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Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest would be an ‘ambitious’ signing which could happen for Leeds United this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Dest linked with Leeds move

Jesse Marsch will be looking to make his mark in the summer transfer window with some top players potentially coming in, assuming that Premier League safety is secured for the Whites.

Dest is one player who has been linked with a move to Elland Road, with the 21-year-old likely to be allowed to leave Barceloa at the end of the current campaign.

The USA international has made 17 La Liga starts so far this season, providing three assists along the way.

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The Latest: Journalist talks up possible Dest swoop

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke talked up the idea of Dest heading to Leeds in the summer, saying that it would be a good fit for him given Marsch’s presence at Elland Road. The reporter said:

“He is definitely an ambitious target, but he is one that you can see makes a bit of sense, obviously, when you’ve got an American coach like Jesse Marsch, who will know all about Sergino Dest.

“Dest hasn’t had the best of times at Barcelona since his arrival from Ajax and he has been linked with a move away from the Nou Camp.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“383507″]

The Verdict: Perfect Ayling replacement

There is no denying that Luke Ayling has had far from his best season for the Whites, even though he chipped in with some key contributions along the way. The right-back turns 31 later this year, so Dest could be seen as an ideal long-term replacement for him, possibly even coming in as first-choice immediately.

Barcelona manager Xavi has hailed the American defender as ‘great’ and ‘spectacularly good’, which says a lot about his ability, and his attacking qualities would suit Marsch’s high-octane style of play.

The fact that Dest and Marsch are compatriots may help, too, as the manager looks to fully make his mark at Leeds moving forward.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly stepping up their interest in one player. Read more here.

It is not difficult to understand why Leeds United were heavily linked with a move for 19-year-old sensation Fabio Carvalho in the January transfer window.

Indeed, the £3.15m-rated attacking midfielder has been in breathtaking form over his 27 Championship appearances for Fulham this season, scoring seven goals, registering six assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of two shots and making 1.9 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the teenager who Sky Sports analyst Nick Wright dubbed an “extraordinary talent” average an incredibly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.01, ranking him as Marco Silva’s ninth-best performer in the second tier of English football – playing a key role in the Cottagers’ all but confirmed return to the Premier League.

And, although Victor Orta did spend £26m on support striker Rodrigo back in August 2020, in truth, between Tyler Roberts and the Spain international, Leeds have lacked a truly creative attacking midfielder ever since the departure of Pablo Hernandez.

While it is true that the 36-year-old was probably past his best in 2020/21, being used sparingly by Marcelo Bielsa, the playmaker was influential for the Whites over his 36 appearances in the club’s Championship-winning campaign back in 2019/20.

Indeed, this season, the £270k-rated Spaniard scored nine goals, provided nine assists and created 13 big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 2.3 passes per fixture.

These metrics saw the £19k-per-week midfielder who Phil Hay dubbed both a “demon” and “unreal” earn a quite remarkable seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.35, not only ranking him as Leeds’ best performer in the second tier but also as the third-best player in the division as a whole.

As such, while a deal for Carvalho – who looks set to become available on a free transfer this summer – may be a difficult move for Orta to pull off, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund all being linked with the 19-year-old, it would nevertheless appear essential for the sporting director to do all he can to land the Fulham sensation at the end of the season – as the Portugal U21 international could well prove to become the next Hernandez at Elland Road.

AND in other news: Huge blow: Phil Hay drops 7-word behind the scenes Leeds update, Marsch will be gutted

West Ham embark on the start of their Europa League campaign later this evening when they head to Croatia to face league champions Dinamo Zagreb.

David Moyes’ side remain unbeaten so far this season, having recorded two wins and two draws in the Premier League and the Irons will surely be looking to keep that up here tonight.

The Scotsman does, however, have plenty to think about ahead of kickoff, especially with the small matter of the table-toppers Manchester United this Sunday.

Does he stick or twist with his starting XI? Here’s what we are predicting…

Much of the Hammers’ summer additions will all be pushing for their first starts for the club and we think three of the four could feature from the off.

Kurt Zouma, Nikola Vlasic and Alphonse Areola have plenty of experience in Europe, so their presence would be very beneficial.

The backup goalkeeper, signed on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, is set to take the spot between the sticks over veteran Lukasz Fabianski, whilst the Champions League-winning Frenchman should be a straight swap for Craig Dawson.

They are joined in defence by three players who all started against Southampton at the weekend in Aaron Cresswell, Angelo Ogbonna and Vladimir Coufal.

Further up the pitch, we could see a rare start for club captain Mark Noble. His experience and leadership could be necessary for a game of this calibre, particularly away from home. His involvement means Declan Rice is likely to earn a rest ahead of the weekend, whilst Tomas Soucek could remain in a deeper role as Vlasic takes up the no.10 spot.

The Croatian is likely to replace Said Benrahma as the 26-year-old was underwhelming against the Saints. Both Pablo Fornals and Jarrod Bowen are set to remain in the lineup.

Meanwhile, upfront, Michail Antonio has pretty much been confirmed as a starter, especially as he will be serving a suspension this weekend, so he’ll be getting a rest then rather than now.

In total, there could be only four changes from the weekend’s 0-0 stalemate.

West Ham’s predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Areola; Cresswell, Ogbonna, Zouma, Coufal; Noble, Soucek, Vlasic, Fornals, Bowen; Antonio. 

AND in other news, Moyes must now turn to West Ham’s “clinical” 19 y/o prodigy who the fans already love…

Newcastle United are now reportedly targeting a move for Mauro Icardi after the takeover by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium went through.

The Lowdown: Game time limited

The 28-year-old is currently enduring a tough time at Paris Saint-Germain, where he has seen his game-time becoming limited following the arrival of Lionel Messi from Barcelona.

Icardi has only managed to play the full 90 minutes on two separate occasions so far this season, with many of his appearances coming as a substitute.

The Latest: Icardi targeted

As per Calciomercato, Newcastle are now targeting a move for Icardi ahead of the January transfer window coming up.

However, they will reportedly face competition from both Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus for his signature.

The Verdict: Sign

As money is no object to the new owners, the Tyneside club should be looking to sign the £31.5m-rated Icardi. He should be relatively easy to acquire given his lack of game-time at PSG, and he may be a player who they would consider selling for the right price.

At 28 years of age, the Argentina international is a goalscorer in his prime, and with no fewer than 172 senior goals to his name for club and country combined, he certainly knows how to find the back of the net.

The striker would certainly be a statement signing which should hopefully persuade other global stars to follow him to St James’ Park.

In other news, find out which ‘phenomenal’ ace Newcastle are also eyeing

Paul Stewart does not believe that Dominic Calvert-Lewin would be willing to leave Everton to join Tottenham Hotspur as a potential replacement for Harry Kane this summer.

The future of the England captain remains up in the air amid reports that Manchester City are plotting a bid worth around £120m to bring him to the Etihad Stadium.

It remains to be seen if Spurs will allow him to leave, as there are suggestions that chairman Daniel Levy rates him at £150m, a figure that City have yet to reach.

Still, should he go, Spurs will be required to sign a replacement and there have been links with £40.5m-rated Calvert-Lewin at Everton.

The striker, who was also part of the England squad at Euro 2020, scored 16 Premier League goals in 33 games last season but Stewart, an ex-Spurs star, has his doubts over whether he would be willing to swap Goodison Park for north London.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, he said: “I think it’d be a tough one because I wouldn’t like to be answering this question if I had the chance because Harry wouldn’t be leaving.

“Anything is a step-down. I have to say that first but you’re looking at the likes of maybe Calvert-Lewin, will he leave Everton now for a club that’s not really of a bigger stature, Tottenham.”

Former England international Carlton Palmer believes that Arsenal have lost their identity under manager Mikel Arteta since Arsene Wenger left the club.

The Gunners have endured an absolutely terrible start to the season.

The opening weekend saw a 2-0 loss to Brentford, before Arteta’s side were outclassed by Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea in another 2-0 defeat. Prior to the international break, Arsenal reached their nadir of the season thus far, losing 5-0 to Manchester City, with Granit Xhaka sent off.

The results have left Arsenal bottom of the league table ahead of their clash with Norwich City once their stars have returned.

Palmer insists that the Gunners have not managed to grow since Wenger’s departure, with clubs seeing them as a beatable side, provided they are physical in their game and make life difficult for the north London side.

Indeed, he believes that the club used to be able to swat sides away when they were at Highbury.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: “Even under Arsene Wenger, they had that identity. You know when you went to Highbury or the Emirates to play against Arsenal, first and foremost, you knew you were in for a tough game. I think people look at Arsenal now and see it as an easy touch. 

“If you go and play against Arsenal and get up against them and be physical against them, you’ve got to be careful because they’ve got good players who can play on the ball but not a complete unit. You look at it, you think, ‘I fancy my chances here’. Before, you used to go to Arsenal and you knew you had to be at your very best, and that was just to get out of there without being turned over big time.”

Everton have already signed two players in the first week of the January transfer window, and could be set to make their third signing, but not on manager Rafa Benitez’s terms, if rumours are to believed.

What’s the story?

According to ESPN, Everton are in talks to sign Philippe Coutinho from Barcelona with Premier League clubs interested in the Brazilian attacking midfielder.

However, the report suggests that there is an internal debate at the club as whilst Farhad Moshiri is keen to do a deal for the player, Rafa Benitez is not on board with the signing.

Coutinho has failed to impress at Barcelona and has been heavily linked to many clubs across the Premier League and Europe, however according to Sky Sports, just two clubs remain in the race to secure the signature of the £380k-per-week player.

Disasterclass

If Moshiri wasn’t able to convince Benitez about a move for Coutinho but signed him anyway, the owner could fracture his relationship with the Spanish manager, and it never ends well when Rafa is involved.

Mike Ashley allegedly felt the wrath of the former Newcastle United head coach when the ex-Magpies owner refused to back him in the January transfer window of 2017, with The Express reporting that the Spaniard demanded answers from Ashley.

The relationship between the pair never repaired, and the problems only escalated behind the scenes until Benitez’s contract expired in 2019.

Sadly, Moshiri could be set for a similar situation if he was to blow the budget on the £16.2m-rated star hailed a “magician” by former Liverpool team mate and Aston Villa manager, Steven Gerrard.

There are many key areas of concern that Everton need to focus on, as well as finding a solution for the ongoing issues with Lucas Digne during the four-week window, and Benitez will want to avoid adding to the reckless spending habits of the past that the club has become famous for since Moshiri landed at Goodison Park.

The owner has signed 43 players and spent over £500 million over the last five years, not including the two additions this week, with little return of investment considering the club have not won a single trophy in that time and sit 15th in the Premier League currently.

Benitez has clearly attempted to adopt a different direction when it comes to signing transfer targets, just judging by his signings of Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend in the summer, with Gray costing just £1.7m and Townsend joining on a free transfer.

It will be interesting to see if Everton continue their pursuit of Coutinho if the owner and manager cannot agree on the signing, and if he does go to Everton, it will only add to speculation that Benitez’s time at the club is slowly but surely coming to an end.

In other news: Benitez can axe Holgate with Araujo signing

Livingston goalkeeper Max Stryjek has admitted that he would ‘love to play’ at Celtic Park, The Daily Record report.

The Lowdown: Stryjek profiled

The Polish shot-stopper joined Livingston in July 2020 on a free transfer from Eastleigh and has since been hailed as ‘brilliant’ and a ‘leader’ by his manager David Martindale.

He has made 45 appearances in Scotland for his current employers, keeping 18 clean sheets, and is on just £1,000 per week.

It seems as if he would be open to the possibility of moving to Parkhead one day after watching the Hoops face Bayer Leverkusen from the stands in the Europa League in recent weeks.

The Latest: Penalty save; Hoops admission

Stryjek was the second-best performer behind Anthony Ralston on the weekend in a 0-0 draw, as per WhoScored.

He saved a Giorgos Giakoumakis penalty in stoppage time to salvage a point for Livingston and was talking to the media, cited by The Daily Record, following the stalemate.

The 25-year-old revealed his Glasgow trip at the end of September, before appearing to drop a transfer hint by admitting that he ‘would love to play’ at Parkhead, saying:

“I have been here with a friend to watch them against Bayer Leverkusen this season and the atmosphere was unbelievable. It was so loud and I was thinking: ‘I would love to play here.’

“And then when I got here I was thinking it was going to be really hard with 60,000 supporters shouting and singing.

“But as the game started and for the first 30 minutes I realised there was no singing and it was very quiet. “I didn’t know why but then I heard later there was a protest.

“It was a bit weird but then it all started getting very loud after 30 minutes and it was great. I really enjoyed it.

“We play football for days like these. How can you not enjoy playing in a beautiful stadium like this with 60,000 people watching you play.

“What can be better for a footballer?”

The Verdict: One to keep an eye on?

Joe Hart is Celtic’s number one at this moment in time, but he will turn 35 in April, so the Hoops may want to look at their goalkeeping options beyond the Englishman.

They have Conor Hazard coming through, but he’s been sitting on the sidelines at Parkhead and has made just eight appearances for the club. Meanwhile, Stryjek has already kept two clean sheets against Ange Postecoglou’s side and outperformed Hart on the weekend.

He is nine years Hart’s junior and has put in two impressive performances against Celtic already, so it could be worth keeping a close eye on his development over the coming years.

In other news: ‘It’s a small fee’ – BBC pundit reacts as Celtic make first move to sign ‘incredible’ defender. 

Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch will be working with Victor Orta in the hope of enjoying a successful first transfer window at Elland Road this summer.

The former RB Leipzig boss has not yet had the opportunity to bring in his own players since arriving to replace Marcelo Bielsa in February and will now be plotting possible moves ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Leeds Live recently published an article stating that bringing in a central midfielder will be the club’s main priority as they look to bolster their options in that area of the pitch, with Manchester United’s James Garner and Marseille’s Boubacar Kamara named as potential options.

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Long-lasting issue

The Whites have not signed a player on a permanent basis in that position in more than four years, with Adam Forshaw being the last one to come through the door, way back in January 2018.

This shows that the club have neglected that part of the squad in recent years. Mateusz Klich and Forshaw have averaged underwhelming SofaScore ratings of 6.69 and 6.73 respectively this term and have been unable to consistently deliver in the top-flight in the middle of the park.

Therefore, it is now time for Orta to solve that long-lasting issue by snapping up Garner from the Red Devils on a permanent deal.

The 21-year-old has been picking up acclaim throughout the season for his impressive form on loan at Nottingham Forest. He has been dubbed “different class” by teammate Jack Colback, while former Leeds goalkeeper Paul Robinson showered him with praise, saying: “Garner has been exceptional at Forest. He is an example of why players get sent out on loan.

“He can play at the top level and I think he has proven that at Forest. I don’t think he’s one that will go straight into the Man United side but I think there is a first-team role there for him and he will feature next season.”

In the Championship, Garner has averaged a sublime SofaScore rating of 7.23 across 34 appearances. He has chipped in with four goals and five assists from midfield, whilst making 3.2 tackles and interceptions per game as he has caught the eye in a box-to-box role.

This suggests that the 21-year-old has the potential to make the step up to the Premier League as he has been outstanding in the second tier, and he has the scope to develop even further at his young age.

He has time left ahead of him to improve and grow as a player to produce consistent performances in the top flight, in the same way that he has been able to do in the Championship, which is why Leeds simply must sign him this summer.

Orta must snap him up to make him a key part of Marsch’s Leeds midfield next season and for many years to come, in the process solving their long-standing issue in that position.

AND in other news, Huge boost: Adam Pope drops 6-word Leeds injury update, Jesse Marsch will be delighted…

Leeds United could yet be active after an exciting claim emerged ahead of the January transfer window deadline on Monday evening…

What’s the word?

According to the ever-reliable Phil Hay of The Athletic, the Whites are assessing their options before the window closes early next week as they look to bolster Marcelo Bielsa’s playing squad.

“Leeds have been assessing options in case [Crysencio] Summerville leaves. Could only let him go if someone else comes in to replace him. But at this stage, Bielsa wants to keep Summerville,” he said on Twitter.

It comes amid reported interest in Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino, with the 20-year-old academy gem being linked with a temporary exit to 2.Bundesliga side Hamburg SV.

Late moves?

With just a few days to go, it seems as if it may well be a quiet window for the Yorkshire giants, which should be as expected as they very rarely conduct business during the winter.

Only this time it isn’t through the fault of not trying as they have tried to secure a move for RB Salzburg midfielder Brenden Aaronson but the Austrian champions are unwilling to part ways with a key player before the summer.

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As per TEAMtalk, it appears as if a deal is likely to be tied up in due course but Leeds will not have the American international at Elland Road until next season.

However, Hay’s claims have provided fresh hope that some sort of incoming could be due before Monday.

Summerville is reportedly very keen to make the switch to Germany and Bielsa has always admitted that he will never stand in a player’s way, so it’s something that could well materialise over the weekend, thus leaving director of football Victor Orta and his recruitment team needing to find some new options.

As such, supporters around Elland Road should retain a little bit of excitement heading into the final few days of the window. There is a small glimmer of hope that some sort of business will happen – let’s just hope it isn’t Matt Smith all over again.

AND in other news, Leeds United enter race to sign “dangerous” £34m-rated machine, Bielsa badly needs him…