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According to Bristol Live, Southampton are said to be interested in Bristol City goalkeeper Daniel Bentley.

Saints eye Bentley

The Saints are believed to have been scouting three Robins players in Bentley, Antoine Semenyo and Tyreeq Bakinson.

However, Ralph Hasenhuttl is interested in the former in particular as he reviews his goalkeeping options ahead of next season.

Cheap option

Valued at £3.6m (Transfermarkt), Bentley would likely be a cheap option for the St. Mary’s Stadium outfit. That, though, does not mean he would be a poor purchase for the club. He has been close to an ever-present for Bristol City this season, appearing in 36 of their 38 matches in the Championship. Despite a couple of recent mistakes, he has still been reliable between the sticks for much of the campaign, and he was labelled as “incredible” by Dean Holden earlier this term (via sportsmole.co.uk).

At the moment, Hasenhuttl appears to be undecided on his goalkeepers. In recent weeks, he has chopped and changed between Fraser Forster and Alex McCarthy, even though the former’s time on the south coast appeared to be up after spending last season on loan at Celtic. Could Bentley be the man to resolve the boss’ dilemma? That remains to be seen. Southampton, though, could do an awful lot worse than the 27-year-old shot-stopper.

In other news, Sevilla eye this Southampton ace.

Many Everton fans have been left to laud Jordan Pickford as the former Sunderland ace spoke about his “good” form lately.

Speaking to evertontv, with his comments relayed by the official website of the Goodison Park faithful, Pickford also claimed that mentally he is “in a very good place” after finding himself out injured for a while in February, as he looks ahead to the Merseyside club’s next game at home to Burnley in the Premier League on Saturday evening.

The England international has been in very good form recently, despite conceding the penalty away at Chelsea as Carlo Ancelotti’s team lost the match 2-0. Before that game, in which he made a number of decent saves as well, he had kept three clean sheets in a row in the top flight, helping his side claim nine points and really aid their push to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the start of the 2021/22 term.

Everton fan reaction to Pickford comments

These Toffees supporters lauded Pickford on Twitter after reading his comments, with one Blues fan even going as far as to claim that the 27-year-old goalkeeper has been “outstanding”:

“He’s been simply outstanding”

Credit: @CBobblers1878

“Been great”

Credit: @_jennifer1878

“Been in phenomenal form lately. Keep it going lad”

Credit: @alexdsmiff

“My MOTM the last few games”

Credit: @Nirosta

“Been superb”

Credit: @Upper__Gwladys

“Much improved lately, hopefully can continue. Showing people why he’s Everton and England No1”

Credit: @PaulAshcroft8

In other news, find out what early news before Burnley has left fans fuming here!

Speaking to the press, via football.london, West Ham United manager David Moyes has reacted to Jesse Lingard’s absence for the Manchester United clash, with the Scotsman describing it as a ‘big loss’ as the January signing is ineligible to play against his parent club.

Lingard has starred for the Hammers since signing on loan at the London Stadium, scoring four goals and providing one assist in just six Premier League starts (WhoScored), but he will not feature against the Red Devils this evening as the 28-year-old is ineligible for the clash.

Moyes reacts to Lingard absence

Moyes has described it as a ‘big loss’ for West Ham as they aim to mount a late assault for a top four finish, coming as the Irons boss also explained there are some ‘slight doubts’ behind the scenes for a couple of players (West Ham United official website).

“A big loss because he has had a big impact on the team and how we have played,” said Moyes to reporters (via football.london).

“He has been a positive signing for us since coming in in January so it is a loss to us but we have got other people.

“What we wanted was competition for places, sort of around the number 11 and number ten roles, we wanted good competition and Jesse has given us that but we have other people who can do that so hopefully we can go there and who them what we can do.”

Transfer Tavern take

Lingard’s fine start to his Hammers stint has been emphasised recently by former Premier League striker Ian Wright, who told Premier League Productions (via HITC) how ‘devastating’ he can be.

Time will tell who Moyes will have at this disposal for the Old Trafford clash, but who he chooses to replace Lingard in the team will be interesting to see.

In other news: West Ham are eyeing this 19-goal ‘phenomenon’, find out more here.

Is Leeds United’s decision not to invest during January going to come back and bite them?

Their wins over Leicester and Crystal Palace suggests not. However, their rapidly increasingly injury list suggests they should have brought in a few players.

On the chalkboard

Leeds currently have a number of key men out injured. They are still without Robin Koch and Diego Llorente in defence while club-record signing Rodrigo is also out.

He came off during the win over Leicester and Stuart Dallas has been forced to play in midfield since. The Spaniard now faces a few weeks out with a groin injury.

Another attacking player who faces a couple of weeks out is Ian Poveda. The winger is suffering from an ankle problem but shouldn’t be too big a miss for United.

He hasn’t started a single league game this term but his place in the squad could quite easily be taken by a young individual pulling up trees for Mark Jackson’s U23 side.

Unleash Summerville

When Crysencio Summerville signed for the Whites during the summer, it was expected that he’d have a large role to play for Jackson’s team.

That has certainly been the case but after featuring 21 times in the top-flight of Dutch football last term, he has a right to feel hard done by in terms of senior outings at Elland Road.

He’s not been seen once in the first-team which given his qualities and indeed the potential he possesses, is a disappointment.

Dutch media have been left baffled by his decision to leave the Netherlands but now he has a real opportunity to demonstrate why he moved by staking a claim. Leeds are blessed with a number of young players in attack but Summerville is arguably one of the most vibrant.

He is an electrifying phenomenon, a player capable of dazzling and embarrassing full-backs in equal measure. Summerville’s performances for the U23s have been impeccable and if there was ever a chance for Bielsa to unleash him, it has to be now with Poveda out injured.

Described as a “bag of tricks” by Chris Powell, someone who worked alongside the teen at ADO Den Haag, he scored a hat-trick against Burnley U23s on just his second start for the club earlier this season.

Meanwhile, during Leeds’ 4-2 win over Middlesbrough in Premier League 2 last Sunday, he was the most creative youngster on the pitch. Summerville provided three assists for his teammates, all in a radiant first-half display.

Writing at full-time, Leeds Live reporter Joe Donnohue waxed lyrical: “The Dutchman’s footwork, close control, balance and unwavering composure is a class above. His first-half hat-trick of assists just goes to show how effective he is gliding through games at U23 level. If it weren’t for Joe Gelhardt, Summerville would have comfortably taken home the Man of the Match award.

“With every dribble and carry it is so clear he protects the ball so intelligently despite his slight frame.”

The teenager is evidently finding academy football rather easy and if he’s to develop further, he needs to be given exposure at first-team level.

Now is the 19-year-old’s opportunity to shine on the senior stage. Bielsa has to unleash him now Poveda is no longer an option. Summerville’s qualities could terrify Premier League defenders.

AND in other news, Leeds eye summer swoop for “unplayable” £43k-p/w speedster, he’s shades of Raphinha…

West Ham United have confirmed a loan move for defender Winston Reid to Brentford (West Ham United) – with supporters flocking to this update as they hail this ‘fantastic move’. 

The New Zealand international had looked likely to leave east London, with Craig Dawson, Issa Diop, Angelo Ogbonna and Fabian Balbuena all ahead of him in David Moyes’ pecking order.

Reid has now completed a loan move to Championship side Brentford until the end of the season, a West Ham decision which has attracted plenty of attention. He will of course have the chance to fight for promotion with the Bees – they currently sit third in the second tier.

One Hammer waxed lyrical over how ‘gassed’ he is for the Bees to be receiving Reid – with many other supporters dropping their varying verdicts after this development.

Read what they had to say down below, where most of the supporters were just happy to see a player they have much admiration for find a new home where he should receive more playing time.

West Ham fans flock to Reid news

“Good move for him. Make sure you give him his testimonial before he leaves permanently”

Credit: @ArunJanaka

“His contract ends then? Good luck Reid “

Credit: @KDGAMING1996

“See how quick they got that deal done? Amazes me how we can get rid of players within an hour yet signings take weeks/months”

Credit: @liamions

“Good luck Winston”

Credit: COYIrons_com

“Ngl I’m gassed for Brentford”

Credit: @danwhu_

“That is a fantastic move for both Reid and Brentford”

Credit: @Hunty_S92

“Great signing for Brentford to be fair gl Winston”

Credit: @Sneaks_UK

“Quality signing for @BrentfordFC”

Credit: @_JamieBlackman

In other news: West Ham were offered this striker in the final hours, find out more here.

To put things bluntly, Leeds were terrible when they faced Crawley last Sunday.

Having been so free-flowing and full of spark in the Premier League, you’d have expected them to win at a canter. However, they lost 3-0 and suffered one of their most embarrassing defeats in recent history.

On the chalkboard

Marcelo Bielsa’s team selection last Sunday was an intriguing one. It combined youthful exuberance with a host of their experienced stars. Kalvin Phillips, Helder Costa, Pablo Hernandez and Kiko Casilla all started while club-record signing Rodrigo was also in the team.

The Spaniard was given a rare chance to play in a central striking role but struggled considerably.

He was brought off at half time after a pretty hopeless performance leading the line. Rodrigo made just seven passes and touched the ball on only 11 occasions. Furthermore, the 29-year-old sent both of his shots off target.

For someone who cost £30m, you’d expect him to score plentiful against Crawley. His performance, though, was ineffectual.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t for the first time this year. Against Tottenham, the Spain international struggled as well. Bielsa clearly wasn’t best pleased with him because he was brought off after 65 minutes.

Rodrigo provided two key passes and managed only one dribble, being bullied by Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the middle of the park. The Spurs midfielder won five tackles and a colossal 11 ground duels.

The solution

Bielsa hasn’t been afraid to leave Rodrigo out of his starting XI this season – appearing as a substitute six times – so, he must take him out the firing line again on Saturday.

Brighton are likely to sit back more than Tottenham did so Rodrigo could enjoy plenty of possession but after his last two performances, he deserves a rest and an opportunity to rediscover his focus.

The 29-year-old has been poor and thus, the manager needs to bring in someone like Pablo Hernandez. In completing a woeful 66% of his passes, a number that was down 12% from his season average, he didn’t have the best of afternoons v Crawley.

That being said, he did create three goal-scoring opportunities for his teammates. That’s a tally seldom replicated by Rodrigo this term, someone who has managed more than two key passes in a match just twice.

Of course, it was League Two opposition, but at least Hernandez did his best to create chances, something very few players managed against Crawley.

He deserves a chance to prove himself in the top-flight. It might be ruthless given Rodrigo scored three games ago, but he hasn’t been good enough in 2021 so far.

Costa came into this game as the prime candidate to be ousted judging by his lacklustre display last weekend, but Rodrigo must end on the bench beside him.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Casilla: Leeds must swoop for “outstanding” 26 y/o, he could be game-changing…

Whilst Liverpool’s performance against West Brom, particularly in the second half, was far from their usual quality, the excellent display of Jordan Henderson should not go unnoticed.

The captain started alongside Curtis Jones and Georginio Wijnaldum in the Liverpool midfield and was regularly involved throughout the game, as the hosts dominated possession and looked to break down a stubborn Baggies defence.

As per SofaScore, the former Sunderland man picked up a strong 7.7 rating for his performance, which was the second-best of any Liverpool player on the day, with only Joel Matip rated higher.

During the 90 minutes, the England international enjoyed a massive 172 touches of the ball, completing an impressive 141/155 passes, resulting in an accuracy rate of 91%.

The midfielder was constantly the man to push Liverpool forward, completing six long balls from 11 attempted.

Although his crossing arguably could have been a lot better, with only one of five finding their mark, it was clearly part of Liverpool’s tactics to lay the ball off for the 30-year-old to swing a cross in, which is testament to his ability on the ball.

Virgil van Dijk was full of praise for Henderson back in 2019, saying:

“Jordan is such an important player for this team. The contribution he makes goes unnoticed sometimes. I don’t know if he’s under-appreciated outside the club, but inside the club I know how highly we all think of him. He’s our captain and he always leads by example.”

Unfortunately for Henderson, his performance was not matched by a lot of his Liverpool teammates, and Jurgen Klopp will surely be fuming that his side dropped two points at Anfield against Sam Allardyce’s side.

However, the German manager will surely be happy with the performance from his captain, as it exemplified just how important Henderson is in this Liverpool side.

And, in other news… Lost possession 18x, no accurate crosses: Klopp will be fuming with “complete” Liverpool star

Manchester City were unable to break down a stubborn Manchester United defence in a 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon, with Riyad Mahrez in particular, producing a disappointing display against the Red Devils.

The Algerian winger wasted a huge opportunity to give the Citizens the lead in the first-half, in a game of few chances at Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old was disappointing throughout the game on Saturday and was substituted in the second-half by Pep Guardiola, as the away side chased a winner.

As per SofaScore, the former Leicester City man picked up a 6.8 rating for his display, with only Joao Cancelo, Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus rated lower of the City players who started the game.

During the game, Mahrez had just 23 touches of the ball, which was less than goalkeeper Ederson, who had 36.

The winger could only complete 13/18 passes during his time on the pitch, as he struggled to have much impact against Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, in a game that was low on quality.

Mahrez failed with his one dribble attempt during the game, which is an area he normally excels in, so it was clear that he wasn’t at his best during the game at Old Trafford.

Whilst he won two out of four of his duels during the game, and lost possession just eight times, he struggled to get involved, as City failed to ever really get in behind United’s defence.

Earlier this year, Guardiola was full of praise for the 28-year-old, saying:

“Riyad is an exceptional player. I know how important he is for us.”

“For the quality, the passes and especially his mentality and he is aggressive to score goals.”

However, it was clear that Mahrez couldn’t really have any impact on the game during the Manchester derby, so it was no surprise that Ferran Torres replaced the Algerian with just under half an hour remaining.

Mahrez will have to improve if he wants to keep his place in this City starting eleven, with Guardiola’s side set to face West Brom in their next Premier League fixture on Tuesday.

And, in other news… Manchester City made a huge transfer mistake with “inquisitive” ace who’s started the season on fire

Some Liverpool fans have been gushing over the tactics that Steven Gerrard uses for his Rangers team and have even compared them to Jurgen Klopp’sÂsystem at Anfield.

As per a tweet by Premier League Panel, the Anfield legend often attacks through his full-backs in his 4-3-3 system, as they cited that James Tavernier and Borna Barisic have 24 goals and assists between them in 37 starts in the Scottish Premiership and UEFA Europa League so far in the 2020/21 term.

Comparing those stats to both Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson, in 288 combined appearances between the Reds duo for the senior team, Alexander-Arnold has recorded eight goals and 38 assists (Transfermarkt), meaning they have mustered up 13 goals and 71 assists between them.

There are similarities in terms of how many contributions each full-back gets for their respective sides, and so some LFC supporters have speculated as to whether Gerrard could succeed Klopp in the future – he has of course been linked on plenty of occasions.

Liverpool fan reaction to Gerrard tactics

These Reds gushed over the tactics set by Gerrard on Twitter, with one fan claiming that the former England international is a possible ‘Klopp successor’:

In other news, find out why the latest update in Liverpool’s pursuit of one transfer target has been lauded by fans here!

According to the agent of Bayer Leverkusen striker Lucas Alario, who spoke to TNT Sports via Sport Witness, Tottenham ‘had the chance’ to seal a summer loan move when they were searching for a back up striker to Harry Kane – but both the player and his representative ended up declining. 

Alario, who scored seven goals and assisted three others for the German club last campaign, was reportedly approached by Spurs and Daniel Levy before they sealed a temporary deal with an option to buy for Benfica star Carlos Vinicius.

Alario declined deal

The 8-cap Argentina international, who scored three goals over those appearances for his country, is currently valued at around £12.15 million by Transfermarkt – with the 28-year-old reportedly attracting Spurs’ interest over the summer.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino had been keeping tabs as far back as 2017 according to the Independent, eyeing a move for his compatriot, who has been likened to Didier Drogba. 

Now, as per his agent, Spurs could have sealed a summer loan deal for the player – three years after Pochettino first signalled the intent to bring him to north London.

“We had opportunities to go out on loan and he chose to stay,” agent Pedro Aldave told TNT Sports via Sport Witness.

“I think Lucas can be in a top team today. Everything is very relative, many times the players of the top teams reach the end of the championship shattered.

“It’s easier to make the leap from Argentina to a top team, on the other hand, if you already came to Europe it’s more difficult. We had the chance of Tottenham, which is a top club, but to go and watch the games from the stands, it doesn’t work.

Transfer Tavern take

The comments from Alario’s agent suggest it was a matter of concerns over playing time rather than disrespect towards the north London club, so one has to respect the player’s decision in that regard.

Judging by his meagre market value and past plaudits though, Alario could have been a snip, but Spurs supporters won’t be seething given the acquisition of Vinicius – who has already impressed under manager Jose Mourinho.

In other news: Tottenham are being urged to bin this ‘unbelievable’ ace, find out more here.