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Leeds struggled down in London on Saturday, with their loss meaning they have now registered back-to-back 4-1 defeats. Crystal Palace were the latest side to hit them for four goals, following an identical scenario at Elland Road last Monday.

With an international break coming up, Marcelo Bielsa will be using his time wisely to see where he can change his team to get back into winning form. The Whites look a shadow of the side who put Liverpool to the sword in their season opener and held Manchester City to a 1-1 draw.

Whilst in-form Patrick Bamford was able to find a consolation goal, it wasn’t enough on the day. Another man who put in a solid shift was the midfielder who supplied the assist for Leeds’ only goal of the game.

Mateusz Klich impressed against Palace

In a match of very few positives, Bielsa will be pleased with the performance put in by Klich. The Poland international played in a more advanced midfield role and it paid off with an assist.

According to Sofascore, the 30-year-old also made an impressive four key passes and contributed three tackles and completed seven of his eight (87%) attempted long balls. Klich boasts the ability to play in many midfield positions

His performance now puts him on two goals and three assists for the season so far (via Transfermarkt). The £7,700 per-week ace continues to show his impressive balance between attacking and defensive contributions. This hasn’t gone unnoticed by Bielsa either, who recently applauded him and said he “cannot do better” in his performances.

Arsenal await the Whites after international break, which will be a tough match to face at Elland Road. The manager may be ready to make some sacrifices and try a few wild cards, but Klich’s position in the team is all but nailed-on.

In other news, Stuart Dallas dropped clanger against Crystal Palace in another hefty Leeds loss…

Fabio Capello needs little or absolutely no introduction to anyone even remotely familiar with the footballing world. And the legend he is, the ex-Milan, Real Madrid and England boss’ opinion is always highly rated and when he speaks, others listen.

Now, in the latest exclusive interview with ESPN, the former manager talked about Juventus’ situation in Serie A and their need for reinforcements. Of course, the Bianconeri have clinched another title in 2019/20 but it was a hard-fought battle despite having Cristiano Ronaldo in the team.

Their misfortune continued in Europe as they were eliminated at the hands of Olympique Lyon in a rather shocking turn of events that then happened again against Manchester City as well. So it does seem like the Italians are missing something in their forward line.

According to Capello, Ronaldo is missing his own Karim Benzema at Juventus and the ideal man for that role would actually be Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Raul Jimenez. Here’s what Capello said for ESPN: ‘He is a great player who has lots of talent, ideal to play alongside Ronaldo. Because Cristiano has been missing a [Karim] Benzema at Juventus, that could be Raul.’

The Mexican has been linked with a move away from the Premier League for quite some time now and maybe Serie A would indeed be to his liking. Needless to say, playing alongside Ronaldo would surely be a big step-up for his career.

Verdict

One team’s fortune might indeed bring about the other team’s struggles in this case. Losing Jimenez would surely hit Nuno’s team hard and ensuring that he stays could be vital for Wolves.

Of course, despite them being a very good and rather exciting team, the Mexican could potentially set his sights on some greener pastures where the chance of silverware is much bigger than here in England.

Liverpool fans have kicked into debate following a recent Instagram post from forgotten goalkeeper Loris Karius. 

The German has uploaded some photos from a recent Melwood training session alongside fellow shot-stoppers Alisson and Adrian. Liverpool fan account @LFCTransferRoom has posted the snaps from Karius’ story and fans are trying to decide whether he has a future at the club or not.

The 27-year-old hasn’t featured for the Reds since his disaster in between the sticks against Real Madrid in the 2018 Champions League final. Since his nightmarish performance, Karius has been an elusive member of the team, spending two seasons on loan with Besiktas following the appointment of £66.8million Alisson (via BBC Sport).

Since his arrival, the Brazilian has helped transform Liverpool’s defence and has contributed to their sixth Champions League title and first ever Premier League trophy. Now, Jurgen Klopp could be faced with a dilemma as he decides who should serve as deputy to the former Roma man.

Loads of Kopites are discussing this situation and many have mixed opinions on whether Karius or Adrian should be next in line to Alisson. One fan thinks the German ‘needs to go’ whilst another has countered that by saying they want Adrian ‘out at all costs’.

The Spaniard was held responsible for Liverpool’s calamitous exits from both the FA Cup and Champions League last season.

Read more replies from the Anfield faithful here:

Who do you think should be Alisson’s deputy? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Royal Antwerp midfielder Frank Boya has revealed that he turned down Glasgow Rangers before making the switch to the Belgian club.

Boya recently made the move to Antwerp, joining on a free transfer from Mouscron, and it appears that he had the choice of several clubs before making his final decision. He has said that he turned down not only the Ibrox outfit but also said no to Bundesliga side Werder Bremen:

“The proof that I did well at Mouscron was the amount of offers I received from big clubs.

“I had no shortage of offers and Rangers and Werder Bremen were the most keen for me to join them.

“So leaving Belgium could have been a solution, but I wanted my future to be settled quickly and none of the teams interested have as much ambitions as at Antwerp.

“As soon as I moved here, I knew it was the right decision. The staff here integrated me from my first day and my new team mates have been a huge help.”

Currently valued at £1.53m by Transfermarkt, it is interesting to see that Boya chose Antwerp because of their ambition, suggesting in the process that the 54-time Scottish champions were not on their level in that respect. The ‘Gers are going for the Scottish Premiership title next term and are currently in the Europa League round of 16 as well.

They have spent money, too, bringing in Ianis Hagi for £3m, for example – there seems to be plenty of ambition at Ibrox. Still, Boya has made his choice, so both he and the Scottish club will have to live with the consequences. If the ‘Gers go on to enjoy a successful 2020/21 season, don’t expect too many regrets over Boya’s snub.

‘Gers fans, were you dismayed by Boya’s decision to turn down the club in favour of a move to Antwerp? Let us know what you think in the comments below!

If there’s one area that it’s obvious Leeds need to strengthen in it’s at centre-back.

The Whites only have one senior centre-half at the moment after Ben White returned to Brighton and Gaetano Berardi picked up an injury that should keep him on the sidelines for the foreseeable future.

Fortunately, the transfer window is well underway, and United’s promotion to the Premier League has provided them with the financial power needed to plug the gaps in their defence, and it seems as though they plan on doing just that.

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However, despite wanting a centre-back, Leeds may be on the cusp of making a dire mistake in the transfer market.

Phil Hay has recently stated that the Whites’ plan is to offer Berardi a new deal despite his long-term injury, while they only plan to buy just one centre-back this summer, be that White or someone else.

This will leave them with just two senior accomplished centre-halves for the majority the season, one of which has only two Premier League appearances to his name.

If Cooper or their new man were to get injured they’d be calling on the likes of Pascal Struijk or Oliver Casey, who simply don’t have the experience to be relied on to keep out some of the world’s best attackers. Moving Luke Ayling or Kalvin Phillips to centre-back remains another option, but then you’d need to plug the gaps in the midfield or at full-back.

As Hay says, Leeds giving Berardi a new deal is the decent thing to do, and once he’s back from injury there will be more depth, but ACL tears aren’t fixed in just a few weeks, the Swiss international is facing months on the sidelines, and United need more than one centre-back so that they have adequate cover for any other injuries or suspensions that occur.

The Liverpool Echo report that former Everton midfielder Mikel Arteta has emerged as a new content for the Toffees’ vacant managerial role, and fans of the Merseyside outfit have been quick to react on Twitter.

The Spaniard, who made 209 appearances for Everton during a six-and-a-half year spell with the Premier League side, is currently working as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City.

The Liverpool Echo say that the 37-year-old is one of the names being discussed at boardroom level at Goodison Park though, and he is seen as a ‘serious contender’.

Given he has no managerial experience his appointment would have to be seen as a risk. However, plenty of supporters who have had their say seem content at the possibility of him taking charge, with one even saying he would be a better fit than Carlo Ancelotti, who The Telegraph report is the first-choice option.

However, not every fan is happy about Arteta being named as Marco Silva’s successor, and rightly so given their current predicament and his lack of experience of being the main man.

One individual chose to fire a dig at chairman Bill Kenwright and suggested that the Spaniard would be a cheap alternative, while another suggested that if it comes down to a straight choice between the 37-year-old and Ancelotti, the board would be mad not to select the latter.

In other Everton news, FFC predict that Duncan Ferguson could change formation and make 4 changes for the trip to Manchester United on Sunday…

Since it was announced that AFC Bournemouth winger Jordon Ibe would be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer, Celtic have been heavily linked, and Danny Mills believes he has a lot to prove, which could be ideal for the Hoops.

Ibe’s career has not exactly gone the way that many expected as he emerged into the Liverpool side, but was then sold to the Cherries for a reported £16.20m. He has struggled to live up to that price tag whilst at the club though and has only managed to score five goals in 92 appearances, per Transfermarkt. However Neil Lennon has been an admirer of the player and looked to sign him last summer, via the Express.

Speaking to Football Insider about the winger and his future, Mills said, “His career has gone backwards. A £16million move and he has had a handful of appearances. A lot of clubs were after him at the time.

“Why has a player of that quality and that value not been able to get into the Bournemouth side? You wonder if it is his attitude or perhaps he is just not good enough. He needs to sort himself out. He needs to be playing regular football as quick as possible. A player that is still young with a lot of quality but he has a point to prove.

“Young players often get too much too soon, think they have made it and they do not keeping pushing. They think they have hit the big time but very quickly it can be snatched away from you.”

It is very true what Mills says here, Ibe’s career in England has probably seen him go through a rollercoaster of emotions and at the age of 24, it feels like the next step in his career will define how he is remembered and he will also want to prove that he can do well on the big stage.

There is no better place to do that than Celtic, and Football Insider revealed in March that the winger would be willing to take a cut on his £40k-a-week wages to Neil Lennon’s men this summer.

At Celtic he will be given the chance to prove himself and be given more consistent appearances, as it looks like he could be the Hoops alternative option to last season’s loanee Mohammed Elyounoussi as it was recently reported they would not pay the price tag that Southampton want for him.

The Ibe transfer looks to please all parties, with Celtic being able to acquire him on a free whilst the Englishman gets another chance to be at a big club.

Would Ibe be a good alternative to Elyounoussi? Comment below!

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

According to El Desmarque, Wolverhampton Wanderers are one of the clubs interested in making a play for Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez but it’s not necessarily a signing they should want to make.

What’s the word?

Reports in Spain suggest that the Colombian international is out of favour under Zinedine Zidane despite managing to start five of nine games in La Liga and the Champions League this term.

It is thought that Rodriguez has slipped alongside Gareth Bale in the Frenchman’s estimations because of matters off the field, leading to president Florentino Perez sounding out any proposals in the January transfer window.

The 28-year-old had been sent out on a two-year loan deal to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, where he scored 15 times and assisted 20 goals in 67 appearances, but that wasn’t enough for the club to pick up the option to make it a permanent move.

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Outrageous

Rodriguez, who is valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, is a client of football super-agent Jorge Mendes and his arrival in the west Midlands would eclipse any fee they have ever paid.

The representative has deep ties with those high up in the hierarchy at the club so there’s no denying that these links carry some substantiation considering he could sweeten any deal, but if Wolves have any sense then they’ll steer clear.

According to Forbes, Rodriguez earns $21.4m (£16.6m) per year at Madrid and that sort of amount combined with any transfer fee makes any deal seem completely absurd.

The club pulled back on a move for Ruben Dias in the summer because of his €66m (£56.2m) release clause so why would they pay in excess of this for a player that will be coming close to his 30s by the end of next season – that would just go against Fosun’s plans too.

Rodriguez undoubtedly was one of the best players in the world after his rapid rise following his 2014 World Cup campaign but since then he’s become somewhat stagnant.

He’s unlikely to come in and replace Joao Moutinho given the 33-year-old has just signed a three-year contract extension too.

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Meanwhile, Nuno Santo may have found an ideal target in a defender dubbed the next John Stones…

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

According to Tutto Mercato Web, Crystal Palace expressed an interest in signing AC Milan striker Krzysztof Piatek, although the forward is not open to the move.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Eagles were linked with the 10-cap Poland international’s name in a story written by the Italian news outlet, although the former Genoa man – who has also been linked with a return to his old stomping ground at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris – does not want to take a backwards step in his career.

Piatek began life with Milan on fire, scoring nine Serie A goals in his first 16 starts following a £30.9m move to the San Siro in January 2019.

However, so far this season, the 24-year-old has struggled for consistency, netting just three times in 14 outings in Italy’s top flight.

Interest highlights Dougie Freedman and Steve Parish’s ambition

While Piatek may not be having the best of times this term, there is no doubting that he is a striker of real pedigree and one who was considered amongst Europe’s best before his move to Milan.

The former KS Cracovia attacker scored 19 goals in just 21 outings for Genoa in his first venture into European football, attracting the interest of Chelsea before his lucrative move to Italian giants Milan.

Piatek also has five goals in his ten appearances for Poland, and has found the back of the net 83 times in 209 career appearances while also grabbing 16 assists – on average, the Polish hitman has been involved in a goal every 2.1 games throughout his club career.

As aforesaid, he may be struggling right now, but Piatek is a striker of real quality and the mere fact that Palace’s Sporting Director Dougie Freedman and chairman Steve Parish have even made advances to sign him highlights the ambition of the pair.

The Eagles may not sign Piatek after his revelation of not wanting to take a step back, but it is encouraging to see such lofty targets being pursued.

In other news, these Crystal Palace fans were not happy with transfer comments from Wilfried Zaha’s agent…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Charlie Eccleshare, of The Athletic, has been speaking about the restraints Mauricio Pochettino has worked under due to Daniel Levy’s policies.

What did he say?

Spurs’ current position in the bottom half of the table means that the manager will naturally come under some pressure.

The club’s latest result, a 1-1 draw against Sheffield United, has definitely not helped his situation, though it is difficult to distinguish how much of the club’s current predicament is down to the manager.

When asked about the various issues facing Spurs and whether another manager who could succeed under Levy’s constraints as part of a Q&A, Eccleshare replied: “Pochettino saw this coming to be fair, and wanted to overhaul the squad. Your final question is for me the crux of it – if Levy carries on with his approach as it is, then you’re talking about a tiny group of managers who could do what Poch has.”

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Difficult circumstances

There has been frustration for Pochettino regarding transfers, to the extent that he has distanced himself from the club’s policy.

In July, the Argentinian was quoted by ESPN as saying: “I am not in charge and I know nothing about the situation of my players, I am only coaching them and trying to get the best from them. Sell, buy players, sign contract, not sign contract – I think it is not in my hands, it’s in the club’s hands and Daniel Levy.

“Maybe the club need to change my title and description. My job now is to coach the team. Of course I am the boss deciding the strategy to play, training, in my area, but in another area, I don’t know. Today, I feel like I am the coach.”

With the modern game now having roles such as the Director of Football, there are situations like this at many clubs, but there are arguably very few who have done so well with the restraints Pochettino has faced.

There won’t be many clubs fighting for a place in the Champions League without making a single signing, as Pochettino did last season – even the Chelsea side Frank Lampard took over with a transfer ban during the summer had Christian Pulisic coming in and secured Mateo Kovacic’s services permanently.

There are certain restrictions that are limiting what Pochettino is able to do at Spurs and Eccleshare is right in saying many managers would struggle to replicate what he has done. That may well factor into how long Pochettino lasts in the face of disappointing results.