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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…

Marcelo Bielsa’s press conference on Thursday was a bit of an eye-opener.

The Argentine revealed just how much he rates Eddie Nketiah as he made a bold claim about what his plans are with the striker.

Indeed, amidst rumours that the striker may be recalled by Arsenal, the 64-year-old not only stated that he wants him to stay here this season, but he also made it clear that he wants him to be a Leeds United player next season.

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“I hope he will still be here and I hope he wants to stay with us,” said Bielsa. “I think it’s important he solidifies his integration into Leeds and it would be good for that if he stays after January and one more year so that he and Leeds are able to show the confidence we’re looking for in each other.” Bielsa said.

“That (returning next season) would be ideal to allow him to be a success at a club, like Leeds.”

However, you have to ask yourself how realistic this is?

Nketiah has already made his frustrations at sitting on the bench every week very clear as he made comments in the press over a month ago now, but he’s still not started a league game since the start of the season.

Arsenal won’t be best pleased at the fact Nketiah isn’t being played and neither will the player.

With rumours circulating that Leeds are expecting the Gunners to cut his current deal short why on earth would the Gunners want him to stay for two seasons?

Surely the only way that Bielsa can make this happen is if he starts giving Nketiah more first-team chances, otherwise the striker and his parent club are unlikely to allow him to waste two seasons at a club that are unwilling to utilise his talents.

In other news, Phil Hay has delivered a triple transfer blow to Leeds.

Lots of Everton fans have been discussing a tactic made by former boss Roberto Martinez, who decided to play Romelu Lukaku on the right-wing in a throwback Premier League game against Arsenal at Goodison Park.

The Merseyside club shared the team on their official Twitter page, which included Steven Naismith up top instead of Lukaku. Everton won the match 3-0 with both players scoring, whilst new Arsenal boss and former Toffee Mikel Arteta netted an own goal for the Gunners, as per the BBC.

Supporters discussed the tactic from Martinez to play Lukaku on the wing, and many were impressed. According to Transfermarkt, the 26-year old only played twice on the wing under the Spaniard, with the majority of his appearances coming in his more natural position as a central forward. The Belgian international scored 61 goals in total for EFC under Martinez, as per the website.

These Evertonians talked about the tactic on Twitter, and many thought it worked, praising both Lukaku and Martinez:

Everton fans, what did you think when Lukaku was announced to be playing on the right-wing? Comment below!

It now seems to be only a matter of time before Rangers release the evidence of wrong-doing by the SPFL they claim to have.

The Gers are staunchly against ending the season, but that is the way the rest of the clubs north of the border voted to the governing bodies resolution proposal. However, that was only after Dundee’s initial vote was not registered, and then changed when it finally went through a few days later.

An Emergency General Meeting has now been confirmed for May 12th to see whether another investigation is needed, and there may well need to be if the latest images are anything to go by. Twitter user Joe Black has shared an apparent invoice for a payment between Dundee and Dominic Keane’s company, Scotflow. The latter is not only the president of Livingston, but is also on the SPFL’s board.

As you can imagine, the Rangers fans are in absolute uproar, with one labelling it “corruption.” They have taken to the social media platform to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments below.

Let us know what you think!

Tottenham Hotspur have been linked with just about every right-back potentially available and this week, new reports have emerged on a fresh new target.

According to Calciomercato, Spurs are keen on landing Ajax starlet Sergino Dest this summer but will face stiff competition from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich who Sky Sport believe are the front-runners to land the teen.

And it appears as if many in north London would be thrilled by the signing – if they can complete it, of course.

The 19-year-old has played 36 times in all competitions for the Eredivisie side this campaign where he has scored two goals and provided six assists, even playing on the left-hand side of defence on three occasions, via Transfermarkt.

Whilst it remains to be seen how much Dest would cost Spurs, he is currently valued at £16.2m. Reports in Holland have suggested that €25m (£22m) might be enough to tempt Ajax into a sale, though.

A true test for any Spurs fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

He’s also averaging 1.8 tackles, 1.3 dribbles and 0.9 shots per game this term, via WhoScored, which suggests he is the sort to get up and down the wing to contribute at both ends successfully.

Here’s what the Spurs faithful have been saying about the young American…

AND in other news, Spurs fans drool over Heung-min Son…

Celtic have been crowned Scottish Premiership champions for a ninth season in a row and fans have been quick to beg their star striker to stay to make it a monumental ten.

Hoops striker Odsonne Edouard took to Twitter soon after the announcement by posting nine trophy emojis and the Celtic Park faithful have been lapping it up in reply.

The 22-year-old has been one of the most integral members of Neil Lennon’s squad this campaign having bagged 21 goals in 27 league games whilst also laying on 12 assists, via Transfermarkt.

His impressive form has seen him linked with an array of Premier League teams including Leicester City, Newcastle United and Arsenal.

Celtic signed the Frenchman from Paris Saint-Germain back in the summer of 2018 for a club-record £9m following a very fruitful loan spell at the club, which involved 11 goals in 29 appearances.

Only real Celtic fans will get 100% on the Ultimate Hoops quiz. Test your knowledge below…

He’s clearly gone on to become a fan-favourite at Parkhead going by the reaction below. Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news, Celtic fans destroy Tom English after recent remarks

As per Football Insider, Jamie Murphy will be told he can leave Glasgow Rangers when he returns to Ibrox following his loan spell at Burton Albion.

Murphy joined the League One outfit on loan in January as he looked for more playing time away from the 54-time Scottish champions – he featured just eight times in all competitions this campaign following horrific injury problems before leaving on a temporary basis.

With the English third tier now brought to a premature close, the 30-year-old will return north of the border but, despite scoring seven times in 10 matches at Burton, he is expecting to be told that he can leave the Gers permanently.

There is certainly plenty of competition going forward for the Gers. On the left-wing, where Murphy has made most of his appearances during his career, he has Ryan Kent to contend with, and with Alfredo Morelos and Ianis Hagi potentially at centre-forward and right-wing respectively, he would no doubt find it hard to secure a regular starting spot in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI.

However, despite just 29 appearances since joining the Gers on loan in January 2018, he has a very respectable record – six goals and 13 assists in all competitions is good going. He is also proven in Scottish football as well, having scored 49 times in 212 appearances for Motherwell before moving to Sheffield United in 2013.

Given the links to Florian Kamberi, it is clear that the Gers are still looking for improvements in the offensive area of the pitch – with his versatility, Murphy could provide strong back-up and competition across the front-line. Ross Wilson could perhaps earn a fee for him if he were to be moved on, but with a Transfermarkt value of £720,000 and one year left on his contract, he is unlikely to be able to recoup the £1m they spent on him two years ago. Following his performances at the Pirelli Stadium, he deserves to be given another chance at Ibrox.

Let us know what you think below!

Burnley manager Sean Dyche has said that he has spoken to club chairman Mike Garlick about his wishes for the summer transfer window, although he did not go into details about the number of players that he wants or the positions that he is targeting.

As per Lancashire Live, the 49-year-old said when pressed about the subject of transfers: “We always keep him [Garlick] informed on what needs to be done and what will at some point have to be done, I think. He’s certainly in the loop with the information that is important.”

While Burnley may have lost only one of their last 11 Premier League matches and remain in a hunt for a Europa League place, in one way the season cannot end quickly enough for Dyche, whose squad has been decimated by injuries and expired contracts.

Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Robbie Brady have been among several players missing since the Premier League restart due to injury, with Jack Cork and Ben Mee now set to miss the rest of the campaign after body blows in recent days.

As per TransferMarkt, Dyche is operating off a squad of just 21 senior players and has even been unable to name the full complement of nine substitutes for some matches despite drafting in academy players to make up the numbers.

A lack of squad depth is a glaring issue at Turf Moor while the Clarets tend not to be the most spendthrift of clubs – as per TransferMarkt, they have parted with less than £17.5m in signings over the last 12 months and more than half of that went on one player in Josh Brownhill. With Premier League clubs’ spending likely to be heavily curtailed this summer due to a loss of income amid the coronavirus pandemic, don’t expect Burnley to be splashing the cash in 2020, either.

Dyche is in something of a Catch-22 situation regarding Burnley’s summer transfer plans. Even without Europa League qualification, there is a need to add greater squad depth, something which could be made tougher if their spending power is limited following the effects of COVID-19.

If they do get into Europe, that would bring greater income from prize money but would also provide another obstacle in the form of a busier fixture list, therefore intensifying the need to bulk up their squad for next season.

The Clarets face a delicate balancing act in the next transfer window – they could certainly do with a bigger squad but the finances may just not be there to allow for it.

Burnley fans, how many new signings are needed in the summer and which positions should be prioritised? Join in the discussion by commenting below!

There’s an ominous transfer saga evolving at Tottenham Hotspur already and the transfer window is still a week away.

It has been well reported that Jose Mourinho is a keen admirer of Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with the Dane even wanting a move to north London over anywhere else this summer.

However, Spurs appear to be losing in the race to land him after Everton had a £25m bid accepted earlier in the week. It’s claimed that Daniel Levy is unwilling to match the offer as of yet.

The Champions League runners-up were declared the Premier League’s richest club after a study by University of Liverpool football finance expert Kieran Maguire earlier in the year, eclipsing both Manchester clubs with annual profits of £461m.

Yet, we’re supposed to believe that the club cannot afford transfer fees this summer? The Evening Standard claim that Mourinho will be limited to free agents, swap deals and mere funds from any player sales.

Though, Everton can stump up £25m for Spurs’ top target? It’s a bit puzzling.

Levy has been chairman at Spurs for nearly two decades and in that time he’s returned one League Cup.

He lauded Mourinho has one of the “most successful managers in football” upon his appointment, which in some ways was a subtle hint that the Portuguese would be the man to bring something Mauricio Pochettino couldn’t – silverware.

But that’s never going to happen if he’s not backed in the transfer market.

The former United boss has already expressed his desire to land a defensive midfielder, of which Hojbjerg meets the profile, having averaged 2.4 tackles, 1.5 clearances and 1.4 interceptions per game this season (via WhoScored).

Spurs starters Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks aren’t a scratch on the 24-year-old’s figures, managing just 1.3 tackles each match this season. They are also averaging fewer interceptions and clearances too.

Hojbjerg has also been lauded as a “great leader” by his current Saints teammate Angus Gunn, which only bolsters his suitability for Spurs and their manager.

If Mourinho can’t get the players he needs to complement his system, then Levy is arguably setting him up for failure before he’s even had a full season in charge, thus rendering his appointment pretty pointless in the first place.

AND in other news, Tottenham fans split on latest Willian update…

Carlo Ancelotti knows where his priorities lie in the ongoing summer transfer window as Everton look to further bolster their defensive line. In particular, the Toffees will have to sign at least two full-backs in order to plug the hole left by the retiring Leighton Baines and then accommodate for Seamus Coleman’s inevitable decline.

According to the Daily Star’s exclusive report, Everton would be willing to offer a lifeline to a struggling Manchester United defender, Diogo Dalot. The Portuguese full-back has fallen down the pecking order behind the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw and Brandon Williams despite some promising signs here and there.

And that could potentially play right into Ancelotti’s hands. The 21-year-old was bought from Porto back in 2018 for a reported fee of £19m but has largely struggled to impress with his performances. For that reason, Everton believe they can lure him to Goodison Park in a deal worth around £10m.

Seeing how he has made just four Premier League appearances in the 2019/20 campaign and 11 in total across all competitions, it shouldn’t be too difficult to convince Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to part with the youngster.

The potential could be there, for sure, but the Red Devils are well stacked in the wide areas and can afford to get someone off the ever-increasing wage bill, perhaps even make room for other superstar signings. Jadon Sancho, anyone?

All of that, however, will suit Everton who are desperate for some full-back reinforcements.

Verdict

He may be an outcast at Old Trafford but Ancelotti can still work with Dalot and help him unlock that hidden potential everyone thought we would see at Man United. He is young and quite versatile, seeing how he can cover both flanks, and is a decent, albeit inexperienced, defender.

And not to mention that the price of £10m sounds just about right,  considering the current circumstances and the player’s struggles as of late. Sign him up, Carlo.

Tottenham transfer target Ryan Fraser has received a lucrative offer from Crystal Palace, according to reports. 

The 26-year-old is now a free agent, having left Bournemouth before the Premier League restart after rejecting a short-term deal at the Vitality Stadium.

The Scottish winger was angling for a dream move to a bigger club and wanted a salary of more than £100,000 per week. According to The Sun, Palace have offered the former Cherries ace wages worth £55,000-a-week to move to Selhurst Park this summer.

Spurs are one of several Premier League sides said to have been linked to the 11-cap Scotland international. However, none of them have approached him as it stands as they have turned their attentions elsewhere.

That’s according to a report from The Times, who have revealed that neither Arsenal or Spurs have made a move for the Scotsman. Both clubs are reportedly targeting other players instead.

Jose Mourinho has his mind on other transfer matters at the moment as the Lilywhites look to complete a deal for former Southampton captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

It seems a shame that Tottenham’s interest in the winger never came to fruition, as in 2018/19 he scored seven goals and supplied 14 assists in the Premier League, a tally beaten only by none other than former Chelsea talisman Eden Hazard.

However, Fraser suffered from a slump in form last season, which explains why Daniel Levy isn’t ready to take a risk. Spurs fans shouldn’t be too concerned as he only registered one goal and four assists in all competitions.

The contract rebel failed to make the most of an opportunity to prove that he is worth a punt after such a poor season and the Lilywhites have wisely decided to look elsewhere.

Tottenham fans, do you think Levy should sign Fraser in the summer? Let us know your views in the comments below!