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Leeds United have made some truly impressive signings recently during their iconic rise back into the Premier League. Additions such as Patrick Bamford and Helder Costa heavily contributed to the Whites’ Championship success and whilst Victor Orta and co should be praised for their senior scouting, the player they have been bringing in at the lower age groups are also seriously impressive.

One man who has turned a lot of heads with his most recent performance is 19-year-old Crysencio Summerville.

The teenaged Dutchman arrived at Elland Road from Feyenoord just four months ago, during the elongated summer transfer window. Despite not yet fearing as a senior player for his country, he has represented the Netherlands at an U19 level and boasts an impressive six goals in his five international appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

As reported by the official Leeds Twitter account, the young Whites breezed to a 4-1 win over Burnley U23s, thanks to a goal from Sam Greenwood and a stunning hat-trick from Summerville.

The winger made easy work of bagging his trio of goals in just his third league appearance for his new club. Summerville’s devastating impact on the right wing was far too much for the Clarets and it gave an insight into what fans could expect from the former Feyenoord man at some point in the future.

Marcelo Bielsa’s squad is heavily stacked with talent when it comes to his wide players, particularly on the right-hand side. Helder Costa and Raphinha are currently competing for a spot in the starting lineup, with the latter proving to be a very dangerous asset to the Whites.

He has four goals and four assists to his name so far this season and he famously popped up with a crucial goal against Everton in Leeds’ 1-0 win back in November.

Another man vying for playing time in the senior squad is Ian Poveda. The 20-year-old joined the Yorkshire outfit from Manchester City’s academy last year, but has yet to make his mark on his new club.

According to Transfermarkt, he has made 15 senior appearances under Bielsa so far, but has been unable to show off his creative abilities. With a talent like Summerville setting the youth league alight, Poveda risks being usurped by the youngster if he fails to impress and Leeds’ up and coming wide talent continues to deliver the goods for the U23s.

In other news, Leeds interested in Liverpool starlet Yasser Larouci…

According to The Scotsman, Lille remain interested in a move for Glasgow Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos.

Lille monitoring Morelos

Lille, who are currently second in Ligue 1 on goal difference and are still in the Europa League, were heavily linked with a move for the Colombia international during last summer’s transfer window – they were said to have agreed personal terms with the £13.5m-valued 24-year-old (Transfermarkt), while they also had a £16m bid rejected.

The Scotsman has been discussing players who will attract interest this January, and while they admit it is unlikely Morelos will depart this month, Lille are still monitoring his situation north of the border.

May be worth selling

Given his impressive scoring record at Ibrox – he has 85 goals in 164 games for the 54-time Scottish champions – the Gers were eager to hold on to Morelos as they resisted the temptation to sell last summer. However, this campaign, the striker has just eight goals in 26 games despite the Gers losing only once in all competitions.

His temperament has got the better of him on occasion, as well. He has been involved in altercations with Scott Brown in both Old Firm derbies, while Steven Gerrard has spoken out against his attitude when being substituted. It is getting to the point where he is becoming far more trouble than he is worth – another £16m offer could well force Ross Wilson’s hand.

In other news, Rangers fans hammer this politician’s lack of respect.

It must be a huge relief for everyone at Sunderland that they can finally focus on the football again.

Their festive period was ruined by a bout of Covid and thus, they had four consecutive games postponed by the authorities.

A 0-0 draw wasn’t exactly the most ideal way to return to action last weekend and they now face a tough encounter against Hull City.

It’s a clash we’ve seen in the Premier League and Championship in the last decade but they now meet in League One amid multiple years of plight.

It will be interesting to see how Lee Johnson decides to line-up with his squad nearly back to full health.

Denver Hume and Luke O’Nien are still a few weeks away from a return but Callum McFadzean is set to be back in the squad this weekend.

With that in mind, we’re tipping the Mackems to make three changes from the side that drew with Northampton.

Lynden Gooch returns to the starting XI for the first time since picking up an injury towards the latter stage of November. He’s made a few substitute appearances under Johnson but now should be his time to fully prove his worth to the new manager.

That means that McGeady is dropped from the starting XI, but on the opposite flank, we also think that Jack Diamond will be taken out of the firing line. Consequently, Chris Maguire – their top scorer in League One last term – comes into the XI.

The other change is at left-back where McFadzean is fit enough to play again. Dion Sanderson deputised in that third of the pitch against the Cobblers but unfortunately misses out on this occasion.

The midfield has a familiar look to it while Conor McLaughlin continues at right-back with O’Nien out and recovering from a dislocated shoulder.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Grigg: Speakman can boost SAFC promotion bid by signing “terrific” 12-goal gem…

It was reported earlier in the year that Southampton were keen on signing Rob Dickie from Oxford United and after his impressive start to the 2020/21 campaign, it could be argued that they may regret not acting on that reported interest.

The centre-back eventually ended up joining Championship side QPR, where he has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the Hoops, having averaged a very solid 6.96 rating across his 10 appearances in the second division thus far (per WhoScored).

Mark Warburton’s side were able to sign the 24-year-old for just £2.43 million, suggesting that it could have been a bargain deal for the Saints if they had managed to bring him to the South Coast.

During his time with Oxford United, Dickie was heavily praised by manager Karl Robinson, who said:

“I know he’s quick, I know he’s talented, I know he’s great in the air, but I need to see what he’s like when he’s on the floor and see how he stands up. In the second half, I thought Rob Dickie was magnificent.” (per Oxford Mail)

Whilst the centre-backs at Southampton have impressed this season, with Jan Bednarek and Jannik Vestergaard two of the club’s best-performers in the Premier League so far this season, Dickie could have been an excellent back-up option in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

At just 24-years-old, you would imagine that he still has a lot of room for improvement in his game, so he could have been one for the future at the Saints.

WhoScored describes the defender’s strengths as passing, ball interception and blocking the ball, suggesting that he could have done a job as a ball-playing centre-back at the South Coast club.

The deal to sign him for so cheap could be compared to the Saints’ signing of Jose Fonte back in 2010, with the Portuguese centre-back joining from Crystal Palace for just £1.26 million, before going on to make 286 appearances for the Saints in a seven-year spell at the club.

It can be certainly argued that after an impressive start to life at QPR, the Saints may regret not taking a chance on Dickie, especially when he was available for less than £3 million.

West Ham United must bite the bullet and look to sell Ryan Fredericks after reports emerged suggesting the right-back is facing an uncertain future following his omission from the matchday squad at Sheffield United.

What’s the word?

According to Claret & Hugh, Irons boss David Moyes opted to name young full-back Ben Johnson among his substitutes for last Sunday’s 1-0 win at Bramall Lane after Fredericks developed a slight knock that prevented his involvement.

Moyes has not called on Fredericks to play a single minute in any competition since September’s 4-0 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers, where the 28-year-old was forced to be replaced early in the second-half after sustaining a hamstring injury.

The blow swung the door wide open for summer signing Vladimir Coufal to start at Leicester City and Moyes has never looked back since, with the £5.4million man now considered the firm first-choice.

Fredericks is only expected to be offered a recall should Coufal sustain an injury, but may also be sold in January or the summer to avoid losing the former Fulham ace for free with his £40,000-per-week contract expiring in 2022.

Time to bite the bullet

With Fredericks’ future at the London Stadium far from certain as Moyes edges in favour of Coufal, who has started all six available Premier League games, it is time for West Ham to bite the bullet and look to offload the Manuel Pellegrini signing as soon as possible.

Pellegrini was full of hope for Fredericks when the Chilean unveiled the full-back as his first signing in 2018, claiming the free transfer would provide the Irons with great qualities that would only develop in claret and blue.

“I am very pleased to welcome Ryan to West Ham United as our first signing this summer,” Pellegrini said, via quotes by the club’s official website. “He joins having had a successful season with Fulham and is a player who will bring great qualities to our squad.

“He has good experience, with more than 150 senior appearances already but, at 25, he is still a young player with his best years ahead of him. Ryan has good character, is hungry to succeed, and has shown me that he has great desire to be a West Ham United player.”

But West Ham supporters have struggled to see the qualities Pellegrini lauded, as Fredericks has been relentlessly plagued by injuries with an ankle problem sidelining the 28-year-old for 77 days and 14 matches in his debut season, while hamstring and shoulder issues ruled him out for periods last term.

Added to Fredericks’ constant injuries, Moyes is seemingly confident Johnson is now ready to step up and take on more responsibilities in the senior fold having named the 20-year-old on the bench at Sheffield United.

It was the fourth time this season that Johnson has featured in an 18-man league squad, though failed to enter the action like against Wolves when replacing the injured Fredericks or in West Ham’s three Carabao Cup ties prior to elimination at Everton.

AND in other news, West Ham can ease David Moyes’ fear by signing an “exemplary” gem who may not cost David Sullivan anything.

Despite an electric start, Ademola Lookman’s career at Everton never really got going.

The winger was signed in 2017 after scoring 12 goals in 49 games for Charlton Athletic as a teenager, with him costing the Toffees £11m. He could hardly have hoped for a better start, scoring within minutes of his Premier League debut against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.

However, he would end up making just 48 appearances all in all for the Merseyside outfit, scoring just four times. That didn’t stop RB Leipzig spending £22.5m to take him to Germany after he bagged five goals and four assists in 11 games on loan at the Bundesliga outfit in 2018. He managed just 13 games, though, before joining Fulham on loan in the summer.

On Sunday, he was in action against Sheffield United, and put in an impressive display. He even scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw, and that led to plenty of praise from Everton supporters. There were many who even suggested that the Toffees should never have let him go, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what they had to say about Lookman

Let us know what you think!

Plenty of Everton fans are split on the possible signing of FC Barcelona ace Jean-Clair Todibo as Spanish outlet Sport have reported that “everything points to” the Merseyside club getting him in the summer transfer window.

As per the outlet, the Catalan giants are asking for a fee of 20 million euros, plus 5 million in bonuses, which is the equivalent of around £22.5 million.

However, the Toffees face potential competition from AS Roma to get his signature on the dotted line, as the publication also reports that the Blues have now frozen their interest for now anyway.

Nevertheless, if the opportunity arose, Carlo Ancelotti’s team could swoop in, providing that they pay the asking price.

The central defender, who was on loan at FC Schalke 04 in the 2019/20 season, averaged more tackles, interceptions and dribbles in the Bundesliga than Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Yerry Mina did in the Premier League in the last campaign, but also averaged the fewest clearances, passes and long balls per league game, according to Whoscored.

Being just 20 years of age, Todibo arguably still has a lot of potential, but the Frenchman does not have any prior experience playing in England.

These members of the Goodison Park faithful seemed split on Twitter as to whether Todibo would be a good signing:

Evertonians, would Todibo be a good signing? Comment below!

According to recent reports, Leeds are interested in signing QPR starlet Eberechi Eze this summer.

What’s the word?

Eze has been in superb form for the Championship side this season, racking up 14 goals and eight assists in the league. That has prompted speculation he could be heading for the exit door, with reports now suggesting Leeds are keen on having him lead their Premier League return next season.

The Sun have claimed Marcelo Bielsa has identified the 22-year-old as someone who can bring a creative spark to Elland Road, and that the Whites are ready to outbid the likes of Tottenham and West Ham in the race to sign him.

Is it Haaland Snr or David Hopkins? Your Leeds knowledge will be put to the test with this quiz…

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In fact, it’s further suggested that Leeds actually informed QPR of their intentions of placing a bid for the England youth international back in January if they achieved promotion this season.

Sterling 2.0

It’s fair to say that Eze has earned a lot of plaudits in his short career as a first-team football for QPR.

Mark Warburton hailed him as a “tremendous talent” who has “no limits” in just how far he can go, whilst the Hoops’ former assistant manager Mark Bircham said: “He goes past players easier than Raheem Sterling did. Sterling would beat players with pace or do a trick or a chop – it’s all dynamic movements, but Ebere Eze just glides past players.”

With Sterling also having come through the QPR academy, that may be a simple comparison to make. But if you dig beneath that, you can see just how comparable the two are.

As per Whoscored, he has averaged a stunning three dribbles per game in the Championship, whilst also attempting 2.2 shots per match too. And with his tally of 14 goals this season, he clearly has the goal-scoring knack that Sterling has developed, with the latter netting 19 in the Premier League for Manchester City.

Speaking about his dribbling ability, Danny Higginbotham remarked: “You would not want him one on one. He has that knack of gliding past players with ease. He has so many assists because he attracts so much attention which creates space for his teammates.”

If Leeds manage to sign him this summer, then they could very well have their own Sterling in their hands.

West Ham United have been heavily linked with Morgan Sanson from various media outlets for a while now, but the latest news provides supporters of the club with a negative update around the possibility of acquiring the player in the summer transfer window.

According to a report from L’Equipe (print version, Monday June 1, page 3), the French midfielder would prefer a move to the Hammers’ London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are keeping tabs on the player.

Sanson currently plays for Ligue 1 side Marseille and has featured 27 times for the club this season, scoring five times and contributing to five assists, via Transfermarkt. Indeed, he has only played professional football in France, as previously he was at Montpellier and Le Mans, so any move abroad would be a big change for him.

Reports from L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) claimed that the Hammers tried to sign Sanson in the January transfer window but they had a £30m bid rejected and it is worth wondering whether the fact that the Frenchman preferring Spurs might be a blessing in disguise for the Irons.

His goal contribution tally is impressive this season but he only has three more goals than West Ham midfielder Pablo Fornals, who is in his debut season in England, whilst they have the same number of assists, so it would worth questioning whether spending more than £30m would be worth it.

The club are also linked to Jonjo Shelvey (as per Football Insider), who is an experienced Premier League midfielder that would bring both creativity (his 1.8 key passes a game is more than the whole West Ham squad) and a defensive quality to the squad, (1.2 tackles and interceptions per game), via WhoScored.

Sanson seems like a player that the Hammers don’t really need as they could spend money elsewhere and have better alternative options, so hopefully the fact that he is more interested in a move to Spurs should defuse any interest from David Moyes.

Hammers fans, would you be disappointed to miss out on Sanson? Comment below with your views!

Glasgow Rangers and the SPFL have been involved in a bitter war of words over the past few weeks as the ‘Gers sought to keep the Premiership season alive.

The Gers have made it clear they wished to end the season when possible following the coronavirus pandemic but it was decided by the majority of clubs in Scotland’s top four leagues that the season should be brought to a close before all the games had been played.

However, that conclusion was only reached once Dundee’s original vote had been changed after it was initially not registered. This then led to the ‘Gers accusing the governing body of corruption, producing a 200-page dossier in an attempt to prove so and demanding an independent investigation into the authority. At the Emergency General Meeting, though, they were once again on the losing end.

SPFL chief Neil Doncaster has now attempted to draw a line under the saga and has told the Ibrox outfit to prepare for a new season. The new focus is on getting the next campaign started as soon as possible so that the clubs in the Premiership do not miss out on the £125m Sky Sports deal that is set to start from the beginning of the 2020/21 season.

Noel Whelan has told Football Insider just how important it is that everything goes according to plan. He explained:

“Scottish football can’t afford for the new deal not to start on time. They have a fraction of the Premier League broadcasting cash and £125m is astronomical for them, and for all the Scottish clubs.”

Whelan is right – Scottish football needs the money, which is exactly why it was in the Light Blues’ best interest to end the campaign early. Whilst they may want to believe they could have caught Celtic at the top of the division, they were 13 points behind with nine games left – it would have taken a monumental swing for them to end up as champions.

As such, ending the term now means that this campaign will not run into the new season, while that huge Sky Sports deal is still intact. The ‘Gers may not like seeing their fierce Glasgow rivals winning their ninth title in a row but this is the best possible scenario – it gives them extra motivation to get the better of them next term.

‘Gers fans, what did you make of Whelan’s views about the Sky Sports deal? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!