Sean Dyche Burnley
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Burnley coaching change as #SteveStone steps up to first team #BURNLEYFC

July 9, 2021
BURNLEY Under-23s boss Steve Stone has been promoted to the club's first-team staff. The former England winger is taking over from Tony Loughlan, who is leaving to undergo a second hip operation. As a result of Stone's promotion, former Tranmere and Shrewsbury manager Michael Jackson has been appointed interim Under-23s coach. Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: “Tony has done a fantastic job here as a key part of the staff but he now feels it’s a good time for him to undergo the further surgery he needs and the extended period of time required to make a full recovery. Replacing him with Steve makes perfect sense for everyone. “We know Steve really well and we’ve worked closely with him over the past few years, anyway. “He knows what it’s all about at the top level of the game, he knows how we work, is familiar with the players and will make it a smooth transition as we build towards another season in the Premier League.”
Jeremy Sarmiento
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton sign #JeremySarmiento from Benfica #BHAFC

July 3, 2021
Albion have signed former England under-17 international Jeremy Sarmiento from Benfica. He arrives on a two-year deal on undisclosed terms, subject to international clearance. The 19-year-old attacking player will join up with Andrew Crofts’ under-23s. Sarmiento came through the ranks with Charlton Athletic before signing for Benfica in 2018. Crofts said: “We are delighted that we are able to bring a player like Jeremy in, who we’ve watched extensively during his time with both Charlton and Benfica. “The pathway we have in place was a big factor in Jeremy choosing us ahead of many suitors, which is of huge credit to the academy and first-team staff. “We look forward to welcoming Jeremy and seeing him in action with the under-23s in the near future.”
Sean Dyche Burnley
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Burnley striker #JoelMumbongo joins Accrington Stanley on season-long loan #BURNLEYFC

July 2, 2021
Burnley prospect Joel Mumbongo has signed for Accrington Stanley on a season-long loan deal. Mumbongo has already clocked up seven appearances for the Clarets first-team but will now step-up his development with a year at the Wham Stadium. The 22-year-old netted eight times in 13 Premier League 2 Division Two fixtures last season and John Coleman is delighted to land the striker who has been a long-term target. He said: "He has really impressed me every time I have watched him. He will add strength to the attacking areas. "He is quick, physically strong, and he is a no-nonsense centre forward, the type I like." Gothenburg-born Mumbongo began his career with Swedish sides BK Hacken and Utsiktens BK, before moving to Italy to join Hellas Verona in the summer of 2018. He signed for Burnley a year later, with the 22-year-old then making his first team debut for the Clarets in January 2021 against Milton Keynes Dons. He said of the move: “I am happy to be here, I feel like this is the right place at the right time for me. “It’s a good move for me, to be able to play games and show people what I can do. “I am a powerful striker, quick in behind and a threat. Scoring goals is my job and I want to make an impact."
Ben White Leeds
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton’s #BenWhite shines on his full England debut against Romania #BHAFC

June 7, 2021
The 23-year-old started and played the full 90 minutes for England in their 1-0 win over Romania in friendly at the Riverside Stadium yesterday evening. He became the first Albion player to start for England since skipper Lewis Dunk in a friendly against the USA at Wembley in November 2018. He partnered Aston Villa’s Tyrone Mings at centre-half as part of a back four with Everton’s Ben Godfrey at right back and Manchester United’s Luke Shaw at left back. His performance earnt him plaudits from former England internationals Ian Wright and Lee Dixon, who were impressed by how ‘calm’ and ‘composed’ he was, with Dixon picking out White’s as the best performers in the back four. But after the game Gareth Southgate refused to be drawn on who will replace Trent Alexander-Arnold, with White one of six players in the running for the vacant spot in his their 26-man squad for the Euros. He said: “We will check how we are after the game medically and check there is nothing else we need to go through, so we will make that decision in the next 24 hours.” The only goal of the game came in the 68th minute after substitute Tiberiu Capusa’s pulled down Jack Grealish in the box. Marcus Rashford stepped up and calmly tucked his effort into the bottom corner. England won another penalty in the 77th minute after Vlad Chiriches bundled Dominic Calvert-Lewin over. Substitute Jordan Henderson took it but saw his effort saved by Sparta Prague’s Florin Nita. England had been unlucky not to take the lead in the first half after Calvert-Lewin’s header and Jadon Sancho’s curling effort both came back off the crossbar.
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #RalphHasenhuttl reveals admiration for player quality #AlexJankewitz has #SAINTSFC

June 3, 2021
RALPH Hasenhuttl remains confident Alex Jankewitz can play to a "very high level", despite the youngster's limited match minutes for Saints last season. The teenager made his senior Saints debut in January, coming off the bench in a 2-0 FA Cup win over Shrewsbury Town at St Mary's. His Premier League bow followed a few days later against Aston Villa, before being handed a first top-flight start in February. However, it turned into a nightmare evening for Jankewitz, sent off after just two minutes against Manchester United at Old Trafford for a horror challenge on Scott McTominay. Saints went on to lose 9-0 and Jankewitz has not played for the first team since. The 19-year-old received sickening racist abuse online following that incident, with team-mate Kayne Ramsay taking to Instagram to show his support for the youngster. He wrote: "Comments directed at my teammate Alex is inexcusable. "Faceless person/s behind a screen, they’re just ignorant with nothing but an agenda to make the hurt even more painful. "Why break a guy down, with all the hate, when he already feels broken? "However, does that give another person the right to abuse another person because he is black!? "Why direct such hate, when there is so much upset and turmoil in the world. No-one needs negative energy, you can’t direct all this hate to a player who has made a mistake. "Why not send some good vibes and positive thoughts, to build the guy back up, he’s a human being, a black human being, with feelings and emotions, no different to mine and yours. "I’m a young black man, just like Alex. "He got a red card, his timing was all wrong, he’s truly gutted, disappointed in himself." Since that defeat at Old Trafford, Jankewitz has impressed on the international stage with Switzerland under-21s. He played in all three group games at the European U21 Championship and his season drew to a close at the weekend, featuring for the full 90 minutes as the Swiss beat Republic of Ireland under-21s 2-0 in a friendly. And Hasenhuttl has urged the midfielder to be ready for whenever his chance with Saints arises again. Discussing Jankewitz's progress, the Saints boss said: "The (full) debut against Man United was definitely not really helpful for him. "I think he made a mistake, but he knows this. "In the end, we see the quality that he has. We see that he can maybe one time play also on a very high level, but like always there is now big competition in this position. "We have Stuey (Armstrong) now back on the six, Ibra (Diallo) is there and Ori (Romeu) comes back, it is not so easy to get a chance there to play. But when there is a moment to give him a chance to play, then we will definitely do it. "When he trains hard and when he is available and gets the chance, then he must show up." Saints academy director Matt Hale added: "It is great to see Alex on the international stage. “He has made so much progress since he joined us when he was 16 and this experience (with Switzerland) will provide him with great confidence.”
Ben White Leeds
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GarethSouthgate reveals Brighton’s #BenWhite was always aware he was not heading to Euros #BHAFC

June 2, 2021
England boss Gareth Southgate has revealed that Brighton defender Ben White knew he was coming in for the experience and the friendlies rather than the Euros. The 23-year-old defender was called up as part of Southgate's 33-man provisional squad last week. But he was one of the seven players to miss out on the chance to go to the Euros with England. However, Southgate revealed that the uncapped trio of White, Everton's Ben Godfrey and Sheffield United's Aaron Ramsdale knew they were coming in for the experience. He said: “You never want to give bad news. “It is lovely to give people debuts and bring people into the squad for the first time but it is much harder to deliver bad news. “This time, there were three boys who knew they were coming in for the experience of training with us and for these two matches, and who knows what might happen. "But they have trained really well.”  
James Ward Prowse
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GarethSouthgate explains why #JamesWardProwse is left out of England Euro 2020 squad #SAINTSFC

June 2, 2021
ENGLAND manager Gareth Southgate admitted “you never want to give bad news” after James Ward-Prowse was cut from his Euro 2020 squad. The Saints skipper was one of seven names to be trimmed down from the original 33-man group, as the Three Lions finalised their final 26-man party for this summer’s tournament. Ward-Prowse had been regarded as an important figure in the Three Lions setup, and a regular in recent squads. But reports surfaced on Sunday that the 26-year-old would not make the cut for the final squad, set to compete in this summer’s tournament. His fate was confirmed as England’s final squad was finalised hours before UEFA’s deadline for submissions. Mason Greenwood withdrew from selection due to injury, while the likes of Aaron Ramsdale, Ben Godfrey, Ben White, Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins were also not selected. Ward-Prowse could however still feature in England’s friendly with Austria at Middlesbrough tomorrow night, as well as Sunday’s showdown against Romania. Asked how tough it was to leave out the seven men cut from the group, Southgate said: “You never want to give bad news. “Anybody that’s been in a leadership position – it’s lovely to give people debuts, it’s lovely to bring people into the squad for the first time. It’s much harder to deliver difficult news. “With the lads this time, there were three of the boys who really knew they were coming in for the experience of training with us – they are with us for these two matches and who knows what might happen? “They have trained really well and we are really pleased with Ben Godfrey, Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale. They have added a lot to the group. “Mason Greenwood unfortunately had to pull out on Friday. We knew he wasn’t a contender over the past few days. “For me personally, it was very difficult to speak with Jesse (Lingard), who has given so much for England, performed so well for England over a long period of time. James Ward-Prowse who has been our captain with the under-21s and then Ollie Watkins who has had a tremendous season with Aston Villa. “Those three, I gave them the option of going home if they wanted to, but they were all adamant they wanted to stay – they wanted to be part of the group – they know they will be involved in these two matches. “Their commitment has been exemplary and their professionalism has been brilliant. It meant that yesterday (Monday) afternoon, when I had the conversations with those players – although they were disappointed, they knew where they stood. “It’s meant that the atmosphere around the camp has stayed positive and very relaxed.” Ward-Prowse went into the England camp having played every minute in the Premier League for the past two seasons. He also netted his first senior international goal in March, during a 5-0 World Cup Qualifying win over San Marino. Southgate added: “I think every squad is difficult because we have a lot of talented players in this country. “The most difficult thing is to not be able to take players who’ve been with us in previous matches and who are such good professionals. “So, I know what a disappointment that is for them at the moment not to be going to a major championship. “But we still have two friendlies to get to, and there’s been plenty of examples over the years where there have been injuries in those friendlies that have ruled people out. “So, there’s still time for those guys even though they’re not in at this moment in time."