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Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan has laid into Diego Llorente, picking out one particular ‘terrible’ incident against West Ham.

The Whites were beaten 2-0 at the London Stadium on Monday evening, as their Premier League season threatens to peter out a little.

It’s now four defeats in the last five league outings for Marcelo Bielsa’s men, who are 11th in the table ahead of Saturday’s visit of Chelsea.

Llorente comes in for criticism from Whelan

Someone who had a bad night at the office against the Hammers was Llorente, with the centre-back at fault for Craig Dawson’s goal.

The Spaniard joined Leeds from Real Sociedad back in September, but has made just four starts in the league to date, struggling badly with injuries.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan didn’t hold back in his criticism of Llorente, saying much more is needed from a player with so much experience:

“You are looking at a centre-half who is a Spanish international.  You have to do your homework beforehand. I knew that Dawson was their most dangerous, aggressive player from set pieces. In the second-half Bielsa rectified that mistake because he made Liam Cooper mark him instead.

“When you look at Dawson’s goal, it’s terrible defending. It’s weak and too easy. You do not expect that from a Spanish centre-half.

“He gave Dawson so much room and freedom inside the penalty area. You cannot do that. It was a free header at the far post.

“We have been like this all season. Set pieces have once again been our achilles heel.”

Transfer Tavern take

In fairness to Llorente, his aforementioned fitness woes have made it difficult for him to settle at Elland Road, so Whelan’s judgment is slightly harsh.

The 27-year-old’s pedigree is undeniable, with six caps to his name for Spain, and he likely just needs a run in the team in order to find his feet.

He will though be forced to defend better when the Whites square off with a red-hot Chelsea side or things could turn ugly.

In other news, Patrick Bamford revealed his feelings towards divisive referee Mike Dean!

Ralph Hasenhuttl has been left with a big decision to make ahead of Sunday’s game with Wolves after Fraser Forster made it four clean sheets in four appearances this season with another shut-out in the FA Cup win at Molineux on Thursday night.

The 32-year-old has been second choice behind Alex McCarthy for much of the season but has impressed in all of his FA Cup appearances this season against Arsenal, Shrewsbury and Wolves respectively. He also kept a clean sheet in the 1-0 win against Liverpool in the Premier League, when McCarthy missed out after testing positive for the current viral outbreak.

The former QPR man has recorded seven clean sheets in the Premier League season but has struggled in recent weeks, with his last clean sheet coming in the 0-0 draw with West Ham, before a string of poor performances against the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United and Newcastle United.

Hasenhuttl suggested recently that Forster is the ‘number one B’ after his ‘fantastic’ performance in the win against Liverpool, but that remains his only Premier League appearance this season.

If the former Celtic loanee continues to impress in cup competitions, then surely it is only a matter of time before he usurps McCarthy as the number one ‘keeper with the South Coast club, especially after he was impressive again in the 2-0 win against Wolves on Thursday.

This has therefore left Hasenhuttl with a big decision to make ahead of the game against Nuno Espirito Santo’s side in the league on Sunday, as form suggests that he should go with Forster, but it may well be a blow to McCarthy’s confidence if he is dropped after some recent disappointing displays.

The 32-year-old shot-stopper earns £70k per week at St Mary’s and his contract is set to expire in the summer of 2022, so if he cannot force his way into Hasenhuttl’s Premier League side more regularly, then perhaps we will see him depart this summer rather than Saints losing him for free at the end of next season, which would be a blow when you consider how solid he has been on his rare appearances this season.

And, in other news… Forget Armstrong: Southampton beast who played 5 key passes was Ralph’s best vs Wolves

Carlo Ancelotti must begin to see more from Beni Baningime during his loan spell with Derby County if the midfielder is to prove that he has a future at Everton next season.

The 22-year-old moved to Pride Park on Deadline Day of the winter transfer window, but has struggled to establish himself under Manchester United and England icon Wayne Rooney.

Baningime has made just one Championship appearance lasting just three minutes with the Rams to date, while he’s been omitted from two of his former Goodison Park teammate’s following five matchday squads.

Baningime had been a fixture of David Unsworth’s Under 23s before leaving Merseyside last month, starting all 13 available PL2 fixtures and captaining the side on six occasions after being omitted from Ancelotti’s initial 25-man Premier League squad.

Ancelotti had named the DR Congo native on the bench for eight top-flight fixtures last term, though the last of Baningime’s 12 senior Blues outings remains a 21-minute cameo beside Rooney away to Swansea City in April 2018.

Rooney’s assistant coach, Liam Rosenior, has now explained why the midfielder has also struggled to get a look in at Derby since joining the Rams in a last-ditch move, while fellow winter arrivals Lee Gregory, George Edmundson, Teden Mengi and Patrick Roberts have featured frequently.

“Beni is another outstanding character,” Rosenior said, via quotes by Derbyshire Live. “All five players we signed in the window fit our culture and what we are trying to build here, which is a team ethic. He gets on great with the players.

“Beni has not played first-team football for quite a while but what he has done, and because we train so intensely, his fitness levels and sharpness have gone through the roof in the time he has been here.

“He is pushing, he is really pushing. He has been outstanding in training, he is pushing the other midfield players and I am sure, sooner rather than later, you will see him maybe come off the bench or even start a game. He is a huge part of our squad, like every member is.”

Ancelotti will have to see Baningime fulfil Rosenior’s expectations in the coming months if the Everton product is to prove that he deserves a future back at Goodison Park next season, as life on the bench is only proving his move to be a disaster so far.

It is not the first time that the DR Congo native has tried his luck at life away from Merseyside and flopped, either, having joined Wigan Athletic for the second-half of their 2018/19 Championship season, where he only featured once.

Like with Derby, his sole outing with the Latics came early into his time at the club – starting and playing the full 90 minutes at the second available chance – but he failed to make another matchday squad whilst the DW Stadium natives narrowly staved off the threat of relegation.

Baningime will now also have just a year remaining on his £8,000-per-week contract when he returns to Everton, so the Blues would have to look to move the academy graduate on if he cannot establish himself at another second-tier outfit, let alone one in the Premier League.

Much was expected of the youngster when he was given a surprise debut in the Carabao Cup away to Chelsea in 2017, with the talented prospect replacing Morgan Schneiderlin due to a late illness and delivering a crunching challenge on Ethan Ampadu to leave his mark.

But years have passed since that cold Autumn night in south west London and Baningime is still waiting to establish himself at Everton. Failing to even get a game at Derby will likely spell the end of his Everton chances

AND in other news, Everton are tracking a prolific 15-goal winger backed to reach another level…

Tottenham Hotspur, for the time being, are back in Premier League action this evening and Jose Mourinho’s side are in dire need of a victory after a recent slump in form.

Last time out, the north Londoners seemed to be heading for a 1-0 victory over Wolves before Romain Saiss headed home from an 86th-minute corner.

It means Spurs have not won any of their last four outings in the top-flight, so changes should be afoot – none more so than in defence where their frailties were exposed at Molineux.

Mourinho must make the easy decision to recall Toby Alderweireld…

On the Chalkboard

There will be many clamouring for Dele Alli to start this match tonight as there was an obvious creative void behind Harry Kane and Heung-min Son, and maybe, the 24-year-old should be handed a rare opportunity.

However, the game confirmed to everyone that Davinson Sanchez is pretty much done in a Spurs shirt as he struggled to make his mark against, what was effectively, a strikerless Wolves outfit.

WhoScored graded him as their second-worst player with a 6.5 rating, which is hardly surprising as the enigma that is Pedro Neto rang rings around him all evening.

The simple solution is bringing the Belgian colossus, valued at €30m (£26.5m), back into the starting XI. It was rather baffling that he was dropped, even if it was merely a rest for these upcoming fixtures.

Alderweireld has been a crucial part of the lineup which saw impressive clean sheets against Man City, Arsenal and Chelsea in recent months. He is also recording a squad-high 5.3 interceptions and is conceding the second-fewest fouls per game, as per WhoScored.

Speaking after the City win, former PL shot-stopper Paul Robinson waxed lyrical over the 31-year-old titan to Football Insider, he said:

“I have always said that Alderweireld is the best defender at the club and he should play every week. Over the past three games, he has proved that. He is a leader on the pitch and he should start every game between now and the end of the season.”

Indeed, it’s time for the ‘Special One’ to listen to these exact words – Spurs are far weaker without him. Alli may well need to start this match for attacking purposes, but Alderweireld’s presence is far more game-changing.

He can guide them to victory should the game go ahead.

AND in other news, Jose Mourinho suffers HUGE untimely blow to his Tottenham Hotspur squad…

Glasgow Rangers transfer target Fashion Sakala has dropped a hint over his future after he liked a fan comment on Instagram.

What’s the word?

According to The Daily Record, the Scottish Premiership league leaders are reportedly lining up a pre-contract agreement for the Oostende striker in the January transfer window.

However, there has been little-to-no movement on that front since the transfer market first opened its doors at the start of the month.

But now, Sakala has seemingly dropped a big reveal about his next move after he reacted to a comment imploring him to ‘come to Rangers.’

Perfect Alfredo Morelos replacement?

The Zambia international has caught the eye of several clubs across Europe having fired home 23 goals in 87 appearances across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

Alfredo Morelos continues to be linked to the Ibrox exit and Greg Stewart’s inevitable departure will leave Steven Gerrard short of options upfront with just Jermain Defoe, Cedric Itten and the injured Kemar Roofe their only natural centre-forwards.

Stewart finds himself on the fringes of the first-team as he has been pushed down the pecking order by the new summer recruits and could be used as a makeweight as part of a deal which could see Aberdeen’s Scott Wright head in the opposite direction.

Signing Sakala would be a significant upgrade on Stewart, who has been nothing short of disastrous since the start of the season – in his last appearance alone, he received a low 6.5 rating as he struggled to make much of an impression against Kilmarnock.

As per WhoScored, it’s clear the Zambian, who often relies on his speed and guile, could be the perfect replacement for Morelos, should the Colombian depart Ibrox in the near future.

Sakala, who is valued at little more than £1m via Transfermarkt, is currently averaging 2.9 shots and 1.1 key passes per game in the Jupiler Pro League this season, via WhoScored. For context, that’s more than Morelos himself has managed in the Scottish Premiership this season so far, per WhoScored.

If that isn’t enough to convince you, former Hearts loanee Toby Sibbick, who played alongside the Rangers target at the Belgian side whilst on loan from Barnsley, heaped praise on his former teammate, saying: “I’m sure Fashion would be a great addition for Rangers.

“Fashion has a lot of pace and is direct on the ball.

“He can play as the main striker but also out wide and I know having played against Rangers last season they play with a front three so he can fill in on either wing because he likes to get on the ball and beat players one on one.

“He is quite tricky as well and is good in front of goal with the ability to finish with both feet, there’s no issue with that.

“He is powerful – not necessarily tall – but strong and quick so there’s a lot to his game.”

With Stewart destined for the Ibrox exit, Ross Wilson must prioritise signing a new striker and Sakala could be a fine addition to the 54-time Scottish champions.

AND in other news, Rangers should sign soon-to-be free agent Daniel Johnson…

Not even the most ardent of Aston Villa fans could ever have imagined the kind of start they have enjoyed to the new Premier League season.

Dean Smith’s side have flown out of the blocks this campaign, and made a complete mockery of the fact they only just survived relegation back to the Championship on the final day of last season.

Demolition jobs of Liverpool and Arsenal have been the icing on the cake for Villa, with the side just six points off fourth and with two games in hand on almost all of the sides that are above them.

The pundit and naysayers will no doubt all be out in force over the coming weeks and months to insist that the Midlands club can’t continue to keep up their form, and that an inevitable slide is on the cards.

And of course for every Leicester or Wolves success stories over the past few years of sides breaking up the Premier League’s big six, there are so many more examples of teams falling away after racing off to a great start.

That’s exactly why Villa’s co-owners of Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens must back Smith to the hilt in the January transfer window, and give them the extra firepower needed to make sure their incredible first half of the season is backed up for the second.

Smith has already admitted that Villa face a challenge in keeping up their momentum, and almost threw down the gauntlet to the club’s hierarchy over making sure he’s given the tools to ensure they do so.

He said: “We’re always planning for the next window but only time will tell if (our squad depth) is strong enough. We believe it’s certainly stronger than last season and in a much better place.

“Our start to the season has proven that already but we’ve got to sustain that. It’s a tough league to play in week in, week out. We feel we’re stronger this season with the additions we’ve made and the experience we’ve got from last season. We have to go and sustain that.”

It would be such an unforgivable disaster if Villa threw away all the hard work they have done by just taking a much more laid-back approach in the January transfer window.

This is the exact moment where they simply cannot rest on their laurels. Sawiris and Edens hold the key to Villa hitting the jackpot this season.

Glasgow Rangers manager Steven Gerrard must wield the axe on Ryan Kent for the game against St. Mirren on Wednesday afternoon after his rapid decline in form.

Kent started the Boxing Day clash with Hibernian at Ibrox but offered very little going forwards as he cut a frustrated figure on the left flank.

Whilst the 24-year-old’s form has started to spiral out of control, Ianis Hagi has outshone his teammate since the start of the month, providing three goals and an assist in his past six games across all competitions, via Transfermarkt.

The Ibrox boss shouldn’t think twice about dropping Kent for Hagi as it’s surely a no-brainer at this stage, with the Romania international showing what he can do from that flank by cutting in from the left wing to score against Lech Poznan in the Europa League earlier this month.

Rangers have enjoyed an imperious campaign since the start of the season, with 18 wins, two draws and no defeats in the Scottish Premiership so far. However, there is still room for improvement, having conceded four goals in their past five games.

The Govan-based Glaswegian giants couldn’t keep a clean sheet against the Saints in the Scottish League Cup, with John Goodwin’s side enjoying success up and down the left flank, which saw Gerrard haul Calvin Bassey off shortly after half-time.

Against Hibs, Kent was equally found wanting once more, after the 24-year-old lost possession 15 times, won just three out of 13 duels overall, committed two fouls and was dribbled past once, via SofaScore.

Valued at £3m via Transfermarkt, the Oldham-born Englishman was invisible for most of the game with two attempts blocked proving to be his only shots of the match, as per SofaScore.

It looks like he’s run out of steam which is hardly a surprise as in this season, he has made 20 appearances in the Premiership, scoring five goals and supplying six assists, via Transfermarkt.

Whether his head has been turned by links to Leeds United in the summer, who knows, but he simply isn’t performing at a consistent level to warrant his place in the starting line-up, for the time being at least, as he has failed to find the back of the net in his previous five fixtures.

Once hailed as a “game-changer” by Gerrard after the Europa League victory over Willem II at the start of the season, Kent currently earns around £18,000-per-week at Ibrox, but it’s fair to say that the board aren’t getting their money’s worth at the moment. A short spell on the sidelines should do just the trick.

AND in other news, Steven Gerrard must hand Rangers goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin rare start vs St. Mirren…

Former Newcastle United forward Malcolm Macdonald has delivered a damning review of the Magpies’ approach to games under Steve Bruce and suggested that Callum Wilson will be regretting moving to St James’ Park.

Bruce brought in Wilson in the summer from Bournemouth for £20m, with the forward choosing to sign for the Magpies despite interest from Aston Villa, per Express and Star. The 28-year-old had been keen to make the move back to the Premier League to help him get back into England contention.

Newcastle approach not helping Callum Wilson and co

Wilson has made a bright start to his career at St James’ Park, scoring four goals in his first six Premier League matches (Sofascore). However, the 28-year-old suffered from a lack of service against Wolves last weekend, managing just 28 touches and failing to have a single attempt on goal (Sofascore).

Despite Newcastle earning a point at Wolves, their performance attracted plenty of criticism, with Chris Sutton describing their approach as “anti-football”. That has seen pressure start to mount on Bruce, whose side have had the joint least amount of attempts on goal so far this season (Premierleague.com).

Writing for Chronicle Live, Macdonald outlined how he thinks Wilson could soon be regretting his decision to move to the Magpies due to the difference in styles between Bruce’s team and the attack-minded Bournemouth side he left in the summer.

He wrote: “I watched Wilson at Wolves and he made run after run without the ball ever coming. He’s rapidly going to get sick of doing that and stop running.

“As an old centre-forward myself I know how demoralising making repeated runs for nowt can become.

“Wilson probably thought he had won the pools when a club with 50,000 fans came in for him. He had been playing in front of the PL’s smallest crowds of 11,000.

“But now I bet he’s wondering if he did the right thing. Bournemouth were always prepared to play and push on which gave a centre-forward a chance.

“How on earth do United think they are going to win games when they don’t have a shot on goal from open play? It’s ridiculous.”

Callum Wilson needs more service having already proven goal scoring potential

Wilson has displayed to Newcastle that, if he gets provided with sufficient service, he will take chances in the final third. The Magpies struggle to create opportunities and Bruce at times sets them up not to lose rather than looking to be expansive. That is the sort of approach which often frustrates supporters who would like to see more from some of the attacking players brought into the club recently.

The 28-year-old needs to keep up his ratio of 0.7 goals per game (Sofascore) if he is going to be able to keep pace with the other forwards chasing England call-ups. At the moment it looks like he is really going to struggle to achieve that ambition with a lack of service at St James’ Park.

In other news, find out what Steve Bruce had to say about the potential involvement for this Newcastle duo here.

Leeds may well have dodged a bullet by not giving in to the demands of Norwich City during their pursuit of signing Todd Cantwell over the summer. The Whites had eyed up the rising star as a top priority target to bolster their squad, but their £15million offer was not be enough to sway the Canaries.

Instead, Norwich decided that they wouldn’t shift on wanting £20million for the midfielder’s services, which forced Leeds to drop their interest. Now, according to Football Insider, this is something that they regret as they wish they’d have cashed in during the summer window.

However, for Leeds, this will be viewed as a Get out of Jail Free occasion. Cantwell has declined since the Canaries relegation last season and has been struggling with injury too.

Leeds right not to push for Cantwell

Despite being a hot transfer target eyeballed by the likes of Liverpool, the 22-year-old has hit a dip in his form. He has gone from being lauded as a “god-given” talent by his former youth Gary Cockaday, to struggling against the likes of Championship relegation candidates Wycombe.

Cantwell has made just five appearances under Daniel Farke this season, missing five matches through two separate injuries and he was left on the bench against Bristol City in his last-named feature (via Transfermarkt).

If the midfielder is becoming injury-prone, this will see him slip dramatically down the pecking order at Carrow Road. Particularly if he is struggling to make an impact in front of goal, he risks being left on the bench more and more as Norwich push to return to the Premier League.

Indeed, it could have been a similar scenario at Leeds. Marcelo Bielsa has already made some cut-throat decisions to his team this campaign, with Premier League survival in mind. Jamie Shackleton was recently axed from the squad after disappointing against Leicester and Pablo Hernandez also risks being permanently dropped, if not sold, for his recent actions.

Bielsa needs doers and Cantwell is not currently showing signs of being a player the Argentinian would want in his squad. Another of the midfielder’s youth coaches, Darren Huckerby, admitted that Cantwell would often get “intimidated” by other players on the pitch. Whilst this is a trait he may have grown out of, a manager like Bielsa cannot take the risk of signing a player who is afraid to give every game his all.

Whilst at the time, it seemed like the Whites missed out on a huge signing, Victor Orta made the right decision by not bowing to Norwich’s demands and splashing £20million on a player who, based on his recent performances, may not have impressed Bielsa.

In other news, Leeds will be forced to take a loss on this disappointing senior player…

Several Manchester United fans are unhappy with the club’s reported plans to offer a contract extension to Paul Pogba.

The Daily Mail reported that the Red Devils are set to activate a one-year option on the Frenchman’s contract in order to protect his value, with his current deal at Old Trafford set to expire in 2022. The news was later shared on Twitter by @utdreport.

While the club have yet to formally discuss a longer extension to the 27-year-old’s contract, they know that they have the safety net of extending his current deal (as per Daily Mail).

Pogba became the then-most expensive player in world football when he rejoined United from Juventus in 2016 for £89.2m and has scored 32 goals in 159 games for the club since then, as well as making the PFA Team of the Year in 2018/19.

However, the midfielder has also been a lightning rod for criticism from elements of the Old Trafford faithful for some mediocre performances and has been accused by some pundits of having attitude problems, with persistent rumours of a move away from the club. He also came under from numerous supporters over a less than stellar display in the recent defeat to Crystal Palace.

These United fans on Twitter voiced their opposition to the reported plans to extend his contract, with one supporter fearing that it will “get messy”:

Man United fans, what have you made of Pogba’s time at the club so far? Have your say by commenting below!