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Kiko Casilla’s Leeds United career will come to an end in the near future, according to The Athletic’s Phil Hay.

The 34-year-old made the move to Elland Road back in January 2019, joining from Real Madrid after winning three Champions League crowns with the La Liga giants.

Casilla was a key man during last season’s glorious Championship triumph, starting 36 of Leeds’ 46 league games as the Whites made it back into the Premier League.

The veteran goalkeeper has been far more of a peripheral figure in 2020/21, however, starting only once in the league and playing second fiddle to Illan Meslier.

Hay claims Casilla’s time at Leeds is up

This lack of playing time has raised question marks over Casilla’s long-term future and the reliable Hay believes his time at Elland Road is almost up.

Speaking on the The Phil Hay Show podcast [via MOT Leeds News], the journalist revealed that Leeds will look to replace him in the summer:

“He [Bielsa] was clear on Monday there was no injury to Casilla and that it was a tactical move for want of a better move.

“What it meant is that you had a goalkeeper in Meslier starting who is 21 and you had a keeper on the bench, Elia Caprile, who isn’t even 20 yet. That combination is very rare to see two keepers with such little experience.

“I think it’s been over for Casilla here in real terms since the FA charge and the suspension. My understanding is that he is a player they are thinking of trying to move on this summer. He is a player they would like to replace.

“Casilla was on a very high Championship wage and he would have got an uplift with promotion. It’s not a straightforward move.

“I have never got the impression that Casilla has enjoyed the last year and has found it very difficult, he’s found the tension and the criticism of him hard to handle.”

Transfer Tavern take

It makes perfect sense for Casilla to move on to pastures new this summer, considering Meslier and now even arguably Elia Caprile are ahead of him in the goalkeeping pecking order, after they were named as the ‘keepers in the matchday squad to face West Ham.

He is still at an age where he could be a regular elsewhere, but it seems clear that Marcelo Bielsa is preparing for life without the Spaniard.

In other news, Noel Whelan has slammed one Leeds player’s performance against West Ham. Read about it here.

Joe Willock was Steve Bruce’s real hero as the Arsenal loanee made his Newcastle United debut with a goal in victory over Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

The 21-year-old got his time in black and white off to the perfect start by opening the scoring after just 16 minutes, side-footing home Allan Saint-Maximin’s delivery on the Frenchman’s return to the opening line-up.

Miguel Almiron later doubled the Magpies’ lead by drilling the ball goal-bound and in off a Jan Bednarek. But there could be no doubt over his second in first-half stoppage-time, by pouncing on Alex McCarthy’s misdirected pass and slotting the ball into the Saints net.

But, after a sending off for Jeff Hendrick and an unfortunate injury for Fabian Schar, Newcastle were forced to dig in deep and batten down the hatches in order to see out the game with a 3-2 lead and claim only a second win in 13 matches across all competitions.

Willock had featured infrequently in north London this season before joining Newcastle on loan for the remainder of the term, earning the last of his two top-flight starts in November.

Isaac Hayden had urged Willock to now step out of his comfort zone to thrive at St. James’ Park after the Arsenal product sealed his Deadline Day move to Tyneside, having enjoyed the same schooling in the Gunners academy during the midfielder’s youth.

“He is going to add energy and drive to [the] midfield and he is something different to what we have already got in the squad,” Hayden told NUFC TV, via quotes by Chronicle Live. “He can move with the ball well from a deeper position and he has got an eye for a goal as well, so that will certainly be a good addition for us.

“I think he has played 70-odd games for Arsenal’s first-team and you don’t play that many times for Arsenal unless you are a decent player. It is up to him now to step out of his comfort zone and to prove why he wants to play for Arsenal in the future.”

Willock more than made an instant impact under Bruce against Southampton on Saturday, with the £20,000-per-week youngster getting his Newcastle career off the best start possible with a goal and a resolute showing at the other end of the field.

Bruce had searched throughout the mid-season transfer window for a new box-to-box midfielder and certainly seems to have found his answer in United’s Deadline Day addition, who could see his six-month loan lead to a season-long deal next term if he impresses.

Even before Hendrick was shown a second yellow card early in the second half, the Toon were struggling to stay in control of possession and ended Saturday’s win with a mere 25.9% share of the ball, per WhoScored.

Southampton being able to dictate the flow of the game meant Newcastle had to stand up defensively, but Willock accepted that challenge as willing and as comfortably as he scored his goal by running in late to meet Saint-Maximin’s delivery.

The £14.5m-rated youngster made a team-high five attempted tackles against Ralph Hasenhuttl’s visiting side – only Oriol Romeu (6) attempted more for the Saints but, unlike the Spaniard, Willock was successful with 100% of his efforts while his opposing number lost five of his duels.

Willock further made a joint team-high two interceptions to help the Magpies break up Southampton’s game plus two clearances, with defensive trio Hayden (6), Paul Dummett (7) and Emil Krafth (6) the only Toon men to keep things simple in protecting Karl Darlow’s net on more occasions.

Bruce would have also been pleased to see Willock never shy away from taking possession with the England U21 international recording 35 touches – more than £70k-p/w Jonjo Shelvey (28), Hayden (32) and just one shy of Almiron (36). And with the ball at his feet, Willock registered two of Newcastle’s four key passes – creating the same number of chances as Saint-Maximin, who ended the day with a pair of assists.

A debut win could not have gone much better for Willock and while it took Bruce all month to land a new midfielder, he certainly would seem to have struck gold in the Arsenal product.

AND in other news, Steve Bruce should make Joe Willock wait for his Newcastle debut and unleash a “bright spark” on Southampton…

Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal are interested in signing Brighton starlet Tariq Lamptey.

What’s the story?

The Gunners have got a big question mark over the long-term future of current first-choice right-back Hector Bellerin, with reports in recent days and weeks suggesting that the Spaniard could be set for an exit from the Emirates this summer.

Now, Romano has claimed that Mikel Arteta’s side have got their eyes set on Lamptey. Speaking on The Here We Go podcast, he said (via afcstuff): “For sure, next summer, can happen something big for him. Arsenal are looking at him as a possible option at right-back. Keep an eye on Arsenal because they are among the clubs interested in Lamptey.

“There is still nothing advanced, there is still nothing signed. Nothing serious yet, but they’re looking at him, he’s on the list, he’s considered an interesting player, so Arsenal will decide the future in the coming months.”

Perfect for Arteta

The £16.2m-rated Lamptey appears to be the perfect full-back/wing-back for Arteta, with his pace and ability to beat players on the ball something that Kieran Tierney provides on the opposite flank.

Described as “unbelievably quick”, Lamptey has scored once and provided three assists in just 11 games this season, including setting up goals against the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United.

His teammate at Brighton, Dan Burn, raved about his ability, saying: “I’ve hated playing against him, because I’ve played at left-back quite a bit in training and he’s been at right-back and I can’t catch him!

“He’s got such a low centre of gravity, it’s hard to knock him off the ball, take the ball off him. You don’t see many people take the ball past him either. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him but I expect big things.”

If Arteta is looking for a player to come in and nail down that starting right-back slot, then Lamptey seems perfect for him given all the tools that he has in his locker and because he certainly has the time to develop further at a bigger side than Brighton.

Celtic closed out 2020 in some style on Wednesday evening as they demolished Dundee United 3-0.

It was an emphatic attacking display, but try as they might, the Hoops couldn’t close the gap between themselves and Rangers at the top of the SPFL.

The Hoops may have won every single trophy there was to contest this calendar year, but it’s looking as though 2021 will be the year of their rivals.

Although Celtic have won six in a row in all competitions, the Gers still hold a 16 point lead at the top of the table.

Fortunately, Neil Lennon’s side will take a great deal of confidence into the New Year and they have several players to thank for that.

David Turnbull and Ismaila Soro have rejuvenated this Bhoys side in recent weeks and the former was again the heartbeat of their team on Wednesday. The Ivorian won six duels and also provided two key passes in the middle of the park.

However, another man deserved equal praise; Jeremie Frimpong.

The Dutchman hasn’t had the best of seasons and when Hatem Elhamed came into the side against Sparta Prague, it looked as though his days in the immediate future were numbered.

Yet, Frimpong has fought back and is now looking exceptional on the right-hand side. Everything good the Hoops did against Dundee United came through the full-back who was rampant down the flanks.

He picked up the assist for Turnbull’s opener but that was just one of three key passes all night. The youngster was a real thorn in the opposition defence, completing five dribbles on his side of the pitch.

Frimpong set the tone after just 11 minutes when he raced forward and then picked out Leigh Griffiths who unfortunately failed to score. From that moment onwards, the 20-year-old didn’t look back as he put in one of his best performances of the campaign.

In defensive battles, he was near flawless, winning ten different duels on the ground from 11 contested. The defender was also assured with his passing, registering a success rate of 83% across the encounter.

The former Manchester City man has put in some questionable displays in 2020 but hopefully, this will stand him in good stead for a new year.

He is key for Celtic.

AND in other news, Celtic liability who lost 83.4% of his duels massively BETRAYED Lennon…

Liverpool striker Divock Origi is reportedly attracting interest from RB Leipzig this month, and Jurgen Klopp must axe him following his less than impressive performances this season.

What’s the word?

According to German news outlet Sport Bild (via Daily Mail), Julian Nagelsmann’s side are interested in one of Origi, Kelechi Iheanacho or Kasper Dolberg, as they look to add to their attacking options.

It is suggested that it would initially be a loan move until the summer, which would suit Liverpool, as it would likely mean he would be unavailable for next month’s Champions League tie against Die Roten Bullen, whilst if he is able to rediscover his form in Germany, he could perhaps return to Anfield a different player.

Should Klopp axe him?

After his heroics in the Champions League during the 2018/19 season, it was perhaps hoped that Origi could push on and become much more of a regular in this Liverpool side, but his performances over the past two seasons have been far from good enough.

Last season saw the Belgian international average a poor 6.42 average rating for his performances in the Premier League, managing just four goals and one assist in 28 appearances.

However, this season has been even worse, as in his five appearances in the Premier League, he has managed a shocking 6.20 average rating, which is the worst of any outfield Liverpool player this season.

The 25-year-old, who earns £60k per week at Liverpool, was handed his first Premier League start of the season in Thursday’s game against Burnley but squandered a golden opportunity to give Klopp’s side the lead in the first half, as he inexplicably fired against the crossbar when clean through on goal – the match ended in defeat with the club’s 68-match unbeaten home run in the English top flight coming to an end.

After his disastrous performances in the Champions League earlier in the season, you could argue that this was Origi’s last opportunity to impress Klopp from the start of a game, something he certainly failed to do.

Therefore, it seems clear that the former Wolfsburg man is not the solution to Klopp’s goalscoring issues at Liverpool at the moment and is unlikely to ever be a regular starter, so sporting director Michael Edwards should axe him this month if Leipzig do make an offer.

And, in other news… Forget Origi: £99m-rated LFC star who lost possession 39x badly betrayed Klopp

West Brom go into the weekend’s Premier League fixtures on the back of their first victory of the season last time out, defeating rock-bottom Sheffield United by the solitary goal.

But now they arguably face a bigger ‘six-pointer’ in the shape of Crystal Palace, who currently occupy 15th position.

A defeat at Selhurst Park could compound the Baggies to further woe as they’ll be cut even more adrift from the rest of the pack, thus making the likely relegation dogfight less competitive.

Which is bad news for Albion as there are fewer teams to surpass, making their probability of dropping back to the Championship even more likely.

The Eagles have been in a bit of a rut recently too, losing three of their last four league outings, also failing to score in the trio of defeats too.

Slaven Bilic’s side have faced a similar issue as the only two teams that have scored fewer goals across the first ten weeks of the 2020/21 campaign are below them in the table, the winless Blades and Sean Dyche’s Burnley.

Indeed, their £15m splash on Karlan Grant is yet to bear fruit with the 23-year-old scoring just once in six starts. Perhaps, it’s time for the Croatian to axe him in order to spark a reaction.

It’s a decision he ought to consider, especially with Grady Diangana snubbed from the starting XI in two of their last three matches – he didn’t even feature against Sheffield United, so he should be chomping at the bit to prove a point.

The 22-year-old has been lauded as a “fantastic talent” who “might be worth £40m+” in the future by former Baggies midfielder Carlton Palmer.

Whilst Sky Sports duo Keith Andrews and Lee Hendrie told the EFL podcast that the ex-Hammers enigma was “explosive” and a “total nightmare” to play against.

Diangana delivered eight goals and six assists, also averaging 2.4 dribbles, 1.6 shots and 1.4 key passes per game last season, via WhoScored.

It is this ability that Bilic will need to call upon against Palace, especially if Roy Hodgson opts for Nathaniel Clyne at right-back once again, a player that has barely featured in 2020.

The Croatian can make the former Albion boss pay by axing Grant in favour of the £10.8m-rated Diangana, thus allowing top goalscorer Callum Robinson to play upfront once again.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Carlton Palmer issues West Brom takeover claim…

With the new year fast approaching, Manchester United were brought crashing back down to earth as they drew with Leicester City at the King Power Stadium in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon.

Marcus Rashford opened the scoring following a sublime pass from Bruno Fernandes, before Brendan Rodgers’ side hit back shortly before the break after a sensational strike from Harvey Barnes, until Fernandes followed up his early assist with a fine finish to set the Red Devils on course for what seemed like certain victory.

But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side shared the spoils with the Foxes after they were left frustrated by a late goal from Leicester striker Jamie Vardy.

But while Fernandes may receive most of the plaudits after he accumulated his 44th goal contribution in 44 games across all competitions for the club, Solskjaer will have surely been delighted with Fred’s performance in the middle of the park.

He was at the centre of nearly everything in the midfield, breaking up attacks on a whim and

As per SofaScore, the 27-year-old, who earns around £120,000-per-week at Old Trafford, won nine out of his 14 duels overall (64%), which was the most out of any other player on the pitch, and made five tackles and four interceptions.

Fred also took 89 touches of the ball, made one key pass and created one big chance, which shows that he contributed going forwards as well.

The Brazilian has recently been accused of being “lazy” by club legend and Sky Sports pundit Roy Keane but it’s fair to say that he looked like anything but lazy with his latest showing against Leicester.

If Solskjaer wanted Fred to defy his critics, then there’s no doubt he precisely did just that. 52 out of 68 passes (76%) is certainly nothing to sniff at.

We’re only halfway through the season, but if Fred can maintain his current run of form, then he could help to propel United towards their first piece of silverware since they won the Europa League under Jose Mourinho in 2017.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Former Hull City striker Dean Windass says Jadon Sancho shouldn’t join Manchester United…

This season has the potential to be a defining moment in the history of Scottish football, not just because Celtic are gunning for a record-breaking tenth league title in a row.Their chances of doing so have just taken a major dent having tasted an embarrassing defeat in the first Old Firm derby of the season and even though it’s just one fixture of 38, there were telling signs that should pose a much greater threat to everything that’s been created at Parkhead in this current legacy.Rangers are closing the gap on Celtic, and rapidly.The Light Blues currently occupy top spot with a four-point cushion to the Hoops and for the second time in as many seasons, they have looked the completely better outfit at Celtic Park.Outfought and outmuscled – could this be the year that the Gers finally break that duck? Quite possibly.You can lambast Neil Lennon for his team selection – he certainly got one or two calls wrong on the day – but his hands were somewhat tied due to injuries and the virus practically decimating a number of his key stars.But the performance was perhaps a real sign that the Bhoys’ Glaswegian rivals have finally caught up after so many years.Steven Gerrard’s men looked better in every single aspect – that much was evident in the fact that the home side failed to register a single attempt on target all game.And that is what serious investment has got them in the past few seasons – Ryan Kent (£7m), Kemar Roofe (£4.5m), Filip Helander (£3.5m) and Conor Goldson (£3m) to name just a few.It can’t be denied that Rangers have spent well and it’s now starting to come together.In that time, Celtic have lost several key players and perhaps haven’t brought in the right replacements, even potentially resting on their laurels in a complacent way.Which is why chief executive Peter Lawwell should be put in the firing line, after all, he’s putting his legacy on the line here too.If you want to blame the manager for this, then it only comes back to the top of the hierarchy as he was the man to appoint him in the first place following the departure of Brendan Rodgers, who made a serious statement during his time in charge.Former Hoops midfielder Alan Thompson copped a lot of flak on Twitter on Saturday evening with this tweet:

But maybe he’s right.

It was only a little over a year ago that fans unveiled a damning banner display following a similarly embarrassing defeat to Cluj in the Champions League, it read:

“This is how it feels to be Celtic, downsizing again as you know. The Celtic board are gambling on ten in a row.”

Yet here we are – same manager, same situation. No Champions League football, and now chasing their arch-rivals in the league.

Their transfer strategy has hardly improved since then, and you only have to look at Rangers’ rapid rise to see that.

You can take fire at Lennon, but the buck must be passed onto Lawwell too.

AND in other news, one BAD decision embarrassingly cost Celtic in Old Firm defeat…

Glasgow Rangers were incredibly busy in the summer transfer window as Steven Gerrard brought in as many as eight players to strengthen his side for the 2020/21 Scottish Premiership season.

Rangers signed a back-up striker in Kemar Roofe, whilst they also took full advantage of the free agents market by bringing in Calvin Bassey, Leon Balogun and Jon McLaughlin.

Gerrard finally got his midfield wish as the Light Blues beat the transfer deadline to sign Bongani Zungu from French Ligue 2 side Amiens on an initial loan deal.

It means that the Ibrox boss has at least six options to choose from for three positions, with Zungu, Glen Kamara, Steven Davis, Scott Arfield, Joe Aribo and Ryan Jack vying for three places behind the front three.

Whilst Gerrard is almost spoilt for choice, his decision to give Rangers academy product Ciaran Dickson a spot on the bench for the game against Benfica in the Europa League will have raised a few eyebrows.

However, Gerrard clearly rates Dickson very highly indeed, as the 18-year-old was named instead of the South Africa international on the team sheet in Lisbon on Thursday.

The midfielder has made five appearances in the UEFA Youth League this season, scoring one goal so far, which is an impressive return when you consider the fact that he was forced to quarantine last month.

As we identified yesterday, scoring goals from midfield is arguably something Gerrard’s side have lacked for a while now – only Scott Arfield has found the back of the net more than once so far.

Arfield, who also favours his right foot, has scored three times and supplied three assists in all competitions, whilst he is averaging 1.5 shots per game, via WhoScored.

Given his age, it’s fair to say that the 32-year-old isn’t getting any younger, and there will soon come a point where Rangers will have to rejuvenate their aging squad, which is where Dickson could come into the fold.

Gerrard could get the best out of the teenager in a similar way to Arfield by deploying him as an attacking midfielder. His versatility is an added bonus as he can also operate in a more central role in the middle of the pitch.

Rangers academy coach Graeme Murty hailed the “wonderful” wonderkid after his side came from behind to beat Aberdeen last December and said: “Ciaran is a really interesting guy because he possesses some wonderful technique, we are still building things onto him in terms of capacity and in terms of understanding but he deals with the ball very very well.

“It would’ve been very easy for him on the edge of the box to lash at the ball and really try and hit it hard but he didn’t he just caressed it and passed it into the bottom corner which is something we encourage but it is different us encouraging it in training and us encouraging it in development sessions to actually going and doing it in the pressure of the game.

“I thought it was a very key indicator of where his mindset is when he gets around the box he is very relaxed and he is very sure of his own ability which bodes well for the future.”

Although it’s unlikely Dickson will earn a senior start anytime soon, it’s about time the Gers started to trust their youth system. Gerrard has fired a warning at academy players in the past, saying they will not be picked for the first team unless they show they are fully committed to the club. If that’s indeed the case, then it looks like the Scottish U19 international is highly-rated by the Ibrox outfit, which could be a sign of things to come.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers should give Connor Goldson a rest after Benfica showing…

Liverpool registered another Premier League win after a 3-1 victory over Arsenal under the Anfield lights on Monday.

Despite the Gunners taking the lead, the Reds remained composed and were able to fire three goals to cement the win on home soil.

Their win takes them into second in the Premier League table, winning all three of their fixtures so far and sitting behind Leicester only on goal difference.

Whilst the likes of Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson shone with their goals, along with one for Diogo Jota on his league debut for the Reds, another man quietly went about pulling the strings for his side.

Fabinho had a solid game in midfield and did well to keep Arsenal at bay whilst also contributing to Liverpool’s attack. According to Sofascore, the Brazilian was successful in 96% of his passes and five out of his six attempted duels.

He also made one key pass and completed 100% of his tackles. This strong display comes off the back of his performance playing as a centre-back against Chelsea. This was another match in which Fabinho looked especially sharp, which only adds another notch to what he can bring to Jurgen Klopp’s team.

Fans must feel assured to know that the £50.4m-valued international can be deployed across a number of positions and not look out of sorts. Liverpool do not have an abundance of defensive cover with Joel Matip currently injured, but having Fabinho ready to be deployed in the additional absence of Joe Gomez against Chelsea is a huge positive for the Reds and one that could be crucial in their bid to win back-to-back Premier League titles.

How do you think Fabinho performed against Arsenal? Have your say in the comments below!