the top level arguably came at AC Milan during the 2020/2021 season, where he racked up a brilliant 13 goals and four assists in 27 Serie A appearances (WhoScored).

These numbers indicate that Kessie is a serious threat from midfield when at his very best, with former Spurs keeper Paul Robinson once claiming he could be a good fit.

"Kessie would fit the bill," said Robinson to Football Insider.

"He is strong, quick and effective at both ends of the pitch. He ticks a lot of boxes.

“There is no doubting that he is an amazing player. The question is, would he come in and command a starting spot? Hojbjerg and Bentancur have done extremely well. [Yves] Bissouma has struggled to get a look in at times."

Manchester United are still looking at a number of different strikers, but Atalanta forward Rasmus Hojlund is their "most flexible option", transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has recently told GiveMeSport.

What's the latest on Rasmus Hojlund to Man United?

Hojlund has now agreed personal terms ahead of a potential move to Old Trafford, with the Atalanta forward promising he'll join Man United, and he is currently waiting for the move to be agreed, with reports indicating the Italian side could request £50m.

The striker has previously admitted that he is a "huge" United fan, so it is evident why he is keen on the move, but not everyone is convinced he should be the Red Devils' main target, with talkSPORT's Ade Oladipo recently saying:

"This can't be the guy that leads United to a title chase, he got ten goals last season, when we talk about Kane and Osimhen as the top tier bracket, he's not even in the bracket below that, or the bracket below that. He's about five or six brackets below, if we're being brutally honest."

While Oladipo is not convinced by the 20-year-old, he may have to become Man United's main target, as they are being priced out of a deal for Victor Osimhen, with Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis claiming only Paris Saint-Germain can afford the Nigerian, who could now cost €200m (£170m).

In an interview with GiveMeSport, Romano has made it clear that a move for Harry Kane will also be tricky, saying: “I'm sure they have many options here. It's not just one.

“Hojlund is one of them. They started the summer dreaming of Harry Kane, but we know how complicated the Kane situation is, and Bayern are still there. So, this is why they are moving on to different options.

“Currently, Hojlund is the most flexible option for Man Utd.”

Which striker are Man United signing?

A move for Osimhen appears to be completely out of the question, given that Erik ten Hag is working with a £100m budget this summer, and Hojlund would be a much more affordable option at £50m, but there are question marks over the Denmark international.

As pointed out by Oladipo, the youngster is yet to prove himself at the top level, scoring ten goals for Atalanta in all competitions last season, although it is probably harsh to be too critical, given that it was his first season in one of Europe's "big five" leagues.

That said, it is still not a particularly impressive goal return, and United have been linked with players of a similar age, who have performed much better than Hojlund over the course of the past year.

The Red Devils have recently firmed up their interest in 22-year-old Benfica marksman Goncalo Ramos, who they are expected to make an approach for, fresh off the back of a season in which he scored 27 goals in all competitions.

Not only that, Ramos also impressed at the World Cup, scoring a hat-trick for Portugal in a fantastic display against Switzerland, proving he could be a viable alternative to the Atalanta striker.

Match Facts

March 28, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900 GMT)Bangladesh won only their second ODI in Sri Lanka to take a lead in the series•AFP

Big Picture

A win in a landmark Test, post-match calls from the prime minister, outstanding performances from debutants, seniors producing their best work – this hastily arranged tour was only supposed to be the postscript to Bangladesh’s high-profile visits to New Zealand and India, but now has the makings of a dream tour.Consider how dominant Sri Lanka have been against Bangladesh in the past. Muttiah Muralitharan’s record is sometimes attacked for containing too many Bangladesh wickets. Kumar Sangakkara looked bored while hitting half of his hundreds against them. Now, tables are turned, boots have switched feet, and the vanquishers are on the verge of becoming vanquished. Before Saturday, Bangladesh had won only one ODI in 15 attempts in Sri Lanka – and that, too, a rain-affected match that became a little chancy towards the end. Now they have crushed Sri Lanka by 90 runs, have players in form, and have possibly become favourites on an away tour.Not that Sri Lanka balk at the underdog tag. Often it’s when little is expected of them that they are at their most stirring. But in reality, this is a team that have now lost six ODIs in a row, have been defeated in five of their last six home one-dayers, and are operating without their best player – Angelo Mathews.Failed strategies have been curiously persisted with too. Sri Lanka have stacked their XI with allrounders, which seems to routinely leave them a bowler short in the death overs. They seem to constantly try to make limited-overs stars out of promising Test players, who might be better left to develop in one format (20-year-old Lahiru Kumara being a prime example). There is also the fielding, which we won’t go into again, because if you are a Sri Lanka fan, it will only want to make you cry.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLL

In the spotlight

It is time to talk about Thisara Perera – perhaps Sri Lanka’s best batsman of the first ODI, where he hit 55 off 35 balls. Is he a batsman who can bowl a bit? Well, in 18 innings since the start of 2015, he has averaged 14.23 with the bat. Is he then a bowler who bats a bit? This seems even less likely, as since the start of 2015, he averages 54.33 with the ball, and concedes runs at 6.63 an over. His role in the team seems unclear.He has often found ways to be overshadowed in Sri Lanka, but Mehedi Hasan has been consistently effective, and has been a key contributor to Bangladesh’s success through this tour. On ODI debut on Saturday, Mehedi took the new ball – a task only experienced spinners are usually saddled with – and delivered a five-over spell that yielded one wicket and cost only 17, helping sink Sri Lanka’s chase early. Mehedi has also been an enthusiastic contributor with the bat and in the field. Here is a player worth keeping tabs on.

Team news

Niroshan Dickwella was set to be available after suspension, only he has got himself injured and is now out of series. In his place Sri Lanka have drafted in offspinner Dilruwan Perera, while also strengthening their fast-bowling options with the addition of Nuwan Pradeep and Nuwan Kulasekara to the squad. There is a chance one of these new additions will play – Kulasekara the most likely. There is also some concern about a niggle to Suranga Lakmal.Sri Lanka: (possible) 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Upul Tharanga (capt), 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Dhananjaya de Silva/Sachith Pathirana, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal/Nuwan Pradeep, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Lakshan SandakanBangladesh may retain their winning XI, although Mashrafe Mortaza said he was not afraid to make changes if conditions demanded.Bangladesh: (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

A little extra grass has been left on the Dambulla surface, so it may not be as given to turn as the previous one. The weather is expected to be mostly fine.

Stats and trivia

• Sri Lanka have now lost their last three matches at Dambulla. They had lost two ODIs to Australia there last year.
• If Bangladesh whitewash Sri Lanka in the series, they will move to sixth on the ODI rankings list, and displace Sri Lanka to seventh.

Quotes

“We have [previously] broken our winning combination against India and South Africa in 2015. The wicket tomorrow may be different, so we have to keep that in mind.”

Quinton de Kock said he wasn’t affected by facing Jeetan Patel despite falling to the spinner in his last four international innings, and just focused on turning the pressure around on the hosts

Firdose Moonda in Wellington17-Mar-2017

Quinton de Kock “knew straightaway” that he would come up against Jeetan Patel, but instead of dreading facing the offspinner who had dismissed him in his last four innings, de Kock was “not at all” anxious. Quite the opposite.”I was looking forward to the battle again,” de Kock said.Patel was brought on to bowl the last over before lunch, nine balls after de Kock had arrived at the crease, and de Kock decided he would not be done in. “I have played against so many offspinners in my life. I know Jeetan is a good bowler and he has me four out of four but I knew I could still get on top of him if I just put my head down,” de Kock said. “It happened today, so it was nice to finally get one over him.”Not only did de Kock survive Patel, but he also combined with Temba Bavuma to wrest the advantage in South Africa’s favour.”We knew the pressure was on us. The mindset was to somehow shift the pressure onto them. I didn’t want to get bogged down, so the only way forward that I knew was to play my natural game,” de Kock said. “I was obviously a little bit more aggressive than usual, but it was something that needed to be done.”Bavuma and de Kock scored 114 runs in 28 overs in the second session as the surface eased.”As conditions flattened out, they made the most of it and played well,” New Zealand fast bowler Neil Wagner conceded. “Full credit to de Kock and Bavuma, who showed lot patience and grafted through that period. You expect that from a quality team.”While de Kock already regarded South Africa’s 81-run lead as good enough and anything more “a bonus,” Wagner said New Zealand were “pretty happy with the position they are in.” Southerly winds are set to pick up on Saturday, which will make bowling tough for South Africa, and if New Zealand can make sure they set a decent target, Wagner hopes Patel can still have a say – if not on de Kock, then on the outcome of the match.”If it’s a southerly and quite cold, it’s going be tough work [to bowl]. It’s quite hard to control your length and line at times,” Wagner said. “I think Jeets [Patel] is definitely in the game. It does tend to bounce here and the footmarks deteriorate. It depends on how it deteriorates but Jeets definitely has a big role for us in the second innings.”

An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to find a replacement for recently-departed manager Ange Postecoglou this summer…

What's the latest on Rik de Mil to Celtic?

According to Football Scotland, the Hoops have added Rik de Mil to their list of targets as they attempt to draw up a shortlist of coaches to take over at Parkhead.

The report claims that the club have been keeping tabs on the Club Brugge assistant manager and are joined by a number of European and Belgian teams in doing so.

It states that the 41-year-old is one of a number of candidates being considered by the Scottish giants with Brendan Rodgers, Enzo Maresca and Graham Potter named as other possible contenders for the job.

Would Rik de Mil be a success at Celtic?

Majority shareholder Dermot Desmond could uncover a dream replacement for Postecoglou by swooping for De Mil as could be a big success in Scotland.

The Club Brugge assistant, who Football Scotland claim is a "serious prospect with a top coaching career ahead of him", was given an opportunity to shine as the first-team manager for the first time earlier this year after Scott Parker was relieved of his duties and made an instant impact.

He won four of his six regular season games in the Pro League after the English head coach won two of his ten matches in the Belgian top-flight, but that was not enough to stop the club from appointing ex-Hoops boss Ronny Deila.

De Mil, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, described his Brugge side as a "team putting forward pressure, trying to pin back its opponent high upfield."

He added: "There's still room for improvement when it comes to transition. Play it out a bit better at some moments, would have resulted in more goals. Those are some working points, absolutely, but I did see a dominant team in possession, finding space more easily."

These comments suggest that the Belgian tactician wants his team to dominate games and press high up the pitch to push the opposition's defence back and prevent them from building attacks of their own, which is akin to the way that Postecoglou set up his Celtic side with his high-pressing attacking style.

De Mil's limited experience as a senior manager means that it would be a gamble for Desmond to appoint him but the same could have been said about the club's last boss as the Australian had never managed in Europe but the 57-year-old ended up winning five trophies in two seasons at Parkhead.

Therefore, this could be a risk worth taking for Celtic as the talented Belgian has shown promise in his short managerial career to date and has a style of play that the supporters could connect with given the similarities to Postecoglou's philosophy of dominating with a high press.

Leeds United have reportedly "opened talks" with Carlos Carvalhal over becoming their new manager this summer, according to a fresh rumour regarding the search for a new boss.

Which managers are Leeds linked with?

It has been a period to forget at Elland Road over the past 12 months or so, with the club getting through three different managers en route to being relegated from the Premier League.

Amid the new takeover from 49ers Enterprises, Leeds are now working hard on finding a new boss, with so many different names linked with the job in the weeks since their relegation was confirmed.

The likes of Brendan Rodgers, Graham Potter, Steven Gerrard, Carlos Corberan and Scott Parker have all been mooted as potential successors to Sam Allardyce, but no clear favourite has emerged in the race yet.

Now, a new name has been thrown into the hat – someone with plenty of experience in English football in the past.

Are Whites in talks with Carvalhal?

According to iG Esporte [via Sport Witness], Leeds have "already opened talks" in "recent days" with Carvalhal, suggesting that he is considered a strong option to come in and lead the promotion charge at Elland Road.

The 57-year-old is "free in the market" currently, having left his post as Celta Vigo manager earlier this year, although Brazilian side Atletico-MG are also believed to be eyeing him up.

Carvalhal could be an interesting appointment by Leeds if they get a move over the line, having previously managed Sheffield Wednesday and Swansea City in the past. He got the former into the Championship playoff final in 2016, and the semi-finals the following year, although he only lasted approximately six months with the latter.

The Portuguese is now a hugely experienced manager, having taken charge of teams all over the world, from Sporting CP to Besiktas, and he also won the Portuguese Cup with Braga in 2021.

There are question marks over whether Carvalhal is the strongest contender to come in, though, considering the likes of Rodgers and Potter are arguably more highly thought of currently, having been established Premier League managers for a while now, despite admittedly both losing their jobs earlier in the campaign.

Meanwhile, someone like Daniel Farke has won promotion from the Championship twice in the past, during his time at Norwich City, which is something Carvalhal has never managed, so he could be a safer pair of hands.