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This time last year, the role of full-back or wing-back on the right hand side of England’s defence belonged to Trent Alexander-Arnold.

He was part of a Liverpool team who had picked up 28 points from a possible 30, and sat six points clear at the top of the Premier League. The 2020 European Championships were just around the corner, and it seemed inconceivable that anyone could hijack Alexander-Arnold’s England starting position.

But fast forward a year, and global pandemic later, and that thought could very much become reality thanks to the rapid rise of another young English full-back – Reece James.

After a successful loan spell at Wigan Athletic over the course of the 2018/19 season, the fresh faced 20-year-old returned to parent club Chelsea raring to go.

His return coincided with the arrival of Frank Lampard, who promised he would give young players at the club a chance – in part due to the transfer ban in place. After making sporadic appearances last season, and generally good progress, James already finds himself a first team regular, starting eight of Chelsea’s ten Premier League fixtures so far.

The faith Lampard has put in James is highlighted by the decision to pick him over club captain Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been a constant over the course of his eight-year tenure at the club.

However, this faith looks to have been repaid with James looking more like the real deal as each game week passes by. You need only look at his recent performance during Chelsea’s tactical battle with Tottenham in a 0-0 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Anyone noticed Son switched flanks yesterday cuz he was ducking Reece James?

Undisputed best RB in the premier league pic.twitter.com/hqI6OS1XXN

— N (@Nino12x) November 30, 2020

In a game that lacked genuine quality, a bright spark came in the form of James who was undoubtedly Chelsea’s most potent attacking threat. On numerous occasions the young full-back boomed down the right flank and had the quality to put in some simply sublime crosses. Sadly, teammate Tammy Abraham – for want of a better phrase – couldn’t finish his dinner when James put it on a plate for him.

Tall, quick and strong, James has all the traits to succeed at the highest level. His start to the season has garnered plenty of attention, even persuading Liverpool legend and Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness into admitting that he has ‘absolutely everything in his game.’

Furthermore, his excellence has coincided with an injury picked up by Alexander-Arnold in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City at the start of November. The 22-year-old hasn’t been seen since, though he has been tipped to make his comeback against Wolves this weekend.

That period of time on the sidelines has ignited debate over who should be first choice for the national team, owing to James’ quick start to the campaign and Alexander-Arnold’s inability, so far, to hit the heights of last season.

Last year, Alexander-Arnold set a Premier League record for the most assists by a defender, notching up 13 over the course of the season. He only has one so far this time round, a stat which will be all too familiar to the many who picked him in their 2020/21 fantasy football teams.

There also remains lingering doubts over whether he possesses as much quality defensively as he does going forward. Alexander-Arnold was at fault on several occasions during Liverpool’s astonishing 7-2 defeat to Aston Villa, and many fondly recall to this day his comedic own goal against Leeds on the opening day – even if it was ruled out for offside.

But how do his statistics actually compare with that of James? Looking at their attacking stats, there is very little between them.

Both have one assist to their name this season, but James has been on the scoresheet once this campaign – that coming against Brighton on the opening day. Furthermore, James has completed 62 crosses in comparison with Alexander-Arnold’s 55, though it should be noted the latter has played 31 fewer minutes.

Perhaps the area where the key differences can be seen is defensively. James has completed 14 successful tackles in comparison with Alexander-Arnold’s six this season, while he has won a staggering 15 aerial battles whereas his fellow countryman has only come out on top in two.

With only 33 Premier League appearances to his name, James remains in the infancy of his career. Alexander-Arnold, on the other hand, has over 100 league appearances under his belt, not to mention Champions League and Premier League winners medals.

You would forgive Southgate if he decided to stick with a man who’s ascent over the last few years has been nothing short of remarkable. But James’ performances, both domestically and in the Champions League, will have given England’s manager food for thought.

The Three Lions’ current wing-back system suits both, but there’s no disputing that when the time comes to switch back to a four, James has a vastly superior defensive skillset to Alexander-Arnold.

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Valencia have confirmed that young midfielder Yunus Musah has signed a new long-term contract at the Mestalla.

The 18-year-old, who left Arsenal’s academy in 2019, has blossomed into a first-team star at Valencia this season, starting nine of his side’s 11 La Liga games this season, with his good form earning him a call-up to the USA national team in November.

Alongside the tug of war for his services at international level – England, Ghana and Italy are all keen to secure his allegiance – Musah has also attracted interest from some of Europe’s top sides, and sources confirmed to 90min that Valencia were close to securing a contract extension for the teenager last month.

The deal is now done, with Valencia taking to their official website to reveal that Musah has committed his future to the club until 2026.

“Here is where I have matured as a player,” Musah said. “I have found a great family, learned the history of this club and developed new values as a person.

Valencia CF: My place in the world ??#AMUNTValencia ?#VCFMyPlaceInTheWorld ⚪️⚫️ pic.twitter.com/fAL5XAK7ul

— Valencia CF ??? (@valenciacf_en) December 4, 2020

“My road has been long, but now I am convinced that I have found my place in the world. That’s why everyone talks about my ever-present smile, and we are going to keep smiling together for many years to come.”

It’s a deserved reward for Musah’s emergence as one of Europe’s most intriguing prospects. Valencia are well aware of the interest in their youngster and hope that this contract extension will offer them some extra protection from potential suitors.

90min understands that former employers Arsenal are monitoring Musah, as are Everton, Leeds and Wolves, but the teenager is not paying attention to the interest and is instead focused on improving in Valencia’s senior side.

However, Musah would not be against a return to the Premier League at some point in his career, but the length of this new deal suggests he is in no rush to walk away from Spain.

He became the youngest non-Spanish player to score for Valencia when he netted in November’s 2–2 draw with Getafe, and now he has plenty of time to add to that tally.

For more from ​Tom Gott, follow him on ​Twitter!

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There has been much to admire about the Graham Potter revolution taking place at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Since the former Swansea City boss was appointed in the summer of 2019, the Seagulls have been transformed from a side who would grind out 1-0 wins to one who are capable of playing a brand of football which, on its day, can go toe-to-toe with the best sides in the Premier League.

Potter has dramatically reduced the average age of the squad from being one of the oldest starting XIs in the Premier League to one of the youngest. And whilst he did spend over £60m in his first transfer window in charge, signing the likes of Leandro Trossard, Adam Webster and Neal Maupay, since then he has largely relied on bargain buys such as Tariq Lamptey, free transfers like Adam Lallana and Danny Welbeck and improving the players he inherited from Chris Hughton.

Of those Hughton players who Potter has stuck with – and there are not actually that many – Yves Bissouma has been the biggest success story.

In the past year, the Malian midfielder has gone from a player who did not really have a role in the team into the first name on the team sheet. It is little wonder that the big six are now taking serious interest.

Both Liverpool and Arsenal have been linked with a January move for Bissouma, something that would have got long odds on a year ago. Bissouma has always been talented, but back then he could not find a way past Dale Stephens, Davy Propper, Steve Alzate, Pascal Gross or Aaron Mooy in any of the midfield positions. Nobody was really sure where he fitted in.

There were questions about his attitude too. Put him in the final third and he could be electric, taking players on and looking to make things happen. Ask him to get involved with the hard and unglamorous work that was defending and he did not look interested; he would track back, but often half-heartedly.

In Brighton’s 2-1 defeat against Leicester City in February 2019, he strolled back and made no attempt to put in a tackle as the Foxes launched the move which ended with Jamie Vardy putting them 2-0 ahead. The sight of Bissouma sauntering around the midfield as if on a Sunday stroll without a care in the world whilst Bournemouth scored five unanswered goals at the Amex in April 2019 summed up his first season at the club – promising, but needed to do so much more if he wants to make it in the Premier League.

That was the feeling among fans at LOSC Lille, the Ligue 1 side who Brighton paid £15m to for Bissouma’s services in the summer of 2018. Lille supporters said that Bissouma had the ability to be as good as Paul Pogba – providing he sorted his behaviour and attitude out.

Whether it is through a new-found maturity as he approaches his mid-20s or because Potter has put his Master’s in leadership and emotional intelligence to good use, Bissouma has done exactly that and Brighton now find themselves with a player who is threatening to be every bit as good as those Lille fans predicted.

Bissouma’s first opportunity under Potter came in December 2019 when Stephens missed the trip to Crystal Palace suspended. Given Bissouma’s aforementioned disdain towards defending and that he had shown none of the discipline required to be a holding midfielder in his previous 18 months at the Amex, he was a surprising choice to replace Stephens for Brighton’s biggest game of the season.

Potter’s faith though was wonderfully vindicated as Bissouma was one of the best players on the pitch at Selhurst Park, covering every blade of grass at the same time as showing off his full range of talents with the ball.

There has been no looking back for Bissouma since that cold evening in Croydon. He had shown Potter that not only did he possess the mentality to play in the holding role, but he could also bring far greater dynamism to the team than the solid-yet-unspectacular Stephens. A defensive midfielder like Bissouma who can read the game, tackle, carry the ball and pick out a pass is worth his weight in gold in a possession system like Potterball.

Bissouma’s next challenge was to start turning in performances of the standard he had shown at Palace on a regular basis. No problems there; since lockdown in particular, he has been Brighton’s best player with the small exception of Lamptey. Look at all the key metrics for judging a midfielder – passes, ball recoveries, tackles, interceptions and take ons – and you will see Bissouma’s name near the top of the charts.

So good has Bissouma been in 2020/21 that Potter has even be able to deploy number 10s alongside him in the centre of the park at times this season, knowing that Bissouma’s work rate and ability can cover for two traditional midfield players. Bissouma buzzing around doing the jobs that Stephens and Propper used to carry out between them allows Potter to use Pascal Gross or Adam Lallana in a much deeper role where they can still concentrate on playmaking, increasing the Seagulls’ creativity.

The only area in which Bissouma’s game is lacking is goals. He has scored only three times in 66 Brighton appearances and all of those have come from spectacular strikes from outside the box. It says much about his ability that the two goals he has notched in the Premier League – away at Burnley on the final day of the 2019/20 season and at Everton back in October – were both nominated for Goal of the Month.

+3✅ pic.twitter.com/JGNCRQEujO

— Yves Bissouma #YB8 (@Yves_Bissouma) November 22, 2020

Bissouma hardly ever finds himself shooting inside the opposition penalty area. If he could find a way to add goals to his game by getting into better positions to score more often, then he would become one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the Premier League – and exactly the sort of player that all of the big six would crave, not just Liverpool and Arsenal.

It will take a big money bid to prise Bissouma from Brighton. The Seagulls do not sell if they do not want to, as the pursuit of Ben White and the annual transfer rumours surrounding Lewis Dunk’s next destination are testament to that.

If Liverpool or Arsenal want Bissouma, then they will need to find over £50m to secure his services. That figure would rise substantially should he start scoring goals on a regular basis. Based on his performances over the past year, he would be worth every penny.

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Neymar kicked off what could be the transfer saga of 2021 when he said with a smile this week that he wants to start playing with Lionel Messi again.

But rather than Neymar leave Paris Saint-Germain and return to Barcelona, as both he and the Catalan club had hoped for in the summer of 2019 until poor finances laid such plans to ruin, it would be Messi who is jumping ship from Camp Nou to France.

The issue of Messi’s future remains unresolved following his attempt to leave ahead of this season. Barça successfully blocked his exit then because the player refused to open a messy legal battle against the club that had the faith to gamble on him at the age of 13.

But Barça may soon have no choice if Messi decides he still wants to go next year. His contract is up in the summer and he is currently on course to become a free agent. It means that any club can open formal negotiations and secure a pre-contract agreement from 1 January.

RMC claims that Neymar has already been pushing for PSG to sign Messi since the summer. It is said that the Champions League finalists explored the possibility, but time was against them in a shortened off-season and it would have been a complicated transfer even in normal circumstances.

Neymar is believed to have spoken to Messi about it, trying to sell PSG to his former colleague and dangling the prospect of elusive Champions League glory with him on board.

RMC quotes a source close to PSG: “You never know. The club has already proven it is capable of things we thought impossible to achieve by signing Ney and Kylian [Mbappe] in the same summer.

“It would be foolish and above all unprofessional not to not think or work on a deal for a player who is free and has one of his best friends at the club. To line up Neymar and Messi, even for [just] two seasons, that would be incredible.”

RMC notes that Mbappe is out of contract in 2022 and it has been suggested that selling him for €200m could effectively grease the wheels – perhaps by creating the budget – for Messi to arrive.

AS picks up on the aspect that Mbappe could be the fall guy that has to make way.

PSG may only have the finances available to afford Messi if they cash in on Mbappe, who remains heavily linked with Real Madrid – although whether Los Blancos or other could actually afford him in the current climate is a potentially impassable hurdle.

French journalist Julien Laurens has also mentioned Mbappe, adding that an ageing Angel Di Maria, who will turn 33 in February, may also have to be sacrificed to make it financially viable.

“Financially you can’t have Messi, Neymar, Mbappe,” Laurens told BBC Sport.

“It’s impossible. I’m not sure you can have Messi, Neymar and Di Maria, who is out of contract at the end of season. So maybe let Di Maria go, sell Mbappe to Real Madrid and then bring Messi in.”

RMC claims contract talks between Neymar and PSG are going well, but Mundo Deportivo (MD) slightly differs, alleging that those ongoing talks with Neymar – whose deal expires in 2022 – could end up hinging on whether Messi joins him at Parc des Princes.

In short, the claim is that if Messi joins PSG, then Neymar will pledge his future to the club. If not, he could waver. MD says Neymar and Messi are in touch on a daily basis and that the Brazilian, known for his impatience, is confident they will be back together on the pitch.

So far, PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has refused to be drawn on the issue in public, diplomatically answering that ‘Messi is a Barcelona player’ when directly quizzed on the possibility of a deal by French broadcaster Cyril Hanouna.

On the potential for Messi to stay at Barcelona and sign a new contract, presidential hopeful Joan Laporta has explained that the club has to prove to the player they can be competitive at the highest level. That wasn’t the case in Europe last season and isn’t so far in La Liga this season.

Money, Laporta says, isn’t the issue.

“Leo wants Barcelona,” he told Radio MARCA. “What I want is to give him back his happiness. It’s not just a question of money, you have to create a competitive team. Leo has been cheated and that is a big loss. He’s a winner and can’t stand to see other teams lift the Champions League.

“The last time I spoke to him was in October. I am very grateful to him for all he has done for Barcelona. I have known him since he was 16 years old and he is an extraordinary person.

“There is mutual appreciation and respect. We must be inside [the club] to make an imaginative and credible proposal to him.”

For more from Jamie Spencer, follow him on Twitter and Facebook!

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High-flying Chelsea host Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds on Saturday evening as they welcome fans back to Stamford Bridge for the first time since March.

Chelsea encountered a hurdle amid their hot run of form, drawing 0-0 against table-toppers Tottenham, though they got back to winning ways in mid-week. Olivier Giroud’s five-star display helped the Blues to a 4-0 win over Sevilla.

Leeds, on the other hand, have shown signs of improvement after a spell of worrying results – a 1-0 win at Everton followed a 0-0 draw against Arsenal.

Bielsa will be looking to outsmart familiar foe Frank Lampard in what looks to be a fascinating clash on paper.

Here’s 90min‘s preview of the game.

When Is Kick-Off? Saturday 5 December
What Time Is Kick-Off? 20:00 (GMT)
Where Is it Played? Stamford Bridge
TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Main Event (UK), NBC Sports (USA)
Referee? Kevin Friend

Lampard starts with team news – and it’s good news!

‘Everyone is fit!’#CHELEE

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 4, 2020

Lampard has a full squad to choose from for this match, with Ben Chilwell being passed fit after an injury scare which led to him not featuring in the win at Sevilla.

The Whites have Diego Llorente back available following a groin injury, but the Spaniard will likely play for the Under-23s before returning to action with the first team.

Leeds will again be without injured trio Pablo Hernandez, Adam Forshaw and Jamie Shackleton, but Jack Harrison is expected to start after overcoming a leg problem.

Chelsea: Mendy; James, Zouma, Silva, Chilwell; Kovacic, Kante, Mount; Ziyech, Giroud, Werner

Leeds: Meslier; Ayling, Koch, Cooper, Dallas; Raphinha, Klich, Phillips, Alioski, Harrison; Bamford

Chelsea have the joint-best attacking record in the division, but it may be worth noting that Leeds have kept clean sheets in both their games since returning from the international break.

The Blues have won seven of their last eight matches across all competitions and not lost inside 90 minutes since September – a run which now stretches to 15 games.

Leeds have had a mixed-bag of results. Following their reasonably bright start to the new campaign, they went on a horror run of form; however their trajectory has been somewhere on the up of late.

Here’s how the sides have fared in their last five games across all competitions.

Chelsea

Sevilla 0-4 Chelsea (02/12)
Chelsea 0-0 Tottenham (28/11)
Rennes 1-2 Chelsea (23/11)
Newcastle 0-2 Chelsea (21/11)
Chelsea 4-1 Sheffield United (07/11)

Leeds

Everton 0-1 Leeds (28/11)
Leeds 0-0 Arsenal (21/11)
Crystal Palace 4-1 Leeds (07/11)
Leeds 1-4 Leicester (03/11)
Aston Villa 0-3 Leeds (24/10)

The stats are against the visitors for this one, and their record in London will not do anything to increase their optimism, having won just one of their last 21 league trips to the capital.

Though Leeds have proven themselves more than capable of breaching the best defences in the league already this season, the odds couldn’t be more against the Whites as they face a Chelsea side that are in devastating form.

Prediction: Chelsea 3-0 Leeds

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