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Football Insider pundit Tam McManus believes that Leeds United may still part ways with Jesse Marsch despite a terrific win over Liverpool last weekend.

The Lowdown: Leeds out of the bottom three

The Whites headed into the Premier League clash at Anfield in the relegation zone and level on points with bottom club Nottingham Forest. However, a shock 2-1 win thanks to Crysencio Summerville’s late winner elevated Marsch’s side into 15th place.

A home fixture against Bournemouth is next on the agenda for Leeds, a match which feels crucial in the context of the club’s season prior to the upcoming break for the World Cup.

The Latest: McManus’ comments

Talking to Football Insider, McManus still feels that Leeds could sack Marsch and cited unrest from some supporters in recent weeks, labelling that as a ‘big’ factor.

The former Hibernian striker said: “The World Cup comes at a great time for any club that wants to change their manager and I think we will see that at a few clubs.

“They will be looking. Marsch will want to get to that World Cup break with a few wins under his belt. They have some tough games, I believe they play Tottenham and Man City before that break so we will see where they are.

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“A couple of losses and if they fall into the relegation zone then that result against Liverpool might not save him. They have not won enough this season and that’s the bottom line.

“I saw that the fans had turned on him a few weeks ago, that’s always big for a manager’s future. So we have to see but fans’ minds can change, we have seen it before. It’s all up to Marsch not but he has a few big weeks ahead.”

The Verdict: Saturday’s game is huge

If Leeds fail to make it back-to-back wins on Saturday, then you’d expect that talk of Marsch receiving the sack will return heading into the World Cup.

As McManus states, some Whites fans have turned on Marsch already, with unrest coming in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester City last month.

Further frustration could be voiced if Leeds don’t take three points on Saturday, but on the other hand, supporters could chant his name in joy if the Whites win again, making this weekend’s fixture a big one for him and the club.

The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce has said that it was a ‘huge lift’ for Jurgen Klopp’s side to secure victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Lowdown: Nail-biting finish

The Reds made the trip to the capital and earned a 2-1 win thanks to a first-half double from Mohamed Salah, with a Harry Kane goal on 70 minutes not enough for the hosts to claw back a point.

Antonio Conte’s men were pushing for a late equaliser, taking 11 shots after half-time compared to the visitors’ four, but the Reds managed to hold their own to take all three points back to Merseyside and see out a first domestic away win of the season.

The Latest: Pearce’s reaction

Taking to Twitter, Pearce was impressed with how well Liverpool shut up shop in the closing stages and suggested that the result, which could represent a significant “step forward”, was much-needed after suffering back-to-back league defeats.

He wrote: “FT: Spurs 1 #LFC 2: Huge lift for Liverpool after their recent struggles domestically. Defended bravely and rode their luck to survive a late onslaught from the hosts after Kane had pulled one back. Salah’s first half double proved enough to secure a big 3pts. Step forward.”

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The Verdict: Moving in the right direction

Whilst Liverpool are effectively out of the title race due to already being 15 points adrift of leaders Arsenal, their main aim now has to be a top-four finish, and this victory was a huge step in the right direction.

Nottingham Forest and Leeds, who inflicted those two defeats in late October, are teams that the Reds should be beating, so to bounce back with a decent, gritty performance against a team in the top four was just what the doctor ordered.

With a place in the Champions League round of 16 confirmed, Klopp’s team are still more than capable of competing for big prizes, but they need to remain consistent if they are to be in the reckoning for silverware come the business end of the season.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has shared a promising update on Chelsea’s transfer pursuit of Palmeiras sensation Endrick.

The Lowdown: Potter era in full swing…

Since the appointment of former Brighton boss Graham Potter to succeed Thomas Tuchel in September, it’s fair to say that the Englishman’s tenure in west London has been a bit of a mixed bag so far.

The 47-year-old had made a solid start to life at Stamford Bridge and it took a month-and-a-half for him to lose his first game as head coach, which ironically came courtesy of his former club at the Amex Stadium.

Since then, however, the Premier League giants have fell to defeat in their last three matches in all competitions, with Potter now handed a sobering reminder of the challenges facing him at Chelsea.

The Latest: Chelsea ‘frontrunners’ for Endrick…

In some good news for the manager, though, reliable transfer reporter Romano has shared a promising update on the Blues’ chances of signing one of world football’s most exciting young players.

Endrick, who is being pursued by Chelsea alongside some of Europe’s biggest hitters, has been dubbed the ‘next Neymar’ after starring for Palmeiras in Brazil.

Romano claims that Potter’s side are among the favourites to sign him, explaining to GiveMeSport: “What I’m told is that there are three frontrunners, and they are Chelsea, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain. These three clubs are in a fight to try and sign Endrick with different strategies.”

The Verdict: Good news…

Given Chelsea’s status as an elite English top-flight club, you could be forgiven for thinking that they could well win the race for Endrick thanks to the pull of Premier League football, which makes this latest claim very promising for the Stamford Bridge faithful.

Described by journalist Nizaar Kinsella as a ‘big target’ for Potter, the South American will cost a marquee fee, though, with Romano also claiming that Palmeiras won’t sell for a penny less than his €60m (£52.5m) release clause.

Therefore, if Chelsea want their man, they may need to pay a premium to get him.

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged by former goalkeeper Paul Robinson to secure a transfer deal for Leicester City midfielder James Maddison. 

The Lowdown: Spurs’ previous interest in Maddison

The north London club have been linked with a move for the midfielder in the past, most recently during the previous summer transfer window.

Earlier this week, it was claimed that the Foxes have entered talks with Maddison and his representatives over potentially extending his contract at the club, which is set to expire in 2024.

Now though, it appears that one pundit believes that the north London club should reignite their interest in the Englishman and add him to Antonio Conte’s squad.

The Latest: Spurs urged to sign Maddison

Speaking to Football Insider, Robinson claimed that Maddison would take Spurs to the ‘next level’:

He said: “I’ve changed my mind on James Maddison.

“I know I have dismissed it previously and said he wouldn’t fit in at Spurs, but I was wrong. Now that I’ve seen him playing on the right-hand side for Leicester I really think he’d be an asset to Spurs.

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“Look at the lack of creativity in the midfield at Spurs. Maddison couldn’t play in the centre-midfielder position but he could add a lot from the right-hand side. Spurs are crying out for creativity.

“I now think that Maddison could take Spurs to the next level. He is versatile, he could play out wide or behind [Harry] Kane. Conte has to make room for a player like Maddison. He could be the spark Spurs need moving forward.”

The Verdict: A smart signing for Spurs

The 25-year-old has been in hot form this season for Leicester, which led to him being included in England’s World Cup squad.

With 13 league appearances under his belt, Maddison has scored seven goals, provided four assists and made more key passes (31) and shot-creating actions (57) than any other player at Leicester.

Bearing in mind how Manchester City and Liverpool have racked up more shot-creating actions and key passes than Spurs in the league this season, having a player like Maddison in the squad could be a good way of closing the gap between those two other clubs, who have dominated in recent seasons.

Hailed for his “sensational” performances last season by Brendan Rodgers, the Leicester star would surely be a smart and exciting signing for Conte to make.

Tottenham Hotspur’s sights are set on finding a successor to the long-serving Hugo Lloris and a surprising name has emerged as a potential target…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercatoweb, Lilywhites boss Antonio Conte is very interested in Juventus’ £10m goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny and would like to bring him back to north London, some five years after leaving arch-rivals Arsenal.

The Poland international – who is in line to start at the World Cup this week – is out of contract in the summer of 2024 and it’s thought that the Old Lady aren’t willing to offer him an extension at this moment in time, meaning he could even be sold.

That’s because the Serie A giants have already lined up Empoli’s Guglielmo Vicario as his replacement. However, it remains to be seen exactly how much the 32-year-old would command, with his current value in the region of €20m (£18m), per CIES Football Observatory.

Lloris successor

Szczesny was a divisive figure for the Gunners throughout his 11-year association with the club – some considered him a fan-favourite but others thought he was something of a “liability”.

He eventually lost his place to David Ospina because of his erratic nature between the sticks.

Indeed, former Juve great Stefano Tacconi slammed the Pole for his performances whilst on loan to AS Roma. He said to Gazzetta TV (via the Independent): “He’s a good goalkeeper, there’s no doubt about that,” before adding: “But he’s an uncontrollable lunatic – he’s completely mad. And for this reason, he’s a risk.”

The 6 foot 5 veteran has certainly turned things around as he has now been the no.1 at the Allianz Stadium for a little over four years, replacing the legendary Gigi Buffon, and is set to feature at his second World Cup and fifth major international tournament.

That evolution is probably best surmised by Spurs’ current sporting director Fabio Paratici, who was the man to bring Szczesny to Juventus. He once described the shot-stopper as ” one of the best goalkeepers in the world” to reporters in 2020.

As per FBref, the former Arsenal graduate has the second-best save percentage (85.7%) of any keeper in the Serie A this season, and has conceded the fewest goals per 90 (0.35) of any glovesman too.

Whilst Lloris will always be remembered as a “legend” for his devotion to Spurs, there’s no denying that some of his own displays have been questionable the older he has gotten and at 35, it certainly would be wise to plan for life after the £100k-per-week stalwart.

Szczesny may be a controversial signing but Paratici has got it right with several questionable signings from the Italian top-flight, where both Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur were heavily out-of-sorts.

The former foe could therefore be a surprise successor to Lloris, if Conte’s interest is genuine.

AND in other news, Spurs still keen on £40m “exciting talent”, he could be a surprise World Cup sensation…

Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams is believed to be attracting interest from Inter Milan over a potential move to Italy.

The Lowdown: USA captain

Adams is currently away with the USA at the World Cup in Qatar alongside Leeds team-mate Brenden Aaronson. The 23-year-old was named captain before the tournament and has helped his country into the last 16, where they will face the Netherlands, after playing every minute of action so far.

His display against England resulted in praise from both Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher, and it looks as if Inter’s sporting director Piero Ausilio is keen on Adams’ services.

The Latest: Inter linked with Adams

The Boot Room relayed an update from Gazzetta dello Sport regarding Adams on Tuesday. They claimed that Ausilio has been really impressed by the Leeds maestro in Qatar and really wants to sign the defensive midfielder.

However, the report adds that it will be hard for Inter, who are in the Champions League last 16, to lure Adams from Elland Road.

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The Verdict: Didn’t take long…

It seemed to be just a matter of time before Adams was linked with a move away from Elland Road following his World Cup group stage performances.

Leeds hold all the cards when it comes to a potential exit, though, with the energetic midfielder under contract until 2027.

The Whites forked out £20m to bring the USA international to Yorkshire, and it looks as if that move is already proving to be a steal following his consistent displays for club and country in recent months.

Everton could finally be set to find their striker solution by dipping into the Championship…

What’s the latest?

That’s according to journalist Alan Nixon, who told his Patreon of the Toffees’ interest in Coventry City’s Viktor Gyokeres.

The Swedish marksman has drawn interest from a whole host of clubs, with Burnley, Southampton, Crystal Palace and West Ham United all namedropped in the report.

This could mark a fine opportunity to take advantage of the Sky Blues’ notoriously poor finances, and although they would love to keep him are resigned to the fact that should an acceptable bid arrive this January he could leave.

Ditch Calvert-Lewin

With the continued injury problems suffered by Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Frank Lampard can no longer rely on the Englishman to play and score the bulk of his side’s goals.

It was nearly two years ago since he notched 26 goal contributions in one campaign, having only managed to feature 23 times in the league across the last season and a half since.

With summer signing Neal Maupay also failing to deputise for the 25-year-old, boasting just one goal this season, something must be done this January.

Their touted man, Gyokeres already has nine goals for his struggling side in the Championship, adding to an already expansive career given his age.

Boasting 11 caps and 107 career goals, the 24-year-old would surely make a fine foil for Calvert-Lewin with all the assets to surpass him.

Standing at 6 foot 2 he has the physical presence to compete in the Premier League, plus his time playing against battle-hardened defenders in his current division will surely have acclimatised him to English football.

His manager Mark Robins has been keen to praise his star man, whilst also admitting they are at the “mercy of predators” when it comes to keeping ahold of him.

The 52-year-old said, on Gyokeres: “He has some unbelievable ability – power, technique. He has got everything in his locker and that desire and hunger to score goals, and he’s also got a really angry side as well…”.

As aforementioned, this range of abilities would surely see him succeed up front for Lampard.

They are in desperate need of a focal point with which they can build their play from, and this red-hot striker could be the perfect man to help fans forget about Calvert-Lewin.

Tottenham Hotspur have been dealt a blow in their bid to bring Alexis Mac Allister to north London in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, with the Italian transfer insider revealing in a recent column for CaughtOffside that, despite the central midfielder being linked in the last few days with a switch to Spurs this winter, it would appear unlikely that the Brighton & Hove Albion manager, Roberto De Zerbi, would be willing to part with the 23-year-old in January.

Regarding the interest in the Argentina international, Romano said: “Alexis Mac Allister has been really impressive in the Premier League and now at the World Cup. It’s not surprising to see transfer rumours involving the player.

“I think Brighton will try not to sell him in January as Roberto De Zerbi really appreciates the player. I think the second part of the season will be crucial for him.”

“Unsung hero”

Considering just how impressive Mac Allister has been for both club and country so far this season, it is easy to see why Antonio Conte would be interested in a deal to bring the 23-year-old to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in January.

Indeed, over his 14 Premier League appearances for Brighton in the current campaign, the £30m-rated talent has been in sensational attacking form, having already scored five goals and created one big chance for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 1.9 shots, making 0.9 key passes and completing 0.6 dribbles per game.

The £50k-per-week midfielder has also caught the eye in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 3.1 tackles – the joint ninth-most in the league – 1.4 interceptions and winning 5.8 duels – at a success rate of 59% – per match, as well as enjoying an average of 72.9 touches, playing 2.2 long balls and completing 51.1 passes – at a success rate of 89% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the 23-year-old who Adam Stenning dubbed “sensational” average a simply sensational Sofascore match rating of 7.31, not only ranking him as De Zerbi’s best performer in the league but also as the tenth-best player in the top flight of English football as a whole so far this season.

This is form Mac Allister has carried into his four outings at the Qatar World Cup this winter, with the midfielder having scored one goal and created one big chance, in addition to making an average of 1.3 key passes, 1.8 tackles and winning 5.0 duels – at a success rate of 63% – per game.

These returns have seen the player who Roy Nemer labelled Argentina’s “unsung hero” average a breathtaking Sofascore match rating of 7.18, currently ranking him as Lionel Scaloni’s second-best performer in the competition – behind only a certain Lionel Messi – playing a crucial role in helping his country reach the semi-finals of the tournament.

As such, considering the fact that the Brighton starlet is very much an all-rounder in the middle of the park – something Spurs somewhat lack at present – coupled with the sensational form the 23-year-old has been in for club and country this season, it is not difficult to see why Conte would be keen on the Argentine, as Mac Allister would certainly be a sensational signing for Spurs.

Liverpool’s midfield conundrum has established itself as a well-known fact in the Premier League, with the club’s flagging fortunes this season attributed frequently to the stagnant, static midfield.

With the likes of Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson 31 years old and 32 years old respectively, and with Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all with contracts facing expiry at the end of the season, fresh life is desperately needed at Anfield.

Leighton Clarkson is one player already on the books who could prove to be a valuable asset in stabilising the centre of the park, with the deep-lying playmaker excelling up in Scotland on a one-year loan deal with Aberdeen.

The 21-year-old Clarkson has made 14 appearances for Aberdeen thus far, scoring four goals and assisting two more, captivating those in and around the club with his technical ability and demand for forward transitions in abundance, always seeking out the most fruitful move.

Dons boss Jim Goodwin was particularly impressed with the player after his debut, saying: “Even though we are carrying two or three injuries at the moment, we’ve got adequate replacements in the squad.””You saw that at the weekend when (Hayden) Coulson goes off we just moved (Liam) Scales to left-back and (Ross) McCrorie dropped in, then wee Leighton Clarkson came on and had one of the best debuts I’ve seen in a long, long time.”Putting in an average rating of 7.13, Clarkson has completed 71% of his passes – making 1.2 key passes per match – also winning 62% of his total duels and making an average of 2.0 tackles per match.During his debut, against St. Mirren, the maestro came off the bench in the first half following an injury and proceeded to record an 8.1 rating, scoring with his only shot on target, winning six of his seven duels and completing 89% of his total passes on the afternoon.

And the Reds’ assistant manager Pep Ljinders waxed lyrical about the starlet back when he was only 17-years-old, impressed with his ability while training with the senior squad members.

He said: “Leighton Clarkson, who sees with his own eyes the constant runs of Sadio and Mo in behind. He has the capacity to play the passes these type of forwards like to receive, he is the type of No6 we really like, the one who can dictate play, but dictate with direction, who can speed up the tempo of the positional play, the one who has always time on the ball.”

The teenager is incredibly highly-rated by those at Anfield, with Klopp even going far as to suggest he is “similar” to the great Philipp Lahm.

Such a comparison should spark excitement across those in Merseyside with the teenager potentially set to save the club millions amid the club’s interest in Jude Bellingham, Enzo Fernandez and Sofyan Amrabat.

With several first-team positional peers set to depart the Merseyside giants at the end of the season, there is perhaps hope that Clarkson’s admirable start to life in Scotland is an indication that further success will follow at Anfield; it’s worth a shot, he could be a diamond yet to be cut.

Arsenal are interested in a deal to bring Dusan Vlahovic to The Emirates in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Corriere dello Sport (via The Mirror), who claim that the Gunners are keeping a very close eye on the situation of the centre-forward ahead of launching a potential move for the 22-year-old in the winter market – with Juventus believed to be open to the sale of the Serbia international in order to help balance their books.

However, the report goes on to state that Mikel Arteta is not alone in his pursuit of the striker, with the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain also thought to be interested in the idea of a move for the forward in the January transfer window.

“More complete than Haaland”

Considering just how impressive Vlahovic has been in Italy over the past few years, coupled with Gabriel Jesus’ recent injury having left Arteta extremely short of depth up top heading into the second half of the Premier League campaign, it is not difficult to understand why the 40-year-old would be interested in a move for the Juventus star in January.

Indeed, over his 36 Serie A appearances last season, the £78.5m-rated talent was in devastating attacking form, scoring 24 goals, registering three assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, in addition to taking an average of 3.3 shots – 1.5 of which hit the target – making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the 22-year-old average a simply astonishing Sofascore match rating of 7.23, not only ranking him as the Bianconeri’s third-best performer in the league but also as the 17th-best player in the top flight of Italian football as a whole last time out.

It has been a similar story over his 10 league fixtures in the current campaign, with the £213k-per-week hitman having already scored six goals and provided one assist, as well as taking an average of 3.1 shots – 1.2 of which have been on target – making 1.1 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per match.

These metrics have seen the player who Carlo Garganese dubbed a “monster” average a rather remarkable Sofascore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Massimiliano Allegri’s joint seventh-best performer in the league but also as the joint 31st-best player in Serie A as a whole.

Furthermore, Nenad Bjekovic went as far as to suggest that Vlahovic is a more complete forward than Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, with the Serbian FA president stating in an interview with GOAL earlier this year:

“Vlahovic is better and more complete than Haaland. The Norwegian has devastating power, but Dusan is not inferior: there is also very little difference in their height. But the Juventus forward’s variety and style of play is better.”

As such, should Arteta manage to get a deal over the line for the €75m (£65m) Serb this winter, not only would the Spaniard look to have aptly replaced Jesus up top, but he could also have unearthed the Premier League’s next Haaland-esque talent – something that is sure to be an extremely exciting prospect for everyone involved with the title-chasers.