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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Tyler Roberts is back.

The Welshman made his return to the Leeds side on Saturday as he made his first appearance from the bench following five months out.

He had fluid drained from his knee and consequently hadn’t played a single minute until he came on against Charlton.

Unable to influence the result on the occasion as his side still lost, he could still have a huge say in terms of their promotion hopes but also on various teammates in the Leeds squad.

Why? Because of his versatility.

On the chalkboard

Having a versatile player is a luxury to a manager and Marcelo Bielsa has favoured a number of players being able to play in different roles.

Two of the biggest examples fall at the feet of Kalvin Phillips and Pablo Hernandez. The former boasts the ability to play in defensive midfield and in central defence while the Spaniard can play in the middle and also out wide.

But another player who can do similar is Roberts. In fact, he play anywhere across the front line.

The £3.6m-rated man broke through as a centre forward but has since made his name playing in the number 10 role and out wide for Leeds.

It’s an aspect of his game that should have varying members of the squad fearing over their places in the side.

The 20-year-old has the ability to be the cat among the pigeons, sending a host of players scuttling around searching for extra quality.

Roberts might well start in the middle due to an injury to Adam Forshaw while Jamie Shackleton, who was subbed off at half-time last weekend, isn’t in tremendous form either.

Those are two players who could end up feeling the effects of his return to fitness but a player like Jack Harrison should also be fearful.

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He has completed just three accurate crosses all season and hasn’t been involved in a goal since the opening weekend.

It’s a shoddy record and one that could eventually succumb to Roberts if he’s preferred in a wide role.

That’s where he enjoyed the vast majority of his game time last term – six of his last seven matches were played either on the right or left.

But he could also have someone like Patrick Bamford sweating upfront. After all, he’s goalless in four games and Eddie Nketiah is also still vastly inexperienced at this level.

Where Roberts plays remains to be seen but if he performs to a consistent level and one of the aforementioned names drops out, it would certainly be damning on their part.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Tottenham Hotspur might have won the transfer window.

Spurs headed into the market looking to refresh a squad that reached the Champions League final and finished in the Premier League’s top four.

Yet, their run to the final was achieved in spite of, instead of because of, their recruitment. They did not sign a single player in the summer transfer window of 2018 and followed it up by drawing another blank in January.

Their lack of squad depth was painfully evident as they embarked on a horrific run towards the end of the league campaign, winning just three of their final 12 contests. After all, they were focusing on that remarkable charge to Madrid.

But this summer, they bought Tanguy Ndombele for a club-record fee, acquired Giovani Lo Celso on an initial loan deal and also struck a deal to bring in teenager Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham. Jack Clarke was signed and then loaned back to Leeds United.

Spurs have also shipped out the deadwood.

Kieran Trippier was sold to Atletico Madrid after a season in which he made so many mistakes he was left out of the England squad for the Nations League finals.

Vincent Janssen finally found another club after a disastrous spell at Spurs as he was sold to Monterrey; Georges-Kevin Nkoudou moved to Besiktas; Josh Onomah was sent to Fulham in return for Sessegnon; Michel Vorm and Fernando Llorente were both allowed to leave at the end of their contracts.

And they’ve kept a few too.

Spurs headed into the transfer window with question marks hanging over Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld.

All three have contracts that expire at the end of the season and Eriksen had outlined a desire to move on following the Champions League final. No bids were forthcoming though, and he has remained with the club. He scored against Arsenal in the north London derby this weekend – it doesn’t get any better than that.

Vertonghen also returned to the team against the Gunners after a spell out and played well alongside his old partner in defence, Alderweireld, who had a £25m release clause in his contract throughout the summer.

It wasn’t triggered, and Spurs’ options now look remarkably strong. Not only do they have a strong Plan A that brings in the best of last season and their new signings, but they also have a strong and dynamic Plan B.

Plan A

Assuming everyone is fit, this is probably Spurs’ strongest XI.

The backline is strong and familiar with each other; Ben Davies is a better option defensively than Danny Rose.

The attack radiates positivity and, though it sees Eriksen being played out of position, it accommodates Lo Celso and brings in the opportunity for Spurs to interchange in a fluid, fluent manner. There is the option of adding Dele Alli here, too, but let’s assume Pochettino is going to give his summer acquisition a run of games.

Partnering Ndombele with Harry Winks makes the most sense, as it allies steel and silk in the centre of the pitch.

Plan B

This is another strong XI.

Admittedly, Spurs could do with another striker, as Kane features in both plans, but the rest of the team is completely different.

Paulo Gazzaniga is an efficient goalkeeper, while Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth both have excellent ball-playing abilities at centre-back.

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Rose is as experienced as the day is long, as is Serge Aurier at full-back.

Moussa Sissoko is a dynamic presence in midfield, and he can be paired with Eric Dier, who can carry the ball and also win it back.

This is also an exciting front three behind Kane, with Sessegnon and Lucas Moura both remarkably quick talents, and Alli a match-winning presence.

And while plan A is packed with technical quality and creativity with the likes of Lo Celso, Eriksen and Ndombele, the sheer pace and dynamism of the second XI’s attack, combined with the industriousness of the second-choice midfield duo, makes it a perfect counter-attacking set-up.

Finally, Spurs have options. No longer will they have to sacrifice domestic success for European ventures, or vice versa.

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Arsenal’s Europa League opponents Eintracht Frankfurt signed Andre Silva on loan before the end of the European transfer window on September 2nd. Here, we take a look at what the Gunners can expect when they face the Portugal international.

On the chalkboard

The Bundesliga outfit lost a lot of talent in attack during the summer, with Sebastien Haller, Luka Jovic and Ante Rebic all departing for new challenges.

As such, Adi Hutter and co needed to bring in reinforcements. Dejan Joveljic and Bas Dost were signed earlier in August, but clearly there was still the need for another forward. Accordingly, Silva joined from AC Milan, which is where Croatia international Rebic ended up.

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A poacher

The 23-year-old first burst onto the scene in 2016 with FC Porto, where he scored 16 goals in 32 appearances in the Portuguese league.

The following year, he earned himself a big-money move to Serie A, but things didn’t work out for him at the San Siro and he was subsequently shipped out for a short-term spell to Sevilla in 2018.

There, he partially rediscovered his form, scoring nine goals in La Liga in 27 games, and began to once again display the goalscoring qualities which helped him make his name.

He is not a forward who is afraid of shooting, averaging 2.3 a game in the league last term. That was more than any of his teammates. A fox in the box, he is yet to score outside of the area in his career, and relies on being in the right place at the right time.

He is also a player who likes to challenge in the air. He competed in 6 aerial duels per match last season, which was higher than everyone in the squad once again. Although he didn’t win as many as he lost, clearly the forward is not afraid to put himself about.

In Europe, Silva enjoys himself. He has 10 goals in 24 appearances, and it was especially in the Europa League that he excelled in his sole season with Milan to date.

All in all, then, Arsenal should expect to face a poacher who looks forward to appearing in continental competitions and if they allow him space in the penalty area, there is a strong chance the ball will end up in the back of the net.

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Arsenal have so far been busy during this transfer window, suggesting that the reported £45m budget Unai Emery had to spend on new recruits was wide of the mark.

Dani Ceballos has joined on loan, whilst teenagers William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli have also made the move to the Emirates. The biggest arrival has been Nicolas Pepe, who has come in from Lille for £72m, though the fee is set to be paid in instalments.

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Despite those signings, defenders appear to be needed for the north London outfit as well. However, it seems that the Gunners are close to securing deals for two new arrivals to shore up their backline.

They have agreed fees for Kieran Tierney and David Luiz, and hope to capture both before the transfer window closes.

Arsenal fans appear ecstatic, and they have praised their head of sport Raul Sanllehi in particular for being able to make those breakthroughs.

They have taken to Twitter to share their delight with the 50-year-old’s impact…

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Wolves’ young star Morgan Gibbs-White finally opened his goalscoring account for the club with a fine strike during their 4-0 victory over Premier League rivals Newcastle United in the Premier League Asia Trophy.

The teenager is an academy graduate who made his debut aged just 16 in Wolves’ FA Cup win over Stoke City back in January 2017. Since then he has gone on to appear for the first-team 54 times, the majority of which came last season as he played in 31 matches, registering one assist.

A host of the Molineux fanbase took to Twitter to share their thoughts on the goal with the overriding consensus being that the 19-year-old has a great future ahead of him as one supporter believed he will play a big part in the team this coming campaign.

Another fan claimed that the youngster is going to be amazing this season which was reinforced by a further opinion that Gibbs-White would score eight goals from midfield.

The 19-year-old doubled Wolves’ lead in the 32nd minute firing low past Freddie Woodman after capitalising on the Magpies’ poor defending.

Here’s the best of the reaction from Wolves supporters:

أعلن نادي ليفربول منذ قليل غياب حارس المرمى أليسون بيكر عن مواجهة برايتون مساء اليوم في بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

ويلتقي الفريقان في ملعب الأنفيلد في إطار منافسات الجولة الثانية والعشرين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وبرايتون اليوم في الدوري الإنجليزي

وانتشرت تكهنات منذ قليل حول إمكانية غياب أليسون عن مباراة الليلة أمام برايتون.

وتأكد ذلك الخبر بعدما أعلن ليفربول عبر موقعه الرسمي أن أليسون لن يشارك في مباراة اليوم المرتقبة.

وأفاد النادي أن السبب وراء غياب البرازيلي يعود إلى معاناته من المرض دون الكشف عن ماهيته.

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Lots of Everton fans have taken to Twitter to react after talk of a swoop for Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa started to do the rounds.

The Daily Mail report that the Toffees are keen on the Spain international as club owner Farhad Moshiri looks to bring a ‘statement signing’ to Goodison Park.

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Costa, now 30, endured a difficult 2018/19 campaign with Atletico – he was suspended for eight games after insulting an official, and managed to find the back of the net just five times over the course of last season.

The 6 foot 1 forward is being identified by Moshiri as a statement signing as he looks to increase the marketability of the Merseysiders – it remains to be seen if the former Chelsea man wants to make the move, however.

It would certainly be an intriguing signing for Everton, as we all know what Costa can do having watched him star for Chelsea for a few seasons – he hit 58 goals in 120 games for the Blues.

Let’s see what the Everton fans have been saying about a move for Costa on Twitter…

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Manchester United fans would love to see Real Madrid star Gareth Bale arriving on loan at Old Trafford.

The Mirror reported on Saturday that the Red Devils are ready to launch a bold bid to land the 76-cap Welsh international on a temporary basis.

The paper say that Zinedine Zidane has made it clear Bale has no future at the Spanish giants, but that both United and Tottenham Hotspur are not keen on biting at Madrid’s massive £75m valuation.

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According to the report, United are prepared to take him on loan for a year, with an option for a further year, which would allow Madrid to shed £50m from their wage bill over the next two seasons.

While it all sounds rather far-fetched it would obviously be an option worth considering if Madrid are open to it.

Getting a player like Bale in the door could revitalise United’s attack as they embark on a new season under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, although the former Spurs star does come with baggage – chiefly a list of horrendous injury problems.

Fans are certainly keen on a deal with such a structure, taking to Twitter this weekend to share their thoughts…

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Celtic fans would love to see Patrick Roberts make a sensational return to the club this summer after he was spotted in attendance during Saturday’s Scottish Cup win over Hearts.

Roberts spent two-and-a-half successful seasons on loan at the Hoops from Manchester City before saying his goodbyes and trying out a temporary move to La Liga side Girona.

Nonetheless he holds an affinity for the club and made the trip to Hampden to watch his old club complete a ‘treble treble’ of trophies, with fans quick to track him down for a photo.

By turning up, he’s provoked a big social media reaction from supporters who would love Neil Lennon to make a transfer move for him in the upcoming window.

There were reports on Thursday from The Sun that Celtic still hold an interest in a move for the winger, with City said to have made him available for as little as £4m.

Unless he makes a quick move away from the Etihad this summer, speculation about a Hoops return will likely rumble on for months.

These fans have already taken to Twitter to share their hopes of such a transfer…

For some Chelsea supporters, the west London club absolutely have to sign Mateo Kovacic permanently from Real Madrid this summer.

With a transfer ban currently hanging over their heads, Kovacic, who spent the recently concluded 2018/19 campaign on loan at Stamford Bridge, and Gonzalo Higuain, could be the only signings Chelsea are able to make in the current transfer window.

Considering that, surely the 25-year-old must be snapped up? The Chelsea higher-ups, however, clearly have other ideas.

According to the Evening Standard, with the Blues’ managerial situation up in the air, the club are having second thoughts about signing Kovacic permanently.

And all things considered, that makes perfect sense. £50m, Real Madrid’s valuation (also per Evening Standard), on a midfielder who could easily find himself behind the likes of N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, Ross Barkley and Mason Mount next season? That is a crazy fee to stump up for a player his next manager might not even want.

Once Ruben Loftus-Cheek returns to full fitness, too, the former Inter Milan man could find himself even lower in the midfield pecking order at Stamford Bridge.

Ultimately, until they know who is going to be in charge next term and his plans for the campaign, Chelsea would be wise to hold off.

And at the £50m Real Madrid are said to be demanding, transfer embargo or no transfer embargo, the Blues have another reason to turn away from this deal, in this moment of time.

Chelsea fans, would you like to see Kovacic remain at Stamford Bridge? Let us know below!