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Victor Orta could land Leeds an absolute bargain this summer if latest reports are to be believed.

According to LancsLive, reported United target Bright Osayi-Samuel is available for just £5m amid interest from Burnley and fellow Premier League new boys West Brom.

Back in May, AllNigeriaSoccer claimed that the Championship winners were keen on the winger, also citing the likes of Everton and West Ham too.

On the face of it, a new wide option isn’t something the Yorkshire giants necessarily need, especially considering Jack Harrison’s extended loan deal and the recent emergence of former Man City starlet Ian Poveda.

But strength in depth in the top-flight shouldn’t be frowned upon, particularly in these sorts of positions and at just £5m, it would be a filthy robbery.

Just think, West Brom splashed £22m on Hull City talisman Jarrod Bowen in January whilst Neal Maupay cost Brighton £16m last summer.

This season, the 22-year-old has provided an inconsistent QPR side with six goals and nine assists and has also racked up better figures than Leeds’ mainstay right-winger Helder Costa.

He’s just a third of the price of the £15m Portuguese ace.

The young Nigerian starlet has averaged more dribbles (2.9) and key passes (1.2) per game as well as a better passing accuracy (83.9%) than Costa. In addition to that, he’s won his side more free-kicks as he’s fouled 1.9 times per appearance (via WhoScored).

Osayi-Samuel’s Rs boss Mark Warburton has regularly waxed lyrical about his exploits throughout the campaign, claiming that the winger is a “real handful,” is “outstanding” and has “sheer pace which terrifies defenders”.

You’re not going to get a better talent at a cheaper price, so even if he doesn’t hit the ground running, at just £5m, it’s such low-risk – Orta must land Bielsa the tricky speedster this summer.

AND in other news, Leeds could regret selling this STAR 12 months on…

Name: Jack Scott

Club: Wolverhampton Wanderers

Date of Birth: 22 September 2002

Position: Right-back, Right midfielder

Jack Scott – his career so far

Jack Scott is still a fairly fresh signing for Wolverhampton Wanderers, having only joined the team at Molineux in the summer of 2019. But regardless of that, the now 17-year-old lad has already established himself as one of the best young talents Wolves currently have in their roster, and since we’re yet to see him feature regularly and prominently, that’s already saying a lot about his potential.

But before joining up with Wolves last summer, Scott was playing his football at Linfield Rangers and before that, as a very young lad, at Tandragee Rovers. He joined the Premier League outfit as a first-year scholar and then quickly signed his first professional contract upon turning 17 years of age in October last year.

Scott has been spending his time playing for the U18 squad, already tallying a total of 13 games and bagging one assist on the side as well. He was called up to the U23s once so far, starting and finishing the game that ended up a 1-0 defeat to Southampton. Of course, all of that was happening in the current campaign, making it quite an eventful and hectic start of his Wolves career.

But the youngster is also enjoying his national team exploits as he became the second-youngest player to ever feature for Northern Ireland U21 squad behind Liam Donnelly when he featured against Finland in September 2019 aged only 16 years and 353 days.

He can also boast with a total of 15 appearances for his nation’s U17 squad, even registering one goal in the process as well. Needless to say, Scott’s career is already well underway despite the fact that we’re still talking about a 17-year-old lad.

Of course, he is still waiting for his senior call up under Nuno Espirito Santo but given his talent, that one should definitely only be a matter of time. Once he is given the right environment and the necessary time to grow, the young defender should be able to demonstrate his full potential sooner rather than later.

Transfer latest

At the moment, Scott seems to be enjoying his stay at the club and no transfer rumours or transfer news are suggesting otherwise. But it will be interesting to follow his progress. He’s had half a season to adjust to his new life at the Molineux and while the season was then abruptly put on hold by the outside circumstances, it should’ve provided the club with at least some initial impressions of the kid.

But as of right now, no Wolves news can tell us more about his immediate future or the chances of a fast-tracked progression up the ranks. Still, he is only 17 years of age and despite his talent, expecting him to already break into the older squads or even the senior team would probably be pushing it a bit.

Player profile

Scott is a right wing-back who has the power and the pace to dominate his flank and run up and down the pitch for the full 90 minutes. His natural speed and great acceleration mean he can beat his marker and exploit the space behind the opposition’s defensive line with ease.

And apart from his great technical abilities that include a good first touch and decent passing skills, a lot of his success seems to stem from the mental edge he has over his peers. Determined, composed and with a good dose of work rate, Scott has what it takes to keep improving and getting better with time.

Even though he is not much of a finisher and excels more at linking up and combining with his teammates, he does have a decent shot from distance and can be an asset from set-pieces, either by crossing the ball himself or heading it inside the box.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Manchester United drew with Sheffield United on Sunday and it could have been a lot worse but for the contribution of their young players.

On the chalkboard

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer sought to deal with the Blades’ threat by matching their 3-5-2 formation, but his side were outfought and dominated for far too long, a point Marcus Rashford admitted post-match.

In many ways it was a typical away performance from the Red Devils this season. They have won one match from seven on the road in the Premier League, and though they dominated possession and were leading up until the last minute, victory would not have been deserved.

Though the team were without some first-team players, the fact they went 2-0 down wasn’t just a result of a lack of quality, but because the intensity, desire and attitude of their opponents bettered United in each department.

That is a poor reflection on the manager, but also the senior players in the team, particuarly as it was youngsters Brandon Williams and Mason Greenwood whose goals got them out of trouble.

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Hope in youth

Since coming to the club in December 2018 Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has looked to give young players a chance at every opportunity.

It seems that Williams and Greenwood are the latest breakthroughs, joining the likes of Scott McTominay, Alex Tuanzebe, Andreas Pereira and Dan James as young players to be given game time.

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Part of the Norweigan’s approach has been to get rid of underperforming players. Senior players whose performances have declined have seen their game time diminish – like Nemanja Matic – or ended up leaving, such as Marouane Fellaini, and the match on Sunday proved it was the right step to make.

However, the team’s overall performance should trouble their manager, with just two shots on target other than the goals suggesting there was a lack of leadership and spark aside from the young players – Dan James being relied on as the main source of creativity once again as he assisted the first and third goals.

Solskjaer can at least take comfort in the fact that Williams justified his decision to start him once again, and with Greenwood making the desired contribution from the bench in a matter of minutes there are positives to be taken.

The pair showed they can deal with the pressure of playing for the club and with more minutes under their belt they could become more important in the manager’s plans, and United’s chances of success.

Their strong showing is further evidence that Solskjaer was right to place faith in young players, as it is not only helping him now but should serve the club long-term, particuarly as they can also use negative experiences to their benefit.

Football.London journalist Alasdair Gold has earmarked Tottenham prodigy Jamie Bowden as someone who will be “looking to impress” when football makes its return.

What did he say?

The 18-year-old has predominantly featured for Spurs’ youth sides this season, featuring 16 times across all competitions, and scoring three times.

Bowden has yet to make a senior appearance for the north Londoners, but Gold has tipped him to enjoy a bright future, even comparing him to the likes of Harry Winks and Michael Carrick.

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He said: “The 18-year-old has been unfortunate with injury problems this season but boasts plenty of talent. The Ireland U19 international is a clever passer of the ball and there are shades of Winks and Carrick about him in his ease in the anchor man role.

“Bowden’s face might be familiar to Spurs fans even if they can’t work out why. That’s because he was the 19th man as Spurs edged past Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in the Champions League quarter-final last season. He was photographed celebrating with the players after the final whistle, shown in many of the shots alongside Fernando Llorente. Injury problems have limited him this season but he’ll be back looking to impress when football returns.”

Trust

One of the big talking points at Spurs this season has been the reluctance to throw Troy Parrott into the first-team on a regular basis. Jose Mourinho has repeatedly insisted that the academy starlet simply isn’t ready to make his mark, and it’s why expectations about Bowden have to be tempered too.

But with Eric Dier seemingly now being seen as a bona-fide centre-back, Bowden may well get some more opportunities to shine in the senior side sooner rather than later.

If, as Gold suggests, he can get back to full fitness, then Spurs could well save millions in the transfer market by turning to Bowden instead of splashing the cash on a new big-money central midfielder.

Meanwhile, Alasdair Gold names the Spurs starlet akin to Marcus Edwards.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolverhampton Wanderers return to Premier League action tomorrow when they host Aston Villa at Molineux, just a couple of weeks after their local rivals knocked them out of the Carabao Cup.

Nuno Santo’s side will be looking to extend their unbeaten run in the top-flight to a seventh straight game.

Meanwhile, off the pitch, the club continues to be linked to a whole host of names as we rapidly approach the January transfer window.

It is no secret that Wolves are desperate for a centre-back after seeing Willy Boly break his fibula during training, and that was after BirminghamLive’s reports on their transfer aims.

But it is the link to Burnley’s Dwight McNeil which is most intriguing – does he even fit the system? Is he good enough?

All of these questions marks surrounding him barely outweigh the potential impact it may have on Pedro Neto.

On the Chalkboard

The 19-year-old only joined Molineux in the summer, yet he has found game time hard, even in Diogo Jota’s absence.

To some extent, an injury of his own has played some part in that, but even when fit, he’s just not been given enough experience to prove his worth.

Neto has made 13 appearances this campaign, just one of those being a start in the Premier League.

His manager wasn’t best pleased by his comments after being substituted against Newcastle United either.

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He is the only left-sided forward, aside from Jota at the club, and this is a role that McNeil plays for Sean Dyche up in Lancashire.

Last season he made his breakthrough, scoring three goals and assisting five more from just 19 starts while this season he looks to have continued that on with one goal and three assists, per WhoScored.

Against Chelsea not too long ago, he played like a man possessed – not only picking up his first strike of the season but also a 95.7% passing success rate, six successful dribbles, and two key passes.

Maybe it was this performance that has tempted Wolves to potentially match Burnley’s £30m valuation of the winger.

Nuno could unleash a frightening frontline with Adama Traore on the other wing and Raul Jimenez centrally, it would just mean that Neto’s chances of becoming a first-team regular would take an even bigger dent.

Liverpool fans are buzzing with Roberto Firmino after the Reds forward spoke of his desire to win more trophies with the club.The Brazilian told Premier League Productions (via liverpoolfc.com): “But I do not want to stop here. I want to keep improving– I always want more, I have big goals, I want to keep winning titles with this club and that is it.â€It does seem as if the mentality at Liverpool has gone up a notch ever since their incredible Champions League win earlier this year. The Reds were in unstoppable form in Europe last season and have only gone from strength to strength since they lifted the trophy.Currently, Jurgen Klopp’s men are first in the table and remain the only unbeaten side in the Premier League, sitting nine points clear of champions Manchester City.As you would expect, fans are buzzing with Firmino after his recent interview and it seems the Anfield favourite is getting more love by the day from the fans.One supporter said “get the lifetime contract out”, as another follower said he is “truly irreplaceable”.

Here’s what some of the Liverpool faithful have had to say about their man…

Leeds United’s chances of ending a 16-year wait for Premier League football has taken a huge dent over the weekend after fresh reports emerged about how they may conclude the top-flight season.The BBC claim that ‘a growing number’ of teams are open to the idea of playing the remaining fixtures at neutral venues, but only if the threat of relegation was removed.Brighton and Hove Albion are one club who have gone against the idea, stating they are “not in favour” of playing at neutral stadiums as it affects the “integrity” of the competition – they currently sit 15th, two points from the drop zone.The Athletic’s Phil Hay was asked about this situation and how it might affect the Whites, he replied:

Hay suggests that such a decision would cause “big problems” for Leeds, but the west Yorkshire side would argue for an “expanded EPL” even if the top six teams would argue against that.

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It would be a devastating end to a season where Leeds have been in one of the two automatic promotion spots for the majority of the campaign.

AND in other news, Can you get 100% in this ultimate Leeds quiz?

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to German media outlet Bild, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in €50m-rated (£43m) Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Denis Zakaria, and he is the defensive midfielder they need to allow Harry Winks and Tanguy Ndombele to flourish.

What’s the word, then?

Well, Bild report that the current Bundesliga leaders feel that the Switzerland international is one of the players they could receive a club-record transfer fee for, with their current leader the €45m they got from Arsenal for Granit Xhaka.

Bild say that Monchengladbach feel they could get at least £43m for the 22-year-old, who is interesting a number of top European clubs.

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Spurs are among those according to the story, along with Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and Premier League rivals Manchester United.

As good as Wanyama pre-injury

The north London outfit have suffered without an out-and-out defensive midfielder in their team this season to protect the defence, with the likes of Winks, Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko playing in the deepest midfield roles –  the 10 goals they have conceded in their previous two fixtures is proof of that.

Mauricio Pochettino does have Victor Wanyama and Eric Dier available, but he clearly doesn’t trust them given their lack of minutes this season.

To be fair to the Argentine, the former was awful when he came on in the 2-1 defeat to Leicester City last month as his recent injury issues appear to have caught up with him, while the latter doesn’t look the same player that was such a mainstay in the starting XI during the early stages of the 47-year-old’s reign at Tottenham – his first Premier League start of the campaign was last time out against Brighton.

Buying Zakaria would allow the likes of Winks and Ndombele to flourish going forward though, as it is a role he is playing with his club right now.

The 22-year-old is the deepest of Monchengladbach’s central midfield trio – in a team that has only conceded six times in seven matches – and according to Bundesliga.com, he has a pass completion rate of 88% in the German flight this term.

A look back at his stats from this season and previous ones show he is more than on a par with Wanyama before he suffered his multiple injury issues with Spurs, as he averaged 2.5 tackles and 1.5 interceptions in the 2017/18 season, and 2.3 tackles and 1.4 interceptions this term, as per WhoScored.

Meanwhile, the Kenya international’s most consistent run in the starting XI came when Tottenham finished second in 2016-17, with his defensive stats standing at 2.5 tackles and 1.1 interceptions in 36 Premier League outings when Pochettino’s men only let in 26 goals.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Bukayo Saka endured a difficult night as Arsenal lost 1-0 to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Monday.

On the chalkboard

The young winger played from the start as Unai Emery’s men blew the chance to move into third in the Premier League.

His most noticeable contribution perhaps came in the first half, as he burst into the box and appeared to be fouled by centre-back John Egan. Referee Mike Dean, however, saw differently and booked the 18-year-old for simulation.

Replays showed that there was no contact and Ian Wright claimed after the game that he was “waiting” to be touched by Egan so he could hit the deck.

Per WhoScored, the teenager had 42 touches of the ball and completed five dribbles but his final product was lacking.

Saka did not have a shot on goal, while his pass completion rate was just 70%.

He was also dispossessed once and failed to make a single tackle or win an aerial duel.

Needs help

Saka was ploughing something of a lone furrow on the left flank.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was the only man ahead of him and even he had just one shot on goal throughout the 90 minutes.

What Saka needs is a playmaker through which everything can be built; the winger could then get in behind, or choose to come short and collect the ball at the beginning of an attack.

As it is, he struggled against the Blades because he simply didn’t have the support he needed.

It is all very well completing dribbles but if you haven’t got anyone to pass to at the end, there is precious little point in even making the run.

Perhaps Alexandre Lacazette’s return to fitness will help; he could always be restored to the starting XI alongside Aubameyang, and having both on the field would give Saka two targets to hit instead of one.

One thing is for sure, though; he can ill-afford another performance like the one he put in on Monday.

According to 90min, Arsenal are at the head of the queue for Villarreal defender Pau Torres.

The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Malaga in the second tier before becoming a key player for the Yellow Submarine in the early stages of the 2019/20 campaign – making eight La Liga appearances.

90min reports that Chelsea and Manchester City have both expressed an interest in the centre-back but Arsenal are said to be leading the race.

Torres, who is currently with the Spain squad on international duty, only signed a new five-year contract with the La Liga club at the start of the month.

However, 90min report that the deal includes a release clause of somewhere between £43.6m and £65.4m.

A selection of Arsenal fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer speculation, and there are a number of mixed views on the 6 ft 4 ace.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below: