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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

Leeds United beat Huddersfield 2-0 on Saturday despite having a depleted squad.

The Whites were without Kalvin Phillips at the John Smith’s Stadium for the first time this season, yet they didn’t seem to miss his presence on the pitch, and that’s partly down to one man stepping up to the plate.

One thing that is rather underestimated is the creativity that Phillips brings to the Leeds team. In four of the midfielder’s last five games he’s played more key passes than any of his teammates.

Fortunately, someone took up the brunt of the creativity that Leeds have recently looked towards Phillips for.

Pablo Hernandez hasn’t had to be the creative force he has been in recent years over these past few weeks due to the amount of work Phillips has been doing in that area, but his stats show that he really stepped up last Saturday.

He played four key passes whilst also delivering five crosses, despite playing a more central role.

He wasn’t just making things happen either, he was integral to every facet of Leeds’ play in the Yorkshire derby as he had more touches than anyone else on the pitch at the weekend.

Alongside his creativity, he also provided a cutting edge that United desperately needed as he netted the Whites’ second goal that put the game to bed.

Hernandez stepped up massively in Phillips’ absence and he was vital in the club’s victory over the Terriers.

Meanwhile, Phil Hay has claimed that one youngster could get his chance in the coming weeks.

Speaking on the Phil Hay Show, The Athletic journalist has given a positive update on the future of Ben White, suggesting that he looks likely to stay beyond January.

What’s he said?

White has been imperious for Leeds this season, earning various compliments from fans and quickly becoming one of the very best defenders in the Championship.

He won the supporters’ Player of the Month award all the way back in August and he hasn’t looked back since.

The 22-year-old has been part of a backline that’s conceded just 13 goals in 22 matches. In the process, White has won a mightily impressive 3.4 aerial duels per outing as well as achieving 2.5 interceptions.

Whether or not he is recalled by Brighton in January remains to be seen, but Hay has remained upbeat about Leeds’ chances of keeping his services until the end of the current campaign.

“The noise from Leeds is that they think he will be here until the end of the season. The noises from the Brighton end, similarly, seem to indicate that he will as well. You’d think that if somebody was about to go big and was looking to get it done next month that Brighton would have wind of that by now. I think they’ll be okay with that one.”

Promotion hopes boosted        

There’s no doubting that Leeds would be in bother if Brighton recalled White in January. After all, they’d be left with just two senior options at centre half – Liam Cooper and Gaetano Berardi.

With that in mind and the performances he’s produced in west Yorkshire to date, he’d be a huge loss to their chances of going up and finally reaching the promised land of the Premier League.

Hay went onto state in his podcast that Leeds could be in the discussion for his permanent signature if they go up but with plenty of teams swooping around the defender, it would be a hotly contested race.

Can you get full marks on the Ultimate Leeds Quiz? Test your knowledge below…

A number of top clubs have been credited with an interest in the youngster and that’s why there have been fears over his future next month in the first place.

Manchester United and Liverpool are two of the clubs in the race while Chelsea are another side to have thought about a potential move.

However, based on Hay’s quotes, it looks as though that won’t happen until next summer at the very earliest. This can only be positive for Marcelo Bielsa and his side.

In other news, one Leeds man has recently shown why promotion is anything but assured…

As per Football Insider, no less than six players have been mentioned as potential replacements for Alfredo Morelos at Glasgow Rangers.

The report says that the Gers expect Alfredo Morelos to leave Ibrox this summer, although they will only likely get £15m instead of the £30m they had previously been hoping for.

If the Colombia international does depart, the 54-time Scottish champions will need a new striker, and Football Insider say that six players have been discussed. They are Josh Maja, Lyle Taylor, Rhian Brewster, Lawrence Shankland, Lyndon Dykes and Mohamed Buyda Turay.

Morelos’ departure would leave a big hole in Steven Gerrard’s starting XI. After all, he scored 29 goals last term and has 77 in 137 matches in all competitions since moving to the blue side of Glasgow – that kind of clinical touch is hard to replace.

Still, there is plenty of goals amongst the players mentioned. Turay has scored 15 goals in 29 games in the Swedish league this term, whilst Taylor has 11 in 22 for Charlton in the Championship to date. Shankland has been prolific in the Scottish Championship with Dundee United, scoring 24 times in 26 matches, whilst Dykes has amassed nine in 25. Maja and Brewster have scored less, but they have still managed six in 21 and four in seven respectively.

If they were to receive £15m for Morelos, that would likely cover the fees of any of said players – their Transfermarkt values are as follows: Turay, £1.08m; Taylor, £1.26m (although he is set to be a free agent); Shankland, £428,000; Dykes, £428,000; Maja, £5.67m; Brewster, £4.86m.

All likely affordable, and all with their own pros and cons – it is up to Ross Wilson and co to decide who would be the best option.

Let us know what you think!

This summer, Helder Costa will make his loan deal from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Leeds United a permanent one for a transfer fee of £15m.

Arriving in England back in 2016, the Portuguese winger impressed during his first season with Wolves, but his goals and assists became less frequent in the following two seasons at the Midlands club.

Moving to Elland Road on loan last summer, Costa has played a part in Marcelo Bielsa’s side sitting top of the Championship table. On course for promotion to the Premier League, Leeds will likely be keen to strengthen their squad ahead of next season, and Costa’s permanent deal will use a significant portion of the Whites’ transfer funds.

A £15m deal, agreed at the time of the loan arrangement last summer, seems a bargain in today’s transfer market, but it is worth questioning whether the 26-year-old done enough to warrant that figure.

With a total of 37 league appearances this term for Leeds, Costa has managed to net three goals and supply three assists, therefore contributing to six goals in the Championship. Those statistics are hardly flattering, seeing the winger involved in just 10% of his side’s 56 goals in the league.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, it is hard to see that valuation increasing due to his modest statistics and one might wonder if that agreed £15m fee could have been spent on a different option.

Of course, time will tell if Costa can make an impact in the remainder of the Championship season and on to next term, but with the potential of a Premier League season providing a significant step up, Bielsa is unlikely to afford too many chances to players who fail to have the desired effect in this Leeds team.

Do you think Helder Costa has warranted his £15m permanent move to Leeds? Let us know in the comments section…

Tottenham are still waiting for Tanguy Ndombele to find some consistency, although some things are out of his control. 

While Jose Mourinho insisted he is pleased with Ndombele’s work ethic in recent weeks, as the Spurs duo even broke lockdown rules to work together, Ndombele was nowhere to be seen in the draw with Manchester United.

His absence will no doubt have raised many questions about his future.

However, Daniel Levy has moved to dissuade any lingering suspicions by making a big decision.

According to Football Insider, Levy has no intentions of selling Ndombele in the summer, as the board are convinced he will eventually live up to his £55m club record fee.

Tottenham are prepared to listen to offers for some of the players Mourinho considers surplus to requirements.

But Levy is adamant the 23-year-old will not be sold and has ruled out using the Frenchman in any swap deals.

The outlet points out the two have a difficult relationship, as the Portuguese has publicly lashed out at the midfielder on multiple occasions so far.

Despite Mourinho’s misgivings, Levy insists the French international is not up for sale.

As it stands, this could impact Giovani Lo Celso, as the Spurs coach may be forced to use Ndombele more often to keep the chairman happy.

Lo Celso was called into action against the Red Devils, which left his teammate on the bench. The Argentine was one of the club’s best players before the break was enforced in March.

Nevertheless, some football fans will remember Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich compelled Mourinho to play Andriy Shevchenko, even though he was in the worst form of his career.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Tanguy Ndombele another chance? Let us know down below!

Manchester United have been nothing short of sensational since football restarted and they became the first team in Premier League history to win four consecutive matches by three or more goals following their 3-0 win at Aston Villa on Thursday.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s Red Devils have put themselves in a great position to secure a top-six finish and they’re putting pressure on fourth-placed Leicester City as a Champions League spot continues to be the ultimate goal.

Going forward, United have been outstanding. Mason Greenwood, Anthony Martial, Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford make up one of the most feared attacks in world football right now, while Paul Pogba’s involvement from midfield also brings an interesting goal threat.

And that is why they will be favourites here, despite Southampton also enjoying some food form since football returned in June.

Unbeaten in their last three outings, including a brilliant 1-0 victory over Manchester City, Ralph Hasenhuttl’s Saints are making a late and ambitious bid for a top-ten Premier League finish, having pulled themselves away from a relegation battle with just one defeat from their last five games.

Before the postponement, Southampton were on a run of one win in five matches but they have managed to bounce back and give themselves an outside chance of a top-half finish, which will have looked almost impossible back in December when they suffered a humiliating 9-0 home defeat to Leicester.

A trip to Old Trafford is arguably the toughest test of their final batch of fixtures before the end of the campaign, but Hasenhuttl’s men are tipped to provide a more difficult contest than Man United’s most recent opponents have done.

Form

Since their 2-0 home defeat to Arsenal in June, Southampton have embarked on an impressive three-game unbeaten streak, which included a win over Manchester City and a strong point against Everton at Goodison Park.

Man United, on the other hand, are in the middle of a ten-match unbeaten run, winning each of their last four by three goals or more. The Red Devils’ last league defeat came at the end of January wen Burnley silenced Old Trafford with a 2-0 victory.

Since then, they have dropped just six points and scored an impressive 23 goals.

Team News

Victor Lindelof returned to the starting XI following a back injury in midweek but both Axel Tuanzebe and Phil Jones remain sidelined.

There are question marks over the fitness of Nemanja Matic and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who both looked tired against Aston Villa.

Southampton quartet Sofiane Boufal, Jannik Vestergaard, Yan Valery and Moussa Djenepo are all still injured and will miss out, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg could return to the starting XI after appearing from the bench in the midweek draw at Everton.

How to Watch

Fans of both clubs will have to wait until Monday for this fixture, which proceedings scheduled to get underway at Old Trafford on Monday 13 July, 8pm.

Supporters can watch the action Sky Sports Main Event or via their football live stream of choice,

Former Manchester United youngster Demetri Mitchell has emerged as a potential summer target for Sunderland.

Black Cats manager Phil Parkinson is seeking promotion to the Championship in 2021 and he has already made some shrewd signings, bringing in Bailey Wright and Aiden O’Brien, whilst Tom Flanagan signed a new deal to remain at the club.

Transfer gossip continues to abound, with a recent transfer link to former Everton defender Luke Garbutt, whose preferred position is at left-back.

While interest in Garbutt has been reported, it has been somewhat countered by a claim from The Northern Echo’s Scott Wilson, who has said that former Man United defender Mitchell is gaining interest from the Wearsiders.

The 23-year-old has spent time with Sunderland over the last few days after being released by the Old Trafford club earlier this summer.

Having missed most of the last 12 months through injury, it is reported that Parkinson has handed Mitchell the chance to trial at the Stadium of Light, as per The Northern Echo. The report added that Garbutt is due to make a decision on his immediate future in the coming days.

Mitchell’s injury problems of late could be a concern for Parkinson and may potentially sway him towards Garbutt in a choice between the two players.

However, with the ex-Man United man already being given a chance to impress with a trial, he seems to have the edge on the former Everton player – and with Denver Hume already at the club, there only seems a need for one further left-back option at Sunderland.

Sunderland fans, who would you sign out of Garbutt or Mitchell? Let us know in the comments section below…

Tottenham Hotspur have been tipped to go back in for one of Mauricio Pochettino’s old targets this summer and he could be the perfect heir to Christian Eriksen…

What’s the word?

Speaking to talkSPORT, via Birmingham Live, former Spurs midfielder Jamie O’Hara claimed that he would love to see Aston Villa skipper Jack Grealish finally sign for the north Londoners, he said:

“I really like him, he’s had a great season. I think it would be brilliant for Spurs if I’m honest. I think we should have got him a season ago when he was probably a lot cheaper. I don’t know if Spurs have got the money, maybe if they’re offloading a couple. He would be great – does he stay at Villa? I think now it’s time for him to step up. If he wants to be that England player and be in that squad in a weekly basis – I think he needs to move to a team that is going to be up near the top six.”

Back in 2018, there were reports suggesting that Daniel Levy was going to bid for the English playmaker but eventually, it fell through leading to Grealish admitting his disappointment.

He could cost a lot more than that £25m offer now.

Eriksen heir

Spurs haven’t really filled the void left behind by Eriksen, who left for Inter Milan during the January transfer window. Yes, Giovani Lo Celso has shown glimpses, but he’s only managed to provide two assists all season in the Premier League.

Despite playing for a Villa side that finished 17th, Grealish racked up more created chances than the likes of James Maddison, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joao Moutinho.

In fact, it was only Kevin de Bruyne who managed more this season, as per Squawka.

The 24-year-old also provided Villa with eight goals and six assists, averaging 2.5 key passes, 2 dribbles and 2 shots per game, via WhoScored, so in some ways he carried his boyhood club over the line.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher lauded Grealish as “influential” after naming him in his Team of the Season for the TV company whilst his boss believes he has “star quality” similar to Dele Alli. High praise indeed.

Robert Pires even went as far as saying that he reminded him of his old Gunners teammate Dennis Bergkamp.

It remains to be seen how much the Villa superstar will command this summer, particularly with the Midlanders staving off relegation. Fees as high as £80m have been mooted, so it would ultimately come down to Mr Levy.

There surely aren’t many better options out there for the role.

AND in other news, Citizens lining up shock £40m transfer for Spurs star…

Aston Villa have been dealt a fresh development in pursuit of one of their reported summer targets this week…

What’s the word?

Earlier in the month, the Guardian linked the Midlands outfit with a swoop for Queens Park Rangers maestro Eberechi Eze with a whole host of Premier League teams also keen.

The likes of West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and newly promoted West Brom were all mooted with interest.

Now the same paper reports that the Eagles are leading the charge but QPR are holding out for at least £16m with fellow PL new boys Fulham and Leeds United now in the race.

The new Sterling?

Eze is undeniably one of the Championship’s hottest prospects, so it’s hardly a surprise to see so many clubs keen to sign him during this transfer window.

The 22-year-old was left out of the Rs first pre-season friendly against AFC Wimbledon at the weekend and his manager Mark Warburton admitted it was because of the heated interest in his star man.

Eze took the second division by storm last season, delivering 14 goals and eight assists, averaging 3 dribbles, 2.2 shots and 1.8 key passes per game, via WhoScored.

It’s no wonder that he’s been compared to fellow Loftus Road grad Raheem Sterling – ex-assistant Marc Bircham even believes that Eze “goes past players easier than Raheem Sterling did.”

Director of Football Les Ferdinand has seen and played with some top quality stars throughout his career in football, but he claims that the Rs sensation is “up there as one of the best I’ve seen,” which is an almighty endorsement indeed.

Also dubbed as “very special” by Warburton, it’s clear to see that Eze has something that doesn’t come around too often, so Villa can’t afford to pass this up whatsoever.

Jack Grealish successor? Jota or Trezeguet replacement? A starter in his own right? His versatility and skill set allows him to be whatever Dean Smith needs him to be.

For just £16m, not only will it be an absolute steal, but they could well have the PL’s next Sterling in their squad – look how he turned out.

AND in other news,Villains join PL duo in Bundesliga STAR pursuit…

Tottenham have been one of the best teams in England over the past six years or so.

The London club may not have won a trophy during that time, but numerous top-four finishes and a Champions League final appearance has certainly been sufficient for a club that were lumbering around mid-table in the early 2000s.

Spurs’ recent success can be attributed to the rise of one player, and there are no prizes for guessing that we’re talking about Harry Kane.

The Englishman has won two Premier League golden boots, and he’s already the club’s third-highest goalscorer, but as with any footballer, he’s not able to play every single game.

Football fans across the world have been gripped to the new Spurs documentary on Amazon Prime, and one trend that has been prominent is how badly injuries affected the side last season, particularly when Kane went down with a thigh problem.

Indeed, Spurs won just three of the nine league games in which Kane didn’t play last term, and that’s down to the fact they haven’t had a competent backup, being forced into using Heung-Min Son and Lucas Moura as makeshift options, two players who aren’t natural centre-forwards.

Understandably, finding another striker has been a priority for Spurs this summer, but they’ve lost out on two of their reported targets already, with Ollie Watkins joining Aston Villa and Callum Wilson heading to Newcastle.

Playing under Jose Mourinho is undoubtedly more alluring that turning out for either Steve Bruce or Dean Smith, so why do Spurs keep missing out on these players?

The unfortunate truth is that footballers want to play the game they love, and at Tottenham, you have to be a very special player to displace Kane, and even then, that might not be enough.

Watch Tottenham Hotspur Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Of course, there are some players who are willing to play second fiddle, but often you’ll find that these players aren’t up to scratch, with the likes of Vincent Jansson and Fernando Llorente filling that role in recent years, and neither of those had anything close to resembling a good scoring record for Spurs.

Kane is integral to Tottenham’s success, and when he’s fit he’ll start every single match, so you can’t promise consistent minutes to any striker you’re looking to bring in, while also needing a player who can fill his shoes when he is injured or suspended.

Spurs still want a striker this summer even with their flurry of activity that has included the impending arrival of Gareth Bale, but even though they’ve brought in one of the biggest names in football, this striker won’t be easy to find.

The fact of the matter is, a talented forward who is willing to sit on the bench for the majority of the time is very hard to find, and unfortunately, Spurs are tasked with seeking out this elusive profile of footballer.