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Phil Hay of the Yorkshire Evening Post has revealed that Samu Saiz could return to Leeds United at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

What’s the word, then?

Saiz joined Getafe on loan from Leeds during the January transfer window.

The attacker had contributed four assists in 19 Championship appearances in the first half of the 2018-19 campaign, but was allowed to leave for the La Liga club in the winter window.

It had been thought that the deal included an obligation to sign Saiz on a permanent contract this summer.

However, according to Hay, that is not the case, with Getafe simply having the option to buy the Spaniard, rather than an ‘obligation’ to complete a permanent deal.

In the aftermath of the defeat to Queens Park Rangers at the end of last month, a number of Leeds fans said that their club made a mistake allowing Saiz to leave.

However, the 28-year-old was not missed on Friday as the Whites put four unanswered goals past West Bromwich Albion at Elland Road.

How will this one play out?

Saiz has not exactly set La Liga alight since his move.

The 5ft 9in ace has made six league appearances for Getafe, whilst he has also featured on two occasions in the Copa del Rey.

The Madrid-born ace has failed to come off the bench in each of his loan side’s last three league fixtures, though, and is currently struggling to earn a first-team spot.

It would certainly not be a surprise to see them decide against a permanent deal, meaning that Saiz would return to his parent club at the end of the season.

Should Marcelo Bielsa’s side earn promotion to the Premier League, though, they might feel that Saiz is also surplus to requirements at Elland Road.

John Hartson believe Brendan Rodgers won’t leave Celtic at the end of the season – but will the allure of the Premier League be too much?

Brendan Rodgers have been pretty successful during his time at Celtic. Having already led them to two Scottish Premiership titles, and on course for their third following recent Scott Brown heroics, he’s pretty much done all he can to solidify himself as one of the club’s best coaches.

Despite this success, which is all but guaranteed under his stewardship in Glasgow, a man of his managerial quality may now be looking back towards the English top-flight to have a shot at Premier League success.

The Leicester Mercury have already claimed that Rodgers would be more than willing to take the job at Leicester City following reports from the Sun that he’d been approached earlier in the term to replace Claude Puel.

But Hartson has rubbished any claims that Rodgers intends on moving away, instead making the bold statement that he’ll be aiming to win ten-in-a-row at Celtic (source: the Scottish Sun).

Hartson, whose most recent performance commentating the FA Cup has cast doubt over his footballing knowledge, may be a little ambitious in his beliefs.

So, with the very possible departure of Rodgers in mind, here are two possible replacements…

Neil Lennon

A return for Celtic legend Neil Lennon could well be on the cards.

Columnist Charlie Nicholas believes Lennon is a very suitable replacement having already been incredibly successful at the club before spending a miserable two years at Bolton (via Daily Star).

The former Hibernian manager left his most recent club by mutual consent (source: Independent), and now back on the market should be a target for Celtic should Rodgers leave.

His style of football wouldn’t be too dissimilar to that of Rodgers either, so the transition should be a smooth one. Especially since he’s been such a fundamental part of Celtic recent success.

Marco Rose

There’s been no formal links between Red Bull Salzburg manager Marco Rose and Celtic. In fact, just about the only time they’ve been mentioned in the same sentence is when the German led his team to victory over Rodgers back in December.

But we think he’s a very viable candidate.

In a similar way to Celtic, Red Bull Salzburg dominate their respective division. But this isn’t always as easy as one might think. There’s expectations and pressures that managers and players must handle. No comprising; the team must be successful other the manager loses their job.

A huge 14 points separate Rose’s side and 2nd place LASK as Red Bull Salzburg look set to take home their sixth Austrian Bundesliga title in a row.

As Celtic fans will be well aware of, the German demands fluid, fast attacking football (much like their own) and clearly has more European success than Brendan Rodgers – which is what the club have been missing for all their domestic success.

Would be interesting.

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Tottenham Hotspur host bitter rivals Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. A win for the Gunners would move them to within just one point of Spurs, and would compound the home side’s recent miseries, having had their title hopes all but ended by Chelsea last time out.

However, this is still a north London derby, and despite their recent disappointments Mauricio Pochettino’s side will still be desperate to beat their rivals.

On the chalkboard

Arsenal have been in decent form recently, but Unai Emery’s side are far from flawless. Going forward they have lots of quality but defensively they are fallible. Pochettino must send his side out to exploit their weak points, whilst also taking measures to fend off their attack.

Who have been the biggest title race bottlers? Liverpool? Spurs? The Pl>ymaker FC squad discuss in the video below…

This match could easily come down to being a battle of the full-backs. Left-back Sead Kolasinac offers the Gunners lots of quality in the final third but lacks diligence and awareness defensively. Spurs can look to attack Arsenal on his flank in an effort to catch the 25-year-old out of position.

For both sides, taking advantage of the opposition full-backs could be the most effective route to goal.

Protecting their frailties

Pochettino must also recognise that his own side are weak defensively on the flanks. Kieran Trippier has been particularly error-prone recently and should probably be dropped for this match in favour of Serge Aurier.

Regardless of who starts for Spurs though, their midfield contingent must do more to protect and cover the wide defenders. The likes of Harry Winks, as long as he is fit, and Moussa Sissoko have the energy and mobility to fulfil this duty and so must be diligent, focused and deliver. 

Crystal Palace successfully kicked off life under new manager Patrick Vieira with a 1-0 win away to Walsall in pre-season on Saturday.

In a game of fine margins, the only goal was scored by Eagles talisman Wilfried Zaha. Rolling his marker, he then proceeded to exchange passes with youngster Rob Street before slotting past Carl Rushworth effortlessly [saddlers.co.uk].

Fielding a completely different team in both halves [cpfc.co.uk], Vieira was able to get an extensive look at the blend of experience and youth he has inherited at Selhurst Park for his first match in charge at the club.

Vieira’s side will travel to Portman Road next Saturday to face League One outfit Ipswich Town in their next pre-season outing.

In light of Saturday’s victory over Walsall, plenty of Crystal Palace diehards took to social media to revel in the result, albeit a friendly win over League Two opposition.

Crystal Palace fans react:

Replying to the club’s official Twitter account, here is how some fans summarised Saturday’s result and performance:

“Job done CPFC, we love you”

Credit: @weapon1982″I smell a European tour”Credit: @dougCPFC”Jake O’Brien has great potential”Credit: @FrancisCpfc”PAT VIEIRA’S RED BLUE ARMY”Credit: @S_J_C82″I’m all aboard the @OfficialVieira hype train”Credit: @jjhillwrites”Quite a good start to preseason, with some lookers in the second half with a new, young XI. So much to look forward to. Up the Palace! #cpfc”Credit: @raconteursaurusIn other news, Crystal Palace are keen on this La Liga ace.

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Despite being on the verge of signing for Juventus on a pre-contract agreement according to The Independent, Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey once again got the nod in the starting XI ahead of out-of-favour teammate Mesut Ozil during his side’s 2-0 win against Chelsea at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

While he was more of a regular in the side earlier in the campaign and even captained the team on occasion, the former Germany international appears to have steadily slid down the pecking order under manager Unai Emery due to lack of form and suitability for certain matches, as per The Telegraph, coupled with injury issues.

The 30-year-old was left out of the 18-man squad for the defeat to West Ham United earlier this month but did make his return to the fold against the Gunners’ London neighbours at the weekend. However, it it was Ramsey who started in the position behind the two strikers in a 4-3-1-2 system.

Despite looking all but certain to be a Serie A player when his contract expires at the end of the current campaign, Emery admitted in quotes via The Independent that he is happy with the attitude and focus of the Welshman, who made his first Premier League start since the 5-1 defeat to Liverpool against Maurizio Sarri’s men.

However, he perhaps didn’t make the contribution that he should have in the victory considering the position he was playing in, which is plain to see from his statistics. The 28-year-old managed one shot on target from two attempts, made one key pass and failed to complete a single dribble, as per stats-based website WhoScored.

In addition, he was dispossessed on three occasions as he failed to impose himself on proceedings and feed Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of him.

One of the main reasons that the Wales international started ahead of Ozil was surely the contribution makes from a defensive point of view, but he didn’t even do that as he made no tackles and just two interceptions.

Given that side of the game is seen as one of Ozil’s main shortcomings and how he would surely feel he could have made a bigger impact from an offensive point of view in a central position that suits him, he should be fuming that he didn’t get the nod ahead of a player who looks to be definitely leaving Arsenal.

It’s a strong indication of how drastically Ozil’s importance to the team has waned during Emery’s short time in charge.

Look away Arsenal fans! American Soccer Fan is back to troll more fans at the London Stadium in the video below…

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Arsenal and Liverpool played out a highly entertaining 1-1 draw at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening. Both sides produced eye-catching displays and ultimately a draw was probably a fair result.

Having gone 1-0 down in the second half after James Milner capitalised upon Bernd Leno’s mistake, the Gunners hit back via Alexandre Lacazette to even the score. However, this was a game that could have seen many more goals were it not for the valiant defending of both sides.

Virgil van Dijk was an absolute rock at the back for the Reds. Jurgen Klopp has the 6’4” Dutchman to thank for the fact that his team are taking even a single point back to Anfield. 

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Not only was the 22-cap Netherlands international solid defensively, he was also a constant threat in Arsenal’s own penalty area and will be disappointed not to have scored his first Premier League goal for Liverpool given the opportunities he carved out for himself.

After the match, many Liverpool fans took to Twitter to applaud the 27-year-old’s magnificent display…

Tottenham fans are absolutely raging at Daniel Levy, after reports claimed Aston Villa will not sell Jack Grealish.

According to Sky Sports, Aston Villa have told Grealish he will not be sold this summer.

The feisty young midfielder has been heavily linked with a move to North London all summer.

They say don’t put all your eggs in one basket, and it feels like that’s exactly what Levy has done.

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Spurs have fallen behind all their rivals in spending this summer, but the Grealish deal looked like the one that would actually get done.

Levy’s low-balling and waiting game have turned into a disaster though, and Pochettino will now have to rush to find alternative targets on deadline day.

Grealish only scored three Championship goals last season, but it doesn’t take a genius to see how brilliant the 5 ft 9 ace could be for Pochettino.

Fans are furious with this setback, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Chelsea had an enjoyable afternoon as they convincingly defeated Stoke City 4-0 at the Bet365 Stadium, but there was a moment of frustration for the fans.

Antonio Conte’s side were cruising as the match drew to a close, but the supporters have argued that their team should have reached the full-time whistle playing against 10 men.

In the dying moments of the Premier League encounter, Stoke striker Peter Crouch lunged in high and late on Cesc Fabregas, but he was only issued with a yellow card.

Many Chelsea fans vented their fury on Twitter, criticising Mike Dean for not giving the forward his marching orders.

Some even feel that there is a conspiracy against the West London club, suggesting that if a Chelsea player had committed the offence, a red card would have been brandished.

A matter of days after Diego Costa agreed a move to Atletico Madrid, striker Alvaro Morata scored his first hat-trick for the Blues, while Pedro also got on the scoresheet.

Conte’s side are flying high in the league since their opening 3-2 defeat to Burnley having won four and drawn one.

According to reports in the Daily Telegraph, England manager Gareth Southgate could name an extra large Three Lions squad ahead of their matches against Germany and Lithuania later this month, meaning uncapped Southampton duo Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse could get the call.

What’s the story, then?

Well, Southgate was due to reveal his squad for the friendly against Germany and World Cup qualifier against Lithuania on Thursday, but he has been hit by a number of withdrawals and fitness worries.

For example, Tottenham Hotspur duo Harry Kane and Danny Rose will miss out – the former suffered an ankle injury against Millwall on Sunday – and so will Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge.

There are also doubts over captain Wayne Rooney – who missed the his side’s FA Cup defeat to Chelsea on Monday night – and Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

With a call-up for Jack Wilshere also unlikely after the Bournemouth loanee started the Cherries’ last two games from the substitutes’ bench, it might have opened the door for Redmond and Ward-Prowse.

Would they deserve the call?

In a word, yes.

Ward-Prowse has shown how highly he is thought of in the England setup by the fact that he is captain of the Under-21 side, and similarly Redmond has impressed at the same level.

However, it is their performances in recent weeks that would have particularly impressed Southgate, with the duo both impressing in the EFL Cup final, and Redmond scoring two impressive goals in Southampton’s 4-3 win at Watford last time out.

Are they likely to get it?

Depending on who is fit – and whether Wilshere gets the call or not as he could be in direct competition with Ward-Prowse – then yes.

Redmond is perhaps more likely with few options available in wide areas though.

Former Celtic midfielder Murdo MacLeod believes new manager Brendan Rodgers could be looking at replacing captain Scott Brown and top goalscorer Leigh Griffiths if he can find players that can come in for them them.

The Bhoys legend feels that the new manager will have his own ideas about the squad and that nobody will be safe if he believes he can improve the standard of players at Celtic Park.

WANT MORE? >> Celtic transfer news | Scottish Premiership transfer new

He told the Daily Record:

“You have to assess the squad and if he can bring in players of a better standard, you’ve just got to go with that. Whether it’s Scott Brown or Leigh Griffiths, if you bring in a better player you change him.”

The future of some current players will be depend on who Rodgers decides to bring in, according to MacLeod.

If certain players move down the pecking order after new arrivals come in, the already bloated squad must be cut down and some notable players, including club captain Brown, may see their game time severely reduced.

“It depends who he brings in. The size of the Celtic squad has to be trimmed down – you can’t have 18 players sitting doing nothing week in, week out. They have to make some money by getting rid of some of the players and being able to finance better quality. The manager has just got to make a decision on whether Scott Brown is going to play in the team. It’s all about his opinion.”

Brown struggled for form and fitness at the end of last season but Rodgers has already had a face to face meeting at his home in London to discuss his plans for the club with the player.

The Northern Irishman is, however, no stranger to making big calls on players.

He reduced Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher’s playing time before the defender decided to retire, and told Steven Gerrard to expect less game time before the club icon opted to move to Major League Soccer.

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