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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…

Shields Gazette reporter Liam Kennedy has confirmed Newcastle United are looking to sign Hamza Choudhury before the transfer window slams shut.

It appears as though the Magpies are closing in on their first signing of the summer after the club agreed a fee in excess of £20million for Arsenal’s Joe Willock.

The midfielder is set to head to St James’ Park on a permanent basis after enjoying a successful loan spell with Newcastle last season. During his temporary stay on Tyneside, Willock became the first player since Alan Shearer to score in seven consecutive Premier League outings.

But Magpies boss Steve Bruce wants to strengthen his midfield further by poaching Leicester City’s Choudhury, who saw a loan move to Newcastle fall through at the end of the January transfer window.

The 23-year-old made just four Premier League starts last term and Kennedy has revealed the central midfielder remains on Bruce’s wishlist after narrowly missing out earlier this year.

He told The Transfer Tavern: “He is a player who hasn’t ever come off the wanted list. He was a hair’s breadth away from signing in January on a loan deal.

“Hamza Choudhury is a player that Steve Bruce rates and they were very close to signing. They thought it would happen but Brendan Rodgers pulled the plug in January and kept him on at Leicester.”

With Liverpool having scored more goals (39) in the Premier League than any other team so far this season, with five scored in the Carabao Cup and 15 in the Champions League, it’s safe to say that they are one of Europe’s most lethal attacking sides.

It seems as though the Reds have the opportunity to add another attacking talent to their squad for a cut-price fee.

What’s the news?

It has recently been reported by Football Insider that Wolves could be willing to sell winger Adama Traore in the upcoming January transfer window for a fee of around £20m.

This has apparently put the Merseyside club on red alert as they were reportedly linked with a move for Traore during the previous summer transfer but were put off by Wolves’ asking price of £50m.

Since joining the Midlands club during the 2018 summer transfer window from Championship club Middlesbrough in a deal worth a reported fee of £18m, Traore has made a total of 145 appearances for Bruno Lage’s side across all competitions, scoring 10 goals and providing 18 assists along the way.

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Labelled in the past as “electric” by pundit Martin Keown, Traore may not have managed to grab a goal or assist in the Premier League so far this season, but he has still shown what a versatile attacking threat he is.

With 12 league appearances under his belt, Traore has managed to rack up an average of 1.4 shots per game and 1.2 key passes per game.

In June last year, OptaJoe shared a post on their official Twitter account calling the 25-year-old winger a “bulldozer” after revealing that  Traore had drawn 21 cards in the opposition half thanks to his dazzling dribbling skills.

Combine those attributes with the fact that Liverpool will be without two of their top goalscorers for a period in January when Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah take part in the upcoming AFCON tournament, Michael Edwards should definitely pounce on a possible £20m deal for Traore if Wolves would be willing to sell him to them in January.

If this did happen, Liverpool would not only be getting a talented and experienced Premier League star but a player that has the potential to grow and develop his game under Klopp for the next few years given his age.

With his frightening speed, incredible desire to beat opponents and the ability to make something out of nothing, he’d undoubtedly be a dream deal at a time where the Reds may be cut short of their attacking options.

In other news: FSG must avoid transfer calamity at Liverpool with “sensational” £27m-rated beast – opinion

Rafael Benitez has said that Salomon Rondon will ‘100%’ be fit enough to start when Everton travel to Brentford this weekend.

As quoted by The Liverpool Echo, the Toffees manager said that the striker had ‘been training well the last two weeks’ and that he was ‘quite confident’ that the Venezuelan would perform.

Everton are down two forward options for their trip to London after Richarlison picked up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out against Manchester City, earning a one-match suspension. Dominic Calvert-Lewin is already out of action because of a thigh injury.

Rondon an unpopular choice right now

Rondon has endured a difficult start to his Everton career since he joined from Dalian Professional on a free transfer in the summer.

He is yet to open his account for the Blues after eight appearances and, worse still, he has racked up as many yellow cards (one) as he’s had shots on target (via Premier League).

The 32-year-old was also mocked and criticised by numerous supporters when he walked straight down the tunnel at full-time last weekend rather than acknowledging the travelling fans, having already been unpopular among some of the Goodison Park faithful over his unproductive performances.

Fan feed The Toffee Blues relayed Benitez’s quotes, and here’s how some of their followers responded. A couple let rip at ‘agent Rafa’, seemingly accusing the former Liverpool boss of sabotaging Everton, while another made unflattering comparisons between Rondon and ‘Sunday League’ players.

Everton fans bemoan likely Rondon start

“God help us”

Credit: @jaysmith1878

“Does Rondon have dirt on Benítez or something?! I have seen Sunday League players with more skill and motivation than this dude…”

Credit: @SOSTV1878

“Stuff like this almost makes me believe the agent Rafa stuff”

Credit: @andy_beck77

“Definitely agent Rafa this… he can’t be serious”

Credit: @efcn3

“#rafaOut immediately!!! Playing Delph and saying Rondon is fit, get a grip. Should have never been appointed Everton manager”

Credit: @NickRyanPGALol

“Rafa Benitez has insisted he is ready to start the game with 10 men against Brentford later this week.”

Credit: @WatchedToffee

In other news, many Everton fans have also reacted to Benitez’s comments on this player’s injury.

Michael Ball has offered his thoughts on Yerry Mina’s future at Everton amid links to Kalidou Koulibaly.

What’s the talk?

Former Everton defender Michael Ball has claimed that he could see Yerry Mina leave the club this summer if Rafa Benitez brings in Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli. He told This is Futbol:

“I can see Mina going if Koulibaly comes in.

“I feel, with the big wages and also his international image, Everton could probably demand a decent fee which could go towards new signings.”

Everton have been touted with a potential swoop for Koulibaly from Napoli this window, but the Italian club are determined to keep hold of the Senegal international.

Fans would be buzzing

Marcel Brands must ruthlessly axe Mina from Everton’s squad this summer if he can replace him with Koulibaly, or another quality centre-back target.

The Colombian defender played fewer Premier League matches than Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Michael Keane last season, with Carlo Ancelotti opting for a back-three for the most part.

If Rafa Benitez comes in and opts to play a back-four, then Mina could be well down the pecking order. He could potentially be the fourth-choice option behind the aforementioned trio, which is not ideal for a player who is on £120k-per-week – the highest wage at the club.

Supporters will not want to see a reserve option taking up such a chunk of the wage bill when that money could be better spent elsewhere. Therefore, fans will be buzzing to see Mina sold if it means that the club can bring in an upgrade on the defender.

Speaking earlier this year, Ball claimed that Mina and Keane have a “lack of pace” which has played a part in the club’s failures in the Premier League. He said:

“I think Everton’s failures this season is how deep we have played because of the lack of pace of Michael Keane and Yerry Mina.

“They play very, very deep, which is ok to defend as a unit, but it makes it difficult for our midfield. And our lack of legs in midfield, other opposition teams can bully us in those areas and cause us a lot of problems.”

This, along with his wages and potential ranking in the pecking order, suggests that Everton need to sell Mina this summer. If they can get a solid replacement through the door, such as Koulibaly, Brands should be swiftly axing the central defender from the team and moving on.

AND in other news, Brands could finally replace Gueye by landing “excellent” £34k-p/w beast for Everton…

Rangers have been linked with both Abdou Harroui and Joey Veerman ahead of the summer window but who would be the better addition to Steven Gerrard’s squad at Ibrox.

Abdou Harroui

According to Football Insider, Rangers have set their sights on signing the Sparta Rotterdam midfielder after scouting him at the Euro U’21 Championships recently.

The 23-year-old has been a regular with the Eredivisie side since breaking into their first team in the 2018/19 season and has gone on to make 102 appearances for the senior side, contributing 18 goals and 13 assists in that time.

Last season saw the young midfielder contribute an impressive six goals and two goals in 33 appearances in the Dutch top-flight, which helped him average an impressive 7.20 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Transfermarkt currently values Harroui at £3.15m and with his contract set to expire at the end of next season, he could well be a cheap option for Gerrard and sporting director Ross Wilson this summer.

Joey Veerman

Rangers have been heavily linked with the SC Heerenveen midfielder in recent months after his superb performances in the Eredivisie over the past two seasons.

Last season saw the 22-year-old contribute a superb seven goals and 10 assists in 31 appearances in the Eredivisie, in which he earned a 7.40 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Reports have suggested that the youngster would set back Rangers as much as £8.5m this summer which could potentially price the Gers out of a move, as it would make him Gerrard’s record signing at Ibrox.

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Who would be the better signing?

Whilst Veerman had the edge in terms of goals and assists in the Eredivise last season, it seems clear that he would be a far more expensive option for Rangers this summer.

Harroui also outperformed Veerman in terms of shots per game, pass success rate and tackles per game last season and there was very little to split the two in terms of their performances in the Dutch top-flight, which suggests that Rangers would be better off signing the cheaper option this summer.

Whilst Veerman can only really feature as a defensive and central midfielder, Harroui has played across the midfield during his time with Rotterdam, and his versatility marks him out as the sort of player Gerrard would love to have in his squad next season.

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Therefore, Wilson should forget about signing Veerman for now and instead focus on bringing Harroui to Ibrox ahead of next season.

And, in other news… Rangers may already have their Davis heir in never-before-seen “mountain”

Bolton manager Ian Evatt will surely be delighted to have seen his side bounce back from two straight defeats with a 3-2 win against Port Vale in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday night.

Wanderers lost on penalties to Wigan in the League Cup last week before travelling to Cambridge in League One and coming back home with a 1-0 loss.

Evatt’s side were 2-1 down at half-time against Port Vale, with Eoin Doyle’s opener cancelled out by strikes from Tom Conlon and David Amoo. However, Bolton came on strong in the second half and Nathan Delfouneso equalised in the 54th minute, before substitute Oladapo Afolayan scored the winner with 13 minutes left to play.

Despite picking up the group stage win, there was one player who may have ended the game being disappointed with how they played – Liam Gordon.

The 22-year-old defender endured a difficult night as he struggled down the left flank. Although neither of the conceded goals were solely his fault, both of Port Vale’s strikes in the first half came down his side, with Gordon tucked in too narrow to prevent the cross coming into the box and then standing still in the six-yard box to allow the player to fire a shot past Matt Gilks.

However, it was his general play, aside from the goals conceded, that will have left Evatt feeling let down by Gordon’s performance.

Per SofaScore, he lost 73% of his duels on the pitch as he won one of four ground duels and two of seven aerial battles. This suggests that he was not strong enough to hold off his opponents and come out on top in physical battles, allowing Port Vale to retain or win back possession of the ball.

He completed zero tackles and made one interception in the 90 minutes, whilst being dribbled past once and completing one clearance. This further emphasises his lack of quality in the defensive third and how he was unable to show Evatt that he is a competent defender who can be relied upon in League One matches.

On the ball, Gordon did not fare much better either. He lost possession of the ball 15 times and was successful with two of his six crossing/long ball attempts.

This suggests that he lacked the ability on the ball to make an impact going forward, which is another example of how he let Evatt down with this poor display.

Evening Standard journalist Jack Rosser has reiterated the possibility of West Ham signing a striker before the window closes.

Michail Antonio has made a fine start to the new Premier League season by scoring three goals in his opening two games, including a clinical brace against Leicester City on Monday night.

However, Antonio, who has a history of muscle injuries, remains David Moyes’ only senior frontman, which is a risky move heading into a season with European football for the Hammers.

West Ham were very keen on signing Tammy Abraham, but weren’t willing to meet Chelsea’s asking-price, which allowed Roma to pounce and sign the young striker.

Victory against Crystal Palace this afternoon could see Moyes’ side head into the first international break sitting top of the Premier League, which would mark an outstanding achievement for a side that were battling relegation some 14 months ago.

But the striker situation has left a black cloud hanging over the club, although Rosser told Football FanCast that he remains optimistic:

“They would like to get a striker in before the end of the window. Not based on any information, but I always have a sneaky suspicion that they might just pull something out late.

“But Moyes thinks he can use Bowen or Benrahma through the middle.”

Ex-Leeds United hero Noel Whelan has tipped Rodrigo to shine in a No.10 role next season, dropping deeper but still scoring plenty of goals.

The Lowdown: Signs of life from record signing Rodrigo

The Spaniard arrived for £27million from Valencia last summer, making him the most expensive signing in the club’s history.

Rodrigo has endured a difficult first season at Elland Road, partly due to injuries, but he finished the campaign well, scoring four times in as many games at the end.

The Latest: Whelan talks up role change

Although Rodrigo has often been used as a No.9 by Marcelo Bielsa, someone who believes who could thrive more in a deeper role is Whelan.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Leeds striker tipped him to be hugely effective in that position, putting his all-round game to good use:

“There are a lot of different aspects to his game. We saw that against Southampton with that pass over the top to Bamford. That was very much a number 10 type of pass.

“That’s the kind of brilliance you expect to see from your number 10. But then you see the goals he scored at Burnley, a natural finish after a great first touch.

“Then again yesterday, he was in the right place at the right time. He had that hunger and instinct to get in the box and on the end of a cross.

“There is a possibility that he could play a number nine role, yeah. But I think with [Pablo] Hernandez going, that number 10 role is his.

“He could still get into double figures from that position, easy. Even when he has an interview he says he’s a number 10 rather than a number nine.

“He’s very good at finding pockets of space and linking up play. He does have that forward-thinking attitude and instinct where he wants to get into the box. But he’s got too much intelligence just to be a number nine.”

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The Verdict: Big things next season?

There is no denying that Rodrigo’s first year at Leeds has been disappointing, but these last few weeks have shown the quality he possesses.

Using him as a No.10 could be a shrewd move by Bielsa, allowing him to dovetail with Patrick Bamford and wreak havoc with both his creativity and eye for goal, having averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the Premier League.

It is hard to envisage anyone ousting Bamford as the main striker for the time being, so this change in role could also guarantee Rodrigo more regular playing time.

In other news, one Leeds player has been named in a pundit’s Team of the Season. Find out who it is here.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has reportedly now told his friends that he would like to leave Everton in the summer, with Arsenal being his preferred destination.

The Lowdown: Big interest

It has been reported that both the Gunners and Newcastle United have now made enquiries over the possibility of signing Calvert-Lewin this summer, who is almost certain to leave Goodison Park if they are relegated from the Premier League.

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His season has been plagued by injuries, but the striker has shown his credentials in previous campaigns on Merseyside (one of the best‘ in his position.

The Latest: Arsenal preferred

As per Football Insider, a recruitment source has revealed that Calvert-Lewin is now ‘likely’ to leave the Toffees in the summer, whether they end up getting relegated or not.

He has ‘told friends’ that he would prefer to move to Arsenal over Newcastle, implying that he would be happy to move on from the Blues.

The Verdict: Sell

Given that Calvert-Lewin is seemingly unhappy at EFC with his willingness to move, added on top of his injury problems, the summer may now be the best time for the board to cash in.

An England international at 25 years of age, the former Sheffield United ace should still command a big fee in today’s market, regardless of whether the club end up relegated.

Calvert-Lewin would not be easy to replace, but with the likes of Richarlison still in the squad, they could then use that money to strengthen in other areas of the pitch.

In other news, find out who has now been talked about as a potential Frank Lampard replacement here!