Leeds United’s transfer activity has stepped up in the past 10 days and eased the fears of plenty of supporters in the process, but if the club are serious about challenging for promotion they should still be in the hunt for a handful of players.

The Marcelo Bielsa reign is beginning to take promising shape ahead of the new season now that the likes of Barry Douglas and Patrick Bamford have arrived at Elland Road. Both of Leeds’ latest recruits will add a significant layer of quality to their attack, but a recent report from the respected Times journalist Paul Joyce suggests that they could make a shock raid for a Premier League talent before the window slams shut.

According to Joyce’s recent tweet, 4 Everton players have been banished from training with the first-team squad by Marco Silva, including Kevin Mirallas.

The news hardly arrives as any sort of surprise considering Mirallas was effectively frozen out of the Everton team last season, although the Belgium international may have harboured a glimmer of hope that Silva’s arrival could enable him to resurrect his career at Goodison Park.

However, any dreams of first-team football at Everton now appear to be left in tatters for Mirallas, so Leeds should capitalise on the situation as soon as possible.

At 30-years-old Mirallas is far from past it, and the quality of his performances in the Premier League throughout his 6-year stint are more than enough to suggest he would become an instant hit at Elland Road.

Although he typically operates on the left-wing in an inside-forward role, Mirallas is capable of playing as a number ten or on the right-wing, and his natural fluidity of movement in the final-third is certainly a quality which Bielsa will be looking for in potential transfer targets.

From 151 Premier League appearances, Mirallas has notched 29 goals and provided 24 assists, which averages out as a more than 1 goal for every 3 appearances made.

Not only would Mirallas provide a killer instinct in the final-third, he would inject a level of creativity and guile into Leeds’ attack which would bring out the best in the players around him.

Wage demands could well prove to be an issue during negotiations, but after falling off the face of the earth at Everton he may be forced to take a pay-cut to kick-start his career and, if he is willing to lower his financial expectations, Bielsa should do everything in his power to lure a dream acquisition to the club.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

According to Le Parisien, Jerome Boateng looks set for a switch to PSG this summer, having turned down Manchester United on transfer deadline day.

What’s the story?

Jose Mourinho has made no secret of his desire to bring a centre-back to Old Trafford this summer. Yesterday, as the deadline loomed for English clubs to see their incoming business done, the Red Devils were linked with a host of defenders.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”278155″ player=”12034″ title=”Every Transfer Window EVER”]

Amongst the rumoured United targets – including Harry Maguire, Toby Alderweireld and Diego Godin – at one point, a deal that would seal Boateng’s return to the Premier League, and Manchester, looked as though it could be done. 

Reportedly, Boateng, despite being clearly unsettled at Bayern Munich, rejected the move.

United were not the only Premier League outfit who would’ve been wise to secure the signature of Boateng during this transfer window.

Following the loan deal taking Calum Chambers to Fulham for the upcoming season, the Gunners look light at the heart of their defence, despite the recruitment of Sokratis Papastathopoulos from Borussia Dortmund. 

Unai Emery could well come to rue not having made his own move to land Boateng this summer.

Missed the Boat-eng

On the whole, Arsenal’s incoming summer business looks good. Areas of long-standing weakness, such as the defensive midfield berth, and the lack of depth at right-back, have been addressed with the arrivals of Lucas Torreira and Stephan Lichtsteiner respectively. 

Chambers’ departure though, and Laurent Koscielny’s long-term injury, leaves only Shkodran Mustafi, Sokratis, Rob Holding and Konstantinos Mavropanos as available senior centre-backs on the books at the Emirates.

Both Holding and Mavropanos are very inexperienced at the top level, whilst Mustafi’s flaws were often cruelly exposed last season. Sokratis plays a very similar style of game to Mustafi, so it isn’t immediately clear how he and the German could operate effectively as a partnership. 

None of the aforementioned centre-backs are leaders or organisers either. Arsenal have lost that figure with the retirement of Per Mertesacker.

The acquisition of Boateng, who would’ve brought plenty of experience and authority to the Gunners’ defensive contingent, could’ve helped to balance Emery’s rearguard.

After a poor World Cup showing this summer, and having failed in the Premier League before with Manchester City, Boateng would’ve arrived in England eager to prove his quality. Arsenal would have been wise to offer him that opportunity, but now the chance has gone.

According to a recent report from The Daily Mail, Tom Heaton’s future at Burnley appears uncertain following the arrival of Joe Hart. Ex-Manchester City shot-stopper Hart made the move to Turf Moor earlier this week to leave Sean Dyche with the aforementioned duo and Nick Pope as his three goalkeeping choices, all three of which have turned out for their country in recent times.

And reports suggest that £3.6 million-rated Heaton (as per Transfermarkt) could be the man to suffer, which should be of keen interest to Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson as he goes in search of an upgrade to current Eagles number one Wayne Hennessey.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, the goalkeeping ranks at Selhurst Park are somewhat unconvincing heading into the new Premier League season given that Wales international Hennessey wasn’t always faultless for the London club last time round, while long-serving Palace ace Julian Speroni turned 39 back in May to suggest that his best days may well be behind him.

Yet both men turned out for Hodgson’s side last term to suggest that the former England chief isn’t overly satisfied with either, which has been further emphasised by the arrival of Vicente Guaita over the summer, although it remains to be seen how he gets on in his first taste of English football.

Whereas there are no such doubts about Heaton’s capabilities at the top level, as the 32-year-old has more than proven his worth to Burnley in years gone by to underline his status as one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the Premier League.

The three-times England international made the move to Turf Moor back in 2013 and has since helped the Clarets to two promotions to the Premier League, before producing the goods in the 2016/17 campaign to help Dyche’s men stave off relegation against all the odds.

Heaton kept an impressive ten clean sheets and shipped just 48 goals as Burnley avoided the drop from the top-flight for the first time in the Premier League era, with the 32-year-old playing as big a part as anyone in keeping them in the top tier.

And while there are likely to be some concerns given he spent the best part of last season out with injury, there is little doubting that Heaton is a better goalkeeper than messrs Hennessey and Speroni, and while the jury is still out on Guaita, he’d have to go some to outdo Heaton’s recent efforts.

Thus, with the future of the Burnley goalkeeper reportedly uncertain following the arrival of Hart, Hodgson’s Palace should be prompted into a move for the 32-year-old shot-stopper.

Palace fans… what do you think? Let us know!

Queens Park Rangers announced on Thursday that midfielder Ryan Manning had joined Rotherham United on loan for the 2018-19 campaign.

Manning signed a new three-year contract with QPR last summer, and made 21 appearances in all competitions for the club during the 2017-18 campaign.

The 22-year-old has also already featured twice for the R’s this season, but director of football Les Ferdinand has been part of the decision to send him on loan to Championship rivals Rotherham.

The QPR fans have been reacting to the news on social media, and it would be fair to say that they are not best pleased with the situation.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”278881″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Kane’s Kryptonite & London’s Biggest Losers”]

Indeed, many feel that the squad simply does not have the strength in depth to be allowing a player of Manning’s ability to leave at this stage of the campaign.

It remains to be seen whether the decision comes back to haunt QPR this term, but the club’s supporters are not very pleased with what has occurred.

[ad_pod ]

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

[ad_pod ]

Episode Three focuses on this weekend’s Monday Night fixture – Man United v Tottenham.

James, Christy and Chris are joined by Shoot The Defence presenter and big Manchester United fans, Stel Stylianou, and Sean Cook of @TalkingTHFC as they build up to what proves to be an interesting Premier League clash at Old Trafford.

Man United appear to be in turmoil after their 3-2 defeat at Brighton last weekend while Spurs have started the season relatively strongly despite not doing any transfer business in the summer.

The lads go in to detail about the Mourinho v Pogba saga, Tottenham’s potential lack of ambition and much, much more.

You can listen to Episode Three below or you can also find us on iTunes, Spotify, aCast, Google Podcasts and several other podcast platforms. Just click here to subscribe. 

Enjoy!

Danny Rose is set to snub advances from Paris Saint-Germain in order to remain at Tottenham Hotspur, The Telegraph reports.

What’s the word?

A player who has been surrounded by speculation this summer, it appears the lengthy saga concerning Danny Rose is set to finally come to a close – and it will not see the England international leave Tottenham Hotspur.

The Telegraph states Rose is set to stay at Spurs after impressing Mauricio Pochettino, impressing in training during the past week and making his first appearance of the season in Monday’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United.

That has seen the 28-year-old handed the opportunity to rejuvenate his career with the Lilywhites and he is now set to fight Kyle Walker-Peters and Ben Davies for regular opportunities in the first-team, although the situation could be revisited in January.

Good for Spurs?

Eyebrows will have certainly been raised by suggestions that Rose was surplus to requirements in the eyes of Pochettino, as the experienced defender entered the new campaign in fine form after playing a pivotal role in England’s charge to the World Cup semi-finals.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”285457″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts Theatre Of Screams & The Serb As Good As Salah”]

While Walker-Peters and Davies are both capable options, Rose’s experience could prove to be vital for the Lilywhites this season – especially when the Champions League returns next month and Spurs are forced to fight on all fronts.

A decision to allow Rose to leave could have certainly come back to haunt Spurs and, although the Doncaster-born defender now faces a fight to secure regular opportunities at White Hart Lane, the right decision has been made.

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest were the most active Championship club in this summer’s transfer window- comfortably. But with so much money splashed, the pressure on the manager increases. 

Joao Carvalho, Diogo Goncalves, Lewis Grabban, Michael Dawson and Sam Byram are just some of names that Nottingham Forest brought in on either a loan or permanent deal. Owner Evangelos Marinakis made his intentions clear: that he wants his side in the Premier League very soon.

In came proven Championship manager Aitor Karanka at the helm, ready to guide The Reds to the top flight in English football.

But Forest’s shakey start to the Championship this season will be a cause for concern for Marinakis. And the more an owner invests in a club, the more ruthless they tend to be with their managers. Karanka would have known this going into the job, but has only been able to produce one win from the opening six games of the season, drawing four times. Yes, they have made a good run in the League Cup so far, toppling Premier League outfit Newcastle, but that would not have been on the top of the owner’s priority list.

The question now lingers as to how long Karanka is given to get the season going. They sit in fourteenth, and are in no way out of contention of finishing at the top end of the table, but it is a case of whether Marinakis believes Karanka is the main to do it. It is a very good Championship squad, and if Karanka is not getting the best out of it, his time at The City Ground will not be long.

The Reds are certainly not playing badly, and it just takes a few tweaks by the manager, and a few players to find form, before the club plays to their potential. However, it is whether that happens before Marinakis’ patience runs out.

According to Goal, both Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in moving for Wolves’ exciting young midfielder, Ruben Neves, in the near future.

The 21-year-old has made a bright start to life in the Premier League and has already notched his first goal in the English top flight. Against reigning champions Manchester City last time out, Neves put in a mature performance in the middle of the park to help guide his side to a hard-fought draw at Molineux.

[ad_pod ]

The Wolves faithful, and boss Nuno Espirito Santo, would certainly be loathe to lose the Portuguese international, but it’s no surprise that the youngster’s form has caught the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

The reported interest of both Manchester clubs has plenty of Wolves fans nervous that they could be set to lose Neves even sooner than expected though. In light of this most recent report, many of the Midlands clubs’ supporters took to Twitter to voice their concerns over Neves’ future…

West Ham have endured a troubled start to the season under Manuel Pellegrini, losing all four of their Premier League matches so far.

The Hammers have struggled to find stability after a major rejuvenation in the summer saw the club spend over £100m on a wealth of new recruits, including Ukraine international Andriy Yarmolenko.

Yet to start a Premier League game for Pellegrini’s side, the international break gave a number of fans the opportunity to see Yarmolenko for an extended period and a variety of supporters were unimpressed with his display – despite scoring the only goal of the match.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”290059″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch The FFC Accy Show Put the international break to good use”]

Yarmolenko squeezed a penalty past Newcastle United’s Martin Dubravka to secure a 1-0 victory for Ukraine over Slovakia in the UEFA Nations League and a number of Ukraine supporters were critical of his display – which could lead to concerns for West Ham.

We have gathered some of the best reactions below.

[ad_pod ]

Nottingham Forest striker Lewis Grabban struggled in the 0-0 draw with Swansea on the weekend, and manager Aitor Karanka should drop him and start veteran striker Daryl Murphy for the clash against Sheffield Wednesday on Wednesday evening.

At the Liberty Stadium on Saturday both sides missed chances to win the game, but both lacked the cutting edge to break the deadlock. One of Forest’s best openings came towards the end when 30-year-old Grabban looked to be through on goal. However, the bouncing ball wouldn’t sit for the former Bournemouth man and Swansea’s defenders were able to get back and clear.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”297163″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts MythBusting Rashford & Spurs Headache”]

For the rest of the game, Grabban looked off the pace and Forest fans on Twitter were not happy with his lacklustre performance. Karanka then should look to bring in 35-year-old Murphy for the home tie against Sheffield Wednesday. The former Ireland international has three goals in just five appearances in all competitions so far this season and could certainly do a job against an Owls defence which has only kept one clean sheet all season.

So, Forest fans, would you like to see Murphy start on Wednesday? Have your say by voting in the poll below.