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Leeds United have quite a hefty loan army at the moment.

The likes of Robbie Gotts, Jordan Stevens, Bryce Hosannah and Ryan Edmondson have all been sent out to get more first-team experience this term, but one player who you may want to keep an eye on above everyone else is Alfie McCalmont.

The defensive midfielder has been sent out to Oldham Athletic this term, and while things aren’t going too well for the Latics at the moment, the Northern Irishman looks like an absolute gem.

The 20-year-old has already made his senior international debut with Northern Ireland before even getting his first league start for Leeds, and when you listen to Noel Whelan’s comments on him, it’s easy to understand why he was fast-tracked to the international scene.

“A very good player, great on the ball and a good football mind.” Whelan described him as.

“He is one that is learning his trade from watching Kalvin and being in and around that first-team setup.

“It is important that these young lads are integrated. It is vital for their progression and to give them confidence to step in when needed because there will be injuries and suspensions.

“Use them – that is why you have an academy and youth policy.”

Marcelo Bielsa has opted to not heed Whelan’s advice this term, and rather than using him he has sent him out on loan.

Unfortunately, that has come back to bite the Argentine as McCalmont’s mentor, Kalvin Phillips, has been ruled out for six weeks, and having a player like McCalmont ready to come in would have been a huge helping hand.

This could end up being quite a big learning experience for Bielsa and it could work in McCalmont’s favour as next season he could be kept in and around the first-team to act as backup if Phillips picks up another issue, and if he does get a shot, it’s hard to not back him to make an impact.

He sounds like an absolute dream for Bielsa, he’s got the footballing brain to be a star and he’s fantastic on the ball.

It’s impossible to ignore an U23 star who is already making a splash on the international scene, and Leeds should get McCalmont involved in the first-team once he returns from Oldham.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon clearly wants some reinforcements ahead of their attempt at a tenth Scottish title in a row and the latest name linked with a switch to Parkhead is hugely exciting.

What’s the word?

Reported target Brenden Aaronson has spoken out about his future at MLS side Philadelphia Union amid interest from the likes of the Hoops, Hoffenheim, Frankfurt and Borussia Monchengladbach.

He said, via the Daily Record: “Going into this season I just wanted to keep focusing on that and just keep staying consistent. I think that’s a huge thing for young players, staying consistent, so I’m just going to keep focusing on that and keep trying to generate chances and just do whatever I can.”

Whilst MLS Soccer claim that Celtic along with a Belgian outfit are keen on signing the 19-year-old midfielder this summer.

Generational star in the making?

This would be an interesting move for the Scottish champions to make as the young American is thought to be one of several players in the USA’s ‘golden generation.’

It’s reinforced by Bild Sport dubbing him the ‘American Kai Havertz’ due to his style of play – and they also value him at just €1.3m (£1.2m).

Aaronson has displayed some signs that should encourage Lennon to try and clinch him since the MLS’ recent restart. In six appearances, he’s racked up an assist and a goal whilst also managing five key passes, nine successful tackles and 12 dribbles, via WhoScored.

HalfSpaces analysed his playing style back in April and claimed that he was an “exciting young piece” to add to the USMNT’s midfield repertoire.

With Olivier Ntcham’s future by no means certain, might the American talent be a potential replacement should he depart? Southampton is one team keeping an interest in him.

Aaronson would be an absolute bargain for Nick Hammond given the fee mentioned whilst Christian Pulisic’s form for Chelsea and Gio Reyna’s emergence at Dortmund has shown first-hand that America does indeed have a promising crop of players emerging from the shadows.

AND in other news, Celtic need to clinch £15m target dubbed a “DREAM” as potential Edouard successor…

Leeds United’s interest in a long-term target appears to be back in the headlines this week, though it’s not a move the club needs to make anymore…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun’s Alan Nixon, the Yorkshire giants are preparing a £10m bid for Rangers winger Ryan Kent, who they were keen on last summer before opting to sign Jack Harrison on loan.

It’s claimed that Leeds are hoping to strike an agreement with the Scottish Premiership leaders this week but it could cost more than the initial offer with the Gers reluctant to sell their best players on the cheap.

There’s also a belief that the 23-year-old has always dreamed of cutting it in the Premier League, so this could be the perfect opportunity.

Pointless signing

Whilst the Championship winners need added depth for a fair crack at the big time, the ship has surely sailed on landing Kent.

Harrison has come in and performed well enough for the club to keep him on for another season. The fellow 23-year-old is one of Marcelo Bielsa’s key attacking outlets after he provided six goals and eight assists, averaging 1.9 key passes, 1.8 dribbles and 1.7 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Kent has impressed north of the border, contributing to 12 goals last season, but it’s hard to know how that would correlate into the English top-flight.

His last venture into senior football down here didn’t go smoothly – in loan spells with Barnsley and Bristol City in the Championship, the former Liverpool man only scored three times from 54 appearances.

Jurgen Klopp’s callled him “wonderful,” Gordon Strachan has compared him to Sadio Mane and ex-Gers striker Kyle Lafferty believes the 23-year-old could become as good as Eden Hazard as the winger “has everything in his locker.”

These all seem a little far-fetched considering he’s playing in Scotland and not some elite European league. He’s just not a necessary addition at Elland Road – especially when there are players like Said Benrahma out there for a similar fee.

AND in other news, Bielsa must unleash “incredible” sensation on the Premier League…

Tottenham star Danny Rose has signed a loan extension to stay at Newcastle United until the end of the season, via The Athletic. 

According to Dominic Fifield (as relayed by David Ornstein), Rose will remain at St James’ Park for the rest of the 2019/20 campaign.

The defender’s initial deal was due to run out at the end of June, but his short-term stay has now been extended, and he will return to Tottenham to sort out his future when the season is completed.

As it stands, this latest development could benefit Ryan Sessegnon in the long run.

Rose only made five appearances for Jose Mourinho before being shipped out to Newcastle on a short-term loan in January. He is due to enter the final 12 months of his current contract with his parent club and Steve Bruce is keen to keep him in Tyneside for the foreseeable future.

The 29-year-old was already training with Bruce’s squad before the news broke ahead of the Premier League’s return later this month. He has impressed the Magpies up until now, making 1.4 tackles per game, completing 1.2 clearances on average, with a pass accuracy rate of 77.7% (WhoScored).

In comparison, Sessegnon has been tipped to achieve greatness over the years, and he has played in a variety of positions all over the pitch so far, as Mourinho has tried to find the perfect fit for the Spurs starlet.

While it is fair to say his debut season has been somewhat subdued, the youngster scored in the 3-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in the group stages of the Champions League. Furthermore, he has made three appearances in the competition overall, registering one assist, taking one shot per game, averaging one key pass and completing one interception on average (WhoScored).

His performances in Europe have earned him plenty of high praise from staff working behind the scenes at Tottenham.

Earlier this year,  The Northern Echo revealed Mourinho has made it clear Rose is not a part of his long-term plans, and his future remains uncertain heading into the summer.

Indeed, he is surely well aware he will be below the likes of Ben Davies, Sessegnon and Japhet Tanganga in the pecking order, should he choose to return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

During the coronavirus crisis, Bruce has kept in touch with head of recruitment Steve Nickson and director Lee Charnley, and the Newcastle trio have agreed a permanent deal for Rose makes perfect sense.

If the left-back, who is reportedly best friends with former Arsenal star Danny Welbeck, stays at St James’ Park next season, it is Sessegnon who stands to gain the most as it means one less player to compete with for minutes.

Tottenham fans, should Daniel Levy sell Danny Rose in the summer? Let us know down below!

Having signed on a loan deal back in the January transfer window, Danny Rose has been open in admitting that he is currently fighting for his long-term future at Newcastle.

Speaking in recent days, the Tottenham loanee said: “First and foremost, I am playing for my future. I don’t think I need a bigger motivation than that. I have settled in very well, I love the lads, and staff and the fans. It is probably the first time in my career I have been in this situation – never have I been down to less than one year on my contract – so it’s a new experience for me.”

And against Manchester City in the Premier League on Wednesday night, Rose proved just exactly why Steve Bruce must seriously consider signing him on a permanent deal this summer.

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Despite the Magpies falling to a 5-0 defeat to the former Premier League champions, Rose was one of the very few players who actually showed any signs of trying to take the game to the opposition, and playing on the front foot.

As per Sofascore, he completed both of his attempted dribbles on the night, and registered 51 touches of the ball – the most of any Newcastle player.

The left-back didn’t shy away from receiving the ball in tight spaces, or being closed down by the City players, and it spoke volumes of just how more confident he was in possession than some of his teammates. That calmness saw him draw a team-high four fouls, helping Bruce’s side to get some respite for their defence.

Defensively, he was one of the more stronger and aggressive Magpies players, making another team-high of four tackles, and blocking one shot too. Add to that, the impressive fact he won a mammoth ten of his 12 total ground duels, and it showed the kind of quality Rose can bring to this Newcastle side on a longer-term basis.

If Steve Bruce is to do one thing this summer, then signing the left-back on a permanent basis should surely be one of the big priorities at St James’ Park.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United centre-back Gaetano Berardi is yet to open talks with the club over a new contract according to Phil Hay, but their latest win over Huddersfield highlighted the need for that to change as soon as possible.

What’s he said?

The Whites returned back to the Championship’s summit thanks to second-half goals from Ezgjan Alioski and Pablo Hernandez, meaning Marcelo Bielsa’s side also racked up an 11th clean sheet of the season and their sixth straight league victory.

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They were faced with a huge selection dilemma before the match with Kalvin Phillips out through suspension and with Ben White moving slightly forward to take his place, Berardi partnered Luke Ayling with the Brighton loanee dropping in to make it a back three on occasions.

Hay, The Athletic’s club correspondent, claims that the 31-year-old hasn’t been spoken to about a new contract while also believing that they should part ways in the summer, he said:

“I need to check on him but there have been no talks yet. I think you have to ask the question of how he’d cope in the Premier League. Much as I see good things in him, I have my doubts. You need to be fair to players but not sentimental.”

Centre-back situation

Bielsa’s squad depth at centre-back is particularly worrying so it’s hard to agree with Hay’s viewpoint on Berardi.

Despite losing possession 14 times, the Italian did manage three clearances, two interceptions and two tackles, per SofaScore.

Given continual injury problems to skipper Liam Cooper and the likelihood that White is gone in the summer, it would make so much sense to hand Berardi a contract extension.

He showed he could do it against a Huddersfield side that had ten attempts at goal while trying to take advantage of their height advantage by playing for set-pieces (seven corners).

White’s performances this season have seen interest mount from both Liverpool and Manchester United – if they do earn promotion he will be a big loss and you’ve also got to consider that Berardi is the only man with top-flight experience having played for Sampdoria in the Serie A.

Virtually impossible: Can you name the year all of these Leeds flops arrived at Elland Road?

In other news, are Leeds looking at a Premier League outcast to fill the potential void left behind if Eddie Nketiah is recalled?

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Speaking on BT Sport, former Liverpool ace Joe Cole has hailed Mohamed Salah’s goal-scoring display against Watford on Saturday afternoon.

What did he say?

The Egypt international was a joint-winner of the Premier League’s Golden Boot last season along with Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and his teammate Sadio Mane. But this campaign has arguably seen him being outshone by his Liverpool compatriot, who had scored 13 times before Saturday compared to Salah’s 11.

Watch Liverpool Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

But the 27-year-old caught up his fellow winger with a brace against Watford, adding to the sumptuous strike he netted against RB Salzburg in mid-week. And Cole was quick to hail Salah for simply being at the top of his game right now.

He said (as quoted by The Daily Mail): “The elite people like Mo Salah, he’s scored 35 goals and he wants to score with his right foot, and he’s scored three worldies this week with his right. It’s an elite footballer playing at the height of his game in our league and it’s a joy to watch.”

Ominous

Make no mistake about it, Salah appears to be hitting his groove now for the Reds. To his credit, Jurgen Klopp appears to have managed the Egyptian very well in terms of giving him enough rest, by either dropping him to the bench or simply leaving him out of the squad as he has done in the EFL Cup.

Who the heck is that?! Can you name all 25 of these obscure Liverpool signings…

With the Merseyside club competing on multiple fronts once more this season, giving star players a breather here and there can be the real difference-maker come the end of the year. And Salah looks full refreshed and raring to go, and it is no surprise to have seen him net four times and provide a further assist since he was given the night off against Everton. It’s a really ominous sign for both the rest of the Premier League, and for Europe too.

Meanwhile, this Liverpool ace could pay the price if the Reds pull off a deal for Takumi Minamino.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Joelinton has not got off to the best off starts at Newcastle but a slight change in playing style could allow him to start repaying his £40m fee.

On the chalkboard

Big things are expected of the Magpies record buy but the Brazilian has just one goal from 12 league games, so he has been somewhat of a disappointment for his side despite the other aspects of his game.

His lack of goals is even more pressing due to the lack of quality in Newcastle’s other options, with Yoshinori Muto and Dwight Gayle seemingly unfavoured and Andy Carroll often not fit enough to start games.

That is reflected by the minutes they have spent of the pitch this season, with Joelinton preferred by Bruce despite his lack of productivity in the final third.

While improvement is needed from the 23-year-old, his lack of form is not all his own doing. If Newcastle played to his strengths, particularly his heading ability, then that could yield more success and more goals and prevent him from struggling to fit into a system that doesn’t suit him.

Watch Newcastle United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Changes needed

Steve Bruce has enjoyed success through his wingers this term, particularly Allan Saint-Maximin, but so far both him and Miguel Almiron have been unable to create chances for Joelinton.

The striker has averaged 5.2 aerial duels won per game, which demonstrates the ability with he possesses with his head, yet he simply hasn’t been given the opportunity to display his skill in that area.

Newcastle have attempted only 169 crosses this season, an amount which betters just two other teams in the division. That goes some way to explaining why Joelinton has struggled so far, and since one of his best attributes lie in that area, questions should be asked of Bruce.

He has to begin playing in a way which can get the best out of his striker, otherwise spending so much money on him is an almost pointless endeavour.

To bring success via crossing, however, both Saint-Maximin and Almiron will have to improve their quality. They have managed 0.4 and 0.1 completed crosses per game respectively, and with that kind of service it is unsurprising that Joelinton hasn’t produced much.

Until things change and the style is adjusted slightly it is difficult to envisage the Brazilian improving markedly, and therefore the striker may have to adapt and add a new dimension to his game in order to start scoring.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Alfie Doughty stood out for Charlton Athletic during their 3-1 loss against Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

On the chalkboard

The teenager was making his full league debut for Lee Bowyer’s side, only making it into the starting lineup because Ben Purrington had to drop out through illness.

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However, the 19-year-old was certainly no weak link, going on to be one of the Addicks’ standout players on the day from left-back, despite predominantly being a left-winger.

His standout moment came in the 26th minute, as he got the ball past Moses Odubajo well, sprinted down the line and pulled the ball back to Macauley Bonne to set up his goal.

A real catalyst

That moment clearly gave the youngster confidence, with it seeming as though it really acted as a catalyst for him to go and make his mark on the game, constantly getting up and down the line.

He showed quality on the ball, completing 81% of the passes that he attempted throughout the game, while also making two key passes and successfully making the one dribble that he attempted.

There was also a sign of the defensive solidity that he can offer, winning his only aerial duel and completing one tackle, while it will also be encouraging that he didn’t allow himself to be bullied in 50/50 situations.

Charlton have reasons for optimism regarding their off-field matters following their takeover news and Doughty has given a reason for encouragement on the pitch.

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Jack Clarke has had a turbulent 12 months to say the least.

This time last year he was bursting onto the scene with some incredible performances for Leeds United, scoring against Aston Villa at the turn of the year.

His good form for the Whites earned him a £10m move to one of the biggest clubs in the country as Tottenham Hotspur acquired his services.

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He was immediately loaned back to the Yorkshire outfit, but for one reason or another, he’s completely fallen out of favour at Elland Road.

Indeed, the winger hasn’t played a single league minute this term for United and that doesn’t look like it’ll improve with Pablo Hernandez now back in the fold.

Leeds haven’t exactly missed the 18-year-old though as they’re still within touching distance of the top two, and with a decent run of fixtures coming up it may not be long until they’re in the automatic promotion spots.

However, having a player of Clarke’s talent and not utilising him seems like a massive waste. With chances still slim on the ground, the possibility of being recalled by Spurs seems incredibly likely. But do our writers think he should get another shot at Elland Road or is he destined to leave again in January?

Lewis Blain

“The old saying is, ‘if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,’ and that’s very much a mantra that should be applied at Leeds at the minute. They are unbeaten in four matches and they possess the accolade of being the division’s best defensive side having conceded just eight goals all season, per WhoScored.

“Everything may not be going to plan in attack with Patrick Bamford and Helder Costa, two possible underachievers, but they are still picking up results, so they must be doing something right. 

“Calls for Jack Clarke to garner some game time seems a little reactionary to their inability to score hatfuls of goals, especially considering the 18-year-old only started four Championship matches last term with 20 others coming from the bench. Maybe that is where Marcelo Bielsa should start, instead of simply throwing him into the starting XI to merely please some sections of the Elland Road faithful.”

Harry Sherlock “Jack Clarke has been dealt something of a bad hand but one feels that Spurs made a mistake in sending him back to Elland Road. “He didn’t exactly rack up starts last season either and they do say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. “Nevertheless, you have to feel sorry for the kid. He’s 18 and hasn’t played a single minute of league football this season. If he is going to grow and improve, Bielsa has to embed him into his squad and start utilising him, even if it as an impact sub. “If he doesn’t, then Spurs are going to grow impatient and will surely recall him in January, leaving Leeds without a potentially valuable asset. “It would be a win-win for the Leeds boss to bring him in and let him off the leash; what’s the worst that could happen?” Vijievan Jeevathayalan

“To go from joining Tottenham, to not making a single appearance in the Championship this season, is quite some doing. But Jack Clarke has managed to do that – and arguably, through no fault of his own. The talented starlet was deemed good enough to be a signing for last season’s Champions League finalists, so surely there cannot be any questions surrounding his quality.

“In the 2018/2019 campaign, he averaged 0.8 shots and 0.7 key passes per game – impressive numbers when you remind yourself that he is just 18 and rarely started. With Leeds struggling to score goals this season – they have managed just 19 goals in 15 games in the Championship – Clarke could provide the bit of creative magic that Marcelo Bielsa’s side desperately needs.”

Charles Jones

“Personally I think that Leeds should be keeping Clarke on the bench. Their wide areas don’t need any tinkering as Jack Harrison is hitting incredible form, assisting four goals in his last five league games, while Helder Costa was a £15m addition and Pablo Hernandez is a two-time Player of the Year winner.

“Marcelo Bielsa would only be playing Clarke for the sake of it, and that can’t happen when the Whites are knocking on the door of the Premier League.

“The Spurs loanee will either have to wait for injuries to hamper the players rivalling him in his position or just continue to warm the bench as there’s no reason for him to replace any of the aforementioned players just yet.”