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An update has emerged on Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley, regarding Leeds’ interest in his services…

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, the Whites are eyeing up a potential January swoop for the England international to bolster their squad.

The report claims Burnley and Newcastle are also looking at the ex-Everton midfielder, with Chelsea set to allow him to leave Stamford Bridge.

Hernandez 2.0

Leeds chief Victor Orta could find the new Pablo Hernandez by securing a deal to sign Barkley in January, finding a creative magician to open up doors for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Premier League.

Hernandez, who left Leeds in the summer, has a career average of 2.9 key passes and dribbles completed per game, showing how he is consistently able to be a creative force in the final third. He has the ability to dribble past players and set up chances for his teammates, which is something Barkley could also bring to Elland Road.

The 27-year-old Chelsea midfielder has a career average of 3.1 key passes and dribbles per game, which is particularly impressive given these statistics are taken from his performances for Chelsea, Everton and England in the top-flight and in Europe.

Premier League legend Alan Shearer lauded the £100k-per-week wizard’s talents whilst he was on loan at Aston Villa last season. He told The BBC:

“Ross seems to have found a system that suits him and a manager who wants to play him. This is exactly what he needs.

“He now needs to find the consistency that has been lacking in his game because this is a crucial stage of his career. Ross has been spoken about in glowing terms since he was very young but he is 27 now and needs to deliver on that potential.

“At his best he is match-winner and Villa is a great platform for him.”

This highlights the quality he could provide Leeds on the pitch, with one of the league’s greats hailing him as a match-winner at his best. Barkley could come in and add some extra creativity to Bielsa’s side and offer him the chance to change formation to accommodate a number 10, or mould him into a central midfielder who will work hard for the side whilst also offering quality on the ball.

Orta must now ensure that he can beat the likes of Burnley and Newcastle to win Barkley’s signature in the winter market. If he can then Leeds could have another diminutive creator to enjoy watching week-in-week-out, just as they did with Hernandez.

AND in other news, Phil Hay drops key update on “top-class” Leeds wizard that’ll delight supporters…

Manchester City have been credited with an interest in Dusan Vlahovic recently, as Pep Guardiola’s side continue their search for a Sergio Aguero replacement.

What’s the word?

It was claimed that the Citizens could consider a move for the Fiorentina forward this summer as they continue to be frustrated in their pursuit of Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

However, the Athletic’s Manchester City correspondent Sam Lee has now dispelled any of those rumours, suggesting on Twitter that the Serbian is not a target for Guardiola’s side this summer.

Although he is obviously a world-class striker, it seems strange that City are so deadset on singing Kane this summer, especially considering Daniel Levy’s stance on his situation at the North London club, and Vlahovic could have been a superb alternative.

Would Vlahovic have been a good signing for Man City?

Fans might point to the 5-0 victory against Norwich City on Saturday afternoon and suggest that a striker maybe isn’t needed, but in reality, the Canaries were awful and if Guardiola’s side want to retain the title this season then they might just need a top-quality forward to lead the line.

Vlahovic’s performances in recent seasons suggest that he would score a lot of goals for City, whilst at 21-years-old, he has a huge amount of potential and time to adapt to the Premier League.

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Last season saw the Serbian forward contribute 21 goals in 37 Seria A appearances for Fiorentina, averaging a solid 6.90 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Serie A expert Conor Clancy was full of praise for the young striker when speaking to ThisisFutbol recently, saying:

“[He’s] Incredible, and it really caught me by surprise because I’d seen him play in the flesh a few times and he scored a great goal against Inter and there was a lot of hype in Florence about him. People were saying this guy’s the real deal and I just couldn’t see it.”

“He’s just a complete number nine and I know it’s just off the back of one season, but he’s strong, can link play up, can hold the ball up and most importantly, he’s scoring goals. He’s one of those players that when he looks confident, you almost expect him to score every time he plays.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“577936”]

Therefore, it seems as if Vlahovic would have been an excellent addition to Guardiola’s squad, and Man City fans will surely be gutted with this update from Sam Lee, especially if the Citizens fail in their attempts to bring Kane to the Etihad before the window shuts.

And, in other news… Man City handed huge boost with “world-class” beast, Txiki must deliver

West Ham United manager David Moyes must turn to academy gem Jamal Baptiste after suffering yet another defensive injury blow this week.

The Irons host Croatian champions Dinamo Zagreb in their final Group H match of the Europa League later tonight and they will be looking to maintain their unbeaten run in the competition despite losing Kurt Zouma, to add to the Scot’s woes.

He was already without first-choice centre-back Angelo Ogbonna for the rest of the season, and now the £30m summer signing is out for the foreseeable future too, so it leaves Moyes rather light on options heading into kick-off.

The French colossus was withdrawn early during the win over Chelsea on Saturday. It has since been described as a “massive blow” by football.london reporter Tom Clark.

However, the Hammers have already qualified for the knockout stages, so there is room to manoeuvre and it wouldn’t be worth risking any more injury setbacks to other first-team stars.

It could be wise to hand some valuable minutes to Baptiste, who is widely touted to be one of the club’s most promising youngsters. It would be good to see exactly what he can offer before January strikes, too.

“One of the finest young prospects at the club without any doubt is 15-year-old Jamal Baptiste, who believe me is going to be a monster player in the Issa Diop mould,” claimed former academy chief Terry Westley to Claret and Hugh back in 2019. “I see him as exactly that – the new Issa Diop.”

“He’s got everything, height, power, pace and is already, at such a young age, making a serious impact on the under 23s.”

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Indeed, now at 18 years of age, Baptiste could be in line for an opportunity in the first team, following the devastating injuries to Zouma and Ogbonna.

Over the years, the east London outfit have seen numerous talents emerge through their ranks, of course – most notably one being Declan Rice, whilst Ben Johnson is another fine example.

The 6 foot England U19 international, who has been dubbed ‘the new Rio’ Ferdinand, could be the next in line, should he be given the chance to shine tonight.

Hammers legend Carlton Cole waxed lyrical about the youngster during an appearance on the ‘Irons Inside’ podcast.

After describing him as a “massive prospect”, he added: “He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio, so hopefully we can these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time.”

At a desperate time of need and with West Ham already in the next round, there would be little harm in unleashing Baptiste on Dinamo Zagreb at the London Stadium tonight.

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee reveals major West Ham injury update…

Fans of the Sky Sports show Soccer Saturday will no doubt be aware that Jeff Stelling, after 25 years at the helm presenting the live football results and game chat show, is stepping down.

At the age of 66, Jeff has made the decision that it is time for him to step aside and you can clearly see the reason why, when he talks about taking the Abbot Ale ‘slow down’ pledge.

‘Unbelievable’ Jeff (his official title according to Chris Kamara anyway!) explains:

“As I get a little older, I am trying to slow down! Life is still so frantic but I want to enjoy pleasures like a dog walk, a round of golf or especially a good pint! I say cheers to those who have the option of slowing down that bit sooner than me!”

The partnership with Abbot Ale, who are trying to introduce the nation to a new pint drinking concept to the British pub culture, highlights that most Brits aspire to slow down at the age of 43, the theory being, at that point, they will have had 25 fast paced years.

It is interesting that people are starting to see there is more to life than money and working long hours.   In the UK, we work amongst the longest hours in Europe and maybe lockdown and restrictions to going out during this pandemic has made people question what they are doing in life and more importantly, what they want to do.

In light of this, Abbot Ale is on a mission to get the nation to slow down and savour.

And what do we do to slow down?  Well, it will be no surprise that football is on the list of activities we enjoy when trying to switch off from work, and of course, the pub also features – and let’s be honest, the two go hand in hand – we can even throw in a walk (to and from the pub and stadiums to watch the football!), having a pint and a pie and chips to cover even more of the top ten slowing down activities.

Go for a walk Enjoy nature Read a book Listen to music Going for a meal Do some gardening Cook something nice Have a beer or wine Watch sport Going to the pub

Or maybe all of the above, whilst on the way to watching some football?

Kevin Phillips is very impressed with Glasgow Rangers’ signing of Charlie McCann and has even said he could be the next Billy Gilmour.

The Lowdown: Gers complete McCann signing

Last week, the Gers completed the signing of McCann from Manchester United (rangers.co.uk).

The 55-time Scottish champions reportedly spent a fee of £750,000 on his services (Manchester Evening News), and the 19-year-old will initially join up with the Gers’ B squad.

The Latest: Phillips impressed by McCann

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League striker Phillips shared his delight with the deal. He said:

“It’s great to see.

“I think that actually comes from the manager. I’m sure that’s his move.

“Signing players like that, you can’t do it in your first season at a club, as a manager.

“You have to earn that trust from the board or the owner. He’s done that. It’s a bargain as well.

“He’s won the trophy and they will listen to him. Rangers are planning for the future.

“What can they do to aid the club’s progress? Signing top young talents is a good place to start.

“Rangers could have the next Billy Gilmour. It’s another very exciting move from the club.”

The Verdict: Easy comparison

The comparison to Gilmour, given how the Scotland international came through the Gers’ youth system before moving to Chelsea, is an easy – perhaps even lazy – one to make from Phillips. However, given that the Gers were willing to spend close to £1m to capture the midfielder’s services despite him never making a first team appearance, McCann clearly has talent.

The Gers have been looking to bring in several exciting young talents in recent years such as the likes of Tony Weston and James Graham. At 19, McCann is not too far from playing senior football, you would have thought, and hopefully he can make that step at Ibrox in the near future.

In other news, this Rangers man is on the verge of a move away from Ibrox.

Manchester City have submitted an official bid of £100million for Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane, claims Fabrizio Romano via City Xtra.

Building for 2021/22, the Citizens face the enormous task of replacing club legend Sergio Aguero after his departure to Barcelona at the start of this month [Sky Sports].

In keeping with negotiations, City are also said to have offered players alongside the fee quoted for the 27-year-old goal machine. Thus prompting a swift rebuttal from his current employers, which Romano documented in his latest Here We Go podcast appearance [City Xtra].

City are set to return with a second bid, however they may not be willing to meet the Londoners’ enormous rumoured £150 million asking price [City Xtra].

In light of this, no wonder loads of City diehards took to Twitter to react to these developments.

No categories

City fans react:

Replying to the City Xtra Twitter page, here is how some fans summarized their opinion on the news:

“we aren’t getting him or Haaland, everyone needs to move on”

Credit: @Ethan4707″This is so dumb…. Easily reject”Credit: @harrythestarrr”we don’t care”Credit: @MoSakoooo”£100m for Harry Kane is RIDICULOUS Look how many clubs are waiting in line to pay that amount for his signature. Absolutely ridiculous.”Credit: @nwuba_snr”Haaland please”Credit: @TheDiasDynasty”100 million in this financial climate a massive bid, just walk away city spend the money on haaland”Credit: @MANCITYFC47In other news, City fans react to a Sergio Aguero update.

One of the biggest plus points from Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Celtic manager so far has been Tom Rogic.

The Australian pair have worked together at international level before and it would appear that the attacking midfielder’s career has been revived somewhat.

In 2020, it looked as though Rogic was heading for the exit door. There was interest from overseas and a campaign of rarely featuring only heightened the chances of a departure in the last few months.

Yet, Postecoglou’s arrival has been timely. Rogic scored against Dundee in the 6-0 rout and then claimed an assist in the 6-0 hammering of St Mirren too.

A first start for his country since 2019 over the last two weeks also signified how big of a comeback he’s made.

Yet, after returning to Glasgow this weekend, he looked off the pace. Few can blame the Aussie for a tired display after travelling around the world but Celtic can be fortunate that it didn’t cost them.

The Hoops still routinely beat Ross County 3-0 but were let down by the 28-year-old who was taken off with 12 minutes remaining.

It was a performance that was distinctly out of character with the midfielder’s showings this term.

He gave away possession on 16 occasions, the second-highest number by a Celtic player and prevailed in just 22.2% of his defensive duels.

That meant that Rogic won two of the nine aerial and ground battles that he competed in throughout the clash.

On top of that, his pass success rate stood at a measly 71%, the worst by any Hoops player apart from Albian Ajeti.

The Australia international did provide two key passes but his ill-disciplined performance was summed up by a couple of fouls.

Rogic has impressed significantly under the stewardship of his fellow countryman but this was a display to forget for Celtic’s number 18.

Here’s hoping he can rediscover his early season form sooner rather than later.

AND in other news, Celtic dealt massive injury blow ahead of Ross County, Postecoglou will be gutted…

West Ham United will be looking to continue their impressive start to the 2021/22 campaign when they return after the international break on Saturday with a trip to Southampton.

The Irons ended the transfer window with a bang by signing two players, taking their total to four new additions – but with the incomings, it hands manager David Moyes a fresh selection headache.

His side are currently unbeaten in the Premier League, where they occupy second place on seven points and are the division’s leading scorers having found the net ten times in three matches.

But what is now Moyes’ best starting line-up following deadline day? Football FanCast take a look into what could be the strongest XI available at the 58-year-old’s disposal…

The Scot has plenty of options to consider, especially tactically as he now has enough depth to consider other formations – for instance, his three-at-the-back formation has been bolstered by the addition of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea.

In what has to be considered quite the coup – landing a Premier League and Champions League winner – the 26-year-old colossus is likely to come straight into the side and should pair Angelo Ogbonna over Craig Dawson or Issa Diop.

They’ll undoubtedly be joined by Aaron Cresswell and Vladimir Coufal on either flank.

But in goal, there’s a big decision to make, having signed PSG’s Alphonse Areola on a loan deal.

It’s surely only a matter of time before the young shot-stopper replaces Lukasz Fabianski, 36, between the sticks.

If Moyes wants to see if he’s the man for the long-term, then he’s going to have to be given a fair crack. The Polish veteran has long been the no.1 favourite, ever since the Manuel Pellegrini days, but considering his age, the club must find a suitable replacement sooner rather than later.

In midfield, deadline day addition Alex Kral is unlikely to feature due to the impressive form and partnership of Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek. His time is likely to come in the Europa League when the group stages get underway in a few weeks time.

However, Nikola Vlasic is likely to come straight into the side after the Irons committed an initial €30m (£26m) plus €9m (£7.5m) in add-ons to sign the former Everton flop, per Sky Sports.

The Croatian playmaker is likely to take up the ‘Jesse Lingard’ role in attacking midfield, with the creative wide man Said Benrahma and the £96k-per-week beast Jarrod Bowen providing the threat from the wings and Michail Antonio in the attack.

He’s started this campaign on fire, bagging four goals and three assists to top the Premier League’s charts.

Moyes’ best XI: Areola; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Zouma, Coufal; Soucek, Rice, Vlasic; Benrahma, Bowen, Antonio.

AND in other news, GSB can correct West Ham’s summer transfer blunder by signing £15m “incredible talent” in January…

Barry Fry insists that Daniel Levy may dig his heels in this summer and keep Harry Kane at Tottenham Hotspur.

Sky Sports have reported that the England captain has asked to leave the club this summer.

There is said to be interest from Manchester United, Manchester City, and Chelsea in snaffling him way from the north London club.

Of course, he has enjoyed one of his finest seasons at Spurs, winning the Golden Boot along with the Premier League’s Playmaker Award.

Fry is the Director of Football at Peterborough United and he says that he has dealt with Levy repeatedly throughout his career.

As a result, he believes that Levy may well refuse to let Kane go, because he is so desperate to ensure that Spurs are not short-changed.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Fry said: “Well I’ve dealt with Daniel Levy several times, he’s one of the hardest men to deal with. Although everyone thinks Harry Kane will leave Tottenham, I’m not so sure.

“Daniel digs his heels in, he’s still got three years left on his contract. No matter how much other people offer him, if he wants to keep him, he’ll keep him. He’ll have an unhappy player on his hands but that won’t matter to Daniel.

“All Daniel’s interested in, fair enough, is Spurs, what’s best for Spurs, and no matter how much money he got, out in the market, it’ll be very difficult to replace him, there’s no doubt in my mind about that.”

Kane has three years left on his contract at Spurs and would likely cost a fortune in this transfer market, with The Independent reporting that he would cost a minimum of £200m.

Crystal Palace are now stepping up their interest in Rangers midfielder Joe Aribo, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Aribo profiled

Aribo has been with the Scottish giants since 2019 and is primarily a left-footed central midfielder, attacking midfielder or right-winger.

The Nigeria international, labelled as ‘phenomenal’ by Steven Thompson, will be entering the final 12 months of his Ibrox deal in the summer.

The 25-year-old has played a whopping 50 times this season, scoring eight times and providing ten assists, and it looks as if sporting director Dougie Freedman is keen on Aribo’s services.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story regarding Aribo on Sunday evening after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that Palace had scouts in attendance at Ibrox last Thursday to watch Aribo in Europa League action, labelling that as the Eagles stepping up their interest.

The Verdict: Impressed…

Rangers ran out 3-1 winners over Braga to book their spot in the Europa League semi-finals, and Palace scouts would have left impressed by Aribo’s display.

Turning out in an attacking midfield role, Aribo was Rangers’ second-best performer, as per SofaScore. He provided two assists, made six key passes, won 15 duels and completed three successful dribbles.

Conor Gallagher looks set to return to Chelsea in the summer following his productive Selhurst Park loan, so Aribo could now be viewed as the ideal replacement heading into Patrick Vieira’s second season in charge.

In other news: Crystal Palace now want to sign ‘Rolls Royce’ who Sir Alex Ferguson loves.