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Leeds have joined the transfer race to sign Sampdoria defender Omar Colley this summer.

What’s the story?

Despite signing the likes of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente last year, it appears Marcelo Bielsa’s side are keen on strengthening the centre of their defence even further this time around.

Now, according to ClubDoria46 (via TEAMtalk), the Whites are eyeing up a move for the 6 foot 3 Colley, although they face major Premier League competition from the likes of West Ham and Newcastle too.

The report adds that Sampdoria are open to a sale this summer and making a profit on the centre-back.

Leeds’ next Pontus Jansson

While Pontus Jansson may not have lasted the course under Bielsa – he played 41 times for the Argentine before being moved on to Brentford – the Swede clearly has fond memories of his time at Elland Road.

Speaking recently, the powerful centre-back said: ” To be completely honest, I miss Leeds and love Leeds, but I’m in a place in life where I’m incredibly happy with where I am now at my new club and how appreciated I am there. But it is clear that I miss Leeds, my team-mates and the club.”

In Colley, Orta could very well sign Leeds’ next Jansson. Standing at an imposing 6 foot 3, the Gambia international is an absolute monster when it comes to the pure old-school defensive side of the game, throwing his body at absolutely everything and doing everything possible to stop the opposition from scoring.As per Whoscored, his average of 2.6 interceptions per game would rank him first among all of Leeds’ players, while his 4.2 clearances per match also sees him comfortably above any of Bielsa’s current squad – those two numbers actually remarkably similar to what Jansson managed in his final season at Elland Road, registering 2.3 interceptions and 4.2 clearances per game.[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Latest Leeds transfer rumours and news”]Colley’s dominance in the air – he wins three aerial duels per match – will also be music to the ears of Bielsa, who has seen his side struggle massively this season in the Premier League when it comes to set-pieces.They have conceded the most from dead-ball situations with 15, and are 16th in the table when it comes to average aerial duels won per game. Having a powerhouse like Colley in the side would go a long way to solving Bielsa’s big problem, and give Leeds a real formidable presence at the back who won’t get bullied when the ball comes into the box.

Meanwhile, Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is making a massive mistake over this star…

Charlton Athletic boss Nigel Adkins will have plenty of decisions to make this summer.

The Addicks may not know which division they’ll be competing in, given they could still sneak into the League One playoffs, but that shouldn’t stop Steve Gallen and co. from planning ahead.

No fewer than eight first-team players are out of contract, whilst six loan deals are also set to expire, as per Transfermarkt.

This includes a player currently playing his football away from The Valley in Erhun Oztumer, who joined division rivals Bristol Rovers back in October.

The versatile 29-year-old midfielder has struggled to make an impression with the Gas languishing in the relegation zone. In fact, he’s been one of their worst performers (6.3), as per WhoScored ratings.

Only one other player to feature in ten or more matches has managed worse.

If you’re failing at a club facing the drop, then surely there is no place for him back at a team vying for promotion, especially if they do go up to the Championship.

In 27 appearances in all competitions, the playmaker who is lauded for his creativity has only provided two goals and two assists, playing in a variety of roles ranging from no.10 to right-winger.

Three other players are actually recording more key passes per outing than Oztumer (0.9), too. Whilst seven players to feature for the Addicks this term would rank above him back in southeast London, only adding to the fact that he likely has no future under Adkins.

Once dubbed the non-league Messi at Dulwich Hamlet, it was no surprise to see the former Sivasspor prospect rise up through the leagues.

“It was such a privilege to watch Erhun at Dulwich and he’s honestly one of the most exciting players I’ve ever seen in the flesh,” said Hugo Greenhalgh, one half of the Forward The Hamlet podcast.

Oztumer quickly earned the praise of former Rovers boss Ben Garner too, after excelling in their FA Cup win at his former club, Walsall. “He was the brightest player on the pitch today,” Garner said. “Some of his quality, his link-up play was absolutely fantastic.”

However, matches like that have been few and far between, especially in an Addicks shirt, where he has only ever scored and assisted once in 19 appearances.

It’s time to wave goodbye to the 29-year-old this summer, with his contract up, it’s an easy decision for Adkins and Gallen to make.

AND in other news, THIS emerging prospect could save Charlton a lot of money this summer…

West Ham United’s surprise quest for a top-four spot was dealt a crushing blow on Saturday afternoon as they were narrowly defeated by local rivals Chelsea at the London Stadium.

The visitors moved three points clear in fourth place and now the Irons have defending champions Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on their tail.

It was a big chance for David Moyes’ side to prove to the rest of the top-flight that they are genuine contenders for a Champions League berth and not merely a one-season wonder team that has been enjoying a purple patch.

Overall, the Hammers did give a good account of themselves but the Blues did dominate possession (56%) and they had way more chances (17 shots), so the scoreline could’ve been far greater on another day.

In the absence of a striker, the 58-year-old opted with a two-pronged attack of Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen, leaving Said Benrahma on the bench.

The duo, particularly the latter, struggled to combat Chelsea’s back three and as a result, this is what cost them on the night.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/latest-west-ham-news%2c-views-and-gossip” title=”Latest West Ham news, views and gossip!”]

Bowen managed to fire off just one of West Ham’s nine attempts all game, whilst he lost 12 of his duels (75%), which only emphasises how ineffective and weak he was against the likes of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.

The £27m-rated dynamo also failed on the ball, managing just one successful dribble from four attempts, further suggesting how he couldn’t get past Thomas Tuchel’s stern backline.

From just 43 touches, Bowen was wasteful too, as he lost possession 14 times – meaning he handed the ball back to the visitors once every 6.4 minutes, and once every three touches, as per SofaScore.

The 24-year-old, who earns a reported £60k-per-week, was rated pretty poorly by football.london in their post-match ratings column, Indeed, his 5/10 ranked him amongst Moyes’ worst players.

‘West Ham’s furthest player forward but the striker was way too separated from his teammates and failed to have a big impact in the first half,’ wrote Tom Clark. ‘The second half continued in the same vein for Bowen as he struggled to get into the game.’

All in all, Bowen massively let his manager and his side down and he’ll have to do a far better job in the absence of Michail Antonio if the Irons are to make it into Europe.

AND in other news, GSB could find West Ham’s next Defoe in £26m-rated “goal machine”…

Southampton have been linked with a move for Levante winger Jorge de Frutos in recent weeks but it looks as if Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have been handed a significant blow in their hopes of bringing him to St Mary’s, as Real Madrid have now reportedly registered their interest in him.

According to Spanish news outlet Marca, Los Blancos have picked out the Levante star as the man they want to replace Lucas Vazquez at the Bernabeu in the summer, as his contract is set to expire.

The European giants also reportedly own 50% of the player’s rights, having only sold him to Levante during the summer, which surely puts them in the driving seat and, unfortunately, ahead of Southampton in the race to sign him.

Another report from Spain suggests that the winger has a €30 million release clause (£25.8 million) and that Levante are desperate to raise funds as they seek to balance the financial books.

The 24-year-old has enjoyed an excellent debut season with Les Granotas, having contributed three goals and seven assists in 27 La Liga appearances, of which just 12 have been starts.

His 10 goal contributions in the league puts him ahead of every Southampton winger/false 10 in Hasenhuttl’s side, with Stuart Armstrong coming the closest with just seven goal contributions in the Premier League this season (three goals, four assists).

The lack of goal threat in wide areas has been a serious area of concern for the Austrian manager this season, which has left him reliant on Danny Ings, Che Adams and James Ward-Prowse for goals, so adding someone such as De Frutos could have given Saints something different on the wing.

Therefore, it comes as a huge blow for Hasenhuttl that Real Madrid are seemingly now leading the race for the Levante star, as he would arguably be an excellent addition to the Austrian’s side at Southampton, and their chances of signing him now appear slim.

And, in other news… 100% duels won: £9m-rated Saints beast produced a stellar display; Ralph surely buzzing

Many Arsenal fans were left to slam the display of Pablo Mari in the first half away at Leicester City in the Premier League at Sunday lunchtime.The central defender was partially at fault for the early goal that was scored by Youri Tielemans as he failed to close down the Belgium international in the box, who ended up having a free shot on goal and thus blasted the ball past Bernd Leno into the far corner of the net.It made Mikel Arteta’s quest of taking all three points away from the King Power Stadium that much harder as they found themselves 1-0 down very early on again, following an early goal conceded last week at home Manchester City through a Raheem Sterling header.Nonetheless, it is a piece of defending that Mari will not want to look back on. Arsenal fan reaction to Mari display

These Gunners supporters slammed his performance in the first half on Twitter, with one Gooner even going as far to say that the 27-year-old Spaniard was ‘abysmal’:

“@YankeeGunner one for the Mari haters that! Shocking goal to concede. Terrible from Xhaka, Willian and Mari”Credit: @BradleyPowell04″Mari man what are you doing brother?”Credit: @NotZuZmeister”Mari’s positioning was horrendous”Credit: @soundnajib”How do Mari and Elneny just watch Tielemans run 30+ yards and let him get a shot off?? Bad!”Credit: @capitalgunner”That’s abysmal by Mari and Elneny.”Credit: @afcsidd”Awful defending…. Elneny or Mari need to get out and shut that down… Xhaka is never going to catch him on that recovery sprint.”Credit: @DanArsenalHQ1In other news, find out whose display was slammed versus Benfica here!

Plenty of Sunderland supporters have been reacting to Tom Flanagan’s first half display against Tranmere Rovers in the EFL Trophy Final on social media.

The 29-year-old was handed his 21st appearance in all competitions this season, with Lee Johnson making four changes from the 2-0 win over Portsmouth last time out.

Flanagan, who started just twice in the EFL Trophy during Sunderland’s road to Wembley, didn’t exactly make a positive impression amongst several Sunderland fans.

He turned out in a back four, partnering Luke O’Nien at centre-back, with Max Power at right-back and Callum McFazdean at left-back.

The backline came under some early pressure from Tranmere, with Grant Leadbitter almost opening the scoring at the wrong end, only for goalkeeper Lee Burge to bail the midfielder out.

Here is what these Black Cats supporters had to say about the 29-year-old’s first half display against Keith Hill’s side, with one describing him as ‘half-fit’ given his recent injury concerns.

Sunderland fans react to Flanagan’s first half performance

“Sorry but Flanagan is a liability”

Credit: @Safcftm2016

“Tom Flanagan makes me so nervous”

Credit: @Tom_D23

“Tom Flanagan with the ball at his feet isn’t good for my heart rate”

Credit: @SpeakSAFC

“You can tell Flanagan is back, the ball is like a hot potato when it’s at his feet or with McFadzean. Very noticeable the difference when O’Nien or Power are playing out from the back”

Credit: @Kevsol

“Started poorly. The Flanagan pass out between the lines is one of the scariest things in football”

Credit: @carlrutherford

“Makes a big difference when you replace Sanderson, who has the potential to be a PL player, with a half-fit Flanagan”

Credit: @gyrwum

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leicester City winger Keith Gillespie believes that Kelechi Iheanacho’s recent goalscoring form has potentially saved his Foxes career.

Prior to his recent resurgence, the former Manchester City frontman had been mainly restricted to starts in the Europa League, and had to wait until early-February for his first Premier League goal of the season, which came against Fulham.

Since netting at Craven Cottage, Iheanacho has started seven games in all competitions, scoring eight times, including his first Premier League hat-trick against Sheffield United earlier this month, before firing the Foxes into their first FA Cup semi-finals for 39 years against Manchester United last Sunday.

And Gillespie has been impressed with Iheanacho’s revival in the absence of James Maddison, and admitted that Brendan Rodgers has a selection headache on his hands once the England midfielder returns from his recent his injury.

He told Football FanCast:

“He’s one that’s been lost a little bit. Big-money transfer to Leicester, but hasn’t really provided the performances. But he’s stepped up when they’ve really needed him to. 

“He’s had to stand up and produce performances, he scored a hat-trick against Sheffield United and is in a really rich vein of form, but he’s still very young.

“With him having this chance with Maddison out, I feel like if he didn’t produce those performances, Leicester were probably thinking about cutting-ties and bringing someone else in, because he’s been there a few seasons.

“But he has given Brendan a headache. When Maddison gets fit again, he’s got a headache because who does he play? It would be unfortunate for Iheanacho to be left out after the performances he’s put in.”

Iheanacho’s return to form has really come at an ideal time for Leicester. Their Premier League form was just starting to dip, but three victories on the bounce in all competitions means they look good value for a top-four place, and have every chance of adding the FA Cup to their trophy cabinet.

Carlo Ancelotti has confirmed that Allan has returned to training following a hamstring injury, which may leave Andre Gomes facing a fight for his position at Everton.

The Blues have been without Allan for their past seven Premier League fixtures after seeing the Brazilian forced off after 40 minutes during a 2-0 win over Leicester City in December.

Allan had opened 12 of Everton’s 13 top-flight matches following a £21m summer transfer from Serie A side SSC Napoli before the blow, having only sat out October’s 4-2 win at home to Brighton and Hove Albion due to a groin strain.

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Ancelotti said ahead of the clash against Manchester United on Saturday, that “he started training with the team today [Friday]”. And with the Brazilian having been out of action recently, the Toffees boss has had to turn to Andre Gomes to be his man in the engine room.

Ancelotti even lauded the £18m-rated gem as his Man of the Match for his performance against Leeds, noting: “In my opinion, tonight, the best player on the pitch was Andre Gomes. He played technically, physically, tactically a fantastic game. This is the real Andre Gomes. The real Andre Gomes that we need.”

But for how much longer fans will see that Gomes on the field remains to be seen with Allan seemingly nearing a return to action, as the Brazilian should walk straight back into the starting line-up once fully fit to again anchor the side.

Despite missing the best part of the past two months through injury, Allan continues to boast the highest number of successful tackles (41) and ground duels won (79) in the Premier League among Everton’s midfield options. Doucoure is second for times taking possession (34) while Alex Iwobi is second for ground duels won (58), per SofaScore.

Allan is also level in first with Doucoure for shots blocked (6) and Gomes for accurate long passes (29), while boasting twice as many successful dribbles (20) as Gylfi Sigurdsson who has only taken possession up the field nine times in the top-flight to date this term.

Ancelotti will likely have to decide between benching Gomes or Sigurdsson to free space for Allan to return, thus must see his £112,000-per-week former FC Barcelona ace prove to be more creative than the Iceland international if Gomes is to retain his place.

While Sigurdsson only trails James Rodriguez at Everton for chances created in the Premier League this season with 23 key passes to the Colombian’s 29, Gomes has only carved out seven goal scoring opportunities of which zero were clear-cut chances.

Gomes proved against Leeds that he can do everything else needed in the engine room, but only adding a creative edge will ensure he sits ahead of Sigurdsson in the pecking order once Allan is back available for selection.

He stands to face a real fight for his place at Goodison Park when the club’s Brazilian lynch-pin makes his return to the pitch.

AND in other news, a £65k-p/w Everton titan faces a fight at Everton after Carlo Ancelotti was left “really surprised” vs Leeds…

Marcel Brands can boost Everton’s push for Champions League qualification with a January swoop for Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha amid links to AC Milan.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, the Rossoneri are chasing a winter deal for Zaha to move to the San Siro as they believe the Ivory Coast winger can help seal their first Serie A title in 10 years.

Milan sit a point clear of rivals Inter at the top of the Italian top-flight as the sole remaining undefeated side after 14 games, and feel Zaha is the missing piece of Stefano Pioli’s puzzle as he nears a career-best haul in front of goal.

Zaha is just two efforts shy of his career-high 10 goals penned in 2018/19 having scored eight times in just 14 matches, while providing two assists despite often being starved of service after switching to a more central role at Selhurst Park.

His adaptation to the position has impressed Milan chiefs, who believe the 28-year-old is entering into his prime years and would be able to contribute immediately should a deal be secured.

Manchester United and Chelsea were linked with a move for Zaha in the summer with Crystal Palace braced to lose the £130,000-per-week wizard in a cut-priced £30m deal, having rebuffed interest from Everton in 2019 after demanding at least £100m.

The Toffees were still said to be keen on signing Zaha in the off-season, too, with Carlo Ancelotti a big admirer of the 18-cap international Tony Cascarino describes as a “tremendous footballer”.

Should Everton rival Milan for Zaha?

Everton have rarely dabbled in the January window since appointing Brands as the club’s Director of Football, with the sum of less than £1m spent on Jarrad Branthwaite last January the only funds sanctioned on winter reinforcements since 2018.

But a change in approach to sign the Zaha in the New Year could see Brands help boost Ancelotti’s push to see Everton qualify for the Champions League, with the Toffees facing a huge dilemma over their mid-season dealings as they sit inside the top-four after 15 games.

“Will they smell something and think if we put a bit of money into this, we could actually do something really great this season for Everton,” Rio Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.

“That is the conundrum they are in. ‘Do we go for it, do we spend a bit more money and invest or do we say we are going to go with what we’ve got’ because they are picking up injuries, that’s the problem. It’s not a squad with huge depth.”

Everton finally won a Premier League fixture while without Richarlison on Saturday with a nervy 1-0 win over Sheffield United, having previously failed to claim all three points when without the £50m winger since his arrival in 2018.

Ancelotti previously described his need for Richarlison alternatives as an “impossible” task from those already at the club, too, which Zaha would solve, while offering the Italian an option who can help ease the burden on top-scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The 23-year-old has scored 11 of Everton’s 26 Premier League goals this term and leads the way for shots taken (43) and on-target efforts (24), while Richarlison (13) and James Rodriguez (10) are the sole additional Toffees players to have found the mark more than four times, per WhoScored.

Zaha, meanwhile, is averaging 1.6 shots per game, has found the net eight times and missed three big chances to score, created three big chances for Palace to score from 1.0 key balls a game and wins 5.3 ground duels over his 14 top-flight outings this season, per SofaScore.

It remains to be seen how much the Eagles demand for Zaha in January should Milan or a rival suitor step forward, but there is no doubt in the impact he could bring to Goodison Park.

AND in other news, Everton have been dealt a huge blow, from which the long-term effects may hurt Carlo Ancelotti.

Aside from the man of the moment Louie Barry, Aston Villa also have another hugely exciting young striker on their books in Cameron Archer.

The 19-year-old has spent the campaign out on loan at National League side Solihull Moors, where he’s shown real promising signs, bagging five goals in 12 appearances, including in the FA Cup.

And after the club confirmed they had extended his spell until the end of the season, the Solihull boss, Jimmy Shan, said: “We are happy to extend the loan of Cameron Archer. Cam has grown and developed in his short time with the club, he gives us a different dimension in the final third and has contributed with goals and assists.”

A profile piece by The Birmingham Mail back in the summer of 2019 described him as “one of Villa’s most highly thought of youngsters alongside Jacob Ramsey”, and that he’s a “livewire forward with excellent footwork and the ability to find the back of the net”.

The Birmingham Mail’s Ashley Preece said: “Genuine pace. That’s Cameron Archer in a nutshell. He’s short, stocky and jet-heeled. Blink and you’ll miss him.

“Cam, as he’s known, is a natural striker who plays off the shoulder of a defender but, in recent weeks, has been deployed on the right of a three-pronged forward line, such is his ability to beat his man one-on-one. Delaney and Smith could see his long-term future as an electrifying winger.”

And that ability to offer something completely different to what Smith currently has at his disposal, makes him a potentially intriguing rotation option for next season – the likes of Ollie Watkins, Keinan Davis and Barry have all got their own individual strengths, but none can match the sheer pace of Archer.

Davis has often been the man the Villa boss has turned to as a substitute this season, but in Archer, they’ve got someone whose rapid pace and more directness with the ball at his feet could make him a nightmare for tiring opposition defences in the Premier League.

With him spending the rest of the campaign out on loan, Archer should come back to Villa in the summer as a more refined player, looking to knock on the door and challenge for a spot in the squad.

Meanwhile, Villa are still interested in this 6 foot 3 powerhouse…