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Leeds could be set for a huge boost with the news that Stuart Dallas is set for a new contract at Elland Road.

What’s the story?

The Northern Ireland international has been a revelation all season, and since moving into central midfield in recent weeks, has added a goal-scoring touch to his game too, including a match-winning brace against Manchester City.

Now, Football Insider claim that Marcelo Bielsa’s side are set to enter into negotiations with Dallas’ representatives at the end of the Premier League season about a new deal as they look to reward him for his fine form.

Dallas’ current contract has another two years to run, but “United are keen to reward him with an extension and pay hike”.

Bielsa will be buzzing

Given just how consistent Dallas has been all season, news that he’s set to be rewarded with a new contract at the end of the season will be music to the ears of both Bielsa and the club’s supporters.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay made it clear just how good he has been, saying: “I went for Dallas as Player of the Year last season as well. I’ve almost run out of things to say about him. He’s like the T-1000 from Terminator. Tell him to be a goalkeeper and he turns himself into one (without indiscriminately killing people at the same time).”

With his ability to play virtually anywhere across the pitch, Dallas is an absolute manager’s dream, and it’s no surprise that Bielsa himself has made it clear just how much he rates him.

He said: “I had a player like Dallas before in Javier Zanetti, and Julio Saldana when I had my first experience of management at Newell’s Old Boys. Those two players are very like Dallas in terms of their versatility.

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“Dallas is a very potent, powerful player and can play with either foot. In the majority of the games that the team has played, he has been one of our best players.”

A new deal for Leeds’ footballing version of a Swiss Army knife will have Bielsa absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, Leeds could finally wave goodbye to this £9m-rated “massive flop”…

Marcel Brands should look to revive Everton’s interest in AFC Bournemouth star Arnaut Danjuma amid Carlo Ancelotti’s plans to sign a winger this summer.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees will prioritise the arrival of a new wide forward and right-back in the next transfer window.

The Goodison Park outfit feel there is a lot of depth to the attacker market this summer and will focus efforts on signing a left-footed option between the age of 20-25/6.

Ancelotti currently has no natural left-footed wide player with James Rodriguez’s best position through the centre, while Richarlison, Alex Iwobi, Joshua King, Bernard, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Anthony Gordon all favour their right.

Everton are also expected to part with right-footed wingers Theo Walcott and Yannick Bolasie once their contracts expire in June, and only have one left-footed forward in the Under 23s in Josh Bowler.

However, Bowler is likely to leave Merseyside on loan next season having been unable to secure a temporary move away in either of the previous two windows due to a hip flexor injury.

Moise Kean, who has been linked with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus, may also leave at the end of the term, with Everton viewing the Italian striker as their most sellable asset to help generate additional funds for summer arrivals.

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Bernard, a rumoured target for Real Betis under Manuel Pellegrini, is also facing an uncertain future at Goodison Park as he enters into the final year of his £120,000-per-week contract.

Should Everton revive their Danjuma interest?

The Liverpool Echo do not name any players who may be on Everton’s radar to improve Ancelotti’s wide forward options this summer, but a player they have previously been linked with, Danjuma, should be one worth considering despite being right-footed.

The Daily Mail noted in 2019 that the Toffees, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were among a clutch of Premier League clubs tracking Danjuma while the attacker played for Club Brugge before sealing a £13.5m move to Bournemouth.

A string of injuries heavily impacted the Dutch international’s debut campaign at the Vitality Stadium, with Danjuma only making 16 appearances across all competitions as the Cherries were relegated to the Championship.

A hamstring injury again ensured he would miss game time over the winter this term, but Danjuma is absolutely flying in the second-tier now that he is fully fit with eight goals and five assists in his last 10 games to take his tally for the campaign to 14 goals, seven assists.

Of those goals, seven have come with his left foot and seven with his right, despite favouring the latter – only natural left-footer Andre Ayew (13) and centre-forward Adam Armstrong (9) have scored more with their left in the Championship this term, per WhoScored.

Danjuma’s efforts as the Cherries contend for an immediate top-flight return have again attracted Premier League interest, with West Ham and Southampton touted as potential suitors for the 24-year-old livewire.

Brands beating the Hammers and Saints to the punch would see the Blues Director of Football gift Ancelotti a forward Bournemouth boss Jonathan Woodgate considers an “exceptional” talent, and one the Dutchman previously worked with.

Brands told NRC back in 2018 that he let Danjuma leave PSV Eindhoven while at the Eredivisie giants, after he requested to be allowed to join Club Brugge after failing to establish himself in the first-team at the Philips Stadion.

PSV’s loss is now proving to be to Bournemouth’s gain, but for how much longer he remains in red-and-black remains to be seen. Especially if Brands were to revive Everton’s interest amid Ancelotti’s search for a new wide forward this summer.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti set to make shrewd Everton appointment with “hugely popular” coach…

Steve Bull has exclusively told Football FanCast that Patrick Bamford could be England’s “wildcard” for this summer’s European Championships.

Despite scoring just one Premier League goal during spells with Burnley, Norwich, Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, the Leeds striker has taken been in scintillating form for the Elland Road outfit from the get-go this term.

Bamford has struck 14 times in the league this season, including goals against Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester, with Harry Kane the only player in Gareth Southgate’s current squad to have scored more than the former Chelsea man.

Marcus Rashford, Ollie Watkins, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who’ve netted 10, 12, and 14 respectively were all named in the recent squad for World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Albania and Poland, with Bamford once more overlooked.

However, like he was at the 1990 World Cup, Bull told Football FanCast that Bamford could be England’s secret weapon for the finals:

“I think he’s learning, he’s only a baby in football. He knows where the net is, he’ll shoot from anywhere.

“It’s the same as Watkins, one of them might go as a wildcard.

“They took me to the World Cup as a wildcard, nobody knew who I was. Whether they know Bamford or Watkins or not, one of those two could be the surprise coming off the bench and say ‘come and grab us a goal’.”

Once the season ends, it will mark the end of an era at Celtic, as the Bhoys will be without Neil Lennon, Peter Lawwell and Nick Hammond.

They will also be without club captain Scott Brown. The midfield stalwart is bringing down the curtain on his Hoops career in a few weeks’ time in favour of moving to Aberdeen as a player-coach.

Brown has been a pillar of Celtic’s success in the last decade, winning ten Premiership titles and 12 domestic cups. If anyone defines the steely nature of their team in recent years, it is him.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and his performances have been questioned at times this season. The 35-year-old has looked off the pace and has appeared leggy on more than a few occasions.

You can hardly blame him for that given his age, but one area of his game you cannot criticise are his leadership skills.

He is an outstanding captain, a leader of men and an example for the rest of the team. That’s why, when he departs, he’ll leave behind a considerable void in the Celtic dressing room.

Callum McGregor has been tipped to become the next Hoops captain but that honour could be given to a new signing.

The Sun claimed last week that Seamus Coleman is a player who may be brought to Celtic in the summer. The Irishman is out of contract in a year’s time and thus could move on the cheap.

The £68,000-per-week earner is the current skipper at Everton and has led by example for a number of years now. You only need to look at words from Toffees manager Carlo Ancelotti to realise how good a commander he is.

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“I’ve had a lot of captains in my career but how Seamus expresses his love for the shirt is really top. He is a great captain” the Italian admitted.

“I don’t want to forget anyone [I have worked with] but he is up there as a captain with [Paolo] Maldini, John Terry and Sergio Ramos,” he said.

Like Brown, Coleman is a player capable of running himself into the ground and dragging others through a game.

When the Hoops icon departs in a matter of months, they would do well to replace him with the 32-year-old Premier League defender.

To be compared to the likes of Maldini and Ramos – by a manager who has worked with both players – doesn’t happen very often, so Celtic should definitely consider a deal.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Edouard: Celtic must sign 16-goal gem who plays “in the style of Robben”…

Leicester City turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season on Sunday by dismissing relegation-bound Sheffield United 5-0.

It was a stunning afternoon for the Foxes as they displayed a lethal and cutting edge to continually slice through their visitors.

Kelechi Iheanacho was, of course, the star of the show, securing his first-ever Premier League hat-trick with a perfect performance.

However, despite not managing to get his name on the scoresheet, as he has done in three out of his previous four appearances against the Blades, it was still a supremely impressive showing from Foxes’ frontman Jamie Vardy.

All afternoon, his constant running and hassling caused problems for the Championship-bound Sheffield United.

Without Vardy, Iheanacho would unlikely have scored his treble, with the 34-year-old twice setting up the Nigerian with perfect, low crosses to power home. As well as the two assists, the Englishman also contributed a further two key passes, more than anyone else in the game, according to WhoScored.

His afternoon was not done there though as he forced his low shot in off of Ethan Ampadu late in the game to round off a resounding win for the Foxes.

Despite the fact that Vardy only had 21 passes throughout the entire match, so many of them being vital highlights his stunning showing.

The former England forward may also have felt extremely unlucky to have not scored throughout the game. He had five shots throughout the 90 minutes, with just treble scorer Iheanacho having more, getting three on target.

However, each time he fired at goal, he was denied by Blades stopper Aaron Ramsdale, leaving him on 14 strikes in all competitions for the season.

Despite having now just scored once in his last 12 Premier League games, more performances like this from Vardy for the remainder of the campaign will surely set the Foxes firmly on the road to the UEFA Champions League.

AND in more news, take a closer look at Kelechi Iheanacho’s ruthless treble performance against the Blades…

Liverpool will be able to park their Premier League woes in midweek as they take on RB Leipzig in the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League last-16 tie.

The Reds head into the clash on Wednesday evening, holding a 2-0 aggregate advantage after goals from Mo Salah and Sadio Mane in Budapest, where they will return to play this defacto ‘home’ tie.

Jurgen Klopp’s men have to be wary though, having lost seven out of their last 15 matches in all competitions since the turn of the year, including the 1-0 defeat to Fulham last time out, a match where the German elected to make sweeping changes.

What could his starting XI look like against Leipzig then?

There could be as many as six alterations to the Liverpool side on Wednesday.

Alisson and Andrew Robertson will be a few of those selected against Fulham to be retained. They will be joined in the back-line by Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ozan Kabak, who was injured last time out.

The centre of midfield should have a totally different complexion to it as Thiago and Curtis Jones earn recalls to be deployed alongside Georginio Wijnaldum. One of the duo will replace £36m-rated midfielder Naby Keita, the other comes in for James Milner.

The final alteration will occur in the frontline. It has already been confirmed that forward Roberto Firmino is a doubt for the game so Diogo Jota will lead the line, with the returning Sadio Mane coming in to replace Xherdan Shaqiri.

Mo Salah struggled hugely against Fulham at the weekend so he too could be dropped with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain recalled into the starting XI alongside Mane and Jota. We explained earlier today why we’d have played Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield instead of Thiago, but we think Klopp will not go down that route, instead, we think he’ll use the former Arsenal man on the wing.

AND in more news, take a closer look at why the Reds must make a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Donyell Malen…

According to a report by club insiders Claret & Hugh, West Ham United will push on with their interest in Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham despite his £80,000-per-week wages having the potential to cause ‘unrest’ in the dressing room. 

West Ham have been heavily linked with a move for Abraham over the last week, with ExWHUemployee, the Daily Star and Eurosport all claiming that the Irons do hold an interest in the Englishman.

Now, C&H have supported Eurosport’s claim that the Hammers have made a tentative enquiry for Abraham – and the insiders believe that West Ham will push on with their interest – GSB failed to sign a forward in the January transfer window

Reacting to this development, as shared by West Ham news, supporters had very mixed views on social media – flocking to share their range of opinions on Abraham as this transfer claim emerges.

Find all of their best verdicts down below.

West Ham fans flock to Abraham claim

“No no no, he is dreadful”

Credit: @rogerc32

“Hope this isn’t true doesn’t suit out our system and does miss a fair few opportunities. Although he has got age on his side. Personally would prefer a lump/ beast up front arnie and antonio both fit that mould and have both improved under moyes”

Credit: @bengonzalaz

“He’s just a poor mans Calvert Lewin”

Credit: @Reeko007

“Ok well the wage ain’t a problem because I swear yarmolenko is on above 100k”

Credit: @Reece_WHU_

“Quality players love to be overpriced”

Credit: @DuhigAlan

“Young English striker would love him at West Ham”

Credit: @moower

“Hold me”

Credit: @_JackWHU

In other news: West Ham are also eyeing this Championship star, find out more here.

Aston Villa were desperately out of sorts when West Ham put three goals past them in midweek.

It was a performance distinctly out of character with what has been a terrific season for Dean Smith’s team.

After bravely fighting relegation last term they have bounced back in remarkable fashion. Their 1-0 win over Arsenal epitomised everything they’ve become.

It was steely, aggressive and most importantly, it was clinical.

The Villans didn’t need many chances but were gifted the game’s only goal early on. Bertrand Traore seized on possession after Cedric gave it away and he then put the ball on a plate for Ollie Watkins to roll the ball home.

Villa troubled the Gunners on numerous occasions but it was their defensive performance that stood out so much.

They restricted Arsenal to just three shots on target and what typified their resilience was the fact that Alexandre Lacazette failed to have a single touch in the penalty area.

Tyrone Mings was given BT Sport’s Man of the Match award for the performance but we think someone else deserves some recognition too.

That happens to be Matt Targett, a defender who has to go down as one of their shrewdest captures since returning to the Premier League.

The former Saint was charged with defending Bukayo Saka for the majority of the game and once the full-time whistle was blown, he would have looked inside his pocket and found the dazzling Arsenal winger sat there.

Saka has been one of Arsenal’s main creators this term but Targett stifled him and fellow youngster, Emile Smith Rowe, in dominating fashion.

He won nine of the 14 duels he completed, losing out just once aerially. This had the potential to be a tricky encounter for the 25-year-old but he made it look comfortable.

Only Marvelous Nakamba (6) won more tackles than Targett’s five. That was a tally which just so happened to severely usurp Mings. As for aerial duels, only Watkins won more than Targett’s four.

This was as complete a performance as they come from the Villa defender. Saka tried time and time again to get down the right but he failed to complete any of the four dribbles he attempted. That was a testament to Targett’s magnificent display.

The Arsenal academy graduate has been their match-winner on a regular basis in recent weeks so this was a pivotal fight on the pitch. The fact that the £35k-per-week Villa earner overcame the challenge made him Smith’s true hero.

AND in other news, Villa may rue not signing 5 ft 11 gem with “unique pace”, Dean Smith will be worried…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, former Newcastle United midfielder Rob Lee has been discussing the situation of Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur.

The former MK Dons man has found himself on the fringes of Jose Mourinho’s squad this season, having made just one start in the Premier League this season, featuring for just 75 minutes in the top-flight.

As a result, the England international has been heavily linked with a move to PSG during the winter transfer window, where he could link up with his old manager Mauricio Pochettino, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

However, with the transfer deadline day set to close on the 1st February, no deal has been agreed, which could result in the £100k-per-week 24-year-old spending the rest of the season warming the bench at Spurs.

Here’s what Lee had to say about Alli when speaking exclusively to FFC:

“I don’t see the point in him staying at Spurs. I think it’s pointless. I think there will be lots of clubs after him but you have to play a certain way to play with a 10. Jose Mourinho just doesn’t play that way. Dele Alli – you have to allow him to do what he wants to do.”

Lee clearly feels that there isn’t much point in Alli staying with Spurs and that unless Mourinho drastically alters the way his side plays, then the attacking-midfielder is unlikely to see his game time with the Lilywhites increase.

Unfortunately for Alli, the latest reports are suggesting that Daniel Levy is not willing to let him leave until a replacement is brought in, and with time running out, it is looking more and more likely that the out-of-favour midfielder will be stuck at Spurs for the rest of the season.

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If he doesn’t leave during the winter transfer window, then it may not be a surprise to see the €40m-rated (£36m) ace depart in the summer, as he clearly isn’t held in the same regard by Mourinho as he was by Pochettino, who dubbed him an “unbelievable player” during his time in charge of the Lilywhites.

And, in other news… Levy can finally sign Spurs’ Vertonghen heir with swoop for £36m beast who’s “on the same level” as Upamecano

West Bromwich Albion fans have been reacting to the news that their club are set to receive a fine for their agreement with West Ham in regards to Robert Snodgrass.

Snodgrass made the move to the Baggies from the Hammers earlier this month (wba.co.uk). However, to get the deal over the line, manager Sam Allardyce revealed that the Midlands outfit had agreed not to play the 33-year-old against the Irons on Tuesday night (via The Times), a game The Hammers won 2-1.

Such an agreement is actually against the rules, and there has since been an investigation into the deal by the Premier League. It seems that the Baggies are set to be hit by a fine as a result.

The news was shared on Twitter by Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett, and these West Brom fans replied in their droves as they gave their opinions.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the Snodgrass agreement below

“Let’s hope you’re right.”

Credit: @hoare_neil

“And breathe…”

Credit: @RobPaddock16

“Thank god for that”

Credit: @leo_woodfield

“Thank the lord”

Credit: @StevoSmith0

“There’s our transfer budget gone then”

Credit: @jackggriffiths

“Dodged a bullet but again woefully poor from the recruitment department to put us in the situation in the 1st place”

Credit: @CarlAlexander74

In other news, West Brom enter talks for this 26-year-old international.