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Phil Hay has hinted that Stuart Dallas could take up a midfield role in Leeds United’s Premier League clash on Friday night.

The Whites are back in action on Friday, making the trip to Craven Cottage to take on Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Fulham.

Fulham’s form has improved in recent months, however, so Marcelo Bielsa’s men will have their work cut out picking up a positive result in west London.

The Leeds manager has a few selection headaches going into the game and one of them could be his use of Dallas, who has often played at left-back this season, among other positions.

Hay hints at Dallas midfield role

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay explained that he could see Dallas taking up a central midfield role against Fulham instead of Mateusz Klich:

“I’d say it’s likely that Dallas will play at 8. His form is better than Klich’s at the moment.”

Dallas has been described as “brilliant” by former Whites striker Noel Whelan in recent weeks, having become such a reliable performer for the club.

Transfer Tavern take

Midfield is one of several roles Dallas has occupied this season, as mentioned, so there is no risk in switching him from a left-back berth.

That would then mean Ezgjan Alioski starting at the back, as he did in last weekend’s 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea – a clean sheet against Thomas Tuchel’s high-fliers is no mean feat.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to make a move for a hugely experienced Premier League defender this summer. Read about it here.

Crystal Palace fell to a humbling 4-1 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

Despite having some promising moments, the Eagles were second best in the capital, with braces from Harry Kane and Gareth Bale securing a thumping win for the hosts.

One silver lining for Roy Hodgson’s troops though was seeing Wilfried Zaha back in action, having been out with an injury since early February.

However, it was not the return that either his manager or teammates will have wanted.

Given a place on the bench at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Ivorian international was introduced at half-time with the scores level at 1-1.

It was thought that the £45m-rated winger could have given the Eagles some fresh attacking impetus but he, in fact, did the opposite.

Throughout his second-half appearance, he could only accumulate 16 touches of the ball according to WhoScored – only fellow substitute Jean-Philippe Mateta had fewer in the entire Crystal Palace side.

Even when Zaha received the ball, he was simply not able to do anything with it.

He only had one shot, which was off target, and did not provide a single key pass.

Zaha also conspired to lose the ball on multiple occasions throughout his second-half cameo, getting dispossessed twice and having another unsuccessful touch.

His passing also painted a damning picture of his poor performance. Racking up a horrendous passing accuracy of just 33%, which is by far and away the worst by any player on the pitch, you may have been forgiven for thinking that Zaha was indeed lining up for the opposing team.

To compound his teammates’ frustrations, the winger was also caught offside on three occasions in 45 minutes. Whilst this could be down to disciplined defending from the home side, it is of no consolation to the Eagles who saw their attacks abruptly halted when attempting to find Zaha, who seemed to be a bit lazy in terms of his discipline of reading the line.

His performance could be understandable considering his long lay off in recent weeks but Hodgson will surely be demanding more as his star man regains his match sharpness.

AND in more news, read more about the Eagles’ links with £22m-rated Mostafa Mohamed…

When it comes to Leeds United, they have a whole plethora of promising young academy players.

Victor Orta has made a point of strengthening that area of the club and in the summer it was a huge priority to improve Mark Jackson’s squad.

He added Cody Drameh, Crysencio Summerville, Sam Greenwood and Joe Gelhardt to the club’s academy ranks and a number of them have reaped the rewards pretty instantly.

Summerville scored a hat-trick against Burnley U23s while Greenwood was presented with a first-team opportunity against Crawley in the FA Cup.

Though, it’s a defender in Leeds’ ranks that we want to focus on for the time being. Of course, it will naturally be the attackers who take most of the credit but one man who’s also earned a first-team debut this season has been Charlie Cresswell.

The 18-year-old has only featured on one occasion under Marcelo Bielsa but it would hardly be a surprise if he starts to get more chances in the not too distant future.

That’s because he is the archetypal Bielsa player, a defender who likes to advance forward with the ball at his feet and play out from the back.

Speaking about the centre-back earlier this season, Noel Whelan highlighted his qualities: “At that centre-half position he’s got great attributes, he’s very calm on the ball, a great size to him, he’s quick, he can head, he can pass. He’s the modern-day, young-centre half.”

If you’d taken those words out of context, it could quite easily describe a certain Ben White.

Like Cresswell, he’s a baby faced centre-half and possesses very similar qualities. White was tremendous during Leeds’ promotion-winning campaign last season and in their 18-year-old academy graduate they have a player who could potentially live up to similar heights.

Last term, White completed 84.6% of his passes, a tally that Cresswell came close to emulating when the U21s took on Blackpool in the Papa John’s Trophy. On that day, the teenager completed 81% of his passes, demonstrating complete composure in the backline.

Like White, his reading of the game was near impeccable. Cresswell completed two interceptions and remarkably prevailed in seven tackles.

Last summer, it was all about who Leeds could find to replace the Brighton defender at centre-half. They tried to do so with the additions of Robin Koch and Diego Llorente but since arriving, they seem to have spent more time on the treatment table than out on the field.

Perhaps Bielsa’s answer was right in front of him all along? Cresswell typifies the modern defender and has all the attributes that made White such a hit at Elland Road.

AND in other news, Leeds could save millions by unleashing rarely-seen 20 y/o, he’s endorsed by Ian Harte…

Everton could jeopardise Jarrad Branthwaite’s future at the club with a move to sign Real Sociedad defender Modibo Sagnan during the January transfer window.

What’s the word?

According to France Football, via Sport Witness, Toffees chiefs have requested information on Sagnan’s future at the Anoeta Stadium ahead of a potential future move.

The 21-year-old centre-back has caught the attention of Everton, who are said to admire his potential after breaking through into Imanol Alguacil’s first-team plans this season.

Sagnan joined Sociedad in 2019 from academy side RC Lens but failed to make his presence felt before leaving for Spanish second-tier outfit CD Mirandes on loan in the following January window, having made just one appearance.

Alguacil has been more forthcoming with chances this term, with Sagnan featuring 13 times across all competitions, including being given six starting roles in 10 La Liga games to help the Txuri-urdinak challenge for European qualification.

His chance came following an injury for teammate Aritz Elustondo in the warm-up of their Europa League Group Stage tie with SSC Napoli in October, after which Alguacil vocalised his support of Sagnan.

“We believe he has potential, I am happy with the level that he gave,” the Sociedad boss said, via quotes by El Desmarque who note Sagnan offered a solid presentation of his talents and cause to believe he can become an important aspect of the San Sebastian outfit’s backline in years to come.

Sagnan is under contract at the Anoeta Stadium through to the summer of 2024, but may be offered a move to the Premier League with recent reports by Onze Mondial also crediting Everton with interest in the £2.5m-rated prospect.

Signing Sagnan at Branthwaite’s cost

Everton moving to sign Sagnan to provide further cover in Carlo Ancelotti’s defensive ranks could come at the cost of Branthwaite, who last week joined Blackburn Rovers on loan until the end of the season.

Branthwaite had struggled to secure any minutes in the Toffees’ first-team this term as a result of an ankle injury, which restricted the 18-year-old to a mere 24 minutes in the Carabao Cup and accepting a seat on the bench in four Premier League fixtures.

Ancelotti was bowled over by Branthwaite last season when the youngster was given a surprise summoning just months on from joining from Carlisle United, with the Italian claiming he was “really happy” with how the teen had fared.

The 6 ft 5 colossus has continued to impress now that he’s at Ewood Park after turning in a brilliant debut over the weekend, that left Rovers boss Tony Mowbray pleased with his decision amid an injury crisis in defence.

“Jarrad was very good. I think he keeps things simple and just does his job, which is remarkable considering he’s 18,” he said, via quotes by the Lancashire Telegraph. “Generally, he did exceptionally well. His distribution was good, he competed very well, and he looked steady.”

But Everton adding Sagnan to the ranks beside Michael Keane, Mason Holgate, Yerry Mina and Ben Godfrey would make competition for minutes an even tougher ordeal next season, and make Branthwaite’s time with Rovers increasingly important to ensure he returns with a role to occupy.

AND in other news, Everton must end the 14-year club association of a player completely frozen out by Carlo Ancelotti…

Leicester have a big battle ahead of them as they prepare to take on Tottenham Hotspur in their next Premier League challenge. The two potential title contenders will lock horns in what will be a massive boost for whoever comes away with the win.

If the Foxes can hurt Spurs on their turf, they will go two points clear of their competition.

Brendan Rodgers has given fans a big chunk of good news ahead of the match, confirming that Timothy Castagne is in contention to start. Having the £50,000 per week Belgian back from his recent hamstring injury is a huge boost that could prove to be crucial against Spurs. Not only will it allow James Justin to take a more attacking role, but it will give Leicester a better chance of defending against Jose Mourinho’s blistering attack.

Castagne must have his wits about him though. After missing seven Premier League games and featuring in just five so far, he could return to the action to face off against one of the deadliest players in the league. Son Heung-min has caused almost every team he’s faced some serious problems this season and he doesn’t look like he’s prepared to show any mercy.

The winger has been linking up beautifully with Harry Kane and is currently the Premier League’s leading goalscorer. Son has tallied a mammoth 11 goals and four assists in 13 games played so far and he will be rubbing his hands together at the idea of facing Castagne.

He will be hoping that the recently injured right-back will be a bit behind his teammates in terms of fitness and will be doing everything he can to try and exploit this potential weakness. Castagne cannot afford to slip up or he will be punished by the South Korean dynamo.

It’s a huge occasion for the returning defender, but if he can keep the Spurs attack at bay, it will be a huge confidence boost for him following his absence.

In other news, Carlton Palmer waxes lyrical about Leicester’s transfer policy…

Gabby Agbonlahor is naïve to suggest that “the jury is still out” over Allan after Premier League sides have found a way to work-around the Everton star.

What’s he said?

While speaking with Football Insider, the Aston Villa hero suggested the early praise given to Allan following the Brazilian’s £21million move to Goodison Park has been overstated as top-flight sides are already able to nullify his impact on games.

Agbonlahor believes the former SSC Napoli enforcer’s impact on Merseyside came in an initial flurry upon being reunited with Carlo Ancelotti, but that it will not be a be-all and end-all situation should he fail to feature at Fulham on Sunday amid a potential muscle injury.

Ancelotti was full of praise for Allan upon unveiling the 29-year-old this summer, stating how he was convinced the 10-cap international’s passion and energy can improve Everton.

“I think Allan is a fantastic player, he has fantastic energy and quality in midfield,” Ancelotti told EvertonTV. “Our supporters will love him because he plays with a lot of passion.

“He is going to improve the squad and our supporters will love him, for sure. Tactically he is really good. Really strong defensively, he wins a lot of balls. He is aggressive, and he is Brazilian, so he is able to do both – [contribute] with the ball and without the ball.”

But Agbonlahor is beginning to think Allan may not be all that he was made out to be after eight appearances across all competitions.

“I think, with Allan, he’s had a really good start to the season but the last three or four games he hasn’t been as good as I thought he was at the start,” the player-turned-pundit noted.

“Teams have found him out. He hasn’t had the legs in the middle to get the ball back. I’ve seen a lot of attacking players run off Allan. Maybe we all got a bit too excited in his first few games and now teams have found him out.

“He’s not been anywhere near the likes of Douglas Luiz, Fabinho, Thomas Partey in that position. For me, the jury is still out.”

Naïve suggestion from Agbonlahor

While Agbonlahor is entitled to his opinion, it is naïve of the Aston Villa hero to suggest the jury is still out on Allan after his recent performances, as his involvement in Everton’s defeats to Newcastle and Manchester United prior to the international break were among his best displays in royal blue to date.

Allan won 14 ground duels, made six tackles, blocked one shot, completed four of his five attempted dribbles, found teammates with each of his three long balls and completed 88% of his total 51 passes while registering 76 touches at home to the Red Devils, per SofaScore.

His seven ground duels won from 10 was also the most achieved by an Everton player at Newcastle, where he registered a 95% pass success rate from 61 efforts, took 74 touches, played two key balls, blocked one shot, made one interception and again recorded six successful tackles – a team-high at St. James’ Park.

Those performances eclipsed his season averages for touches (63.0), accurate passes (52.0), successful tackles (1.0) and ground duels won (3.0), while only his 7.3 out of 10 match rating achieved against West Bromwich Albion in September eclipses the 7.2 earned against Manchester United yet trails the 7.5/10 registered at Newcastle.

Everton’s form as a whole has suffered a vast decline since opening the Premier League campaign with four wins and a draw to now be winless in three, but Allan has not and it is wrong to suggest teams have found a way to nullify his impact.

AND in other news, Carlo Ancelotti appears set for disappointment with a “great striker” overlooking Everton’s interest.

Glasgow Rangers are getting ready to face Livingston at Ibrox in their first game in the Scottish Premiership since Steven Gerrard’s side beat Celtic 2-0 at Parkhead in the first Old Firm derby of the season.

Rangers have arguably gone from strength to strength, as they go into the match off the back of a 2-0 win over Standard Liege in the Europa League. James Tavernier opened the scoring from the penalty spot, before a wonder goal from Kemar Roofe secured the victory on Thursday night, whilst Livingston fell to a disappointing 3-1 defeat to Kilmarnock at home last weekend.

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Gerrard almost has a full strength squad to choose from, as the club continue to monitor Borna Barisic after he was sent for a scan on a thigh strain, whilst Nikola Katic and new recruit Bongani Zungu remain the only other absentees.

Here at Football FanCast, we’ve worked on a predicted starting lineup, which sees Gerrard make four changes to the side that beat Standard Liege at the Stade Maurice Dufrasne.

Barisic started both games against Celtic and Standard Liege respectively, before he was replaced just before half-time during the 2-0 Europa League win, with Calvin Bassey expected to start in his absence.

The 20-year-old excelled in a back four consisting of Connor Goldson, Leon Balogun and James Tavernier, so Gerrard could opt for a similar system, or otherwise bring Filip Helander back into the fold to partner Goldson at the back.

Gerrard is hardly short of midfield options, as Steven Davis dropped to the bench to make room for Ryan Jack, so the Rangers boss may decide to ring a change as Jack has only recently returned from injury, whilst Glen Kamara and Scott Arfield continue to stake their claim for a place in the starting line-up.

Meanwhile, Roofe made all the headlines for his extraordinary effort in the midweek win, but Gerrard has warned the striker that he isn’t guaranteed to start against Livingston, saying that Rangers will need to “get him up to speed”. After a month out with a calf injury, his chances of starting seem to be incredibly remote, although we wouldn’t be surprised to see him make an appearance from the bench at some stage in the second half.

This means that Alfredo Morelos will start at the top of the pitch, with Ryan Kent resuming duties on the left wing. However, Ianis Hagi failed to make the most of the opportunity against Standard Liege, as GlasgowLive criticised him for a slow start, saying he “was sloppy in possession at times.”

So, it’s perhaps hardly surprising that Jordan Jones is in contention to start on the opposite flank in what could be his third start this season so far.

AND in other news, Glasgow Rangers striker Kemar Roofe steals the show against Standard Liege…

Celtic could be slipping into extremely hot water following recent comments from star player Odsonne Edouard. The French striker has been out of action recently due to a positive coronavirus test and it has definitely shown in their performances of late.

The Hoops have struggled since their defeat to Rangers in the Old Firm at Celtic Park and Neil Lennon has come under a lot of scrutiny.

Things could be about to go from bad to worse, with Edouard now discussing a potential move away from the Premiership champions.

Celtic could lose Edouard

Many clubs have been linked to a move for the 22-year-old, who has firmly said that he is currently focusing on this season with Celtic. However, that isn’t to say his future lies with the Scottish outfit.

“I’ve been here for three years, and for sure when the time comes I’ll think about leaving, look for a higher league,” Edouard told Telefoot (via Daily Record). He went on to say that “when the right time comes” he will consider his options regarding a move away from Celtic Park.

This will certainly be a worrying thought for Lennon, who already has a lot on his plate. If Edouard opts to leave the club after this season, the Hoops will need to put their back into scouting out a worthy replacement. The France international already has five goalscoring contributions in seven league appearances this season, continuing his fiery form from last time out.

Last campaign, Edouard notched an astonishing 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 Premiership games (via Transfermarkt). It’s no wonder he has turned heads with these numbers and if Celtic cannot rectify their form this term, the in-form forward may be too tempted to look elsewhere for success.

Whilst the Premiership is dominated by the Hoops, this time they could fall short to Steven Gerrard’s Rangers. Should they lose out on the title to their arch rivals, that could be the deal-breaker to send Edouard into the arms of another club.

If Lennon cannot improve the club’s form, a new deal must be considered. At the moment, the striker is earning £19,000 per week, according to salarysport.com. A bumper new contract with a pay rise could be enough to keep Edouard in the team, but Lennon and co must act fast before an elite side comes knocking.

In other news, Albian Ajeti was a disappointment for Celtic in another Neil Lennon switch up…

Carlo Ancelotti must recall Marcel Brands snubbing FC Barcelona’s approach for Richarlison after Real Madrid were linked with a potential move for Everton’s irresistible striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

What’s the word?

According to TodoFichajes, Madrid have placed Calvert-Lewin on their agenda as Los Blancos begin scouring the market to find Karim Benzema’s replacement at the Santiago Bernabeu having been left unimpressed by Luka Jovic’s form.

The Madrid hierarchy are understood to have no confidence in Jovic being the one to take over from Benzema, just a year after signing the Serbian from Eintracht Frankfurt for around €60million (£53.2m) and awarding the forward a six-year contract on the back of a 27-goal season in Germany.

Los Blancos are expected to attempt moving Jovic on in the upcoming winter market in order to raise funds for his replacement in the Spanish capital, who is thought to be Calvert-Lewin, having only scored twice in 30 games under Zinedine Zidane.

Madrid are said to have already contacted Everton to discuss Calvert-Lewin’s availability, as they are keen to take the lead in any race that may emerge for his services given his form under Ancelotti this term will not have gone unnoticed elsewhere.

Calvert-Lewin is considered one of the great sensations of the new Premier League season after striking seven goals in five games, while stretching his tally to ten for the term thus far across all competitions with a hat-trick against West Ham United in the Carabao Cup.

Real Madrid are preparing a €40m (£36.4m) offer for the 23-year-old and would look to close the deal in June should they fail in offloading Jovic in January.

No need to worry

Despite reports suggesting Madrid consider Calvert-Lewin to be their Benzema successor and that an offer of €40m could be on the cards soon, Ancelotti should have no reason to suspect the striker will be leaving Goodison Park for the Santiago Bernabeu any time soon.

The fee in question alone is reason enough for Ancelotti to scoff at Los Blanco’s alleged interest, as Everton reportedly slapped an £80m asking price on the striker this September amid interest from Manchester United.

That was also before the 23-year-old opened the league season with at least a goal a game, while justifying the Red Devils opting to walk away from their hopes of signing Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s attacking target.

Everton refusing to devalue one of their prized assets paid dividends with Calvert-Lewin’s start to the season, and came as the latest signal of intent from the Goodison Park outfit that they wish to strengthen not deplete the options Ancelotti has.

Director of Football Brands immediately snubbed an alleged €100m (£85m) offer for Richarlison back in January as Barcelona’s former Sporting Director Eric Abidal strived to land his long-term target.

Ancelotti had only been at Goodison Park for a month when that offer came through, but will have been buoyed by Brands’ decision and only has to remember those discussions should Madrid come forward with an offer for Calvert-Lewin.

AND in other news, Everton will be in heaven over a 29-year-old whose causing his former side to regret accepting a summer transfer.

Many Everton fans would like to sign Josh King as they reacted to a tweet from Simon Johnson regarding the Bournemouth ace.

According to The Athletic journalist, King is highly in-demand, with Serie A clubs Fiorentina and Torino as well as Europa League holders Sevilla reportedly holding talks and making enquiries about the availability of the Norway international.

However, King has apparently opted in favour of a move back to the Premier League following the relegation of the Cherries from the top flight at the end of 2019/20.

The transfer window for domestic deals for EPL players such as the 28-year old runs until October 16th, so there is still time for the Merseyside club to negotiate a possible transfer.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side have reportedly been interested in a potential move for King before and so they may revisit their interest given that the striker allegedly wants a move back to England’s top flight.

Over the course of his career, King has been a consistent scorer in the EPL, with two seasons in which he got into double figures and 48 goals in 161 games at that level, as per Transfermarkt.

These members of the Goodison Park faithful would like to sign the Bournemouth forward if given the opportunity before the domestic window officially shuts, with one fan describing him as “miles better than Tosun” in reference to the Turkish striker with just 10 goals in 51 games for the club:

Evertonians, would King be a good signing? Comment below with your views!