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If losing Harry Kane to injury last season taught Tottenham anything, it’s that they need more personnel on their attacking roster. As the club push for their first ever Premier League title, a solid back up for the England international should be high Jose Mourinho’s shopping list.

Spurs currently only have loan signing Carlos Vinicius to cover Kane, which isn’t good enough for an elite side on the hunt for silverware. Desperate times like these only highlight deals from the past that turned out to be wrong in hindsight. One of them is Daniel Levy’s decision to let Fernando Llorente leave last year.

Llorente was a loss for Spurs

Looking to bolster their options up front, Spurs paid £15million to sign Swansea’s star player in 2017. Thanks to Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson – who also left the club at the end of the 2016/17 season – the Swans survived relegation. The striker netted an admirable 15 goals, finishing in the top ten highest goal scorers for the campaign.

Despite a slow start to his career in north London, Llorente showed flashes of brilliance and ended his tenure with 13 goals and six assists in mainly cameo appearances (via Transfermarkt). And although he played second fiddle to Kane, Mauricio Pochettino was a big admirer of his. So much so that when the Spain international joined Napoli on a free contract last summer, the former boss was left seething when they were trumped by the Italians for his signature.

That certainly would have caused friction between Pochettino and Levy and could have potentially added to the Argentinian’s shock departure just months later. Fans were left distraught when their beloved manager was given the sack and they were frustrated with Levy over his decision to let Llorente go.

It seems despite his clever deals like signing Dele Alli for £5million, the Spurs chairman isn’t squeaky clean when it comes to his business decision. This is definitely up there with some of the club’s major faux pas.

In other news, Dele Alli situation could brew storm between Daniel Levy & Jose Mourinho…

Leeds simply must prioritise signing a new goalkeeper in January following their recent back-to-back 4-1 drubbings. In a campaign that had so much buzz around it, the Whites have now fallen onto a slippery slope and are at risk of throwing 16 years of hard work away.

Whilst Marcelo Bielsa’s attack is struggling, it’s arguably his defence that is in need of the most work. However, not all aspects of the Leeds backline are underperforming. According to WhoScored, a trio of Whites defenders are currently in the top ten list of players who have completed the most blocks so far this season.

Captain Liam Cooper has the seventh highest amount, whilst Robin Koch and Luke Ayling come in at fifth and fourth respectively. With solidly performing defenders, at least in that respect, it could mean that the main issue lies in the goalkeeper.

Leeds must sign to aid Meslier

Illan Meslier joined the club in the summer and has had a mixed bag of performances so far. Whilst he has shown flashes of brilliance, he has been left to look vulnerable on other occasions.

Chris Kirkland recently spoke to Football FanCast about Leeds’ goalkeeping issues and believes that Meslier could be the next Premier League No.1 to be dropped in favour of the second string option. Should this prediction come to fruition, it will certainly dampen the 20-year-old’s spirit, which is why it’s important that Leeds recruit someone who can help the youngster grow.

Bielsa and co have been linked to the likes of veteran Fraser Forster, who would be a solid option coming off the bench as well as behind the scenes to mentor Meslier.

By no means should the club jump the gun and look to already replace the £5million signing. However, this season is massively important to Leeds and they must throw everything at it to ensure that they don’t slip back down into the Championship. Too much is at stake for them to risk ending their returning Premier League season with relegation.

In other news, Leeds could have benefitted from keeping Andy Lonergan at Elland Road…

After making his breakthrough in the 2018/2019 season when he made his full Premier League debut against Chelsea, Sean Longstaff hasn’t kicked on some would have hoped at Newcastle.

It even led to then Magpies boss Rafa Benitez saying he deserved a call-up to the England boss, insisting: “Sean wouldn’t look out of place with England, there are not too many young English players with his quality. I think he will go, he’s doing well and playing in the Premier League. I like to see my players going to the national team.”

But fast forward more than a year, and Longstaff has yet to move forward, with this season seeing him play just 13 minutes of football in the Premier League – two games even saw him fail to make the match-day squad.

After handing him a rare start against Blackburn Rovers in the Carabao Cup back in September, Steve Bruce admitted that Longstaff has got a lot of work to do to get back to his best.

He said: “Sean is in the last two years of his contract – we all know what capabilities he’s got he’s got to show it more often and more regularly. He’s got a lot of work to do, but he’s got healthy competition around him and as I said, he was another one who needed a game tonight and I think that showed.”

Bruce also added that he thinks the 22-year-old’s long-term future could be in the number ten role, and that’s something that tallies well with what former Scotland international, Kris Boyd, has said.

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He declared: “Sean Longstaff is a throwback. He is willing to take risks. He is a midfielder who is willing to take a shot, willing to try that forward pass. He might lose it five times out of six but he is prepared to do that because he knows that the sixth time it might lead to the goal that wins the game. He is always on the front foot and that’s what I like about him.”

With Jonjo Shelvey out injured, Newcastle need one of their brightest prospects to really step up to the mark. If he can get back to his best, then he could be the kind of game-changer that adds something different to the Magpies midfield.

Liverpool missed the chance to return to the top of the Premier League as they were held to a 1-1 draw against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

It could have been worse for Jurgen Klopp’s side, however, had Kevin De Bruyne not put his first-half penalty wide of Alisson’s post, following a handball from Joe Gomez.

Diogo Jota was handed a start by the German boss for the game against Pep Guardiola’s side, although he seemed to be playing slightly deeper than he has in recent games, perhaps to accommodate for the inclusion of Roberto Firmino.

Unfortunately for the Reds, the Portuguese international was unable to have the same impact as he did against Atalanta in midweek, when his superb hat-trick earned him a lot of plaudits, with Michael Owen suggesting following the win that it was “a stunning hat-trick” (per Daily Mail).

As per SofaScore, the former Wolves man picked up a 6.2 rating for his display, which was the joint-worst of any Liverpool player during the game.

Whilst Jota was very accurate with his passing, with 23/25 of his efforts finding their mark, he managed just 41 touches during the game and made zero key passes, suggesting that he wasn’t able to have any real impact on the game in an attacking sense.

It can also be argued that Manchester City’s defence and midfield got the better of the 23-year-old, as he was able to win just three out of 11 of his ground duels during Sunday’s game.

However, it has still been an excellent start to life at Liverpool for Jota, with him having scored seven goals in 11 appearances for the Merseyside club since joining from Wolves in the summer, and at just 23-years-old, it can be argued that he still has a lot of time to improve in this Liverpool side.

The forward will be hoping to get back to his best in the Reds’ next fixture, which sees them take on top-of-the-table Leicester City in a crunch clash at Anfield following the international break.

Glasgow Rangers have been given a major boost ahead of the Old Firm derby, if recent reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to Sky Sports, Steven Gerrard has been cleared for the clash with Celtic. The Rangers boss will not be penalised by the Scottish FA after he received a notice of complaint for comments he made about a challenge on Alfredo Morelos during his side’s 4-0 win over Dundee United in September.

The SFA’s disciplinary panel delivered the verdict after hearing his case last night. He had been accused of breaching rule 72 regarding remarks which “indicate bias or incompetence” on the behalf of referees and match officials. However, this news comes as huge encouragement as the Gers gear up to face their arch-rivals at Celtic Park at the weekend.

Major boost?

Gerrard was forced to sit and wait for a nervous few days before finding out if he would be banned for the comments he made last month when technical problems brought a stop to proceedings on Friday. It’s claimed that this was because of issues with the Zoom connection before the meeting was completed on Monday.

And the timing couldn’t be any better for the Light Blues boss as his team currently sit at the top of the Scottish Premiership table, a point clear of their bitter rivals. Whilst the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho have managed to get away with turning a punishment into a good performance, other managers like Alan Pardew have not been quite so lucky in the past.

In fairness, the effects of a touchline ban almost entirely depends on how much work has been done in the training ground beforehand. Indeed, it is worth remembering that Gerrard missed the match against Motherwell in April 2019, a game that Rangers went on to win 3-0 at Fir Park. But it is safe to say that such a ban would have been a serious blow to their chances of winning the highly-anticipated clash at the top of the table, although he will be able to take his place in the dugout at Parkhead on Saturday.

The club issued the following statement on social media which stated that they were “unsurprised at the outcome of today’s hearing but remain bemused that the charge was brought against our manager Steven Gerrard in the first place.

“We now look forward to focusing on more important matters on the field of play.”

Gerrard’s side beat their bitter rivals 2-1 away last term, although they had alternated wins and losses beforehand. It’s safe to say Rangers are doing rather well at the moment, as they have remained unbeaten in all competitions this season so far. If there is ever a game to lose, it cannot be this one.

Ianis Hagi heaped praise on his “amazing” tactics after he masterminded Rangers’ route to the Europa League last 16 last season.

But Gerrard will need his side to be at their very best when they make the trip to Celtic Park.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers winger Jordan Jones has given Steven Gerrard a selection headache before Old Firm derby…

Jurgen Klopp is said to be confident in his current first team selection despite the lack of senior signings made during the transfer window. 

According to James Pearce (relayed via @LFCTransferRoom), the German feels he has not got much wrong when it comes to leading the club. Klopp is not worried over Liverpool’s extremely quiet business compared to the likes of Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Reds have only signed left-back Kostas Tsimikas, who will serve as a back-up to Andy Robertson this season. Despite the major links between the Merseyside outfit and Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara, no official moves have been made.

These comments haven’t gone down well with Liverpool fans, who are slamming Fenway Sports Group for not putting their hands in their pockets and backing their manager. It isn’t the first time supporters have lashed out at the club’s owners for their lack of new signings.

One fan has complained that Liverpool ‘can’t compete with the likes of Everton’ without first offloading senior personnel in order to make up funds. Their Merseyside rivals recently welcomed Brazilian midfielder Allan to the club for a fee of £21million (via BBC Sport).

Read more replies from the Twitter selection here:

Do you think Liverpool will make any more signings this summer window? Have your say in the comments below…

Jadon Sancho is unconvinced by the prospect of moving to Manchester United.

Sancho has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford for a number of years now, but Man United seem to be no further forward.

According to Bild, as per @utdreport, Sancho wants to wait and see if United can qualify for the Champions League, before making his final decision.

The 20-year-old, who is the Borussia Dortmund’s top scorer this season, moved to the Signal Iduna Park in 2017 after rejecting a contract at the Etihad.

Although Sancho has told Dortmund he wants to return to England, the Red Devils must reach the top four if they are to secure his services for next season.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are fifth in the Premier League, and are currently enjoying an unbeaten run stemming all the way back to a 2-0 defeat to Burnley back in January. At the moment they are only two points behind fourth-placed Chelsea with everything left to play for in the five games remaining.

Missing out on Sancho would be a big blow for Solskjaer, as he has made it clear he remains his top priority, while he lost out to Dortmund in a battle for his teammate Erling Braut Haaland last year.

With that being said, the Red Devils romped to a 5-2 victory over Bournemouth, thanks to the heroics of Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. The trio have formed a formidable front three in recent weeks and whether or not Solskjaer actually needs Sancho is another matter altogether.

Naturally, many United fans slammed Sancho’s decision, with one supporter branding his verdict “nonsense,” while another added “Greenwood is better.”

Scroll through some of the scathing reactions so far…

United fans, should the board sign Jadon Sancho this summer? Let us know down below!

Talk about rounding off the campaign in style. After clinching automatic promotion last week, Leeds romped to a 4-0 victory over Charlton in their final Championship game of the season.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in celebratory mood at Elland Road, and delivered the kind of vintage attacking performance that has been the hallmark of their impressive campaign.

Goals from Ben White, Stuart Dallas, Tyler Roberts and Jamie Shackleton sealed a comprehensive victory for the Whites, but one man in particular proved once again why he is one of Bielsa’s personal favourites.

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

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Dallas has been the ever-reliable figure in this Leeds starting eleven, playing numerous different positions, and never really letting the side down. He missed just the one Championship game all season, and played in five different roles, including both full-back positions and central midfield too.

It was no surprise that earlier this campaign, Bielsa waxed lyrical about the 29-year-old, saying: “It’s not usual to find a player like that. He can play on both sides, even if he’s right-footed. He has the agility of a winger and is powerful as a defender. Technically, he’s a complete player. He has enough aerial play to play on every level of the pitch. Even if he’s a player of the sides, when he has to play in the centre he doesn’t have problems.”

And against Charlton on Wednesday night, Dallas was every bit of the all-action star that Leeds have come to know and love.

As per Sofascore, aside from scoring his goal, the versatile ace had four attempts on goal, a 100% dribble success rate, 85 touches and provided four key passes. Not to mention the fact he also contributed defensively too, making one tackle and one interception a piece, and making three clearances.

Dallas is Leeds’ Swiss army knife, capable of doing multiple things very well. The kind of under-rated player that you can reliably build a side with, knowing you’ll get a consistent standard of performance from them week-in and week-out.

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans are buzzing after an interview with Gareth Bale was shared by Daily Hotspur on their Twitter page.

The former Lilywhites man referred to himself as a Spurs fan when asked what it was like watching the Champions League final against Liverpool last year, branding it a bit disappointing.

The north London club were defeated 2-0 by the Reds with goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi sinking the Spurs ship on the night.

Indeed, Bale was watching his old side suffer but it is his comments that have given THFC supporters a buzz.

The 30-year old became a fan favourite at White Hart Lane, scoring 56 goals and providing 58 assists in 203 appearances in all competitions across six seasons with the club, according to Transfermarkt.

He broke many supporter’s hearts by moving to Real Madrid, and has since netted 105 times and made 67 assists in 249 games in all competitions for Los Blancos, as per the website.

Nevertheless, these fans were buzzing when they heard his comments, with some predicting a return to Tottenham:

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Liverpool fans have been reacting to a massive bombshell on Twitter this week after fresh reports emerged from France over the possibility of replacing one star with another.

According to Le 10 Sport, Reds boss Jurgen Klopp contacted the father of PSG superstar Kylian Mbappe in a bid to convince the forward to move to Anfield, but only if Sadio Mane departs the club for Real Madrid.

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The Frenchman is still yet to extend his contract in Paris beyond the 2022 campaign with his camp postponing talks for at least a year, although it’s also claimed that only a select few would be able to compete with the fee the Ligue 1 outfit would command – expected to be in excess of €200m (£175m).

Mane has been linked with a summer switch to La Liga for most of the season with The Sun recently suggesting the above situation could indeed follow suit.

There have been many mixed feelings amongst the Anfield fanbase, here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Liverpool’s 20 biggest flops of the Premier League era