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Leeds United have confirmed that fan favourite, Gaetano Berardi, will be leaving the club when his contract expires this summer and according to former Leeds midfielder David Norris, it is because he does not have the required quality to perform in the Premier League.

Marcelo Bielsa paid both Berardi and Pablo Hernandez a tribute as the two players have amassed a total of 330 appearances for the club between them but Sunday will be their last opportunity to pull on the Leeds shirt.

Berardi has been unfortunate as he suffered a cruciate ligament injury at the end of the club’s Championship-winning season which has seen him miss almost the entirety of their Premier League campaign.

The defender was a great servant for the club in the Championship but he just lacks that little bit of extra quality that Bielsa desires, according to Norris, who spoke exclusively to The Transfer Tavern:

“Bielsa has those expectations of what he wants from each player in their respective position and he knows exactly what he wants from every player and I can imagine they will be quite high standards but Berardi is still a very good player. 

“Berardi has done it in the Championship for Leeds so he’s obviously got some quality, but it might just be that he doesn’t have that little bit of extra quality Bielsa wants in the Premier League.”

The 32-year old fortunately did get a chance to play for Leeds in the Premier League against Southampton when he was brought on to replace Diego Llorente in the second half.

Before making his Premier League debut, Berardi had been named on the bench by Bielsa for 10 of the club’s last 11 league games and many fans would like to see him and Hernandez play one last time at Elland Road on Sunday.

Former Newcastle United and England midfielder Rob Lee has told Football FanCast that Leeds would be taking a gamble by appointing Massimiliano Allegri to replace Marcelo Bielsa as manager.

The Argentinian has been with the club since 2018 and has overseen their rise from the Championship to the Premier League.

He has been exceptional this season, too, with Leeds currently 11th and looking up the table rather than down.

However, his contract expires at the end of the season and there have been reports of Leeds putting a contingency plan in place in case Bielsa does decide to move on.

Allegri has been mentioned as a potential recruit, with journalist Duncan Castles, via The Sun, naming the former Juventus boss as a potential replacement.

Lee hopes that Bielsa stays at the club but he has urged Leeds to tread carefully, with foreign managers being rather hit and miss in the Premier League.

He told FFC: “I think you always take a chance when you bring a foreign manager in.

“Bielsa’s done it at Leeds so it does work but I think it was slightly different because he was in the Championship. He’s brought the club up.

“When you bring a foreign manager in and chuck them straight into Leeds, as good as Allegri would be, you’re always taking a chance on whether he gets to grips with the Premier League, with where Leeds is, with whether the players like him. I hope Bielsa stays because I think he’s been brilliant.”

Lee believes Bielsa operates differently to most managers and has hailed the success he has found at Elland Road.

Indeed, he believes it will not be Leeds’ decision if he stays, rather Bielsa’s.

He added: “Bielsa’s done brilliantly, I love him. I think he’s a breath of fresh air. He’s different. He does things differently.

“And I presume it’ll be his decision whether he wants to stay in England. I don’t think he’ll manage anybody else in England but whether he wants to be around and do that (is up to him).”

Leicester City have been linked with a move for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham ahead of the upcoming transfer window.

What’s the story?

The 23-year-old England international has been heavily linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge after struggling for game time with his boyhood club since Thomas Tuchel arrived back in December.

According to the Leicester Mercury, the Foxes are among several Premier League clubs interested in Abraham’s services, with a £40m fee reportedly required to prize him away from west London.

Replacement for Vardy?

Although Jamie Vardy remains an extremely useful asset for Brendan Rodgers, bagging 15 goals and providing nine assists in all competitions this season, the 34-year-old is undoubtedly slowing down and it’s time that the club start thinking about getting a replacement in.

The former England international has only scored one goal in his last 13 top-flight appearances, and Leicester’s lack of strength in depth up-front significantly limits their options compared to many of their domestic rivals.

Rodgers has often had the luxury of a top-class striker to call upon throughout his managerial career, Luis Suarez at Liverpool, Moussa Dembele and Celtic and then Vardy at the King Power Stadium, but the latter’s powers are certainly on the wain.

Abraham could provide the perfect solution to Leicester’s striking problem, while the new FA Cup holders could offer the 6 ft 2 forward the ideal way out of his Chelsea nightmare.

It’s a transfer the Midlands outfit’s board must sanction if they want to provide Rodgers with his next natural goalscorer and carry on the incredible progress that the Northern Irishman has overseen during his short time at the club.

Before Abraham made enjoyed success in the Chelsea first team, he made a name for himself on loan at Aston Villa, where he played under John Terry after impressing the former Blues captain during their time together at Cobham.

“I know him very well, having played with him at Chelsea. He’s been incredible here.

“He was the Academy player that when coming over to train with the first team, me and Gary Cahill used to think, ‘oh no, here we go!’ You knew he was going to come over and put himself about – run the channels, score goals, be hungry, be passionate,” recalled the Villa assistant.

“As one of the older ones in the group, I just wanted a nice easy day against a middle-aged striker! Tammy always posed a big threat, and I knew he’d go on and do well.”

Abraham is too good to rot on the Chelsea bench for any longer, and with European football of some description guaranteed for Leicester next season, it’s a move that the Foxes simply have to make.

And, in other news…Leicester City must sanction audacious swoop for “world-class” £120k-p/w workhorse – opinion

Speaking to Football Insider, pundit and Sky Sports regular Kevin Phillips has reacted to claims involving West Ham United star Declan Rice after club insider Claret & Hugh shared Manchester United’s rather bizarre new transfer stance.

The Lowdown: United interest cools for Rice

Recently, insider C&H shared news from United in regards to a swoop for star man Rice – with the outlet claiming that Red Devils scouts are having second thoughts over the price tag and his lack of pace.

This comes after heavy links with a move to Old Trafford, with the 22-year-old West Ham star also attracting recent interest from the likes of Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea.

Any club that comes in for Rice would have invest heavily, however, as GSB apparently value him upwards of £100 million.

The Latest: Phillips reacts to Rice claim

In reaction to C&H’s claim involving United scouts and West Ham’s star asset, Phillips is amazed over the alleged stance on Rice from United officials.

However, he also believes this could come as ‘great news’ for the Irons overall.

“I do not think it is a fair assessment saying Rice is too slow,” he explained to FI.

“I think he covers the ground quite well. He is a bit like Jordan Henderson. It is not his kind of role.

“It amazes me when people say he is too slow. Look at McTominay, I’d say Declan is a bit quicker than him.

“It is great news for West Ham though. The more that pull out the better for them! David Moyes will be hoping they all think he is too slow!”

The Verdict: West Ham should be overjoyed…

One big fear for West Ham is losing Rice in the summer and it’s safe to say his exit would be a huge blow to manager David Moyes.

A lot will depend on whether the Irons secure European qualification at the end of this season, and a previously unprecedented surge into the Champions League places could increase the odds of Rice committing his future.

C&H’s news that United scouts have took a bizarre fresh stance on star man definitely comes a boost given that’s one less horse allegedly dropping out of the race.

Phillips certainly has every right to call it ‘great news’ for West Ham.

In other news: West Ham fans want this prolific star signed, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has admitted that he is worried about his old side losing Jack Grealish this summer.

The 25-year-old attacking midfielder has had a bright campaign, scoring six goals and creating a further 10 in the Premier League, and is now attracting interest from other clubs.

In fact, according to Football Insider, Grealish is Manchester City’s top target for the next transfer window, with the player said to be open to the idea of joining Pep Guardiola’s side.

It has now left Hendrie fearing the worst, with the ex-Villa player sharing his concerns in an exclusive interview with FFC.

When asked whether the Villans are at risk of losing some of their star names this summer like Ollie Watkins, he said:

“There’s always that element of do you lose your big players [once they reach England international level]. To be honest with you, out of that Villa squad, I’m more worried about losing Jack Grealish. That’s the main one because I feel that he sets the bar really for that whole Villa squad.”

Manchester United are another club who are said to be admirers of Grealish, meaning there could be a real transfer tussle for the England international if Villa do decide to sell in the summer.

Norwich City have joined the race to sign Celtic defender Kristoffer Ajer this summer.

That’s according to a report from The Scottish Sun, who claim that Canaries boss Daniel Farke wants a new centre-back at Carrow Road ahead of the 2021/22 season.

They claim that Ajer is preparing to quit Parkhead in the summer with just over 12 months left on his Celtic contract.

Norwich sporting director Stuart Webber appears to have a close eye on Ajer ahead of the club’s return to the English top flight, with the 37-year-old watching the Norway international in action in recent weeks.

Ajer, who has missed two league games all season, is valued at £3.6m by Transfermarkt, however, reports earlier this month suggested that Newcastle were preparing an £8m offer, so his actual value is likely much more than £3.6m.

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Transfer Tavern take

It seems as if Celtic have a similar situation with Ajer to the one they have with Odsonne Edouard.

The French forward is ready to leave the Hoops over the coming months, regardless of who comes in as the new Celtic manager.

In our view, Celtic may have to cash in on both in the upcoming window, and, in a way, Norwich’s interest could actually help the Bhoys bring in a sizeable fee for the towering centre-back.

The Hoops could be shrewd by playing both Premier League clubs off against each other, which could result in them maximising their profits.

Ajer only cost Celtic £520,000 in 2016, so they look set to make a profit – the question is how much.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano drops major 11-word update; could be of interest to Celtic and Dominic McKay, find out more here.

Former Leeds United striker Noel Whelan believes that Robin Koch can continue to shine in a midfield role for the Whites moving forward.

Leeds lost 2-0 away to Brighton on Saturday afternoon in what was a rare off-day after an impressive recent run of form. Koch took up a defensive midfield role in the absence of Kalvin Phillips, performing solidly despite the disappointing nature of the result as he won 11 duels and five tackles.

Koch tipped to continue as midfield option

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that the ‘magnificent’ 24-year-old could carry on being an option in midfield for Marcelo Bielsa, as well as his preferred centre-back position. The pundit said:

“I’ve seen enough from Koch to suggest he could play that role long-term.  Even though he has only played in that position a couple of times you can see that he has the capabilities to do it. I have no doubt about that.

“He was competitive in midfield against Brighton. He was getting on the ball and trying to find space.

“I felt sorry for him though because it is difficult to gauge whether he can play in that role long-term when everyone else is playing below par. I cannot be 100 per cent confident that he can understudy for Phillips on that performance because everyone around him was a six out of 10 and some of them not even that.

“Could Koch step into an international’s role? The signs are encouraging. I think he has all of the attributes.”

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Transfer Tavern take

While Koch can fill in at the base of midfield when required, it is still important that Leeds sign a more natural backup to Phillips, as has been rumoured in recent days. The German has his limitations in that position, only keeping possession 79% of the time against Brighton and playing no key passes on what was his first appearance in defensive midfield for Bielsa’s side this season.

Phillips, in comparison, averages an 84.8% pass completion rate and 1.3 key passes per match this season – if he were to get injured for a long period in 2021/22, Koch wouldn’t really be a reliable enough deputy over a sustained period despite Whelan’s endorsement.

In other news, Leeds are believed to be interested in signing an alternative to one player this summer. Read more here.

A number of Liverpool supporters have been calling for Sadio Mane to leave at the end of the season, following a dreadful run of form.

The 28-year-old has been an incredible player for the Reds, joining from Southampton in 2016 and being a hugely important figure ever since.

Mane helped take Liverpool up another gear, and along with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, he has made up one-third of arguably Europe’s best attack in the last three or four years.

For possibly the first time at Liverpool, however, the Senegalese superstar is going through an extremely hard time, playing with no confidence and form whatsoever.

Mane has only scored three Premier League goals since the middle of October and seems to have completely lost his spark for the time being.

His performance against Real Madrid in midweek was particularly poor and supporters appear to be losing faith in Liverpool’s No.10.

Liverpool fans call for Mane to leave

Incredibly, some Reds supporters have taken to a Twitter calling for Mane to leave this summer.

“Time to sell and get Mbappe”

Credit: @mikedyrated

“If someone said to me for Mbappe to come to Liverpool you get rid of Mane I would get rid of him”

Credit: @_Simraann

“Sadio Mane’s been that bad this season I honestly wouldn’t feel too bad if we were to sell him this summer. His performances have been unacceptable. Firmino just as bad”

Credit: @Strictly_Scouse

“He’s off in the summer”

Credit: @jaywhittakerbhp

“Sell Mane”

Credit: @Vic21Mc

“Mane needs to be sold”

Credit: @curtisjonesla

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting positively to a fresh transfer claim. Find out who the player in question is here.

Leicester City continue to be linked with a number of arrivals ahead of what could be an extremely busy summer transfer window.

From forwards to goalkeepers, a long list of potential signings has been produced, with the latest added to that being Fenerbahce defender Attila Szalai according to Hungarian publication Blikk.

He could be the perfect arrival for Leicester and Brendan Rodgers.

Since arriving in Turkey from Apollon Limassol in January, the 23-year-old has very quickly forged himself an indisputable spot in the club’s starting XI having played every minute of the last 12 SuperLig matches.

Standing at 6 foot 3, Szalai has been dominant in the heart of the Fener defence, producing a huge 1.9 tackles and interceptions each, as well as a further 2.7 clearances and 0.7 blocks per game according to WhoScored.

For comparison, these are numbers that are even greater than the statistics currently being chalked up by Foxes’ defender Caglar Soyuncu.

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With the Turk also being somewhat lesser known upon his move to the King Power Stadium in 2018, Szalai could certainly emulate his success in the East-Midlands should the Foxes make a move.

They certainly should consider it too.

Of the four current central defensive options, two of those are on the wrong side of 30, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans, with it also looking likely that the Jamaican could potentially hang up his boots sooner rather than later.

With Filip Benkovic also not having broken through yet under Rodgers, this lack of viable options could cost Leicester as they potentially embark on yet another European campaign next season should they suffer any injuries.

The addition of the promising Szalai could definitely be welcome in that case.

With the 20-year-old Wesley Fofana having established himself as a key part of the Foxes back-line, having a sheer brute in Szalai could offer the perfect compliment to the more technically gifted Frenchman – the former St Etienne man averages an impressive 86.1% pass accuracy.

So, of the potential transfer targets for Leicester heading into the summer transfer window, the young Hungarian should certainly be right at the top.

AND in more news, find out which on-loan star must be included in Rodgers’ plans next season…

Aston Villa could wave goodbye to a hugely disappointing Ross Barkley this summer by signing Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia.

The man on loan from Chelsea has endured a poor campaign at Villa Park, scoring just three goals in 21 Premier League games and only providing the one assist. All but one of those contributions came prior to the November international break.

Reports in recent days have suggested that Dean Smith’s side have made the decision not to sign him on a permanent basis this summer, and it’s no surprise given the below-par displays he has put in this season.

Speaking after he was substituted in the second half against Leicester last month, Sky Sports pundit Alex Scott slammed the 27-year-old’s performance, saying: “For me it’s another missed opportunity for Ross Barkley to show up and demand, he’s been subbed off again and you can see in his face he’s not happy. But how many chances does a player need?

“You need to take it upon yourself. There’s only so many chances that he can be deserving. He’s missed another opportunity today.”

If Barkley leaves as expected, then Villa should be looking at none other than Buendia – a player who Lee Hendrie has insisted would be near the top of his summer shopping list.

The former Villa ace told This Is Futbol: “I think a big club will definitely try and take him. I know you can say he’s done it in the Championship, but you could say that about (Said) Benrahma, you could say that about Ollie Watkins.

“I feel that Buendia, I mean we’ve seen him in a very good Norwich side in the Championship, I feel in a Villa side… wow. If I could say or had a big say in bringing players in, he’s the one on top of my list that I would bring into Aston Villa.”

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The £19.8m-rated playmaker has been dubbed a “revelation” by Chris Sutton and has enjoyed a stellar season at Carrow Road, scoring an incredible 12 goals and providing a further 16 assists. Buendia’s contributions have fired Norwich to the brink of Premier League promotion, currently sat top of the Championship table.

Given Barkley’s virtually nonexistent end product this season – a total of four goals and assists in the Premier League is a shocking return – bringing in Buendia would allow Smith to wave goodbye to the on-loan liability.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign Jack Grealish’s perfect partner in this star…