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Glen de la Clour has offered his thoughts on Southampton defender Kyle Walker-Peters’ current situation.

What’s the talk?

Southampton writer Glen de la Clour has expressed his concern at the lack of game time for right-back Kyle Walker-Peters in the Premier League this season.

He told the Total Saints podcast, via This is Futbol:

“I think Kyle Walker-Peters is ridiculously unlucky not to be playing. I do find it a bit of a worry. I mean, I heard a story not so long ago that Everton were sniffing around him on the last day of the transfer window.

“And if I was him, I’d be really fed up. And it’s just a case of how patient he is likely to be. Obviously, you can’t really do anything into January, if you’re really fed up.

“But yeah, it’s an interesting one, because he has basically been left out having done absolutely nothing wrong whatsoever.”

Fans would be livid

Ralph Hasenhuttl needs to handle this situation with care to avoid making a major blunder ahead of the January transfer window. As de la Clour explained, Walker-Peters could end up becoming restless and potentially keen to leave the club if he continues to be a substitute in the Premier League behind Tino Livramento and that could cause issues ahead of the market opening up again in a few months, which would leave fans livid.

Livramento joined the club from Chelsea in the summer and the teenager has started all four Premier League matches at right-back. He has averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.69, making 3.3 tackles and interceptions along with one key pass per game.

Walker-Peters, meanwhile, has started one league match and it came as a left-back in place of Romain Perraud, which is a role he was also deployed in for the League Cup win against Newport County. Last season, however, the ex-Spurs defender averaged an impressive WhoScored rating of 6.84 in 30 Premier League starts, making 4.1 tackles and interceptions along with 0.5 key passes per game.

Hasenhuttl hailed Walker-Peters’ intense style of play upon his arrival at the club last year.

The Austrian said: “He is a very good fit for our style. He is a young, intelligent player, and he is very good on the ball, with good quickness and an ability to play this intense style that we like.

“I am very pleased we have been able to bring him back as our player, as this is a position that we have been looking to improve in and Kyle does this for us. I think he can develop his game even more here too.”

This shows that Walker-Peter plays the way Hasenhuttl wants his right-back to play and the statistics suggest that he has, in the past, performed to a higher standard in the Premier League than Livramento. Therefore, he could be within his rights to be frustrated at a lack of action.

The 24-year-old could then get itchy feet and consider a move, which would leave fans furious as he has proven himself to be a solid operator at this level. He has shown his quality in the top-flight and fans will want to see Hasenhuttl share the game time between the pair in the coming months to ensure that everyone is happy with the situation.

AND in other news, £34k-p/w gem’s value has risen 143% since Southampton exit, Ralph made a huge mistake…

Wolves reportedly tried to sign Rafael Leao in the summer transfer window, but a deal never materialised in the end.

The Lowdown: Leao impresses

Leao put in a very impressive display for AC Milan in their 2-0 home win over Lazio in the Serie A on Sunday evening.

The striker opened the scoring shortly before the first-half whistle, while also winning three of his duels and recording two successful dribbles, one key pass and one accurate cross in the game (Sofascore).

The Latest: Wolves interest

As per Calciomercato, the Midlands club were one of a number of teams that tried to sign Leao in the summer.

Everton, Marseille and Borussia Dortmund also failed with their attempts, and is not clear whether their interest will be revisited in Janaury.

The Verdict: Try again

Even though the Molineux faithful have now brought in Hwang Hee-chan from RB Leipzig, he is only on loan for the time being, and so Leao could be a great alternative to sign on a permanent deal.

Once likened to both Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe, the £22.5m-rated ace clearly has a lot of promise at just 22 years of age, and has gotten off to a good start this season.

Described as a ‘game breaker’ by Calciomercato, Leao would help ease the burden off of Raul Jimenez up top, and being Portuguese, could work well with Bruno Lage.

Nonetheless, signing him would certainly feel like smart business by WWFC.

In other news, find out what news has Wanderers buzzing here!

Leeds United take on Fulham in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night hoping to get back to winning ways after a tough run of results in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side head into tonight’s contest at Craven Cottage off the back of an enthralling 1-1 draw against Newcastle United last Friday, and the Whites boss will have to deal with some major injury issues against the Cottagers.

That could see a number of fringe players being given their chance to shine, while a couple of academy starlets will no doubt be banging on the door to make a rare appearance too.

And with that in mind, below is a look at how Leeds might line up when they make the trip down to London to face Fulham in the Carabao Cup.

In goal, Illan Meslier is likely to keep his place especially with there being numerous injuries to the defence in front of him.

The likes of Diego Llorente, Robin Koch and Luke Ayling will all be missing through injury, while Pascal Struijk will serve the second of his three-game suspension for his challenge on Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott a couple of weeks ago.

That could see 19-year-old Charlie Cresswell come into the side to make only his second appearance for the seniors, partnering club captain Liam Cooper at the back.

Speaking after signing his new contract earlier in the summer, Crewsswell himself said: “I’m confident, I’m a leader, I like to play and I like to head it! There’s lots of players in the first team that I look up to, the likes of Coops, Bill, they lead by example and that is what I want to try and follow.”

Dubbed a “dying breed” for his leadership and communication skills at the back, Leeds U23’s boss Mark Jackson added: “Charlie’s got that, he understands how to lead and we’ve been working with him a long time, in the academy even, when he first broke through in the 18s as a 16-year-old, (working) on his leadership skills.

“Even on the bench in the second half, he’s still talking behind me so that’s a positive because you don’t find many of them these days and we’ve got to try and embrace that, he’s got to try embrace it and develop it as well – and that’s a real positive within his game.”

Further forward, the likes of Jamie Shackleton and Adam Forshaw could make rare appearances in the first-team, with the latter of course having only recently come back from a very long-term injury.

Crysencio Summerville could get the nod out wide with Dan James on the other side, while Tyler Roberts could come in up front to allow Patrick Bamford to sit out and recuperate.

Predicted XI: Meslier; Dallas, Cresswell, Cooper, Firpo; Forshaw, Shackleton, Klich; James, Summerville, Roberts.

Meanwhile, Bielsa must unleash this Leeds star tonight vs Fulham…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Sky Sports journalist Michael Bridge has shared his belief of when Tottenham Hotspur could potentially sack under-fire boss Nuno Espirito Santo.

The Lowdown: Nuno in trouble?

After a terrible Premier League run of three big losses in his last three matches, humiliated by a trio of Tottenham’s London rivals in that time, the pressure is already well and truly on Nuno early in the season.

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Despite a fine start to life at Spurs, even being named the English top flight’s manager of the month for August, reports have now come out of unrest among the Lilywhites squad, with comparisons even made to predecessor Jose Mourinho (The Independent).

Bridge has now shared his personal belief of when Tottenham could potentially axe the 47-year-old.

The Latest: Bridge drops Nuno sack belief…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the reporter, knowing chairman Daniel Levy like he does, believes that Nuno could even go if the Lilywhites lose to Aston Villa on Sunday.

“I was talking to my colleague Dharmesh Sheth and I just said I think he’ll go if they lose to Villa and he went ‘you’re mad’. I’m not because it’s not just the defeats, they’re really bad defeats and they’re embarrassing,” the journalist explained.

“The stats, possession and everything – they’re bottom of everything. How can you be bottom of everything? They’re below Norwich in expected shots. It’s terrible.

“I just think maybe, knowing Levy like we do, he might have thought it’s a two-year deal, it’ll cost a couple of million but it hasn’t worked, I’ve got an idea.”

The Verdict: Too soon?

Little over six weeks since his Spurs side beat Premier League champions Manchester City on the opening day, few could have predicted the Portuguese to be in this position already.

Having worked wonders at former club Wolves, guiding them to successive seventh-placed finishes after their promotion from the Championship, the 47-year-old needs more backing at Tottenham despite not being the club’s first choice for the role.

It is far too early to start talking about replacements, not to mention that, going by Spurs’ last long and drawn-out managerial search, there is hardly an abundance of options waiting to jump in Nuno’s shoes.

In other news: Talks ongoing: N17 source leaks Spurs development as news emerges on ‘priority’ for Levy, find out more here.

Southampton have not had a particularly good start to their 2021/22 Premier League campaign, with four draws and three defeats in their opening seven games.

One player who has yet to get his season up and running for the Saints and who Ralph Hasenhuttl should be putting in his starting XI to face Leeds United in their next Premier League match is Stuart Armstrong.

On the chalkboard

Having returned to team training prior to Southampton’s previous Premier League game against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge after struggling with a calf muscle issue, we feel that the Scotland international should be in the starting XI to face Marcelo Bielsa’s side next week if he is fit enough to feature for his first match of this season.

Southampton signed Armstrong back in the 2018 summer transfer window from Celtic on a four-year deal for a fee of £7m.

Since then, the 29-year-old – who is currently earning a weekly wage of £50k-per-week according to Spotrac – has made 104 appearances for the Saints across all competitions, in which he has managed to score 14 goals and provide 11 assists.

Last season saw Armstrong, who was once labelled as a “role model” by Hasenhuttl, score four goals and provide five assists in the Premier League, ultimately earning him an overall season rating of 6.82/10, making him Southampton’s sixth-highest rated player according to WhoScored.

Looking ahead to the Leeds clash, we feel that he should definitely be in Hasenhuttl’s starting XI if he’s fit enough to play. He could even provide the team with a suitable replacement for James Ward-Prowse, who was given a red card in the Chelsea game, resulting in him being given a three-match ban.

Only three players contributed to more goals for the Saints last season. One is the suspended club captain and another is Danny Ings, who is no longer at St Mary’s. Therefore, the Austrian manager would certainly be wise to call upon the Scotland international to provide a cutting edge in the final third.

If Armstrong does play a part in the Leeds game and has a positive impact on the team in terms of contributing to a goal, we feel that he could potentially be the player to keep Southampton away from the relegation zone and save their season – if he is trusted to play regularly throughout the rest of the campaign and can match or exceed his 2020/21 goal contributions return.

Nonetheless, whether or not he plays a part against the Whites, we feel that this could still be a great opportunity for Southampton to grab their first league win of the season considering that Marcelo Bielsa’s team have also had a difficult start to their campaign.

In other news: Ralph could solve big Southampton issue with £12m “special talent”, fans would love it – opinion

Adama Traore’s ‘next adventure could be at Liverpool’, according to a report from elnacional.cat. 

Jurgen Klopp, a keen admirer of the Spain winger, is said to be waiting at Anfield ‘with open arms’ ahead of the January transfer window. Traore, for his part, feels he would be well-suited to the Reds’ style of football and ‘would not say no’ to an offer from the six-times European champions.

Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, who are of course managed by former Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, are also said to be interested in the 25-year-old, who is renowned for his pace and power but has a less than stellar scoring return.

A long-term Liverpool target?

This isn’t the first time Traore has been linked with a move to Merseyside. Back in August, 90min reported that he was on Liverpool’s shortlist as they looked to sign another forward option before the end of the transfer window.

No such move materialised, so perhaps it’s still a priority for the side currently second in the Premier League.

Fan feed LFC Transfer Room relayed the report, and here’s what supporters made of it, with one complaining that Traore’s finishing is worse than that of former Reds winger Raheem Sterling, who has been maligned over that particular attribute.

“The guy can’t even get into the first team of Wolves, he might know how to run fast, and have big muscles but he doesn’t do much else it feels! I don’t see this as a good move for LFC.”

Credit: @Viral_Advocates

“I’m assuming they haven’t seen his final ball”

Credit: @claydencows

“hope not, not a big fan his, dangerous but finishing worse than Sterling’s”

Credit: @lfc_lew_08

“Hell no. It is just a bulk fast version of Ox, one without football brain can never be top.”

Credit: @Ericccccccc2

“Quality dribbler but we need end product so no thanks”

Credit: @SznKonate

“We don’t need someone who can’t do anything besides run fast”

Credit: @the_czar_

In other news, many LFC fans were delighted with this contract development

Manchester United striker Cristiano Ronaldo bagged his 58th career hat-trick as Portugal thrashed Luxembourg 5-0 in their World Cup qualifying encounter.

It was the 36-year-old’s tenth treble for his country and left Fernando Santos’ charges sitting in second position in Group A, a point behind Serbia, who they host in their final game.

Ronaldo got his first of the night after just eight minutes when he blasted a penalty straight down the middle of the goal and got his second soon after.

After Bernardo Silva’s mazy run won the first spot-kick, it was Ronaldo’s that earned the second, and he made no mistake from 18 yards, finding the bottom corner of the net after being forced to retake the effort due to encroachment.

His hat-trick was complete three minutes from time after nodding home a delightful Ruben Neves cross from close range, wrapping up a satisfying night’s work for Portugal.

As a result of his impressive exploits at the Estadio Algarve, Ronaldo was awarded a match rating of 9 out of 10 by SofaScore, the highest total awarded to any player on the pitch.

During the 90 minutes, the United monster had a whopping five shots on target, provided two key passes to his teammates and achieved a passing accuracy of 92%.

Ronaldo also created one big chance, lost possession just five times and won four duels, highlighting his overall influence over proceedings.

With the Red Devils currently winless in their last two Premier League outings and facing a tricky trip to Leicester City over the weekend, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will be hoping his star performer is in similar form on Saturday.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has bagged five goals in his six outings for the Old Trafford side in the opening weeks of the campaign, and he’ll be hoping to add to that against the Foxes.

And, in other news…Signed for £46.5m, now worth £81m: Man Utd struck gold over “quality” £180k-p/w beast 

Newcastle talks with former Roma manager Paulo Fonseca are ‘ongoing’, with The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope leaking an update from his sources on Wednesday.

The Lowdown: Newcastle on the hunt

The Magpies have been linked with no end of exciting possible appointments since Steve Bruce’s departure was confirmed this week, with names like Wayne Rooney, Steven Gerrard and even multiple domestic league-winner Antonio Conte thrown about.

Of course, Graeme Jones is in temporary charge of the side while the new owners from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia sort through the endless list of possibilities, and it appears one man who could well be a front-runner is Fonseca.

The Latest: Fonseca talks ongoing

According to Hope, “talks with Paulo Fonseca are ‘ongoing’ & sources say he is interested in taking over at NUFC”, but The Daily Mail reporter stresses that it is not a done deal.

He claims discussions about the 48 year-old have been taking place since even before Bruce’s departure was confirmed, although there are still plenty of “different opinions of who is next from within the consortium”.

The verdict: Perfect fit

With names like Gerrard and Rooney perhaps too inexperienced to take on the task on Tyneside and the likes of Conte possibly too ambitious, Fonseca seems like the perfect middle ground.

Known for his tactical flexibility (via AS Roma – official), he has impressed with the likes of Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk, winning a whopping 2.37 points per game in 139 matches with the latter.

During his time in Italy, Henrikh Mkhitaryan even compared him to now Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, saying the coaches are ‘similar’, while the former Manchester United attacker also highlighted his aforementioned adaptability (Football London).

Alessandro Florenzi, who played under Fonseca at Roma, hailed the Portuguese tactician as ‘one of the greatest coaches’ in football, and we feel he could be the perfect man to lead Newcastle into a new era.

In other news, the Magpies have already set their sights on a goalkeeper signing for January…

With an average squad age of 27.3, Manchester City have the eight-oldest squad in the Premier League at this moment in time, with 36-year-old Fernandinho being the joint-oldest player alongside goalkeeper Scott Carson, who is the same age as the Brazilian.

Taking this into account, and with the midfielder’s current contract at the Manchester club set to expire next summer, it seems as though the Premier League champions should be thinking about his eventual exit and who they could get to replace him.

However, we think that the club may not need to go out and spend a significant amount of money on a new player, as they have done in the past, to replace Fernandinho, and instead turn to 17-year-old defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.

The teenager joined City’s under-18 side back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Belgian club Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the midfielder – who has been described as an “aggressive” player by former City defender Vincent Kompany – has made 14 appearances for the under-18 side, as well as 25 appearances for City’s under-23s in which he has managed to score two goals and provide three assists, which we feel is quite impressive for a defensive midfielder at such a young age.

Lavia, who is currently valued at £900k by Transfermarkt, has also made one appearance for Guardiola’s first team in the 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup last month, where he played the full 90 minutes.

For his performance against Wycombe, Lavia earned himself a decent overall match rating of 7/10 from the Manchester Evening News, who said that he “clearly likes a tackle, and his passes over the top and through the lines were Fernandinho-esque”. That further highlights him as a potential ideal long-term replacement for the Brazilian at the Etihad Stadium, if the veteran leaves when his current contract ends in the summer.

Moving forward, if Lavia can keep playing regularly for the under-23 side and make the most of any future chances that he gets in the first team, we believe he could well find himself becoming a significant part of Guardiola’s squad in the coming years.

In other news: 95% pass accuracy, 91 touches: £140k-p/w MCFC ace was Pep’s only shining light against West Ham

John Hartson has issued a warning to Celtic regarding the permanent transfer of Jota ahead of the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In recent comments cited by the Daily Record, the former Celtic striker stated his belief that Michael Nicholson and his transfer team at Parkhead must look to secure the €7.5m (£6.5m) permanent signing of the Benfica loanee prior to the opening of the winter window, as a number of Europe’s leading clubs could be plotting a swoop for the 22-year-old.

Speaking about the situation of the Portugal under-21 international, Hartson said: “You do it now, you do it now. In January, you do it. He’s made a great impact and although Celtic have first refusal it doesn’t mean you get him over the line.

“They have an option to get him, but his agent and Jota will have the decision whether it will be Celtic or not. You don’t want Jota to be on 20 goals by February and then a Bayern Munich come in and say to his agent ‘we’ll give you £10m if you get him to us.’

“That could happen – a Bayern Munich or a PSG might come in and say, ‘we want this kid, he’s 22, he’s lit the place up at Celtic, he looks dynamite.’ I would recommend Celtic to it as swiftly as they can because he is a very special player.”

Nicholson must act

It is easy to understand Hartson’s concern regarding the future of Jota, as the winger has already proven to be a remarkable addition to Ange Postecoglou’s first team squad since his arrival on loan back in August.

Indeed, over his nine Premiership appearances so far this season, the £3.15m-rated forward has scored four goals, provided four assists and created two big chances for his teammates, as well as taking 2.9 shots and making 1.4 key passes per game.

These metrics have seen the man who Postecoglou dubbed an “unbelievable” player average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.40, ranking the winger as the eighth-best performer in the Scottish top flight.

The £7.1k-per-week 22-year-old has also hugely impressed over his four Europa League games for Celtic, bagging one goal, registering two assists and creating four big chances for his teammates – returns which have seen him average an even more astonishing SofaScore match rating of 7.55 in Europe.

As such, it would indeed seem advisable for Nicholson to tie up the winger’s permanent switch to Parkhead at the earliest possible opportunity, as Jota’s performances will more than likely be attracting a significant amount of attention, just as Hartson suggests.

In other news: Celtic could land Ange’s dream deal with 19 y/o sensation who “nothing seems to faze”