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West Ham United found themselves 3-0 down against their bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur and Manuel Pellegrini was about to make a substitution.

Many fans will have likely been expecting the manager to throw on Albian Ajeti in an attempt to overload the Spurs defence, hopefully getting on the scoresheet as a result.

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However, any expectations of this nature were wrong, as he proceeded to bring off Issa Diop and replace him with Carlos Sanchez:

There were plenty who had been left bemused by this decision, feeling disbelief that the manager had decided to throw on a holding-midfielder at that moment.

In fairness, the Hammers did go on to score twice following the substitution, even if it likely wasn’t directly linked to the Colombia international’s introduction.

He was a bit of a bystander once coming on, as he made 10 passes, completing all of them, with his only other contribution being an aerial duel that he failed to win.

A selection of Twitter reaction to the substitution, including posts from disbelieving fans, can be seen below:

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

According to The Athletic correspondent Phil Hay, Wolverhampton Wanderers have joined the race for Leeds United’s loan ace Ben White following a string of impressive performances that have contributed to them holding the acclaim of being the Championship’s best defence.

What’s the word?

Several Premier League clubs have been monitoring the progress of White, who is under contract at Brighton & Hove Albion until the summer of 2022, with Liverpool, Manchester United and Leicester City being touted with interest alongside the west Midlanders, as Hay told listeners on his podcast on Thursday.

Watch Wolverhampton Wanderers Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The 22-year-old appears destined for a shot at the top-flight following his loan spell at the end of this season, but whether that is on the south coast or not remains to be seen.

White has drawn plaudits consistently over the season, which has seen him compared to Everton defender Michael Keane by former goalkeeper Paul Robinson and even Manchester City’s John Stones, according to ITV presenter Jacqui Oatley.

Forget Ruben Dias

There is no hiding from the fact that Wolves are chasing a central defensive option in January – BirminghamLive revealed the club’s intentions earlier in the season, and that was before their colossus Willy Boly was struck down by a severe injury.

Midfield duo Romain Saiss and Leander Dendoncker have been forced to play out of position given the circumstances.

Wolves have been linked to Ruben Dias very frequently in the past, but with a release clause of €66m (£56m), they should just forget about signing him.

For a third of the price, they could well clinch White, who Brighton reportedly now value at around £20m following his rise to the spotlight at Leeds.

The centre-back seems to be an ideal fit for Nuno Santo’s three-at-the-back system, not just because it is a formation that Marcelo Bielsa has sometimes utilised, but too because of his excellent defensive attributes.

Per WhoScored, White averages a passing success rate of 85.7%, 3.5 clearances, 2.7 interceptions (ranks first in the division), and 1.9 tackles per game in the Championship this campaign.

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In other news, a rival Premier League manager has waxed lyrical about Wolves this season…

According to 90min, Tottenham are “preparing a big push” to sign PSG defender Thomas Meunier this summer.

What’s the word?

The Belgium international’s current contract in Paris expires at the end of the season, and would thus be able to join another team on a free transfer.

And according to 90min, Meunier is not expected to sign a new deal with the French giants, and that with Jose Mourinho continuing to chase a new right-back, the Spurs boss has identified the Belgian as a “primary target”.

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The report further claims that Mourinho has been left unconvinced by the performances of Ivorian Serge Aurier, whilst there is uncertainty over Kyle Walker-Peters’ long-term future. Spurs are willing to hand Meunier a new bumper deal, and hope that his friendship with current Lilywhites ace Toby Alderweireld can help sway him to move to north London this summer.

Versatility

Whilst Spurs seem to view Meunier as a potential solution to their current woes at right-back, the Belgian’s versatility throughout the years could make him a very intriguing signing.

As per Transfermarkt, the 6 foot 3 powerhouse has played in five different positions across his club career, including right-back, right-midfield, right-wing, central midfield and left-wing.

Having a player like Meunier in the squad can ensure Spurs are well-covered in multiple positions, very similar to Moussa Sissoko. In his time in north London, the Frenchman has been an incredibly useful option for the club, playing in six different roles, as varied as right-back and attacking midfield.

Reliable utility players can often be hard to come by, but they can be such vital members of the first-team squad, especially in times of injury crises and poor form. It’s exactly why even though Mourinho may be looking at Meunier as a potential option to replace Aurier, he could go onto be a multi-purpose star for Spurs.

Meanwhile, Spurs fans react to an update on their chase for this left-back.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho could well be on the lookout for a new defensive midfielder this summer with reports starting to emerge about his potential transfer plans.

His north London side were linked to Geoffrey Kondogbia a few months ago by Sky Sports, who claimed that the Portuguese chief is wanting a lynchpin – or “positional midfielder” for his Spurs system.

This week, the club have been linked to a fresh target – Real Betis ace William Carvalho – sticking in La Liga but mooting for a fellow countryman this time, as per Transfer20.

The report claims that several Premier League teams are keen on the 28-year-old, who could be available for €30m (£26m) at the end of the season.

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Carvalho has featured only nine times this season having missed out matches through suspension as well as injury, via Transfermarkt, which is something that some of the Spurs faithful have been questioning in reaction to these links.

Here’s how they have been reacting…

AND in other news, Alasdair Gold reveals Spurs’ advantage over Premier League rivals…

Former England goalkeeper Paul Robinson has backed Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana to join Leicester City this summer, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Injuries and competition for places have limited Lallana’s game time at Liverpool in recent seasons, with the England man making just nine league starts over the last three campaigns.

The 32-year-old is out of contract in the summer and looks increasingly unlikely to get a new deal, which means he will be open to offers from prospective new clubs.

With plenty of top-flight pedigree, Lallana could be an option for a number of clubs and Robinson has backed him to reunite with former Reds boss Brendan Rodgers at Leicester.

“Lallana and Leicester are the perfect fit. Brendan Rodgers brought him to Liverpool so he is obviously a player that he likes and admires,” he told Football Insider.

“That player-manager relationship is there so if he is to leave Anfield this summer Leicester would seem almost a certain option for him, provided Brendan wants him.

“He is a top player and he has a long-while left. He has had a very good time at Liverpool but he is now of an age where he will not want to be sitting on the bench. It is an age where you want to play football. It could be a harmonious transfer for everybody.”

Regular action

After playing a starring role for Southampton prior to his move to Liverpool Lallana has never quite hit the same heights, never managing 30 league starts in a single campaign.

His 2016-17 season was perhaps his best in a Liverpool shirt when Lallana scored league eight goals and provided seven assists, but injury and the arrival of likes of Naby Keita, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah has seen him slip back in the pecking order.

With Leicester on the ascendancy and Lallana having played under Rodgers in the past it certainly makes sense, but whether or not Leicester are even interested remains to be seen.

Tottenham Hotspur have not held advanced negotiations with Lille sporting director Luis Campos, according to Fabrizio Romano via @RickSpur. 

Earlier this week, the French outlet RMC Sport reported that Campos had made a formal request to leave the Ligue 1 club as he is unhappy at being left out of key decisions in recent months.

The 55-year-old is close friends with his compatriot Jose Mourinho and reports have suggested that a reunion is on the cards. The duo worked together during Mourinho’s time in charge of Real Madrid and he has made it clear that he wants to work with a world-class coach again.

However, Romano tweeted that nothing is concrete yet, which could send reverberations around the Tottenham fan base, and this in turn was relayed by Ricky Sacks on social media.

Campos is widely considered as one of the best scouts in the business and he has previously been credited with unearthing the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Anthony Martial, so he could fill the void left by former director of football Paul Mitchell in 2017.

Spurs have already plundered the Mastiffs for two members of Mourinho’s backroom staff, including assistant coach Joao Sacramento and goalkeeping coach Nuno Santos, and the transfer guru has admitted he would like to link up with the Lilywhites manager again in the future.

Mourinho is well aware that he will be restricted to a tight budget in the summer and Campos may present the perfect solution to the problem. Working under financial limitations at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy, he still managed to build a team that finished second in the French top flight (The Athletic).

Whether or not Daniel Levy can convince the talent-spotter to move to north London remains to be seen but he could transform the club’s fortunes in the future by finding some hidden gems.

Tottenham fans, do you think Luis Campos is destined to end up at Spurs? Let us know down below in the comments!

The big transfer story involving Liverpool this summer has been whether they will end up bringing in RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.

Reports in recent weeks had suggested that the Germany international would be keen to make the move to Anfield should they activate his release clause before it expires.

Can you spot your Xabi Alonso from your Bruno Cheyrou? This Liverpool quiz will have you questioning your knowledge…

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Now, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Reds have not given up hope of signing the forward this summer, with Jurgen Klopp telling the board that Werner would be perfect for his team.

It’s claimed that though the Merseysiders have yet to make a bid for him, they are “still keen to make the transfer happen and have been assured Werner will wait for Liverpool to make a decision before choosing his future club”.

And after hearing about the latest update on their chase for the striker, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the situation.

One Reds fan wondered whether Klopp now has the pulling power to demand new signings for the club, and whether that will make all the difference in convincing them to splash out on Werner.

If Klopp has indeed told the board that Werner should be a priority this summer, then the Liverpool manager has absolutely earned the right for them to simply trust his judgment.

Klopp will be keen to ensure that his side don’t stand still, and strengthening his squad with the addition of Werner will help them challenge on multiple fronts once again next season.

Despite his Manchester City leanings, Micah Richards sympathised with Ben Mee after the Burnley defender had a penalty given against him in the Clarets’ 5-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium last night.

With Sean Dyche’s men trailing 2-0 coming up to half-time, the 30-year-old challenged Sergio Aguero in the penalty area and initially seemed to have won the ball, with referee Andre Marriner unmoved and no appeals from any Manchester City players for a spot kick.

However, with Aguero prone on the turf and ultimately being forced off, the incident was reviewed by VAR and Marriner eventually overturned his initial decision, giving Riyad Mahrez the chance to convert from the spot and extend the home side’s lead (as per Sky Sports).

Richards, a Manchester City defender for nearly 10 years, was on Sky Sports punditry duty for the game and he felt that the penalty award was harsh on Mee. He said on air [via Lancashire Live]: “To be totally honest, to me, it looks like he has got the ball and to have that overturned is just crazy. If you are a defender and you are doing that, you would be giving penalties every single week for that.”

As an experienced defender, Richards is well placed to judge whether or not Mee had committed a foul, so for him to say that he thought the penalty was wrongly given is striking. Also, as noted by Graeme Souness on Sky Sports [via Lancashire Live], none of Aguero’s team-mates were baying for a penalty when the tackle was made.

Even when slowed down and viewed on replay, it seems a tight call and perhaps Mee was hard done by as he seemed to get something on the ball, even if his follow-up certainly caught the Manchester City striker.

With Guardiola’s team already two goals to the good and going on to win by five, the penalty award wasn’t exactly a game-changing moment, although the psychological blow of conceding a third goal just before the interval must have flattened a Burnley team who, had they gone in at 2-0 down, may still have felt they had a fighting chance if they could start the second half quickly.

On a very difficult night for Burnley, they could have done without a 50-50 penalty decision going against them.

Burnley fans, do you agree with Richards’ assessment of the penalty incident? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

Key Information about Elland Road

Elland Road is an iconic football stadium located in West Yorkshire, and it has been the home of Leeds United Football Club since their formation in 1919, having previously opened in 1897.

The ground is the 14th largest football stadium in the whole of England, as well as the fourth-largest outside of the Premier League with a massive 37,890 all-seated capacity. Elland Road is laid out with four famous stands; the Don Revie Stand, the Norman Hunter South Stand, the John Charles Stand, and the East Stand.

The record attendance of 57,892 was set back in 1967 during an FA Cup Fifth Round replay against Sunderland, and a modern record stands at just over 40,000 for a Premiership match against Newcastle United in 2001.

A history of Elland Road

The first occupants of Elland Road when it opened in 1897 were Holbeck Rugby Club of the rugby league, and the first competitive football match at the ground was the West Yorkshire Cup final in April 1898 between Hunslet and Harrogate. The rugby league club erected a new stand ahead of the 1898-99 season, and the ground eventually became known simply as Elland Road.

In October 1904, a new football club, Leeds City, came to an agreement to rent the ground for their upcoming season in the Football League. City experienced many financial difficulties, however, and a £1,000 offer was finally accepted for them to purchase the ground. Despite this, Leeds City were expelled from the Football League after just eight games after a scandal arose involving illegal payments to players during the war years. In 1919, Yorkshire Amateurs sold Elland Road to the newly formed Leeds United for just £250, and the rest as they say is history.

During the 1920s, a wooden roof was erected over the South Stand terrace, and another stand was built on the east side terracing called Lowfields. Floodlights were not installed until 9 November 1953, though this now meant that Leeds could play late-night fixtures in darker conditions. A fire destroyed the West Stand and parts of the pitch in the early hours of 18 September 1956, and the total damage cost was thought to have been around £100,000.

A public appeal to build a new stand with the assistance from Leeds City Council helped raise 60,000 which meant the new West Stand opened at the start of the following season. In the summer of 2017, the club announced a number of various improvements to Elland Road which enhance the cosmetics of stands, the roof, and more.

Tickets to Watch Leeds United at Elland Road

Single adult matchday tickets range from £26-37, concession tickets are available from £21, 16-18 from £16, under-16s from £10, and under-11s from £5 – all depending on the area chosen. Adult season tickets can be purchased from £508 whereas under-11s can attend every home match at Elland Road for just £72.

Related Links

https://www.leedsunited.com/ – Official website of Leeds United

https://www.lufc.talent-sport.co.uk/PagesPublic/Home/home.aspx – Leeds United Ticket Office

Here at the Transfer Tavern, we recently wrote about how midfielder Bongani Zungu looked to be nearing a move to Glasgow Rangers. This possible transfer has got many talking, including former Scotland and Gers defender Alan Hutton.

The Scotsman reported that the Ibrox outfit are currently discussing personal terms with the midfielder, who plays at Ligue 1 side Amiens, and that they look to have put in a bid close to £4 million (£3.6 million) for Zungu.

Speaking about the possible transfer to Football Insider, Hutton said: “We’re talking around £4million for a player who’s been relegated, one year left on his contract – it’s a bit steep, I would think.

“I don’t know too much about him but I know that the scouting system has worked really well at Rangers so to be forking out that amount of money for a player, I’m not so sure if it’s the right thing to do.

“They obviously see something in him they like, he’s an international player, he’s played at a high level so you’d like to think he can come in and do a job – we don’t know exactly how he’s going to settle in so I would see that one as a bit of a gamble.”

The South African international has made 57 appearances so far for his current club, scoring twice and assisting three goals, per Transfermarkt, and also has experience in the top tier in Portugal, making 27 appearances for Vitória Guimarães.

It’s hard to disagree here about the signing being a gamble, any player not proven in the domestic division that they are going to can always be a risk, and £4 million is a lot of money to be spending on an unproven player with just a year left on his contract.

However the scouting system at Rangers has worked well recently, bringing in players like Ryan Kent, Joe Aribo, Alfredo Morelos, and Conor Goldson. Even though on paper it does not look like the right thing to do, supporters of Glasgow Rangers should trust Steven Gerrard’s judgement.

Glasgow Rangers fans, do you think the signing is a gamble? Comment below!