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Leeds United employee Noel Whelan has made a claim regarding midfielders Adam Forshaw and Kalvin Phillips, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Forshaw out, Phillips back

It has been a case of one in one out at Thorp Arch in recent weeks, with Phillips making a first start since December against Crystal Palace on Monday.

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However, one man who didn’t feature at Selhurst Park was Forshaw, who will now miss the rest of the season after fracturing a knee cap in training.

That leaves Jesse Marsch with a shortage of central midfielders for the run-in, with Mateusz Klich and Robin Koch playing 45 minutes each alongside Phillips earlier in the week.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, talking to FI, labelled Forshaw’s injury at Thorp Arch as ‘unfortunate’ and ‘disappointing’.

He then added that Phillips is going to ‘have to step up and perform’ for the final five games, labelling his return from the off as a ‘massive plus’.

“Adam Forshaw was so unfortunate to get that training injury.

“He’s been one of the best players, for me, this season – and you can see what a difference he’s made since coming back in.

“It’s disappointing because we could have done with both Phillips and Forshaw. But now Kalvin is going to really have to step up and perform for these last games of the season.

“Everyone knows what is required of them, and Kalvin being back is a massive plus no matter how you look at it.”

The Verdict: Not ideal

Phillips and Forshaw featured together briefly against Southampton at Elland Road, and the duo may well have been Marsch’s first-choice pairing, making the latter’s setback a frustrating one.

That will have to wait until next season, and hopefully, Marsch will be able to find a solution in midfield with Phillips and one other between now and the end of the season.

Koch was Leeds’ worst-rated performer on Monday, as per SofaScore, so perhaps Marsch will go with Klich once again from the off when the Whites take on Manchester City on Saturday.

In other news: Radz and 49ers will now reward Marsch if he keeps Leeds up by moving for 29-goal forward. 

Rangers’ six-game unbeaten run in all competitions came crashing to an end as they lost 2-0 to Ligue 1 side Lyon on Thursday night in the Europa League.

Steven Gerrard’s side were unable to pick up their first points of the group stage as a stunning strike from Toto Ekambi and an own goal from James Tavernier sealed the win for the French outfit at Ibrox.

Despite the defeat, there were some green shoots of potential in the performance, with a few players impressing throughout the match. One player who was a shining light for Gerrard was central defender Leon Balogun, who caught the eye at the back.

The centre-back was paired alongside Connor Goldson and was excellent throughout. He could do nothing about either of the goals, with John Lundstram allowing Ekambi to beat him too easily for the first and the second coming when Goldson’s block ricocheted off Tavernier and rolled into an empty net.

Defensively, Balogun was excellent. As per SofaScore, he won seven of his 11 duels on the pitch, making two clearances, two interceptions and two tackles. He also put in two blocks to show off his superb positioning and bravery to get in the way of the ball and prevent Allan McGregor from needing to make a save.

This shows that he was able to answer the majority of the questions Lyon posed of him. He showcased his strong defending and proved that he is able to perform at Europa League level, which will delight Gerrard as the manager will now know that he can rely upon the Nigerian for the rest of the group stage if needed.

The Rangers beast was also impressive on the ball. As per SofaScore, he had 61 touches and completed 87% of his attempted passes, including four of his eight longer pass attempts. The experienced 33-year-old was also successful with one of his two dribble attempts and won two free-kicks for the Gers, showing his nous to relieve pressure on his team.

This shows that he was competent on the ball to go along with his stout defending at the back. He put in an all-around top-class performance at centre-back for Rangers and was a shining light in an otherwise disappointing night for the Gers.

AND in other news, 62% duels lost: Rangers lightweight who lost possession 12x badly let Gerrard down…

Many West Ham United fans are far from happy with the news that PAI Capital will make a second bid to purchase the club this week.

The Hammers are in a good place at the moment on the pitch – they are in the Europa League group stage after finishing sixth in the Premier League last term. However, there has been a distinct lack of transfer business conducted this summer, and owners David Sullivan and David Gold are far from popular at the London Stadium (talkSPORT).

There appears to be interest in purchasing the club from PAI Capital, which has been backed by a number of former players (Daily Mail). As per The Telegraph, another bid will be lodged this week, but that does not appear to have pleased some supporters who believe that the delay in the takeover is damaging their transfer prospects. Indeed, a few think it could even be an excuse from the current owners for the lack of new arrivals.

The news was shared on Twitter by @central_louis, and it attracted plenty of attention from West Ham supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts.

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

“Here is our excuse for not doing any transfer business:”

Credit: @westhamtransfer

“There goes any hope of us getting signings then”

Credit: @NathWHU_

“Don’t want them to. Circus act”

Credit: @garywilliam_

“What company gets Ex players to try and drum up support, this is so West Ham shambolic. This is getting in the way of us getting players in such bad timing, can’t believe I’m saying it but I’d rather stick to what we have.”

Credit: @MarkCocklin1

“I don’t recall Roman Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour releasing tidbits to the press about an upcoming bid (or 2nd bid), they just went and bought Chelsea and Manchester City. This is all a distraction and excuse for the lack of transfer activity”

Credit: @mattwhu999

“PAI capital ruined our summer transfer. ORRR GSB set this up not to bid for any players”

Credit: @WestHamUtdFC2

In other news, West Ham are said to be interested in this Brazil international.

Manchester City will be hoping to kick off their Champions League campaign with a win as they face off against RB Leipzig on Wednesday night.

Pep Guardiola’s side failed at the final hurdle against Chelsea in May and their ambition will be to go one better this time around. To do that they will need to, first, progress out of the group and Leipzig represent their first challenge.

City come into the game off the back of a 1-0 win over Leicester away from home in the Premier League. Bernardo Silva scored the only goal of the match in the second half, taking them to three wins out of four domestically.

Will Pep make any changes to the team? Here is our predicted XI for the match…

We are predicting that Manchester City will make four changes to the team that beat Leicester, with Kevin de Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling and John Stones coming in.

Starting in the defence, we believe that Guardiola will rotate his centre-back options by bringing Stones into the mix for Aymeric Laporte. The England international is yet to start a competitive game for City this season after playing a starring role for his country at the European Championships, whilst Laporte has started the last three league matches.

Therefore, it could be Stones’ chance to come in and show what he is capable of doing. He was named in the PFA Team of the Year last season and he will be hoping to prove that he can produce a similar level of performance again, starting against Leipzig in the Champions League.

We have published an article detailing why de Bruyne could be named in the starting XI, due to his quality and lack of minutes thus far in the campaign. However, we also think that Guardiola will change out his two wide players on either side of Ferran Torres.

Gabriel Jesus and Jack Grealish both started against Leicester and we are predicting that Riyad Mahrez and Raheem Sterling will be handed a chance to impress the head coach ahead of a return to Premier League action at the weekend.

Mahrez, the £120k-per-week gem, managed four goals and two assists in 12 Champions League appearances last season and has one goal and one assist from only one Premier League start this campaign. His lack of starts this term suggest that he is in need of minutes and Guardiola could give Jesus, who played at Leicester after featuring for Brazil, a rest to give the Algerian an opportunity.

The same goes for Sterling, who has also only started once in the league. Grealish has started all four of Man City’s Premier League games, scoring one and assisting one, and it could be time for him to drop out of the XI for a match to give Sterling the chance to fight for his spot in the team.

We are predicting the rest of the team to stay the same, with Ederson, Kyle Walker, Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo, Ilkay Gundogan, Rodri and Torres filling out the side.

AND in other news, Pep must unleash Man City’s “complete footballer” against Leipzig, he’s a match-winner…

Former Celtic striker Jorge Cadete believes that the Hoops could end up landing loanee Jota in a cut-price transfer, as reported by The Daily Record.

The Lowdown: Jota clause

Ange Postecoglou made three signings on deadline day over the summer, one of which was Jota, who shares the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo. He arrived from Benfica on a season-long loan with an option to buy, with the fee required to make a move permanent thought to be just over £6m.

The 22-year-old has been a regular in green and white in recent weeks, scoring the winner against Aberdeen prior to the international break.

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The Latest: Cadete’s comments

In a report from The Daily Record, Cadete had his say on whether or not Celtic will make a permanent move for Jota, hinting that the reported fee could well drop over the coming months for the ‘exciting’ winger. The 53-year-old said:

“It’s too early to talk about the value of Jota if Celtic want to buy him. It’s normal for clubs when they loan a young player abroad, they fix the buy clause at a high price.

“Jota has been mentioned at six or seven million Euros.

“But after the season, this figure is normally not the same as it was before. It might well be lower than that by then.

“I’d like Jota to stay at Celtic in the long-term because I think it can be good for both parties. The Celtic supporters have an exciting player so it keeps them happy.”

The Verdict: Looking good so far…

Postecoglou has used Jota on a regular basis over recent weeks, with the majority of his starts coming from the left wing.

The 22-year-old also showed his versatility by playing off the right against Real Betis, and at £6m in today’s market, a permanent deal for that figure could prove to be a snip.

The Hoops have had a habit of making profits on players over the past decade, most notably Moussa Dembele, so maybe Jota could be the next in line to reap Celtic an eye-catching profit in the future if a clause of £6m or less is activated.

In other news: Sky Sports pundit thinks Celtic may land seven-figure fee as transfer news emerges

Legia Warsaw right-back Josip Juranovic is keen on a move to Celtic Park, according to Sky Sports.

The Lowdown: Right-back issues in the market

Celtic have made seven signings this summer, however, they are yet to add to their right-back ranks.

Anthony Ralston has been the man used in that position by Ange Postecoglou, scoring twice in his first five games of the season.

It appeared as if Royal Antwerp’s Aurelio Buta would be the right-back to arrive in Glasgow, with a £3m deal reportedly agreed at the end of July.

However, a move is yet to go through, with Everton now in the race for the Portuguese defender.

The Latest: Juranovic update

Sky Sports shared an on-air transfer claim regarding Celtic and Juranovic towards the end of July.

They have now provided an update on a potential move, claiming the title-winning full-back is keen to join the Hoops.

The report claims that Juranovic is expected to be Celtic’s next target after Buta and would be available for around £2.5m.

The Verdict: Sign

Even though Ralston has begun the campaign in strong style, a new right-back is needed to bolster Postecoglou’s options in that area.

Juranovic is a Croatia international who has over 200 games of senior experience at just 25 years of age, a level of experience far beyond Ralston.

He can also play as a right-midfielder and appears to be at the top of his game with a career high Transfermarkt valuation of £2.25m, so a £2.5m move could be a shrewd piece of business by the Hoops.

In other news: Celtic submit offer to sign 6 ft 3 powerhouse for Ange, claims journalist. 

Rangers manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst has won six of his first seven matches in charge of the Ibrox giants and is yet to taste defeat.

The ex-Feyenoord boss came in after the 3-1 loss to Hibernian in the League Cup and has gone on to win all five of his Premiership outings, whilst winning one and drawing one in the group stages of the Europa League.

They now play host to Dundee United in Glasgow as they look to extend that run, having beaten St Johnstone 2-0 in midweek.

Key issue

One change that could be enforced upon the head coach is axing Borna Barisic from the XI. Van Bronckhorst provided an update on the defender after the win on Wednesday, saying:

“He’s okay. He was just not feeling well. He’s not injured.”

Whilst he did not pick up a physical knock during the match, the news that he was feeling unwell is concerning ahead of this weekend. There is no need for the Gers to make him play through poor health, assuming he is still not 100% at the moment, and that means that he could be taken out of the team to give him a rest ahead of Christmas.

Van Bronckhorst could solve this key issue by unleashing the player who replaced him against St Johnstone. He was withdrawn from the match in the 79th minute and right-back Nathan Patterson came on to see out the game in an unnatural position. However, he was quickly able to adapt to his surroundings and won all three of his ground duels during his cameo, whilst completing 89% of his passes and making three tackles.

Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor previously lauded the young defender whilst on international duty with him for Scotland, saying:

“He’s been absolutely first class. You can tell he’s a real talent – even from the first day he trained with us in the summer.

“You could see his quality, his athleticism. And it’s great to see him make such a big impact, getting off the mark with a goal. He needs to just keep his head down and keep working hard. Other experienced boys will keep him on the right track, keep him honest.”

Patterson, who Che Adams once dubbed as “amazing”, scored and provided an assist in his last outing for Scotland as they beat Moldova 2-0 in a World Cup Qualifier. He also has one assist in five Premiership appearances, having started once, this season – showing off the attacking threat he can provide from full-back.

The £4.9k-per-week gem could, therefore, be an ideal choice to come in and replace Barisic at left-back for a game if he is not well enough to start. He showed great promise with his cameo in the week and he has proven his quality at right-back in his aforementioned games for club and country, which is why van Bronckhorst must unleash him this weekend.

AND in other news, 86% duels won: Rangers beast who made 5 tackles vs St Johnstone surely had Gio purring…

Transfer insider Dean Jones has expressed his shock whilst sharing what he knows as some Tottenham Hotspur transfer news comes out of N17 involving Leicester City star James Maddison.

The lowdown: Spurs linked

This comes following reports linking Spurs with a move for the 25-year-old when the market reopens at the end of the season.

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As manager Antonio Conte and recruitment chief Fabio Paratici attempt to strengthen the squad at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, speculation is going to be rife with multiple names linked with a move to north London.

However, it would appear that Maddison is unlikely to be making the move anytime soon…

The latest: Jones rules out Spurs switch

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones was quick to dismiss the idea of the English attacking midfielder joining the Lilywhites, whilst also expressing his surprise at the development.

He explained:

“I don’t really know where that one’s come from, it seems a bit left-field that report.

“I’ve texted two people, and they basically said there’s no chance that Tottenham are going to sign James Maddison. So, it’s pretty much as we would expect.”

The verdict: An early blow

Although the deal was far from at an advanced stage, adding a player of Maddison’s quality to the Tottenham ranks was an exciting proposition.

So far this season the once-capped England ace has scored 14 times and provided nine assists in 45 appearances across all competitions and would’ve provided much-needed creativity to an otherwise workmanlike midfield department.

Should the interest in Maddison indeed be fanciful, Spurs supporters may be hoping Paratici and Conte have a signing of a similar ilk lined up.

In other news: Tottenham ‘insider’ urges club to target Premier League striker,  find out more here.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s time as Manchester United manager must surely be coming to an end.

The Norwegian is famed for scoring a goal that won them a European cup final but that counts for very little in 2021.

His side are sinking and now regularly find themselves on the end of an embarrassing result. They were battered by Liverpool in a 5-0 thrashing and then lost to Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime.

They have also been a topsy-turvy side in the Champions League where Cristiano Ronaldo has regularly popped up with late goals but even he is finding it difficult to keep the Norwegian in his job.

What’s the word?

With Solskjaer’s job severely under pressure at Old Trafford, United should be looking towards replacements.

Zinedine Zidane and Ralf Rangnick are two coaches who have been linked with the role but there is another name that the Manchester club may look towards.

That’s according to The Express who claim the board already know who their next manager is.

That happens to be PSG boss, Mauricio Pochettino, somebody the Glazers and co have had their sights on for a good few years now.

Number one option

Bringing Pochettino back to the Premier League would be a hard task but it’s one that United must follow through with.

After all, the Argentine simply has to be their number one option if they do decide to sack Solskjaer in the coming weeks.

He massively overachieved with Spurs, accomplishing something that his successor and many of his predecessors failed to do. They reached a Champions League final as the 49-year-old guided his team to runners-up medals in the 2018/19 campaign after a stellar run.

Pochettino did eventually receive the sack but his qualities and reputation extend way beyond that moment. He is capable of ensuring his players produce eye-catching attacking football, while he’s also phenomenal at developing young players.

It was under the current PSG boss that Harry Kane really became a star, while he also helped the likes of Dele Alli and Heung-min Son become genuine attacking threats too.

Dele’s form has since dropped off remarkably, though, perhaps indicating the type of impact Poch had in north London.

What made his impact at Spurs even better was the lack of funds available to him. That wouldn’t be an issue at Old Trafford, however, which begs the question of what he could do when given more finances.

Crucially, he’s also got the vote of confidence from Sir Alex Ferguson, a man who clearly still has a lot of influence at United.

Speaking about him back in 2016, Ferguson described Pochettino as “fantastic.” A short anecdote from Tottenham MP David Lammy tells you what the former Man United boss really thinks of him though.

Talking six years ago, he commented: “I’m going to let you into a secret. About six weeks ago, I sat next to Sir Alex Ferguson at a dinner in support of grassroots football abroad. He said to me, ‘I think you guys have got the best manager in the Premier League.’ Alex Ferguson said that.”

With that in mind, there is surely no better head coach to appoint at Old Trafford. It’s time to say goodbye to Solskjaer, and hello to Pochettino.

AND in other news, Forget OGS: Man Utd can discover their own Klopp by hiring “professor” with 6 honours…

Newcastle United are interested in signing Union Berlin striker Taiwo Awoniyi this summer, according to German football journalist Christian Falk.

What’s the story?

According to Falk, Newcastle, as well as West Ham and Southampton, are interested in signing the 24-year-old this summer with the Nigerian having a release clause of €30m (£25m).

Awoniyi has scored 23 goals in 61 matches for the Bundesliga outfit, at a rate of once every 176 minutes, since making his loan move from Liverpool permanent last summer.

However, this term has been particularly prolific for the 24-year-old, netting 18 times and registering four assists in 39 appearances across all competitions.

The striker has been a serious contributor to the club from the capital side’s recent rise, with Union playing in the Europa Conference League this term and sat currently sixth in the Bundesliga, and could return to England this summer.

Howe will love Awoniyi

It’s no secret that a new striker will be high up the priority list ahead of the summer transfer window for Newcastle United with it being the first since PIF’s takeover of the North East club in October.

£25m January signing Chris Wood has found the back of the net just twice since joining from Burnley whilst Callum Wilson has been sidelined since December with hope that the Englishman will play again this term.

However, neither are long term options with both strikers aged 30.

Having failed to make it into the first-team picture at Liverpool, Awonyi will certainly be keen to make the move to a Premier League club to show English supporters what he’s capable of and potentially what the Reds missed out on.

Although, with Union Berlin on course for another season in Europe, West Ham may be the forward’s preference out of the aforementioned trio if the Hammers can once again qualify for Europe.

The Nigerian who journalist Lolade Adewuyi dubbed a “unicorn” has endured a plethora of loan spells during his career thus far, and was subject to serious praise when on loan at Belgian outfit Royal Excel Mouscron in 2019, with then-teammate Mergim Vojvoda saying: “He should stay his entire life here. We have to offer him a 20-year contract.

“He’s an excellent player with great qualities. If you ask me, it didn’t work with Gent because he was always in the box. Taiwo is a forward who needs to showcase his power and sometimes come deep to find the ball.”

Eddie Howe will need to add higher quality strikers to his ranks this summer and Awoniyi could certainly prove to be a shrewd purchase.

AND in other news: Howe and PIF are now heading for their first big NUFC error, it would be a disaster