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Former Leeds United star David Norris believes that the club are currently struggling to find a Plan B as their Premier League woes continue.

The club are currently in the bottom three and have yet to win a game this term ahead of the clashes with Watford, Wolves, and Southampton.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been on the wrong end of two thrashings this term, too, as they were beaten 5-1 by Manchester United on the opening weekend of the season, and also beaten 3-0 by Liverpool.

Bielsa, of course, is something of a purist when it comes to the way he plays the game, and he continually instructs his players to push into the top end of the pitch, regardless of the scoreline.

Leeds attack throughout their games, even with the team being battered, but Norris does not believe that Plan A is currently working.

He admits that the club are beginning to worry him as they struggle to win matches in the top-flight.

He said: “They’re struggling for a Plan B.

“At this stage now, it is a little bit worrying. You’d like to think it’s not going to be one of those seasons where they’re going to be in the relegation zone or really struggle for it but they’re struggling and the longer it goes on, the more worrying it gets.”

Ex-Rangers star Michael Ball believes that the Glasgow giants are favourites to sign Joey Veerman from Heerenveen.

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding Veerman and his future with current side Heerenveen this summer, with the Scottish Sun reporting on Monday that Rangers have been given a massive boost in their pursuit of the player. Another interested party, Feyenoord, have signed Fredrik Aursnes from Molde, which could see them out of the race for Veerman.

The 22-year-old was involved in 20 goals combined last season, scoring nine and assisting 11 which has seen interest in his signature.

Former Ger Ball believes that Rangers are favourites to sign Veerman, telling Football FanCast: “Yeah, there’s been a lot of noise about Joey and I think maybe one or two other clubs are sort of sneaking around, but Rangers seem to be the favourites.”

According to the Scottish Sun report, Heerenveen have set an asking price of £8m for Veerman and with three years left on his current deal the Eredivisie outfit don’t have to rush to sell their star player.

Whilst Rangers appear to be in pole position to sign Veerman should they wish to with Feyenoord possibly out the equation, it could be more good news for the Gers, as Glen Kamara could be set to extend his stay at Ibrox, with the club offering the midfielder a new deal.

On the new contract offer for Kamara, manager Steven Gerrard told the BBC: “I love the kid, I love the player and I’ve made it abundantly clear how much I want him to stay from a personal point of view.”

With Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United having not enjoyed the best of starts to the 2020/21 Premier League campaign, picking up just 11 points from their opening 12 fixtures of the season and suffering something of an injury crisis, attention at Elland Road is rather rapidly turning to the January transfer window.

However, with the 66-year-old recently suggesting that he may not be willing to delve too deeply into the winter market due to the amount of money the Whites have spent under his leadership in previous windows, the Argentine manager may well be left with no other option than to begin blooding a number of the club’s most promising academy products in his first-team squad.

And, should Bielsa indeed turn to Leeds’ youth to make up the numbers over what remains of the current Premier League campaign, there is one player in particular who would appear worthy of a crack at senior football, in the form of 15-year-old Archie Gray.

Gray could save Leeds millions

Despite his extremely tender age, the attacking midfielder was named in the Whites’ travelling squad to face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday afternoon, something that – despite the teenager ultimately being left out of the matchday team – gives a clear indication of how highly-rated Gray is at Thorp Arch.

However, while the inclusion of a 15-year-old perhaps raised a number of eyebrows in the wider footballing world, Leeds fans will more than likely be less shocked by Gray’s emergence, as the youngster has been making a habit of pulling up trees in the club’s youth setup so far this season.

Indeed, already a regular in the Whites U18 team, the England U16 international has also broken into Mark Jackson’s U23 side this season, so far having made three Premier League 2 appearances, in addition to stealing the show in the 4-1 EFL Trophy defeat to Tranmere Rovers back in September.

In this fixture, despite the heavy loss, Gray produced a moment of magic midway through the second half, turning an onrushing Rovers midfielder in style before sliding a defence-splitting pass into the path of Amari Miller, who duly fired home from close range.

As such, it is perhaps no surprise that Victor Orta appears to be incredibly excited regarding the potential of the 15-year-old, with the director of football evening likening the emergence of Gray to that of Sergio Aguero.

In an interview with La Media Inglesa (via Leeds Live), Orta said: “I want to say the name of Archie Gray on La Media Inglesa. Hopefully nobody takes him away from us. Nobody is going to do that, he has [Leeds] in his blood. So that’s why I want to say the name of Archie Gray on here because every time he takes a step forward you’ll see him.

“He’s one of those players you see every, I don’t know. I remember Kun Aguero and saying, ‘what is this?’ It’s something that happens once in a long time. [It] has actually happened only a few times – in the South America U20s tournament, Kun scored 10 or 12 goals or something like that, you could see he was different. Archie gives me the same feeling.”

So, considering just how highly Gray is evidently thought of at Thorp Arch, coupled with the fact that Bielsa is extremely short of options in the middle of the park, it would appear a very wise move for the 66-year-old to unleash the teenage sensation in his first-team over the coming weeks and months, as the 15-year-old could end up saving Andrea Radrizzani tens of millions of pounds in January transfer fees.

In other news: Phil Hay drops January transfer claim which is sure to leave Leeds United fans fuming

With 17 games played, West Brom have racked up a rather mixed bag of results in the Championship so far this season, despite being fairly close to the top of the league table with nine wins, five draws and three defeats under their belt.

One player that has featured fairly regularly for the Baggies so far this season that we feel has let Valerien Ismael down somewhat in regards to what he has delivered on the pitch is winger Grady Diangana.

Despite appearing in all but two of West Brom’s 17 league games, Diangana has only managed to score one goal, which came during their recent 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough and provide one assist which came back in their 4-0 win over Cardiff City back in September.

In addition to his lack of goals and assists, despite playing on both wings and as an attacking-midfielder at times this season, Diangana has also only managed to rack up an average of 0.3 shots on target per game and 0.7 key passes per game (a total of ten), highlighting his lack of consistency as an attacking threat for the Baggies.

On the defensive side of things, even though he is more of an attack-minded player, Diangana has only managed to rack up an average of 0.1 interceptions per game and 0.4 tackles per game, making it hard to pinpoint what his strengths have been for the team this season.

Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say Diangana has let Ismael down somewhat this season, especially with the faith that the Baggies boss has put in him and the opportunities he’s been given to play, rather than the likes of Jordan Hugill who has only started five league games this season.

Given the points gap between West Brom and league leaders AFC Bournemouth and the amount of games that they have left to play this season, Ismael and the Baggies fans will certainly be hoping that Diangana, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, can turn his form around and become the player that was previously described as a “total nightmare” to defend against, throughout the remainder of the campaign and push the Baggies to promotion.

In other news: West Brom handed major injury boost over “massive” 26 y/o beast, fans will be buzzing – opinion

With the new Championship season fast approaching, West Bromwich Albion still have a considerable amount of work to do in the summer transfer window if they are to have any hope of securing an immediate return to the Premier League come next summer.

One of the positions most in need of reinforcements is central midfield, with Okay Yokuslu, Conor Gallagher and Ainsley Maitland-Niles returning to Celta de Vigo, Chelsea and Arsenal respectively following the expiry of their loan deals at The Hawthorns, as well as Rekeem Harper and Sam Field leaving the club on permanent moves.

Yokuslu, in particular, highly impressed during his time with Albion, with the defensively-minded midfielder ranking as the club’s fourth-best performer in the top flight last term.

As such, with a deal to bring the 27-year-old back to The Hawthorns looking unlikely following the club’s relegation to the second tier, Valerien Ismael faces the challenge of finding a suitable alternative to the Turkey international this summer, with the recently linked Trevoh Chalobah appearing to be a fantastic candidate for the Frenchman.

Yokuslu 2.0

While Chalobah has ultimately failed to break into the Chelsea first team, with Thomas Tuchel’s side reported to be more than happy to part with the former England U21 international this summer, the 22-year-old nevertheless demonstrated during a loan spell in France last season that he is a player with a significant amount of potential.

Indeed, over his 29 Ligue 1 appearances for FC Lorient last term, the £3.15m-rated man made an average of 2.4 interceptions, 1.6 tackles, 1.9 clearances and won 5.2 duels per game.

He also chipped in for Christophe Pelissier’s side going forwards, scoring two goals, providing two assists and creating one big chance for his teammates, in addition to making an average of 0.3 key passes and taking 0.5 shots per match.

These returns saw the man Paul Lambert dubbed a “complete” midfielder earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.87, ranking him as Lorient’s joint fourth-best performer in Ligue 1.

For comparison, over Yokuslu’s 16 Premier League appearances for West Brom last season, the £6.75m-rated midfielder made an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, two clearances and won 7.9 duels per game.

Going forwards, the 27-year-old failed to score for the Baggies, although he did manage to provide one assist and create one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 0.8 shots and making 0.4 key passes per match.

These metrics saw the £31k-per-week gem earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.99, a rather remarkable feat considering the Baggies were battling at the wrong end of the top-flight table.

As such, while Yokuslu’s statistics do better Chalobah’s, there are nevertheless quite clear comparisons that can be drawn between the two players, and, considering the Turk is five years the Englishman’s senior, the argument could even be put forward that the youngster has a higher ceiling than the Celta Vigo midfielder.

So, it is easy to understand why competition for Chalobah’s signature is so high this summer, as well as why we believe Ismael must do all he can to land the £12k-per-week midfielder ahead of next season.

In other news: Transfer update emerges on “world-class” £41k-p/w beast, West Brom fans surely gutted

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece has dropped a major update on Aston Villa starlet Carney Chukwuemeka – and it’s one which should have the club’s fans very excited.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months have suggested that some of European football’s biggest names have their sights on the 17-year-old, including Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. However, Preece has now suggested that the teenager’s future at Villa Park is “mapped out”, adding that he will be a part of the first team next season.

The journalist said of Chukwuemeka: “I can tell you he will be kept in the first-team, similar to Ramsey last season. Villa will be steady with him but, given game time, he can make a BIG impression next season. His Villa future is mapped out.”

Fans will be buzzing

Hailed as a “star in the making” by The Athletic’s Gregg Evans, Chukwuemeka netted a hat-trick in Villa’s 6-1 win over Newcastle to reach the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup last season, a performance which had Preece absolutely raving.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Birmingham Mail, he said: “This was a Carney Chukwuemeka masterclass. It was a clinic in how to play an advanced midfield role with the 17-year-old oozing confidence and swagger. The hype’s real surrounding this kid who, as supporters know, has been around Dean Smith’s first team for a long time now. Villa’s No.10 started almost every attack and looked to hurt Newcastle at every opportunity.

“European clubs are hovering looking to take Chukwuemeka and Villa could do with reassuring him that his future’s at Villa Park. He’s ready for some Premier League minutes. A scary talent who assisted Reddin as well. Unreal. He’s got everything.”

The teenager made his first team debut for Dean Smith’s side in the closing weeks of the Premier League season, coming on as a late substitute away at Spurs, before getting a more prolonged run-out on the final day against Chelsea (Transfermarkt).

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/aston-villa-dean-smith-transfer-window-premier-league-villa-park-emi-buendia-gregg-evans-gossip-rumours-update-news” title=”Read the latest Aston Villa transfer rumours and news!”]

Given the kind of incredible talent he possesses, this latest update about Villa planning to keep hold of Chukwuemeka and involve him in the first team next season should have fans absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, Dean Smith could sign a new Christian Benteke for Villa in this ace…

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts believes that a deal to sign Adama Traore this summer could lead to the sale of Steven Bergwijn.

The club has been linked with a potential move to bring Traore into the club from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Spurs are reported to have tabled a loan bid initially with an option to buy him for £40m at the end of the season, but there is said to be a confidence that Spurs will be able to bring him to north London and reunite him with former manager Nuno Espirito Santo.

Traore operates primarily as a right-winger but is capable of playing on the left, as he did against Spurs at the weekend, as Wolves lost 1-0 at Molineux.

Bergwijn also operates on the flanks and has started both of Spurs’ games this season, as both Manchester City and Nuno’s former club have been dispatched.

However, he has been linked with a potential move to Ajax before the deadline and Roberts thinks that it would make sense for Traore to potentially replace the Netherlands international in Spurs’ squad.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, he said: “Bergwijn, Ajax are after him and if they got the right fee for him, I think he would go and Traore would come in there, but we’ll wait and see.”

West Ham United have an interest in signing Jonathan Bamba before next week’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Express, who claim that the Irons could soon target the Lille midfielder as an alternative option to Jesse Lingard, who is yet to return to the London Stadium after a successful loan spell last season.

The 28-year-old seems likely to remain at Manchester United barring any late changes. Back in July, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted that the England international was part of his plans for the 2021/22 season.

As a result, Bamba has emerged as a potential target capable of filling his void. It’s thought that the Ligue 1 champions value him in the region of £25m.

The Irons, however, will face competition from across Europe, with Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen also mooted with interest.

Imagine him & Antonio

Bamba played an integral role in Lille pipping big-spending Paris Saint-Germain to the title last season – as per Transfermarkt, he provided six goals and 11 assists, averaging a direct contribution every 176 minutes.

Whilst, via WhoScored, only two other players recorded a higher seasonal average than his 7.07. And throughout the season, he displayed phenomenal work rate playing on both flanks and through the middle, where he averaged 1.2 tackles on top of 1.7 key passes, 1.6 shots and 1.4 dribbles per outing.

It’s this level of creativity that suggests he could fill the gap left behind by Lingard, who provided nine goals and four assists in just half a season.

Indeed, Bamba was dubbed the “creative leader” of Lille by journalist Zach Lowry, having emerged from a side that once had Nicolas Pepe, Jonathan Ikone and Rafael Leao as their key talismen. He went onto claim that everything went through the former France U21 international, only further explaining just how crucial he was to their success.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo is also blessed with explosive pace, something that could help dominate many a Premier League defence, with the ‘hidden gem’ said to be ‘lightning-quick.’

You can only imagine the sort of damage that the presence of Bamba could do alongside Michail Antonio in the attack. The 31-year-old machine became West Ham’s record top-flight goalscorer this week and he would thrive even more with a creative protagonist like the Lille star next to him.

Hammers boss David Moyes could form a lethal and mouthwatering frontline with the addition of the £18m-rated sensation,

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops big West Ham takeover claim, fans will surely be buzzing…

Many Liverpool fans have been left to fume as some early team news has emerged ahead of their away trip to Burnley in the Premier League.

As per Daily Mirror journalist David Maddock (via Anfield Watch), Gini Wijnaldum is likely to replace Curtis Jones in the only change made from the win at West Brom over the weekend.

Wijnaldum’s future is still up in the air given that he has not signed a new deal, and so some of the Kop faithful are questioning how committed he is to the Merseyside club ahead of a big game for their UEFA Champions League qualification hopes.

The Netherlands international has not exactly been inspiring in the top flight either, with a mere two goals and no assists in 36 matches in total so far in the 2020/21 term (Transfermarkt), and so Jurgen Klopp would likely have to rely on other players in front of goal against the Clarets.

Liverpool fans on early Team News

These Reds supporters fumed as the Team News emerged on Twitter:

“Why play with 10 men?”

Credit: @SusMinds

“Naaaaahhhhh”

Credit: @amandalalita

“Can we play someone else? His mind set somewhere else already @LFC”

Credit: @Tulang_Godang

“NO”

Credit: @JamalLababidi6

“We’re finished”

Credit: @Virgvd4

“Well goodbye Champions League”Credit: @TMLFC19In other news, find out what gesture from this Champions League and World Cup winner was loved by LFC fans here!

It’s fair to say that Rangers have had a disappointing second half of the season, despite the Europa League triumphs, the side’s Scottish Premiership form has been poor.

Coming into January with a six-point lead was the ideal scenario for Giovanni van Bronckhorst and his men, then the winter break happened, and Rangers lost arguably their best player of the season, Joe Aribo, to the Africa Cup of Nations and the wheels fell off slightly.

The onus was on van Bronckhorst to strengthen, especially in the midfield areas following Aribo’s brief departure and the sale of Juninho Bacuna, however, the club missed out on an excellent opportunity.

During the summer and January windows, the Gers were constantly linked with Dutch midfielder Joey Veerman, who was playing at Heerenveen. A deal couldn’t be struck and as van Bronckhorst moved into his first transfer window with the team during January, there were hopes of a chance to secure him.

Yet again, Rangers were slack, and PSV Eindhoven eventually signed the midfielder for £5m as he joined his boyhood club.

Former Rangers striker Michael Mols lavished “perfect” praise on his fellow Dutchman and it’s not hard to see why.

Since his arrival at PSV, Veerman has scored six and notched six assists in only 21 matches, a fabulous return.

If we compare this to Aribo in the same period, two goals and five assists, it proves that the Ibrox side should have splashed the cash in January and the club may have been heading into the last four matches in the league with their six-point advantage still intact.

As the summer transfer window looms on the horizon, Ross Wilson can’t afford to let similar players of that class escape their grasp again. After all, with Aribo touted with an exit, 23-year-old Veerman would very much have been the perfect heir.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can brutally axe “shaky” Rangers dud in deal for “annoyingly brilliant” £0 machine