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Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds moved up to 16th in the Premier League table with a 1-0 win over Watford at Elland Road on Saturday.

Diego Llorente brilliantly finished from close range after the ball dropped at an awkward angle for him, expertly turning his body to drill a shot past Ben Foster.

His strike ended up winning the three points for Leeds, as Watford only managed one shot on target in the entire match.

Whilst Llorente won the game for the Whites, one player who was an unsung hero for Bielsa was right-back Jamie Shackleton.

With regular starter Luke Ayling ruled out, Shackleton was called upon to step up at full-back for the second game running and he produced an excellent performance. He was defensively solid along with offering a reliable outlet on the ball down the right, which played a part in allowing Leeds to dominate the game and ultimately beat the Hornets.

In terms of his defending, Shakleton was superb. Per SofaScore, he won eight of his 11 ground duels and made two clearances and four tackles. Along with that, he did not allow a single Watford player to dribble past him in the 90 minutes.

This shows that he was strong in the challenge and positionally aware, as he was not exposed by any players dribbling past him. By being solid at the back, Emmanuel Dennis was limited to one shot in the game and had a dribble success rate of 0% on the left wing, coming up against Shackleton.

On the ball, the youngster also impressed. Via SofaScore, he had a whopping 96 touches of the ball in the 90 minutes. Shackleton was successful with two of his three attempted dribbles and completed 84% of his passes, whilst also winning two fouls and managing one shot in the final third.

He was active on the ball throughout the match and assured in possession, as he completed the vast majority of his passes. His dribbling success shows that he was also able to offer quality in transition, beating players to push Leeds up the pitch and get the team closer to the Watford goal to build pressure on the Hornets.

Therefore, forget Llorente, Shackleton was Leeds’ unsung hero against Watford. He merged strong defending with composure on the ball and Bielsa will surely be hoping that he can maintain this level of performance until Ayling is fit to return.

AND in other news, Fresh development emerges on “unlimited energy” beast that’ll leave Leeds fans excited…

Despite currently sitting in eighth position in the Premier League table, Wolves have only managed to score 13 goals in 18 games, leaving Norwich City as the only club to have found the back of the net on fewer occasions this season.

With the January transfer window around the corner, one deal that the Midlands club could look to do that wouldn’t cost them a penny and could spark their push to end the season in a European place would be to recall midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White from his current loan deal with Championship side Sheffield United.

After making two very short cameo appearances in Wolves opening three league games of the season against Leicester City and Manchester United, Gibbs-White joined the Blades to get some regular game time in the Championship.

Since joining the Yorkshire club, the 21-year-old, who is currently valued at £8.1m according to Transfermarkt, has made 15 appearances in the Championship in which he has managed to score five goals and provide four assists in the process, showing how capable he is in front of goal.

Taking into account his young age as well as his decent goals and assists record with the Blades, it’s easy to see why David McGoldrick has lavished praise on the midfield dynamo and said that Gibbs-White has “got the world at his feet.”

In addition to this, it’s no surprise that Sheffield United manager Paul Heckingbottom has aired his concerns about the prospect of Wolves recalling Gibbs-White in January before expressing his happiness with the player and his wishes to see the Wolves man see out the rest of his loan deal and stay at Bramall Lane until the end of the season.

Moving forward, unless Wolves can start scoring goals regularly, they should definitely consider recalling Gibbs-White in January to see if he can replicate the same sort of goalscoring form he’s shown at Sheffield United back in the Premier League if Lage will give him regular playing time.

If this were to happen, Gibbs-White definitely has what it takes to push Wolves into Europe by the end of the season and prove to Lage that he’s ready to be a regular figure in his squad rather than going out on loan again.

In other news: Lage heading for Wolves disaster over £33k-p/w gem dubbed “phenomenal” by Tim Spiers – opinion

Rangers saw a significant number of players make the move to Ibrox during the short reign of former manager Pedro Caixinha.

However, much like the 51-year-old’s time in charge of the Gers, not all of the players that joined the club in 2017 ended up being particularly successful at Ibrox.

One player, in particular, that ended up being a major flop for the club is midfielder Carlos Pena.

In June 2017, Rangers signed the Mexican from Guadalajara in a deal worth a reported fee of £2.2m, making him the most expensive player signed under Caixinha.

Having made just 14 appearances for the Gers across all competitions, Pena’s contract was terminated only 18 months into the four-year deal he signed with them.

Despite being labelled as a “massive player with a lot of technique and physicality” by Caixinha, Pena was also seen as a “problem” by the former Rangers boss in regards to what he ended up delivering on the pitch for the team.

Even though he managed to find the back of the net four times in the 12 league appearances he made in the 2017/18 season, it was problems off the pitch that impacted his time at the club.

According to Andy Halliday, Pena had such an issue with alcohol that he would come into training smelling of it.

Halliday said: “He was messy alright, this guy was the modern alcoholic. He would just come in stinking of bevvy all the time. Stinking of it. From the time he came in I was only there for maybe a month, but honestly he was always stinking of booze.”

After leaving Rangers in March 2019, the player has gone on to have spells at clubs in Poland, El Salvador, Mexico and Argentina.

The 32-year-old has been without a club since January.

Taking all of this into account, it’s hard to see Pena’s transfer to Rangers being anything other than disastrous.

Having shelled out a total sum of £4.3m on the player from his transfer fee and £25k-per-week wages over the 84 weeks he was at the club, this just highlights what a waste of money it was from the Gers.

In other news: Wilson could land a new £13m talent as Rangers plot bid for £180k-rated sensation

An update has emerged regarding a transfer offer for Rangers full-back Borna Barisic.

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic, the Gers have rejected a £2m bid from English Premier League side Watford for the Croatian left-back.

The report claims that the offer was knocked back two weeks ago and that it would take a ‘significantly’ higher bid to convince them to part ways with the 29-year-old.

Fans will be delighted

Giovanni van Bronckhorst has averted a big Rangers disaster by not selling Barisic to Watford, especially for a mere £2m. Allowing the defender to exit would have left the club in a desperate position in the full-back areas, particularly with Nathan Patterson’s exit this week.

With Calvin Bassey emerging as a strong centre-back option for the Gers, James Tavernier and Barisic are the Dutchman’s only natural full-back options as it stands. Patterson had been providing cover on both flanks of late and the club may be forced to dip into the market to replace him, which illustrates how much of a problem it would have been to sell Barisic as well as the Scotland international.

Not only would it have created issues in terms of recruitment this month, it would also have weakened the team significantly, as the Croatian has proven his quality in the Premiership for the club.

Former Gers midfielder Alex Rae previously lauded the defensive monster, saying: “He performs at good level week-in, week-out and has terrific quality in the final third of the park.”

Barisic has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.30 this season from left-back in the Premiership, providing two assists in the process. Last term, he averaged a score of 7.40 and racked up six assists as he created 2.2 chances per game for his teammates.

This shows that he has performed consistently over the past 18 months and is able to carry an attacking threat with his crossing from out wide. Therefore, Gers fans will be delighted that he appears set to remain at Ibrox after the club rejected Watford’s offer.

As we’ve outlined above, it would have been a disaster for Van Bronckhorst if Barisic had moved on from Glasgow this month, and the 46-year-old will surely be looking forward to having him in his team for the rest of the season, assuming there are no more twists in the transfer window. The Croatian is a key member of the champions’ line-up, and fans will surely be buzzing to keep him.

AND in other news, Jordan Campbell drops key Rangers transfer claim, Van Bronckhorst will be buzzing…

West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Ludovic Ajorque to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato, who claimed that David Moyes and his Hammers transfer team are closely monitoring the Strasbourg centre-forward ahead of a potential swoop this month.

However, the report added that the Ligue 1 side will unlikely want to part with the 27-year-old in the current transfer window, although they could be tempted with an offer for the Frenchman at the end of the season.

Haller replacement

Since the £20m sale of Sebastien Haller last January, West Ham have been operating with only Michail Antonio as an out-and-out centre-forward, so it is clear to see that Moyes is in desperate need of a replacement for the Ivory Coast international this month.

When taking into account just how impressive Ajorque has been in France this season, in addition to the 6 foot 6 striker’s physical similarities to that of the 6 foot 3 Haller, the 27-year-old would very much appear to be a fantastic heir to the Ajax forward in the Irons’ squad.

Indeed, over his 18 Ligue 1 appearances in the current campaign, the £13.5m-rated marksman has been in exceptional form for Strasbourg, having already bagged 10 goals – with only Lille’s Jonathan David having scored more in the division – registered six assists and created seven big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 1.9 shots and making 1.3 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the £14k-per-week forward average an astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.30, not only ranking him as his club’s best performer in the league, but also as the joint 10th-best player in the whole of Ligue 1.

As such, it is clear for all to see that the player who Strasbourg boss Julien Stephan dubbed a “complete” striker would make a brilliant addition to West Ham’s current attacking options, leading us to believe that Moyes and the Hammers board must do all they can to get a deal over the line for the 27-year-old this month.

In other news: Exciting “behind the scenes” West Ham transfer update emerges; fans will be buzzing

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The Mirror reported on Sunday that Southampton are looking to sign Birmingham City attacker Che Adams before Thursday’s transfer deadline, as backed up by The Daily Echo on Monday, and Saints fans have been quick to react to the rumour.

Despite sending out the likes of Steven Davis, Manolo Gabbiadini, Wesley Hoedt and Cedric Soares already this month, Ralph Hasehuttl is yet to sign a player for the south coast outfit, although it appears as though Adams is a target.

The Daily Echo report that the prolific 22-year-old, who has scored 14 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions for the Championship club this season, as per Transfermarkt, is valued at around £10m, and his arrival would potentially see Charlie Austin leave before the window slams shut.

Should Adams arrive at St Mary’s he would likely be competing with the likes of Danny Ings, Nathan Redmond and Stuart Armstrong for an attacking spot in Hasenhuttl’s preferred 3-4-2-1 system to date, although he could also play up top with Ings in the 4-2-2-2 formation that the Austrian has preferred to use with his previous clubs in the past, according to Transfermarkt.

Southampton supporters have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the link with the former Sheffield United forward, and while one said “this would be a massive steal”, another simply said “love it”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Check out the video below for Emma Conybeare’s rundown of which clubs need what in the January transfer window…

Paddy Kenny has claimed that Amanda Staveley will now be ‘furious’ with the new owners over a development at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Staveley to be snubbed

As per the The Daily Mail, Staveley is set to be snubbed by the new owners in their hunt for someone to take the new chief executive role.

It is claimed that the businesswoman was expected to be handed the position as a reward for her role as the public face of the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny, 43, has claimed that Staveley would be ‘furious’ if she is not given the role:

“Personally, I’d be absolutely livid.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the ins and outs and what’s been promised to her when they made the deal.

“But if she’s been told she’d get the job and now this has happened, she’ll be furious. She has done all the hard work in sorting this takeover out.

“We know how long that took so it could be a proper kick in the teeth if this does end up happening.”

The Verdict: Can still contribute

Even if Staveley is not made the new chief executive at St. James’ Park, she can still contribute to the North East club in other ways.

It was a pleasure for the Toon Army to see her in attendance during their 3-2 loss at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League last time out, and the way that she has communicated to the fans during the whole takeover process is already more than what Mike Ashley managed to do during his tenure.

Nonetheless, Staveley will no doubt be a key figure in the new era, and making her the new chief executive would only be a bonus.

In other news, find out what the immediate reaction was from players to Steve Bruce’s sacking here!

Former Spurs number one Paul Robinson has backed Tottenham to sign Chelsea star Andreas Christensen, according to reports by Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Spurs interested in Christensen

According to The Daily Star, Spurs are competing for the signing of Chelsea defender Christensen. The 25-year-old could be available on a free transfer in 2022 as his contract is set to expire next summer.

The Denmark international has played 11 times in the Premier League this season under Thomas Tuchel, and he currently leads the Blues in one statistic, offsides won – averaging 0.8 per game.

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Football Insider previously reported that Chelsea had made a breakthrough in contract negotiations with the player. However, an agreement is still yet to be finalised and with January fast approaching, Christensen will have just six months left on his deal.

The Daily Star reports that Tottenham would be interested in signing the 6 foot 2 defender, if a contract extension cannot be agreed upon.

The Latest: Robinson loves the move

As per Football Insider, ex-Spurs goalkeeper Robinson has heaped praise on Christensen following his former club’s interest in the player, further claiming that a deal would “have to be” on a free transfer as Chelsea and Spurs “do not do business.”

“Historically, they just do not do business so it would have to be on a free transfer in the summer.

“Christensen is a top, top player though. A top centre-half.

“When you look at his age and where he is at in his career. He probably needs a move and a fresh challenge.

“I’m not sure how it would work going from Chelsea to Tottenham. I’m sure he is a strong enough player and a strong enough character to get the fans on side very quickly though.”

The Verdict: Ideal but unlikely

It is reported that a £140,000-per-week deal was ‘practically agreed’ in August, which would have seen the defender almost double his current £80,000-per-week salary at Stamford Bridge.

Tottenham could be an interesting prospect for Christensen as Antonio Conte has experience managing the Dane, who he described in late 2017 as Chelsea’s ‘best surprise’, but if the Blues are happy to double his wages it appears unlikely he will jump ship.

Former Chelsea teammate Cesc Fabregas has also previously hailed the player’s talents, describing him as ‘very underrated’, so Tottenham would be foolish not to try their luck in convincing him to cross London, but this one feels rather ambitious.

Danny Ings missed a big opportunity in Aston Villa’s Premier League defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, Sky Sports pundit Andy Hinchcliffe says. 

The lowdown

Villa fell to a fourth straight defeat in the Saturday evening clash following a hat-trick from Son Heung-min and a strike from Dejan Kulusevski.

But the 4-0 scoreline perhaps didn’t reflect the balance of the chances, with Villa forcing Hugo Lloris to make seven saves in the first half alone – the most by a Spurs keeper in the opening period since Opta records began in 2006/07.

Ings, who’s scored five goals for Villa in all competitions this season, returned to the starting line-up after missing last weekend’s defeat against Wolves (via Transfermarkt).

And the former Southampton man spurned a chance to level for his side when Ollie Watkins flick on fell to him on the left edge of the six-yard box and he fired his shot wide of the target.

The latest

Commentating on the match for Sky Sports, Hinchliffe said that he expected Ings to take the opportunity and bemoaned Aston Villa’s profligacy.

“A striker of his experience should be burying this,” he said.

“He just completely mistimes it. As the ball drops on the half-volley, he should be tucking it home, back across Lloris.”

He added: “He has a good view of the goal and he completely messes it up.

“He’s maybe under a bit of pressure from Emerson Royal but he should be scoring.

“How many chances are Villa going to miss?”

The verdict

Ings was on the pitch for 70 minutes before Steven Gerrard sent on Leon Bailey in his place, and he must have been frustrated as he left the field.

SofaScore defined the aforementioned opening as a ‘big chance’, and he might also have scored when Philippe Coutinho chipped a quick free-kick over the wall, only for the Englishman to fail to make clean contact.

The £19.8million-rated frontman only touched the ball 29 times – the lowest figure among Villa’s starting outfielders – but still could have made a decisive impact.

Three of his shots were blocked, and another two missed the target. Will Gerrard keep faith with the striker for the trip to Leicester City later this month?

In other news, Villa are willing to sell this sensation.  

Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic have been handed a huge injury boost ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm clash in the Premiership.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in his pre-match press conference (via the official Celtic website), the Bhoys boss revealed that all players who left Parkhead for international duty over the last two weeks have returned to the club injury-free. He also suggested that he will only have one player unavailable for selection tomorrow afternoon (James Forrest) – something which means that Tom Rogic is now back in contention for a place in the 56-year-old’s matchday squad.

Regarding the current state of his squad, Postecoglou said: “In terms of injuries, everyone has got through the international window well.”

Good news for Celtic

Although Rogic’s fine level of form has fallen off somewhat in recent weeks, it is nevertheless fantastic news for Celtic that the midfielder will be available for selection in what is undoubtedly a season-defining Old Firm clash on Sunday.

Indeed, over his 25 Premiership appearances so far this term, the £1.35m-rated Australia international has bagged five goals, provided six assists and created nine big chances for his team-mates, along with taking 1.8 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game. These returns have seen the £21.5k-per-week dynamo average a very impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.00.

As such, it is clear to see that the presence of Rogic, even if is just on the bench, will come as a massive boost to Celtic’s chances of taking all three points back to Parkhead tomorrow afternoon – a result which could just decide where the league title ends up next month.

AND in other news – £3m wasted: Celtic had a shocker on £7.9k-p/w “loner” who rinsed Desmond for 129 weeks