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Leeds United managed to come away from Brighton with a point despite a sloppy performance on Saturday evening.

Marcelo Bielsa’s men struggled at the Amex Stadium, with the hosts missing two big chances and hitting the woodwork on three occasions in a 0-0 draw.

Here at The Transfer Tavern, we look into the three worst-rated Leeds starters as per statistical specialists SofaScore, with players required to feature for at least 45 minutes for ranking.

Raphinha – 6.3/10

Raphinha was brought back into the side but had an evening to forget. The influential winger was the Whites’ worst-rated performer with a rating of 6.3/10.

He lost the ball a whopping 21 times, was second-best in eight of his 15 duels and completed just one of his five attempted dribbles.

The Brazil winger also failed to register a shot on goal or complete a key pass, with nothing clicking for Leeds on the south coast.

Junior Firpo – 6.6/10

Firpo was another man who was brought back in by Bielsa, but he had a torrid evening and was replaced at the interval.

Booked early on, the Spaniard failed to cope with Tariq Lamptey, losing six of his 12 duels and committing four fouls.

The left-back gave the ball away eight times in 45 minutes and failed to make a key pass going forward prior to his early withdrawal.

Jack Harrison – 6.6/10

In front of Firpo was Harrison, who kept his place in the side following the defeat to Tottenham last time out but struggled against the Seagulls.

He lost eight of his 11 duels, gave the ball away on 19 occasions and made just one key pass all evening.

Harrison also failed to complete any of his crosses and didn’t register a shot on goal, making it an evening to forget for the left-hand side.

In other news: Big Leeds transfer rumour emerges regarding ‘magnificent’ player; two Premier League giants mentioned

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore is reportedly keen for Owls youngster Josh Dawodu to sign a new deal at the club this summer.

The Lowdown: Promising Sheff Wed youngster

The 20-year-old has been a key member of Wednesday’s Under-23 side this season, but he was also part of the senior squad on occasions, despite not making an appearance.

Moore is now planning for life in League One next season, with a host of established players out of contract and younger individuals potentially being trusted, and it seems Dawodu could be one of those.

The Latest: Dawodu set for new deal?

The Sheffield Star are claiming that the defender could extend his stay at Hillsborough this summer, with his current contract expiring this month.

Taking to Twitter, journalist Joe Crann revealed that ‘Josh Dawodu is keen to sign a new deal’ at the club, nine very encouraging words.

He confirmed the starlet has held ‘positive talks with Moore’ about remaining with the Owls for at least the whole of next season.

“This is positive… I’m told Josh Dawodu is keen to sign a new deal at SWFC, and is in a training camp currently to make sure he’s fit and firing for preseason. Dawodu, 20, is highly-regarded, and has had positive talks with Moore about his future,” Crann said in full.

The Verdict: Planning for the future

It is time for Moore to build his own team and stop depending on older players, signing his own choices and giving young individuals an opportunity to shine.

Of course, an element of experience will be required, in order for Wednesday earn a return to the Championship immediately, but it is refreshing to see that Dawodu looks to be part of the manager’s plans.

Julian Borner has been linked with a return to Germany, possibly joining Bundesliga 2 side Hannover 96, meaning Dawodu’s first-team hopes could be further enhanced.

In other news, one Sheff Wed stalwart has been linked with a summer move back to the Championship. Find out who it is here.

A ‘well-placed financial source’ has told Football Insider when they expect the potential takeover of Newcastle United to be completed.

As per the news outlet, there is ‘hope’ that the proposed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group could be completed ‘as early as July, or even June’.

The St James’ Park club are ‘privately confident’ that they will be given the green light by the Premier League for the takeover to be completed, and in recent weeks there has been a ‘growing sense’ that the hostility of the governing body to the bid has ‘thawed’.

Newcastle takeover hope

If what the source is saying is true, then it very much offers a lot of hope that the takeover in the northeast by the KSA consortium can be completed.

Of course, the KSA’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) would have to come back onto the table, and Steve Bruce’s team would likely have to avoid being relegated from the Premier League at the end of the current campaign.

Nonetheless, the deal is certainly not dead in the water just yet, with an arbitration hearing between the Tyneside club and the Premier League still to be scheduled.

The results of that case could go a long way towards painting a picture of the direction in which the bid is heading, but for now there has definitely been some hope offered to the Toon Army.

In other news, find out what big claim has emerged about a Magpies-linked manager!

Kalvin Phillips will return to Leeds United’s starting XI for Monday night’s trip to Crystal Palace. 

The lowdown

Leeds travel to Selhurst Park for the 20.00 kick-off looking to make it four wins in five matches.

They weren’t in action last weekend, with their game against Chelsea postponed due to the Blues’ FA Cup semi-final commitments.

The Whites are still in need of points to ensure survival after 18th-place Burnley beat Southampton on Thursday night to close the gap to five.

£38,000-per-week midfielder Phillips hasn’t started a Premier League match since the 2-2 draw with Brentford way back at the start of December.

After a four-month spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury, he returned for the final 24 minutes of the 1-1 draw with Southampton on 2 April and got another 31 minutes under his belt as Leeds beat Watford 3-0 last time out.

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The latest

Leeds Live writer Beren Cross reported on Saturday morning from Jesse Marsch’s press conference at Thorp Arch that Phillips is ‘confirmed to start’ already.

The verdict

Phillips has demonstrated in his two recent substitute cameos that he’s ready to return.

At Vicarage Road, he won two of the three ground duels he contested after coming on, regaining possession three times, and completed nine out of 12 passes (via SofaScore).

You wonder if Leeds would have been able to avoid relegation trouble entirely had Phillips, England’s 2021 Player of the Year, been fit for the whole campaign.

In even better news for Marsch, two of his forward options are now on the comeback trail. Patrick Bamford is due to be back on the grass next week, while Tyler Roberts is ‘getting close’ to a return.

In other news, Leeds are targeting this Spurs ace.  

Wolves are very nearly back in top gear. They have lost just one of their last seven league outings and slight fears of relegation that were had are beginning to be wiped away.

Nuno Santo has taken his side back to their infamous three-man defence, and it’s paying off.

On the chalkboard

Despite the renewed positivity surrounding Molineux, their 1-1 draw with relegation candidates Newcastle last weekend was perhaps rather disappointing.

We got to watch a feast of dribbling from Adama Traore and Allan Saint-Maximin, and in the process, Leander Dendoncker was caught out time and time again.

The attacking duo are a joy to watch for their respective sides and they caused carnage on Saturday evening.

Traore gave Emil Krafth a torrid time down Newcastle’s right-hand side with the Spaniard completing as many as 14 dribbles; the winger’s highest successful tally this season.

Though, down Wolves’ right side, Dendoncker was also given a frightening time by Saint-Maximin. The Belgian can play in a multitude of positions but when selected in defence on Saturday, he let his team down.

The Frenchman gave Dendoncker a horrible time, providing four key passes and also managing four successful dribbles. In the words of Birmingham Live reporter Alex Dicken, he was “skinned” by the dazzling Saint-Maximin on a frequent basis.

Drop him

With that in mind, Nuno should be worried about fielding the Belgium international in that position on Tuesday evening.

If he struggled with Newcastle’s tricky winger at the weekend, just imagine how difficult he’ll find life against Manchester City.

It remains to be seen who starts in Pep Guardiola’s attack but with Raheem Sterling rested against West Ham, he is more than likely to feature on the left-hand side of City’s forward line.

The Englishman has completed 2.4 dribbles per game this term so Dendoncker could struggle yet again. It would be a surprising decision for Nuno to take though, especially given previous praise for the £90k-per-week Belgian.

Earlier this season, the 25-year-old became a combative force in the middle of the park. Dave Edwards deemed him undroppable, suggesting that it was “Dendoncker and one other” that Nuno would have to pick in his midfield.

Yet, now playing further back in defence, he’s being defeated. Dendoncker is usually so reliable but after the stifling night he was given by Saint-Maximin, trusting him against Sterling would be risky business.

AND in other news, Better than Jose: Wolves could rue missing £18m target once dubbed “out of this world”…

Harry Wilson is still yet to make his Premier League debut for Liverpool despite experiencing five different loan spells since 2015, but this year could be his time to shine according to Dean Windass.

The Liverpool winger is reportedly available for transfer this summer despite impressing on his previous three loan spells with Derby County, Bournemouth and Cardiff City, having even proved himself to be good enough for the top flight during his time with the Cherries where he netted seven goals.

Wilson’s best loan spell was definitely with Derby under Frank Lampard as he registered 18 goals and six assists in 49 games as the Rams just missed out on promotion having been beaten by Aston Villa in the play-off final.

Liverpool struggled for goals last season compared to their usual high standards so there could be a chance for Wilson to impress by coming off the bench to start with, according to Windass who spoke exclusively to Football FanCast:

“I think Harry will get an opportunity at Liverpool this year after they obviously struggled this season.

“I think he’ll be on the bench and coming off the bench and then he’ll get his opportunity, so I see him staying at Liverpool this year instead of going out on loan.”

The most important thing for Wilson so far in his career is that he’s been handed regular game time on his last three loan spells having made a combined total of 122 appearances in the last three seasons.

Jurgen Klopp will be assessing all of his options this summer ahead of a big season for the Reds as they will be looking to win some silverware, specifically the Premier League after finishing a disappointing 17 points behind Manchester City.

Speaking to Football Insider, former Premier League goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has told Rangers to sign John Lundstram – coming after he was announced on the Blades’ released list.

The Lowdown: Gers and Lundstram…

The Teddy Bears have been sporadically linked with a move for Lundstram over these past few months as manager Steven Gerrard aims to strengthen his squad and defend their SPFL crown.

Indeed, the Gers clinched a 55th Scottish League title and put an end to their Old Firm rival’s dominance over the division.

Now set to become a free agent at the end of this month, sporting director Ross Wilson has been told to bring Lundstram to Ibrox.

The Latest: Kenny tells Rangers to swoop…

Speaking to Football Insider, the pundit has explained that signing him as a free agent is a ‘no-brainer’ for Wilson and the Gers this summer and has even likened him as a player ‘similar’ to Gerrard.

“I don’t see why he couldn’t have success in Scotland,” Kenny said.

“The back end of his Sheffield United career has not been what he wanted.

“It ended with relegation and when you’re not wanting a new contract then the fans will turn on you, so it’s been a difficult period this last six months or so.

“But it would be a fresh start for him and I’m sure he’d have no problem tearing up the Scottish league with Rangers.

“He’s a box-to-box midfielder, a big, strong lad. He’s got a lot of energy too, similar to Gerrard in a way. On a free, it’s a no-brainer.”

The Verdict: No-brainer indeed…

Given his soon-to-be status as a free agent with no transfer fee required, signing Lundstram could indeed be a fruitful option for the Gers this summer.

Over 23 Premier League starts last campaign, the 27-year-old proved to a fairly efficient operator at times in midfield – averaging an 84.2% pass accuracy (WhoScored).

Hailed as a ‘quality player’ by fellow pundit Gabriel Agbonlahor (Football Insider), the midfield ace could really strengthen Gerrard’s options as a title defence looms next season.

In other news: Gers fans go wild for this ‘tremendous news’, find out more here.

Leeds are making a major mistake over their transfer stance on Liverpool starlet Yasser Larouci.

What’s the story?

According to The Athletic, Larouci has been on the club’s radar in the past, and that while they had looked at him a few transfer windows ago, they deemed him too expensive, and are now focused on trying to recruit a more experienced option at left-back.

Radrizzani needs to spend

While Leeds are hardly a club like Manchester City that can just throw money at players, the 20-year-old Larouci is something they should not be turning their backs on.

The young left-back has barely had an opportunity on Merseyside, playing just twice for the senior side, but is clearly someone with bags of potential.

Liverpool’s former U18s boss Barry Lewtas, said: “He is lightning-quick and a real good personality. Because he is so quick it helps in his one-v-one defending, he is aggressive and is good when he runs into the big spaces and he arrives well in terms of forward runs.”

And, The Athletic’s James Pearce added: “Larouci has made big strides forward. He’s an interesting one in itself because he’s a player who came in as an attacker, as a real pacey, strong winger with an eye for goal.

“The staff felt that actually he would be better suited to the left-back role, especially in the Klopp mould where so much of it is providing that attacking outlet. They felt they could work with him and work on his defensive game and he’s another one that’s come on a lot.”

At just 20, Larouci has still got the world at his feet in terms of developing into a Premier League star, and being a young player means that he will always have resale value.

Even if things don’t work out as Leeds may hope, there’s always the fallback of still being able to draw in good money for him – unlike spending a big sum of money on a more experienced, older option like they are reportedly planning on doing.

Clearly, Larouci is highly-rated by those who know Liverpool well, and that kind of potential is something the Whites should be all over. Andrea Radrizzani should be getting out the chequebook and bringing the Reds back to the negotiating table to try and strike a deal.

It would be a foolish mistake if they didn’t.

Meanwhile, Leeds should unleash this midfield talent next season…

In an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, ex-Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has backed Steven Gerrard to become manager of his former club one day.

This comes after Football Insider reported that Villa chief executive Christian Purslow is keen on bringing the Rangers boss to Villa Park in the future.

Gerrard has had a Scottish Premiership campaign to remember this season, with his side managing to win the title and put an end to Celtic’s dominance in the process.

Bearing that in mind, it is no surprise that a club like Villa seemingly have the Liverpool legend on their radar.

Speaking exclusively to FFC about Villa’s reported interest in Gerrard, Hendrie said:

“I think if he had the choice of coming to a club like Villa, I think he’d certainly have a big look at that. He’s had that experience of going up and actually proving that he can do it.”

The ex-Villa player also went on to add:

“You can never rule it out. Christian Purslow would certainly say, ‘Yeah, I’d love Stevie G to be an Aston Villa manager.’ I think lots of people would possibly like the fact of that.

“I personally think he could come into the Premier League. I don’t want Dean Smith to go obviously, but if that was the upcoming manager, you’d think, ‘I wouldn’t mind having him at the football club.’ “

While Villa may admire Gerrard, it is hard to imagine him leaving Rangers now given he has the chance to manage the Glasgow giants in the Champions League next season.

On top of that, Smith’s job in the Villa Park dugout looks safe for now, as the Villans continue to keep their distance from the relegation zone.

Nottingham Forest’s disastrous start to their 2021/22 Championship campaign continued on Saturday, as Chris Hughton’s side suffered their fourth league defeat in as many matches.

Starting the season slowly has become something of a trait for Forest in recent seasons, with a Sabri Lamouchi led side also falling to defeat in their opening four games last time out.

However, with Dane Murphy being appointed as the club’s new CEO earlier this summer, and subsequently the club being linked with a number of exciting young talents, things had appeared to be on the up at the City Ground ahead of the new Championship campaign.

Despite this, results on the pitch have been extremely disappointing – to put it lightly – with the latest result, a 1-0 defeat to Stoke City, leaving the Garibaldi rooted to the bottom of the second tier table.

As it to be expected following a loss, there were a number of below-par performances from Hughton’s side on Saturday, although it was Lyle Taylor’s efforts – or lack thereof – that most caught the eye against the Potters.

Indeed, over the 31-year-old’s 71 minutes on the pitch, he managed no shots either on or off target, completed five of his 10 attempted passes, failed with his one attempted cross and touched the ball a grand total of 18 times.

The £720k-rated man also gave away possession of the ball on 11 occasions, lost all of his eight duels and was flagged offside once.

These returns saw the Montserrat international earn a SofaScore match rating of just 6.3, the third-worst rating of any player to feature in the game.

As such, with his side struggling at the wrong end of the table, it is undeniable that Taylor simply must start contributing more for his team in order to help them get back to winning ways, or else Forest could well find themselves in a relegation scrap come the end of the season.

In other news: Forest dealt transfer blow over “outstanding” £19k-p/w gem, Murphy will be gutted