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When Leeds travelled to Old Trafford on Sunday evening it was supposed to be a game that was full of crunching tackles and intense football.

This is a rivalry like none other, one between the white rose of Yorkshire and the red rose of Lancashire.

On this occasion, it was the red rose who came out on top in what was one of the biggest thrashings we’ve seen in the Premier League this season. In terms of a contest, it was all one-sided.

Scott McTominay set the tone with two goals in the first three minutes of the match and from that moment, United didn’t look back, eventually winning 6-2 courtesy of some truly abysmal defending from Leeds.

They allowed 26 shots on their goal, eight of which French stopper Illan Meslier was called into action for. However, he could do very little for the vast majority of the goals.

Without Diego Llorente or Robin Koch, we saw Luke Ayling fill in at centre-half again and their defensive woes have now grown larger after Liam Cooper came off with an injury.

What didn’t help either was the performance of left-back Gjanni Alioski.

The defender was in good form against Newcastle as he found the back of the net but he left a lot to be desired at Old Trafford last weekend.

In fact, he was pretty abysmal and his incompetent performance will have left Marcelo Bielsa fuming. Alioski’s defensive attributes have never been first class and he was given a horrendous afternoon by Dan James.

Alioski failed to win a single tackle and lost a massive 67% of his duels, prevailing in just two of the six he contested throughout the clash.

Clearly, the left side of Leeds was a huge weakness because Jack Harrison also lost possession a mammoth 24 times.

The North Macedonia international wasn’t great in that facet either, conceding the ball on 14 occasions and being dribbled past twice by the lightning-quick James.

Unfortunately, Alioski was also abject going forward, failing with both of the crosses he tried to deliver towards the Red Devils’ penalty area.

Overall this was a night to forget for the 28-year-old and he’ll have to improve quickly given the number of fitness concerns in Leeds’ backline.

AND in other news, woeful Leeds ace who lost possession 36x will also have Bielsa raging…

Newcastle United host Leicester City at St. James’ Park on Sunday looking to snap a five-game winless streak against one of the Premier League’s top-four sides.

Steve Bruce will be without influential midfielder Isaac Hayden for the Foxes’ trip to Tyneside after the Arsenal product was shown a fifth yellow card of the top-flight season last time out against Liverpool.

The Magpies were able to claim a point at home to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds with a supreme defensive showcase, but had lost two of their previous three league fixtures and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Championship side Brentford in a solemn festive run.

In Bruce’s search for a first win since a late Dwight Gayle effort beat West Bromwich Albion in December, the United boss will have to consider changes. So, with that in mind, here’s a potential line-up the Magpies could field at home to Leicester on Sunday…

Karl Darlow will expect to maintain his 100% record between the sticks against the Foxes having recorded a third clean sheet of the season at home to Liverpool, but he will be aware that Martin Dubravka is back breathing down his neck ahead of a potential return from injury in next week’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal.

Bruce is unlikely to favour changes to the five-strong defence which thwarted Klopp’s champions, either, with captain Jamaal Lascelles also eying the Emirates encounter for his return after testing positive for coronavirus.

Though Hayden’s absence will force alterations in the engine room, with Sean Longstaff likely to earn a recall to the starting line-up for the first time since drawing 1-1 with Fulham.

Longstaff has watched the Toon’s last two Premier League fixtures from the bench whilst his younger brother, Matty Longstaff, returned to the senior fold, yet should partner the 20-year-old and Jonjo Shelvey versus the Foxes.

Bruce had started Longstaff in Newcastle’s prior seven top-flight matches, but struggled to see the talent Jamie Redknapp once lauded as a “bright kid” and reminded the Sky Sports pundit of former Manchester United play-maker Michael Carrick.

A change to a three-man midfield line with Jacob Murphy falling out of favour would see Joelinton return to partner Callum Wilson upfront after playing the full 90 minutes against Liverpool at left-midfield.

Joelinton scored his sole Premier League goal of the season back in November against Crystal Palace, while summer signing Wilson has found the net on eight occasions but only once in his last four outings.

AND in other news, Newcastle United could move to sign a £14.5m-rated gem who can “make things happen” in January.

According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, there’s a small chance that we may see Christian Eriksen return to Tottenham Hotspur this month.

He claimed last week that Spurs boss Jose Mourinho was keen to bring the Danish playmaker back to north London but the main stumbling block would be his reported £229k-per-week wages.

Romano then went on to write in his Sky Sports column just two days ago that Eriksen was keen to leave Inter Milan just one year after joining and that he’d love to be back in a Spurs shirt.

Daniel Levy ought to do what he can to make this happen.

First of all, Mourinho’s yet to truly replace him – neither Tanguy Ndombele nor Giovani Lo Celso have stepped up to produce similar returns, whilst it’s clear to see that Dele Alli is hugely out-of-favour having played only 74 minutes in the Premier League all season.

Indeed, Ndombele is currently the ‘go-to’ in the no.10 role, but he’s only managed to produce three goals and one assist in 16 league appearances this term.

Lo Celso, on the other hand, is currently on the treatment table, but has only been able to contribute towards 11 goals in 56 matches since his arrival from Real Betis 18 months ago.

In terms of creating chances, the pair both average 0.8 key passes per game in the top-flight, which is outranked by three other Spurs players – by quite some margin too with Heung-min Son managing 1.9 key passes and Harry Kane managing 1.6 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

That only goes to show how much of a reliance Spurs have had on the prolific duo.

They say you should never go back, but the north Londoners are a testament to why that’s not always the case – go back to Jurgen Klinsmann’s time at the club to see why.

After leaving Spurs for Bayern Munich in the summer of 1995, the German striker soon returned on loan from Sampdoria just two years later and his nine goals helped steer Spurs to safety in the Premiership.

Eriksen was at Spurs for six-and-a-half seasons, where he scored at least eight goals and provided at least five assists in each of his campaigns barring his final six months at the club, per Transfermarkt.

The £31.5m-rated attacking midfielder also managed an average of at least 1.9 key passes per game during that time frame too, which is over double what both Lo Celso and Ndombele have returned thus far.

No wonder ex-Spurs man Jamie Redknapp told the Daily Mail (via 90min) that Eriksen was a “ruthless playmaker” who could “destroy you.”

If Mourinho wants to add more creativity and another influence to his attack, then bringing back the 103-cap wizard is something that needs to be done. Just like Klinsmann’s return, Eriksen could be the game-changer between Spurs finishing fifth and nearer the top.

AND in other news, Levy should move £25m star on this month, Dier thinks he’s a “nightmare”…

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Lucas Digne will be fit to face Leicester City on Wednesday night but he will be without Abdoulaye Doucoure for the Foxes’ visit to Everton.

The Toffees will move to within three points of Brendan Rodgers’ side with a victory, but they have only won two of their last six home Premier League games after a 1-0 defeat to West Ham United on New Year’s Day.

Doucoure’s absence through suspension, after being shown a fifth yellow card of the league campaign in Everton’s 2-1 win at Wolves, will leave Ancelotti with a headache in the middle, knowing his side will lack their usual power considering Allan’s ongoing hamstring injury.

So, as Ancelotti seeks to claim three points, here’s a potential line-up the Italian could name at home to Leicester, with four changes from the XI which beat Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup…

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was one of a handful of first-team regulars to be rested in the FA Cup against Sheffield Wednesday but he will expect to regain his place in the side, despite Robin Olsen recording a shut out on Saturday.

Michael Keane also watched the action from the bench over the weekend, and may now return to see Mason Holgate remain at centre-back to partner him after leading the defensive line superbly against the Owls.

Holgate featuring centrally will allow for Seamus Coleman to retain his place in the starting line-up but at the expense of Ben Godfrey, who will likely be forced out of the side with Digne confirmed as available after being passed fit for action.

Allan and Doucoure being unavailable to face Leicester has left Ancelotti with a headache over his engine room options so he will be expected to opt for a dual-pivot of Andre Gomes and Tom Davies with the Portuguese star impressing in the FA Cup and the £14.5m-rated academy product his usual stand-in of late.

Alex Iwobi missed the FA Cup win over Sheffield Wednesday but is back available for selection, yet he is likely to miss out on facing Leicester after James Rodriguez enjoyed great success in his free-roaming wide role against the Owls to record two assists.

Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Dominic Calvert-Lewin also featured in the cup win but saw their minutes managed, with Ancelotti taking the trio off before the final whistle as a likely sign that he will field an unchanged attack at home to Leicester.

AND in other news – Exclusive: Pundit expects Everton to sell a £180k-p/w duo before Monday’s deadline…

David Moyes should be livid as West Ham United are dealt a blow in their pursuit of Josh Maja, with Fulham reportedly close to a deal to sign the FC Girondins de Bordeaux striker on Deadline Day.

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, the Cottagers are close to agreeing a loan move for Maja following discussions with his Ligue 1 side as manager Scott Parker strives to strengthen his attacking options.

The 22-year-old has scored nine goals in 20 league starts for Bordeaux since leaving academy side Sunderland in January 2019, but has only contributed two of those in 17 matches played this term.

Fulham’s move for Maja could yet fall through, with the Craven Cottage outfit likely first having to release another player in order to create a place for the £13,000-per-week forward in their 25-man Premier League squad.

Additional reports by the Daily Mail add that Maja emerged as a target for Fulham during discussions with Bordeaux over the transfer of midfielder Jean Michael-Seri, who completed a half-season loan move to the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on Saturday.

A lack of starts this term, opening only 11 of his 17 Ligue 1 appearances, is seen to have raised the possibility of the £6m-rated attacker leaving to secure more regular game time.

That prospect could have come at the London Stadium, with recent claims from France suggesting West Ham were in talks with Bordeaux to sign a player who could become the Irons’ next Jermain Defoe.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/west-ham-deadline-day-latest-news-transfer-rumours-and-more” title=”Deadline day is here: Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours and more!”]

Moyes should be livid

With West Ham’s interest in Maja seemingly not progressing after Moyes confirmed that he expects a quiet Deadline Day, the Irons boss should be livid to now find out that Fulham are close to finalising a deal with Bordeaux to sign a player he had courted in the current window.

The Irons have as much of an evident need for attacking reinforcements as the Cottagers do, with Sebastien Haller’s move to AFC Ajax leaving Michail Antonio as the club’s sole remaining senior centre-forward.

Fulham are exploring a deal for Maja as Bobby De Cordova-Reid is their top-scorer with five goals, as part of a mere group of seven to have found the net in top-flight games this term.

West Ham have been blessed with slightly more goalscorers with 10 players finding the back of the net, but only Tomas Soucek (7), Jarrod Bowen (5) and Antonio (5) have scored more than twice after Haller (3) sealed his £20m transfer.

Maja may not boast a prolific record this season, but he more than shone with Sunderland with 15 goals in 24 games in the first half of the 2018/19 term before leaving for life in France. He is also lauded by Black Cats icon Kevin Phillips for being a “natural goalscorer”, given his ability at the top of the pitch.

That skill has not gone away overnight following a six-goal Ligue 1 season last term, with Maja offering Bordeaux a rare bright spark in their a 3-1 defeat to Marseille earlier in the season when he struck home to deny Steve Mandanda a clean sheet.

If he now moves to Craven Cottage and rediscovers his best form, all the while West Ham are without depth behind Antonio, Moyes should be livid to have missed out on his signature.

AND in other news: “It’s nonsense” – Exclusive: Pundit baffled by GSB’s West Ham decision…

Scott Brown’s Celtic tale is a weird one. He has captained the club to unparalleled success but much like his team, has been disastrous in 2020/21.

The skipper’s performances have been drab, lacking energy and full of mistakes. He was sent off after just five minutes on the field against Livingston just last month – a moment of madness that defined his season.

He has been poor and nothing says as much than Neil Lennon’s decision to axe him from the side in recent months. Since the club’s victory over Lille in the Europa League before Christmas, the manager has preferred Ismaila Soro.

Though, with the Ivorian missing on Tuesday night against Kilmarnock, it was the ideal time for Brown to respond to the critics. He’s had his fair share this season – no less so than on FFC – but he answered them emphatically during Celtic’s 4-0 win.

The 35-year-old was a rock and demonstrated the qualities that have made him such an imposing figure at Parkhead down the years.

Celtic were eyeing a move for Giannelli Imbula throughout January but this showed why they didn’t invest. Brown was imperious, not only doing his defensive duties to near perfection but also popping up emphatically in the final third.

The captain opened the scoring after 29 minutes, getting his head to a David Turnbull corner from the right. Brown showed great desire to get on the end of the delivery and his header was excellent after making a clever run.

If that wasn’t enough, the veteran secured the assist for Albian Ajeti’s late strike. Brown played a delightful ball over the top into the forward’s feet before he turned and then buried the opportunity.

This was as complete a performance as they come from the experienced head. He laid a solid platform for Celtic and in total, won a mighty 11 duels throughout the contest, showcasing his oft-seen desire and intensity in the engine room. Brown also produced five interceptions, a tally that happened to be more than any Hoops player on the night.

He also managed three tackles – the second-highest of any Celtic player. For such a robust individual, Brown only gave away one foul, but was brought down five times himself by Killie players.

The midfield brute has always had a habit of frustrating the opposition and that has never been clearer this season than on Tuesday. He was brought down continuously in what was a wonderful performance both defensively and offensively.

Chris Doyle of Glasgow Live typified his display at full-time: “Eyebrows were raised as Ismaila Soro was dropped, but the captain put in a vintage performance, probably the best of his season. Capped it off with a brilliant header.”

This type of showing will have Lennon pondering his midfield options again. If Brown can finish the season with this type of consistency the Bhoys will have quite the pairing if Soro plays too.

Odsonne Edouard may have scored twice on Tuesday but without Brown, he would not have had the platform to do so. He was calm, composed, and ultimately, Lennon’s true hero.

AND in other news, Duffy handed huge lifeline as Celtic miss out on signing £5.5k-p/w “Rolls Royce” titan…

Aston Villa fans were far from happy with the performance of Bertrand Traore during their 0-0 draw with Brighton on Saturday night.

It was a tough evening for the Villans at the AMEX Stadium – the Seagulls managed 26 shots to their four, while the hosts amassed 58% possession. Emilianio Martinez, with a SofaScore rating of 9.4, was easily the man of the match as he kept Dean Smith’s side in the game on a number of occasions.

Traore struggled in particular. He won just one of his six duels and completed a poor 75% of his passes. After this display, Smith will likely be deliberating whether he deserves to start the next game, against Leicester City on Sunday.

These Villa fans were angry with his showing, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts on the £11.7m-valued 25-year-old (Transfermarkt).

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

“I am very disappointed with Barkley AGAIN!! and Traore!!! Absolutely disgusting performances. I love my club and to watch them play like that is not acceptable. If I was lucky enough to pull on the claret and blue jersey, I would give everything I could to win!!”

Credit: @IronhideRage

“Why is Traore still on the pitch? Busing me this, he has been utter tripe tonight”

Credit: @SeamusORobson

“Just in the interests of fairness, Traore has also been absolutely appalling tonight too.”

Credit: @Alex_Berwick

“Barkley does not deserve a start firstly. IMO Luis has been average (at best) for weeks. When Traore is bad, he absolutely stinks. Too many with a lack of the basic effort required tonight. Changes in the starting line up required. Earn your place.”

Credit: @villahagler69

“Yeah absolutely. Not so much Watkins, difficult if you get no service at all. Jack has to get smarter, teams will see how to play him. Traore useless when we’re on the back foot. Nobody is convincing me Barkley on recent performances deserves a start because he’s Ross Barkley!”

Credit: @stevejsimkins

“You have to wonder. Utter rubbish. Grealish, Barkley, Traore, McGinn looked like they were on Blackpool beach. Leaving Watkins totally out of it.”

Credit: @WorrallLes

In other news, this former Villa player provides an injury update on man not yet seen this term.

If and when Odsonne Edouard decides to finally depart Celtic, it will be a sad day. However, it will be yet more reality for the Hoops that Parkhead is not a club for the biggest of big names.

Time and time again we’ve seen their best players venture elsewhere in Europe in search of becoming major stars. For some, it proves game-changing. Virgil Van Dijk has since become one of the most imperious defenders in world football, for instance.

If Edouard leaves, few would bet against him becoming one of the most prolific strikers in Europe’s top five leagues. Capable of bulldozing his way past players, the Frenchman also possesses an element of technical grace.

He is a complete forward, a rarity in the modern game. Therefore, when he does depart, it will leave the Hoops in the lurch.

Behind him, they don’t have a wealth of firepower. Albian Ajeti has scored once since September while Leigh Griffiths has just five SPFL strikes to his name in 2020/21.

As for Patryk Klimala, his time at Celtic has never taken off. After his move in January 2020, he played just 15 minutes of league football last season. He’s hardly been a pillar of consistency this term either.

The Polish striker has scored three times in all competitions and his latest performance against Aberdeen was devoid of any quality. He missed a sitter in the first half and had 13 fewer touches than goalkeeper Scott Bain. On top of that, he made just five accurate passes all match.

For Klimala, you have to wonder whether he’ll ever be any good to play for Celtic. Fortunately, they have a player waiting in the wings ready to make an impact next season.

That happens to be Vakoun Bayo. Like Klimala, he hardly typifies consistency; he has scored just two times in 17 outings for the Bhoys.

However, he’s starting to prove himself on loan in the French second tier for Toulouse. The Ivorian has seven goals this term, three of which have come in his last eight outings.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/check-out-the-latest-on-celtics-managerial-vacancy” title=”Check out the latest on Celtic’s managerial vacancy!”]

Bayo netted against Amiens last weekend in a goal that typified his qualities. He controlled the ball delightfully, raced clear of the defence and then poked the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper. With qualities like that, he is certainly more athletic than any of Griffiths, Ajer or Klimala.

Speaking about the forward a few years ago, Chris Sutton only had praise for the 24-year-old: “He has some really good raw attributes. I think he’s powerful, and he is good in the air,” he said.

So, could he be the most natural heir to Edouard’s Celtic throne? Of course, he needs to be more prolific in front of goal but in terms of the raw attributes he possesses, he surely stands the best chance of succeeding him out of their current options.

The new manager would certainly do worse than handing Bayo a second chance next season.

AND in other news, Celtic should hire manager with 65% win rate, Bonner says he’s in the “Rodgers-mould”…

According to a report by Football Insider, Tottenham Hotspur and, by extension, chairman Daniel Levy are plotting a pre-summer swoop for Wigan Athletic striker Kyle Joseph – with the club making background checks before deciding to push ahead with a formal offer. 

Joseph, who has bagged five goals and set up another in League One this season for relegation battlers Wigan, is reportedly at the centre of interest from Spurs as they plot a pre-summer swoop alongside the likes of Celtic and Rangers.

Tottenham plot pre-summer swoop for Joseph

Levy is apparently using former Tottenham boss David Pleat as a sounding board for the promising teenager, as he does with other potential transfers, and the 76-year-old is ‘actively involved’ in monitoring Joseph through his ‘vast network of contacts’ (Football Insider).

The attacker is out of contract at Wigan in the summer, with Tottenham now plotting a potential swoop to take advantage as Pleat compiles a dossier on the young forward before deciding to push ahead with a more formal offer.

Transfer Tavern take

Scottish giants Rangers and Celtic are also heavily interested in Joseph according to Football Insider, with Spurs facing potential competition for the promising starlet.

While the teenager is currently sidelined with a back injury, Wigan caretaker manager Leam Richardson described him as being ‘on top of the world’ for his form earlier in the campaign, but only time will tell whether Tottenham elect to beat both Old Firm sides to his signature.

In other news: Journalist lifts lid on recent Tottenham talks for £36m star, find out more here.

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans are discussing Aden Flint after Dom Howson gave his opinion on the club’s decision to let him go.

The journalist tweeted: “It’s easy to say with hindsight but #SWFC made a big mistake in cutting short Aden Flint’s loan deal in January. He’s a big character and leader.”

Much-maligned owner Dejphon Chansiri brought the defender to the club on loan in October but he only made four appearances before being sent back to parent club Cardiff City.

Since returning to south Wales, the 31 year-old has played 11 times and has averd 1.4 interceptions and a thoroughly impressive 5.4 clearances per game (WhoScored). During those 11 matches, the Bluebirds have flown up the Championship table and are only three points away from the play-offs (SofaScore).

A no-nonsense centre-back like Flint is exactly what the Owls need right now, not defenders needlessly getting sent off and frustrating most of the fan base like Julian Borner did at the weekend.

It is crazy how fortunes can turn. Flint probably thought he was in for a relegation battle when he was brought in on loan to Wednesday, but now he is fighting for promotion and it looks like another player who has got away from the Owls is enjoying success, whilst the ones they keep at Hillsborough continue to struggle.

These Wednesday fans weren’t pleased with the club’s failure to retain the 31-year-old for longer:

Here is how fans reacted to the news:

“I said this straight away exactly type of player we needed another poor decision from the club”

Credit: @johnada75157425

“He is certainly missed but our defence is not the biggest problem. We are very poor and slow attacking and create very little. Every ball comes straight back. Our midfield puts unnecessary pressure on our defence especially when they bottle tackles and don’t chase back.”

Credit: @WawawaDave

“Too many poor decisions by those running the club… and not just this season. Maybe Flint didn’t like what he was seeing / experiencing? Almost as frightening as it is sad.”

Credit: @Worstedjumper

“Dooms here again. More Doom more problems”

Credit: @Awillshaw1867

“Some of us said it at the time. Still gutted we didn’t keep him. Him and Morrison have been fantastic for Cardiff since Mick went in there. What you could have won eh?”

Credit: @TomTB1995

“A club run by clowns”

Credit: @jpowls

In other news, these Owls fans discussed one Dom Howson update.