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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

In an interview with Leeds Live in Australia, Leeds United director of football believes that Kalvin Phillips will still be lining up in a white shirt next season even though there are no negotiations ongoing at the current time, which suggests owner Andrea Radrizzani is ready to throw caution to the wind in 2019/20.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the midfielder was one of the stars of the Yorkshire outfit’s debut campaign under the leadership of Marcelo Bielsa, shining in a defensive midfield role while also showing his versatility by filling in at centre-back on occasion, too.

However, Leeds’ failure to secure a return to the Premier League despite spending the majority of season in the automatic promotion spots meant that speculation over his future was likely to follow during the summer transfer window – and that it did.

The 23-year-old has been heavily linked with a move to Premier League new boys Aston Villa, while Tottenham Hotspur are another top flight club who are said to have registered an interest in him.

Speaking Down Under, via Leeds Live, Orta reassured supporters about his future: “There is no negotiations. The player is a Leeds United player and will be a Leeds United player in the 2019/20 season.”

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Asked if he was confident he would stay, the Spaniard added: “100 per cent confident. I am confident. Leeds United want Kalvin Phillips next year, 100 per cent.”

Throwing caution to the wind

Football Insider reported last month that United were in discussions with Phillips over a new deal and that he rejected their opening offer, but Orta’s latest comments suggest that isn’t the case.

However, the Spaniard is confident that he will still be at Elland Road when the window slams shut on August 8, which signals that Radrizzani is ready to back Bielsa and risk it all to get Leeds up in 2019/20.

They have already agreed a loan deal for Wolves attacker Helder Costa that will see him join on a permanent £15m deal next summer, and that is presumably a transfer that was signed off with promotion almost expected come what May.

Watch fans explain why the Football League is better than the Premier League in the video below…

With Aston Villa ready to pay £20m, according to The Sun on Sunday, via HITC, for a player who has less than two years remaining on his contract, Leeds are making a big call by keeping him.

Having balanced the books with the sales of Pontus Jansson and Jack Clarke, it now appears as though they are no longer under pressure to sell for FFP reasons following the latest development with Phillips.

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Tottenham Hotspur booked their spot in the final of the Audi Cup courtesy of a 1-0 win over Real Madrid on Tuesday evening.

Harry Kane scored the only goal of the match in the 22nd minute as Madrid lost once again, with the Spanish giants struggling for results in pre-season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s team would have been looking to bounce back from their defeat to Manchester United last time out, and that was indeed the case as Kane’s first-half effort saw the London club advance to Wednesday’s final.

There was another start for Tottenham’s record signing Tanguy Ndombele, who lined up in the middle of the park alongside Harry Winks.

Ndombele was replaced at the interval as Pochettino rung the changes, but it would be fair to say that the Frenchman’s first-half display made a big impression.

Indeed, a number of Spurs supporters have taken to social media to lavish praise on the former Lyon ace for his strong display against Zinedine Zidane’s team.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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The following article is a special report; all information presented has been gleaned from Football FanCast sources unless otherwise stated.

Crystal Palace have told Everton that they will have to pay £65m in one lump sum if they are to sign Wilfried Zaha prior to Thursday’s transfer deadline, sources have told Football FanCast.

The Toffees have been chasing Zaha throughout the summer and there is now a hope that a deal can be brokered prior to the closure of the window this week.

However, Palace are standing firm in their demand that the entire fee must be paid up front and in full.

Everton have already made a £65m bid for Zaha but the structure of the deal is yet to be agreed and Palace are standing firm in their insistence that the entire fee must be paid up front and in full.

The Eagles, of course, have already sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka in this transfer window, receiving £50m from Manchester United for the right-back.

Selling Zaha would see them make a total of £115m from two players in one window.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Toffees will be able to match the Eagles’ demand that there are no instalments involved in the deal.

Various reports have claimed that United negotiated a deal that would allow them to pay for Wan-Bissaka in stages – the BBC claim that £45m was to be paid up front, with £5m in add-ons – but there is said to be little desire at Selhurst Park for that scenario to be repeated.

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Nevertheless, this is a change of tack from the Eagles, who have previously warned suitors off Zaha.

Arsenal were heavily linked with an interest at the beginning of the summer but were reportedly quoted around £100m, while Everton were also initially rebuffed when they first made an enquiry, per sources.

Persistence, though, may have paid off, particularly if the Toffees are capable of handing over such a high figure in one go.

Everton, of course, have spent big already this summer, signing Moise Kean from Juventus, Andre Gomes from Barcelona, Jean-Philippe Gbamin from Mainz and Fabian Delph from Manchester City, while also acquiring goalkeeper Jonas Lossl on a free transfer from relegated Huddersfield Town.

They have spent around £78m on their five new signings and a deal for Zaha would see their spending balloon to over £140m.

Ironically, Palace host Everton on Saturday as both sides get their 2019/20 campaigns underway.

It remains to be seen which side Zaha will be on.

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Eddie Nketiah has hit the ground running following his loan move to Leeds United.

He made his debut for the Whites on Tuesday in the Carabao Cup first round against Salford City, and opened the scoring in the 43rd minute, confidently finishing off an attacking move. The Championship side went on to win 3-0 to progress to the next stage.

The 20-year-old appears to have a big future ahead of him, and has already featured for the Arsenal first team on 19 occasions, scoring three goals. For the England U20 side, he has six in nine. He clearly has an eye for goal, and under Marcelo Bielsa he could progress even further.

However, some Gunners fans believe he can already do the business at the Emirates Stadium, and have called for him to be brought back to London. They have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best reactions below.

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A lot went wrong for Crystal Palace against Sheffield United – where do I even start?

A lack of cohesion from Roy Hodgson’s side saw the Eagles have just six shots in comparison to the Blades’ 15 attempts, in what was a truly lacklustre affair from Palace – they deserved to lose the game, without a doubt.

Before a ball had even been kicked, all eyes were on Wilfried Zaha as the Ivorian made his first start since handing in a transfer request on the eve of the deadline.

Disappointingly, the forward failed to light up Bramall Lane having had just one shot, which was off target.

You wouldn’t be forgiven for wondering how the 26-year-old’s teammates feel about Zaha and his antics in the window, but this image showing an exchange between captain Luka Milivojevic and the winger suggests that the Serbian was asking for more from the former Manchester United man.

This in-game photo showing the pair having a discussion could mean a number of things.

Is the skipper demanding more from his want-away teammate?

Is he questioning a possible lack of commitment?

The former Anderlecht man could be saying anything to the forward in this image, but it is a particularly intriguing photograph given the context of the Ivory Coast international’s current situation at the club.

Zaha really struggled to get involved against Chris Wilder’s side, embarking on just two dribbles whilst also making just a single key pass to go with his one off-target attempt, so Milivojevic could just be asking him to step up his game a tad as the skipper of the team.

Whilst that alone may be quite a bland narrative, it is more fun to speculate about the pair potentially discussing Zaha’s commitment to the side amid the dramatics of the summer transfer window – you would’ve just loved to have been a fly on the wall in the away dressing room on Sunday, wouldn’t you?

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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 to BT Sport, former Manchester United star Robin van Persie has insisted Alexis Sanchez is “still the same great player”, but the negativity surrounding him may have become a “little too much”.

What did he say?

The Chile international has endured a difficult career at Old Trafford since arriving from Arsenal in a swap deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The 30-year-old has struggled with injuries and bad form, and has seen his name linked with a move away from Manchester in recent weeks and months.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Now, van Persie has admitted the Chilean simply “doesn’t look happy”, but insisted the qualities that marked him out as a superstar at Arsenal are still within him.

He said: “Sanchez doesn’t look happy to me. I can’t properly judge it because I am not working with him but when I see him play I rarely see him smiling.

“I don’t know if it’s the pressure. Pressure is something you can’t see or touch but he has to manage that in his head. He is still the same great player. He has it all: he’s fast, he can assist, he can dribble, and he can score.

“There is just a lot of negativity around him from fans and people who have opinions on social media. Maybe it’s all become a little too much for him.”

Escape route

The later deadline of the transfer window in other major European leagues has offered an exit route for Sanchez this summer. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer initially indicated he could see the Chilean staying at the club this season, but later opened the door for his departure.

Van Persie’s assessment of the situation certainly feels like a vicious cycle. If Sanchez is feeling the pressure, then he will struggle to perform. If he struggles to perform, he starts to feel the pressure. The 30-year-old joined United at a time when the Red Devils weren’t firing on all cylinders or winning Premier League titles on a regular basis, and has seemingly carried that weight.

How much money could you make busking for a week as a freestyle footballer? Find out in the video below…

He has become a symbol of United’s failings both on the pitch and off it. His performances for the club have been nowhere near good enough, registering just five goals and nine assists in 45 games across all competitions. Away from the field, his extortionate contract has become a stick to beat the Red Devils with. So if it all has become “too much for him”, then Sanchez simply needs to make his escape as soon as possible.

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Following a difficult time at Barcelona, Andre Gomes appeared to get his career back on track in his first season on Merseyside.

The Portugal international appeared to silence the doubters with some impressive displays in midfield for Marco Silva’s side, and it was understandable when Everton splashed out £22m to sign him on a permanent deal.

Whilst last season was a relative success, his performance against Aston Villa on Friday night certainly brought up bad memories of his days in Barcelona.

Watch Everton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 26-year-old had a nightmare game against Dean Smith’s men, averaging a measly 79.5% pass accuracy and being dispossessed twice.

The former Valencia star also suffered the ignominy of being caught out by a quick free-kick for Villa’s opening goal, and never really recovered after that.

After seeing Gomes’s woeful performance, Everton fans took to Twitter to voice their concerns about the midfielder.

Many supporters of the Merseyside club slammed the Portuguese ace and one questioned why he simply wasn’t taken off at half-time by Silva.

Indeed, another fan suggested the Toffees had been “ripped off” by Barcelona based on the 6 foot 2 star’s performance.

Check out some of the furious reaction of Everton fans below:

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Everton and Aston Villa are monitoring AS Roma prospect Vincenzo Venturino Muteba, according to TuttoMercatoWEB.

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The 17-year-old full-back is yet to play a senior fixture for his Serie A side, but enjoyed a respectable run of appearances in the Giallorossi’s youth set-up last season, with 21 outings across all competitions (TransferMarkt), including a late cameo in the Campionato U17s Final defeat to Inter Milan.

He also found the back of the net in a 3-1 win over Crotone during the regular season, and assisted Matteo Cancellieri’s seventh goal of the season with a cross in Roma’s 8-1 rout at home to Lecce last October.

Muteba has now been promoted to Roma’s Under 18s side for the new campaign, but his rise at the Stadio Olimpico is understood to have attracted the interests of Everton and Aston Villa, who are following the Roma-born prospect with a view to bolstering their respective academy sides.

It is not noted on what contract Muteba is currently tied to Roma on, which would ultimately determine how expensive his acquisition would prove to be, although a transfer would not be possible until January at the earliest either way.

TuttoMercatoWEB also do not suggest whether Muteba would be open to a move away from his boyhood side, with whom he has spent his entire career to date.

Everton making a move for Muteba could be seen as the Merseyside outfit trying to secure a replacement for Antonee Robinson, after the Milton Keynes-born, United States international joined Wigan Athletic on a three-year deal for an undisclosed fee in the summer (BBC).

Robinson had been a regular option for Everton in the Premier League 2 before joining Bolton Wanderers on loan in 2017 and later Wigan (TransferMarkt), but the Merseyside outfit are now without a wealth of emerging talent in the left-back role with Matty Foulds the only recognised option for David Unsworth.

Muteba is a natural right-back, but dabbled between the wide defensive positions during the 2018/19 season, with seven of his appearances coming at left-back (TransferMarkt).

Do Everton need to look at new defensive signings? Let us know by commenting below…

After the success of Vincent Kompany’s testimonial match last night, which saw a team of Manchester City legends take on an all-star Premier League XI at the Etihad, many Chelsea fans are calling for their former captain, John Terry, to have one at Stamford Bridge.

The likes of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Ashley Cole and Mikel Arteta all featured for the Premier League legends last night, as they drew 2-2 with a City side which included current stars David Silva and Sergio Aguero for the opening 25 minutes.

Robin van Persie’s stunning second-half strike stole the headlines, as the Dutchman rolled back the years by curling a perfect shot past ex-City shot-stopper Joe Hart just after the interval. The game finished level, though, after Benjani’s last-minute equaliser.

Watching on at home, Chelsea legend John Terry posted a picture of his TV screen showing the game, alongside the caption: “Who thinks I should do a testimonial?”

Needless to say, Blues fans are all for the idea. Here’s how some reacted on Twitter:

Chelsea fans, do you think JT deserves a testimonial? Let us know by commenting below!

The youngster showed a great attitude in his post as he was quick to praise the team and the fans despite the fact that he could have easily made it all about himself.

It remains to be seen how good Bellingham will become in the next few years, but his electric start for the Blues will have a number of supporters excited to see what’s next for the teenager.

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