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Leeds United will have the chance to return to their run of winning ways when they travel to Merseyside to face Everton on Saturday. They will be inspired by their latest result against Arsenal, which saw them come away with a point thanks to a 0-0 draw.

Pablo Hernandez was reportedly set to feature against the Gunners but a “niggle” stopped him from making his return to the squad. However, Kevin Campbell believes that Marcelo Bielsa will play the midfielder at Goodison Park (via Football Insider).

Make or break for Hernandez

The former Premier League striker has commented on how “unhappy” Hernandez is at the moment as he deals with his pestering injuries and Bielsa’s decision to substitute him off against Leicester.

He has not featured since then and Alex McLeish feels that he could be approaching the end of his run with Leeds. Indeed, the 35-year-old currently has less than two years left on his contract with the Whites and no talks have yet taken place over extending his terms. If Hernandez wants to change this, he must grab any opportunity with both hands and prove that he still has what it takes to be a Leeds regular.

Although he hasn’t contributed a goal or an assist yet this season, the Spaniard was key to the club’s success last campaign. Their Championship title and long-awaited promotion couldn’t have happened without the hard work of each player and Hernandez featured 36 times, contributing to 18 of their 77 goals scored (via Transfermarkt).

But as Bielsa must cater to the demand of the Premier League, Hernandez has slipped down the pecking order. If he starts against Everton, he must ensure that he puts in a solid performance to change the gaffer’s mind and re-establish himself within the team.

In other news, Radrizzani given reprieve amid likely Leeds defender’s exit…

Sunderland have been handed a significant boost after learning that Aiden McGeady’s wages will not go towards the club’s wage cap figure.

After spending last season on loan with Charlton Athletic, Republic of Ireland international McGeady returned to the Stadium of Light as his contract entered its final year.

The £653,000-valued attacker returned to training with the Black Cats’ under-23s earlier this summer but a recent calf injury limited his involvement.

And, it has now been reported by Northern Echo that McGeady will not be part of Sunderland’s senior squad next term and that the club are desperately trying to offload him.

With the introduction of a salary cap in the EFL, concerns had arose as to whether the Irish winger’s wages would count towards the club’s wage cap.

However, Sunderland Echo have now been informed by sources close to the EFL that with McGeady not being included in Phil Parkinson’s 22-man squad list for the new season, his salary will not count towards the £2.5m limit.

The future of the attacker is now unknown with the new season starting this weekend.

Parkinson must ensure that his decision to leave McGeady out is the right one. The Irishman has proven over the years that he is a very good asset – he has 27 goals and 13 assists in 98 games for the Black Cats – but obviously Parkinson does not believe that will come in handy next term.

The money not utilised by McGeady’s wages then must be used elsewhere, surely.

Do you think Aiden McGeady should have been given a chance by Phil Parkinson this coming season? Let us know in the comments section below…

West Bromwich Albion have already made some serious moves during this transfer window and now a new striker appears set to join Slaven Bilic’s ranks…

What’s the word?

According to Football Insider, the Baggies are in ‘advanced talks’ to sign relegated Watford star Troy Deeney and are now firmly ahead of Premier League rivals Spurs in the race for his signature.

They claim the Hornets are resigned to the fact that the 32-year-old is unlikely to stay at Vicarage Road, though it remains to be seen what sort of deal this could be.

Deeney is from nearby Birmingham and picked up a whopping £70k-per-week in the top-flight last season. Transfermarkt value the striker at just £5.85m.

Proven nuisance

It’s been widely reported that Bilic wants two strikers in before next month’s deadline, so adding Deeney alongside fellow mooted target Karlan Grant could make sense.

The veteran talisman is tried and tested in the Premier League having been at Watford for over a decade now. He has been their captain since 2014, so the Baggies would be some vital leadership qualities too.

Deeney has featured in 163 top-flight games, providing 47 goals and 21 assists, per Transfermarkt.

During their relegation campaign, the Englishman still hit double figures and averaged a whopping 7.3 aerials won, 1.7 shots and 1.1 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

Many at the Hawthorns will know the striker well as he’s regularly haunted Albion, losing just one of six matches in terms of head-to-head. Back in 2017, he ripped apart Tony Pulis’ side with a goal and an assist, leaving Jonny Evans and Gareth McAuley in the mud with no higher than a 6.5 rating.

Earlier this season, his old boss Nigel Pearson described Deeney as a “handful to play against” whilst rival manager Dean Smith believes he “epitomises the character and application to make it at the top.”

There’s still plenty left in the tank and the Baggies must not turn their nose up at this signing, whether that be a temporary or a permanent move.

AND in other news, West Brom should clinch PL “jewel” amid Krovinovic uncertanity…

Cristiano Ronaldo has reportedly held talks with the Saudi Arabian crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) and his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) about the possibility of signing for Newcastle United pending the approval of the proposed takeover in the northeast, according to Don Balon.

As per the Spanish outlet, the former Manchester United ace could be the main attraction of the project to turn the Tyneside club into one of the giants of European football with their expected big financial backing. The publication also claimed that Ronaldo likes the Premier League the most and therefore does not rule out a return to the English top flight.

This could well be at St James’ Park if the prospective takeover is eventually approved by the Premier League, as Ronaldo has apparently agreed to leave Juventus and return to England with MbS, his country’s PIF and its governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

That is, of course, depending on whether the proposed £300m takeover deal with Mike Ashley is given the green light and indeed that Newcastle would have the funds available to sanction the transfer.

What a coup it would be if the Magpies could lure Ronaldo back to the Premier League. Indeed, the 35-year old scored a rather impressive 84 goals and provided a further 45 assists in 196 games in the English top flight, mainly operating from the wing (via Transfermarkt).

However, his story had only just begun in his Manchester United days, as he has since won so many accolades during his time at Real Madrid, Juventus and for the Portuguese international team (per Transfermarkt).

His age profile is perhaps the only stumbling block, but what a statement this would be from Newcastle if they could lure Ronaldo to St James’ Park.

Geordies, would you still take Ronaldo at 35? Comment below with your views!

Many Everton fans have been buzzing as Calcio Napoli 24 reported that the Merseyside club have put in an official bid for Allan.

As per the outlet, the Toffees have made Gennaro Gattuso’s team an offer of €25m plus €5m in bonuses, a deal totalling €30m, which is the equivalent of around £27m.

However, the Naples side would like an extra €5m up front, with the deal then adding up to €35m, which equates to roughly £31.5m.

Indeed, Allan would arguably be an upgrade on Carlo Ancelotti’s current squad at Goodison Park, as the central midfield player scored more goals and also averaged more tackles and key passes than Fabian Delph, Tom Davies and Andre Gomes in their respective domestic leagues in the 2019/20 season, according to WhoScored.

At 29 years of age, the Brazilian international would add considerable experience in the middle of the park, with 391 club appearances under his belt (via Transfermarkt).

These Everton supporters were buzzing upon reading the news on Twitter, with one Toffees fan branding him as ‘class’:

Evertonians, would Allan be a good signing? Comment below with your views!

Crystal Palace fans have hailed Christian Benteke after his showing against Brighton & Hove Albion on Monday evening.

The Eagles earned a 1-1 draw against their bitter rivals, with Wilfried Zaha cancelling out Neal Maupay’s opener.

Benteke, of course, did not manage to score at Selhurst Park.

Watch Crystal Palace vs West Ham Live and Free with Amazon Prime on Boxing Day

And, per WhoScored, he won 14 aerial duels against the Seagulls, had four shots on goal and also registered one key pass.

However, he also had a pass completion rate of just 29% and did not manage to complete a single dribble.

The Belgian’s performance seemed to go down well with supporters, nevertheless.

Unfortunately for the 29-year-old, he needs to start scoring goals.

Thus far this season, he has yet to hit the back of the net in the league, though this was only the second time that he has completed the 90 minutes.

Did he really play for us?! No Palace fan has managed to name all of these obscure Eagles signings….

In fact, he has scored only 21 goals in 105 appearances for Palace, at a rate of 0.2 goals per game.

Fans can praise him all they like but, at the end of the day, he simply isn’t scoring enough goals.

Meanwhile, Wilfried Zaha has admitted to one thing after his summer exit was blocked.

There has been one glimmer of hope at Arsenal after a poor week which has seen them lose to Brighton and Manchester City and that is Bukayo Saka.

The 18-year-old was playing out of position at left-back before the season was postponed and has started both games since the Premier League has been back, once in his favoured position of winger and the other as a centre-midfielder (as per WhoScored). His performances have earned him a lot of praise from supporters.

Peter Crouch has spoken about the player but is surprised that Arsenal haven’t offered him a new contract as he said to BT Sport, via Goal: “I would be concerned (if Saka left). It’s happened time and time again at Arsenal. I’m not sure who’s in charge of contracts, but it needs to be sorted out.

“They’re giving big, big contracts to players who don’t want to be there and they haven’t sorted out someone with immense potential like Saka. Some players are lacking a little bit of desire at Arsenal, and you have to say, he’s been the shining light.

“A club of Arsenal’s stature, they should be trying to tie down these top young players. It’s a surprising thing that they haven’t been able to do that.”

It is hard to disagree with Crouch here. Saka picked up an assist against Brighton on Saturday whilst also receiving a decent 6.9 rating from SofaScore, and he also has three goals and nine assists in his debut campaign as a first team regular.

This is a fine return from the 18-year-old, who has played mainly at left-back in his 31 appearances this season, and the Gunners should look to tie him down to a long-term contract so they can be sure that he will stay at the club.

Hopefully they can do this soon because he seems to be a player with enormous potential who could give Arsenal a much-needed boost.

Gunners fans, how good has Saka looked for the club so far? Comment below with your views!

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Arsenal are definitely at a crossroads at the moment.

Unai Emery was, unfortunately for them, a failed experiment as the Spaniard couldn’t bring back the glory days of the Gunners and his adventure ended up in flames.

Still, now they have Freddie Ljungberg at the helm, and given he is just an interim manager at this moment in time, it’s difficult to know who will be in charge when the January transfer market reopens for business.

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One area Arsenal would be wise to improve is their defence. Despite the arrival of David Luiz in the summer, the Gunners have been leaking goals at the back, already conceding a total of 23 in just 15 games played.

Something will have to give and Ljungberg will have to address this issue if he doesn’t want to end up like Emery.

Interestingly enough, Arsenal were linked with one target that could’ve potentially helped them solve their defensive woes: Dayot Upamecano, a player valued at £36m by Transfermarkt.

The 21-year-old centre-back is still going strong at RB Leipzig but according to the Daily Star, the Gunners were scouting him during the summer. Unfortunately, they missed out on their target as it seemed that the coach and the board had different ideas on who to actually buy.

Still, with Upamecano’s current contract expiring in 2021, Arsenal could still reignite their interest and step up their efforts this time around.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Arsenal Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

By all accounts, he seems worth it.

So far, he has played a total of 14 games across all competitions in 2019/20 for Leipzig and even has 13 caps won for the French national team.

But his defensive contribution truly is impressive – 2.1 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game in the domestic league speak for themselves, and so do 3.2 clearances and 1.6 aerial duels won.

Even more importantly, he seems to be a big game player as well.

His Champions League figures are even better than the ones from Bundesliga – 3.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions along with 3.3 clearances and 2.8 aerials won per game.

By all means, Upamecano is a young prospect who’s bound to get even better with time and Ljungberg would hardly go wrong with reigniting Arsenal’s interest in the youngster.

Let’s see if that ends up happening.

In other news, Spurs should use the Jose Mourinho factor to lure a major summer target into the team…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

In arguably Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s greatest week as manager of Manchester United, the Red Devils pulled off two seismic victories when the pressure was at its most intense. Reports in recent weeks had suggested the Norwegian was fighting for his job at Old Trafford following a less than stellar start to the campaign, but in the space of a few days, the momentum and mood has well and truly turned around.

First, United edged aside their former manager Jose Mourinho and his new Tottenham team, before doing the improbable by beating the current Premier League champions and their noisy neighbours Manchester City in their own back-yard. The Red Devils’ tails are well and truly up, and with first place in their Europa League group on the line on Thursday night, Solskjaer will no doubt want to make sure his team continues where they left off.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how United could potentially line up against AZ Alkmaar.

Sergio Romero will no doubt resume goalkeeping duties in the Europa League, whilst the Red Devils may opt for a more experienced back-line than the one they fielded against FC Astana last time out. That night saw Di’Shon Bernard and Ethan Laird come into the team, with the former unfortunately scoring the own goal that handed the home side the victory.

The likes of Ashley Young and Diogo Dalot (who Solskjaer confirmed in his pre-match press conference is back in training fully) could come in. As for the two deeper-lying midfield positions, the United boss also revealed Nemanja Matic will feature against Alkmaar, whilst James Garner’s substitution in the U23s victory over West Brom on Monday night may be an indication of his involvement.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Man United Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

Ahead of the duo, Mason Greenwood, Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira may be given the chance to shine once more, whilst Anthony Martial’s withdrawal after 74 minutes against City could mean he is deployed up front.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have been told to sell this big-money star and reinvest the money elsewhere by a former Premier League manager.

Sunderland have taken a turn for the worse over the past week and following an embarrassing mid-week defeat to Scunthorpe, fans are keen for the clash against Gillingham to be forfeited.

The Black Cats are due to play the FA Cup replay next week, but Phil Parkinson suggested the game could be postponed due to players being away on international duty.

That news isn’t what supporters want to hear, as another fixture against Burton the following Tuesday could make scheduling difficult, and therefore some fans would be more than happy to see the Mackems withdraw from the competition.

Watch Sunderland Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

At the very least, others feel it is not worth delaying and clogging up the fixture list, and instead offer an alternative – for the youngsters to play.

After all, given Sunderland’s form under Parkinson – two wins in eight games – some of the fanbase probably feel they could do no worse than the first-team.

Here is some of the reaction to the manager’s comments and the calls for their team to lose against the Gills.