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Taking to Twitter, reliable reporter Roshane Thomas of The Athletic has now leaked another major West Ham United development out of Rush Green involving Vladimir Coufal.

The Lowdown: Eventful times at West Ham…

After West Ham confirmed the appointment of Rob Newman in the new head of recruitment role, a change which could have a big impact on transfers, it appears that more news has emerged out of east London, this time regarding fresh terms for Coufal.

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West Ham and GSB have been in talks over a new deal for their 2020 summer signing over these last few months, but an agreement had stalled over reported disputes regarding salary (Sky Sports).

The 29-year-old, who shone last season under David Moyes, is only one of the Czech Republic fan favourites subject to fresh terms at the London Stadium. His compatriot Tomas Soucek has also been touted with a blockbuster new deal, while the club also want to tie down star midfielder Declan Rice (Claret & Hugh).

In a major development, Thomas has now shared exactly how West Ham are getting on in tying down Coufal to a new contract.

The Latest: Coufal signs new deal…

As per The Athletic reporter, sharing the ‘great news’ on his Twitter profile, Coufal has now put pen to paper on a new three-year deal with West Ham, including the option for a further year.

In a ‘huge boost’ for Moyes, the 29-year-old has committed his long term future in east London after quickly becoming a fan favourite.

It is believed that Coufal even turns up to Rush Green on his days off and has helped change the culture at West Ham.

The Verdict: Absolutely massive…

One of the first names on Moyes’ teamsheet having started 34 league games last season, news of the right-back extending his stay is nothing short of massive for the Irons.

He finished his debut season in England as West Ham’s joint-highest tackler per game and attracted praise from club legend Mark Noble, who called him a ‘machine’ of a player.

His dynamism and application on that right-hand side is an absolute joy to behold at times and it’s arguable that he was the Premier League’s best right-back of 2020/21.

Moyes will be delighted that Coufal looks set to remain in the east end of London for a while longer.

In other news: Reliable reporter: West Ham fans should also be ‘excited’ by another big update, find out more here.

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has dropped a worrying transfer update ahead of the January window.

What’s the story?

The Whites find themselves in a difficult position in the Premier League heading into the busy Christmas period, with their mid-week drubbing at the hands of Manchester City placing a lot of scrutiny on the club’s growing injury list and potential transfer plans.

And now, Bielsa has delivered an update on where things currently stand, and it’s not great news for Leeds fans.

He said: “It’s a question that I’ve answered various times, I don’t have a different answer than what I’ve given up until now. Of course I’m losing authority in the position I defend because every game presents new difficulties. The question you ask me leaves me defenceless to defend my ideas.

“It’s also important to leave clear what I’ve said about this subject previously. The capacity for an institution to fortify their squad has a limit due to their budget. In that sense the president, the club have acted in a more than sufficient manner. But this is not the moment for me to explain anything.”

Fans will be worried

Having been at the hands of a 7-0 thrashing against City, and a clash against a resurgent Arsenal at the weekend, Leeds can ill afford any more big slip-ups in terms of results, and injuries too.

Bielsa has had desperate misfortune with missing the likes of Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford for extended periods of time and it has placed a lot of question marks over his reluctance to strengthen his squad.

Phillips is now out for the best part of two months and the fact that they’ve not won a single game this term when he’s not featured suggests they need more bodies in the team.

The Argentine has been known to favour a tight-knit group that he can rely on, but what the injuries and illnesses have caused and exposed is a glaring lack of depth, especially in key areas.

His comments that new signings may not be on the table due to budget concerns should leave fans very worried, particularly with the prospect of a real relegation battle looming for the second half of the season.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered a Leeds United transfer update…

Liverpool are hot on the heels of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City at the top of the table with just a handful of games left before the season comes to an end.

With 31 matches played, the Reds have won 22, drawn seven and lost two along the way, scoring 79 goals and conceding just 22 in the process.

One man who hasn’t been a particularly prominent figure on the pitch for Jurgen Klopp’s side, especially over the past few weeks. is Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

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Having appeared in 17 league games, the Englishman has only started nine, the latest of which came back in February in the 3-1 win over Norwich City.

Since then, the 28-year-old has not played a minute of action for his side in the league, failing to even make the substitutes’ bench for the 2-0 win over Brighton in March and last weekend’s clash against Pep Guardiola’s side.

Looking ahead to the upcoming summer transfer window, it seems as though the Reds have their eyes on potentially bringing another midfield option to Anfield, which could well see Oxlade-Chamberlain wave goodbye to Anfield.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from O Jogo (via Sport Witness), Liverpool are eyeing up a potential summer transfer swoop for Porto midfielder Vitinha, who apparently has a release clause of £33m.

After spending last season on loan in the Premier League with Wolves, the 22-year-old – who has been described as a “fabulous” player by his manager Sergio Conceicao – has been a regular figure for Porto in the current campaign.

With 25 league appearances under his belt, the midfielder has scored two goals, provided two assists and earned an overall performance rating of 7.41/10, making him the third-highest rated player currently at the club according to WhoScored. This shows just how capable the £4.5k-per-week Portuguese gem is of playing in a top team at a high level.

With an average of two shots, 1.5 key passes and 1.8 dribbles per game in the league this season, this highlights how much of an attacking threat he can be from the middle of the pitch.

This would certainly suit Liverpool given how they currently have the best attacking record in the Premier League in terms of goals scored.

Taking all this into account, if the Reds were to strike another deal with Porto – as they did in January for Luis Diaz – to bring Vitinha back to England on a permanent basis, it could add a bit of extra attacking strength to their squad and also give Oxlade-Chamberlain the signal to bring his time at Anfield to an end.

In other news – Fewer touches than Alisson: Liverpool waster who lost 92% of his duels was “awful” against Benfica

Leeds United pundit Noel Whelan believes having Patrick Bamford available against Burnley ‘could be massive’, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Bamford in line for return?

Bamford has endured an injury-hit campaign so far this season, making just six Premier League appearances.

He made a brief return from an ankle problem at the beginning of December but suffered a hamstring issue after celebrating his stoppage-time equaliser against Brentford.

However, Marcelo Bielsa refused to rule Bamford out of the scheduled Liverpool game on Boxing Day after the 4-1 defeat to Arsenal.

On that basis, it seems as if Bamford could be in line for a return to the squad for their next fixture now with even more recovery time under his belt, with Whelan giving his thoughts.

The Latest: Whelan’s comments

Whelan, who contributes for BBC Radio Leeds, was talking to Football Insider about the club’s injury issues.

He name-checked Bamford when talking about injuries, labelling a possible return against Burnley on January 2 as ‘massive’.

“It’s been unfortunate.

“It’s given an opportunity to those players who were on the fringes of coming back, like Bamford.

“They’ve had that bit of extra time to get themselves right and be part of the squad for these games. That could be massive. Especially for the Burnley game.

“It’s no secret that we’ve missed a lot of players over this Christmas period. It will be nice to get back to a nearly fully-fit squad for the remainder of the season.”

The Verdict: Needed…

Leeds’ options from the bench against Arsenal were all Under-23 players, with youngsters Cody Drameh and Joe Gelhardt even starting.

Bielsa is down to the bare bones, especially with the recent Covid-19 outbreak at the club, so having Bamford available against Burnley, even if it is from the bench, could be huge.

Hopefully the 28-year-old is just one of a number of players to make returns at Elland Road on Sunday, and who knows, the club could look back at the recent postponements against Liverpool and Aston Villa as a blessing in disguise.

In other news: Leeds ‘set’ to sign attacker in January who has the same agent as Forshaw – journalist. 

West Ham are still interested in completing the signing of Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Lingard excels at West Ham

The 29-year-old spent half of last season on loan at the London Stadium, becoming a hero in no time and spearheading the Hammers’ European challenge.

Lingard scored nine goals and registered four assists in just 16 Premier League appearances for West Ham, prior to returning to the northwest.

He has again struggled for playing time at Old Trafford this season, however, and the Hammers have been tipped to re-sign him in the near future.

The Latest: Hammers still in the fight

Speaking to Give Me Sport, O’Rourke claimed Lingard remains on David Moyes’ radar, with their interest never going away:

“He has been on West Ham’s list since last summer when he had that great loan spell at the London Stadium last season. He doesn’t figure in Manchester United’s plans going forward.”

Newcastle are now strongly linked with the 32-cap England international, so it appears Rob Newman could have a fight on his hands for his signature in the next ten days.

The Verdict: Newcastle favourites

While it would be great to see Lingard back in east London, it does look increasingly as though he could be part of the Tyneside revolution, following their recent big-money takeover.

The Magpies have made a second loan bid for the England international and their newfound financial power could give them the edge over West Ham, in terms of wages.

Should the player opt for London living and a club currently thriving instead of fighting relegation however, Lingard would be a fantastic addition to Moyes’ squad this month. He has been hailed as ‘exceptional’ by the Hammers boss in the past and showed in his temporary stint last term just how much he can inject into the Irons’ attack.

In other news, some West Ham fans are excited after an update on one target. Find out who it is here.

[ad_pod ]The early departure of Yannick Bolasie back to his parent club Everton, as per avfc.co.uk,Âhas left a hole in Aston Villa’s squad.Dean Smith must seek to find a solution to this issue ahead of his side’s clash with Ipswich Town at Villa Park this weekend.

On the chalkboard

Whilst Bolasie wasn’t able to produce his best form consistently in his time with the Villans this season, the 29-year-old’s pace, trickery and directness would have been the ideal weapon to target former manager Paul Lambert’s full-backs with on Saturday.

Thogden has ranked his top 5 sets of Championship away fans for Pl>ymaker FC. Did your club make the list? Find out in the video below…

In Bolasie’s stead, Smith ought to give Andre Green a rare chance in the starting XI, as the 20-year-old has the required attributes to replicate the Everton winger’s effect on the Tractor Boys. The youngster’s pace and confidence when running at opponents with the ball at his feet should make him a dynamic and dangerous presence for the Ipswich defence to have to contend with.

Ready to rise to the challenge

Green spent a chunk of the first half of the campaign on loan with League One high flyers Portsmouth. He is yet to start for Villa after he was recalled, as per the club’s official Twitter account, from Fratton Park though, and has only made two starts so far this season for the Midlands outfit in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

However, he replaced Bolasie from the bench against Hull City last time out and impressed in his cameo. What’s more, the Villa faithful are sure to get behind Green and give him a chance to grow into a greater role in the team due to the fact he is a product of their club’s academy.

He isn’t the finished article yet, but the potential is clear and he’s ready for this next big test in his career.

Speaking in a Leeds Live Q&A session, journalist Beren Cross has shared what he knows on star midfielder Kalvin Phillips and a possible new deal.

The Lowdown: Phillips exit rumours…

Due to his stellar performances at club and international level last season, the Leeds favourite has been linked with a move away from Elland Road all summer until now.

Indeed, the Englishman has attracted interest from Manchester United amid their search for central midfield alternatives in what could be a future worry for manager Marcelo Bielsa.

Now, in an update, Cross has shared what he believes involving Phillips and his future at the club.

The Latest: Cross makes Phillips claim…

Speaking in the Q&A, Leeds reporter Cross refuses to rule out an exit for the 25-year-old in future but has made an exciting contract claim – and one which could ensure the Whites get the ‘best deal possible’.

When asked about the Phillips situation, he replied: “There would need to be some eye-watering bids for Leeds to even contemplate selling Raphinha or Phillips in January, especially if they’re still in the bottom quarter of the table at that time.

“Next summer is a more realistic time for those bids to come in and Leeds cannot stop other clubs bidding for their players. Sporting directors would not be doing their jobs properly if they did not take a look at talents like those two who, currently, do not play European football with their club.

“Leeds may not want to sell next summer, but they will surely be realistic enough to know every player has their price. Do not be surprised to see Phillips sign a new contract in the near future.

“That will boost his transfer value even higher and as Bielsa said recently, if and when he decides to go, he will ensure Leeds get the best deal possible from it.”

The Verdict: Smart move…

If Bielsa and Leeds do have to surrender one of their best players in future, the least they can do is recuperate as much money as possible from any deal.

Lauded as an ‘unbelievable’ player by pundit Kevin Phillips, the tenacious midfielder should have no trouble attracting big bids considering his age, form, performances and the fact he is homegrown.

Adding a new contract on top of that would only better Leeds’ chances to really make a profit.

BBC Sport journalist Adam Pope has dropped a worrying injury update on Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

What’s the story?

The England international was taken off by Marcelo Bielsa during the Premier League clash against Brentford at the weekend, having first tried to play on before making it clear he needed to be substituted just before the hour mark.

And now, writing on Twitter early on Wednesday morning, Pope revealed: “Kalvin Phillips is understood to be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Will ask about expected length of time out & exact nature of injury when we speak to Marcelo Bielsa on Thursday.”

“Massive worry” for Leeds United

Make no mistake about it, being without Phillips for any length of time would be a devastating blow for Leeds and their supporters, given how instrumental he is both as a player and a leader.

In the three Premier League games that he’s failed to take to the pitch this season, the Whites have lost to Manchester United 5-1, lost to Southampton 1-0, and drawn 1-1 at home to Wolves too – hardly the kind of form that suggests they can cope without him.

It’s no surprise then that former Leeds man Noel Whelan has admitted reports emerging of Phillips’ injury is “massive”.

He said: “It’s a massive worry. One’s our club captain, and the other is invaluable to how we play. Having someone with the calibre of Kalvin Phillips out will be crucial to our competitive nature, our ability to go from back to front, and that calming influence on the ball.

“Hopefully it won’t be long term for Kalvin, it could just be a precaution. We can’t afford this, to be missing players like them over this Christmas period, they’re vitally important.”

If indeed Phillips is ruled out for the foreseeable future and misses the busy run of games over the festive period, then that could strike a decisive blow as the Whites aim to stay well away from the relegation zone.

Leeds fans will surely be devastated with Pope’s reveal.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has delivered the latest on Marcelo Bielsa’s future….

Jesse Marsch should attempt to lure Sergino Dest from Barcelona to Leeds United, according to transfer insider Dean Jones. 

The lowdown

In the words of ESPN senior writer Tom Hamilton, the 48-year-old has become ‘the most successful American coach in Europe’ and a ‘pioneer’ for his country.

He led Red Bull Salzburg to two league titles and two Austrian cups before earning a move to RB Leipzig, who were Champions League semi-finalists in 2020. The former New York Red Bulls coach is now taking on the Premier League with Leeds, having succeeded Marcelo Bielsa at the end of February.

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Leeds are reportedly looking at 21-year-old Dest, with 17 caps for the United States, in addition to compatriot Brenden Aaronson, and the Whites believe that the former would be an ‘excellent addition’.

He is represented by ICM Stellar Sports, whose clients also include Elland Road duo Patrick Bamford and Dan James.

The latest

Jones told GiveMeSport that Leeds face some pretty daunting competition for Dest, who made a ‘dream’ move to Barcelona in 2020, but he thinks that Marsch may be able to exert some pulling power.

The journalist claimed: “Sergino Dest has much bigger clubs interested in him right now. He’s got huge ambition and doesn’t even want to leave Barcelona because it was his dream move.

“But if Jesse Marsch has got any pull over him, then he should give it a go.”

The verdict

Dest started 10 of Barcelona’s first 11 La Liga matches this season, but since Xavi took over in November, the American has only been named in five starting line-ups. Injury problems have played a part, but his place looks considerably less secure than it did under Ronald Koeman.

If Marsch could tempt the £16.2m-rated wide man and Leeds could make an offer to Barcelona’s satisfaction, then there would be cause for celebration at Elland Road.

Dest, who can operate in both full-back positions and as a winger, was Ajax’s Talent of the Year in 2020 and also featured in the IFFHS Under-20 Team of the Year alongside the likes of Alphonso Davies, Erling Haaland, Phil Foden and Ansu Fati, so his potential is huge.

Indeed, Barcelona team-mate Dani Alves declared that ‘he has everything to be one of football’s greats’, so if Marsch does have any sway over possibly enticing the 21-year-old to Leeds, he absolutely must utilise it.

In other news, this Leeds man could leave the club after Marsch spoke to him about his behaviour. 

Pundit Alan Hutton believes that Leeds United forward Joe Gelhardt could miss up to eight weeks of action should his injury scare prove to be a thigh problem, as per Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Elland Road withdrawal

Gelhardt was handed a start for the under-23s on Monday, looking to build up his fitness levels after missing parts of the international break with a fake positive virus test.

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Unfortunately, the 19-year-old was forced off at Elland Road against Crystal Palace with an issue with his left leg as Crysencio Summerville stole the show with a hat-trick in a 4-0 win.

Leeds were set to assess Gelhardt on Tuesday but initially believed it was a dead leg, although Hutton has made a worrying claim.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments on Gelhardt

Hutton, who contributes as a pundit for the BBC, described Leeds’ injury woes this season to Football Insider as a ‘nightmare’.

He added that a thigh problem could rule Gelhardt out for ‘six to eight weeks’, which could keep him out of the Whites’ final seven league games, should that be the case.

The ex-Scotland defender lamented:

“I just think in general, the injury situation at Leeds has been a nightmare.

“When you really think about it, every week we’re talking about somebody being out.

“Let’s just hope that it is a dead leg because if you’re talking a thigh injury, he could be out for six to eight weeks. Fingers crossed it’s not.

“Playing against teams like Watford and teams round about you, they are six-pointers. You need your full squad fit and raring to go.

“That’s whether it be starting XI or off the bench to make an impact, like Gelhardt has done this season. Hopefully, it’s not too serious.”

The Verdict: Gelhardt’s rise

It’s crazy to think that Leeds would be sweating this much on an injury to Gelhardt, but that just shows his improvement in 2021/22, along with highlighting the severity of the club’s injury crisis.

He has contributed to five Premier League goals in just 486 minutes of action, helping the Whites to pick up four points by winning a penalty against Wolves in October and netting a last-gasp winner against Norwich last month.

Patrick Bamford and Tyler Roberts are both sidelined through injury, which makes Gelhardt’s availability even more important at this stage of the season. Hopefully the youngster will be able to make the trip to Watford on Saturday, providing strong competition to the likes of Dan James and Rodrigo.

In other news: Mega-rich club may now offer Leeds star 380% pay increase after he makes demand to Radrizzani