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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa should reunite with Chelsea and Belgium star Michy Batshuayi this summer amid some recent transfer claims.

What’s the story?

According to recent reports from The Telegraph, Bielsa is keen on luring Batshuayi to Elland Road this summer, with the Belgium international spending last season on loan at fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace.

And now, speaking exclusively to This is Futbol, Carlton Palmer has dropped his verdict on the Whites pursuing a move for a player Bielsa has worked with before at French side Marseille.

He said: “Well he knows him, doesn’t he? Managers generally like to work with players they know, players like to go work for managers they know because they get the best out of them.

“Listen, Bielsa will be looking at that and thinking if he can get him in, it’d be a decent addition to the squad because that’s what you need. I think Bielsa will be interested. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

Bielsa could transform him

Lauded as a “real goal-scorer” by former Borussia Dortmund boss, Peter Stoger, the £9m-rated Batshuayi has had the experience of working under Bielsa while at Marseille, and though he has since admitted it was a tough period for him, it’s something he claims has been invaluable to his development.

He said: “But looking back, I tell myself he knew who to do this with. Some needed this support. Me, he understood my personality, he knew that I could draw on my resources.

“I’ll tell you something. One day he told me something shocking. For several months, he hardly spoke to me. And the time he came to talk to me, he just said, ‘When you go out of here, you’re gonna go for 40 million’. He just told me that. In my head, I said to myself, ‘But he’s crazy’. In the end, he was right.”

And, after hearing about the links to Batshuayi, David Norris also pointed to Batshuayi’s previous relationship with the Leeds boss as something that makes it a really good move for Leeds.

He said: “If they had a good relationship before and then he moved on because it was for a better move, then managers and players normally have a good relationship.

“He is proven but he just hasn’t played enough games at Chelsea. He’d be coming from a big club who have got a lot of money and are doing things so, I think on paper that’s a good signing.”

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Given that the “powerful” Batshuayi enjoyed some of his best form in football under Bielsa – he scored ten goals in 29 games for the Argentine – the Leeds boss would feel confident of transforming his career once again, and helping him realise the kind of quality that eventually earned him a move to Chelsea in the first place.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a reunion with this Leeds United hero…

Leeds United have confirmed that some exciting changes have been made at boardroom level, and it’s news which should have their fans absolutely buzzing.

What’s the story?

An official club statement posted on leedsunited.com read: “Exciting board changes. Leeds United has today revealed changes to its Board of Directors as the club looks ahead to a bright future.

“The first new face on the board is Australian Peter Lowy. Peter is currently the Principle of the Lowy Family Group private investment business and was formerly the CEO of the hugely successful Westfield Group. Lowy is a lifelong Leeds United supporter who brings over 30 years of business experience with him.

“Peter is joined by Aser Ventures Chief Executive Officer Massimo Marinelli who has played a pivotal role in generating investment into the club during Andrea’s ownership, including the increased involvement of the 49 Enterprises earlier this year.

“Finally, former Fiorentina CEO Sandro Mencucci will take a place on the new-look board having spent 17 years at the Stadio Artemio Franchi. Massimo, Sandro and Peter join Leeds United Chairman Andrea Radrizzani, Vice Chairman Paraag Marathe and CEO Angus Kinnear, to complete the Board of Directors.”

Leeds fans should be buzzing

Given the debacle of the European Super League involving the Premier League’s proverbial ‘big six’, and the fan fallout arising from that, news of some exciting changes at boardroom level for Leeds is welcome.

The big plus point for the club and its fans is the arrival of Peter Lowy, who is claimed to be a “lifelong” supporter of the club.

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Fan representation at board level has been a much-discussed topic in recent days and weeks since the ESL collapsed, and the likes of Liverpool and Spurs have either made or mooted changes to that effect.

Having a personal, Leeds-aligned touch to the club’s hierarchy is another encouraging move to ensure the Whites’ future.

The news from Thorp Arch should have fans buzzing, knowing that the club will likely be in even safer hands now that parties with their best interests at heart are involved at boardroom level.

Meanwhile, Leeds must land this “explosive” Premier League star…

Aston Villa made it a memorable final day of the Premier League season on Sunday, beating Chelsea 2-1 at Villa Park in their first game in front of the home fans.

Dean Smith’s side looked full of energy and dynamism in front of a vociferous home support, and they made the most of the 12th man advantage by going two goals up thanks to Bertrand Traore and Anwar El Ghazi either side of half-time.

But while the two goal-scorers will undoubtedly get their credit, Tyrone Mings delivered the kind of commanding display at the back that surely had England boss Gareth Southgate very impressed.

As per Sofascore, the £80k-a-week earning star was at his absolute best, pocketing Chelsea’s main man Timo Werner with relative ease, dominating him with some excellent front-foot defending.

He won all five of his duels on the day, while he also made two tackles, blocked one shot and made a whopping nine clearances too – only his centre-back partner Kortney Hause made more with 14.

Mings also showed off his range of passing by completing five of his 11 attempted long balls, which was the most of any outfield Villa player.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight and said: “Put in a real shift. Mings was all over Timo Werner like a rash and wouldn’t let him out of his sight. The centre-back put in a series of strong challenges which made those in blue shirts wilt. It was a real assured performance in front of England chief Southgate.”

As Preece says, Mings put in the kind of performance that surely gives Southgate no excuses in terms of picking him for the upcoming EUROs when he names his squad.

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And perhaps even more than that, given the fact he is left-footed, he would offer England that balance of playing a left and right-foot centre-back combination.

Whatever the case, Mings showed on Sunday he absolutely has to be in that 26-man squad.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this Scottish star…

Former England defender Danny Mills believes that Celtic fans could turn on managerial target Eddie Howe if he makes the move to Parkhead amid talks with Crystal Palace.

Howe spoke with the Eagles over possibly taking over from Roy Hodgson after reportedly having second thoughts on the job at Celtic Park.

However, the former Bournemouth manager is now behind Burnley’s Sean Dyche in the Palace pecking order, and it seems as if a move to Glasgow could be back on, with reports suggesting the Englishman is finalising his Hoops backroom staff.

Mills was talking to Football Insider following the news of Dyche overtaking Howe as the front runner for the Palace job and what that means for the latter and the Hoops.

This is what the 43-year-old ex-Leeds defender had to say, believing that Celtic supporters may turn on Howe should he hit some troubling form in his Hoops tenure.

“Maybe he’s holding out for another job but if he holds out for too long and Celtic appoint somebody else then he doesn’t get the job he’s hoping for, suddenly you’re way down the list.

“It’s a little bit of a game of cat and mouse. You have to be careful.

“If somebody wants you, they want you. You have to make up your mind ‘Do I really want to go or not?’ Make that decision and stick with it.

“It puts you on the wrong foot with the fans because they’re thinking ‘He doesn’t really want to be here. He wants to be somewhere else.’

“The moment you have a couple of bad results they start going ‘Well, he didn’t want to be here in the first place, we were second choice. He’s only come here for the money.’

“You don’t really want to start like that.”

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Transfer Tavern take

We don’t agree entirely with Mills on this one. Howe’s representative admitted that the 43-year-old has attracted significant interest but wouldn’t return to the dugout until the summer at the earliest. Yes, he held talks with the Hoops and a deal is yet to be announced, but it seems as if Howe wanted certain assurances before putting pen to paper on a Parkhead move.

We’re sure the majority of Celtic fans would be delighted if Howe made the move, as many made clear last month.

A string of bad results early in his tenure may place him under pressure from some Hoops fans, but we’re not so sure they’d feel like he wouldn’t want to be there purely on the basis that he spoke with Palace.

As Howe mentioned back in November, his next job would have to be one which ‘really motivated’ him, so if he signs with Celtic, that tells you all you need to know about his feelings towards the Parkhead job.

In other news: Hoops still keen on £50,000-a-week midfielder, find out who it is here. 

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers are now just one game away from finishing the season unbeaten.

The champions earned a comfortable 3-0 win against Livingston at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Wednesday evening, with Gerrard delighted with his team’s performance after the game.

Goals from James Tavernier, Ryan Kent and Ianis Hagi secured the win against David Martindale’s side, although Rangers were perhaps fortunate not to concede, with the hosts hitting the woodwork twice and missing a number of opportunities in the game.

Following the full-time whistle, Gerrard was full of praise for Nigeria international Joe Aribo, who filled in at left-back in the absence of Borna Barisic and Calvin Bassey, with the 40-year-old manager saying:

“A manager can ask a player to do a role and good players can do some and good players can’t do some – but Joe Aribo is a top player.

“Whatever I ask him to do, he goes out and gives it his best shot.

“He’s my man of the match tonight just because, if you think about it, he’s a number 10.

“And he’s just been so comfortable at left-back, cruised it and breezed it.

“That left-back performance is as good as we’ve seen in my three years of being here.

“So well done to him for parking his ego and doing a job for his teammates.”

Although the former Charlton Athletic man is obviously not a natural at left-back and stepped up admirably, Gerrard’s praise for him feels slightly over the top when you consider his overall performance.

Two of Livingston’s best opportunities of the game coming down Aribo’s side, with Jaze Kabia somehow hitting the post when presented with an open goal after Nicky Devlin’s cross, before another cross from the Livingston right-back led to Kabia missing again from just a few yards out.

As per SofaScore, Aribo would earn a 6.6/10 rating for his performance against Livingston, with only Kemar Roofe (6.5) and Jack Simpson (6.4) rated lower of the Rangers players who started the game, which again emphasises that Gerrard was perhaps wrong to call him his man-of-the-match.

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During his time on the pitch, the 24-year-old would lose possession 24 times, which was the joint-most of any player who featured.

Just 32/43 of Aribo’s passes on Wednesday evening were accurate, resulting in a less than impressive 74% pass accuracy rate, which is comfortably below the 84.4% he has averaged in the Premiership this season.

He was also accurate with just one of his five long balls, and none of his crosses found a Rangers shirt, so it is difficult to argue that this was one of the best left-back performances for Rangers, especially considering the form Barisic has shown in that position throughout his time at Ibrox.

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Therefore, whilst Aribo did a solid job out of position on Wednesday evening and he deserves credit for playing there, Gerrard’s post-match comments were way over the top.

And, in other news… Forget Wright: Gerrard can sign Rangers’ next Ryan Kent in £3.42m-rated wizard

According to a report by La Gazzetta dello Sport, via LFC Transfer Room, Liverpool are pursuing Ajax midfielder Ryan Gravenberch and will be watching him against AS Roma in the Europa League tonight – prompting many Reds to erupt at this news on a rising starlet in Amsterdam.

Gravenberch has been a mainstay for the Dutch giants this season at just 18-years-old, starting 25 Eredivisie matches whilst scoring three goals and assisting five others (WhoScored).

Primarily a defensive midfielder, his statistics suggest he is already a well-rounded player at such a young age – averaging a consistent 1.6 shots and 1.2 key passes per 90 domestically for Ajax (WhoScored).

He’s also impressed in the Europa League defensively with a brilliant 3 tackles and 3 interceptions averaged every game – more than any Liverpool player in the Champions League by comparison (WhoScored).

La Gazzetta now report that Liverpool are pursuing the €35 million (£30m)-rated starlet with Reds scouts set to keep a close eye on his exploits tonight in Europe.

Given his impressive season, it’s little wonder why supporters are begging FSG to sign him as one supporter even dubs Gravenberch the ‘perfect’ Georginio Wijnaldum replacement.

Find all of their verdicts down below.

Liverpool fans erupt as FSG eye Gravenberch

“I beg we get this done”

Credit: @LFC_6Times_

“Already better than #5 so this better be true”

Credit: @lfcthijs

“perfect gini replacement”

Credit: @NveemU

“I am BEGGING”

Credit: @LadiesLoveWill

“Omds plssssssss”

Credit: @LewYNWA

“Better be true”

Credit: @m1ele_

“big baller”

Credit: @CheemaDharam

“Trust me, Gravenberch is the real deal!!”

Credit: @TheIconnaisseur

In other news: Liverpool fans slammed this ‘absolutely shocking’ star, find out more here.

According to a report by El Confidencial, via Sport Witness, Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho is ‘on the brink’ in north London – but chairman Daniel Levy is allegedly holding out for a ‘miracle’ before thinking about replacing him.

This claim comes after Tottenham suffered another disappointing result at the weekend, with Mourinho’s men following up the dismal draw at Newcastle with a home defeat against top four rivals Man United.

Jose Mourinho claim emerges in update for Spurs

After the match, reports circulated of yet more pressure on Mourinho as Tottenham and the Lilywhites become linked with possible managerial replacements.

Alongside the likes of Julian Nagelsmann and Brendan Rodgers (Daily Record), Maurizio Sarri has recently been touted (Ciro Venerato via Area Napoli) – but El Confidencial has now provided an update on Levy’s stance of sacking the Portuguese.

They claim that while Mourinho is ‘on the brink’ at Spurs, the chairman is said to be ‘obliged’ to stick with him at least until the end of this campaign as he hopes for a Tottenham ‘miracle’ in qualifying for the Champions League.

Winning the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City later this month could also go a long way for Mourinho, but this report remains unconvinced over his future.

Transfer Tavern take

A lot was expected of Tottenham after an arguably brilliant and very clever 2020 summer transfer window (Alasdair Gold), with Levy only failing to address the centre-back position with a star name.

However, as Spurs fall further away from a place in the top four with London rivals West Ham six points clear of them (BBC), questions are right to be asked regarding Mourinho.

The Lilywhites enjoyed a great run of form under the 58-year-old earlier this season and were briefly top of the league, perhaps a taster of things to still to come with the right investment and time to build a stronger squad this summer.

Acquiring a centre-half and stable defensive head could go a long way to reinforce Mourinho’s team, and he arguably still has more to prove in north London.

In other news: Tottenham make enquiry for £225,000-per-week star, find out more here.

Manchester City are reportedly considering a move for Sporting Lisbon left-back Nuno Mendes ahead of the summer transfer window and, after an impressive performance for Portugal in midweek, sporting director Txiki Begiristain should seriously consider bringing him to the Etihad Stadium.

Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano recently claimed that City are looking for a new left-back this summer and that Mendes is on the list, although the Citizens are reticent to pay his €70 million release clause.

However, considering the 18-year-old’s superb performances for Sporting Lisbon this season, it seems fair to suggest that he is destined to become a top defender, and therefore City should do their best to sign him this summer rather than losing him to another top European club.

The teenager has made 20 appearances in the Portuguese top-flight so far this campaign, in which he has contributed one goal and one assist, averaging an excellent 7.22 WhoScored average match rating for his performances.

His impressive displays were enough to see him earn a senior call-up to the Portuguese national team, with Fernando Santos rewarding him with his first appearance in the 1-0 win against Azerbaijan earlier this week.

Mendes was one of Portugal’s most impressive performers in the win, with SofaScore awarding him a 7.5/10 rating for his display. This saw him outperform the Manchester City trio who also started the game, with Bernardo Silva and Ruben Dias both rated at 7.3 and Joao Cancelo at 7.4, which may certainly catch the eye of Guardiola.

During his time on the pitch, the “outstanding” 18-year-old – in the words of his former coach Diego Goncalves –  impressively won 70% of his duels, completed 82% of his passes and even completed three key passes, all of which were better than the figures registered by Cancelo.

The fact that Mendes was able to outperform the former Juventus man, who has been one of City’s best players this season, suggests that he would fit in well at the Etihad and could be a superb long-term addition in the left-back spot, where he should also work well alongside international teammates Cancelo and Dias in defence.

Therefore, Begiristain should definitely try and sign him for City this summer, as there seems no reason why Mendes wouldn’t be able to establish himself as one of the world’s best defenders in the future should he join Guardiola’s side.

And, in other news… Forget Ings: Man City should swoop for prolific £18m-rated beast this summer

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned that Jordan Rhodes could put off potential suitors this summer if he is unwilling to take a wage cut.

Rhodes’ contract at Hillsborough expires at the end of the season and, according to Salary Sport, the 31-year-old is earning £35,000 per week, as things stand.

For Palmer, demanding that kind of money could detract interested parties. However, on lower terms, the ex-Wednesday player is expecting advances from other Championship outfits.

Discussing Rhodes, who is currently being linked with a return to Huddersfield Town, in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“A lot will fall down to his wage demands. I mean, he 100% will not be going to any football club on the salary he’s on now, that is for sure. But if he falls into a category, say between eight and 10 grand a week, there’s a lot of Championship clubs, or maybe even first division clubs, who will have a bet on him.”

On Rhodes’ performances at the club specifically, the retired Premier League footballer said:

“He hasn’t done it really. And this is where he’s flattered to deceive a little bit. Wednesday are in the position they’re in and he’s scoring goals and people start looking and saying, ‘Jordan Rhodes is the real deal’. Not for me.”

After struggling for most of the campaign, Rhodes’ form has indeed picked up of late. The former Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers striker managed to net twice against Barnsley just before the international break, and he will have a chance to build on that when Wednesday welcome Watford to Hillsborough on Friday.

Mike Ashley should sanction a summer swoop for Newcastle United to sign Norwich City playmaker Todd Cantwell and acquire a second Allan Saint-Maximin type.

What’s the word?

According to Football League World, the Magpies are monitoring Cantwell’s situation at Carrow Road as they are keen to bring the 23-year-old to St. James’ Park at the end of the season.

Cantwell will enter the final year of his £16,000-per-week contract in June, and is expected to be one of the more sought-after players should the England U21 international not agree on a new deal with the Canaries.

Cantwell’s future in Norfolk is likely to hinge heavily on Daniel Farke leading Norwich to an automatic return to the Premier League, with the midfielder anticipated to prioritise a top-flight future after his promising 2019/20 campaign.

Newcastle remaining a Premier League side will also be a factor in the Tyneside outfit making a move for Cantwell, as well, with his services unlikely to be explored should Steve Bruce fail to maintain the Toon’s current status.

Tottenham Hotspur are also noted to hold an interest in Cantwell, who Leeds United had sought to sign ahead of the current season but refused to up their £15m offer to meet Norwich’s alleged £20m valuation.

It remains to be seen how highly Norwich will value their academy product in the next off-season, and what impact promotion will have on Cantwell’s future, with Farke’s side currently 10 points clear at the top of the Championship table.

Cantwell has started 19 of his 22 second-tier outings this term, scoring four goals and providing four assists while deployed as a left-midfielder for 90% of his outings to date.

Should Newcastle sign Cantwell?

There is still a lot of uncertainty surrounding Cantwell’s future as Norwich look set to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, with Farke’s men on a seven-game winning run to put distance between themselves and promotion rivals Watford, Swansea City and Brentford.

Newcastle are well and truly in the Premier League relegation dogfight, too, with Bruce’s side just a point above 18th-place Fulham and the drop zone, albeit with a game in hand, having won just two of their last 16 top-flight fixtures.

But should United limp through their final 11 games and stay in the Premier League for another year, Ashley should sanction a move for Cantwell, even though funds are expected to be small.

Doing so could see Ashley bring a second Saint-Maximin type to St. James’ Park, for Cantwell is showing in the second-tier the quick-footed and fast-thinking style that the Magpies star displays week in, week-out in black and white.

Working in small pockets of space to good effect was exactly what Saint-Maximin thrived at against Wolverhampton Wanderers last month, having produced a great piece of skill to take on three players and set up Joe Willock before later sustaining a groin injury.

Cantwell – who Darren Huckerby once lauded for always being “the most gifted” player in any side he played for – also found it within himself to bounce back from a complex 2020, having taken responsibility for Norwich’s relegation to go on and lead their promotion push.

If the chance to sign Cantwell is there for Newcastle this summer, Ashley must dig deep into his pocket and present the funds United need to strike a deal for a young, hungry, English talent like this.

AND in other news, Newcastle United eye £2m titan who “makes the people he’s playing with better”…