Opinion: Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa must move for Callum Hudson-Odoi in January

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Marcelo Bielsa should attempt to convince Chelsea starlet Callum Hudson-Odoi that a move to Leeds would be his best option in the January transfer window.

What’s the situation?

Leeds have had a strong start to the season under Bielsa and currently sit third in the tightly poised Championship after 17 games, behind just Middlesbrough and Norwich.

The Argentine boss arrived in the summer with a big reputation, in fact, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola had previously described him as the best coach in the world.

This clearly helped Leeds in the loan market during the summer as they brought in Jack Harrison from Manchester City as well as Izzy Brown, Lewis Baker and Jamal Blackman from Chelsea. However, Blackman recently suffered a broken leg in an U23 game and has been sent back to his parent club.

With wingers with Harrison and Ezgjan Alioski struggling to perform though, Bielsa should go back to the Blues in January and target Hudson-Odoi.

Brightest star

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea are now willing to listen to loan offers for the 18-year-old winger after he has failed to break into Maurizio Sarri’s team.

Hudson-Odoi impressed massively in pre-season for the West London side and was rewarded with a start in the Community Shield game against Manchester City. However, he has since been limited to just two substitute appearances in the Europa League and a temporary move away would surely be best for his development.

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A huge talent with the confidence to run at players at will, Hudson-Odoi would increase the quality in an already talented Leeds squad if Chelsea can be convinced to send him to the Championship for more regular game time rather than to a side in the bottom half of the Premier League.

So, Leeds fans, would you like to see the England U19 international arrive at Elland Road in the winter window? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

HYS: Should West Ham United accept £50m for Arnautovic?

Marko Arnautovic has become one of West Ham United’s most important players since his move from Stoke City.

The attacker is the main focal point in Manuel Pellegrini’s team, but he has been struggling with a knee problem of late.

Due to the Austrian’s quality on the pitch, it is no surprise that he is regularly linked with other clubs.

According to a recent report in The Mirror, the Red Devils could revive their interest in Arnautovic, who was touted as a target for Jose Mourinho in the summer.

It is believed that the North-West outfit are prepared to part with around £50m for the attacker.

The Hammers paid around £20m for Arnautovic last year, therefore would scoop a tidy profit if they agreed on a transfer with United.

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The striker’s important to Pellegrini’s team, but if a hefty bid is made, should the club sell?

Let us know by voting below.

HYS: Should Darren Moore revert to a back three against Swansea?

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West Brom scraped to a 2-1 win over bottom-of-the-table Ipswich Town last Friday evening, and the Baggies will need to be much improved when they visit the Liberty Stadium to play Swansea on Wednesday.

With Dwight Gayle back from injury, Moore must now revert back to his preferred 3-4-1-2 formation which helped the Baggies fly up the table after a slightly slow start to the season.

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The potential front-three of Gayle, Jay Rodriguez and youngster Harvey Barnes have already scored 25 league goals between them this season and this formation allows them to work in close proximity to each other as an attacking unit.

One of the other main bonuses for Moore was the form of Kieran Gibbs and Matt Phillips as the two wing-backs. If the boss does revert back to this formation, as opposed to the 4-3-3 he used at Ipswich, then the Baggies would be able to double up on Swansea’s dangerous wingers whilst having a spare central defender to deal with the threat of Oliver McBurnie.

So, West Brom fans, what formation would you like to see Moore utilise against Swansea? Have your say by voting in the poll below.

Revealed: 92% of Swansea fans want Potter to play a back four against Brentford

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A huge majority of the Swansea fans that answered our recent poll want boss Graham Potter to revert to a back four for the trip to Brentford on Saturday.

The 43-year-old Englishman has started the previous two games with a back three of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Joe Rodon and Mike van der Hoorn, but this has been accompanied by 2-1 losses to both West Brom and Derby.

It’s clear that Swansea fans now want Potter to switch back to the formation that served them well at the start of the season though, as 92 per cent of those who answered our poll said that they wanted to see a back four against Brentford.

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The Bees have struggled since manager Dean Smith left for Aston Villa, but they will still present dangerous opposition for the Swans. Potter made the change to a back four after 54 minutes against Derby, but Swansea fans are clearly hoping he starts with it on Saturday.

Check out the full results below.

Land Jermain Defoe, and Nottingham Forest would take some serious stopping

According to a recent report from The Sun, Nottingham Forest are one of several sides interested in a January move for Jermain Defoe. The 36-year-old currently plays his football at Premier League outfit Bournemouth and has done so since leaving Sunderland back in 2017, although a lack of regular game time under Eddie Howe this season has called his future at the club into question.

And reports suggest that Aitor Karanka’s Forest, alongside the likes of Crystal Palace, Sheffield United, and Wigan Athletic, are interested in landing the £2.25 million-rated hotshot (as per Transfermarkt), and were the Reds to indeed get a deal done for Defoe, they would take some serious stopping in the Championship this season.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the East Midlands giants look set to be challenging at the right end of the Championship table under the stewardship of ex-Middlesbrough chief Karanka this season, what with his team sat seventh in the division after 21 games of the campaign.

And with just nine points between Forest in seventh and Norwich City at the summit of the table, there really isn’t much to choose between those sides vying for promotion to the Premier League – January looks set to be vital for those teams.

And while Forest’s tally of 32 goals scored is more than the likes of Derby County and Middlesbrough ahead of them, 14 of those have come from striker Lewis Grabban to suggest that they have been slightly reliant on his goals so far, and as such could be between now and May.

The fact that no other Forest player has reached double figures yet, with Joe Lolley second in the top-scorers charts with six, further underlines that reliance, which is why Karanka should be looking to take the weight off Grabban’s shoulders in January – Defoe is the man to do just that.

The 36-year-old may have struggled for regular football at Bournemouth following his move there in 2017, but his goal-scoring record throughout his career speaks for itself given he has netted 163 goals in the Premier League, excelling for the likes of Tottenham, Portsmouth, and Sunderland in the top tier.

As such, he possesses exactly the sort of predatory instincts and makes the intelligent runs needed to bag regularly in the second tier – he is exactly the sort of striker any side chasing promotion would want in their side.

And while Grabban is undoubtedly the main man in the striking department at the City Ground, further depth is evidently needed given the sheer volume of goals he has scored, and as such the lack being contributed in any other areas of the squad – an injury to Grabban could derail Forest’s promotion push.

And that’s why a move for Defoe in January is so important, as luring him to the East Midlands would not only enhance Forest’s promotion credentials, but it would leave Karanka’s men taking some serious stopping in their pursuit of a top-flight return.

Forest fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Ham must go for Ruben Loftus-Cheek while they can

West Ham secured their fourth consecutive win in the Premier League against Fulham to continue their rise up the standings.

After a slow start to the campaign, the Hammers have finally found their feet under new boss Manuel Pellegrini racking up four straight wins for the first time in almost five years. The hosts squandered a number of opportunities and allowed Robert Snodgrass to curl home after just 17 minutes. Michail Antonio doubled their advantage before half-time and ensured the Cottagers remained bottom of the table.

The result leaves West Ham in ninth place, just two points behind Manchester United in sixth. Things looked bleak at the start of the campaign, but their excellent form over the festive period will have the Hammers dreaming of Europe. A strong January transfer window could help turn dreams into reality at the London Stadium.

A brilliant addition to the squad would be Chelsea outcast – Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the 22-year-old was considered one of the brightest talents emerging from the Chelsea youth academy and impressed during his loan spell with Crystal Palace last season. Following the appointment of Maurizio Sarri, Loftus-Cheek was expected to battle for a starting berth until the arrivals of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic pushed him further down the pecking order.

The England international has started just one Premier League game this season but has still managed to find the back of the net three times – highlighting his ability. Sarri has utilised the youngster in the Europa League, the midfielder scoring three goals in just five appearances. In order for his development to continue, he needs regular first-team football in the league, something which West Ham could offer.

A powerful, goal scoring midfielder could be just what Pellegrini needs to help secure a return to Europe in 2019.

West Ham fans, thoughts?

Revealed: 85% of Aston Villa fans want Leighton Baines deal

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Leighton Baines will see his contract with Everton expire at the end of the season, and there is a chance that the left-back could leave the club on a free transfer.

The 34-year-old has not played a single Premier League minute for Everton since September 1, having lost his position at left-back to Lucas Digne.

Everton boss Marco Silva recently told the Liverpool Echo that he was thinking about a potential new midfield role for Baines.

However, it remains to be seen whether the former England international actually has a future at Goodison Park.

With that in mind, we recently asked the Aston Villa supporters whether they would be interested in signing Baines either in January or at the end of the season.

And a huge 85% of the Villa fans polled said that they were in favour of the deal.

Baines has made over 400 appearances for Everton since joining the club from Wigan Athletic in 2007, but it seems that his time with the Toffees is coming to an end.

The full results of the poll can be seen below:

Liverpool fans react to Harry Wilson’s stunning free-kick for Derby against Sheffield United

Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to react after their young starlet Harry Wilson, out on loan at Derby, hit yet another stunning free-kick into the back of the net for Frank Lampard’s side.

The strike against the Blades was the 21-year-old’s eighth league goal of the season, as he continues to impress for the Rams and prove that it was a genius decision by Jurgen Klopp to loan him out into the Championship rather than leave him to rot in the reserves.

It was also a commendable decision to allow him to team up with Frank Lampard, a player who knows just what Wilson is going through in trying to break into a Premier League team – the Welsh international is clearly thriving under the Chelsea legend.

His time in the second tier will stand Wilson in fantastic stead upon his return to Anfield, where fans are already excited by the prospect of seeing him in red next season…

HYS: Should Crystal Palace cash in on Wan-Bissaka this January?

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Crystal Palace are certain to face loads of speculation about the future of Aaron Wan-Bissaka this month, but should the Eagles do the unthinkable and cash in on the youngster?

With the January transfer window officially open, it’s only a matter of time before the Premier League’s big six come calling for Wan-Bissaka.

At just 21 years of age, the Palace starlet is certainly in contention to be called the best right back in the league, particularly thanks to his performances against the so-called big teams.

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The youngster completed seven out of seven attempted tackles against Manchester City, and put in similar performances against Arsenal (six out of six tackles) and Manchester United (four out of five tackles).

With Chelsea, Manchester United and possibly Pep Guardiola’s Man City all likely to be pursuing right backs in the near future, the Eagles will never have a better chance to make a huge profit on their rising star.

While no fan base wants to sell their prized asset, the huge fee he would command could help the Eagles land the centre forward they are crying out for.

Wilfried Zaha was being touted as a £70m player during the summer, but the 26 year-old’s value has dropped significantly having scored just three goals this season – can the Eagles afford to risk making the same mistake with Wan-Bissaka?

Palace fans, would you cash in on Wan-Bissaka and use the funds to sign a striker? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Arsenal should battle Chelsea for Hirving Lozano’s signature

According to Italian newspaper Calciomercato, reported via talkSPORT, Chelsea are targeting PSV Eindhoven winger Hirving Lozano, with a view to signing the attacker in this January transfer window.

What’s the word?

Plenty of Premier League clubs would certainly be wise to hold an interest in the Mexican forward. The 23-year-old has been in scintillating form so far this season, registering eleven goals and seven assists in just seventeen Eredivisie appearances.

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This solid start to the new campaign is just a continuation of Lozano’s good form too, after he announced himself on the global stage this summer with his well-taken goal in Mexico’s shock defeat of Germany in the World Cup.

Lozano would be a smart acquisition for the Blues, but before Maurizio Sarri can add the PSV man to his squad Arsenal ought to enter the race for his signature.

The missing piece

The Gunners are currently desperately lacking an out and out winger, meaning Lozano stands a far greater chance of becoming a key figure at the Emirates Stadium than he does at Stamford Bridge. Adding a player of this ilk to their squad would see the Gunners take a big step closer to being a more complete outfit.

The 34-cap Mexico international is also well-suited to Unai Emery’s preferred style of play, as he has the speed, energy, stamina and willingness to operate in the Spanish coach’s intense, hard-pressing game.

It would be a big ask for Arsenal to outbid their London rivals for Lozano, but if they can raise the necessary finances to pull it off then he would be a great signing for the Gunners.

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