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The Mirror’s David Anderson has revealed that Leeds are not pursuing Norwich City midfielder Todd Cantwell this month.

The Lowdown: Cantwell links

The Whites are thought to be after two midfielders during the January transfer window following an injury-hit season.

Victor Orta is looking to bring in both a defensive and attacking midfielder, with Cantwell reportedly on the Elland Road radar.

Described as ‘incredible’ by Dean Ashton for his role in Norwich’s promotion, Cantwell has made just five Premier League starts this season and is yet to contribute to a goal in 2021/22.

The Canaries have the option to extend his Carrow Road deal by a further 12 months in the summer, and it doesn’t seem as if a move to Yorkshire is on the cards over the coming weeks.

The Latest: Anderson’s tweet

Journalist Anderson took to Twitter on Monday morning to provide an update on Leeds and Cantwell.

This is what he had to say, revealing Leeds have shown interest in the Englishman, however, a move this month doesn’t look likely.

“It is also my understanding that Leeds have not renewed their interest in Norwich’s Todd Cantwell. Leeds have looked at him previously, but the midfielder is not a target for this window.”

The Verdict: Time is ticking…

Leeds could be without 11 players against West Ham this weekend and have limited options in midfield with Kalvin Phillips and Jamie Shackleton sidelined.

We are already over a third of the way through the winter window and there are no serious signs of senior arrivals, which is a worry. Cantwell doesn’t look to be a serious target this month, which shouldn’t be seen as a disaster following his poor form during the current campaign.

However, Orta needs to bring in at least one versatile midfielder before the deadline, and who knows, that could be the difference between relegation and survival.

In other news: Radz and 49ers may now finance Leeds move for versatile ace with ‘great acceleration’. 

Leeds United have been boosted in their efforts to sign Ben Brereton Diaz, with Blackburn Rovers manager Tony Mowbray admitting that a big offer could be accepted.

The Lowdown: Brereton Diaz on fire

The 22-year-old has enjoyed a magnificent start to the season, scoring 17 goals in the Championship and only trailing Aleksandar Mitrovic (21) in the Golden Boot race in England’s second tier.

Brereton Diaz has also made a promising start to his international career with Chile, netting three times in nine appearances to date.

The Blackburn attacker has been linked with a move to Leeds in recent times, and while his current club are desperate to keep hold of him, their manager may have given the Whites some hope.

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The Latest: Mowbray gives Leeds hope

Speaking to Lancashire Telegraph, Mowbray admitted that a sizeable offer next summer could see Blackburn have to part with the Brereton Diaz. He said:

“He’s not walking away for nothing in the summer. All of those things are really pertinent. How much do you pay Ben Brereton to keep him happy and stay at this club and keep the journey going? Or when does he cut off and say he’s not signing so you decide what you want to do?

“We’ve not reached that stage with him because he’s a brilliant kid, no ego, works really hard for the lads.

“I’d like to think we can give Ben a new contract because I believe the best way to leave the club would be if someone offers an amount of money that would just be stupid to turn down and we could buy three £5m players on the back of it and then give yourselves a real chance and expectation to get promotion.”

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The Verdict: Strong rival for Bamford

Leeds are short on strikers this season, with Patrick Bamford relied upon too often, scoring on his first appearance in almost three months last weekend after coming back from injury.

Marcelo Bielsa could do with signing someone who can rival provide genuine competition for the Englishman, and Brereton Diaz could be that man.

The Chile international may only be shining in the Championship currently but Bamford himself took form with him from that division to the Premier League stage, scoring 16 goals in the second tier in 2019/20 and 17 in the top flight in the following campaign.

In other news, one massive Leeds figure has been linked with a shock January exit. Read more here.

Manchester United have potentially been handed a late selection setback ahead of their Premier League clash with Norwich City at Carrow Road this evening.

What’s the story?

In Friday’s press conference, new interim manager Ralf Rangnick addressed the current fitness status of his first-team squad, admitting that there are a handful of doubts going into today’s intriguing encounter.

“Yeah, we have two or three question marks behind players, but since they haven’t shown up as yet, we only train at two o’clock, we have to wait until after the training session, or at least before the training session, and the Doctor and medical department can tell me what the current situation is like,” he said.

Rangnick is unlikely to be able to call upon the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka after the defender left the Old Trafford pitch on a stretcher in midweek, but it’s the potential absence of Nemanja Matic which will come as a late blow.

“Aaron, as you said, received one or two knocks in the game, there is still a question mark behind Nemanja Matic, he had sort of a cold, I wouldn’t call it a ‘flu, but he was negatively tested with COVID, so I am still hoping he can be available, but we have to wait until we see how he feels today,” the German revealed.

Rangnick will be gutted

News that Matic may not be able to play any part against Norwich will likely leave Rangnick feeling gutted, given the versatility and experience that the Serbian midfielder brings to the side.

The 33-year-old showcased his leadership skills by captaining the team against Young Boys on Wednesday night, putting in a stellar performance in an unusual position after being asked to fill in at centre-back.

The Serbia international has also showcased his usefulness throughout the current campaign in his eight top-flight outings to date. As per WhoScored, he has averaged 1.4 tackles, 0.8 interceptions and 0.6 clearances per league game, while achieving a pass completion ratio of 86.2% and providing two assists.

Therefore, Rangnick will be hoping that the 6 foot 3 beast can recover from his illness in time to travel to Norwich, providing United with the know-how they might need in order to overcome a tricky opponent.

In other news… Man United eye move for “unbelievable” £77k-p/w “soldier”, Rangnick needs him

Newcastle’s new owners made the decision to sack manager Steve Bruce last month after just over two years at the helm on Tyneside.

The ex-Sunderland and Aston Villa coach was relieved of his duties after failing to pick up a win in the Premier League, with Eddie Howe recently being named as his permanent successor following a short stint from Graeme Jones as interim head coach.

Along the way, a number of Newcastle players regressed and decreased in value as Bruce was unable to kick the club on and push them towards a fight for top-half finishes.

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Time’s up

One player we recently suggested Howe should axe from the team, Ciaran Clark, is one of those. His development has been stunted in recent years and he is now on a downwards trend. This means that it could be his time to be sold in the January transfer window, or next summer ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

When Bruce was appointed as Newcastle manager in the summer of 2019, the Ireland international was valued at £5.4m by Transfermarkt. Under Rafa Benitez, his value increased from £4.05m as the Spaniard got the best out of the defender, but Bruce was unable to continue the former Liverpool coach’s good work.

The £42k-per-week defender has averaged a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.66 in the Premier League this season, down from the 6.80 he managed last term. In the 2020/21 campaign, he only completed 64% of his passes into the opposition half and helped Newcastle keep three clean sheets in 22 league matches.

At the time of writing (14/11/21), Transfermarkt value Clark at £2.7m. This means that his value plummeted by 50% in just two years under Bruce, having gone up by over £1m during Benitez’s tenure at St. James’ Park. His failure to help the Magpies keep a tight defence and his lapse passing may have contributed to his loss of value, with Bruce unable to get a tune out of the ex-Villa man.

He has already proven himself to be a liability this season, giving a penalty away and failing to keep a single clean sheet in nine games. As a result of his foolish challenge that gave away a spot-kick against Brighton, Toon legend Alan Shearer said: “First of all, it’s a stupid challenge from Clark, he should never make that challenge there.”

Bruce set him on this slope and it remains to be seen whether or not Howe will be able to get him back to his best. Sadly, that’s why his time on Tyneside could be up; Newcastle have to cash in on him before his value drops further.

AND in other news, Eddie Howe could seal Newcastle masterstroke with £10m deal for Ben Arfa 2.0…

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou has dropped an injury update ahead of the Bhoys’ upcoming Premiership clash.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the Hoops boss revealed that both Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic should be available for selection for the visit of Hearts on Thursday night, as the central midfield duo appear to have recovered from their respective injuries.

The Israel international missed out on the Bhoys’ 2-1 win over Aberdeen on Sunday due to a knock picked up in the Europa League loss against Bayer Leverkusen last Thursday, while the Australian has been out of action since October with a hamstring injury.

On the current condition of the duo, the 56-year-old said: “Hopefully Nir should be available again and Tommy Rogic will definitely be available for Thursday.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering how impressive Rogic had been prior to picking up his injury, in addition to how well Bitton had fared while filling in for the Australia international, the news that both players look set to make a return to action against third-placed Hearts is sure to have left the Bhoys’ fanbase buzzing.

Indeed, over Rogic’s 11 Premiership fixtures this season, the £1.35m-rated midfielder has scored one goal, provided two assists and created five big chances for his teammates, with these returns seeing the £16k-per-week 28-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

Meanwhile, over Bitton’s last four Premiership and Europa League fixtures, the £720k-rated 30-year-old has enjoyed 353 touches of the ball, completed 269 passes, made 15 tackles and won a whopping 31 duels, with these metrics seeing the £14k-per-week midfielder average a SofaScore match rating of 7.33.

As such, with the prospect of a win against Robbie Neilson’s side making a very clear statement to the rest of the league that Celtic mean business in their pursuit to reclaim their Premiership crown this season, it will surely be a huge boost to Postecoglou that it looks as if he will be able to call upon both Rogic and Bitton this week.

In other news – “I’m sure..”: Celtic figure drops promising transfer claim which will delight Bhoys fans

The international break perhaps came at the wrong time for Bruno Lage’s Wolverhampton Wanderers side, as things seemed like they were beginning to click under the leadership of the 45-year-old, with Wolves picking up nine points from a possible 12 over their last four fixtures.

With a West Midlands derby against Aston Villa coming up this afternoon, not only will Lage be hoping for a positive result in order to continue his team’s impressive run of form, he will also want to provide fans with the bragging rights of a win over one of their more prominent rivals.

Ahead of what is sure to be a challenging fixture for Wolves, will Lage decide to make any changes from the team which started the 2-1 win over Newcastle United last time out?

Here’s how we think the Portuguese could line up against Villa, along with the latest team and injury news…

With Francisco Trincao being ruled out of the trip to Villa Park after falling ill while on international duty with Portugal, Lage will be forced into at least one change this afternoon, and we predict that the 45-year-old will also make one other alteration to his starting XI against Newcastle United last time out.

The back three of Romain Saiss, Conor Coady and Max Kilman remains untouched, as do the left and right wing-back duo of Fernando Marcal and Nelson Semedo, while Jose Sa also retains his place between the sticks.

The first change comes alongside Ruben Neves in the middle of the park, with the £100k-per-week Joao Moutinho dropping out of the XI and 26-year-old Leander Dendoncker taking his place. That is to provide Wolves with a bit more defensive stability and energy against what is likely to be a rather attack-minded Villa midfield, which conjured four key passes against Spurs recently.

In the front three, Hwang Hee-chan keeps his spot following his brace against Newcastle, while dribbling king Adama Traore is reintroduced on the right as Trincao’s replacement, and Raul Jimenez starts up top.

In other news: Huge Wolves blow confirmed ahead of Aston Villa clash, Lage will be gutted

After getting knocked out of the Carabao Cup in midweek against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, Southampton are back in Premier League action this weekend with a clash against Watford next up for Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

Southampton eventually lost 4-3 on penalties against Thomas Tuchel’s side after drawing 1-1 in 90 minutes with Kai Havertz and Che Adams scoring.

On the chalkboard

Looking ahead to the match against the Hornets at Vicarage Road, one player that featured in midweek that we feel should be in the starting XI to face Watford is 24-year-old defender Lyanco.

The Brazilian started the match against Chelsea and played the full 90 minutes in which he managed to have 51 touches of the ball, make 10 clearances, two tackles, one interception and block one shot as well as winning 12 out of the 19 duels he was involved in, ultimately earning himself a decent overall match rating of 7.1/10, making him the joint-second highest rated outfield Saints player on the day according to SofaScore.

In addition to this, Lyanco was also named as Hampshire Live’s star player of the match and described as ‘flawless’ for his performance in the second half.

Since joining the south-coast club back in the previous summer transfer window from Italian outfit Torino on a four-year deal, the centre-back, who is currently valued at £4.5m according to Transfermarkt, has made just two appearances for the Saints, both of which coming in the Carabao Cup and playing a total of just 164 minutes.

He has rarely been utilised since his move despite the Saints boss talking up his impact off-the-pitch.

“He needs to learn his English, but he’s willing to learn in every area. A very good character and a very settled personality. Very happy to have him here,” he said, via the club’s official website.

Looking ahead to the Watford match, Hasenhuttl should finally give Lyanco his first taste of Premier League action this weekend, with Jan Bednarek dropping out of the team to freshen things up at the back for Southampton given how they managed to concede two goals against Burnley in their previous league match, to see if this could help the side pick up all three points on Saturday and move further away from the relegation zone.

If Hasenhuttl does decide to start Lyanco against Watford and the Brazilian manages to put in a similar performance against the Hornets as he did against Chelsea, Southampton could have a new defensive star on their hands that could end up being crucial for their season in terms of avoiding relegation.

In other news: Ralph may be hit with big blow as transfer news emerges, Saints fans surely concerned – opinion

A development has emerged on Rangers defender Nathan Patterson, regarding interest in the Gers’ full-back’s future at Ibrox.

What’s the talk?

According to 90min, Manchester United are lining up a swoop for the full-back ahead of the January transfer window.

The report claims more than 12 teams across Europe are keen on the youngster, whilst United also hold a tentative interest in Gers captain James Tavernier. Everton are named as one of the other clubs looking at Patterson, whilst United have alternative options in Kieran Trippier and Max Aarons.

Concern

This development on Patterson will surely leave Rangers fans feeling concerned over the possibility of a large blow in January. His potential has clearly caught the attention of a host of teams and that opens the door to the prospect of him leaving Ibrox in one of the upcoming transfer windows.

If more than 12 clubs are interested in the teenager then that could make it difficult for Rangers to keep hold of him. His agent could be fielding enquiries from sides left, right and centre and hearing that teams in the Champions League, such as Manchester United, are looking at him could turn his head.

Having the chance to go and play in the Premier League and Champions League, competing for the top trophies, could convince him to quit Ibrox, if United – or another side in Europe’s premier competition – make a serious move for him. This is precisely why Rangers fans should be worried.

The club’s head of academy Craig Mulholland once heralded the full-back as a great example for young players, saying: “Nathan has been fantastic for us this year.

“If you go and look at Nathan in the last 16 of the Europa League, if you look at him in the Old Firm game, it’s a great example for all the young players in here of what we’re trying to achieve.”

The 19-year-old has lived up to this high praise on the pitch. Last season, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.85 in the Europa League, showing that he can compete at a high level despite his young age.

In his only Premiership appearance this term, he provided an assist and recorded a score of 7.6 against Hibernian last weekend.

Patterson has shown that he has the potential to be a big player for Steven Gerrard moving forward and thus, supporters will be gutted to see him go.

He has already proven that he can play to a high standard in the Europa League and the Premiership and at the age of 19, he is James Tavernier’s ideal heir at right-back. With that in mind, it would be a hefty blow to lose him. After all, when Tavernier was missing last season, Patterson came in and performed admirably.

Should the former be missing again and the latter departs, the club would not be in good stead.

AND in other news, Wilson masterclass: Rangers dynamo sees value soar by 85.7% in one year, he’s exciting…

Leeds United defender Robin Koch is expected to return to ‘serious training’ in around four weeks’ time, according to a fresh report which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Koch missing since opening weekend

The Whites lost 1-0 away to Southampton on Saturday afternoon as their disappointing start to the Premier League season continues.

Koch was among several key Leeds players who weren’t available, with the German ruled out since injuring his hip at Manchester United in the first game of the campaign.

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The Latest: Return edging closer

The 25-year-old has now undergone surgery in America and an update has been provided on his progress.

According to SPORT1 [via Sport Witness], Koch is aiming to be in full training in four weeks, with ‘rehabilitation training’ starting in the next 10 days.

That means his likely return to the pitch will come in November, although not until the back-end of the month, and even that depends on him not suffering any further setbacks in the meantime.

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The Verdict: Key for squad depth

Koch’s return will be vital for Marcelo Bielsa in terms of allowing him to rotate his squad as the fixtures become even more relentless in the winter months.

The £15.3m-rated German has been a miss in that respect, particularly with some of his defensive colleagues also succumbing to injuries in recent weeks, and the hope is that he can stay injury-free upon his return, helping Leeds get their season back on track.

In other news, Phil Hay has provided a key update regarding Raphinha’s Leeds future. Read more here.

An update has emerged regarding Barcelona’s interest in Southampton defender Mohammed Salisu.

What’s the talk?

According to Spanish outlet Fichajes, the Saints centre-back has emerged as a potential target for Barcelona as they look for a long-term successor to Gerard Pique.

The report names Salisu as one of several centre-back options who Barcelona are currently considering, with no offer expected in the short-term.

Ralph would be devastated

Southampton chief Martin Semmens must avoid a disaster by refusing to sell Salisu in the January window, barring a ridiculous offer for his services. Ralph Hasenhuttl would surely be devastated to lose such a key player midway through the campaign, especially after the departure of Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester during the summer.

Four games into the season, the 22-year-old is Southampton’s highest-rated performer on SofaScore. He has averaged an exceptional rating of 7.25, with James Ward-Prowse (7.05) and Che Adams (7.17) the only other players in the squad who have gone beyond the 7.0 mark.

Salisu has won an impressive 67% of his duels in the Premier League this season, averaging four tackles and interceptions combined per game.  After the 0-0 draw with West Ham at the weekend, Hasenhuttl hailed the defender as being ‘very nasty’ in duels by using his physicality to win battles.

He said: “Salisu is very strong. In the duels, he is very nasty because he is on them, that is his game. This is why I wanted him to play against Antonio, his physicality. He has these qualities. Today we had the first game where we could stop him and this was good to see.”

Along with his statistics in the league this season, this highlights how important he is to the team. He is now showing his quality at centre-back and using his strength and defensive nous to help Southampton, which has allowed supporters to forget about the sale of Vestergaard as he has been able to step up out of the Dane’s shadow.

However, there is no guarantee that the same situation will come around should Salisu be sold to Barcelona in January. Selling a key player midway through the season would cause disruption to the defence and would leave Hasenhuttl gutted as it could mess with his plans for the remainder of the campaign whilst also weakening his side.

This is why Semmens must ensure that he is able to keep hold of the Ghanaian until the end of the season at least. Selling him next summer, if a good offer comes in, would make more sense as it would give Southampton time to replace him and iron out their plans for the 2022/23 season.

AND in other news, Ralph must unleash Southampton’s 20 y/o “slow starter”, he’s very “dangerous”…