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Leeds United have been handed a major boost as news emerges over the club receiving a Premier League windfall.

What’s the story?

Marcelo Bielsa’s side ended the season in style in the last few weeks of the campaign, racking up four consecutive wins, producing some superb performances to secure wins over the likes of Spurs and Burnley.

That late flurry of points saw them leapfrog the likes of Everton and Aston Villa into ninth, and Football Insider have now revealed a report which shows the financial impact of their strong end to the season.

They claim that Leeds have “pocketed a stunning £133m broadcasting windfall from their first season back in the Premier League.

“This is made up of an equal share of £76m from domestic and overseas rights, £21m prize money for where they finished in the table, a £19m facility fee for their number of live matches and £17m overseas TV money.”

Radrizzani will be buzzing

As is commonly known, the Premier League’s prize money is broken down by where a team finishes, so Leeds’ late-season form saw them clinch a bigger sum of money than they originally would have had they finished somewhere outside of the top ten.

The Elland Road club won their final four league games of the Premier Lague season, which meant they finished in 9th place. Had they failed to win two of those four games, they would have finished as a bottom-half side, which would have meant they’d have received less prize money.

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With the pandemic takings its toll on every club’s finances up and down the country, and across the world too, that bit of extra cash from finishing the season strong is a welcome boost ahead of the summer transfer window.

Andrea Radrizzani will be absolutely buzzing that Bielsa’s side were able to go on a really hot streak and secure that extra windfall, and it could even prove to be the difference when it comes to putting down that little bit more to secure a potential transfer target this summer.

Meanwhile, a major update has emerged about Marcelo Bielsa…

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek will be ‘excited’ about his chances of shining at Old Trafford following Erik ten Hag’s appointment at the club.

The Lowdown: Ten Hag comes in

Ten Hag has officially been named as United’s new manager, with the 52-year-old coming in at the end of the season after an impressive spell at Ajax.

The hope is that he is finally the right man to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford, with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick all flattering to deceive in the Premier League.

One player who Ten Hag knows inside out is Van de Beek, with the pair working together when Ajax reached the Champions League semi-finals back in 2018/19.

The Latest: Journalist makes Van de Beek claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Paul Brown claimed that this could be Van de Beek’s time to seize his opportunity at United, saying:

“I think he’s quite excited probably about the prospect of finally getting a chance.

“If he doesn’t, there are probably other clubs in a better position than Everton to take him on loan, if possible.”

The Verdict: Make-or-break for Van de Beek

This certainly feels like a make-or-break moment in Van de Beek’s United career, with the Netherlands international on loan at Everton after a woeful spell at Old Trafford.

If Ten Hag can’t get a tune out of him, you’d start to wonder if anyone will be able to do so, with the midfielder such a key figure under the 52-year-old at Ajax, scoring 41 goals in 175 appearances in total.

It will be fascinating to see how Van de Beek fares next season, assuming he stays at Old Trafford, and if Ten Hag gets the best out of him, it could genuinely feel almost like a new signing for United, with the 25-year-old having once been hailed as ‘perfect’ by Owen Hargreaves.

In other news, United are reportedly keen on signing one Premier League star. Read more here.

The last 48 hours have been seismic for the Premier League and Liverpool FC.

Included in initial plans for a European Super League, the Reds faced backlash from all quarters of the footballing world, including from their own supporters.

Banners were placed outside of Anfield and protests took place until eventually, the club confirmed their withdrawal from any proposal with a statement late on Tuesday evening.

It brought to an end a dramatic chain of events for the club, Jurgen Klopp and his squad who publicly expressed their displeasure at the prospect both in the public domain and on social media.

With Liverpool now finally distancing themselves from the Super League, we asked a panel of Reds’ supporters to give us thier thoughts on the premise of the Super League and how they felt about their club’s owners being major players in the plot to form the breakaway Super League.

Sam Walker – @OneSGW

“It had definitely been coming since 1992. UEFA have been trying to organically create their own version of it but they got too greedy. I am not happy football has chosen this path because it is taking the integrity away but I was glad that Liverpool were moving with the elite.

If I had to choose between taking a stand and being a mediocre club against being part of the elite football league, I’m taking the latter! It doesn’t matter that we were part of the driving force. It was happening anyway. So it could have been a benefit to the club that we are ahead of the game. Fans can’t scream ‘#Mbappe21’ then talk about socialism in the next sentence. If we want success in this era of football, this is the right path. I hate it but I will live with it until I can’t.”

Jack Gill – @jacklfcgill

“As a Liverpool fan, I was enraged. Football has been going this way for a while but the statement on Sunday night, had it been carried out, would have completely destroyed the game that we know and love. FSG have gone against everything that the club, the city and us as supporters stand for. Not only is the Super League an act of greed, it would have torn away the competition and strips football of its roots. Shanks will be spinning in his grave and I’m sure Jurgen Klopp wasn’t happy about the decision either.”

Will Woodward – @willjw

“I didn’t like it. Even if we were allowed to stay in the Premier League, it renders the competition pointless if you don’t finish first or in the bottom three. There’d be next to no difference in finishing second or 17th because you’d be in Europe again next season regardless. It would have made our remaining games of this season utterly pointless too. From a selfish point of view, would it be nice to see Liverpool playing European giants every week or two for the whole season? Of course. But the cost of ruining the domestic league isn’t worth it for me.”

Chris Pajak – @mrbloodred

“Competition is what makes sport great without competition what have we got? It’s not sport, that’s for sure.

The money grabbing club owners should all be legged out of our game and yet we’re all complicit in this. We’ve all been doing this little dance for nearly 30 years. We want our teams to be the best, so we pay our extortionate match fees, we buy the ridiculously priced shirts and we look the other way when a shady deal is done. We hate the new money but that’s because we’re the old guard. What we should hate is the money coming into the game because make no mistake about it it’s the money that’s ruining the game. The clubs used to have the power and now the players and the associations have the power. The club’s want it back. This is what this was about.

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They want to decide their destiny and if you give someone with money the power to decide their future, the first thing they’ll do is make sure they have a future. This is not fun. This is not sport. This is huge businesses satisfying their shareholders not their fans. And yet I can’t help but think that when we’ve turned the other cheek to ticket rises, furloughs and the like because they ‘seem ok’ and ‘everyone makes mistakes’ and they’ve ‘brought success’ then are we really any better than them?”

AND in more news, take a closer look at Wijnaldum’s awful performance in the recent 1-1 draw with Leeds United…

An update has emerged on Everton forward Richarlison, regarding Real Madrid’s interest in his services.

What’s the talk?

According to the Echo, there is a belief at Everton that Real Madrid are preparing an offer for Brazilian forward Richarlison this summer. Carlo Ancelotti is a big admirer of the man he managed at Goodison Park and could launch a bid to bring him to Madrid.

The report claims that the La Liga side value him at £90m, but it remains to be seen whether or not they are willing to make an offer in that region.

Fans would be livid

Marcel Brands must avoid a nightmare scenario by keeping Richarlison at the club this summer. The attacker is a key player for the Toffees and losing him, having already lost Ancelotti to Real, would be a bitter blow that would leave fans livid heading into next season.

Supporters would be furious if Richarlison departed from the club to go and join Madrid, unless a ridiculous transfer offer came in for his services. It would need to be a mega fee, possibly the £90m touted, for fans to understand Brands cashing in. Therefore, anything less than that would be a disaster for the Toffees chief and should be avoided at all costs.

Earlier this year, whilst he was still in charge at Goodison, Ancelotti lavished praise on the Brazil international.

He told GOAL:

“Richarlison is a modern striker, a complete striker, because he works really hard. His physical statistics are really high, like a midfielder – but he has speed and he is really clinical in the box.

“He is fantastic with the head and clinical in front of the goalkeeper and his movement without the ball is really good.

“I think he can be one of the top strikers in Europe. I’m sure he can because he has all these kind of qualities and he doesn’t have a specific position on the pitch. He is really complete.”

This shows how highly the Madrid coach rates the £90k-per-week gem and illustrates why he now wants to bring him to Spain. Richarlison managed seven goals and three assists in the Premier League last term for Everton, having provided 13 goals and three assists in the previous campaign.

His first appearance at the Olympic Games also showed the confidence running through his veins as he scored a hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes of a 4-2 win over Germany.

This proves that he can perform at the top level and be a threat in the final third, which is valuable for what the club want to do next season. Therefore, fans will want him to be kept hold of and that means Brands needs to reject any offers from Real, unless they reach truly dizzy heights.

AND in other news, Greg O’Keeffe drops Everton update that should leave fans buzzing…

West Brom manager Valerien Ismael sees Karlan Grant as a wide player rather than a striker, journalist Luke Hatfield has told Football FanCast.

Grant was signed by former West Brom boss Slaven Bilic last year and was mostly used as a No.9 under the Croatian.

In the previous Premier League campaign, Grant made 12 appearances up front, managing just one goal.

The 23-year-old was much more prolific in his last Championship season, however, which bodes well for his new manager.

During the 2019/20 campaign, Grant managed to score 19 goals for former club Huddersfield Town before his move to The Hawthorns.

On what could be in store next for the Englishman, Hatfield of the Express & Star said:

“I think Bilic saw him when he was manager as a striker. I don’t think that’s the case under Ismael. I think Ismael very much sees him as a wide player

“I think he himself probably sees himself as a wide forward as well to be honest with you, as someone who can cut in off that left flank.”

All things considered, it is definitely something worth considering once the new season commences.

Ismael needs to try and get Grant firing again and if he can, it will obviously give West Brom’s promotion hopes a massive boost.

According to Football Insider, Tottenham have entered the race to sign Max Aarons.

Spurs eye Aarons

The 21-year-old recently earned promotion back to the Premier League with Norwich City.

According to this report, the Canaries agreed with the right-back last summer that he could depart in one year’s time. Everton are also interested in Aarons, with Norwich looking for a fee of £30m to part ways with the youngster.

Worth it?

Aarons has been virtually an ever-present this season for Daniel Farke’s side, playing 44 matches in the Championship out of a possible 45 (Transfermarkt). During that time, he has managed two goals and four assists, while former England under-21 manager Aidy Boothroyd called him “outstanding” last October (The Pink Un).

However, Tottenham already have plenty of options at right-back. Serge Aurier has had his problems, but he has shown promise this season and illustrated his attacking threat with two assists against Sheffield United on Sunday. Matt Doherty, meanwhile, was only signed from Wolves last summer – even if he has failed to nail down a first team spot, he still deserves time to do so.

For £30m, Aarons’ signature would represent a significant outlay, and those funds could be put to better use elsewhere.

In other news, this Champions League winner is interested in managing Tottenham.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Championship midfielder David Norris believes Aston Villa spending £40m on Emiliano Buendia is a gamble.

Villa saw off competition from Arsenal to sign Buendia from Norwich City in a deal that is worth up to £40m, according to the MailOnline.

The Argentine was brilliant last season as Norwich went on to win the Championship title and promotion to the Premier League. He was absolutely devastating in attack, scoring 15 goals and racking up 16 assists for the Canaries.

With the Premier League being a different ball game, though, Norris thinks a club paying £40m for Buendia is quite a gamble.

“I mean, even though the figures are crazy these days, you still probably want a little bit of a guarantee that at least they’ve been there and done it and proven that he can [do it] in that league,” the ex-Leeds United player said.

“It’s still a big jump from Championship to Premier League, so 40 million for me, it’s a bit of a gamble I probably wouldn’t want to risk.”

It is a big decision by Dean Smith, but the Villa manager can obviously take confidence from the signing of Ollie Watkins.

Watkins joined the Villans from Brentford for big money in the last summer transfer window and had no trouble making that step up from the Championship to the Premier League. The England international scored 14 goals in 37 games, proving to be money well spent.

Sheffield Wednesday have been handed an injury boost ahead of their League One clash against Oxford United at Hillsborough this afternoon.

After securing a 2-1 win over Wigan Athletic at the DW Stadium in midweek, the Owls are now set to welcome Karl Robinson’s men to Hillsborough for their next slice of league action.

What’s the story?

This comes after Owls manager Darren Moore revealed in his press conference on Friday ahead of the Oxford clash that Sam Hutchinson was taken off during the win over Wigan as a “precaution” but has trained alongside the rest of his teammates in preparation for the match today.

That means the 32-year-old could be available to take on the U’s at Hillsborough in what would be a big boost to the manager and his team.

Wednesday fans will be thrilled

Given how Hutchinson missed Wednesday’s league games against Rotherham United and Morecambe after picking up an injury against Fleetwood Town back in August, it’s good to hear that he has not suffered another injury and was taken off against Wigan merely as a precaution.

Taking into account how the 32-year-old has played in numerous positions for Wednesday so far this season such as centre-back, defensive midfield and central midfield, it’s safe to say that he has been an important figure for the team based on his versatility when called upon and the abundant experience he has under his belt.

Wednesday originally signed Hutchinson back in February 2014 on a loan deal from Chelsea before securing him on a permanent basis in the following summer’s transfer window. He joined Pafos FC on a free transfer 13 months ago before returning to Wednesday on a free back in January.

Overall, he has made 184 appearances for the Yorkshire club across all competitions, chipping in with seven goals and five assists along the way (per Transfermarkt). He is the Owls’ second-highest rated player so far this season according to WhoScored performance metrics, with a squad-high two interceptions per game illustrating his importance in stifling opposition attacks.

Looking ahead to the Oxford clash today, we feel that if Hutchinson in fully fit enough to play, he should definitely be in the starting XI, playing in whichever position Moore thinks he is needed.

In other news: Moore must ruthlessly axe £450k-rated dud v Oxford, he’s not good enough 

Reported Wolverhampton Wanderers target Sven Botman has revealed Bruno Lage’s side made an offer for his services this summer.

What’s the talk?

In a recent interview with Dutch media outlet NOS (via TEAMtalk), the LOSC Lille centre-back confirmed that Wolves made an approach to the Ligue 1 Champions regarding his signing in the summer transfer window, as well as suggesting that he was open to a move to the Premier League side.

When asked whether the rumours regarding a switch to Wolves were true, the 21-year-old said: “I can’t lie about that.”

As for why he ultimately remained in France, the defender continued: “[It came] from the club, but I didn’t think that was a bad idea in the end. I have a starting place and play in the Champions League, so it certainly wasn’t wrong to stay. In football, sometimes things go quickly, but I believe that, in the end, everything will fall into place.”

However, while Wolves ultimately failed to get a deal for the Netherlands U21 international over the line this summer, Lage recently stated that centre-back will be a position in which he looks to strengthen this January, suggesting that a move for Botman could once again be on the cards this winter.

Fosun must move

Considering just how impressive Botman has been for Lille in recent seasons, in addition to summer signing Yerson Mosquera’s long-term injury and Romain Saiss and Willy Boly’s likely absences in January due to the Africa Cup of Nations, it would certainly appear wise for Fosun to reignite their interest in the 21-year-old this winter.

Indeed, over his nine Ligue 1 appearances for Jocelyn Gourvennec’s side this term, the €40m-rated (£34m) man has scored one goal and helped his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 0.6 interceptions, one tackle, 4.4 clearances and winning 4.2 duels per game.

These returns have seen the player Christophe Galtier dubbed a “leader” average a SofaScore match rating of 6.96, ranking him as Lille’s sixth-best performer in the top flight of French football.

The defender has also impressed over his two appearances in the Champions League this season, helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of one interception, one tackle, 3.5 clearances and winning six duels per fixture, with these returns seeing the £19k-per-week defender average a SofaScore match rating of 6.95.

As such, the signing of Botman this January would not only solve one of Lage’s biggest problems at Molineux – a considerable lack of depth in the heart of his defence – it would also undoubtedly raise the level of the 45-year-old’s options at the back, something that would only appear to bode well for the club’s top-half Premier League ambitions this season.

In other news: Wolves could be set for big boost after key development, fans surely buzzing

A journalist has dropped a definitive blow to Everton hopes of signing Denzel Dumfries.

The Lowdown: Dumfries linked

There have been various reports over the last few weeks linking Dumfries with a move to Goodison Park.

Bild (via Sport Witness) claimed that they were among the ‘hottest contenders’ to sign the PSV ace in the summer window, as they look to try and find a long-term replacement for the ageing Seamus Coleman.

The Latest: Dumfries blow

Speaking at De Oranjezomer of Veronica Inside (via Voetbal Primeur), De Telegraaf football journalist Valentijn Driessen has claimed that Dumfries is set to join Inter Milan, even though the Toffees ‘had the best papers’:

“Everton simply had the best papers. Only you have to have money to get someone. And Raiola is of course close with Inter.

From what I understood, Dumfries would now be on his way to Inter with Raiola. As we speak, Inter has the best papers to bring him in. They sold Achraf Hakimi, so they’re really looking for a right back. That’s a bit of the same type.”

The Verdict: Shame

It is a real shame that the Blues look set to miss out on signing Dumfries, as he could have turned out to be a real asset for them.

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The Netherlands international caught the eye at Euro 2020, scoring two goals in the group stages from right-back (Sofascore).

He showed his attacking exploits at club level in the 2020/21 season too, scoring four times and making a further nine assists in 41 matches in total over all competitions (Transfermarkt).

At 25 years of age, Dumfries has still not reached his peak yet, and given that he is already the captain of PSV, he could have been the perfect ready-made replacement for Coleman once his time at EFC comes to an end.

In other news, find out what Fabrizio Romano transfer update has Evertonians fuming here!