James Rodríguez is reportedly set to leave Club León at the end of the Apertura 2025, as his contract expires in December and neither side intends to renew. With only six months remaining before the 2026 World Cup, the former Real Madrid star will have to find a new destination and could either stay in Liga MX or make the move to MLS.

Getty Images SportAn imminent goodbye

According to Mediotiempo, Rodríguez’s time with Club León will come to an end once the Apertura 2025 concludes. The Colombian joined La Fiera last semester on a one-year deal, originally drawn by the chance to play in the FIFA Club World Cup. However, León’s participation was canceled after FIFA disqualified them for violating ownership regulations, leaving James without that international showcase.

Since then, things haven’t gone as expected. León were knocked out in the quarterfinals of the Clausura 2025, and in the current Apertura campaign, they sit second-to-last (17th place) in the table. Rodríguez has gradually lost prominence within the team, scoring just three goals in 12 matches this season and five across 32 total appearances with the club.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportAmbriz won’t stand in James’ way

While the arrival of head coach Ignacio Ambriz briefly raised hopes, results failed to improve, with defeats to Toluca, Santos, and Atlas, and only a draw against Pumas in recent weeks. The report suggests that both the club and the player see separation as the best solution moving forward.

Getty Images SportMLS clubs keeping an eye on the Colombian

The same outlet reported that several major Liga MX teams are monitoring the 33-year-old’s situation, while MLS sides have also expressed interest in signing the 2014 World Cup Golden Boot winner once his contract expires in December.

With the 2026 World Cup just around the corner, Rodríguez now faces a pivotal decision about the next chapter of his career – one that could determine his final act in top-level football.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

Getty Images SportWhat comes next for Club León?

León will close the Apertura 2025 regular season with two challenging fixtures – first visiting América on Matchday 16 and then hosting Puebla on Matchday 17 – as the club looks to finish the campaign on a positive note. 

Legspinner claims 3 for 16 to breach Old Trafford’s defences in five-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2025Rehan Ahmed put Lancashire Lightning in a spin with a superb three for 16 from four overs and later a crucial 27 as Leicestershire Foxes breached fortress Emirates Old Trafford to claim an impressive Vitality Blast victory.Legspinning allrounder Ahmed is due to link up with England for their T20I series against the West Indies later this week, and he claimed season’s best figures across all formats, limiting the Lightning to 145 for seven on a used pitch.He bamboozled a home batting line-up which saw opener Keaton Jennings top-score with 39 off 19 balls before Chris Green added a crucial 36 not out off 29 late on.The 20-year-old then came in with Leicestershire’s chase in limbo at 47 for three in the sixth over and contributed again to a five-wicket win with nine balls remaining, hitting two fours and a six in 23 balls.The Foxes have now won two and lost one at the start of the North Group, while Lancashire’s three-game winning start came to an end with a first defeat.In T20 history, Lancashire have won 89 of 124 matches at Emirates Old Trafford, losing only 31. But Leicestershire are the most successful visiting county here, winning on six occasions since 2003.Six of the seven home wickets fell to spin, giving the Red Rose, who later employed four spinners, a taste of their own medicine.Ahmed bowled Michael Jones, Australian overseas Ashton Turner and Tom Hartley as the score fell to 114 for seven after 17 overs.Left-armer Liam Trevaskis also impressed with two for 17 and captain Louis Kimber struck once with his part-time offies.Kimber made the initial breakthrough when Luke Wells pulled to deep midwicket – 15 for one in the second over.Captain Jennings then advanced Lancashire to 45 for one in the fifth over. He drilled Kimber for an arrow straight six added to six boundaries before slicing Matt Salisbury’s seam to short third.From there, wickets fell regularly. At its worst, Lancashire were 95 for six in the 14th over.Aussie all-rounder Green then accumulated his 36 with only one six and a comical all-run four off the last ball of the innings which came as the ball pin-balled around Leicestershire’s fielders.Green then played a big part at the start of the Foxes’ chase, striking twice with his off-spin as the score slipped to 47 for three in the sixth over.He trapped Rishi Patel lbw and bowled Shan Masood. Sandwiched in between, Sir James Anderson had a pulling Sol Budinger caught at deep backward square-leg.But Ahmed was to the fore once more.Having come in at number five, he saw captain Kimber fall for a quick-fire 40 off 22 balls to Hartley’s left-arm spin – 63 for four in the eighth over – before lofting Charlie Barnard’s spin over cover for six.And while Barnard later got revenge by bowling him, the damage had been done in a 59-run partnership with busy wicketkeeper-batter Ben Cox, who was also excellent for a run-a-ball 38 not out.

Chelsea ran out dominant 3-0 winners against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday lunchtime.

Enzo Maresca’s side put in a dominant second-half performance against a flailing Forest outfit to leave the City Ground with all three points.

The first 45 minutes went by without too many notable moments, but it took Chelsea just four minutes into the second half to break the deadlock. Young centre-back Josh Acheampong was the man who found the back of the net, rising highest to head a Pedro Neto cross home.

The Portuguese winger got himself on the scoresheet to double the Blues’ lead. His effort came from a set-piece, with Chelsea skipper Reece James rolling it into a path for Neto to run on to. He did just that and smashed the ball home through a packed penalty area.

Chelsea’s third came through their captain, James. He marked his 200th game for his boyhood club with a sweetly-struck first-time volley.

He latched onto a loose ball from a Chelsea corner and fired home to cap off a wonderful team effort.

It was certainly a good afternoon’s work in the East Midlands for the Blues. As well as Chelsea performed, however, a few of their players did struggle. Alejandro Garnacho was one of those.

Garnacho’s stats vs. Forest

Life at Stamford Bridge has not started in the easiest fashion for Argentine winger Garnacho. He is still yet to find the back of the net or grab an assist. His showing against Forest was a continuation of a poor start in Blue.

The former Manchester United player struggled to pose much of a threat down the left wing. Coming directly up against Neco Williams, he didn’t really drive at the Welshman enough, and his crossing certainly left a lot to be desired.

Garnacho’s stats from the game show just how much of a disappointing performance it was from the 21-year-old. He had just 18 touches and completed seven passes, without even creating a chance. The winger also failed to register a shot.

As a result of his poor showing, Garnacho was hooked off at half-time. The Chelsea number 49 certainly didn’t impress, with Goal journalist Matthew Judge giving him a 4/10 for his efforts.

The journalist noted that he was ‘unable to get into the game’ throughout.

Chalkboard

It was another below-par performance from Garnacho, who has not yet managed to show his best in a Chelsea shirt. However, there was another of Maresca’s side today who was arguably worse.

The Chelsea player who was worse than Garnacho

Maresca, who was banned from the touchline and had to watch the game from the stands, might have been disappointed with some of the showings from his side in the first 45 minutes.

That is why, for example, Garnacho was taken off at the break.

Another talented youngster who only completed the first half of the game was Brazilian midfielder Andrey Santos. Operating higher up the pitch today, the 21-year-old looked a little at sea and didn’t have the creative influence he may have wanted.

Santos, who hails from Rio de Janeiro, has excelled as a number eight for Chelsea, where he can drive forward and create from slightly deeper. Today, that attacking nous was missing, and he put a golden chance wide in the first half.

Judge also seemed to think that Santos underperformed against the men in Garibaldi Red. He gave him the same rating as Garnacho, a 4/10. It was certainly a tough day at the office for the young midfielder.

The numbers suggest that he was even worse than his Argentine teammate, too.

For example, Santos had a passing accuracy of just 55% and failed to complete a dirbble.

Touches

23

18

Passes completed

6

7

Number of times ball lost

6

6

Duels won

4/7

4/5

Ball recoveries

3

2

This is a performance that Santos will want to put behind him quickly. He showed just how good he is last season on loan at Strasbourg, with 12 goals and five assists from midfield. Those are the sorts of performances he’ll be looking for next time out.

It will be fascinating to see if Maresca selects him from the start in the Blues’ next game, a Champions League clash with Ajax at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea can fix Palmer blow with star who has a "left foot made of gold"

Chelsea’s talisman has suffered an injury-hit start to the season.

ByAngus Sinclair Oct 18, 2025

Glasgow Rangers are still yet to officially confirm their next head coach ahead of their clash with Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership on Saturday at Ibrox.

The Light Blues parted company with Russell Martin prior to the start of the international break, after a 1-1 draw with Falkirk, and Steven Smith will be in charge as an interim this weekend.

Martin left after five wins in 17 matches in charge in all competitions, as shown in the graphic above, and Rangers are closing in on a head coach with a far superior record.

The latest on Kevin Muscat to Rangers

According to RangersReview, Kevin Muscat is set to ‘finalise’ a deal to become the next Rangers manager in a move that could be confirmed over the weekend.

Manager Focus

Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.

Meanwhile, the Daily Record reports that the Light Blues board are willing to allow him to see out the remainder of the Chinese Super League season before he makes the switch to Ibrox.

SH Port have three matches left to go in their season, as they sit top of the table, and their last game is on the 22nd November, which means that it could be over a month before Muscat takes the reins in Glasgow to finally replace Martin.

Once the Australian head coach is in charge at Ibrox, one thing that he will be tasked with is getting the best out of central midfielder Mohamed Diomande, who flopped under the previous head coach.

Why Kevin Muscat needs to revive Mohamed Diomande for Rangers

Muscat needs to revive the Ivorian star because he allowed his form to dip way too low under Martin, after an impressive 2024/25 campaign with the Scottish giants.

Diomande’s discipline was a notable cause for concern. He was given three yellow cards and one red card in his last four appearances for the club, and Tam McManus went as far as to call his performance “embarrassing” against Hibernian because of how many fouls he was committing.

The left-footed star was sent off against Genk in the Europa League, a game that the Gers lost, and he was booked against Hibernian, Celtic, and Falkirk, with the Light Blues winning just one of those matches. Embarrassing was a strong word from McManus, but the midfielder did let himself down with too many challenges that caught the referee’s attention.

Appearances

36

6

Sofascore rating

7.19

6.37

Goals

4

0

Assists

7

0

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.5x

Ground duel success rate

57%

46%

Aerial duel success rate

48%

17%

As you can see in the table above, his form in his six matches for the former Rangers head coach this season in the league was nowhere near as good as what he produced under Philippe Clement and Barry Ferguson last term.

These statistics show that Diomande is capable of much better than he has shown in the 2025/26 campaign, which provides hope that Muscat can come in and get him back to his best in the middle of the park.

At his best, the 23-year-old whiz, who is valued at £7m by Transfermarkt, is a central midfielder who can provide a combative presence whilst also contributing with goals and assists for Rangers, as evidenced by his form from last season.

However, he has not been anywhere near his best this term, with no goals and one assist in 12 matches, per Sofascore, and that is why one of Muscat’s first jobs should be trying to revive the Ivorian ace.

52 y/o who worked with Postecoglou now set to join Kevin Muscat at Rangers

The Gers have almost solved their manager problem.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 17, 2025

If the incoming Rangers head coach can unlock the left-footed star’s top level, Muscat will have a terrific player on his hands in the middle of the park.

MatériaMais Notícias

Vila Nova e Chapecoense se enfrentam neste domingo (1º), às 15h45, pela 30ª rodada da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro. O jogo é no Estádio Onésio Brasileiro Alvarenga.

RelacionadasSão PauloPeregrinação, amor pelo São Paulo e pôster do Lance!: torcedor caminha de Itaquera ao Morumbi após título da Copa do BrasilSão Paulo30/09/2023BotafogoLucas Perri agradece acolhimento da torcida do Botafogo e exige equilíbrio da equipe para o confronto com o GoiásBotafogo30/09/2023Futebol NacionalRivaldo vai comprar a SAF do Santa Cruz? Ex-jogador diz estar disposto a se ‘sacrificar’ pelo clubeFutebol Nacional30/09/2023

O confronto será marcado pela estreia do técnico Lisca no comando do Vila Nova. O Tigre é o 8º colocado com 46 pontos e ainda sonha com o acesso à elite do futebol nacional. Já a Chapecoense luta contra o rebaixamento para a Série C do Campeonato Brasileiro.

+ Garanta a sua vaga no curso que formou craques como Pet, Dante e Léo Moura! Cupom: LANCE1000

+ Confira a tabela da Série B do Campeonato Brasileiro

FICHA TÉCNICA
VILA NOVA X CHAPECOENSE – 30ª RODADA DA SÉRIE B DO CAMPEONATO BRASILEIRO
Local: Estádio Onésio Brasileiro Alvarenga, Goiânia (GO)
Data e horário: Domingo (01/10), às 15h45 (Brasília)
Árbitro: Yuri Elino Ferreira da Cruz (RJ)
Assistentes: Daniel do Espirito Santo Parro (RJ) e Daniel de Oliveira Alves Pereira (RJ)
VAR: Carlos Eduardo Nunes Braga (RJ)
Onde assistir: Band e Premiere

Marcus Rashford has singled out one of his former Manchester United bosses for special praise, with the England international opening up on a more positive time for him at Old Trafford. Rashford rose from academy product to first-team star, marked by a sensational debut season and notably scored 30 goals in the 2022-23 campaign. But inconsistent performances and disciplinary issues led to his departure on loan, first to Aston Villa, then Barcelona.

• Rashford's remarkable revival

  Rashford has found a new lease on life at Barcelona since his year-long summer loan move from Old Trafford, becoming one of the most important players for the Spanish giants, especially in the Champions League, where he has already netted four goals and provided one assist in just three matches. He has also contributed effectively in La Liga, with one goal and five assists, demonstrating improved consistency and confidence. His prolific output translates to a goal involvement every 88 minutes for the Catalan giants, a statistic that reflects his pivotal role in attack. And while Rashford is in superb form for his loan club, he has spoken affectionately about one former United boss whom he loved playing for. 

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Rashford revelled in life under Ole

  Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who took over as United boss in December 2018, Rashford initially thrived, enjoying some of his most prolific and consistent form as United re-emerged as title contenders, and he felt a strong personal affinity for the Norwegian, defending him publicly when he was sacked in November 2021 and taking responsibility as a player for the manager's dismissal. However, their relationship was tested toward the end of Solskjaer's tenure, with the manager publicly urging the England international to "prioritise his football" amid growing charitable activities. This was reportedly met with disappointment from Rashford's camp.

• 'Very successful period for me personally'

  Rashford told Norwegian outlet of his time working with Solskjaer: "Ole is a fantastic person. I loved playing under him. I can speak for many of the players at Manchester United when I say that we enjoyed playing for him. We played good football under Ole. It was a very successful period for me personally. He is a fantastic person, and I don’t have a bad word to say about him."

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Bright future with the Blaugrana

  Rashford has spoken about how happy he is after leaving Manchester United and confirmed he would like to stay at Barca beyond the end of his current loan spell. 

  In a recent interview with Barca's YouTube channel, Rashford revealed he’s loving life in Spain and sees his future with the Catalan giants. He said: "I’m really enjoying my time in Spain. The weather is the best part. It’s a very big change. I’m learning every day, I’m really enjoying it. I hope to be here for a long time. I get along really well with Roony (Bardghji), as well as Jules (Kounde) and Frenkie (De Jong). It’s a team where we all blend together. We’re united. The team is fantastic. I just have to be in the right position. I’ll keep trying to do this. We have to keep going like this to be our best. We have a lot more to do this season." 

  He added: "I’m enjoying this football club and I think for anybody who loves football, Barcelona is one of the key clubs in the history of the game so to play here is an honour. I just believe that things happen when they’re supposed to happen. It’s not the first time I spoke with Barcelona about potentially coming here, but for whatever reasons it didn’t happen in the past, and now is my opportunity to make it happen. I feel like there’s no time like the present now. 

  "People forget this, but 23 years of my life was with Manchester United. So sometimes you just need a change. I think maybe this is the case with me and yeah, I’m enjoying everything. I don’t feel there is much change in me, I just feel it’s a new environment and culture and one I looked forward to coming here. It’s just about me adapting and fitting in as well as possible. I’m so hungry to keep improving."

أعلن الموقع الرسمي لبطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا عن أسماء اللاعبين المرشحين للفوز بتصويت لاعب الجولة الرابعة والتي أجريت منافساتها هذا الأسبوع.

وكانت مباريات الجولة الرابعة بمرحلة الدوري لدوري أبطال أوروبا، قد شهدت تألق العديد من اللاعبين وعودة آخرين لتقديم مستوياتهم المعهودة أيضاً.

وعبر الموقع الرسمي، يتنافس أربعة لاعبين على الفوز بتصويت لاعب الجولة والذي سيتم الإعلان عن اسم الفائز من خلاله خلال الساعات القادمة.

أقرأ أيضاً.. فليك بعد تعادل برشلونة مع كلوب بروج: لا وقت للندم.. ووضع لامين يامال ليس سهلًا

ويتنافس فيل فودين صانع ألعاب مانشستر سيتي والذي ساهم في فوز فريقه برباعية لهدف واحد ضد بوروسيا دورتموند مع ثلاث لاعبين آخرين.

ويأتي كارلوس فوربس مهاجم كلوب بروج والذي ساعد فريقه في الخروج بنقطة غالية ضد برشلونة حيث أحرز هدفين في المباراة.

كذلك فيكتور أوسيمين الذي سجل هاتريك لفريقه جالطة سراي ضد أياكس أمستردام وقاد الفريق التركي للفوز بفضل أهدافه، وآخرهم يأتي ميكيل ميرينو لاعب وسط آرسنال الذي ساهم في فوز فريقه بثلاثية نظيفة ضد سلافيا براج حيث أحرز ثنائية في اللقاء.

The St. Louis Cardinals (31-33) host the PIttsburgh Pirates (31-34) tonight at Busch Stadium with rookie sensation Paul Skenes on the mound for the Pirates.

Here are two player props to target in plus-money tonight. 

MLB Best Bets Today

Paul Skenes over 7.5 strikeouts (+110) at DraftKings

If you are an MLB fan, you are obligated to always take the over on Paul Skenes K props. 

I kid. Sort of. 

No pitcher’s debut season has been this hyped since Stephen Strasburg in 2010, and so far Skenes has (mostly) lived up to the hype.  

Skenes struck out eight Dodgers in his most recent outing, also securing the win for the Bucs.  If Skenes can K eight Dodgers, I am happy to grab plus-money for him to tally eight punch-outs vs. the St. Louis Cardinals. 

The Cardinals have a 23.7% K-rate vs. righties this season — the 10th highest rate in MLB.

Skenes has exceeded this prop in three of five games started this year and he’s striking batters out at a rate of 12.67 per nine innings. If he makes it through six innings, he easily exceeds this mark. 

Rowdy Tellez over 1.5 Hits +Runs + RBI (+105) at DraftKings

I know, I know. Tellez has been awful this year, but hear me out.

Not only does Tellez tear the cover off the ball (his max exit velocity in the top 2% of MLB), he’s been heating up lately.

In June, Tellez is hitting .529 with seven RBI and a 1.461 OPS. He has hits in six of his last seven games, and he has exceeded this prop in five of those seven.   

Not only that, but Tellez has good career stats vs. Miles Mikolas.  

In 18 career at-bats vs. Mikolas, Tellez is batting .333 and has a 1.091 OPS. Take advantage of the value for Tellez tonight. 

It wasn’t a vintage performance from Arsenal last night, but they did what they needed to do against Port Vale and are through to the Fourth Round of the League Cup.

With that said, while much of the team underwhelmed against the League One side, Myles Lewis-Skelly was one of those who didn’t.

For example, he got the faintest of touches on the ball that led to Eberechi Eze’s goal, and then, across the 94 minutes, completed 76 of 78 passes, was successful in 100% of his dribbles, and won 100% of his duels.

It was the sort of showing that should remind fans and pundits alike just how special a talent the Hale Ender really is.

Moreover, it’s a testament to him that he’s already an established first-teamer, as Arsenal had a young prospect who some could say was the original Lewis-Skelly a few years ago, and he eventually left the club for nothing.

Lewis-Skelly's incredible rise at Arsenal

It’s almost hard to believe, but at this point last year, Lewis-Skelly had played just a minute of senior competitive football for Arsenal when he came off the bench against Manchester City in the league.

Impressively, though, and perhaps as an indication of his willingness to get stuck in, the teenager actually received a yellow card early on in that game before he’d even made his debut for telling his teammates to stay down from the sidelines.

His first start for the club came a year ago tonight, however, as Arteta put him in from the start against Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup, and it didn’t take long for him to play a brilliant ball into Raheem Sterling, which led to an Ethan Nwaneri goal.

Over the next few months, the young Englishman would become more and more critical to the team, as persistent injuries to Riccardo Calafiori gave him the time to cement the left-back position as his own.

In fact, the teenager was so impressive in red and white that he was handed his first senior England cap in March of this year, when he made his debut against Albania and scored his first international goal.

The “fearless” academy star, as dubbed by Declan Rice, ended up making 39 first-team appearances last season and already has four under his belt this year, looking like he could really be going to the World Cup in the summer.

In all, Arsenal have an incredible talent on their hands in Lewis-Skelly, and he looks destined to reach the top of the game, unlike another young defensive prospect they had who eventually left for nothing.

Arsenal's original Lewis-Skelly

As with every major club, Arsenal has had numerous promising young academy talents who have struggled to make the transition to the first team.

Where Are They Now

Your star player or biggest flop has left the club but what are they doing in the present day? This article is part of Football FanCast’s Where Are They Now series.

Unfortunately, that was what happened in the case of the very talented Reuell Walters.

Before joining the Gunners academy set-up in 2020, the 20-year-old ace spent 18 months without a team following a failed move to Manchester United after he left Tottenham Hotspur.

However, that time out of junior football seemingly made no difference to his ability when he did make it to Hale End.

For example, across the almost four years he spent with the Gunners, the Lambeth-born gem made 55 appearances for the U21S, 20 for the U18S and five for the UEFA Youth League squads.

Moreover, he was very highly rated by those in the know, with respected analyst Ben Mattinson describing him as a “ball-carrying monster” who “loves to drive up the pitch with conviction, brushing off challengers and shielding the ball with his body.”

Walters’ Arsenal career
Squad	Appearances
U21	55
U18	20
UEFA YL	5
Total	80
All Stats via Transfermarkt

Mattinson then goes on to claim the youngster’s “passing ability is technically secure” and that he “looks to play long balls over the top of the opponent’s defence to switch play.”

In other words, he was seen as a young full-back who was tough on the ball, could carry it with ease and still had a killer pass in his locker, which sounds a lot like Lewis-Skelly.

However, even though he was an unused substitute on a number of occasions, it was clear that the young Englishman wanted more first-team football. As a result, he turned down a new contract and instead joined Luton Town for free in July 2024.

Since then, he’s made 20 appearances for the Hatters, and while that might not sound like much, he is still young and missed 15 games through injury last season.

Ultimately, it’s now clear that Walters was never going to hit the levels of Arsenal’s recent Hale End stars, but given his age and the skills he has, there is every chance he can still have a great career in the game.

It has been a slow start to the season for Leeds United’s new number nine, Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The former Everton striker joined the club on a free transfer in the summer, after his contract on Merseyside expired.

The 28-year-old England international has been an important part of Daniel Farke’s side since his summer move to Elland Road, featuring in six games so far, starting the last four in the Premier League.

However, he’s only managed to bag one goal, with his strike coming against Wolverhampton Wanderers in the 3-1 win at Molineux last month.

Farke will be hoping Calvert-Lewin can be a better option up front than Patrick Bamford was towards the end of his Leeds career.

Bamford's rocky time under Farke

For several years, former England international Bamford was the first-choice centre-forward at Elland Road. He notched up 205 appearances for the club, scoring 60 times and assisting a further 25 goals. He was a favourite disciple of the great Marcelo Bielsa. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

His time at Leeds ended this summer, with the club agreeing to terminate his deal by mutual consent. His final two seasons at Elland Road were spent under the tutelage of Farke, although it wasn’t an easy couple of years.

In total, Bamford played 54 times under the German, bagging nine goals and setting two up. The 2023/24 campaign was more than respectable, with the Grantham-born striker netting eight goals in 33 Championship matches.

It was the following term that proved to be problematic for Bamford. He couldn’t get into the side under Farke, and played just 17 games in the Championship, hindered further by a 14-game injury issue.

He didn’t score that campaign, and was later told by the Leeds boss that he is “not in my plans” for 2025/26. Thus, his deal was terminated.

Calvert-Lewin could certainly be seen as the new Bamford, given he is, in essence, a direct replacement.

Yet, there is another Leeds star who could be considered Farke’s new version of the England striker.

Leeds star in danger of being the new Bamford

Things certainly ended in a disappointing way for the Chelsea academy graduate, with the Leeds boss up front about the fact he would have no role to play in the Premier League this season.

Chalkboard

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

Well, just as Bamford struggled to get game time last season, another Leeds striker could be headed down a similar path.

It has been a tough campaign so far for Dutch striker Joel Piroe. The former Swansea City star has previously shone under Farke, making 97 appearances under the German, to great success, too.

In that time, the 26-year-old scored 33 goals and assisted a further ten. His Championship form was impressive, racking up 13 league goals in 2023/24, and 19 last term as the Whites won the title.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the boss hailed him as “the best finisher” he’s ever worked with only a few weeks ago.

The underlying stats from those two years, showed just how well he has done at Elland Road so far.

For example, two seasons ago, Piroe had a 22.22% conversion rate, and last term, he averaged 0.6 goals per game, an example of why former Swansea boss Russell Martin called him “clinical.”

Goals

0.5

0.6

Conversion rate

22.22%

26.76%

Chances created

1.2

1.1

Duels won

2.8

2.3

Ball recoveries

3.7

2.7

This term has been a completely different story for the Dutchman. The arrivals of Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha have greatly restricted Prioe’s opportunities, and he’s only played three Premier League games, racking up 147 minutes.

It is easy to see how this situation compares to Bamford’s last season. The former Leeds striker had few opportunities to stake a claim under Farke, and the start to 2025/26 has been similar for Piroe.

He will be hoping that the opportunity arises in the coming weeks. The stats are certainly on his side, with the former PSV Eindhoven striker putting up some good numbers over the last couple of years with the German in charge.

If this continues, Piroe is certainly in danger of becoming the new Bamford at Elland Road.

Leeds have signed "explosive" ace who looks like a new Raphinha-type player

Leeds fans might finally get their dream Raphinha replacement

ByJoe Nuttall Oct 12, 2025