West Ham United captain Kevin Nolan wants players and referees to show each other more respect on the pitch.

Referee Mark Clattenburg is under investigation by the Police, the FA and Chelsea following allegations made against him during their 3-2 Premier League defeat to Manchester United last weekend.

But the Hammers midfielder believes what is said on the pitch should stay on the pitch and that players and referees should shake hands after the game and move on.

Nolan told Sky Sports: “The amount of stick they get from us [the players], people shouting at them and saying things.

“We are all men and, and as long as there is no racism or things like that, then we should all be able to speak to each other like men.

“When you walk off you should shake hands. It has always been the same. It is a respect thing. I have been quite surprised with what has happened this week but you never know the full story until it comes out so we will see.”

Nolan went on to admit that it is good to have banter with referees but recognises that some people may not see it that way.

“All the referees I have come across have been great. You want them to have a bit of banter with you or give you some stick back. I certainly prefer that.

“But some people might see it as not the right thing to do.”

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The journey back to the Premier League has been a long and troublesome one for Leeds United. Once Champions League semi-finalists, the Yorkshire club’s unique financial situation in the early 2000’s triggered a spectacular fall from grace, that had them playing in League One under administration less than a decade after their European escapades.

But now, with new owners that have relieved the dictatorial Ken Bates from his duties, and a new manager with promotion experience in Brian McDermott, the view from Elland Road is unusually optimistic ahead of yet another Championship campaign, as Leeds set their sights on returning to the English top flight after a nine year absence.

But the former Reading boss will need some help if he’s going to turn around The Whites’ fortunes over night, and where better to start than the transfer market?

With that in mind, we take a look at the TEN Premier League players, who are interested in taking a step down this summer that could seriously improve Leeds’ promotion chances next season.

Click on Shola Ameobi to reveal TEN Premier League rejects for Leeds United

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TalkSPORTTalkSPORT presenter Laura Woods has claimed that new Leeds boss Jesse Marsch will likely be more defensive than Marcelo Bielsa.

The Lowdown: All change

The Whites decided to part ways with Bielsa on Sunday following three-and-a-half years in charge after the 4-0 defeat to Tottenham at Elland Road.

That defeat capped off a horrid month for Leeds, who became the first Premier League side to concede 20 goals in a month and have now let in 60 for the season.

Marsch was swiftly appointed as the Argentine’s successor, penning a deal to 2025, with his first game in charge at Leicester City on Saturday lunchtime.

The Latest: Woods’ comments

TalkSPORTTalkSPORT presenter Woods said this on-air regarding Marsch ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium, claiming she’s heard the American might be more ‘defensive’ compared to Bielsa.

“I’ve also heard that [Marsch] might be a little more defensive. They do need to do something obviously to stop shipping those goals.”

The Verdict: Needed

Phil Hay shared a story on The Athletic on Wednesday, looking at what a typical Marsch team looks like. He identified similarities to Bielsa’s Leeds in regards to intensity and ‘passes per defensive action’, but it is expected that Marsch will deviate away from the man-marking system fans have become accustomed to at Elland Road.

Doing that may well help the column which reads goals conceded between now and the end of the season, which could play a big part in Leeds avoiding relegation.

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While it may dull the typical excitement of this Leeds squad, Woods’ claim about Marsch being more defensive appears to be needed, especially as the Whites have conceded at least three times in each of the last five games.

In other news: Leeds coach now set to stay at Thorp Arch alongside Marsch after Bielsa sacking. 

While the likes of David Beckham and Reece Oxford may be among the more familiar names of former academy players who have left Spurs, one man who has carved out a very successful career himself, but to very little fanfare, is Yuri Berchiche.

In a piece done by Football.London’s Alasdair Gold back in the summer of 2020, he wrote: “The Spaniard Berchiche is technically a product of Real Sociedad’s academy before moving at 16 to Athletic Bilbao. Spurs then snapped him up a year later and brought him into their academy.

“He impressed in the youth sides, but never made the breakthrough into the senior set-up. A loan to Cheltenham Town in League One, where he made just seven appearances, did nothing to convince Harry Redknapp to give him a shot.”

In July 2009, Berchiche returned to his native Spain, and hasn’t looked back since, becoming a regular at the likes of Bilbao and Real Socidedad, and even enjoying a brief stint with French giants PSG.

Indeed, his time with the Parisiens saw him lift the league title, the French Cup, and the French League Cup too, completing a domestic treble during the 2017/2018 campaign.

After leaving Paris, he returned home to Bilbao in 2018, and the now 32-year-old has been a permanent fixture for the Basque side.

The left-back has struggled for fitness this season, restricting him to just ten appearances in all competitions, but he has amassed well over 100 games for the club in total.

His contract at Bilbao contains a massive €100m (£90m) release clause, and while it’s highly unlikely any team would pay anywhere near that kind of figure to sign him now, he has been the kind of steady performer that a team like Spurs would surely have benefitted from over the years.

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Given Spurs’ struggles to fill that left-back spot in recent seasons – this campaign has seen Antonio Conte switch between Sergio Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon – the reliable Berchiche could have been a major help.

Meanwhile, Leeds are eyeing this attacker…

Celtic loanee Boli Bolingoli looks set to return to Parkhead in the coming days.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Celtic Way, who claim that, following the news that FIFA will allow foreign players can suspend and/or cancel their contracts with Russian Premier League sides, the left-back could be set to make a return to Glasgow from FC Ufa in the very near future.

The 26-year-old had agreed a temporary move to the relegation-threatened Russian club towards the end of February, however, considering the horrendous situation currently ongoing in Eastern Europe, the Belgian defender will more than likely be returning to Celtic after just two weeks of his loan spell.

Postecoglou will be gutted

While it goes without saying that the safety of footballers is and always will be the priority in circumstances such as these, the fact that Celtic had been trying to get Bolingoli off of their books for over a year, only for the player to make a return to the club a little over a fortnight after finally agreeing a move away, is sure to have left Postecoglou gutted.

Indeed, it is clear that the £1.35m-rated left-back does not feature in the 56-year-old’s first-team plans, having made just two appearances under the Greek-Australian manager this season, as well as being completely left out of all but one other of Postecoglou’s Premiership matchday squads this term.

Furthermore, Neil Lennon also expelled the defender from his squad after Bolingoli was found to have broken lockdown restrictions back in 2020, with the former Celtic boss labelling the £15k-per-week man a “rogue.”

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As such, considering just how badly things have gone for Bolingoli since his £3m move to Celtic back in 2019, not only will the player’s impending return to Glasgow be a source of frustration for Postecoglou, but it will also be for the Belgian himself – as it is certain the defender would have greatly appreciated the opportunity to kickstart his career again after a nightmare stint at Parkhead.

In other news: Left for £0, now worth £58.5m: Celtic had nightmare on “complete” £160k-p/w “monster”

Newcastle United are reportedly ‘in the race’ to sign Ludovic Blas this summer.

The Lowdown: Strong season

The 24-year-old is having a strong season at Nantes, racking up 12 goals and a further two assists in 31 games across all competitions, mainly operating from midfield (Transfermarkt).

He has certainly made an impression on his team-mate and former Liverpool man Pedro Chirivella, who described him as a ‘pure talent’ and an ‘incredible’ and ‘spectacular’ player earlier this campaign.

The Spaniard even likened him to former Reds team-mates Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho (So Foot).

The Latest: Newcastle in the race for Blas

As per journalist Jacque Talbot, Newcastle are now ‘in the race’ to sign Blas, along with West Ham United.

Watford did hold an interest in the January transfer window, but the distinct possibility of them being relegated at the end of the season has put him off a move to Vicarage Road.

Talbot noted that Blas would only cost €20m (£16.8m), as the midfielder only has a year left on his contract in France.

The Verdict: Bargain

Blas is only 24 years of age, so he has probably not reached his peak yet. Therefore, paying less than £17m would be somewhat of a bargain in today’s market for such a prolific player, regardless of his contract situation.

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Interestingly, he shares the same agent as both Kieran Trippier and Chris Wood, two players who were signed by the Magpies in January, so there definitely seems a deal to be done for the Tynesiders.

In other news, NUFC could be set for a ‘massive boost’

Celtic centre-forward Giorgos Giakoumakis has been in exceptional form of late for the Hoops and is finally making a name for himself at Parkhead.

The Greece international has scored nine goals in his last seven matches for the club in all competitions, including two Premiership hat-tricks against Dundee FC and Ross County respectively.

He joined Celtic from VVV-Venlo for a reported fee of £2.5m last summer, and Ange Postecoglou explained why he hit his peak late in his career, saying:

“Giako had a disrupted time in the first few years of his professional career.

“Sometimes when that happens it just means they blossom a bit later and hit their peak a bit later. Hopefully his best years are well ahead of him, not just in the next couple. He had a great season in Holland last year and that brought him to the attention of a lot of clubs, not just us.”

Dynamic duo

No… not Batman & Robin but Postecoglou can form his own defence-fighting duo by unleashing Kyogo Furuhashi and Giakoumakis alongside each other before the end of the season.

Whilst the Greek attacker has been thriving on his own at the top end of the pitch, he could hit another level by forming a partnership with Kyogo upon the Japan international’s return from injury.

He is currently sidelined with a knock but the head coach has hinted that he will back for “the run-in” and this means that he could be available in the final weeks of the campaign. This will be a huge boost for the Hoops, as he scored 16 goals in 24 matches in the first half of the season.

The forward, who was brought in for £4.6m last summer, previously earned high praise from ex-Celtic striker John Hartson. He told The Sunday Post [05/09 print edition, via 67HailHail]:

“There is no doubt Celtic have landed someone quite special in Kyogo. His movement is outstanding.

“It was a pity he couldn’t get more involved against Rangers, but when he moved into the central role, he was an absolute menace to their defence.”

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The pair were brought to Parkhead for just over £7m combined and Postecoglou must play them alongside each other up front before the end of the campaign. They have both proven that they can score goals on a regular basis for the club, so imagine what they could do to the opposition when they are both poaching in the box and attempting to get on the end of crosses in the Premiership.

It will give defences two hitman to concentrate on and that could, in turn, mean Celtic creat more chances, leading to confusion and gaps opening up. Instead of being able to focus on marking one deadly striker out of the game, teams will need to deal with two of them and that would result in defenders being dragged around and run ragged if Kyogo and Giakoumakis are on their top form.

AND in other news, Celtic now handed major boost ahead of Old Firm clash, Postecoglou surely buzzing…

Journalist David Anderson has provided an update on Leeds United winger Raphinha, amid links of a summer move to Barcelona.

The Lowdown: Costa and Summerville links

Raphinha, who Jesse Marsch has already forged a great relationship with since arriving at Elland Road, isn’t the only Whites attacker who could be on the move this summer. Helder Costa is currently on loan at Valencia, who have an option to make a move permanent in the summer.

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Meanwhile, youngster Crysencio Summerville is still being linked with an Elland Road exit after a move to Hamburg fell through in January, with the German side still keen on his services.

Raphinha, the highest-profile player of the three, may also be on the way out, with his agent Deco in talks with the Catalan giants.

The Latest: Anderson’s post

Anderson took to Twitter on Monday morning, claiming Leeds won’t sell the Brazilian on the cheap.

The journalist also added that there isn’t a release clause in Raphinha’s contract, should the club remain in the Premier League.

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“Leeds will not sell Raphinha on the cheap to Barcelona with the Spanish giants understood to be preparing a £33.5million offer. Also Raphinha does not have an escape clause in his contract in the Premier League.”

The Verdict: Good news

Should Raphinha play his part and help Leeds guarantee their top-flight status, then the Whites will be in total control when it comes to the winger’s future. That is obviously good news, with Leeds then able to call the shots in talks with Barcelona as their star man enters the final two years of his current deal.

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Of course, Marsch’s side will need to pick up points in their final eight games to ensure they’ll be playing Premier League football next season, and if they do just that, a big-money move to the Nou Camp could be on the cards for Raphinha.

His current Transfermarkt valuation stands at a career-high £40.5m, so you’d expect Leeds chiefs will hold out for a fee way above that figure.

In other news: Orta now ‘open’ to signing ‘unbelievable’ Raphinha replacement who’s scored vs Leeds this season. 

Newcastle United have added FC Porto’s Otavio to their transfer shortlist, Portuguese publication A Bola (via Sport Witness) report. 

The lowdown

Otavio’s primary position is right midfield but he’s showcased some impressive versatility in his career.

He’s played 81 games as an attacking midfielder and 67 as either a left midfielder or a left winger.

The Portuguese has made 40 appearances for Porto so far this season, starting 25 out of a possible 27 Primeira Liga matches for the unbeaten leaders.

The latest

The report states that Newcastle United have taken a liking to Otavio, who’s now very much ‘on their radar’.

Newcastle officials have been spotted at Porto matches ‘multiple times’ to run the rule over the talent in Sergio Conceicao’s side.

His profile apparently matches the criteria established by The Magpies’ recruitment team.

Otavio’s contract includes a release clause of €60million, which equates to about £51million.

The verdict

Would Otavio be a good signing for The Magpies? Well, he may only have scored five goals this season, but his tally of 12 assists is more impressive.

Indeed, only two players in the squad – Mehdi Taremi (16) and Fabio Vieira (13) – can better that tally.

What’s more, he’s only shown an eagerness to contribute out of possession, leading the way in the Porto ranks for tackles per 90 minutes with 3.3.

His aforementioned versatility means he’d be able to compete with Allan Saint-Maximin, Ryan Fraser and even midfielders like Joe Willock and Joelinton for places.

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And if Newcastle chiefs were watching him in action for Portugal last week, they were surely impressed.

Otavio scored the opening goal as Fernando Santos’ men beat Turkey 3-1 to move within one win of qualifying for the World Cup, eclipsing the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Diogo Jota with his SofaScore rating of 8.0/10.

In other news, Steve Nickson is eyeing this Serie A gem.

Manchester United and INEOS are now reportedly holding internal discussions about the possibility of signing a Premier League star in the January transfer window.

INEOS holding talks about signing Premier League star

It’s an open secret that Man United are chasing a midfield reinforcement in the January transfer window after Ruben Amorim was hit with one injury too many in recent weeks.

As things stand, Amorim is without Bruno Fernandes following his ill-timed injury and has the untrusted Manuel Ugarte and Kobbie Mainoo to call on alongside the ageing Casemiro. On the hunt for Champions League qualification, to say those options are far from ideal would be an understatement.

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So, INEOS have got to work. Ahead of the winter window, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and co. have reportedly set their sights on Ruben Neves, Adam Wharton and several others.

Neves has been a name particularly mentioned as of late, as he looks to complete a move back to the Premier League. Find a way past his Saudi salary and there’s no doubt that he could emerge as an excellent solution to Man United’s problems.

There’s also doubts about Mainoo’s future. The Carrington graduate has struggled for game-time since the arrival of Amorim and after his brother was spotted wearing a “free Kobbie Mainoo” T-shirt at Old Trafford, a number of exit rumours have emerged.

Reports have suggested that the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich have set their sights on Mainoo, although it remains to be seen whether Amorim decides to block his exit.

If he does leave then James Garner may become a serious option. According to the Daily Mail, INEOS are now holding conversations about signing Garner from Everton next month.

Man Utd could land bargain deal for Garner

Among all the rumours that INEOS could splash the cash next year, Garner represents a bargain deal. The Everton star is entering the final six months of his current contract in Merseyside and could yet leave the club as a free agent.

This means that the Toffees are likely to only have one final chance to cash in on their midfielder in January, potentially allowing United to offer a cut-price deal to their own benefit.

The obstacle for United is that Everton are still trying to convince the Carrington graduate to sign a new deal at the club and manager David Moyes hasn’t kept his admiration for Garner a secret.

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The veteran manager told reporters earlier this season: “He’s been fantastic since I came in. I didn’t realise probably how good he was. He’s been so good.

“He’s played great in midfield and he’s played full-back for me as well. I’ve said a couple of times recently he’s probably getting closer to getting talked about for England because of his performances.

“By the way, England have got so many good players to select from, so for anyone to select a team [is difficult]. I’ve been listening to discussions all week about (Phil) Foden and (Jude) Bellingham, etc., but all I’m saying is Jimmy is one of the group of young English midfield players who maybe in the future has a chance of getting a call-up.”