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Eddie Nketiah is back in full training and it is fair to say that many Leeds fans are delighted with the news.

The striker has mainly been a bit-part player this term having failed to start a single league game, but his presence in the squad doesn’t go unnoticed and the difference he can provide from the bench can be very useful.

As such, his absence was felt over the last few weeks, with the Whites having to worryingly rely solely on Patrick Bamford to lead the line – and no other senior striker on the bench to take his place.

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A few weeks out is not what either party would have wanted but it has provided Nketiah with a period of rest and supporters will hope he comes back re-energised and with a renewed motivation to break into the first team, ready to score the goals necessary for promotion.

There has been talk recently of the Gunners recalling him from his loan in January, something fans are keen not to happen, with a few sending messages to Nketiah in a bid to persuade him to stay.

Here is how some Leeds supporters have been reacting to the 20-year-old’s return to training.

With the Arsenal man back in action he may be able to sneak into the matchday squad against Middlesbrough, read here to find out how we think the Whites will line-up against Boro.

Odion Ighalo has only been a Manchester United player since the end of January, so perhaps it’s natural that there’s an added level of intrigue surrounding the Nigerian striker.

That materialised on social media after Ighalo shared his frustrations at the lack of football at the moment, with the responses to his Tweet being littered with questions that he was happy to answer.

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One such query was who Ighalo’s formed the biggest bond with so far at United, and the former Watford man revealed that while he’s close to everybody in the Old Trafford ranks, he plays more with Juan Mata.

It’s not quite clear whether he’s referring to social activities or what goes on in training, although the latter would make a lot more sense considering neither Ighalo nor Mata are automatic starters at the moment.

Ighalo is yet to start a Premier League game whereas Mata hasn’t done so since the start of February – one assumes then that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad options are helping keep each other sharp in training.

Meanwhile, Man United believe a teenager at the club could save them £50m.

One of Tottenham Hotspur’s previous transfer targets has been a hot topic of debate on social media this week after fresh reports emerged about his future.

According to ESPN, Lyon have slashed the asking price for forward Memphis Depay as he enters the final year of his contract with him stalling on offers of a new deal currently.

Back in November, Calciomercato mooted Spurs with a €50m (£43.5m) move for the Dutchman ahead of the January transfer window, but ultimately, that didn’t come to fruition with Jose Mourinho landed his native counterpart Steven Bergwijn instead.

Now supporters have been discussing the possibility of going back in for him now the former Man Utd man is reportedly available at a cut-price.

The 26-year-old had been in fine form for the Ligue 1 outfit this term – before picking up an ACL injury, Depay scored 14 goals from 18 appearances, playing in a variety of positions, including left-wing and as a false nine via Transfermarkt.

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Spurs failed to land a new striker during the January transfer window, so Depay’s versatility makes an interesting case to revisit, but for now, that remains to be seen.

Here’s the word from the Hotspur faithful…

AND in other news, Spurs fans discuss teen starlet dubbed another CEBALLOS…

Leeds United fans have been reacting in their droves to a Phil Hay tweet this week after the reliable Athletic journalist suggested what the west Yorkshire outfit would do if the Premier League denied teams relegation to the Championship.

Hay claims such a decision would cause “big problems” whilst the Whites are likely to argue for an expanded top-flight to accommodate their likely promotion.

A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

Elland Road has been bereft of Premier League football for 16 years now and this campaign finally looked to be the one that saw them promoted yet the current circumstances off the field have increased doubts over what could happen.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have occupied an automatic spot for the majority of the season and sit some seven points clear of the playoff zone, so it would be very harsh to deny them after 37 games.

Missing football!? There’s still plenty of Leeds discussion going on in the Vital Leeds Forum! Click here to get involved!

Which is why many concerned Leeds fans have been responding to Hay with their thoughts on the matter.

Here’s what has been said…

AND in other news,ÂLeeds fans go berserk over Graham Smyth claim…

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have reacted over footage shared by Brazilian striker Wesley, who has been recovering from an injury.

With the club gaining promotion to the Premier League last season, beating Derby County via the Championship play-off final, boss Dean Smith opted to bring in the former Club Brugge man.

Netting an impressive 17 goals in 48 games for the Belgian club last term, the 23-year-old initially struggled to adapt to English football before finding the back of the net on five occasions in England’s top flight. After seemingly finding his feet, though, Wesley picked up an injury at the beginning of 2020 and it was expected that the striker would be out for the remainder of the season.

However, with the recent postponement in fixtures due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Brazilian is now stepping up his recovery and may yet return to action if the Villa Park outfit find a way around a Premier League ruling which means he and injured keeper Tom Heaton may not be able to feature again this term.

Reacting to the footage which was shared by @villareport, these fans responded…

Do you think Wesley has had a good debut season at Villa Park? Let us know in the comments section below…

After months of speculation suggesting that Timo Werner’s destination of choice this summer would be Anfield, Liverpool are on the verge of missing out on the RB Leipzig striker.

Reports had previously suggested the Germany international was ready to sign on the dotted line if the Merseysiders met his release clause, but now, Premier League rivals Chelsea have stolen a march and agreed a deal with Leipzig to sign him.

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Now, The Times journalist Paul Joyce has revealed some of the financial details behind the Blues’ expected capture of the striker. It’s claimed that Werner will move in a £53m deal, and has agreed a five-year contract worth around £9m per year, with Liverpool unwilling to commit almost £100m in transfer fees and wages on a single player.

After hearing Joyce’s breakdown of Werner’s switch to Chelsea, Liverpool fans flooded to Twitter to share their reactions at the news.

Some Liverpool fans however took a more rational approach with the news, suggesting that FSG had actually played it quite smart, and that it made sense to not spend that much money on Werner – one supporter even called it “the best decision”.

So there’s a real mixed reaction to the decision to snub Werner.

There would have been major doubts as to whether the German would have started for the Reds given that Jurgen Klopp has the likes of Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah at his disposal.

But with other reports suggesting that Klopp had told the club’s board Werner was the man he wanted, FSG should arguably have bitten the bullet and signed the striker for him.

Paul Robinson claims that Toby Alderweireld is being frozen out of the Tottenham first team because Jose Mourinho has given up his hopes of finishing in the top four. 

Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs star insisted that Mourinho is already planning for next season which explains why Eric Dier and Davinson Sanchez are his preferred pairing in the centre of the defence.

Mourinho stuck with the same back four that faced Manchester United in the 2-0 win over West Ham. Veteran defenders Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen, who were favourites of Mauricio Pochettino, watched from the sidelines as the Lilywhites secured their first clean sheet in 10 games.

The pundit believes that Mourinho has made up his mind before the start of next season. Robinson told Football Insider’s Dylan Childs: “It would appear that is what he wants to go with.  He has had a fully fit squad to choose from and he has left Vertonghen and Alderweireld on the bench for both games and Alderweireld is the best defender at the club.

“Sanchez and Eric Dier is a pairing he is giving time to ahead of next season. Mourinho has been brought in to build a winning team and squad and he needs to be given time to do that. Fourth-place is out of the question for them so he is building towards next season which will come very quickly.

“It is clear that Sanchez and Dier are his preferred two.”

It is hard to argue with Robinson here, as Dier and Sanchez have started both games since the Premier League restart.

Mourinho has been looking to plug the gap in a leaky defence ever since he took charge of Spurs and it seems he has finally settled on his new partnership at the back. The 57-year-old has made it clear he wants to win trophies at Tottenham and he must be given the opportunity to revamp his squad and plan for the future.

After a shaky start, Sanchez has benefited from Dier’s leadership, as he is one of the most vocal players in the team.

Alderweireld has actually received a higher WhoScored rating than Dier for his performances this season, although there isn’t much between them. As Alasdair Gold points out, while that’s not to say the Belgian doesn’t communicate with Sanchez, he does all of his talking on the pitch.

While Vertonghen is on his way out the door, Alderweireld signed a contract extension in December, which will keep him at the club until June 2023. He recently revealed that Mourinho’s appointment played an important role in convincing him to sign a new deal.

However, the manager will be strapped for cash in the summer and he may be tempted sell the £21.6m-valued veteran if an offer arrives to spend the profits elsewhere.

Tottenham fans, do you think Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will leave the Lilywhites in the near future? Let us know by commenting below!

Ryan Sessegnon could be leaving Tottenham Hotspur sooner than expected. 

It has been a challenging first season for Sessegnon as his progress has been hampered right from the start. He was an unused substitute against Manchester United and West Ham, before being dropped from the squad altogether for the defeat at Sheffield United (as per Transfermarkt). Sessegnon suffered the same fate last night as Jose Mourinho left him out in favour of Spurs prospect Dennis Cirkin.

According to The Telegraph, as per @TranSPURS, Spurs may be forced to send him out on loan in the summer transfer window. The club are concerned that his development is stalling under Mourinho, as he has struggled for game-time so far, starting only four matches in the Premier League.

In fairness to Mourinho, he already has his work cut out trying to solve Tottenham’s defensive issues. The Lilywhites have leaked goals for fun all season, conceding more than Arsenal, Manchester United and Premier League champions Liverpool this season.

The manager cannot and should not be expected to focus all of his attention on helping the 20-year-old improve. Removing Sessegnon from the equation for the time being would at least ease some of the pressure on the Portuguese.

The England under-21 international still has a lot of work to do if he wants to play for Spurs on a regular basis but he needs to be guaranteed minutes if he is to continue to develop as a player. As Alasdair Gold writes, his versatility is his biggest problem, as Mourinho doesn’t quite seem to know where he fits in.

A loan move would present him with the perfect opportunity to find his best position, while it should also benefit Mourinho in the long run as Sessegnon could pick up valuable experience and return to Tottenham ready to challenge for a place in the first team.

Spurs fans, do you think that Ryan Sessegnon needs to go out on loan? Let us know below…

Key information about Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road was built in 1899 and is now the home of Blackpool FC. The ground is located in the city of Blackpool in Lancashire and was the 68th stadium in the country to host a Football League match.

Its current capacity stands at 16,220 and it has a pitch that measures 102m by 67m. The surface is covered with grass but there is no undersoil heating installed nor a running track surrounding it.

The record attendance of 38,098 was set during Blackpool’s clash against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 17 September 1955.

A history of Bloomfield Road

Bloomfield Road was constructed way back in 1899 and has been housing Blackpool ever since the club moved into the stadium in 1901. Before then, they were actually settled at two different grounds: Raikes Hall Gardens and Athletic Grounds.

It’s also interesting to note that Bloomfield Road was originally known as Gamble’s Field after the farmer who owned the land but was renamed shortly after Blackpool FC merged with South Shore F.C. in mid-December 1899 and then moved into the stadium, which was then owned by the latter team.

The first clash after the merger was on 23 December with the hosts beating a 10-man Horwich R.M.I 8-0. There was not much to see at the stadium back then with only a small wooden grandstand with about 300 places and a perimeter fence surrounding the pitch. Interestingly, Blackpool would move in and out of the ground in the following years, alternating between Raikes Hall Gardens and Bloomfield Road, until finally, at the start of the 1901/02 campaign, the latter would become their official home.

In the years and decades after that, the stadium would gradually improve, most notably boosting the capacity to over 20,000 by the time the mid-1920s arrived. In the 1930s, the club also erected the Spion Kop, adding more space and increasing the total figure to over 30,000. But most of the improvements in the 1920s were indeed prompted by the big fire of 1917 that destroyed the entire southern end along with the offices, a lot of silverware and documentation.

Still, after the 1920s and 1930s, the development stopped and wouldn’t resume until the 1950s when the East Paddock was extended. In the following decade, Bloomfield Road could host around 38,000 supporters but that figure would subsequently dip following the conversion of some areas into seating places and later due to safety requirements. Around that time, the Spion Kop was also partially covered..

As the new millennium approached, the ground deteriorated and was in dire need of renovation once again. Several initiatives were presented but it wouldn’t be until the early 2000s that big changes were undertaken.

The Spion Kop and West Stand were completely demolished and eventually replaced by new stands and in 2003 the East and South Stand followed suit. However, it would take the club until 2010 to finally replace the latter one while temporary structures were placed in the former and were then improved in 2011.

Around that time the pitch was also relaid and finally, in June 2019, Bloomfield Road came into the control of Simon Sadler, who bought a controlling 96.2% stake in Blackpool FC.

Tickets to watch Blackpool FC at Bloomfield Road

All tickets to watch Blackpool FC play at Bloomfield Road can be found and purchased on the club’s official website. The cheapest adult ticket in the standard area costs £20 while the most expensive ones in West Stand Blocks L & N are £28.

The club also offers season tickets for all of their fans. More information can be found on the aforementioned website.

Related links

https://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/ – Official website of Blackpool FC

https://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/tickets/ – Blackpool FC Ticket Office

Chelsea could be looking at an extremely successful transfer window as a figure is revealed as their summer budget.

No Premier League side has had a window quite like the Blues. We are only a few days in and Roman Abramovich has already signed off on two new signings and is willing to splurge on more big names as they continue to be linked. According to ESPN, the Russian businessman is set to fork out huge sums to give Frank Lampard the best possible chance at success next season with a reported sum of £120million.

Chelsea are undergoing a full refurbishment ahead of what promises to be an exciting 2020/21 season. The figure quoted by ESPN does not include signings already made, which would take Abramovich’s spending to more than £200million for this window alone.

Marquee signing Timo Werner is a very important purchase as the West London outfit look to re-establish themselves in the Premier League. Hakim Ziyech will also bolster Lampard’s attacking options along with potential big money transfer Kai Havertz, who is all but sporting the Chelsea crest, according to recent reports.

The Blues are further linked to the likes of Declan Rice and Jan Oblak, who will complete a well-rounded summer window. The Atletico Madrid goalkeeper has a £110m release clause which the club are sticking by, so the deep transfer fund will come in handy if Chelsea are serious about bringing him to England.

Chelsea have struggled over the last few seasons, looking a shadow of their former selves. Now, under Lampard, they look as threatening as ever and a healthy summer haul will only make them more terrifying to the opposition.

They have secured Champions League football for next term after finishing on level points with Manchester United and bagging a top four spot. The promise of Europe, a decent Premier League title run and money in the bank will undoubtedly attract players to the club. Now the real question boils down to who will the Blues snap up next?

Who can you see Chelsea signing next, Blues? Join the discussion in the comments below!