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An update has emerged on Leeds transfer target Lewis O’Brien regarding his contract at Championship club Huddersfield.

What’s the talk?

According to Football Insider, the 22-year-old has a release clause in the contract that he signed in September at the John Smith’s Stadium.

The report claimed that Leeds failed to land O’Brien in the summer transfer window, with the Terriers then pinning him down to a fresh deal. However, as part of that agreement, the midfielder now has a £10m release clause which the Whites could activate in January.

Excitement

This update will surely leave Leeds fans excited at the prospect of the club being able to sign O’Brien in the January transfer window. The Whites are said to have made a £13m bid during the summer, which suggests that £10m is an affordable price that Victor Orta is willing to shell out on the midfielder.

Supporters would likely be buzzing with the arrival of O’Brien as he is a promising young player who seems to suit Marcelo Bielsa’s style of play and could be ready to make the step up to the Premier League.

The 22-year-old has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.85 in the Championship for Huddersfield this term, whilst averaging an eye-catching 2.5 tackles per game. This comes after he averaged the same rating across 42 league outings last season, making three tackles and interceptions per game.

In terms of him possibly suiting Bielsa’s style, former Huddersfield goalkeeper Matt Glennon once lauded O’Brien’s work rate, saying: “He closes down until the 95th, 96th minute, still running to the corners, stopping defenders, he’s got unlimited energy.

“Lewis O’Brien wants to put the hard yards in and wants to be at the very top of where he can get to. He’s one of those lads who works ridiculously hard which, for me, is your minimum in any league, but he’s got that quality, the drop of a shoulder, that strength to keep people off him, a low centre of gravity to glide past people, arm aloft when they try to knock him off the ball.”

A player with “unlimited energy” in a press-orientated Bielsa side? It sounds like a match made in heaven and that is why Leeds fans will surely be excited by the news that O’Brien has a release clause in his Huddersfield contract, as it increases the chances of him arriving at Elland Road.

Without a clause in his contract, the Terriers would be well within their rights to reject any offers and that could have led to Leeds looking elsewhere. Instead, Orta could swoop in to secure a £10m January deal.

In other news: Reliable journalist drops Leeds United transfer claim which could leave Bielsa fuming

Following a series of controversial events in the round of 16 Champions League draw, Manchester City were pitted against Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon.

A technical error saw UEFA declare that the original draw null and void, with a revised draw taking place three hours later. This mistake was regarding who some teams were eligible to face, involving Spanish side Atletico Madrid and English duo Liverpool and Manchester United.

City were originally drawn against LaLiga outfit and Europa League holders Villarreal, but the re-draw confirmed a match-up against Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon, who lost three of their six group games but still managed to progress.

As one of the seeded teams, Pep Guardiola’s side will play away from home at the José Alvalade Stadium in the first leg in February, before welcoming Sporting to the Etihad Stadium for the return game in March.

The draw sees Ruben Dias, Joao Cancelo and Bernardo Silva all returning to their native Portugal for the first leg, with the former having the extra motivation of lining out against the crosstown rivals of his previous club Benfica.

Many City fans go wild at the re-draw

Following the club’s official confirmation on Twitter that they will now be up against Sporting in the round of 16, these City fans erupted in response to what one described as a “quality” outcome given that they avoided the likes of Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid.

“no way, we got an easier draw”

Credit: @BlueCitizenn

“Our Portuguese boys will feast”

Credit: @G12x12

“This is even better”

Credit: @Head_91

“Our Benfica boys gonna tear them up”Credit: @Noroftheair”Good lordddddd”Credit: @mcfcbabs”Quality”Credit: @connor_mort17In other news: ‘This image made me emotional’ – Some Man City fans swoon over club post depicting Etihad Stadium ‘king’

Reported Leeds United transfer target John Swift may already have played his final game for Reading.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by Leeds Live, who claim that the 26-year-old now looks to be one step closer to a summer move, as the central midfielder has been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to injury.

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The report goes on to mention the fact that the Whites have continuously been linked with a swoop for the former Chelsea starlet, while the same outlet recently revealed that Reading have failed to make any progress in convincing the playmaker to sign a new deal at Select Car Leasing Stadium – meaning he looks set to end his six-year stay at the Championship side at the end of the current campaign.

Marsch can axe Roberts with Swift

Considering just how impressive Swift has been for Reading this season, the fact that Leeds look as if they will be able to sign the 26-year-old on a free transfer is undoubtedly fantastic news for Victor Orta.

Indeed, over his 38 Championship appearances this term, the £5.4m-rated midfield maestro has almost single-handily kept the Royals out of the relegation zone, scoring 11 goals, registering 13 assists and creating 10 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots and making 2.7 key passes per game – metrics that are not bettered by any Reading player.

These returns have seen the £25k-per-week man who Steve Madeley dubbed “stylish” and Charles Watts claimed “glides across the pitch” average a quite breathtaking SofaScore match rating of 7.26, ranking him as the third-best player in the English second tier – a quite extraordinary feat while playing for a team who are just one place above the drop zone.

In contrast, over Tyler Roberts’ 23 Premier League appearances this season, the £7.2m-rated Wales international was in rather less sensational form, scoring one goal, providing one assist and creating two big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.3 shots and making 0.7 key passes per game.

These metrics saw the 23-year-old who Gabby Agbonlahor dubbed “shocking” average an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.74 – something that would appear to lend weight to the claims that Jesse Marsch may well look to move the £45k-per-week midfielder on this summer.

And, should Marsch be in need of a new attacking threat in the middle of the park, the American should look no further than Swift, as the 26-year-old would not only be a huge upgrade on Roberts, he would also be one of the bargains of the summer.

AND in other news: Orta can unearth Leeds’ next White with swoop for “really exciting” £4.2k-p/w “talent”

According to 90min, Paris Saint-Germain midfielders Georginio Wijnaldum and Julian Draxler are open to being part of a loan swap deal which would involve Tottenham’s Tanguy Ndombele or Dele Alli heading in the opposite direction.

The Lowdown: Ndombele and Alli exiled at Spurs

According to reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano, Spurs and PSG are still in talks over a loan move for club-record signing Ndombele, and the Lilywhites are considering various options as a direct replacement for the midfielder.

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Lilywhites manager Antonio Conte has exiled the 25-year-old at N17, leaving the Frenchman out of the matchday squads for their previous two Premier League games, and he has even forced him into training alone at Hotspur Way.

Dele Alli has also faced a similar situation under the 52-year-old, having been excluded from Spurs’ matchday squad for the London derby against Chelsea and making the starting XI just four times in all competitions during the Italian’s reign at the club.

The Latest: Wijnaldum and Draxler open to Spurs loans

90min editor Sean Walsh reported of Wijnaldum and Draxler’s interest in a possible loan switch to Tottenham, sharing a link to his article via Twitter.

In the tweet, he summarised: “Georginio Wijnaldum and Julian Draxler are open to joining #THFC on loan, potentially as part of deal to send Tanguy Ndombele or Dele Alli to PSG.”

This news arises as the Ligue 1 club have been deciding on which players they could include as part of a swap deal to lure Ndombele or Dele away from Spurs.

Wijnaldum would be open to a return to the Premier League and his representatives have informed Tottenham of his willingness to move back to England. Draxler is said to also be an option for Spurs, as the German has been on the fringe of the PSG squad for several years, so it seems likely that the club would be willing to let him leave on loan.

The Verdict: Good deal for all parties

With the details of the deal yet to be determined, it is hard to determine the plausibility of a complex swap deal. However, looking at the players involved on paper, Spurs are seemingly getting a good deal, especially when you consider that the two potentially outgoing midfielders have both been effectively exiled by Conte.

Having made 217 Premier League appearances and won some of football’s biggest competitions, Wijnaldum is a proven player who could make an instant impact in Spurs’ midfield.

Draxler could also prove to be a shrewd signing who could provide Conte with depth in the attacking positions. He has excelled in the Bundesliga in previous years, and squad rotation may be crucial if Tottenham are to achieve Champions League qualification, so they could do a lot worse than bringing in the Germany international too.

In other news – “Still in talks”: Fabrizio Romano provides the latest on exit-linked Spurs colossus

So far this season, under the guidance of Dean Smith and then Steven Gerrard, Aston Villa have won seven, drawn one and lost 10 of their 18 Premier League games, scoring 24 goals and conceding 28 in the process.

Their previous league outing saw them concede three times in their loss against Chelsea at Villa Park thanks to two Jorginho penalties and one headed goal from Romelu Lukaku.

One player who was involved in the defeat to Thomas Tuchel’s side that Gerrard should now consider dropping from the team is Tyrone Mings.

The ccntre-back failed to have any sort of defensive impact in the Boxing Day encounter, not registering even one tackle or interception or blocking any shots, as well as losing three of his four duels. This display earned him a disappointing overall match rating of 6.1/10, making the £28.8m-rated man the lowest-rated outfield Villa player on the day according to SofaScore.

Birmingham Mail also picked up on the England international’s shaky performance by saying that he “should take the blame for what proved to be Lukaku’s winner after he opted to block his run as opposed to going to meet and challenge it,” suggesting that Mings could be seen as a liability for Villa at the back.

Even though he will miss Villa’s next Premier League match against Brentford on Sunday after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season against Chelsea, Gerrard should definitely consider keeping the 28-year-old out of the team beyond the next game, especially if whoever comes in to replace him at the weekend can impress.

Having been labelled a “cocky” player in terms of his style of play by pundit and former Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie, Mings has been under the spotlight for his poor performances and errors on the pitch in the past.

Looking ahead to the Brentford game, with an overall season rating of 6.8/10 from WhoScored, Kortney Hause could be the one to come in for the 28-year-old at the weekend.

If this is the case and Hause can put in a solid performance and potentially keep a clean sheet, he could be the one to keep Mings out of the team for the foreseeable future.

In other news: Gregg Evans drops injury update at Aston Villa which will leave fans delighted

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Virgil van Dijk is in contention to play against Leicester City on Wednesday after an injury scare, according to a fitness update from Jurgen Klopp posted on Liverpool’s official website.

Van Dijk picked up an illness during the Reds’ trip to Dubai last week.

However, Klopp revealed on Tuesday that he has taken part in training this week, raising the possibility that he could be involved on Wednesday.

FFC’s James Jones has identified the one thing that could cost Liverpool the title. Find out what it is in the video below…

Van Dijk has not missed a Premier League game for Liverpool since last January, per Transfermarkt, when the Reds faced Huddersfield Town, and will likely partner either Joel Matip or Dejan Lovren at Anfield.

Indeed, the Netherlands international has been a colossus at the centre of the defence this season, even captaining the club on five occasions, donning the armband in the Merseyside derby against Everton and in wins over Cardiff City, Fulham, Manchester United and Arsenal. He also wore the armband in the Champions League victory over Red Star.

And fans have expressed their delight at the news that Van Dijk is set to continue in the heart of defence.

West Bromwich Albion have been handed a significant boost regarding the fitness of Grady Diangana.

What’s the latest?

In recent comments cited by Birmingham Live, Valerien Ismael revealed that, after being left out of the Baggies squad for the 1-0 win over Birmingham City on Friday evening, the winger had suffered a slight hamstring strain.

However, the Frenchman went on to state that he expects the 23-year-old to be available for Albion’s trip to Swansea City on Wednesday evening.

Speaking about the condition of Diangana, Ismael said: “Grady has a hamstring issue, not too bad. It’s a small issue, we didn’t want to take any risks for this game. My expectation is that he will come back for the next game against Swansea.”

Ismael will be buzzing

While Diangana has not exactly been in the best form of his career this season, being yet to score a goal and providing just one assist over his 11 Championship appearances, the winger nevertheless proved during West Brom’s last promotion-winning campaign that he is a player who possesses the ability to fire the Baggies back to the Premier League.

Indeed, over his 30 Championship appearances in 2019/20, the £9m-rated man scored eight goals, registered six assists and created eight big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.6 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These returns saw the player who Lee Hendrie dubbed a “magnificent” talent earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.06, ranking the £36k-per-week winger as West Brom’s third-best performer in the league that season.

As such, Diangana is clearly a player with the ability to win any particular match in an instant, and, with the former England U21 international looking to be available for Wednesday’s clash with Swansea, Ismael will certainly be hoping for the winger to do so at the Liberty Stadium – an outcome that would leave both the 46-year-old manager and fans of the club buzzing.

In other news: Signed for £750k, now worth £1.8m: West Brom struck gold on “amazing” £14k-p/w dynamo

As confirmed by West Ham United and shared by the press, David Moyes has been dealt ‘another big injury blow’ as news comes out of the club.

The Lowdown: Injuries pile up…

Defensive mainstay Angelo Ogbonna, who was a fixture in Moyes’ starting XIbefore his ACL injury, has already been sidelined for the foreseeable future, with worries then mounting over Kurt Zouma and Ben Johnson.

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The latter pair limped off during West Ham’s epic 3-2 victory over Chelsea at the London Stadium last weekend as Moyes and the club’s fans were made to sweat over the players’ conditions.

This is amid their top-heavy run of fixtures as they attempt to maintain a fight on all fronts, currently still competing in the Carabao Cup and Europa League and continuing to battle for a Champions League finish in the Premier League top four.

News has now come out of West Ham on Zouma’s condition in what has been described as ‘another big injury blow’.

The Latest: Moyes dealt worrying news…

As relayed by The Guardian reporter Jacob Steinburg, West Ham have confirmed that Zouma suffered a hamstring tendon injury in ‘another big injury blow’.

The journalist tweeted:

“Kurt Zouma suffered a hamstring tendon injury against Chelsea. Another big injury blow in defence for West Ham who have already lost Angelo Ogbonna for the rest of the season.

“Increases need for a centre-back to arrive next month.”

The Verdict: Big blow…

Zouma was playing brilliantly under Moyes before his latest setback, dealing a big blow to the 58-year-old and West Ham, who now have just two senior centre-back options at their disposal.

Unsurprisingly, since this news emerged from east London, the club have been linked with signing a central defender urgently, with both Nathan Ake and James Tarkowski mentioned (Evening Standard).

Given the emergency state of affairs, 90min also claimed that Moyes could turn to the Championship in an effort to boost his options, with the likes of Dael Fry, Rob Dickie and Lloyd Kelly already being scouted.

Whether he opts to swoop for lower league or top-flight standard cover, there is little arguing that the need for a centre-half is now imperative for the Irons, especially considering the greater number of matches this season.

In other news: West Ham could already back Moyes with £17.1m bid to sign 6 foot 3 powerhouse in January, find out more here.

Tottenham Hotspur’s central defensive search could take them back to Pau Torres this month…

What’s the word?

According to Italian transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on the ‘Last Word on Spurs’ podcast, the north London outfit are still interested in the Villarreal star and he is one to “keep an eye on” before the January 31st deadline.

Spurs were first linked with a move for the 24-year-old in the summer, with The Times claiming that they were ready to submit an offer for him. He is thought to have a €65m (£55m) release clause in his contract.

It remains to be seen how much Torres would command in the winter transfer window, though Transfermarkt value him at a slightly lower £45m.

Imagine him and Romero

Given Antonio Conte’s arrival and subsequent change in system, it is no wonder the Lilywhites are targeting the addition of a new centre-back and ultimately, they should look no further than the Spaniard.

As a left-footer, he is exactly what the Italian is looking for as he lacks that option in the current squad. Every single one of his other central defenders are right-footed, meaning he has often deployed left-back Ben Davies in the back three.

The long-serving Welshman has done a fine job but if Conte is to elevate Spurs to their former level – regularly challenging the top four – then an upgrade must still be made.

Spurs signed Cristian Romero in the summer and he looks every bit like a typical Conte defender, so pairing him alongside Torres could hand the north Londoners with a very impressive backline, with either of Eric Dier or Davinson Sanchez to make up the trio.

The 24-year-old colossus, who stands at 6 foot 3, played an integral role in the Yellow Submarines’ Europa League triumph last season.

As per WhoScored, he rated as Unai Emery’s fourth-best player (6.76) in La Liga last season. Across 33 starts, he proved to be an excellent ball-playing option by averaging an 87.8% passing accuracy and 0.8 dribbles per game.

The 16-time Spain international’s former youth coach, ex-Villarreal midfielder Javi Calleja described him as having “an extraordinary talent” to The Athletic.

Torres and Romero could be Spurs’ defence of the future and the two complement each other perfectly, as such, sporting director Fabio Paratici must do all in his power to secure the defender this month.

AND in other news, Spurs plotting move for “phenomenal” £16.2m-rated speed demon, he’s perfect for Conte…

Transfer insider Dean Jones has provided a Manchester United managerial update, name-checking Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, GiveMeSport report.

The Lowdown: Four candidates?

The Red Devils appear to be making a head start on what could be a major summer shake-up, with Old Trafford chiefs talking with Ten Hag earlier this month.

Discussions with the Dutchman were thought to be ‘positive’, however, the 52-year-old isn’t the only boss on United’s radar.

Mauricio Pochettino, Julen Lopetegui and Luis Enrique are also thought to be considered as options to replace Ralf Rangnick in the summer, with the interim boss set to move into a consultancy role.

The Latest: Jones’ comments

Talking to GiveMeSport, Jones believes Ten Hag is the ‘most likely’ appointment over the coming months and revealed that the end of the current international break is crucial in regards to which direction United would head in.

“I still think that it’s most likely to be ten Hag, but there’s no decision announced yet. The aim was that by the end of this international break, at least the people within the club knew where they were heading, and then they would announce it publicly at a later stage.”

The Verdict: More talks soon?

Ten Hag is the only manager we know at this moment in time that United have spoken to, so you’d expect that Red Devils chiefs could be extremely busy over the next few weeks.

They may decide to talk with the likes of Pochettino, Lopetegui and Enrique or even speak further with Ten Hag, especially as he was recently approached by two more clubs.

Having a new manager in place ahead of the summer would be extremely handy, as it would give him the time to analyse the squad and talk with Rangnick over possible targets. Hopefully, the club can get a deal in place before the end of May, and avoid the chaos of entering the transfer market without a proper structure in place beforehand.

In other news: ‘Absolutely shocking’ – Source reveals Man Utd star now wants to quit even if Ten Hag arrives