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Arsenal could land a perfect long-term partner for William Saliba next season by bringing in RB Leipzig’s Ibrahima Konate in the summer transfer window.

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Gunners are one of a number of big European clubs who are keeping a track of the France U21 international, with hopes that Leipzig could make him available for a transfer.

The 6 foot 4 defender has already built up considerable experience of playing at the highest level, playing high-pressure games in both the Bundesliga and Champions League – the 21-year-old played the full 90 minutes in the home victories over Manchester United and PSG in the group stages of the competition.

In a profile piece by Bundesliga.com, they likened him to Liverpool star Virgil van Dijk, writing: “Whether it be in terms of positioning, sticking tight to the striker, intercepting passes, tackling or building from the back, Konate cannot just do it all, he makes it look easy.

“He has the pace to match the quickest of attackers and the physique to bully – rather than be bullied by – muscular strikers much more experienced than he is.”

And that pace and speed to catch up with opposition strikers could be absolutely crucial for Arteta, who wants his side to press from the front and play a high-line.

The Spanish boss can be heard and seen on regular occasions on the touch-line gesticulating for his defenders to push up higher, and that kind of tactic only works when you’ve got a pair of centre-backs, in particular, who are comfortable with sweeping up anything in behind.

In Saliba and the £31.5m-rated Konate, the Gunners would have two young defenders who have got that unique pace to fulfil what Arteta wants, and it’s exactly why it has all the makings of being a dream duo for the north Londoners.

Meanwhile, Fabrizio Romano reveals Arsenal are targeting this Premier League star…

Carlo Ancelotti should overlook a potential recall for James Rodriguez against Manchester United on Saturday as the midfielder could hold Everton back at Old Trafford.

Rodriguez fell to the bench following a 2-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United last weekend and played no part as the Toffees beat Leeds United 2-1 on Wednesday night.

It was the first occasion since the 29-year-old joined Everton from Real Madrid last summer that he failed to feature in a Premier League game outside of an injury, having started 13 of his 14 top-flight outings in royal blue.

Everton beat Leeds through goals from midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson and top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin, having dominated for large periods of the first half before digging in deep to see out the result after Raphinha pulled one back for the Whites early in the second period.

Sigurdsson was particularly effective during the first 45 minutes with his link-up play with Calvert-Lewin, Alex Iwobi and Richarlison impressive, while his drive into the box returned a gift to break the deadlock with the easiest of finishes.

Yet even after a somewhat slack showing in the second half from the Iceland international, Rodriguez watched on as Michael Keane, Joshua King and Tom Davies were introduced from the bench.

Everton ended the midweek affair with 10 shots registered from seven key passes, of which Abdoulaye Doucoure offered the most from the deep-lying box-to-box midfield role with two. Sigurdsson, Iwobi, Andre Gomes plus defenders Lucas Digne and Ben Godfrey provided the rest, per WhoScored.

Rodriguez may be considered for an immediate recall to inject an added level of creativity into the Everton starting line-up against Manchester United on Saturday, with no member of Ancelotti’s squad offering more key passes than the Colombian (28) in the Premier League this term.

Yet calling on the 29-year-old could see Ancelotti actually hold Everton back at Old Trafford, as Rodriguez endured one of his worst performances in royal blue when the two sides met back in November and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side emerged 3-1 victors at Goodison Park.

Only against Newcastle on January 30 and against West Ham United on New Year’s Day has he achieved a lower WhoScored match rating in a Premier League fixture than he did against the Red Devils, having earned a 6.31 compared to the 5.96 achieved against both the Toon and Irons.

The £31.5m-rated maestro further achieved his fourth-worst pass success rating (79.5%) and played his sixth-least passes (44) in a single game against Manchester United, while failing to attempt a single shot or key pass for one of only three occasions in each regard.

Ancelotti would not be able to guarantee Rodriguez avoiding a repeat performance this weekend, as Everton are facing a Red Devils side brimming with confidence after a 9-0 demolition of Southampton and are firing on all cylinders.

The Toffees will need to be alert defensively and have no passengers on board, and Rodriguez’s performance in the reverse fixture make for underwhelming reading. And, given that Ancelotti’s men picked up the win last time out, there is surely no reason for the Everton boss to make such a gamble in a big game.

AND in other news, a £65k-p/w Everton titan faces a fight at Everton after Carlo Ancelotti was left “really surprised” vs Leeds…

As the final days of the January transfer tick down, clubs are scrambling to get some last minute deals over the line. Celtic are no different after being linked to several new potential signings this month.

Both incomings and outgoings have been rumoured to take place, but one story of interest which has come to fruition is the Hoops’ keenness on Ben Davies. The Preston North End defender has attracted a lot of attention amid his contract expiry in the summer, but it’s Celtic who look to have beaten the rest to the punch.

According to 90min, Davies has agreed pre-contract terms with the Glaswegians, which will see him move on a free transfer at the end of the season. The Bhoys have been struggling defensively this campaign so signing a new centre-back simply had to be a priority for them, particularly with the mounting interest in Kristoffer Ajer from rival clubs.

Why is Davies a good signing for Celtic?

It’s no secret that the reigning Scottish Premiership champions are having a nightmarish season. Not only do they trail by a whopping 23 points to their Glasgow rivals, but they were handed an early exit from their Europa League run. The Hoops finished bottom of the pile in their group and shipped the joint-highest amount of goals in the group stages.

Neil Lennon has also struggled with an injury-ridden squad. Christopher Jullien has missed a total of 29 matches for Celtic this season due to respective back and knee injuries, according to Transfermarkt.

Shane Duffy has equally been disappointing, but due to his lacklustre performances on the pitch. Celtic were recently said to be considering ending his loan move from Brighton early after not quite cutting the mustard in Scotland.

As well as delivering a quality defender, Lawwell has killed two birds with one stone in terms of protecting the club’s finances, signing Davies on a pre-contract basis which means he arrives at Parkhead for nothing. Sky Sports recently claimed that Preston were looking for £2million to £2.5million for the defender’s services, but Celtic have managed to avoid paying anything at all for the centre-half.

The Hoops will expect the 6 foot defender to arrive at Parkhead in the summer and he will be a welcome recruit to the team. According to WhoScored’s comparison tool, Davies currently averages more clearances and interceptions per match than Jullien, Duffy and Ajer. He will be looking to wiggle his way into the starting lineup once he arrives.

Knowing Celtic will be looking to bounce back and win silverware next season, Davies will undoubtedly be rubbing his hands together as he eyes whose spot he could usurp in the current Lennon set-up. Lawwell will undoubtedly be pleased that he has a tried-and-tested defender on the way who didn’t cost a single penny.

In other news, Lennon will leave one very welcome parting gift for Celtic if he is axe…

At long last, Wolves have signed a new striker. Willian Jose is the name on supporters’ lips with the Brazilian arriving on loan from Real Sociedad.

However, it would appear that Jeff Shi isn’t quite done in the transfer market yet.

What’s the word?

Football Insider reported back in November that Wolves were keeping tabs on Peterborough winger Siriki Dembele.

However, there has now been an update on the future of the impressive 24-year-old forward.

According to the same publication, Nottingham Forest have made a loan to buy bid for Dembele who has reportedly put in a transfer request to leave Posh.

FI go on to reiterate Wolves’ interest in the player, also stating that Celtic, Fulham and Crystal Palace are all in pursuit.

Shades of Sako

Wolves fans won’t want to be reminded of their spell in League One back in 2013/14, but one player they will probably remember fondly is Bakary Sako.

At that level of the English football pyramid, the forward was close to unstoppable, proving to be a valuable asset as the Old Gold tried to climb back through the leagues.

Sako netted 12 goals in 40 outings, also providing 15 assists for his teammates. It was a mesmeric campaign from the Malian who proved equally devastating at Championship level.

The attacker netted 15 times and picked up a further ten assists for his troubles, putting in performances that terrified defenders. During the 2014/15 term, he produced 2.9 shots per game, 1.5 key passes a match and also 2.8 dribbles over the same metric.

But why does this hold any relevance in the present day? Well, Dembele has been producing similar performances at the same level for Peterborough.

The Wolves target, who like Sako can play on the wing or up front, has been nothing short of exceptional over the last two seasons. Speaking about the Posh striker last year, his manager Darren Ferguson said: “The boy has been absolutely outstanding since realising he can play as a central striker.”

Indeed, Dembele has scored six goals and provided seven assists this season. That adds to the six strikes and nine assists he amassed in 2019/20.

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Though, to compare him more closely to Sako, we can analyse the more detailed stats. The fearsome Peterborough man has managed fewer shots than the former Wolves flanker – two per game – but his creativity and ability to beat a man is better.

Dembele has delivered 1.8 key passes a match while his dazzling capabilities have led to an eye-catching three dribbles per game.

It remains to be seen what Dembele could do at a higher level but those attributes certainly demonstrate that he’d bring an awful lot to Wolves.

Nuno Santo has regularly developed talent from the lower leagues and you only need to look at the likes of Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota to understand how you can rise up the leagues with Wolves before thriving in the Premier League.

With Wolves struggling and lacking goals with Raul Jimenez out injured, signing another forward on top of Willian Jose certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their dream Traore successor by landing “extremely quick” 31-cap ace…

After absolutely thrashing West Brom 5-0 away from home, Leeds United face a more stiffer test when they take on Tottenham.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side were in imperious form last time out at the Hawthorns, and blew away the Baggies inside the first-half, racing to a four-goal lead before the break.

Spurs on the other hand seem to have hit a sticky patch, failing to win in their past four Premier League games. Bielsa will no doubt be reluctant to make too many significant changes to his side – that isn’t his style anyway – but injuries may play a part in forcing his hand.

And with that in mind, below is a look at Leeds’ potential line-up to face Jose Mourinho’s men on Saturday afternoon.

In goal, Illan Meslier will hope to continue where he’s left off in the past couple of months. The Frenchman has managed to keep two clean sheets in succession in the top-flight since that 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.

The back-four is also likely to remain the same, with Pascal Struijk keeping his place at the heart of defence following Liam Cooper’s injury.

Midfield however could be the one area where Bielsa tinkers slightly. Mateusz Klich picked up a knock against West Brom last week, but the Leeds boss may wish to keep him out of the side regardless of whether he passes a late fitness check, given his questionable form in recent weeks.

That could see Jamie Shackleton make a Premier League start, whilst Bielsa may also make a big call over who plays on the right hand side.

Raphinha – hailed a “complete player” by Victor Orta recently – is beginning to find his feet at Elland Road, but some of the Whites’ best performances against the heavyweight sides this season, against Chelsea and Liverpool respectively, have seen Helder Costa start on both occasions.

That could be the case again, as Bielsa goes with a more tried-and-trusted option in a big game like this.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Dallas, Ayling, Struijk, Alioski; Phillips, Rodrigo, Shackleton; Costa, Bamford, Harrison.

Jeffrey Schlupp scored a dramatic late equaliser as Crystal Palace came from behind to draw 1-1 with Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday afternoon.

It looked like it was going to be a long night for Roy Hodgson and his side after Harry Kane opened the scoring but the Eagles fought back from a goal down to rescue a point in the closing stages of the game.

Spurs looked the more comfortable side, but Palace weren’t without their chances, as Wilfried Zaha forced a fine save from Hugo Lloris before Eberechi Eze hit the post shortly before half-time.

But Schlupp bundled home the equaliser to put a dent in Tottenham’s title ambitions to stay within touching distance of Aston Villa, albeit Dean Smith’s side still have two games in-hand by Sunday night.

Hodgson’s side have now recorded two wins and a draw from their past five games in all competitions

Spurs largely dominated possession but Palace looked dangerous when they did get forward as Benteke went close with two headers before Schlupp struck late to give the Eagles a well-earned draw.

It was somewhat of a surprise to see Schlupp, who currently earns wages worth £50,000-per-week, start on the wing instead of Andros Townsend but the right winger came alive halfway through the first half.

As per SofaScore, he received a high rating of 7.3 out of ten for his efforts – he took 35 touches of the ball, provided 11 out of 15 passes (73%), had two shots on target, one shot blocked and made two key passes, whilst he also made two tackles, two interceptions, one clearance and blocked one shot, which suggests that he was a constant thorn in Jose Mourinho’s side.

The Evening Standard seemed to agree as they gave Schlupp a 7/10 rating, whilst football.london were effusive in their praise of the 27-year-old, claiming he ‘holds the ball exceedingly well’ and added he is ‘a great attribute for the team.’

Whilst he was largely tasked with helping Nathaniel Clyne fend off Son Heung-min and Sergio Reguilon on the right wing, his attacking prowess cannot be underestimated, as he helped to secure what could prove to be a vital point.

Palace will next take on West Ham at the London Stadium on Wednesday night, knowing they could climb above the Lions into the top half of the table if they can come away with three points, and we suspect Schlupp may have a part to play off the back of this impressive performance.

AND in other news, Nathaniel Clyne can save his Crystal Palace career amid huge update…

After an inconsistent start to the season, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could do with some good news for once.

Whilst much has been made of Frank Lampard’s decision to give the youth a chance at Chelsea, the Red Devils know exactly what a young talent (or two) can do to brighten the mood at Old Trafford – the famed Class of ’92 springs to mind, although the likes of Marcus Rashford, Mason Greenwood and Brandon Williams have all played their part in recent memory as well.

Solskjaer has had his fair share of criticism in recent weeks, but if there’s one thing the critics cannot fault him for, it’s giving the academy graduates the time to shine. Now he must put his faith in Donny van de Beek if recent reports are to be believed…

According to The Manchester Evening News, Paul Pogba has spoken quite candidly about leaving United whilst away on international duty with France, which is precisely why Solskjaer must unleash Van de Beek against West Bromwich Albion at the weekend.

United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward signed the Dutch midfielder from Ajax for £35m on a five-year contract, with £5m in add-ons in performance-related bonuses. Since then, the 23-year-old has made just ten appearances in all competitions, with the majority coming by way of a cameo as a substitute from the bench.

In five games in the Premier League this season, Van de Beek has already scored one goal so far, despite the fact Solskjaer still hasn’t handed him his first start in the English first division. By comparison, Pogba has only scored once in the top flight since April 2019, which is quite shocking for one of the highest-paid players at the club.

There’s no denying the fact that Pogba is one of the best players in the world when he is firing on all cylinders but the trouble is that his form (no goal in the league this season) has been far too inconsistent in recent weeks.

Van de Beek’s habit of breaking into the box and finding the back of the net is something that United don’t have in many of their central midfield options which is why he must be knocking on Solskjaer’s door as he will be desperate for the chance to prove himself on a regular basis.

The club legend once lauded him as a “fantastic” beast, whilst former United player Owen Hargreaves claimed he could become the English club’s version of Thomas Muller. The versatile player has played a pivotal part in Bayern Munich and Germany’s successes in recent years, with 205 goals and 201 assists to his name in all competitions for the defending Bundesliga champions.

Similarly the Dutchman, who predominantly plays as a centre-midfielder, can also be deployed in the defensive midfield and attacking midfield. He still has some way to go before he can hit the same heights as Muller but he has taken a big step in the right direction, having scored 41 goals and supplied 34 assists in 175 games for Ajax.

Solskjaer has shown he is willing to give the youngsters a chance like he did with Greenwood last season. Doing the same with Van de Beek will go some way towards justifying his hefty price-tag. The ball is in his court, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer makes stunning prediction about Paul Pogba’s future at Manchester United…

£27m. That’s how much Leeds spent to sign Rodrigo this summer.

United’s made the striker their record signing last month, and since his arrival, the goals have been flying in for Marcelo Bielsa’s side with the Whites finding the net seven times in their opening two games.

However, Rodrigo hasn’t played a part in any of them, with no goals or assists to his name so far, and while the Spaniard has been faltering, United’s other striking option has flourished.

Plenty of questions were asked about Patrick Bamford ahead of Leeds’ return to the Premier League, and you can understand why.

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He underperformed his xG by more than 18 last season, and with chances supposedly harder to come by in the top-flight, his wastefulness was highlighted as a potential problem.

However, two games into the season he’s been United’s brightest attacking spark, netting two goals and grabbing an assist so far, and his performance against Fulham on Saturday showed exactly what he can bring in this league.

Bamford’s goal was a result of his clever movement and link-up play, while his assist highlighted his tireless running as he sprinted down the wing towards the by-line before cutting the ball back to Helder Costa who duly applied the finish.

Rodrigo also started the game for Leeds, coming in as a late change for Pablo Hernandez after the 35-year-old picked up an injury in the warmup, and while Bamford flourished, he faltered, failing to have a single shot or play a single key pass before coming off at half-time.

So now the question before Bielsa is, which striker is his first choice? Rodrigo would seemingly be the logical answer due to his pricetag and international pedigree, but with Bamford making the step-up to the Premier League so brilliantly and fittin the system perfectly, the manager’s dilemma is that much tougher to solve.

It will certainly be interesting to see how the Argentine handles his record-signing and his in-form striker. This could be Bielsa’s biggest selection headache since coming to Yorkshire.

As Leeds United gear up for their first season back in the Premier League after numerous years, Victor Orta and co will no doubt be working tirelessly to ensure the squad is strengthened ahead of the new campaign.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side finished as winners of the Championship, but one area of major concern for the Argentine, must surely have been the lack of real efficiency from his central strikers.

Patrick Bamford managed just 16 goals over the course of the league season, and was responsible for missing a number of gilt-edged opportunities – in fact, as per Sofascore, he squandered a whopping 33 ‘big chances’.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

It’s no surprise then that according to The Daily Mirror, the Whites are eyeing up a potential swoop for Liverpool starlet Rhian Brewster, who spent last season on loan at Swansea.

The report claims that the 20-year-old is set for another loan spell away from Anfield, and that Leeds are “keen to add him to their ranks”.

After joining Swansea in the January transfer window, Brewster made up for lost time by racking up an impressive ten goals in just 20 league games.

Hailed as “wonderfully skilled” by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, the striker enjoyed an impressive game against Leeds themselves, despite ending up on the losing side.

Brewster was unlucky to score at the Liberty Stadium, seeing both of his shots saved by Illan Meslier in the Leeds goal, whilst he caused Ben White all sorts of problems with his surprisingly physical approach.

He made two tackles, won three of his six ground duels, and earned a free-kick too, with White struggling to keep him in check – the centre-back made no tackles whatsoever, and lost possession 12 times.

If Leeds are looking for someone to add some real firepower to their side, then they could do a lot worse than Brewster.

West Ham would have been going into this season with optimism and hope with the squad that Manuel Pellegrini had built during the summer transfer window – two marquis signings in the likes of Sebastian Haller and Pablo Fornals showed a real intent for the Hammers to begin their climb of the Premier League table.

As this season showed us, nothing is guaranteed, and with the sacking of Manuel Pellegrini in December after a string of poor results, it was only a matter of time before the Claret and Blue outfit found themselves looking down the barrel of a loaded gun – heading straight for the Championship.

The appointment of David Moyes just a few days later didn’t seem to do much to steady the ship at first, but after a few positive results, the club was safe from relegation by five points.

Here, we take a look at West Ham’s season – the good, the bad, and the downright disastrous…

Player of the Season – Declan Rice

The 21-year-old has become an ever-steady presence in West Ham’s starting lineup – having played every minute in the league this season.

Alongside Mark Noble, he is slowly becoming Mr. West Ham, and he has hardly put a foot wrong in the league this season, averaging a 7.01 WhoScored rating overall.

Goal of the Season – Declan Rice vs Watford, Jul 17th ’20

The kid’s done it again. This goal was an absolute cracker, not just the technique and quality, but also the importance – with Watford looking to keep their own distance from the relegation zone, being level on points with the Hammers prior to the game.

The win was huge for the club, taking them six points clear of the drop with two games still to play – and the goal from Rice was magnificent.

After receiving the ball from Mark Noble on towards the left, just outside of the Watford box, he shifts the ball onto his stronger right foot and unleashes an expert strike, wrapping his foot around the ball and placing it in the far right side netting, leaving Ben Foster in no man’s land – a truly wonderful goal.

Breakthrough Player – Jarrod Bowen

Firstly, I understand he isn’t technically a breakthrough player – the club signed him in January after a great first half of the season with Hull City in the Championship, but Bowen is only 23 and has hit the ground running since signing for the Hammers, and with a lack of youngsters being given a chance at the club this season – Bowen takes the ticket.

With a goal and four assists in his first 13 games for West Ham, the fans will be looking forward to next season and seeing Bowen flourish at the London Stadium.

Flop of the Season – Albian Ajeti

You’d be forgiven if you’d of forgotten that West Ham had signed Ajeti from Basel in August 2019 – the Swiss striker has only played nine league games for the club this season, all of which came from the bench in which he failed to make an impact at all.

With current links for a move away from the London club, it would be wise for West Ham and Ajeti to part ways, as his time at the club shall easily be forgotten by the fans and David Moyes, with the player not even managing a single goal for the Hammers.

Defining Moment – Pellegrini Out, Moyes In

It was expected that the West Ham board would want to part ways with the Chilean after a very poor start to the season, and post Christmas time was exactly that, with Pellegrini leaving the Hammers in December 2019.

Fast forward just two days later, and former boss David Moyes was brought back in an attempt to salvage anything he could from an already disastrous season.

Luckily for Gold and Sullivan, the decision worked – and the Scotsman was able to save the club from relegation for a second time, and will more than likely be given the chance to build on that for the upcoming season in September.

Signing of the Season – Tomas Soucek

The Czech midfielder signed for the club in January for an initial loan fee of just over £4million – but the club was quick to make this a permanent deal, given the positive and influential start that Soucek has made at West Ham, signing him just days after their Premier League status was confirmed.

The 6ft3 midfielder scored in West Ham’s 3-2 win over Chelsea, as well as a great header in that all-important game against Watford on the 17th July – overall Soucek has been a fantastic inclusion for the squad, and a great signing from David Moyes,

Hit Expectations? – NO

Sadly for West Ham fans and the club alike – this would not have been the type of season they envisioned at the start of the campaign. The aim for the squad that Pellegrini had built would have been at least a top-half finish, and maybe even a push for a spot in next season’s Europa League – but with all being said there have been positives to take from this season.

Declan Rice looks effervescent in becoming West Ham’s next captain, and Michail Antonio found great form after the restart.

All in all, it is time for the Hammers to put this season behind them, and attempt to look forward to the start of the Premier League again come September, with hopes of a more positive season ahead.