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Marcelo Bielsa’s hunt for new talent goes on with little under two weeks remaining until the loan window closes for business, but with plenty of quality free agents still on the market there is every reason to suggest that he should be turning his attention away from loan signings and towards potential free transfers. 

First and foremost, Bielsa needs to focus on the area of his squad which is most in need of strengthening: central defence. Indeed, the Whites are desperately short of strength in depth and will need to add new talent to their ranks before August is over if they wish to build upon their early season momentum.

There are a handful of free agents who are worth considering, but one player in particular should be on Leeds’ radar, namely the former West Ham veteran James Collins.

Collins was released by the Hammers at the end of the 2017/18 campaign following 6 years of excellent service in which he was consistently willing to throw everything on the line for the cause.

214 appearances later Collins now finds himself without a contract and looking for a new challenge, and at 34-years-of-age another spell in the Premier League is probably beyond him.

However, a move to the Championship where his rugged tough-tackling approach would certainly aid Leeds’ cause in their bid for promotion is one which should appeal to him.

With vast Premier League experience and 50 international caps to bring to the table, Collins’ experience on the field of play and influence in the dressing room could provide everybody at the club with a natural leader to take inspiration from.

If Leeds wish to break into the promotion places this season they will need experienced characters throughout the squad and further reinforcements at the back, and in Collins they would be adding a player who would provide both in abundance.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Barry Douglas was deemed surplus to requirements at Wolverhampton Wanderers this summer despite scoring five times and registering 14 assists in 39 Championship appearances for the title winners during the 2017-18 campaign.

Douglas was never going to be short of interest when it became apparent that he would be leaving Wolves, and Leeds United snapped up the 28-year-old on a three-year contract.

Douglas already has one assist in his two Championship appearances for Leeds, and there is absolutely no question that he is a class act.

The Leeds fans are feeling pretty good about themselves at the moment, with their team starting the 2018-19 season with three straight wins in all competitions.

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Douglas was not involved in the League Cup clash with Bolton Wanderers on Tuesday night, but will be back in the XI against Rotherham United on Saturday afternoon.

And a number of Leeds fans are still drooling over the fact that they managed to sign the 5ft 10in Scot in this summer’s transfer window.

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A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding Nottingham Forest’s young striker Ben Brereton in recent weeks. 

Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers have shown the most interest in the 19-year-old, launching an £8m bid. But it has recently been reported that a Premier League club made a bid for the youngster on deadline day, according to The Nottingham Post, by way of Vital Football.

This would have been a fantastic signing for Tottenham, at the end of a very barren summer for the north London club. According to Goal, The Lilywhites made a £25m deadline day move for Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, which was declined, but shows that Mauricio Pochettino was hellbent on recruiting a striker.

This is why Brereton would have been such a good option for Tottenham, and one they may have missed their opportunity with. Although the former England under-19 player (valued at £4.5m on Transfermarkt.co.uk) has not featured under Aitor Karanka in the Championship yet this season, he has a lot of potential. But Tottenham would have been able to buy him for a relatively cheap price, certainly less than what they would have expected to pay for Abraham.

But Brereton’s price will continue to increase, particularly if he gets game time at Nottingham Forest or if he is loaned to another club. This is why The Reds would have been reluctant to sell him without witnessing his full potential, and therefore getting the best price for him.

Tottenham’s struggles in backing up Harry Kane have been well documented over the past few seasons, with Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente failing to make an impression. As these players are made in a similar mould to Kane, they’ve failed to live up to the standard the England captain has set and therefore get criticised.

The benefit of buying Brereton is that he would be a completely different player to Kane, bringing something new to the table. He is an energetic dribbler that wants go get behind defenders, playing off their shoulders, with a natural eye for a goal. That is perhaps the only way Tottenham can find an able deputy to Kane; someone that is not trying to play like him.

Being so young, he would not expect a huge amount of game time, and would be comfortable getting odd appearances here and there. A January transfer would offer the chance for a few FA Cup appearances, particularly as Tottenham will want to rest players if they are competing on all fronts. It would be a perfect match.

Unfortunately for fans in north London is that they may have missed their chance to buy Brereton cheaply this summer. But the January transfer window may still be a glimmer of hope to still buy a player that could grow into a great at White Hart Lane.

Matteo Guendouzi has swiftly become a favourite among the Arsenal fanbase following his early performances in the Premier League.

Despite being on the losing end of matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, the midfielder impressed on the ball.

His defensive contribution and work ethic is beyond his 19 years, but against West Ham United on Saturday, the midfielder fell flat.

The France Under-20 international did not make a single clearance and he intercepted the ball on just one occasion during a first half that West Ham impressed in.

Guendouzi still showed energy in the middle of the park, and he tried to make things happen up front by sending the ball long seven times, but he was wasteful in possession.

The teenager’s ineffectiveness resulted in manager Unai Emery replacing him with Lucas Torreira in the 56th minute.

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It is clear that the midfielder has quality, but this type of performance shows Arsenal fans that they must not get ahead of themselves.

Guendouzi is only 19 years old and therefore has plenty of room for improvement and development.

The teenager will be a standout performer again for the Gunners, but fans should also keep their expectations realistic.

Wolves stormed the Championship last season, racking up 99 points as boss Nuno Espirito Santo led them to the title and promotion to the Premier League.

The Portuguese boss was then heavily backed in the summer transfer window by Chinese owners Fosun International and with the help of super agent Jorge Mendes, the West Midlands club made some headline signings that some of the Premier League’s top teams would have been proud of.

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Santo ended up making 10 signings during the summer and broke the club’s transfer budget for the second time in as many years with the £18m capture of the pacy winger Adama Traore, who many consider to still be a raw talent.

Wolves recruited from some of the top European clubs this summer and brought in Ruben Vinagre and Portuguese international Joao Moutinho, rated at £9m by Transfermarkt, from Monaco, Rui Patricio from Sporting Lisbon and Raul Jiminez on loan from Benfica.

Perhaps the most important deals for the club though came in the confirmation that a number of loan deals would be made permanent. Diogo Jota, Willy Boly, Leo Bonatini and Ruben Vinagre all signed permanent deals at the Molineux after spending the previous season in the Championship.

So, Wolves fans, who do you think was your signing of the summer? Have your say by voting in our poll below.

Loads of West Ham fans have been discussing the contract negotiations for Declan Rice, and a whopping 71 per cent of fans want the club to meet the youngster’s asking price.

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According to reports, West Ham are involved in “a game of cat and mouse” with the representatives of 19 year-old Rice.

The report claims Rice wants £30,000 per week to sign a new deal with the club, with his current deal set to expire next summer.

However, the current offer is only £18,000 per week plus bonuses, and fans are getting impatient over the youngster’s future.

The 19 year-old broke into the first team last season, and excluding a nightmare performance at Arsenal he was one of the few silver linings of the Hammers’ fight to stave off relegation.

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Rice has played mostly as a defensive midfielder since Manuel Pellegrini arrived, but he can also play in defence, and his versatility and leadership for such a young player is remarkable.

71 per cent of fans think it will be a huge mistake if they miss out on the youngster’s future for the sake of a few quid, and you can find the full poll results  down below…

West Ham United have been handed a boost ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash against Everton, with Arthur Masuaku returning to first-team training.Masuaku started West Ham’s first three matches of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign, but was absent for the clash with Wolverhampton Wanderers before the international break.Aaron Cresswell started at left-back against Wolves in the absence of Masuaku, and the Englishman struggled in his team’s 1-0 defeat, which led to a host of criticism.A muscular problem was the reason for Masuaku’s absence, and it had been thought that the left-sided player would face a period on the sidelines.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”291236″ player=”12034″ title=”Jose Mourinho Has Turned Into Arsene Wenger”]However, images released on West Ham’s official Twitter account showed Masuaku taking part in a training exercise ahead of this weekend’s clash with Everton.West Ham have lost their first four matches of the 2018-19 Premier League season, with a defeat at Liverpool on the opening weekend followed by losses to Bournemouth, Arsenal and Wolves.Masuaku joined West Ham from Olympiacos in the summer of 2016, and has made 52 appearances for the London club in all competitions.

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Unai Emery will make his first appearance as Arsenal manager in a European competition when the Gunners entertain Vorskla Poltava at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday.

The home side must be considered the heavy favourites to register a victory in this fixture and the Spanish coach is likely to view this game as an opportunity to give some of his lesser used squad players a rare start.

The likes of Alex Iwobi, Mohamed Elneny and Rob Holding could all be in line for inclusion in the Gunners’ starting XI. England international Danny Welbeck may also be expecting to get the nod from Emery.

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The 27-year-old currently finds himself as something of an outcast, with both Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang ahead of him in the pecking order, meaning that Premier League minutes may prove few and far between for the ex-Manchester United striker this season.

However, Welbeck could still prove himself to be a vital member of this Arsenal squad. His work rate, energy levels and intelligent pressing make him ideally suited to Emery’s own preferred style of play. For that reason, the manager must take this chance to see what Welbeck is capable of.

With less than 12 months remaining on the forward’s current contract, his involvement and performances in matches like this could determine his future with the club.

Welbeck still has something to offer Arsenal and he deserves this chance to put some pressure on the current first choice attackers. 84% of the Arsenal fans we polled agree, and would love to see Welbeck start against Vorskla. See the full results below.

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Loads of Tottenham fans have been discussing tonight’s League Cup clash, and they want Mauricio Pochettino to go all out to win the competition.

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Domestic cups have taken a back seat amongst England’s elite in recent years, as the money involved in Champions League qualification makes league form the absolute top priority.

This usually means plenty of rotation for the early rounds, perhaps offering young players like Luke Amos and Oliver Skipp the chance to impress.

Tottenham fans are eyeing up the Carabao Cup as a first trophy for Pochettino though, after Manchester United were eliminated on Tuesday.

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Jose Mourinho’s side were quite simply outclassed by Frank Lampard’s Derby County, and Chelsea’s visit to Liverpool means at least two of the “big six” will be out of the running by tonight.

Spurs have been so close to grabbing the FA Cup with Pochettino at the helm, but the young Argentine is still seeking his first major trophy.

The shock news from Old Trafford means one less favourite for Tottenham to compete with, and fans are calling for a near-full strength team against Watford tonight.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

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Numerous injury problems have resulted in Joel Matip dropping down the pecking order at Liverpool.

When Virgil van Dijk was recruited in January, it became clear that the Dutchman would be marshalling the back line on a regular basis.

The 27-year-old’s centre-back partner has always been a question mark as manager Jurgen Klopp played Dejan Lovren alongside Van Dijk towards the end of last season and Joe Gomez at the start of the current one.

Both Matip and Lovren started for the Reds in Wednesday night’s EFL Cup third-round 2-1 defeat to Chelsea.

Klopp made a handful of changes for the encounter at Anfield, and even though his side lost the game, there were some positive signs from a few individual players.

Matip impressed against Southampton in last weekend’s Premier League win, in which he scored one of the Reds’ three goals.

The German carried that form with him into Wednesday’s visit of Chelsea as he rarely looked troubled, particularly in the first half.

As well as making the joint-most clearances alongside Alberto Moreno, Matip showed confidence moving forward with the ball.

His positioning throughout the match was strong, but his passing accuracy was the weakest out of Liverpool’s back line.

Van Dijk is head and shoulders above the rest of the defenders, but Matip’s recent performances should give Klopp something to think about when selecting his centre-back pairing for future matches.

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