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When Leeds United signed Adam Forshaw for around £4.5m from Middlesbrough back in January 2018, they thought they were getting an experienced campaigner with plenty of Championship experience.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Forshaw himself made it clear just how much of an attractive proposition the Whites were, saying: “I wasn’t playing enough and as soon as I knew Leeds were interested I knew this was the club for me.

“I was attracted by the history and the size of the club but I can see the project and what the club is trying to do now. There’s a lot of excitement around the place and the crowds are phenomenal. I can feel the vibe about the place and I can’t wait to get going.”

Fast forward almost three years later, and things haven’t quite gone to plan for the midfielder. He’s made just 52 appearances in total for the club, with a hip injury picked up in late 2019 ruling him out of action ever since.

Now, reports claim that the club may be looking to shift him out the door in the January transfer window when it opens next week, but that whilst Marcelo Bielsa has given the green light for his exit, it is only expected to be a loan move.

Whilst it may be very ruthless to simply wield the axe on a player who’s been on the shelf with injury for more than a year, Leeds just have to look at protecting their own interests.

The Whites are playing at Premier League level now, and it’s a massive if of whether Forshaw could be a force in Bielsa’s line-up were he to make his return to full fitness.

Couple that with his £20k-a-week wages, and he’s cost Leeds £7.5m in total fees since joining, and Andrea Radrizzani must be wondering where on earth his money has gone.

It’s been an absolute nightmare for both player and club, but it just makes sense that Leeds cut their ties with Forshaw permanently rather than on loan.

Meanwhile, Leeds could Bielsa’s dream signing in this “unplayable” £40m star.

Former Glasgow Rangers starlet John Fleck may be best remembered for becoming the youngest ever player to play in a Scottish Cup final, but it’s fair to say that there is far more to him than meets the eye.

Fleck broke through the youth ranks at Ibrox, and made his debut for Rangers at the age of 15, before making his competitive debut against East Stirlingshire a day after his 16th birthday.

He became a first-team regular starter in the 2009/10 Scottish Premiership season, scoring two goals and supplying three assists in all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

But he fell out of favour at Ibrox before leaving his boyhood club as a free agent for Coventry City in 2016.

Where is Fleck now?

Fleck spent four seasons with the now Championship club, then signed for Sheffield United on a free transfer. He has somewhat reinvented himself as a deep-lying midfielder under Chris Wilder, who hailed his performances in the Premier League last season as “incredible” after he received a callup from his country.

Speaking to FourFourTwo, the Blades boss said: “He thoroughly deserves it as he’s been incredible. We brought him in on a free transfer from Coventry when we were in League One and he’s embraced every level since and moved forward.

“He got injured, which was disappointing for him and us, but got back in the team and has kicked on. Being called up again is a great reward for him and hopefully he can do himself justice when he goes up the road.”

Former England and Newcastle striker and Match of the Day pundit Alan Shearer heaped praise on the “superb” £7.2m-rated ace after Sheffield United’s win against Aston Villa, having highlighted how he had 19 touches of the ball with three of those in the box in the second half.

If Rangers aren’t already regretting their decision to let the 3-cap Scotland international leave for free, then they will probably be feeling a little bit aggrieved right now.

Five goals and two assists in the Premier League is a fair attempt by anyone’s standards, let alone a player who was so accustomed to playing in the lower echelons of the EFL and suddenly found himself finishing his first full season in the English first division. He has scored 13 goals for the Blades so far, including scoring a sensational screamer against Sheffield Wednesday in the Steel City Derby to silence the home crowd.

By comparison, Crystal Palace attacking midfielder Wilfried Zaha could only manage to score four times in the top fight last term, via WhoScored.

Bring Fleck back?

Granted, the Gers are hardly short of options in the midfield at the moment – in fact, it’s safe to say that Steven Gerrard is almost spoilt for choice, especially considering the fact that they have just signed Bongani Zungu on a season-long loan from Amiens.

Back in 2009, the Scotsman was considered to be one of the biggest prospects in Scottish football. Unfortunately, it seems destiny had other plans, and he eventually found his feet at Bramall Lane instead.

But Fleck hasn’t ruled out a return in the future, if anything, far from it. The 29-year-old told The Daily Record: “I’m very happy at Sheffield United and the longer that continues, great. But if the chance came further down the line to go back to Rangers I would love it to be honest.

“I wouldn’t say I’ve got unfinished business because I was a small part of a very successful team and was delighted to get some great memories of that squad and the club.

“I’m not sure I could have done anything different in my time at Rangers. I was young and it was a very successful Rangers team at the time.”

Steven Gerrard’s side cruised to a comfortable 2-0 win over Celtic at Parkhead on Saturday but they still haven’t won a title since the 2020/11 season. Since then, Fleck has won the EFL League One trophy and was named in the League One PFA Team of the Year that same year.

Definitely one to consider in the future, that’s for sure. Who knows what might’ve happened if he had ended up staying at the Ibrox outfit instead?

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should start Glasgow Rangers ace Ianis Hagi in the Europa League…

Glasgow Rangers have received a major boost ahead of Saturday’s game against Celtic if recent reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, Borna Barisic will return to the Croatia team on Wednesday night. The Rangers left-back has been given the all-clear to face France despite missing both games against Switzerland and Sweden due to injury.

Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic said: “Barišić is fine now, we didn’t want to take any risks with him, he skipped those two games, but now he is completely ready and will be ready for the French.”

He could line-up opposite the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Kylian Mbappe and Kingsley Coman in what will be a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final.

Major boost?

The timing couldn’t be any better for the Rangers boss, who already faces the prospect of travelling to Parkhead without Joe Aribo, Filip Helander and Allan McGregor and Kemar Roofe, whilst Alfredo Morelos is also considered a doubt. Gerrard will be hoping the full-back can come through the international break relatively unscathed before the Old Firm derby at the weekend.

Whilst Calvin Bassey gave a good account of himself the other week, the Gers boss will need his side to be at their very best in one of the most hotly-anticipated clashes of the season. And Frank McAvennie has heaped praise on the “magnificent” defender. The former St Mirren forward told Football Insider: “It would have been a massive blow for Rangers to not have him fit.”

Last season, the 27-year-old played 22 games in the Scottish Premiership, and scored two goals,  whilst he made an appearance against Dundee United earlier this term, and registered one interception and two clearances, as well as creating three key passes, as per SofaScore, which shows that he is a potent attacking threat as well.

Bassey clearly has bags of potential, but he has never played in such a big game where the stakes have arguably never been higher. In fact, it would be unfair to throw a player of his age in at the deep end. And Gerrard’s side will need to be at full strength if they are to come away from Celtic Park with the victory.

So, Barisic will be expected to start on Saturday, assuming the 13-cap Croatia international can come through without any issues. Gerrard will be glad to see the back of the international break, that’s for sure.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard should start Rangers ace Ianis Hagi in Old Firm derby…

Napoli have lowered their asking price for Tottenham Hotspur target Arkadiusz Milik, as reported in the Sunday issue of Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness).

They had previously been demanding €40m (£37m) for the Poland international, a fee Spurs were not willing to match, though they have now reduced that to €25m (£23.1m).

Can you name every one of Spurs’ top goalscorers from the past 15 seasons? It’s a tricky one…

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This decision comes after Roma came in with an offer of €15m (£13.9m) plus a couple of youth players in an effort to sign the 26-year-old, who scored 14 goals across all competitions for Napoli last term.

Spurs are looking to sign a frontman who can act as back-up to the talismanic Harry Kane, and it is claimed they have already sent an offer to Milik’s entourage in the hope it will help to bring about a move.

The offer is said to relate to wages, which could see the former Ajax man sign a pre-contract agreement and join next season, when his contract comes to an end.

However, Napoli want to get rid of Milik, the player is keen to leave and Jose Mourinho feels he needs another striker as soon as possible, so it is likely that work will be done to make the move come about sooner.

As things stand, Spurs don’t have a single recognised senior striker to fill in if anything were to happen to Kane.

Brentford once again fell short right at the end of the race and have ultimately missed out on their promotion chance for the Premier League. But that’s not the only thing they will have to yield this summer as Mirror claim Tottenham Hotspur are ready to invest around £16m for Said Benrahma in the ongoing transfer window.

Of course, the famous  ‘BMW’ trident consisting of Benrahma, Ollie Watkins and Bryan Mbeumo scored 58 for them throughout the campaign but now, as it seems, the Bees are finally ready to listen to offers and break up the band. Initially, as the same outlet informs, they wanted to get £25m for their forward with Arsenal and Chelsea also in the race.

But now that the Gunners are close to securing a deal for Willian and the Blues have already bought both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech, it seems the interest has dropped ever so slightly. This, of course, opens the door for Spurs to swoop in and get Benrahma for a cut-price deal.

Daniel Levy is reportedly ready to sanction a £16m investment into a player that would essentially serve as a back-up for Harry Kane. Even though their offer is still £9m short of Brentford’s evaluation, it has been suggested they might be open for negotiations.

The situation would’ve largely been different had the Bees actually secured Premier League football for 2020/21 but now, they won’t exactly have as much power in this deal as they probably would’ve hoped for.

For Spurs, however, this is a perfect opportunity to strike with no rivals to fend off and the value for their target being just right.

Benrahma will help lighten Kane’s load

Benrahma seems like a versatile option that could indeed be good support for Jose Mourinho’s front line. He was predominantly played on the left side at Brentford but he does often cut inside and position himself more centrally in attack.

And we know that Kane’s fitness can’t always be counted on, with the Englishman missing 17 games due to an injury last season, and players like Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente not impressing with their attempts to emulate his contribution.

Of course, Benrahma, while a quality player, can’t exactly match Kane’s output but he can definitely ease the load and give Spurs some of that much-needed depth on the bench.

Everton appear to be closing in on their first signing of the summer – if fresh reports are to be believed.

What’s the word?

According to Saturday’s print edition of Il Mattino, via CalcioNapoli24, the Toffees have improved their offer for Allan and their chances of landing him are ‘becoming a reality.’

It’s claimed that the Merseysiders have now submitted a bid of €38m (£35m) after having €25m (£23m) rejected in recent weeks.

Everton have been long linked with a move for the Brazilian lynchpin, which is hardly a surprise given Carlo Ancelotti managed him at the Serie A outfit last season.

Allan is in line to land himself €4.7m-per season (£4.3m) at Goodison Park.

Gueye replacement

This move would be the perfect way to kickstart Ancelotti’s revolution in Merseyside as the club have failed to yet replace Idrissa Gueye.

His void in midfield has arguably been felt the most with both Tom Davies and Andre Gomes, the regular duo in the middle, failing to impress on a consistent basis.

Neither player is averaging above a drab 6.45 rating by WhoScored nor have they managed more than 1.2 tackles per game either.

The 29-year-old, however, has recorded over double that this season, averaging 2.6 tackles per game – in addition to an 86.7% passing accuracy rate too.

His natural style has led to comparisons to Arturo Vidal and it’s easy to see why following praise from Brazil head coach Tite, who said: “Allan is good in transition, going box to box, leading counterattacks and breaks. He’s mobile and brings protection defensively.”

Allan should be well-received at Goodison too as he’s twice silenced the nemesis from across the road, Mo Salah.

Earlier this season in the Champions League, Ancelotti’s Napoli rocked the Reds with a 2-0 victory to kickstart the group stages, which followed on from last season’s 1-0 victory too.

Back in September, Allan recorded three tackles and one interception whilst Salah managed a disappointing 6.04 rating after just one shot on target, via WhoScored.

He’d be a fantastic addition for the Toffees and Marcel Brands’ fresh attempt is hugely encouraging news.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti could land his next Xabi Alonso in La Liga STAR…

Glasgow Rangers can now look on as Hearts take over the mantle of attempting to hold the SPFL to account.

The Gers, of course, accused the governing body of corruption over their handling of the resolution proposal situation, whilst they even demanded that an independent investigation be carried out into the authority – in the end, that was voted against.

With the campaign being drawn to a close early, Hearts found themselves relegated to the second tier despite being just four points from safety with nine games to go. Ann Budge, the Edinburgh club’s owner, has since been pushing for reconstruction in an attempt to save her team.

A vote for a mix-up of the pyramid north of the border is currently underway but, if that is rejected, Hearts are said to be ready to mount a legal challenge – that could cost the SPFL £6m in compensation according to The Daily Record.

This has attracted the attention of the Gers supporters, and they have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts. You can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

Let us know what you think!

Celtic fans have seen some comings and goings in the transfer market over the years.

Whether it’s the Fergus McCann, Dermot Desmond eras, or the current owners; the Celts faithful have seen an array of new signings arrive over the years at Celtic Park, with some good and some damn right bad; where for every Sutton and Petrov, there has been a Vega or Virgo that has unfortunately donned the famous Hoops’ shirt.

In our latest Bhoys quiz we have compiled a quiz on the most obscure signings of recent times, can you recognise them all?

Despite being outplayed for long spells, Everton were left frustrated after their return to Premier League action ended in a goalless draw in the Merseyside derby against Liverpool on Sunday evening.

The Toffees didn’t look like troubling Jurgen Klopp’s side for the majority of the game, but they burst into life with a host of late opportunities and ended up leaving an empty Goodison Park wondering how they didn’t record their first victory over the Reds since October 2010.

In a chaotic late spell, Dominic Calvert-Lewin was denied by goalkeeper Alisson Becker before Liverpool-born Tom Davies squandered Everton’s best chance, striking the post from the rebound when he looked a certainty to find the net.

Richarlison and then Calvert-Lewin also came close to grabbing a winner, but it wasn’t to be for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who’ve now gone four Premier League matches without winning, their worst league run under the Italian.

In an attacking sense, the hosts were far from inspiring, but defensively, they held firm – with one standout performer in the shape of Seamus Coleman.

The Everton right-back put in a captain’s display and Toffee’s fans on Twitter were pleasantly surprised by what they saw from their longest-serving player.

Here are some of the best tweets…

In a Q&A published on YouTube, Football London’s Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold has suggested two forwards Spurs could go for if Harry Kane leaves the club – Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland and a familiar face in Juventus attacker Paulo Dybala.

What did he say?

Well, Gold answered plenty of fans’ questions in the Q&A on Monday, including one asking who the north London outfit would target if they sold Kane for £300m.

Kane of course said in an Instagram Q&A with Jamie Redknapp on Sunday, as per The Guardian, that he wouldn’t hang around at Tottenham if they aren’t matching his ambitions.

Cameo Clubs: Which obscure teams did these football legends play for?

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Gold replied to the question, saying (24:50): “Someone that’s absolutely class. They’d have to go for someone who guarantees goals.”

He added: “If you lose Kane, you’re losing 25-30 goals per season. I think Haaland would be on their radar. We mentioned Dybala earlier, maybe that’s who you do try and throw money at.”

Decent options?

They certainly would be.

Firstly, Spurs of course came close to sign Dybala from Juve during the summer transfer window, before a deal fell through because of an issue with image rights.

However, the Argentina international has enjoyed another successful campaign for the Serie A giants, scoring 13 goals and providing a further 12 assists in 34 appearances in all competitions, before the season was stopped.

Meanwhile, Haaland looks to be absolutely ideal to replace Kane if and when he eventually does go.

The 19-year-old has an astonishing goal record – he has netted 40 goals in 33 matches in all competitions for Red Bull Salzburg and Dortmund this term – while he slightly taller than the England captain and his pretty quick, too.

The issue for Tottenham is that he will surely be in huge demand from the biggest clubs across Europe, so the financial offer would have to be good, as might being in the Champions League.

This is all hypothetical right now, but those are two very good shouts from Gold.

In other Tottenham news, Stan Collymore has launched a scathing attack on Spurs & Daniel Levy following an announcement on Tuesday…