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Leeds United continue to be linked to a multitude of managers, with Andrea Radrizzani struggling to narrow down his search for a successor to Jesse Marsch…

When has Nuno been linked to Leeds?

One of the latest to be mentioned in the conversation for the Elland Road vacancy is Nuno Espirito Santo, who departed from English football just 16 months ago but could now be set for a sensational return.

The former goalkeeper had impressed at the helm of Wolverhampton Wanderers before enduring a tough spell at Tottenham Hotspur which rerouted his coaching career to Saudi Arabia.

According to a report by The Athletic from late last week, he has been mentioned in discussions among the Whites’ hierarchy, and the Portuguese coach would reportedly be keen on a return to the Premier League.

Would Nuno be as bad as Marsch?

Hiring the pragmatic 49-year-old might offer a wholly different style to Marsch, who was dismissed a week ago today, but could bear the same results.

There was one glaring issue with both of the teams that Nuno managed whilst in England, and that was a lack of goalscoring impetus. During his time at Molineux, his statistics were somewhat bolstered by Wolves’ stint as comfortably the best team in the Championship in 2017/18, but upon earning promotion his side had a -4 goal difference across his 114 matches in the Premier League.

Then, during his short stint at Tottenham in 2021, his team scored just nine goals in ten top-flight matches and conceded 16, leaving little wonder as to why he was subsequently sacked.

With that being his most recent foray into management in the UK, it marks a searing indictment of his potential appointment at Elland Road if Spurs could hardly score despite boasting prolific talents like Harry Kane (283 senior club goals) and Heung-min Son (188), whilst lacking any solidity at the back.

Therefore, to take over a struggling Leeds team which has already shipped 38 goals in 22 Premier League games would be a recipe for disaster.

Even Marsch had managed to see his team score 52 times during 37 matches in charge in Yorkshire, despite his questionable defensive ideals as 60 goals went in at the other end.

Nuno’s tenure in north London was tough, with Alan Hutton outlining the frailties that he thought had lost the 49-year-old his job, saying: “Yes, he’s only been given 10 games in the league and 17 in total but we’ve not seen any progression. To this day, we don’t know how they were trying to play. Were they a counter-attacking team? Were they a possession-based team?

“I mean, they hadn’t had a shot on target in over two hours. From a team with players like that, top internationals, that’s embarrassing. Tottenham were shocking, let’s not dress it up. They were terrible.”

To appoint someone who had suffered so dearly in his most recent job in English football, with a far more potent squad than the one he might inherit at Leeds, could prove to be Radrizzani’s greatest blunder, even more so than hiring the much-maligned American.

Footage has emerged which shows VAR ignored a potential push in the back on Tottenham Hotspur’s Richarlison during their midweek Champions League tie.

The Lowdown: Spurs lucky to still be in the game

While losing the first leg would have never been the plan for Spurs or Antonio Conte, the fact that AC Milan squandered two huge chances to potentially put the game to bed will make them feel this narrow defeat isn’t too bad.

Tottenham did indeed have chances of their own as Eric Dier mistimed his jump when unmarked less than 10 yards from the goal as his header bounced wide of the goal without troubling Milan goalkeeper Ciprian Tatarusanu.

Spurs certainly weren’t threatening last night, mustering up an expected goals ratio of just 0.5 (as per FBref), but skipper Harry Kane could well have been handed a glorious chance to level things up had Richarlison been awarded a penalty.

The Latest: VAR ignores push in the back

As Richarlison was guiding the ball out of the Milan box, defender Rade Krunic appeared to barge the Brazilian in the back, which forced him to take a tumble, although VAR seemingly didn’t wish to get involved in the decision.

Given Kane’s high-profile penalty miss at the World Cup over the winter, there is no guarantee he would have netted in the San Siro, but it certainly would have been their best chance to level things up on the night considering their aforementioned lack of threat.

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The Verdict: Richarlison unlucky to not get a penalty

Tottenham clearly didn’t do enough to win or even get a draw out of the game, but if VAR had chosen to review this incident and awarded a penalty, Spurs could have been buoyed heading into the second leg.

The fact that VAR decided to not intervene with this decision when the level of Krunic’s contact is far from shoulder to shoulder as he clearly leans into Richarlison’s back will surely have fans and Conte fuming.

However, Tottenham can’t be relying on contentious penalty decisions going their way in the Champions League, as given how poor AC Milan have been this season – the reigning champions sit fifth in Serie A – Spurs should perhaps have been picking up some sort of positive result last night.

Glasgow Rangers are reportedly ‘highly unlikely’ to bring one Scotland international to Ibrox this summer.

The Lowdown: Long-term interest

Rangers’ interest in Lyndon Dykes dates back to 2020, but he ended up moving to the English Championship instead.

Ibrox legend Ally McCoist urged his former club to sign the now-QPR attacker from Livingston, hailing him as a ‘strong’, ‘aggressive’ and ‘quick’ striker who offers ‘something different’.

The Light Blues were also reportedly ‘keen’ on signing Dykes, who played under Michael Beale at Loftus Road, in this January’s transfer window.

The Latest: ‘Highly unlikely’

As per Football Insider, the Teddy Bears are ‘highly unlikely’ to sign the 27-year-old this summer because they would be priced out of a move.

They are keen to sign another striker given the uncertainty over Alfredo Morelos’ future, but QPR want to keep hold of Dykes, even though the Scotland striker would be interested in a move to Ibrox.

The Verdict: Pay the money!

Whatever transfer fee it would take to sign Dykes, Rangers should be inclined to pay it.

The 26-cap Scotland international is not the most prolific, with just six goals in the Championship so far this season, but he offers so much more to the team with his 6 foot 2 stature.

Former QPR boss Mark Warburton has previously hailed Dykes’ ‘outstanding’ work ethic, while Beale hailed him as ‘fantastic’ in a match earlier this season where he did not score but still bullied opposition defenders.

Indeed, the 27-year-old ranks in the 94th percentile for aerial duels won among all forwards outside of Europe’s top five leagues over the past year, and he would offer Rangers a great plan-B option next season.

Furthermore, Beale has already worked with Dykes before, so the Rangers boss would know how to get the best out of him.

Journalist Lee Ryder has claimed on his YouTube channel that Newcastle United won’t be wearing suits on Sunday at Wembley in an attempt to maintain their standard routine ahead of the Carabao Cup final.

The Lowdown: Business as usual on Tyneside

While thousands of Newcastle fans are preparing to descend on London this weekend, Eddie Howe will be trying his best to focus his players and ensure they’re in the best frame of mind to win on Sunday.

Newcastle will be playing a cup final at the new Wembley for the first time, so this group of players already have their names etched into Toon folklore.

However, that won’t be enough for a squad of players that has come on leaps and bounds since Eddie Howe took over in 2021, so they will likely be doing all they can to win this weekend – which includes not changing any routines pre-match.

The Latest: Newcastle opt against wearing suits

After speaking to several Newcastle United players at the club’s Benton training base, Ryder revealed that the players would not be wearing suits on Sunday as they look to change as little as possible from their usual pre-game preparations.

He said: “For the Newcastle United fans, the build-up has already started – many of them going down Thursday, Friday; possibly some of them have gone down earlier.

“The players, we believe, will be later in the week. They’ll be trying to keep the preparations – that’s the word from this press conference – try and keep preparations as normal as possible, almost like a Premier League game.

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“Players won’t be wearing suits, they haven’t gone down that road, they’re trying to just keep it all as low-key as they can and just focus on trying to win that first trophy.”

The Verdict: Eddie Howe will be keeping standards high

It’s no surprise that Howe and the Newcastle players have opted against any unnecessary distractions heading into their biggest game of the season and preferred to stick to what they know.

They will otherwise risk the occasion overawing them and it could flash before their eyes before they can even realise they’ve lost out on a great chance to lift a piece of silverware.

Howe has spoken to the media recently about being positive and driven home that message this week to ensure that he has his side in the best possible position to achieve success on Sunday as that’s all that matters rather than what his players decide to wear heading into the iconic national stadium.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale failed to secure his first trophy in charge of the club as his side lost 2-1 in the League Cup final on Sunday.

The Hoops lost to their bitter rivals and went into the game with a number of injury issues. John Lundstram and Malik Tillman both started after their respective injuries, whilst Ryan Jack was only able to make the bench.

Kemar Roofe, meanwhile, did not make the matchday squad and his persistent injury issues could leave the manager with a big decision to make in the summer.

The Jamaica international has missed 45 competitive matches since the start of last season, after missing 14 in 2020/21, and has only played three games in the Premiership this term.

Roofe, who has scored 36 goals in 78 outings for the club in all competitions, is a good option for Beale to have when fit as the dynamo is a proven goalscorer but the £26k-per-week forward is, unfortunately, a liability with the manager not being able to rely on him to be available on a regular basis.

The Light Blues head coach could ruthlessly ditch the ex-Leeds striker in the summer by promoting B Team star Zak Lovelace to take his place in the first team.

Who is Zak Lovelace?

Rangers’ teenage centre-forward has been in phenomenal form this season since joining on a permanent deal from English side Millwall last summer.

The 17-year-old has proven himself to be a standout performer for both the B Team and the U18 side. He has scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 27 B Team matches and produced six goals contributions in six U18 games.

Lovelace made his first-team debut in the League Cup earlier this season and was named on the bench in the 3-0 win over Livingston in the Premiership last month, although the youngster did not make an appearance in the match.

This suggests that the teenager has caught Beale’s eye and done enough in his outings for the academy to convince him that he has the potential to make the grade for the senior side.

His fantastic statistics for the youth team – 24 goal contributions in 33 games – suggest that the marksman has the potential to be an exciting player for the Light Blues, which is exactly how Ross Wilson described him in 2022 as the sporting director dubbed him an “exciting” young talent.

Therefore, it’s easy to see why Lovelace could be a future star for the Gers and thus, bringing him into the first-team fold to compete with Antonio Colak, and potentially Alfredo Morelos, could benefit his development by allowing the gem to learn from experienced professionals.

It would also allow Beale to ruthlessly ditch Roofe by either selling or loaning him out as the striker’s persistent injury issues are truly hampering the Light Blues.

Tottenham Hotspur fell to yet another disappointing Premier League defeat yesterday, as Cristian Stellini oversaw a miserable afternoon against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It marked their third league game without Rodrigo Bentancur, who was ruled out for the foreseeable future following his injury against Leicester City. The Uruguayan will undergo ACL surgery, thus leaving a gaping hole in the engine room alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

The Denmark international had struck up a fine partnership with the 25-year-old, so to break them apart will only scupper their top-four hopes further.

This defeat to the Old Gold represented a missed opportunity to capitalise on Newcastle United’s loss, and they must find a solution for their midfield vacancy to avoid dropping more points in their race to retain Champions League football once again.

Who could replace Bentancur at Spurs?

Whilst Oliver Skipp has deputised over the last few games, Pape Matar Sarr is the outstanding candidate for Stellini and Antonio Conte to be Bentancur’s long-term successor going into the new season.

He boasts the energy and quality that differentiates him from Hojbjerg, whereas the English midfielder does not. The 27-year-old records an 89% pass accuracy per game, and acts as more of a deep-lying playmaker alongside his 80.9 touches per game, via Sofascore.

The Senegalese youngster was thrown into the deep end to face AC Milan last month and showed poise and maturity beyond his youth. He earned a 7.1 rating for that display, making 77 touches, one key pass and maintaining an 83% pass accuracy. This was underpinned by a mammoth five tackles too according to Sofascore.

Journalist Seb Stafford-Bloor was full of expectation for Sarr upon his return from a loan spell, as he took to Twitter to claim: “There’s so much ability there.”

With just eight senior appearances under his belt for the Lilywhites, if he is to replace their injured stalwart then the end of this season represents a fine opportunity to build up his confidence in the first team.

When compared to other midfielders across Europe, the 20-year-old ranks in the top 1% for interceptions and the top 14% for tackles, whilst surprisingly also in the top 15% for assists, via FBref.

All the attributes are there for Sarr to star for Spurs and put to bed their injury woes as they enter the business end of the season.

West Ham United fans have been left fuming by David Moyes’ treatment of Gianluca Scamacca after the striker was once again benched against Aston Villa at the weekend.

The Lowdown: Scamacca struggling

Despite recovering from a knee injury, Scamacca has been unable to break back into the West Ham starting XI, being benched by Moyes for the last four Premier League games.

The manager explained the striker’s absence by claiming that his ‘physical data’ is not at the level required, while also adding that Maxwel Cornet is able to ‘get in behind’ the opposition more often.

It remains to be seen whether the forward is able to force his way back into contention, but in the meantime West Ham fans have not reacted well to Moyes’ latest decision…

The Latest: West Ham fans react

Taking to Twitter after the latest snub, the West Ham faithful pointed out their manager’s disappointing record with strikers, with the likes of Sebastian Haller also failing to be a success at the London Stadium.

They said:

“Moyes has zero excuse with Scamacca. He was inactive for 2/3 windows when we were desperate for a striker because he wanted the “right” one. He got his man & doesn’t know how to use him, or man manage him. Haller at least wasn’t his signing. Scamacca is all on Moyes.” – @ben_personal

“Problem with Moyes is he’s now had Haller & Scamacca both 40m pound strikers & he doesn’t know how to use them, you need to play higher up the pitch & get players around them, that’s how they played before we bought them. So frustrating.” – @WayneBarwick1

“It’s the same old story with Moyes. Scamacca isn’t going improve and get up to scratch w/o the game time to do so, he’s shown glimpses but that’s all.” – @joeydbo_

“My only analysis of the Scamacca situation is that he’s probably told Moyes his playing style doesn’t work when he’s isolated up front on his own. So instead of trying to adapt, he just leaves him on the bench. Just like he did Haller! If you don’t play Moyesball, you’re out.” – @northwesthammer

“Haller and Scamacca notice a trend here with Moyes? He ruins every striker that comes to our club who were proven elsewhere.”  – @justinmortlake1

“As soon as Moyes gets the chop, he will flourish. Once again we bought a player without actually understanding what type of player he is. If you stick Scamacca and Ings together and we would not be in our current situation…but Moyes would never do that.” – @WestHamViews09

The Verdict: Must improve

While it is true that Moyes does not have the best of records with strikers, the 24-year-old was struggling even when he was given a consistent run in the first team, scoring just three times in 16 Premier League appearances.

That said, Danny Ings is hardly setting the world alight either at the moment, registering just ten touches of the ball despite being on the field for 86 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa.

Scamacca has undoubtedly failed to live up to his £35.5m price tag up to this point, but with Ings offering very little in the way of attacking threat, he should be given another chance to prove himself.

Liverpool will hope to pick up from where they left off in the Premier League this afternoon, with a trip to the Vitality Stadium to contest against relegation-threatened AFC Bournemouth preceded by an incredible evening at Anfield last Sunday, Jurgen Klopp’s outfit mauling Manchester United 7-0.

The resounding, record-breaking result has left optimism emanating around Merseyside once more, but the Reds will know that there is plenty of work still to be done in order to rectify the woeful campaign that has left the club fighting to secure a place in next season’s Champions League.

Against the Cherries, Klopp will be unlikely to make wide-scale changes after such a fluid and cohesive win, but with one eye on overturning a three-goal deficit against Real Madrid in midweek, a couple of alterations might be made.

Thiago Alcantara and Joe Gomez are still sidelined, while reports that Luis Diaz could be included are wide of the mark; the Colombian winger will return after the international break, with Liverpool not in action next week due to the FA Cup quarter-finals.

What will Liverpool’s starting XI be vs Bournemouth?

Considering this, here is how Football FanCast expects Liverpool to line up at the Vitality Stadium this afternoon, looking to build upon the magnificent victory over the Red Devils.

We predict there to be as many as three changes from the team that left Liverpool in joyous rapture last time out; the Reds’ German manager will be wary of damaging the balance of the outfit, but will consider a few fresh faces with Los Blancos indeed looming.

In goal, Alisson will retain his position between the sticks, while left-back Andy Robertson might be handed a rest in the stead of Kostas Tsimikas, who has been a fine stand-in for the distinguished Scottish marauder since his £12m arrival from Olympiakos.

The midfield looked far more robust against Erik ten Hag’s United, but the “outstanding” – as lauded by Jamie Carragher – teenager Stefan Bajcetic might return in place of Fabinho, who has looked more like himself over the past few weeks after struggling for much of the term.

Mohamed Salah will be joined on the wings by Diogo Jota, who will provide a rest for the “chance magnet” – as dubbed by Mark Goldbridge – Darwin Nunez, 23, after his imposing offensive display last week, while Cody Gakpo will be offered the chance to continue to grow his burgeoning talismanic aura up front.

Newcastle United travel away from St. James' Park tonight as they face off against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.

The Magpies head into this match off the back of a 2-1 win at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend in the top-flight and will be looking to go into the international break with two successive victories.

Eddie Howe's side beat Wolves thanks to goals from Alexander Isak and Miguel Almiron but will the head coach make any alterations to his starting XI?

How will Newcastle United line up against Nottingham Forest tonight?

(4-3-3): Nick Pope; Kieran Trippier, Fabian Schar, Sven Botman, Matt Targett; Elliot Anderson, Bruno Guimaraes, Joe Willock; Miguel Almiron, Alexander Isak, Allan Saint-Maximin

Howe could bring in Matt Targett, Elliot Anderson, and Miguel Almiron to freshen the side up with three changes ahead of their clash with Steve Cooper's men tonight.

Firstly, Dan Burn – who reporter Ciaran Kelly once dubbed a "colossus" – could be ditched in favour of an attacking option at left-back. The 30-year-old has created 0.5 chances per game in the top-flight this term and Targett – who averaged 1.2 key passes per outing last season – could offer more to the side in possession.

This could provide Saint-Maximin with more support down the left flank and afford the Frenchman more space to work with as Forest's full-back may need to consider Targett's overlapping runs.

In midfield, Joelinton is suspended and there has been some fan speculation over Sean Longstaff's availability after the gem was not in the club's training images.

This could open the door for young midfielder Anderson to start alongside Joe Willock and Bruno Guimaraes. Football FanCast recently published an article explaining why the maestro should start as he could cause problems for former Newcastle ace Jonjo Shelvey, who could line up for the opposition tonight.

Finally, Almiron should return to replace Jacob Murphy in the front three. The 29-year-old came off the bench to score the winner against Wolves and his 11-goal tally in the Premier League this season proves that the marksman has the quality to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch.

Whereas, Murphy has scored once and provided one assist in 25 matches and does not carry the same threat, which is why Howe could bring the Paraguay international in from the start.

West Ham United have been told by Emiliano Leva that they have a ‘top-tier’ gem in Gianluca Scamacca and he is ‘ready’ for a move to one of Serie A’s biggest clubs.

The Lowdown: Mixed season…

The 24-year-old started this campaign brightly under manager David Moyes, scoring in each leg of their Europa Conference League qualifying round against Viborg.

Scamacca went on to bag group stage goals against both Silkborg and Anderlecht early in the campaign and eventually notched his first Premier League goal for the club against Wolves in October.

However, a combination of both injury issues and a subsequent lack of game time since has somewhat stifled the Italy international’s momentum.

There have also been theories that Scamacca could be ‘struggling’ with adaption to English football and it’s safe to say the player hasn’t exactly had his best debut season overall.

This comes after West Ham signed from Sassuolo for a fee of around £35.5 million, ending their long search for a striker in the summer of 2022.

The Latest: Leva praises Scamacca…

Speaking to Sport Italia.com, Leva, a former coach of the striker’s from 2009 to 2012 in the Lazio youth setup, has heaped praise on Scamacca amid his links with a Serie A return.

He claims the Italian is ‘ready’ for a ‘possible leap’ to one of Juventus or Inter, who have been touted as suitors.

Leva said:

“Gianluca is a top-tier centre-forward, it is no coincidence that he has been with the national team for some time. I can certainly tell you that he has all the potential to make the leap into a big one. [Simone] Inzaghi already knows him well from the time when I coached him at Lazio, he often came to watch the youth games.”

When asked where Scamacca could end up, Juve or Inter, the former Lazio academy coach went on to say:

“I can’t say where I would see him best, they are complex discussions that foresee the interlocking of many factors. I repeat that the only thing I am sure of is that Gianluca is ready to make this possible leap. But you will see that in the meantime he will return to being the protagonist with West Ham.“

The Verdict: Great player…

Despite a lacklustre debut campaign at West Ham, we believe Scamacca is still very much a player to watch – especially going by his brilliant goal return of 16 in 25 league starts for Sassuolo last campaign.

The 6 foot 5 striker, called a ‘powerhouse’ by members of the press, still very much has the potential to make it at the London Stadium.

Still fairly young, perhaps this season could be judged as a settling in period as the demands of English football grow ever more intense year by year.