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Leeds United midfielder Madger Gomes has joined French Ligue 2 side FC Sochaux-Montbeliard on a permanent deal, as announced by the official club website.

What’s the story?

Madger Gomes joined Leeds on a free transfer after he was released by Liverpool last summer.

The Spaniard went on to make just two appearances for the Whites last season, both in the Carabao Cup.

According to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay, a small fee was involved in the transfer.

A good move

Although Gomes wasn’t afforded much opportunity to shine, it was clear that the Leeds hierarchy didn’t think he was cut out for this level, and a move to a mid-table French Ligue 2 side reflects this.

It is the first transfer business Leeds have conducted this summer and fans will be hoping it sparks a wave of activity for the club.

Gomes was only one year into a three-year deal, so the transfer will help reduce the wage bill and hopefully raise a few funds for their summer transfer kitty.

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Newcastle have begun talks with Galatasaray over a summer transfer for Garry Rodrigues, according to Turkish news outlet Aksam.

What’s the story?

The 27-year-old winger joined Galatasaray in January 2017 and has since scored ten goals in 49 games for the Turkish club.

According to the report, Galatasaray want £17.5million for the player who can play on both wings, but Newcastle are hoping to make a deal at a lower price.

The Cape Verde international is valued at £7.2million on Transfermarkt, but Galatasaray’s manager Fatih Terim is reluctant to see their star player leave, according to Aksam.

Is he worth it?

Rodrigues is a pacy winger with the ability to beat a defender and get a cross in.

With nine goals and ten assists in the Super Lig, he clearly has an end product and would be a versatile addition, being comfortable on the right and left wing, as well as playing as a second striker.

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If Newcastle can strike a deal with Galatsaray then they will add some real quality to their flanks for the coming season.

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Liverpool fans can be forgiven for getting ahead of themselves with regards to the club’s transfer pursuit of Lyon playmaker Nabil Fekir.

All indications were that the 24-year-old was poised to sign on the dotted line, but in the eleventh hour, the deal collapsed.

According to The Mirror, an underlying knee problem was the reason behind the Reds decision to walk away.

However, in a report published by the publication on Tuesday, it is believed that Lyon are working on how to restructure the deal, which was going to cost Liverpool around £53m.

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It is unlikely that a transfer will go ahead, but the newspaper states that the door is not completely closed on an agreement being reached.

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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp and Fekir himself remain keen on the move, and this latest news has sparked a reaction from the fans.

Some are still hopeful that the 12-capped France international will be a Red by the end of the window, while others are fed up of the merry-go-round.

Stoke City attacker Xherdan Shaqiri made a big impact and scored a brilliant winner in Switzerland’s crucial 2-1 win against Serbia in their second 2018 World Cup group game on Friday, and Newcastle United fans have urged their club to sign the 26-year-old ace.

According to reports in The Mirror, the forward is available for £12m this summer thanks to a release clause in his contract following the Potters’ relegation to the Championship.

Having scored just 39 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term, the Magpies are certainly in desperate need of reinforcements in attack, and the Stoke man showed the quality he has when a fantastic curling effort hit the crossbar in Kaliningrad, before he ran from the halfway line to net a fine winner.

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Newcastle supporters, who are desperate for their club to keep a £9m first-team star this summer, were quick to have their say on Shaqiri’s latest display via social media, and while one said “we would be nuts not to take Shaqiri if we got the chance”, another said “buy him with the Mitro money”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

The Athletic’s Celtic correspondent Kieran Devlin has tweeted some thoughts following the 2-2 draw against Livingston.

Neil Lennon’s men showed grit to come from behind to snatch a point in stoppage time, as Tom Rogic struck in the 90th minute to preserve the Hoops’ unbeaten start to 2020 in domestic competition.

Tweeting after full-time, Devlin felt that it was “probably a fair result” for the reigning Scottish champions, but expressed concern over the fact that it was the “second time in six days” that Celtic have failed to impose themselves on “limited but very well-drilled” opposition.

In addition to those thoughts, The Athletic journalist also stated that he felt Jeremie Frimpong improved things for the Hoops after stepping off the bench.

The 19-year-old entered the fray in the 62nd minute – replacing Greg Taylor with Livingston leading 2-1 – and helped Celtic prevent their opponents from scoring any more goals while also being present on the pitch for Rogic’s equaliser.

You can see what Devlin tweeted about the former Manchester City man – who is rated at £1.35m on Transfermarkt – below:

In other news, these Celtic fans have responded to a “pathetic” and “stupid” moment involving Neil Lennon…

Newcastle United and the loyal St. James’ following simply don’t possess the smoothest record when it comes to signing strikers in the Premier League. On the contrary, most deals set up in the forward department on Tyneside invariably end in less than perfect circumstances for the Magpies, desperately trying to return the good times back to the North East.

From previously ill-fated forays into the often trepidatious transfer market, including both largely forgotten figures of Albert Luque and Xisco, to several more recent striking failures at St. James’ Park, such as Emanuel Riviere and Facundo Ferreya to name but a few – Steve McClaren’s new side ultimately haven’t had a great deal of success amongst their forward options, arguably since the day Alan Shearer retired at the club.

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So then, in splashing out close to £12.5 million on 20-year-old Serbian striking sensation, Aleksandar Mitrovic, this summer, Newcastle United have seemingly carried out yet another massive gamble ahead of the upcoming campaign.

The former Anderlecht man has already picked up two yellow card cautions and one ridiculous sending off so far this season without scoring a goal, despite only possessing a grand total of four Premier League appearances to his name.

In light of such somewhat characteristic madness on Tyneside this term, the rest of the English top-flight are seemingly left to ask one question, and one question only – will the signing of Aleksandar Mitrovic eventually work out for the Magpies this season, or has Steve McClaren ultimately sourced a madman in the fiery Serb?

Well, for anyone who has watched Newcastle’s latest addition to their striking department do his thing in the early stages of the 2015/16 campaign, the answer to such a question remains somewhat obvious…

Yes, Mitrovic looks like he could well turn into the Premier League’s latest madman, and a pretty entertaining one at that. Whether it be through is inability to keep out of the referees note-book for the duration of the 90 minutes, seeming lack of control in the tackle and somewhat unusual approach without the ball at his feet, or simply because his collection of multi-coloured hair-styles have certainly painted out an unusual reputation for him in the past – Aleksandar Mitrovic could turn out to be a real character of the modern era.

Whilst the Serbian’s unpredictable nature and maverick qualities could admittedly prove the source of much frustration down at St. James’ this term, perhaps Mitrovic is actually just the kind of player Steve McClaren requires going into the new campaign. Newcastle lacked any form of cutting edge under the ill-fated reign of John Carver last season – yet with a striker as hungry and as desperate to make a name for himself as the former Anderlecht hit-man – the Tyneside faithful could potentially be witnessing some improved fortunes in front of goal in 2015/16.

Mitrovic undoubtedly brings with him a solid goal-rate to the Premier League, even if the Belgian Pro League isn’t quite the best test for players looking to make that all-important step up to the English top-flight. Nevertheless, McClaren’s side simply need more goals to fly in if they are to be successful this campaign, and that is something Mitrovic at least has the potential of delivering sooner rather than later.

However, whilst the young Serbian’s credentials out on the pitch certainly remain promising for Newcastle at this stage in the game, was there really no other striker out there offering a more stable package than Aleksandar Mitrovic? £12.5 million is a fair investment for a player of only 20-years-old after all, especially someone with distinctly clear anger issues that need to be seen to before it’s too late.

It seems as if Newcastle have potentially signed the Premier League’s next Mario Balotelli, which will likely succeed in dramatic style, or flop rather characteristically on Tyneside along with many of the club’s other gambles in the striking department. At this stage however, it’s certainly fair to say that Aleksandar Mitrovic hasn’t won himself many fans among the Premier League’s wider following as of yet.

He currently looks like a clueless headless-chicken clumsily ploughing himself into challenges without much thought of the consequences. Yes, he has remained a threat in front of goal partially this term, but so far the results have ultimately been less than convincing for the player himself, as well as the club as a whole.

In any case, the St. James’ faithful certainly seem to have found themselves an excitinng character at the very least – it’s just that the jury currently remains out in regards to how well Aleksandar Mitrovic will actually do in his first season in the Premier League. Time will simply have to tell…

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As the madness of deadline day rumbled on, one man who had his feet up watching daytime TV was Manuel Pellegrini.

He had all his business concluded before the deadline in serene fashion. No hiccups, no missed targets and quite simply amassed a couple of quality signings. Quality signings which could very easily propel City to the title again this season.

Raheem Sterling cost City a lot of money, but even that was massively eclipsed yesterday by the Manchester United madness that brought Anthony Martial to England for a reported €80m. More expensive than Zidane, read the front page of French sports newspaper L’Equipe – more expensive than any teenager ever, and more expensive than most transfers ever, too. If the Sterling money was crazy, at least he’s a proven Premier League player and an established international.

The ‘Sterling Silva’ partnership has been right on the money so far. City have scored ten goals and conceded none. They have both the best defensive and offensive records in the league. Sterling has his first goal, Aguero is looking dangerous, and Jesus Navas has been playing on the wing!

So imagine what happens now that Kevin De Bruyne comes into the side to take Navas’s place. City’s front four is frightening. Never before has the Premier League seen such overwhelming artillery. Manchester City have come up with something very novel indeed.

Not only is it the front four I’ve mentioned, but add the options from the bench, the strength in depth. Nasri is still at the club, and like all players of pedigree, he’ll be hurting at losing his place. When he gets a chance to play, he’ll be desperate to take it. What’s more, the fact he’s still there means that Silva can take a rest from time to time. Nasri is a quality replacement for him if needed. When City lose Silva, they lose a lot of creativity. A Samir Nasri with a point to prove can at least replace some of that.

Then there’s Jesus Navas. He’s pure pace, but not much else. There are defences out there who are vulnerable to that sort of pace. Rather than play with the silkier Silva and De Bruyne, playing only one of those players in the middle with Navas and Sterling on either side will bring devastating speed to City’s attack, and make them lethal on the counter.

Last but not least, City have options in the very front line too. Sergio Aguero will start as many games as possible this season, but sometimes Aguero will not be able to make the impact necessary to break teams down. Pellegrini has proven Premier League goalscorer and all-round attacking handful Wilfried Bony to call upon if the Aguero approach isn’t working.

All the while, Yaya Toure is supporting from deep with Fernandinho playing a box to box role – and popping up with a few goals already this season, lashed right into the back of the net.

De Bruyne isn’t a needless signing from Pellegrini. He’s someone who compliments the team he has already. Thankfully David Silva will no longer rot on the wing of a 442, if he does play wide, he can cut inside more effectively if he doesn’t have two strikers in his way, but it looks like he’ll have the central role of a 4231. Which leaves Sterling on one wing and De Bruyne on the other. One side is pace, the other is class, and the whole thing is explosive and lethal.

But like all good teams, they seem to have more than just the ability to win games. Thanks to their blistering start and the fact that every team they have faced so far has been thoroughly outclassed, Manchester City exude an aura. No team will want to face them, and when they do defences will fear them, probably a little bit too much.

Manchester United teams under Ferguson had that aura. Everyone knew that going to Old Trafford was going to be the toughest game of their season, whether that thought was justified or not. The Etihad Stadium promises to have the same status this season because City are just that frightening at the moment.

The summer belonged to City, just as the one before it belonged to Chelsea. Chelsea’s signings won them the title – City’s might win them a dynasty.

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Tottenham’s early season form in 2015-16 suggests that the North London outfit have strengthened well in the summer and are placed to seriously challenge for a top-four berth.

From an attacking perspective, the addition of Son Heung-min looks like an astute move from the White Hart Lane side, with the South Korea international able to play a supporting role or as a main striker.

Clinton N’jie still looks like a raw talent with room to develop, but with Christian Eriksen, Son, Nacer Chadli and a rejuvenated Mousa Dembele, Spurs have options in their attacking midfield positions.

That said, looking at the success of Yevhen Konoplyanka at Sevilla will represent a missed opportunity for Mauricio Pochettino’s men.

The Ukraine international has starred for his country and former club Dnipro over the years, leading to plenty of rumblings linking the skilful winger with a move to England.

Spurs were one of the teams mentioned as possible suitors of Konoplyanka, with a scramble for his services earlier this year with his contract with Dnipro expiring in the summer.

With no shortage of offers, the 26-year-old opted for a move to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan and has been starring for Sevilla in his first couple of months in Spanish football.

The Ukrainian has scored twice and provided three assists so far in La Liga this season, putting in some superb individual performances in the process for Unai Emery’s men.

He has also stood out in the Champions League, scoring against Manchester City and showing his calibre to perform on the biggest stage.

Against Real Madrid recently, where Sevilla beat the capital city giants 3-2 on home soil, Konoplyanka terrorised the Madrid defence and gave opposite number Danilo the slip on repeated occasion.

His turn of pace, trickery and ability to improvise was evident against Rafa Benitez’s men, with the visitors struggling to contain the eastern European down Sevilla’s left.

Over the years Konoplyanka has shown that he has the versatility to play on a flank or as a support striker, with this versatility essential in Ukraine’s progression to Euro 2016 this week.

For Spurs, the 26-year-old’s addition would have been specifically beneficial for a number of reasons.

Firstly, despite the technical ability and footballing intelligence to play centrally, Konoplyanka would have offered real width for Spurs.

A winger keen to take on opposition full-backs and hug the touchline, the Ukrainian’s skillset is unique to the current options at Pochettino’s disposal and would have helped to offer Spurs a different threat and create space.

Secondly, Konoplyanka’s ability to act as a threat on the counter attack with his devastating pace and incisive running with and without the ball would have complemented the existing attacking players in Tottenham’s squad.

With the gifted playmaker available on a free transfer but now worth a considerable amount of money, had Spurs pounced they would have landed arguably the bargain of the summer.

The North London club may well have been burnt in the past with Ukrainian players, with Sergei Rebrov still remembered as a joke figure after his big-money move from Dynamo Kiev did not work out.

However, with Konoplyanka thriving for Sevilla both in La Liga and on the continent, Spurs may well be rueing not moving for him over the off-season.

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Normality has resumed at Everton this season after a turbulent 14/15 campaign. Fortunately, your FM save will have a lot better chance of succeeding with a push for Europe than either Moyes or Martinez have done.

Both these managers have faced their critics from an expectant Goodison faithful and you may well face the same, with fans wanting to see the club compete with the big boys, despite a budget more fitting of the bottom half.

Fortunately, the Everton squad is filled with talent and you have the brilliant from three of Lukaku, Deulofeu and Barkley at your disposal. The biggest problem you are likely to face is these players pushing for a transfer if you can’t provide Champions League football.

What you start with…

You’ll start your save with a budget of £0, thanks to a rather stingy board, but you should be able to raise a bit of money through your sales. The wage budget isn’t too generous either, so the first window might have to be a quite one.

What’s expected…

Premier League: As ever, the board would like to see the Toffees make the Euro Cup qualification places. However, some saves they will be slightly more lenient and accept a top half finish, this largely depends on the update that you are using on your save.

FA Cup: Progress to the sixth round will be enough for the board to be happy. A cup run might not do too much for you financially, but there’s no better way to keep the fans on side.

Capital One Cup: The secondary domestic competition won’t bother the board too much. However, a trophy can always be a nice cheer-up for the fans.

Three to buy…

Alberto Aquilani: Buying an ex-Red might be an unpopular move, but Aquilani is often available on a cut price deal during each save. His exquisite passing ability from deep, or closer to the striker, makes him an ideal player to slip in Deulofeu and Lukaku. Aquilani’s game would fit alongside the industry of McCarthy.

Jordan Rhodes: Rhodes will be quite a costly addition to your squad, but Blackburn’s main marksman is a reliable finisher and would provide excellent competition for Romelu Lukaku. The Scot has no issues with making the step up to the Premiership and has intelligent off the ball movement that suits Everton’s attacking midfield talent.

Fran Villalba: He might only be 17, but Villalba is an absolutely must-buy. The Spanish playmaker becomes an excellent number ten and will be one of the best chance creators in the league. If Ross Barkley pushes for a move, you can be sure that Villalba will be ready to fill in the attacking midfield role within a couple of seasons.

Three to sell…

Steven Pienaar: Pienaar’s injury concerns on FM are just too serious to ignore. He begins your save with an injury and, despite his intelligent game, Pienaar struggles to compete with Mirallas and Deulofeu for game time. We would advise that it makes more sense to give his minutes to a younger player and hope to make yourself some room to manoeuvre by freeing up Pienaar’s wages.

Arouna Kone: Romelu Lukaku’s brilliance really does show up the inadequacies of Arouna Kone. Kone might be an acceptable option for a bottom half club, but you are going to need to upgrade your backup centre forward if you envisage a push for European football.

Leighton Baines: This probably won’t be a popular decision, but with the presence of Galloway and Oviedo, selling Baines makes a lot of sense. The England international still has exceptional crossing, but his age and value mean that a sale would be a lucrative option. A serious injury can as good as end Baines’ career as first-choice for you and its definitely better to cash in on his talents whilst you can.

Youngsters…

Ryan Ledson: Ledson is the latest midfield talent to come out of Everton’s academy and he becomes a wonderful central midfield playmaker. His passing will reach ratings that you would associate with Xabi Alonso and Ledson can also operate in a deeper role and look to dictate tempo. You may look to loan Ledson in your first season, but he will quickly become a key player.

Brendan Galloway: Galloway begins the game as a centre-back who can cover at left-back, but you might want to look to train the youngster as a full-back due to the quality of John Stones and Funes Mori. You can choose to cash in on Galloway after a couple of seasons and expect to receive around £10 million, but his potential makes it well worth your while developing your defensive around him and Stones.

Tyias Browning: Browning, like Galloway, can cover at centre-back and full-back. This young toffee represents England are under 20 level and has a strong potential on FM. The strengths of Browning and Galloway might make you consider whether to use them as first-team members to replace Jagielka and Baines.

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While we watch Cesc Fabregas getting booed every time he goes near the ball at the Emirates, it set us at FFC thinking of the most booed players in the history of the Premier League and, naturally, we had a bit of a giggle at Fabregas’ hero to villain career path.

The Spaniard has been unpopular at Stamford Bridge this season, but the former Arsenal captain has faced a world of abuse at Arsenal’s ground this season.

Chelsea fans have questioned the work rate of the Spaniard during this campaign and it seems as though the playmaker will never be welcomed back to the Emirates with open arms, unsurprisingly.

Fans have a free license to abuse how they like, with players knowing they will face sanctions if they respond, and some players seem to face a whole career of expletives being thrown at them from the terraces.

Here are the FIVE players who are booed the most…

John Terry

From the trouble with Anton Ferdinand to more personal off-field troubles, John Terry is still one of the most hated players in the Premier League and faces barrages of abuse wherever he is playing.

Unlike many, the Chelsea skipper seems to be spurred on by the tirades of aggression, but it doesn’t stop the fans.

Ashley Cole

Ashley ‘Cashley’ Cole ripped apart the hearts of Arsenal fans when he moved to Chelsea and quickly became even more unpopular because of his relationship with Cheryl Cole.

The left-back has, as a result, been horribly under valued, despite being one of England’s all time greats, and it wasn’t just Arsenal fans who took to abusing the star.

Across the country the multiple FA Cup winner faced endless insults and it isn’t a surprise that he was happy to move on to Italy.

David Beckham

Becks retired a national hero, but the superstar midfielder had a period of utter contempt from the entire country after his idiotic red card in 1998.

When Beckham left his boot where he shouldn’t against Argentina, the Manchester United midfielder contributed to England’s World Cup demise and faced boos around the country.

Luis Suarez

With a few less bans since he’s been in Spain, the Uruguayan trouble maker has been significantly more popular, but from biting to racism, Suarez was constantly unpopular around the UK.

Oddly, Liverpool’s strong defence of their star’s behaviour seemed to make the ex-Ajax striker further despised and he was not unfamiliar with boos ringing around grounds as his name was announced.

Joey Barton

Controversy has never been far away from Joey Barton and the journeyman midfielder had a tendency to make himself particularly unpopular wherever he was playing.

From incidents with cigarettes at night clubs to on-pitch assaults, the ex-City man has never been for great fan popularity.