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Leeds United have reportedly submitted a bid for Calvin Ramsey…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Daily Express journalist Ryan Taylor, who delivered a rather exciting claim to GIVEMESPORT on deadline day. He revealed:

“Leeds have made an offer for Calvin Ramsay, a right-back at Aberdeen.

“The issue is Aberdeen are holding out for as much money as they can and they feel that if something doesn’t happen now, his value might increase further down the line.

“It’s a little one to keep an eye on.”

Bielsa needs additions!

The Yorkshire giants have so far failed to secure any incomings at Elland Road this January transfer window, though this latest development suggests there is still hope that something can be done.

Recently, the Whites have been linked with a £3m swoop for the Aberdeen starlet and whilst the arrival of an 18-year-old full-back from the Scottish top-flight is hardly encouraging, it is one that manager Marcelo Bielsa badly needs right now.

Truth be told, he could do with any sort of strength in depth, given the ongoing injury crisis at the club.

Problems have ripped right through his squad regularly throughout the 2021/22 season, leaving him putting square pegs in round holes in some crucial matches.

Last month, Leeds looked set for a relegation battle after they were thumped by Man City and Arsenal, with the 66-year-old being without as many as 11 first-team players.

More recently, against West Ham, he had only one senior pro on a bench of nine substitutes. The other eight were all talents from the academy, including 15-year-old midfielder Archie Gray.

Things have improved since then but the side is merely another injury or two away from sheer panic – the likes of last season’s top goalscorer Patrick Bamford, club captain Liam Cooper and influential anchorman Kalvin Philips are still on the treatment table.

Ramsey, who has been dubbed “elite” by Dons chairman Dave Cormack, would provide vice-skipper Luke Ayling with some crucial cover with the goal of replacing him one day surely in mind.

He’s an established starter in the SPFL and has represented his country at U21s level, so you’d imagine that he could hold his own if called upon.

Bielsa badly needs additions and at around £3m, Leeds could do little wrong with the signing of Ramsey this deadline day.

AND in other news, Leeds’ late deadline day transfer plans emerge ahead of 11pm…

Tottenham Hotspur have one final game before Christmas as they welcome Premier League rivals West Ham United to north London for a Carabao Cup quarter-final.

And with a place in the last four up for grabs, it leaves manager Antonio Conte with plenty to ponder in terms of team selection.

Last time out, the Lilywhites were held to a 2-2 draw to ten-man Liverpool, whilst they defeated Burnley and Wolves to make it this far in the competition.

The Italian head coach has a largely fully-fit squad to choose from, so it will be interesting to see what decisions he may make ahead of kick-off, particularly with his midfield, where a rarely-seen trio of Dele Alli, Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele all featured on Sunday.

It’s the latter who could make way, surprisingly, as he was the most underwhelming of the three players, who all had a point to prove to Conte.

He was not only the first player to be substituted, coming off for Oliver Skipp in the 64th minute, but he too was their third lowest-rated player (6.4) as the French dynamo struggled to have much of an influence on the game.

Yes, he provided an assist for Harry Kane’s opener but as explained by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, he was otherwise ‘largely a passenger’ who offered ‘little defensively’ and more than once was caught ‘overplaying in dangerous positions.’

Across his hour on the pitch, Ndombele managed only 11 passes and 30 touches, which shows that he was barely involved. For further context, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris managed more in both regards, and he’s stood between the sticks all game, not in an advanced midfield role.

Once dubbed a “world-beater” and “unplayable” by former Spurs shot-stopper Joe Hart to BT Sport’s Rio Ferdinand (via football.london), the £26m-rated maestro is surely in line for the axe tonight.

Meanwhile, Spurs’ embarrassing defeat to NS Mura last month saw ex-midfielder Jamie O’Hara dub the £55m man “absolutely shocking”, which only goes to show his vastly-contrasting performances in Spurs’ colours.

Conte cannot afford to carry someone in a game of his nature. Having been knocked out of the UEFA Europa Conference League, this tournament could be the north Londoners’ only genuine chance of silverware, so it must be taken seriously.

As such, the 52-year-old must be ruthless with the club’s inconsistent club-record signing. He must be dropped this evening.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Dier: Spurs eyeing swoop for £45m-rated “top player”, Conte “wants” him…

A number of Wolves supporters have reacted in delighted fashion to images of long-term injury absentee Pedro Neto back in training on Thursday.

Wanderers have enjoyed an impressive season to date, beating Manchester United 1-0 at Old Trafford on Monday, in what was arguably the highlight of the campaign.

Despite Wolves’ progress under Bruno Lage, one player that they have had to make do without is Neto, with the winger absent with a serious knee injury since last April.

The Portuguese has been working hard on his recovery and a hugely encouraging update has now emerged in that respect.

On Thursday, Wolves’ official Twitter account posted photos of Neto back on the training pitch, suggesting his return to first-team action is edging closer all the time.

Wolves fans hail Neto footage

These Wanderers reacted to the footage in delighted fashion on Twitter, providing their thoughts on the good news.

“Oh my god I’ve missed him so much”

Credit: @_georgiaeden

“YEAAAAAH”

Credit: @oliviaashley

“Things we love to see”

Credit: @TalkingWolves

“YES YES YES! HE IS BACK”

Credit: @x_editsmxlti

“Fantastic. Give him 90 on Sunday”

Credit: @RobSmith1877

“Best news of the day”

Credit: @UbaJosh

In other news, some Wolves fans are unhappy after a transfer rumour emerged. Read more here.

Everton reportedly have their eye on signing a player in the upcoming January transfer window who could help them to both strengthen at the back and provide a greater attacking threat.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from 90min, the Toffees are one of the Premier League clubs alongside Newcastle United, Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa interested in signing Atletico Madrid full-back Kieran Trippier in January.

Throughout his career, the Englishman has made a total of 426 senior appearances, scoring 10 goals and providing 78 assists with clubs such as Burnley, Tottenham Hotspur, Barnsley and Atletico across all competitions, highlighting his attacking and creative abilities on the pitch.

On the international stage, the 31-year-old – who is currently valued at £18m by Transfermarkt – has made 35 appearances for England.

Last season saw Trippier prove to be a crucial figure for Diego Simeone’s side in their title-winning La Liga campaign by averaging 1.3 key passes, 2.2 tackles, 1.7 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game, highlighting his ability to create chances going forward and be a tough defensive opponent.

In terms of a potential move to Everton, with suggestions that Lucas Digne could be on his way out of the club in January after a reported falling out with Benitez, Trippier could be a suitable replacement for the Frenchman given that he has played several times for England at left-back and could bring a lot of top-level experience and talent to the team.

Labelled as a player with “outstanding quality” on the pitch by England manager Gareth Southgate, Trippier could help Farhad Moshiri to fix a potentially big issue at Everton if Digne does leave in January as a result of his apparent spat with Benitez and decides that he doesn’t want to continue playing for the Toffees.

In other news – Digne 2.0: Benitez could cause ructions at Everton with move for “brilliant” 32 y/o 

Everton were unable to secure a single point in their game against Crystal Palace on Sunday evening and faced a defeat of 3-1 to the Eagles away from home, putting the Merseyside club firmly in 14th for the foreseeable in the Premier League table.

Rafa Benitez’s side failed to dominate throughout the game against Crystal Palace with just 39% possession throughout, which ultimately lead to a brace from Conor Gallagher and James Tomkins scored his first goal since December 2019 against the Toffees to secure a 3-1 comfortable win.

One player who failed to offer dominance and control in his position was Abdoulaye Doucoure, who started the game in his usual position, but over the course of the match had become a complete liability for the Toffees. Richarlison may have been the one to hauled off early after a shoddy evening but his midfield colleague didn’t have the desired impact either.

Via SofaScore, Doucoure lost possession a total of 16 times (once every 2.8 touches), won fewer than half of his ground duels, and failed to make any creative impact on the attacking third of the game with no key passes or crosses over the entire 90 minutes of play.

The £75k-per-week beast furthered his forgettable performance by committing two fouls, one of which cost him a yellow card, which he aggressively contested against with Kevin Friend, where he was lucky not to receive further punishment for his reaction.

In the French midfielder’s defence, he was playing further back during the first half, which would have added an element of hindrance to his ability to be creative in his play for the forwards.

However, it does not excuse his wasteful performance, losing possession on many occasions and failing to dominate the midfield to break down the build of play from Crystal Palace.

Benitez will go back to the drawing board early this week with the hopes of emulating the confidence his Everton side displayed against Arsenal last week, but they face an extremely difficult challenge as they are away from home again, against Chelsea on Thursday evening.

There will be time for the manager to assess the situation, and potentially make some changes to his team to refresh his side, ready to take on the challenge the Merseyside Blues face at Stamford Bridge midweek.

In other news: Everton can form a scary duo by snapping up Derby County’s Jason Knight

Newcastle’s new owners made the decision to sack manager Steve Bruce last month after just over two years at the helm on Tyneside.

The ex-Sunderland and Aston Villa coach was relieved of his duties after failing to pick up a win in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe recently being named as his permanent successor following a short stint from Graeme Jones as interim head coach.

Along the way, a number of Newcastle players regressed and decreased in value as Bruce was unable to kick the club on and push them towards a fight for top-half finishes.

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Time’s up

One player we recently suggested Howe should axe from the team, Ciaran Clark, is one of those. His development has been stunted in recent years and he is now on a downwards trend. This means that it could be his time to be sold in the January transfer window, or next summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

When Bruce was appointed as Newcastle manager in the summer of 2019, the Ireland international was valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt. Under Rafa Benitez, his value increased from £4.05m as the Spaniard got the best out of the defender, but Bruce was unable to continue the former Liverpool coach’s good work.

The £42k-per-week defender has averaged a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.66 in the Premier League this season, down from the 6.80 he managed last term. In the 2020/21 campaign, he only completed 64% of his passes into the opposition half and helped Newcastle keep three clean sheets in 22 league matches.

At the time of writing (14/11/21), Transfermarkt value Clark at £2.7m. This means that his value plummeted by 50% in just two years under Bruce, having gone up by over £1m during Benitez’s tenure at St. James’ Park. His failure to help the Magpies keep a tight defence and his lapse passing may have contributed to his loss of value, with Bruce unable to get a tune out of the ex-Villa man.

He has already proven himself to be a liability this season, giving a penalty away and failing to keep a single clean sheet in nine games. As a result of his foolish challenge that gave away a spot-kick against Brighton, Toon legend Alan Shearer said: “First of all, it’s a stupid challenge from Clark, he should never make that challenge there.”

Bruce set him on this slope and it remains to be seen whether or not Howe will be able to get him back to his best. Sadly, that’s why his time on Tyneside could be up; Newcastle have to cash in on him before his value drops further.

AND in other news, Eddie Howe could seal Newcastle masterstroke with £10m deal for Ben Arfa 2.0…

Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says the club have no intention to recall Conor Gallagher from his loan at Crystal Palace in January. 

The lowdown

Gallagher has arguably been Palace’s standout player since he made the temporary move across London during the summer transfer window.

In 10 appearances, he’s scored a joint-team high four goals and provided two assists.

His average WhoScored rating of 7.5/10 is comfortably the highest in the Eagles’ ranks, with Christian Benteke the next best at 6.96.

His form hasn’t gone unnoticed at international level, with Gareth Southgate handing him a senior England debut in the 10-0 midweek rout of San Marino.

Pundits, like former Palace striker Ian Wright, have already begun to ponder his future at Stamford Bridge.

He says Chelsea simply ‘can’t ignore him’ on the back of his ‘unbelievable’ displays, while Joe Cole insists the Blues won’t make the ‘silly’ mistake of selling him.

The latest

Addressing the press ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Leicester City, Tuchel explained that remaining at Palace until the end of the season was best for Gallagher’s development.

And he also revealed that they’ll sit down with Gallagher in the summer to discuss his ‘goals’.

“I have not thought about bringing him back earlier, because it’s also important for him to be happy where he is, to stay in the moment and not change the next things,” he said, as quoted by The Independent.

“It’s important to be calm in his stage of the career. And I feel him happy there and I think everybody is happy and it’s good he has this kind of impact at Palace and now it’s about consistency.

“He had a game with the national team and we have to process all these things. Right now if you asked me today I don’t think it’s necessary to change everything for him again in the winter.

“And it’s too early to talk about next season and way too early to talk about it in public, and before we talk about it with Conor himself, what he wants and what his goals are.

“That will happen in the summer, because we all agreed to the decision that he wanted to join Crystal Palace and Patrick Vieira’s team.”

The verdict

If Gallagher keeps up this form, Palace will surely dream of keeping him beyond the end of the current season?

But will Chelsea agree to part with their £13.5million-rated asset? It seems increasingly unlikely, but the player himself is apparently having reservations over whether he will actually get a chance at Stamford Bridge.

With that in mind, the Eagles would surely be wise to at least test the Blues resolve with a bid. Either way, the fact Tuchel has no plans to recall the midfield maestro should be music to Vieira’s ears as far as this campaign is concerned.

In other news, fans react to these surprising transfer links.

Many Everton fans have been left raging over some injury news involving Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

As per the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, the striker has now suffered a setback in his rehab from an injury to his quadriceps and will remain out for a number of weeks.

He will continue to receive specialist treatment, and another fitness update will come from the Merseyside club in due course.

After the injury news on Abdoulaye Doucoure earlier on this week, to see another one of their key players out for a few weeks is certainly the last thing that the Toffees supporters wanted to hear.

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Nonetheless, it is now time for Salomon Rondon to step up, and show the fans why the Blues decided to take a punt on him in the summer transfer window.

Everton fans on Calvert-Lewin injury news

These EFC supporters raged as the injury update was shared on Twitter, with one Evertonian going as far as to claim that it is ‘extremely bad news’:

“Gone beyond a joke these injuries, go and get a free transfer got to be someone out there.”

Credit: @MrGriffGaff

“That’s all we needed, Dominic out injured. Extremely bad news.”

Credit: @PeterPapadopo11

“We’re finished”

Credit: @efcsam_

“Void the season”

Credit: @Sungy_1878

“Season is over already!”

Credit: @TheShep83

“CURSED”

Credit: @Smudge_96

In other news, find out what transfer news has Toffees fuming here!

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as Manchester United manager must surely be coming to an end.

The Norwegian is famed for scoring a goal that won them a European cup final but that counts for very little in 2021.

His side are sinking and now regularly find themselves on the end of an embarrassing result. They were battered by Liverpool in a 5-0 thrashing and then lost to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

They have also been a topsy-turvy side in the Champions League where Cristiano Ronaldo has regularly popped up with late goals but even he is finding it difficult to keep the Norwegian in his job.

What’s the word?

With Solskjaer’s job severely under pressure at Old Trafford, United should be looking towards replacements.

Zinedine Zidane and Ralf Rangnick are two coaches who have been linked with the role but there is another name that the Manchester club may look towards.

That’s according to The Express who claim the board already know who their next manager is.

That happens to be PSG boss, Mauricio Pochettino, somebody the Glazers and co have had their sights on for a good few years now.

Number one option

Bringing Pochettino back to the Premier League would be a hard task but it’s one that United must follow through with.

After all, the Argentine simply has to be their number one option if they do decide to sack Solskjaer in the coming weeks.

He massively overachieved with Spurs, accomplishing something that his successor and many of his predecessors failed to do. They reached a Champions League final as the 49-year-old guided his team to runners-up medals in the 2018/19 campaign after a stellar run.

Pochettino did eventually receive the sack but his qualities and reputation extend way beyond that moment. He is capable of ensuring his players produce eye-catching attacking football, while he’s also phenomenal at developing young players.

It was under the current PSG boss that Harry Kane really became a star, while he also helped the likes of Dele Alli and Heung-min Son become genuine attacking threats too.

Dele’s form has since dropped off remarkably, though, perhaps indicating the type of impact Poch had in north London.

What made his impact at Spurs even better was the lack of funds available to him. That wouldn’t be an issue at Old Trafford, however, which begs the question of what he could do when given more finances.

Crucially, he’s also got the vote of confidence from Sir Alex Ferguson, a man who clearly still has a lot of influence at United.

Speaking about him back in 2016, Ferguson described Pochettino as “fantastic.” A short anecdote from Tottenham MP David Lammy tells you what the former Man United boss really thinks of him though.

Talking six years ago, he commented: “I’m going to let you into a secret. About six weeks ago, I sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson at a dinner in support of grassroots football abroad. He said to me, ‘I think you guys have got the best manager in the Premier League.’ Alex Ferguson said that.”

With that in mind, there is surely no better head coach to appoint at Old Trafford. It’s time to say goodbye to Solskjaer, and hello to Pochettino.

AND in other news, Forget OGS: Man Utd can discover their own Klopp by hiring “professor” with 6 honours…

The Athletic’s Chris Waugh has delivered a promising update on Newcastle United’s potential takeover following the recent hearing.

What’s the story?

The journalist shed some light on some of the news coming out from the Competition Appeal Tribunal hearing, including the fact that a takeover could be approved by the top-flight based one one major condition.

He said: “The potential takeover of Newcastle United by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium could be sanctioned by the Premier League if it is decided at arbitration that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) will not be a director of the club.

“Primary amongst them is whether the government of KSA itself, or representatives of the Saudi state, must undergo the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (OADT). This is the point which initially led to the takeover being stalled, before the consortium’s official withdrawal in July 2020. Mr Lewis QC claimed that the Saudis’ reluctance to undertake the test was the “single impediment” to completion of the takeover by the consortium, which also includes 10 per cent stakes for Amanda Staveley’s PCP Capital Partners and the billionaire Reuben Brothers.

“If the arbitration decides that KSA is not a director,” he said, “then the transaction can and will go ahead, with no question of the OADT being applied to the KSA.”

Bit of hope for fans

Make no mistake about it, the sooner this gets resolved one way or another, the better for the future of Newcastle.

The Magpies have been in a state of uncertainty for far too long now, and the lack of genuine communication from the Premier League and Richard Masters, and open dialogue has caused some serious mistrust issues.

But, this latest update from Waugh following the hearing does give Newcastle fans a bit of hope that a positive conclusion whereby the takeover goes ahead could come to fruition sometime in the near future.

If it’s established that KSA will not become a director of the club upon the change in ownership, then it seems it could be relatively smooth sailing so to speak, and usher in a new, and much-needed era at St James’ Park.

Magpies fans will surely be buzzing with this latest news.

Meanwhile, Newcastle could sign this former Premier League star for free…