Published Jul 28, 2026, 7:10 AM GMT+1

Daniel is an experienced football writer and editor, having worked in the football media industry for over a decade. 

After voluntarily writing for Fresh Press for two years, helping to build and establish the Read brand, Daniel started a part-time job with Fresh Press that later turned into a full-time writing and editing role, writing for club-specific pages such as Read Norwich, Read Celtic, Read Liverpool, and Read Arsenal.

Daniel spent just shy of a year writing and editing for Liverpool-based website, Anfield Watch, which included conducting and/or transcribing interviews with Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg, former Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa, and journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Since the summer of 2021, Daniel has worked for Snack Media (now Valnet) and has been a contributor to Football FanCast, on a freelance and full-time basis, as a writer and editor. 

Daniel is a Norwich City fan and season ticket holder. He has been heard on BBC Norfolk and helped DAZN with research for their commentary due to his knowledge of the club, along with being featured in several local papers across the country, including the Coventry Telegraph and the Liverpool Echo, for Norwich-related content. 

Daniel's knowledge extends to Scottish football, having covered Celtic and Rangers for several years. He particularly enjoys producing player analysis and producing transfer content.

The Whites have targeted a move to bring Southampton central midfielder Shea Charles to Elland Road, after the Saints failed to gain promotion from the Championship.

However, they have already had three offers turned down for the Northern Ireland international, as the second tier outfit are holding out for a fee of £25m.

Premier League rivals Fulham and Crystal Palace are also in the race to land the 22-year-old talent ahead of Daniel Farke's side in the coming weeks.

Why Leeds should back out of the Shea Charles race

Charles is a promising young player who showed flashes of quality in the 2025/26 campaign, scoring six goals and providing two assists in 38 appearances for Southampton.

However, he has not started a single Premier League match in his career and only started 22 out of 46 Championship games last season, playing 33 times in total.

Charles is an unproven top-flight talent and was not a nailed-on starter for the Saints in the second tier, which makes the £25m that it will take to sign him a big risk for any team wanting to sign him.

The West Yorkshire outfit, therefore, should look elsewhere to find better value in the market, because the Northern Irish youngster has not yet done enough to justify such a risk.

Whilst Charles may go on to be a top talent in the future, Leeds are targeting players in several positions and they could save money for other signings by finding a more cost-effective alternative to the Saints star.

Leeds have had bid a rejected for Charles upgrade

With this in mind, the 49ers should continue to pursue another one of their targets in that area of the pitch, amid another race with other clubs.

Greek outlet Sport24 reports that Leeds United are one of the clubs interested in a deal to sign RC Sporting Chareroi central midfielder Yassine Titraoui this summer.

The report claims that the Belgian side have already rejected offers from Premier League sides Leeds and Hull City for the Algeria international, as they hold out for a fee of around £8.5m.

It adds that Greek giants Olympiacos have now entered negotiations with Charleroi in an attempt to win the race for the 23-year-old star's signature, which means that the Whites may have to move quickly if they want to secure his services.

The 49ers should go back in with a second bid that matches their £8.5m valuation of the midfielder because he has the potential to be an even better addition to Farke's midfield than Charles.

Whilst the £25m-rated target has only played 27 minutes of top-flight football in his career, Titraoui racked up 2,904 minutes in the Belgian top-flight for Charleroi in the 2025/26 campaign, and caught the eye with his performances.

The 23-year-old talent could offer even more to the team from an offensive perspective than Charles, as he scored more goals and created more xA for his teammates last term.

He could also break up play more effectively than the Northern Irish prospect because he makes tackles and interceptions more frequently, without giving away fouls as often.

Titraoui also averaged 3.0 tackles and interceptions per match and 5.8 ball recoveries per game in the Pro League in the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he has provided consistent quality as a midfield destroyer over the past two seasons.

The Algerian dynamo, therefore, has the potential to be an even more complete option for Leeds than Charles, whilst also having performed at a higher level in the top-flight in Belgium.

For just shy of a third of the £25m that Southampton want for the former Manchester City youngster, signing Titraoui looks like a no-brainer on paper for the Whites.

He is a promising young midfielder who has shown fantastic qualities in Belgium, hence why Hull and Olympiacos are also keen on him, and the 49ers should go back in with another offer for his services instead of pushing to sign Charles.