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A number of Leeds United’s talented cohort of U23s players have gone out on loan this season with the likes of Alfie McCalmont, Robbie Gotts and Bryce Hosannah heading out to various lower-league outfits.

Jordan Stevens is another who has moved out on loan this season, and it seems as though the Whites may want to keep an eye on how he’s getting on at Swindon.

The winger got off to the best start possible with the League One outfit, netting a brilliant goal on his debut, in what was a very Bielsa-esque phase of play as the winger won a tackle, before playing a one-two that saw him free on the edge of the opposition box, allowing him to find the far corner with ease.

Stevens showed exactly what he was about with that goal, and it shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone who has been tracking his development over the past few years.

The winger has previously played first-team football for the Whites, shining on the occasions where he has gotten a chance.

Noel Whelan waxed-lyrical about the youngster after his appearance against Sheffield Wednesday last season.

“Yeah look it’s great to see these young lads getting a go,” Whelan said.

“He looked very composed when he came on, got a great touch, great vision, likes to link up on that right-hand side.”

To hear that Leeds have a young wide player coming through with great composure and great vision is very exciting, especially when those are words you would use to describe star man Pablo Hernandez.

Now, we’re not saying that Stevens will become as good as the former Spain international, that would be ridiculous when he has never played a single minute of Premier League football, but if he develops as everyone hopes he does, he could be deployed in a similar way to United’s three-time Player of the Year winner.

Fingers crossed, Stevens can burst onto the scene in the next few years.

Just what must Alexandre Lacazette must be thinking?The Arsenal striker is going through one of his roughest patches of form since joining the club, going five games across all competitions without a goal, but perhaps more significantly, is spurning chance after chance and costing his team.Mikel Arteta’s side had pulled off an inspired 1-0 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford last week in the Premier League, and Lacazette did his part as the hard grafter at the top end of the pitch.But when the Gunners needed him to be more of a clinical finisher and more predatory striker against Aston Villa on Sunday night, he completely went missing again.As per Sofascore, he made just six successful passes in the time that he was on the pitch, whilst his most recognisable moment from the game was when he missed a gilt-edged header to bring Arsenal back into the game.It was a painful sight to see him ruing yet another missed opportunity, and yet, when you’re 29, a fully-fledged France international, and are keeping one of the Premier League’s perennial Golden Boot contenders in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from playing up front, then you really have no excuses.Described as “absolutely dreadful” by arseblog on Twitter, Lacazette is in danger of seeing his career go seriously downhill at the Emirates. And that’s where Arteta himself must take some responsibility for his actions.

His French striker is clearly struggling for confidence, and taking him out of the firing line and giving him some time on the bench and away from the spot-light could be the key to just giving him a new lease of life.

Constantly playing him through his bad form, and just expecting him to explode into action, is just poor management. Lacazette is costing Arsenal. But make no mistake that Arteta is costing his centre-forward too.

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Tottenham Hotspur will be without defender Toby Alderweireld for Thursday night’s Europa League tie with Ludogorets Razgrad after sustaining a muscular injury against Manchester City.

The issue forced Mourinho to substitute the centre-half off in the 81st-minute of last weekend’s 2-0 win and now expects to be without him for two to four weeks, but is relieved the issue is not as bad as first feared.

Tottenham continue to wait on further news of Matt Doherty’s fitness after he was forced to miss the Premier League clash with Pep Guardiola’s Citizens after testing positive for coronavirus, while Erik Lamela will not be available to face Ludogorets or Chelsea on Sunday due to a foot issue.

Alderweireld and Doherty’s absences for the midweek UEFA affair will force Mourinho into changes from the side which beat Ludogorets 3-1 earlier this month, keeping Spurs top of Group J on goal difference to Royal Antwerp and Linz ASK in a three-way tie on six points.

So, with changes on the cards, here’s a predicted XI the Portuguese tactician could favour…

Mourinho has thus far called on summer arrival Joe Hart to start in goal for two of Tottenham’s three Europa League Group Stage ties this term, and would be expected to stick with the former England international at home to Ludogorets in order to afford Hugo Lloris a rest between key Premier League tests with Manchester City and Chelsea.

But the former Blues boss will need to turn to Davinson Sanchez to partner Eric Dier in defence without the injured Alderweireld and with Joe Rodon ineligible in Europe, offering the Colombian what Paul Robinson believes will be a “big chance” for him to impress after being frozen out this season.

Mourinho has also confirmed that Doherty will fall to the bench after only returning to training earlier this week, allowing for Serge Aurier to return to the matchday squad after being omitted from the 18-man teamsheet when Spurs visited Ludogorets.

Harry Winks will be hoping that Mourinho opts to name a repeat midfield unit from the side which beat their Bulgarian opposition at the start of the month, with the England international concerned by his lack of game time yet a 100% member of Spurs’ Europa League Group Stage efforts to date.

No player for either side registered more touches (101) of the ball in the previous meeting between Tottenham and Ludogorets than Winks, with the 24-year-old enjoying an 8.1% share of the possession and playing the highest number of accurate passes (81), per WhoScored.

Giovani Lo Celso also registered a team-high three key balls at the Huvepharma Arena and netted his side’s third before being replaced in 72nd-minute, but has not opened a Premier League match since his sole start in September’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.

With Ludogorets bottom of Group J and without a point after three games, Mourinho may feel safe in rotating his starting forwards from this month’s 3-1 win and resting captain Harry Kane ahead of Sunday’s derby clash with Chelsea.

The England international had featured for just 32 minutes over Spurs’ opening two Group Stage ties, though is an integral aspect of Mourinho’s league plans with nine starts in nine and only trails Heung-Min Son (9) for goals scored (7) in the top-flight.

Mourinho has options to turn to in favour of resting Kane, though may favour a central role for Lucas Moura, having been full of praise for the winger’s previous efforts at striker and with the £80,000-per-week Brazilian boasting two goals and an assist in the Europa League this season.

“Lucas is probably one of the few players that was here the day I arrived and never stopped, apart from some extreme fatigue he had because he was playing every match,” Mourinho told the official Spurs website this summer.

“He did everything for us during the season. He played in every position. He played as a striker when we had no strikers. He had no rest, he had to play every match in every competition. It’s really amazing and shows the team player that he is a team player, a consistent player, a player who sacrifices himself for the needs of the team.”

Moving Lucas into a central position for the first time this season – and handing him his first start since October 26 – will open the door for Mourinho to hand Steven Bergwijn a second chance to impress after his struggles against Manchester City at the weekend.

The Dutch forward was invisible before his early withdrawal and would have been frustrated with himself for failing to impress, given Mourinho had only awarded the 23-year-old one Premier League and one Europa League Group Stage start prior to the visit of the Sky Blues.

AND in other news, an £80k-p/w Spurs man’s struggles may have re-opened the door for a “perfect” outcast to return.

West Brom were linked to an array of striking options before finally clinching Karlan Grant on the eve of the domestic deadline, and they can count their lucky stars that they didn’t secure one name.

Luke Dowling’s connection with former club, Watford, brought about links to their forward and captain, Troy Deeney.

According to Sky Sports back in August, the Baggies were interested in bringing the 32-year-old powerhouse to the Hawthorns as Slaven Bilic looked for further top-flight experience in attack.

Deeney has that in abundance having featured 163 times in the Premier League, scoring a total of 47 goals and providing 21 assists, as per Transfermarkt.

Since the summer window, the veteran forward has only played 85 minutes in the league for the Hornets, and has failed to score, so the decision to not sign him is now looking every bit like a masterstroke – or at least a massive bullet dodged.

Even more so when you consider the wages he’s on at Vicarage Road.

It’s thought that the Watford skipper is earning around £65k-per-week in north London, via Spotrac, which puts him as their second-highest earner behind Andre Gray, another player that Albion were linked with throughout the summer.

Whether the move for Deeney would have been a loan or a permanent deal very much remains to be seen, but with extortionate wages like that, they can be glad that Dowling didn’t take the risk in signing him.

Only Charlie Austin (£70k-per-week) is on more at West Brom, and you only have to look at how that has gone since his £4m arrival last year.

In the past, Deeney has been lauded as a “real handful” as well as a “great leader,” so there’s always a chance he was going to offer something different – that much some Baggies fans already know after terrorising Alan Pardew’s side back in 2018.

However, it would’ve been a massive financial gamble and that’s just something Albion cannot afford under the penny-pinching Guochuan Lai. They, perhaps, got away with one here.

AND in other news, West Brom heading for another disaster if they sign flop Pulis once slammed as a “disappointment”…

West Ham United are showing short-term vision in the transfer market by targeting a swoop for Marcelo ahead of the Olympique Lyonnais defender becoming a free agent in 2021.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Irons will have the opportunity to bring Marcelo to the London Stadium at the end of the season with the 33-year-old desperate to play in the Premier League.

The Hammers came close to signing the Brazilian in January for £20million, but saw the deal fall through before he went on to provide a pivotal role in Lyon’s path to the Champions League semi-final.

A number of clubs are said to be monitoring Marcelo’s situation at the Groupama Stadium with his £53,000-per-week contract entering its final six months, though sources close to the player are alleged to see West Ham as a “great opportunity” following the negotiations held last winter.

Marcelo would like to join a Premier League side to round out a world tour that has seen the centre-back play in Brazil, Poland, Holland, Germany and Turkey before joining Lyon in 2017, where has overcome great adversity.

The former U20 international told his Lyon teammates that he wished to quit the club last December amid fears for his and his family’s safety, after supporters clashed with players over a provocative banner which featured references to donkeys.

West Ham had held a long-standing interest in Marcelo before the incident, with reports dating back to Manuel Pellegrini’s first window in charge claiming Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas had blocked an approach.

Short-term vision

West Ham striving to sign Marcelo three-years on from Aulas initially stopping a deal from going through would only serve to see David Sullivan display short-term vision for an area in David Moyes’ side that would benefit from younger legs.

Marcelo would no doubt bring quality to the London Stadium, having recorded 1.5 successful tackles, 3.6 clearances, 1.6 interceptions and 5.4 duels won per Ligue 1 appearance this season, per SofaScore, but it would remain to be seen how long he would be able to maintain that level in England.

The Brazilian turns 34 in May and would instantly become one of the eldest members of the Irons dressing room, where only goalkeepers Lukasz Fabianski (35) and David Martin (34) are notably older.

Angelo Ogbonna, 32, is the eldest among Moyes’ current defenders and will soon need replacing with a long-term option, with Issa Diop, 23, as far from the first-team picture as he has ever been under the Hammers boss.

Sullivan would be far better served looking to spend his cash on a central defender who would slot between Diop and Fabian Balbuena, 29, in the age chart and offer competition for the pair plus Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell, 31, than someone who may only prove beneficial for a season at best.

AND in other news, West Ham have been dealt a massive blow in pursuit of the January answer to David Moyes’ “worst nightmare”.

If there was one guarantee about how Leeds United’s first season back in the Premier League would be like, then it would have been about how entertaining life would be.

And boy have the Whites served up some real treats this season. The last two games in the top-flight alone have seen 15 goals in total, with Marcelo Bielsa’s side thrashing Newcastle 5-2, before receiving a taste of their own medicine with a 6-2 drubbing at the hands of Manchester United.

That heavy defeat at Old Trafford may have left Bielsa pondering about making some changes to his starting eleven for the clash against Burnley, and below is a look at just how Leeds might line up.

In front of regular number one Illan Meslier, the likes of Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas (the latter two of course being Leeds’ goal-scorers against United), should all keep their place, whilst Liam Cooper’s injury might finally see Diego Llorente get his chance.

One change Bielsa might consider making to his back-line is unleashing Leif Davis – the 20-year-old came off the bench at Old Trafford, and could bring some energy and drive in his more usual left-back slot.

Further forward, the Leeds boss may also be tempted to start Pablo Hernandez from the off. The Spaniard rather unsurprisingly has only been sparingly used, what with him now being 35, but with Rodrigo not really hitting the ground running at Elland Road, could give the Whites that extra bit of creativity and cutting edge.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Dallas, Ayling, Llorente, Davis; Phillips, Hernandez, Klich; Raphinha, Bamford, Harrison.

After signing from Manchester City back in January, it’s fair to say it’s been a slow and gradual start to life at Leeds United for Ian Poveda.

Marcelo Bielsa has been reluctant to throw him straight into the deep end at Elland Road, and this season has seen him make only seven appearances in the Premier League – none of them have seen him play more than 45 minutes either.

Competition for places on the right-hand side is significant, particularly with the Whites bringing in Raphinha in the summer transfer window too, with the Brazilian already showing flashes of his potential.

But with reports claiming that Leeds are contemplating making a move for Wolves speedster Adama Traore, it’s Poveda who may be looking over his shoulder at potentially having to battle against yet another wide player for a starting spot in Bielsa’s eleven.

At just 20, the starlet has got plenty of time to really make his mark at the club, and there’s absolutely no questioning the kind of natural talent that he has.

Described as someone who can create “moments of magic”, Poveda’s rapid decision-making has been widely praised, and his speed and low centre of gravity marks him out as someone who could develop into one of the Premier League’s most dangerous wingers.

But before that, his short-term development must take priority, and with him hardly featuring in the top-flight on a regular basis – he hasn’t even come off the bench in the last three games – it’s surely time for Bielsa to make a ruthless call.

The January transfer window is just right around the corner, and there’s a real opportunity for Leeds to let him go out on loan and get some much-needed first-team football week-in and week-out.

At Elland Road, with the stakes so high, it’s unlikely he’s going to get a run of consistent games under his belt, and Bielsa would do well for the youngster’s long-term career by making a major decision right now.

Glasgow Rangers clinched all three points in a crunch Old Firm clash with Celtic to extend their lead in the Scottish Premiership title race.

An off the pace Rangers still managed to get the job done after Celtic skipper Callum McGregor’s own goal settled the contest.

The home side can consider themselves fortunate for a string of excellent saves from veteran goalkeeper Allan McGregor to keep them in the game in the first half.

However, they still spent most of the contest at an empty Ibrox Stadium on the back foot. Steven Gerrard can count himself lucky the game was played behind closed doors, that’s for sure.

This was largely thanks to McGregor, who kept the scoreline goalless and pulled off quite a remarkable save shortly before the half-time break.

But Gerrard may have been left to face some awkward questions had the game gone in the other direction, as his decision to start Alfredo Morelos nearly horrendously backfired on the Ibrox boss.

Morelos, who reportedly earns around £33,000-per-week, offered very little upfront going forwards against Celtic, as he failed to match his usual boisterous energy with any meaningful passage of play on the ball.

Admittedly, the Colombian striker was the centre of attention after a ridiculous challenge from Nir Bitton, who was subsequently sent off after some debate, but that remained his only real moment of note – he has still never scored against Celtic, and it never really looked like he was going to break the curse, either.

It seems crazy to say for someone who only just recently broke Ally McCoist’s European goals record but Morelos urgently needs to improve his ability to score from inside the box, as his powers as a potent finisher have somewhat waned as of late. He couldn’t stop himself from getting embroiled in a bit of fisticuffs in the second half after Shane Duffy chopped down Ryan Kent to sum up his frustrations.

He’s scored just eight goals and supplied four assists in 25 appearances across all competitions, which simply isn’t good enough for a player of his standards.

As per SofaScore, he was given a miserable rating of 6.5/10 – the joint-lowest out of all of his teammates – as he lost possession 13 times, committed two fouls, and couldn’t complete a single dribble from two attempts. He also failed to win any of his aerial duels from four attempts, which is two fewer than Kemar Roofe, who was also far from his very best.

Gerrard will have no doubt wanted to see more from Morelos, which is why it’s a bit surprising he stayed on the pitch for as long as he did.

AND in other news, Forget McGregor: Rangers beast spared Gerrard’s blushes against Celtic…

Many Liverpool fans have been responding to a tweet from Reds news Twitter account @AnfieldEdition, which has shared a statistic on Reds forward Roberto Firmino.

The post explains that the Brazilian has scored a total of just eight goals in his last 38 Premier League games, a revelation one supporter called “very worrying”.

Per Transfermarkt, this is indeed true. Following his side’s 4-0 Premier League win over Leicester City on 26th December 2019, in which he scored a brace, Firmino managed to find the net on just three more occasions in the Reds’ final 20 games of the 2019/20 season. 

Meanwhile, he’s managed to score five goals in his first 18 appearances for the Reds in the 2020/21 campaign. 

As explained by @AnfieldEdition, this means that Firmino has scored an average of one goal every 4.75 games during this 38-game period. 

So, how have these Liverpool fans reacted to this revelation? 

This post from @AnfieldEdition drew a concerned reaction from many fans of the Merseyside club, who shared that they think this is not good enough at all from the attacker.

“He is more than just goals but all the chances he misses are unforgivable. No excuses for how bad is shooting can be, it’s like he forgets how to even kick a ball sometimes”

Credit: @1CraigFisher

“He is not a No9 scorer and never has been so can’t really judge him on that. “He is much more than goals”..this can’t be defended anymore coz he is doing nothing at all at the minute. He used to chase everything in front of him, even that has stopped now. Think he need a rest.”

Credit: @RichieRocky7

“He used to provide for the team other than goals so his poor goalscoring record was excused because he was helping the team in other ways now it seem he’s lost that aswell very worrying”

Credit: @LfcBen_C

“Time to move on”

Credit: @BrianGilna

“His shooting was terrible yesterday”

Credit: @lfckillian

“Change is needed”

Credit: @beamerrrrrr

“I’d move him on. He’s ineffective now IMO.”

Credit: @yammo_

“Get him out. He’s overhyped. Kane does the job he’s meant to do perfectly while scoring plenty. He’s not good enough or this team”

Credit: @Charliej1878

In other news, many Liverpool fans have been fuming over this image of the moment that the half-time whistle blew in their 0-0 draw with Manchester United at the weekend. 

Jonjoe Kenny has been urged to leave Everton and move to a club where he will play week in and week out by Gabby Agbonlahor.

Speaking to Football Insider, the former Aston Villa and England striker was asked if the time is right for the England U21 international to leave the Goodison Park faithful on a permanent deal:

“Yes, 100 per cent.

“If Coleman is out injured and you’re not starting and he’s playing Holgate out of position, you know your time is up.

“He needs to definitely look to move on and go somewhere where he will play week in, week out every game, for sure.”

Kenny needs to leave Everton

Kenny definitely needs to leave the Merseyside club if he wants to play more regular first team football.

The 23-year-old has only played in a mere seven games in total in all competitions so far in the 2020/21 term, and has only completed the full 90 minutes on two separate occasions, which were both in the EFL Cup (Transfermarkt).

With captain Seamus Coleman still at the club, and the likes of Mason Holgate being able to fill in at the right-back position in his absence, it is difficult to see where Kenny will get any game time under Carlo Ancelotti.

Thus, it would be a wise idea for the Toffees to cash in on him while he is still at a relatively good age, and being English may add to a potential transfer fee if any clubs come knocking at the door for his signature.

Nonetheless, Kenny needs to leave the Blues in order to kickstart his footballing career.

In other news, find out what update on one star has been lauded by EFC fans here!