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Leeds United are yet to begin their January transfer spending with Marcelo Bielsa yet to add to his ranks.

The Whites are currently top of the Championship table heading into the January fixtures and it remains to be seen whether Bielsa will open his chequebook. Leeds have had plenty of injury troubles throughout the season which could prove costly in the long-term. To secure a return to the Premier League, the former Argentina manager should be looking at all available options to add some much-needed depth at Elland Road.

It’s no secret that Leeds want to sign a goalkeeper in the current window which is the main focus of the scouting department. However, the Whites should also be keeping tabs on a situation at rivals Manchester United.

A wonderful addition to the squad would be young defender – Timothy Fosu-Mensah. Valued at £6.3m by Transfermarkt, the 21-year-old joined Fulham on loan in the summer but has been unable to keep a starting role in the first-team. Reports in the Times suggest that the youngster wants to cut his temporary spell short and return to Manchester – Fosu-Mensah is eager to join a different club on loan and could help Leeds earn promotion back to England’s top division.

The Dutchman can play at centre-back, right-back or defensive midfield meaning he would be a fantastic rotation option for Bielsa to have at his disposal. The Dutch international is physically strong, quick and powerful meaning he should have no issues adapting to the rigorous nature of the Championship.

Landing the former Ajax youngster would be a serious coup in January.

Leeds United fans, thoughts?

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Newcastle United boss Rafael Benitez may be losing the respect of his players after his authority was once again questioned against Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday.

The Magpies won the game 4-2, after extra time, but Jamaal Lascelles appeared to sustain a hamstring injury, though he insisted that he was fine to stay on after being questioned by his manager.

What’s the word?

Newcastle are in the throes of a relegation battle, and needed extra time to get past Championship Blackburn on Tuesday.

They eventually came through with a 4-2 win, but a moment between Lascelles and his manager led to questions over the manager’s position.

The central defender came on as a substitute at half-time, but pulled up with a hamstring injury after just two minutes.

Nevertheless, the Spaniard opted against taking the defender off immediately, with Lascelles insisting he could continue.

The defender subsequently played on for 10 more minutes, prior to being substituted.

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This, of course, comes on the back of Kenedy missing a penalty in a vital Premier League clash with Cardiff City, despite not appearing to be the designated taker.

When it comes to the relegation battle, these appear to be worrying signs, with the Magpies languishing in 18th, one point behind the Bluebirds.

Had Kenedy scored, they would be two points ahead of Neil Warnock’s men.

Whip Magpies into shape

There is no room for insubordination at this stage of the season.

The Magpies have been in terrible form for the entirety of the campaign, and Lascelles is the club captain.

Benitez, at the end of the day, makes the decisions, and must be respected.

He has been there and done it all in his managerial career, and is attempting to steer the Magpies ship away from the jagged rocks of relegation.

There is little help coming from the boardroom, as Mike Ashley is seemingly loathe to invest in a playing squad in desperate need of support, and the last thing Benitez needs is a player rebellion.

The Magpies have huge games coming up against Cardiff, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur; the squad needs to unite behind Benitez and start earning some points, instead of squabbling.

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Summer signing Naby Keita has underwhelmed at Liverpool this season, but Jurgen Klopp simply must change his ways to give the midfielder a fair crack.

On the chalkboard

Liverpool scraped past Crystal Palace on Saturday, and plenty of players will feel relieved after some really poor individual performances.

James Milner had an absolute nightmare dealing with Wilfried Zaha, Alisson Becker should not be exempt from criticism for the third Palace goal, and worst of all Keita was virtually non-existent.

The Guinean international did pick up an assist with a simple pass to Roberto Firmino, but he was barely involved in the game, making only one key pass and completing zero dribbles – as per stats-based website WhoScored.

If this is going to change, Klopp has to trust the youngster in his natural position.

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Time for trust

After two incredible years at Leipzig, fans often forget that Keita will not turn 24 until next month, so the misfiring midfielder still has plenty of time to be a hit at Anfield.

He will not be a hit though, if Klopp doesn’t trust him enough to deploy him in his actual position.

Keita performed best at Leipzig in a midfield two, typically alongside the more defensive-minded Diego Demme, which allowed him to venture forward and use his skill and vision.

His current manager has often opted for a 4-2-3-1 formation this season instead of his typical 4-3-3 setup, but he usually places the African star on the left wing rather than as part of the holding duo, probably due to a lack of experience.

The manager has shown time and time again that he is patient with new signings, but patience does not mean forcing minutes in an unfavourable position, and the left wing experiment could well be harming the player as much as helping him.

The dawn of a duo

With Fabinho in the form of his life and a struggling Leicester City side set to visit Anfield, now is the perfect time for Klopp to unleash Keita in a midfield duo, which will also leave room for Xherdan Shaqiri to work his creative magic on what will definitely be a tightly-packed Leicester defence.

The Brazilian’s physicality, ability to read the game and progressive passing will open up tons of lanes for Keita to exploit, and the visiting Foxes will likely not be in the mood to put the Reds on the back foot after a disappointing late defeat to Wolves.

So, Liverpool fans, what do you think about Keita so far? Is the onus on Klopp to use him better? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…

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In his post-match press conference following Rangers’ 3-0 win over Livingston, reported by The Scottish Sun, Gers boss Steven Gerrard made it clear that it was not a change in formation that brought his side victory, following their defeat to Kilmarnock in the previous match.

What was said?

Rangers lined up in a 4-3-3 formation to take on Livingston on Sunday. This marked a change, with the side having switched to a 4-4-2 system against Kilmarnock in the previous match to accommodate both Alfredo Morelos and new boy Jermain Defoe in the starting XI.

The Gers fell to a bitter 2-1 defeat to their fellow title contenders however, but were comfortable winners against Livingston. Gerrard was keen to stress that this turnaround in fortunes was not due to his formation change.

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“I don’t think the change of formation was responsible.

“If you’re comparing it with Kilmarnock, we beat ourselves on Wednesday night.

“It was nothing to do with tactics or formation, it was to do with a defender gifting Kilmarnock a lead, then us giving a square pass and getting done on a counter attack.

“It was nothing to do with personnel, 4-4-2 or 4-3-3.”

What he meant

It is clear then that the former Liverpool midfielder has not ruled out a return to a 4-4-2 set-up. In fact, such a system makes a lot of sense when considering the options available to him.

20-goal star striker Alfredo Morelos and January signing Jermain Defoe both have the capacity to be lethal up front and could form a prolific partnership at Ibrox Stadium. A 4-4-2 formation is the most straightforward way of getting the Colombian and the 36-year-old veteran playing up front together.

With Gerrard clear that his formations can change, a return to a 4-4-2 system could soon be on the cards.

It’s not been the greatest week for Bayo. Earlier in the week he was left out of Celtic’s Europa League squad but time is on his side – as is the frequency in which Celtic players pick up injuries.

After Wednesday’s 2-0 win over Hibs, Brendan Rodgers suggested that Odsonne Edouard could be in contention to feature against St. Johnstone – four days before the Europa League tie with Valencia.

With Bayo unavailable for the visit of the Spanish side he could well be left out on Sunday and given 90 minutes for the reserve team against Falkirk on Monday.

The 22-year-old comes to Celtic with the approval of Kolo Toure and an impressive scoring record in the Slovakian League – if he transfers that to the SPFL Wednesday’s near miss against Hibs will quickly be forgotten.

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react with joy after Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain took part in training with the first-team out in Spain, as he steps up his return to full fitness.

The England international suffered a serious knee injury in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final tie against Roma at Anfield last season, which looked likely to rule him out for the entirety of the current campaign.

However, the 25-year-old midfielder has made a remarkable recovery and was able to take part in a session involving rondos, core exercises and ball-work drills with his teammates, who will be happy to have him back for the title run-in.

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The former Arsenal man has also been included in the Reds’ Champions League squad for the knockout phases as Jurgen Klopp hopes to have him back and available soon.

Understandably, fans of the Merseysiders on Twitter are overjoyed with the news…

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Manchester United thumped Fulham 3-0 on Saturday as they step up preparations for next week’s Champions League encounter against PSG.

A brace from Paul Pogba and a fine solo strike from Anthony Martial gave Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side another win following the appointment of the Norwegian.

Solskjaer has yet to see his side lose since stepping as caretaker boss following the sacking of Jose Mourinho.

The match against PSG perhaps represents the acid test, with the French club well clear at the top of Ligue 1.

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However, Thomas Tuchel’s men will certainly be without Neymar, who has sustained a serious foot injury.

And Edinson Cavani, who scored the winning goal from the penalty spot in Saturday’s clash with Bordeaux, appeared to hurt his thigh as he converted from 12 yards.

He was subsequently replaced by Kylian Mbappe, and his participation in the encounter with United has now been thrown into some doubt.

And United fans on Twitter have expressed their delight that they may be facing a weakened PSG side this week…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Newcastle are reportedly interested in signing Burnley’s Dwight Gayle and the fact that they want a winger is a bad sign for Miguel Almiron and his status in the squad.

On the chalkboard

McNeil has impressed ever since breaking into the Clarets’ side, adding five goal contributions this term to the eight he registered in 2018/19. He is certainly a player Steve Bruce will watch out for this weekend, and that means Newcastle’s interest should be welcomed.

Almiron, on the other hand, lacks quality in comparison to the 20-year-old, and although he works hard for his team and provides a different option, he needs to buck up his ideas soon.

Injury to Allan Saint-Maximin has increased the weight of responsibility on his shoulders to deliver in the final third, but he only has one assist and zero goals in almost a year at the club so it is unlikely that he will deliver the standard required.

As a result, Newcastle could struggle for goals, starting this weekend, but registering interest in other players could have a positive effect on the Paraguay international by providing an incentive for him to improve.

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Needs to impress

Almiron’s return in the attacking final third simply isn’t good enough for a player who was, at the time, a record signing for the Magpies after signing for £20m, and it makes sense that Newcastle are looking at potential recruits.

McNeil presents value for money as he is only 20 and valued at £18m by Transfermarkt, yet has managed one goal and four assists this campaign, and would be ideal for Andy Carroll or Joelinton.

His crossing is exactly what those two would thrive off, having averaged 1.8 successful crosses per game. Almiron, by contrast, has averaged just 0.1 completed crosses per game in 2019/20, and therefore offers very little other than his energy and hard work.

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The Burnley youngster joining would put Almiron’s position under threat due to the form of Saint-Maximin, as Almiron simply can’t compare to the Frenchman’s return of 4.5 successful dribbles this season.

The lack of strength in depth out wide, particularly with Matt Ritchie out long-term, means Newcastle are right to register interest in a player like McNeil, and they should pursue such a move until Almiron can prove he can provide a goal threat on a consistent basis.

Meanwhile, Bruce will be hoping that another of his players begins to step up to the plate against Burnley, and if he does he could become the new first-choice in his position.

Wolverhampton Wanderers may be about to suffer a significant setback in the pursuit of one their potential January transfer targets, Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes.

What’s the word?

The west Midlanders were linked to the Brazilian at the end of October by the Daily Mail, who claimed the club were weighing up a bid in January following an injury to Willy Boly.

But fresh reports from The Athletic make for bad reading on any such hopes as it now appears Arsenal are in the race for the left-footed central defender.

They also claim that several other Premier League clubs are keen on him, although no specific team is mentioned. It would be fair to suggest that Wolves may be one of them given previous reports.

Needed addition

Wolves are crying out for an addition in the backline as two central midfielders have been playing there for weeks in Leander Dendoncker and Romain Saiss, even in spite of having Max Kilman and Jesus Vallejo available for selection.

Manager Nuno Santo has already revealed his intentions to bolster his squad in January to expect additions to come while BirminghamLive suggested that he would be looking for central options in both defence and midfield.

Wolves’ chances of signing Gabriel have now taken a hit with other clubs taking an interest in him ahead of next month’s transfer window.

The 22-year-old has impressed in 16 Ligue 1 matches this term, contributing to his side sitting fourth in the division as well as six clean sheets while he has also picked up valuable experience on Europe’s biggest stage by featuring six times in the Champions League, per Transfermarkt.

Gabriel is valued at just £13.5m by Transfermarkt, but with other teams circling in on him, Lille could well try to drive up any potential fee for him, and their previous negotiations over Nicolas Pepe to the Gunners will only help their claims to clinch the Brazilian too.

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Meanwhile, here’s one major reason why Wolves need to add a central defender in January…

Southampton fans have taken to Twitter to react after Adam Blackmore of BBC Radio Solent tweeted a transfer update, revealing what Ralph Hasenhuttl is targeting in the market this month.

Blackmore tweeted that the Saints are still in the market, ‘especially’ for full-backs amid Hasenhuttl’s pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Leicester this weekend.

The south coast side currently have just Ryan Bertrand, Yan Valery and Cedric available for selection in the full-back positions in terms of senior options, while academy graduate Jake Vokins recently started the FA Cup third round win over Huddersfield – however, the former RB Leipzig boss hinted that the teenager isn’t quite ready from a defensive aspect recently.

“Jake’s very, very forward oriented but the reverse gear sometimes takes a bit longer, especially the duels in defence are not always clinical and strong enough. It’s up to us to work with him and make him better and this is what we’ll do.”

Hasenhuttl has already spoken to the media about the club’s need for reinforcements in the full-back positions, with the 52-year-old declaring that the Saints “will do something” in regards to bolstering those wide defensive areas.

“It is absolutely clear that we must do something with the full-back positions. This is definitely a position we’re looking at for the moment and we will do something.”

Southampton are yet to make a signing this month, although they have been linked with a move for Genk right-back Joakim Maehle.

Another player linked with a move to St Mary’s is Real Valladolid centre-back Mohammed Salisu, who has a £10.2m release clause in his contract with the Spanish side.

Let’s see how the Southampton fans on Twitter reacted to Blackmore’s update…

One fan named Jack felt that Blackmore’s update means that “Jack Stephens has obviously done enough” to warrant the Saints not prioritising a new centre-back as well – it could be argued that the centre of defence also needs reinforcing, as the Saints are open to offers for Jannik Vestergaard while Maya Yoshida has played just five Premier League minutes since the 9-0 defeat to Leicester.

Another supporter named Jonathan said that, in that respect, not going in for a new centre-back would be a “mistake”.

Another fan named Stevie revealed his worries over the fact that, as soon as the Saints start performing well, the board would decide not to invest – in response to that tweet, a supporter named Nick said “as per usual” as if to suggest that Southampton do that sort of thing quite often.

Furthermore, this Southampton fan seemed to question why full-backs are being targeted, before stating that there is an urgent need for “a cd” – which, we presume, means a central defender.

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Lastly, this fan named Callum kept their response short and sweet by simply writing “Maehle” with a ‘fingers crossed’ emoji to express their desire to see the Dane – who, as aforesaid, has been linked to Southampton – arrive on the south coast.

In other news, these Southampton fans are “genuinely staggered” after this player’s “disrespectful” comments…