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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Leeds United fans have been worried about one thing over the past few weeks.

Indeed, the United fanbase have been frenzied about the prospect of Eddie Nketiah being recalled by Arsenal in January.

They have every right to be worried as well.

Nketiah has complained about his lack of game time since his loan move, and he’s yet to start a league match for the Yorkshire club despite scoring once every 88.3 minutes on average in the Championship this term.

Watch Leeds United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

However, a recent article by David Ornstein in The Athletic revealed that Arsenal don’t have any plans to recall the striker – something that should serve as a huge boost for the west Yorkshire outfit.

Indeed, the article states that Arsenal believe Leeds is the perfect environment for the striker to prepare for his eventual life in the Premier League, and they’re not wrong.

If we’re being honest, Leeds are one of the biggest clubs outside the top-flight.

Elland Road is one of the only stadiums outside of the Premier League that forces players to feel the type of pressures they would feel at a big six club.

Why being the away goalkeeper at Leeds is the toughest job in football in the video below…

The ground is always packed out with passionate supporters, and expectations are as high as ever in a ground that has the highest average attendance.

High expectancy will also be the case when Nketiah returns to Arsenal, so getting experience in front of a huge crowd that expects a lot will certainly help his development.

Bristol City are apparently the alternative, and with all due respect, the atmosphere at Ashton Gate doesn’t come close to rivalling the noise at Elland Road.

Not only that, but this allows Nketiah to play under a manager who was once heralded as the best coach in the world by Pep Guardiola.

If that doesn’t prepare you for football at an elite level, nothing will. After all, Bielsa is someone who hands regular chances to young players too. That can be seen by the ten individuals under the age of 21 he gave minutes to as of last January.

Leeds is certainly one of the best clubs in the country for a young player to develop at the moment, and it’s good to see that Arsenal realise that as well.

Despite rarely starting, he’s on the right path.

Plenty of Liverpool fans have been left disappointed by the start of summer signing Sepp van den Berg.

The Anfield faithful could be forgiven for thinking they may have another Dutch superstar on their hands in van den Berg.

Indeed, the Reds have two Netherlands internationals at the heart of everything they do in Georginio Wijnaldum and Virgil van Dijk, and young prospect Ki-Jana Hoever has impressed when given the chance.

So, when they swooped up 17 year-old van den Berg for just £1.3m this summer, he was sure to become the latest member of Merseyside’s Dutch contingent to wow fans at Anfield, right? Well, not so much…

After featuring 22 times for PEC Zwolle’s senior side, he has been resigned to youth team football with Liverpool, and featured in the UEFA Youth League win over Red Bull Salzburg on Wednesday.

Although the Reds won, Klopp’s summer signing disappointed fans with his performance, scoring an own goal and enduring a really shocking first-half display, before improving somewhat after the break.

Take a look at some of the best Twitter reactions down 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…

Phil Jagielka has spoken ahead of his return to Goodison Park about his pride in captaining Everton and also gave his view on his successor, Seamus Coleman.

What did he say?

The former England international returns to Everton on Saturday with the club he started his career at, Sheffield United, having spent 12 years on Merseyside, six of which were as captain.

Now 37, the centre-back has seen his game time reduce significantly – playing only two minutes in the Premier League so far – but his experience and leadership qualities are likely valuable to Chris Wilder in the Blades’ dressing room.

It is such attributes which are lacking in the current Toffees side, as Gary Neville alluded to, but Jagielka is confident in Coleman’s abilities to lead the team.

Speaking to Evertonfc.com, he said: “To captain the team was just another level. I never, ever took it for granted and it’s something I am immensely proud of.

“I never imagined that I would do that but as the years went on, I took more and more responsibility. That’s the way it’s happened for Seamus now. He has grown naturally into a leader.”

Bearing responsibility

Everton have been criticised for a lack of leadership, and whilst there is a shortage of characters in the squad, Coleman stands out and leads by example, on and off the field.

The Irishman was called to lead the team in somewhat difficult circumstances. Jagielka departed and Leighton Baines has seen his first-team role diminish significantly, so there is suddenly a lack of leadership in the current side.

New signing Delph has shown he could step up to the plate, but other than him there aren’t too many who lead by example and visibly offer encouragement to teammates.

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Coleman, by contrast to the rest of the Everton squad, has been described as an “inspirational figure” by Mick McCarthy, and therefore it is not just his playing ability that would be missed if he was unavailable.

The 30-year-old knows the club better than most having joined in 2009. He understands the fans and their likely frustration at Everton continuing to play below a level they’re capable of, and having the backing of a figure like Jagielka says a lot about the right-back’s influence.

[ad_pod ]Is it even worth talking about United winning the title again with their current rabble?As promising as it may have initially appeared after the win over Chelsea, the summer transfer window was like trying to apply a plaster to a gunshot wound.Indeed, it’s now become abundantly clear that, with the likes of Jesse Lingard, whose last recorded contribution came in January, Marcus Rashford, with his one goal in open play this season, Nemanja Matic and Scott McTominay, who has looked good at times but would never get into either Liverpool or Manchester City’s squad, United are resigned to misery for the time being.Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But hey, at least Juan Mata will be writing his blog posts for the foreseeable future, with Phil Jones by his side praying one day he’ll include a colouring section for him to complete.

Now, time for a poorly phrased maths GCSE question. United have to hold out for approximately 144,000 minutes until the next transfer window. How much will they need to spend to come close to challenging the current champions?

Paul Merson answers…

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Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter in excited fashion after it was revealed that the Eagles would take on lower league opposition in Doncaster Rovers away from home in the FA Cup fifth round, as per cpfc.co.uk.

Roy Hodgson’s side booked their place in the draw with an excellent 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park on Sunday, and will be pleased to have avoided the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea as their chances of progressing further in the competition look very good.

The League One side cannot be underestimated and have done extremely well to get this far, but Palace supporters are desperate for a successful cup run to put to bed their lingering demons having lost in the final to Manchester United as recently as 2016.

Which player with “no potential” has just been named Crystal Palace’s worst ever January signing? Find out in the video below…

As many of the club’s supporters would tell you Palace are more than good enough to stay in the Premier League, and they saw what was almost a second string side including the likes of Connor Wickham, Joel Ward, Julian Speroni, Martin Kelly and Scott Dann dispatch Spurs with ease.

Let’s take a look at how the fans reacted on Twitter following the draw…

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Wolves host Chelsea later this afternoon in their first match since the international break took main priority.

It possibly came at the worst time for Nuno Santo’s men having already played ten competitive matches, stretching to Armenia and back as well as heading to China before the season fully got underway.

Signs of fatigue were always going to creep in as Everton handed them their first defeat of the season last time out.

Now Chelsea come to town, a side who are still trying to find their feet under new boss Frank Lampard.

Just two points separate both teams at this early stage in the season, but what will prove to be the difference later on?

On the Chalkboard

Chelsea will be sweating on the fitness of Emerson Palmieri, who has quickly cemented himself as the number one option at left-back this season with a string of impressive performances.

He currently carries the highest average rating of anyone in the Blues side at 7.57, so he will be a huge miss if absent.

Have you heard the strangest chant in the Premier League yet? Hear it in the video below…

That means one of Maurizio Sarri’s favourites should come back into the fray – Marcos Alonso, who played 39 games last season.

He’s not exactly a popular figure amongst fans at Stamford Bridge and has found himself somewhat of an outcast since Lampard took charge.

His opposite number is likely to be the reborn Adama Traore, who is having a remarkable season in a new right wing-back role.

The 23-year-old’s explosive pace, power and trickery has the potential to leave the Spaniard in all sorts of knots and this is where the game could be won or lost.

Chelsea have the second leakiest defence in the Premier League having conceded nine goals from their four matches this season.

Nullifying the threat from Traore will undoubtedly stop that from being more.

The winger-turned-defender is averaging 2.7 dribbles per game and is fouled for the same number per match, via WhoScored.

Alonso was dribbled past 0.8 times last season and also conceded 0.9 fouls as an average per game, so that could suggest that Wolves’ wide man could garner some success.

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They are both very similar in the aerial battle while Traore will have to do better with his crossing in order to beat the left-back, as the graphic above per WhoScored demonstrates.

His form in the Europa League has produced three assists so if he can translate that into the league then he’s going to be a significant danger.

The battle between these two fellow countrymen could well be the defining factor this afternoon, especially if you consider Alonso may be off the pace after playing second fiddle.

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Crystal Palace have not made any signings to improve their squad over the January transfer window, but they could still be in a position to do some business this month with just under a week to go.

It has now been revealed that they could make a last attempt to sign a player they have been strongly linked to.

What’s the word?

Journalist, Sami Mokbel, believes that there is still a chance that Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah could become a Crystal Palace player.

Mokbel told GIVEMESPORT:

“Yes, they’re keen on signing Eddie Nketiah, for sure. It’s a deal Palace are definitely interested in.”

Crystal Palace have been linked to the Gunners star for months, with rumours circulating that the move could happen this month, but nothing yet has materialised, especially since Mikel Arteta spoke out to quash the chances by claiming that Nketiah would stay at the club.

However, his contract ends at the North London club this summer.

A perfect fit

The 22-year-old striker was named as a player the club has been interested in “for a number of years let alone months” by Roy Hodgson earlier this month, and it’s not hard to see why he continues to be touted with a move across London.

That’s thanks to Patrick Vieira’s progress in developing younger players, something we have already seen this season with the likes of Conor Gallagher and Odsonne Edouard thriving under the Frenchman.

Gallagher has already been involved in ten Premier League goals this term while Edouard has nine involvements himself.

Thus, Nketiah is the perfect fit for Vieira’s youth revolution that he began in the summer transfer window by bringing in a number of younger players to fill positions in the team, and the additions have proven to make a positive impact on the side.

However, when you look at Palace’s season so far they have gained over almost as many draws as they have wins, so adding a striker with potential who can add goals to inspire more victories for the side could make a real difference in their pursuit of another top half finish this season.

The £9m-rated forward, Nketiah, who has scored five goals in 11 appearances, could be the answer.

The Eagles have lost three of their last five Premier League games, and Vieira will surely be hoping that the club can come back after the winter break and get back to consistent form by securing more points and climbing the table during the last few months of the season.

In other news: Vieira could be close to signing Aaron Ramsey

Everton journalist Patrick Boyland has shed light on the absences of Nathan Patterson, Andre Gomes and Seamus Coleman against West Ham United on Sunday. 

The lowdown

Lampard selected Jonjoe Kenny at right-back against the Hammers, with two of his other options in Patterson and Coleman unavailable.

The Scottish youngster has yet to feature in the Premier League following his £11.5m move from Rangers in January, while the Irish veteran had started the last seven matches prior to the international break. Meanwhile, the Portuguese midfielder has made five appearances since Lampard took over in the winter.

Everton’s 2-1 defeat at the London Stadium kept them just three points above the relegation zone ahead of a potentially crucial clash with 19th-placed Burnley on Wednesday night.

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The latest

Boyland provided a succinct update on the Everton trio in The Athletic’s matchday discussion forum on Sunday.

He informed readers: “Been told Nathan Patterson and Gomes are injured. Coleman sick”.

The verdict

The trip to Turf Moor could well define Everton’s season, but Lampard may be dealing with as many 10 absentees unless Coleman recovers in time.

Yerry Mina, Fabian Delph, Tom Davies and Andros Townsend have already been ruled out, while Michael Keane joined Allan on the suspended list after his red card on Sunday. Furthermore, Donny van de Beek has to be considered a doubt too after pulling out of the line-up in east London following an injury in the warm-up.

Lampard may feel that fortune is conspiring against his team, and he can only hope that the crisis eases ahead of the all-important final month of the campaign.

In other news, Lee McLean tore into one Everton player following the defeat to West Ham

Everton could create a formidable attacking partnership by partnering Dele Alli with Dominic Calvert-Lewin…

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days have suggested that the Toffees have got their sights set on the Spurs star, and that Rafa Benitez’s side could well make a move for the England international later on in the January transfer window.

Imagine him and Calvert-Lewin

While Alli hasn’t enjoyed the greatest of times at Spurs in the past couple of seasons, his partnership with Harry Kane when the duo were in full flight was something to behold.

In fact, as per Transfermarkt, the duo have combined for a whopping 33 goals between them ie. directly setting each other up for goal – which is by far the highest of any teammate Alli has had in his career thus far.

His ability to break into the box and get on the end of things is what led former Spurs man Darren Anderton to previously suggest that Alli was comparable to the likes of Steven Gerrard and Paul Scholes in terms of his talent.

He said: “I’ve got to say that I loved Stevie G as a player and Scholesy but Dele Alli for his age is just a freak of a talent. I love his arrogance on the pitch, how clever he is in finding the positions that he does and his willingness to try everything. He is a real joy to watch.”

And, more recently, former Scotland boss Alex McLeish tipped him to enjoy a renaissance, saying: “In those days he was looking like an absolute wonderkid then all of a sudden it plateaued and then dipped. Hopefully, he’s coming back up the hill again. Back in the day, I thought he was a kid of enormous talent and was going to be an absolute superstar.

“That’s not quite happened yet but there’s still a chance for him to resurrect his career and be that superstar. His recent form with Tottenham has been excellent.”

With another leading England striker in the ranks on Merseyside in Calvert-Lewin, Alli could thrive in that support striker role that saw him flourish alongside Kane.

Calvert-Lewin and Alli could work off each other both with their ability in the air, and their movement inside the box – the kind of double act that could fire Everton up the table.

The £100k-a-week earning star could well replicate his old partnership with Kane at Spurs, by teaming up with Calvert-Lewin at Goodison Park.

Meanwhile, Everton are considering a swoop for this Premier League outcast…