Former Premier League forward Chris Sutton has claimed that Leeds United’s performance at Arsenal on Monday night demonstrated ‘what a great addition they will be to the Premier League’.The Whites could not progress to the fourth round of the FA Cup as they suffered a 1-0 loss at the Emirates Stadium.Marcelo Bielsa’s side gave a good account of themselves in the capital, though – finishing up with more attempts at goal and more possession than the home side – and exiting the competition might not be the end of the world as they can now fully concentrate on securing a return to the Premier League.

Not since 2003/04 have the Whites been present in the top flight, but they seem well-placed to earn promotion this season.

The fans will not be getting ahead of themselves after their team fell short last term, although things are looking good at the moment.

Indeed, a record of 52 points from 26 matches has left them top of the Championship table, level on points with second-placed West Bromwich Albion but nine points clear of third spot.

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And Sutton, who played the bulk of his football in England’s top flight, has said that Leeds will be an excellent addition to the Premier League.

The 46-year-old’s post on social media can be seen below:

Meanwhile, Leeds are reportedly willing to allow one of their midfielders to leave Elland Road during the January transfer window.

Liverpool fans have been responding to Danny Murphy’s remarks after he said that Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish was a better player than Naby Keita, he told the Daily Mail.

The former Reds’ middle man believed that manager Jurgen Klopp should go out and capture the Englishman and claimed that he could walk into the likes of Tottenham, Arsenal and Manchester United. At the age of 24, he is yet to be capped by England and compared his situation to Gary Lineker, who didn’t make his international until the same age. He also ranked Grealish on a level playing field Chelsea’s midfielders Mateo Kovacic, Ross Barkley and Mason Mount.

The Villans skipper has scored six goals in 20 Premier League appearances this season as his side sits in the relegation zone with just six wins from 22 matches, as per TransferMarkt. Keita, who is the same age as the Villa midfielder, has only featured in five games during the current campaign due to various injuries and has been unable to get a solid run in the team since his arrival from RB Leipzig for £48m in 2018. Sticking with their loyalty, supporters fumed at Murphy for making the comparison and made their feelings clear on social media.

Check out some of the best Twitter responses down below, as supporters branded his comments as ‘deluded’ and ‘total rubbish’…

Liverpool fans! What do you make of Danny Murphy’s remarks? Join the discussion by commenting below…

As quoted by the club’s official website, Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has raved about Juan Mata’s masterclass against Norwich.

What did he say?

Given the opportunity to start from the off, the Spaniard delivered an imperious display, oozing in creativity and class. As well as providing two assists, Mata made two key passes, created two big chances and completed seven of his eight attempted long balls too, as per Sofascore.

And Solskjaer singled out the veteran play-maker for his performance, insisting that he provides a different dimension to the side compared to someone like Daniel James.

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He said: “Juan’s quality showed. He was excellent. When we get Juan facing forward, he can pick out passes, he can put crosses in. I’m delighted with him. He’s a vital member of the squad. I thought we found him more than we’ve done before, when he’s played. We want to get him on the ball as much as we can and today he kept finding spaces.

“He’s a very good footballer and we need to find him at his feet. We need to know what we’re good at and we’ve got quick players – I could have chosen Dan (James) with his pace, but Juan gives us a different dimension.”

Creativity

When you’ve got players like Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and even Mason Greenwood, you desperately need your midfield players to get on the ball and find them either to feet, or in behind. And Mata did that expertly on Saturday afternoon, constantly getting in between the lines, and receiving possession – he enjoyed 82 touches and provided 64 accurate passes against the Canaries.

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Whilst James may offer a bit more pace and directness out wide, Mata’s greater play-making skills means he could well be the answer to United’s long-term goal-scoring woes. The Red Devils had found the back of the net just 32 times from their 21 Premier League games before Saturday, but the inclusion of the former Chelsea man in the starting line-up could be key to finding their touch in front of goal again.

Meanwhile, Manchester United swooping for this Bundesliga star would spell bad news for one academy starlet.

How do you solve a problem like Marian Shved?

The elusive Ukraine international is a key talking point amongst the Hoops faithful. He is young, seemingly talented and still relatively new to the club, yet Neil Lennon doesn’t appear to be convinced by his ability.

The 22-year-old has featured in just 15 minutes of SPFL action so far this season and was once again absent from the matchday squad that recorded a 2-1 win over Partick Thistle on Saturday afternoon.

Daniel Arzani, meanwhile, returned to the squad following a lengthy absence with the ACL injury he sustained on his debut for the club – an inclusion that raised fresh questions regarding Shved’s place in the team.

In the aftermath of proceedings, the Bhoys on Twitter delivered their verdicts on the omission of Shved as many were left baffled by their manager’s decision, though one supporter simply suggested Arzani could be the better player.

Shved’s current contract is due to expire in June 2023 but Arzani is pencilled in to return to Manchester City when his loan expires this summer, and those facts left one fan perplexed by the selection decision on Saturday.

And another theme to emerge from the discussion was Lennon’s general squad selection and reluctance to utilise some of the less important players.

One fan even suggested there could have been some type of fallout between player and manager.

Finally, these fans pointed to the number of defenders who were included on the bench to underline just how baffling Lennon’s decision was.

In other Celtic news, a reliable journalist has revealed what the club can expect from Ismaila Soro…

According to The Athletic, members of the West Brom staff are expecting to lose one of their most promising youngsters for free this summer as contract talks are non-existent.

What’s the word?

It is claimed that Rayhaan Tulloch is “less likely” to be at the Hawthorns next season amidst reports suggesting that fellow academy grad Kyle Edwards is close to agreeing a new deal.

The 19-year-old is a product of the same youth team, Phoenix United, that handed the west Midlanders Sadio Berahino, Jerome Sinclair and Nathan Ferguson, and is set to be out of contract at the end of the season.

Steve Madeley understands that the general consensus behind the scenes is that the England U18 international will leave the club as a free agent.

The Baggies are likely to receive a nominal fee for him settled via a tribunal, should he join another English club, but if he goes to Scotland or abroad, they could receive much less – or nothing at all as seen with Louie Barry’s move to Barcelona and back.

Will come back to haunt them

Tulloch made his second senior appearance of the season on Saturday afternoon, coming on as a substitute against West Ham in the FA Cup, taking his overall tally to a total of four.

Albion are bordering on dangerous territory by flirting with his possible exit as the teenager has heaps of unfulfilled potential that is only going to benefit another team and come back to haunt them in the future.

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The striker has a prolific record for the Baggies youth team, scoring 23 in 38 matches for the U18s before continuing that on with the U23 where he has found the net ten times in 44 appearances, including five in 11 this campaign, per Transfermarkt.

This falls in the hands of sporting and technical director Luke Dowling, who has failed to act quickly enough to tap up his long-term prospects with lucrative deals that will make them want to play for West Brom.

As the situation with Louie Barry has shown, the grass isn’t always greener, but Barcelona have made £3m in profit on him already. Even from a purely financial perspective, letting Tulloch leave for a nominal fee feels like a waste.

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Tulloch has attracted interest from a whole host of Premier League clubs in recent months, so it does seem likely that the Baggies will lose yet another one of their promising academy talents in the near future.

And in other news, here’s how West Brom could look after investment in the playing squad this week…

Crystal Palace will find a way to stay in the Premier League this season, per The Athletic journalist Matt Woosnam.

What’s he said?

The Eagles lost 1-0 to Sheffield United on Saturday, meaning they have now gone six games without a Premier League win.

In that time, they strung together four successive draws, against Southampton, Norwich City, Arsenal and Manchester City, prior to defeats against the Saints and Chris Wilder’s side.

They are currently 13th in the Premier League, six points clear of 18th-placed West Ham United, and Woosnam insists that they have enough to remain in the top-flight.

He wrote in an Athletic Q&A: “It’s easy to forget that Sheffield United are newly-promoted because they have done so well this season. There is no shame in being defeated by a team that has just come up from the Championship given that they are managed well, have a good team of players who work together effectively and their system is also effective.

“The performance in the first-half was good, but failing to take chances, some of them not easy admittedly, was the downfall.

“I see Palace having enough to pick up the required points to stay up.

“It won’t be easy, it probably won’t be pretty, but they’ll do it, in my view.”

Calling all Eagles fans: Can you get 90% on this quickfire Palace quiz?

Spot on

Palace have more than enough to remain in the division, not least a relatively soft run of fixtures.

West Ham, for example, play Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Wolves, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in their next seven games; the other clash comes against Southampton.

They could do with creating more chances – they have scored just 22 goals this season – but if they can start to hit the back of the net more regularly, they will be more than comfortable in the top-flight.

That, of course, is a big if; Roy Hodgson’s side are the lowest-scorers in the top-flight.

Do that, though, and they will surely be a Premier League team next season.

Meanwhile, Palace fans have reacted to one man’s deadline day loan exit!

Steven Gerrard has stated that he will be taking the Scottish FA Cup seriously this season, stating that his side will “give everything”.

The implication seems to be that he will be playing a strong side in order to bring the silverware back to Ibrox.

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This stance comes despite Rangers’ battle for the SPFL title, as they are currently seven points behind their Old Firm rivals with a game in hand.

With that in mind, FFC has predicted the side that Gerrard could deploy against Hamilton, including three changes from the 2-1 win over Hibernian.

Wes Foderingham played Rangers’ last Scottish FA Cup game, a 2-0 win against Stanraer, so could be set to come in between the sticks for Allan McGregor once again.

Borna Barisic, George Edmundson and James Tavernier all keep their places in the team from the Hibernian game. The remaining centre-back is the most noteworthy inclusion of this trio, as he looks to continue the positive momentum gained from scoring the equaliser against Hibernian.

Connor Goldson comes out of the team to be replaced by Nikola Katic, who was omitted from the side that beat Hibernian, having started the previous eight games – this does not suggest that Goldson will be out of the league side, but could perhaps be an audition for who gets to play alongside him.

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Ianis Hagi is also given an opportunity to continue his form after scoring the winner against Hibs, while Scott Arfield also stays in the team.

Glen Kamara was dropped to the bench in the last game, having started the previous eight matches, so could come in for Steven Davis in an attempt to win his place back.

Joe Aribo and Ryan Kent both continue on the wings, while Alfredo Morelos remains as the figurehead of the Rangers attack.

Meanwhile, Rangers fans have noted a massive moment for the club.

There was a bit of confusion when Leeds announced Eunan O’Kane had moved to Luton Town last month.

The club stated that he had left on an ‘18-month arrangement’, and it wasn’t really clear whether or not this was a loan or a permanent deal.

Fortunately, we’ve now received a bit more info on what the Irishman’s move is all about.

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What’s the story then?

Football Insider’s report on Friday morning was mostly about Leeds not expecting O’Kane to return to the club, but the site also gave some brilliant insight into the details of the midfielder’s move to the Hatters.

Firstly, the deal is initially an 18-month loan, but that can be cut short by the Whites as they have the option to recall him this summer or in January 2021.

Leeds may not think O’Kane has a future at the club, but football is a funny old game, and they’ve left the door open just in case things change.

No-lose situation

Marcelo Bielsa’s men have been very clever in putting this clause into O’Kane’s move.

The 29-year-old isn’t in Leeds’ plans at the moment, but that could change if he recaptures the form that saw him make 16 Premier League appearances with Bournemouth in the 2015/16 season.

It’s also a large portion of the former Cherries man’s salary off of their wage bill for the next 18 months, and if his loan spell at Luton proves that he isn’t up to playing at Elland Road, then he’s free to go, with his contract expiring at the end of the 2020/21 season.

United have played this one brilliantly, and they simply can’t lose in this situation, particularly if he puts in performances worthy of earning a place back in the Leeds ranks.

In other news, Angus Kinnear’s comments show why it’s now or never for Leeds.

Leeds United can be quite happy with their performance against Brentford on Tuesday night.

Ok, they only drew, and they’ve still only won once in 2020, but picking up a point away from home against any team in the top six isn’t a bad result.

On top of that, the Whites absolutely dominated proceedings – they had 67 per cent of the possession, and they also had three times more shots on target than their opponents.

You can’t dominate in such fashion without some individuals putting in some top performances, and one man who was in fine form was Mateusz Klich.

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The Pole played more final third passes than anyone else on the pitch, won more ground duels than any other player and had the most successful take-ons on Tuesday.

The stats show just how good he was, and fans were mightily impressed by what they saw at Griffin Park.

Supporters took to social media to share just how impressed they were by the midfielder.

While Klich was impressive, some believed that his solid performance wouldn’t have been possible if Kalvin Phillips wasn’t alongside him in the midfield.

Many commented that Phillips played a huge part in the 29-year-old’s showing, stating that the pair complement each other well in the middle of the park.

In other news, Leeds fans have been ripping into one player after Tuesday’s game.

Leeds United were back at their best on Saturday as they won only their second game of 2020 against Bristol City.

The Whites have been poor of late, winning just two of their previous 11 league games before their clash with the Robins, but they turned on the style against Lee Johnson’s outfit.

Indeed, not only did the Whites pick up all three points, but they absolutely dominated the game having 68 per cent of the possession as well as limiting their opponents to just one shot on target.

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As you would expect, the EFL have recognised United’s brilliant performance on Saturday by handing one of their top performers a spot in the Team of the Week.

The club tweeted about Luke Ayling’s inclusion in the side.

It has to be said that the right-back has more than earnt his spot in this week’s team. He scored the winning goal and had more shots than anyone else on the pitch.

However, some Leeds fans still weren’t happy as they criticised the team selection due to the fact that Kalvin Phillips didn’t have a spot in the squad.

To be fair, there is certainly an argument to be made that Phillips deserved a place in the team.

The Yorkshire Pirlo made three key passes alongside dominating at the back with two tackles, two interceptions and two clearances.

Others had a more positive view on the matter stating that Ayling fully deserves his place in the team.

However, one fan couldn’t resist adding that Phillips also should have been in there while also praising the defender.

Another section of the fanbase wondered how Bristol City’s goalkeeper missed out.

Despite United’s dominance, the game finished 1-0, and that is at least partly down to Daniel Bentley’s heroics between the sticks.

In other news, there’s one likely outcome of Kiko Casilla’s FA hearing.