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Leeds United will once again be without Kalvin Phillips ahead of their Premier League clash against Wolves on Saturday afternoon.

What’s the story?

The 25-year-old was not involved in the matchday squad against Southampton last time out amid an injury which forced him to pull out of Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the international break.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the match against Wolves today, Leeds manager Marcelo Bielsa said: “Kalvin is healthy, but he hasn’t competed for three weeks. If he played on Saturday it would be far too quick. After three weeks out, it’s necessary some more football training.

“And in this stage he’s done training sessions for recovery and physical preparation and progressive work with the ball. I think that to think of him for Saturday would be to bring him back too soon before he’s back at his best.”

Bielsa will be gutted

Make no mistake about it, no Phillips in this Leeds team makes them an absolute shadow of what they can be.

Including the two games that he has missed this season (against Southampton and the opening day at Manchester United), and the nine that he missed last year, the Whites have won just two matches and lost the other nine.

That speaks to a worrying level of reliance on the talismanic midfielder to control things in the engine room for the Whites, and his absence is a major loss of influence. For instance, his match average of 2.3 tackles is bettered only by defender Liam Cooper, which shows just how much bite Leeds lose when the England international isn’t in the midfield engine room.

Given the kind of rut in which Leeds find themselves, being without someone like Phillips is a hammer blow to Bielsa and is sure to leave the manager gutted that the 25-year-old won’t be able to make it for today’s game against a resurgent Wolves.

Meanwhile, Leeds must finally unleash this academy starlet…

Fabio Paratici has seemingly been given a green light to secure one of Tottenham Hotspur’s mooted transfer targets.

Earlier in the summer transfer window, the north London outfit were linked with a move for Lille midfielder Renato Sanches, with French publication le10sport reporting their ‘strong interest’ in his signature.

At the time, he was thought to be available for around €30m (£26m) due to the Ligue 1 club’s financial problems.

His form at Lille last season carried into Euro 2020, where he delivered a number of eye-catching performances, so it’s no wonder Spurs were one of several clubs who were keen on him.

And now, comments from Les Dogues president Olivier Letang have opened up the door for a team like Tottenham to strike.

“I have already discussed this with him. If an offer from a big club arrives, Renato will be able to leave. We will see what will happen,” he told BFM Lille ahead of the January transfer window (via FourFourTwo).

One of Nuno’s bigger problems since arriving in N17 has been finding the right balance in midfield. They are amongst the Premier League’s least creative teams, having averaged the fourth-lowest number of shots per game (10.9) and fifth-lowest expected goals (8.80 xG).

Furthermore, who knows if Tanguy Ndombele will kick up a fuss again, whilst the form of Dele Alli has been concerning and it’s widely believed that Harry Winks will seek a temporary exit in January, so there could certainly be a place up for grabs.

In fact, a swoop for Sanches could be one of the club’s very best moves in recent times, perhaps since the arrival of Heung-min Son.

The 24-year-old, valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, has been likened to Clarence Seedorf due to his box-to-box qualities, whilst he is said to have the ‘strength of a WWE heavyweight and the nimble feet of a ballet dancer,’ as per Bundesliga.com.

Sanches won the Golden Boy award in 2016 and has also been lauded as a “machine” by the press and as a “complete athlete” by the aforementioned Lille chief.

A two-time winner of the Bundesliga and last season’s Ligue 1 champion, the young Portugal international would have to be considered quite the coup given his trophy-laden record, praise and touted potential alone.

AND in other news, Forget Son: “Phenomenal” £36m-rated Spurs dynamo has been Nuno’s big saving grace…

Express & Star journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast that he would not be surprised if Aston Villa listened to offers for Anwar El Ghazi this summer.

El Ghazi started in Villa’s 3-2 defeat to Watford last weekend, but his future at Villa Park looks far from certain if reports are to be believed.

According to Football Insider, the Midlands club would accept a bid of £15-17m for the 26-year-old winger, with Jose Mourinho and AS Roma thought to be interested in his services.

Hatfield does not believe Villa are desperate to get rid of El Ghazi, though he can imagine a scenario where they accept an offer for the Dutchman before the transfer window closes. He told FFC:

“There are reports that Villa are open to selling El Ghazi. He’s been a really good servant for Villa.

“But in terms of a move, it wouldn’t surprise me if Villa were happy to listen to offers. But in the same respect, I don’t think they’re desperate to get rid of him. He offers cover that they need in the wide positions.”

El Ghazi certainly is a player worth keeping around the squad. Last season, the former Lille and Ajax star scored 10 goals in the Premier League, playing on both flanks under manager Dean Smith.

Pundit Alan Hutton has been reacting to Celtic’s interest in Tottenham winger Dilan Markanday, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Markanday links

Celtic already have Spurs defender Cameron Carter-Vickers on the books at Parkhead and have an option to make his loan move permanent.

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However, the Hoops have now been linked with a move for another Tottenham talent in Markanday. The Standard shared a story at the beginning of December claiming Celtic and Glasgow rivals Rangers are battling it out for the 20-year-old.

Markanday recently made his senior Tottenham debut and is also wanted by multiple Championship clubs, with his deal in north London set to expire in the summer.

The Latest: Hutton’s comments

Hutton, who regularly features on BBC Radio 5 Live, was talking to Football Insider regarding Markanday’s future and seemed to back a move to Celtic over rivals Rangers.

“The fact they’re in Europe, it will boil down how much playing time is he going to get.

“If he’s going to come up to Rangers, maybe sit on the bench and be a bit-part player, that’s not ideal. If he’s going to go to Celtic and play more minutes, it’s all about the player’s development.

“His plan is to come up, do well, play games to go back and be a Tottenham Hotspur player. It’s whatever’s going to suit him the best game-wise. That will be the team that he fits.

“If it’s a Championship team that is close to London, where he’s going to play week in, week out, that is better for his development.

“Better than maybe playing the odd European game for Rangers and Celtic and sitting on the bench. It’s all really going to depend on game time.”

The Verdict: Shrewd move?

Markanday is clearly highly-rated across the country with a number of sides interested and Tottenham keen for him to sign a new deal, so a Celtic swoop could turn out to be a shrewd one in the long run.

Ange Postecoglou does have six wingers on the books at Parkhead at this moment in time, but should Karamoko Dembele move on when his contract expires in the summer, he could come in to replace the 18-year-old.

Markanday would provide Postecoglou with an option on the left, right or in an attacking midfield role, and his versatility may appeal to the Hoops, who could launch a pre-contract agreement swoop in the New Year, should his situation remain the same.

In other news: Print newspaper claims European giants are willing to sell ‘explosive’ star to Celtic in January. 

Celtic have been name-checked with an interest in Fenerbahce winger Bright Osayi-Samuel by Turkish outlet Fanatik.

The Lowdown: Osayi-Samuel profiled

Osayi-Samuel only joined Fenerbahce in January from Queens Park Rangers and is under contract with the Turkish giants until 2025.

The 23-year-old, who has netted 19 times during his career, has struggled with his current employers. He has scored just one goal and registered a single assist in his 19 games for the club.

Described as ‘dangerous’ by QPR manager Mark Warburton last year, the Nigerian can play anywhere across the front three, with his main position coming on the right wing.

The Latest: Fenerbahce future

Fanatik shared a story on Osayi-Samuel on Tuesday morning. Within their report, they claimed that Fenerbahce are waiting for an offer for the winger, with both Celtic and Rangers credited with an interest.

A fee of €3m (£2.5m) is touted and it seems that Fenerbahce are willing to sell by evaluating any offers they receive, with Osayi-Samuel struggling to adapt to Vítor Pereira’s new system.

The Verdict: A gamble

Osayi-Samuel hasn’t had the best of years, so bringing him to Celtic Park could be a gamble. However, you’d expect that the Hoops would have looked into his career, and if he can get back to the form of the 2019/20 season, a £2.5m deal could be a steal.

He was involved in 14 Championship goals for QPR in that campaign and picked up two club accolades as a result.

Osayi-Samuel is still just 23 years of age and already has more than 200 senior appearances under his belt, so if Ange Postecoglou can get the best out of him, a £2.5m move would be seen as a great piece of business from Celtic in the long run.

In other news: Celtic now ‘in talks’ for ‘really, really good’ 6ft 3 ace; may cost ‘significant’ fee. 

Liverpool will not be looking to return for loanee Ozan Kabak on a permanent deal, as relayed by respected The Athletic journalist James Pearce on Twitter.

Moving into 2021/22, many Reds supporters will be intrigued to see how Jurgen Klopp will rejuvenate his side as they look to improve upon their third placed finish last campaign.

Kabak was signed on loan from Schalke in the second half of 2020/21 [Sky Sports].

The Turkey international went on to feature 13 times for the Merseyside giants [Transfermarkt]. Initially, Klopp was rumoured to be impressed by his performances and willing to trigger an option to buy clause structured into the loan deal of around £18 million [90Min].

However, any chance of this deal coming to fruition now look to be dead in the water.

Communicating with his Twitter followers, Pearce was candid in his response to a fan regarding Kabak’s future, stating: “No. That ship has sailed.”

In light of this news, no wonder loads of Liverpool diehards took to Twitter to vent their frustration over these recent developments.

Liverpool fans react:

Replying to Pearce’s Twitter post, here is how some Reds fans summarized their feelings on the Kabak situation, as one supporter lamented ‘bad news Pearce’…

“Day ruined cheers james”

Credit: @DylanBirks8″So we’re selling Nat and not bringing Kabak in? Ludicrous.”Credit: @The Virgil Effect”Bad news Pearce is back”Credit: @Sarrvish”So what you’re saying James is that since we’re not keeping Kabak and are possibly selling Phillips, we are going into next season with VVD and Gomez (who may not even be fit by August), Matip (unreliable) and Konate who has never played for us. That’s madness”Credit: @klopponation”So after last season we’re going to go into next season with less CB’s?”Credit: @LFC_000″Again negative news for LFC supporters”Credit: @Archi67293247″You’ve just broke me”Credit: @jonah_s10In other news, Liverpool fans react to a potential Anfield exit.

Sky Sports pundit Kevin Phillips is adamant that Celtic have suffered a “massive blow” following the injury sustained by Kyogo Furuhashi on international duty with Japan.

The Lowdown: Furuhashi has made a stellar start to his Parkhead career

Making a superb start to life at Parkhead, the 26-year-old has swiftly become a key player for the Hoops, registering eight goal contributions in nine appearances with seven goals and one assist [Transfermarkt].

However, he now looks set to be sidelined for up to a month with a knee injury following an international clash against China, as confirmed by Hoops manager Ange Postecoglou [BBC].

The Latest: Phillips bemoans ‘awful’ injury sustained by Furuhashi

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, Phillips bemoaned the Japanese international’s injury, stating: “It’s not ideal for anyone”.

He then added: “That’s the risk when you have international players. It’s a massive blow but you plan for things like this.

“It’s an opportunity for someone to come in and perform and they do have a new striker there.

“I hate to say it but it’s always an opportunity, it’s awful for him, the injured player, but it’s true.

“He’s been excellent for them and I’m sure he’ll be back in the side once he’s fit”.

The Verdict: Postecoglou will hope Furuhashi returns soon

After losing one of their most influential players in an important block of fixtures as the Europa League group stage gets underway, Phillips rightly believes that the news will come as a massive source of frustration to Furuhashi and everyone at Celtic.

However, the former England striker also correctly states that there will be opportunities for those on the fringes to step into the void, something that Swiss striker Albian Ajeti has tapped into following his brace against Ross County last weekend [BBC].

Nevertheless, Furuhashi has been an hugely potent threat in his time at Parkhead so far, scoring once every 79 minutes [Footy Stats].

He has also wowed supporters with his pressing ability, anticipation and his pinpoint utilisation of the ball. Looking ahead, Ange Postecoglou will hope that his summer signing will be back to firing on all cylinders as soon as possible.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has given an update on the fitness of another Celtic summer signing.

Leicester City may face a battle to keep Youri Tielemans at the club next summer after multiple European heavyweights were linked with a move for the highly-rated 24-year-old.

What’s the story?

The Belgium international was heavily linked with an exit from the King Power Stadium in the most recent transfer window, although no formal offer came in for his services.

However, with his current contract set to expire in just two years’ time, rumours continue to circulate regarding Tielemans’ future, and well-known journalist Fabrizio Romano has provided an update on his situation.

“Behind the scenes, many clubs wanted to sign Youri Tielemans this summer,” Romano said on his YouTube channel (as relayed by the Leicester Mercury). “They wanted to keep this player. He was also thinking about his future, and he decided to stay.”

“The next big battle in the transfer market next summer will be for this guy. I think this summer was really complicated for him to move because, after the Euros, his price was around £60m to £65m.

“Many top clubs were not able to approach Tielemans because the cost of the deal was really complicated. But next summer, Youri Tielemans will be one to watch.

“I am told that he is on many top clubs’ list. Real Madrid have his name in mind for the future, Barcelona the same. In England many clubs are interested. Manchester United have to decide on Paul Pogba, but Tielemans is one to watch for the future for Manchester United.

“Leicester are very good in their strategy. They said no over James Maddison and said no for Tielemans. They always protect their best players. It will not be easy to sign him because Leicester will put a big price on this player.”

Leicester City fans will be worried

The Belgium international has established himself as one of the Premier League’s most promising young talents since making his initial six-month loan move from Monaco permanent back in July 2019.

In 112 appearances for Brendan Rodgers’ charges, Tielemans has scored 18 goals and laid on a further 19 assists, and played a pivotal part in Leicester’s maiden FA Cup success last season, scoring the winning goal against Chelsea at Wembley Stadium.

Therefore, the club’s supporters are likely to be very worried about this latest revelation. The technically gifted midfielder has played a pivotal part in the Midlands outfit’s recent success, and his departure would be a significant setback in their push for further honours.

And, in other news…8 duels won, 3 key passes: Leicester gem leads the way with superb August

Emiliano Buendia’s priority is to join Arsenal over Aston Villa, according to journalist Ekrem Konur.

The Lowdown: Big money bids submitted

Both Villa and the Gunners appear to be battling it out for the Norwich City star, with the Argentine seemingly certain to leave Carrow Road this summer.

Recent reports from The Sun suggested that both clubs have submitted bids worth £30m-plus, however, the Canaries are holding out for a bidding war between the two sides which could take a deal closer to £40m.

Of course, Buendia will have a say on his next destination, and his preference has now been shared.

The Latest: Buendia fancies Arsenal move

According to Konur, both clubs have lodged formal bids for the 24-year-old.

He ended his social media post with a huge blow to Villa’s chances of securing Buendia’s services though, confirming ‘the player’s priority is Arsenal’.

The Verdict: Time for Villa to look elsewhere?

If Villa are aware of Buendia’s preferred switch to north London, we feel they should be making checks with alternative options.

One man who they may well turn to is West Brom’s Matheus Pereira.

Reports have suggested the Baggies have told the Brazilian he can leave the club this summer for the right price believed to be in the region of £15m.

Villa don’t rate Pereira as highly as Buendia, however, for half the price, the Baggies man could be a smart signing, especially considering he chipped in with 11 goals and six assists in a struggling West Brom side last season.

In other news: Many AVFC fans fume as links to striker emerge, find out more here. 

Leeds United are ‘stepping up their interest’ in colossal FC Koln defender Timo Hubers, according to Football Insider.

The Lowdown: Leeds links

The Whites are thought to be planning a defensive overhaul this summer ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge after conceding 68 times in 32 Premier League games.

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Robin Koch has been linked with an Elland Road departure, while Hubers has been name-checked as a potential target.

Leeds are one of five Premier League sides who are thought to be tracking the 25-year-old, who is at the top of his game with a career-high £2.7m Transfermarkt valuation, and it looks as if Victor Orta and co are increasing their interest.

The Latest: Source shares update

FI shared a story on Sunday morning regarding Leeds and Hubers after being informed by a recruitment source.

They claimed that Leeds officials watched the 6ft 3 defender in action for Koln on Saturday, scouting who Hubers has a £6.3m release clause in his current deal.

The Verdict: Whites possibly left impressed

Hubers actually scored an own goal in a 3-1 win for Koln, however, as per SofaScore, he was the best-rated defender on the pitch.

The German, labelled as an ‘exemplary’ professional by Hannover 96’s sporting director Gerhard Zuber, won seven duels, made five clearances, three interceptions and blocked two shots.

He also had more touches than any other player on the pitch, so Leeds scouts could have left Germany impressed with Hubers ahead of a possible £6.3m summer swoop.

In other news: Phil Hay: Marsch now eyeing Leeds move for ‘quality’ rising star alongside Aaronson.