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As soon as the Championship fixture list was announced last summer, one game jumped right out as a key clash for Leeds United.

Leeds travel to Pride Park to face Derby County in their penultimate game of the season, and a lot could hang in the balance ahead of that match.

Of course, the recent history between the Rams and the Whites has that set up to be a spicy clash after spygate and the playoff semi-finals last season, but another element of intrigue has further fuelled the flames of this rivalry.

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The Athletic reported earlier this week that Leeds aren’t too happy with the EFL about Derby’s signing of Wayne Rooney and the role 32Red had to play in it.

The former Manchester United man’s move was financed by the gambling company who have provided an extra £1.5m of funding for the Rams to spend as they please.

The problem is that Leeds are also sponsored by 32Red, yet they haven’t received the same type of treatment. While that may be seen as a negative, it could also work in the Whites’ favour.

The Yorkshire side don’t have the pleasure of playing against Rooney until late April, and they should have no issues in being motivated for that one.

Alongside the revenge for last season’s playoffs and the spygate issue, Bielsa can gee his players up by asking them to go out there and win the right way, rather than using underhanded financial tactics to land marquee players as Derby have done.

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Leeds may have a history of falling apart late on in seasons, missing out on promotion last term, but it’s impossible to think that the players won’t be giving it their all for this match if Bielsa handles his team talk in the right way.

In other news, Andrea Radrizzani could be about to risk Leeds’ future with one financial gamble.

What a performance from Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday.

In the semi-final of the League Cup, the Gers beat Hearts 3-0, and didn’t look under threat at any point during the match. Filip Helander set Steven Gerrard’s side on their way following a fantastic cross from Alfredo Morelos before the 23-year-old Colombian got himself on the scoresheet twice.

They will now face Celtic in the final as they look to end their domestic dominance.

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There were several impressive performances on the day from the Ibrox outfit, but Ryan Jack looked particularly good. So far this term the 27-year-old, who is currently valued at £1.35m by Transfermarkt, has played 19 matches, during which he has scored three times and provided two assists.

It is fair to say that the club’s supporters were absolutely delighted with the two-time Scotland international’s display.

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They took to Twitter to share their thoughts, and you can see some of the best comments from the social media platform below.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Lucas Moura has explained how the hat-trick he scored for Tottenham Hotspur against Ajax has changed his life, per ESPN Brasil via Sport Witness.

What’s he said?

The Brazil international netted a barely believable treble in the Champions League semi-final last season.

Trailing 2-0 on the night and 3-0 on aggregate, Spurs needed a miracle in Amsterdam.

Lucas stepped up, scoring twice and restoring the club’s hope, before netting a brilliant goal in the 95th minute to send the club into their first-ever final.

And he has now lifted the lid on how his life has changed since.

He said: “At the time we had no comprehension of what we did.

“In the street, fans always come to talk about that game.

“Today I see a lot more fans with my shirt, and it also greatly increased my followers on social media!

“It’s very satisfying to know that you’re loved at the club where you play.”

A hero

Loved?

Lucas Moura is an icon in Tottenham now, a legend from a campaign in Europe in which Spurs fans dared to dream that they could become European champions.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

His goals, but, really, that third goal, are forever etched in Spurs folklore.

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Shorn of Harry Kane, injured and watching in the stands, Lucas stepped up to drag Spurs back from the brink of elimination, completing perhaps the greatest comeback in their history.

He will be loved forever and a day in north London.

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Under Mark Hughes before his dismissal last December, Southampton looked in real danger of going down.

Thanks to Ralph Hasenhuttl, though, the south coast club managed to turn things around. An ex-Saint, however, is not getting too carried away and believes his former side have got to do much better next season.

“Now it’s a case of building and having a realistic expectation,” Kevin Keegan told the Daily Echo. “If you are Southampton, you are not going to finish in the top-six very easily, but you are certainly capable of finish from seventh down to 14th.”

This is a Southampton side with some very good players. As Keegan has pointed out, they have it in them to do way better than a 16th-place finish.

After losing some big names summer after summer, a decline was inevitable, leaving Hasenhuttl’s squad needing some urgent surgery.

The former RB Leipzig manager, for example, could do with a new No.9. But when you look elsewhere, he certainly has some decent options.

The likes of Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina, to name a few players, all bring a lot to the table.

Build on that, and Hasenhuttl could take Southampton far next season, may be even close to where Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino once had them.

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For the 51-year-old, the foundation is certainly there and it is now just about building on it, in the words of Keegan.

Southampton fans, can you see your club finishing in the top half of the table next season? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to surprisingly reveal that they would be eager to see Philippe Coutinho return to Anfield, just over a year after watching him battle hard to leave the club and join Barcelona.

The Brazilian international effectively forced his way out of the door at Liverpool, handing in a transfer request after the Reds rejected three bids from the Spanish giants for Coutinho’s signature – both parties finally agreed on sum of £142m.

Has Alisson been Liverpool’s most important signing of the season? Check out the video below to find out why Jurgen Klopp thinks so…

After the move, many Liverpool fans – like the one above – turned their back on the former Inter Milan playmaker, and did not take kindly to the manner in which Coutinho left the club.

Now, however, in a surprising development, some of the Reds supporters on Twitter have called for the Premier League title hopefuls to re-sign their former No.10, citing the current lack of midfield creativity as reason enough to bury the hatchet…

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Tottenham Hotspur make the long trip from north London to Merseyside this Sunday to take on Everton at Goodison Park. 

Mauricio Pochettino’s side arrive in good form and will be full of confidence having overcome their bitter local rivals, Arsenal, by a 2-0 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium in a Carabao Cup tie in midweek.

CheekySport’s Joel claims Spurs badly need to invest in January after not having “the balls” to beat Arsenal. Check out his uncensored opinion in the video below…

However, Spurs can’t afford to take any complacency into this weekend’s clash, and Pochettino must get his team selection right too if his men are to triumph over the Toffees.

With that in mind, the time has come for Moussa Sissoko to be dropped from Spurs’ starting XI. The Frenchman’s good recent form earned him a rare run in the side, but against the Gunners the 29-year-old looked to have reverted to his previous standards. The 55-cap France international was wasteful in possession and clumsy defensively.

The likes of Eric Dier and Harry Winks offer Spurs more reliable options in the middle, and Pochettino should put his faith in them this weekend.

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What do you think, Spurs fans, should Sissoko start against Everton?

Liverpool have turned into a European powerhouse again thanks to the magic of Jurgen Klopp, who has continually been able to get the best out of the players at his disposal. Inspiring and passionate, it’s hard to not watch the German on the sidelines and feel inspired.

Klopp has made a career at Anfield out of transforming the team and improving the state of the club, and he’s had yet another major success story this season – Daniel Sturridge.

Sturridge’s Liverpool career looked as good as over last season after a loan to West Brom, and he may have even left over the summer. He wouldn’t have been a huge loss based on his then-recent form, that’s for sure.

However, that’s all changed this season. The Englishman has been lethal this term, and he’s quickly emerging as an important rotational option on Merseyside. He’s a game changer for the club, and he proved that against Chelsea last week.

Sturridge’s contract, though, expires next summer – meaning that Liverpool could lose him on a free at the end of the season. On current form, it’s fair to say that would be a very bad thing for the Reds.

Instead, then, it may be time for Liverpool to renew his contract – and here are TWO reasons why…

Explosive Start

Make no mistake, Daniel Sturridge is one of the most in-form forwards in the Premier League at present. Including their pre-season games, Sturridge has got a whopping 9 goals in just 12 games, and he’s done particularly well over the last week or so – with two goals in two games against Chelsea.

He’s always been a lethal finisher, and he proved that during his early days, but as of late he’s struggled in that regard. Indeed, he was pretty ineffective at West Brom last season.

However, he’s found his scoring boots this year, and Liverpool will now be hoping that keeps them on. On current form, hanging on to him is a no-brainer.

Liverpool would be hard pressed to find someone better.

Alternative To Firmino

Liverpool are blessed to not just have one great forward in Daniel Sturridge. They’ve also got Roberto Firmino, who has turned into one of their most important players over the last year or two.

He’s a regular starter under Jurgen Klopp, and there’s no doubting that he’ll continue to be so over the next few years. However, that doesn’t mean that he can do it all alone.

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The Brazilian’s injury record is pretty good, but problems can occur at any time, and that was proven when he suffered an eye injury earlier this season.

With Liverpool playing so many games, it’s vital that Klopp has a worthy alternative to Firmino, and he’s clearly found that in Sturridge. In truth, he’s even showing signs that he could go one better and replace Firmino altogether.

Whilst that’s unlikely, a role alongside the Brazilian may make sense at some point, and so hanging on to him would be a wise move.

Sunderland fans are furious with their club once again after the club announced there will be no cash turnstiles for Tuesday’s clash with Norwich.The Black Cats looked like possibly rescuing their season at Elland Road on Saturday, but an equaliser from Leeds’ Pablo Hernandez has left Chris Coleman’s side dangling by a thread.With five games to play, Sunderland are now seven points adrift of safety, and it doesn’t seem like they’ll be much of an atmosphere at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday to help them out.[ad_pod ]Sunderland’s home form has been truly torrid this season, and the club have today announced there will be no cash turnstiles in operation for the clash with Norwich, and fans must have a purchase history to get tickets.This is presumably to stop Newcastle fans turning up to cause trouble, which has happened in the past, but fans are still understandably annoyed at the decision.Effectively, fans who simply turn up to the games on a whim are now unable to get in, and some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…

According to reports on HITC, Newcastle United could reignite their interest in Hamburg midfielder Lewis Holtby after he was left out of their squad for the win against Stuttgart on Saturday.

ESPN FC reported in June of this year that the Magpies were keen to bring the former Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham man back to the Premier League, but a move never materialised.

While the 27-year-old was a regular for the Bundesliga outfit earlier in the campaign he has found first-team opportunities harder to come by in recent weeks, and with his contract due to run out next summer the latest blow of missing out on the 18-man squad suggests he is definitely on his way.

Meanwhile, after a fine start to their Championship campaign Leeds United have hit a real poor run of form – losing seven of their last nine league games – and manager Thomas Christiansen could be looking to add to his squad during the January transfer window to ensure their promotion bid doesn’t falter for the second successive season.

Here are three reasons Leeds should hijack Newcastle’s interest in Holtby…

Attacking midfield competition

While summer signing Samu Saiz has probably been Leeds’ standout player so far this season, the likes of Pablo Hernandez, Kemar Roofe and Ezgjan Alioski haven’t really done enough in the attacking midfield positions.

It seems clear that more competition and quality is needed in those areas if the Whites are to turn their season around and challenge for promotion, and the versatile Holtby would certainly bring that as he can play on either flank or as a number 10.

Prime/Potential

At 27 years of age, Holtby should be in or approaching the peak years of his football career and if Leeds could sign him at this stage of his career then it could prove to be quite the coup for the Championship club.

With Premier League experience with Tottenham and Fulham – albeit he struggled to make an impression with the former in particular – the three-capped Germany international would also be ready to make the step up to the English top flight at the end of the season if the Yorkshire outfit do finally make a return there after a 14-year absence.

Transfer fee

With Holtby’s contract due to expire at the end of the season and with little sign that the 27-year-old will sign a new one with the Bundesliga outfit, an exit seems highly likely either in January or next summer.

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The midfielder will be able to sign a pre-contract agreement with clubs in the New Year if that is the path that he wants to go down and if a team wants to sign him for free, but a cut-price fee may also be enough to get him for the second-half of the current campaign.

That is an option that could be tempting for Leeds as they look to mount a promotion push, and they have plenty of money left in the bank following the big-money sale of Chris Wood to Burnley during the summer.

Do you agree, Leeds fans? Let us know below.

According to reports from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) Serie A side Napoli are considering a summer move for Chelsea’s on-loan forward Bertrand Traore after he impressed with Ajax this season.

What’s the word?

When it comes to Chelsea’s loan system, people either love it or they hate it, but you cannot deny that it works for the Premier League champions.

As the Blues were crowned champions in Antonio Conte’s first season as manager, no less than 37 on-loan players will have been watching on from their respective temporary bases having been deemed surplus to requirements for the season back in August.

The west Londoners are often criticised for shipping out too many players, however, in the long run the club always seem to benefit from a healthy sale price having given their youngsters plenty of first team experience elsewhere, and it seems another could be on his way this summer.

Having scored 13 goals and picking up a further six assists in all competitions for Ajax this season 21-year-old Traore is attracting Serie A big boys Napoli, who are looking to add depth to their squad in the wide areas ahead of next season, with reports suggesting that Roman Abramovich could land €20m (around £17m) for the Burkina Faso international.

Furthermore, officials at Stamford Bridge will have been buoyed by the claims that Napoli president Aurelio de Laurentiis would ‘gladly go after’ their youngster.

A future in London?

One gripe for some Chelsea fans is that it has been far too long since they have seen ‘one of their own’ come through the ranks and really establish themselves in the first team squad, no one since soon to be departed captain John Terry has truly made it.

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Having broken into the side at the back end of last season and featuring heavily in Conte’s pre-season plans there was a sense that this could have been the year for Traore. However, having been shipped out on loan and with his parent club persistently linked with some of the top attacking talent in Europe, a future at the Bridge seems a long way off.