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Manchester United have reportedly learned the asking price of Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips after identifying him as a top transfer target.

What’s the story?

According to the Daily Star, United have turned their attention to the highly-rated 25-year-old after becoming increasingly concerned at West Ham United’s £90 million valuation of Declan Rice.

As a result, the Red Devils hierarchy are now plotting a move for Rice’s England colleague Phillips, with the Leeds man set to cost £60m, a considerably lower amount than the West Ham ace.

The report states that: “United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has made signing a defensive midfielder his No.1 priority in next summer’s transfer window.

“Rice has been on United’s radar for the past 12 months, but executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is concerned about the Hammers’ £90m valuation. Old Trafford bosses believe Rice, 22, is not worth what the Hammers want and are now prepared to look elsewhere when it comes to filling the position.

“And with Liverpool leading the race to sign Jude Bellingham from Borussia Dortmund, Phillips is the preferred alternative.”

He’s a big upgrade on Scott McTominay

Under the tutelage of current Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, Phillips has established himself as one of the top defensive midfielders in the Premier League, becoming a pivotal part of Gareth Southgate’s international setup as a result.

His eye-catching performances at the base of the Yorkshire outfit’s engine room have earned several plaudits, and when looking at his underlying numbers, it’s easy to understand why.

Currently, Scott McTominay is often deployed at the base of the United midfield by Solskjaer despite the Scotsman’s natural role as a box-to-box dynamo.

Bringing Phillips to Old Trafford would, therefore, not only free up the 24-year-old to play further up the pitch but also offer an upgrade in a key area of the field.

As per fbref.com, the Leeds academy graduate has made 3.20 tackles per 90 this season compared to McTominay’s tally of 2.14, and Phillips has also outperformed the United beast in terms of interceptions, making 0.96 per 90 to his 0.71.

Phillips has also been dribbled past on fewer occasions by oppositions players, with an attacker getting past him just 0.8 times per 90 whereas attackers have skipped past McTominay on 2.14 occasions per game.

Therefore, the prospect of the Leeds beast playing just behind the more attack-minded Paul Pogba is surely a mouth-watering prospect for Manchester United fans, and a large section will be urging football director John Murtough to get this deal over the line.

And, in other news…Man Utd set to receive significant injury boost, Ole will be absolutely buzzing 

With Valerien Ismael’s West Bromwich Albion side heading into Friday night’s Championship fixture boasting an unbeaten record in the league, coming off the back of a momentum-building 4-0 win at Cardiff in midweek, the Frenchman would have undoubtedly been expecting more of the same in the Baggies’ trip to Stoke City.

However, a 79th minute Nick Powell goal, coupled with a particularly abject performance by Albion, saw the club’s undefeated league run come to an abrupt end at the bet365 Stadium, with Michael O’Neill’s impressive Stoke side taking all three points in a 1-0 win.

As is perhaps to be expected in a game during which West Brom managed to hit the target with just two shots, a number of Ismael’s attacking options failed to impress, with Karlan Grant, Callum Robinson, Matt Phillips and Grady Diangana all earning a SofaScore match rating of 6.5 or lower.

However, it will perhaps be Jordan Hugill who is most disappointed with his personal display against Stoke.

Two passes completed

Despite having failed to find the net over his first six Championship appearances since joining West Brom from Norwich City on a season-long loan deal back in August, Ismael opted to once again start the 29-year-old at centre-forward against the Potters.

However, over the course of his 55 minutes on the pitch, the £1.8m-rated man turned in a truly woeful performance, managing no shots at the Stoke goal – either on or off target – making no key passes and ceding possession of the ball on 12 separate occasions.

The player who Daniel Farke dubbed a “leader” also completed just two of his nine attempted passes, lost 11 of his 14 duels – a failure rate of 79% – made no tackles or interceptions and committed three fouls against the Potters.

These returns saw the £36k-per-week forward receive a rather disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.3, with only Conor Townsend earning a lower score of the West Brom players to have started the match.

As such, while it is true that both Grant and Robinson – the two players to start either side of Hugill – also failed to impress in the 1-0 loss, it was probably the Norwich loanee’s performance which let Ismael down the most, as the 29-year-old offered little to nothing during his 55 minutes on the pitch.

In other news: Sources reveal West Brom development on “committed” £28k-p/w ace, Ismael surely gutted

Aston Villa must finally land Manchester United and England star Jesse Lingard amid his recent comments.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that Dean Smith’s side were ready to rival fellow West Ham in a move for the 28-year-old.

The Times then delivered an update on Lingard’s situation, name-checking Villa as one of the teams who have registered their interest in luring Lingard away from Old Trafford, and that the attacking midfielder had turned down a contract offer from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.

And now, Lingard has admitted that regular first-team football is what he is interested in as he looks to force himself into Gareth Southgate’s England squad for next year’s World Cup.

He said: “Obviously, the World Cup is a long way away but… you need regular football. I was so close to going to the Euros and I think obviously it plays a huge part and it’s a big factor. If you’re playing over 20 or 25 games, of course you know you’re knocking on the door so I think it does play a big part in that.

“You want to start games. When I’m a sub I’m always ready to play. I’m always ready to be needed when I’m called up. It’s one of those things I’m going through at the moment but I think on recent performances hopefully we’ll see a change in the next few weeks.”

Goals from midfield

After joining West Ham back in the January transfer window on a short-term loan, Lingard racked up an incredible nine goals and four assists in just his first ten Premier League games for the club – it was no surprise then that he was lauded as being “absolutely phenomenal”.

His ability to score goals from midfield is exactly what Villa could do with going forward, with John McGinn their top scorer last season from a central area with just three.

What marks Lingard out as a real threat is his timing of his runs, and it’s something Michael Carrick has previously raved about.

The United coach said: “He senses where the space is and how to use it. I wouldn’t necessarily say he’s a dribbler with skills and tricks but he’s dynamic. How he plays, he is unique in some ways. You don’t see so much of that now as everyone wants to get on the ball. Off the ball, he’s very effective.”

His performances with the Hammers showcased the kind of impact the £75k-a-week earning star can have when he’s on song and the confidence is flowing through his veins.

If he isn’t getting enough first-team football at United, then Smith and Villa must absolutely be all over a move for him in the January transfer window.

It would seal a dream midfield for the Villa boss.

Meanwhile, Villa could have another academy breakout in this star…

Reliable Leeds United reporter Phil Hay has admitted it will be a ‘tight turn around’ for Raphinha to feature against Southampton this weekend.

The Lowdown: Raphinha shines

Raphinha has made his Brazil debut during the current international break, impressing off the bench with two assists in a win over Venezuela.

The 24-year-old then made another cameo as a substitute against Colombia, but couldn’t help his country find a winning goal in a 0-0 draw.

The Whites star now looks set to receive a first start for his country on Friday against Uruguay, which could have a knock-on effect for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The Latest: Hay’s tweet

Hay, Leeds’ correspondent for The Athletic, quoted a tweet from south American outlet @geglobo regarding Raphinha’s pending full debut on Friday.

He admitted that Leeds had been confident that the winger would be at St Mary’s on Saturday, however, he ended his post by saying it will be a ‘tight turn around’ – a worrying three-word update.

The Verdict: Race against time…

Brazil’s meeting with Uruguay gets underway in the early hours of Friday morning UK time, so Raphinha will have around 36 hours to get back to England and be ready for the meeting with Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side on Saturday afternoon.

Reports late on Wednesday evening suggested that Premier League sides have chartered a private jet to ensure that their South American players are back for the weekend, and if that is true, perhaps he will be ready to go for Leeds.

In other news: ‘He’s like Bielsa’s son’ – Pundit talks Leeds move for £16.2m-rated man; ‘Orta very big on him’. 

Interest in Wolverhampton Wanderers centre-back Conor Coady is growing ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Alan Nixon’s recent report for The Sun, with the journalist claiming that insiders close to Newcastle United have revealed that the England international is an active part of the newly-rich Magpies’ discussions regarding January transfers.

Nixon continues to state that Coady is a favourite of leading advisor to Newcastle and trusted friend of Amanda Staveley, Frank McParland, who is set to be instated in a senior position at St. James’ Park ahead of the winter window.

Finally, it is claimed that Wolves have no intention of parting with the 28-year-old in the January transfer window, and would command a fee of £20m or more in order to consider his sale.

Fans would be gutted

Considering just how important a part of the Wolves team Coady has become in recent years, should Newcastle lodge an offer that the club simply cannot refuse in the winter window, it would undoubtedly leave the Molineux faithful gutted.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances this term, the £22.5m-rated man has helped his side keep two clean sheets and has scored one goal, as well as making an average of one interception, one tackle, 2.7 clearances and winning 2.2 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player Tim Spiers dubbed an “authoritative” figure average a SofaScore match rating of 6.93, ranking him as Bruno Lage’s seventh-best performer in the top flight.

Furthermore, the £62k-per-week defender also ranked as Wolves’ 10th-best player in the club’s 2020/21 campaign, the club’s ninth-best performer in 2019/20 and the 12th-best in 2018/19 – demonstrating the 28-year-old’s impressive consistency for the Premier League side.

As such, should Wolves indeed lose the former Liverpool centre-back in the January transfer window, it would undoubtedly be something of a disaster for Lage – not only because of Coady’s impressive level of performance for the club but also as the 45-year-old is already extremely short of options in the heart of his Wolves backline.

In other news: Forget Dendoncker: “Frustrating” £84k-p/w liability who made 8 passes let Wolves down

Manchester United suffered one of the most humiliating defeats in their history over the weekend after fierce rivals Liverpool handed out a 5-0 thrashing at Old Trafford.

A clinical Mohamed Salah hat-trick, plus goals from Naby Keita and Diogo Jota piled even more pressure on under-fire manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, as the gulf in class between the two sides was ruthlessly exposed.

It was a humiliating afternoon for everyone associated with United, but one that had been coming since the second game of the season.

Performances have been hugely underwhelming following the opening-day victory over Leeds United and now Solskjaer must find the answers to the Red Devils’ struggles or face an unbearable onslaught for his departure from all angles.

However, the Norwegian manager wasn’t solely to blame for one of the darkest days in the 20-time Engling champions’ history.

No United player left the Theatre of Dreams with any pride on Sunday afternoon after they were all left hopelessly chasing shadows for the entire 90 minutes, yet left-back Luke Shaw arguably endured the biggest nightmare of them all.

The England international was left exposed for Liverpool’s first goal, clumsily collided with Harry Maguire in the build-up to their second, was far too slow to react to a rebounded ball for the third, got dragged across the pitch for the fourth, and was nowhere near Salah for the fifth and final nail in the coffin.

Shaw has looked a shadow of the player that lit up 2020/21 in recent weeks, but his performance against the Reds was shocking, to say the least.

As per SofaScore, the left-back was awarded a match rating of just 6.1 out of 10 after he made just one tackle, two clearances and no interceptions throughout the 90 minutes.

Although goalkeeper David de Gea conceded five goals, it’s clear he got no protection from his porous backline, and it’s the men in front of the Spanish shot-stopper who are really to blame for the chastising defeat.

Shaw was not only underwhelming in his defensive duties, though. The 26-year-old lost possession a whopping 13 times, was unable to find a teammate with four of his six crosses and achieved a passing accuracy of just 78%.

It was a day to forget for the stocky defender, and with fixtures against Atalanta, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to come, there could be some desperate weeks ahead for Shaw and his United colleagues.

And, in other news…0 duels won: Man Utd lightweight who always gets “bullied” let Ole down v Atalanta

Tyler Roberts is a favourite of Marcelo Bielsa’s at Leeds United despite being a ‘divisive’ figure with supporters, according to journalist Beren Cross.

The Lowdown: Roberts splits opinion

Roberts has been a solid but uninspiring performer for the Whites, scoring eight goals and registering nine assists in 94 appearances for the club.

It certainly isn’t a top record in front of goal, and fans have been critical of his performances in the past, with few players splitting opinion more than the Wales international at Elland Road.

It appears as though he is a popular figure in the eyes of his manager, however, with Cross claiming Bielsa will look to play Roberts more in the coming weeks and months.

[freshpress-quiz id=“375277″]

The Latest: Cross makes fresh claim

Speaking in a Q&A for Leeds Live on Thursday, Cross revealed that the Wales international is someone who the manager rates highly at Thorp Arch:

“Roberts remains a divisive figure among fans, but Bielsa evidently likes him and plays him because he sees a lot of potential in the Wales international.

“The only way Roberts improves is by playing more and developing as a player on the pitch. That’s the way Bielsa will see it.”

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The Verdict: Worth sticking with?

Still at the young age of 22, it is important that Roberts isn’t written off by Leeds fans, especially when someone of Bielsa’s stature rates him as a footballer.

That being said, he is going to start having to produce more substance and end product on the pitch if he is to become a regular starter and undisputed key man.

Roberts has only scored once and assisted twice in the Premier League since the start of last season, which isn’t good enough for an attack-minded player, especially when you consider he has failed to find a goal while Patrick Bamford is out injured, which is when his team have needed him to step up more than ever.

In other news, Phil Hay has made a claim regarding three Leeds players. Find out who they are here.

Celtic reporter Kieran Devlin has explained the ‘weird’ clause in Cameron Carter-Vickers’ contract.

The Lowdown: Regular under Ange…

Carter-Vickers made the move to Parkhead on deadline day, with the Hoops having an option to make a season-long loan permanent next summer.

The 23-year-old, on £20,000-a-week, has been a regular since making the move north, turning out on 13 occasions in all competitions, scoring twice.

He actually netted on his Hoops debut against Ross County and hasn’t missed a game since, proving to be a key figure under Ange Postecoglou.

As a result of his impressive form, talk has turned to next summer and the chances of Carter-Vickers swapping Tottenham for Celtic full-time.

The Latest: Devlin’s comments

Devlin ran a Q&A on The Athletic, where he was quizzed on multiple topics regarding the Hoops prior to their meeting with Ferencvaros.

One fan asked him to explain the situation with Carter-Vickers and the chances of the American making a permanent move to Parkhead, to which Devlin said:

“There’s a weird clause in his contract apparently that automatically extends his contract with Spurs by another year if he goes on loan, so he’s technically tied to them until 2023 not 2022. Celtic have an option to buy, though I don’t know for certain how much it is.”

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The Verdict: Around £5m?

A late summer window move for Carter-Vickers appeared to be a gamble, with the defender making just five senior appearances for Spurs in his five-year stay.

However, it is now looking to be an inspired piece of business from the Hoops, with Chris Sutton recently calling him ‘excellent’, so you’d expect the club and Postecoglou could be extremely keen to make a deal permanent as soon as possible.

Devlin isn’t sure on a specific option to buy fee, but it may well be around the £5m mark, a figure Tottenham wanted over the summer.

If that is accurate, then it could well prove to be a solid piece of business in the long run, especially if he continues to put in solid displays in green and white.

In other news: ‘Fantastic’ colossus says he’d ‘love’ to join Celtic; Pochettino rates him. 

The previous summer window saw Liverpool say goodbye to Georginio Wijnaldum, who joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer after making a total of 237 appearances across all competitions for the Merseyside club.

Now, it seems as though Liverpool could be set to potentially lose one of their current midfield players in the near future.

What’s the news?

According to Portuguese journalist Pedro Almeida, newly appointed Barcelona manager Xavi, is keen on bringing Thiago Alcantara back to the Spanish club.

As a product of Barcelona’s youth system, Thiago, who has been previously described as an “extraordinary” player by Xavi, made a total of 100 senior appearances for the club across all competitions in which he managed to score 20 goals and provide 10 assists in the process before joining Bayern Munich in the 2013 summer transfer window.

Since moving to Liverpool in September 2020, the 30-year-old, who is currently valued at £22.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made 37 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, with one goal and one assist under his belt.

Despite not being too busy in front of goal during his time at the Merseyside club so far in terms of goals and assists, Thiago proved with his performances in the Premier League last season that he can be an impressive figure for Jurgen Klopp’s side, ending his debut campaign with an overall season rating of 7.12/10, making him Liverpool’s third-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

This season has also seen the midfielder prove himself as a useful player for them in the middle of the park having racked up an average of 1.2 shots per game, 1.2 tackles per game and win 79% of his duels in the Premier League so far this season.

This is why it would be a disaster if the Spaniard left the club for a move back to Barcelona this summer, especially since his current contract isn’t set to expire until the end of June 2024.

Also, with current Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards recently revealing that he will be stepping down from his position at the end of the season, he could well end his time at the club on a bad note if Thiago does go to Barcelona at that point.

Moving forward, if Xavi and Barcelona do make an approach in the near future to try and lure Thiago back to La Liga, Liverpool will have to convince the midfielder that he is an important figure for them and should see out his contract at Anfield.

In other news: Forget VVD: “Influential” LFC ace with 1.5 tackles a game has been Klopp’s unsung hero – opinion

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped a behind the scenes update regarding his plans at Parkhead.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by 67hailhail, the 56-year-old Bhoys boss revealed that, rather than simply investing in his playing squad come the January transfer window, he is also hoping to improve the club’s scouting and recruitment process, as well as bringing a number of new faces in behind the scenes in order to better identify potential transfer targets.

Speaking about the club’s January plans, Postecoglou said: “There’s no doubt going into January we still have some work to do with the playing roster, particular in terms of depth in certain areas.

“In terms of the structure around here, we still need some work around our recruiting and our scouting department. That will be the next focus for me to make sure we get the right people in that area.

“That’s probably the one area where football is changing rapidly – the information that is out there and how you get that information and how you use that information, particularly around scouting. That’s the next step for me in terms of January.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how poor Celtic’s recruitment has been in recent years, the news that Postecoglou is looking to heavily invest in improving the club’s scouting and recruitment processes is sure to leave Bhoys fans buzzing.

Indeed, since the summer of 2019 alone, Celtic have spent £3.01m on Boli Bolingoli, £4.5m on Vasilios Barkas, £4.95m on Albian Ajeti and paid Brighton & Hove Albion £1.98m to loan Shane Duffy, deals which set the club back a whopping £14.44m – before even taking into account the wages of each player.

And, considering the fact that it has been reported that Postecoglou will look to move all three of these permanent signings on in January, no doubt for a substantial loss, it is clear that Celtic’s current approach to recruitment simply is not working.

As such, the news that the 56-year-old is hoping to restructure the way Celtic approach the transfer market is undeniably good news for everyone involved with the club, as not only will it help the Bhoys to sign players who fit into the Greek-Australian manager’s philosophies, it will also save the Hoops a considerable amount of money in wasted transfer fees in the long run.

In other news: Ange must finally unleash “immense” £270k-rated gem on Sat, he’s just what Celtic need