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According to Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Phil Hay on Twitter, Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa confirmed in his Bolton Wanderers pre-match press conference on Thursday that Stuart Dallas will return to the squad on Saturday, and Whites fans have been quick to react on Twitter.

The versatile 27-year-old has been out since the start of December with a fractured foot, but the Argentine boss has revealed that he is now available for selection again and will feature in the 18 when his side host the Trotters at the weekend.

The Northern Ireland international has played in a number of different roles for the Yorkshire outfit this term including left-back, right-back and right midfield, and he could well be in serious contention to be in the XI given Jack Clarke still isn’t available after illness and Ezgjan Alioski has been filling in at left-back in the absence of Barry Douglas.

Leeds supporters took to social media to have their say on Dallas’ long-awaited return following a spate of injuries to key stars, and while one described it as a “welcome return”, another said “but he’s not very good”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Who do you want to see promoted this year? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked their 3 favoured teams in the video below…

Tottenham remain interested in Leeds United winger Jack Harrison following an enquiry in the January window, according to The Telegraph.

The Lowdown: Phillips and Raphinha links

It could well be a summer of change at Elland Road after Jesse Marsch recently replaced Marcelo Bielsa.

Raphinha has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, whereas Kalvin Phillips is wanted by Aston Villa, who are willing to pay £60m for his services over the coming months.

Harrison, who eventually made his move to Leeds permanent last summer after three years on loan from Manchester City, appears to be yet another sought-after Whites star.

The Latest: Harrison interest

The Telegraph’s Mike McGrath shared a story on Friday morning, looking at Marsch’s first month in charge of Leeds. He added that Tottenham still have an interest in signing Harrison after making an enquiry for the winger earlier this year.

The 25-year-old is seen as a player who can turn out as a left-wing back under Antonio Conte, with Spurs chief Fabio Paratici alerted to Harrison by Andrea Pirlo, who played with the Leeds man at New York City.

The Verdict: Keep?

Former Leeds player turned employee/ambassador Noel Whelan was stunned by Harrison’s match-winning display against West Ham back in January, where he scored a hat-trick, saying ‘it was amazing to see, wow’.

He has improved massively since first arriving at Leeds in 2018 and has now made over 150 appearances for the Whites. You’d like to think he is approaching his prime, so it would be a shame for Leeds to sell the winger in the summer, especially with Raphinha possibly on the move as well.

Marsch could do with bolstering his squad ahead of his first full season in charge instead of making it smaller, so it could make sense to snub enquiries from Spurs once again over the coming months.

In other news: Orta and Marsch now keen on signing ‘wonderful talent’ who shares agent with 6 Leeds players. 

Celtic have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to secure Vasilis Barkas a move away from Parkhead this month.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Daily Mail (via the Daily Record), who claim that Sheffield United were in talks to sign the Celtic goalkeeper on a temporary basis this month, however, the Blades have now pulled out of the deal upon the Bhoys’ request for the Championship side to pay them a loan fee.

The report goes on to state that Celtic also attempted to place a £2.5m option to buy clause in the 27-year-old’s temporary contract, while United were looking to negotiate a lower fee.

It was also believed that the Hoops were demanding the second-tier side picked up the vast majority of the Greek international’s £20k-per-week wages.

Fans will be fuming

Considering just how poor Barkas has been since his £4.5m move to Celtic back in the summer of 2020, the news that Sheffield United’s move for the ‘keeper now appears to be dead in the water is sure to have left the Parkhead faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his 15 Premiership appearances last season, the £1.35m-rated shot-stopper failed to ever really stake his claim at becoming the Bhoys’ undisputed number one, making an average of just one save and conceding 0.7 goals per game.

These returns saw the 27-year-old earn an extremely disappointing seasonal SofaScore rating of just 6.79, ranking him as the Hoops’ joint ninth-worst performer in the top flight of Scottish football last time out.

Furthermore, since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival in Glasgow last summer, the Greek ‘keeper has featured just twice under the management of the 56-year-old, something which renders Barkas’ £20k-per-week wage as money well and truly wasted.

As such, the news that a team of Sheffield United’s stature were even interested in the shot-stopper will perhaps come as a surprise to many Celtic fans, while the fact that the deal now looks to have fallen through will undoubtedly come as a huge blow to Postecoglou – who could have easily spent the goalkeeper’s wages on a target of his own this month.

In other news: Ange must now axe “arrogant” £15k-p/w Celtic flop by landing “incredible” £5k-p/w gem

The ‘brighter future’ Everton anticipated when they sacked Roberto Martinez has only gotten worse since his departure, leading to rumours of a return to the Toffees dugout for the Spaniard. 

The lowdown

Martinez took charge in June 2013 and led Everton to fifth place in his first season at the helm. Their tally of 72 points remains the highest they have achieved since they last won the league title in 1986/97.

But things went downhill after, with consecutive bottom half finishes resulting in Martinez’s dismissal at the end of the 2015/16 season.

Now, following the sacking of Rafael Benitez’s sacking last weekend, a return to Goodison Park has been mooted.

Everton have approached the Belgian FA over the 48-year-old, and while The Red Devils have effectively said no, he does have the option to resign (via The Athletic).

The latest

Dean Jones, a transfer insider with Eurosport, feels that Everton’s problems have only intensified in the post-Martinez era.

“Maybe at the time of parting with Martinez as it seemed like a way to a brighter future,” he told The Transfer Tavern this week.

“But in hindsight things have got even worse and more chaotic since he’s been gone.”

The verdict

Is Jones’ assessment fair? Well, Everton are currently in the process of lining up their sixth permanent appointment since his sacking, which was only six years ago, so it’s hard to dispute the use of the word ‘chaotic’.

What about their league placings?

Between 2016/17 and 2018/19, The Toffees enjoyed three straight top-eight finishes, so things did get better in the short-term.

But they dropped to 12th and 10th under Carlo Ancelotti, and now they’re only six points above the relegation zone in 16th.

This may be as bad as it’s even been in the post-David Moyes years,

In other news, this announcement left fans in disbelief.

An update has emerged on Rangers and their efforts to make further additions to their squad at Ibrox in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to TEAMtalk, the Gers are among a number of clubs who are keen on a deal to sign Manchester City midfielder James McAtee before the end of the month, with Southampton, Leicester, Brighton and Aston Villa among the other teams eyeing him up.

The report claims that Giovanni van Bronckhorst is hoping that his friendship with Pep Guardiola will give the Scottish giants a leg-up in negotiations.

Kent 2.0

The Gers could land the new Ryan Kent in a deal to sign McAtee on loan from the English champions this month, as he is an exciting, talented young forward who could have a big impact at Ibrox.

He has 19 goals and five assists in all competitions for Man City this season, playing for the under-23’s and the first team. The youngster has featured for Guardiola’s side in the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Premier League, although he is yet to make his Champions League bow.

McAtee’s 24 goal involvements in 23 games means that he has directly contributed to a goal every 0.95 matches on average.

City academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy once dubbed the forward a “very intelligent player” and his emergence at first-team level suggests that Guardiola has also seen that in him. His sensational record in terms of goals and assists also proves that he knows how to make an impact in the final third, much like Kent does for the Gers.

The ex-Liverpool winger has 29 goals and 35 assists in 149 games for the Scottish giants. This shows how impressive he has been over the years under Steven Gerrard and now Van Bronckhorst, with McAtee potentially able to follow in his footsteps at Ibrox.

If Rangers are able to get a deal over the line for the Cityzens maestro, he could be a fantastic addition to the squad. His goals and assists for City at youth level suggest that he has the potential to be a key player for Van Bronckhorst in Scotland if he is able to translate some of that form over to the Premiership, which is why he could be the new Kent for Rangers.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst must now sign “exciting” £1.8m-rated gem who was “almost certain” to join Rangers…

Flocking to Twitter, many West Ham United fans weren’t impressed with the defensive display of centre-half Issa Diop during their crunch London derby clash with Tottenham Hotspur this evening.

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Aiming to keep their hopes of clinching the Carabao Cup alive after knocking out both Man United and Man City, David Moyes’ men travelled across the capital to Tottenham for their second meeting against the Lilywhites so far this season.

A hotly contested clash saw goals at both ends with both Moyes and new opposition boss Antonio Conte aiming to clinch silverware with their respective sides.

Tottenham took the lead twice in the first half through Steven Bergwijn and Lucas Moura with the Hammers briefly equalising in-between thanks to a very well taken individual goal by Jarrod Bowen.

Failing to find a breakthrough, West Ham eventually crashed out of the competition to their rivals.

West Ham fans slam Diop…

Amid an entertaining Quarter-Final tie, many West Ham fans saw fit to criticise the performance of Diop for his display – particularly for playing a big role in the conceded goals.

The Frenchman lunged for an interception in the build up to Spurs’ first, arguably leaving space for Bergwijn to tap home (Dan Silver), while he also failed to block the cross for Tottenham’s second goal through Lucas (Spurs Web).

He arguably wasn’t helped much by left-back Arthur Masuaku with many supporters believing their left-side was particularly exposed, taking aim at Diop and his fellow defender.

As per SofaScore, he also finished the night among West Ham’s lowest-rated players – leaving little wonder why West Ham fans weren’t impressed after a shaky evening.

Find all of their verdicts from Twitter down below:

“Diop needs to go”

Credit: @BobLaundry19

“I’m sorry but Diop is an absolute liability today, that’s about 4 huge mistakes now. Really hoping Zouma is back soon”

Credit: @WHUgameday

“No, Diop is shambolic.”

Credit: @bensmith_95

“Masuaku and Diop are a shambles”

Credit: @HammersleyJerry

“Get Masuaku gone in January. Diop is laughable too.”

Credit: @lukejessop16

“Masuaku & Diop need to go, sorry it’s too many years of their shenanigans”

Credit: @jsklen_face

“Diop will never be 1st choice centre back as he switches off mentally too often….he hasn’t really improved since we 1st signed him”

Credit: @lee_sifford

“Diop been terrible as well”

Credit: @andy01176159

In other news: ‘Can’t wait’, ‘Best news today’…ExWHUemployee’s ‘amazing’ update has many West Ham fans buzzing, find out more here.

Out-of-favour Wolves winger Adama Traore has been linked with a move to European giants Real Madrid in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Traore loses his place at Wolves

The Spaniard has had a frustrating time of things at Molineux recently, with Bruno Lage only using him as an impact player.

Traore’s last start in the Premier League came against Leeds United over a month ago and he only featured for 14 minutes in last weekend’s 1-0 win at home to West Ham.

The 25-year-old has been tipped to move away from Wolves in recent weeks and now another rumour has emerged.

The Latest: Real Madrid linked with move

According to El Nacional, Wolves have actually offered Traore to Real Madrid, as Jeff Shi looks to offload him and his wages in January and possibly fund the permanent transfer of Hwang Hee-chan.

The £27m-rated winger’s current Molineux deal expires in the summer of 2023, meaning the club are slowly running out of time to get big money for him, and this report claimed that he is eager to leave the Black Country at the earliest opportunity.

Traore came through the youth ranks at Barcelona, so a move to their arch-rivals Real Madrid could cause some controversy back in Spain.

The Verdict: Time to take the money?

Traore has been a hit-and-miss figure for Wolves, providing entertainment value with his pace and dribbling ability – he comfortably has the most dribbles per game (5.4) in the Premier League this season – but he has often lacked end product.

A return of 10 goals and 18 assists in 144 appearances is not impressive given the attacking nature of his role in the team, and he doesn’t appear to be a key part of Bruno Lage’s plans.

For that reason, Wolves may be wise to take the money and run in January, using the funds to sign a more prolific replacement or even put it towards a permanent move for Hwang as reported.

In other news, a potential Wolves signing has reportedly been thrown into doubt. Read more here.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou is attracting interest from Premier League side Manchester City.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Rory Smith, with the ever-reliable New York Times journalist revealing on BBC Radio 5 Live (via the Daily Mail) that the 56-year-old manager has a number of admirers at the Etihad Stadium.

Smith went on to state that, although it would be an unlikely scenario that the Greek-Australian coach goes on to take over from Pep Guardiola at the Premier League leaders, Postecoglou is extremely well regarded by City chiefs.

Regarding the Celtic manager’s future, the journalist said: “I’m not even sure it would be teams lower down in the Premier League [who would be interested in appointing Postecoglou].

“Ange Postecoglou is not going to get the Man City job, but there are a lot of people at City who really rate him. That actually says all you need to know about how well regarded he is within coaching circles. He worked for Yokohama Marinos which is the City Football Group team in the J-League.

“They think he’s really, really good. I’d be staggered if Pep left in the summer or next summer if they gave it to Postecoglou, but there are people there who will tell you he’s a really gifted manager. I’m not saying it’s impossible [that Postecoglou would replace Guardiola], but it would be surprising.”

Staggering blow inbound?

While, as Smith states, it would be incredibly surprising if Manchester City were to appoint Postecoglou as Guardiola’s successor at the Etihad, the fact that the 56-year-old is already attracting admiration from the Premier League is certainly bad news for Celtic.

Granted, while it is undeniably good for the Hoops that the Greek-Australian coach has managed to turn the club’s fortunes around this season – with the Bhoys currently on course to secure a domestic treble – it was clear that the appointment of the former Australia national team coach was part of a long-term overhaul of the club by the Celtic hierarchy.

As such, while the 56-year-old very much appears to be fully committed to his current role in Glasgow, should the opportunity of a big Premier League job arise this summer – be that at Manchester City or elsewhere – whether or not Postecoglou remains a fixture in the Celtic dugout for the long-term is certainly questionable.

And, with the highly-rated coach having signed a 12-month rolling contract with the Hoops last summer, should he wish to move onto pastures new this summer, there would be very little – aside from offering him a bumper new deal – that the Celtic board could do to retain his services – something that will undoubtedly be a huge cause for concern for everyone involved with the club.

Indeed, considering his exploits in Glasgow so far, leading the Hoops to a League Cup trophy and to the top of the SPFL table with a six-point cushion, it would be nothing short of a staggering blow to lose his services so early into the tenure.

AND in other news: Sold at £1.8m, now worth £25m: Celtic had a nightmare on “imposing” £48k-p/w machine

Aston Villa have seemingly joined Leeds United in the race to sign Marseille midfielder Boubacar Kamara, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Kamara profiled

Kamara is 22 years of age and is primarily a defensive midfielder who can also line out at centre-back. A France under-21 international, he has already made 145 appearances for his current employers and has even captained the club this season.

His contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign, though, and it seems as if Steven Gerrard could make a move, with Villa looking for midfield reinforcements following Marvelous Nakamba’s injury.

The Latest: Romano’s update

Romano took to Twitter on Saturday afternoon, confirming Villa’s links to Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.

However, he shared comments from Bianconeri manager Massimiliano Allegri, who claimed that the Italian giants won’t sanction any move for the Uruguayan this month.

Romano then added that Kamara is also on Johan Lange’s list when it comes to a new midfielder, tweeting: “Aston Villa are interested in Rodrigo Bentancur, confirmed as Tom Collomosse reported today. Juventus have not received any official bid yet – while Allegri today said they ‘won’t do any move in January’. Been told there’s also Boubacar Kamara in Aston Villa list.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Kamara is valued at £22.5m, but due to his contract situation, you’d expect that Villa could land the versatile midfielder for a lot less than that in the final days of the January transfer window.

Should a move for Bentancur fail to materialise, Kamara could be an excellent alternative as he already has plenty of experience under his belt and is still in the early stages of his career. Also, he could improve Villa’s ball distribution, with his 90.7% passing success rate this season better than anyone to have started under Gerrard in the Premier League.

It seems as if the Uruguayan is Villa’s top midfield target, though, so it’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next eight days.

In other news: ‘Crazy to sell’ – Lots of Villa fans flock to update as Newcastle swoop for Gerrard regular

Flocking to Twitter, a number of Manchester City fans are absolutely buzzing over a fresh contract update involving promising youngster James McAtee.

As the Sky Blues ended their Champions League Group A campaign top of the table, albeit with an underwhelming 2-1 defeat away to RB Leipzig to finish off, McAtee was one of five City starlets to be handed a place on the bench by Pep Guardiola in Germany.

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The 19-year-old joined Romeo Lavia, Cole Palmer, CJ Egan-Riley and Josh Wilson-Esbrand as part of City’s squad on Tuesday night, but only Palmer was allowed a small runout on Europe’s biggest stage (SofaScore).

However, McAtee is seen as one of many bright academy products to have come through recently at Eastlands, even drawing comparisons with club legend David Silva.

His contract situation remains a point of contention, though, with his current deal expiring in 2023, although it appears that some good news has emerged as City attempt to tie down their starlet.

According to the Daily Mail and reliable reporter Jack Gaughan, talks are now ‘progressing’ over fresh terms for the 19-year-old, coming shortly after he made his Premier League debut against Everton last month.

Man City fans buzzing…

Understandably, in light of this news, it’s safe to say that lots of City supporters are buzzing over this update on one of their star products.

Shining at under-23 level this season as well, McAtee’s likeness to Silva is perhaps an indication of his sky-high potential as fans also witnessed the rise of fellow academy graduates Palmer and Phil Foden over the last year.

It appears that City’s state-of-the-art academy complex is finally nurturing the kind of top talent akin to famous institutes like La Masia, and the last thing the Sky Blues will want is a mass exodus of their gems.

Taking this into account, it’s no surprise to see many fans revelling in this contract update on McAtee, with one calling it the ‘best news’. Check out some of their reactions below:

“OH MY DAYS, WE’RE HERE TO STAY!!!!”

Credit: @Mokoena19FC

“I’ll do anything for this”

Credit: @sunday832

“I’m so happy”

Credit: @MCFCnish

“YESSSSSS”

Credit: @okayokay12321

“I love this club”

Credit: @iamshacool

“best news I have seen in a while”

Credit: @diaskadais

“Big W”

Credit: @OBProductions33

In other news: ‘No way’. ‘Finally’, ‘Please let this be true’…Lots of Man City fans also ‘buzzing’ over transfer claim, find out more here.