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Former Rangers manager Alex McLeish isn’t convinced Leo Hjelde will be thrown in for his Leeds United debut against Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Leeds’ injury crisis

The Whites take on the Magpies at St James’ Park on Friday night, as they look to properly get their season up and running, having not won in their opening four Premier League games.

Marcelo Bielsa will be without centre-back trio Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Pascal Struijk, however, with Liam Cooper the only established available option in that position.

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The Latest: Pundit plays down Hjelde debut

There is the opportunity to give fans their first ever sighting of highly-rated 18-year-old Hjelde, having not yet played a minute of action of first-team football in England.

Speaking to Football Insider, though, McLeish says it would be the wrong decision, given his lack of experience:

“If the young player isn’t ready it’s hard to throw him in. My guess is that Leeds will go around the houses and look at who can fill that hole the best.

“Ayling played there last season, I can’t think they would throw the youngster straight in there. Unless they have seen something exceptional in him. It’s time to introduce him in a small way, maybe in the cups and things.

“I suspect they will move the defence about and put one of the wide players in there.”

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The Verdict: Too soon for youngster

Hjelde is a player who hopefully has a huge future ahead of him – he has notably been compared to Liverpool superstar Virgil van Dijk – but now is too soon to throw him in at the deep end.

The Premier League is such a physical, testing division and a fierce St James’ Park crowd could possibly get on top of him, in what is a game Leeds certainly don’t want to lose against one of their fellow winless rivals.

Instead, it may be that Bielsa opts to play Luke Ayling at centre-back, with the ever-versatile Stuart Dallas slotting in at right-back.

In other news, Leeds could sign one player in the January transfer window. Find out who it is here.

Queens Park Rangers left-back Sam McCallum has dropped a promising update on the injury he picked up in the Rs’ Carabao Cup victory on Tuesday.

What’s been said?

In a post on his personal Instagram account (via Football League World), the Norwich City loanee revealed that the knock which saw him withdrawn in the 66th minute of the penalty shootout win over Everton in midweek is only “minor”, before claiming he will come back stronger from it.

In his social media post, McCallum said: “Hopefully only a minor setback but will be back stronger.”

Fans will be buzzing

While it would still seem as if McCallum will be a doubt for the trip to West Bromwich Albion tonight, considering just how impressive the 21-year-old has been for QPR so far this season, the defender’s revelation that his knock is only minor is sure to have left fans of the club buzzing.

Indeed, over his four Championship appearances for the Rs this term, the £3.15m-rated man has scored two goals, as well as taking 1.5 shots and making 0.8 key passes per game.

The £5k-per-week defender has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, averaging 1.3 interceptions, 1.8 tackles and 0.5 clearances and winning 5.5 duels per match.

These returns have seen the player who QPR manager Mark Warburton dubbed a “quality” talent earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.92, ranking him as the club’s ninth-best performer in the league this term.

As such, it would certainly appear to be the case that the sooner McCallum returns to action, the better for everyone involved with the west London side, especially as fellow QPR left-back Lee Wallace is also sidelined due to injury.

In other news: “Lively” £3.6m-rated QPR dynamo who made three key passes stole the show vs Everton

West Ham United may be about to stumble on their ideal Mark Noble successor.

The 34-year-old midfielder will call time on his Irons career after over 18 years at the end of the 2021/22 season and it’ll leave David Moyes with a massive void to fill, not at least because he’s the club captain.

His presence has not been felt on the pitch as much as it has been in the past, having started only eight games last season, but it’s believed he’s still a crucial presence in and around the dressing room.

That veteran leader-like presence needs to be replaced and that will be no easy task.

The Hammers signed another Czech Republic sensation in Alex Kral on a loan-to-buy agreement with Russian outfit Spartak Moscow and he could be one potential solution.

However, he is still vastly inexperienced in the Premier League and that could take quite some time to flourish into a long-term and natural heir.

Instead, the real option could lie in one of West Ham’s mooted transfer targets for 2022 – and he reportedly won’t cost a penny.

According to The Sun, Juventus are ready to offload Aaron Ramsey on a free transfer as early as January after the Wales international has struggled for game time since his move from Arsenal in 2019.

The 30-year-old has played only 69 times for the Italian giants, featuring for just 106 minutes so far in 2021/22, via Transfermarkt.

But he has bags of experience and a proven track record in the Premier League, so he could well be the one to fill that massive void in midfield.

During his time at the Gunners, he won multiple FA Cup trophies, recorded over 262 appearances in the English top-flight and played over 60 games across both of UEFA’s top European competitions.

The Welshman provided 65 goals and 65 assists in over a total of 370 matches in north London, in which he recorded a career-best of 13 goals and ten assists during the 2013/14 campaign, as per Transfermarkt.

It’s why he was regularly compared to the likes of England legends Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard, which only further highlights why he could well slot right in for the retiring skipper.

BT Sport pundit Martin Keown also once described him as a “great leader” and an “outstanding technician” – even more reasons pointing towards him being a better replacement for Noble than Kral.

Valued at £13m by CIES Football Observatory, the east London outfit must seriously consider a move for Ramsey in 2022. He could potentially be the man to replace their departing club hero.

AND in other news, West Ham could find next Kanoute in 5 ft 9 “goal machine” who’s haunted Moyes before…

Leeds United could make a shrewd short-term signing in Gaetano Berardi amid Paul Robinson’s transfer claim.

What’s the story?

The Italian was let go by Marcelo Bielsa’s side over the summer amid a long spell out injured, but with the Whites facing a bit of an injury crisis at the back, former goalkeeper Paul Robinson has suggested Berardi as a potential solution.

He said: “Depending on his condition, depending on how fit he is and where he is and what he’s been doing for the last couple of months, he could be an option. He’s somebody who knows the club, knows the players and knows the manager.

“It’d be a difficult one and a bit of humble pie to be asking, ‘can you come back and help us out?’. But as a person and a player, he probably would answer the call. It’s an option but it just depends on how serious and how long the injuries are going to be.”

He loves Elland Road

With 155 games played for the club, Berardi was a reliable customer at the back for Leeds as they fought their way to the Premier League.

He first started playing for the Elland Road side back in the 2014/2015 campaign, and featured in 22 of the Whites’ promotion-winning campaign in the Championship last season.

Speaking after his emotional exit from Elland Road, Berardi himself said: “What we built in the last years with the people is something priceless. It is very sad, it is hard to leave this place, to leave the club and leave a lot of good people.

“The fans see what you give for the team, you don’t have to be a really strong player to have the respect of the fans, they can see what you do and if you are an incredible player like Pablo (Hernandez) they love you, if you are an average player like me they love you as well.   They really see what you are, it is incredible and I couldn’t have imagined this, I will always have the respect for them.”

The Whites don’t need him to come in and play week-in and week-put in the Premier League, but if he can prove his fitness, then he could be very valuable cover and someone who can add a bit more experience in the dressing room too.

The 5 foot 10 ace could be a real short-term fix for Bielsa’s side.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has made an exciting claim about Leeds United’s Rodrigo…

Standing at a total of £779.85m according to Transfermarkt, Liverpool have the fourth most valuable squad in the Premier League behind Chelsea and the two Manchester clubs.

Even at that, one player who has seen his individual market value drop since making the move to the Merseyside club is midfielder Thiago Alcantara.

Liverpool signed the Spain international back in September 2020 from Bayern Munich on a four-year deal.

Since then, the 30-year-old – who is currently earning £200k-per-week, making Virgil van Dijk (£220k-per-week) the only Liverpool player earning a higher wage than the Spaniard according to Spotrac – has made 35 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, with just one goal and one assist in the process.

In terms of his individual market value, it was listed at £43.2m in October 2020 just a month after he made the move to Anfield according to Transfermarkt, but it now stands at £22.5m, showing a drop of £20.7m in just one year.

Taking all this into account, it could be said that Thiago’s time at Liverpool so far has not been particularly successful.

However, with his age and the fact that he has suffered some injury and fitness issues which have disrupted his playing time at the club, this could perhaps be why his market value has dropped since his arrival on Merseyside.

Moving forward, we feel that if Thiago can keep up his fitness and play regularly, his value could well go back up to near where it was when he joined the club, especially if he can add some goals and assists in the process.

On the other hand, with the midfielder only earning an overall season rating of 6.87/10 for his performances in the Premier League so far this term, making him one of Liverpool’s lowest-rated players to have started more than one league game according to WhoScored, he will need to improve upon what he’s delivered already if he wants to have a successful second season with the club.

In other news: Klopp could finally replace Wijnaldum in bargain LFC swoop for “solid” 5 ft 6 dynamo

While West Bromwich Albion have started life under Valerien Ismael well, with the Baggies having lost just one of their 11 Championship fixtures under the Frenchman, there have nevertheless been questions raised regarding Albion’s lack of an out and out goalscorer.

Indeed, while Ismael did secure the services of Norwich City centre-forward Jordan Hugill on a season-long loan deal this summer, the 29-year-old is yet to find the back of the net over his seven second-tier appearances for the club.

That’s something that has caused West Brom problems at times, none more so than when the Baggies failed to win three consecutive fixtures against Millwall, Derby County and Preston North End – with Albion scoring just two goals in these games.

As such, it would appear likely that Ismael is already starting to consider entering the January market for further additions up top, however, perhaps the 46-year-old could find a solution to his problem much closer to home.

Lukaku 2.0

West Brom have developed something of a reputation for developing promising young players in recent years, with the likes of Aston Villa’s Louie Barry and Crystal Palace’s Nathan Ferguson both being graduates of the Baggies academy.

However, unfortunately for the Championship side, they have often been unable to keep hold of their most exciting prospects, with many leaving The Hawthorns on free transfers, while others have been picked up by Premier League teams for a relative snip.

And, it would now appear as if West Brom have yet another diamond on their hands, this time in the shape of 17-year-old Reyes Cleary – who is already reported to be attracting the interest of Borussia Dortmund as well as many others.

Indeed, it is not difficult to see why there is significant interest in the teenager, as, over his four U18 Premier League appearances for Albion this season, Cleary has scored a brace in each fixture – which just so happen to have been against Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur.

The teenager has also bagged two goals over two appearances for the Baggies’ U23 side, taking his total haul so far this season to ten goals – in addition to one assist – in just six games.

Furthermore, it is not only transfer interest that Cleary is attracting, but also extremely high praise, with West Brom’s U18 coach Peter Gilbert dubbing the striker a “powerful” player who is an “excellent” finisher – while the youngster has also been compared to former Baggies loanee and current Chelsea star, Romelu Lukaku.

Considering Ismael’s reputation for involving up and coming talents in his first-team squad, in addition to Hugill’s distinct lack of goals, it would seem a wise move for the Frenchman to begin exposing Cleary to senior football before potentially dipping into the transfer market this winter – as the teenager could well go on to save Albion millions in transfer fees.

In other news: “In talks” – Journo drops fresh West Brom claim on £30k-p/w beast, Ismael must act

Everton suffered their first home defeat of the season after Angelo Ogbonna’s headed effort proved enough to seal all three points for West Ham United at Goodison Park over the weekend.

It was a tough afternoon for the hosts, who were missing several key players through injury once again, and Rafa Benitez’s charges only managed two shots on target all afternoon.

The Hammers dominated the first half but couldn’t find a way through an organised defence and called Jordan Pickford into action just once.

Things improved for Everton after the break, although it remained a game of few chances, and Ogbonna rose highest to meet a Jarrod Bowen corner in the 74th minute, heading home the ball to secure a hard-fought victory.

However, things could have been very different for the Toffees. After missing the Manchester United game through injury, Alex Iwobi returned to the starting lineup and had a game to forget.

Following good work from Demarai Gray down the left-wing, the Nigeria international missed a glorious opportunity when he failed to make any contact with the ball from just six yards out.

Then, in the second half, Iwobi’s spin and strike was blocked, condemning the Blues to just a second league loss of the campaign.

The 25-year-old’s underwhelming display saw him awarded a match rating of just 6 out of 10, by far the lowest total awarded to anyone on the pitch, as per SofaScore.

And when taking a closer look at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why. Iwobi had just 29 touches during his time on the pitch, 14 fewer than goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, highlighting his inability to influence proceedings.

He also failed to win any of his three duels, couldn’t pick out a teammate with either of his attempted crosses and had a passing accuracy of 71%. What made things worse was a tally of 0 dribbles or key passes.

It was a hugely disappointing showing from Iwobi as he let Benitez down against West Ham, and the Spanish tactician will be hoping the winger puts in a better performance against Watford next time out.

And, in other news…”It hasn’t worked”: Journo makes damning Everton claim, fans surely fuming with Brands 

Nuno Santo and his Tottenham side welcome Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for an enticing encounter in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

Last weekend, the Lilywhites were defeated by local rivals West Ham United but bounced back with a victory at Burnley in the Carabao Cup Round of 16 on Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, visiting boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is under increasing pressure to deliver over the next few games, starting today, after the Red Devils slipped outside the top six.

We’re in for quite the game in north London but what sort of line-up could we see from Nuno? Here’s what we are predicting…

There could be as many as six changes from the side which won at Turf Moor only a few days ago.

It was a mixed starting XI from Nuno, so some first-team stalwarts will remain, but there will be a change between the sticks as club captain Hugo Lloris returns to the side in place of cup goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini.

Both Cristian Romero and Emerson Royal also keep their places, but this time they are joined by Eric Dier, who has started all nine league games so far this term, and Sergio Reguilon. They replace Ben Davies and Davinson Sanchez, a big call despite the latter’s impressive showing in midweek.

In midfield, the duo of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp should remain, but this time it’ll be Tanguy Ndombele in the no.10 role, rather than Giovani Lo Celso, who is axed in favour of the French dynamo.

Out wide, Heung-min Son should be fresh for a start alongside Wednesday’s match-winner Lucas Moura, with Harry Kane the final man to keep his place up top. It means that Steven Bergwijn is axed after a poor performance in midweek, whilst Bryan Gil seems likely to miss out through injury.

AND in other news, 13 clearances, 85 touches: £18m-rated Spurs beast has just handed Nuno one big dilemma…

A fresh twist has emerged in Newcastle’s pursuit of a new manager regarding former Magpies coach Rafael Benitez.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the Tynesiders are yet to give up hope of being able to lure the Spaniard back to the club to lead them to survival this season in the Premier League.

The report claims that PIF have had him as their first choice to replace Steve Bruce since they completed the takeover and that a deal could still be possible despite him joining fellow English outfit Everton in the summer just gone.

Newcastle fans on cloud nine

Newcastle fans will surely be on cloud nine following this update. Some fans reacted to his switch to Goodison Park in the summer and were gutted after he went there instead of returning to St James’ Park. PIF are now trying to rectify the situation and appease those supporters who want him back at the club, despite it initially seeming unlikely due to his position at Everton.

The 61-year-old enjoyed a terrific spell on Tyneside as he managed the club for three-and-a-half years. He came in at the end of Newcastle’s 2015/16 relegation season, only losing three of the final 10 Premier League matches as the damage had been done prior to his arrival.

A Championship-winning campaign was then followed by 10th and 13th-placed finishes in the top flight, with Benitez leaving on good terms in 2019 to join Chinese Super League side DL Yifang. He ended his time at Newcastle with an average of 1.48 points per game across 146 matches.

Bruce replaced him and averaged just 1.15 points per game in 97 matches in charge, with Newcastle finishing 13th and 12th in the top flight in his two full seasons at the helm. The Magpies are currently 19th in the table after the 60-year-old led them to three draws and five defeats in eight games, culminating in his dismissal.

This is why fans would surely be delighted with a return to the club for the Spaniard. Even if it is on a short-term basis to help keep Newcastle in the Premier League before another manager comes in to take them forward under PIF, it could give the fans another season of Rafa to enjoy. However, the owners must now find a way to prise him away from Everton and relieve Graeme Jones of his caretaking duties in the next few weeks.

AND in other news, Contact made: PIF must seal dream Newcastle deal for £45m-rated “phenomenon”…

In terms of scoring goals, Liverpool have had no trouble in the penalty area so far this season with 29 goals scored in their opening ten Premier League games of the season, with 11 goals scored in three Champions League games and five goals bagged in two Carabao Cup games.

One player in Jurgen Klopp’s squad that has played his part in Liverpool’s goalscoring success so far this season with six goals across all competitions is 30-year-old centre-forward Roberto Firmino.

Given his age and the fact that his current contract at the Merseyside club is set to expire in the summer of 2023, it would seem likely that Liverpool will have some thoughts on potentially finding a suitable replacement for the Brazilian in the near future.

With this in mind, we feel that the club could already have their ideal replacement for Firmino with 18-year-old centre-forward Max Woltman.

As a product of Liverpool’s youth system, Woltman has made 35 appearances for the club’s U18 side, netting 14 goals and providing eight assists in the process as well as making 12 appearances for their U23 side. For that outfit, he has registered one goal and one assist, showing his attacking talent.

So far this season, the teenager has managed to score two goals and provide one assist in 14 appearances across all tournaments.

Back in January, Woltman, who has been described as “brilliant” in the past by Liverpool U18 coach Marc Bridge-Wilkinson, signed his first senior contract with the Merseyside club.

In their announcement for this news, the official Liverpool club website labelled the player as a “skilful forward with an eye for a goal,” who can “play in several positions across the frontline.”

This says to us that Woltman could go on to be an ideal long-term replacement for Firmino, judging by his abilities and positional sense. The latter has racked up a total of 93 goals and 70 assists across all competitions during his time at Anfield, whilst playing in a number of attacking and midfield positions.

If the Liverpool youngster can continue to play regularly for the Liverpool U23s, continue producing offensive numbers and make the most out of any potential opportunities he gets to play in the first team in the future, we feel that he could well go on to be a regular senior figure for the Reds in the coming years.

If he does get a chance, he could very much be Firmino 2.0.

In other news: FSG could secure Jota 2.0 at LFC with “outstanding” £67.7m star, fans would be buzzing – opinion