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A number of Liverpool fans have been reacting excitedly to rumours linking the Reds with a move for RB Salzburg striker Patson Daka.

While lots of the talk this season has surrounded Liverpool’s defensive woes, with several key men out injured, they have also struggled in attack. The front three of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino have failed to click as a unit, with only the former coming close to consistently producing his best form.

Diogo Jota made a different in the early months, but a knee injury saw him miss around three months of action, acting as a further blow.

It could be that Jurgen Klopp delves into the transfer market for a new attacking player this summer in order to increase the level of quality and competition for places in the final third.

Someone who has been linked with a move to Anfield is Daka, with Salzburger Nachrichten claiming that Liverpool are eyeing up a move for the 22-year-old. The Zambian youngster has scored 61 goals in just 114 appearances for Salzburg, highlighting his pedigree.

Liverpool fans talk up Daka move

These Liverpool supporters took to Twitter to give their thoughts on a move for Daka, with many seeing the benefits of signing him.

“Seeing Patson Daka rumours on the timeline. Been wanting him and saying it for ages. I really hope it happens. He’s a Liverpool fan too”Credit: @Klopptinho”Hope so, he’s dynamite, pace, power and finishing ability”Credit: @dcory68″He’s class”Credit: @matthickey71″We could sign him and still sign another attacker, that’s a bargain for someone who is producing good numbers”Credit: @oni_kzz”Could see Klopp and Edwards going for him instead of an already world-class striker. Huge potential and a natural goalscorer, Klopp could turn him into a top player”Credit: @1CraigFisher”Give them Origi”Credit: @Callum_Moran10In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a surprise transfer story involving the Reds. Read about it here.

Gary Mabbutt has told Football FanCast that some fans do not appreciate the magnitude of Tottenham Hotspur signing Gareth Bale.

The Wales international is slowly returning to full fitness and seems to have unlocked some of the form that saw him become one of the best players in world football in recent weeks.

Bale scored twice at the weekend as Spurs put Burnley to the sword in a 4-0 thumping, a performance that came on the back of a brilliant match-altering cameo against West Ham United, and a goalscoring substitute appearance versus Wolfsberger.

It has taken some time for him to become an undisputed starter, as his start against Burnley was only his third in the league.

But Mabbutt believes he is a terrific player, and thinks he is still underappreciated by certain sections of the support.

Indeed, he feels that the influence of the Real Madrid man will be felt more keenly in the dressing room at times than on the pitch itself.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the former Spurs captain said: “Well, of course, I think from when Gareth was first signed, I think at times, people don’t actually appreciate just the signing of Gareth Bale.

“I think the impact it had on the dynamics within the dressing room, it made the players believe that the club wants to go places. It made the players believe that they’re now in a dressing room with a world class player.”

Bale is no longer the fresh-faced kid that made his debut for Spurs back in the 2000s, but Mabbutt has insisted he is still a youngster!

There is an element of humour in that, of course, but Mabbutt says he played his final game when he was approaching 37.

He added: “And in a lot of discussions about him, that he’s 31 years of age, he’s still a youngster. In my last game, the Spurs just going up to 37, so with all due respect I think he is a fantastic player.”

Bale struggled to force his way into the team at times at Real, particularly towards the end of his stint, as he made 12 starts in La Liga, and Mabbutt believes that set him back initially.

He added: “I think his time at Real Madrid this last time, with pressures from the manager and the manager not wanting to use him, I think that set him back quite a lot. Certainly for match fitness, game fitness. He arrived to us with an injury. But even though we knew that he couldn’t play for the first like, yeah, three or four weeks, our raising in our performances throughout the whole team was immense.”

In what was only their third draw of the Premier League season, Leeds earned a creditable point at home to a rejuvenated Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

Thomas Tuchel’s men have been on a roll since the German’s arrival at Stamford Bridge and came into the game off the back of a couple of impressive wins against Liverpool and Everton respectively.

However, despite a couple of scary moments – not least when a ball ricocheted off a Leeds defender and hit the crossbar in the first half – the Whites came through it unscathed and kept things tight at the back.

While he wasn’t able to break the deadlock, Tyler Roberts was a standout performer for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

The £9m-rated dynamo delivered one of his more impressive displays of the Premier League season, and what a time to do it given some of the speculation over his long-term future at the club.

The Athletic’s Phil Hay revealed in the last few days that, depending on the Whites’ summer activity, both the 22-year-old and Helder Costa could be one of the fall guys of the club’s revamp.

However, on the basis of Roberts’ display against Chelsea, Bielsa may start to have second thoughts – although of course, one good performance doesn’t automatically change everything.

It was his goal which was ruled out for offside in the opening period after Patrick Bamford had strayed off earlier in the move, while his stunning effort took some heroics from Edouard Mendy to deny him from opening the scoring.

He was a real livewire for Leeds, with most of the Whites’ best attacking play coming through him. He completed three of his four attempted dribbles, which was the most of any player on the pitch, and considerably more than his season average of 0.6 per match in the Premier League.

As well as being more direct in his play, Roberts didn’t shirk his defensive responsibilities either, winning five of his duels on the day – again, far more than his season average of 2.9 per match.

Writing in his post-match player ratings for Leeds Live, Beren Cross gave him a seven, adding: “Had his moments of frustration, but did serve up some quality in the second half as Chelsea’s defence splintered. Forced a fingertip stop out of Edouard Mendy in the first half.”

Hay dubbed Roberts’ performance as “impressive” on Twitter after the match, and it was a display which sent a reminder to Bielsa perhaps there is still a quality player there to be nurtured and developed.

Meanwhile, this Leeds man let Bielsa down with a shocking display vs Chelsea…

Leeds United are facing a transfer battle in the race to sign Spezia striker M’Bala Nzola.

What’s the story?

With summer signing Rodrigo yet to really find his feet at Elland Road in terms of scoring goals – he’s managed just three in 18 games – it’s no surprise to see Marcelo Bielsa’s side being linked with a move for a new centre-forward.

According to Italian publication, Tuttosport (via Sport Witness), Leeds are name-checked as one of the clubs monitoring Nzola and considering a transfer move for him.

The report adds that there are also other clubs from England, Germany and Italy who have been closely tracking his progress, with the 24-year-old having only joined Spezia in the summer.

Bye-bye Tyler Roberts

It’s been a curious old time for Tyler Roberts this season, with the Wales international making just nine first-team appearances in total for the club.

Last week, reports suggested that a whole host of Championship clubs were interested in luring him away from Elland Road during this transfer window, with Bielsa claiming that he was “unavailable at the moment” in a pre-match press conference on January 2nd.

If Leeds were to snap up Nzola, then that could be the final nail in the coffin for Roberts’ long-term future at the club. The Spezia striker has been in superb form in his debut season in Serie A, bagging nine goals in 13 games in the competition, with only six players ahead of him in the league’s goal-scoring charts.

And it’s Nzola’s style of play that will likely appeal to Bielsa, with Metropolitan Magazine describing him as “a very fast central striker who manages to attack space with absolute effectiveness. He is also difficult to deal with because he has enviable physical strength which makes him an extremely uncomfortable customer.”

Just like Patrick Bamford, Nzola would be tasked with leading the line on his own and running the hard yards into the channels, behind the opposition defence, and pressing the centre-backs as well.

And as seen by his clinical touch – he’s scored every 121 minutes and missed four big chances in 13 games, compared to Bamford who’s scored every 146 minutes and missed 12 big chances in 17 games – Nzola could provide a superb option up front.

An efficient goal-scorer, and someone with the kind of footballing characteristics that make him an ideal fit for a Leeds United side under Bielsa. The Whites boss would surely adore the 6 foot centre-forward  if he arrives at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds must desperately sell this flop…

Sheffield Wednesday reporter Joe Crann has shed light on the latest goings-on concerning Erik Alonso’s Sheffield Wednesday takeover bid in a recent article for The Sheffield Star.

Crann confirmed that Alonso, who is a former member of the Yorkshire club’s board, has tabled a bid to take over Wednesday, however, the journalist also suggested that the bid won’t be successful.

Dejphon Chansiri’s Sheffield Wednesday valuation

Crann shared his article on this development via a tweet, in which he explained that Alonso’s Owls takeover bid was worth “around £30m” before he went on to state: “My understanding is that it’s nowhere near Dejphon Chansiri’s valuation of the club.”

The journalist also cast some doubt over the likelihood that Alonso may be successful in buying the Owls if he increases his offer, explaining that, at present, Chansiri is “not considering a sale at all.”

Transfer Tavern take

Per The Guardian, Chansiri bought Sheffield Wednesday for £30m back in January 2015, however, based on what Crann has revealed about Alonso’s Owls takeover bid, it’s clear that the Thai businessman either feels he got a great bargain or the club has grown exponentially in value since then, with the journalist explaining that the Wednesday owner feels £30m is “nowhere near” enough to buy the club now.

While Crann has suggested that Chansiri is not interested in selling up, perhaps the comments that the Owls owner has made within the last year about potentially selling the club paint a different picture.

As explained by YorkshireLive, in early-November, Chansiri declared that he doesn’t “see any future in football,” while on New Year’s Eve, he briefly touched on potentially selling the club, saying: “If you don’t want me, I don’t mind. It must be reasonable,” which may suggest that he would actually be open to selling for a price he deems “reasonable.”

So, perhaps the possibility of Chansiri selling the club to Alonso if he returns with a better second offer shouldn’t be completely ruled out and it will be interesting to see if the ex-Owls board member does return with an improved bid.

In other news, many Sheffield Wednesday fans were frustrated with Dom Howson’s Massimo Luongo update.

Carlo Ancelotti must boot Bernard out of Goodison Park in January amid claims of AS Roma eyeing a winter raid on Everton for the Brazilian midfielder.

What’s the word?

According to Gazzetta Dello Sport, via Sport Witness, the Giallorossi are monitoring Bernard’s situation ahead of the mid-season market as they look to acquire additional offensive weapons for head coach Paulo Fonseca.

Roma are presently pushing plans to sell Carles Perez in January before turning attentions to incomings, with Bernard, Stephan El Shaarawy and Roman Yaremchuk under consideration.

Everton are expected to demand €12m (£11m) to release Bernard next month, with the 28-year-old likely to look for a move away after starting just three fixtures across all competitions – including one of five Premier League appearances – thus far this season.

Fonseca was the coach of Shakhtar Donetsk during Bernard’s time at the Ukrainian side, and sought to secure a reunion in the summer with talks taking place on Deadline Day only for Ancelotti to insist the 14-cap international was wanted at Goodison Park.

El Shaarawy now appears as Roma’s favoured candidate but are yet to convince Shanghai Shenhua to sanction a loan deal, while Bernard is mentioned daily in discussions between Fonseca and Giallorossi staff.

Time to leave

Ancelotti may have insisted that Bernard had a role to play on Merseyside in the summer, but must accept that it is now time to boot the midfielder out of Goodison Park where he is the joint-highest earner on a £120,000-per-week contract.

Bernard and his agent were able to secure such a lucrative deal with the Brazilian joining on a free transfer in 2018, but has failed to prove value for money with fleeting appearances and a hand in just 14 goals (seven scored, seven assisted) over 74 outings across all competitions.

Ancelotti only awarded Bernard his sole Premier League start of the season so far as he sought to find a replacement for Richarlison whilst the winger was suspended, too, and immediately benched the Roma target despite finding the net against Manchester United.

Question marks have also stood over Bernard’s impact at Goodison Park for some time now, with Noel Whelan hinting just over a year ago that the 28-year-old is a luxury player.

“Can he do the defensive side as well? Every midfield player now, you can’t afford luxury players, everyone’s got to chip in on both sides of the game. Defensively, that’s the only area that I’d worry – can he get back in formation, can he get behind the ball, can he do it in 90 minutes?” Whelan told Football Insider.

Those concerns continue to remain, with Bernard offering one interception every 41.8 minutes of Premier League action this season, plus a successful tackle every 41.8 minutes, a clearance every 69.7 minutes and has registered one block every 104.5 minutes, per WhoScored.

Added to his tame offensive record with one shot every 69.7 minutes and an on-target effort every 209 minutes, plus a key pass every 41.8 minutes, it really is time for Ancelotti to show the Marco Silva signing the boot.

AND in other news, Everton have been dealt a huge blow, from which the long-term effects may hurt Carlo Ancelotti.

Leeds United are looking to broaden their horizons and indeed bolster their squad this January transfer window. Rumours are flying thick and fast at the moment and Adama Traore is one of the more intriguing names to appear on the radar.

According to Sport, Marcelo Bielsa is very keen on the Spaniard and he reportedly wants to bring him to Elland Road this month. However, the Leeds board would likely have to offload personnel before making a move, for more reasons than one.

Would Traore suit Leeds?

Several clubs are interested in signing the beast that is Traore, who earns £43,000-a-week according to Spotrac. He has been linked to the likes of European giants Liverpool and Real Madrid, as per The Mirror.

The 24-year-old would certainly bring pace and power to Leeds, but he would likely warrant a huge transfer fee. This is why the Whites would need to consider selling some players before considering a swoop.

SoccerLink reported in 2020 that Wolves were looking for as much as £75million for Traore, which is a figure that a club like Leeds would almost certainly flinch at.

Concern for Costa

However, money isn’t the only reason Victor Orta should be placing players on the chopping block. As it stands, the Championship title holders have as many as three options on the right wing, with teenager Crysencio Summerville also impressing recently.

To sign another right-footed winger would be foolish, given the options already at Bielsa’s disposal. Should Leeds opt to offload one of their attackers, it would likely be former Wolves man Helder Costa.

There has also been talk of Bielsa letting the recent signing leave in January if he continues to go under the radar with his performances, with Kevin Phillips believing that the boss would sanction an exit.

Despite playing a huge part in Leeds’ promotion and being lauded as “immense” by his former boss, the 27-year-old has fallen out of favour this season.

Costa has featured in just four of his side’s last ten Premier League fixtures, making way for Raphinha, as per Transfermarkt, and letting him leave could give the board the green light to bring in new personnel.

In other news, Marcus Tavernier would be an ideal Jack Harrison replacement…

The subject of Patrick Bamford at Leeds is an interesting one indeed. Whilst he is undoubtedly Marcelo Bielsa’s biggest threat in front of goal right now, he hasn’t always been a popular figure among the Elland Road faithful.

Carlton Palmer spoke to Football FanCast about the curious situation in Yorkshire, admitting that whilst Bamford does indeed deliver the goods, it’s “interesting” that the boss opts to always make him the focal point of attack.

“He gets a lot of stick,” the former Leeds man said. “It’s amazing how many people talk about his misses and not talk about what he’s actually doing.”

Indeed, Bamford is currently the second highest scorer in the Premier League this season, with the same amount of goals as Harry Kane. He is behind only joint-leading scorers Son Heung-min, Jamie Vardy, Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Mohamed Salah (via BBC Sport). However, this is only one half of the story.

Fans have been frustrated over the 27-year-old’s tenancy to miss glaring opportunities which have often punished the Whites. As highlighted by eflanalysis.com, Bamford’s xG is a huge 34.77 and considering he finished with 16 goals last season, it indicates just how wasteful the target man can be in front of goal.

“It’s interesting that Bielsa started with him up front,” Palmer continued. “I think why he started with him is because he has got good quality. But more than that, his work rate is phenomenal.”

Leeds signed Rodrigo in the summer for a club record fee of £26million but he is currently out of action due to self-isolation reasons. Once he returns to the squad, he could may well challenge Bamford for the spotlight as he looks to pick up where he left off against Manchester City.

In other news, Shane Duffy Republic of Ireland performance will be eye-opener for Neil Lennon…

Carlton Palmer has revealed his admiration of Crystal Palace playmaker Wilfried Zaha and is surprised he is still at Selhurst Park.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast correspondent Tom Ward, the former England international can’t believe a top six club didn’t sign the winger in the summer.

Zaha’s Palace future has been shrouded by transfer speculation for quite some time whilst he submitted a transfer request in an attempt to engineer a move away from Selhurst Park before the start of the season.

However, a move failed to materialise, after Roy Hodgson’s side rejected approaches from Premier League rivals Arsenal and Everton.

But Palmer believes that something isn’t quite right behind the scenes.

“I’m a big fan of him, I’m a big fan of Zaha. I am surprised that none of the other top clubs have had a bat at him. £50 million is a lot of money, but as I say, I’m surprised that none of the other top clubs have had a bat at him.

“There must be something that they know or something that they’re aware of that they don’t want to go near.

“But he’s been Crystal Palace’s talisman for years and years and years and he’s a talented, talented player, that’s for sure.”

It goes without saying that the 28-year-old is the club’s best player as Palace have lost 15 out of the last 17 Premier League games he has missed for various reasons.

In eight appearances in the Premier League so far this season, Zaha has scored five goals and supplied two assists, whilst he is averaging 2.3 shots, 1.6 key passes and 1.4 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

However, whilst there’s no questions about Zaha’s ability, his attitude has been been a bit of a problem in the past, which is perhaps where the problem lies.

Valued at £45m via Transfermarkt, the highly-rated Ivory Coast international started his career at his boyhood club, before he left for Premier League giants Manchester United in 2013, until he returned to Selhurst Park under acrimonious circumstances just two years later after a frustrating stint at Old Trafford.

But this has done little to dissuade potential suitors, with both Arsenal and Everton credited with an interest in the versatile forward in the summer, amid links abroad to European heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco.

If and when that day does come, there’s no doubt his inevitable departure will be a huge loss for the Eagles.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish should reward Jairo Riedewald with a new contract…

Leeds United didn’t do much on domestic deadline day, but one thing that caught the attention was the return of Gaetano Berardi to the club.

The Swiss defender had been out of contract since the end of last season, but with an ACL injury keeping him out for the next nine months, it was unknown what the fate of his career would be.

Leeds have decided to support their man throughout these problems, signing him until the end of the season to help him through his rehabilitation, and that is just a brilliant gesture.

Let’s be real for a moment, Berardi isn’t likely to play for the club ever again. He’s out for the majority of this season and competition is rife at centre-back with Robin Koch, Diego Llorente and Liam Cooper all way ahead of him in the pecking order. But even if he doesn’t play a game, this was the right move to make.

Berardi did Leeds a massive favour by signing a short contract extension at the end of last season, but a cruel twist of fate saw him sidelined with a very serious injury, jeopardising any hopes he had of finding a new club after his deal expired.

The 33-year-old is Leeds’ longest-serving player, and if anyone at the club was deserving of this sort of treatment, it’s Berardi.

There are no two ways about it this contract is a waste of money. Leeds are employing Berardi to do a job he may never actually do, but there can’t be any complaints about them offering the defender support through his injury as well as some financial stability.

Everything is so uncertain at the moment in the midst of a pandemic, and while other clubs are laying off staff or putting them on furlough, Leeds are giving Berardi the help he needs even though it’s going to cost them.

It’s thousands of pounds down the drain, but it’s probably the best way any club can waste money.