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After signing him on loan until the end of the season back in January 2020, Leeds United would no doubt have been expecting big things from Jean-Kevin Augustin.

The former PSG starlet had been brought in as competition for Patrick Bamford as the Whites looked to clinch promotion back to the Premier League, and had already played in the Champions League and Europa League with RB Leipzig.

Ex-Leeds man Sol Bamba talked up Augustin’s ability following his move to Elland Road, saying: “Everyone knows he can finish. You’ve seen the videos of his goals but he’s creative as well and very skilful on the ball. He likes to get involved in the build-up.”

Sadly for both Augustin and Leeds, the Whites never really saw what the Frenchman could actually produce at the club.

He ended up playing just three times in the Championship, totaling a measly 48 minutes of football, scoring no goals and providing no assists – his only outings for the club all came in the month of February, when he featured against Nottingham Forest, Brentford and Bristol City.

So when things started heating up about Leeds having to pay around £18m to sign him permanently that summer on the understanding that they had an obligation to buy, it seemed like the Yorkshire club were heading for disaster.

In the end, the Whites were able to wave goodbye to Augustin without having to cough up that £18m, and judging by his awful campaign this year, they’ve well and truly dodged a bullet.

The 23-year-old has played even less minutes for new side Nantes than he did for Leeds, making just three appearances but this time only amounting to 33 minutes of football.

Reports back in December suggested that the French team had left Augustin out of their squad citing a lack of fitness, while just last month, Nantes manager Raymond Domenech made the startling admission that his striker is only operating at around 30 to 40 per cent.

Given how things have panned out for Augustin back in Ligue 1, Andrea Radrizzani will no doubt be relieved that he didn’t have to shell out big-money to sign the Frenchman on a permanent basis back in the summer.

Leeds must get rid of Gjanni Alioski in the summer amid a major development over his long-term future at the Premier League side.

What’s the story?

The 29-year-old’s contract at Marcelo Bielsa’s side expires at the end of the season, and as of yet, there have been no talks of Leeds renewing his deal to extend his stay at Elland Road.

Now, Football Insider claim that Alioski has instructed his agent to start finding him a new club ahead of the summer, with his contract situation meaning that he will be able to sign a pre-contract with a foreign club.

Bielsa may be fuming

Former Premier League star Kevin Phillips said earlier this season: “From what I gather, his attitude is good and every club needs a player like that. He is a player who can unlock the door and he has a brilliant work rate.

“When he comes off the bench he can change the game and if you start with him he might be able to produce a bit of magic. Either way he does not moan and every squad needs a player like that. He is a player that they would like to keep. Leeds will want to get him on a new contract.”

And, writing in The Athletic, Phil Hay said: “Opinion about him can be divided between those who see merit in Alioski’s engine and flashes of class and those who question his ability to consistently impact on games. Bielsa’s own assessment of him is clear enough. Only the disciplined survive under Bielsa. When the Argentinian took over at Leeds, Alioski was one of those who comfortably made the cut.”

But while the £55k-a-week earning Alioski has clearly been a favourite of Bielsa’s since he took over at Elland Road – he’s played well over well over 100 games for him –  his disappointing performances this season raise question marks over whether he’s truly cut out for the Premier League.

He was woeful in the 4-2 defeat to Arsenal earlier in February, and that shocking display prompted Bielsa to drop him from the starting line-up for the next game against Wolves – he’s since been named among the substitutes for the subsequent two Premier League fixtures too.

Stuart Dallas has filled in at left-back, while 21-year-old Leif Davis is also waiting in the wings to get a real chance in the first-team. Making a tough call on Alioski and letting him walk in the summer would allow Leeds to move on. It may have Bielsa fuming about losing one of his key players over these past few seasons, but the time is surely right to look to the future.

Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mo Salah were once a feared trio. The Liverpool attack have been one of the best in European football over the last few years.

Yet, in 2020/21, they have been struggling on a consistent basis. The Reds have now lost five consecutive games at Anfield for the first time in the club’s history, for instance.

The Merseyside outfit have also failed to score from open play at home in more than ten hours and, against Chelsea on Thursday, they never looked like banishing that unenviable run. Liverpool had a solitary shot on target and, once Salah was substituted, they didn’t create any chance of merit.

That was a bizarre moment in the game. Very rarely does Jurgen Klopp take off his main man, something that was made all the more perplexing by the displays of Mane and Firmino.

The former had fewer touches in the game than Alisson but it was their Brazilian dynamo who arguably struggled more. Firmino has had a tough campaign and, in a year where Liverpool are failing to score with as much regularity, his lack of prowess in front of goal is becoming an even bigger worry.

The £180,000-per-week forward has netted just six times in 27 Premier League outings this term, a shambolic record for someone leading the line. Of course, Firmino is also there to provide assists, but with Mane and Salah misfiring, that aspect of his game has been redundant too.

Against Chelsea on Thursday, he should have left Klopp seething with his display. He didn’t pick up the little pockets of space in which we’ve become accustomed to seeing him operate, and as such, the Reds found life difficult.

Firmino only had one shot in the match, an attempt that went off target, but he was wasteful in possession too and was bullied by the Chelsea defence. He lost the ball on 15 occasions and came off second best in a massive 60% of his duels on the ground and in the air.

He very rarely got any change from Andreas Christensen in the Blues defence with the big Danish centre-back being named Sky Sports’ Man of the Match. Alongside Antonio Rudiger, he brushed aside the Liverpool forward with relative ease. With the Brazilian’s abject display in mind, Klopp was never going to get the better of Thomas Tuchel.

With Diogo Jota now back to fitness, Firmino’s place should be under threat.

To make matter worse, his long-term future in Merseyside may also be in doubt. The need for a better striker to lead the Liverpool line has been talked up for months.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool gem who made just 19 passes badly let Klopp down…

Leicester City travel to the Amex Stadium to face Brighton on Saturday evening, and the match could be the perfect time for Brendan Rodgers to blood an exciting youngster.

Sidnei Tavares has been afforded a couple of brief cameos in recent weeks, appearing off the bench in both the UEFA Europa League and Premier League.

He was introduced late on in Leicester’s last league outing – the 1-1 draw against Burnley at Turf Moor – but it’s now time for his first start.

With Leicester having suffered a plethora of injury woes this season, they have been limited in their options in midfield.

Dennis Praet was ruled out long-term following an injury picked up against Stoke City, whilst James Maddison has also recently been restricted to the sidelines with a hip problem. Ayoze Perez could have deputised but he too has been ruled out.

That means Leicester have been relying on Youri Tielemans. The Belgian midfielder has played in all but two of Leicester’s games in all competitions this season. The last time he didn’t appear was in a 1-0 defeat to Zorya Luhansk way back at the start of December.

Of course, the midfielder has been one of the Foxes’ most reliable players this season, posting their third-highest WhoScored average match rating – hence why he has been selected so much by Rodgers.

However, Portugal underage international Tavares could help take the burden off of the former AS Monaco man’s shoulders.

Traditionally an attacking midfielder, he has solid statistics in the Foxes’ youth ranks, netting 12 goals and providing six assists in appearances for various age groups.

His talent has certainly been noticed in recent years, too. Barcelona have been rumoured to be considering a move for the midfielder, whilst Foxes manager Brendan Rodgers said recently that he has “big potential”.

After all, the east Midlanders have enjoyed plenty of success with their youth ranks in recent years, with the likes of Harvey Barnes, Ben Chilwell, Hamza Choudhury and Luke Thomas all breaking into the firs team squad.

Should Rodgers elect to give Tielemans a well-earned rest against Brighton this weekend, Tavares could well be the perfect replacement and also potentially become the next star off of the King Power Stadium production line.

AND in more news, have a look at why we believe Leicester could do better than signing Orkun Kokcu.

According to a report from TEAMtalk, West Ham United and GSB are in talks to sign young Fulham defender Ibane Bowat as his current deal expires in June – with negotiations having been ‘ongoing’ over the last few weeks as the Hammers attempt to snap him up.

Bowat has been a mainstay for Fulham’s Under-18s side since putting pen to paper on a two-year scholarship back in 2019, assisting the Cottagers in their Premier League South title win last campaign.

West Ham in talks for Bowat

As a result, Fulham are keen to keep hold of the ‘classy’ 6 foot 2 defender and have offered him a professional deal to sign in June – but now West Ham are eager to take him away and are in talks over a move.

The Irons are one of a number of clubs that are in contact, with Brighton, Arsenal and Everton all having talks recently as well as German side FC Koln – even though it is understood the Bundesliga side could not agree terms.

Transfer Tavern take

Predominantly a centre-half, the versatile 18-year-old can also play left-back upon requirement, a prospect of his game that may have attracted the Irons.

Despite signing fellow promising centre-back Frederik Alves from Silkeborg in January, West Ham are now in conversation with another defensive starlet, and it remains to be seen whether they will win the race for his signature.

In other news: West Ham fans erupted over this news, find out more here.

Some Glasgow Rangers fans were worried after reading the opening paragraph of an open letter penned by manager Steven Gerrard ahead of next week’s Old Firm derby.

The Gers’ status as Premiership champions was confirmed last Sunday after Celtic could only draw 0-0 with Dundee United. In the aftermath, thousands of fans took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate the triumph, breaking lockdown regulations along the way, while there were even reports of public property being damaged (Sky News).

Ahead of the Old Firm derby next week, Gerrard penned an open letter to Gers fans to implore them to stay at home for the match. He started the letter by thanking fans for what they had done for him since he joined the club in 2018, writing: “Firstly, I want to place on record my thanks for everything you have done for me, my management team and my players since I arrived in Glasgow in May of 2018.”

This worried plenty of fans initially, as they appeared to believe it was a goodbye letter. The piece was shared on Rangers’ official Twitter account, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the letter from Gerrard below

“I saw “thanks for everything” and I nearly had a heart attack.”

Credit: @michaelrfc72

“OMG got such a fright after reading that first paragraph…. don’t do that”

Credit: @tasmin_edment

“Jeezo thought there was something wrong there”

Credit: @IBROXBABY1

“That first paragraph a thought aww naw that’s can’t be happening haha”

Credit: @rabmcknewell

Thanks gaffer but please never do that again cause I thought you were leaving

Credit: @Declan_1872_

“I think my heart stopped for a few seconds right there”

Credit: @MichaelG_79

In other news, some Rangers fans are livid at this Old Firm news.

The writing is on the wall for Newcastle United. Fail to sack Steve Bruce, and relegation will surely be on the cards.

This Magpies team looks like a torrid group; they look defeated, bullied to within an inch of their lives.

Their style of football is shoddy and there are very few signs of fight from those in the St James’ Park camp. Their 3-0 defeat to fellow relegation candidates Brighton on Saturday evening just about summed things up.

They were toothless in attack and filled with mistakes in defence. Once again, the prime candidate was Joelinton.

The big Brazilian set the tone just 21 minutes in. Martin Dubravaka launched the ball forward in the direction of Joelinton. The striker got his head to the ball but planted it straight out of play for a throw-in.

If anything summed up his time in the north-east that was it. To be completely blunt, the attacker has been one of the worst signings in Premier League history.

Signed from Hoffenheim for £40m, he penned a six-year deal with Newcastle. It was not only a club-record deal, but also Bruce’s record deal. Unfortunately, he is costing the manager his job.

The forward has found the net on just seven occasions and has three top-flight goals to his name since the summer of 2019. To suggest his time in England has been poor, therefore, would be putting it lightly.

Perhaps one of his worst performances in a black and white shirt came on Saturday. Joelinton was utterly anonymous in attack and made fewer passes (16) and fewer touches (34) than Dubravka in the Magpies goal. The Slovakian had 45 touches and made 24 passes in comparison.

He endured a torrid evening on the south coast, losing possession of the ball on 15 occasions and taking just one touch in the opposition penalty area. Joelinton also failed to have a single shot at goal.

For a normal footballer that makes for pretty grim reading. However, when you cost £40m, it only looks even worse.

He hasn’t scored since the back end of November and worryingly, his performances are getting worse.

In a relegation six-pointer, he should be one of the players standing up and taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Unfortunately, that’s very rarely happened during his feeble stay at Newcastle.

Judging by his attitude and form, it would be an almighty surprise to watch him see out the six years he signed on for. Joelinton epitomises the sinking ship of Newcastle right now.

AND in other news, “It’s the Graeme Jones way” – Exclusive: Rob Lee baffled by what Bruce assistant has done at NUFC…

Roy Keane was interviewed by the Celtic board earlier this week and is now the clear frontrunner for the vacant managerial position.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who have been informed by a Hoops source that the former Celtic midfielder is very keen to take the job.

Keane yet to agree Celtic deal

Celtic are thought to be willing to put aside concerns over his 10-year managerial absence and are instead looking at his three recent spells as assistant manager at Ireland, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, along with his Parkhead connections.

However, the report goes on to add that terms between the two parties are yet to be agreed.

Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Celtic have stepped up their search for a new manager in recent days, which, to us, is quite a surprise.

Reports had suggested previously that the club would wait until a director of football was in place before landing a new boss.

A deal for Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin was reported as ‘90% done’ last weekend, however, nothing has been confirmed as of yet.

Perhaps a deal for Harkin is now 99% done, with Keane now in the box seat to take over from Neil Lennon.

In other news: Report shares who Keane’s number two could be after Wednesday news, find out more here. 

Tottenham Hotspur could be making a big decision on the future of Jose Mourinho this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s the latest information from 90min, who claimed that the Spurs hierarchy have already sounded out potential successors as it’s likely that they will axe the 58-year-old at the end of the season, barring a sudden turnaround in form.

Under his stewardship this term, the north Londoners have endured quite the campaign. In early December, they were sat top of the Premier League, but now they’re fighting for a place in the top six, whilst they embarrassingly crashed out of the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb earlier this month.

It’s claimed that Spurs have put Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers at the top of their shortlist as a result. Other names include Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, out-of-work Massimiliano Allegri and Scottish Premiership winner Steven Gerrard.

Alli revival?

Rodgers’ merit is undeniable. After all, he’s inspired the Foxes to be regularly contending for the top four and, at this stage, they are probably some way ahead of Spurs in terms of recruitment and subsequent results. Indeed, eight points split the two teams currently, compared to the three-point difference last season.

The 48-year-old is renowned for developing players, having progressed from Chelsea coach to managing the likes of Liverpool and Celtic, where he has enjoyed most success.

As Dean Windass told Football FanCast, his impact on Kelechi Iheanacho this season has been “unbelievable”, and the man he’s likely to replace has waxed lyrical over him before, too.

“So anything he’s doing in his career is not a surprise for me, not at all. He’s very talented, he was and probably still is a guy who likes to study, learn and improve. He’s creative, he knows what he wants. He’s a very good coach. Period. He’s a very good coach so it’s not a surprise for me,” claimed Mourinho to the Daily Mail.

Another case in point could be James Maddison. He was already quite the player for Leicester, but he has seemingly gotten even better under Rodgers’ coaching.

The young England playmaker has delivered 37 goal contributions in 80 appearances under the Northern Irishman – just under one every other game, which is considerably better to his record under Claude Puel, when he managed to contribute once every three outings.

This could be perfect for Dele Alli, who has faltered greatly under Mourinho. The 24-year-old has only played 964 minutes in all competitions this season, whilst his value has plummted 71% since the turn of 2019, as explained by Football FanCast earlier this week.

Despite barely featuring or having much of an impact, Daniel Levy still blocked a potential departure to Paris Saint-Germain in the last transfer window, so clearly the Spurs chairman thinks there’s still life in the out-of-favour attacking midfielder.

Rodgers has been able to fit  the likes of Maddison, Youri Tielemens, Harvey Barnes and Jamie Vardy all into one team, so he should be able to do the same with Alli, Tanguy Ndombele, and Giovani Lo Celso.

It seems clear that Alli will not make any sort of comeback under Mourinho, so a fresh lease of life under Rodgers could be exactly what he needs to not only get back into Spurs contention, but also throw his name towards the England reckoning.

Jesse Lingard has done it, so Alli can too – and his best chance of that happening is if Rodgers swaps the King Power Stadium for north London this summer.

AND in other news, Mourinho could unearth his next William Gallas in “very exciting” £25k-p/w gem…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Steve Howey, who made 270 appearances during his career, admits he is concerned by what is coming out of the Newcastle United dressing, especially from senior players.

The Magpies find themselves right in the thick of a relegation battle sitting just one place and two points above Fulham in 18th, who they face on the final day of the season.

After the Brighton defeat, Ciaran Clark came out and said the team weren’t up for the game, just after Ryan Fraser described the dressing room mood as the lowest it’s been.

Newcastle’s hierarchy ignored outcry and expectations to sack Steve Bruce after their 3-0 loss against their relegation rivals just before the international break, with some players even thinking Bruce had been sacked.

Speaking on what some Newcastle players have been saying and how being too honest could be a cause for concern, Howey told FFC:

“The whole thing is a concern. Fans aren’t stupid, but at the same time you’ve got to think, is a player being too honest for his own good?

“However, for Clark to come out and say what he did it’s maybe a little bit naive, which is surprising for him because he’s an international player and would’ve done those sorts of interviews before.

“It doesn’t sound good what is coming out of the dressing room and it makes you think, is there anybody in that dressing room that’s standing up and digging people out?”

It does not make for good reading on Tyneside, however, Bruce remains confident he is the man to guide Newcastle to safety.