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Leeds United could send exciting young attacker Sam Greenwood out on loan next season, according to journalist Graham Smyth.

The Lowdown: Exciting young player

Greenwood made the move to Elland Road last summer, with the Whites snapping him up from fellow Premier League club Arsenal.

The 19-year-old scored 12 goals in just 19 appearances for Leeds’ Under-23s in 2020/21 and he has been compared to Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard.

The Latest: Greenwood could be loaned out

Despite Greenwood’s undoubted potential, it seems unlikely that he is going to break into Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team any time soon.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Smyth, Leeds will consider loaning out the youngster, claiming there has been ‘Championship interest’ in him.

Greenwood has made one appearance for the senior side, coming in the FA Cup defeat away to Crawley Town in January.

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The Verdict: Sensible decision

It makes perfect sense to send Greenwood out on loan, allowing him to develop and not grow stagnant in the academy setup.

Liverpool youngster Harvey Elliott could be a good comparison, with the teenager spending last season at Blackburn Rovers and excelling, scoring seven goals and registering 11 assists in the league.

If Greenwood went and had similar success at that level, Bielsa may then feel he could be a key part of his plans moving forward.

In other news, a pundit has been left ‘really disappointed’ by an update regarding a key Leeds figure. Read more here.

Everton manager Frank Lampard should cash in on “dreadful” defender Michael Keane this summer and re-build the club’s defence.

According to a report in The Daily Star, West Ham United would be keen on buying the 29-year-old if the Toffees are relegated from the Premier League.

We think that they should sell him regardless of what league they’re in next season and use the money to improve the rest of the team. He is rated at £19.8m by Transfermarkt, a far cry from the £30m they paid for his services in 2017.

It would be unfair to say that Everton don’t have any talented players, however, they simply haven’t been performing good enough this season and they find themselves in a real survival battle as a result.

They have conceded the fifth most amount of goals this season and have only kept six clean sheets in the league, and at the heart of that is Keane who has made 28 appearances.

When you analyse his statistics they further highlight Everton’s defensive worries. He is in the bottom 15% compared to other defenders in the league this season when it comes to progressive carries, proving that he isn’t great at playing out from the back. He’s also netted two own goals this campaign.

Last month former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy blasted Lampard for continuing to pick Keane in his team saying that “he’s physically gone” and didn’t understand why he kept being played.

The simple answer is that the Toffees don’t have many better options. Yerry Mina who is arguably the best defender at the club has been out injured for the majority of the season, with his current hamstring injury coming in February.

It won’t be long before Keane is the wrong side of 30, at which point his value will start decreasing and Everton will get even less of the money they paid for him back. It’s not all doom and gloom though; he has had a pretty decent career overall which includes 12 appearances and a goal for England.

But ultimately he can’t cut it at the top level, and with the position they’re in, now is the time for the Toffees to build for the future. They have a perfect manager in Lampard to do this, he even has experience managing in the Championship if they do end up being relegated.

IN other news: More misery: Alan Myers drops four-word Everton claim that’ll leave supporters fuming…

Leicester City face a momentous match this weekend as they take on Southampton in their first FA Cup semi-final in just under 40 years.

The Foxes go into the clash at Wembley in somewhat worrying form having lost their last two matches to Manchester City and West Ham United, so could Brendan Rodgers be tempted to rotate much?

We are expecting just two alterations from the Leicester boss on Sunday.

Kasper Schmeichel is the undisputed Leicester City No.1 and having played in the last round of the competition against Manchester United, he is almost certain to be between the sticks at Wembley.

However, the Dane will be shielded by a backline that will have one alteration to it. Caglar Soyuncu is back in training having missed the last two matches due to a positive test. However, now recovered, the Turk will likely replace Daniel Amartey on the right side of a three-man defence.

Elsewhere, Timothy Castagne and Ricardo Pereira will claim their respective places on each side at wing-back.

The Leicester midfield is also up for debate going into the match. Having reported no further injury issues, Wilfred Ndidi and Youri Tielemans will continue in the centre of the park.

However, James Maddison can now be called upon once again having sat out the defeat to West Ham United for his breach of lockdown guidelines. With his 21 direct goal contributions this season, the former Norwich City man could replace the £18m-rated Dennis Praet.

Finally, Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho will complete the team by lining up in what could be a prolific strike duo.

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The Nigerian has scored 13 goals in just 11 starts in the FA Cup, whilst Vardy has found the net on eight separate occasions at Wembley Stadium for both the Foxes and the England national side, so he will surely be looking to extend that record.

AND in more news, find out why this Leicester rock has to play from the start on Sunday…

Back in the summer of 2020, Neil Lennon’s Celtic scouts were reported to have been incredibly impressed by the form of Grady Diangana, who had lit up the Championship during a season-long loan spell with West Bromwich Albion.

Indeed, over his 30 second-tier appearances in 2019/20, the West Ham United winger played an influential role in the Baggies’ promotion back to the Premier League, scoring eight goals, registering six assists and creating eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the former England U21 international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking him as Albion’s third-best player in the league that year.

And, as a result of this form, the likes of Celtic, Ajax, Newcastle United and Everton were all reported to be interested in the 23-year-old, for whom West Ham were demanding a fee in the region of £15m-£20m in order to part with.

However, it would ultimately be West Brom who went on to secure the forward on a permanent basis, with Slaven Bilic’s side coughing up around £18m in order to prise the youngster away from the London Stadium.

Although, while Diangana’s switch to The Hawthorns would undoubtedly have come as a gutting blow to Celtic at the time, nearly two years down the line, it is becoming apparent that the Baggies massively overpaid for the winger.

Indeed, over his 20 Premier League appearances in 2020/21, the £7.2m-rated forward failed to make any real mark on the top flight, scoring one goal, registering no assists and creating no big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of just 0.7 shots and making 0.3 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Lee Hendrie dubbed a “magnificent” talent who’s “easy on the eye” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.47, ranking him as Albion’s joint second-worst player in the division.

Things have not improved much for the £25k-per-week attacker over his 35 Championship outings this season, with the 23-year-old having scored two goals, provided one assist and created three big chances, with these metrics seeing the winger average a SofaScore match rating of 6.67 – ranking him as Steve Bruce’s joint eighth-worst performer in the second tier.

As such, it is clear to see that Celtic hit the jackpot when missing out on the £18m signing of a player who Adrian Goldberg labelled “desperate” and claimed looks “like a youth player playing in a men’s game” back in 2020 – as Diangana’s form has fallen off a cliff since his permanent move to West Brom.

AND in other news: Huge boost: Ange reveals major Lennoxtown development, it’s brilliant news for Celtic

Leeds must avoid making an unforgivable mistake amid reported transfer interest in Patrick Bamford.

What’s the story?

The striker has been a revelation for Marcelo Bielsa’s side in the Premier League this season, netting 15 goals and providing another eight assists in the division.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that, while Leeds extended Bamford’s contract at Elland Road by an extra year – his deal now expires in the summer of 2023 – he is already attracting admiring glances from elsewhere.

Ornstein claims that “Bamford’s progress has not gone unnoticed, with several clubs, including Liverpool, believed to admire the forward.”

Bielsa would be fuming

Given his incredible importance to this Leeds side – he tops the charts for both goals and assists at Elland Road this season – there’s no questioning that Bielsa would be absolutely fuming if Andrea Radrizzani and co decided to make the call of cashing in on him.

While his stock is high, and the Whites would be expected to command a hefty fee for him – especially with the contract extension update – Bamford has developed into the kind of all-round striker that Bielsa loves.

Even Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “What a player, Bamford! I can remember people saying, ‘Leeds need a proper goalscorer, Bamford is not good enough’, stuff like this. I’m so happy that he could prove them all wrong.

“He’s an exceptional player. The work rate is outstanding and he still plays the football he plays and scores goals. That’s rare.”

As omeone who works selflessly for the cause and buys into the pressing game, can both plunder goals and set up his teammates, the 27-year-old would be very difficult to replace if Leeds made the decision to sell him to Liverpool or anyone else.

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It’s exactly why Radrizzani must avoid making an unforgivable howler this summer by keeping Bamford regardless of the potential windfall from selling him.

Meanwhile, Bielsa could light up Elland Road with this £26m-rated magician who’s “something special”…

Sheffield Wednesday are going to have to be smart in the transfer window with Darren Moore still unsure what his transfer budget is, but someone like Lee Gregory has to be avoided because of his very poor recent goalscoring record, according to Sheffield Wednesday legend Carlton Palmer.

Moore will know that a lot of his signings this summer will likely have to be free agents, loan signings or potentially players entering the twilight years of their career, but Gregory surely won’t be appealing considering he’s managed just 10 goals in his last 61 games for both Stoke City and Derby County.

Gregory has been touted as a potential target for Moore’s side who will be looking to bounce back at the first time of asking despite all the uncertainty away from the pitch with players not being paid.

Fans and pundits acknowledge that Moore has to bring in players with experience and ones that have done it in League One before at both ends of the pitch, but Gregory shouldn’t be entertained as a potential signing according to Palmer, who spoke passionately on the topic exclusively to Football FanCast:

“When he scored those goals for Milwall, it was a long time ago and in his 40 league appearances for Stoke in the 2019/20 season, he scored seven goals.

“Darren’s got to get some experience in but it will boil down to the finances available to him. If you go back through his goal-scoring records in recent years, it’s not been very good. So, I’d rather take somebody from a lower division, who’s scoring goals, and is in-form.”

Gregory has been there and done it in League One before when he helped spearhead Milwall into the Championship with his 18 goals in 41 games as well as two goals in three play-off games that same season.

His move to Stoke City has certainly not worked out so maybe a move down a league under Moore who appears to be a superb man-manager could help him find his confidence if he is not looking for a huge wage packet.

Speaking to Claret & Hugh, a West Ham United source has lifted the lid on a concern the club have involving star striker Michail Antonio.

The Lowdown: Antonio and the treatment table…

Throughout 2020/2021, Antonio starred for West Ham up front and was arguably one of manager David Moyes’ most important figures, when available that is.

Early on, pundit Harry Redknapp was just one of the media figures who took notice of his displays for the east Londoners – branding him ‘frightening’ on Sky Sports News (via the Boot Room).

The 31-year-old, whilst ending the campaign as the Hammers’ joint-top goalscorer in the Premier League with 10 goals (WhoScored), also spent a lot of time on the treatment table – missing 97 days of the season and 13 games in total (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Hammers source lifts lid on concern…

Lifting the lid on a concern involving Antonio, a West Ham United source from within the club has told C&H there are worries surrounding his inclusion in Jamaica’s preliminary squad for the Concacaf Gold Cup.

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The competition starts on July 11 and the forward’s decision to make himself available for Jamaica has prompted fears inside West Ham.

Moyes was allegedly hoping Antonio would have a quiet and restful summer, but should he be called up for their final squad, this could complicate matters.

“Obviously it’s an honour for the player and no one really wants to deprive him of it but the last thing we want is for him to become injured ahead of the new season.” explained the source to C&H.

The Verdict: Right to be concerned…

Antonio’s hamstring troubles are well documented and West Ham are right to be worried given his age, fragility and the fact they could be set for a long season with their involvement in the Europa League.

This could make the signing of a new striker to reinforce Moyes’ forward options as crucial as ever with still no sign of West Ham making concrete advancements in that department.

If he does in fact make Jamaica’s final cut, supporters will be hoping he can handle the heat while the Hammers work on bringing in adequate cover.

In other news: ‘YES YES YES’, ‘I soooo hope this is true’…Many West Ham fans flock to transfer claim, find out more here.

The previous summer transfer window saw Wolves bring in a number of players to Molineux, but one area of the pitch they didn’t strengthen in was midfield.

With Wolves only having a total of four options for the defensive and central-midfield roles in their squad, it appears as though they are now looking to strengthen in that department in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the news?

It has been reported by Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Birmingham Live) that Wolves are planning to make a move to sign Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey in January.

Since making the move from Arsenal to the Serie A side, Ramsey, who is currently valued at £12.6m according to Transfermarkt, has made 69 appearances for Juventus across all competitions, scoring six goals and providing six assists along the way.

Fixing a hole

Prior to joining Juventus, Ramsey, who was once described as being “world-class” by Wales teammate Joe Allen, made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal, bagging 65 goals and creating 65 assists in the process.

If Wolves are interested in signing Ramsey in January, they should definitely do so if a move would be financially viable to them.

The Welshman has a lot of Premier League experience under his belt with 262 appearances, which could be very beneficial, especially for some of Wolves’ younger players like Rayan Ait-Nouri, Ki-Jana Hoever and Morgan Gibbs-White.

Ramsey moving to Molineux in January would also be very exciting for the fans. After all, he’s a regular winner of trophies, reigning supreme in domestic cups with Arsenal and winning Serie A with Juve.

Most importantly, however, he’d offer the club more depth in midfield. Wolves failed to sign Renato Sanches during the summer but the 68-cap Wales international is an eye-catching alternative.

With Ruben Neves’ future still up in the air and Joao Moutinho aged 35, there are going to be some glaring gaps in the middle of the park to fill.

After all, other options in Leander Dendoncker and Romain Saiss have been preferred in defence while Gibbs-White is out on loan.

Consequently, the addition of Ramsey would be an important one, gifting Bruno Lage an experienced and talented midfield option.

In other news: Wolves may already have their long-term Moutinho heir in “outstanding” gem – opinion

Leon Bailey is said to be on the verge of leaving Bayer Leverkusen, with an official offer believed to have been submitted from Aston Villa [Sky Sports DE].

Enjoying a productive 2020/21 campaign, the Jamaican winger registered an outstanding 26 goal contributions in 40 fixtures; 15 goals and 11 assists [Transfermarkt].

Now, he looks very likely to move to England following recent developments.

It is confirmed that the 23-year-old has an offer on the table from Aston Villa, whilst Bayer Leverkusen would be willing to part ways with the wide-man, whose contract expires in 2023 [Sky Sports DE].

However, the Bundesliga outfit would be looking to receive a considerable fee to initiate the sale of Bailey.

In light of this news, loads of Aston Villa diehards took to Twitter to react to recent developments.

Aston Villa FC fans react:

Replying to popular Aston Villa fan outlet villareport, here is what some fans had to say about the latest on Bailey:

“I’m still not allowing myself to get too excited yet….but, please, God…let this happen!”

Credit: @C_Lioneye”Villa’s back”Credit: @MerseMagic”villareport has anyone ever told you how amazing you are”Credit: @AlexAstonVilla”i have tears in my eyes”Credit: @Josh1874_”villa report i love you”Credit: @tiwari0216″Awesome!”Credit:  @RossMatthewman7In other news, Aston Villa fans enjoy a throwback tweet by the club…

Sheffield United are interested in a deal to bring Willy Caballero to Bramall Lane over what remains of the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun on Sunday (via Football League World), who claim that the former Manchester City and Chelsea goalkeeper is on Slavisa Jokanovic’s list of potential Aaron Ramsdale replacements, with the Serbian hoping to bring in a new shot-stopper prior to the closure of the transfer window on Tuesday.

The report continues by stating that the Blades have gone as far as to open contract talks with the 39-year-old free agent, however, the length of this deal, or whether or not the Argentina international would be open to a move to the Championship club, is not disclosed.

Big mistake

While Caballero is undoubtedly a player who boasts a vast amount of experience, having made 117 appearances in LaLiga, 34 appearances in the Premier League and 22 appearances in both the Champions League and the Europa League, when taking into account the goalkeeper’s age and recent history, it is not a difficult argument to make that his signing would be a big mistake on the part of Jokanovic.

Indeed, following his move to Chelsea back in 2017, the £225k-rated man went on to make just 38 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, with only 11 of these fixtures coming in the league.

Furthermore, when the former Malaga ‘keeper was selected in the top flight, he very rarely impressed, earning a SofaScore match rating of 5.7 in his one Premier League appearance last season – a 3-3 draw with West Bromwich Albion – and picked up a disappointing average SofaScore match rating of 6.58 over his five league fixtures in 2019/20.

As such, whether or not Caballero is a goalkeeper who can be trusted over the course of what is sure to be a long and arduous Championship season is very much up for debate – with the stats appearing to suggest that the 39-year-old would not be up for the task.

So, while time is running out for Jokanovic to bring in a replacement for Ramsdale, it would nevertheless appear highly advisable for the Serbian manager to turn his attention over what remains of the summer transfer window elsewhere, as his side can do much better than Caballero.

In other news: SUFC given possible boost in move for “unbelievable” £25k-p/w ace, fans would love him