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When the summer transfer window rolls around, there will be one thing that Leeds simply have to prioritise; their midfield.

On the chalkboard

Last year, Leeds did their best to bolster their midfield ranks. Michael Cuisance had his foot in the door but in true Dan James style, the move somehow fell through.

The French midfielder had agreed a deal and was all set to sign for Marcelo Bielsa’s men before the Whites pulled the plug following a reported problem with his medical.

Since then, they’ve been rather stretched in the middle of the park. Whenever Kalvin Phillips has been out, they’ve looked suspect. Pascal Struijk has impressed in defence but when moved forward to feature in midfield, it’s not gone well at all.

Leeds have lost their matches by an aggregate score of 15-6 when the Dutchman has played in front of the back four.

With that in mind, signing another midfielder should be at the top of their wish list in a few months time.

Koopmeiners to the rescue

Last summer, the Whites were linked with a move for AZ Alkmaar midfielder Teun Koopmeiners. There has been an update on his future in recent weeks with Phil Hay stating clubs from Italy were circling ahead of the next window.

The player’s agent admits a move could be on the cards and thus, he’s become a player that Hay thinks Victor Orta should lure to Elland Road.

He put a piece together for The Athletic this week that detailed potential options to solve Leeds’ midfield conundrum. In the process, he said there was a lot to like about the Dutchman and that’s evident when you look at the stats.

A goal-scoring midfielder who is also adept defensively, the 23-year-old has quite a few similarities to a certain Mateusz Klich.

The Pole has been a fantastic servant under Bielsa and until this season, he’d never missed a league match with the Argentine at the helm. In his two years in the Championship, Klich scored 16 times and also amassed 14 assists.

Koopmeiners, however, also knows where the back of the net is. He’s scored 42 goals for AZ, 16 of which have come this season. On top of that, the Netherlands international also has seven assists to his name in 2020/21.

Already, you can see why we’re comparing him to Klich. Blessed with the ability to play in a holding role or slightly further forward, the duo are both strong in the tackle.

The Leeds midfielder has won 1.1 tackles per game this term, but during his penultimate campaign in the Eredisive, he won 2.7 challenges a match for FC Twente.

Coincidentally, that’s just 0.1 fewer than Koopmeiners has won in the same division this term. With Leeds looking for more cover defensively and additional goals from their midfield, he’d be the ideal transfer acquisition.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Alioski: Leeds must swoop for £54k-p/w beast with “explosive ability”…

Manchester United have suffered a huge setback in their pursuit of Dayot Upamecano, with the RB Leipzig defender reportedly set to join Bayern Munich instead.

What’s the word?

Upamecano has been heavily linked to Old Trafford in recent months, whilst he has also attracted attention from clubs across Europe.

Reports in recent weeks claimed that a move to United could be on the cards with Leipzig sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff appearing to pave the way for a possible summer transfer.

However, their hopes have been dashed after it was revealed that Bayern Munich have won the race to sign him this summer.

Following an initial report from Bild, The Athletic have since confirmed that the 22-year-old has agreed terms with the reigning Bundesliga champions, which will be a mammoth blow for manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Huge setback for Solskjaer

While Solskjaer’s desire to reform United’s defence is one of the worst-kept secrets in football at the moment, he may have to rejig his summer transfer plans following this latest setback.

Despite some reports suggesting otherwise, it is understood United were still interested in signing Upamecano, while Liverpool – who also wanted him – had adopted a wait-and-see approach, which left Bayern in pole position to sign him instead.

Solskjaer is well-known for putting his faith in youth, and in Upamecano, he would have found a player who could have been one of United’s starting centre-backs for years to come had Ed Woodward brought him to Old Trafford.

Upamecano has made 19 Bundesliga appearances so far this season, averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 6.94 for his efforts, which is better than the likes of Eric Bailly (6.43) and Victor Lindelof (6.64). Along with his statistical score, he is also averaging more tackles overall than Harry Maguire, suggesting that he would have helped to bolster Solskjaer’s leaky defence.

The Red Devils, however, will now be forced to look elsewhere instead to solve their defensive woes, having conceded three goals in their last three fixtures in all competitions this season thus far, per Transfermarkt.

AND in other news, Man Utd could sign their next Marouane Fellaini in West Ham star Tomas Soucek…

With Neil Lennon no longer Celtic manager, there are a number of subplots at play when it comes to the future at Parkhead.

Of course, Peter Lawwell is set to retire in the summer but Lennon’s departure will now determine what happens in the transfer window.

If you believe reports, Liam Shaw has agreed on a pre-contract deal with the Hoops and thus will arrive on a free transfer when the market opens in the summer. It’s not known whether Lennon leaving will have an impact on the deal, but one thing we do know for certain is that conversations have taken place.

Sheffield Wednesday owner Dejphon Chansiri commented earlier this week: “I thought he was going to go to Celtic – I believe that – because of the agent talking to Celtic.”

At the moment, the deal seems as good as done; and judging by his latest performance, that should be music to the ears of Nick Hammond.

If Celtic’s chief recruiter was watching him in action this week then he must have been delighted with his display.

The 19-year-old is capable of playing at centre-back and further forward in midfield and it was in that latter role that he flourished for the Owls, running the show from the middle of the park.

Sheffield Wednesday suffered a disappointing 2-1 defeat at the hands of Rotherham but, if there were any positives, it was the performance of Celtic-bound Shaw.

He was described as Wednesday’s ‘star man’ after the game, earning the following review from reporter Dom Howson: “Confident in possession as usual on his return to the side following a two-match suspension. Showed bags of energy and forced Johansson into a good stop.”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-celtic-manager-hunt-stories-wagner-marsch-martinez-lennon-news” title=”The last stories on Celtic’s hunt for a new manager!”]

Indeed, it was clear to see why he was talked about so highly. During the course of the match, the teenager provided three key passes, two of which led to clear-cut opportunities to score. That number happened to be the highest of any Wednesday player in midweek.

Shaw also recorded four successful dribbles, the second-highest tally of anyone to take the field at Hillsborough. It was a dynamic performance, one where the midfielder also stood out from a defensive point of view.

No player won more than his seven ground duels, while he also prevailed in three aerial duels from four contested.

Shaw has previously been described as a player who can play “everywhere” by former Owls boss Garry Monk, so he clearly has plenty to offer.

If Celtic can conclude a deal, this looks like a player who may thrive at Parkhead. He has numerous qualities, all of which should have Hammond foaming at the mouth.

AND in other news, 8 passes all game: Celtic must wield the axe on £4.5m flop who is “not bothered”…

According to reports, Serie A giants AS Roma are intensifying their efforts to sign Celtic starlet Jeremie Frimpong.

What’s the story?

The 20-year-old has been an absolute revelation for Neil Lennon’s side this season, playing every single game in the Scottish Premiership.

The Netherlands U20 international appears to have made that right-back slot his own, but his form understandably has attracted interest from elsewhere.

Now, Romanews.eu claim that the Giallorossi have this week intensified their efforts with both Celtic and the player’s representatives in a bid to lure him away from Scotland. The report adds that Roma want the Hoops to lower their asking price, and that the starlet is their number one transfer target.

Lawwell making a big mistake

If Frimpong ends up leaving Celtic for Roma, it will be one of the biggest mistakes Peter Lawwell will have made in his time at the club.

The 20-year-old represents everything that is promising about Celtic’s future, and he is already proving that he’s not just a talent for the future, but for the here and now.

Speaking after a particularly impressive performance against Hibernian last year, Lennon said: “I’m just delighted what he brings to the game, defensively or offensively and there is as an end product as well. He’s an outstanding talent who looks after himself. Watching him makes me tired, the amount of runs he makes, he wears people down.

“He is an amazing player. Amazing. With younger players, you want to look after them but you can’t hold talent back.”

What kind of message would it send to the Celtic boss if he sees his most promising young player get sold from right under his nose? Lawwell is heading for an unforgivable disaster if he doesn’t end negotiations right now.

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Hummel are set to replace Under Armour as their kit manufacturer.

Under Armour have been making the south-coast outfit’s kits since 2017, while that contract was set to run for another two years (The Athletic). However, the powers that be at St. Mary’ Stadium have decided to end their previous deal early to move to sign off on a deal with Danish company Hummel. The new agreement is set to run for five years.

Hummel previously made the club’s kits between 1987 and 1991. There is no indication as to how much the deal will bring in for Southampton, but that doesn’t seem to have worried these supporters – they are absolutely delighted by the news, which was shared by the club’s official Twitter account, and they took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Hummel news below

“Take my money now.”

Credit: @jackosfc89

“This is ace. Great decision. Might actually get the kit delivered on time for a change”

Credit: @samdewar06

“Excellent news! Bye bye under armour!!”

Credit: @paulbowring85

“Great news! Excited to see what they do for us. Welcome back @hummel1923”

Credit: @adamthesaint9

“OH YES. YES. THANK YOU FOOTBALL LORD. YESNOW.”

Credit: @iHarlandos

“Fantastic news”

Credit: @rogersanders

In other news, Southampton fans are worried by this financial news.

Carlo Ancelotti must bite the bullet and urge Marcel Brands to cash in on Bernard in the January transfer market with the Everton outcast bleeding Farhad Moshiri dry.

What’s the word?

Bernard joined the Toffees as a free agent in 2018 when signed by Marco Silva following his release by Shakhtar Donetsk, with the Portuguese coach playing a key role in convincing the Brazilian of a move to Goodison Park.

Silva’s presentation of life on the blue half of Stanley Park made Bernard feel comfortable with putting pen to paper on a £120,000-per-week contract, that makes the 28-year-old the joint-highest earner at Goodison Park alongside former FC Barcelona defender Yerry Mina.

Silva, for his part, was delighted to have secured Bernard’s signature late in the summer market, noting how the midfielder was “very good technically” and how he would bring a versatile offensive threat with Champions League experience in behind striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton fans have rarely seen that threat return results in person with Bernard penning just four goals and five assists in 46 games under Silva, before striking a mere three goals and recording two assists in 23 appearances following Ancelotti’s arrival at the helm last year.

With his vastly lucrative contract bleeding majority owner Moshiri dry week after week, the Blues supremo and Ancelotti must urge Brands to find Bernard a new home in January after snubbing a potential deal with AS Roma this summer, despite the playmaker and his agent striving to secure a move.

Time to go

Bernard has been named in each of the Toffees’ 14 squads so far this season across all competitions, yet Saturday’s draw with Premier League relegation-threatened Burnley once again saw Ancelotti opt against introducing the Brazilian at any stage.

The Italian tactician has only felt fit to field the 28-year-old in six fixtures to date, whilst starting the former Shakhtar Donetsk playmaker just once in the top-flight and in two of his side’s EFL Cup ties.

Bernard’s starts in the Carabao Cup were each against lower-tier opposition in League Two side Salford City and League One outfit Fleetwood Town before he fell back to the bench when Everton hosted and beat top-flight rivals West Ham United 4-1 in the Fourth Round.

Ancelotti may not have fielded the 14-cap Brazil maestro in his initial line-up against Manchester United last month, too, were it not for Richarlison’s suspension, with even netting the opening goal against the Red Devils proving insufficient to see Bernard feature at any stage next time out at Fulham.

Gylfi Sigurdsson and Cenk Tosun being called on at Turf Moor on Saturday must now serve as the final straw in deciding Bernard’s Goodison Park future, as Ancelotti clearly does not have confidence in the £13.5m-rated man’s ability to inject a creative spark when needed.

AND in other news, Everton’s “magnificent find” has every right to fume with Carlo Ancelotti.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton travel to Sheffield United on Saturday night looking to bounce back from their Carabao Cup exit, but will be without a handful of key players at Bramall Lane.

Summer signing James Rodriguez missed the midweek quarter-final clash with Manchester United through a calf injury, and will again sit out on Boxing Day plus Monday’s trip to Manchester City with Everton playing twice in 48 hours.

Ancelotti only intends to make wholesale changes to his starting line-up when the Toffees visit Pep Guardiola’s side but may be forced into altering the XI which lost to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils, with Everton looking tired in defeat and potentially losing Richarlison through the Premier League’s concussion protocol.

So, with changes on the cards for the Blues’ trip to Bramall Lane, here’s a line-up Ancelotti could name away to Chris Wilder’s winless Sheffield United side…

Ancelotti confirmed ahead of the Carabao Cup clash with Manchester United that he would rotate his goalkeeper options, with Robin Olsen starting over Jordan Pickford, though noting that whoever opened the midweek meeting would be rested against Sheffield United.

His decision will now see Pickford return on Saturday night, as the England international continues his efforts to put October’s Merseyside Derby horror behind him that saw Jermaine Beckford suggest the 26-year-old, who reportedly earns £100,000-a-week, once again proved to be a “dangerous” player.

Among the few who looked tired against the Red Devils was the returning Seamus Coleman following his spell out with a hamstring strain, and will likely find Mason Holgate returns to duties at right-back after an impressive showing in last week’s win over Arsenal.

Andre Gomes featured against Manchester United but struggled to find a grove, with the Portuguese sloppy in possession, opposed to progressing play and slow in the press, ultimately seeing the former Barcelona man replaced by Tom Davies in the 58th-minute.

Bernard had also been introduced to the action early in the second half after Everton’s club doctor instructed Ancelotti to withdraw Richarlison after an accidental elbow to the head, yet was often ineffective and should see academy graduate Anthony Gordon start in place of the Brazilian should he be ruled unavailable.

Ben Godfrey, Yerry Mina and Michael Keane should all see their names remain in the starting line-up, alongside Alex Iwobi, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with Everton short on defenders with Lucas Digne still out after ankle surgery.

AND in other news, Marcel Brands will have to ditch his favoured Everton approach to sign a sought-after £18m enforcer.

The Daily Express is reporting that Daniel Levy refused to sell Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele for anything less than £54m during the summer.

Levy wants good return on Ndombele

Ndombele made the move to Spurs from Lyon last year, costing the club around €60m (£53.8m).

After a disappointing first season with the Lilywhites, there were rumours the France international could leave – Internazionale were linked with a move for him. However, tough negotiator Levy refused to let him go for anything below £54m. As such, he remained in north London for the new campaign.

Mourinho trusting Ndombele

In his first campaign at the club, the 23-year-old struggled. He made just 29 appearances in all competitions, and he was heavily criticised by Mourinho. Had he left, his departure would have been far from surprising.

This term, though, he has worked his way back into Mourinho’s plans, even standing out as one of the manager’s key men. He has been involved in all  five Premier League matches so far, and has been on the end of plenty of praise from the club’s supporters and the manager himself. Finally, he is starting to show why Spurs spent a club-record fee to sign him – and it seems that Levy’s tough stance is to thank for that.

In other news, this Tottenham target is looking for a new club in January. Let us know what you think in the comments!

After the incredible goalscoring start Callum Wilson has enjoyed, it’s only fair to assume that the striker would be hoping his manager try and either build the side around him, or play to his strengths.

Newcastle’s summer striker had bagged six goals in seven Premier League games prior to the clash against Southampton on Friday night, and that form surely warranted Steve Bruce to really try and tap into that a little bit more.

Instead, the Magpies inexplicably sat back even more and showed virtually little attacking intent, and it was no surprise to see them fall meekly to a 2-0 defeat on the south cast.

And when you look at Wilson’s display, it’s hard not to feel sorry for him.

As per Sofascore, the England international managed just 21 touches of the ball, 15 less than goalkeeper Karl Darlow. And if that wasn’t sad or damning enough, then the fact he made just four total passes in the 78 minutes he was on the pitch before he was substituted with an injury, said it all.

It’s a crying shame that even despite signing a Premier League proven striker, Newcastle show no desire to play the kind of football that could get the best out of him.

Instead, even with their talented attacking players like Wilson and Allan Saint-Maximin for example, they continue to play one way, and one way only.

And sure enough, with Wilson feeding off scraps all night (and even ‘scraps’ is a bit of a reach), he pulled up with a hamstring injury and was forced to go off.

Now, the Magpies face the prospect of being without their one genuine goal-scorer for the next game and potentially even more. All in all, it was a very sobering night for Newcastle, and one that raises major questions about Bruce’s tactics.

Harry Kane and Heung-min Son will understandably take the plaudits after Tottenham Hotspur’s emphatic 5-2 victory over Southampton.

The former got four assists and a goal, while the latter scored four times throughout the match, which says enough about just how impressive their respective performances were.

However, Jose Mourinho, and Spurs fans, can also be pleased with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s display in midfield, as he came up against his former club.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

He was hit with a tough challenge from Oriol Romeu fairly early on, but this did not deter the Denmark international from putting in a solid performance.

The 25-year-old won four of the six aerial duels that he competed in, as well as winning one tackle, completing one interception and one clearance.

In addition to his defensive and combative involvements, Hojbjerg showed quality with the ball at his feet, completing 83% of the passes that he attempted, as well as completing both of his dribbles.

He was also able to see plenty of the ball, holding 6% of the game’s overall possession, a number that was only exceeded by Harry Winks among his fellow Spurs players.

Having seen his side collectively struggle during the first half, after losing against Everton, Mourinho will be feeling particularly pleased with the eventual scoreline.

The way that they went about securing the one-sided result will make this feel even better for the Portuguese tactician.

He can also add the fact that one of his summer signings put in a highly impressive performance to his positives from the day.