To quote Dominic Shaw, Middlesbrough Editor for Teesside Live, in November 2020: ‘Anfernee Dijksteel is getting better by the week. His game is maturing by the week. He’s growing in confidence by the week. Imagine what he’ll be at the end of this season, never mind in a couple of years.’   Fifteen months of…

Niklas Süle’s football education had started at Eintracht Frankfurt’s youth academy which preceded a short stint at minnows SV Darmstadt.   He joined Hoffenheim’s academy in 2010 while current Manchester United manager, Ralf Rangnick was manager. This was a few years after German businessman and SAP co-founder, Dietmar Hopp decided to invest into the club from Sinsheim…

Domenico Berardi has arguably been one of the most exciting players Italy has produced in the last decade or so. Despite a period in his career when he was struggling with injuries, the 27-year-old has become a talisman for provincial club Sassuolo since it first played in Serie A back in 2013/14.   Although Juventus…

After bursting onto the scene with Hull City as a young and exciting attacker, natural comparisons were bound to happen.   Keane Lewis-Potter might well be the new Jarrod Bowen for Hull, a tricky player for opponents to handle with pace, an unpredictability to his game and an eye for goal.   Scoring for fun…

“I knew I was good enough; I just needed a platform…obviously it has come this season, and I have took it well.”   These were the words of Trevoh Chalobah ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Luton in the FA Cup. The 22-year-old has been a revelation at the heart of Chelsea’s backline this season, but…

On July 28, 2019, Filipe Luís joined Flamengo on a free transfer, returning to Brazil after 15 years abroad. He ended a glorious spell with Atlético Madrid that was interrupted only by an ill-fated season at José Mourinho’s Chelsea.   The long-haired left back left behind an unforgettable career, one in which he lifted domestic…

Matthijs De Ligt grabbed the attention of the football world as a young defender who had emerged from the Ajax youth academy and became an integral part of the senior squad.   At the tender age of 19, he led the Amsterdammers to the semi-finals of the Champions League in 2018/19, defeating some illustrious clubs…

England has always produced centre-backs who look like Max Kilman. He’s 6-foot-4, capable in the air, and is more than happy to engage in physical contests.   From a distance, he bears similarities to someone like Craig Dawson, the archetypal ‘head it, punt it, tackle it’ defender who defined the nation’s approach for a generation.…

One of the first things to do when a relatively obscure striker is reported to be {signing for your club} is head to a reliable stats page. A simple one highlighting goals and assist will do. And that’s just what Newcastle fans did.   There, they would have seen that Joelinton scored seven times the season…

From Chelsea academy graduate to rising Premier League star, Valentino Livramento has emerged as England’s latest gem.   Despite a rough start to the 2021–22 Premier League season for Southampton, the Saints have recently been a force to reckon with, leaping up to 9th in the table with 35 points after 26 matches played.  …