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Leeds United will look to bounce back after being held to a 1-1 draw by bottom placed Luton Town in midweek.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been excellent for the most part during the 2019/2020 campaign and an automatic promotion place is very much on the cards.

The visit to Ewood Park on Saturday will hand the Whites a chance to further enhance their place at the top of the Championship table and it is expected that Bielsa will not make many changes other than replacing Stuart Dallas.

The £2.16m-valued Northern Irishman was excellent in midweek, scoring the vital equaliser against Luton, but it has been confirmed that he will miss the trip to Lancashire through a muscle injury.

Dallas is expected to be replaced by Ezgjan Alioski, who has played at left back before for Leeds during his time at the club.

Liam Cooper and Ben White will continue at the heart of defence, ahead of Illan Meslier, who is deputising for Kiko Casilla at the present time.

Arguably Leeds’ best performer this term Luke Ayling will continue at right-back, playing behind Helder Costa, who will continue on the opposite flank to Jack Harrison.

Kalvin Phillips will continue in the holding role of midfield, whilst Tyler Roberts and Mateusz Klich will play behind Bielsa’s preferred striker option in Patrick Bamford.

Do you think Leeds will beat Blackburn on Saturday? Let us know in the comments section below…

Marcelo Bielsa has previously been touted as the best coach in the world, but despite this, he’s never really managed a truly elite European club.

Yes, he’s been at some top-class outfits such as Marseille, Lazio and Athletic Bilbao, but these aren’t teams that are competing for the Champions League year in, year out.

You’d think that someone of his stature would have had a number of top jobs, but instead, he’s spent the last two years managing in the Championship.

Unfortunately for Leeds, he’s seemingly caught the eye of one of football’s biggest stars.

What’s the story then?

The Sun are reporting that Lionel Messi wants Bielsa to be the next Barcelona manager.

Of course, a player wanting something isn’t quite the same as the club being interested, but it’s certainly fair to say that Messi isn’t in the same boat as most players.

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As much as the Argentine hates the notion that he runs Barcelona, he has more sway than most players could ever dream of, with a director getting sacked for making negative comments about him.

One insider spoke about Messi’s sway at the club stating: “Messi has unspoken veto power over most player transfers, coach appointments or major tactical decision.”

If the £500k-a-week star wants Bielsa, the board may just have a look into that possibility, and with his Leeds contract being up, he is technically available.

Impossible to turn down

As much as Bielsa seems to love Leeds, you can’t help but feel that it’d be impossible for him to turn down Barcelona if they came calling.

The 65-year-old may never get another chance to manage a club of that calibre, and after completing his primary goal of getting the Whites promoted, it’d be understandable if he felt it was time to close this chapter of his career.

We’re due to hear about the gaffer signing a new deal at Elland Road sooner rather than later, but if Barcelona do come in for him, that could put the cat amongst the pigeons.

According to The Athletic’s Phil Hay, Leeds are “monitoring” Liverpool starlet Yasser Larouci ahead of a possible summer transfer.

What’s the word?

With a return to the Premier League secured, all eyes at Elland Road will be turned towards the transfer window and the kind of squad Marcelo Bielsa can build ahead of the new campaign in September.

And according to Hay, “there is a strong chance of Leeds moving to sign another left-back in this window, despite the range of options in their squad”.

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



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He adds that the Whites are “monitoring” Liverpool youngster Larouci, although they “appear reluctant to meet the new champions’ asking price for him”.

Building for the future

At just 19, it’s unlikely Larouci would come into Elland Road as a regular starter in Bielsa’s first-team.

But given his ability to also play further forward, he does present an exciting option as a potential wing-back or even as someone who can help Bielsa shift between different systems within games.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp spoke highly of the teenager when the Reds played Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly, where Larouci stopped England sensation Jadon Sancho from scoring.

He said: “There is no doubt about the potential of Jadon Sancho. His speed and body control at the highest speed is his main strength. Being good in big spaces and in small spaces makes you a pretty interesting player – and that’s what Jadon is. Yasser (Larouci) our 18-year-old left-back played against one of the biggest talents in world football and did pretty well the whole night. ‘The pitch helped a little but, but still he did really well.”

If Leeds do follow up their interest in the starlet, then they could be getting a player who can hold down a position for the next few years at the very least.

It goes without saying at this point that Brighton and Hove Albion’s Shane Duffy just might take the spotlight in the ongoing summer transfer window. The coveted defender is a very wanted man and numerous Premier League clubs are after his signature.

But if the latest report from the Daily Record is to be believed, it will come down to Celtic and West Ham United. At the end of the day, one of the two clubs will have a new centre-back in their squad.

The way things currently stand, the same outlet explains, the Scottish Premier League titans are betting on Duffy being a childhood fan of the Hoops while the Hammers have the financial edge over their rivals.

For that reason, the former club would like to secure a loan deal which would then cost them around £2m in wages for the entire upcoming campaign. David Moyes, on the other hand, is willing to offer a full transfer fee that would give them Duffy permanently at a cost in the region of £5m.

So this is very much a battle of emotions versus money and it will be interesting to see who ends up on top. Daily Record also mention the likes of West Brom and Burnley are interested as well but as of right now, they don’t exactly stand a chance.

The paper states this will be a ‘straight fight’ between the two aforementioned clubs. Big things and fireworks are seemingly on the way.

Verdict

Celtic may not have the financial power of the Premier League sides but football is not always about the money, even though it may seem that way sometimes. Duffy will simply have to decide where he wants to continue his career.

West Ham can offer him Premier League football going forward while the Hoops are the biggest Scottish team he can join and a chance of silverware is pretty much guaranteed.

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to go back in for one of Mauricio Pochettino’s old targets this summer and he could be the perfect heir to Christian Eriksen…

What’s the word?

Speaking to talkSPORT, via Birmingham Live, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara claimed that he would love to see Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish finally sign for the north Londoners, he said:

“I really like him, he’s had a great season. I think it would be brilliant for Spurs if I’m honest. I think we should have got him a season ago when he was probably a lot cheaper. I don’t know if Spurs have got the money, maybe if they’re offloading a couple. He would be great – does he stay at Villa? I think now it’s time for him to step up. If he wants to be that England player and be in that squad in a weekly basis – I think he needs to move to a team that is going to be up near the top six.”

Back in 2018, there were reports suggesting that Daniel Levy was going to bid for the English playmaker but eventually, it fell through leading to Grealish admitting his disappointment.

He could cost a lot more than that £25m offer now.

Eriksen heir

Spurs haven’t really filled the void left behind by Eriksen, who left for Inter Milan during the January transfer window. Yes, Giovani Lo Celso has shown glimpses, but he’s only managed to provide two assists all season in the Premier League.

Despite playing for a Villa side that finished 17th, Grealish racked up more created chances than the likes of James Maddison, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Moutinho.

In fact, it was only Kevin de Bruyne who managed more this season, as per Squawka.

The 24-year-old also provided Villa with eight goals and six assists, averaging 2.5 key passes, 2 dribbles and 2 shots per game, via WhoScored, so in some ways he carried his boyhood club over the line.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded Grealish as “influential” after naming him in his Team of the Season for the TV company whilst his boss believes he has “star quality” similar to Dele Alli. High praise indeed.

Robert Pires even went as far as saying that he reminded him of his old Gunners teammate Dennis Bergkamp.

It remains to be seen how much the Villa superstar will command this summer, particularly with the Midlanders staving off relegation. Fees as high as £80m have been mooted, so it would ultimately come down to Mr Levy.

There surely aren’t many better options out there for the role.

AND in other news, Citizens lining up shock £40m transfer for Spurs star…

After signing from PSV in the January transfer window, Steven Bergwijn had a mixed start to life in English football with Tottenham.

The Dutchman got his career off to the perfect start with a wonder strike against Manchester City on his Premier League debut, before netting a further two times in his next five games in the top-flight.

After that however, things slowed down considerably, with Bergwijn – earning a reported £25k-per-week – failing to score in his last eight games for the club, and managing only one assist.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…



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But with a few months to get adjusted to the differences of English football, Jose Mourinho must surely unleash the Netherlands international next season, and he could be the unsung hero in Spurs’ push for a Champions League spot.

When you look at the 22-year-old’s performance against City in particular, Bergwijn’s intelligent movement and directness caused Pep Guardiola’s side all sorts of issues – something Mourinho hailed in his post-match press conference.

He said: “It was a very solid performance against such a difficult opponent like Kyle Walker. He was also clever enough to appear in other zones and to try to create some problems for City.”

As per Sofascore, Walker lost possession on 11 separate occasions, whilst he also won just 50% of his duels and forced into making four clearances over the course of the game.

Despite only having 32 touches in the 70 minutes that he was on the pitch, Bergwijn made things count, and the fact his impressive display came up against the then reigning Premier League champions just proved the immense potential he has.

Amidst all this recent talk about Spurs potentially making a sensational move for Gareth Bale in this transfer window, the Lilywhites would be better off trusting those who they already have at the club. Bergwijn could step up to be the man.

Ever since the day Gareth Bale left Tottenham back in the summer of 2013, fans of the north London side have no doubt held out hope that they would one day see the Wales international return home.

The 31-year-old blossomed into a world-beater in his time with the Lilywhites, and it was no surprise that Real Madrid came calling to make him one of their prized Galacticos.

But fast forward several years later, and the forward is set for a sensational return to the Premier League, with reports claiming he is inching ever closer to a season-long loan move from the Santiago Bernabeu.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

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The key question surely running through Jose Mourinho’s mind, is how he gets the best out of Bale. Even despite all his difficulties in Madrid, he remained a match-winner, with his Champions League final goals a testament to that.

Since the Welshman’s exit, Spurs have developed another talisman in Harry Kane, and Mourinho will have to work out how he can get his superstar tandem to work together.

Below is the kind of line-up the Lilywhites boss may look to use to do just that.

Aside from Sergio Reguilon coming in for Ben Davies at left-back, Spurs’ back-line is likely to be unchanged from the one that started the first Premier League game of the season against Everton.

However, in midfield is where Bale’s success back at the club hinges.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s work as a destroyer is imperative, but bringing in Tanguy Ndombele into the starting line-up would give Spurs a player who has the ability to up the tempo with his more incisive passing.

A combination of Bale’s technical quality and history of niggling muscle injuries means Mourinho is unlikely to want Bale doing too much defensive work, instead focusing on trying to get him the ball as soon as possible.

Back in Bale’s final, and best, season at Spurs, he operated in a number of different positions under Andre Villas-Boas, including just off the striker – in fact, in the 10 games he played in that role, he scored six times and provided five assists.

Using him in a central area and as a number ten, would take away his defensive responsibility, and allow him to focus on producing moments of magic. If that’s the case, Mauricio Pochettino favourite, Dele Alli – who has seen his form decline considerably with just nine goals in 38 games last season – could drop to the bench, with the England international not kicking on since his former manager called him the best youngster in the world.

Then surrounding Bale with two pace demons and electric attackers in Steven Bergwijn and Heung-min Son would leave opponents second-guessing about whether double-teaming the Welsh wizard is a smart idea, and give Spurs an added cutting edge.

Ultimately, Bale and Kane as a tandem could be the key to Spurs getting a top-four spot this season.

Potential XI: Lloris; Doherty, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Ndombele; Bergwijn, Bale, Son; Kane

Lots of Everton fans have been raving over some comments made by Allan, which were shared on the Toffees’ official website.

The Brazil international said:

“My wife says it is a bit annoying. She says, ‘You never want to lose, you never want to come last, you always want to be in first place and winning’. But that’s my style of play and I hope I never lose it.”

Indeed, the fact that Allan does not like to lose will surely please several members of the Goodison Park faithful, who may have felt their players have not had that same mental edge in recent years.

Since the 29-year old signed for the Merseyside club, the Blues have won four out of four games in the Premier League and have also booked themselves a place in the Carabao Cup quarter-final, where they will face Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Manchester United for a place in the semis.

Allan has given EFC a winning mentality, and playing in the defensive midfield role, he has been a big influence in the middle of the park, winning 6.7 of his duels per game in the top flight and also averaging four tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.3 interceptions per match in England’s highest division so far, as per Sofascore.

Everton fan reaction to Allan’s comments

These supporters buzzed upon reading the comments made by Allan on Twitter:

Evertonians, what do you make of Allan’s comments? Comment below!

According to Dutch publication Soccernews, Arsenal would be interested in bringing PSV starlet Donyell Malen back to the Emirates.

What’s the word?

The Gunners first signed the striker back in the summer of 2015 from Eredivisie giants Ajax, when he was just 16. But after failing to make a single competitive appearance for the first-team, Malen made the move back to the Netherlands, joining PSV.

And it’s with them where he has truly flourished as a regular starter, bagging 33 goals in 79 games. Now, Soccernews (via Sport Witness) have claimed that if Malen continues his form at PSV, then it will be inevitable that clubs will be lining up to sign him.

And among those who are mentioned, are Arsenal, with it being suggested that were the now 21-year-old made available, then they too would enter the race for his signature.

Fixing Wenger’s mistake

Since leaving the Emirates in the summer of 2017 back when Arsene Wenger was still in charge, Malen has come on leaps and bounds at PSV. He’s now a fully fledged international with the Netherlands, playing four times for the Oranje and scoring once.

An injury-hit campaign last season saw him still bag 17 goals across all competitions in just 25 games, whilst his start to the new one has been equally impressive, with five goals in eight matches.

If Malen is made available by PSV anytime soon, Edu simply has to make sure that Arsenal are in the race to sign him. With Alexandre Lacazette’s contract coming to an end in the summer of 2022, he could be on his way out of the Emirates come the end of this season.

The Gunners could do with some firepower to either replace or add to the Frenchman, especially with Arteta employing star man Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out wide. Once dubbed a “revelation” by super agent Mino Raiola, Edu could deliver a masterclass by bringing the £22.5m-rated Malen back home to north London.

Arsenal kick off their Europa League campaign with a trip to Austria to face Rapid Wien in Group B’s opening fixture.

The Gunners go into this tie on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Mikel Arteta’s former club, Manchester City, whilst they have a tough-looking game with Leicester City later this weekend.

That could tempt 38-year-old into some changes to his starting XI.

Here’s how the north Londoners could line-up in the Austrian capital…

Several players are in line to make their Arsenal debuts this evening, though one name that won’t is William Saliba after his surprise omission from their Europa League squad registration.

Back-up goalkeeper Runar Alex Runarsson is yet to feature and he could well have to wait a little longer with Bernd Leno in good nick.

However, it is likely to be Thomas Partey’s first start from the off having made a little cameo off the bench at the Etihad Stadium.

According to Football.London’s James Benge, Shkodran Mustafi has travelled with the squad and is available for selection. Arteta could throw him straight in after Rob Holding’s latest injury blow.

He could partner Gabriel and David Luiz, who both started against City.

Bukayo Saka may well continue at left wing-back with Ainsley Maitland-Niles coming in to replace Hector Bellerin, who is rested for this one.

Neither Dani Ceballos nor Willian have travelled to Austria, so that opens up some more changes further up the pitch.

Young Hale End product Joe Willock could partner Partey in the middle while Nicolas Pepe is the obvious swap for the 33-year-old Brazilian.

Gunners talisman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang hasn’t found the net since the opening day victory over Fulham, so Arteta could keep him in in order to help him refind his goalscoring boots.

Although he’ll be deployed from the left with 21-year-old striking gem Eddie Nketiah being named over Alexandre Lacazette through the middle.

The England U21 talisman is the sixth and final change in this line-up.

AND in other news, Arsenal may just have found their next Bukayo Saka…