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Leeds United’s transfer policy over the past few years has focussed heavily on signing young players for the U23s outfit.

Millions have been spent on bringing in young stars such as Sam Greenwood, Cody Drameh, Stuart McKinstry and Mateusz Bogusz, and it may be time for Leeds to start harvesting the fruits of their labour.

One man who could soon be ready to step up to the first-team is Liam McCarron. The young winger has been making waves over the past 12 months earning his first Scotland U21s call-up over the summer, and it’ll be interesting to see what he can offer the first-team in years to come.

His former coach at Carlisle gave him a glowing review earlier in his career, and it seems as though he could be a perfect Bielsa player.

“At 15 he was blessed with loads of pace, which is why we took a chance on him, but he was a young boy who would get very frustrated very quickly,” Darren Edmondson said.

“As he’s matured and come into full-time football, that’s been the biggest change in him. If he makes a mistake now, his work rate is unbelievable.”

One interesting thing to note is that the teenager was proactive in his pursuit of improving his work rate, and it wasn’t just something that came naturally to him.

In July 2017, McCarron was asked to answer a few questions for Carlisle’s website, and he revealed that one area he needs to improve was tracking back and helping the team defend, and within a couple of years he was in the first-team being praised for how hard he works.

This is exactly the type of player that Bielsa can mould to become a star. The Argentine has been lauded as one of the best coaches in the world, so it won’t take long for him to spot areas on McCarron’s game that need some work, and if the former Carlisle man can approach those issues with the same sort of attitude he had when faced with wanting to improve his work rate, he could become a star under Bielsa.

You only have to look at the way he has transformed the likes of Kalvin Phillips to know that the ex-Lille manager is someone who can get the best out of young talent.

Glasgow Rangers target Thomas Robert’s agent has said that the 19-year-old is weighing up offers from France, Germany and the UK.

Robert, the son of former Newcastle United star Laurent, currently plays for Montpellier, but he has reportedly turned down a contract from the Ligue 1 club as he wants to play regular football, something which his representative Mark Mackay has now confirmed.

Speaking to Football Insider, he discussed his client’s future, saying:

“We have several offers from clubs in France, Germany and the UK, but Thomas wants to be playing regular first-team football wherever he ends up going.

“He refused Montpellier’s offer of a new deal as he wants to be playing first-team football and he sees that as key to his long-term development at this stage of his career”.

So far, Robert’s experience in top-level football is non-existent – he is yet to make his professional bow, instead appearing in five UEFA Youth League games during the 2018/19 campaign. However, although his father may be biased, he believes his son has the potential to be even better than he was.

Any deal for Robert would be a free transfer, which makes this a no-risk situation for Steven Gerrard and Ross Wilson. They now face a nervous wait to see whether he will choose to make the switch to Ibrox.

‘Gers fans, do you think Robert could be a good coup if he comes to Ibrox? Let us know what you think by commenting below!

According to The Athletic’s Greg O’Keeffe, Everton have “monitored” Espanyol’s Marc Roca as a potential alternative to their pursuit of Allan.

What did he say?

One of the big names to be linked to be with a move to Goodison Park this summer has been Napoli midfielder Allan, but a deal for the Brazilian has yet to materialise.

Now, O’Keeffe has suggested that if the Toffees can’t lure the 29-year-old away from Naples, they could turn their attentions to Roca, who was a mainstay for Espanyol with 44 appearances across all competitions last season.

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He said: “Ancelotti has also been interested in luring another Brazilian, his former Napoli charge Allan, to Merseyside. If not Allan, who at 29 would have no sell-on value, the remit for their new midfielder remains a dynamic, box-to-box player with leadership abilities; something Everton have visibly lacked.

“One who fits that bill, and has been monitored by Everton scouts, is Espanyol’s Marc Roca. The 23-year-old made 35 La Liga appearances for the Barcelona club last season and impressed despite their relegation after finishing bottom of La Liga. Again though, Arsenal are rumoured to be interested and, according to reports in Spain, so are Real Madrid.”

Better value than Allan

At 23, Roca is considerably younger than Allan, and would give Everton a better chance of recouping their money if they were to sell him down the line.

The Spaniard is also still a couple of years away from reaching his peak, and would be the kind of midfield talent that Carlo Ancelotti could really build around at Goodison Park.

The 6 foot ace is a midfield powerhouse, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in La Liga last season – to put that into context, only Djibril Sidibe managed more in Everton’s squad. Having a player like him to break up the play and protect the back-four will be crucial to ensuring the Toffees don’t concede cheap goals.

If Everton can’t secure Allan for Ancelotti, then Roca seems like a very decent alternative.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Rangers defender Alan Hutton has tipped Lewis Ferguson to flourish under Steven Gerrard should he make the move to Ibrox.

What did he say?

According to reports in recent days, the Aberdeen midfielder has been touted as one of Rangers’ most prominent transfer targets this summer, although the Dons are keen to keep him.

Now, Hutton has claimed that Ferguson, who was released by Rangers back in 2013, has the kind of “winners mentality” that could really be nurtured by Gerrard at Ibrox.

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He said: “I’m sure he’s got that winning mentality into him because that was a main, key part of growing up through the Rangers ranks, you had to be a winner. It didn’t quite work out the first time but well played to him. He’s worked hard at Hamilton, he’s moved on to Aberdeen and he’s still only 20 so he’s proved a lot of people wrong. Here’s Rangers coming back in for him so I’m sure he’s got that mentality within him.

“He’s got a driving force to try and prove people wrong and he’s had an excellent season. I think it’s an area where Gerrard will look at and want to strengthen and I presume he’s a player that would want to go and learn off one of the best midfielders to play the game.”

Next step

After rebuilding his career at Aberdeen, Ferguson has certainly shown he’s got the talent to become a real success at Rangers this time around.

This season, the 20-year-old has been in inspired form for the Dons, racking up three goals and an impressive nine assists in 38 games across all competitions. His previous ties to the Gers means that he will know what its all about to play for the club, and that kind of relationship and bond is something Gerrard will surely love.

He may not have made it the first time, but Ferguson’s performances this season shows he is ready to play for the Rangers first-team now.

Sunderland chief executive officer Jim Rodwell has issued an apology to fans over the delay in season ticket refunds.

The Wearside club saw their season culminate in disappointment as the League One season was ended via a points-per-game system. Finishing eighth in the table, the Black Cats missed out on the chance to gain promotion to the Championship for a second consecutive season.

Following the end of 2019/20, Stadium of Light season ticket holders missed a total of three home games and a recent announcement by the club has seemingly angered many of those fans.

The latest announcement made by Sunderland revealed that those fans with season ticket cards for the 2019/20 campaign will not be refunded until August at the earliest. Those supporters missed home games against Shrewsbury Town, Accrington Stanley and Peterborough United and club chief Rodwell has now issued an apology.

“We in the midst of a pandemic and we are very thankful to people for sticking with us,” Rodwell is quoted as saying by Chronicle Live.

“It is difficult. We’ve had no significant income since March and we don’t know when we will have again.

“We are doing our best to repay people as quickly as we can.

“I accept and I apologise that it isn’t as quickly as people would like.

“We are trying to do it in as fair and equitable a way as possible but I accept not everyone is going to be satisfied with that.”

Rodwell also revealed that more than 10,000 season card holders have opted to renew for the 2020/2021, a figure which marks a reduction of more than 50% on this time last year.

You cannot blame fans for not renewing their season tickets at Sunderland. Not only do they have the coronavirus pandemic leaving doubts over when they can attend games, but their appetite for another season in League One will likely have waned.

The future looks bleak for the club at the moment and it will be interesting to see where they are come pre-season.

Do you think Jim Rodwell’s apology is good enough, Sunderland fans? Let us know in the comments section below…

Loads of Newcastle fans have been struggling to contain their excitement after a tweet from @alialgofaily, who is a presenter and journalist in the Middle East.

The Magpies have been the subject of yet more takeover rumours in the last few days, and while at first fans were no doubt sceptical given the public relations disaster Sports Direct went through last week, things are certainly gathering pace.

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The Chronicle’s Mark Douglas said on Wednesday he believes the takeover will happen if it is backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, and The Telegraph revealed that paperwork has been submitted to the Premier League over a potential £340m deal that could see the Saudi Public Investment Fund take over 80 per cent of the club.

Now, a tweet from a senior presenter for the Middle East Broadcasting Company (MBC) has thrilled fans on Twitter, as he posted pictures of the Newcastle logo and squad alongside a Saudi Arabian flag emoji.

Check out some of the delirious fans in the Twitter reactions down below…

The perfect Joelinton replacement? The Toon Army certainly think so…

Liverpool fans can only be cursing their bad luck that a worldwide pandemic would come when their first league title in 30 years was all but inevitable.

The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table by a huge 25 points – the biggest such margin in the division’s history. That means they are just six points and two wins away from confirming their status as champions – yet the current situation has thrown that into doubt.

There may be some good news for match-going fans, at least. On Monday, the Anfield outfit announced that season ticket renewals have been suspended, and that the price for tickets next season will be frozen. They have also said that if the games need to be played behind closed doors, all tickets will be refunded.

It seems the supporters are very happy with this update. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think in the comments?

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The winner of a Player of the Season award is obviously a strong indicator as to who the big-hitters in a squad are.

If West Ham lost their 2018/19 Hammer of the Year in Lukasz Fabianski, you would expect them to replace him – we have already seen just how dependent the Irons are on the former Arsenal man since the Pole suffered a recent injury, having not won for six games.

In Everton’s case, if they lost their 2018/19 Player of the Season in Lucas Digne, surely they would go out and replace him – the Frenchman is arguably one of the best left-backs in the Premier League.

So, when Crystal Palace lost their Player of the Season for 2018/19 in Aaron Wan-Bissaka, they replaced him right?

Not quite.

An ambitious and unrealistic bid for Chelsea’s Reece James was rejected, and the Eagles decided to enter the campaign with Joel Ward as their one and only right-back.

That wasn’t ideal, but it also wasn’t the end of the world. The former Portsmouth man held his own and has helped Palace amass 15 points after 12 games, but an incident in the last outing against Chelsea has made the south Londoners’ summer decision seem amateurish.

Having just punched the Stamford Bridge turf with frustration, Ward had to leave the field after picking up what Roy Hodgson detailed as a groin strain, leaving Palace in a turbulent situation.

Martin Kelly now looks likely to be Ward’s replacement, and while you might argue that it’ll be fine seeing as the England international used to play at right-back for Liverpool and Palace, he is not a natural fit.

Kelly looks uncomfortable in the role. Just by watching him, you’ll see that his distinct lack of pace and adventure, coupled with his non-existent dribbling skills, make the position difficult for him.

That is perhaps why Sam Allardyce decided to make Kelly a centre-back upon his appointment as Alan Pardew’s replacement.

To further explain how amateurish Palace’s summer transfer decision was, Ward can also play at left-back as he did 12 times under Tony Pulis, a position of the pitch that only Patrick van Aanholt is a natural candidate for at the club.

If the Dutchman were to get injured, while Ward was also out, then it would leave the Eagles in a real mess.

This has already happened once this season, albeit briefly, and Hodgson was forced to use academy centre-back Sam Woods at right-back and centre-midfielder Jairo Riedewald at left-back – the 72-year-old later said that he felt sorry for the pair.

Hodgson’s apology came after the duo were used as makeshifts against Colchester, a game that Palace eventually lost.

After Ward’s injury, Palace will presumably be praying that they can just make it to the January window without too much drama.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

According to The Athletic’s Crystal Palace correspondent Dominic Fifield, Crystal Palace were exploring the possibility of a deal for Genoa striker Christian Kouame before the forward picked up a serious knee injury while on international duty.

The 21-year-old unfortunately tore his Anterior Cruciate Ligament during a game between Ivory Coast U23 and their South Africa counterparts – Kouame is sadly expected to miss the remainder of the current campaign.

Fifield continues that a fee had not been agreed between the two clubs, although confirmed that the Eagles will have to look elsewhere for a new striker.

So, with Kouame’s injury a cruel blow to his own progress as well as Palace’s recruitment hopes, just how well would the young attacker have fared at Selhurst Park if he had remained fully fit and a deal was done?

Well, on the basis of his season so far, Kouame definitely seems like he would have been a fantastic fit for the south Londoners.

Firstly, he has the ability to play either at centre-forward or as a left-forward, a trait similar to fellow Ivorian Wilfried Zaha as Roy Hodgson exploited last season – had Kouame arrived in SE25, the duo’s ability to interchange positionally would’ve been fun to watch.

Additionally, you only need to take a look at his numbers from the 2019/20 campaign so far to see how impressive an attacker this young man truly is.

Kouame has scored five goals and set up a further two in just 11 Serie A appearances, meaning that he is involved in a goal every 1.57 games and scores one himself every 2.2 games – his most recent club strike came against Italian giants Juventus in a narrow 2-1 defeat.

Furthermore, the 21-year-old wins 2.2 fouls per game on average, a trait that is crucial to a side like Palace who soak up pressure and hit teams on the break – Jordan Ayew wins two fouls per game, while Zaha wins 3.2.

Hodgson’s side are the second-lowest scorers in the Premier League this season with just ten goals in 12 outings, and it seems like a young, effective attacker such as Kouame may have been a real breath of fresh air around Selhurst Park.

That isn’t to say that the 6 foot 1 man would have been the answer to their prayers, although it is a shame to see that a serious injury has scuppered any immediate hopes of him pulling on the red and blue shirt.

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

According to German journalist Christian Falk, Manchester United are interested in signing Thomas Muller in the upcoming January transfer window.

What’s the word?

The former Germany international has long been linked with a move to Old Trafford, with reports even previously suggesting that the forward was of major interest back when Louis van Gaal was in the dugout.

Despite a move to Manchester failing to materialise for the Bayern Munich man, Falk now claims Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are seemingly keen on revisiting their interest in the attacker.

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Having sold Romelu Lukaku to Inter in the summer, United left themselves with just Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood as their sole options in attack. Reports in recent weeks had claimed the club are interested in making a swoop for Juventus veteran Mario Mandzukic, but it now appears Solskjaer’s side also have Muller in their sights.

Winner’s mentality

After hearing the latest report surrounding Muller, United fans would be forgiven for getting a sense of deja vu. The German has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for what feels like forever, and whilst numerous years have gone by since they were first interested in him, he would still represent shrewd business for the club.

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Having a winner’s mentality is often one of the under-appreciated aspects of the job description. It’s the kind of attitude and hard-working approach that exists in only the very best players, and gives them the motivation to continue to strive to be the best. Muller’s work ethic is unparalleled, with even Jurgen Klinsmann hailing his commitment to cause, and he also comes with numerous Bundesliga titles and Champions League triumphs to his name.

Solskjaer has admirably looked to refresh and rejuvenate his squad with young talent, both from those signed in the transfer market and from within the club by way of the academy. Whilst Muller may not fit that profile, the 30-year-old offers something completely different to what the current crop of United players offer – a champion’s instinct.

That experience and know-how of playing in big games in pressure-cooker environments, would serve the club so well and help United’s young prospects enormously – the German has won an incredible 22 trophies in his time with Bayern and Germany. So whilst it may not be signing him in his prime, but Muller remains a potentially huge coup for the Red Devils if they can pull it off.