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The Athletic’s Phil Hay has confirmed that Leeds United defender Luke Ayling will require surgery ahead of the Whites’ Premier League clash against Watford on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The right-back had played the full 90 minutes in every single top-flight game this season for Marcelo Bielsa’s side before he was forced off in the closing stages of the 1-1 draw against Newcastle at St James’ Park a couple of weeks ago.

The 30-year-old then missed the subsequent clash at West Ham last time out, and Hay has now revealed that as well as missing today’s game against Watford, Ayling will require surgery to fix an issue in his knee.

Writing on Twitter, the journalist confirmed: “Ayling has a knee injury. That requires what Bielsa called “simple” surgery (a clean-out job, essentially).”

Fans will be gutted

Ayling has been a virtual ever-present for Leeds and arguably their Mr Reliable, having played the full 90 minutes in every single Premier League game last season bar one – and even that was when Bielsa decided to take him off him to try and find a goal in the last 20 minutes against ten-man Arsenal.

The versatile defender also wore the captain’s armband on 12 occasions last year, and his leadership at the back is something the Whites could really do with given the tough, winless start they have endured to begin this Premier League campaign.

Described as a “great technician” by former Arsenal academy team-mate Cedric Evina, Ayling’s absence from the Leeds side cannot be underestimated, with Bielsa saying after Leeds’ 3-0 victory over Aston Villa last October that the right-back “transmitted serenity to the rest of the team”.

He will once again be missed today, but the reports that he now requires surgery are sure to have both Bielsa and the club’s fans very worried about the amount of time he could miss and how many games he could be ruled out for amid this tricky run.

Meanwhile, Beren Cross has dropped a Leeds United transfer update…

Rennes striker Gaetano Laborde would be a better option than youngster Fabio Silva at Wolves, according to journalist Luke Hatfield.

The Lowdown: Silva struggles at Wolves

Silva made a big-money move to Molineux from Porto in 2020 but he has found it extremely difficult to fulfill his potential to date.

The 19-year-old has scored just four goals in 46 appearances for Wolves, often looking out of his depth in the physical Premier League.

It has led to rumours linking Wanderers with a move for a striker, with Laborde one name who has been tipped to join the club.

The Latest: Hatfield makes Laborde claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Hatfield claimed the 27-year-old would be a superior backup option behind Raul Jimenez, suggesting a deal should get done:

“Yeah, for me, I think that’s a fair kind of proposition to make upon the relationship between Lage and Silva at the moment.”

Laborde is enjoying an impressive season for Rennes, scoring six goals in 14 Ligue 1 appearances. His current deal expires in the summer of 2025.

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The Verdict: Sign him up

It would be unfair to write off Silva because of his age, but at the moment, he simply isn’t offering enough in terms of end product and it is affecting Wolves’ goal threat. They have only scored 13 goals in 17 league matches.

There is too much pressure on Jimenez to perform regularly, especially after a serious head injury kept him for the majority of the last campaign, but Laborde would ease the Mexican star’s workload.

Aside from his aforementioned prowess in front of goal, the £16.2million-rated Frenchman has also averaged 1.2 key passes per game in the league this season – Silva has averaged a disappointing 0.1 – and chipped in with three assists, showing he can create as well, perhaps making him the perfect foil to even play alongside Jimenez.

In other news, three Wolves players struggled despite the win over Brighton. Find out who they are here.

Liverpool are planning on offering Sadio Mane a new contract at Anfield after his starring role against Manchester City, according to a fresh rumour.

The Lowdown: Mane stars at Wembley

The Senegalese was arguably the Reds’ star player on Saturday, as they beat City 3-2 at Wembley to book a place in the FA Cup final.

Mane scored twice in the first half to help Liverpool race into a 3-0 lead, closing down Steffen for the first goal and volleying home the second just before the break.

It was arguably one of the 30-year-old’s best displays this season, with Klopp continuing to use him in a central attacking role.

The Latest: Key update emerges

Mane’s current Liverpool deal expires at the end of next season, and according to Football Insider, the club are willing to offer him a new contract.

It is stated that FSG aren’t willing to ‘break the bank’ with their offer but the hope is that he agrees to extend his stay at Anfield beyond 2023. The source in question claims that the forward wants to stay put with the Reds.

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The Verdict: No-brainer for Liverpool

While Mane may no longer be at the absolute peak of his powers, he is still one of the most formidable attacking in the Premier League and should remain that way for a few years to come.

He already has 18 goals to his name in 2021/22 – his 13 Premier League goals have already surpassed last season’s tally of 11 – and he has been hailed as ‘world-class’ by Klopp in the past.

It may be that Mane slowly becomes more of a squad player over time as he ages but keeping him instead of allowing his contract to tick down is an absolute no-brainer, given his ability.

In other news, one Liverpool player was annoyed with his own fans against City. Find out who it is here.

Rangers could sign their ideal Borna Barisic replacement in Hibernian starlet Josh Doig.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Barisic has emerged as a potential target for Premier League side Watford in the upcoming January transfer window, and that Doig could be the man Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side turn to if the Croatian does end up leaving.

They revealed: “At left-back, with uncertainty over Danny Rose’s fitness and Masina’s potential absence, looking for someone to slot straight in is likely to be the plan. The Athletic has learned that Watford have shown initial interest in Rangers’ Borna Barisic but his price tag may be prohibitive.

“With two years left on his contract, he may cost in the region of £5-8m. The younger and more affordable option would be Hibernian’s Josh Doig who is worth approximately £2-3m. If Watford opted for Barisic, Rangers may look to replace him with Doig.”

Superb replacement for Barisic

Still only 19, Doig has built up some incredible experience in the Scottish top-flight already, marking himself down as one of the first names on the team-sheet for Hibs – this season has seen him start every single Scottish Premiership game bar just four.

And, speaking to Football Insider, former Scotland right-back Alan Hutton said: “He’s got a great engine, can get up and down, got a great left foot, aggressive. He is definitely one for the future.

“They see a talented player they think they can develop and make better for £1.5m. You can definitely tell he’s a talented player. He’s got all the attributes to be a left-back or a wing-back. He is one that you’re hoping does well.”

Given the prices involved according to The Athletic, Doig could come in not only as a bargain replacement for Barisic, but also as someone who could potentially command a sizeable fee in the future himself should the Gers ever feel the need to cash in.

His experience of playing week-in and week-out for Hibs stands him in good stead for joining a club like Rangers where the pressure will increase ten-fold, and with him still only being a teenager, there’s plenty of time left for him to still grow and develop.

Meanwhile, Rangers are eyeing this 6 foot 4 “diamond”…

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, Juventus have a ‘huge decision’ on their hands regarding the future of reported Tottenham target Paulo Dybala.

Jones claimed that the decision to sell Dybala ‘would be mad’, given the Argentine is ‘one of the few poster boys’ left at the Turin club.

The Lowdown: Dybala out of contract in the summer

Dybala joined Juventus in the summer of 2015 from Palermo as an exciting playmaker, arriving in a deal worth £33.5 million, inclusive of add-ons. Since then, the Argentina international has secured himself as a fan-favourite, having made an incredible 275 appearances for the club.

During this time, the 28-year-old has accrued a sensational record as a second striker, having scored 110 times with 46 assists.

However, Dybala is in the last six months of his contract, which is set to expire at the end of the season. According to reports by TyC, the attacker is not planning on signing an extension.

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As a result, Dybala is allowed to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with clubs outside of Italy. Following this, reports have emerged claiming that Tottenham lead the race to sign the Argentine on a free transfer in the summer.

The Latest: Jones stunned by exit links

Jones, an insider with Eurosport, spoke to The Transfer Tavern with his verdict on the possibility of a move: “If Juventus lose Dybala, that’s a huge decision for them and it changes everything.

“So, I still need convincing that they would do that because it just seems such a big move to let [go of] somebody like that, one of the few poster boys left.

“To actually sell him would be mad.”

The Verdict: Spurs could be getting an unbelievable deal

A host of footballing legends, including the likes of including Michael Laudrup and Alessandro Del Piero, have heaped praise on Dybala, claiming that he is a ‘special’ player, and it’s not hard to see why.

With a current market valuation of £45m, Fabio Paratici would be coming out into the summer window with the absolute steal of the century if he can secure a player with 139 career goals at club level.

If Spurs are able to get this deal over the line, Daniel Levy and Paratici will have outdone themselves; making up for a number of previous disappointing transfer windows under the former.

In other news, Tottenham may have been hit with a u-turn in their chase for Adama Traore…

According to a report from The Daily Mirror earlier this week, Southampton were one side keen on a late January move for Che Adams. The 22-year-old currently plays his football at Championship outfit Birmingham City and has done so since the summer of 2016, with his sensational goal-scoring efforts for the Blues this season seemingly attracting the interest of new Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl.

And that’s because a report earlier this week from The Daily Mirror suggested that the South Coast outfit were keen on a move for the striker as they sought the striking reinforcements needed to pull clear of the Premier League’s bottom three, only for Adams to remain at St Andrew’s beyond Thursday’s 11pm deadline.

But given Southampton’s struggles in the final third of the field, it appears that Hasenhuttl’s side may have missed a big opportunity to dispel their relegation fears for good by missing out on the 22-year-old.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, this season has very much followed the trend set by last season at St Mary’s, what with the Saints again set for a battle against relegation, with putting the ball in the back of the net proving to be a key factor in their difficulties.

The South Coast outfit aren’t the lowest scorers in the English top-flight, but their tally of 26 goals from their 24 Premier League matches will almost certainly need big improvement between now and the end of the season if they are to fend off relegation – mainly because their tally of 41 goals against underlines their difficulties in keeping them out as well.

But in the likes of Charlie Austin, Shane Long, Michael Obafemi, and Sam Gallagher, Hasenhuttl doesn’t have a forward line that is inspiring much confidence at present given the quartet have managed only five goals between them in all competitions so far – for what it’s worth, main man Danny Ings has eight goals.

Clearly then, another accomplished striker seemed necessary in the January window especially following the departure of Manolo Gabbiadini, and after last year’s calamitous move for Guido Carrillo, luring someone in form and match-ready to St Mary’s this month appeared to be the order of the day – Birmingham’s Adams fit the bill.

The 22-year-old may have never played at Premier League level before, but he has shown throughout his time at St Andrew’s that he is a young striker very much on the up, with this season the best goal-scoring campaign of his young career to date.

And that’s because the Englishman has netted 15 times in only 29 Championship appearances for Garry Monk’s side to propel him into the division’s top five goal-scorers this term, with four goals in his last four matches underlining his excellent recent form and just how confident he is in front of goal.

Clearly, it seems that Adams is only getting better the more football he plays having bagged nine last term and seven the season before for Birmingham, and at the tender age of 22, he is surely only going to keep improving as the years go on.

But he’d also do a job for Southampton in the present as well given his confidence and form in front of goal – unlike Carrillo, who hadn’t played or scored much for Monaco prior to his move to St Mary’s, Adams would have arrived match-ready and confident to make a difference.

Yes, there has certainly been an upturn in fortunes at St Mary’s following the arrival of Hasenhuttl as manager, but when one looks at the current striking options available to the Austrian, it’s difficult to see where the goals are coming from, Ings aside, in the second half of the campaign.

And that is why failing to land Adams last month represents a big opportunity missed by the Saints, as his arrival would’ve gone some way to dispelling their relegation fears for good.

Southampton fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to extend their lead at the top of Group G in the UEFA Conference League later this evening.

Nuno Santo will take a much-changed squad to the Netherlands to face Vitesse and they head into kickoff on the back of three straight wins in all competitions, including a 5-1 whitewash against NS Mura in this very competition last time out.

Spurs defeated Newcastle United on Sunday to go fifth in the Premier League standings but none of the starting XI are expected to feature today.

But what sort of lineup could the Portuguese head coach select? Here’s what we are predicting…

As already mentioned, there could be a whole new 11 starting in Holland.

Between the sticks, club captain Hugo Lloris is replaced by Pierluigi Gollini, who has started all four of their matches in this tournament, whilst there could be a new back four of Ben Davies, Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Japhet Tanganga.

They come in for first-choice quartet of Sergio Reguilon, Eric Dier, Cristian Romero and Japhet Tanganga. The latter of which gets the nod over Matt Doherty, despite the Northern Irishman featuring regularly in this competition as he misses out through injury, along with Ryan Sessegnon.

Giovani Lo Celso was one player who did not see any minutes on the pitch at St James’ Park, so he is likely to come in to partner Harry Winks, with Dele Alli also coming back into the starting XI, likely as captain, despite being snubbed in their last two league outings.

Nuno has already confirmed that Steven Bergwijn will be back after injury, so he lines up on the right over Lucas Moura, as 20-year-old “big talent” Bryan Gil takes the place of Heung-min Son on the other flank.

Teenage starlet Dane Scarlett is in line for an opportunity as the only other centre-forward available to the manager. His involvement means Harry Kane is rested ahead of the weekend.

The likes of Dilan Markanday, Nile John, Jack Clarke and Harvey White could be involved from the bench.

AND in other news, Paratici could fix Nuno’s biggest problem with Spurs swoop for £31.5m-rated “animal”…

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans were critical of Florian Kamberi’s performance in their 0-0 draw at Portsmouth in League One on Tuesday night.

The Owls perhaps would have settled for a point in the end as Massimo Luongo was given a straight red card for violent conduct in the 69th minute, meaning that they had to hold out for more than 20 minutes with 10 men on the field.

However, when a team goes down a player, they really need the help of the forwards to hold the ball up and bring others into play whenever they can attack.

Alas, Kamberi struggled while Wednesday had 11 men, let alone 10, as he lost out on all seven of his duels and also failed to record a single shot on goal or dribble. In addition, he was guilty of losing possession of the ball seven times in total during the game (SofaScore).

Sheff Wed fans on Kamberi display

These Owls fans slammed his performance on Twitter, with one supporter even going as far as to claim that he is a ‘poor man’s Stevie May’, referring to the Scottish striker who only managed seven goals in his 42-match Wednesday career:

“Kamberi not offering much at all!”

Credit: @ABKTowl

“Kamberi, poor man’s Stevie May”

Credit: @Elliott51084

“Kamberi & Gregory just can’t play together. Running the same lines, banging into each other. It’s embarrassing.”

Credit: @bensaavage

“Kamberi totally oblivious. Hook him.”

Credit: @mrpaulhank

“Kamberi ain’t good enough”

Credit: @LockStar9

“Just like to say, I don’t think I have ever seen anyone slip over on a football pitch as much as Kamberi. Reckon he might need bigger studs or something.”

Credit: @ReeceDaviesSWFC

In other news, one man’s display against Hartlepool was slammed by these Sheff Wed fans

Wolves are favourites to beat Tottenham to the signing of Sporting Lisbon midfielder Joao Palhinha this summer, according to transfer expert Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Wolves linked with Palhinha move

The 26-year-old is one of Sporting’s most influential players, scoring three goals in 22 Primeira Liga appearances this season and being hailed as a ‘special’ player by his manager Ruben Amorim.

Palhinha has been linked with a summer move to Wolves as Bruno Lage looks to add more to his quality to his squad, ensuring that his side continue their current trajectory.

However, the midfielder’s current deal at Sporting expires in the summer of 2026, so a big fee may be required to prise him away given the cushion of that lengthy contract.

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The Latest: Jones makes fresh Palhinha claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones claimed that Wolves are the front-runners to snap up Palhinha ahead of fourth-placed Spurs. He claimed:

“Wolves are definitely in the hunt for people like that, and I think Tottenham were interested in Palhinha. But I would imagine that Wolves would probably have the jump on them for a player like that, to be honest.”

The Verdict: Neves replacement?

It looks increasingly likely that Ruben Neves could move on to a fresh challenge this summer, in which case it is imperative that a top-quality replacement comes in.

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Palhinha could be exactly that, possessing a similar standard of playmaking ability in the middle of the park, enjoying a 91.9% pass completion rate for Portugal at Euro 2020 last summer.

His Portuguese roots could also allow him to fit in seamlessly at Molineux and, at 26 with more than 200 club career appearances, he has a perfect mix of experience and still having many years left in him.

In other news, Tim Spiers has provided a double Wolves injury update. Read more here

Leeds United are set to once again make a move to bring Brenden Aaronson to Elland Road in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Leeds Live, who claim that, following Victor Orta’s failed attempts to secure a deal for the Red Bull Salzburg forward in January, the Whites are once again plotting an offensive for the USA international at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to state that Jesse Marsch’s appointment as Marcelo Bielsa’s replacement in the Elland Road dugout will only strengthen the Premier League side’s chances of sealing the signing of the 21-year-old – whom the report suggests could well be viewed as a replacement for the Barcelona-linked Raphinha.

Raphinha’s successor

While it is true that Aaronson and Raphinha are different types of player, with the former primarily being deployed in a more central role and the latter preferring to play out wide, it would nevertheless appear that the American would be something of a perfect replacement for the 25-year-old, should the Brazil international indeed go on to depart Elland Road this summer.

Indeed, with Marsch setting the Whites up in a 4-2-2-2 formation, Aaronson and Raphinha would actually take up the same role in the 48-year-old’s side – a position that, as previously mentioned, the Salzburg starlet is much more accustomed to.

And, with the 21-year-old also more than capable of operating on either flank, something that is evidenced by his time in Austria and while on international duty with the USA, Aaronson would appear to suit Leeds’ system perfectly.

However, it is not only his extremely impressive positional versatility that would come as a massive bonus for Marsch but also his undeniable talent in the final third.

Indeed, over his 21 Austrian Bundesliga fixtures this season, the £30m dynamo has been in fantastic form for Matthias Jaissle’s side, scoring three goals, registering four assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.2 shots and making 1.7 key passes per game – with these returns seeing the 21-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.89.

As such, it is not difficult to understand why Orta is once again plotting a bid for the player who Jaissle dubbed a “monster” and Thierry Henry labelled “contagious” this summer, as the £19k-per-week sensation would indeed appear to be Raphinha’s perfect replacement at Elland Road.

AND in other news: Orta can seal Marsch’s dream signing as Leeds plot bid for “unexpected” £25m-rated ace