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أعلنت رابطة الأندية المحترفة المصرية، عن أفضل صانع ألعاب في بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز، للموسم المنتهي 2023-2024.

وانتهت منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري 18 أغسطس 2024، حصد النادي الأهلي لقب البطولة للمرة الثانية على التوالي والـ 44 في تاريخه.

وكان ينافس على لقب أفضل صانع ألعاب في الدوري المصري عن موسم 2023-2024، كل من (محمد مجدي أفشة “الأهلي”، عبد الله السعيد “الزمالك”، وليد الكرتي “بيراميدز”، محمد إبراهيم “سيراميكا كليوباترا”).

طالع | “أنا طماع”.. أفشة يوضح سبب تسجيله الأهداف الحاسمة وطموحاته مع الأهلي

وكشفت رابطة الأندية عبر صفحتها على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”، عن حصول لاعب الأهلي محمد مجدي أفشة على لقب أفضل صانع ألعاب في الدوري المصري موسم 2023-2024.

ونشرت صفحة رابطة الأندية: “أفشة أفشة، أوعى يجيلك أفشة، بتصويت الجماهير، محمد مجدي أفشة هو أفضل صانع ألعاب في دوري هذا الموسم”.

يذكر، أن رابطة الأندية، اختارت محمد الشناوي أفضل حارس في الدوري، كما حصد كريم فؤاد أفضل ظهير أيسر، وحصل محمد عبد المنعم وأحمد رمضام بيكهام على أفضل مدافعين ومحمد هاني كأفضل ظهير أيمن وتم اختيار مروان عطية وإمام عاشور أفضل ثنائي خط وسط.

Leicester City were in cruise control at the top of the Championship, sweeping past teams with relative ease and making a mockery of the division.

When the Foxes made it 11 wins from 12 with a 3-1 victory over Swansea City in October, they broke the record for the best start to a Championship season since the league rebranded in 2004.

Because of this, talk of Enzo Maresca's side totalling the most points ever in a single second-tier campaign began to surface, however, consecutive 1-0 defeats against Leeds United and Middlesbrough have quelled those talks, at least for the time being.

In an all-star Leicester team, only one thing has remained a constant since his arrival in 2012, and that has been Jamie Vardy spearheading their charge towards success.

Jamie Vardy's 23/24 statistics

At the age of 36, Vardy is no spring chicken anymore and of course, those once magical goal-scoring powers were going to suffer an alarming drop off one day.

In the past few seasons, the Englishman has lost a yard of pace and doesn't get into scoring positions as often as he used to, but you never lose the knack of scoring goals, and the former Fleetwood Town striker has demonstrated that this term.

Although a return of four goals in 16 matches is underwhelming for someone who used to regularly break the 20-goal mark in one season – winning the Premier League Golden Boot in 2019/20 – Vardy still plays a crucial role in stretching opposition defences with his pace in behind.

A menace to play against physically and difficult to stop with his sharp movements, the veteran striker has made a career out of lurking on the last defender and pouncing at the chance to be sent through on goal.

Much like Wayne Rooney, Vardy possesses a street striker element to his game – never giving a defender a moment of peace – and wreaking havoc in the attacking third with his devastating finishing.

He's accumulated a staggering 175 goals in 444 appearances for Leicester but given he's soon to retire, the Foxes will forever rue their decision to sell Andrej Kramaric in 2016, who has since become a world-class finisher in the Bundesliga.

Andrej Kramaric's goal record

Leicester broke their transfer record in 2015 when they shelled out £9m on a 23-year-old Kramaric from FC Rijeka.

Despite rigorously scouting the young Croatian, he immediately struggled to adapt to the intensity and demands of the Premier League – like many foreign exports – and only found the net four times in 20 appearances.

In truth, he just did not fit into City's shape, or with their intense, pressing, relentless style and was never going to get in ahead of Vardy, for whom Leicester's entire game was based around getting him in behind defences.

Indeed, Nigel Pearson, the man who brought him to the club, couldn't fit Kramaric into the team and shipped him out on loan to Hoffenheim in the 2015/16 campaign.

Whilst the Foxes were celebrating their famous Premier League title triumph, the striker posted nine goal contributions in 15 matches for the Bundesliga outfit, so few were shocked to see Hoffenheim snap him up in the summer of 2016.

Now aged 32 and in his eighth season with the German side, Kramaric – much like Vardy – has become a goal-machine since departing the King Power, amassing a staggering 121 goals and 51 assists in 262 appearances for the club.

Goal records since Kramaric departed Leicester in 2016
Stat	Club appearances	Goals / Assists
Jamie Vardy	300	125 goals / 34 assists (159 G/A)
Andrej Kramaric	262	121 goals / 51 assists (172 G/A)
Stats via Transfermarkt

On the international stage, the 88-cap Croatia "genius" – as hailed by commentator Derek Rae – has had huge success too, reaching the World Cup final and semi-final in 2018 and 2022, respectively, including scoring the winner which knocked England out at the last four stage in Russia.

Leicester ultimately missed the chance to enjoy an elite European striker as his spell at the club overlapped with the time in which Vardy was at the peak of his powers, and not one supporter would change that for the world given the legendary status that the Englishman has achieved.

But considering that Kramaric has plundered six goals in nine matches this term and outscored Vardy, perhaps they would now take him back in a heartbeat.

Lionel Messi has become a “nightmare” for the rest of MLS, says Sacha Kljestan, with the Inter Miami superstar finding his mojo in 2024.

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Argentine endured injury issuesStunted early progress in 2024All-time great now back to his bestWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine icon suffered hamstring problems early on in the current campaign, preventing him from making the desired impact across MLS and CONCACAF Champions Cup competition. Messi was, however, back to his mercurial best in a 3-1 victory over Nashville last time out – with two goals and an assist recorded in that contest.

Get the MLS Season Pass today!Stream games nowAdvertisementGettyWHAT KLJESTAN SAID

MLS legend Kljestan has said on the division’s of why the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner should have domestic rivals running scared: “Lionel Messi was the star of the show (again) after his two-goal, one assist performance. It’s pretty fun to watch this GOAT play, especially when he’s had a whole week to prepare. A healthy and rested Messi = a nightmare for the opposition.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Messi is up to nine goals for Inter Miami through as many appearances this season. He appears to be over the fitness issues that stunted his progress throughout March, with the evergreen 36-year-old now in the process of chasing down major honours once more.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI?

Inter Miami have risen to the top of the MLS Eastern Conference. There is still a long way to go in the 2024 campaign, which will be broken up by Copa America duty for Messi and Co, but the Herons will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to the New England Revolution.

Everton midfielder Dele Alli will appear on Sky Sports programme Monday Night Football amid an injury-plagued season.

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Dele Alli confirmed as special MNF guestWill be on Sky Sports for Chelsea vs EvertonToffees midfielder has not played all seasonWHAT HAPPENED?

The England international has not featured for the Toffees all season due to ongoing fitness issues. His last competitive appearance came for Besiktas while on loan in the second half of last season before his spell in Turkey was cut short because of injury.

AdvertisementThe OverlapTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Sky Sports confirmed that the 28-year-old will be the special guest for Monday's programme as his Everton side travel to Stamford Bridge to face Chelsea in the Premier League. It is the ex-Tottenham star's first appearance in the media since his touching interview with former Manchester United hero Gary Neville, in which he opened up about his childhood trauma and history with addiction.

DID YOU KNOW?

The midfielder joined Everton from Spurs in 2022 but has managed just 13 appearances for the club. His hope of getting more game time for Sean Dyche's team was made more complicated as the Merseyside club tried to renegotiate their deal with Spurs to avoid having to pay £10 million after his 20th appearance.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR DELE ALLI?

The former MK Dons player will hope to see his team pick up a vital three points when they take on Chelsea on Monday. Sean Dyche's team are currently 16th in the league and four points clear of the relegation zone after 31 matches.

Arsenal have reaped the benefits of unearthing talent from the academy over the years, with Mikel Arteta's current crop showcasing just how far hard work can catapult starlets hoping to graduate from Hale End.

The Gunners enjoyed a highly-successful 2022/23 campaign, which inspired a charge for the Premier League title inspired by the likes of Bukayo Saka, who is arguably one of the club’s best ever academy graduates.

Saka, who joined Arsenal’s youth set-up at the age of eight took his chances throughout the levels of the academy, with him now sitting today as a crucial player at the club earning £195k-per-week and enjoying his status as a 2023 Ballon D’Or Nominee.

The 22-year-old sensation is not the only star to recently burst through the doors of Hale End to impact the first team, with Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith-Rowe following suit, however not every big talent from the set-up in north London has selected Arsenal as the place to grow as a senior player.

After excelling on a season long loan spell with Ligue 1 outfit Reims, Gunners academy striker Folarin Balogun opted to leave his boyhood club to seek further highs in France, signing for Monaco this summer in a deal worth £35m.

While the north Londoners received a suitable fee for the 22-year-old, other exits from the capital over the years have proved to be huge financial fumbles by Arsenal, with none more frustrating than the loss of Donyell Malen.

Donyell Malen enjoyed a good spell at Arsenal

In 2015, Arsenal welcomed Dutch prodigy, Malen, to the scene at Hale End from Ajax at the age of 16, as the Gunners saw potential in the versatile teen forward.

The 1999-born whiz enjoyed a strong two years in England, making a total of 67 appearances at both U18 and U21 level in which he scored 27 goals for the club.

His time at Arsenal was inspired by his former coach at Ajax U10’s, Dennis Bergkamp, who will forever be a much-loved figure in Islington, with his figure cast in bronze outside the Emirates Stadium.

During his time in the academy ranks, the then-teenager was tipped to have a great future, with his former agent Mino Raiola backing him to one day become a “revelation” in north London.

Donyell Malen left Arsenal for extremely cheap

Despite enjoying his time in England, in 2017, the forward made the decision to continue his career back in his homeland instead of opting to extend his stay with Arsenal, which he explained to be due to the potential opportunities that could arise in the Netherlands.

It didn’t take long for Malen to make his wishes a reality, as he was signed by PSV Eindhoven that year for a fee reported to be in the region of just £200k.

It quickly became apparent of the direction that the departed forward’s career was headed, and with that came the realisation of just how poor the decision was to sanction his exit for less than £1m.

A year after his exit, in the summer of 2018, Football Transfers documented the start of Malen’s rise in value, as his expected transfer value (xTV) sat at €4m (£3.4m) just 12 months after his £200k departure.

Donyell Malen xTV rise at PSV
Month/Year	Expected transfer value
07/2018	€4m (£3.4m)
07/2019	€8.9m (£7.7m)
07/2020	€16.7m (£14.5m)
07/2021	€29.4m (£25.5m)
Via Football Transfers

From that point onwards, the Dutchman’s xTV almost doubled year by year, as highlighted in the table above, adding to Arsenal’s pain of losing the forward from their grasp at such a slim figure just a year prior to his senior breakthrough.

Donyell Malen's impressive rise at PSV

A year after his arrival at PSV, Malen became an established member of the first team, following his heroics during the 2017/18 campaign with the U21’s, in which he netted 13 goals and claimed three assists in 22 appearances.

During that season, the Dutch international picked up four Eredivisie appearances, paving the way for his senior breakthrough the following term, where he recorded 31 appearances.

In the 2018/19 Eredivisie, the tricky forward scored ten goals and recorded five assists, and his record improved the season after with 11 goals, despite only playing 14 games due to sustaining a complex knee injury which left him sidelined for over 200 days.

Donyell Malen record at PSV in all competitions
Season	Apps	Goals	Assists
2017/18	4	0	0
2018/19	42	11	5
2019/20	25	17	9
2020/21	45	27	10
Figures via Transfermarkt

After surgery, there was some anxiety that the youngster may have lost some of his pace and proficiency in the final third, however this was far from the case, as in the 2020/21 edition of the Eredivisie, he recorded 27 goal contributions in 32 appearances.

At 22, Malen ended that season as the second-highest scorer in the league, and it wasn’t long until his talents were noticed beyond the threshold of his home country.

Donyell Malen got his big European move

Following Jadon Sancho’s blockbuster move to Manchester United in 2021, Borussia Dortmund were on the prowl for attacking reinforcements, and deemed Malen as the ideal option to fill the void left by the Englishman.

Dortmund paid PSV a fee of €30m (£26m) for the Dutchman, a figure 12900% higher than the price Arsenal sold Malen to the Eredivisie outfit for.

While Dortmund were slyly hoping to see home parallels between the former Gunners starlet and Sancho, their similarities in the 2021/22 campaign were far from being for their quality in the final third.

Both Malen and Sancho had a slow start to life at their new clubs, with the Dutch international recording only nine goals and six assists in 38 appearances for Dortmund that season, while Sancho scored just five times and registered only three assists.

Last term, the £26m man contributed to 18 goals in 35 appearances, however, scoring ten and assisting eight, with him on track to beat that record as he’s already secured four goals and two assists in 12 appearances in 2023/24.

Donyell Malen’s market value has soared

In the summer of 2022, Malen’s xTV hit a high of €48.8m (£42.4m), with his current market value recorded by CIES Football Observatory to be sat at a whopping €60m (£52m).

Lauded as a “sizzling” earlier this year for his form at Dortmund by U23 scout Antonio Mango, Arsenal are frequently reminded of the mere £200k price tag that they lost the former academy star for, with his current value reading 25900% higher.

While it’s more of a pleasant sight to see a once hopeful starlet succeed on the biggest stages of domestic football, the Gunners truly missed out on unearthing a goldmine in Malen.

Dropped catches proved expensive for Durham after the visitors chose to bowl first on day one of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire

ECB Reporters Network18-Sep-2018
ScorecardDropped catches proved expensive for Durham after the visitors chose to bowl first on day one of their Specsavers County Championship match against Leicestershire at the Fischer County Ground, Grace Road.Paul Collingwood, captaining Durham for the last time away from their Chester-le-Street home, put down both Harry Dearden and Neil Dexter, both times at first slip, though Dexter should already have been dismissed first ball, Michael Richardson shelling a relatively straightforward chance at third slip.Had Richardson held the chance, off Matt Salisbury, Leicestershire would have been 139 for 5 and struggling. As it was Dexter and Dearden went on to compile a partnership of 77 for the fifth wicket in just 17 overs before Leicestershire’s lower order and tail took their score past 300.In the absence of captain Paul Horton, unavailable due to personal reasons, Ateeq Javid was promoted to open. He and academy graduate Sam Evans put together a partnership of 31 for Leicestershire’s first wicket before Evans was leg before to a delivery from Chris Rushworth which seamed back in to the young right-hander.With the bowlers struggling to cope with the strong southerly wind, Colin Ackermann hit Barry McCarthy for successive boundaries before the Ireland international had his revenge with a delivery that moved away just enough to find the edge.Javid was dismissed shortly after reaching his half-century, his highest score for Leicestershire, leg before to a Rushworth delivery which seamed back, and though Mark Cosgrove showed signs of finding some sort of form in going to 37, he was also beaten on numerous occasions, particularly by Rushworth, before being bowled pushing across the line at a delivery from Salisbury.Dexter’s good fortune enable he and Dearden to repair the innings before Dexter eventually went leg before on the front foot to Gareth Harte with the score on 216 shortly before tea, and when Dearden edged a loose drive at Mark Wood without further addition to the score, Durham might have hoped to have their opponents all out for around 260.But Lewis Hill, in company with Ben Mike, Callum Parkinson and Gavin Griffiths, guided Leicestershire to a third batting bonus point.

The annual NXGN lists are back for another year, highlighting 25 of the most incredible teenage talents in the women's game

The annual NXGN lists are back for 2024, as GOAL ranks the world's top teenage talents in men's and women's football, crowning winners that will follow names like Lena Oberdorf, Jude Bellingham, Melchie Dumornay and Rodrygo in being recognised as the best young footballer on the planet.

Covering all five continents and representing 18 different countries, the 2024 Women's NXGN list is a truly global one, featuring established senior internationals, title winners and names that already have lit up major tournaments, as well as prospects who look set to have those achievements in their futures.

Without further ado, here is the 2024 Women's NXGN list, ranking the 25 top young talents born on or after January 1, 2005…

• GOAL
  

  25Brooke Aspin (Chelsea – loan at Bristol City)

  Brooke Aspin has been showing off the qualities that make her one of England's most exciting prospects ever since she broke into the Bristol City first team at the age of 16. Fast-forward two years, and she's helped the Robins win promotion to the Women's Super League, overcome an incredible personal battle with the life-threatening illness that is sepsis and signed for Chelsea, the dominant power in English women's football.

  A born leader as well as a determined defender, 18-year-old Aspin is not short of ambition and she has the talent to help her achieve whatever she wants.

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• GOAL
  

  24Toko Koga (Feyenoord)

  Previously quoted as saying that one of her career goals is to be a successful player overseas, Toko Koga took the first bold leap towards achieving that in January when, having just celebrated her 18th birthday, she left home to join Feyenoord in the Netherlands. The versatile defender has already become a fixture in the starting XI at her new club thanks to her impressive technical ability, athletic qualities and tendency to be an aerial threat.

  The excitement around Koga's potential is well-recognised within the Japan set-up, too, with her already starting to be integrated into the senior team by head coach Futoshi Ikeda.

• GOAL
  

  23Liana Joseph (Lyon)

  It's hard to put into words just how impressive Liana Joseph's contributions in the 2023 UEFA Women's Under-17 Championship final were. Spain completely dominated the first half, but France's No.9 slowly started to send a few warning signs after the break, and it was just past the hour when she punished them on the counter, finishing coolly to give France a lead that she then doubled 10 minutes later.

  It's not going to be easy for Joseph to break through at Lyon, but the 17-year-old is already getting a few opportunities. The French giants would certainly be foolish not to make the most of her promising talent, too.

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• GOAL
  

  22Amanda Allen (Orlando Pride)

  You have to be quite talented to make your senior international debut at the age of 17, especially for a nation that has just won Olympic gold. Amanda Allen is indeed quite talented. After squeezing that milestone in just in time to rub shoulders with Canada icon Christine Sinclair, the now-19-year-old forward is learning plenty from another legend of the game at club level, too, as part of an Orlando Pride roster that also includes Brazil's Marta.

  A fearless, confident attacking player who poses a threat to defenders in many different ways, Allen's evident desire to learn and improve makes her potential even greater.

Chelsea are in a difficult moment on the pitch and could now be set to offload one of their players in January after he held discussions with the club over his future, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Chelsea?

Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has urged his players to mature following their difficult start to the 2023/24, which took another negative turn on Sunday against Aston Villa as Ollie Watkins condemned Chelsea to another defeat following Malo Gusto's red card at Stamford Bridge. Nicolas Jackson will also serve a suspension after picking up five yellow cards for dissent.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Pochettino stated: "We need to grow up as a team, not only in an individual way. A player like Nicolas is so young and is feeling his way into the Premier League and learning. He needs time, and in this type of game we are competing and want to win. But the players, when they are young, need to learn with experience and when they make a mistake."

Football Insider report that despite Chelsea taking just five points from their opening six matches, Argentinian boss Pochettino is under no pressure from the club hierarchy and will be given time to turn their fortunes around. Chelsea see Pochettino as someone who can restore the club back near the top of the pile in English football. However, there is an awareness from all sides that results must improve in the coming weeks.

Next up for Chelsea is a home clash against Brighton & Hove Albion in the third round of the Carabao Cup and they will be hoping to arrest their slump in form that has yielded no victories since their 2-1 triumph over AFC Wimbledon in the second round of the competition.

Nevertheless, the Blues continue to have a long injury list and will be without Reece James, Carney Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Marcus Bettinelli, Christopher Nkunku, Trevoh Chalobah, Romeo Lavia and Wesley Fofana for the tie.

Who could leave Chelsea?

Marc Cucurella is believed to have held talks with Chelsea boss Pochettino about his future at the club and is now eyeing a January exit from Stamford Bridge, according to The Sun.

Manchester United were keen to take the Spain international on loan during the summer, though the deal fell through and they instead brought in Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham Hotspur. Cucurella is now weighing up his options and is keen to leave unless his minutes improve in the Premier League.

Since completing a money-spinning £63 million move to Chelsea last summer, Cucurella has struggled to make an impact at Stamford Bridge, making 34 appearances in total for the Blues, registering two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues across the last 365 days, Cucurella has excelled in the art of successful challenges, making around 3.83 per 90 minutes, putting him in the 99th percentile for this metric, as per FBRef.

Chelsea may need to grant the full-back more license to show his capabilities in SW6 or they run the risk of losing his services when the January window opens.

Aston Villa pulled off some impressive moves in the market this summer, with Unai Emery bringing a refreshed level of expectation to the club following his arrival in October 2022.

The Villans were driven from 16th place to 7th during the Spaniard’s first season at the club, securing them European football for the 2023/24 campaign and subsequently bolstering their pull in the transfer window.

Five new faces were welcomed to the Midlands in the summer, including the record-breaking signing of Moussa Diaby, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a £51.9m deal.

While the lucrative deals are typically the transfers that generate excitement, Villa pulled off an exceptional business move last summer, by signing a player in Boubacar Kamara whose value heavily exceeds the price paid for his signature.

How much did Aston Villa sign Boubacar Kamara for?

Prior to the official opening of the 2022 summer window, Villa announced that they had reached an agreement to sign Marseille midfielder Kamara on a free transfer. Dubbed “high-quality” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, this was quite the coup.

Signed as a 22-year-old, the highly-rated Frenchman was nabbed by the Premier League side at the expiration of his contract with his boyhood club, in a move that was celebrated due to the quality of the player.

Earning £150k-per-week at Villa, the former Ligue 1 ace is the side’s biggest earner, however has shown glimpses of the heights he could hit within his five-year contract at the club.

What is Boubacar Kamara’s market value now?

At the point of making the move to England, the 6 foot midfielder had an expected transfer value (xTV) of €18.9m (£16m), a figure that has since risen to €36.5m (£31m) which is a reflection of Kamara’s current market value, via Football Transfers.

During his time at Villa, the 23-year-old has seen his xTV fluctuate, with it hitting a staggering high of €59m (£50m) towards the end of 2022, telling of just how high his price could spike in the future.

One of the reasons for his dip in value was his time away from the action, as he sustained an ankle injury in March that left him sidelined for a month, with journalist Gregg Evans describing him as “irreplaceable” at the time in his column for The Athletic.

Why is Kamara worth so much?

Hailed as a “phenomenon” by former Marseille ace Rolando, Kamara is a highly valued player in the Midlands, with his place in Emery’s team critical due to his perfectly balanced pivot with Douglas Luiz in the engine room.

It didn’t take long for the Marseille academy graduate to adapt to the Premier League, which is usually a subtle worry when players arrive from abroad with no experience of the physicality of the English game.

As per FBref, the Frenchman orchestrated the midfield by making an average of 2.94 tackles per 90, as well as averaging 1.92 blocks per 90, a decimal that placed him within the top 10% of midfielders in the league.

While keeping a firm lock on threat in the middle of the park, the 23-year-old maintained an average pass completion rate of 84.8% per 90, showcasing his ability to dictate play in an area that’s typically congested.

Villa evidently struck gold by securing the signature of the 2022 free-agent, who has shown performances typical of a player whose market value is bound to soar to even further levels in the future.

Leeds United are now back where they started with regard to their division, having triumphantly returned to the Premier League in 2020 only to be miserably relegated just three years later.

It seemed that, when Marcelo Bielsa led them back to the top flight, the Argentine would then go on to forge a dynasty at Elland Road built on a free-flowing philosophy and backed by the financial might that such a promotion provokes.

However, questionable transfer dealings and a threadbare squad hung the now-Uruguay international manager out to dry, and he was subsequently sacked. However, his stubbornness was likely not exempt from such a decision.

Whilst it can be debated whether that was an intelligent move at the time, what followed was a string of thoughtless decisions that culminated in such a torrid campaign which always seemed destined to end in disappointment.

Jesse Marsch may have 'saved them' the year prior, but handing him two transfer windows after performances had been so dire was suicidal from Andrea Radrizzani, whose panicked state then saw him employ Javi Gracia and Sam Allardyce in the space of just five months.

With Daniel Farke now entrusted with overseeing a new long-term project under the new ownership of the 49ers, the hope will be that they can muster up a quick turnaround to ensure their top-flight absence is not as long as the last.

However, there was one transfer move they perhaps could have made that might have shortened that last stint away from the Premier League, had they fought harder to keep Billy Sharp at Elland Road for a little while longer.

Why did Leeds United let Billy Sharp leave?

Having started his career at Sheffield United, and subsequently returned between 2007 and 2010, it was common knowledge that his heart belonged at Bramall Lane.

So, when the Whites employed his services in 2014, there was always a sense of unease that his stay might not be a long one.

At the very least though, there was hope that his goals could help fire them away from their troubles, given his track record of scoring at nearly every level in the English football pyramid.

After all, the clinical marksman had notched 45 in 102 games for Doncaster Rovers, and a further 55 in just 93 for Scunthorpe United, earning promotion to the Championship with the latter and then starring at that level with the former.

BBC 5 Live Sport's presenter Steve Crossman was incredibly keen to laud his contribution to English football, noting back in 2019: "He is a man who has had great personal trauma in his life and he's still there, he's still playing, and he is unquestionably a legend of the EFL."

This was then supplemented by broadcaster Mark Clemmit, who claimed: "Apart from that first spell at Sheffield United, where he just got those couple of games, he scored goals everywhere he's been. Magnificent".

Then, offering a Leeds perspective, Stephen Warnock noted: "I think when he was at Leeds, when he came in, he was everything we wanted and we believed that he would be the goalscorer that would get us into the Premier League."

Unsurprisingly, the peak of his powers came during his final spell with his beloved Blades, leading them back into the Premier League having scored 129 times in 377 appearances for them.

Although he perhaps didn't need to, he would still explain the reasons behind his Elland Road exit that led to such success in 2015: "The move to Sheffield United was a no-brainer. I started there as a kid and always wanted to play for the club because I’m a Sheffield boy. I felt it was a good time for me to return.

“I’m 29 and I am coming to the peak of my career. I feel like I have got better as a player since I was last here. If I can achieve success with my boyhood club, there would be nothing better than that.”

As someone wholly capable of firing teams up the football pyramid, in a similar way he fired himself up with his goals at every level, his brief tenure in Yorkshire was a frustrating one given the potential he had to be their promotion catalyst.

They desperately needed someone to take their plight by the scruff of the neck and drag them through, and arguably there are few better characters to do so with the aggression and passion needed than Sharp.

How good was Billy Sharp?

It is a testament to not just his quality, but his personability, that most who play with the 37-year-old rush to laud the man as well as the player.

John Fleck, a former teammate of his, was one such example, as he spoke in length to The Athletic back in 2020: "Billy has not just been an amazing goalscorer — and he still is, by the way — but he is also captain of the club. He runs the dressing room very well and always has done since I arrived. I am sure he will keep doing that as long as we are together as a group. He is in charge of everything.”

After all, having showcased his desperation to continue returning to Bramall Lane, this should come as no surprise, having spent roughly 12 years there across three separate stints.

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All stats via Transfermarkt

Although his time at Elland Road was not quite as long or profitable as they might have hoped, with just five goals to his name, his impact as a goalscorer across League One, the Championship and even the Premier League cannot be disputed.

The 5 foot 9 ace would score 272 career goals and counting, given he now features for LA Galaxy in the MLS, as he seeks to usher in a quiet and calming retirement after a dogged career of scrapping for everything he earned.

Given Uwe Rosler would sanction his exit for just £500k, when the promotion he might have brought would have been much more lucrative, this marks one of many blunders the German made during his ill-fated three-month stint as manager.

However, the allure of Sharp's boyhood club was always bound to prove too much. After all, in the eyes of Chris Wilder, he is "Mr Sheffield United". Leeds could never have competed with that.