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January is upon us and it looks as if Leeds United are going to be left in a spot of trouble in one position.

Eddie Nketiah looks set to be recalled by Arsenal, and that means that United need a new striker next month.

Fortunately, the Whites have a player in mind, but Phil Hay has now outlined a couple of problems that the Yorkshire outfit could face when trying to land Che Adams.

What’s been said then?

The journalist wrote an article outlining the Whites’ intentions in the January transfer window.

Understandably, one fan in the comments had reservations about the club’s chances of signing the Sainats forward. Hay then replied with the following.

“A couple of problems with Adams – one of them being that he has been involved recently. Another being that he will surely want to play wherever he goes. But Leeds do seem to think he’ll be made available, and that they’ve got a serious chance.”

One fixable, one not

Luckily for Leeds, one of these issues is easily fixable.

Adams will want to play wherever he goes, and while Patrick Bamford has been Bielsa’s clear first-choice this term, the former Birmingham man is proven quality at this level – shown by his nominations for the division’s Player of the Year award last term.

The club need to give the player assurances that he will be first-choice, and unlike with Nketiah in the summer, the Elland Road outfit can feel confident that the 23-year-old will perform in the Championship.

That being said, it’s difficult to see another player coming in and replacing Bamford who has started all but one game this term.

The issue that isn’t fixable, therefore, is the fact that he’s now starting to play on a more regular basis. If he continues to do so you imagine Leeds will have to give up on Adams and pursue another target.

In other news, Leeds fans have been trying to name their Player of the Decade.

Southampton take on Leicester City this Saturday in the Premier League, and fans from various clubs have been quick to remind the Saints what happened the last time the two sides faced off.

Underneath a tweet from Southampton’s official club account that contained a video of the scoreline “9-0” being muted, several supporters decided to reply with just exactly that.

The phrase “Welcome to Liverpool” also found itself among the Saints’ list of muted words, which is a funny reference to the European champions pinching the likes of Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane from St. Mary’s in recent years.

It will not be fun and games when Southampton take to the King Power pitch, though, as they look for revenge following that 9-0 demolition. The likes of Jamie Vardy and Ayoze Perez were in truly rampant form that day, both grabbing hat-tricks, and could prove to be two of the Foxes’ danger men once again.

Take a look at how fans responded to Southampton’s light-hearted tweet below…

Will Southampton get their revenge? Tell us what you think in the comment section below!

For months we’ve heard that Leeds could be taken over by a billionaire investment group.

Ever since last summer, reports have circulated that QSI are interested in buying out Leeds United, but Phil Hay’s latest update on any potential takeover situation seems to suggest that the Qataris could have rivals from America.

What’s been said then?

The journalist was talking on the latest edition of The Phil Hay Show, and the topic of discussion got onto potential investment from outside sources.

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Hay stated that he doesn’t see the San Francisco 49ers investing any more in their minority stake, but he hinted that there could be a future takeover.

“I’m not sure I see them investing more cash to increase their minority stake.” Hay said on the latest edition of The Phil Hay Show (10/1/20 31:00).

“I think if the 49ers were to get properly involved with another investment deal it’d be for a buyout of the club and a takeover of the club.

“In amongst all the presumption that it will be QSI that Radrizzani sells to if he sells to anybody, there have been people at Leeds who have said ‘you shouldn’t discount the 49ers in this’. They have the money to do it and they have the sporting expertise with their NFL background and they’d potentially be every bit as keen as an organisation like QSI to do it.”

Still prefer QSI

It’s exciting for any fan to hear of a takeover from a multi-billion pound organisation such as the San Francisco 49ers, but Leeds supporters should still be hoping that QSI are the ones who eventually buy out the club.

CBS News’ latest figures state that the NFL franchise is worth $3.5bn (£2.7bn), and while that is an incomprehensible amount of money, it still isn’t as much as QSI.

In fact, it doesn’t even come close as it’s been claimed that the Qatari group is worth around $338bn (£258.5bn), and even if those figures are £100bn off the mark their wealth still trumps the American group.

It’s clear to see that a QSI takeover would be more lucrative than one from the 49ers, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the coming months.

In other news, Leeds fans think they’re signing one man after a reliable journalist dropped a transfer hint.

Leeds United look likely to complete their first signing of the January transfer window in the coming days, and it’s one we didn’t really expect.

Indeed, much like last year, the first man through the door at Elland Road in January looks like being a goalkeeper as reports in Italy state that Elia Caprile is now set for a medical with the Yorkshire club.

We knew that Leeds were always in the market for a goalkeeper during this window, but we didn’t expect it to be an 18-year-old who has never played in England before.

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Indeed, the initial murmurs that were coming from Phil Hay stated that Leeds wanted an experienced backup goalie who could take up the mantel if Illan Meslier wasn’t up to scratch if Kiko Casilla is banned.

However, the journalist provided another update stating that the hierarchy at Leeds were very impressed by Meslier’s performance against Arsenal, and that’s led to them now bringing in a younger option.

Victor Orta hasn’t always got things right, as seen with Eddie Nketiah, but you’ve got to give him credit on this one.

Meslier’s performance against Arsenal drew praise from both sets of supporters, and he showed that he’s good enough to fill in if Casilla is suspended. Leeds would still have needed a third-choice, but now they’re bringing in something much more valuable than a veteran stopgap who would only be needed for six months.

Caprile is an 18-year-old reportedly signing on a four and a half year deal, so he could be a part of the first team at Elland Road for years to come, whereas their initial plan would have left them back to square one after a few months.

As well as that, it also provides Leeds with the potential to gain profit from their buy, something that probably wouldn’t have been possible if they landed an elder statesman. Orta will truly show his value with this move.

In other news, Leeds fans think they’re signing one man after a reliable journalist dropped a transfer hint.

We know so much about Leeds United’s pursuit of a striker, yet they still don’t have a player through the door.

We know who the Whites have been after, who they’ve been knocked back by, and we also know the type of deal they’re looking to strike.

Indeed, Phil Hay’s Q&A session earlier this week revealed that the majority of the deals that the Whites are looking at are loans with an obligation to buy next summer.

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We’ve previously spoken about the FFP risk that these types of deals involve if the Yorkshire club aren’t promoted, but there is an obvious positive involved in conducting your business in this way.

The fact of the matter is that a loan player who knows he’s staying at a club permanently has so much more incentive to perform than one who knows he’s not. For example, imagine if Leeds loaned in Dwight Gayle without an obligation to buy.

Whether they were promoted or not, it wouldn’t really make a difference to him in the grand scheme of things because he’d know that in six months he’s headed back to Newcastle.

However, if he’s there for the long-run then there is more reason for him to want to be a success. This would be his team now and he wants to cement his starting spot, and if he can, he wants that spot to be in the Premier League.

Of course, loanees without those long-term promises can also be brilliant, just look at Gayle’s time with West Brom last term where he scored 24 goals.

This way of operating removes the risk that a loan player wouldn’t be as motivated as his teammates in order to gain promotion.

This differing mindset is a real phenomenon, as detailed by Andros Townsend in his recent article for The Player’s Tribune, but it looks as if United are going to avoid falling into this trap.

In other news, one Leeds man’s comments show that the Whites may need an attitude adjustment.

Charlton Athletic are showing an interest in signing Bristol Rovers striker Jonson Clarke-Harris, as reported by Alan Nixon.

On the chalkboard

They are looking into signing the 25-year-old, alongside his teammate and club captain, Ollie Clarke.

Clarke-Harris has scored a total of nine League One goals from 15 league starts and two substitute appearances this campaign.

While that may seem like a relatively good return at this stage of the season, Charlton should perhaps reconsider whether they want to make a move for him when they take a look at his current form.

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Concerning form

There can be different factors that impact a player’s form as they may have had their head turned by interest from elsewhere or simply be going through a rough patch. Even so, Clarke-Harris’ has been pretty shocking. That can be seen by the statistics below.

One player cannot be expected to drag their team through to get a result, but Clarke-Harris has been anonymous while Bristol have lost three of their last four games, recording a 0-0 draw in their other fixture.

Most notably, the 25-year-old has not recorded a single goal or assist during that time, despite completing the 90 minutes in all four of them – a record that comes despite him taking a combined total of nine shots.

Are you a Championship expert? How much did each of these big-money signings cost?

On top of that, he has only made two dribbles, which both came in a 3-0 loss against MK Dons. This turned out to be his most productive game, as he also made one key pass, something he was only able to replicate in a 2-0 loss against Doncaster Rovers.

However, even in those games, there were still signs of wastefulness as his pass success rates were 48.7% and 48.3%.

It also says a lot that only one of those performances warranted a WhoScored rating of six or over, so there must be some second thoughts from the Addicks about whether he is the man to improve their attack.

Meanwhile, Charlton may have identified their Conor Gallagher replacement.

It wasn’t too long ago since West Ham chairman David Sullivan was giving interviews to the English media stating that he believed the Hammers could finish in the top four. That was back in 2015. Fast forward nearly five years, and what’s gone wrong? If anything, they’ve gone backwards since their controversial move from Upton Park to the London Stadium in Stratford.

David Moyes’ side is enduring a mixed season. Under Manuel Pellegrini at the beginning of the campaign, they were flying after the first few games. Everyone was tipping them for a top-six finish. Now they’re flirting with relegation after a run of defeats and very few wins. In fact, the East London side are as short as 4/1 to go down. If you fancy the price, it’s worth comparing UK licensed betting sites to find the best odds. Let’s take a look at what’s happened at West Ham and whether they can fulfil that potential from a few years ago.

From The Boleyn To The Olympic Stadium

Let’s not go too far back to when they had Icelandic owners – a lot’s happened since then. But the point in which Hammers fans thought they were moving to the next level was when they moved from Upton Park to the London Stadium in 2016.

The curtain came down on a beautiful final season at the Boleyn Ground at the end of the 2015/16 season, and although a lot of fans were sceptical about the move to Stratford, many felt that it would enable West Ham to challenge at the very top. And the owners backed up those thoughts by saying exactly that in plenty of interviews. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The Hammers finished 11th. They actually won their first game in their new stadium against Bournemouth, but they lost four in a row after that which set up what was to be an average season.

They didn’t fare any better in the two seasons after that:

– 2017-18 Season – 13th

– 2018-19 Season – 10th

The Wrong Managerial Choices?

You’d probably argue that they’ve made the right managerial appointments in the last few years, but something’s not quite clicking. Slaven Bilic, an ex-Hammer loved by fans, had a tremendous first season in charge. However, after qualifying for Europe two seasons in a row, they lost to Astra Giurgiu on both occasions, which seemed like two steps backwards after a promising step forward in 2015.

Bilic got sacked after a poor run of results in November 2017. Step forward, David Moyes. A man who Sir Alex Ferguson heaped high praise upon. A man who’d done so well at Everton before coming up short at United. Surely a manager of his ilk would change the fortunes of the East London club. Wrong. Well, at least he did keep the team in the Premier League. But the owners decided not to give him a long term deal after his six-month contract expired.

Next up was Manuel Pellegrini. A Premier League winner with Manchester City – would he be the man to get West Ham up the table and challenging the big six? No. After signing some big names such as Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller, it just didn’t work out. The potential was there, but the poor results left the owners with no choice. The fans were getting disillusioned too.

Next in the hot seat was Moyes again. He’s back for a second spell and started relatively well. But you can’t help feeling that after all of the great players and managers they’ve had in recent years, whether it’s the owners that are the problem.

Will We See West Ham Challenging Soon?

It’s a tough one. On paper, their squad is good enough for a top-half finish. But as the Hammers know all too well after relegation in 2003, you’re never too good to go down. If you don’t play well as a team, then it’s always going to be difficult. However, Moyes could well have turned a corner, so to speak. After a thumping 4-0 win at home to Bournemouth in his first game in charge, he may well have won some fans over immediately. But there’s a long way to go until the curtain comes down in May, so let’s see where they end up.

If the Moyes from his Everton days reappears for West Ham, then we could well see them enjoy an excellent 2020/21 season. This year it’s all about staying up. Look at Wolves; they’re right up there after a couple of seasons in the Premier League. If the Hammers get it right, their fortunes may not always be hiding.

West Ham United made an offer to Genk for Sander Berge before he eventually went to Sheffield United, as reported by Football Insider.

What’s the story?

It is suggested that the Hammers made a bid of £10m for the midfielder, who eventually joined Chris Wilder’s side in a deal that is worth up to £22m.

They were said to be unwilling to go any higher than that price for the 21-year-old, who eventually became the Blades’ record signing, having cost more than Oliver McBurnie.

The Hammers would go on to sign Jarrod Bowen for more than £20m, as reported by BBC Sport, as well as bringing Tomas Soucek in on loan.

Doing their image no good

This latest revelation is unlikely to do the image of David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady any good after it had already taken some hits in recent times.

One example of this was that Sky’s Sunday Supplement were forced to apologise to West Ham after criticising the owners on their show.

In addition to that, they have banned one season ticket holder for wearing a “GSB out” shirt while being a flag-bearer for the 2-0 loss against Liverpool, as reported by The Telegraph.

Is life under Gold and Sullivan really that bad? Maybe this quiz will change your minds, West Ham fans…

It is safe to say that fans weren’t impressed with them judging by the Twitter responses to the article.

News coming out about their ludicrous offer for Norway international Berge is definitely not going to help this image – it stinks of a lack of ambition or willingness to spend the required money for premium targets.

The owners need to find a way to get fans on their side if there is to be harmony at West Ham – refusing to go above £10m for a £22m player is not the way to do that.

Meanwhile, one moment in West Ham’s loss against Brighton & Hove Albion encapsulated their self-destructive nature.

Adam Blackmore of BBC Radio Solent has provided a positive update on James Ward-Prowse.

The Southampton No.16 suffered a seemingly-serious injury in the Saints’ last outing against Tottenham in the FA Cup, following a collision with Ryan Sessegnon which left the midfielder hopping around the turf before having to be carried off on a stretcher.

It looked as if the 25-year-old would be out for a significant period of time, although Blackmore has now provided an update which will presumably be music to the St Mary’s faithful’s ears.

What did he say?

Blackmore tweeted: “James Ward-Prowse trained today for the first time since his injury at Spurs – Ralph H says he’s looking good for the weekend. Kyle Walker-Peters could make his Saints debut – fit and ready to play. So, good news for JWP & KWP !”

Big boost

With Southampton only six points off sixth-placed Tottenham, and with a kind run of fixtures ahead, Ward-Prowse’s potential return this weekend will come as a big boost.

The Saints academy graduate is arguably one of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s most important players, having started each and every one of the club’s 25 Premier League games this season while also playing 90 minutes in every outing – he is the definition of an ever-present.

Besides just having a perfect attendance score, the Englishman is also effective.

He is Southampton’s highest-rated player on WhoScored this term with an average rating of 7.08, which is even higher than 17-goal Danny Ings’ rating of 7.00 – seeing how hugely important the former Liverpool striker is to Hasenhuttl, you can only imagine how vital Ward-Prowse is if he has been performing better than Ings statistically.

Calling Premier League experts ONLY: Which year were these top flight clubs formed?

With a place in Europe next season very much in sight for Southampton, it is a huge boost for the club to have such an influential figure back in action – even more so when the signs looked ominous in north London recently.

In other news, Will Smallbone and Dan N’Lundulu have responded to Callum Slattery’s first Instagram post since departing St Mary’s…

Former Aston Villa defender Micah Richards believes Dean Smith’s side are not the same team without Tyrone Mings.

Mings missed their last outing, a 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham, and Richards has since gone on Football Daily (18/02/2020) and highlighted how important he is.

Speaking on the BBC radio show, Richards said: “It seems a little bit worrying at times [Villa’s form]. When Tyrone Mings doesn’t play, they’re not the same team, and they’re almost too reliant on Jack Grealish to create something special.”

It is easy to see where Richards is coming from; you only have to look at some of Mings’ defensive averages in the Premier League this season to understand his importance to the side. For example, when it comes to clearances made per game, no Villa player is averaging more than his 5.7 (via WhoScored). With 1.7, the England international also leads blocks made per match, further showing what he brings to the back.

His manager confirmed that he was only suffering from a bout of tonsillitis (per Birmingham Live) so, thankfully for Villa fans, he should be back in action soon.

Aston Villa fans, just how important is Mings to the side? Give us your thoughts in the comment section below!