According to the Express and Star, West Brom have opened talks with academy product Rekeem Harper about a new contract, and boss Darren Moore should reward the central midfielder with a starting spot once his deal is agreed.

On the chalkboard

The Baggies have been impressive so far this season and sit fifth in the Championship table after their 4-1 thrashing of Leeds before the international break.

However, Moore’s side have too often relied on their front three of Jay Rodriguez, Harvey Barnes and Dwight Gayle, with the West Midlands side struggling without the latter before his return against the Whites.

One of the main problems for Moore has been his central midfield pairing, or specifically who to start alongside Jake Livermore in the middle of the park. Chris Brunt, Gareth Barry and James Morrison have all been tried in the position but all are well into their 30s and struggle to keep up with the pace of the frantic Championship, whilst 20-year-old Sam Field has generally been limited to substitute appearances.

Moore though should fast-track Harper into his Championship starting XI once his contract is signed, as the 18-year-old is showing all the signs of developing into a top midfielder.

Legs in midfield

Harper has played just one minute of league football so far this season after coming off the bench late on against Leeds. However, he played every minute of the three Carabao Cup matches and started both of the recent England U19 European Championship qualifiers against Iceland and Turkey.

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A box-to-box midfielder, the Baggies academy product would provide Moore with some much-needed pace in midfield and there is little doubting he has the ability to adapt to the league after just a couple of starts.

Once he has committed his future to the West Midlands side, Moore should reward the talented youngster with a spot in the starting XI.

Leeds United’s incredibly unfortunate record with injuries this season has exacerbated this week with confirmation that both Stuart Dallas and Liam Cooper have been ruled out until the new year.

That the Whites have managed to sustain a genuine promotion charge this season is verging on staggering. Injuries have plagued the club on what feels like a weekly basis, and the latest setbacks concern captain Cooper and Dallas, a player who was already filling in to cover injuries at full-backs.

When the players who are covering injuries are also getting injured the situation becomes precarious to say the least.

Surely some dark arts at work? Well, the superstitious-minded analysts may be inclined to think that Bielsa did something in a past life which is coming back to haunt him, but a more logical view would acknowledge the intensity of Leeds’ pre-season training regime and Bielsa’s notoriously gruelling methods as determining factors.

Whilst there is no doubt that Bielsa’s methods are part of his genius and have turned Leeds into a fitter and markedly improved machine, the drawback is evident in a frightening injury list.

Games come thick and fast in the Championship and Leeds are already attempting to get by with a small squad, something which Bielsa has made no secret of preferring, but a lack of genuine depth has not derailed their promotion bid, yet.

Nobody likes to abandon their principles but, if Bielsa wants to achieve Leeds’ ultimate aim and write himself into club folkore for eternity, that’s something which he must strongly consider doing.

The January transfer window is less than a month away from re-opening, so it’s about time Bielsa considered making at least two additions to ensure that his paper-thin squad does not suffer from burnout or, worse still, a complete lack of options in the midst of an injury crisis.

2019 will be a massive year for Leeds United, and Bielsa’s transfer policy could be the difference between promotion and failure.

Leeds fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

Southampton might have a chance of staying in the league this season after sacking Mark Hughes and bringing in former RB Leipzig manager, Ralph Hassenhuttl. 

Saints have suffered a terrible season so far this year and are on the edge of resigning themselves to being a permanent fixture in the bottom three. The south coast club have only won one game in the league this season while losing nine.

There is plenty of talent in the squad and if Hassenhuttl can create a solid base in the squad, they could possibly push up the table. With January approaching, Southampton need to be active in the transfer market and need to bring in some quality recruits to the squad.

The new manager may also want to cut some of the deadwood from the squad and according to Gazzetta dello Sport, Italian side, Bologna are targeting a move for Manolo Gabbiadini.

The Breakdown

The forward fell out of favour at the club under Hughes and has only made 12 appearances for the club this season, with eight coming from the bench. Despite making a fairly solid start for the club in his first season with the club, the forward only scored five goals in 28 appearances in the league last season.

With Danny Ings and Charlie Austin ahead of him this season, it may be a wise move to sell the striker in order to help fund moves for new signings in January. As it stands, Hassenhuttl would be making a wise move in selling the forward.

Thoughts Saints fans? 

Southampton’s decline in the past two seasons has been peculiar and incredibly frustrating for the supporters, but with Ralph Hasenhuttl at the helm there is reason to suggest times of change are looming on the horizon. 

Mark Hughes was never the right man for Southampton to appoint. The Welshman’s career is full of examples in which his team has crumbled following a bad run of results, with defensive frailties glaringly exposed.

Last season Southampton left it late to make the managerial change they were crying out for, and the fact they have appointed Hasenhuttl before the new year suggests the club’s hierarchy have learnt from their past mistakes.

The former RB Leipzig manager got off to a poor start away at Cardiff, but his reaction to that particular result proves he has the right mentality to turn things around.

Indeed, according to The Guardian journalist Gregg Bakowski, Hasenhuttl has put his Southampton players through their paces on the training ground this week.

‘He cancelled his squad’s day off on Monday to begin an intensive six-day training regime before his first home game against Arsenal.’

Now, that might seem excessive before playing a side of Arsenal’s obvious quality but, regardless of the result on Sunday, his relentless training methods will eventually help him to successfully implement his high-press philosophy.

The Saints have been devoid of a recognisable identity since Mauricio Pellegrino took charge of the club, but Hasenhuttl will change that in tandem with an improvement in results.

Southampton players will need to boost their fitness levels to embrace the new manager’s philosophy and subsequently beat the drop once again, and the fact the Austrian has set the tone for his regime with a 7-day working week, training and matchday included, proves that the club are well placed to steer clear of the bottom-three.

Southampton fans – thoughts? Let us know below!

The continuing saga over whether Eden Hazard will stay at Chelsea threatens to ruin some aspects of the Blues’ season, with Mauro Sarri no doubt keen to resolve the Belgian’s future.

With Hazard consistently linked with a move to Real Madrid and noises becoming louder and louder about a potential move to the Spanish capital, it would appear more likely than not that Hazard does indeed find himself out of Stamford Bridge come the summer.

We at the Tavern think that Madrid are one of the hardest clubs in world football to turn down so Chelsea should be planning for life without Hazard by identifying some potential replacements for the tricky attacker.

There are plenty of players out there who have bags of potential to fill the Belgian’s big boots at the Bridge, and Chelsea will no doubt be left with a hefty chunk of change to invest in a replacement if they wish to do so.

With that thought firmly in the mind, we took a look at TWO potential replacements for Eden Hazard if he does indeed decide to leave Chelsea…

Jadon Sancho

The England youngster and Dortmund star is continually seeing his stock rise with his performances for both club and country.

The former Man City man would be ideal in the role of replacing Hazard, given his similar attributes in terms of speed and trickery, and his age, giving him plenty of time to develop further in the game.

Sancho would bring excitement to the Bridge, and is the ideal player to get fans off their feet, much like Hazard does.

Christian Pulisic

Another Dortmund star who is bound to be on the radar of Chelsea and others in Europe is winger Pulisic, who has been in superb form once again over in Germany.

The USA star, still only 20, is  getting better by the game, and it looks to be only a matter of time before he ends up with a move to one of the giants of the game.

Plenty of pace, bags of ability, and a massive future in the game, Pulisic would be a superb addition for the Blues.

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Leeds United pulled off a stunning comeback at Villa Park on Sunday afternoon to emerge victorious by a 3-2 scoreline against Aston Villa.

The Whites found themselves 2-0 down at half-time, but Marcelo Bielsa’s substitute Jack Clarke pulled one back after the break before centre-back Pontus Jansson levelled the tie. Deep in stoppage time, Kemar Roofe pounced to fire the Whites ahead and seal a dramatic victory for his side.

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One player who didn’t get on the scoresheet, but still played a vital role in Leeds’ triumph, was Pablo Hernandez. The 4-cap former Spain international provided two assists for his teammates and was a creative threat throughout the match.

Hernandez looked much younger than his 33 years, as he played with the high level of energy, tenacity and endeavour expected of Bielsa’s teams.

After the game, many Leeds fans took to Twitter to congratulate Hernandez on his fine performance against the Villans…

Does Manuel Pellegrini’s search for a new defensive midfielder suggest the Hammers made a huge mistake selling Cheikhou Kouyate to Crystal Palace?

What’s the word?

Reports in the Daily Mail have linked the London Stadium outfit as harbouring an interest in taking Everton midfielder James McCarthy on loan, as the defensive mid continues to struggle to assert his importance to Marco Silva on the back of a lengthy injury.

Milliyet have also linked the Claret and Blues with a move for Besiktas’ Gary Medel, potentially seeing the 31-year-old return to the Premier League after spending the 2013/14 season at Cardiff. That transfer proved a flop as it lasted one year and cost the Bluebirds a net £4.5million, as Medel cost the Welsh side £11.7million but could only be sold to Inter Milan for £7.2m.

More recently, West Ham thought they could cope without the services of 29-year-old Kouyate after four years, when they allowed the 55-cap Senegal international to leave for Selhurst Park in a deal worth £9.5million.

Most of that will likely now be spent on buying his replacement, should Pellegrini persist with the Chilean, with Besiktas playing hardball over the fee and West Ham upping their offer to €7million (£6.3million).

Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals what Lasagne-Gate was really like for Tottenham’s food-poisoned stars – Check out the video below…

Kouyate giving West Ham reason to regret

Beyond West Ham now searching for his replacement, Kouyate is giving the Irons reason to regret sanctioning his departure with the performances he is putting in for the Eagles.

At Selhurst Park, the Senegal captain has featured in a total of 20 games, and impressed with an average WhoScored rating of 6.7 – enough to see the 6 foot 2 midfielder involved in the best Palace line-up for 19 of the 21 Premier League games played so far.

Individually, the 2012 Senegal Olympic football team member has recorded 33 successful tackles, 11 interceptions and 17 clearances, making it hard for Roy Hodgson not to select him.

Had he stayed at the London Stadium, Pellegrini would likely be in a similar situation, especially after injuries striking Pedro Obiang and Jack Wilshere for most of the season.

Was it a mistake letting Kouyate leave West Ham? Let us know in the poll below…

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According to Sky Italia, reported via Football Italia, Arsenal have apparently made contact with Yannick Carrasco’s representatives to negotiate a move to the Premier League for the Belgian winger.

The Gunners certainly ought to be in the market for a new wide man, and the 25-year-old could be the ideal target to take up this vacancy in Unai Emery’s squad.

On the chalkboard

The Gunners lack out and out wingers. The long-term injury suffered by Danny Welbeck – who is out of contract at the end of this season anyway – has left Arsenal with Alex Iwobi as the only available natural wide man in their senior squad.

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Whilst the likes of Mesut Ozil, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have been deployed on the flanks, these have been makeshift solutions. Ozil and Mkhitaryan lack the pace and defensive discipline to be truly effective and reliable on the wings, whilst taking Aubameyang away from his preferred central berth is a waste of his supreme goalscoring talents. Signing a new winger would free these stars up to focus on their own positions.

Emery must address this deficiency in his ranks as soon as possible. Signing Carrasco would certainly arm Arsenal with the kind of pure winger they crave.

Ready for the Premier League

The 31-cap Belgium international has shone in Ligue 1 and La Liga for Monaco and Atletico Madrid respectively and is now ready for the challenge of the Premier League. What’s more, his primary attributes of pace, flair and creativity are precisely what the Gunners are currently lacking.

At this stage in his career, Carrasco needs to return to the European game. His February switch to Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang was not a smart move with regards to his career progression or development as a player, but he still has time to turn it around by making a move to the Emirates Stadium.

[ad_pod ]Kemar Roofe and Jack Harrison scored the goals as Leeds United recorded a 2-0 win over Derby County at Elland Road in the Championship on Friday night.It was a huge match for Leeds following three straight defeats in all competitions, but they managed to put three points on the board.There were a number of impressive performers in a white shirt, with Jack Clarke and Ezgjan Alioski among those to receive praise.The display of Adam Forshaw, however, perhaps made the biggest impression.The 27-year-old was outstanding at the base of the Leeds midfield as he controlled the match from a deep position.Forshaw missed the start of the season through injury, but has been an ever-present in recent months and will be key to the team’s chances of earning promotion this season.It would be fair to say that the Leeds fans enjoyed Forshaw’s performance against Derby and a selection of their reaction on Twitter can be seen below:

Who are the best away fans in the Championship? Pl>ymaker FC’s Thogden gives his top 10 in the video below…

According to Liverpool correspondent for ESPN Glenn Price on Twitter, Liverpool have been dealt the double blow as to their right-backs. 

The news emerged yesterday that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be out for a number of weeks with a knee injury, however, The Reds have no recall option on Nathaniel Clyne’s loan to Bournemouth.

Liverpool let the 27-year-old move to The Cherries at the beginning of January, as he had barely featured this season behind the 20-year-old Alexander-Arnold. However, this was always going to be a risk, as the club had no backup for the youngster. The injury has simply highlighted how much of a risk it was to let Clyne leave.

However, this could not have come at a worse time, as The Reds are already going through a difficult period with regards to their centre-backs. Manager Jürgen Klopp had to field midfielder Fabinho alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the Liverpool defence last week due to the number of injuries. Now that there is no real right-back, the German may need to field James Milner in that position.

Of course, Milner has frequently played as a left-back for Liverpool in previous seasons, and has even played as a right-back this season. He is capable and will surely do a good job. But the prospect of having two midfielders in the defence for Liverpool leaves them looking very vulnerable indeed. They still have a four-point lead over Man City in the title race, but during this testing period, that will seem like nothing to Klopp.