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Leeds have been linked to a return move for former Whites man Lewis Cook following the relegation of Bournemouth last season.

According to the Daily Star, the midfielder was on Marcelo Bielsa’s radar over the summer as the likes of Callum Wilson and Ryan Fraser all jumped ship to return to the Premier League. It would certainly make sense in terms of Cook knowing the club well, having spent his youth career and then some at Elland Road.

However, Bielsa is in need of goalscoring players and those who can conjure up exciting passages of play. On paper, the 23-year-old Cherries man simply doesn’t fit the bill.

Leeds must avoid re-signing Lewis Cook

With talent like Patrick Bamford leading the line, the club must be kitted out with similar calibre players in order to keep the striker fed with chances. The manager has been scratching his head over his best midfield formation, which seemingly no longer includes fan favourite Jamie Shackleton.

The youngster was hauled off the pitch at half-time against Leicester and was dropped from the squad completely against Crystal Palace. Bielsa’s no-nonsense approach when it comes to finding ways to win is admirable. But he may have no choice but to turn to the transfer market in January if things continue as they are.

Carlton Palmer spoke exclusively to Football FanCast about his ex-side’s form and fears that unless the Whites pull some performances out of the bag, they’ll be “out the Premier League by Christmas”.

Indeed, as it stands Leeds have conceded the joint most amount of goals this season, with only West Bromwich Albion to match their 17 goals shipped. Whilst Bamford is way out in front with seven goals and is currently the fifth highest scorer in the league, the next highest Leeds scorers are Mateusz Klich and Helder Costa, both on two (via BBC Sport).

The chasm between Bielsa’s target man and the rest of his attackers is staggering. The Whites need more creative players to assist Bamford and find the back of the net themselves. Spending £15million on Cook, who hasn’t contributed to a goal in more than two years would be a foolish move for the Championship winners.

Especially after already making a profit on him by cashing in for £6million back in 2016. And on £35,000 per week, Cook would only eat into Leeds’ wage budget during a troubling financial climate.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa must change formation tactics or risk Premier League exit…

According to Fanatik, Celtic remain interested in Trabzonspor attacker Caleb Ekuban.

What’s the word?

Despite signing Albian Ajeti from West Ham earlier this month, it appears Neil Lennon isn’t done trying to revamp his forward line. Reports in recent days had initially suggested that the Hoops weren’t keen on matching Trabzonspor’s asking price of £7m for Ekuban, but the latest news suggests that hasn’t completely put them off.

How’s your Celtic knowledge? Always been a loyal fan? Well can you spot Stilian Petrov from John Hartson? Give it a go if you’re brave enough …



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Turkish publication Fanatik claim that the Bhoys are still interested in the 26-year-old, and that whilst they may have signed Ajeti, they have “not let go” of Ekuban.

Forget Ajeti

Whilst Ajeti may not be too happy with the news that Celtic are targeting another striker, the simple fact is that Ekuban has proven himself to be a far more prolific, and dangerous forward than the Swiss man.

Last season saw Ekuban rack up an impressive ten goals and 11 assists in 34 games across all competitions, showcasing his versatility by playing all across the front-line and even as a number ten. That could well see the Ghana international dove-tail with Odsonne Edouard rather than just be a considered a like-for-like replacement in the starting line-up.

Ekuban is an explosive player who has the ability to fashion chances for others, and be on the end of them too. As per Sofascore, he averaged 1.2 shots, 0.7 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game in the Turkish top-flight last season, and showed off his defensive discipline by winning four duels per match.

And despite being compared to former Manchester City maverick Mario Balotelli in his younger days, Ekuban has since insisted that the two don’t share the same kind of outgoing personality or lifestyle. He said: “We are often compared. It is normal that I’d like to follow his career, but I’m Caleb Ekuban. When I go home I do nothing, believe me.”

Whilst Celtic may have their Edouard back-up in Ajeti, a move for Ekuban seems like a smart piece of business.

All attention shifted to next season as soon as the curtains closed on the 2019/2020 football season. Right now, both football fans and managers are back to the drawing board. Clubs want to improve their performance where they went wrong. Fans, on the other hand, are eager to see what managers will do. Ole Gunner Solskjaer finished the season in style after securing the third position for Manchester United. The Red Devils beat Leicester City 2-0 to return to the top.

As exciting as last season was, it revealed cracks in the team’s formation that Ole must address. The summer transfer window presented an opportune moment to acquire players with specific skills to strengthen United’s line up in the next season.

Solskjaer is quite tactful in his approach to the game. Some of the players that he wanted to sign are Jadon Sancho, Adrien Rabiot, Jack Grealish, and Jan Oblack. Here is list of United players who will form the line-up in the next season.

Goalkeeper

David De Gea once was impenetrable. However, David did not show his best this season. He made a few errors, some of which were quite costly to the team. Some sceptics think that the 29-year-old is slowly edging out of his prime performance. But this is not so. Since De Gea is United’s number one goalkeeper, everyone expects him to come back better in the next season.

Luckily, De Gea is not the only capable goalkeeper that Manchester has. Sergio Romeo is equally talented. He too can help Manchester overcome any adversary. Similarly, Dean Henderson is a masterful goalkeeper. He is set to comeback from Sheffield united where he is on a loan spell.

Defence

United don’t need any help in its defence. The defenders proved their worth in the last season with outstanding performances. Maguire played well, alongside Williams and Wan-Bissaka. Add Tuanzebe to the mix, and you get an impenetrable defence. Unfortunately, Tuanzebe was out of action for most of last season due to injury. However, come next season, he shall have fully recovered.

These four defenders are a nightmare for any striker. Their tackles are perfect, and they hardly make mistakes. Plus, they can pass the ball even when under immense pressure. These are qualities that make other managers envy the Red Devils.

Midfield

The midfield is one of the essential places to fill in a football match. A weak midfield means that the ball quickly reaches the defence, thus tiring them early. Also, a weak midfield makes it hard for strikers to score any goals. The midfield transitions the ball from the home post to the opponent’s goal post.

Such a high-pressure position requires players who are skilful, agile, fast, and accurate passing. With the likes of Paul Pogba, Bruno Fernandes and new addition Donny van de Beek United’s midfield is sealed. Come next season, the trio can play together with Pogba in the deep centre.

The Attack

The attack should be the icing on the cake. Goal scoring is the most important part of any  match. Ole understands this and is set to give United a spectacular attack force. Unfortunately, Jadon Sancho did not come to Old Trafford in the summer transfer window.

Still, Marcus Rashford is also an excellent striker and will probably score more goals in the season. Similarly, Antony Marshal is a skilful striker who creates unique angles and baffles goalkeepers and defenders. Odion Ighalo is also a force to reckon with due to his strike force. He skilfully evades tackles from defenders before shooting.

While playing together, Rashford can take the left-wing while Martial drives the ball on the right. Ighalo is skilled enough to be between them. If you fancy them to win, you can bet here and cash in on this winning line-up.

The Formation

Next season, Ole can opt to go with the ever-reliable 4-4-3 formation. This formation ensures that the midfield is well covered and the defence has no leakages. The three strikers launch attacks from all sides, thus creating mayhem for their rivals. The 4-4-3 formation is an all-time favourite that compensates for any injuries or red cards.

Bottom Line

The Red Devils seem unstoppable with this line up. With the tactful guidance of Solskjaer, Manchester United could hardly lose any games. The glory of Man United can be restored. All that we can do is wait to see how everything plays out.

Loads of Everton fans have been slamming Paolo Di Canio as he made some remarks to Il Mattino (via The Gwladys Street)  that suggest that Carlo Ancelotti is overrated.

As per the former Sunderland boss, he claims that the Merseyside club are Ancelotti’s level despite the sheer number of big European giants that the 61-year old has managed at before.

Di Canio also claimed that Ancelotti only took advantage of the mechanisms left by former Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri at Napoli and failed with the Italian team in his second season.

Indeed, Ancelotti was sacked by Napoli earlier on in this campaign as they had not won in nine games in all competitions until a 4-0 home win versus Genk in the UEFA Champions League and left them in seventh place in the Serie A table (via BBC).

However, it is fair to say that the now manager at Goodison Park has had a very successful career in management with the likes of AC Milan, Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Paris Saint Germain and Real Madrid, winning the Champions League three times and having a Premier League and FA Cup under his belt as examples (per Transfermarkt).

Given also that the Toffees have not won a senior men’s major trophy since 1995, and are still able to attract Ancelotti with the kind of CV that he has, these EFC supporters slammed the remarks from Di Canio on Twitter:

Evertonians, are you lucky to have Ancelotti as manager? Comment below!

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti is plotting a squad overhaul at Goodison Park this summer and he has one name at the top of his wishlist.

What’s the word?

According to 90min, the Italian wants Lazio striker Ciro Immobile at the Toffees next season but he’s merely one of many players being targeted.

It’s claimed that the 30-year-old talisman could cost in excess of £50m whilst there is a suggestion that Ancelotti believes his task in Merseyside is now a lot harder than he first imagined when appointed back in December.

As a result, the 61-year-old, who has managed the likes of Chelsea, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, has demanded to have more of a say in transfers alongside director of football Marcel Brands.

Major upgrade to DCL

The report suggests that Everton owner Farhad Moshiri is prepared to back Ancelotti if it means they’ll reach Europe next season, so a move for Immobile would absolutely be the right way to start.

To call the Italy international ‘prolific’ would be an understatement. Over the course of four seasons at Lazio, Immobile has found the net 124 times in 177 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

35 of those have come this campaign alone whilst he’s also provided nine assists and averaged a whopping 3.9 shots, 1.6 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

These are substantially better returns than Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who has managed 13 goals and one assist. The Englishman also fires fewer shots at goal (2.4), way fewer key passes (0.4) and dribbles (0.4) too.

Immobile’s agent once described him as “the best striker in Europe, not just Italy,” and his numbers certainly back that up.

Moshiri absolutely has to throw money at Lazio to clinch an absolute beast of a goalscorer.

AND in other news,  transfer swoop for UCL winner would be shades of Distin…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets… 

Sheffield Wednesday were denied the chance to move back into playoff contention by Derby County earlier this week.

The Owls opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when midfielder Barry Bannan pounced on a defensive mistake to slot through Steven Fletcher, who hit it first-time around the home goalkeeper.

But they were pegged back eight minutes from time when Moses Odubajo calamitously brought down Rams forward Jack Marriott inside the area leaving Chris Martin with a chance to equalise from the spot.

The right-back was then sent off in the dying stages after picking up a second yellow card, leaving fans absolutely reeling by his performance on social media.

However, for once, the negative spotlight wasn’t put on winger Adam Reach as he put in an impressive display.

The 26-year-old is the definition of a marmite figure at Hillsborough, whatever he does on the pitch, supporters will have something to say about it.

They’ve gone for him multiple times this season – against Birmingham City, against Blackburn Rovers and against Everton. It’s even got to the point where Barry Bannan has had to defend him publicly.

But if the enigmatic wide man can follow on from his showing on Wednesday, then maybe attitudes can swing in his favour in the future.

Per SofaScore, Reach recorded three key passes, one successful dribble, two tackles and one clearance. He clearly did his job both in the attack and defensively, showing that he’s still giving his all for the team despite constant criticism.

The former Middlesbrough man has only scored one goal all season, but he does rank second in the side for assists with four, via WhoScored.

This latest showing should, at least, offer some encouragement going forward to those that have doubted him in south Yorkshire.

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Meanwhile, Owls boss Garry Monk wants his side to do one major thing this week…

According to Football Insider, Leeds are closely monitoring San Lorenzo striker Adolfo Gaich ahead of a possible summer move.

What’s the word?

Despite the Championship gearing up for a restart this month, Football Insider claim that the Whites have already earmarked Gaich as a potential target should they earn promotion to the Premier League.

The report claims that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are one of a number of clubs keen on the 21-year-old, who has just a year remaining on his contract with his current side, and has a £12m release clause.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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It’s added that Championship rivals West Brom are also interested in Gaich, although it is believed that a move to Serie A would be his preference.

Solving Bielsa’s worries

Despite closing in on promotion, Patrick Bamford has once again found himself the target of criticism from Leeds fans, and judging by his goal record, it’s no surprise why.

The 26-year-old has netted just 13 times in the Championship, scoring only every 217 minutes and missing a whopping 25 big chances over the course of the season.

In Gaich however, Leeds could find the answer to their woes. Argentina’s U23s manager, Fernando Batista, waxed lyrical about the striker, saying: “He has power, is great in air play and is strong. In runs in open play, his speed can also prevail. Despite his height of 1.90, he knows how to get an opponent off his back. His characteristics would perhaps fit better in the Premier League, in the Bundesliga or in Italian football.”

He has averaged 0.62 goals per game this season despite having an expected goals per game ratio of 0.37 – essentially, he’s extremely clinical and scored more than what’s expected from him based on the chances he’s given.

Batista also even compared him to Bayern Munich hot-shot Robert Lewandowski, with Gaich’s agent, Pablo Caro, echoing those sentiments by saying that the “powerful striker” is similar in style to both the Poland international, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

If you’re talking about a forward who could handle the physicality of the Premier League, then Gaich is the man. And it’s why Victor Orta could strike gold by luring him to Elland Road ahead of next season.

Joe Gomez was selected to start at right-back for Liverpool in last night’s 1-1 draw at home to Napoli in the Champions League, with regular first choice Trent Alexander-Arnold named among the substitutes.

The 22-year-old ex-Charlton defender has chiefly played at centre-back whenever he has featured this season, although this was the third time he had played on the right during the 2019/20 campaign. [via TransferMarkt]

However, Gomez was substituted by Jurgen Klopp in the 57th minute with Liverpool a goal down and The Athletic reporter James Pearce tweeted that the defender looked “short of confidence”. [via @JamesPearceLFC]

Gomez did not find a team-mate with any of the five crosses that he attempted in the game against Napoli, while his performance drew unforgiving assessments from several reporters.

James Nalton of This Is Anfield wrote that he “didn’t look at all comfortable in the position” of right-back and “offered little in attack”, while Sky Sports’ Nick Wright felt that he did not offer as effective an attacking threat as Alexander-Arnold and said that he “did not provide defensive stability either, showing a lack of focus on several occasions”.

These Liverpool fans on Twitter believe that Klopp got it wrong by picking Gomez in a right-back role:

Do you think Gomez plays better at centre-back than on the right? Have your say by commenting below!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The FA Cup third round draw was on Monday night, and Leeds United have been handed a cracker of a tie.

The Whites have been given an away trip to one of the biggest clubs in the country as they’re set to head to the Emirates Stadium to face Arsenal.

Of course, this means that Leeds won’t be able to field one of their loanees in the next round of the cup as Eddie Nketiah will not be allowed to play against his parent club.

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However, Marcelo Bielsa may want to call upon another of his loan players for this tough clash.

With the game coming just after the busy festive period, the Argentine might want to slightly rotate his side, and if he does, he should be looking at starting Jack Clarke.

The teenager hasn’t had much of a chance this year as he’s made just one league appearance this season, but he could be of use in this game.

Clarke would have that little bit of added extra incentive against Arsenal due to the fact that he is a Tottenham loanee.

Scoring or putting in a good shift while eliminating the Gunners from the cup would immediately put him in Spurs’ good books before he’s even pulled on a white shirt.

The youngster would presumably attempt to give it his all, knowing that he could become a bit of a cult hero at his parent club.

FA Cup ties can be seen as distractions from the league at times, but Clarke should be absolutely focused against Arsenal, and for that reason, Bielsa should consider drafting him in for that clash.

In other news, Marcelo Bielsa silenced one of his main criticisms this weekend against Boro.

This article forms part of our Profit Players feature series, which is where Football Transfer Tavern takes a look at how well a player has fared since being signed or sold, using statistical figures and statements from pundits to prove how good of a deal the club managed to achieve.

When Nottingham Forest signed Lewis Grabban from AFC Bournemouth back in 2018, they probably didn’t expect him to have quite the impact he is currently having. However, fast forward to November 2019, and the London-born forward is spearheading the side’s chase for promotion to the Premier League.

Grabban has scored six goals in 14 Championship appearances for Sabri Lamouchi’s side, and while it doesn’t seem like much, there is a running theme with his contributions which is proving invaluable.

His first major impact came in the game against Leeds United at Elland Road, and to be honest with you, Forest were lucky to leave with a draw as the Yorkshire side peppered their goal with 15 shots compared to their six (via BBC). Still, the Jamaican-native popped up in the 77th minute to score a crucial equaliser in a game that started off a nine-game unbeaten run in all competitions (via WhoScored)

The next set of goals came in the 2-1 win away to Fulham as Grabban helped himself to a brace. At the time, it was billed as a shock win due to the form of the west London side at the time, showing the importance of his contribution (via BBC).

You can also add Swansea City, Stoke City and Luton Town, all away from home, to the list of games the forward has made a major impact in, scoring goals against the Potters and the Hatters and providing the assist in the 1-0 win over the Swans.

From an attacking point-of-view, Grabban proves to be the go-to man for Lamouchi, averaging the most shots per game (2.2) and scored double the number of goals as the next highest scorer prior to this weekend.

With promotion to the Premier League being valued at £170m by Deloitte (via The Daily Mail), Grabban’s contribution to a potential promotion in difficult games would make the £6.12m (via  Transfermarkt) paid for him look like daylight robbery.

Nottingham Forest fans, what do you make of Grabban’s contribution this season? Let us know your thoughts!