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Marcelo Bielsa was desperately urging youngster Charlie Cresswell to score a goal in Leeds United’s defeat to West Ham, according to Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer another loss

The Whites’ poor start to the season continued on Saturday, with the Hammers leaving Elland Road with a dramatic 2-1 victory, following Michail Antonio’s late winner.

It means Leeds are still without a Premier League win in 2021/22, with fans growing increasingly frustrated six games in.

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The Latest: Hay makes interesting claim

It appears as though the pressure is starting to show on Bielsa, with The Athletic‘s Hay claiming that the manager was shouting at young defender Cresswell to provide some attacking inspiration late in the game:

“As the minutes of stoppage time counted down, Marcelo Bielsa and the coaches around him began gesticulating at defender Charlie Cresswell.

“Go forward, they urged him. Abandon the defence and get into the West Ham United box. Find a goal from somewhere.”

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The Verdict: Bielsa under pressure

After such an impressive first season in the Premier League, in which Leeds finished ninth, they are now being questioned for the first time back in the top-flight.

It is very early days, of course, but there are signs of strain showing for Bielsa, with his late antics perhaps proof of that.

There is no great reason for panic and the manager certainly has plenty of credit in the bank with fans and the club’s hierarchy, but Leeds’ current rut needs to end as soon as possible or they could really find themselves in a relegation fight as the weeks pass.

In other news, one Leeds player has suffered another injury blow. Find out who it is here.

A Newcastle United chief has now had a meeting over the potential signing of Darwin Nunez.

The Lowdown: On fire

Nunez is certainly on fire this season, with 11 goals and two assists in 18 games in total over all competitions for Benfica, including strikes against Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League (Transfermarkt).

His growing reputation has also seen the striker play six times for the Uruguay national team ahead of the likes of Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani, scoring two goals (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, the 22-year-old certainly has a bright future ahead of him, and may not be playing in Portugal much longer.

The Latest: Nickson meeting

As per Maisfutebol, Head of Recruitment at St. James’ Park, Steve Nickson, has now had a meeting with Benfica president Rui Costa over potentially signing Nunez, but the Portuguese giants do not want to let him go until the summer at least.

The player has a contract with them until June 2025, and has a whopping release clause worth €150m (£127.8m), although it is thought that the starting price for talks would be close to €50m (£42.6m).

The Verdict: Survival

The North East club must avoid relegation down to the Championship before they can even think about signing Nunez in the summer.

Described as an ‘incredible talent’ by sports journalist Maxi Angelo, there will no doubt be other suitors for him, especially given the fact that he has already shown his worth in the Champions League.

Nonetheless, if the Tyneside outfit can survive, then there is no reason that they cannot tempt him to move to the Premier League next summer, and he would certainly be a real signing of intent for their long-term project.

In other news, find out boost NUFC have now received in pursuit of this ‘extraordinary’ star here!

Celtic are back in action tomorrow with an SPFL clash against Ross County away from home to try and take another step towards securing the league title.

Last weekend saw the Hoops get knocked out of the semi-final of the Scottish Cup by Rangers in what was a disappointing afternoon for Ange Postecoglou and his side.

With that in mind, it could be bad news for County to have to come up against a wounded Celtic side looking to get back to winning ways.

However, one issue that the Bhoys will have to deal with is the absence of right-back Josip Juranovic, who will reportedly be out for the next couple of weeks through injury.

Despite this blow, it could pave the way for one Celtic figure to come in and shine for the team.

Opportunity knocks

Having only started one of Celtic’s six previous league games, Anthony Ralston has been in and out of the team since the turn of the year.

With 23 league appearances to his name in total this season, the right-back has shown what an attacking talent he can be by racking up four goals and seven assists.

Also, no other defender in Postecoglou’s squad has been able to have as many shots on target (13) or crosses (116) as the 23-year-old.

In addition to this, from a defensive point of view, only Juranovic (28) has won more tackles than the £1.62m-rated Scotsman (26).

This highlights just how much of a capable player Ralston is up and down the pitch and how much they will need someone like that while their other right-back is out injured, with the introduction of the 23-year-old potentially being a game-changer for the Bhoys.

Currently listed as the third-highest rated player at the Parkhead club, the full-back has earned himself an overall performance rating of 7.47 from WhoScored.

Labelled as a “soldier” on the pitch by Postecoglou, Ralston could use this time while the Croatian is recovering to really stake a claim that he should be the first-choice right-back at Parkhead.

Moving forward, in terms of the Hoops boss putting his starting XI together to take on County, he should have no reservations about putting the £10.5k-per-week Scotsman in from the beginning at right-back.

AND in other news: Sold at £2m, now worth £630k: Celtic struck gold on £11k-p/w dud with a “bad attitude”

As per a fresh claim from the paper edition of Sport, via Sport Witness, it appears that Tottenham manager Antonio Conte has personally set his sights on signing Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet.

The Lowdown: Spurs eye defensive options…

As Conte and managing director Fabio Paratici prepare for their first January transfer window at Tottenham, it is believed that defence is one major position which could be bolstered.

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Football Insider have even claimed that they are eyeing a sensational double move for Netherlands duo Stefan de Vrij and Matthijs de Ligt from Serie A, while The Athletic reported that Conte also wants to strengthen at right-wing back for his 3-4-1-2 formation.

As per an update from Spain, it appears that the Italian has set his sights on La Liga as well.

The Latest: Conte ‘wants’ Lenglet…

According to Sport’s information, via Sport Witness, Conte has personally set his sights on signing Lenglet for Spurs and ‘wants him in his team’.

Additionally, as Barca look to trim their wage bill, they ‘do not rule out’ selling the Frenchman despite his recent resurgence under new manager Xavi.

The Verdict: Get it done?

An adept ball-playing centre-half, the 26-year-old has averaged an impressive 90.5% pass accuracy out from the back over his La Liga cameos for the Catalan giants this season, a higher figure than anyone in the Tottenham squad by comparison (WhoScored).

Still yet to reach his prime, Lenglet could also provide a degree of composure in this regard for many more seasons, while France boss Didier Deschamps has also called him a ‘top player’.

His reported valuation of around €25m (£21m) could be a bone of contention, but it remains to be seen whether Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy will grant Conte his wish and bring the player to north London.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Statement’…Tottenham pundit thrilled as Paratici lines up talks for ‘big signing’, find out more here.

West Ham United could be set to hand Darren Randolph a new contract at the London Stadium.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Sami Mokbel, with the Daily Mail journalist revealing a post on Twitter that, following his link with a move to Aston Villa, David Moyes has no intention of sanctioning the departure of the 34-year-old this month, before going on to claim that the 58-year-old could even hand the Hammers third-choice shot-stopper a new deal in East London.

This comes following an earlier claim made by ExWHUemployee, with the club insider stating that West Ham are keen to move the goalkeeper on this winter – something that is largely down to the former Republic of Ireland international’s hefty weekly wage, which Moyes would rather spend on other areas of his squad.

However, in his tweet, Mokbel said: “Darren Randolph proposed move to Aston Villa unlikely to happen. David Moyes wants him to stay at West Ham and views him as a big part of the dressing room. Randolph could now be handed a new contract.”

Fans will be fuming

While Randolph is undoubtedly an extremely decent option as a third-choice goalkeeper, the fact remains that the goalkeeper is currently taking home a whopping £42k-per-week on his current deal, something that, considering his number of appearances this season, would indeed appear to be a waste of money – as ExWHUemployee suggests.

In the current campaign, the 34-year-old is yet to make a single appearance for the Hammers, with Lukasz Fabianski being Moyes’ first choice in the position, while Alphonse Areola has typically featured in both the Europa League and domestic cup competitions.

In fact, since the Irons resigned Randolph in a £4m deal two years ago this month, the ‘keeper has made a grand total of just nine appearances in all competitions, with only five of these outings coming in the Premier League.

Furthermore, in a recent poll ran on Football FanCast, the overwhelming majority of West Ham fans claimed that they would like to see the club allow Randolph to leave the London Stadium on a free transfer this month, as a result of the veteran shot-stopper’s lack of game time and hefty weekly wage.

As such, should the Irishman indeed be in line for a new deal in East London, as Mokbel suggests, it would undoubtedly leave fans of the Hammers fuming – and we have to say, we can understand why.

In other news: Sheth drops major WHU transfer update on “bombshell” signing, fans will be buzzing

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Nottingham Forest fans have taken to Twitter to react after former Red Roy Keane returned to the club as assistant manager, following the appointment of Martin O’Neill as manager, as revealed by the club’s official website.

The Irishman made over 150 appearances for Forest back in the 90s, per Soccerbase, before leaving for Manchester United, and will be reunited with O’Neill who he worked alongside at international level for the Republic of Ireland national team.

Impressively, the duo oversaw qualification for the 2016 European Championships, including a famous win over world champions Germany. They then managed to advance into the last 16, having progressed from a group including the likes of Italy and Belgium.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

Keane’s arrival should ensure that no Forest players even dare to misbehave, as the 47-year-old is a stern operator who takes no nonsense from anybody. O’Neill also used to play for the Reds, so a former Forest duo in charge of the team can only be good news for a club desperately chasing the play-off positions this season.

Let’s see how Forest fans reacted on Twitter…

The need for a ‘midfield spark’ might be a ‘more pressing’ priority’ for Celtic in the January transfer window than signing Daizen Maeda, according to The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin.

The lowdown

According to the journalist, there was ‘a painful lack of midfield creativity’ in Celtic’s goalless draw with Livingston at the weekend, a result which saw the Hoops slip four points back from arch-rivals Rangers at the top of the Premiership. SofaScore figures showing that just two of their 16 shots were on target on Saturday illustrate the lack of cutting edge in the final third.

Ange Postecoglou ‘definitely’ wants to strengthen his midfield ranks with at least one addition in January, but Yokohama F Marinos forward Maeda, valued at just £990,000 by Transfermarkt, is also thought to be of interest ahead of the mid-season transfer window.

The latest

In an article for The Athletic, Devlin confirmed Celtic’s interest in the 24-year-old and said that there’s ‘certainly a place’ for him at Parkhead, particularly if one of the club’s existing forward options was to leave.

He thinks that the Japanese international ‘has the attributes to succeed’ under Postecoglou but cited fears that the ‘agonising’ midfield weaknesses on show at Parkhead may need to be addressed first.

The verdict

Maeda looks like he would be a good addition. He has 18 goals in 35 appearances this season, and from a stylistic point of view, he might fill a gap in the Celtic squad.

Indeed, Devlin reckons he would represent ‘more like-for-like support and competition’ for compatriot Kyogo Furuhashi than Giorgos Giakoumakis, who has a different style to his game.

Are the funds there to both snap him up and address this midfield concern, though? Celtic did turn a profit of nearly £14m in the summer transfer window after selling Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer, but that figure needs to be placed in context, as Celtic have also reported a 13.4% decrease in revenue from 2020.

The January transfer window could be a balancing act, and the Hoops may be faced with a choice of either going for Maeda or addressing the midfield concerns highlighted by Devlin.

In other news, Alan Hutton reacts to Celtic’s links with this English Championship ace 

Lots of Wolves fans have been flocking to transfer news on Dion Sanderson.

Writing in his latest piece for The Athletic, Tim Spiers has revealed that the Midlands club are giving serious consideration to recalling the defender from his loan spell at Birmingham City, at least as cover in January. They would then potentially send him out on loan again if they can get their other centre-backs fit.

Sanderson has done well in the Championship so far this season, ranking highly among his Blues teammates in terms of average interceptions (1.5), clearances (four) and blocks (0.4) per game (WhoScored). Indeed, with Willy Boly’s injury, he could be useful cover at centre-back for Bruno Lage.

However, some Wolves supporters feel as if his good loan spell should not be disrupted, and that they should look to sign central defenders instead.

Wolves fans on Sanderson transfer news

These Wolves fans flocked to the transfer news was it was shared on Twitter:

“I’d be happy to see him given a chance.”

Credit: @dougan_the

“So mess with his development because the board as usual isn’t backing the manager. Shock”

Credit: @ChriWoodward

“Just keep him there and back Lage to bring in some CB’s, because or else we mess with his development. Same happened last season with Morgan Gibbs-White”

Credit: @Wolvoryan04

“Instead of buying a first team CB we are going to stunt the progress of one of our own by making him sit on the bench. Can see the same happening with Gibbs-White and maybe even Giles”

Credit: @WolvesNumber37

“Buy a defender that we’ve needed for years anyway? No mate, let’s recall a settling defender at a Championship club, a penny saved is a penny earned!”

Credit: @SJwolvs

“I’d love this tbh”

Credit: @wwfcbilly

In other news, find out whose display against Burnley was slammed by numerous Wolves fans

Jesse Marsch’s Leeds United all but secured Premier League survival on Saturday afternoon, with the Whites running out 3-0 winners over relegation rivals Watford at Vicarage Road.

Indeed, from the moment that Raphinha gave the visitors the lead in the 21st minute, Leeds never looked in danger of giving away their advantage, with Rodrigo and Jack Harrison sealing all three points with second-half goals.

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Despite the positives, there were nevertheless a couple of players in the Whites’ starting XI who turned in below-par performances on Saturday afternoon, with central midfield pairing Mateusz Klich and Robin Koch both having games to forget against the Hornets.

It was perhaps the Germany international who was the most disappointing of the duo, with the 25-year-old turning in the sort of display which could have many Leeds supporters questioning whether he may have just played his last game for the club, following recent reports suggesting that Marsch would be willing to cash in on the versatile defender this summer.

Lost 12 duels

Indeed, over the course of his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £13m signing was a passenger in the middle of the park. He had 59 touches of the ball, completed just 25 of his 43 attempted passes (a success rate of just 58%), failed to find a team-mate with any of his six attempted long balls and was unsuccessful with his one attempted dribble.

The £46k-per-week German also lost 12 of his 20 duels, committed one foul, was beaten by an opponent on five occasions and lost possession 22 times, meaning he gave the ball away with every 2.7 touches.

These returns saw the £15.3m-rated man earn a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.3, ranking him as Leeds’ second-worst player to feature today.

Furthermore, Leeds Live’s Beren Cross also awarded Koch a five in his own player ratings, stating of the 25-year-old’s display: “Just doesn’t fit this role. Passing range or composure was not there to build anything for Leeds through the middle. Got turned time and time again by the Watford attacks through the centre.”

It is undeniable that the player who Danny Mills claimed looks like a “fish out of water” boasts a decent amount of potential, but should Marsch indeed be considering the sale of the eight-cap international this summer, it would not be surprising if Koch’s disasterclass against Watford was his last game for the Whites.

AND in other news: Orta can now axe “awful” £55k-p/w flop as Leeds eye “underrated” £12.5m-rated “threat”

According to journalist Gabriel Sans (via Managing Barca), Tottenham Hotspur are very interested in signing Barcelona forward Memphis Depay, having made an offer to the Catalan club.

The Lowdown: Depay’s Barcelona tenure

Upon the expiry of his contract with Lyon, the 28-year-old signed a two-year deal with La Liga giants Barcelona last summer. Since his arrival at Camp Nou, the Dutchman has netted an impressive 10 goals in 20 league appearances.

Whilst this suggests a strong start to life in Spain, Depay has suffered from multiple injuries this season, as a hamstring issue and Achilles problems saw him sidelined for 13 games. This has consequently raised general concerns over his fitness and availability.

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The Latest: Tottenham linked with Depay

As reported by Spanish journalist Sans (via Managing Barca), Spurs are very much interested in signing Depay in the summer. To that effect, they have already made an offer to Barcelona for the player.

Due to his injury issues and the club’s financial problems, it has been reported that the Catalan outfit are open to offloading the Netherlands international when the transfer window reopens at the end of the current campaign.

The Verdict: Would be a great signing

Spurs manager Antonio Conte could do with the addition of a forward alternative who can play in a different system to Harry Kane, who is the club’s only out-and-out senior striker.

Depay certainly has that killer instinct in front of goal – at Lyon he scored 76 goals in 178 games, while for the Dutch national side he has amassed a stunning 39 goals in 76 caps.

Hailed by former La Liga striker and Dutch compatriot Roy Makaay as a “quality” player, the Barcelona ace has even received plaudits from the likes of Ruud van Nistelrooy, who would agree with Ronald Koeman’s assertion that the 28-year-old is “a joy to watch”.

Given such glowing praise and a fantastic goal record, along with being in the peak of his career at 28, Depay would no doubt be a brilliant signing for Paratici and Conte if they can pull it off.

In other news: Pete O’Rourke makes Paulo Dybala to Spurs claim