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Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch will be sweating on the fitness of young striker Joe Gelhardt ahead of this weekend’s clash with Watford after he hobbled off in Monday’s appearance for the U23 side…

What’s the latest?

The 19-year-old striker was in action for the youth team earlier this week as he looked to build up match fitness for the first-team squad but he was withdrawn just after half an hour in their win over Crystal Palace.

According to the Yorkshire Evening Post, the Whites’ initial belief was that the forward had suffered a dead leg and whilst they had no major concerns, he would be assessed on Tuesday morning.

A back spasm made him unavailable to start against Wolves before the international break and now Marsch will be anxiously hoping that this knock isn’t serious.

Another potential blow

This could potentially be another gutting blow for the American, having already lost his only senior striker Patrick Bamford to a recurring problem and at the weekend, he was also without Pascal Struijk, who was nursing a new hamstring issue.

The BBC believe Bamford could miss the remainder of the season, leaving the former RB Leipzig and Salzburg man hugely light on options, so to be sweating over Gelhardt is a cause for concern heading into a big encounter against the Hornets, who are fighting for their lives in that final relegation spot, eight points behind Leeds.

Marsch is keen to “expand” the youngster’s role in the squad. Speaking to the YEP recently, he said:

“With Joffy we haven’t been able to get him the rhythm and training and everything the way that we have wanted, which has meant that he’s played more of a reserve role, but I thought he came on the game and gave a real boost and was clear with the role and was dangerous at times.

“We certainly…I think you have to consider expanding his role more and more and more within the team and we need him to train.

“The plan will be that he plays with the 23s on Monday and hopefully gets more good game minutes and keeps adapting to the style of play we want.”

A little over half an hour is perhaps a little under the American’s expectations, so even if it is a dead leg and he’s passed fit to feature at the weekend, it’s hard to see him starting, given the aforementioned verdict.

Once described as a “human wrecking ball” by Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher, the Liverpool-born attacker has proven his ability at this level in small spurts by scoring at Stamford Bridge in an eight-minute cameo, delivering an assist against Arsenal and bagging an injury-time winner against relegation rivals Norwich City.

Marsch will now be sweating on his availability ahead of Saturday’s clash.

AND in other news, Marsch could finally axe “headless” Leeds flop by signing “crazy” £14.4m-rated dynamo…

Transfer ‘insider’ Graeme Bailey has shared some West Ham United transfer news involving Brentford attacking midfielder Christian Eriksen.

The Lowdown: West Ham eye new playmaker?

As reported, it is believed that the Irons’ manager David Moyes and head of recruitment Rob Newman have their eyes on an attacking midfielder/playmaker this summer.

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Most notably, the Hammers have been linked once again with a move for long-time target and Manchester United ace Jesse Lingard as he enters the final few months of his contract at Old Trafford.

A free agent in the summer, West Ham could significantly boost Moyes’ options for zero cost, leaving little surprise that the likes of Lingard have been mentioned as targets.

However, as per ‘insider’ Bailey, it appears that Newman and Moyes have their eyes on another playmaker in Eriksen, with the Dane also available on a Bosman this summer as things stand.

The Latest: West Ham look into Eriksen offer…

According to Bailey and fellow journalist Sean Walsh, writing for 90min, West Ham are now among a number of clubs ‘looking into offering Eriksen a contract this summer’.

The east Londoners are joined by Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Everton, Newcastle, Tottenham and even Fulham in showing an interest in the 30-year-old.

The Verdict: Get it done?

A proven Premier League star, Eriksen has been one of the fairytale stories of 2021/22 given his comeback after suffering a cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.

His seemingly unwavering mentality could be a real pull for Moyes, along with his obvious quality, with Brentford manager Thomas Frank praising the ‘unbelievable’ attacker in recent weeks.

Once valued at £100m by his former club Tottenham, signing him for free would undoubtedly be a coup for the Irons this summer, although they face plenty of competition.

In other news: West Ham could strike fast agreement as Moyes eyes ‘world class’ new striker target! Find out more here

Blackburn Rovers are set to beat Celtic in the race to sign Tottenham Hotspur’s Dilan Markanday. 

The lowdown

The Evening Standard reported in December that Celtic were among the clubs chasing Markanday ahead of the January transfer window.

Arch-rivals Rangers were also said to be in the frame, along with ‘a number of the Championship’s leading clubs’.

And it seems that Blackburn, currently third in England’s second tier, have seen off the competition to sign the 20-year-old, whose contract was due to expire at the end of the season.

The latest

According to The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick, Blackburn are now ‘close to agreeing’ a permanent deal for Markanday.

Rovers will pay £500,000 up front but the fee could rise beyond the £1million mark if add-ons are triggered, while Spurs have also insisted upon a ‘significant’ sell-on clause.

The ‘deal could be announced next week’, he says.

The verdict

Losing out on Markanday is a blow for Celtic. He’s only made one senior appearance for Spurs, featuring in a Europa Conference League group game against Vitesse, but he boasts an exceptional record at youth level.

In 14 Premier League 2 appearances this season, he’s been directly involved in 17 goals (scoring 12 and assisting five more).

European football journalist Alex Barker has also raved about his ‘really clever footwork and dribbling ability’.

All this points to a very bright future indeed, and Blackburn have only paid half a million for a potential star in the making.

In other news, Alan Hutton has dropped this intriguing claim on Stephen Welsh. 

West Ham United could have another Rio Ferdinand in their academy ranks right now.

David Moyes has so far maintained the Irons’ fine progress under his stewardship despite losing two key centre-backs in Angelo Ogbonna, who was ruled out for the season with an ACL tear back in mid-November, and Kurt Zouma, who could also be absent with an ankle problem until the summer.

The Scotsman turned to Issa Diop and Craig Dawson for their impressive victory and clean sheet against Lyon last week and the pair kept their place for the 1-1 draw with managerless Burnley at the weekend.

But without another alternative available or even on the bench, perhaps Moyes should turn to the youth system, where he will find a promising talent in Jamal Baptiste.

He knows the 18-year-old defender well, having handed him his senior debut in the FA Cup before unleashing him for the full 90 minutes in a Europa League group game earlier this season.

According to some that have been around the youngster, Baptiste is one of the top prospects at Rush Green.

“One of the finest young prospects at the club without any doubt is 15-year-old Jamal Baptiste, who believe me is going to be a monster player in the Issa Diop mould,” once claimed former academy chief Terry Westley to Claret and Hugh back in 2019.

“He’s got everything, height, power, pace and is already, at such a young age, making a serious impact on the under 23s.”

But perhaps the most glowing endorsement has come from Carlton Cole, who is part of the academy set-up at the Hammers these days – speaking to the ‘Irons Inside’ podcast, he likened the teenage colossus to both Ferdinands, Anton and Rio.

“He’s going to be the next Anton Ferdinand hopefully or the next Rio, so hopefully we can these boys on the right track and help them transition into being a professional footballer full-time,” he said, before also lauding him as a “massive prospect.”

Even when Ogbonna, 33, does return, there will be doubts over his potential to gain his starting place back, whilst Dawson, 31, isn’t getting any younger either, so transitioning someone like Baptiste into the first-team squad over the coming months could be hugely beneficial in the long run.

The more experience he gets alongside these veterans, the better, and as such, he could save GSB and West Ham millions of pounds in upcoming transfer windows.

It would be a very wise decision indeed.

AND in other news, GSB must seal West Ham deal for “sensational” £70k-p/w colossus, he’s “solid as a rock”…

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Southampton striker Danny Ings lasted just 27 minutes before leaving the pitch with an injury during his side’s 1-1 draw with Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday, and his latest setback suggests the club has made a grave error with their distinct lack of January business.

On the chalkboard

There is no doubt that Saints took a risk by bringing the 26-year-old to St Mary’s on an initial loan deal that will lead to a permanent £20m move at the end of the season last summer, as per The Telegraph, and it has proved to be the case.

While the attacker has scored seven goals in 18 Premier League appearances for the south coast outfit this term, including three since Ralph Hasenhuttl took charge in December, he has also missed six top-flight matches because of injury problems.

That number could increase even more if the issue that saw Ings limp off with less than half-an-hour played is deemed serious enough to keep him out of the huge clash with Cardiff City at St Mary’s on Saturday.

Grave error by Southampton?

It would seem that way, yes.

Saints failed to bring in a single new player during the January transfer window despite seeing the likes of Manolo Gabbiadini, Steven Davis, Cedric Soares and Wesley Hoedt go, and failing to sign a new striker could prove to be a decision that comes back to haunt them.

Should Ings be out for the foreseeable future – something that could certainly be the case should he have suffered a hamstring or groin injury – then the south coast outfit are left with Shane Long, Charlie Austin and Sam Gallagher as their strikers, with Michael Obafemi also currently on the sidelines.

The former trio hardly scream goals given they have three in the Premier League between them this term, and Hasenhuttl could be left relying on Nathan Redmond to find the net – as he did against the Clarets – which would be a dangerous game given they are currently just two points above the drop.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Craig Hope has dropped some Newcastle United transfer news involving both Sven Botman and Diego Carlos.

The Lowdown: Wanted men

Both Botman and Carlos were subject of strong interest at St. James’ Park in the January transfer window, as they reportedly made a bid for the former, while they pushed hard to try and sign Carlos after failing with Botman.

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Nonetheless, they ended up signing Dan Burn from Brighton and Hove Albion instead, who has been superb, but that may not stop them looking for another central defender in the summer.

The Latest: Hope update

Replying to a Magpies fan on Twitter, The Daily Mail journalist Hope has revealed that the North East club sent officials to watch Lille’s clash at Stamford Bridge, but could now be looking at alternative options to Botman and Carlos:

“Sven Botman is interesting. They watched him when Lille played at Chelsea recently but there’s also now a suggestion they’re looking at other options.

“I’d say Diego Carlos is looking less likely given age & fee, it felt like one for January only.”

The Verdict: Botman over Carlos

If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium were only to bring one of the players to Tyneside, then Botman should be the one that they go for.

The Lille centre-back is currently averaging more interceptions and clearances than Carlos is for Sevilla in their respective domestic leagues, while offensively, he has scored more goals, made more assists, and averages more dribbles and key passes at a higher success rate (WhoScored).

Crucially though, Botman is also seven years younger than Carlos at just 22, and so has a much higher ceiling.

Nonetheless, either would help elevate the quality of the backline, but if the Toon had to go for one, then Botman’s their man.

In other news, find out which ‘insane’ colossus NUFC are now ‘interested’ in here!

New Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants to be in charge of incoming and outgoing transfers at the club, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: New era at Old Trafford

The 52-year-old will head to Old Trafford at the end of the season, looking to bring the glory days back to United after a dismal few years for the Red Devils.

Ten Hag enjoyed great success during his time with Ajax, winning two Eredivisie titles, along with reaching the Champions League semi-finals back in 2018/19.

It is now nine years since United won a Premier League title and it is imperative that the rot stops sooner rather than later, with the 52-year-old hopefully the man to fix the club’s issues.

The Latest: Ten Hag makes key demand

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that Ten Hag wants to have a big say in which players leave and which individuals arrive this summer. The journalist outlined:

“He wants to be involved in the incomings and outgoings at Old Trafford, alongside Richard Arnold.

“If Ralf Rangnick is still there in an advisory capacity as well, I’m sure they’ll all be working together to see if they can get the best players to Manchester United because it’s going to take a bit of a rebuild at Old Trafford this summer.”

The Verdict: Makes complete sense

Part of United’s failure in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era is that it doesn’t always feel as though managers have had the final say over new signings.

That is something which simply has to change now, with Manchester City and Liverpool both perfect examples of allowing their managers to have a big say on transfer dealings. Painful as it is to admit for United, those two clubs are proof of that setup working.

It makes complete sense for Ten Hag to have exactly the players that he wants to work with, which could leave quite a few current Old Trafford individuals sweating going into the summer, given this season’s ineptitude.

In other news, United are expected to make an offer for a La Liga star. Find out who it is here.

Adam White has dropped a claim regarding Celtic’s interest in a deal to bring Zinedine Ferhat to Parkhead in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT, the journalist stated his belief that the Nimes winger – who has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead this winter – would be an extremely impressive signing for Ange Postecoglou to get over the line, with White going as far to state that the 28-year-old would be one of the best players in the Premiership.

Speaking about the Celtic-linked forward, the journalist said: “He’d be a really good option. He can play as a number 10, can also play out wide and as an attacking midfielder, very graceful, creative, and I think he’d improve Celtic’s team and would be one of the better players in the SPFL.”

Bye-bye Johnston

While the likes of Jota, Liel Abada and Kyogo Furuhashi have been in deadly form for Celtic so far this season, with this trio having already scored 35 goals and registered 19 assists between them in the current campaign, Postecoglou’s backup options have been rather less impressive.

One such player is Mikey Johnston, the £10k-per-week 22-year-old who has so far failed to score a single goal over his 18 outings in all competitions this season, with Willie Miller going as far to describe the winger’s performance against Hibernian in the League Cup final as “pathetic.”

And, with the academy graduate being linked with a move to Aberdeen this January, it would seem a very wise move for Postecoglou to allow the winger to depart for Pittodrie, and subsequently make a move to bring Ferhat in as his replacement.

Indeed, over his 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Nimes’ last time out, the £4.05m-rated forward was in astonishing form, scoring six goals, providing ten assists and creating nine big chances for his teammates, as well as an average of taking 1.9 shots and making 1.6 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week Algeria international earn a sensational seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.07, ranking him by far and away as his side’s best performer in the top flight of French football.

As such, it would indeed appear as if the Nimes winger would be a huge upgrade on many of Postecoglou’s current options out wide – Johnston included – leading us to hold the belief that the 56-year-old must make a move for the player who has 82 career assists to his name before the end of the month.

In other news: Huge blow: Worrying behind the scenes Celtic update emerges, Postecoglou surely fuming

Everton have not made any signings since they sacked Rafa Benitez earlier this month but had already made three additions under Benitez’s guidance.

However, now Duncan Ferguson could be set to make his first signing for the club whilst he manages the side until a new boss is appointed.

What’s the word?

According to Sport1, Everton are amongst a number of clubs interested in signing Schalke defender, Malick Thiaw, during the January transfer window.

The report suggests that Everton have competition from AC Milan, Napoli and West Ham United with a €6m (£5m) bid from Milan already rejected, and the young Bundesliga star is reportedly looking for his next challenge.

Better than Keane

Everton are currently having a season of nightmares, with the side only winning five of their Premier League games so far, conceding 11 more goals than they have scored, with several poor defensive performances put on display both home and away.

One particular performance that triggered the end of Benitez’s career as the Toffees manager was against Norwich City at Carrow Road, when Michael Keane scored an own goal that opened up the game early for the Canaries, putting them in a position to win 2-1 resulting in the tenth defeat of the season for Everton.

According to Squawka, when you compare Keane’s season to Thiaw’s campaign in the league so far, the 20-year-old has completed over 300 more passes in his own half, won more ground and aerial duels and has twice as many clean sheets than his 29-year-old counterpart.

With age on his side, Thiaw could become a hot prospect worth developing and integrating into the Everton defence if they signed him. With that in mind, it’s clear to see why the youngster has been dubbed a “big talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter.

The £4.5m-rated star who was also hailed “talented” by former Schalke sporting director Jochen Schneider, was previously linked with the Toffees fierce rivals, Liverpool last year, but nothing materialised.

Yet, with Schalke already rejecting an offer from another club, Ferguson and the Everton board will need to make the youngster an offer he can’t refuse if they wanted to sign him during the remaining days of the winter transfer window.

In other news: Alan Myers drops two-word update on Everton manager search

Sky Sports have relayed news live on TV regarding Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic and his decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: Matic’s Old Trafford career

Matic made the move to United back in 2017 from Chelsea in a deal worth over £40m. Since then, the holding midfielder has gone on to make more than 180 appearances for the Red Devils, with 27 of those coming this season.

His current contract still has over 12 months left to run, however, Matic has now announced that he will leave the club over the coming months.

The Latest: Sky Sports relay on-air news

United shared the news on their official website, with Sky Sports News sharing the update live on TV.

They labelled it as ‘significant if you support Man Utd’, describing the midfielder as ‘the first out of the door’ at Old Trafford.

The Verdict: First of many?

Erik ten Hag looks set to come in to replace Ralf Rangnick in the summer and may well have plenty of key decisions to make on a number of players.

United have five players who will be out of contract at the end of June, including Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, while Cristiano Ronaldo’s future is also in doubt.

Matic’s departure could prove to be the first of many in a major Old Trafford shake-up under Ten Hag, and a new defensive midfielder could now be a priority heading into the summer.

In other news: ‘Expected’ – Fabrizio Romano drops first blow for Ten Hag at Man Utd with appointment ‘imminent’.