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Leeds head coach Marcelo Bielsa has a terrific reputation in the game and has achieved wonders at Elland Road in recent years, with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola hailing him as a ‘magical man’.

The Argentine boss has taken Leeds from dwelling in the Championship year after year to competing in the Premier League and going toe-to-toe with the best of the best in England each week. He won the second tier title with the club in the 2019/20 campaign before leading Leeds to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last term, avoiding relegation in style.

Along the way, he has developed a number of players at Elland Road instead of relying purely on big-money additions to the side. The likes of Liam Cooper, Pascal Struijk, Luke Ayling and Stuart Dallas are just a few of the players who he either inherited or brought through the academy and developed into being top-flight regulars for the club.

Struijk is a particularly fascinating case as he arrived at Leeds six months prior to Bielsa as an academy player. He joined from Dutch giants Ajax and formed part of the U23 squad and did not play a single first-team minute in Bielsa’s first season in 2018/19.

In the 2019/20 promotion out of the Championship, Bielsa brought Struijk into the first-team fold and handed him five appearances in the second-tier. He averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.83, starting two of those matches, and made 2.2 tackles and interceptions per game.

Following his first foray into senior football, Struijk was handed a valuation of £675k by Transfermarkt in October 2020. This seemed a fair evaluation of his talents given that he had only started two league matches for Leeds the previous campaign.

Struijk’s breakthrough season for Leeds came in the Premier League last term as Bielsa placed his faith in the central defender to perform in the top-flight. The Argentine coach slowly bedded the Dutchman in after initially being in the academy and coached him into becoming a reliable player in the top division.

In the 2020/21 Premier League season, Struijk averaged an excellent SofaScore rating of 6.94 across 27 appearances. He made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game as he helped Leeds to keep seven clean sheets and avoid relegation back to the Championship.

This form led to ex-Whites gem Dominic Matteo saying that Struijk has ‘got it all’ and lauding all the areas of his game. He said: 

“There’s plenty of work to be done but, with the size of him, his physicality, his passing, he’s got it all and can step into midfield.

“He looks very calm on the ball, players who are a bit erratic are not for me but he looks comfortable in possession.”

At the time of writing (07/10/21), Struijk is valued at £8.10m by Transfermarkt. This means that his value has soared 1100% in one year under Bielsa’s coaching, with the defender thriving after being handed a leading role in the Premier League last season.

Bielsa has pulled off a masterclass with Struijk as he has turned an academy prospect into a valuable Premier League asset in virtually 12 months, although some of the groundwork was laid in the build-up to last term. Hopefully, Struijk will continue to progress and play a key role for the club for years to come.

AND in other news, Leeds could find their new Bamford in 17 y/o dynamo, Bielsa must work his magic again…

Leicester City have reportedly made contact with Sassuolo ahead of a possible move for winger Domenico Berardi.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Calcio Mercato (as relayed by the Leicester Mercury), the Foxes are potentially lining up a January move for the 27-year-old and have already entered talks with the Serie A outfit.

The report states that: “The one between Berardi and Sassuolo is a beautiful, intense marriage, but destined to end soon.

“Domenico has decided to leave the club and has long ago communicated this to the management. There have been some in-depth contacts with Leicester, a track to be followed carefully in view of the January transfer market.

“But several clubs in Serie A are also moving on the strong European champion,” it concludes, meaning director of football Jon Rudkin will have to move quickly in order to secure his transfer target’s services.

He’s a great talent

The powerful and pacey attacked was part of Italy’s victorious squad in this year’s European Championship, providing two assists in six appearances for the Azzurri throughout the tournament.

And his impressive displays at Euro 2020 saw Berardi linked with a move to Leicester and several other top teams across the continent, although he ended up remaining at the Mapei Stadium despite the continued speculation.

However, a winter move now appears to be on the cards, and he could be available at a discount price, with Sassuolo’s hierarchy reportedly dropping their €40 million asking price by five or six million.

With Brendan Rodgers’ currently boasting Marc Albrighton as their only natural option on the right-wing, pulling off a move for the £30m Berardi would provide the current FA Cup holders with added quality and competition in the final third of the pitch.

In 30 Serie A appearances last term, Berardi bagged an outstanding 17 goals, providing a further eight assists for his teammates, highlighting his top-class ability in attack.

Tottenham’s director of football Fabio Paratici has previously commented on the highly-rated winger and admitted that he tried to sign him at Juventus, claiming that he is a “great talent” amid reported interest from Spurs.

Therefore, a move for the Italian ace at the midway point in the campaign would provide a significant boost to Leicester’s top-four hopes as they aim to return to Europe’s elite cup competition.

And, in other news…Lost 67% of his duels: Leicester lightweight had a nightmare outing for his country 

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith must start Emiliano Martinez for today’s Premier League game against Everton at Villa Park.

What’s the story?

Along with Emi Buendia, the goalkeeper was involved in the mess which accompanied Argentina’s clash against Brazil a couple of weeks ago, when health officials ran onto the pitch in protest.

The duo have since spent the last ten days in Croatia in order to train, and Smith has now confirmed that while they will return to Villa Park on Saturday morning, a late call will be made on whether they will be involved against the Toffees in the 5:30pm kick-off.

The manager said: “We are expecting them to join us tomorrow (Saturday) morning and I’ll assess it then and decide if they’ll be involved or not.

“We have got their numbers of what they have been doing each day. That gets sent straight to the performance department and passed onto the coaches. They are in a good place physically which is what we need to know. I’ll assess that in the morning and wait until tomorrow.”

He’s a game-changer

The Argentine netminder has been outstanding for Villa since joining from Arsenal back in the summer of 2020, keeping the third most clean sheets in the Premier League last season with 15.

Described as a “phenomenon” and someone who “guarantees ten points per season” by Argentine World Cup winner Daniel Bertoni, Martinez has been nothing short of outstanding for the Midlands club, so much so that he’s become a permanent part of his country’s squad at international level.

While Jed Steer hardly made a mistake in the 3-0 defeat to Chelsea last week, there is a reason why Martinez has been established as Villa’s number one goalkeeper.

While Smith will understandably have concerns over starting someone like Buendia given that he’s an outfield player and will be short of match fitness, as a goalkeeper Martinez should have no real worries at all.

The £31.5m-rated star simply has to start today against Everton, and could well be a game-changer for Villa as they hope to get back to winning ways.

Meanwhile, Ashley Preece has delivered an exciting claim about this Aston Villa starlet…

Bailey Peacock-Farrell could join Sheffield Wednesday on a permanent move eventually, according to former Owls manager Chris Turner.

The Lowdown: Peacock-Farrell an instant hero

The goalkeeper joined Wednesday on loan from Burnley earlier this summer, coming in as an upgrade on Cameron Dawson and Joe Wildsmith between the sticks.

Peacock-Farrell has made a big impact immediately, not conceding a goal in his first four League One games and making a superb penalty save away to Rotherham United last Saturday, as the Owls won 2-0.

[freshpress-quiz id=“359326”]

The Latest: Turner makes key prediction

Speaking to The Belfast Telegraph, Turner admitted he could see the Burnley man wanting to make his move to Hillsborough permanent, should he keep impressing so much:

“Yes, confidence is a problem when you haven’t played many games, but Wednesday would have done their due diligence,” said Turner, who also played for Sunderland and Manchester United.

“I know they had been keeping an eye on him and think getting him is a massive boost. He will only grow in stature.

“I don’t think he wasn’t wanted at Burnley. (Clarets boss) Sean Dyche just couldn’t give him enough games. Nick Pope has been outstanding. Every Premier League club now has three goalkeepers. When you are young and make a move like that it can take a long time to break in.

“He is a young goalkeeper who is learning his trade and he now needs to be playing in the first team. This is a great move for him to play for a big club, with good crowds and high expectations.

“What I’ve already seen of him at Wednesday, he clearly has the attributes required for the modern game. He is good with his feet and his hands, and he has a presence. I think he will do very well there.

“I predict that if he has a good season and hopefully helps them to promotion then he won’t want to go back to Burnley. He will want his future to be with Wednesday, for sure.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-liverpool-transfer-news/” title=”Latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Huge player for Owls

Peacock-Farrell has come in and arguably looked the best ‘keeper in League One, with his influence playing a key role in Darren Moore’s side topping the table.

If Wednesday could manage to bring him in permanently next summer it could be a huge positive – earning promotion to the Championship would certainly help, in that respect.

Peacock-Farrell will struggle to oust Nick Pope as Burnley’s first-choice ‘keeper moving forward – he is an England international, after all – so it could benefit all parties for him to trade Turf Moor for Hillsborough.

In other news, one Sheff Wed player came in for surprise criticism against Rotherham. Find out who it is here.

Shields Gazette reporter Liam Kennedy fears the atmosphere could turn toxic if Newcastle United fail to bring in new recruits before the transfer window closes.

The Magpies are yet to bolster their squad with acquisitions despite the start of the Premier League season being less than a week away.

Arsenal midfielder Joe Willock has been boss Steve Bruce’s top transfer target all summer, having scored eight goals in 14 appearances during his loan spell at St James’ Park last season.

While Newcastle initially hoped to make Willock’s move permanent, they have since explored the possibility of another temporary deal being struck.

However, the Magpies’ hopes of landing the former England under-21 international, who became the first player to find the back of the net in seven consecutive Premier League fixtures since Alan Shearer during his loan spell, suffered a blow when Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta insisted the 21-year-old is part of his plans.

Newcastle have yet to turn their attentions elsewhere and Kennedy admits Magpies fans could become disgruntled.

He told Football FanCast: “If they get off to a bad start this season, no signings come in or there are any more delays with the takeover, I think it could erupt.

“Newcastle United can become very toxic. The year when Newcastle got relegated the first time under Mike Ashley, I remember how toxic it got and that really pushed onto the pitch.

“The big fear is whether it will become toxic this time. Looking at social media, which isn’t always the best judge, it does have the feel that it could turn toxic very quickly.”

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing as some news emerged on Richarlison.

Writing in his latest piece for The Times, football journalist Paul Joyce has claimed that the striker could play against Southampton at the weekend, despite his involvements in both the Copa America and the Olympics with Brazil over the summer.

He has left his holiday early to return to training, putting him in contention to feature against the Saints in their opening match of the 2021/22 Premier League season.

Richarlison is no doubt still a key player for the Goodison Park faithful, scoring no fewer than 42 goals and making a further 10 assists in 119 games in total over all competitions across the last three consecutive campaigns (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it would be a welcome boost to have him available for selection, so long as he is fully fit.

Everton fans on Richarlison update

These supporters of the Merseyside club gushed as the update was shared on Twitter, with one Toffee even going as far as to claim that it was ‘brilliant’:

“SOME ACTUAL GOOD NEWS”

Credit: @Vicaz22

“Love Richarlison me the fella just loves his footy”

Credit: @Harrys1878nsno

“RICHY”

Credit: @Conor_LaneSmith

“Brilliant to see him back. Will certainly be a welcome addition to the squad”

Credit: @UHTPodcast

“Can’t say I’d be doing the same after two summer tournaments and winning a gold medal, but fair play to Richarlison for picking Everton over 3 weeks on a warm beach. Very timely and much needed boost for #EFC”

Credit: @BHRiggers

“Boss if he does this imo”

Credit: @tompoole_98

In other news, find out what transfer update has been lauded by Blues here!

Southampton made a late bid for Middlesbrough’s Djed Spence on Transfer Deadline Day, according to The Northern Echo.

The Lowdown: Southampton’s busy summer

The Saints ended up having a very busy summer during the summer window, bringing in several young players with potential to develop at St. Mary’s.

They made no less than six signings (Transfermarkt), and it seems they were looking to add more down to the wire on Tuesday.

The Latest: Saints make Spence bid

As per this latest report, the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit made a late bid to snatch Spence from Boro.

They weren’t the only side looking to capture the right-back, though. Leicester and Nottingham Forest were also said to have tried their luck, but nothing materialised.

The Verdict: Needed?

So far at the Riverside Stadium, Spence has made 70 appearances, scoring two goals (Transfermarkt). Quite clearly, he is highly talented if there was such a push for his services on the final day of the window – he was also called “exceptional” by former boss Jonathan Woodgate (gazettelive.co.uk).

However, it is worth questioning whether he is player the Saints really needed.

During this transfer window, the Saints captured Valentino Livramento from Chelsea, and Ralph Hasenhuttl already has Kyle Walker-Peters in the same position.

Not only that, Yan Valery’s rumoured move to Olympiacos didn’t go through (Football Insider). As a result, they have three players in that position – do they really need another? The club’s failure to capture £1.8m-valued Spence (Transfermarkt) may well be a blessing in disguise.

In other news, Southampton fans were livid with this man’s new contract.

Former Tottenham captain Graham Roberts could see new Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo signing Conor Coady from former club Wolves.

The 28-year old was a big favourite of Nuno Espirito Santo’s when he was at Molineux, as he gave him the captain’s armband.

Coady appeared in all but one of Wolves’ Premier League games last season and has been an integral part of the club since joining back in 2015 from Huddersfield Town.

With plenty of Premier League experience, Roberts wouldn’t be surprised if he joins Nuno at Tottenham, saying: “He loves him, he’s made him his captain there when he was at Wolves. 

“He done really well for him, so yeah, I wouldn’t rule that out.”

If Spurs opt to add Coady to their squad, this will mean that they have healthy competition for a starting birth at centre-back, with the likes of Davinson Sanchez, Joe Rodon and Eric Dier already at the club – Toby Alderweireld looks set to seal a summer exit to Qatar.

Alongside providing competition, Spurs lost 12 league games last season, leaking 45 goals in the process, something which Nuno will want to put right this season, in hope that the club can break back into the top four and play Champions League football in the 2022-2023 campaign.

Dean Windass is desperate to see Kylian Mbappe move to the Premier League – but he does not think he will be on Liverpool’s books by the time the transfer window slams shut.

Mbappe could be set for a big-money move from Paris Saint-Germain after turning down a number of contract extensions.

If the attacker refuses to commit his future to the French side, PSG would face the prospect of losing their star man as a free agent next summer, when his current deal is set to expire.

Mbappe, who failed to score at Euro 2020 and missed the decisive penalty in France’s last 16 shoot-out defeat to Switzerland, has been gaining interest from the likes of Real Madrid for some time.

Liverpool are also keen on Mbappe, who has scored 132 goals in 171 appearances since joining PSG from French rivals Monaco.

However, Windass is unsure as to whether Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp will be able to persuade the Parisians to part with their prized asset ahead of the new season.

Speaking exclusively to The Transfer Tavern, Windass said: “I’d love to see him play in the Premier League.

“Mbappe is the name on everybody’s lips. He can play anywhere in the front three. Firmino comes short for Liverpool and the two wide boys run in behind. He could play as a number nine, a seven or 11.

“How much would he be worth? That’s the biggest question. Maybe £150million. Would Liverpool pay that sort of money? Out of the three front players, I think Firmino would be the one to come out.”

Football.London’s Sam Inkersole reckons that West ham will “cave in” and pay Vladimir Coufal what he wants to extend his deal at the London Stadium.

The right-back made the £5m switch from Slavia Prague last September and went from strength to strength for the Hammers – producing several outstanding performances to help David Moyes’ side qualify for the Europa League.

Coufal registered an impressive seven assists in 34 Premier League appearances, establishing himself as one of the most consistent full-backs in the division.

According to Sky Sports, West Ham have offered Coufal, who enjoyed an impressive Euro 2020 with Czech Republic, an improved contract, although the defender’s representatives have been left unhappy with the financial package being presented by GSB.

However, despite their difference in Coufal’s worth, Inkersole knows the importance of getting the impressive right-back tied down to long-terms.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“He’s been brilliant. He had a good Euro’s as well – and was an utter bargain at £5m. I’m not surprised West Ham are trying to tie him down, but he needs to get paid and he utterly deserves that.

“He was one of the best right-back’s in the division. I’m surprised that West Ham tried to low ball him a little bit, I think they will cave in and give him what he’s worth.”

Coufal has more than earned a contract extension and a pay rise, and whilst the two parties are still in disagreement, you fully expect a player of that importance to be signed up sooner rather than later.