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Marcelo Bielsa has been the star of the show at Elland Road so far this season, but it’s worth noting that the performances of Kemar Roofe have been integral to the growing popularity of the enigmatic Argentine. 

Reformed in a new-look centre-forward role, Roofe has endeared himself to the Whites faithful at the spearhead of the attack this season. Boasting a record of seven goals and two assists from eleven Championship appearances, Roofe has provided a potent threat in the final-third which has enhanced the club’s promotion bid, but a recent report from The Sun suggests that Bielsa is plotting a reunion with Fernando Llorente.

The Tottenham Hotspur outcast is out of contract at the end of the season, but the report claims that the Spaniard will be available for £4 million in January.

Bielsa has Tyler Roberts to turn towards in the event that Roofe suffers another injury this season but, unlike the 19-year-old, Llorente would offer a genuine alternative to the first-choice striker.

A natural target-man by trade, Llorente is a commanding physical presence with a proven track record.

Leeds supporters have become accustomed to Bielsa’s attractive brand of possession-based football, but if the club are to achieve promotion this season the Argentine will need to tweak his approach in order to consistently break down his opponents.

With a striker of Llorente’s style to chose from, Bielsa would have a weapon to utilise in games which require a more direct approach, even if that style goes against his managerial instincts.

Llorente (valued at £4.5 million by Transfermarkt) is a born goal scorer with pedigree at the highest reaches of the game, so there is no doubt that he would become a valuable asset in Leeds’ promotion push, scoring goals and using his intricacy to create opportunities for his teammates.

Powerful, clinical and a marked alternative to Roofe, Bielsa would be wise to secure Llorente’s services in January.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Middlesbrough kept up their unbeaten run yesterday as they beat Brentford 2-1 to keep them well in the hunt for the Championship title. 

Tony Pulis’ side sit second in the table two points behind league leaders Norwich City and a point ahead of Leeds United in third.

With Pulis at the helm, Middlesbrough have become an incredibly tough side to break down and as of yet have only conceded nine goals in the league – the best in the Championship.

If Boro are to continue their pursuit of promotion this season, however, Pulis must dip into the transfer market in January and according to Alan Nixon, are very interested in a move for Southend youngster, Dru Yearwood.

The Breakdown

The 18-year-old midfielder has made a huge impact at the club this season following a breakout year with the Shrimpers last year.

Last season, he made 25 appearances for Southend and has already made nine in the league this campaign.

Despite having a strong batch of midfielders, signing Dru Yearwood, would be a solid move from Pulis and one that is more in tune with preparing for the future rather than now.

At only 18, to be playing such a huge role for Southend shows just how good Yearwood is and if Middlesbrough gain promotion this season, it would be a move for the young midfielder couldn’t refuse.

Tony Pulis definitely has a squad capable of winning the title this year and also staying in the Premier League if they get there. Signing Yearwood would definitely be a good move for the future.

Thoughts Middlesbrough?

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With the highly anticipated Merseyside derby approaching, team selections are just one of a number of things on the lips of supporters from both sides of the county. The blue half of it, however, have a much more settled line-up than the red half, so all eyes are on Jurgen Klopp…

What did the German get wrong in the French capital? 

Well, if Wednesday night’s Champions League loss is anything to go by, Klopp must make sure he selects the right midfield options to suit what he wants to do in the game and combat what his opponents will attempt to do.

The former Borussia Dortmund boss was arguably guilty of choosing the wrong midfield against the Ligue 1 champions at the Parc des Princes. He opted for a midfield trio of Jordan Henderson, James Milner and Gini Wijnaldum, against a vastly differing duo of Marquinhos – a centre-back by trade – and Marco Verratti.

PSG’s midfield pair are better in their defensive acts rather than their offensive ones, which should have encouraged Klopp to start Xherdan Shaqiri and Naby Keita in an attempt to pin them back and nullify their attempts to gain a stranglehold on the game.

Who should he go with against the Toffees? 

In all honesty, Klopp should scrap the entire midfield trio that started in Paris for the Merseyside derby. They were overran, ill-disciplined, and simply outclassed. The qualities of Milner, Henderson and Wijnaldum should not be underestimated, for they can prove useful in the right type of game however, but Everton’s midfield will be technically similar to PSG’s.

Idrissa Gueye and Andre Gomes will provide a slightly similar challenge to that of Verratti and Marquinhos. The Senegalese international is a midfield destroyer who will hunt the ball down relentlessly, whilst Gomes will compliment that with his composure and ability on the ball.

Fabinho needs to start just in front of the defence, in order to block out the Portuguese midfielder’s attempts to play the killer ball. Additionally, Gylfi Sigurdsson is a known threat from an attacking midfield role; it is pivotal that the Icelandic international isn’t allowed to receive the ball inbetween the lines.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas makes bold prediction for North London Derby – Check out the video below…

Ahead of the Brazilian, Keita should be given the chance to truly kickstart his Liverpool career. Gueye is arguably the best interceptor in the league alongside N’Golo Kante, so a player such as the Guinean, one who is not adverse to carrying the ball forward with his expert dribbling skills, will be necessary in luring the Toffees out of their shape somewhat and creating gaps for the forwards.

As aforementioned, however, Gueye is an excellent reader of the play and tops the Premier League tackling ranks so far this season, so he could easily nullify Keita to some extent.

Klopp must be bold and mirror the former RB Leipzig’s skills by deploying a similar ball-carrier alongside him in Shaqiri. The Swiss star is penetrative, incisive and a quick thinker; if Keita fails to disorganise Marco Silva’s set-up, Shaqiri should punch the ball between the lines enough times to make some sort of incision throughout the game.

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The Premier League is notorious for its short temper when managers are concerned, and in the modern day, no job is entirely safe.

Even Claudio Ranieri guiding Leicester City to a remarkable 5,000/1 title was not enough to stay in command when results started to dip, so what hope is there for managers that never get going?

Mark Hughes indeed fell in the latter category, after taking just one win from a possible 15 in the Premier League, leaving the board hot under the collar having suffered a similar fate when Mauricio Pellegrino was in charge.

Times may now change on the south coast with former RB Leipzig man Ralph Hasenhuttl, and should results turn around at St Mary’s other clubs may be forced to change their leadership, too.

Since the turn of the century, there have been 114 managerial changes, averaging 6.3 a year. That figure is on the rise, as well, with a record ten managers released throughout last season – starting with Crystal Palace’s Frank de Boer, an early casualty in September.

Only once had there been as many managers’ contracts torn up, after Sunderland got the ball rolling four seasons earlier – the north east club handed Paolo Di Canio his P45 a month into the campaign.

Even when the top flight consisted of 22 sides the highest tally was nine, set in 1994-95.

Premier League clubs are now showing time and time again that a manager can be a tool to get them on the ladder, but another man will guide them to success. Everton for one are hoping the short-term appointment of Sam Allardyce, followed by Marco Silva, will be the right decision.

Playmaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals he often received racist abuse after North London Derbies – Check out the video below…

While the average number of sackings is on the up – 7.8 per season for the past five years – there have always been seasons when only a handful got the chop.

This season has already seen two managers forced out the door, with Hughes following Fulham’s Slavisa Jokanovic to the job centre.

Should no other side feel the urge to change things up, it would be a record in its own right – so far the lowest tally has been three, but that was more than a decade ago – the 2005-06 season saw Alain Perrin, Graeme Souness and Mick McCarthy sacked.

On current odds, via The Sack Race, Manchester United’s coach of the past two-and-a-half years is the leading contender to face the chop, with Bet Victor staking Jose Mourinho at 6/4.

Roy Hodgson’s Crystal Palace future is nearly in as much doubt, with odds of his dismissal coming in at 6/1, matching Burnley’s long-standing hero, Sean Dyche.

The trio make up the favourites with more than one-third of the season gone, as results for their respective sides are well below expectations. Manchester United, for one, are closer to the bottom three than they are their local rivals.

As for Burnley, they reside in the relegation zone just months after qualifying for the Europa League.

Despite the bookies placing Mourinho, Hodgson and Dyche as favourites to go, they could all be argued as safe in their jobs – even if some fans would like a change.

Manchester United are already out of contention for the Premier League, so a change in management would not affect those standings. Instead, it will cost the club an expected £12million to terminate his deal.

While at Burnley, the Clarets have seen highs and lows under the leadership of Dyche, topped by qualifying for Europe. He also secured their promotion from the Championship twice, even if they were relegated back down to the second tier in 2015-16.

The same goes for the likes of Huddersfield and Wolverhampton Wanderers, who adore their managers. West Ham, too, could get itchy feet, but Manuel Pellegrini is a marquee name in the dugout that would be hard to replace.

If you were to say that all managers at underperforming sides had to turn things around or they would face the axe, the 2018-19 could see the most managerial changes in Premier League history.

As things stand, the figure already resides at two moving into the festive period, also known as the sacking season for clubs as they jump the gun to stop the rot and hand the new boss a transfer window to bring in his own recruits.

Huddersfield, Burnley, Cardiff and Palace could all get nervous if Southampton and Fulham start winning runs. Throw in the likes of Newcastle, West Ham, Wolves and even Leicester, and you are looking at a joint Premier League record, which could even get smashed if Brighton sack Chris Hughton and Manchester United ignore financial illusions for results on the pitch.

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Experienced referee Martin Atkinson will be the man in the middle when Newcastle United welcome Fulham to St James’ Park on Saturday afternoon.

It is a huge game for both teams, with Fulham currently rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table. Newcastle, meanwhile, will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins following their success at Huddersfield Town last weekend.

News that Atkinson will referee the affair has not been welcomed by the Newcastle fans, though.

Atkinson took charge of Newcastle’s 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on the opening weekend of this season, and has shown 46 yellow cards and one red during his 15 matches in charge this term.

The 47-year-old, who will be assisted by Stephen Child, Gary Beswick and Jeremy Simpson, was actually the man in the middle when Newcastle beat Chelsea 3-0 in the final weekend of last season.

However, the Newcastle fans have reacted negatively to the news that Atkinson will referee Saturday’s affair:

Playmaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

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Liverpool fans on Twitter were delighted on Sunday as their side beat bitter rivals Manchester United 3-1 at Anfield, and much of the praise was reserved for holding midfielder Fabinho.

The Brazilian arrived from Monaco in the summer for a fee of £43.7m but he initially struggled to break into the starting XI on Merseyside as Jurgen Klopp felt he needed time to adapt to English football.

It would seem that this was an inspired decision, as against United the 25-year-old stood out as one of the best players on the pitch.

His positional sense allowed him to provide a strong shield in front of the back four, and his incisive forward passing was perfectly illustrated with his wonderfully lofted ball for Sadio Mane to get in behind and open the scoring.

Fabinho will be hoping that his performance impressed Klopp, and it certainly impressed plenty of fans on Twitter. Check out the best reaction below.

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Leeds United pulled off a remarkable comeback to triumph over Aston Villa by a 3-2 scoreline on Sunday afternoon.

The Whites were 2-0 down at half-time, and Dean Smith’s home side looked comfortable. However, Bielsa’s half-time substitution proved inspired, as Jack Clarke’s volley pulled one back for the visitors. That goal sparked the comeback which was completed deep into stoppage time by Kemar Roofe, whose late goal secured a 3-2 victory for Leeds.

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Playmaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

Whilst huge amounts of credit have to go to the players, especially the likes of Roofe, Pontus Jansson and Pablo Hernandez, the Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa also deserves plenty of plaudits. 

When the Argentine coach arrived at Elland Road, Leeds were a club in stasis. Mere months later and they’re set to be top of the Championship table on Christmas Day.

After the triumph at Villa Park, plenty of Leeds fans took to Twitter to sing the praises of Bielsa…

Newcastle should look to hijack West Ham’s move for out-of-favour Everton midfielder James McCarthy to bolster their options in midfield, and could get the Irishman on loan as they look to avoid a quick return back to the Championship.

What’s the word, then?

Well, according to the Daily Mail, the Hammers are plotting a move for the former Wigan man as they look to get a few more bodies through the door in January to strengthen their midfield options, and have also expressed an interest in Besiktas man Gary Medel.

McCarthy lost his place in the Everton lineup as a result of a double fracture to his right leg, and has never really been given a chance to build properly on his 132 appearances for the club since signing for £13m back in 2013.

The 28-year-old is still an excellent midfielder and was always a fans’ favourite at Goodison Park thanks to his tireless performances, willingness to get stuck in and enjoyment at giving 100% every time he steps onto the field – with just 18 months left on his contract, there is an excellent player available on the cheap for someone.

Why should Newcastle swoop in?

Rafa Benitez’s current options in the middle of the park simply aren’t good enough. Isaac Hayden, who had performed admirably in their promotion season two campaigns ago, isn’t up to the standard required in the Premier League.

The Magpies are also without former Swansea man Ki Sung-yeung for up to a month as the Asian Games commence, leaving Benitez short of quality midfield options. As we all know, the St James Park faithful love a player who gives his all for the club, and McCarthy fits that bill perfectly with his full-blooded performances.

Check out Neymar’s controversial new haircut for 2019 and Xherdan Shaqiri as you’ve never seen him before in the video below..,

Mike Ashley would also be a big fan of this deal as it would appease the angry fans getting on his back, whilst he wouldn’t see his bank balance hit too hard given the Irishman’s contract situation along with his role as a fringe player at Everton – an initial loan to see if the midfielder still has it, with a view to a permanent move, would be the most sensible way to play any potential negotiations.

Marcelo Bielsa will continue to face selection problems ahead of the visit of Derby County on Friday evening as Leeds United look to consolidate their advantage at the summit of the Championship table. 

Discussion over January transfers and Bielsa’s relentlessly consistent rhetoric will continue to dominate the month, particularly if the Whites recent struggles continue in the coming weeks.

Injury concerns are once again driving the narrative and prompting fans to recommend signings at every given opportunity, but Bielsa’s insistence on internal promotion and improvement, which has been vindicated by the performances of a handful of youngsters, hints that acquisitions are more unlikely than probable.

Not only are Leeds facing the prospect of tackling the Rams without Barry Douglas, Pablo Hernandez and a whole host of senior players, they will also be without Kalvin Phillips who remains suspended after being shown a straight red card against Nottingham Forest.

The holding midfielder has been forced to fill in as a central defender of late, with injuries to Gaetano Berardi and Liam Cooper leaving Bielsa desperately short of options.

A rising list of absentees has handed another Leeds prodigy, Aapo Halme, the opportunity to step up to the starting eleven. Like Jack Clarke and Jamie Shackleton, Halme has showcased a top level of maturity and competency when stepping into the side, and his performances have given Sky Sports journalist, Simeon Gholam, reason to believe that he could start on Friday evening.

‘A suspension for Kalvin Phillips means Halme could be used in central defence again against Derby.

‘He is a big presence at 6ft 5ins and also is useful with his feet, fitting Bielsa’s requirements for a central defender well.’

The Finnish colossus is hugely inexperienced at this level but he has demonstrated enough promise on his recent outings to suggest he can be trusted in the hugely anticipated clash with Derby.

An added weight of importance is pressing on Leeds ahead of the fixture, with the need to break a three-match losing streak putting the players in a situation which they are yet to face this season, so Halme will certainly need to be at his razor sharp best to give his side the best possible chance of keeping a clean sheet.

And, if he does indeed keep his place in the side from the FA Cup defeat against QPR, his height could cause Derby all kinds of problems from set-piece situations, as it did when he notched his first goal for the club at Loftus Road.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

January can be a difficult market for buying and selling players, purely because clubs done’t want to let go of their best players midway through a season while a lot of managers want to do all they can to improve their current crop of players.

This January doesn’t’ seem to be much different, with two Premier League clubs in particular slapping huge price-tags on their most wanted players.

West Ham have told clubs in China it’ll cost at least £45million to prise Marko Arnautovic away from Stratford while Bournemouth have insisted it will take a bid of around £75m to convince them to sell Callum Wilson.

If they managed to get those fees then they’ll represent club record player sales for both sides. But what about the rest of the Premier League? What would it take for other clubs to break their current record player sale?

Surely most of these will be broken very, very soon…

20. Brighton – Leonardo Ulloa – £9.09m

The Argentina is perhaps more known for his time at Leicester but before then he was a force in front of goal for Brighton.

Arriving for just £2m from Almeria in January 2013, Ulloa netted 23 goals in 50 league appearances for the Seagulls before Leicester came calling and made Brighton a huge profit by signing him for just over £9m 18 months later.

19. Cardiff City – Steven Caulker – £9.68m

Believe or not, there was a time when Steven Caulker was one of the most sought after English defenders playing in the Premier League.

It didn’t quite work out how everyone expected for him but having enjoyed an impressive season in the top-flight with Cardiff, after signing from Spurs in July 2013, he was sold to QPR just a year later for just short of £10m – which remains Cardiff’s most profitable player sale to date.

18. Huddersfield – Tom Ince – £10.08m

Another Englshman who has struggled to live up to expectation, Tom Ince joined newly promoted Huddersfield Town from Derby County in July 2017.

But just a year later, despite helping Huddersfield to Premier League safety, he was sold to relegated Stoke City for just over £10m, where he is hardly setting the Championship alight.

17. Bournemouth – Matt Ritchie – £10.80m

The Scotland international was instrumental in Bournemouth’s first ever season in England’s top-flight.

So it was a huge shock when they agreed to sell him to relegated Newcastle in July 2016 for £10.80m. At the time it seemed like a real bargain but it remains Bournemouth’s club-record player sale.

16. Wolves – Steven Fletcher – £13.68m

This probably won’t stand for much long, given the amount of top talent currently playing in the Premier League for Wolves, but as things stand Steven Fletcher’s £13.68m switch to Sunderland in August 2012 remains Wolves biggest player sale ever.

Not a bad coup for Sunderland at the time given Fletcher’s record of 22 goals in 61 league appearances for Wolves.

15. Fulham – Mousa Dembele – £17.10m

This will go down as one of the biggest bargains in Premier League history, as the Belgium international moved from West to North London in a £17.1m deal back in August 2010.

He went on to make almost 250 appearances in all competitions for Spurs over six-and-a-half seasons. Surely though, at some point, selling Ryan Sessegnon will break Fulham’s current record breaking player sale?

14. Burnley – Michael Keane – £25.65m

The former Man United academy graduate made a loan move to Burnley permanent in January 2015.

Two-and-a-half years later, in July 2017, he was sold to Everton for a club record player sale – £25..65m.

13. Crystal Palace – Yannick Bolasie – £26.01m

Another player who Everton splashed big money on, Bolasie spent four seasons at Selhurst park before making the £26.01m switch to the Blue half of Merseyside.

You’d like to think Wilfried Zaha and perhaps even Aaron Wan-Bissaka will eventually fetch more for Palace in today’s transfer market, though.

12. West Ham – Dimitri Payet – £26.37m

The Frenchman will go down as one of the bargains of the Premier League era, having signed from Marseille for just over £10m in June 2015.

Having almost fired the Hammers in to the Premier League he then forced his way back to Marseille by downing tools in East London in January 2017, and the French club bought their man back for more than double what they sold him at.

The potential sale of Arnautovic to China, though, will eclipse this current club record sale at West Ham.