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Leeds United are set to miss out on Toulouse midfielder Kouadio Kone based on Fabrizio Romano’s recent transfer update.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks had suggested the 19-year-old was on the radar of Marcelo Bielsa’s side with the January transfer window now open.

But, according to Romano, it’s Bundesliga outfit Borussia Monchengladbach who have stolen a march on the Premier League side, and look set to snap Kone up.

The journalist claims that a €9m (£8m) bid is set to be accepted with personal terms agreed, and that Kone is just “one step away” from joining Monchengladbach,

Bielsa will surely be fuming

At just 19, and with a transfer fee that is every bit as affordable in this modern day market, Kone could have been a real bargain for Leeds and Bielsa.

The central midfielder is already racking up considerable first-team experience with Toulouse, and this season has seen him play 17 games for the Ligue 2 side.

His agent, Johan Chretien, declared: “Manu is part of the French top 5 (born in) 2001, and number 1 in his post. Like all the talents of his generation, it is natural that Manu is followed by the best European clubs. Manu is destined to play in the best European leagues. Today, he is in his training club and is giving everything to progress.”

Whilst agents are always likely to talk up their clients, Chretien isn’t completely wide of the mark in tipping Kone for an incredibly bright future. The young Frenchman already showed signs of his talent by playing for Toulouse when they were still in Ligue 1, and Victor Orta should surely have put the money on the table to try and bring him to Elland Road.

It would have given Bielsa some much-needed strength in depth in that central midfield role, where players like Mateusz Klich and Kalvin Phillips have played an incredible number of games over the past few seasons. Missing out on Kone won’t have made the Leeds boss happy.

Many Manchester United fans have been talking about Donny van de Beek’s situation as a claim about the midfielder has emerged from the Netherlands.

De Telegraaf columnist Valentijn Driessen has recently written about Van de Beek in an article for the newspaper (via Sport Witness). He urged the Man Utd midfielder to ‘pack his bags straightaway’ if the Dutchman doesn’t start for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s men in the upcoming League Cup semi-final against Manchester City.

The article also said that if Solskjaer continues to not use Van de Beek, then the midfielder’s spot in the Dutch national team for the rearranged Euro 2020 could become uncertain. It also talked about how other former Ajax stars are struggling in other teams in Europe.

Van de Beek joined United from the Amsterdam-based giants in the summer of 2020 for a fee of £35 million, plus £5m in add-ons. Since arriving, the 23-year-old has made 19 appearances in all competitions for United, scoring once in the Premier League. He also has one assist in the League Cup (as per Transfermarkt).

His last start for United came back in early December in the club’s 3-1 win over David Moyes’ West Ham. He last played the full 90 minutes in the club’s 3-2 comeback win over Southampton in November.

The claim about the midfielder from the Dutch newspaper was tweeted out by Mirror Football and it caught the attention of many Man Utd fans, who began talking about Van de Beek, and they were not too happy with the story.

What did Man Utd fans make of these claims about Van de Beek?

“The way Fred and Mctominay are playing .. can you blame Ole? VDB time’s will come longer term as a replacement for Pogba. He’s a part of the future.”

Credit: @athar0908

“Hope he doesn’t listen to them. Great player needs more game time.”

Credit: @MICHAELondoner

“Classic using Utd for clicks. Don’t fancy talking about the Pool loss then? Dead journalism.”

Credit: @KyleGodfrey1997“Utter nonsense.”
Credit: @LawrenceRajesh
“Sick of this poor Donny van de Beek carry on. Since joining he’s contributed 1 goal and 1 assist in 19 appearances for the club. Every other midfielder has contributed more than him. He’s been given chances to prove himself and hasn’t delivered so get over it.”Credit: @andrewglennn“Lol. He ain’t going nowhere. Once Pogba leaves, the team is his.”
Credit: @Robert4KGeorge
In other news, some Man Utd fans have been talking about a defender’s move away from the club – read more here.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are arguably a centre-back light going into the January transfer window and now fresh reports have emerged linking them with a move for a Championship regular…

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Midlands outfit are one of several Premier League teams eyeing up Reading captain Liam Moore when the market re-opens in less than three months time.

It’s claimed that the likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Southampton and Newcastle United are all interested in the 6 foot 1 colossus with his former club Leicester City being named as the front-runners.

There is no mention of a potential fee among the claims, though the 27-year-old is valued at £4.95m by Transfermarkt having cost the Royals just £1.5m back in 2016.

Massive mistake

On the face of it, a swoop for Moore looks solid as he’s helped keep six clean sheets from seven outings in the Championship already this season.

Per WhoScored, the skipper is averaging 4.3 clearances, 3.1 aerial duels won, 1.1 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game.

Whilst that’s fairly respectable, the lack of tackles is a worrying sight given Willy Boly (1.7), Romain Saiss (1.3) and Conor Coady (1.2) are managing more.

Wolves’ quarterback, who isn’t necessarily in that role for his ability to put a foot in, has even averaged more per match this term.

In addition to that, the Midlanders should have more lofty ambitions considering they were in the Europa League last season and look on track to repeat their qualification feat as they are sat tied for points with sixth-placed Leeds United.

Over the past 18 months, the club have been linked to much greater names too – Ruben Dias before his move to Manchester City in the summer, Robin Koch, who’s just joined the aforementioned Whites, new Arsenal colossus Gabriel, Juventus’ Daniele Rugani and Bilbao’s Unai Nunez.

All of which have done it on a much bigger stage than Moore.

Meanwhile, Max Kilman has recently shown he can step up to the plate to become a regular in the Premier League, winning the Man of the Match award against Leeds.

Romain Saiss has also done a sturdy job in the role too.

This move would certainly have more feels of Ryan Bennett, than one thinking of the ambitious future under Fosun. They didn’t get it right with Jesus Vallejo either.

Jeff Shi must avoid sanctioning this disaster at all costs.

AND in other news, Nuno cost Wolves vs Newcastle with dreadful 2nd half decision…

Loads of Everton fans have praised Gylfi Sigurdsson as he scored two goals for Iceland versus Romania in their Euro 2020 play-off semi-final.

As shared in a video clip by Giorgi Javioni on Twitter, his first goal was a well-taken strike with his left foot from outside of the box into the bottom corner.

His second goal, as shared by F-2-4, was another fine left-footed finish, this time finessing the ball into the opposite corner of the net.

It is perhaps refreshing for some members of the Goodison Park faithful to see Sigurdsson playing so well for his country, given that the 31-year old only managed to score a mere three times and make just three assists in 38 games over all competitions last season, according to Transfermarkt.

With the new arrivals of James Rodriguez, Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure to Carlo Ancelotti’s squad, Sigurdsson has been limited to reportedly available for transfer in the summer transfer window.

Everton fan reaction to Sigurdsson goals

These Everton supporters hailed Sigurdsson’s goals, with one fan labelling one of them as ‘classy’:

Evertonians, can Sigurdsson turn it around at Everton? Comment below with your views!

Tottenham Hotspur are back in action once again as their quest to qualify for the Europa League ends this evening.

Jose Mourinho’s side welcome Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa to north London knowing that a victory would see them into the group stage at long last.

Spurs have already played two matches this week, drawing to Newcastle United in the Premier League on Sunday before they defeated arch-rivals Chelsea in the Carabao Cup just two days ago.

With fixtures coming thick and fast, Mourinho has had to rotate his side frequently, so how will the XI look tonight? Here’s what we are predicting…

The Special One could make as many as eight changes from the side that beat the Blues on penalties just 48 hours ago.

Spurs skipper Hugo Lloris remains between the sticks as the issue of physical fitness shouldn’t be a problem for the Frenchman, although there’s a viable alternative in Joe Hart if needed.

Mourinho could revert to a four-at-the-back formation with only Eric Dier keeping his place having picked up the Man of the Match award in midweek. He’s joined by Davinson Sanchez, who replaces Toby Alderweireld.

Whilst both wing-backs are replaced by Ben Davies and Matt Doherty.

In midfield, summer arrival Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is welcomed back to partner Harry Winks whilst there’s also a place for Giovani Lo Celso in the advanced position.

It means both £40.5m-rated Tanguy Ndombele and fellow Frenchman Moussa Sissoko are dropped, and there’s still no spot for Dele Alli either, though he could feature from the bench.

The only other player to keep his place from midweek is Steven Bergwijn as he pairs with Lucas Moura on the wings whilst through the middle, Harry Kane starts after a rest against Chelsea.

Sergio Reguilon, Serge Aurier, Gedson Fernandes and Japhet Tanganga are likely to be on the bench.

AND in other news, Spurs’ £18m transfer target is shades of Kyle Walker…

Aston Villa signed no fewer than 12 players for over £150m throughout last season and one of those names has already been linked with an exit from the club this week…

What’s the word?

According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, Villa striker Mbwana Samatta is of interest to Super Lig outfit Besiktas just eight months after he signed for the Midlands club.

It’s claimed that Dean Smith is no longer counting on him following the arrival of his old favourite Ollie Watkins from Brentford and the Black Eagles want him to replace the recently departed Burak Yilmaz.

League rivals Fenerbahce are also keen on the 27-year-old but they would only make a loan approach.

Suso catastrophe

Once again, this is seemingly another huge miss from former director of football Jesus Garcia Pitarch. It’s no wonder the club have let him go and since replaced him with the more competent Johan Lange.

Villa pulled the trigger on him during the January transfer window, splashing out an £8.5m transfer fee as well as wages thought to be around £21k-per-week.

In 14 appearances, the Premier League’s first-ever Tanzanian-born player managed to score just one goal and averaged a mediocre 1.2 shots, 0.6 dribbles and three aerials won per game, via WhoScored.

It’s almost as if the warning signs were already there having signed Wesley Moraes from the Belgian league earlier in the summer. He performed slightly better, scoring five times, but hardly hit the ground running prior to picking up a serious injury – so why go back to the league that barely worked?

Suso, therefore, has blown around £9.2m in total – and counting – on Samatta. He’s under contract at Villa Park until the summer of 2024, so they should snap Besiktas’ hands off with any solid approach this summer.

Those in the west Midlands should be glad that the Spaniard is no longer in charge of transfers. This saga is a damning reminder of what could’ve been this window.

AND in other news, this move for “incredible” PL man would be shades of Stewart Downing…

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has ‘tried in vain’ to persuade Andreas Pereira to stay at Old Trafford this summer, according to reports. 

According to Esporte Interativo, as cited by @ManUnitedZone_, Pereira is ready to leave the Red Devils after finding himself on the fringes of the first team.

The Man United manager made it clear that he wanted the academy graduate to stay and fight for his place in the starting lineup, despite hardly featuring at all in recent weeks.

Recent reports revealed that Old Trafford is set for a huge summer clear out as at least nine players are considered surplus to requirements.

The 24-year-old struggled during Jose Mourinho’s time in charge at Old Trafford and his chances haven’t improved under Solskjaer, as he has only played 62 minutes of football following the Premier League restart.

The Brazilian, who has won one cap for his country, seems to be below the standards that the Red Devils will need to challenge for trophies next season. From 25 games in the Premier League last term, the midfielder only managed to find the back of the net once.

Many United fans on social media were delighted by this “amazing” transfer update, with one fan dismissing Pereira as “deadwood”.

Scroll through some of the scathing reactions so far…

United fans, do you think Ed Woodward should sell Pereira in the summer? Let us know your views by commenting below!

Portsmouth have registered interest in Leicester City defender Josh Knight, according to Portsmouth News.

Kenny Jackett is seemingly desperate to bolster his squad options ahead of next season after suffering a second successive promotion failure, losing to Oxford United in the League One play-off semi final.

That disappointment has now left Jackett with a huge task this summer and interest in players is beginning to be reported.

Portsmouth News were the first to report interest in Leicester’s Knight and that has now been followed up by a further claim.

Knight, who has recently returned to Leicester after spending time at Peterborough for the last one-and-a-half years, is expected to be shipped out on loan by the Premier League club.

The 22-year-old first joined the Posh on loan in January 2019 and since went on to make 24 appearances last term in League One.

His potential arrival could follow a move for Sean Raggett with a latest report claiming a deal for the former Norwich City defender is imminent.

Jackett has to get things right this summer and the Pompey boss will know that given the pressure he will be feeling after missing out on promotion.

Knight is an obvious talent and he could certainly add quality to the squad. Indeed despite primarily being a right-back he still chipped in with three goals and four assists in League One last season.

On paper, this looks like it would be a solid addition for the south coast outfit.

Do you think Knight will be a good signing for Portsmouth? Let us know in the comments section below…

Despite confirmation that Jan Vertonghen has signed a contract extension that will see him still be a Tottenham player until the remainder of this season, it looks likely that the Belgium international will eventually be heading for the exit door this summer.

Reports in recent days have suggested that a few Serie A sides, including the likes of AS Roma, Inter and Napoli, are all interested in signing Vertonghen on a free, and so Spurs will surely be in the market for a replacement for the veteran centre-back.

And according to German publication, Bild, Jose Mourinho’s side have set their sights on Freiburg defender Robin Koch, with Juan Foyth also expected to leave the Lilywhites once the campaign is over.

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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The report adds that Koch has already informed his club that he will not be signing a new contract with them, and that could see Spurs pounce this summer.

And when you look at the kind of performances he has put in for Freiburg, it’s clear to see why Koch’s arrival could wave goodbye to Foyth, and also usher in a promising post-Vertonghen era too.

Described as a “warrior” by the Bundesliga side’s head coach, Christian Streich, the 6 foot 3 powerhouse is a defensive machine, who reads the game superbly.

As per Whoscored, he averages 1.1 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game this season, whilst according to Sofascore, he has a very impressive duel success rate of 60% (he wins a total of 5.6 duels per match).

Vertonghen’s numbers are eerily similar to that of Koch, registering 1.6 interceptions and 5.8 duels won per game in the Premier League. But at 23, the latter of course is a decade younger than his Spurs counterpart, and could well be the long-term successor to the Belgian centre-back in north London.

And after Foyth’s agent opened the door for an exit by revealing his client is good enough to play for Inter, Koch’s arrival would surely be the final nail in the coffin for the Mauricio Pochettino signing, and allow him to finally leave the club this summer.

Bringing in Koch would serve two important purposes for Mourinho. Paving the way for Foyth to leave, and ensuring a ready-made replacement for Vertonghen’s potential exit too.

After completing his takeover of Leeds United back in 2017, Andrea Radrizzani has helped inspire a major turnaround in fortunes at Elland Road.The club looked completely lost under Massimo Cellino, with seven managers in three years, and three bans to boot too.

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

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So when Radrizzani came in, you would have been forgiven for not being overly excited by the arrival of another businessman.

But instead, the Italian has orchestrated Leeds’ triumphant return to the Premier League, and in the early hours of Saturday morning, sent another message on Twitter to share his thoughts.

Whilst Marcelo Bielsa and the players will inevitably take a lot of the credit, the likes of Radrizzani and Victor Orta have helped massively in restoring Leeds’ identity, and removing some of the bad stench that Cellino had built up.

It hasn’t been an easy journey at all, with bumps and bruises along the way, but it’s fair to say that Radrizzani’s work at the club has been fully vindicated following their confirmation as a Premier League side once more.