Benfica presidential candidate Joao Noronha Lopes has sensationally confirmed that he has been in talks with Manchester City star Bernardo Silva “for a long time” about a return to his boyhood club. Speaking during a campaign debate ahead of November’s decisive election, Lopes reiterated his promise to bring the Portuguese international back to Lisbon if elected.

• Benfica presidential candidate aims to sign Silva if elected

  Benfica’s presidential race has taken another dramatic turn as Noronha Lopes doubled down on his ambitious pledge to re-sign Manchester City superstar Silva. Speaking during a televised debate on Thursday, the 54-year-old businessman confirmed that he has been in direct contact with the Portuguese midfielder “for a long time” regarding a possible homecoming. The revelation comes just days after Rui Costa narrowly edged the first round of voting, with neither candidate securing a majority and a run-off now scheduled for November 8.

  Silva, a Benfica academy graduate who made only three senior appearances before leaving for Monaco in 2014, has long been regarded as one of the club’s great lost talents. Despite enjoying a glittering career in England under Pep Guardiola, where he has won multiple Premier League titles and the Champions League, the idea of finishing his career back at the Estadio da Luz has remained close to his heart. Noronha Lopes has made the midfielder’s return a central promise of his campaign, declaring it a “symbolic” move that would represent a new era for the club.

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Noronha Lopes claims he is in contact with Silva

  Lopes reiterated his position at Thursday’s debate, insisting that his communication with Silva has been consistent and genuine. “I really want to bring him back,” he said [h/t SAPO Portugal]. “I’ve been talking to him for a long time. I repeat what I said at the beginning of the campaign, and I’ll say it again now: with me, the president will return. I’m not setting deadlines. He’s someone I admire; he’s a great Benfica supporter.”

  He continued by stressing his respect for Silva’s current commitments at Manchester City, saying he understands why the player has not spoken publicly on the issue. “Bernardo makes his own decisions,” Lopes added. “I perfectly understand that he doesn’t take a public position regarding the elections.”

  The Benfica presidential hopeful’s comments follow previous claims from September, when he revealed that a contract offer for Silva was already “waiting.” While Manchester City have no immediate plans to sell their vice-captain, the Portuguese international’s contract runs until June 2026, making a deal theoretically possible.

  These latest remarks echo his earlier interview with A Bola in September, where Lopes claimed that a formal contract was already in place. “Yes, I can confirm that a contract is waiting for Bernardo Silva,” he told the outlet. “And I really want to bring him in in January. He embodies everything I want for Benfica: identity, a winning culture, and he’s a true Benfica fan. And I can assure you that we won’t stop here.”

• Bernardo Silva and his boyhood Benfica dream

  Silva’s story is deeply entwined with Benfica’s history. Born in Lisbon, he joined the club’s youth academy at just eight years old and spent over a decade rising through the ranks, earning acclaim as one of Portugal’s brightest prospects. However, despite winning the Segunda Liga Breakthrough Player of the Year award with Benfica B, his first-team chances were limited to three domestic cup appearances before leaving for AS Monaco in 2014. It was there that his career exploded, with his creativity and intelligence helping Monaco claim the 2016–17 Ligue 1 title and reach the Champions League semi-finals.

  His brilliance soon attracted Manchester City, who signed him in 2017 for €50 million. Under Guardiola, Silva became one of Europe’s most complete midfielders — a tireless, technically gifted player, capable of dictating games from almost any role. His honours list includes six Premier League titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups, and the club’s first-ever Champions League crown in 2023.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• AFP
  

  Second round of Benfica presidential election scheduled for November 8

  The next step in this saga hinges on Benfica’s presidential election, which will take place on November 8 following a tightly contested first round. Rui Costa, the incumbent president, remains the favourite after leading the initial vote, but Noronha Lopes’ vow to bring Bernardo Silva home could yet swing public opinion. The promise has captured the imagination of supporters craving both ambition and nostalgia — qualities Lopes believes Silva perfectly embodies.

  Should Lopes triumph, immediate discussions with Manchester City are expected, though the financial challenge would be significant. Silva remains under contract until next summer and continues to play a vital role in Guardiola’s squad, meaning any approach would likely have to wait until the summer.

Leeds United aren’t going to be heading straight back down to the Championship without at least putting in a fight.

The last time the Whites were relegated back down to the EFL’s elite league, they only managed to accumulate a sorry 31 points from 38 matches, with a concerning 78 goals leaked.

Already, with just nine games played this time around, Leeds are occupying 15th spot in the Premier League with a promising 11 points tallied up, with an early Brenden Aaronson effort sealing a third league win of the season against relegation rivals West Ham United on Friday night.

This promising start bodes well for Leeds being able to remain as a Premier League team, with Match of the Day’s Gabby Logan revealing at the weekend that the last ten promoted sides who have got to that 11-point total after ten games have all beaten the drop.

Leeds will just want to remain steady as wins slowly but surely continue to be picked up, with Stuart Dallas previously playing the role of being a calming and reliable presence perfectly when past anxiety crept in at Elland Road.

Why Stuart Dallas is a Leeds icon

While the likes of Crysencio Summerville, Georginio Rutter, and Raphinha stick out in recent memory as flashy entertainers in West Yorkshire, the Northern Irishman always stood out as being “Mr Reliable” for the Whites, as he was once affectionately labelled by former Premier League great Kevin Phillips.

267 Leeds appearances would come Dallas’ way in total, with the 34-year-old only getting better as time went on in a Whites shirt, even as he navigated the tough step-up to the Premier League.

Eight goals would fall into the adaptable number 15’s lap during his first-ever top-flight campaign, with his ability to line up all across the pitch – which included Dallas even lining up as a defensive midfielder on one occasion – making him a dependable asset right up until an unfortunate injury ended his playing days.

As former Leeds manager David O’Leary put it back in 2021, Dallas epitomised the tag of being an “unsung hero” throughout his long-standing affiliation with the club, with the one-time Championship title winner always putting in a top shift when pulling on Leeds white.

Daniel Farke could well feel he’s unearthed a new Dallas-style revelation in his current ranks, with the ace in question similarly full-blooded with his commitment to the Leeds cause so far this season.

Farke's "unbelievable" new Stuart Dallas

Leeds’ impressive summer recruitment has undoubtedly helped them to keep their heads above the relegation zone during the early stages of the 38-game campaign.

Indeed, Noah Okafor has already been heralded as a key “difference-maker” by Leeds-based content creator Oscar Mario, and it’s hard to disagree with that assessment, as the lightning-quick winger already has two Premier League goals in his back pocket. Alongside the Swiss international, Sean Longstaff has also stood out as a sterling bit of business, having only cost a reasonable £12m to obtain back in July.

Already, Longstaff has been able to endear himself to his new set of supporters by hammering home strikes such as this one he emphatically fired home against AFC Bournemouth in late September, with Dallas still being remembered to this day for being a player that similarly scored some memorable goals, namely that famous breakaway strike that was put away at Manchester City under Marcelo Bielsa when Leeds had been reduced to ten men.

More importantly, though, as Leeds face another battle against the drop, the ex-Newcastle United midfielder has also displayed plenty of bite and fight that’s reminiscent of the now-retired 34-year-old in his Elland Road prime, with a combined eight tackles and duels won last time out against the Hammers.

Games played

9

Goals scored

1

Assists

2

Touches*

46.2

Accurate passes*

27.1

Key passes*

2.0

Big chances created

5

Tackles*

3.0

Ball recoveries*

3.0

Total duels won*

5.0

All-in-all, Longstaff just seems to have that perfect blend of skill and determination that Dallas also possessed in spades, with his eagerness to get stuck in and battle also regularly being coupled with a hunger to create openings and play on the front-foot, as seen in him creating a high five big chances so far this season, which hasn’t been surpassed by anyone else in the division.

He is, of course, still in the infancy of his Elland Road career, but if he keeps going in this same electric manner, he will surely etch his name into the West Yorkshire outfit’s hall-of-fame as another “unbelievable” – as he was once branded by Newcastle legend Alan Shearer – Premier League performer, alongside some revered company.

Better than Rodon: Leeds star who was "anonymous" is now undroppable

This Leeds United star was even better than Joe Rodon against West Ham United.

ByKelan Sarson Oct 26, 2025

U.S. men's national team star Tyler Adams’ standout season hit another milestone as the defensive midfielder scored his first Premier League goal, drawing Bournemouth level at 1-1 against Manchester City. Known more for his defensive work than his finishing touch, Adams had scored just three times across MLS and the Bundesliga before joining the Premier League in 2022.

Getty Images SportComing through in a big moment

Adams' Bournemouth were trailing due to a 17th-minute strike from Erling Haaland. In the 25th minute, the American helped his team respond with a bit of fortune, tapping in a corner in a crowded box. It was Adams' first goal in 65 Premier League appearances, and it also breaks a league scoreless streak that extends back to his time in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig. He last scored in the 2020-21 season for that club. 

AdvertisementWatch Adams' goalGetty Images SportStrong season continues for Adams

Adams has had goal contributions in his last two outings, but he's been a star on the defensive side of the ball. According to FotMob, he's in the 94th percentile among players at his position in the league for defensive contributions, and he's in the 65th percentile for aerial contributions.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

Getty Images SportA tough defeat

Despite Adams' goal, Bournemouth would lose 3-1 to Manchester City. 

Spinner takes season’s best but no result had long been inevitable

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay25-Jul-2025

Dom Bess took seven for 162 in Surrey’s hefty innings•Getty Images

Surrey 537 (Patel 92, Burns 78, Lawrence 78, Blake 72, Sibley 52, Bess 7-162) drew with Yorkshire 517 for 6 dec (Revis 110) and 120 for 5Surrey maintained their one-point lead over Nottinghamshire at the top of the Division One table but Yorkshire are back in the bottom two after both counties dotted the i’s and crossed the t’s on a high-scoring Rothesay County Championship draw at Scarborough today.Unbeaten champions Surrey’s seventh draw in 10 games yielded 14 bonus points and gives them a slender advantage with four rounds remaining having replied to a first-innings 517 for six declared with 537 all out shortly after lunch.Yorkshire, meanwhile, have slipped back into the second relegation place with their fourth draw. This yielded 13 points. Essex jumped above them with victory at Sussex. However, Durham are now firmly in the dogfight having lost to Somerset.Before a ball was bowled on day four, a draw was inevitable. Surrey started on 338 for four and went on to gain three more batting points, with Josh Blake’s 72 off 112 balls representing his maiden first-class fifty in his third game. When the players shook hands at 5.25pm, Yorkshire were 120 for five in their second innings.Yorkshire captain Jonny Bairstow was absent after his partner Megan went into labour at 5am this morning. Dom Bess took on the captaincy and returned a season’s best seven for 162 with his off-spin.Given the high-scoring nature of this weather-affected game, it was a surprise that Yorkshire all-rounder Matthew Revis was the only man to post a hundred – 110 not out in the first innings.Blake, 26, advanced from 10 overnight and was more poise and invention than powerful.Just before lunch, he was the sixth man in the match out in the seventies when stumped by substitute wicketkeeper Harry Duke off Adam Lyth’s part-time off-spin.New-ball seamer Jack White had Ryan Patel caught at mid-off for 92 during the opening stages of the day before Blake shared a sixth-wicket stand of 90 with Jordan Clark.That was key in helping impressive Surrey claim the maximum five batting bonus points.Surrey travel to face Durham next week and Yorkshire host Sussex here.The White Rose will head into that fixture seven points adrift of third-bottom Durham and eight behind Essex.Either side of Blake’s dismissal – 462 for seven late in the morning – Bess had Clark caught at deep midwicket on the slog sweep for 39 and Jamie Overton bowled.During the early afternoon, he had Sai Kishore caught and bowled and then Dan Worrall stumped.The latter shared a 10th-wicket stand of 50 with Matthew Fisher, who finished 38 not out against his former county.Yorkshire started their second innings 20 runs in arrears with a minimum of 57 overs remaining.Up until the end of Surrey’s first innings, every single batter across both sides reached double figures.Surrey have had all 11 batters pass double figures in an innings for the second time against Yorkshire this season. It has only happened to the White Rose on three occasions in Championship history.The first batter not to post a double-figure score was Yorkshire opener Fin Bean, who edged Indian Kishore’s left-arm to slip on one with the score 15 for one.Overton took a superb one-handed catch diving low to his left.All five Yorkshire wickets fell to spin either side of tea on a pitch now offering assistance.Dan Lawrence played his part in three of the last four.His spin had the other opener Lyth caught at slip by Overton for 34 before being the catcher for the next two as Yorkshire fell to 81 for four.James Wharton was caught at silly point off Kishore for 25 and Will Luxton at leg-slip off Will Jacks.When Jacks trapped Matthew Revis lbw offering no shot on the back foot, Yorkshire were 108 for five but still safe.

By tea he has made 265, the highest ever score by an Indian captain

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2025Tea Shubman Gill piled on the highest-ever score by an Indian captain to drive England into the ground at Edgbaston, reaching his first Test double-hundred and walking off unbeaten on 265 at the tea interval. For the second session in a row, England managed a solitary wicket as their bowling attack tired, with Joe Root dismissing Washington Sundar for 42.Related

Gill makes the highest Test score by an India batter in England

No more Mr Nice Guy, as Woakes shows his inner steel

Death by a thousand cuts – how Stokes waited and baited Jaiswal

Gill holds India together with second hundred as captain

India cruised past 400 on the second morning at Edgbaston, then accelerated beyond 500 after lunch. Their ploy to pack their batting line-up with allrounders after their lower-order capitulations at Headingley attracted much opprobrium but has paid off in style so far, with partnerships of 203 and 144 for the sixth and seventh wickets.Gill was all class at No. 4, batting through a third consecutive session while hardly offering England a chance. He relentlessly milked Shoaib Bashir, who has bowled 21 overs without reward on the second day, for singles, and scored boundaries all around the ground, picking gaps with precision and finding reward for playing late.Shubman Gill now has the highest Test score by an Indian in England•Getty ImagesRoot celebrated his dismissal of Washington with unusual vigour after cleaning him up shortly before the tea interval with an offbreak that turned past the outside edge. He was curiously underbowled by Ben Stokes, who tried just about every other option to get a wicket – including Harry Brook’s lesser-spotted medium pace.Washington was troubled by Josh Tongue’s bouncer ploy before lunch, but took him on after the interval, hooking him over long leg for six. He otherwise provided excellent support as Gill cruised past various landmarks, including the highest score by an Indian on English soil (previously 221) and the highest score by an Indian captain (previously 254*).There were no obvious signs of an imminent declaration at the tea interval, and India are well placed to post the highest total against England in the Stokes-McCullum era, which stands at 579 (by Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022). On the three previous occasions that England have conceded 550-plus under Stokes’ captaincy, they have gone on to win.

It wasn’t the perfect performance, but Chelsea are now through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

At one point in their clash away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Enzo Maresca’s men looked like they were going to run away with it.

Unfortunately, some really sloppy play and defending in the second half let the Old Gold right back into it.

With that said, Chelsea managed to get out of there with the win, and one player in particular showed why he could be another Cole Palmer, and no, it wasn’t Estevao.

Chelsea's standout stars vs Wolves

One Chelsea starter who did his chances of playing more minutes well on Wednesday night was Andrey Santos.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Expand Collapse

The Brazilian ace started in the middle of the park and made an instant impact, scoring the opening goal just five minutes in.

It was a well-taken shot from just outside the area, but that wasn’t all he did, as he ended the game with 100% of his tackles won, ten ball recoveries and seven of eight ground duels won.

In short, it was an excellent all-action display from the 21-year-old and just the sort of showing fans were hoping to see from him this season.

One of his teammates who wasn’t quite as impactful, but is still worthy of praise, is Estevao.

The Brazilian wonderkid didn’t make any key passes or complete more than two crosses, but he did score a sensational chip to make it 3-0 in the 41st minute.

Finally, while he didn’t get a goal involvement like his midfield partner, Romeo Lavia, helped to keep things ticking over in the middle of the park for the Blues.

Lavia’s game vs Wolves

Minutes

61′

Key Passes

1

Touches

67

Accurate Passes

54/59 (92%)

Fouls Won

2

Interceptions

1

Clearances

1

Recoveries

7

Ground Duels (Won)

5 (4)

Aerial Duels (Won)

1 (1)

All Stats via Sofascore

In his 61 minutes of action, the young Belgian completed 54 of 59 passes, played one key pass, took 67 touches, made seven ball recoveries and won five of six duels.

Perhaps the best thing you can say about the former Southampton gem’s performance is that Wolves scored two of their three goals when he was off the pitch.

With all that said, there was another Chelsea player who stood out above all the others and showed just why he could be another Palmer-type star.

Chelsea's new Palmer-type star

When it comes down to the player who impressed most on Wednesday night, it’s impossible to look past Jamie Gittens, and it’s the summer signing who could be the club’s new Palmer-type star.

Now, it’s important to caveat that this doesn’t mean he will become as good a player as the Blues’ number ten – few players ever will be – but there are some similarities.

For example, both of them have come from Manchester City’s academies, both can play out wide, the former Borussia Dortmund gem is almost certainly going to be involved in the senior England setup at some point, and, crucially, Gittens is capable of the incredible.

Yes, the 21-year-old has indeed underwhelmed so far this season, but against Wolves, he showed that he has it in him to utterly dominate an opposition and drag his side to victory.

For example, he provided the assist for Santos to open the scoring, and then, just ten minutes later, he did even better, setting up Tyrique George with a tap-in he simply couldn’t miss.

Then, if that wasn’t enough, the Reading-born monster made sure his side didn’t throw the game away by scoring an absolute screamer to make it 4-2 in the 90th minute.

It was the sort of goal you’d expect a player of Palmer’s calibre to score, and perhaps an indication that the Blues might have another superstar on their hands.

Overall, it really was, as one content creator put it, a “masterclass” of a performance from Gittens, and one that should see him remain in the team for the next few games.

Related Not Caicedo: Chelsea's "joke of a footballer" is now looking like Lampard

The international monster is beginning to embody Frank Lampard’s greatness for Chelsea.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Oct 29, 2025

Liam Scott, Josh Philippe and Mitchell Perry turned the screws on Sri Lanka A on day three to put Australia A in command of the four-day game at Darwin’s Marrara Oval.After the hosts resumed on Tuesday on 241 for 4 in reply to Sri Lanka A’s 272 – and lost Nathan McSweeney to the day’s first ball for 94 – batters six, seven and eight completed impressive half centuries to build Australia A a formidable first-innings score.Related

• Dinusha hits defiant ton after Australia A hand another left-field debut

• McSweeney anchors Australia A as he bids for second chance

When the innings came to an end around an hour before stumps, Australia A had gone from a shaky 127 for 4 on day two to be all out for 486 – a lead of 214.In reply, Sri Lanka A were quick out of the blocks with Lahiru Udara taking 12 runs from Perry off the first five deliveries of the innings. He soon fell, however, skying an attempted pull off paceman Henry Thornton to keeper Philippe on 17.McSweeney had resumed seeking six more runs for the century that would shore up his message to national selectors, after being overlooked for Australia’s current tour of the West Indies.Instead he was out on the first delivery of the morning, bowled between bat and pad by a sharp delivery from paceman Pramod Madushan which moved back off the seam, his innings ending off 220 balls and including six fours.McSweeney’s South Australia team-mate Scott began the day on 52 and added 42 more off 104 balls as he and Philippe put on 98 for the sixth wicket.But Scott also departed for 94, this time off 221 balls, the allrounder holing out to mid-on against left-arm spinner Sonal Dinusha, who was the pick of Sri Lanka A’s bowlers.Philippe and Perry kept the runs coming in a 58-run stand before the former was trapped lbw to Nishan Peris for an aggressive 85 off 107 deliveries, with five fours and a six.Perry continued in building a more steady 61 before he was also caught off Dinusha, mistiming a drive to extra cover.

Curtis Jones says Liverpool have to keep calm and carry on as Arne Slot’s side look to recover from back-to-back defeats in Saturday’s “huge game” at Chelsea.

The Premier League champions had made a storming start to the season, having won seven straight matches following their penalty shoot-out loss to Crystal Palace in the Community Shield.

But things have gone awry in recent days for the Reds, whose 100 per cent start to their title defence ended with Saturday’s last-gasp 2-1 loss away to Oliver Glasner’s Eagles.

That Selhurst Park setback was compounded on an ear-splitting evening in Istanbul as Liverpool’s first Champions League trip of the season ended in a 1-0 loss to Galatasaray.

Skipper Virgil van Dijk said “there shouldn’t be panic” after their second straight loss but stressed the need for improvement – sentiments echoed by midfielder Jones.

“It’s just part of the game,” the homegrown star said. “I say it all the time, you must be mad if you think you can win every game.

“You’d obviously like to, but the reality is these teams you play are world-class teams and it’s normal if you lose. It’s just how you bounce back.

“We’ve got a huge game again in three days, the lads have to stay calm.

“It’s part of it, it’s not fine that we lose but we just have to stay calm and it will all change. It will all change, of course it will.”

Victor Osimhen’s first-half spot-kick proved the difference against the sloppy Reds, who looked overawed at times on a hostile evening at rocking Rams Park.

The VAR’s intervention ended up with a late penalty won by Ibrahima Konate being overturned but even if Liverpool had converted it would not have papered over a poor performance.

Jones taking "positives" ahead of Chelsea clash

“If you look left and right, there’s world-class lads all around,” Jones told LFCTV. “But it’s not all about that, it’s about lads who want to go and win.

“It’s OK if you’re nice on the ball and stuff like that but you have to go and win, work hard and run more and that is what the lads know, of course they do.

“But as I have said already, there are games like this, and it won’t be the last as well.

“We would be mad to think we can turn up and just win these games. It’s about how much we want to win.

“Of course we’re upset, but there are positives to take and there is a game again in three days and we have to go again.”

Carragher reveals £200k-a-week Liverpool star must be dropped "right now"

He had another evening to forget.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 1, 2025

Slot’s side stayed in Istanbul following Tuesday’s game, with Liverpool’s starters doing recovery work and the rest of the group training before flying back to Merseyside on Wednesday afternoon.

Goalkeeper Alisson Becker is being assessed after being forced off with an injury that Slot says will rule the Brazil international out of Saturday’s trip to Stamford Bridge.

Lively forward Hugo Ekitike is also being assessed after limping off later in the second half.

تعرض أحد لاعبي الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، للإصابة، خلال مواجهة الزمالك الجارية الآن، ضمن منافسات كأس السوبر المصري.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع الزمالك، في إطار المباراة النهائية من بطولة كأس السوبر المصري 2025، المقام في الإمارات.

طالع.. فيديو | أسيست زيزو.. أشرف بن شرقي يسجل هدف الأهلي الأول أمام الزمالك

وغادر نيتس جراديشار، لاعب الأهلي، حيث تعرض للإصابة وحل طاهر محمد طاهر بدلًا منه في الشوط الثاني.

وتشير النتيجة في الوقت الحالي، إلى تقدم الأهلي بهدف نظيف سجله أشرف بن شرقي في الشوط الأول.

وجاء هدف الأهلي الأول في الدقيقة 44 من تسديدة من داخل منطقة الجزاء بعد استلام لتمريرة رائعة من زميله أحمد سيد زيزو، ليمنح التقدم للأحمر في الديربي. لحظة إصابة جراديشار أمام الزمالك

Leeds United play host to West Ham United at Elland Road in the Premier League this evening as they look to bounce back from their defeat to Burnley last weekend.

Daniel Farke’s side created four ‘big chances’ against the Clarets at Turf Moor last Saturday, but were unable to score any of them in a drab defeat.

It is safe to say that the German tactician needs more from his players at the top end of the pitch to pick up enough points to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Whites only made three attacking signings in the summer, Noah Okafor, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and Lukas Nmecha, and they are the only attackers in the squad who have directly contributed to goals.

Noah Okafor

2

0

Lukas Nmecha

1

0

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

1

0

Brenden Aaronson

0

0

Dan James

0

0

Wilfried Gnonto

0

0

Jack Harrison

0

0

Joel Piroe

0

0

As you can see in the table above, not a single attacker in the squad has registered an assist in the league, and none of the players who were already at the club before the window have scored any goals in the top-flight.

Jack Harrison started on the left flank, in a 4-3-3 system, in the loss to Burnley last time out, and Farke should drop him from the team for this clash with the Hammers.

Why Jack Harrison should be dropped

The German head coach should drop the left-footed forward from the starting XI because his current form and his form from his two seasons with Everton suggest that he is not the answer to their problems.

Leeds, as aforementioned, are lacking goals from their attacking players. That was an issue against Burnley as the Whites missed all four of their ‘big chances’, one of which was spurned by Harrison.

Minutes

66

Shots

2

Shots on target

0

Big chances missed

1

Key passes

1

Big chances created

1

Successful crosses

0/7

Possession lost

14x

Harrison, as shown in the table above, did create a ‘big chance’, for Brenden Aaronson, in his defence, but that was one positive in an otherwise dismal showing.

The 28-year-old dud has now failed to provide a goal or an assist for the team in seven Premier League matches, per Sofascore, whilst creating just one chance in that time.

Harrison also managed just four goals in 63 Premier League outings for Everton during his time on loan at Goodison Park, per Sofascore, which included one goal in 34 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign for the Toffees.

This suggests that Farke cannot rely on the left-sided attacker to turn things around and prove himself to be a consistent threat at the top end of the pitch for his side in their battle against relegation this season.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

It is also why Farke should take Harrison out of the starting line-up for this clash with West Ham United, because it seems unlikely that he will provide the ruthlessness they need in front of goal.

The manager, as shown in the post above, suggested in his pre-match press conference that Noah Okafor may return from his adductor injury to be involved this evening.

Why Noah Okafor is a difference maker for Leeds

AllLeedsTV present Oscar Marrio described the Switzerland international as a “class difference maker” for the West Yorkshire outfit earlier this month, but why is that the case?

The simple answer is that it is down to quality. Okafor’s technical ability, on this season’s showing, is on another level compared to the other attackers in the first-team squad.

Per Sofascore, the Swiss star has completed 2.2 dribbles per game on average in the Premier League. No other player in the team has completed more than 1.3 per game and no one other than Gabriel Gudmundsson has completed more than 0.9 dribbles per game.

The statistic in the post above shows that his dribbling skills have been impressive by Premier League standards, not just Leeds United standards, which further speaks to the ability that he can provide on the ball.

Okafor is not just a flashy dribbler who can take players on and get fans off their seats, though, as he has also shown that he has end product to his performances.

Starts

4

xG

1.16

Goals

2

Conversion rate

33%

Big chances missed

0

Big chances created

1

Assists

0

As you can see in the table above, the £18m signing from AC Milan has provided genuine quality at the top end of the pitch with two goals from 1.16 xG, without missing a single ‘big chance’.

Okafor’s goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the club’s 3-1 win back in September was a great example of him combining his pace, composure, and quality all into one piece of play.

The 25-year-old dynamo is a difference maker because he has attributes that allow him to make an impact in the final third, whilst Harrison’s statistics suggest that he does not share many of those attributes.

Okafor, given his start to life at Elland Road, seems far more likely to produce a moment of magic to win Leeds points against West Ham this evening in the Premier League, which is why Farke should drop Harrison to bring him into the starting line-up.

Farke can bin Harrison by playing Leeds academy star who's a "joy to watch"

Leeds United have a teenage prospect in their academy ranks who could replace Jack Harrison.

ByDan Emery Oct 22, 2025

Prior to the news that Okafor was in contention to feature, Football FanCast, in the article above, suggested that U21 starlet Connor Douglas could be an alternative to Harrison. If the Swiss star does end up not being fit enough to start, the 20-year-old gem could still be an option.