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Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has suffered a gutting injury blow just before his side’s Premier League clash against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

Joe Gelhardt has been a revelation for the club’s U23s since making the move from Wigan last summer, bagging 11 goals in 16 Premier League 2 games and providing another three assists – the 19-year-old played a key role in helping Leeds clinch the title and earn promotion.

With the Premier League in its final stages, the teenager would surely have been hoping to finally get a chance to impress in the first-team, but it appears that may not be the case.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game against the Clarets this afternoon, Bielsa confirmed that Gelhardt has been ruled out due to injury, thus knocking his chances of making his senior debut on the head.

And, in response to the news Gelhardt will be missing from the clash at Turf Moor, former Leeds man Noel Whelan said: “Another young player that has been doing well for the under-23s. You kind of want to see a little bit more, that little integration into the first team before the end of the season. I’m hoping we will do at some point but it’s disappointing that he’s not going to be there and fit for the Burnley game.

“It’s not just me, I think there’s lots of fans out there that are really excited by this young man. He’s exciting, he scores goals, he plays that little number 10 role very well. You think about players that could make an impact. Everyone’s really excited about Joe Gelhardt.”

Bielsa himself has previously gone on record to wax lyrical about the teenager just last month, saying: “His natural position is as a centre-forward. He’s a player who has a great capacity to finish off moves. He’s a player who has dribbling skills in the final third and just before the finalisation of the move.”

And after that praise, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to admit they hoped they would see him in action for the first-team before the season was over, and urged the manager to give him some game time during the final few weeks of the campaign.

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It’s exactly why both Bielsa and the club’s fans will no doubt be absolutely gutted that Gelhardt will not be making his first-team bow at Turf Moor on Saturday lunchtime, and why it’s a setback for Leeds ahead of the game.

Meanwhile, Leeds source drops exciting update on club’s transfer plans…

Leeds United are interested in signing Stuttgart defender Borna Sosa this summer as their search for a new left-back continues.

The Lowdown: Left-back needed

With Ezgjan Alioski almost certain to depart Elland Road at the end of the season, the Whites will suddenly have a glaring lack of depth at left-back.

Leeds have been linked with a host of options in that area, but no genuine front-runner has yet emerged to fill the Alioski-shaped void.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040”]

The Latest: Sosa linked with Leeds move

One player who has been thrown into the mix is Stuttgart regular Sosa, who has made 24 Bundesliga appearances this season, with his average of 1.3 interceptions per game superior to Alioski’s tally (0.6) in the Premier League.

According to Kicker [via Sport Witness], Leeds are showing ‘concrete interest’ in signing the 23-year-old this summer, although it isn’t stated whether or not a bid has been made.

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The Verdict: Another strong option

Sosa seems another good alternative to Alioski, being on the verge of making his debut for Croatia and impressing for Stuttgart, registering a hugely impressive nine assists in the Bundesliga.

That suggests that he has the attacking quality to be a success under Bielsa, while also proving to be a solid defender, making an average of 2.7 clearances per match in 2020/21.

It remains to be seen if Sosa will be viewed as the best possible left-back to come in, but there is plenty to point towards him being a shrewd acquisition if he is in Bielsa’s squad by the start of next season.

In other news, Leeds have been dealt a blow in their quest to sign one player this summer. Find who it is here.

Xisco Munoz’s Watford side head into their weekend fixture having already secured promotion to the Premier League, but know that only a win will maintain their hopes of clinching the Championship title.

Having beaten Millwall 1-0 last time out, Watford remain five points behind the Championship leaders Norwich City in the race for the first place.

While a Norwich win would make it mathematically impossible for the Hornets to be in with a chance of clinching the title on the final day of the season, Xisco will still be hoping for a victory against Brentford at the Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

So, will the Spaniard make any changes to his starting XI last time out? Here’s our predicted XI, along with the latest team and injury news…

Considering the fact that the title is still to be played for, as well as the challenge of Brentford not being an easy one – with Thomas Frank’s side undefeated over their last 10 league games – we expect Xisco to field a strong XI, making two changes from his starting line-up against Millwall.

Firstly, Kiko Femenia – who was withdrawn 31 minutes into the Millwall clash due to injury – is replaced by Craig Cathcart at right-back, with the 32-year-old putting in a solid performance  during his hour-long runout against Gary Rowett’s side.

The second change sees Dan Gosling drop out of the XI, with 26-year-old Philip Zinckernagel coming in as the third central midfielder, as none of Gosling, Carlos Sanchez or Nathaniel Chalobah particularly impressed against the Lions.

The front three remains untouched, with Joao Pedro retaining his centre-forward berth ahead of Andre Gray.

In other news: Get him gone: Xisco must ruthlessly axe £18k-p/w Watford flop with “great qualities” – opinion

Liverpool are threatening to chuck away their hopes of winning a first Premier League title, with a succession of dropped points ensuring the nerves will be kicking in at Anfield.

The Reds though do still hold the aces, and a win this weekend and in their game in hand on Man City would still see them top of the pile for the time being at least.

However, there are cracks appearing in the squad, and especially in the first XI, and we here in the Tavern feel the club might have missed a trick in January by not going out to add someone with real quality to the ranks.

We feel the summer then will be a big period for the Reds, and we feel they should be looking to make a move for Lyon and France midfielder, Tanguy Ndombele.

The young midfielder has been in fine form for Lyon this past 12 months, and has made himself a regular fixture in the national squad.

However, a move to England is always going to appeal to those playing in the French league, and with Liverpool looking light in the middle of the park, Ndombele might be the perfect tonic to rectify that such problem.

Powerful, quick, and full of energy, Ndombele would give the Reds a new dynamic in the middle of the park, and with the midfielder only being 22-years-old, Liverpool could well have their central midfield presence for the next decade.

Liverpool fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

You’d be hard-pressed to find any team in the country with as much clarity missing from the club as Celtic right now.

The Hoops are without a new manager and they are also on the hunt for a new director of football.

The Bhoys are also fretting over the future of a number of their regular first-team stars.

On the chalkboard

Odsonne Edouard is regularly linked with a move to the Premier League and at the front of the queue right now appear to be Leicester City.

That said, Celtic’s defensive rock could also depart south of the border.

Both Norwich City and Newcastle United are interested in signing colossal defender Kristoffer Ajer this summer. The Norwegian has also attracted the eyes of Italian giants AC Milan.

It would be far-fetched to imagine keeping the pair of them at the club so the Celtic hierarchy must begin preparing for next season.

With Shane Duffy also set to head back to Brighton at the conclusion of his loan spell, it will leave the Glaswegian outfit light in defence.

The solution

When it’s come to the defensive part of their game this term, Celtic have been utterly diabolical.

They shipped 19 strikes in six Europa League games while they’ve also conceded 13 more goals than Rangers in the Premiership.

Even with Neil Lennon gone, the problems continue to mount under John Kennedy. The way they conceded two goals against the Gers in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup was simply dreadful.

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Diego Laxalt was all at sea for both goals and thus, it will be difficult to see him staying at the club either.

Fortunately, Celtic have a remedy right in front of them; Jack Hendry.

The Scot has rarely been seen throughout his Hoops career and missed a great deal of last season through injury.

However, he’s bounced back in phenomenal fashion while on loan with Oostende in Belgium. Hendry has been so good he was announced as the best player in the entire division last week.

He has been a pillar of consistency at the back and is proving exactly why he can step in for both Duffy and Ajer in 2021/22.

Celtic will, however, need to stop a £2m move from going through. Oostende have the option to make the deal permanent in the summer while he’s also being courted by Burnley, Brighton and Sheffield United in England.

The Hoops hierarchy would be extremely foolish to get rid of him, though. Speaking earlier this season, Oostende manager Alexander Blessin said: “He’s been a tower of experience for us.

“Jack’s the most important member of the team this season and he’s one of the best defenders in the league. He can defend, he’s fast and he’s also a useful weapon at attacks because of his height.”

The 25-year-old’s game can be outlined by the level of consistency he’s established. Compare that to someone like Duffy and he’d add an extra layer of security.

The Irishman’s spell at Paradise has been a disastrous one and he now hasn’t played since the middle of February.

If Celtic want to improve defensively, they have to keep Hendry at the club.

AND in other news, Forget Howe: Desmond could revive Celtic by hiring 58 y/o Rodgers dubbed “world-class”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Bull, who scored 306 goals during his career for Wolves, believes that Steve Bruce has proved a lot of Newcastle United fans wrong after their recent run of form.

Newcastle’s hierarchy stood by Bruce after the club’s 3-0 defeat against relegation rivals Brighton before the previous international break, despite players thinking he had been sacked.

In a survey that 14,000 people took, The Chronicle revealed that 95% of people wanted to see Steve Bruce sacked by Newcastle United – since then he has taken seven points from a possible nine available to push the Magpies towards Premier League safety.

Speaking on how Bruce has proved a lot of Newcastle fans wrong and that he knows what the fans want and expect from the club and team, Bull told FFC:

“Yeah, I think he has and he’s a good friend of mine is Bruce, and I know that he wears his heart on his sleeve and he knows what Newcastle fans want and what they are all about.

“I think he’s just got that bit of spark back in the players and I think he can keep them up.”

Bruce had previously said that he believes he is the man to keep Newcastle in the Premier League, and he has been proven right in recent weeks.

That said, this can’t be a time for complacency for Newcastle, especially ahead of successive top-flight fixtures against Liverpool and Arsenal, the former being at Anfield this weekend.

Tottenham Hotspur are eyeing up a move for Jonathan Bamba this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

Sky Sports reporter Lyall Thomas claims that the €40m-rated (£35m) Lille winger is among the forwards Spurs are taking an interest in ahead of the transfer window re-opening at the end of the season.

Bamba is another player that scouts from the north London club have been tracking. The 24-year-old joined Lille on a free transfer from league rivals Saint-Etienne in 2018.

Bye-bye Lamela

This news would almost surely spell the end for Erik Lamela’s time at the club, as this week, the long-serving Argentine has been linked with a return to the Serie A.

Bologna sporting director Walter Sabatini, who oversaw the 29-year-old’s sale from Roma to Spurs in 2013, has confirmed that his former star is indeed a target, he said (via the Evening Standard): “Lamela is one of the names we are looking into,” said Sabatini. “We are trying to understand if there are possibilities to get there and there is no guarantee.”

Given Lamela’s injury issues (133 games missed) and inconsistencies (one goal contribution every three matches), it is probably time to move on, so swooping for the Lille sensation is certainly a good place to start in trying to fill that void.

Over in Ligue 1, the exploits of Jonathan David, Renato Sanches and formerly, Nicolas Pepe have often taken the bulk of the plaudits for Les Dogues but the former France U21 international has remained a key asset.

Take this season, for example, Bamba has contributed seven goals and nine assists from 38 appearances across the French top-flight and the Europa League, via Transfermarkt.

That’s him providing a goal every two games, one fewer than what Lamela has delivered in eight seasons at Spurs. Bamba also ranks second for average WhoScored rating (7.17) this season, ahead of both David and Sanches.

Speaking in November about the winger’s form, Lille boss Christophe Galtier said: “Jonathan’s been in fantastic form at the start of this season. Full credit to him. Jo’s on the pitch more often than not, and if that’s the case, it’s because he’s an important player for the team.”

Between The Lines analyst, Zach Lowry, dubbed Bamba their “creative leader” because “everything runs through him in attack.” Indeed, the majority of their forward play has come from that left side, where the 5 foot 9 dynamo likes to operate in the pocket of space behind David.

Bamba has also been dubbed a ‘hidden gem’ in the past, too, with his ‘ lightning quick’ speed a key attribute, something that Lamela may no longer have given his age and injury history.

As evident above, replacing the Andre Villas-Boas signing with Bamba could be quite a shrewd move from Daniel Levy. He can strike gold by moving the Argentine on, and bringing in the Lille talisman as his replacement.

AND in other news, Levy must wave goodbye to 23 y/o Spurs flop, Pochettino once dubbed him “a big talent”…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 99 appearances for Manchester City, believes it has never worked out for Benjamin Mendy at City despite costing the club a lot of money in wages and transfer fee.

Mendy arrived from AS Monaco after they won Ligue 1 with players such as Bernardo Silva, Fabinho and Kylian Mbappe, however, out of those players it is Mendy who has failed to live up to the expectations people had for him.

Since arriving at the Etihad for £51 million in 2016 he has managed to make just 67 appearances, with constant injuries restricting his game time and this season the emergence of Joao Cancelo and Oleksandr Zinchenko has seen him sit on the bench for most of the campaign.

Speaking on why City should look to get him off their books and how good he can be on his day, Howey told FFC:

“He’s been unfortunate with injuries and I think there have been one or two things off the pitch as well, but they bought him for a decent amount of money.

“He is devastating on his day down that flank, but ultimately he’ll be costing the club a fortune and it just happens sometimes where it doesn’t work out.”

The Manchester Evening News conducted a poll which saw Mendy voted as one of the players City fans would not want to stay at the club.

However, MEN have also reported that he may stay at the club because when City play with wing-backs Pep Guardiola has claimed he has the perfect qualities for that role.

Southampton fans have been reacting to the news that Manchester City are interested in signing Danny Ings to potentially replace Sergio Aguero (Sky Sports).

Ings’ future with the Saints is up in the air. As it stands, his contract is set to run out at the end of next season (Transfermarkt) but, while Southampton have made it clear they would like to extend his deal (via The Daily Mail), the former Liverpool man has, as of yet, not put pen to paper on an agreement.

To avoid losing the striker for nothing, Southampton may well look to sell him in the summer, and the Citizens are said to be interested in signing him to replace the outgoing Aguero, who is set to leave the club on a free transfer this summer after 10 years at the Etihad Stadium.

Saints supporters have been reacting to the news and, surprisingly, it seems they would not be too fussed to see him depart despite the £19.8m-valued star (Transfermarkt) scoring 42 goals in 92 matches for them. They took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Ings news below

“Good news, get rid and move on, ship out Redmond and djenepo too, both been under achieving at PL level, not sure they’ll achieve a regular squad number in the championship to be honest, that’s my opinion,”

Credit: @TonyTonyprince

“Let him go, picking up injuries and hasn’t looked interested for a while.”

Credit: @saintsfc2011

“Yes let him go I think if he’s not fully commited”

Credit: @doeboy1

“I’m ngl if they want him they can have him”

Credit: @J13578Josh

“Surprised i’m not alone in thinking we should sell Ings. I believe he’s had his moment in the sun and his next few seasons will be impacted heavily with injury. If we get an offer over £20m let him go”

Credit: @luke_lct

“Great! Should help plug the 75 mil hole”

Credit: @edwardmarshCT

In other news, Sevilla are said to be interested in this Southampton star.

West Brom’s survival bid was dealt a bitter blow on Saturday afternoon as they slumped to a disappointing defeat at the hands of former Baggies boss Roy Hodgson, but it was an all too familiar story.

Albion just cannot find the back of the net.

Their defensive fortunes have drastically changed for the better in recent weeks, going from the Premier League’s leakiest backline to conceding just three goals in their last six outings.

But in that run, they have scored just twice – Big Sam will not pick up many points if his team cannot stick it in the goal. Only one side – rock-bottom Sheffield United – have found the net fewer times.

And with the Baggies now eight points adrift, something has to change otherwise it’s an instant return to the second flight.

On the Chalkboard

In simple terms, Allardyce must provide new target man striker Mbaye Diagne sufficient service, something that has been lacking big time.

During that aforementioned run of matches, Albion have delivered over six accurate crosses on one occasion, whilst no player is managing more than one attempt per game (Matheus Pereira), as per WhoScored.

At 6 foot 4, Diagne has the capability to mix it with any top-flight central defender, especially as he’s averaging 4.3 aerial duels won per outing, which is more than any other Albion player.

Considering Big Sam deploys two wingers, his service should be far better, though it’s a simple fix and one that could see the creative Pereira (1.7 key passes per game) move back into the middle, where he is most effective.

It would mean that one of Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Conor Gallagher is sacrificed as all these central options cannot fit into the same side, but it’s a risk worth taking given the desperate need to score goals.

Allardyce’s best crosser of the ball is arguably Robert Snodgrass, who joined from West Ham in January yet finds himself out of the starting XI. Putting him back in out wide, with Pereira in the middle, could be exactly what is required to unlock Diagne’s true potential.

You’ve got the Brazilian playmaker feeding balls and dictating play in the no.10 role, and a proven veteran out wide to deliver the service the big target man needs.

Indeed, the 33-year-old has averaged 1.8 crosses per game throughout his long career, including two successive seasons in the top-flight managing 1.6 attempts or better, which is evidently an instant upgrade on the one per game that sits top of West Brom’s charts right now.

The £20k-per-week “whole package” was, at one point, the heartbeat of David Moyes’ Hammers side, according to The Athletic, with Roshane Thomas describing his crossing ability as ‘excellent.’

Similarly, Colin Calderwood told The Athletic: “He’s got crossing ability and is good at either creating or scoring goals,” before dubbing him a “team player.”

Just imagine how good Diagne could be with Pereira and Snodgrass pinging in balls left, right and centre – the Scotsman must start going forward.

AND in other news, West Brom’s Conor Gallagher let Sam Allardyce down vs Crystal Palace