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Diego Llorente is reportedly keen to leave Leeds United in a shock exit this summer, with a return to Spain potentially on the cards.

The Whites signed the centre-back from Real Sociedad for £18million back in September, with the Spaniard’s arrival considered a real coup at the time .

A Spain international with six caps to his name, Llorente has been a slight disappointment, however, with injuries restricting him to just six Premier League appearances overall.

Llorente could leave Leeds this summer

There are now claims that the 27-year-old could be moving on to pastures new at the end of the season, which certainly comes as a shock given that he arrived less than 12 months ago as the club’s third-most expensive signing ever (Transfermarkt).

According to El Gol Digital, Llorente is keen to leave Elland Road in the summer, with Real Betis thought to be interested in taking him back to his homeland.

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Spain coach Luis Enrique is believed to be keen on the defender moving there, with his lack of playing time for Leeds seen as a reason behind his potential exit.

Transfer Tavern take

Llorente has undoubtedly been a disappointment for the Whites so far, but his aforementioned injury problems have not allowed him to find any sort of rhythm.

It is pointless keeping hold of unhappy players, though, and if the Leeds man believes a fresh challenge is required, Marcelo Bielsa is unlikely to refuse him a move elsewhere.

In terms of his experience and quality, however, it would be better to retain his services moving forward, despite his struggles to date.

In other news, Leeds are ‘thinking seriously’ about signing a particular type of player this summer. Read more about it here.

Manchester United could well find their next Gary Neville in Norwich City starlet Max Aarons.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent months have revealed that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side are one of several Premier League clubs tracking the Canaries defender, with Tottenham Hotspur also among the interested parties.

ESPN have recently claimed that the Red Devils remain interested in the £18m-rated 21-year-old, with Solskjaer seeing him as direct competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka.

Gary Neville 2.0?

Although Wan-Bissaka got himself on the scoresheet in the 9-o drubbing of nine-man Southampton, it’s fair to say that his attacking contributions have often left a lot to be desired.

In Aarons, however, Solskjaer’s concern about a lack of an attacking full-back would be eased considerably.

Aarons really burst onto the scene at Carrow Road during the 2018-19 campaign, recording two goals and six assists in the Championship. His return of six assists saw him ranked seventh in the charts behind the likes of Emiliano Buendia and Teemu Pukki.

Much like Gary Neville, he has demonstrated that he is capable of making overlapping runs down the right flank for Daniel Farke’s side, as evidenced by his 1.3 successful dribbles per 90 this season. A 50% completion rate suggests that he is, more often than not, successful when he brings the ball out from the back to set his side on the front foot.

In the past season alone, Aarons has scored once in 29 appearances with three assists to show for his 27 starts in the Championship. It’s worth remembering that Neville himself only managed one assist in his first full season in the Premier League.

Farke recently heaped praise on his young charge after his heroics in the Canaries’ 2-0 victory over Bristol City. He said: “The work from Max Aarons for the second was fantastic and Jordan showed this instinct to get the luck with the goal. You have to do this to get the ball over the line.”

The fact that he’s predominantly a right-back would make him the perfect backup option and allow Solskjaer to provide Wan-Bissaka with adequate cover and competition for a place in the starting line-up, whilst he would also add an alternative threat in attack as well.

AND in other news, Woodward can deliver a masterclass with move for long-term Man Utd target Jadon Sancho…

According to reports, Leeds United will not be making a move for Adama Traore in the summer transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent weeks and months had suggested that the Whites were one of the clubs interested in signing the Wolves winger, but that now does not appear to be the case.

According to Football Insider, Marcelo Bielsa has reservations of the Spaniard’s qualities, and that he “does not believe Traore has the technical quality and ability to combine the play that he seeks in his wide attacker.”

The report added that Leeds were not interested in signing him in the January transfer window, and that will remain the case in the summer.

Bielsa making a mistake

The £36m-rated Traore is perhaps the most unique winger in the Premier League, given his incredible combination of speed and strength – in fact, after an impressive performance against Leeds last month, Martin Keown spoke about how “powerful and quick” he is, and that he loves watching him play.

Bielsa himself has recently admitted to how tough a player Traore is to mark, saying: “It’s better to follow the man than leave him to a team-mate. I believe, fundamentally, Traore likes to play out wide on the wings. If he dominates the ball on his side he’s difficult to start, so whoever’s marking him will need some support.”

As per Whoscored, his average of 4.2 successful dribbles per game in the Premier League this season is by far the highest of any player in the division, while he’s also the seventh-most fouled player per game.

That level of directness could’ve been game-changing for Leeds, especially given how the Whites have seen the likes of their own wingers in Jack Harrison and Raphinha thrive this season – they rank second and third for goals for their club with six and five respectively.

Having Traore in the team would force opposition sites into double-teaming him just to try and keep him quiet, and that in turn would open up the game for the rest of Leeds’ attackers.

It could’ve been a real game-changing signing, but instead it appears Bielsa is making a foolish mistake. Having a player who does something ‘different’ in a squad, whether that be a Traore-esque winger or a target man like Olivier Giroud at Chelsea, is key to posing different problems in the Premier League.

Instead, Bielsa appears intent on sticking to his tried-and-trusted system, which may be a bit of an oversight in games which could require a Plan B or something unique.

Meanwhile, Leeds played a blinder over selling this £10m gem…

Since joining from Bristol City, Luke Ayling has been one of Leeds United’s most consistent performers, playing well over 150 games in less than five seasons at the club.And under Marcelo Bielsa, the 29-year-old has been a beacon of reliability, figuring week-in and week-out for the Whites. This season has seen him split his game-time at both right-back and centre-back, and on Wednesday night against West Brom, he was once again used in the middle.Bielsa’s side ran riot at the Hawthorns, racing to a four-goal lead at half-time, before a Raphina strike mid-way through the second-half put the icing on the cake of an emphatic 5-0 win away from home in the Premier League.And whilst the Baggies hardly laid a glove on the visitors, there’s no questioning that Ayling looked absolutely supreme at the heart of defence, boasting a superb reading of the game and coolness in possession.As per Sofascore, he had 133 touches of the ball and made a whopping 109 passes too – both of which were team-highs. Added to that, he also won all eight of his duels on the night (four on the ground and four in the air), and completed nine of his 15 attempted long balls.His rapid progress under Bielsa has been something to behold, and a couple of Leeds fans on Twitter seemed to think so too, with one hailing his development over the past couple of years, and describing him as a “top-level” centre-back now.

Bielsa’s long and illustrious career has seen him work with some of the world’s best talents, but his coaching at Elland Road and improving Ayling in particular has been nothing short of fantastic.

Capable of playing in a back-four or a back-three, or as a full-back or as a centre-back, Ayling just seamlessly adapts to whatever his manager demands of him, and has been a consistently impressive presence for the Whites.

They may have missed out on Ben White in the summer, but Ayling is showing that they don’t really miss him at all.

David Moyes should avoid launching a move for West Ham United to sign Cagliari Calcio striker Giovanni Simeone during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, the Hammers have identified Simeone as a potential option to bolster their forward ranks following the £20m sale of Sebastien Haller to AFC Ajax earlier this month.

Simeone is one of the latest names being linked with a mid-season move to the London Stadium after scoring five goals in 16 Serie A appearances this season, in a Cagliari side that sits just a point above the relegation zone after losing their last five games.

The Sardegna Arena natives are keen to use the winter market to rejuvenate Eusebio Di Francesco’s options and have former West Ham striker Simone Zaza in mind after securing Alfred Duncan on loan from Fiorentina, but must first sell at least one of their current strikers.

Simeone, the son of Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone, is one option under consideration, as is Leonardo Pavoletti, who could be used in a swap deal to sign Zaza from Torino.

Zaza 2.0

Cagliari are likely willing to part ways with Simeone in the January transfer window as the £15.5m-rated attacker has failed to score in any of his last 10 Serie A outings, with the 25-year-old’s last goal coming in a 3-2 defeat to Bologna at the end of October.

West Ham signing Simeone would effectively see the east London outfit sign the player Cagliari hope to replace him with in Zaza, who moved to the Premier League on loan for the 2016/17 season for £4.5m only for his deal to be terminated prematurely in January.

Zaza failed to score in any of his 11 outings for the Hammers across all competitions, while a knee injury meant he returned to Juventus having only opened five top-flight games and an EFL Cup tie in claret and blue.

Moyes should not hang his hat on Simeone faring any better, should the striker even accept a move having stated in November that he wishes to remain at Cagliari for some time yet.

“I think I’m growing; Cagliari can help me a lot to keep doing it. The sports centre is beautiful, and the club is working very well,” he said, via quotes by Football-Italia. “I’m fine here and I want to stay for a long time.”

But the €53,000-per-week (£47k-p/w) forward has only proved to be extremely wasteful in the Serie A this season, with Simeone averaging a solid 1.6 shots per game but only scoring from 0.3 of those efforts, helping him to miss four big chances or one every 263 minutes, per SofaScore.

His actions elsewhere on the pitch have to be questioned, too, with Di Francesco critical of Simeone’s decision making.

“Simeone tends to throw himself into every situation, sometimes a bit too much, but was a little more organised and a team player today,” the Cagliari boss said following Simeone scoring a brace against Torino in October.

Moyes is unlikely to see a player like Simeone as a positive at West Ham, where Michail Antonio scores with 0.5 of his 1.9 shots per game in the Premier League, so would be far better served looking elsewhere than the Sardegna Arena in search of his Haller replacement.

AND in other news, a £22.5m-rated West Ham man will not be a part of David Moyes’ plans for the rest of this season…

Marcel Brands could end Everton’s torrid record in the January transfer window by signing Felipe Caicedo after SS Lazio agreed to sell the former Carlo Ancelotti target this winter.

What’s the word?

According to Cittaceleste, Lazio President Claudio Lotito has assured Caicedo that he can leave the Stadio Olimpico in the upcoming transfer market, so long as his Serie A outfit receive offers worth €5million (£4.5m) for the Ecuadorian centre-forward.

Caicedo is adamant that he will leave the mid-table Italian top-flight side this winter, having failed to secure a move away in the summer after reaching an agreement with Al-Gharafa, who refused to match Lazio’s €6m (£5.4m) asking price at the time.

The striker did not take well to his route away from Rome being blocked, feeling that Lazio did not keep to their word after receiving guarantees that he could leave, but he reluctantly accepted the situation and got his head down to support head coach Simone Inzaghi.

Ye,t Caicedo only remains half happy as Inzaghi continues to favour Ciro Immobile, even when the striker excels, leaving the 32-year-old to start just two Serie A matches and one Champions League Group Stage fixture, while earning the remainder of his 394 minutes of game time through eight cameo displays, despite netting four goals.

Caicedo’s situation could be of interest to Everton heading into the January market, having been linked with the 68-cap forward earlier this year. The Toffees ultimately opted against signing a centre-forward, but are again thought to be interested in a deal for Arkadiusz Milik to bolster Ancelotti’s attacking arsenal.

End Everton’s torrid winter record

Everton putting plans in place to bring Caicedo to Goodison Park this winter could see their Director of Football Brands continue his trend of looking to end the Blues’ torrid winter record.

The Merseyside outfit have struggled to sign quality options in the January window in recent years, with the Toffees welcoming the likes of Oumar Niasse, Shani Tarashaj, Morgan Schneiderlin, Ademola Lookman, Cenk Tosun, Theo Walcott, Eliaquim Mangala and Jarrad Branthwaite to the club.

Niasse departed at the end of his £55,000-per-week contract this summer having started just 12 Premier League fixtures for Everton, while Tarashaj saw his contract terminated in October having never played a first-team game in royal blue.

Mangala barely fared any better than Tarashaj during his time on loan, either, with a knee injury restricting the defender to make only two Premier League appearances. Tosun, meanwhile, has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park since January 2019 – just a year on from being signed for £27m.

Brands finally seemed to have turned Everton’s fortunes around last winter with the arrival of Branthwaite, who Ancelotti lauded as a “fantastic” prospect after the teenager’s first-team breakthrough.

Everton’s transfer chief can continue that trend by signing Caicedo in January, as the experienced centre-forward would offer Ancelotti the depth in-behind Dominic Calvert-Lewin that he appears to crave at a supreme level.

Italian icon Christian Vieri is an adamant believer in what Caicedo can offer, even just from the bench, having touted the Lazio star as an ideal back-up option for Inter Milan last month.

“If I were an Inter director, I would immediately go and talk to Caicedo, as he’s perfect for the role of 12th man,” Vieri said, via quotes by Football Italia. “I’d tell him, you are the understudy to Romelu Lukaku, come and join us. He might not accept, but at least try, otherwise what on earth do those directors do all day?!”

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti must get ruthless and end a dud’s 14-year Everton association.

Steve Bruce will avoid a major tactical blunder by unleashing Newcastle United defender DeAndre Yedlin on Fulham in Saturday night’s Premier League encounter.

The Toon host Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Cottagers in the 20:00 kick-off, looking to bounce back from a humiliating 5-2 thrashing at Leeds United on Wednesday night.

Fulham will arrive on Tyneside as one of the top-flight’s most out of form units, with only West Brom, Arsenal and Sheffield United claiming fewer points over the past six games.

Newcastle can move 11-points clear of Fulham with a win, but any hopes of victory will hinge on Bruce correcting for his Elland Road horrors and fielding Yedlin at right-back for his first start of the Premier League season.

Yedlin was given his first minutes of the campaign as a late substitute for Miguel Almiron at home to West Brom last weekend, but was not named in the 18-man squad to face Leeds with Bruce omitting the United States international for a ninth time this term.

Emil Krafth could only make the bench after holding the Magpies back in the 2-1 win over the Baggies, with Jacob Murphy instead called on to play out of position after providing the inch-perfect delivery for Dwight Gayle’s winner over a then-Slaven Bilic led side.

Murphy fared reasonably well when pushing forward against Marcelo Bielsa’s Whites during the week, yet was caught out too often defensively for Bruce to see any reason to retain the 25-year-old for Saturday night’s clash at St. James’ Park.

Yedlin, therefore, is the only solution Bruce can put forward at right-back to beat Fulham, with Javier Manquillo still on the sidelines through injury alongside fellow defenders Jamaal Lascelles and Fabian Schar.

Yedlin impressing at home to Fulham could easily see the £4.5million-rated full-back save his Magpies career, too, with reports Toon chiefs are open to offers to avoid losing him for free at the end of the season when his £30,000-per-week contract expires.

A move away was possible in the summer, as well, but no suitable offers arrived despite interest from Major League Soccer and Turkish clubs, following which Bruce said he had no issues with Yedlin sticking around.

“The most difficult job that I’ve got is keeping everybody happy. Ultimately, we have to make the decision on 22 players. There’s the difficult situation itself,” he said in September, via quotes by the Chronicle.

“I am sure that DeAndre wants to play regularly. We have three recognised right-backs at the club which is not really that healthy, to be honest. However, DeAndre is somebody I like, as a pro, as a player. He just wants to play. I can understand that.”

Bruce must now give Yedlin that chance to play after three months in the wilderness, or risk setting Newcastle up to be attacked when Fulham visit St. James’ Park.

AND in other news, Mike Ashley must block Steve Bruce from making a knee-jerk decision on an “instrumental” Newcastle gem.

From being deemed surplus to requirements last summer and being sent out on loan to Besiktas, to starring in Arsenal’s win over Manchester United at Old Trafford. What an incredible journey it has been for Mohamed Elneny.

The Egypt international returned in the summer after a year away in Turkey with some food for thought. Mikel Arteta of course was the new man in charge at the Emirates, and it remained to be seen whether he would be given a look-in under the new regime.

But the Spaniard made it clear, that having played with him whilst he himself was an Arsenal player, he knew of his qualities and what he could bring.

And on Sunday night at Old Trafford, Elneny showed everyone exactly what Arteta was talking about. The former Basel man helped run the midfield alongside summer signing Thomas Partey, and whilst the Ghana international may take some of the headlines, Arsenal fans shouldn’t be quick to forget about the shift the 28-year-old put in.

As per Sofascore, his total of 72 touches was only behind that of Partey, whilst he boasted an impressive 89% pass accuracy. But more than his eye-opening calmness on the ball – there were countless times in the game where he kept his composure to find teammates in the half-spaces – it was his work off it that really stood out.

Elneny covered a lot of ground, and with United operating with a midfield diamond, had to do just that more than usual to ensure Arsenal didn’t get overrun in the engine room.

His tally of three interceptions was more than that of Partey, and was only just behind Bukayo Saka (4) in the Gunners’ rankings. Moving forward, Arteta will have a big call to make on the man hailed as being “excellent” by The Times journalist Henry Winter.

He left out both Granit Xhaka and Dani Ceballos for the contest at Old Trafford, and the duo will be looking to push for a recall. But on this evidence, Elneny deserves his moment in the spotlight.

Marcel Brands’ decision to sanction a one-season loan for Lewis Gibson continues to look worse and worse amid the Everton defender being frozen out at Reading.

What’s the word?

Everton agreed to send Gibson to the Madejski Stadium for the 2020/21 season in the hope the 20-year-old could build on his brief stint in League One with Fleetwood Town, whom he joined in January and quickly established a place in the starting line-up.

Gibson opened all nine of his third-tier outings with the Fisherman before the campaign was cut short amid the coronavirus pandemic as they strove to secure a play-off spot, where he again featured throughout though losing 6-3 on aggregate to eventual winners Wycombe Wonderers in the Semi-Finals.

The England U20 international’s deal to join Reading came at a time the Royals sat top of the Championship after two wins from two, but has been unable to find a role where he can play under Veljko Paunovic as his temporary side continue to push for promotion.

Reading, who need just a point against Stoke City on Saturday to remain top, are suffering a defensive crisis, however, with mistakes creeping in to the Royals’ backline that has allowed six goals in their last two games.

Favoured centre-half Liam Moore also picked up an injury in defeat to Coventry City, but Gibson saw Tom McIntyre step in for the 3-0 loss at home to Preston North End.

And yet Paunovic is remaining tight-lipped over Gibson’s potential of earning a debut.

“There is no temptation in football, but I understand the point,” the Reading boss told Berkshire Live when asked about the prospect of Gibson making his debut against Stoke.

“We always evaluate on a daily basis – especially in these kinds of situations where players are having opportunities.”

Paunovic has named Gibson among his substitutes for all eight available Championship fixtures since the defender’s move to the Madejski Stadium.

Gibson’s intensity questioned

Paunovic seemed to go on and question Gibson’s intensity off the field in defence of his recent defensive selections, adding: “I want to make clear when somebody is injured and a spot opens, it’s an opportunity but that doesn’t mean somebody earned it.

“With that said, the level in training and the level in games has to be proven when you have an opportunity and that’s what we’re looking for.”

Everton will also be looking for Gibson to offer a response to Paunovic’s comments and prove to not only Reading, but also the Blues that he has the desire to prove his worth and take full use of the opportunity Moore’s injury has presented.

If not, Brands’ decision to sanction Gibson’s season-long loan with Reading will continue to look worse by the day as he continues a lengthy wait for his first minutes of the season.

Gibson’s performances last term while with Fleetwood offered marginal evidence to suggest he was ready to make a step up and compete in the Championship, with SofaScore data showing the Durham-born defender as averaging 6.0 duels won (2.5 ground, 3.5 aerial) a game, plus 1.4 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 4.0 clearances.

Time will tell if the 20-year-old can prove his worth at Reading, or if Brands’ summer call was the disasterclass it currently appears to be.

AND in other news, Everton missed the boat with an “amazing” talent who could have filled the void of a club legend.

According to Calcio Mercato, West Ham are one of two Premier League teams interested in signing Juventus star Aaron Ramsey in this summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Hammers endured a hugely disappointing opening game of the season at the weekend, losing 2-0 to Newcastle. The London club also saw rising starlet Grady Diangana make a permanent exit to West Brom, and there appears to be little to shout about.

But, there could be some good news on the way. Calcio Mercato claim that Juventus are willing to sell former Arsenal man Ramsey, with the Bianconeri comfortable on simply making a profit on a player they signed for free last summer.

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The report adds that along with West Ham, fellow top-flight side Crystal Palace are on the Welshman’s case, and that the midfielder’s future could well be in English football once again.

Boost for David Moyes

It’s fair to say it has been a rough couple of weeks for West Ham.

The lack of new faces at the club, and the fact other sides are strengthening themselves, has really shone a light on GSB’s failings. Unless they truly back David Moyes in the transfer market over these next couple of weeks, then another struggle of a season is on the cards.

But they could breathe new life into the club and kick-start their campaign with a move for Ramsey. The Wales international has got plenty of Premier League experience under his belt from his time at Arsenal, and was the man for the big occasion for the Gunners, netting two FA Cup final winning goals.

His box-to-box style has drawn comparisons with former Hammers man Frank Lampard, with the now Chelsea boss even admitting his love for the midfielder a couple of years ago. He said: “It will probably come as no surprise to people that I like Ramsey. He is class when at his best and I do feel there is another level for him to strive for. He showed great quality at the 2016 European Championships.”

With 60 caps for his country, and trophies both in England and Italy to his name as well, Ramsey is the kind of star attraction that would show GSB finally mean business.