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According to Football Insider, Leeds United are keen on signing Derby County starlet Louie Sibley.

What’s the story?

With the January transfer window now open, Marcelo Bielsa’s side will no doubt be on the lookout for some reinforcements as they bid to end their first season back in the Premier League on a high.

And as per Football Insider, the Whites are looking at bringing in 19-year-old midfielder Sibley, who has been in and out of the side at Championship side Derby this campaign, making 17 senior appearances.

The report claims that both Sibley, and his teammate Jason Knight, are both on the radar for Leeds for this month, but that summer moves may be more likely.

Imagine him and Shackleton

Incredibly versatile, Sibley’s arrival at Elland Road would give Leeds another injection of youth and energy, especially in that engine room where they already have Jamie Shackleton.

Kalvin Phillips of course has been linked with a move away in the past, whilst Mateusz Klich will turn 31 later this year. So Bielsa will surely be looking at potential ways of rejuvenating his midfield, and one way he could do that is partnering Shackleton with Sibley in the middle of the park.

Speaking after a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United, then Derby boss Philip Cocu remarked: “He played a great game. He’s a great character — he has a good mentality, he has the desire to win, to play, to find his positioning between the lines. He’s not scared of anybody. It was a pleasure to see him play.”

Leeds are already proving this season that they are one of the most fearless sides in the Premier League, going after teams right at the top of the table and not even thinking twice about it.

Sibley’s fearlessness would fit in perfectly at Elland Road, and give Leeds one of England’s up-and-coming young talents.

David Sullivan will not solve David Moyes’ offensive woes by luring Montpellier HSC striker Gaetan Laborde to West Ham United in the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, the Irons have been handed a huge boost in their efforts to sign Laborde as the financial implications of the global pandemic has left the Ligue 1 outfit chasing income this winter.

President Laurent Nicollin has confirmed the Stade de la Mosson natives are facing debts of €20m to €25million (£18.2m to £22.8m) after failing to make any sales in the summer, while playing games behind closed doors is causing further losses of €500,000 (£456.4k) a match.

As such, Nicollin may have to accept cut-priced offers for some of manager Michel Der Zakarian favoured players, including Laborde, who is now said to be available for €12million (£10.95m) amid interest from both West Ham and Newcastle United.

Both Premier League sides are understood to have scouted Laborde throughout the current Ligue 1 campaign after showing an interest in the summer, with the 26-year-old striking three goals and five assists in 13 top-flight fixtures.

Not the answer

While Laborde has brought a creative touch to Zakarian’s offence this term, the former France U20 international has only struck once in his last 11 league appearances and boasts just 21 goals in 84 games across all competitions for Montpellier since signing in 2018.

Moyes is in need of offensive reinforcements in the winter market with Michail Antonio sidelined again with a hamstring injury, while doubt lingers over Sebastien Haller’s future at the London Stadium after reportedly leaving the Scot underwhelmed.

The West Ham boss was at his wits end following Saturday’s defeat at home to Manchester United with his players being so wasteful in the final third, believing the Irons let the game slip away after enjoying a period of dominance throughout the first half.

“I thought the biggest thing tonight was that we had a great chance to go two or three up, maybe even more. We played really well but we didn’t kill it off when we had the chance to do so, show a clinical edge to our finishing or our final pass which was needed. I think that was what cost us tonight,” said Moyes after the game, via football.london.

Laborde would not be the answer to Moyes’ woes as while he could be available for little at £10.95m, the 5 ft 11 centre-forward is relentlessly wasteful with his chances.

Across his 13 Ligue 1 appearances this season, of which he has started each, Laborde has averaged 2.4 shots a game yet has scored just 0.2 times a game while missing three big chances to find the back of the net, per SofaScore.

He only offers 10.9 accurate passes in the opponent’s half of the pitch per game, too, while losing possession 12.2 times, committing 1.8 fouls and losing 66% of his ground duels and 48% of his aerial contests.

Laborde may be cheap, but West Ham would be better served to focus their efforts away from the Stade de la Mosson this winter.

AND in other news, a “powerful” West Ham dud has given David Moyes all the evidence in the world to why he will never be trusted.

Writing on Twitter, reliable Spurs correspondent Charlie Eccleshare has revealed the real reason behind Tanguy Ndombele and his absence from the north London derby – describing it as a ‘big blow for Tottenham’ as they have had to cope without, arguably, one of their best players of the season so far.Â

After being omitted by manager Jose Mourinho for much of last campaign, with speculation mounting over his future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Ndombele has become a vocal point of the Lilywhites attack recently.

Ndombele absence revealed

Oozing flair and creativity in the attacking midfield position behind a rotating front trio, the Frenchman has come on leaps and bounds since signing for Spurs in a club-record deal last summer.

However, Mourinho’s side have had to cope without him today in the north London derby, with Eccleshare now revealing the reason behind his absence after a ‘big blow for Tottenham’.

Indeed, as he writes on social media, the Athletic correspondent has claimed he is ‘unwell’ – with the circumstances potentially worrying given we are in the middle of a global pandemic, although there is nothing to suggest his illness is related to this at this time.

Transfer Tavern take

Having become one of Spurs’ most improved player of the season, along with, debatably, Serge Aurier – Ndombele missing the north London derby is a blow to the player himself as well as supporters.

The 23-year-old would have started his first north London derby since moving to the Premier League, and he will surely be devastated to miss out on what is a momentous occasion.

In other news: Jose Mourinho refused to rule out a Spurs return for this amazing ace, find out more here.Â

Aston Villa return to the Hawthorns for the first time since that exhilarating night in which they secured a place in the Championship play-off final, but a lot has changed in that time.

Dean Smith’s side will be facing arch-rivals West Brom in what is Sam Allardyce’s first game in charge of the Baggies after he took over from the axed Slaven Bilic this week.

The Villans were held to a 0-0 stalemate by Burnley in midweek despite all of their dominance in front of goal, but the 49-year-old will be buoyed by the fact that he has several of his key players returning from suspensions and injuries.

Here’s the XI we could see in tonight’s Midlands derby…

There could be as many as four changes to the side that drew to the Clarets on Thursday night.

Smith is able to welcome back Matty Cash from suspension and he comes straight back in for Ahmed Elmohamady, even despite the veteran deputising expertly, whilst we could also see Ezri Konsa return from illness.

He’ll replace Kortney Hause as the only other alteration to the back four.

Douglas Luiz is another Villa star who is in line for an instant return following suspension, and he is set to take the place of Marvelous Nakamba to partner John McGinn in central midfield.

The stalemate at Villa Park in midweek was too soon for Ross Barkley after injury, but we could see his presence back in the lineup here tonight to complete the engine room.

It means Jack Grealish goes back to his left-wing spot with Anwar El Ghazi also remaining in the line-up, only this time he swaps flank. As a result, Smith could wield his axe on Bertrand Traore, who has struggled to make an impact since his £19m move from Lyon.

The £60k-per-week winger will have to settle for the bench.

In attack, Ollie Watkins will surely lead the line once again.

AND in other news, Aston Villa must offload out-of-favour Bjorn Engels in January transfer window

Everton boss Carlo Ancelotti risks repeating the mistakes of Ronald Koeman by signing Rangers midfielder Glen Kamara.

What’s the word?

According to TEAMtalk, the Goodison Park natives are one of several clubs to have recently scouted Kamara ahead of the January transfer window as sides begin stepping up their interest.

Dinamo Moscow and Dynamo Kyiv are both understood to have approached Rangers to express their interest, while Burnley, Brighton, Brentford, Newcastle and Sheffield United have also made checks.

Everton scouts have now joined the clutch of European sides to have descended on Ibrox, with Blues staff sitting alongside those from Southampton, AS Monaco, LOSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund in monitoring the Finland international’s progress.

Gers boss Steven Gerrard is loath to lose the midfielder he acquired for a nominal £50,000 from Dundee in 2019, and is pushing the Premiership giants to tie Kamara down to a long-term deal despite his current terms running until 2023.

Gerrard sees Kamara as a key chess piece to his tactics and would already have rushed through talks over a new contract if the decision was solely his.

“If it was my decision the answer would be yes,” he told reporters last week, via quotes by the Daily Mail. “I’ve made my feelings known to Ross [Wilson, the Sporting Director] and the board on that situation.

“Glen has been fantastic for me since day one. He’s grown and he’s evolved. He’s improved and he’s listened. He was superb at the weekend [against Celtic] but for me he has been really consistent for much longer than that.”

Schneiderlin 2.0?

Kamara was lauded for running the show in Rangers’ Old Firm Derby win over bitter rivals Celtic earlier this month, with Gers icon Neil Murray telling The Scottish Sun: “Kamara was excellent at the weekend and he really is an intelligent footballer. He has so much ability on the ball.”

And while Gerrard is likewise full of praise for the player Kamara has become over his 69 appearances for Rangers, the 25-year-old is not the type of player Ancelotti should be looking to lure to Goodison Park.

The 24-cap international often sees a lot of the ball at Ibrox with an average of 81 touches per Premiership appearance this season, but frequently fails to use that or his 66.7 accurate passes (92%) to good effect with just 0.9 key balls and 0.3 shots, per SofaScore.

He also does not attempt to draw the flow of play forward with just 0.7 successful dribbles (70%) a match, while offering little defensively with 0.9 interceptions, 0.7 tackles and 0.6 clearances.

Should Ancelotti strive to acquire Kamara, the Italian would seemingly just be repeating the errors of Koeman in the Dutchman’s £24million deal to sign Morgan Schneiderlin from Manchester United.

Schneiderlin was frequently questioned for his relentless sideways and backwards passing or for attempting to force balls through to players that were heavily marked, and that is something that Kamara would likely bring back to Goodison Park.

Ancelotti currently has options who rather look to bring play forward in Allan, Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes, with the trio playing 23, 45 and 36 accurate passes in the final third during Premier League games respectively this season and 89, 112 and 76 passes in the opponent’s half, per SofaScore.

Kamara, then, would be a step back rather than forward if he is signed, much like the play he would bring to Merseyside.

AND in other news, Everton must secure a January loan move for a talented ace in the “mould of Makelele”.

Aston Villa fans have called on the club to make one more signing this transfer window, and perhaps Dean Smith should listen to them…

What’s the word?

At the weekend, Brentford boss Thomas Frank called for a resolution to the saga surrounding his winger Said Benrahma amidst interest from several Premier League clubs.

According to the Daily Mail earlier this month, the 25-year-old is Smith’s ‘No.1’ target with the Bees holding out for a total of £20m.

West Ham, Crystal Palace and Arsenal have also been mooted with interest throughout the window.

The final piece

Villa’s unbeaten start to the new campaign continued on Monday night as they thrashed top-flight newcomers Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage. It’s three wins from three in all competitions without a goal being conceded.

Perhaps the Midlands outfit have found their best back four, meaning their attention could turn to further up the field with less than a week to go before deadline day.

Smith could really complete his attack with a move for his former superstar, Benrahma.

The Algerian wizard was one of the best players in the Championship last season after he bagged 17 goals and provided nine assists, also averaging 3.8 shots, three dribbles and 2.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

He and Ollie Watkins formed a formidable partnership – one that must be replicated at Villa Park. Just imagine Jack Grealish in the hole behind Benrahma, Watkins and Bertrand Traore.

EFL pundit Don Hutchinson believes Benrahma is ready for the step-up, which is a huge positive whilst Sam Saunders’ praise of him provides further excitement – “He could nutmeg a mermaid,” said the Brentford B coach.

He’s even been likened to Lionel Messi.

Benrahma reuniting with Smith and Watkins is a mouthwatering prospect and could be the move to elevate them from the depths of the bottom half into serious contenders further up the table.

AND in other news, Lange has to break club-record fee again to sign top target…

Bundesliga side Werder Bremen have urged Milot Rashica to make a decision over his future after being linked with a move to Aston Villa.

With the summer transfer window open, Villa boss Dean Smith could look to improve his squad options, in particular in attack where the likes of Keinan Davis, Mbwana Samatta and Wesley have all struggled to find consistent form.

With transfer gossip flooding the internet, Brentford striker Ollie Watkins has emerged as a potential arrival, whilst a link to Rashica has been heavily maintained.

The 24-year-old netted eight goals and supplied seven assists in 28 Bundesliga games for Bremen last season and has a current Transfermarkt value of £19.8m.

With interest reported from Villa, Bremen boss Kohfeldt provided an update on the attacker’s future and the German club have now urged the attacker to make a decision on his future.

Reacting to the news which was shared by Twitter account @AVFC_News, some Villa fans gave their opinion on the ongoing rumour surrounding the attacker. Whilst some want him to sign, given his impressive stats from last term, others aren’t as keen as they think he is holding out for a potentially bigger move, suggesting he doesn’t really want to join the Villans.

Do you think Rashica would be a good signing for Villa? Let us know in the comments section below…

A couple of years back, Liverpool were on Jeremy Doku’s tail but in the end, the transfer didn’t happen and for a while, the rumours have gone quiet on that front. However, it seems that Jurgen Klopp could be back to finish what he started in 2018.

According to a recent update from Het Nieuwsblad (via Sport Witness), the Reds have renewed their interest in the 18-year-old star and could indeed be looking to acquire his services in the ongoing summer transfer window.

However, even if they manage to get him, which at this point is not exactly a guaranteed operation, they would then be willing to loan him back to Anderlecht for the upcoming season.

That way, the youngster could still develop and play regularly while he waits for his real opportunity at Anfield. But the same source states Vincent Kompany’s side are aware of the interest but are not exactly thrilled about it.

Ideally, they don’t want to sell their rough gem but given the current financial situation at the club, every player could indeed be moved on for the right place, Doku included.

But in case of the young star, the report states it would have to be a bid in tens of millions – so not exactly cheap for such a young player.

We don’t know how strong Klopp’s interest is but the Reds are adamant on not spending too much money this summer. Would they be willing to make an exception for the Belgium ace?

Only time will tell.

Verdict

With eight goals and three assists across all competitions in 2019/20, Doku has certainly been on fire. So it doesn’t exactly come as a big surprise to see clubs like Liverpool wanting to take him to the Premier League.

But Anderlecht would also love to keep him. After all, he’s a huge asset for them.

Needless to say, this could complicate the situation for the Reds.

Celtic’s defensive record this season, to put it kindly, has been absolutely shocking.

They have already conceded 13 goals in the Scottish Premiership, a tally that eclipses their title rivals Rangers by ten.

Clearly, the reason why they’re so far behind the Gers is sticking out like a sore thumb.

If Neil Lennon can’t find a way to address the defensive issues plaguing his backline then Steven Gerrard’s men will run away with the SPFL title.

Considering Celtic have desires of winning a tenth crown in a row, this has not been the season they wanted.

However, could it have been easier? Quite possibly, but after Nick Hammond’s colossal transfer blunder earlier this year we will never know.

One of the biggest issues in Lennon’s side has been at right-back with Jeremie Frimpong.

The former Manchester City youngster was excellent last season and earned considerable praise, especially from Lennon. “He’s one of the best kids I’ve ever seen,” remarked the Celtic boss in 2019.

Unfortunately, it hasn’t quite happened for Frimpong in 2020/21.

Against Hibernian the 19-year-old was pretty dismal, losing possession 18 times and completing just one tackle. On top of that, he didn’t produce much in the final third, failing to put in a single accurate cross.

Why, therefore, is this relevant to the transfer market? Well, the Hoops were unable to bring in highly-rated teenager Brandon Soppy last January.

French press (via The Sun) linked the right-back with a move to Parkhead but nothing materialised. Since then, Soppy has become not just one of the best young defenders in Europe, but one of the best young players overall.

For 18-year-old’s in Europe’s top five leagues, the Rennes defender was ranked third on WhoScored’s average ratings before the international break.

He has been a consistent figure, producing an unrelenting number of tackles. Soppy has made 2.8 per game this season in Ligue 1, a tally that eclipses Frimpong by 1.8 a match.

On top of that, Soppy is still as much a threat going forward as the current Celtic full-back is, performing at least one successful dribble each outing. Football Talent Scout described the qualities of the teenage sensation, summarising them by saying: “he is extremely dangerous on the counter thanks to his pace and acceleration.”

Soppy is already performing at a particularly high standard in one of the best leagues in Europe and not just have Celtic missed out on one of the continent’s hottest properties, but they have also missed out on the inevitable re-sale value they could have recouped.

This has been a disaster all round, especially when you consider – excuse the pun – Celtic’s soppy defensive record.

In other news, check out how Celtic can FINALLY replace Scott Sinclair…

Speaking to Football.London, Jermaine Jenas has urged Tottenham to strengthen at full-back this summer.

What did he say?

With one game remaining in the Premier League, the north London side can still qualify for the Europa League next season, provided they get a result against Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon.

And with Jose Mourinho no doubt keen on shaping this squad in his own image, Jenas believes that bringing in two dynamic full-backs could drastically change how Spurs perform on the pitch.

Is it Mido or Pedro Mendes? This Spurs quiz will separate the loyal from the fake…

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

He said: “I personally would be looking at two full-backs if I was Jose. If that’s all the money I have to spend this summer, that’s where I’d spend it because I’d be saying I’ve got Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez and Jan Vertonghen, give him at least until January or next year, and then I could start working on my defence.

“They need more security in the wider areas, something a little bit stronger and on the front foot to cause problems. At the minute they don’t have that in those areas and that is where I’d start. I do think that would change Tottenham and their style of play drastically if they get two new full-backs. Spurs don’t have anywhere near enough quality or the dynamic element that they need in the league right now. That’s where I would start right now.”

Transformation

When Spurs were in their pomp under Mauricio Pochettino, both Kyle Walker and Danny Rose offered the Lilywhites the kind of attacking intent that made them such an exciting team to watch.

The pace, the overlapping runs, the dangerous deliveries into the area. It’s things they have well and truly lost in these past couple of years, and as Jenas points out, there’s a major absence in quality in the full-back positions at Spurs.

You only have to look at Premier League champions Liverpool to just see the kind of effect two world-class full-backs can have on a team, with both Andy Robertson and Trent Alexander-Arnold providing a shed-load of assists between them – this season alone has seen them combine for 26 assists across all competitions.

So whilst on the surface, claiming that he would invest all of his money on two full-backs seems like a strange thing to say, Jenas certainly has somewhat of a point.