According to The Yorkshire Evening Post, Leeds midfielder Adam Forshaw is poised to start against Sheffield Wednesday on Friday. 

The midfielder is racing back to fitness after a broken foot, but manager Marcelo Bielsa obviously deems him ready to start for The Peacocks.

Leeds suffered their first loss in the Championship last Saturday at the hands of Birmingham, and there were some worrying signs in that game. For the second time this season, 22-year-old central midfielder Kalvin Phillips was substituted before half time, which must be a major concern for fans.

His manager has refused to place any blame on a particular player, but there is the sense that Phillips may have a spell on the sidelines, with Forshaw to fill in. But rushing a player back so soon is surely another worrying sign for Leeds supporters as it is showing how limited their choices are.

The team have been dealt some tough injuries so far this season, and are running thin on the ground in some positions. Turning to Forshaw shows Bielsa’s hand to opposing teams, that he is low on ideas and needs to shake his team up.

One of the main criticisms of Leeds from the beginning of the season was their lack of depth in some places, and that has already come to haunt them. However, with other options like Lewis Baker to fill in, Bielsa certainly doesn’t need to enter desperation mode just yet.

Leeds travel across Yorkshire on Friday to face The Owls, knowing that a loss could see them slump potentially into sixth place, and would pile on the misery for Bielsa.

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Aston Villa are on the hunt for a new manager after sacking Steve Bruce on Wednesday and there is already plenty of speculation regarding potential replacements.

The Championship promotion hopefuls have seen their top-six ambitions come under threat following a run of just one victory in their last ten matches in all competitions, raising the importance of needing to come to the right decision.

Headlines have already been grabbed by Villa’s reported interest in Shakhtar Donetsk boss Paulo Fonseca, who has earned plenty of plaudits for his success with the Ukrainian side and the style of football he has adopted.

Luring Fonseca away from Champions League football to the second-tier of English football is a tough ask but would certainly send a statement of intent to the rest of the division, and the reports have gone down well with Villa fans.

We have gathered some of the best reactions to Villa’s Fonseca interest below.

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West Ham are poised to hand Pablo Zabaleta a one-year contract extension and he could now end his career at the club, Claret & Hugh reports. 

What’s the word?

Manuel Pellegrini’s West Ham side have shown plenty of improvements in recent weeks to get back on track after a poor start to the season, and one of the best performers for the Hammers has been veteran full-back Pablo Zabaleta.

The Argentina international has retained his first-team spot ahead of summer signing Ryan Fredericks, who has been slightly naive when he has been on the field, rekindling the fine reputation he enjoyed with Pellegrini during the pair’s time at Manchester City – and a contract extension is on the horizon.

Claret & Hugh reports that Zabaleta will earn a one-year extension to his contract, which expires at the end of the season, if he makes 25 appearances this term – and it seems highly likely that the 33-year-old will not lose his spot in the side on current form.

The right move?

Signing Fredericks on a free transfer from Fulham in the summer has given West Ham added depth in defence and hands the Hammers a long-term successor to Zabaleta, but it has been clear in recent weeks that the veteran full-back still has plenty left in his tank.

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Securing the 33-year-old to a new deal would be a wise move for Pellegrini’s side, as Zabaleta has established himself as an important member of the squad and a fan favourite following his fine defensive displays.

His experience at the back is vital, particularly for younger players like Declan Rice, and his performances this season show there is no reason why West Ham should allow him to leave the London Stadium for nothing at the end of the campaign.

[ad_pod ]Sky Sports journalist Lyall Thomas confirmed on his Twitter account on Monday evening that Southampton had appointed Cherif Oudjani as their new head of scouting in France.

What’s the word, then?

Well, reports emerged at the end of September that the Algerian was set to arrive at St Mary’s in a scouting role having impressed the club’s hierarchy, with a suggestion that he could become their ‘head of scouting’.

However, in his tweet Thomas has moved to dismiss those suggestions and instead says he will spearhead their search for talent in France, where they haven’t had the best of luck when it comes to signing players from Ligue 1 clubs in recent years.

The 53-year-old certainly comes with great pedigree for the job seeing as he played there between 1983 and 2002, as well as working in a similar position for RC Lens.

What will happen next?

Following the disappointing additions of the likes of Jeremy Pied, Sofiane Boufal and Guido Carrillo from over the English Channel in recent years, it is clear to see that Southampton need some work on their scouting in the country of the World Cup holders, and Oudjani looks to be a positive appointment.

Of course, not all of the south coast outfit’s purchases from France have been a disaster, and they had a successful seven seasons from Morgan Schneiderlin following his move from Strasbourg, before he was sold on to Manchester United.

With their academy graduates drying up and following many questionable acquisitions in the last couple of years, Saints will be hoping that Oudjani can help them discover some talent that can make a difference in their first-team, and perhaps even discover the next Schneiderlin for them and the fans, who have reacted to a loaned-out star shining for his club with one saying they would be “more than happy to see him come back”.

It’s been a fairly inconsistent start to the season for Tottenham, as after a summer where they failed to bring in any new players, Pochettino’s side started well but over recent weeks, Spurs haven’t played incredibly well, most recently only beating Cardiff 1-0. 

They face a tough game against West Ham this weekend, who have recently seen their form improve following a tough start to the season. With Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson, West Ham have a duo that could cause Spurs some serious problems. According to the Evening Standard, Robert Snodgrass could beat an ankle injury to return for this weekend’s game.

While he may not have scored in the league this year, Snodgrass is still an important player for the side and has played eight games for Pellegrini this year.

The Breakdown

Spurs travel to the Olympic Stadium without Jan Vertonghen and with Christian Eriksen still struggling with a stomach injury. The injury will come as a worry to Pochettino as the Dane has been out since September 22nd and with Harry Kane struggling for form, the Argentinian needs as much as help as he can get.

Despite beating Huddersfield and Cardiff, Spurs are about to enter an incredibly tough stage of their season as they face Man City, Wolves, Inter Milan and Arsenal over the next month or so.

With Snodgrass returning to the side and with the troublesome duo of Felipe Anderson and Marko Arnautovic up front, Tottenham could well be in for a scare this weekend.

Spurs fans, what do you think? 

According to The Birmingham Mail, Tottenham’s Josh Onomah has received scathing criticism from fans while on loan at Sheffield Wednesday. 

The attacker has been described by fans as lazy and anonymous, although manager Jos Luhukay has said he is “very happy with him”.

However, this is the sort of response that The Lilywhites do not want to receive from their loan stars. The 21-year-old was sent on loan to increase his playing time, but he has only started five games so far this season for The Owls.

Not only will this criticism not reflect well upon the player, but it throws his Tottenham future into jeopardy. He has struggled to take his chance under Mauricio Pochettino, and this will only dent his chances of making a good impression.

Furthermore, Tottenham certainly appear to be thin on the ground in terms of players this season, apart from Onomah’s position. Spurs are blessed with a number of attacking midfielders who are playing particularly well. With the likes of Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Érik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Heung-min Son all battling it out to occupy those positions, Onomah would find it almost impossible to break into Pochettino’s starting XI.

Although it is likely that the 21-year-old will return to Tottenham at the end of the season, his long term future with The Lilywhites remains much less clear. There have been a number of players in recent years that haven’t quite made the grade after going out on loan, and Onomah may be one of them. This recent criticism will certainly not help his cause.

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Loads of Everton fans have been reacting to the impressive form of Ross Barkley, and let’s just say they aren’t exactly being forgiving.

Everton fans were delighted when Barkley was left out in the cold by Antonio Conte last season, but Maurizio Sarri has completely transformed the young midfielder.

After losing out to Mateo Kovacic earlier in the season, Barkley has taken the helm as the most advanced player in Sarri’s midfield trio, and he certainly hasn’t looked back.

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After scoring once and assisting once against Southampton, the 24 year-old grabbed a crucial late goal against Manchester United and then put on an absolutely stunning display against Burnley this weekend.

He has now has three goals and four assists in all competitions, and his drive from midfield could have been the perfect final piece in Everton’s midfield.

Lots of fans have been discussing his impressive form though, and they certainly aren’t forgetting his tendency to have three or four superb games followed by several poor ones.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below, look away now Ross…

Southampton have been a huge disappointment in the current campaign as they continue to struggle under the guidance of Mark Hughes. 

The Saints could find themselves in a relegation scrap if they don’t start to improve in the near future, having made a very nervy start to proceedings in the Premier League. And, to make matters worse, it appears as if one of the club’s star men is attracting interest, as according to the Express (2 November, page 49) (via HITC), RB Leipzig are keen on bringing James Ward-Prowse to Germany.

Interestingly, the 23-year-old is now open to the idea of leaving the club where he has spent his entire career.

But, rather than join a rival top flight team, the report suggests Ward-Prowse could be the latest Englishman to make the switch to Germany after growing tired of life on the bench.

And, RB Leipzig are believed to be interested in signing the Englishman.

THE VERDICT:

James Ward-Prowse has struggled to enjoy regular minutes at Southampton in the current campaign, which has forced him to have a long, hard think about his future.

And, with RB Leipzig interested in securing his services in the future, perhaps the Englishman will opt to move to the European club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers will target a new forward when the transfer window reopens in January.

After winning the Championship last year, Wolves strengthened heavily during the summer window and have made a decent start to life in the Premier League. The Midlands club remain firmly in mid-table heading into November and aren’t in real danger of returning to the lower division. However, with just nine goals in ten games, attacking reinforcements are needed when the window reopens in the New Year.

Reports suggest Nuno Espirito Santo will target a new forward and Liverpool outcast, Divock Origi, is on his shortlist. However, Wolves could be better off by making a move for Inter Milan reject – Gabriel Barbosa.

Valued at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, the striker joined Inter back in 2016 after racking up an impressive goal record for Santos in Brazil. Great things were expected upon his arrival, and ‘Gabigol’ was expected to follow in the footsteps of Adriano at the San Siro. However, his move did not go to plan, and Barbosa was later loaned to back to Santos.

Since rejoining his former club, Barbosa has rediscovered his goal scoring touch. The 22-year-old has netted 16 goals in the Brazilian Serie A placing him top of the scoring charts. Finally back to his best, Wolves should consider bringing him to the Premier League.

With excellent technical ability and expert finishing, Barbosa would provide the goals that Wolves have so far lacked. His flair and creativity would also help the other Wolves attackers to flourish with Barbosa capable of operating as a number ten. Strong performance in the Premier League could help the forward earn another shot in the Brazil national team.

Once dubbed the next Neymar, Barbosa could prove to be a massive hit in England.

Wolves fans, thoughts?

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West Brom bounced back to form with their 4-1 thrashing of high-flying Leeds on Saturday evening, as goals from Hal Robson-Kanu, Matt Phillips, Harvey Barnes and Dwight Gayle gave the Baggies a comfortable victory at the Hawthorns.

On the chalkboard

So far this season there has been huge talk about the tactics of new Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa, but West Brom’s Darren Moore outsmarted the experienced Argentine on the weekend to inflict Leeds’ third defeat of the season so far.

Apart from a couple of games at the beginning of this season, Moore has stuck religiously to his 3-4-1-2 formation that has allowed him to play with Barnes, Gayle and Jay Rodriguez in the attacking roles when all are fit.

Before the Leeds clash though the Baggies had failed to win any of their four previous matches, but Moore’s change to a 4-2-2-2 for the visit of the Whites certainly had the desired effect.

Beating Bielsa

Bielsa has attempted to instil a philosophy of hard-work and high-pressing at the Elland Road outfit, but Moore’s side beat the Whites at their own game in the 4-1 thumping.

The Baggies started the game quickly and with Barnes and Phillips playing in behind Rodriguez and Robson-Kanu, Moore’s side had the legs to press from the front, meaning the new back four was tested far less than they might have expected.

Going toe-to-toe with one of the world’s most well-respected managers is not the tactic that all teams in the Championship will take when playing Leeds this season, but Moore deserves huge credit for his brave team selection and his side’s performance.

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