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Leeds United snatched their first win in a month, defeating Crystal Palace at Elland Road, thanks to an injury-time penalty from Raphinha on Tuesday evening.

The Whites were awarded a last-minute spot-kick when visiting defender Marc Guehi was adjudged to have handled it inside the box, and in the absence of Patrick Bamford, the Brazil winger stepped up to convert despite struggling throughout the match.

It could have easily gone a different way after Christian Benteke missed an absolute sitter from inside the six-yard box before having another chance late on before the home side’s goal from 12 yards.

Overall, it was far from the most encouraging performance but at the end of the day, it’s a valuable three points for the Yorkshiremen as they moved five points clear of the relegation zone.

One cause for concern from the game was the performance of Mateusz Klich, once again. The Polish midfielder was hooked at half-time, which was hardly a surprise as he was being overrun and dominated in the engine room.

‘Much like the half he had at Tottenham Hotspur, Klich was virtually non-existent,’ explained LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross in his post-match column. ‘Played 10 passes in the entire half and only got half of them to their designated target. Just not happening for him at the moment.’

Indeed, the 31-year-old stalwart managed a passing accuracy of just 50% but he was also only able to register 16 touches of the ball, comfortably the lowest of any United player. Even Illan Meslier managed 42 touches of the ball between the sticks. despite facing one shot on target all game.

Elsewhere, the £34k-per-week Klich won just one of his three duels and was dribbled past on one occasion as he watched the game go by. Passenger-like, he also lost possession six times, meaning he lost the ball every 2.6 touches, per SofaScore.

The likes of Junior Firpo and Tyler Roberts came in for a lot of stick on social media, and quite justifiably so, to some extent – less so with the latter as he was starved of service, with Leeds only delivering three accurate crosses all game. He even created two key chances himself.

So forget about the Welshman, Klich – who has long been a favourite of Bielsa’s – badly failed the Yorkshiremen on Tuesday night.

AND in other news, Forget Raphinha: “Immense” £53k-p/w Leeds gem who had 62 touches stole the show vs Palace…

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Kim Min-jae to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

According to reports in Turkey (via Sport Witness), Fabio Paratici is keeping a very close eye on the situation of the centre-back – with whom Spurs have been heavily linked over the past 12 months – ahead of a potential move in the winter market.

The report added that, while Fenerbahce only signed the 25-year-old this summer, the Super Lig side would be open to parting with the South Korea international in January, as long as an interested party were to submit an offer of €20m (£17m).

Perfect Romero replacement

With the recent news that Tottenham’s Cristian Romero has suffered a high-grade hamstring strain which will keep him sidelined until around February, Paratici could well look to dip into the January market in order to provide Antonio Conte with cover for the 23-year-old defender.

Considering the length of Spurs’ interest in Kim, in addition to the defender’s impressive returns for Fenerbahce this season, a move for the 6 foot 3 centre-back would indeed seem to make a great deal of sense this winter.

Indeed, over his 13 Super Lig appearances, the £5.85m-rated defender has averaged 1.6 tackles, 1.7 interceptions and 2.8 clearances and won 64% of his duels per game.

These returns have seen the player dubbed a “monster” average a WhoScored match rating of 6.71, ranking him as Fenerbahce’s joint ninth-best performer in the league.

The £33k-per-week defender has also impressed over his five Europa League appearances, making 1.8 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and four clearances and winning 65% of his duels per game, with these metrics seeing him earn a SofaScore match rating of 7.02.

As such, with January being one of the busier months of the Premier League calendar, a swoop for Kim would indeed appear to be a very wise one for Paratici to make, as the prospective signing of the centre-back could well prove to be the difference between securing a top-four finish and falling short come the end of the season.

In other news – “Understand”: Alasdair Gold drops concerning Tottenham update, Conte will be worried

Leeds United could sign an exciting upgrade on Rodrigo in Juventus star Aaron Ramsey.

What’s the story?

According to a recent report from Calciomercato (via Sport Witness), Marcelo Bielsa’s side have their sights set on the Wales international as they look to reinforce their squad during the upcoming January transfer window.

Upgrade on Rodrigo

One of the big problems the Whites have faced since their return to the Premier League has been their lack of goals from midfield, with Patrick Bamford being tasked with a sizeable burden up front – last season, Mateusz Klich led the way for midfielders with just four goals to his name. In Ramsey, they would be more than addressing that issue.

Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger raved about the Welshman’s ability to get into the box and find himself on the end of moves, saying: “In my head, Ramsey was going to be a player between 10 and 15 goals a year. He is a Frank Lampard type. He is (about) getting in the box and he has a huge capacity to run.

“Physically, he has a combination of stamina, power and his capacity to repeat high intensity is certainly the best in the league.”

Described as an “outstanding technician”, Ramsey would offer Leeds that much-needed knack of getting into the box at the right times and scoring those poacher-type goals.

In fact, Lampard himself wrote in a column for The Evening Standard about the 74-goal star: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. Like me, he makes late runs in the penalty area and he showed that with aplomb for the second goal at AC Milan last week.”

With Rodrigo badly struggling for form since his arrival at Elland Road – he has managed only nine goals in 43 games, including just two in the Premier League this season – bringing in Ramsey would provide Leeds with a genuinely proven option in the English top-flight.

Added to reports that another goal-shy forward in Tyler Roberts has been touted with a potential exit in the near future, Ramsey could come in and take over from his fellow Welshman at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Adam Pope has dropped an early morning Leeds United update…

Tottenham are interested in signing Wolves winger Adama Traore in the January transfer window, according to reliable reports.

The Lowdown: Traore likely to leave

The Spaniard has found himself in and out of Bruno Lage’s plans so far this season, starting only 10 Premier League games in total.

Various reports have linked Traore with a January exit from Molineux, with Liverpool one of the clubs thought to be interested in signing him, while Luke Hatfield of the Express and Star said recently he expects an exit in 2022.

A fresh report is now doing the rounds that further suggests that the 25-year-old could be heading for a new challenge next month.

The Latest: Spurs keen on move

According to the reliable Matt Law of The Telegraph, Traore is still on Spurs’ radar ahead of the upcoming transfer window, as Antonio Conte looks to bring in reinforcements.

The Wolves winger has been tipped to move to north London in the recent past, so it does feel like a story that is not going away in a hurry.

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The Verdict: Time to receive good money

At 25, now feels like a perfect time for Wanderers to receive a hefty sum of money for Traore – they may never get such an opportunity again.

For all his positives as a player, namely incredible pace and dribbling ability, for which Tim Sherwood has called him ‘fantastic’, the Spain international still offers far too little in the final third, failing to score or assist once in 15 Premier League appearances this season.

Selling Traore would give Wolves more money to spend in January, at a point where Lage is looking to sign players who suit his style of play, which the speedy wide man doesn’t appear to do.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has provided a key update on one rumoured Wolves target. Find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte has been dealt a gutting injury blow ahead of their Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with West Ham United this evening…

What’s the latest?

As revealed in the Italian’s pre-game press conference, Spurs will be without left wing-back Ryan Sessegnon after he picked up a muscular injury during the weekend’s 2-2 draw with Liverpool on Sunday.

“A little bad news that Ryan Sessegnon had a problem at the end of the game against Liverpool. He’s the only player, with Romero, is injured,” Conte claimed (via football.london).

He then added a time frame to the problem.

“Ten days to two weeks. He had a muscular problem at the end of the game against Liverpool. For sure, we have to find a good solution with Sess because I have seen in the past he has suffered a bit from this type of injury. So we have to find the right solution with the medical department. And also with the player.”

Huge blow

This will come as a huge setback to Conte and the squad as Sessegnon was more than holding his own in the absence of Sergio Reguilon, who was not fit to feature from the off against the Reds.

It once again leaves the 52-year-old head coach light on options as if the Spaniard is still not 100%, he may have to move Ben Davies out from his left central defensive role, meaning another switch would be needed to the backline – perhaps Japhet Tanganga or Joe Rodon, both of whom are struggling for game time under the new boss.

Sessegnon is also at risk of missing the Boxing Day clash with Crystal Palace and then the trip to Southampton, dealing Conte with a further blow.

Furthermore, as the manager mentioned, the England U21 international has regularly suffered from these sorts of injury niggles and that has restricted him to only 18 appearances since his £25m move from Fulham over two years ago.

This latest setback would take his total games missed (18) to the same number of his games played for the north London outfit – a very frustrating record that will undoubtedly leave Conte even more fuming.

So the Spurs boss is now without one of his first-team stars once again, ahead of what is a crucial encounter, with a place in the final four and a genuine shot at silverware on the line.

AND in other news, Conte must unleash Spurs’ £22.5m-rated “nightmare” tonight, he could terrify West Ham…

Junior Firpo’s struggles at Leeds United continued despite a more encouraging display in their 3-1 win over Burnley on Sunday afternoon.

The victory proved crucial to Marcelo Bielsa and his side as it moved the Yorkshire giants a whopping eight points clear of the relegation zone, leaving plenty of breathing room heading into the second half of the season.

However, the summer signing bore the brunt of the Argentine’s anger once again, according to LeedsLive reporter Beren Cross.

Firpo has struggled to adapt to the Premier League since his £13m move from Barcelona, even drawing criticism from sections of the Elland Road faithful at times and once again, he may have failed to impress his boss.

“Much like [Jack] Harrison, it’s not really been Firpo’s season. But today was again, without being exhilarating and astounding, very, very solid. And it feels like another step forward for him,” explained the journalist before adding some cause for concern:

“And I think you can see he frustrates Bielsa at times with his positioning, and I mean, we joked at one point he was playing like the number nine off [Tyler] Roberts. And from where we’re stood, you have to kind of make some assumptions on what Bielsa is saying and who he’s saying it to, but it looked very clear like he was shouting at Firpo, saying ‘what are you doing up there?’

“We know he loves to roam forward, he can’t help himself. He’s almost like a kid in the playground.”

The former Spain U21 international has been trusted to start the bulk of Leeds’ matches at left-back but that’s mainly because the club saw the departure of both Barry Douglas and Gjanni Alioski during the summer window, so really, he’s the only out-and-out option in the role.

In terms of average performance across the 2021/22 campaign, Firpo ranks as Bielsa’s worst-performing player (of those to start ten or more games), per WhoScored.

He is one of three players to have already amassed five yellow cards, which suggests he has found it difficult to combat the opposition regularly – one particular game against Brighton stands out as a fine example.

Bielsa had to hook the £10.8m-rated dynamo after just one half due to his inability to handle Tariq Lamptey. He was a walking liability, so it’s no wonder he was withdrawn early.

Thought to be earning around £55k-per-week, it may be wise for Bielsa to be ruthless and just axe him from the starting XI for the foreseeable and in a transfer window, an adequate replacement could quite easily be found.

Cross’ comments provide little encouragement to Firpo ever cutting the mustard at Elland Road. A brutal call considering his slightly positive performance but ultimately one that may be required in the long run.

AND in other news, “They’ve been watching him”: Journo teases Leeds transfer claim, fans will be buzzing…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing over some transfer news on Ronald Araujo.

As per The Athletic, the Goodison Park faithful would be ‘very happy’ to offer the central defender better terms next summer than he is currently getting at FC Barcelona.

Given their financial problems, having just sent Philippe Coutinho out on loan to Aston Villa, there could be a deal to be done for Araujo, who has been described as ‘spectacular’ player by manager Xavi, and ‘has everything’ that a centre-back needs according to teammate Gerard Pique, despite being just 22 years of age.

Nonetheless, he would certainly elevate the quality in the Merseyside club’s backline, and so it is no surprise to see so many Toffees excited by the potential move, especially considering many fans are urging one defender to leave in Mason Holgate, perhaps making space for a new addition.

Everton fans on Araujo transfer news

These Blues were left buzzing as the transfer news on Araujo was shared on Twitter, with one EFC supporter even going as far as to claim that it is ‘massive’:

“Would be a great signing, could do with him this month. Is this another Brands pick we want in future….”

Credit: @AidyDews

“A man can dream”

Credit: @YerayMachin

“Now we’re talking”

Credit: @hmcglash

“Omg imagine”

Credit: @BobbyW1878

“Massive if it happens”

Credit: @Georgie_Redman

“Yessss please”

Credit: @timmy__leyin

In other news, find out what club update has Evertonians fuming here!

An update has emerged on Aston Villa forward Cameron Archer, regarding interest from Sunderland…

What’s the talk?

talkSPORT reporter Alex Crook has claimed that the Black Cats are one of a number of clubs vying for the youngster’s signature this month.

He Tweeted: “Lots of EFL interest in #AVFC striker Cameron Archer including from #Pompey and #SAFC.”

Get it done

Lee Johnson must work hard to ensure that he is able to secure a deal to sign the striker in the coming weeks as he could be an excellent addition to the squad.

He has an impressive record at youth level and has been a standout in the EFL Cup for Villa in their first team this season. Archer has scored four goals in two League Cup outings and has been rewarded for his fine form with three appearances in the Premier League this term.

The 20-year-old has produced 16 goals and seven assists in 35 games for Villa’s U23 side and has been called up by England at U20 level. This shows why he was handed a chance in the first team this year, with the attacker grasping his chance with both hands in the cup.

Ashley Preece has been quoted as calling Archer “sensational” and hailed his finishing, saying: “Villa need to get his contract sorted now. His development since the summer has been staggering. The boy’s some finisher.”

This shows that he has the potential to improve as he has been showcasing his growth at Villa in recent months. Johnson could work with him on the training pitch to aid his progress to turn him into a top player for the Black Cats.

Therefore, the £450k-rated beast could be a superb signing for the Black Cats. He is untested at League One level, but he has now experienced Premier League football and shown that he can score in the League Cup – suggesting that he has a good chance of being able to find the back of the net in the third tier.

This means that he could come in and add an extra goal threat to Johnson’s side heading into the second half of the campaign. He could improve Sunderland’s chances of fighting their way out of League One and back up to the Championship by joining on loan and providing a few goals to help out alongside the likes of Nathan Broadhead and Ross Stewart at the top end of the pitch.

AND in other news, Johnson could seal masterclass in SAFC deal for 10 G/A predator who “guarantees goals”…

As per reliable reporter Matt Law of The Telegraph, Tottenham talks are ongoing over the transfer of Wolves winger Adama Traore but there’s been a twist to the tale.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes Traore re-mould…

To solve his right-wing back problem, Spurs boss Antonio Conte has earmarked the potential signing of Traore as fix and intends to re-mould the 25-year-old in that position (The Athletic).

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A natural forward, Traore will be used as a wing-back in Conte’s three-at-the-back system with the Spain international looking ‘pretty likely’ to be his first signing at N17.

This comes as Wolves are prepared to let him leave for £20 million, but according to Law, Spurs aren’t quite going to oblige.

The Latest: Spurs hopeful of loan…

According to his information, Tottenham are now hoping to sign Traore on an initial loan but with an obligation to buy, with talks still ongoing over his move.

As the attacker enters the final year of his deal at Molineux, it is also believed that they ‘may be forced to consider’ their proposal.

Tottenham’s transfer funds are apparently in ‘limited supply’, forcing them to weigh loan deals and potential 2022 free agents.

The Verdict: Good deal…

If Wolves oblige and agree to Tottenham’s revised terms, landing the Premier League ace on an initial loan would certainly be an astute piece of business from sporting director Fabio Paratici and the club.

Called the ‘perfect fit’ for Spurs by pundit Noel Whelan, Traore has overshadowed every Tottenham man in the Premier League this season when it comes to completed dribbles per 90 (WhoScored).

As well as this, the winger is still only 25 and possesses plenty of pace and skill – potentially making him a real asset for Conte as Tottenham’s boss aims to kickstart the rebuild.

In other news: Spurs agree £33.4m option to buy ‘sensational player’ after loan spell with EPL rivals, find out more here.

Ahead of West Ham United’s big Premier League clash against Manchester United on Saturday afternoon, David Moyes will have some major calls to make about his line-up.

The Hammers were on the wrong end of a 3-2 score-line against Leeds United last time out at the London Stadium, and know that in the battle for the top four, suffering back-to-back defeats, and that too to a Champions League rival in the Red Devils would be a damaging blow.

One man who looked all at sea in that game against the Whites last week, was Issa Diop.

The Frenchman was at the heart of defence for the Hammers, but got dragged this way and that by Leeds’ dynamic front three of Dan James, Raphinha and hat-trick hero Jack Harrison.

As per Sofascore, Diop was dribbled past twice over the course of the 90 minutes, the most of any player on the pitch, while he also looked extremely shaky on the ball, losing possession ten times and completing just one of his four attempted long passes.

It was no surprise that he duly came in for some big criticism from some sections of the Hammers fan-base, with a few calling for him to be dropped and pining for the return of his fellow Frenchman Kurt Zouma.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Football.London, Tom Clark gave him a three, saying: “Should have done better with Leeds’ second goal where Luke Ayling ran off him and nodded down an assist for Harrison. Fortunate Mateusz Klich’s goal was disallowed after letting Raphinha get away from him too easily.”

With such a crucial game against Ralf Rangnick’s side on the horizon, Moyes desperately needs his back-line to be as reliable as ever, and Diop just hasn’t shown he can be the man to provide that in such a crunch clash.

The £16m-rated defender simply needs to be dropped for the trip to Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.

Meanwhile, West Ham have identified this striker as their main target…