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Jesse Marsch could be facing something of a transfer nightmare at Leeds United this summer as another one of his key attacking stars is attracting interest…

What’s the word?

According to the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath, Tottenham Hotspur have an interest in signing Whites winger Jack Harrison when the transfer window reopens at the end of the current campaign after attempting to sign him in January.

The north London outfit submitted an enquiry for the 25-year-old two months ago but there was no intention to sell from Leeds’ side. They went onto sign Dejan Kulusevski on an initial loan deal from Juventus instead.

Spurs are said to retain their interest in Harrison heading into the summer transfer window as it’s believed sporting director Fabio Paratici was informed of the former Manchester City man by former Old Lady boss Andrea Pirlo, who played with the Englishman at New York City FC.

Marsch’s nightmare

With Raphinha increasingly likely to leave Elland Road this off-season amid interest from Barcelona, reports also linking Harrison with an exit are certainly cause for concern, and not just because it would leave the American head coach light on options.

The £13.5m-rated dynamo has played in every Premier League game since Marsch took over from Bielsa and has found some form, scoring two goals in his last two appearances, via Transfermarkt.

Both Marsch and Harrison were once on both sides of the New York rivalry in the MLS, with the 48-year-old taking charge of New York Red Bulls for two-and-a-half years and he knows all too well of the quality the 25-year-old can offer.

“We tried to find a way to draft him from university,” Marsch revealed (via LeedsLive). “I knew who he was. It’s nice to be on the same team now.

“I followed Leeds so I could see Jack. I’ve followed players from MLS and their adaptation. I could see Jack had taken a lot of new responsibility here. He was always the type of player after the game was always very respectable and would shake your hand.”

He then went on to add:

“He can run all day. He is explosive, he’s effective in 1-v-1s, he’s dangerous, he’s smart.”

Indeed, under the former RB Leipzig and Salzburg boss, Harrison has emerged as a key influence on the left flank, where he has also averaged 1.5 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, ranking second to only Raphinha in the current squad, via WhoScored.

Heading into the summer, it seems a forgone conclusion that the Brazil international will move on to new pastures, so it will be crucial that the Yorkshire giants do not lose another key player in attack.

Marsch will need Harrison heading into next season and interest from Spurs, who could well offer European football in 2022/23 is a worrying prospect and one that could keep him up at night, as a result.

AND in other news, Leeds star who made 68% passes was “all over the place” vs Southampton…

A big Rangers transfer claim has been made regarding Ross Wilson and Gio van Bronckhorst’s efforts to improve the Ibrox playing squad…

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has revealed that the Glasgow giants are working hard to plot their moves heading into the summer window.

He told GIVEMESPORT: “From what I’m told, Rangers are actually getting quite far ahead in terms of deciding the exact positions and the personnel they want to fill certain roles.

“So, I think it’s going to be really interesting what happens over the next few months.”

Delight at Ibrox

This will surely leave everyone at Ibrox delighted for multiple reasons.

Firstly, it shows that the club are being proactive rather than reactive. They are not waiting for other clubs to force them into making decisions on players they may sign or sell and are looking to plot out a roadmap for their business over the coming months.

Supporters will be buzzing with this, as it shows that Wilson will likely have a clear plan of action over what he wants to do, which suggests that he will not be scrambling around at the end of August to strike crucial deals. Having targets in place as quickly as possible means that they can start working on reaching agreements with clubs and players sooner than they otherwise would, which gives them more time to secure the best possible deal.

Fans will also be delighted because the squad seemingly needs improving based on the performances on the pitch this season. The Gers have lost their last two Premiership matches to Celtic and are currently six points behind the Hoops in the table, as Van Bronckhorst looks set to miss out on the title in his first campaign in charge.

This suggests that the Rangers squad is in need of reinforcements to win back control of the Scottish top flight next season, assuming there is not a stunning turnaround in the final weeks of the current campaign. Therefore, Wilson being hard at work at plotting deals for signings will please supporters who want the club to overtake the Hoops and establish themselves as the best team in Scotland.

Of course, it will now be down to the sporting director and Van Bronckhorst to ensure that they bring in the right players to develop the squad and raise the standards within the starting XI.

AND in other news, Insider drops worrying behind-the-scenes Ibrox claim, it’s very bad news for Rangers…

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According to Sky Sports, Crystal Palace are close to re-signing winger Bakary Sako from Championship club West Bromwich Albion.

What’s the story?

The Baggies only signed Sako themselves in October, as reported by the BBC. The 30-year-old was available as a free agent, having been released by Crystal Palace earlier in the year.

However, the 21-cap Mali international now looks set for a return to Selhurst Park mere months after having first left the south London club.

Roy Hodgson clearly believes the winger can still have an impact in the Premier League.

A poor decision

However, this appears to be a transfer that makes little sense. According to Transfermarkt’s statistics, Sako was released by Palace having mustered only eight goals and one assist in fifty appearances for the club in all competitions.

Who is your club’s worst ever January signing? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have picked theirs in the video below and they didn’t disappoint…

He has faired little better in his short time at the Hawthorns either, having failed to produce any end product in his five Championship outings so far.

The Eagles are in desperate need of goals, with the likes of Christian Benteke, Jordan Ayew and Connor Wickham all having struggled to find the back of the net with any kind of regularity this season. As things stand in the Premier League, only the bottom four clubs have managed to record fewer than Palace’s tally of 23 goals so far this season.

Sako’s recent record suggests he’s unlikely to provide the injection of end product the club desperately need. What’s more, the Eagles are already well-stocked with quality wingers, it’s a prolific striker they need.

All in all then, this decision to lure Sako back to the club is hard to fathom.

In our Loan Watch feature, The Transfer Tavern takes a look at how Celtic defender Osaze Uroghide is faring during a short-term loan spell at KV Oostende.

The lowdown

Celtic paid just over £200,000 to sign Urhoghide from League One outfit Sheffield Wednesday last summer.

But he found opportunities hard to come by under Ange Postecoglou, with his one and only senior appearance coming in the dead-rubber Europa League game against Real Betis in December.

On Deadline Day, Celtic opted to loan him out to Jupiler Pro League outfit Oostende for the remainder of the season.

The latest

It took a couple of games, after the loan move had gone through before Yves Vanderhaeghe handed Urhoghide his debut.

That came in a 3-0 defeat against KV Mechelen, with Urhoghide substituted off at half time.

It was certainly an auspicious start, then, but the defender was perhaps played out of position at right midfield and he’s admirably put it behind him.

He completed the full 90 for the first time against Sint-Truiden on 26 February and hasn’t missed a minute of action since.

His strongest performance to date came against Anderlecht, the side who have been crowned Belgian champions more than anyone else.

He won nine out of 11 ground duels – a hugely impressive 82% – in addition to making five interceptions and even creating a chance from his centre-back berth.

That earned a SofaScore rating of 7.1/10, the second highest in the side.

Overall, he’s recorded nine successful aerial duels, eight clearances, 11 interceptions and nine tackles, whilst also demonstrating his comfort in possession by completing ten long passes and five dribbles (71%).

The verdict

So, does Urhoghide potentially have a future at Celtic?

Well, under the loan agreement, Oostende will have the option to sign him permanently in the summer.

And if he can continue to impress Vanderhaeghe enough to hold down his place in the XI, then they will surely trigger it.

After all, he’s a player they’ve been following ‘for quite some time’, according to club president Gauthier Ganaye, and they ‘firmly believe in his talent’.

There are potentially clear parallels with Jack Hendry, who left Celtic for Oostende and then earned a move to Club Brugge, where’s he’s played six Champions League games this season and seen his Transfermarkt value climb to £5.4million (well above the £990k Celtic banked).

Celtic writer John McGinley has applauded the player’s hunger, suggesting that he’d ‘do anything for Ange Postecoglou’, and perhaps he deserved more of a chance to show what he was capable of.

In other news, read this journalist’s claim on Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to move Tanguy Ndombele on in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Sun, who claim that Lyon will not be taking up their £54m option to sign the midfielder on a permanent basis at the end of the current campaign – with the France international having linked up with his former side on a short-term loan deal in the January transfer window.

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This is sure to come as a huge blow to Antonio Conte and Fabio Paratici, with recent reports claiming that both men have come to the conclusion that the 25-year-old does not have a future in north London – with Spurs said to be willing to move Ndombele on for the biggest offer received this summer.

Conte must axe Ndombele

While it is true that Ndombele has enjoyed something of a renaissance following his return to the south of France – having registered two assists, created two big chances and averaged a SofaScore match rating of 7.04 over his seven Ligue 1 appearances for Lyon – considering just how poor the Frenchman had been for Tottenham ever since his £63m move, it would indeed appear the right call for Conte to axe the 25-year-old this summer.

Indeed, over his nine Premier League appearances in the current campaign, the £25m-rated midfielder offered Spurs next to nothing in the middle of the park, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating one big chance, as well as making an average of 0.4 key passes, 0.1 interceptions, 1.1 tackles, 25.6 passes and winning 3.6 duels – at a success rate of 44% – per game.

These returns saw the £120k-per-week player who John Wenham dubbed “laughable” and claimed “couldn’t be relied upon” average a quite shocking SofaScore match rating of 6.58, ranking him as Conte’s third-worst player in the English top flight.

As such, it is clear for all to see that Ndombele and Tottenham are simply not a compatible pair, leading us to believe that it would be best for both the player and the club to call time on their relationship this summer.

AND in other news: Levy can form “dangerous” duo as THFC eye “magical” £25m gem who can “become the best”

Leeds United are currently only targeting one arrival this month, according to reliable journalist Beren Cross…

What’s the word?

He delivered the worrying update during a recent online Q&A with supporters on LeedsLive, where he revealed:

“From what I have been told, [Brenden] Aaronson is the only player they’re currently in for at the moment.”

It’s believed that the Premier League side have seen a £15m bid knocked back for the RB Salzburg midfielder but they remain keen on signing him before deadline day on January 31st, as per The Athletic.

Earlier this week, other reports suggested that the Yorkshire outfit had submitted a second offer for a different unnamed player but Cross’ fresh claim pours cold water on that completely.

Not good enough!

This is a worrying sign and one that will surely leave manager Marcelo Bielsa absolutely gutted, if not fuming.

He has seen his squad decimated with injuries regularly throughout the 2021/22 campaign and it has been so bad that he has struggled to name much of a bench at all.

For instance, during Sunday’s impressive win at West Ham, the Argentinian had only one senior professional amongst nine substitutes and just last month during their defeat to Arsenal, there were as many as 11 players missing through injury. 15-year-old academy gem Archie Gray even made the bench on both occasions.

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Just one central midfielder will not cut it.

Yes, it is perhaps their main priority with Kalvin Phillips out injured until March at the earliest but Bielsa is surely crying out for some competition for Patrick Bamford, who has missed 16 of their last 17 league outings with ankle and hamstring problems.

The England international has no competition up top, meaning when he’s out, Leeds do not have a striker to lead their line. The likes of Dan James and Jack Harrison have often been deployed there – out of position – as a result.

Similarly, there is a lack of cover at full-back, where midfielders Stuart Dallas and Jamie Shackleton have often been called upon. Captain Liam Cooper is even expected to be absent until March, too.

The Yorkshiremen need two to three additions this month if they are to remain competitive and help alleviate the ongoing injury crisis at Thorp Arch.

Whilst Aaronson would be an exciting signing, it’s just not enough and that has got to leave Bielsa and co absolutely worried heading into the second half of the season following this huge update from a very reliable source.

AND in other news, Imagine him and Phillips: Leeds could seal dream Bielsa signing in £16.2m-rated “phenom”…

Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur are both eyeing Bristol City’s Alex Scott, according to The Daily Mirror. 

The lowdown

At the age of 18, Scott has racked up 32 Championship starts, and 35 appearances overall, for Nigel Pearson’s side this season.

He’s been used in a wide variety of positions, ranging from defensive midfield, to the no. 10 slot, to the right-hand side.

He’s said to be at his best, though, when deployed in attacking midfield.

Scott, who’s under contract at Ashton Gate until the summer of 2025, is considered an ‘elite’ talent by sources at the club.

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The latest

The Mirror’s James Nursey reports (via MOT Leeds News) that both Leeds and Spurs sent scouts to watch Scott in action on Good Friday ‘with a view to a summer move’.

Bristol City, significantly, face ‘a wrestle to comply with the EFL’s profit and sustainability rules’, weakening their negotiating position.

Scott is apparently ‘rated’ at around the £10million mark.

The verdict

Would Leeds’ recruitment staff been impressed by what they saw from Scott away to Stoke City last week?

Operating at right wing-back, he won seven out of the ten duels he contested, completing three out of four dribbles. He also made three clearances and drew three fouls from his opponents (via SofaScore).

On the other hand, though, he was a little sloppy with a possession, finishing the game with a passing accuracy of just 67%. Neither of his crosses found a team-mate, nor did any of his six long balls.

Still, given that he’s only 18, Leeds may well regard him as a rough diamond. City’s financial situation means he could be available for a reasonable price, and so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them test the waters with an offer.

In other news, Paul Robinson identifies a player who could face the axe on Monday.

Leeds United are the latest side to be linked with a move for Armando Broja…

What’s the word?

That’s according to TEAMtalk, who claim that as many as three new Premier League sides are eyeing up a move for the Chelsea striker this summer after an impressive campaign so far on loan to Southampton.

Alongside the Whites, Everton and Wolves have entered the race.

It remains to be seen what sort of fee the 20-year-old gem would command with CIES Football Observatory currently valuing him at €40m (£34m), and then there is the matter of whether or not the Blues will want to sell, even though he’s well down the pecking order behind the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner.

Much-needed addition

Whilst this wouldn’t be a signing for the January transfer window, it is one that the Yorkshiremen desperately need to make heading into next season.

As we’ve seen throughout the year, manager Marcelo Bielsa has suffered from numerous injury problems which have affected key areas, like in attack.

For instance, he has been without Patrick Bamford and his goals for much of the season. The England international has missed 17 of their last 18 league games with three different issues. He has no backup, leaving the Argentine head coach rather short.

United should be safe from relegation but they cannot afford to go into next year with just one senior striker as deploying wingers like Daniel James and Jack Harrison up front just isn’t as effective as having another centre-forward.

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And Broja has proven that he can cut it with the best. He’ll find game time very hard to come by at Stamford Bridge, so a move to Elland Road could appeal.

As per Transfermarkt, the young Albanian international has found the net seven times across 21 appearances for the Saints in all competitions.

Speaking about his form this campaign, Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl waxed lyrical about his ability and threat in the final third.

“He’s a great threat. He didn’t have many poor games this season so today he showed again how dangerous he can be for the opponent and he’s very helpful for our game,” he told the BBC after a 4-1 win over Brentford earlier this month.

Indeed, at 6 foot 3, Broja is a bit of a target man-like presence in the penalty box and one that could very much operate in a similar role to Bamford at Leeds.

According to football scout Jacek Kulig his strengths are “finishing, instinct, power, athleticism, and heading,” whilst he’s won 2.7 aerial duels and averaged 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

Bielsa  – or whoever is in charge next season – badly needs another striker at the club and on the above evidence, Broja seems like an ideal candidate to target, should he be available.

AND in other news, Leeds eye “unbelievable” £20m dynamo in late transfer twist…

Aston Villa have already made substantial efforts in strengthening their squad during the current January transfer window by adding the duo of Philippe Coutinho and Lucas Digne to their ranks.

With two weeks left until the window closes and chief executive Christian Purslow recently claiming that there are “one or two other things” they would like to get done in terms of transfers before the end of the month, one area of their squad that the Midlands club should now be looking to add to is at centre-back.

Having seen Axel Tuanzebe leave Villa Park earlier this month, a space has now opened up in Villa’s squad for a new centre-back to come in alongside the likes of Tyrone Mings, Ezri Konsa and Kortney Hause.

One potential centre-back that could realistically sign a deal with Villa within the next two weeks and join Gerrard’s squad, is Liverpool’s 24-year-old defender Nat Phillips, who has been mentioned with a move away from the Merseyside club this month.

On a short-term basis, Phillips, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £19k-per-week according to Salary Sport, would be a useful asset for Villa, not only due to Tuanzebe’s absence but also because of the injury Konsa picked up in their recent 2-2 draw against Manchester United that could keep him out for a period of time.

In a long-term regard, with Phillips’ fairly young age and the fact that Hause’s contract is set to expire in the summer, signing the Liverpool man could be a good piece of business from Villa if they get him on a long contract and Gerrard manages to embed him into the team successfully, which would presumably be tempting for Phillips given his lack of game time at Anfield this season.

Having played across the Premier League and Champions League for Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp, who has praised the 24-year-old in the past for his “insane” performances for the Reds, Phillips could be seen as a potential upgrade on Hause despite being younger than the current Villa defender.

In the Premier League last term, the Villa target won a whopping 5.6 aerial duels per game compared to Hause’s 3.2 this term. Meanwhile, Phillips is also a more efficient tackler, prevailing in 1.3 per match in comparison to the 0.5 won by their current option at the back.

Therefore it is worth Gerrard making a call to his former club to see if they would be willing to work out a deal for the defender before the end of the month.

In other news: Lange must avoid big AVFC disaster as insider update emerges, Gerrard would be livid – opinion

A big update has emerged on Newcastle United transfer target Dean Henderson…

What’s the talk?

According to reports, Manchester United have made the decision to send the shot-stopper out on loan for the 2022/23 campaign.

The report claims that they are willing to contribute to his salary in order to find him a new club for the season, due to his £120k-per-week wages.

A number of sides are said to be interested in the Englishman, with Newcastle, Bournemouth and Fulham all mentioned as possible destinations for him.

Newcastle can get rid of Dubravka

The Magpies must now act on this update by snapping the England international up this summer to bolster their goalkeeping options.

He must be brought in to compete with Martin Dubravka for the number one spot. Karl Darlow averaged a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.47 in his eight Premier League appearances earlier this season, suggesting that he is not fit to push the Slovakian for his place in the starting XI.

This means that Eddie Howe can benefit from signing another shot-stopper to create a competition between the goalkeepers – pushing each other on to improve.

Henderson can be the ideal player to bring in as he has a different set of skills to Dubravka that can make him a useful alternative, whilst he also has caught the eye playing in the Premier League for Manchester United and Sheffield United.

Alan Shearer previously dubbed the £40m gem as a “star in the making”, whilst his ex-teammate Sander Berge once lavished him with praise as he said: “He’s insane. I’ve never been with such a good goalkeeper. One thing in matches, he is almost a defence alone at times, and you feel so secure with him.

“But people have to see him at training. It’s crazy. He saves balls from one yard. Sometimes I am completely speechless by how good he is. It’s like having two goalkeepers in goal with him. He’s awesome.”

These comments show that he has been able to impress in the top-flight, which means that he would not be coming in as an unproven quantity.

He would be an upgrade on the £80k-a-week earning Dubravka in the way he sweeps up at the back. As per FBRef, Henderson ranks in the 95th and 96th percentiles for the percentage of crosses stopped and defensive actions outside the box per 90 over the last year in Europe’s top five leagues.

The Toon number one, meanwhile, ranks in the 64th and 9th percentiles respectively for those two statistics. This shows that the Englishman would be a major improvement on him in that area of the pitch and that is why PIF must bring him in to give Howe an alternative option between the sticks.

AND in other news,  Fewer touches than Dubravka: Newcastle’s £72k-p/w passenger went missing in LCFC win…