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Leeds United trio Pascal Struijk, Rodrigo and Patrick Bamford could all return from injury to face West Ham this weekend, journalist Phil Hay has confirmed.

The Lowdown: Leeds suffer injury-hit season

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have experienced a hugely taxing campaign, hovering ominously above the Premier League relegation zone and suffering injuries to key men seemingly every week.

The likes of Kalvin Phillips and Bamford are just two of the important figures who have missed chunks of action and it has played a huge part in the Whites’ struggles.

Leeds visit West Ham in the league on Sunday afternoon and it finally looks as though some positive injury news has emerged.

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The Latest: Positive update emerges

Taking to Twitter on Friday, Hay confirmed that Struijk, Rodrigo and Bamford are all in contention to feature at the London Stadium this weekend:

“Bamford, Rodrigo and Struijk could all be involved, which is clearly a big and overdue boost.”

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The Verdict: Massive news

This is a much-needed positive for Leeds, with Bamford’s return clearly the biggest boost, considering his importance to this side in recent years.

The 28-year-old is still the Whites’ joint-second-top scorer in the league this season with two goals in 2021/22, despite only starting five matches in the competition.

The lack of goals from other sources has had a devastating effect on a side who scored three or more goals on ten separate occasions in the league last season – they’ve only managed that once this term.

Rodrigo’s return will also add required firepower to the squad, while Struijk’s ability to play at centre-back and in midfield means his comeback will also be welcome, giving Bielsa more choices and an ability to rotate.

In other news, Victor Orta is reportedly still working on signing one type of player. Read more here.

A worrying Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Glen Kamara amid speculation over his Ibrox future…

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has dropped an ominous update ahead of the January transfer window by stating that Steven Gerrard is a ‘big, big fan’ of the Gers gem.

When asked about the potential of Villa swooping for a Rangers player, he told GIVEMESPORT:

“He’s a big fan of Kamara, a big, big fan of Kamara.”

Concern

Aston Villa have been linked with a deal for the Finland international in recent weeks and this claim from Bridge could leave fans feeling concerned about what could be to come next month.

His comment appears to imply that Gerrard, out of the players currently at Ibrox, would like to sign Kamara for his new team, although it remains to be seen whether or not they will come in with a firm offer for his services.

At this point, though, supporters may begin to worry about whether or not the ex-Gers chief will want to swoop for one of his former players and offer them the chance to play Premier League football.

They are facing the prospect of losing one of their best players midway through the season, which could be a brutal blow to Gio van Bronckhorst’s side. Kamara has been in fine form this term and his departure could weaken the side on paper.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.00 in the Premiership, with Joe Aribo (7.18) the only central midfielder with a higher average rating than the ex-Arsenal man. Kamara has chipped in with one goal and three assists in the league, whilst completing an impressive 90% of his attempted passes and winning 52% of his duels.

This shows that he has been able to perform to a high standard consistently throughout the campaign, starting 15 of the 17 games. Therefore, his departure would leave a sizeable hole to be filled in the middle of the park, with Kamara a proven talent who can run games from midfield with his accurate passing and ability to dictate the tempo of matches.

Rangers fans would surely not want to see a player of his calibre depart midway through the season and that is why this claim from Bridge will leave them feeling worried. Hopefully, Ross Wilson will be able to keep any interested parties at bay and hold onto Kamara for the rest of the season, at least.

AND in other news, “Will be speaking” – Big Rangers claim made on Sky Sports that’ll leave fans delighted…

Leeds United trio Robin Koch, Stuart Dallas and Tyler Roberts all struggled in the Whites’ 4-1 defeat to Arsenal on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side suffered another bad day at the office in the Premier League, being soundly beaten by the Gunners at Elland Road. According to Sofascore, the aforementioned trio were the home side’s lowest-rated players of those who featured for at least 45 minutes.

Here’s a look at the trio in question, with a delve into the underlying figures behind their lowly match ratings.

Robin Koch – 5.9

Koch had a tough night at the heart of the Whites’ defence, playing his part in the team conceding four goals.

The centre-back won just one ground duel out of four and lost possession 11 times, not to mention committing two fouls overall.

The 25-year-old also played just three accurate long balls out of seven on a bitterly disappointing evening for the German defender.

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Tyler Roberts – 6.2

Roberts was another Leeds player who struggled, as he failed to provide enough quality in the attacking third.

The Welshman recorded no key passes or accurate crosses against Arsenal and failed to complete a successful dribble, summing up his lifeless showing against the Gunners.

The 22-year-old was another player who was wasteful on the ball, giving it away 12 times.

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Stuart Dallas – 6.3

A scorer of eight goals last season, Dallas has yet to get off the mark nearly halfway through the current campaign, and he was nowhere near breaking his duck yesterday evening.

The 30-year-old failed to win either of his two aerial duels and he made one error which led to an Arsenal shot at Elland Road.

Possession was also ceded 11 times by Dallas, which meant that he, Koch and Roberts gave the ball away 34 times between them, a shocking tally on a night when Leeds struggled badly.

In other news, an interesting Leeds transfer rumour has emerged. Read more here.

Newcastle United are reportedly now in a transfer battle with two other clubs in the Premier League to sign Aguibou Camara.

The Lowdown: Catching the eye

Camara is certainly a player that is catching the eye this season following his move from Lille to Olympiacos.

The central midfield player has scored five goals and made a further two assists in 17 games in total over all competitions so far (Football Transfers).

Nonetheless, at just 20 years of age, Camara is a player to watch out for in the future.

The Latest: Premier League battle

As per The Sun, the St. James’ Park faithful are now locked in a battle with both Liverpool and Leicester City for Camara, who is currently rated at £20m.

They are reportedly ‘keeping tabs’ on the Guinea international ahead of a potential move, and have made contact with his agent.

However, other intermediaries are trying to get in on the deal, and describe him as ‘one of the most exciting talents in Europe right now’.

AS Monaco, Bologna, Valencia and Villarreal are also eyeing Camara, who looks set to be in high demand as the January transfer window opens.

The Verdict: Perfect for the Prem

Given Kante’s success in the top flight, in where he won back-to-back league titles with Leicester City and Chelsea, Camara is a player that should also thrive in the division.

His energy in the midfield is perfect for its fast pace, and he has already shown in the UEFA Europa League this campaign that he can play at a high level.

Camara has won no fewer than 8.5 of his duels per game in the group stages so far, and has also averaged 3.8 tackles, 2.3 successful dribbles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.3 shots per match (SofaScore), suggesting that he has all of the attributes to succeed.

Given the competition for his signature, it would be a real coup if the North East club were to sign him, as he could well turn out to be a key player in their fight against relegation.

In other news, find out which ‘really crazy’ beast NUFC have joined the race to sign here!

With the January transfer window on the horizon, it seemed as though the focus was more on a player possibly leaving Liverpool than a potential new one coming in.

Not long ago, it was reported by the Sunday Mirror (via Liverpool Echo 16:58) that new Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard was interested in signing Reds defender Joe Gomez during the upcoming transfer window.

However, it now seems as though there has been a development in the story which will have a lot of Liverpool fans buzzing.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, Villa do not have an interest in signing Gomez in January, despite apparently aiming to strengthen their squad in January.

With this in mind, even though the centre-back has only played 13 minutes of Premier League action so far this season and has been out for the past few weeks with a calf injury, it will still be a big relief for everyone at the Merseyside club that he now isn’t likely to join Villa.

Since joining the Reds back in 2015 from Charlton Athletic in a reported £3.5m move, Gomez has made 128 appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side across all competitions, winning the Premier League and Champions League along the way.

Despite his lack of minutes in the Premier League so far this season, the 24-year-old – who is currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt – has played the full 90 minutes in both of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup matches and one of their Champions League group games, winning all of three of them and keeping two clean sheets in the process, highlighting his defensive capabilities and reliability when called upon.

Also, the Londoner ranks second in Klopp’s squad for clearances and headers per game in the Carabao Cup, illustrating the capabilities he brings to the side when he features.

Moving forward, while Gomez may find it difficult to get regular playing time in the league this season ahead of the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and Ibrahima Konate, who have all made more appearances in the top flight, it would certainly be better to have the Englishman at their disposal in the squad than to let him join another club, especially a direct Premier League competitor.

However, with January around the corner, Liverpool must hope that no other clubs come sniffing around for Gomez in that time.

In other news: Liverpool handed double injury boost ahead of Wolves clash, Klopp will be delighted

Paulo Fonseca is reportedly Amanda Staveley’s preferred choice of manager at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: ‘Ongoing’ talks

As per Craig Hope, talks are ‘ongoing’ between Fonseca and the St. James’ Park faithful over the possibility of him becoming their next manager, and sources have said that he is ‘interested’ in taking the job.

It has even been reported that he already has three players in mind that he would like to sign should he be the next coach.

The Latest: Staveley’s choice

According to Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Fonseca is Staveley’s ‘preference’ for the manager role in the North East, which gives him an ‘advantage’ over all of the other candidates in contention.

Close sources to the Tyneside club have also revealed that there is an ‘optimism’ that a ‘quick’ deal can be done, despite Graeme Jones now taking charge for the next few games on an interim basis.

The Verdict: Hire

Fonseca has been showered with praise for his coaching methods by some of his former players and other managers, while former AS Roma striker and Italian football legend Antonio Cassano claimed that he did an ‘exceptional’ job at his former club (Football.London).

Nonetheless, he has won no fewer than nine major trophies during his managerial career so far, and boasts a very impressive tally of 1.95 points won per game in 453 matches of management (Transfermarkt).

Nonetheless, Fonseca is currently out of work, and so should be attainable.

In other news, find out what big manager update Keith Downie has dropped here!

Following the departure of Danny Ings, who scored 46 goals in 100 appearances across all competitions for Southampton, Che Adams has had to take the mantle of being their main goalscorer, alongside summer arrival Adam Armstrong.

Adams, however, has only managed to score one goal for the Saints in the Premier League so far this season which came in their 1-0 win over Watford last month.

Despite this, the 25-year-old, who is currently valued at £18m according to Transfermarkt, has played in eight of their 11 league games, showing that he is a fairly important figure for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Looking ahead to the future, we feel that Southampton could have their ideal next version of Adams in their youth ranks with 17-year-old attacker Luke Pearce.

Southampton added Pearce to their U18 side back in August 2020 from Walsall’s U18 team. Upon his arrival at the south coast club, the teenager was labelled as a “very promising” young player by Southampton’s academy director Matt Hale, showing how much potential they saw in Pearce, which should be very exciting for the Saints fans to have such an exciting attacking prospect in their club’s youth ranks.

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Since then, Pearce has made 24 appearances for Southampton’s U18 side, managing to score six goals as well as making one appearance for their B team where’s netted one goal in the process, showing how capable he is of playing at that level despite such a very young age.

So far this season, Pearce has also shown how versatile he can be in attack, having played as a centre-forward and a right-winger, similarly to Adams who has played as a centre-forward and on both wings during his time at St. Mary’s.

In addition to this, Pearce has also been described as a player that is “full of energy” and a “well-liked figure” at the club in a report from Hampshire Live. That draws up another similarity to Adams who has been labelled by the PFSA as an “imposing presence who’s extremely strong and quick,” which highlights the athleticism of the two forwards.

While Pearce may not be close to breaking into Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side anytime soon, we feel that the teenager has shown already that he has what it takes to go on and make a name for himself as a regular performer in their B team. If he continues to do that then he’ll be knocking on the door to get himself some first-team minutes and become a player that the Southampton fans will love.

In other news: Southampton could replicate Livramento masterclass with swoop for “hungry” 19 y/o gem – opinion

With just four points on the board from seven Premier League games so far this season and without their first win of the campaign, Southampton and their fans have not had much to shout about in recent weeks.

Their previous league outing saw Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side fall to a 3-1 defeat against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge that also saw club captain James Ward-Prowse pick up a red card resulting in a three-game ban that will commence after the current international break.

What’s the latest?

Despite their poor start to the season, one shining light that the club can take pleasure in is the fact that midfielder Will Smallbone made his return to the pitch during Saints B’s 4-1 defeat away at Charlton Athletic in the EFL Trophy. He returns after picking up a serious ACL injury away at Leicester City back in January.

Smallbone, who is a product of Southampton’s youth academy, eventually made his senior debut for the club in January 2020 in a 2-0 victory over Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup after working his way through their youth teams.

Since then, the midfielder, who is currently valued at £1.8m according to Transfermarkt, has made 13 appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side across all competitions in which he has managed to score one goal and provide two assists along the way.

Replacement for Ward-Prowse?

Moving forward, with Southampton set to take on Leeds United at St. Mary’s after the international break, we feel that if Smallbone, who is currently earning a weekly wage of £17.3k-per-week according to Spotrac, is fit enough, he could definitely be the right man to come in and play while Ward-Prowse is serving his ban.

Following on from the Leeds game, Southampton then takes on fellow league strugglers Burnley before a Carabao Cup clash once again at Stamford Bridge against Chelsea, after which Ward-Prowse will be back with the team.

However, given how long Smallbone was out of action for, we feel that Hasenhuttl will have to be careful with just how many minutes the midfielder plays. The last thing he wants to do is potentially cause any further damage to his injury and keep him out on the sidelines for another period of time.

Either way, with Leeds and Burnley both currently next to Southampton in the league table, we feel that the Saints will undoubtedly be targeting these fixtures as their possible first wins of the season. Having a player like Smallbone cover while Ward-Prowse sits out will definitely aid their cause.

In other news: Hasenhuttl must ruthlessly axe £75k-p/w Southampton dud, he made just 9 passes v CFC – opinion

Everton are set to face a battle to keep star striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin at the club over the coming months after Newcastle United reportedly joined the race for his signature.

What’s the story?

The Magpies have joined football’s financial elite after their Saudi-backed takeover was eventually ratified by the Premier League, and Calvert-Lewin is believed to be high up on their wish list, according to The Telegraph.

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin is on the list of Newcastle United’s potential targets under their new Saudi Arabian ownership. The Everton striker, 24, is being monitored by several Premier League clubs, including Newcastle, whose new wealth from the Public Investment Fund (PIF) will make them major players in future windows,” the report states.

“Calvert-Lewin is highly regarded by the current recruitment team at Newcastle and would be expected to remain a player of interest even with a potential change of technical staff behind the scenes as PIF start their new era at the club.”

Previous speculation claimed both Arsenal and Real Madrid are also interested in securing the 24-year-old’s services, meaning a bidding war could be on the cards either in January or the following summer.

Everton fans will be concerned

The £40.5m-rated forward only signed a new five-year contract with the Merseyside outfit in March 2020, but the club’s supporters will still be concerned over their talisman’s future.

Spearheading the attack for a new superpower such as Newcastle could be a very attractive proposition for Calvert-Lewin, and he may be tempted to depart the Blues in search of pastures new should an acceptable offer come in.

His exit would be a major blow to any ambitions new manager Rafa Benitez has, given his importance to the side, and replacing his work ethic and goal contribution would be far from an easy task for the Spanish tactician.

Over the last couple of campaigns, Calvert-Lewin has become a key figure to Everton, scoring 39 goals in 83 appearances in all competitions since the beginning of 2019/20, more than any of his teammates.

As a result, the continued speculation regarding the England international’s potential departure will be of growing concern to everyone associated with Everton, and the club’s chiefs, manager and fans alike will be hoping he stays loyal for the foreseeable future.

And, in other news…”Still uncertainty” – Patrick Boyland drops Everton update that should concern fans 

Lots of Everton fans have been left fuming as some injury news emerged on Jordan Pickford, Richarlison and Seamus Coleman.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, all three players are now expected to be out injured for between two and three weeks.

They were all missing in the 3-0 drubbing by Aston Villa away from home in the Premier League on Saturday evening, and are clearly very important players to the team.

With games in the Carabao Cup and the top flight coming up, including an away trip to Manchester United, Rafa Benitez will now be sweating on the fitness of his key men as they look to bounce back from a disappointing defeat, with their next match in the division at home to bottom-placed Norwich City now looking vital in terms of getting back on track.

Everton fans on injury news

These Merseyside club supporters fumed as the injury news was shared on Twitter:

“Can we have an international break please?”

Credit: @efcmarty78

“Sack Marcel Brands”

Credit: @efcIucas

“Season over, thanks lads”

Credit: @HarryCollier6

“This is not the kind of post-loss news we needed.”

Credit: @AndyCostigan1

“Christ, only 4 games into the season! Going to be a long old ride to finishing 10th-12th again!”

Credit: @PaulHill9944

“We’re going down”

Credit: @HarryLambert24

In other news, find out what club news has Toffees buzzing here!