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Paddy Kenny has been left gobsmacked by some transfer news he’s heard from Newcastle United involving Kepa Arrizabalaga in the build-up to today’s clash with Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Contemplating loan

As per The Athletic, the St. James’ Park faithful are now contemplating a loan offer for Kepa, as they look to strengthen their options in the goalkeeping department.

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Manchester United shot-stopper Dean Henderson has also featured in early talks ahead of what looks to be a busy summer transfer window in the North East, with Martin Dubravka turning 34 next season and perhaps in need of some serious competition.

The Latest: Kenny reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Kenny has claimed that the Tyenside outfit ‘would be mad’ to sign Kepa, and instead should go for Henderson:

“You would be mad to sign Kepa in my opinion.

“He came with a big price tag but he’s never really shown why he is worth it.

“I lost all respect for him when he wouldn’t come off in the League Cup final.

“That was bang out of order. Chelsea spent all this money on him then they have had to go and buy another goalkeeper.

“Henderson is the one, for me. He’s stuck behind De Gea for the time being and what a prospect Newcastle is now.

“Henderson has his whole career ahead of him and I’m sure a move up to Newcastle would interest him.

“He’s a future England number one so for me it would be a great move.”

The Verdict: Henderson over Kepa

If the Magpies were to go for one of the goalkeepers in the summer, we feel they should indeed look to sign Henderson over Kepa.

As Kenny mentions, the latter comes with some baggage, after being fined £190,000 for refusing to come off of the pitch during the 2019 Carabao Cup final against Manchester City.

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Of course, Chelsea spent a world-record £71m fee for a ‘keeper when they signed him back in 2018, but he has been displaced by Edouard Mendy as the number one choice at Stamford Bridge.

As such, that price tag now looks to be a big waste of money.

As for Henderson, once described as ‘insane‘ and ‘exceptional‘ by former Sheffield United teammate Sander Berge, he could be the heir to Dubravka, and in a World Cup year, he will no doubt be desperate for game time so that he can impress England manager Gareth Southgate.

In other news, find out which former Sunderland man NUFC have now ‘agreed’ to sign here!

Leeds United’s hopes of keeping hold of midfielder Kalvin Phillips, and the identity of his next club if he does move on, will hinge on whether or not they avoid relegation, according to journalist Phil Hay.

The Lowdown: Phillips’ future up in the air

The 26-year-old has suffered a frustrating season for the Whites, not playing a single minute since December because of a serious hamstring injury.

Talk has intensified over Phillips’ future in recent months, with a host of clubs linked with signing him amid Leeds’ Premier League relegation battle. Aston Villa and West Ham have been two particularly prominent suitors of late.

Hay has now addressed where the England midfielder’s future is likely to lie, depending on what happens at Elland Road over the next two months.

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The Latest: Hay on Kalvin Phillips

Writing in a Monday morning mailbag for The Athletic, the journalist admitted with regards to Phillips’ future that everything could depend on whether or not Leeds go down in May. He stated:

“If Leeds go down, all bets would be off. Players such as Phillips would need to find themselves Premier League clubs and would have to be open to whatever offers were on the table.

“But if Leeds stay up, and they’ve given themselves a huge chance of that by winning the last two games, I’d find it odd to see him go to Villa or West Ham United — two of the clubs linked with him recently.

“Phillips turns 27 this year and because of his age, doesn’t have an endless line of future big moves in him. Given his development and his progress at international level with England, the target for him, if he was to leave, would surely be relatively-secure Champions League football most seasons. Anything less would feel like him selling himself short. But we all know Villa have been on his case for a while.”

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The Verdict: Perfect incentive to stay up

If ever Jesse Marsch and his players needed an incentive to stay up, it is this, with Phillips arguably the most important player in the current Leeds squad.

He has matured into a truly formidable midfielder – one who is England’s reigning Player of the Year – dominating midfield battles and averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the league this season.

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Losing Phillips would be an almighty blow but it would be impossible to begrudge him a move if Leeds are back playing in the Championship, with the boyhood Whites fan already doing a stint in that division when he could have played at a higher level.

In other news, Leeds could make a loan signing this summer. Find out who the player in question is here.

Alex Neil will be hoping to extend his current unbeaten run in charge of Sunderland to five games as his side host Crewe Alexandra this afternoon.

The Black Cats beat Fleetwood 3-1 in their last outing at the Stadium of Light and can now make it back-to-back wins on their own turf today.

If results go their way, Sunderland can move up to fourth in the table and above Oxford with a win, whilst also potentially moving to within six points off the automatic promotion places.

One change that Neil must make to his starting XI for this match is the removal of Patrick Roberts from the line-up after the 25-year-old’s disappointing performance last time out.

Former Black Cats boss Lee Johnson dubbed the winger an “amazing coup” upon his arrival at the Stadium of Light in January, but he is yet to prove the since-sacked manager right.

Neil offered Roberts a huge opportunity to showcase his quality against Fleetwood and he spurned that chance with a worrying display. He lined up on the right of the front three and failed to show that he deserves to retain his place in the team.

The ex-Manchester City winger struggled on and off the ball before being substituted in the 71st minute. As per SofaScore, he lost five of his eight individual duels and failed to make a single clearance, block, interception or tackle. This suggests that he was lacking on the defensive side of the game, as he was too weak in his battles and did not do enough to win back the ball for his team.

The 25-year-old also offered very little in possession. As per SofaScore, he completed 16 passes and failed to create a single chance, whilst also failing with three of his six attempted dribbles. He lost the ball 16 times from 38 touches, a recurring theme for him since joining the club.

In six League One appearances for Sunderland, Roberts has lost possession 48 times from 98 touches, which effectively equates to losing the ball every two touches on average. This is a shocking statistic and shows that he has been far too wasteful on the ball for the club in his short time on Wearside so far.

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Therefore, Neil must brutally axe him from the starting XI, as the winger’s abysmal form does not suggest that he will have a positive impact on the team against Crewe Alexandra. Hopefully he will be able to rediscover his best form soon, but he may have to do that whilst coming off the bench to prove that he deserves the time to get back to his best.

AND in other news, Neil must now unleash 21 y/o Sunderland gem with “persistence” and “effortless” natural ability…

Rangers chief Ross Wilson joined the club in 2019 and has overseen a number of transfer windows since arriving at Ibrox.

Not every single sale and signing is going to work out perfectly or be greeted with applause from the fanbase and the Gers sporting director has had his share of successes and mishaps.

One of the latter came last summer when he decided to cash in on central defender George Edmundson, after then-boss Steven Gerrard loaned him out to Derby the previous season.

Wilson sanctioned the sale of Edmundson to English League One outfit Ipswich Town ahead of the 2021/22 campaign. The Tractor Boys reportedly agreed a deal worth £1m in total to sign the defender and he has thrived south of the border.

Ipswich reporter Andy Warren dubbed him “Mr Consistent” earlier this term and his statistics for the club back that tag up. He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.04 in League One across 32 games, winning 186 duels at a success rate of 63% as the third tier side have kept 13 clean sheets.

Edmundson has averaged 2.3 tackles and interceptions and 4.0 clearances per game. This shows that he has been sublime at the back for the Blues as he has been consistently winning the ball back and clearing danger for his team throughout the season.

In the 2020/21 campaign, he averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.78 for Derby in the Championship. He won 61% of his duels and he showed that he has the ability to be a reliable option at that level, with the Englishman now proving he can be a standout in the division below.

At the age of 24, he also has plenty of time left ahead of him to develop. He is still very young for a centre-back and has the potential to grow throughout his career, increasing his value further and meaning that Rangers have missed out on a much bigger payday down the line.

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Sending him out on loan to Ipswich, or another club, may have been a better decision from a financial point of view instead of cashing in on him for £1m. That way, the Gers would have been able to watch him improve before either giving him a chance in their first-team or selling him for more than the £1m they got for him – as his current performances are above and beyond what he has shown previously and that may raise his price tag.

Instead, Rangers are now watching him excel at Portman Road on a permanent basis and, therefore, Wilson had a howler with this particular deal…

AND in other news, Major boost: Van Bronckhorst handed big Rangers injury lift, it’ll have Ibrox rocking…

Reliable journalist Mike McGrath has claimed that Leeds United boss Jesse Marsch is in line for two major injury boosts, with news on the ‘horizon’.  

The Lowdown: Bamford and Phillips’ absence

Patrick Bamford and Kalvin Phillips were two of Leeds’ best performers in the club’s first season back in the Premier League, with the former scoring 17 times and the latter making himself an England regular.

However, this season, the pair haven’t been able to impress, with Bamford making just five starts and Phillips missing since December along with captain Liam Cooper.

As a result, Leeds have struggled in 2021/22 and find themselves just two points clear of the relegation zone with 12 games remaining.

The Latest: McGrath’s comments

McGrath shared a Leeds column on The Telegraph on Monday morning and touched on the club’s injury situation.

He stated that Marsch could ‘have players returning from injury on the horizon’, name-checking both Bamford and Phillips.

The Verdict: Big news

Whatever ‘on the horizon’ means specifically, you’d expect that this weekend may come too soon for both Phillips and Bamford, but Phil Hay has recently revealed they aren’t far off.

So, with back-to-back home games against Aston Villa and Norwich City following the trip to Leicester City, it would be big for Marsch to have the pair back in any capacity when those matches roll around.

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Those Elland Road fixtures could go a long way in regards to Leeds ensuring their Premier League safety, so having two influential players possibly back is brilliant news.

In other news: ‘The 49ers want…’ – Report drops huge claim as Leeds exodus now set to continue after Bielsa. 

Manchester United will travel to Spain to take on a huge clash against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side in the Champions League round of 16 first leg today, and Ralf Rangnick will be hoping his side can get off to a good start away from home ahead of the knockout game at Old Trafford in a few weeks.

The team have had players return from injury and illness in recent weeks with Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Raphael Varane all returning to full fitness, meaning the German coach will have the pick of his best players for the challenging game.

With that being said, this is how Football FanCast expects Rangnick to set up his side against Atletico on Wednesday evening…

We expect to see three changes from the team that beat Leeds United 4-2 at Elland Road at the weekend, with the manager combining Champions League experience with young talent.

The first change we predict is Raphael Varane coming into the side for Victor Lindelof, which would be a no brainer at this stage of the European competition, with the defender one of the most successful player’s in the history of the Champions League, winning four titles, so his experience will be hugely influential in the defensive line.

The second change we expect to see is Diego Dalot in the side over Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Rangnick has been able to rely on Dalot during the time that his positional competitor has been injured, and despite being dropped from the starting line-up against Leeds United, it would be surprising if the Red Devils manager didn’t show his loyalty to the reliable right-back by giving him the starting position in the Champions League clash.

Last but not least, youngster Anthony Elanga could be given a golden opportunity to start against Atletico after coming on in the 65th minute against Leeds United to replace a struggling Jesse Lingard.

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He had a much better impact on the game, as the player hailed a “nightmare” by Gary Neville bagged the fourth goal in the victory and we think that Rangnick may reward the young forward’s hard work by axing Lingard, and starting the £3.6m-rated gem in Madrid tonight.

In other news: Rangnick must unleash Varane against Atletico Madrid

Leeds United midfielder Kalvin Phillips is desperate to be offered a new Whites contract, according to a significant update which has emerged.

The Lowdown: Phillips not yet signed deal

The 26-year-old is a strong contender for Leeds’ best player of the last decade or so, making 226 appearances overall and also becoming a key figure for England.

However, it is a worrying time from a Whites perspective, with Phillips constantly linked with a move away from Elland Road and a new contract not yet signed.

A big update has emerged on the matter, though, and it’s one which will likely be music to the ears of Leeds supporters.

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The Latest: Key update emerges

According to The Daily Mirror print edition (7 February) [via MOT Leeds News], Phillips is ‘keener than ever’ to sign a contract extension at the club he has grown up supporting.

His current deal expires in the summer of 2024.

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The Verdict: Leeds simply must extend his stay

This is hugely positive news for Leeds, with Phillips seemingly happy at the club and not looking for a fresh challenge any time soon, having been hailed as ‘world-class’ by Paul Robinson.

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A new deal would also put the Whites in a strong bargaining position should the midfielder want to exit the club in terms of demanding an enormous fee for his services.

Phillips is at the peak of his powers and looks increasingly likely to spend his best years at Elland Road, as long as the club adheres to his demands.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly showing strong interest in one player. Find out who it is here.

Leeds United captain Liam Cooper is expected to make a return to action in early March after a lengthy injury, according to fitness expert Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Cooper absent for months

The Whites have suffered numerous injury problems throughout the season, with key players missing large chunks of the campaign and the team duly struggling.

Cooper is one of those who has featured little as the weeks have passed, only managing 15 Premier League appearances and not playing since early December.

It now looks as though the Leeds captain is nearing a return, though, with a fresh update suggesting as much.

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The Latest: Return is close

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery confirmed that Cooper is on course to return early next month. The injury expert outlined:

“We know Bielsa is a stickler for making sure his players are on it. You will typically see players transition from working with the physios to the sports science department and then first-team training.

“We are expecting a return to play in early March. That gives us a fairly good indication of where those players are. So it could be that the player is with the first-team squad for a couple of weeks before they are thrown back into the first-team limelight.

“This is a big step forward. I would expect more big strides within the next seven to 10 days and coming into consideration for the development side.”

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The Verdict: Huge positive for Leeds

Cooper is such an influential figure at Elland Road, being hailed as ‘brilliant’ by Ally McCoist in the past and averaging a squad-high 3.6 successful aerial duels per game in the league this season.

His return will be a major boost for Marcelo Bielsa, not only because of the quality he brings but also because of his leadership skills, which he illustrates be routinely winning crucial headers at the back.

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The spine of Cooper, Kalvin Phillips and Patrick Bamford was integral to Leeds’ success last season, and eventually having all three back fit should help to steer them away from the threat of relegation.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly eyeing up a move for an exciting player. Read more here.

Keith Downie has now been left stunned over the transfer news that Aaron Ramsey could sign for Glasgow Rangers before the deadline.

The Lowdown: Done deal

Italian football journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Ramsey to Ibrox is now a ‘done deal’, and so he should be confirmed as a Teddy Bears player by the end of the day.

He was not getting much game time at all at Juventus, and so needed a loan move away, with that move now set to be in the Scottish Premiership with the Teddy Bears.

Romano says there is a ‘agreement on loan with buy option’ and that the deal will be all wrapped up ‘in the coming hours’.

The Latest: Downie stunned

Taking to Twitter, Sky Sports journalist Downie has been left stunned by what he has heard with regards to Ramsey’s move to the Light Blues:

“If Rangers sign Aaron Ramsey it’s the most extraordinary signing of #DeadlineDay.”

The Verdict: ‘Extraordinary’ indeed

Downie sums up the deal perfectly by calling it ‘extraordinary’, and it looks certain to be one of if not the most eye-catching transfer of the day.

Ramsey is a player that has played at the highest level with huge global clubs in Arsenal and Juventus, and is also a well-established player for the Welsh national team.

He has won many big titles over the course of his career, including the Serie A with Juve and no fewer than three FA Cups with the Gunners (Transfermarkt), and so bringing him to Scottish football is nothing short of remarkable.

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Nonetheless, what a coup this is from the Gers, and it could well be one that pushes them closer to the SPFL title.

In other news, find out who else RFC have been linked with on Deadline Day here!

According to a report by Foot Mercato, Tottenham Hotspur have ‘taken steps’ to sign Atletico Madrid star Yannick Carrasco at the end of this transfer window.

The Lowdown: Conte eyes last minute moves…

Deadline day is in full swing at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Antonio Conte already linked with a few more additions.

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The Italian is said to be eyeing a sensational late move for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, with links also having emerged to Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.

Sharing more news, Foot Mercato reporter Santi Aouna has made a claim involving Belgium international winger Carrasco.

The Latest: Tottenham have ‘taken steps’…

According to the French news source, Spurs and transfer chief Fabio Paratici have ‘taken steps’ for the 28-year-old at the end of the January window.

Alongside Newcastle United, the Lilywhites are ‘very interested’ in Carrasco – so much so that both clubs ‘were even ready to lift’ his €60 million (£49.8m) release clause. However, while the ‘principal concerned’ is ‘open to a departure’, it is believed that he ‘will not sign anywhere’ as things stand.

In the event that a move ‘cannot be completed by tonight’, he could leave next summer, with Chelsea, Manchester United or Barcelona already holding discussions over a move later in the year.

The Verdict: Get it done?

The 54-cap attacker would certainly be an eye-opening capture for Tottenham, and if they cannot complete any move by 11pm, he could be worth revisiting in the summer.

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He would come as a versatile option for Conte given he can play in a variety of roles across the attacking line, including as a centre-forward, and the fact Paratici is prepared to pay his sky-high release clause perhaps backs how highly Spurs rate him.

In other news: Tottenham match £16.6m offer as they enter last gasp battle for ‘crazy’ player, find out more here