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Former Newcastle United and England midfielder Rob Lee has told Football FanCast that Leeds would be taking a gamble by appointing Massimiliano Allegri to replace Marcelo Bielsa as manager.

The Argentinian has been with the club since 2018 and has overseen their rise from the Championship to the Premier League.

He has been exceptional this season, too, with Leeds currently 11th and looking up the table rather than down.

However, his contract expires at the end of the season and there have been reports of Leeds putting a contingency plan in place in case Bielsa does decide to move on.

Allegri has been mentioned as a potential recruit, with journalist Duncan Castles, via The Sun, naming the former Juventus boss as a potential replacement.

Lee hopes that Bielsa stays at the club but he has urged Leeds to tread carefully, with foreign managers being rather hit and miss in the Premier League.

He told FFC: “I think you always take a chance when you bring a foreign manager in.

“Bielsa’s done it at Leeds so it does work but I think it was slightly different because he was in the Championship. He’s brought the club up.

“When you bring a foreign manager in and chuck them straight into Leeds, as good as Allegri would be, you’re always taking a chance on whether he gets to grips with the Premier League, with where Leeds is, with whether the players like him. I hope Bielsa stays because I think he’s been brilliant.”

Lee believes Bielsa operates differently to most managers and has hailed the success he has found at Elland Road.

Indeed, he believes it will not be Leeds’ decision if he stays, rather Bielsa’s.

He added: “Bielsa’s done brilliantly, I love him. I think he’s a breath of fresh air. He’s different. He does things differently.

“And I presume it’ll be his decision whether he wants to stay in England. I don’t think he’ll manage anybody else in England but whether he wants to be around and do that (is up to him).”

Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton could reportedly be listening to offers for the club’s Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Football Insider recently reported about Sigurdsson’s situation at Goodison Park, saying that the former Tottenham man will likely be on the market in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Everton prepared to sell Sigurdsson despite loss

The report from Football Insider has stated that, while Ancelotti happens to be an admirer of the former Swansea man, he turns 32 later this year and he will also enter the final year of his contract next season. Also, despite fine form, the report added that Everton feel he hasn’t lived up to the fee for which they signed him in 2017.

It has been reported that Everton are looking to sell one key player in the summer to bolster and reinvest in their squad, and Sigurdsson could certainly be that player. The Toffees are prepared to sell the midfielder, even if they will incur a loss on their initial investment.

Having said that, the 31-year-old’s current salary could prove to be a stumbling block in any potential sale, as Sigurdsson earns more than £100,000 per week.

2021 could be a good time to sell Sigurdsson

While Sigurdsson is currently valued at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, his value has fallen over the last two years and that isn’t a good sign for Everton, especially considering that he signed for a fee of £44.46m.

While he has an impressive six goals and nine assists this season, Sigurdsson isn’t getting any younger; and since his current contract expires in the summer of 2022, they can’t afford to let him go for free next year.

Because of his age, reducing value and contract length, it would make sense for Everton to sell Sigurdsson in the summer if an ideal suitor can be found.

In other news, Everton have been dealt a blow in their chase for a French ace – read more here.

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting in their droves to a statement from the Union Bears supporters club, and it seems they are not happy at all with the organisation’s choice of words.

The Gers are currently enjoying their status as Premiership champions. The title was confirmed when their local rivals drew 0-0 with Dundee United the Sunday before last, meaning they could no longer catch the Ibrox outfit. In the aftermath of the triumph, thousands of fans took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking lockdown regulations along the way.

There have been worries that such scenes could be repeated around the Old Firm derby this coming weekend. However, according to the Union Bears, the police have been particularly forceful in sharing the message that fans should not gather – they even said that one supporter was visited seven times in 48 hours.

They have insinuated that they will disregard the instructions to stay at home, which has not gone down at all well with other Gers supporters, one of whom slammed the group’s stance as “immature”. The statement was shared on the Union Bears’ official Twitter account, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts in response.

Let’s see what these Rangers fans had to say below

“You are now acting as a detriment to our club’s values. This isn’t support, please stop.”

Credit: @ALFEDO_MORELOS

“Nonsense”

Credit: @mothtothelamp2

“Immature. Follow manager and Captain’s advice. Put club first!”

Credit: @35Nicola35

“Our young bears look up to you. Show respect to the club and their undying support. We have to be unified and not let the club down again, as requested by the gaffer and the captain”

Credit: @Vikbic

“Union bears are fantastic and have been a credit to Glasgow Rangers, they bring so much to the football club, however, this is very bad taste lads, poor timing and an over reaction. Do the right thing.”

Credit: @Jetlagloyal

“I personally don’t like this mate. I like the UB and what they do, but not this.”

Credit: @Geeb1872

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.

Spurs midfielder Gedson Fernandes has been linked with a move to Serie A club Torino recently and considering his lack of game time with the North London club, Daniel Levy should allow him to go back to Benfica so he can then move on to Italy.

The Portuguese youngster was brought in on loan from the Liga NOS side in January of last year but has managed just 14 appearances in all competitions.

The 22-year-old has failed to make a single appearance in the Premier League this season and was also left out of Jose Mourinho’s Europa League squad, so it seems clear that the former Real Madrid boss does not feel that the midfielder is of a high enough quality to be a regular in his team.

Whilst he did feature in the FA Cup win against Marine recently, Torino’s reported interest represents an excellent opportunity for Spurs to cut short his disappointing loan spell, and send him back to Benfica, which could also open up an opportunity for another loan player to be brought in.

The 22-year-old is reportedly earning £55k-per-week whilst on loan with Spurs and given that he has been with the North London club for 53 weeks now, Daniel Levy and the Tottenham board have shelled out nearly £3 million in wages for his services.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-and-rumours” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer rumours, injury latest and more!”]

You could certainly suggest this money has gone down the drain, considering his most memorable moment in a Tottenham shirt to date was perhaps his awful penalty in the FA Cup defeat against Norwich City last season.

Fernandes would feature in just 63 minutes of Premier League action last season and now that Spurs have added Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in midfield, as well as Tanguy Ndombele establishing himself as a regular in Mourinho’s side, it seems extremely unlikely that he will feature in the top-flight any time soon.

Therefore, Spurs should certainly consider ending his loan spell early, as whilst he may not be currently good enough for Mourinho’s side, the £12.15 million-rated midfielder deserves the chance to play regular football elsewhere, something he could perhaps achieve with Torino in Italy, and such a move could get him off the wage bill tooo

And, in other news… Spurs will massively rue not signing £36.5m beast tipped to become the “best in Europe”

According to reports, Leicester City are interested in signing Leeds United starlet Pascal Struijk.

What’s the story?

The 21-year-old has firmly established himself as a key part of Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team plans in the Premier League this season, making 16 appearances in the top-flight, including playing the full 90 minutes in ten out of the last 11 games.

Now, De Telegraaf (via Sport Witness) claim that both the Foxes and Serie A giants Napoli are interested in the young Dutchman and that they have already inquired about potentially signing him.

Orta must intervene

At just 21, Struijk has got the best years ahead of him, and given how Bielsa seems to trust him with the number of opportunities and game-time he’s afforded him this season in the Premier League, it seems foolish to cash in on him now.

Not only has he been a regular starter over these past few months, but Bielsa has placed his faith in him by turning to him as Kalvin Phillips’ replacement whenever the England international has been out injured.

Able to play at both centre-back and in holding midfield too, Struijk was handed his debut by Bielsa against Hull, and hailed him as someone who “gives everything but asks for nothing in return”.

Former Leeds man, Dominic Matteo, is seemingly a big fan of him, saying: “He reads the game a lot better than he’s credited for. He’ll get even better too. Struijk is one to look out for.

“There’s plenty of work to be done but, with the size of him, his physicality, his passing, he’s got it all and can step into midfield. He looks very calm on the ball, players who are a bit erratic are not for me but he looks comfortable in possession.”

The £6m-rated (CIES) beast is only at the beginning of his career, and Victor Orta must block any chance of him leaving anytime soon. It’s clear that Bielsa adores him as someone who fits the mould of putting the team first, being versatile and carrying out his manager’s instructions.

Letting him go, whether to a Premier League rival or abroad, would be a major mistake.

Glasgow Rangers have cemented their place at the top of the Premiership after defeating Celtic, but perhaps they require that one final signing to add the finishing touches to an already impressive squad.

Steven Gerrard’s Rangers have dropped just four points from 22 games in the Scottish top flight and, although they have three games in hand, Celtic are now 19 points behind them at the top of the table.

However, if there’s one criticism that can be made, Neil Lennon’s side exposed the Light Blues’ lack of a cutting edge in a similar way to how teams used to frustrate Gerrard during his time as a player at Liverpool.

Celtic dominated the early stages as they largely starved Rangers of the ball in the first half, winning most of their individual battles in the midfield, although the Gers came into their own after their arch-rivals were reduced to ten men.

Despite beating the Bhoys, other than Kemar Roofe’s injury, Gerrard would have had one major concern coming out of the game, as they were over-run in the midfield early on and struggled to get a foothold in the game during the first exchanges.

Even Steven Davis, so often the hero at Ibrox, cut somewhat of a peripheral figure as both sides wrestled for control, whilst new summer recruit Bongani Zungu came off the bench in the closing stages of the game.

Rangers were linked with a number of midfielders in the summer as Gerrard bid to stop Celtic from winning ten in a row, none more so than former academy prospect Lewis Ferguson. The 21-year-old nephew of Rangers legend Barry Ferguson has adapted to the pace and intensity of Scottish football like a duck to water, with the club idol calling him an “exceptional” talent.

It’s not quite worked out for Zungu, who has struggled to adapt to life in the Scottish Premiership.

The same can’t be said for Ferguson, who has come on leaps and bounds since he signed a pre-contract agreement with Aberdeen in 2018.

He supplied five assists in 14 appearances for Hamilton Academical before joining the Dons, where he has got 20 goals and 21 assists in over a hundred games across all competitions for Aberdeen.

His manager Derek McInnes has recently accepted there will come a time where he will move on after the nature of these performances, saying: “Lewis has been pivotal to us from day one really and he just continues to be more important as he goes along.

“He’s outstanding.

“Lewis is a young man who does everything right and is such a key performer for me.

“He was signed with the intention of developing him and have good moments with us over a period of time, but you know eventually he will move on.

“But, while he is in our team, he will continue to do what he’s done.”

With Davis’ current deal set to expire at the end of the season, this sort of presence in the midfield would be most welcome in the Govan side of Glasgow and to be able to nab a midfielder who has the potential to be a future Scotland star for a mere £1.5m would be a shrewd bit of business.

AND in other news, Rangers must seal swoop for Filip Helander alternative in Preston North End’s Ben Davies…

Leigh Griffiths hasn’t had the easiest of few years in a Celtic shirt.

During the 2018/19 campaign, the striker played just 11 times in the league because of issues surrounding his personal life.

The Scot then returned to the side once Neil Lennon took over from Brendan Rodgers but with Odsonne Edouard such a dominant force in attack, he has always played second fiddle. Last season, he still scored 12 goals but he certainly wasn’t first choice.

Therefore, when Albian Ajeti arrived from West Ham in the summer, he will have been fearful again. Griffiths clearly wasn’t someone Lennon could rely on and after the Swiss scored five goals in his first ten outings, things didn’t look good for the 30-year-old.

Yet, the Celtic stalwart has fought back well and has now scored three in his last five. During that time, he’s also started four games.

His start against Ross County just before Christmas was remarkably his first since March – pre-Covid – so it’s been a welcome return to form.

However, just as he sustains himself in the team again, is the ageing forward now in trouble? Quite possibly.

That’s because Celtic are still in the hunt for a new forward, one of which is young Wigan prodigy Kyle Joseph. Chased by Tottenham and Rangers, as well as the Hoops, he looks a force to be reckoned with despite his minimal experience.

Joseph has netted four times in League One this term, a tally that included a wonderful hat-trick against Burton in his last game.

Speaking about the 19-year-old afterwards, Wigan manager Leam Richardson commented: “Kyle is on top of the world at the moment. The only disappointment for him and for us is that it wasn’t in front of 30,000 people here. He’ll remember that moment for the rest of his life.

“He’s been getting plaudits for a while now and as long as he keeps grounded and keeps working hard through the week like he does, he’ll have a very good career.”

Given his age, it’s encouraging that Joseph gets in such promising areas, but vitally for the teenager if he does come to Scotland, he offers a quality that Griffiths doesn’t – the ability to win headers.

So far this term, Joseph has won 2.3 aerial duels per game compared to just 0.8 from Griffiths. Of course, the latter is an established international footballer, but you only need to look at the way Albian Ajeti quickly jumped ahead of him in the pecking order when he first signed.

It’s possible the same would happen if the £300-per-week Joseph signs. He’s already got first-team football under his belt and he’s got goals to show for it.

If Lennon can fight off the competition to bring him to Parkhead, it would be an impressive capture. Unfortunately for Griffiths, however, it was may just give the Northern Irishman an excuse to axe him once and for all.

AND in other news, Celtic must swoop for £8k-p/w demon with “physical robustness”, he’s shades of Edouard…

According to Football Insider, Glasgow Rangers are ready to offload out-of-sorts outcast Brandon Barker, if the right offer arrives in January.

What’s the word?

Rangers romped to a 4-0 win over Ross County to extend their lead over their arch-rivals Celtic at the top of the Scottish Premiership but Barker was nowhere to be seen as he was left as an unused substitute on the bench.

It’s claimed that the 54-time Scottish champions could cash in on the wide man when the winter transfer market opens in just under a month’s time.

Get him gone, Gers

As regular readers of this column will no doubt be aware, we said last month that we think the Gers could be onto a winner with the former England U20 international winger, who currently earns wages worth £8,500-per-week.

The trouble is, he has largely failed to make the most of these opportunities to prove himself, after he limped off the pitch in the 4-0 win over Falkirk in the Betfred Cup.

Rangers signed Barker from Manchester City on a three-year deal in 2019, as he had previously plied his trade with Rotherham United and NAC Breda, before scoring twice in 30 games for Hibernian.

Since then, he has struggled to establish himself as a first-team regular starter under Gerrard, having fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Ianis Hagi, Jordan Jones and Kemar Roofe in recent weeks.

Jones’ suspension seemed to have presented the 24-year-old to finally prove himself once and for all, but another meek display may have struck the final blow, as Glasgow Live gave a fairly damning indictment of his performance.

In 10 appearances so far this season, Barker has scored twice and failed to register a single assist, whilst he is averaging fewer than one key pass and one dribble per game, via WhoScored.

It’s about time Ross Wilson starts to sort out some of the deadwood, and he may not have to look much further than the left-winger, who has struggled to make much of an impression since he first arrived at Ibrox.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers chief Ross Wilson must sanction audacious swoop for Jesse Lingard…

Whilst Southampton have enjoyed a superb start to the Premier League season, currently occupying fifth place in the top-flight ahead of the weekend’s fixtures, Moussa Djenepo’s performances may be a cause for concern for Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The 22-year-old winger has been a regular in the Austrian’s side in the absence of Nathan Redmond but has just one goal and no assists in his eight appearances in the top-flight so far this season (per WhoScored).

Since joining from Standard Liege in the summer of 2019, the tricky winger has made 29 appearances for the Saints, contributing just three goals and two assists (per Transfermarkt).

Although this is not the most impressive record, the youngster has shown that he is capable of winning games for Southampton all by himself, with his two individually superb goals against Sheffield United and Brighton earning Hasenhuttl’s side wins last season.

His goal against the Blades earned him a lot of praise from Redmond, with his teammate saying:

“He is a super-talented boy who is so open-minded and eager to learn every single day. He gets on well with everybody and has fitted in so well. I think that’s allowed to be free and almost naïve when he gets the ball because he wants to go and show people what he’s got which helps us out as a team.” (per Daily Echo)

However, with Redmond having returned from injury in the Saints’ recent win against Brighton, Djenepo could soon find himself out of Hasenhutt’s first team, unless his performances improve.

During the game against Graham Potter’s side, the Mali international showed his inexperience at times, as he was booked early on but made some risky challenges after the caution, before being taken off at half-time.

He also struggled to offer much from both an attacking and a defensive point of view, which makes you wonder how long the Austrian manager will keep faith in Djenepo to be a starter in his team.

The winger has certainly shown that he can beat a man with his excellent trickery and dribbling ability, but he needs to work on doing that more consistently, as well as producing a better end product if he wants to keep his place in the Southampton first-team.

And, in other news… Southampton can sign their next Mane in “explosive” speed-demon

A number of Leeds United’s talented cohort of U23s players have gone out on loan this season with the likes of Alfie McCalmont, Robbie Gotts and Bryce Hosannah heading out to various lower-league outfits.

Jordan Stevens is another who has moved out on loan this season, and it seems as though the Whites may want to keep an eye on how he’s getting on at Swindon.

The winger got off to the best start possible with the League One outfit, netting a brilliant goal on his debut, in what was a very Bielsa-esque phase of play as the winger won a tackle, before playing a one-two that saw him free on the edge of the opposition box, allowing him to find the far corner with ease.

Stevens showed exactly what he was about with that goal, and it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who has been tracking his development over the past few years.

The winger has previously played first-team football for the Whites, shining on the occasions where he has gotten a chance.

Noel Whelan waxed-lyrical about the youngster after his appearance against Sheffield Wednesday last season.

“Yeah look it’s great to see these young lads getting a go,” Whelan said.

“He looked very composed when he came on, got a great touch, great vision, likes to link up on that right-hand side.”

To hear that Leeds have a young wide player coming through with great composure and great vision is very exciting, especially when those are words you would use to describe star man Pablo Hernandez.

Now, we’re not saying that Stevens will become as good as the former Spain international, that would be ridiculous when he has never played a single minute of Premier League football, but if he develops as everyone hopes he does, he could be deployed in a similar way to United’s three-time Player of the Year winner.

Fingers crossed, Stevens can burst onto the scene in the next few years.