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Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita has been linked with a shock summer move to Leicester City, with Brendan Rodgers eyeing him up.

The Guinean arrived at Anfield to much excitement back in the summer of 2018, having actually signed from RB Leipzig the previous year.

Keita’s Liverpool career has been a curious one to date, however, with good performances thrown in, but injuries affecting his progress and his impact not as great as many expected.

The 26-year-old has been limited to just seven Premier League starts in 2020/21, again highlighting his lack of playing time.

Keita linked with Liverpool exit

According to Football Insider, Leicester are ‘keeping tabs’ on Keita, with Rodgers described as a ‘big admirer’ of the Liverpool man.

There is no indication that the Reds are willing to move him on at the end of the season, however, so the Foxes’ efforts may be in vain.

Transfer Tavern take

It would be a big surprise if Klopp allowed Keita to leave in the summer, even though he clearly hasn’t yet exploded in a Liverpool shirt. He has been described as ‘world class’ by Virgil van Dijk, which speaks volumes.

With Gini Wijnaldum potentially moving on, more opportunities could come his way moving forward, and he has been perfectly effective, when fit.

Keita needs to go up a level if he is to avoid being seen as a disappointing signing, but at 26, he still has time on his side and is a player with huge amounts of quality.

In other news, Jurgen Klopp has hinted at a key selection ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash with Real Madrid. Read more about it here.

The future of Roy Hodgson at Crystal Palace remains shrouded in mystery.

His current Selhurst Park contract expires at the end of the 2020/21 season, and a few names who could serve as his replacement have already come into the public eye.

However, having never suggested that a decision upon has been made, instead preferring to deflect attention around his future, the 73-year-old recently implied that an agreement had been reached, albeit not revealing what the final result will be.

In his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Leicester on Monday, Hodgson said that he will keep specific news about his decision “until a later date”.

Either way, whether that be the former England boss departing after three-and-a-half-years or indeed penning a new deal, it now allows Palace to get their planning for next season underway in what will be a big boost to their chances of success.

Should Hodgson indeed remain in charge, it will allow Steve Parish to now start compiling a list of transfer targets that could fit into his style of play.

Meanwhile, should he stay, it will also be big positive considering that he is a manager that has kept Palace comfortably away from relegation to the Championship since arriving at Selhurst Park.

However, if Hodgson is departing at the end of this season, this allows a smooth transition to begin immediately from the current Palace boss to whoever the club choose to appoint as his successor.

Put simply, it allows the Londoners to escape from the current limbo that they find themselves in and would certainly trigger more extensive planning ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

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So, whilst Hodgson’s decision may yet be a secret from supporters, the fact that a potential agreement has been made is a huge boost for Palace’s future plans. It should go down as good news for Simon Parish and the fans too heading into the new season.

AND in more news, read about even more positives that the club have received ahead of their trip to Leicester…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, Rob Lee, who made 280 Premier League appearances, believes Anthony Martial has a problem with himself if he can’t get motivated to play for Manchester United.

It has been reported by EuroSport that Man United are ready to sell Martial, who reportedly earns £250,000-a-week, as they eye up a squad reshuffle ready to challenge Manchester City next season.

Since he arrived as the most expensive teenager in history, Martial has featured 258 times for Manchester United, scoring 78 goals and registering 49 assists in that time, however Lee believes Martial may have an attitude problem as he never seems bothered when playing.

Speaking on Martial’s future at Man United and why the Red Devils should look to cash in on the 25-year old, Lee told FFC exclusively:

“Martial has just been an enigma. He’s got all the talent in the world but he just looks like he can’t be bothered.

“If he can’t be bothered playing for Man United, then I think you’ve got something wrong with you.”

It’s been a difficult season for Martial who has found himself playing all across the front line with very limited success in each position.

The French international has found the net just seven times in 36 games and has only scored four goals in the Premier League this campaign.

David Moyes can land his next Marko Arnautovic by launching a bid to bring Besiktas striker Cyle Larin to West Ham United in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Sabah, the Hammers are preparing to revisit Vodafone Park at the end of the season after seeing an offer for Larin turned down during the recent winter market.

It is thought that the Irons presented a €10m (£8.5m) bid for the 25-year-old amid their search for Sebastien Haller’s replacement, but were denied as Larin wished to remain with the Black Eagles until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Larin will look to secure a move away from the Super Lig once the season draws to a close, with Sergen Yalcin’s side currently second in the standings on goal difference to leaders and Istanbul-based rivals Galatasaray.

Besiktas are not planning on standing in Larin’s way by demanding a vast sum for their Canada international, who has 13 goals and three assists in 25 top-flight outings this term, with club President Ahmet Nur Cebi expected to request just €15m (£13m) to strike a deal.

But West Ham may not be alone this summer in pursuing the 31-cap forward, regarded as one of the Black Eagles’ greatest weapons, as West Bromwich Albion are also noted to have submitted an important offer during the winter market.

Should West Ham sign Larin?

West Ham will have to hit the market in the summer striving to sign a new striker to fill the void left by Haller joining AFC Ajax, and landing Larin could see the London Stadium natives hand Moyes a versatile and lethal weapon.

The Ontario-born attacker has found the back of the net across the Besiktas front line this season, with five goals and two assists from 15 outings on the left-wing, six goals and one assist in five games from the right-flank and two goals in five games when played centrally.

His ability to offer the final touch from any forward role, along with his stature at 6 ft 2, could see Larin prove to be Moyes’ next Arnautovic, after the Scottish coach hinted in December that he would like to find another option of the Austrian’s calibre.

Moyes also managed to get the best out of Arnautovic once he moved the forward into a central role at West Ham, and given the backing to cause opponents issues at a time when supporters were not clamouring over their former club-record £20m signing.

“He was always someone who you knew had the ability to go past you. But it was always not that often and it was maybe when he wanted to at different times. But I think when he became more of a central striker, he flourished in it,” Moyes said on BBC 5 Live Sport back in January 2019.

“There was a period, when I took over, the supporters at West Ham weren’t having Marko at all. He was a big signing, spent big money on him. He’s got that in him. He’s been at big clubs himself, Marko. But it was simply to say: ‘Nobody’s liking you at the moment, why don’t you run about, Marko? And people will maybe change their mind.’

“He’s got real power and pace, he can receive the ball, he can beat people. He could easily play for Chelsea because of the way he can take the ball and his link-up. He actually fancies himself as a player, he thinks he’s a big-time player.”

Larin could offer West Ham a similar attacking threat to 6 ft 2 Arnautovic if signed and at just £13m, he could prove to be a bargain.

AND in other news, West Ham are monitoring an “outstanding” £18.5m titan praised by Jurgen Klopp…

Kris Commons believes Glasgow Rangers’ Nathan Patterson could solve Steve Clarke’s Scotland right-back problem.

Commons back Patterson for Scotland call

With James Tavernier currently out injured, 19-year-old Patterson has started the last two Premiership matches against Livingston and St Mirren, while he also played the full 90 minutes in the Europa League against Slavia Prague (Transfermarkt).

Speaking to the Daily Mail (via Daily Record), Commons believes the teenager could offer Clarke a solution for what has been cited as a problem position for Scotland. He said:

“Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney. If only one of them could play right-back, eh?

“It’s been a running joke for years with Scotland that arguably our two best players happen to be left-backs.

“The right side of defence has been problematic. No one has made the jersey their own.

“Which is why I hope Nathan Patterson is named in Steve Clarke’s squad tomorrow. He has earned the chance.

“Let’s be honest, we’re not exactly blessed with an abundance of options at right-back. Why not bring Patterson in and at least get him used to being in that environment?

“He has been excellent for Rangers. His performance against Slavia Prague in Europe last week spoke of a growing maturity. He’s ready to step up.”

Too early

Patterson has stepped up in the absence of Tavernier. The Gers have conceded just one goal in the three matches he has started, and he has not looked out of place at all in a side which was crowned Premiership champions less than 10 days ago.

However, he still has just 10 appearances to his name in the professional game – it is far too early to suggest he should be called up to the Scotland squad. In the future, he seems quite likely to play for the Tartan Army based on his fledgling performances, but given he was recently caught to have broken lockdown regulations to attend a house gathering (Sky Sports), he still needs to mature.

Give him time to develop first before throwing him into the deep end at senior international level.

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.

It’s been a promising month for West Brom’s goalkeepers, as both Sam Johnstone and Josh Griffiths have been called up for their respective England squads.

The Baggies no.1 was an injury replacement for Jordan Pickford in Gareth Southgate’s latest squad, whilst the 19-year-old starlet has been named alongside Chelsea loanee Conor Gallagher for the U21 squad.

Both could lead a different path at the Hawthorns this summer.

Given Albion’s likely relegation to the Championship – only a shock turnaround will stop that from happening – the 27-year-old has been linked with several top-flight teams after a string of impressive performances between the sticks.

That has clearly culminated in international recognition.

Recent reports have surfaced linking Tottenham Hotspur with a move for the former Manchester United graduate ahead of the summer transfer window, as per The Sun.

Indeed, it will likely be hard for West Brom to keep hold of him.

Perhaps, then, his successor can be found in Griffiths.

The teenage glovesman has been impressing on-loan to League Two promotion hopefuls Cheltenham Town, undoubtedly helping them towards having the third-best defensive record in the division with 17 clean sheets in 35 starts.

Griffiths was only part of the Three Lions’ U19 set-up as recently as November so that only shows how quickly he has progressed this campaign.

Ex-Albion star Boaz Myhill, now development coach at the club, has spoken glowingly about the 19-year-old shot-stopper. He told BirminghamLive:

“One of his biggest strengths, not just that he’s a good player, is that he’s the kind of boy and man that people will do things for. Everybody likes Josh. It’s all credit to him that he’s having the season that he is,” before adding: “He’s got undoubted ability. I saw that when he was training with me as a player, when he was 16. He’s just continued to grow.”

It says a lot that he’s managed to push out a seasoned veteran in Scott Flinders, who has played over 550 times in his career and given the uncertainty between the sticks heading into the summer, Luke Dowling could save the club millions by pushing the manager to promote Griffiths next season.

He’s doing exactly what’s asked of him, and that’s all he can do for now. If Johnstone leaves, then the Baggies already have his long-term heir at the club.

AND in other news, West Brom must secure “dangerous” £6m-rated beast, he could be unstoppable next season…

Write off this Leeds team at your peril. If there was one message to take away from their win over Leicester on Sunday, it was that.

Last term, it was the threat of burnout that they had to eradicate and after three defeats to start 2021, alarm bells were being rung over their capabilities in the Premier League.

However, they put all of those concerns to bed with a ruthless and clinical display at the King Power Stadium.

When Harvey Barnes fired Leicester in front it looked as though it would be another difficult afternoon for the visitors. Though, when Stuart Dallas raced onto a lovely ball in behind from Patrick Bamford, positivity was injected into their performance.

Of course, Leeds still play lung-busting football even when they’re losing, but today was all about three points and a win that cemented why Marcelo Bielsa’s style of football is so desirable.

Bamford found the net himself with a sumptuous strike and then with a piece of selfless play, set up Jack Harrison for Leeds’ third strike.

Though, for all the intent going forward, it was a defender who dominated proceedings for Bielsa’s team. That happened to be Luke Ayling, a man whose performance was summed up by a knock to the head that required bandaging.

Ayling has had to play at centre-back on a number of occasions lately because of injuries to Leeds’ backline but he showed just how important he is when playing on the right on Sunday.

He was fabulous going forward but incredibly adept defensively, largely keeping Barnes out of the game. The winger was able to drift into a central area for his goal when he attacked down Leicester’s left, he was met by a wall in Ayling.

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Barnes was unsuccessful with all three of the dribbles he attempted and prevailed in just three of his nine ground duels. That was due to Leeds’ rampaging right-back who was nothing short of exceptional.

The former Yeovil man won a mouth-watering 11 ground duels, winning a grand total of seven tackles throughout the encounter. He was able to stop Leicester’s tricky winger on several occasions, something that set the tone for Leeds’ improved performance.

Going forward, Ayling offered plenty. He started the counter-attack for their opening strike, laying the ball into Bamford who was then able to turn. The full-back had a shot of his own that was blocked while he was fouled on three occasions, using his body wisely to earn dead-ball situations for his team.

As far as performances go, this was a complete one from the 29-year-old. Ayling was an irremovable object on the right-hand side.

AND in other news, Bielsa must start to unshackle rarely-seen Leeds gem, Phillips says he’s “really good”…

Isaac Hayden was Steve Bruce’s only positive against Brentford in Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup loss on Tuesday night as the midfielder shone in defence, despite the 1-0 scoreline.

The 25-year-old earned his 12th appearance of the campaign across all competitions against Thomas Frank’s Bees while partnering Ciaran Clark in the heart of Bruce’s back four, with the Toon short on numbers at centre-half.

Hayden was unable to help the Magpies avoid defeat on a night where they chased their first EFL Cup semi-final since 1976, but he was the only starting member to leave Greater London with any credit in the bank.

Hayden, who Bruce believes has “his best years ahead of him”, should have left the Brentford Community Stadium with his head held high having shone in an unfamiliar role with the second-most touches (67) and total passes (54) by a Newcastle player and with the best pass completion rate (91%) among those who started for the visitors, per WhoScored.

He additionally won possession with two successful tackles, he made four clearances, three interceptions and was never dribbled past, while boasting a team-high 75% aerial duel success after winning three of four contests spread evenly between both ends of the field.

According to SofaScore data, the £9m-rated gem also won all three of his ground duels, never committed a foul, found teammates with six of nine long balls and saw his sole shot of the game blocked, having rarely ventured beyond the half-way line.

Bruce would have preferred to have named Hayden in his natural midfield role at the Brentford Community Stadium, rather than at centre-half, but he was left with no alternative as the Newcastle first-team continue to recover form and fitness following injuries and an outbreak of coronavirus.

“It is what is,” Bruce said, via quotes by The Northern Echo. “I’m never going to flannel it up, but we hope we can get a few back, that would certainly help. It would have helped if I’d had another centre-half, then maybe I could have put Isaac into midfield.”

Among those absent against Brentford was Jamaal Lascelles, after it was confirmed the centre-back and Allan Saint-Maximin are struggling with the long-term effects of the virus.

Neither are expected to be passed fit to face Manchester City on Boxing Day, though Lascelles may return to training this week, making it likely that Hayden will again start in the back-four at the Etihad Stadium.

Bruce will be able to take comfort with naming Hayden at centre-half against Pep Guardiola’s Citizens, having lauded the impact the Arsenal product recently brought to the role against West Bromwich Albion on his return after he too had tested positive.

“I didn’t think I would have him until last Monday, so for him to get out of bed and produce a performance like that was great to see,” Bruce told BBC Radio 5 Live following the 2-1 win.

AND in other news: “No point him going to…” – Exclusive: Rob Lee drops huge claim on Newcastle star’s future.

Southampton have been linked with a move for Brazilian free agent Wellington recently and if he were to join the Saints, it could be bad news for 20-year-old academy ace Will Smallbone.

According to reports in Brazil (via Sport Witness), Wellington’s agent has now confirmed the interest from Southampton in the 29-year-old, who is currently training on his own after being released by Athletico Paranaense last year.

Although it would be strange to see Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side bring in the midfielder, who has no experience playing outside of Brazil, if he were to sign, it could seriously harm Smallbone’s chances of featuring in the Austrian’s side this season.

The academy graduate looked to be on the verge of becoming a first-team regular last season, as he made nine appearances in the Premier League, as well as one appearance in the FA Cup, where he scored his only goal for the senior side to date.

However, he has been limited to just two appearances in the Premier League so far this season, both of which came in the Saints’ two opening fixtures and after they suffered defeat in both of those games, he has not featured since.

He has also made just two appearances in the Premier League 2 this season, as he is regularly on the bench for Southampton’s first-team but doesn’t get any minutes, which can’t be doing his progress any good.

Hasenhuttl has stuck with the midfield duo of James Ward-Prowse and Oriol Romeu for much of the season, whilst Ibrahima Diallo has impressed on his rare starts in the absence of Romeu.

Therefore, it seems unlikely that Smallbone will be able to force his way back into the first-team any time soon, and if Wellington were to join, it would only harm his chances further.

After Smallbone made his Premier League debut in 2020, the Austrian manager was full of praise for him, saying:

“The whole package is strong, with a lot of potential in my view.

“He has a lot of things that really help a team, being good on the ball, covering a lot of distance, but also to work against the ball and win balls, this is very important.”

Therefore, Hasenhuttl clearly rates him, but you worry how much playing time he will get if the Saints add to their options in midfield during this month’s transfer window.

And, in other news… Hasenhuttl can unearth his next JWP in Saints academy sensation once linked to Barca

Southampton are reportedly taking an interest in former Celtic centre-back Jozo Simunovic, with the Croatian available on a free transfer and if he were to sign, it could be bad news for Mohammed Salisu.

According to Goal, Southampton, VFB Stuttgart and FC Augsburg are all vying for the 26-year-old’s signature after his release from Celtic last summer.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side have struggled from a defensive point of view in recent weeks, conceding 18 goals in their last five Premier League fixtures, including that heavy 9-0 defeat against Manchester United.

Whilst someone such as Simunovic could steady the ship, the Saints have welcomed back both Jannik Vestergaard and Salisu from injury recently, with the Ghanaian still yet to make an appearance for the South Coast club since his arrival from Real Valladolid in the summer of 2020.

It would be a blow for the 21-year-old’s chances if the 6 ft 3 Simunovic were to arrive, as it could potentially make him fifth-choice centre-back under Hasenhuttl – the likes of Jan Bednarek, Vestergaard and Jack Stephens have all been regulars at the heart of the Southampton defence this term.

Simunovic was solid at Celtic and helped them to five league titles in a row, making 126 appearances in that time, but was released last summer, most likely due to the injury issues that kept him out for large periods during his time with the Hoops.

Signing another injury-prone defender is the last thing Hasenhuttl needs when you consider the number of issues he has had to deal with this season, with Salisu having struggled with fitness and injury problems throughout his time with the Saints.

Therefore, Southampton may be best served by avoiding the six foot three Simunovic due to his injury concerns, as well as the fact that it could seriously harm Salisu’s chances of ever establishing himself in the first-team under Hasenhuttl.

And, in other news… Ruthless Ralph: Hasenhuttl must bench Saints “hero” who is bereft of confidence