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After tasting their first win of the Premier League season against Watford last time out, Leeds United will be hoping to make it back-to-back victories when they take on Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side claimed all three points against the Hornets thanks to a goal from Diego Llorente, and the Whites manager will have some big decisions to make before today’s clash against the Saints.

Along with a number of injury issues, Bielsa also has to contend with uncertainty over Raphinha’s availability following his exploits with Brazil on international duty.

With that in mind, here is a look at how Leeds might line up for the clash against Southampton at St Mary’s later this afternoon.

In goal, Illan Meslier will be looking to keep his second successive clean sheet after shutting out the Hornets, while Bielsa should look to keep faith in 22-year-old Jamie Shackleton, who impressed against Watford by winning four tackles.

Further up the pitch, the Leeds manager will be desperately hoping that Kalvin Phillips is passed fit for the game, while he could also make a big call by dropping the underperforming Stuart Dallas from his starting line-up.

That could see a potential opportunity for Tyler Roberts to come into the team, while if Raphinha fails to come through in time, Jack Harrison should come in from the bench to start today.

With Patrick Bamford out once again like he has been for the past couple of games, Rodrigo will once again be tasked with leading the line.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has confirmed an encouraging Leeds boost over Kalvin Phillips…

Keith Downie has now revealed what Newcastle United’s January transfer plans are as the club’s takeover was confirmed on Thursday evening.

The Lowdown: It’s happening…

The proposed takeover of the St. James’ Park faithful by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium is finally happening, after a breakthrough on Wednesday led to confirmation of the deal on Thursday evening.

It will finally bring an end to the reign of Mike Ashley, while a likely restructuring of the board brings the futures of the likes of Steve Bruce, Graeme Jones and Lee Charnley under question.

The Latest: Transfer plans

Downie has now told Sky Sports that ‘I do expect’ the North East club to spend money on the playing squad in the upcoming winter window, although he did not specify how much.

The journalist also claimed that spending on infrastructure will be the priority for the new owners first of all, and the stadium and academy will need improving as well.

The Verdict: Intriguing

It will certainly be intriguing to see how much money the Tyneside outfit will have to spend in January, assuming that the new owners are settled in and prepared to splash the cash immediately.

It will also be interesting to note the calibre of player that they will be able to attract, which could help them survive relegation from the Premier League, given their position in the table at the moment.

Nonetheless, it is only a matter of time before we can see just how much financial muscle they can flex now that the deal is through.

In other news, find out what big arbitration update Craig Hope has dropped here!

Some Liverpool supporters have been left frustrated after it emerged that rumoured Reds transfer target Harvey Barnes is set to sign a new deal at Leicester City.

Jurgen Klopp has had a quiet summer in the transfer market, with only two pieces of business standing out. Ibrahima Konate joined Liverpool from RB Leipzig early in the summer, while Gini Wijnaldum traded Anfield for Paris Saint-Germain.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

It doesn’t look as though much more business is going to be done between now and the end of the transfer window, although Saturday’s 3-0 win at Norwich City would suggest that is no great issue.

One player who has been linked with a move to Liverpool is Barnes, who has shone for Leicester, scoring 21 goals and registering 15 assists in 101 appearances and netting against the Reds in a 3-1 win for the Foxes back in February.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, however, the 23-year-old is expected to extend his stay at the King Power Stadium, so the Reds will most likely miss out on him this time around.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news-copy-4/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Liverpool fans fume at Barnes update

These Liverpool fans on Twitter reacted to the update from Ornstein and they swiftly took out their anger on club owners FSG, whose frugality has often irked the fan base in the past.

“Liverpool always have interest but never buying. Ugh”

Credit: @Shyntefen

“That’s a big blow given our long term interest in Barnes. Fee would be huge now if we were to try & get him”

Credit: @Jay82_LFC

“We are really going to be stuck with Bowen aren’t we?”

Credit: @I_Am_Artanis

“Yeah that’s us dead in the water in terms of signing him”

Credit: @dylan_the_kid_

“All we do is admire. Embarrassing football club”

Credit: @cfjayden

“FSG sleeping lol”

Credit: @AminurAbid1

In other news, some Liverpool fans are delighted with one major piece of news that has emerged. Read more here.

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba is set to remain at the club beyond the January transfer window after becoming enthused at the prospect of working under Ralf Rangnick.

What’s the story?

The 28-year-old has entered the final year of his contract at Old Trafford and has so far rejected the club’s offer of a new deal, opting instead to wait until the end of the season to weigh up his options.

Pogba’s current situation would allow him to reach a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club over the coming months, though, ensuring his United exit six years after re-signing for his boyhood club.

However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, the World Cup-winning midfielder is not expected to enter talks with any interested party, instead focussing on his return from injury and working under Rangnick at United.

Ornstein’s report states that: “The midfielder continues to rehabilitate in Dubai but is said to be enthused by the idea of working under Rangnick, having received positive feedback about the 63-year-old from contacts in the game.

“The Athletic is told that he is highly unlikely to do so (sign with another side in January) as he focuses on football and considers all options heading towards the summer.”

Ralf Rangnick will be elated

News that Pogba is set to remain at the club at least until the end of the campaign will leave Rangnick feeling elated, given his importance to the side.

The engine room operator has already racked up seven assists in his 13 appearances for the Red Devils throughout 2021/22 and his underlying numbers are also indicative of his influence over proceedings.

As per WhoScored, Pogba has averaged 1.7 key passes per league game this term, two dribbles and 4.8 long balls, placing him in the top three for each metric when compared to his teammates.

With Rangnick set to implement a new style and philosophy upon the 20-time English champions, he will need his best players available, and Ornstein’s latest revelation will be warmly welcomed by everyone at the Theatre of Dreams. This is evidently a huge boost for United as they aim to hit the ground running under their new tactician.

And, in other news…MUFC can get rocking again with “absolutely exceptional” £33m gem who Rangnick loves

Former Tottenham Hotspur star Graham Roberts insists that Milan Skriniar would have been one of his top targets this summer, although it does not appear that he will be joining the club.

Spurs are reported to be in talks to sign Cristian Romero from Atalanta for a fee of around €55m (£46.8m).

They are also reported to be pursuing Takehiro Tomiyasu of Bologna, who can play as a right-back and a centre-back, as well as a defensive midfielder.

Spurs were reported to be interested in Skriniar last summer, with Steve Hitchen travelling to Italy in an attempt to strike an agreement.

It remains to be seen if Spurs will make a potential move for the Inter Milan defender this summer but it seems unlikely given the pursuit of separate defenders.

But Roberts believes that Skriniar, who is valued at £54m by Transfermarkt, would have been an excellent signing, and admits that he would have placed him at the very top of his shortlist.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think last year we could probably have got him for 40 million. I know Inter need to sell because they’ve had to get rid of Conte and people like that because of the money situation.

“You never know but I would say he would have been one of my top targets, I don’t believe we need to start messing the team up.”

Celtic have been working on deals to sign both Sunderland striker Charlie Wyke and Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: McKay and Postecoglou’s Wembley meet up

New Celtic CEO Dominic McKay and boss Ange Postecoglou met in person in London on Friday, with the pair continuing to work on preparations for the new season.

The pair were also in attendance at Wembley, watching England against Scotland at the European Championships.

Current Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor played the entirety of the Group D stalemate, and it seems as if the Hoops were also busy on Friday when it comes to getting some new faces through the Parkhead door.

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The Latest: Source shares transfer news

Former Celtic man and Football Insider pundit Frank McAvennie was talking to the site about the Hoops’ summer business in a story which was published on Friday.

Within that piece, Football Insider added that the club are working on deals for both Wyke and Ryan after being informed by a Hoops source on Friday.

Wyke is set to be out of contract at the end of month, whereas Brighton are happy to part ways with Ryan this summer.

The Verdict: New additions are needed quickly

Celtic have a month until Postecoglou’s first competitive game as Hoops boss against FC Midtjylland in the Champions League qualifying rounds, so new signings could do with being sealed very soon.

Postecoglou is also set to take training next week after completing his quarantine, so you’d think he’d want his targets through the door as quickly as possible ahead of the new season.

Wyke and Ryan appear to be the two targets Celtic are working on at this moment in time, and hopefully, deals can be reached sooner rather than later, perhaps with a view to getting both players ready to start in Postecoglou’s first competitive XI against FC Midtjylland.

In other news: Hoops expected to make offer for Exeter City ace, find out more here. 

Portsmouth have enjoyed a strong start to the 2021/22 campaign and are currently sat in fifth position in League One during the first international break of the season.

Danny Cowley’s side have 10 points on the board, with three wins, one draw and one defeat after five games. Only Sunderland (12) have more, with Pompey one of six teams tied on 10 points below the Black Cats at the top of the table.

The south coast side won their first three league matches of the season, beating Fleetwood, Crewe and Shrewsbury. They were then held to a 0-0 draw by Doncaster before losing 1-0 to Wigan in their last game of the month in League One.

A number of players caught the eye with their performances in August, including on-loan Manchester City goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu – who started four of the five games and impressed between the sticks with an average SofaScore rating of 7.30 (before denying Cristiano Ronaldo from the penalty spot in midweek).

Forget the Republic of Ireland international, though, as it was Clark Robertson who was Pompey’s star man in August with his excellent performances at centre-back, as his defending helped Bazunu to rack up clean sheets and earn a high SofaScore rating of 7.18.

He was a defensive powerhouse throughout the month as he helped the team to keep four clean sheets in five games in League One. The only league goal Pompey conceded in August came in the 1-0 defeat to Wigan, with none conceded in the first four matches.

Keeping a clean sheet is a team effort, but Robertson stood out with his dominance in defence. As per SofaScore, he won an incredible 74% of his duels on the pitch, averaging 6.4 duels won per game. This shows that he was able to dominate the opposition and prevent them from winning much against him, stopping attacks and creating opportunities for his team to hit on the break, or to alleviate pressure by retaining possession.

Robertson, who joined from Rotherham in the summer, also made zero errors leading to shots or goals to further illustrate just how reliable he was for Cowley at the back. This shows how he was virtually faultless in the five matches, which is why he was arguably Pompey’s star man during August.

His excellence at the back built a platform for the attacking players to do their work without needing to worry about silly errors behind them. With just one goal conceded from five league games for Cowley’s side, Robertson’s performances have undoubtedly been key to their strong start to the campaign.

AND in other news, Pompey fans will be buzzing with Cowley’s claim on gem tipped to “become a top player”…

Charlton put on a show on Tuesday night as they produced a magnificent display against Crawley in the EFL Trophy, winning 6-1.

The Addicks have had a disappointing start to the 2021/22 campaign and this result could help lift the confidence heading into the rest of the season. Nigel Adkins’ side lost four of their first five competitive fixtures and picked up one solitary point in a 0-0 draw with Sheffield Wednesday on the opening day.

Their first League One victory came last weekend with a 2-0 win over Crewe Alexandra, with Charlton following that up with an exceptional 6-1 win against Crawley. Josh Davison scored twice, with Corey Taylor, Elliot Lee and Mason Burstow also scoring, along with an own goal from Crawley’s George Francomb.

Davison and the other goalscorers will take the acclaim for finding the back of the net, but there was a player in Charlton’s midfield who was the unsung hero with his performance in the middle of the park – George Dobson.

The 23-year-old, who arrived from Sunderland in the summer, put on a superb display in midfield as he dominated the game. He recorded a SofaScore rating of 7.9 for his showing, the highest out of all the players who failed to get on the scoresheet – with goals, of course, boosting the ratings of the goalscorers.

Per SofaScore, Dobson won the majority of his duels on the pitch – winning seven of his 12 contests, six of 11 on the ground and one out of one in the air. His key defensive stats, however, are where the true excellence of his performance lay. He made three clearances, five tackles, two blocks and eight interceptions over the course of 90 minutes.

To put that into perspective, Ian Maatsen’s average of 4.5 tackles and interceptions per game in League One was the highest in the Charlton squad last season. Dobson managed a combined 13 tackles and interceptions against Crawley, illustrating his dominance in midfield.

Whilst it is easy to be attracted to the players who scored the goals, Dobson was the one winning the ball back and initiating the attacks for Charlton. Without his incredible work in midfield, the rest of the team may not have had the opportunities to go on and score the goals they did, whilst the ex-Black Cats man also registered an assist for his troubles as well.

This is why he was the unsung hero for Adkins on Tuesday night. However, the Addicks boss will now be wanting to see a similar style of display more consistently from the beast in League One going forward.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans as Jurgen Klopp looks to strengthen his squad over the summer.

What’s the story?

According to Belgian outlet Het Nieuwsblad, the 24-year-old is on the Reds’ radar as they search for Barcelona-bound Gini Wijnaldum’s replacement.

The report added that Tielemans was emotional at the end of Leicester’s final day defeat, not only due to missing out on a top four finish, but also because he knew it may have been his final game for the club.

Edwards must swoop

With Wijnaldum set to join Catalan giants Barca on a free transfer once his contract expires in the coming weeks, Liverpool will have a rather sizeable hole left in their engine room.

In a rather underwhelming campaign for the Anfield outfit, the Dutch international was one of very few consistent performers. Despite speculation over his future rumbling on for much of the campaign, Wijnaldum featured in all 38 Premier League games for the 2019/20 champions, starting all but four of them.

His departure could have a significant negative impact upon Liverpool if the club’s director of football Michael Edwards fails to bring in an adequate replacement, but he may just have found one in Tielemans.

Since arriving in English football in a £40m deal two years ago, the former Monaco man has bagged 17 goals and provided 19 assists in 108 outings for Leicester, scoring a sensational winner as Brendan Rodgers’ side won their first-ever FA Cup two weeks ago.

His impressive performances have previously earned praise from his manager, who lauded the Belgium international’s maturity despite his tender years.

“He is 23 years of age, but you’d think he was 28 or 29,” Rodgers told Sky Sports in March.

“He has got a wonderful football brain. I trust him. Tactically, he is so strong. Technically, he can play fast because his vision is so good.”

The assets that Tielemans has so readily shown throughout his time at Leicester could make him an ideal successor for Wijnaldum at Liverpool, and Edwards must swoop for the Belgian midfield maestro this summer.

In other news…Klopp must axe “unprofessional” £80k-p/w LFC gem this summer, he’s not good enough 

Aston Villa correspondent Ashley Preece has dropped a major update on Philippe Coutinho’s Villa Park future.

The Lowdown: Coutinho’s loan spell

Coutinho was Steven Gerrard’s first signing as Villa boss back in January, with the playmaker penning a loan deal until the end of the season from Barcelona.

Villa managed to negotiate an option to make a move permanent in the summer, which is thought to be in the region of £33.4m.

The 29-year-old has made 13 appearances in a Villa shirt, contributing to seven goals while playing on both wings and as an attacking midfielder.

The Latest: Preece’s reveal

Preece dropped a Birmingham Live Q&A in a story on Thursday morning, discussing a variety of Villa topics.

One of those was on Coutinho, with a fan asking Preece how likely a permanent deal was. This is what he had to say in reply, sharing a positive update.

“Coutinho deal is, I’m told, likely to go through. Just a case of dotting Is and crossing Ts.”

The Verdict: A relief

Coutinho has impressed since making the move to the Midlands, which has resulted in interest from the likes of Newcastle United, Tottenham Arsenal and West Ham.

Villa may have been slightly worried over a permanent move despite having an option to buy at the end of the season due to the growing interest.

Therefore, Preece’s update is a relief heading into Gerrard’s first full season, and the Villa boss will more than likely be delighted, as he confirmed he wanted to make a move permanent last month.

In other news: Gerrard now happy for ace to leave Villa Park; he’s ‘central to a lot of the problems’.