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Luke Shaw looked to be one of the brightest talents the Southampton academy had ever produced when he established himself in the Saints first-team aged just 16, before completing a £27m move to Manchester United in 2014.

The left-back made his first-team debut for the South Coast club as a 16-year-old in January 2012 and he went on to make 67 appearances for the Saints before making the switch to Old Trafford two years later.

Big things were expected of the Englishman at United but like so many players who have joined the club in recent years, his career has not reached the heights that many thought it would.

Injury and fitness problems have plagued his time with the Red Devils and although he has gone on to make 149 appearances in all competitions, his time as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s first-choice left-back looks to be nearly over.

After a fairly underwhelming 2019/20 campaign which saw Shaw average a 6.85 rating across his 24 appearances in the top-flight, United paid around £15 million to bring in Alex Telles from Porto during the summer transfer window.

The Brazilian has impressed in both of his most recent United games against West Brom and Istanbul Basaksehir respectively and it would perhaps be a surprise if the 25-year-old Englishman is able to reclaim his starting spot when he returns from injury.

The former Southampton man has earned his fair share of critics during his time at Old Trafford, with former United legends Patrice Evra and Roy Keane both critical of his performance in the 3-1 defeat against Crystal Palace earlier this year, with Evra saying:

“It was laziness from Shaw. He’s guessing… and he’s got to sprint back to be in line with Lindelof.

“Shaw has been injured so he doesn’t have the same speed but he has to adapt his game. He’s not as fast as he used to be.” (per Daily Star)

Therefore, it can definitely be argued that Southampton made a great decision in selling him for £27m when he was just 18, as he clearly hasn’t progressed in the way many thought he would and he now looks set for a spell on United’s bench.

And, in other news… Nathan Redmond’s injury can be the making of “super talented” Southampton ace

With an average age of 28 years 4 months, it’s hardly surprising Crystal Palace have the oldest squad in the Premier League. Roy Hodgson’s side have struggled for consistency so far this season, with four wins out of eight games in the top flight.

The Eagles have suffered from a mixed bag of results, having beaten Manchester United in an emphatic 3-1 win at Old Trafford, before being on the receiving end of a humiliating 4-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea. However, they’ve bounced back with a 4-1 win over Leeds United at Selhurst Park just before the international break.

It’s inevitable that players will get older, but that doesn’t mean that Palace chief Steve Parish can’t do something about it. There will soon come a point when Palace will have to revitalise their aging defence, that much is for certain, as it’s safe to say that Gary Cahill, Scott Dann, Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins aren’t getting any younger.

So, Parish can solve Hodgson’s problems with one fell swoop by buying Ivan Nasberg from Valerenga.

The former Norway U21 international has been tipped to earn his first senior call-up for his country after an impressive start to the season. Per SofaScore, the 24-year-old colossus has made 23 appearances in the Norwegian Eliteserien this season, whilst he is averaging 3.3 clearances and 1.2 interceptions per game, helping his side keep 8 clean sheets in the process.

By comparison, even Dann has only mustered fewer than one interception per game in the Premier League, as per SofaScore.

It’s claimed that Valerenga would be willing to accept £1m for Nasberg, as per The Sun.

Once lauded as a “really good” player by his former skipper Adam Larsen Kwarasey, Nasberg has made over 100 appearances for the Norwegian side, whilst he has scored two goals and supplied two assists in all competitions.

Standing at 186cm tall, he isn’t exactly the tallest of centre-backs but he more than makes up for his relative lack of height with his defensive contributions at the back.

The Norwegian seems like a relatively risk-free signing to all intents and purposes with a low risk and a high reward. However, Parish will face stiff competition from Fulham for his signature. Get it done, Eagles.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace may forever regret not signing Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy…

Celtic’s run of poor form continued after they failed to come away with a result in their most recent Europa League fixture. The Hoops were dealt another loss on home soil after AC Milan hit them for three following another disappointing defensive display.

With the news of Christopher Jullien’s back injury proving to be worse than expected, Neil Lennon will be without the centre-back for their trip to Aberdeen this afternoon. After losing two games on the bounce and shipping five goals in that time, it’s imperative that the 49-year-old pulls off a masterclass in order to get his side back to winning ways.

Football FanCast has predicted how Celtic might line up to face the Dons…

After concerns were raised over Vasilis Barkas’ recent performances, Lennon may have his hand forced when it comes to this afternoon’s selection. Scott Bain has made just one appearance in Celtic colours this season but it came during their 5-1 win over Hamilton in their opening fixture. With a lot of pressure on his shoulders to rectify his side’s form, the 28-year-old could put in a solid display between the posts.

After a lacklustre performance from Leigh Griffiths as Lennon’s lone striker against Ajax, it’ll be very unlikely if he starts against Aberdeen. Both he and Albian Ajeti earned poor Sofascore ratings and can be expected to be dropped in place of Mohamed Elyounoussi and Patryk Klimala.

The Saints loanee came on and immediately made an impact, scoring Celtic’s only goal of the game. Fellow substitute Ryan Christie provided the assist, and should therefore be placed in the starting lineup instead of Olivier Ntcham in the midfield.

It will be a tough ask for the Hoops to restore their winning streak, especially against Aberdeen who are just three points behind them in the league. Thanks to their Old Firm loss, bitter rivals Rangers have extended their lead at the top of the table and are now four points clear. Three points will be the only thing on Lennon’s mind, as they look to show the Gers who should be at the top.

In other news, Celtic suffer blow ahead of Aberdeen as Odsonne Edouard not likely to feature…

Chelsea are currently head and shoulders above all of their Premier League rivals in the current transfer window.

The Blues mean serious business going into the new season as they currently boast a mammoth six new senior signings. They arguably have four marquee recruits after splashing the cash on the likes of Timo Werner, Ben Chilwell and Kai Havertz.

Their fourth major signing comes in the form of Brazilian icon Thiago Silva, who left Paris Saint-Germain on a free contract in search of pastures new.

A recent report from The Telegraph has brought to light some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into the 35-year-old’s move to Stamford Bridge.

Brazil and former PSG teammate Neymar reportedly nudged Silva in the direction of Chelsea after warning him that he would regret not taking up the offer. The £115.2m-valued forward was one of the players from whom the Brazilian sought advice before deciding on the move to Frank Lampard’s side.

Silva has played in both the French and Italian top tiers but the chance of joining a Premier League side is a huge opportunity. Similarly to Neymar, former Blues player Willian also encouraged the veteran to pursue the move to west London.

Silva signed a two-year deal with Chelsea and could even see his career out under Lampard. He could well be the focal point of the Englishman’s defence this season as the Blues look to challenge in the Premier League title race.

What do you think of this update, Blues? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Liverpool’s summer chase of Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara has stalled a bit as of late. The main reason behind that is money. Of course, it’s not that the Reds don’t want the Spaniard but despite his contract slowly but surely running down, the Bavarians are still demanding a respectable sum of money.

The player may very well be worth it but Jurgen Klopp believes that €30m (£27.3m) is not what he can offer right now for the Spanish midfielder. However, there is one thing that just might help him raise the necessary funds to get that deal over the line.

According to a report from Dutch outlet Algemeen Dagblad, the new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman has placed Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum ‘very high’ on his transfer wishlist.

Klopp’s midfielder has only a year left on his contract and it seems his compatriot is urging him not to extend and rather make a switch to the Camp Nou. Of course, the Reds wouldn’t exactly get a lot of money for the 29-year-old but it could still be a boost in their chase of Thiago.

Wijnaldum and Koeman also have a good relationship since they have worked together at the Dutch national team. Koeman feels like Gini could be a good partner for Frenkie de Jong in the middle of the park, making this transfer a real possibility.

Verdict

Wijnaldum has grown immensely in the last seasons at Anfield. Now, he’s a more well-rounded midfielder and definitely a big asset for Klopp. However, with only a year left on his contract and 29 already on his back, now would be the time to cash in.

Besides, that transfer could very well give the Premier League champions the funds they are currently missing to sign Thiago. It’s a win-win scenario for all parties involved.

Let’s see if the German coach decides to pull the trigger.

Newcastle United may be boosted by the latest comments made by Jose Mourinho ahead of the Tyneside club’s fixture against Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League at St. James’ Park tomorrow evening.

Speaking after Tottenham’s 2-1 home win against Arsenal in the North London derby, where Heung-Min Son and Toby Alderweireld gave his side all three points after Alexandre Lacazette opened the scoring for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, the Portuguese coach (via The Chronicle) highlighted the fact that the Magpies are the only team that he has never beaten away from home in the top flight.

Indeed, he has faced the Toon Army as manager for both Chelsea and Manchester United away from home, but has not yet registered a single Premier League win on Tyneside, which may encourage some Newcastle fans ahead of their clash.

However, Steve Bruce’s team come off the back of a relatively disappointing 2-1 away defeat at the hands of Watford at the weekend, where two penalties from Hornets captain Troy Deeney cancelled out the opener from Dwight Gayle, giving the Hertfordshire club renewed hope of survival.

With Newcastle already mathematically safe from relegation, there may be slight fears that the team may not put in maximum effort as Spurs look to hunt down an automatic European qualifying spot with three matches still left to play.

Nevertheless, the fact that Mourinho has never won at St. James’ Park in the Premier League as a manager may give some supporters encouragement as they look to finish off the 2019/20 season strongly and potentially finish in the top half of the league.

Geordies, do you think you will finish in the top half of the table? Comment below with your views!

Marcelo Bielsa and his men will be immortalised as the group that finally took the Whites back to the Premier League after West Brom’s loss to Huddersfield confirmed their top-flight status, but in true Leeds United fashion, they didn’t do it the easy way.

After years of jeers about ‘falling apart again’, it’s finally over, Leeds have crossed the finish line that has been in sight so many times before, and it took a mighty effort from everyone involved at the club to make this dream a reality.

Whether it’s Victor Orta making Dragon’s Den style presentations, Marcelo Bielsa creating eight-page dossier’s on opposition’s third-choice goalkeeper or players enduring the Argentine’s famed ‘murderball’ sessions, everyone has put so much in to get to this point.

2019/20 will be remembered as a rollercoaster campaign for the Whites that ended in the best way possible, and here are 15 moments that defined United’s promotion campaign…

White in Jansson out

Summer transfer windows always have a huge say on how a team is going to get on throughout the season, and it’s fair to say that July 1st was one of the most important days of United’s promotion campaign as a little-known centre-back named Ben White also came in on loan.

White is now reportedly valued by his parent club at £40m, despite never playing above League One level before joining Leeds.

With White joining, there was one less spot in the defence, and this meant the end of Pontus Jansson’s time at Elland Road.

This was truly a sign of Marcelo Bielsa stamping his authority after reportedly falling out with the fan favourite, and in the end, it could be argued that this move worked out for both parties.

Opening day domination

Leeds were handed a tough opening day clash away at Bristol City.

There were certainly a few questions to be answered ahead of the game after United’s playoff capitulation last term, but they made sure to answer them very quickly, playing Bristol off the park, going 3-0 up in 72 minutes, before the Robins added a consolation.

Nketiah’s late heroics

Unfortunately, Leeds’ brilliant performances wouldn’t last long, and United would need bailing out a few times in the following weeks.

Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah made something of a name for himself by scoring key goals late in games, saving United’s skin against Brentford, Barnsley and Preston.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for Nketiah in Yorkshire, but the points he won for Leeds certainly helped them on their way to the Premier League.

West Brom beaten

In 2018/19 Leeds came so close to getting promoted, but in the end, results at home against their rivals cost them as they succumbed to both Norwich and Sheffield United at Elland Road.

Fortunately, that didn’t happen this time as United made a statement of intent by beating the Baggies 1-0 at home.

Centenary celebrations

2019 marked 100 years since the formation of the club, and against Birmingham City, the Whites celebrated this landmark.

Wearing a specially designed changed strip to mark the occasion, Leeds prevailed, beating the Blues 1-0 with a goal from local-lad and lifelong fan Kalvin Phillips sealing the three points.

Seven in a row

United really made a spot in the top two their own throughout the back end of 2019, winning seven games in a row from November 2nd to December 10th, in a run that really defined the Whites’ success throughout this campaign.

The highlight of this run was undoubtedly a 4-0 demolition job against Middlesbrough as former man Jonathan Woodgate had a torrid return to Elland Road.

Cardiff jitters

All good things have to come to an end, and United’s winning run ended in the worst possible fashion.

Leeds raced into a 3-0 lead against Cardiff back in December, but a second-half resurgence saw the Bluebirds level the game late on, causing Leeds to drop points for the first time in over a month.

United could so easily have capitulated after such a result, but they managed to recover just a couple of weeks later.

 Game of the season

After the Cardiff game, Leeds would fail to win their next two against Fulham and Preston, and all of a sudden their clash with Birmingham City looked like a must-win.

Fortunately, they managed to overcome Pep Clotet’s side, beating them 5-4 courtesy of a last-minute Wes Harding own goal.

It took a lot of bottle for Leeds to come away with a win here, and that sort of drive was so key to their promotion push.

Premier League audition

Although Leeds’ game against Arsenal in the FA Cup didn’t actually contribute to their promotion, it was a key match in showing that Marcelo Bielsa’s side were ready for the Premier League.

The Whites lost 1-0 to the Gunners, but they put on an impressive display, creating a multitude of chances, earning plaudits from pundits across the land.

Casilla’s mistakes

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Leeds season if they didn’t threaten to monumentally mess it up, and a run of costly errors from Kiko Casilla in February threatened to derail their season.

The Spaniard conceded directly from a corner against Wigan in United’s 1-0 loss at Elland Road, before being beaten far too easily at his near post in a loss to Nottingham Forest and basically assisting Brentford’s only goal in a draw at Griffin Park.

Casilla was to blame for United’s playoff loss last term, and it seemed as though he could cost them again, but luckily his errors wouldn’t prove all that costly.

Five clean sheets in a row

Good defence defined United’s season more than anything, keeping the best defensive record in the division, and after Casilla stopped with the howlers, he kept three clean sheets in a row.

Unfortunately, the Spaniard was then banned for an incident that occurred against Charlton earlier in the season, but he wasn’t missed too much as Illan Meslier came in and continued the Whites’ run of shutouts.

Wake up call

United’s good form was put on hold due to the suspension of football for three months, and upon their return they didn’t hit the ground running.

Leeds lost 2-0 in their first game back against Cardiff, but rather than letting their heads drop, this acted as a wake-up call.

Fulham brushed aside

United’s next game was a key clash against Fulham, and to call it a must-win would have been an understatement.

If Leeds would have lost, the London club would have been just four points adrift with all the momentum in the world, but a comfortable 3-0 win saw Bielsa’s side move 10 points clear of Fulham, putting them firmly in the driving seat to go on and get promoted.

Biggest win of the season

The final few weeks of the season are usually the prime time for Leeds to self-destruct, but this time United did the exact opposite and put on arguably their best showing of the campaign to settle everyone’s nerves.

Leeds beat Stoke 5-0, and with four games to go that performance showed that any team that fancied gatecrashing the Whites’ party would have to be at their very best to do it.

Hernandez’s magic

Things were still a bit nervy heading into the final few weeks, Brentford’s incredible run meant Leeds weren’t home and dry yet, and nerves were high heading into the final minutes against Swansea with the deadlock yet to be broken.

As he has done time and time again, Pablo Hernandez saved Leeds’ skin with an 89th-minute winner, a goal that put Leeds within touching distance of a spot in the Premier League.

Prior to the suspension of football in the United Kingdom back in March, things were actually going rather well for Leeds United.

After the agony of missing out on promotion last time out, the Yorkshire side had once again put themselves in the position to challenge for an automatic promotion place with just nine matches to play.

However, Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been asked to wait a little longer before they can look to secure their return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.

With a seven-point gap to third-placed Fulham and a favourable run-in including fixtures against Luton Town, Charlton Athletic and Barnsley, Leeds remain one of the favourites for promotion, but the effects of football behind closed doors and the time away from the pitch is not yet fully understood.

Here, we look into six statistics from Leeds’ season so far in an attempt to refresh our memories ahead of the return of Championship football…

Possession based Bielsa

Marcelo Bielsa is renowned for favouring a high-intensity possession-based style of play and that has certainly been the case so far this season at Leeds.

The Elland Road side have averaged 60.1% from their 37 games so far this season, which is better than any other side in the division.

Third-place Fulham are second on this list, with 58.8%.

Football on the floor

With an average of just 16.9 per match, no Championship side has won fewer aerial duels than Leeds this season.

As is perhaps illustrated by their impressive possession numbers, Leeds prefer to play the ball on the floor, while replacing Pontus Jansson with the smaller but technical Ben White could also have played a part.

Jansson wins on average 3.4 aerial duels per match, compared with White’s 2.8.

Deadly on the counter

With plenty of speed in the shape of Helder Costa, Jack Harrison and Pablo Hernandez, Leeds have been very effective on the counter this season.

Alongside Hull City, their total of six counter-attack goals is the best in the league and has shown that they do not solely rely on a possession-based style to break down their opposition.

They are much less threatening from set-pieces though, with the second-fewest set-piece goals in the league.

Own goals

Leeds have benefited from a staggering six own goals this season, two more than any other side.

While Patrick Bamford has been criticised for his lack of incisiveness in front of goal, it is clear that they have been putting the ball in dangerous areas, as shown by the fact that they have scored the fourth-most goals in the league this season.

Old flame burns strong

At 35 years old, Pablo Hernandez is likely coming towards the end of a long and storied career.

However, it appears Bielsa has got the best out of him with the Spaniard managing six goals and six assists from his 25 starts so far this year.

While the likes of Jack Harrison and Helder Costa have offered him competition, his 2.3 key passes-per-match and 56.6 passes-per-match see him leading all Leeds other attackers.

Bamford’s importance

A player that divides opinion among Leeds fans, Bamford remains Leeds’ primary goal threat.

With 13 league goals so far, his seven strikes clear of Hernandez and own goals who are tied for second place.

The loans of Eddie Nketiah and Jean-Kevin Augustin have not worked out, and it is likely that Bamford will have to continue in his lone centre-forward role.

Ever since Luis Campos opened up on his admiration and respect for Jose Mourinho last year, speculation has been rampant that Lille’s current sporting director could make the leap to the Premier League to join forces with his great friend at Tottenham, with Canal+ even reporting that he could do so this summer.

As quoted by Sky Sports, Campos said back in October: “Mourinho is like a brother to me. I know him very well and for a long time. He’s a wonderful person and the best coach in the world. So, of course, if he called me I would speak.”

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For those who aren’t aware of the kind of genius that the Portuguese man possesses, then look no further than his work at AS Monaco and Lille. The likes of Fabinho, Bernardo Silva, Anthony Martial, Nicolas Pepe and Victor Osimhen all arrived under his watch, with everyone barring the latter leaving for the Premier League for big sums of money.

Campos has the kind of Midas touch in the transfer market that should greatly appeal to someone like Daniel Levy. The Spurs chairman is notoriously frugal with his spending, and maximising profit at all turns. Bringing in someone like the 55-year-old could ensure the north London side unearth some of world football’s hidden gems at a fraction of the price they will eventually be worth.

Not only would make it even more sense in the current climate given that clubs are unlikely to splash big money anytime soon, but he would be working alongside with Mourinho, a man that he has publicly admitted to having a great relationship with.

Having a tandem like that working in harmony could bring rich rewards to Spurs both on and off the pitch.

So whilst the future of Harry Kane may dominate the headlines this summer about whether he will end up staying, it’s perhaps just as equally important for Spurs in the long-run that they bring in Campos. The Portuguese man could help transform the Lilywhites into competing at the top of the table even without being the biggest spenders like some of their rivals.

Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting in their droves this week after reports emerged linking them with a move for Norwich City right-back Max Aarons in the summer.

According to Soccer Link, Spurs boss Jose Mourinho has personally contacted the 20-year-old to try and convince him to join the club, although it is also claimed that they will have to compete with arch-rivals Arsenal to secure his signature.

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And the news has supporters desperate to see it come to fruition.

Aarons has been a key part of the Canaries’ first-team squad for the past two seasons whilst this campaign he has racked up 27 appearances in the top-flight, recording two assists, one of which came against Spurs.

This has seen his value rise to £18m as per Transfermarkt but it remains to be seen what sort of fee the Norfolk-based outfit would command for his services at the end of the season, but relegation to the Championship would aid Spurs’ chances substantially.

Here’s how fans have been reacting to the latest on Twitter…

AND in other news, Spurs would make major coup with a move for La Liga star…