Section:GDN 1N PaGe:38 Edition Date:190801 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 31/7/2019 20:26 cYanmaGentaYellowb
- The Guardian Thursday 1 August 2019
(^38) Sport
Football Sky Bet Championship preview
Defender Pontus Jansson
has joined Brentford
from Leeds
Fulham’s diamond
can shine after
the dark times
Quick return to the top fl ight
may depend on Mitrovic
while Leeds will rely
on Bielsa for inspiration
Ben Fisher
Title challengers
There is not an overwhelming
favourite for automatic promotion
but certain teams appear streets
ahead in the fi repower stakes,
none more so than Fulham, who
will likely start with an attacking
diamond of Aleksandar Mitrovic ,
a Premier League striker in all but
name, Anthony Knockaert , Ivan
Cavaleiro and Tom Cairney. Fulham
deservedly took fl ak for their lavish
and directionless spending last
summer but it is impossible to ignore
their latest business. They were,
though, a soft touch in defence
last season, so Scott Parker still has
plenty to address.
Leeds , too, possess ample bite,
despite Marcelo Bielsa sanctioning
the departure of Pontus Jansson. As
Leeds fl ailed in April, the Argentinian
stated his squad would struggle
to reproduce the performances
that propelled them from 13th to
third but Bielsa was doing himself
a disservice. He has tickled a small
squad – Hélder Costa, Jack Harrison
and Ben White have arrived on
loan – but after a brutal pre-season,
including a trip to Sydney, triple and
even quadruple sessions, they are
down to bare bones. If Bielsa were
not in situ , Leeds’s hand would be
considerably weaker.
Write off Neil Warnock at your
peril, with the 70-year-old targeting
a record ninth promotion. Cardiff ’s
squad is packed with Championship
quality and Warnock has
supplemented it with Joe Day, Aden
Flint, Curtis Nelson and Will Vaulks,
who will take on Aron Gunnarsson’s
long-throw duties. “The fi rst
meeting I had with him, I knew he
was our cup of tea,” Warnock said
of Vaulks. “This is probably the
best Championship team I’ve ever
managed.” Having kept hold of the
excellent Neil Etheridge in goal, a
defence led by Sean Morrison, as
they were when promoted last time ,
is going to be hard to beat.
If West Bromwich are to succeed
under Slaven Bilic much will hinge
on Kenneth Zohore fi lling the
goalscoring boots of Jay Rodriguez
and Dwight Gayle. The return of
Romaine Sawyers will freshen up the
midfi eld but the arrival of Zohore,
who scored once last season,
may not be enough. Should Sam
Vokes and Benik Afobe strike up a
partnership, a new-look Stoke could
threaten in Nathan Jones’s fi rst full
season, having added seven players
including the nonchalant Nick
Powell from Wigan.
Play-off contenders
Several clubs will fancy their
chances of breaking into the top
six but Bristol City are among the
best equipped. They have made
several eye-catching additions,
with Jay Dasilva and Tomas Kalas
arriving permanently from Chelsea,
joining a vibrant team determined
to improve after knocking on the
door last season. Brentford, too, will
feel this could be their year. If they
can keep Saïd Benrahma and Neal
Maupay, they could make a play for
the top two, with Jansson and Ethan
Pinnock sound defensive additions
after losing Ezri Konsa.
Jan Siewert has tasted victory once
since taking over at Huddersfi eld in
January but will be quietly confi dent
of restoring them to the top table.
They have added a leader in Tommy
Elphick and the Liverpool loanee
Kamil Grabara excelled at the Under-
21 European Championship for
Poland. Nottingham Forest do not
lack experience but have a bloated
squad of more than 30 players and
are an unknown quantity under Sabri
Lamouchi.
A youthful Swansea could prove
dark horses, though the loss of Oli
McBurnie to Sheffi eld United has
dampened optimism and it will be
interesting to how Steve Cooper
fares as a fi rst-team club manager
after more than a decade coaching
at youth level with Liverpool and
England. The teenage defender Ben
Wilmot, who spent six months of
last season with Udinese , has joined
on loan from Watford and is an
interesting acquisition.
The same can be said for Jonathan
Woodgate in his fi rst managerial post
at Middlesbrough, though he has
promised to entertain supporters
after a few staccato seasons.
Woodgate, who counts Sir Bobby
Robson, Terry Venables and Aitor
Karanka among his mentors, will
have to eke out more from a squad
that for too long has fl attered to
deceive. Then there is Derby , who
may need to give Phillip Cocu time to
implement his methods.
Relegation candidates
Whether Pep Clotet can get a tune
out of a Birmingham squad hit by the
departure of Che Adams remains to
be seen and it is diffi cult to envisage
Queens Park Rangers faring too
well without their star performer ,
with Luke Freeman sold to Sheffi eld
United. But Mark Warburton has
padded out an extremely green
squad with some senior heads and
Marc Pugh and Geoff Cameron are
accomplished at this level.
Millwall narrowly survived last
season and despite bolstering their
ranks are likely to be in for another
scrap. Whether Jarrod Bowen
stays at Hull will probably dictate
their whereabouts while Barnsley,
Charlton and Luton must adapt
following promotion. “We ain’t
ready to go in and compete like
we want to but I’m hopeful before
the window closes we will have
another four or fi ve bodies in,” said
Lee Bowyer, who signed a one-year
contract extension at Charlt on in
June, hours after the club appeared
to announce his departure.
Daniel Stendel’s Barnsley had
the meanest defence in League One
last season but their captain Adam
Davies, Liam Lindsay and Ethan
Pinnock have departed. They have,
however, made a number of exciting
signings, while Luton must also
rebuild defensively. Wigan have
struggled to strengthen, while José
Gomes plans to elevate a youthful
Reading to new heights after
steering them clear of trouble last
season.
Three players to watch
Dan Crowley, Birmingham
Still only 21, the playmaker formerly
at Arsenal was once considered one
of the country’s brightest prospects.
Encouraged to go to the Netherlands
to repair a bad-boy image, he
impressed for Willem II last season.
Crowley, who started at Aston Villa
before leaving for north London as a
15-year-old, returns to the Midlands
with something of a point to prove
after unsuccessful loan spells in
League One at Barnsley and Oxford.
Steven Sessegnon, Fulham
His twin brother, Ryan, needs little
introduction but this season could
be the chance for Steven to make
a similar splash. The 19-year-old,
who operates at right-back, is also of
considerable interest to Tottenham
even though he is yet to make his
league debut. Part of the England
Under-17 team that won the World
Cup two years ago, he featured for
the Under-20s this summer. Will
battle with Cyrus Christie for a
starting berth if he stays.
Sammie Szmodics , Bristol City
Last season was his most productive ,
scoring 15 goals for Colchester,
whom he joined aged seven before
making his debut six years ago. The
23-year-old attacking midfi elder
possesses plenty of verve and has
whetted supporters’ appetites with
a delicious lob in pre-season. Could
prove a snip at £750,000 and has
all the tools to be a fans’ favourite.
Another former Colchester player,
Macauley Bonne , could shine at
Charlton.
Aleksandar
Mitrovic, a
prolifi c scorer for
Serbia, will lead
a potent Fulham
attack in the
Championship
MARC ATKINS/
GETTY IMAGES
After a pre-season
including triple and
quadruple sessions
Leeds are down
to bare bones
Football
In brief
Sheffi eld United
Club agree record £20m
fee for striker McBurnie
Sheffi eld United have agreed a
club-record £20m deal to sign the
Swansea City striker Oli McBurnie.
After weeks of talks Chris Wilder’s
side have made a breakthrough with
an off er of around £18m up front,
with £2m in add-ons, smashing the
club’s transfer record for a fourth
time this summer following the
arrivals of Lys Mousset, Callum
Robinson and Luke Freeman.
McBurnie is expected to complete
his move in the next 48 hours.
Meanwhile Swansea have agreed
a £1m fee with the Dutch club
Heracles for the Swedish striker
Kristoff er Peterson. Ben Fisher
Bournemouth
Ankle surgery rules out
Brooks for three months
David Brooks is to undergo ankle
surgery and miss the fi rst three
months of the new season. The
Wales international rolled his ankle
during Bournemouth’s 3-1 preseason
win at Brentford on Saturday and
has been booked in for surgery, with
the 22-year-old expected back in
around 12 weeks. PA Media
Sheffi eld Wednesday
Fore st ier i gets si x-ga me
ban for racist language
Fernando Forestieri said he was
“devastated ” by a six-match ban
by the Football Association’s
independent regulatory commission
for racist language. Forestieri was
acquitted in March at Mansfi eld
magistrates’ court of racially abusing
Mansfi eld’s Krystian Pearce but the
FA charged him in June. PA Media
England Women
Wembley set to host
record attendance
More than 50,000 tickets have been
sold for England Women’s friendly
against Germany at Wembley on
9 November. The match looks set
to have the biggest attendance for
a Lionesses home game, with the
record being the 45,619 at the 3-0
defeat against Germany at the same
stadium in 2014. PA Media
РЕЛИЗ ПОДГОТОВИЛА ГРУППА "What's News" VK.COM/WSNWS