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Leeds United appear to be extremely keen on Everton teenager Thierry Small, who could be yet another young talent to develop under Marcelo Bielsa and Mark Jackson at Elland Road.

The 16-year-old, considered the best left-back in the country for his age, is willing to snub a three-year professional deal on Merseyside, according to the Daily Express.

Leeds ready to offer pathway to first-team football

The report claims that Small is prioritising a breakthrough in first-team football and is even ready to turn down interest from the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

Leeds, who appear to be after a new first-choice left-back this summer, are one of three sides ‘prepared to offer him a direct pathway straight into the first-team set-up’, 12 words that could prove pretty crucial considering the difficulty he may have breaking into sides that have Lucas Digne, Kieran Tierney and Luke Shaw all in top form.

Small has ‘frightening potential’ but has made just one senior appearance for the Toffees.

Transfer Tavern take

Bielsa has been extremely picky during his tenure at Elland Road in regards to handing several Whites youngsters regular game time.

The club’s current Under-23 side are sitting pretty at the top of Premier League 2 Division 2, with the likes of Cody Drameh, Joe Gelhardt and Sam Greenwood all starring under Mark Jackson.

None of the three mentioned have made a senior appearance for Leeds to date, so Small may have to be relatively patient in regards to a first-team opportunity, something he doesn’t appear keen on.

It seems as if the club like what they see in Small, though, so it could be a deal to keep a close eye on over the coming months.

In other news: Leeds linked with move for £4,400-a-week attacker, find out more here. 

Lots of Wolves fans have expressed their fume at the decision to chalk off a goal scored by Willian Jose for offside in their 1-0 win at Fulham on Friday night.

The striker, who is currently on loan at Nuno Espirito Santo’s team from Real Sociedad, thought he’d scored his first goal for the Molineux faithful with a bullet header in the first half, but it was then disallowed after VAR showed a marginal offside in the build-up.

The screen seemed to show a matter of fractions between each of the lines drawn and it is arguably not 100% clear whether there was an offside offence or not, given the thickness of the lines as well as the exact frame of when the ball was being played.

If it is not clear and obvious, the benefit should really go to the attacker, but as these calls are made in black or white it was given as offside, which caused a lot of outrage among several Wanderers supporters.

Wolves fans on Jose offside goal

These WWFC fans were left very angry on Twitter after the call had been made, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that they were ‘disgusted’ while another branded it as an ‘absolute joke’:

“Absolute joke they can manipulate it to whatever outcome they want!!”

Credit: @Goughy_WWFC

“The answer is….whatever they want it to be! Absolutely baffling”

Credit: @markgsx_r

“League One standard half that was and the worst call I’ve ever seen from VAR feel disgusted”

Credit: @jackperkins1989

“Awful, how is that gaining an advantage?”

Credit: @hhatha304

“Embarrassing decision”

Credit: @offhegoes1985

“VAR ruining another game man. Get rid”Credit: @Connor3dwardsIn other news, find out what Raul Jimenez update has been bemoaned by fans here!

Some Everton fans have been left to laud a transfer update on Dominic Calvert-Lewin as Leah Smith reported that Manchester United made an offer for him.

As per a tweet from the Stretty News and Caught Offside journalist, that offer was recent, but the Goodison Park faithful are demanding a fee of £80m to lure him away from the Merseyside club.

While Calvert-Lewin is certainly a very important player for Carlo Ancelotti’s team, £80m is a lot of money to turn down, and that can be reinvested into a new striker or other parts of squad that the Toffees need to strengthen in the summer.

Selling him to a direct rival in the Premier League is not ideal in the slightest, but Calvert-Lewin’s value may not get any higher than the Blues rate him at right now, and so it may not be a bad time to cash in.

Everton fans on Calvert-Lewin transfer update

These EFC supporters lauded the transfer update on Calvert-Lewin on Twitter:

“I heard about this a few weeks ago honestly hope it’s true”

Credit: @FrankieFitzmau3

“I’d snap your hand off for £50 mill – – great effort and work rate but surely there is better around for that type of money -“

Credit: @AuthurAskey

“I would snatch their hands off”

Credit: @paulmar27865614

“£80m is quite a lot. I’m sure we could buy a striker or 2 and a solid defender with that money”

Credit: @BlueNose9011

“3 goals in his last 16 games. I would snap £80million out of your hands.”

Credit: @BW27_

“In a bit DCL”

Credit: @OleOleAncelotti

In other news, find out what other recent transfer update has been lauded by Toffees here!

Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie has shared his concerns over the club’s planned move for Motherwell’s Declan Gallagher.

According to an exclusive report from TEAMtalk last week, the Hoops are ready to make a move for the 30-year-old. Aberdeen, Hearts and Dundee are also keen, along with English Championship duo Cardiff City and Barnsley.

Gallagher’s Fir Park deal expires in the summer, with the player’s head reportedly being turned by Celtic’s interest.

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie was asked about Celtic’s interest in the Scotland international, to which he replied:

“No, no, no, not for me.

“Has he played well this season? Listen, he is in the Scotland team so he is a decent player but I want a defender who wants to defend first and foremost.

“Celtic need players who will not just win them the league, but will take them far in Europe. They need to sign players that will take them to the next level.

“Gallagher and Welsh? That would not frighten me if I was a centre-forward. They need to sign an out-and-out centre-half, we need someone who loves defending, big time.

“I want somebody like Bobo Balde, he just went in and won the ball. That is what he was all about. No disrespect to the boy Gallagher but he is not that kind of player.”

Transfer Tavern take

We can see where McAvennie is coming from regarding a deal for Gallagher, but the Motherwell man could prove to be a handy addition at Celtic Park. He may not be at the standard required to be one of the first names on the team sheet, but he could be a useful squad member.

Kristoffer Ajer has been linked with a move to the English Premier League, Christopher Jullien is out injured and the much-maligned Shane Duffy is set to return to Brighton at the end of the season, possibly leaving them with youngster Stephen Welsh as the only centre-back on their books.

Gallagher has more than 100 Premiership appearances under his belt, with 26 of those coming this season. He has been Motherwell’s third-best performer during the current campaign when counting players who have featured on six or more occasions. [WhoScored]

No transfer fee is required, and Gallagher’s £1,400-a-week wage wouldn’t be an issue for the Hoops. Therefore, despite McAvennie’s misgivings, he seems a quite worthy target to pursue.

In other news: Celtic looking to sell summer signing over the coming months, find out more here. 

Liverpool have a wonderful chance to get back to winning ways on Sunday as they face relegation-threatened Fulham at Anfield.

Key to their hopes of a victory is set to be Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is going to have to put in a supremely disciplined and professional defensive performance to keep the Londoners quiet.

He will face up directly against Ademola Lookman, who has been one of the stars of Fulham’s season so far and is giving them hope of remaining in the Premier League this season.

The on-loan RB Leipzig man has four goals and three assists in the league this campaign – the joint-second most productive numbers in their entire squad.

It is certainly a resurgence from the young Englishman, with Fulham manager Scott Parker suggesting that Lookman “had to take his medicine” following a horrendous Panenka penalty attempt against West Ham United before Christmas.

Lookman’s pace and skill on the ball will, of course, be a threat to Liverpool, having been fouled on average 1.8 times per game this season – the second-highest in the Fulham squad behind only Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

That’s where Alexander-Arnold comes in. The young right-back, whilst not being the most defensively assured this season, has been able to time his challenges extremely well.

In the Premier League this season, the 22-year-old has averaged 1.6 tackles per game, only giving away 0.6 fouls per match, according to WhoScored.

If he can continue that calmness and composure when faced up with a tricky winger, that should bode well in his continual battle with Lookman.

Indeed, if he can keep the former Everton and Charlton Athletic man under lock and key throughout the 90 minutes, then that should enhance the Reds’ chances of winning and finally breaking the Anfield hoodoo they have endured of late.

AND in other news, have a look at why we think Ben Davies should replace the injured Ozan Kabak in the Reds’ lineup…

In a recent interview, Alan Hutton praised the Glasgow Rangers manager, Steven Gerrard, for his keeping of Gers’ traditions.

Speaking recently to Sky Sports, Rangers’ majority shareholder and former chairman, Dave King, claimed that Gerrard has always insisted on keeping the traditions that 10 times Scottish championship-winning manager Walter Smith instilled in his time at the club.

One of these traditions included the Gers boss wearing a suit and tie for the club’s fixtures, and, in a recent interview with Football Insider, Hutton heaped a considerable amount of praise on Gerrard for upholding these particular customs of the club.

He said: “This is the thing. It’s the little things that make the difference. They all build-up to the collective, what you’re looking for.

“He’s totally right. When you think back to the likes of Walter Smith, it was always that – the navy blazer, grey trousers and brown shoes. That’s how Rangers were.

“It’s good to hear that Steven Gerrard was buying into all of that. He wanted to be part of all the little things that make Rangers, Rangers. It’s brilliant to hear.”

Transfer Tavern Take

Whether or not Gerrard’s maintaining of Smith’s traditions directly had an effect on the players, it certainly does not appear to have done them any damage, with the Liverpool legend leading the club to their first Scottish top flight title for 10 years this season.

And, hopefully – for fans of the club, at least – it is not only Smith’s dress sense that Gerrard brings back to Gers but also the unprecedented levels of success the 73-year-old did during his time spent in Glasgow – with the former Everton boss winning 10 league titles, six Scottish League Cups and five Scottish Cups at Rangers.

In other news: some Rangers fans slammed this politician’s comments – find out more here!

Gareth Southgate has admitted Jordan Henderson faces a race against time to even be fit for England’s Euro 2020 campaign this summer.

The Liverpool captain has been absent since the 1-0 defeat at home to Everton last month, having limped off with a groin problem, with a return originally expected some time in April (Sky Sports).

Henderson underwent surgery on the issue, but his return to action is still a way off and he isn’t expected to face Real Madrid in either leg of the Reds’ Champions League quarter-final tie.

It means the 30-year-old will likely only return for the final weeks of this season at best, meaning he may not even be match-fit enough to play at the Euros.

[freshpress-quiz id=“306736”]

Henderson faces race to be fit for Euro 2020

Speaking to reporters [via the Liverpool Echo], England manager Southgate hinted that Henderson will need to prove his fitness in order to make the squad:

“In terms of promises, we can only say that Hendo himself is very optimistic about how the operation went and the prognosis that the specialist has given him as to what is possible,” Southgate said.

“We are conscious that with any injury of that nature, there is a guide and a time defined – but that anything can happen along the way.

“We know it’s going to be close to the end of the season and we will just have to see how it goes.

“He will give himself every chance of being available. And, of course, we also know he is likely to be a bit short of match minutes in high-level games.

“There are a lot of things to take into consideration but, at the moment, that is a decision that is a few weeks away.”

Transfer Tavern take

Missing the Euros would be an enormous blow for Henderson, who at 30, may not have many more chances to impress at a major tournament.

Given his standing as vice-captain in the current England squad, he will surely start if he is fit, but the next month or so could be crucial, in that respect.

It appears this is yet more bad injury news for Liverpool, given that the original prognosis for the skipper was that he would be back in April (Sky Sports).

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to yet another injury blow for the Reds. Read about it here.

This season has been a torrid and arduous one for Celtic. They secured the Scottish Cup in December but beyond that, there has been little to write home about.

Heading into this weekend the Bhoys were 23 points behind Rangers with any chance of winning a tenth title in a row surely all but done.

Neil Lennon has been feeling the heat but amazingly, the Hoops hierarchy are sticking with him. For Celtic’s high standards, it’s baffling that he’s still in the job.

It’s not often the Bhoys will be this far off the pace, especially to their rivals, so you can forgive supporters for protesting outside Parkhead a few months ago.

Though, as well as worrying about the future of Lennon, they should have major concerns over the playing squad. That’s because if everything goes against them, as many as 12 players could walk through the exit door in the summer.

We’ll break things down into three segments for you, beginning with those whose loans will be expiring; Mo Elyounoussi, Shane Duffy, Diego Laxalt and Jonjoe Kenny.

Secondly, we’ll look at the players out of contract; Scott Brown, Cameron Harper and Karamoko Dembele.

Finally, there are a host of players all being linked with exits; Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, Ryan Christie and Tom Rogic. You also need to bring into the equation that Olivier Ntcham has an agreement to join Marseille permanently.

Fears surrounding Edouard and Ajer have been there for a while. The former keeps attracting interest from the Premier League while AC Milan have shown a willingness to sign Ajer. Christie has been linked with Arsenal and Leeds while Rogic could move to Asia according to The Athletic.

With that many players potentially leaving, it would leave Celtic with plenty of recruitment to do.

For starters, this is the team Lennon could be left with.

As you can see, it’s an incredibly patched together XI. We’d tip Albian Ajeti and Leigh Griffiths to continue scoring goals while the midfield still looks indomitable.

Ismaila Soro has been a breath of fresh air to this Celtic team and has only been on the losing team twice in the SPFL. With that in mind, losing Brown wouldn’t be disastrous.

However, it’s in defence where there should be real worries. With Ajer potentially leaving in a few months time it leaves them vulnerable. Jeremie Frimpong is already out the door and Laxalt is presumably heading back to Milan which means defensive recruitment will surely be of utmost importance.

That should especially be the case at right-back. Kenny is only on loan which would leave the lesser spotted Anthony Ralston and Hatem Elhamed as their only right-backs. Stephen Welsh would undoubtedly benefit though. The 21-year-old has only played eight times for the Hoops which goes to show the limit of their exposure at the back.

Whether it’s Lennon or a new manager in charge come the summer, they will have a huge rebuilding job on their hands.

AND in other news, £7m Celtic brute could become a real star if Desmond hires “very demanding” 62 y/o…

After starting off the game so promisingly, Celtic shot themselves in the foot in the Old Firm clash against Rangers, slipping to a hugely damaging 1-0 defeat at Ibrox.

Neil Lennon’s side had control of the game in the first-half, racking up 11 shots to the home side’s three, but couldn’t find that clinical edge to nab that all-important first goal.

In the end, all their hard work was undone when Nir Bitton stupidly got himself sent off, leaving his teammates with a mountain to climb. And with just 20 minutes to go Callum McGregor put one into his own net, and leave Celtic really up against in the Scottish Premiership.

But whilst Bitton will rightly take some of the criticism, there’s one man who let Lennon down just as badly: Odsonne Edouard.

The Frenchman of course has been linked with a move away from Celtic Park for a long while now, including in the summer. And on Saturday afternoon, his heart just didn’t seem to be in it, and he produced one of his worst performances of the season in Celtic’s biggest game of the campaign.

As per Sofascore, he made just eight total passes in the entire game and struggled to really get involved in the build-up for the Hoops. He completed just one of his four attempted dribbles, and lost possession a whopping 17 times too.

Lennon desperately needed his talented French striker to step up and be counted, coming up big like he’s shown he can do in previous campaigns.

But Saturday was just the biggest statement of how perhaps it’s finally time to say enough is enough, and call it a day on Edouard’s future at the club.

No player is bigger than the club, and Celtic should just cash in on him when they can.

Jamal Lewis proved Steve Bruce got one thing right in Newcastle United’s 3-0 loss to Arsenal on Monday night by producing a strong display at left-back.

The Toon were void of confidence in most and comfortably beaten in the end, with a brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and a second-half strike from Bukayo Saka proving the difference between an Arsenal side now unbeaten in six and a Magpies side winless in nine across all competitions.

Newcastle looked a team sapped of ideas and passion in north London, despite Bruce stating just days earlier that the “gloves are off” in a scathing attack on his players, who will likely be in the firing line once more as the relegation fight crept ever closer to Tyneside.

As part of his mission to get Newcastle’s season back on track, Bruce opted to recall Lewis to his starting XI at the Emirates, having been without the £15m summer signing from Norwich City in recent weeks due to a knee injury sustained in training.

Lewis showed his fighting spirit early in the first half to deny Saka a chance to break by taking down the Arsenal forward, but used a hand to the 19-year-old’s face to concede one of the two fouls referee David Coote would call against him.

Gunners full-back Cedric Soares was also forced to foul Lewis in the opening stages of the second period to prevent a Newcastle break, though the Toon failed to use the free-kick to their benefit with Jonjo Shelvey’s delivery flicked into Bern Leno’s arms.

That chance proved to be a rare bright spark for the Magpies, as a sole shot from centre-back Jamaal Lascelles ultimately went down as Newcastle’s only on-target effort against a Mikel Arteta side that struck 20 attempts on Karl Darlow’s net, per WhoScored.

Aubameyang only accounted for two of the Gunners’ efforts, despite netting twice, as the Gabon forward actually saw less of the ball than Lewis, who registered 45 touches even though Newcastle enjoyed just 33.6 per cent of the possession at the Emirates.

Lewis further stood strong to show Bruce made the right decision by favouring his services over those of Matt Ritchie or Paul Dummett to offer a game-high four successful tackles – twice the tally of any other Toon player on a night only five men returned to the north-east having recorded a successful challenge.

The £38,000-per-week defender was additionally never dribbled past, thanks partly to his first-half foul on Saka, made one clearance and came out triumphant in five of his seven ground duels, per SofaScore.

Lewis’ success in the duel was far above his seasonal average of 2.7 contests won with a 52% win rate, while also offering more than twice his average tackles (1.6) and successful long passes (1.3) with three from eight attempts finding a teammate on Monday night.

Pressure may still be on Bruce for his position at the helm, with no Premier League side claiming fewer points over the last seven games, but Lewis came out of the Arsenal defeat with his honour intact.

AND in other news, Newcastle United are being targeted to solve another PL side’s transfer crisis.