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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…

The international break may be the most annoying thing in the world to some football fans, but for EFL clubs it represents a real chance to regroup and iron out some of the ongoing issues in the squad.

This layoff opens up an interesting chance for Leeds United – an opportunity that they’ve not had in any of the prior breaks.

Chance to learn

Marcelo Bielsa has previously complained about Arsenal loanee Eddie Nketiah’s commitments to the England U21 team getting in the way of his ability to try things with the striker.

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With Nketiah out injured, he hasn’t been called up to U21 duty, and while his ongoing problem means that he can’t train properly with Leeds it doesn’t mean that he can’t spend time learning from the coaches and his teammates.

Preparing for life as a starter

The 20-year-old won’t be fit enough to undertake a proper training routine with his teammates, but there’s so much more to being a footballer than just doing work on the pitch.

Indeed, there is no reason why Nketiah can’t spend time learning how to play in Bielsa’s system more effectively, as this is the first extended period the Argentine has had with the youngster without having to worry about preparing for the next match.

Nketiah arrived on deadline day, and since then it’s been non-stop in terms of match-preparation with the striker then heading off to international duty. However, studying footage of matches and how he’s played in the past could prove extremely beneficial.

Equally, this next week where Leeds don’t have to do intense training ahead of their next match is an opportunity for Bielsa and his staff to run Nketiah through what is required from a striker in his system by communicating with him and observing what other attackers who are taking part in the training sessions are doing.

Extra guidance could just prove key once he returns and it may just have a decisive say on whether Bielsa can trust him to start.

Manchester United go into the international break sitting in seventh place, nine points off Manchester City in fourth. and it proves they’ve hardly moved forward since they sacked Jose Mourinho last December. This time last year they sat in eighth, but were seven points behind the top four.

Victor Lindelof was signed by Jose Mourinho and has taken to the media to praise him this week, saying to Aftonbladet (via Metro): “He is one of the world’s best coaches and he is supposed to have a job at one of the biggest clubs. I miss him in football. He’s a great coach and a great person, whom I owe a great deal. It was he who gave me the chance here.”

The centre-back has been a mainstay in the United’s line-up so far this season, starting 11 games in the league. However, even with Harry Maguire in the side, they’ve managed just two clean sheets so far this season. Fans saw Lindelof’s comments when United news aggregator Utd Xtra posted them on their Twitter account, and the reaction wasn’t all positive. Some fans clearly believe the 25-year-old isn’t good enough for their club and that his comments on Mourinho aren’t accurate.

You can see some of their reactions to the tweet below:

Man United fans, what have you made of Victor Lindelof’s start to the season? Let us know below!

A recent Twitter post has had many Sheffield United fans thinking about some of the poorer players to have represented the club in recent years.

The account @BladesPod said that they had put together their “worst Blades XI of the decade” ahead of their latest podcast.

Their post led to a barrage of replies from Sheffield United supporters who couldn’t wait to make their suggestions as to who should be included in the team.

Whilst the Blades are going great in the Premier League under Chris Wilder at the moment, the ‘teenies’ hasn’t been the best decade for the club as they spent six years playing in League One (Transfermarkt).

There are therefore plenty of contenders for players who should make the team, and some names seem to crop up in most of the fan made XIs.

The likes of Steve Simonsen, Dean Hammond and Martyn Woolford have the honour in being in most teams. Here are the players some Blades supporters selected in response to the post from @BladesPod on Twitter…

Sheffield United fans, who would make your worst XI since 2010? Let us know in the comments below…

Liverpool may have one of the most revered forward tridents in world football but they are lacking strength in depth in that area.

Jurgen Klopp will be acutely aware of the fact that an injury to Sadio Mane, Mo Salah or Roberto Firmino has the potential to have a detrimental impact on the Reds’ form, so the arrival of a versatile attacking player may well be on his agenda when the window reopens for business.

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With that in mind, it’s no surprise that the club have been linked with Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele.

Indeed, according to Spanish media outlet Sport, Klopp was a huge admirer of the form the Frenchman showed during his one season at Borussia Dortmund, and he considers him to be an ideal reinforcement for his attack.

The club are willing to offer €90m (£80m) for his services.

In response to the rumour, former Liverpool full-back Jose Enrique gave his endorsement for the deal via his Instagram account.

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That Enrique has alluded to Dembele’s focus is pertinent here.

The speedster’s attitude has been called into question by Liverpool legend Luis Suarez, who has said he “needs to focus more and be more serious in some ways”.

Issues with excessive gaming and arriving late to team meetings and training sessions have clouded his time at the Nou Camp, so there’s no doubt it would be a risk to bring him to Anfield.

Despite those potential reservations, though, it seems that Enrique is eager to see a deal go through.

In other news, Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a bargain swoop for serial trophy winner…

Loads of Tottenham Hotspur fans have been reacting to Dan Kilpatrick’s tweet on Thursday, after he provided an update on Son Heung-min’s situation.

Reports from South Korea had suggested that the Spurs forward could return to his home country to complete his mandatory military service, and Kilpatrick has confirmed it in an Evening Standard article.

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The report says that the 27-year-old is hoping to complete his national service during the current break from football, with it surely being unlikely that the English top-flight campaign will resume on April 30 at the earliest, as per the previous update from the Premier League.

If the halt to proceedings is extended, then it should give the attacker the opportunity to complete it without disturbing his Tottenham career too much.

The Evening Standard says he arrived in Seoul on Sunday and is spending 14 days in quarantine as he recovers from the fractured arm he suffered in England, which required surgery and left him on the sidelines prior to football being postponed indefinitely.

Plenty of Spurs have had their say on Kilpatrick’s update, with many clearly feeling it could be the ideal scenario.

Here is just a selection of the reaction…

In other Tottenham news, talkSPORT pundit Adrian Durham has launched a brutal attack on Harry Kane & Jose Mourinho…

Having joined from Bolton back in January 2009, Kevin Nolan stayed put at St James’ Park despite Newcastle’s relegation from the Premier League.

The Englishman promptly became a key reason behind why the Magpies lifted the Championship trophy to earn promotion back to the top-flight, scoring an impressive 17 goals in the league during the 2009/2010 campaign.

If Nolan’s status as one of the club’s more prominent heroes in recent memory was still in doubt, then a stunning hat-trick in a 5-1 mauling of rivals Sunderland certainly made sure he is still remembered fondly.

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The former Bolton man was the epitome of a goal-scoring midfielder, chipping in with big goals in big games, and also leaving everything on the pitch.

Since his departure, the Magpies haven’t really had someone similar in terms of either quality or consistency. But with reports in recent days suggesting that Steve Bruce is targeting a swoop for Aston Villa ace John McGinn, the Tyneside club could finally find the heir to Nolan’s throne.

Before the ankle injury he picked up in late December, McGinn was a key performer for the Villans, scoring against the likes of Tottenham and Arsenal, and providing assists against Liverpool and Everton – the 25-year-old was the picture of consistency just like Nolan, playing the full 90 minutes in Dean Smith’s side’s first 17 Premier League games.

In an analysis of the midfielder’s style of play, Adrian Clarke claimed that he is a “throwback”, who “works hard, tackles, creates, runs with the ball and provides a goal threat”. It’s no surprise therefore that McGinn ranks amongst the top three for dribbles completed, fouls won, shots, chances created, tackles won and duels won at Villa this season.

And when news emerged of Newcastle’s interest in McGinn, former Leeds ace Noel Whelan suggested that he “would do very well there”, calling the midfielder “fantastic”.

Bringing in McGinn this summer – a man who also has an impressive record of seven goals in just 21 games for Scotland – could land the Magpies their Nolan successor. With claims that Newcastle are finally set to be released from their Mike Ashley shackles, Bruce could really kick-start a revolution on Tyneside with a move for the Villa man.

Tottenham Hotspur could reignite their interest in veteran striker Olivier Giroud this summer according to Football.London correspondent Alasdair Gold, who revealed his thoughts in a recent Q&A over the weekend.

What’s he said?

The north Londoners failed to add a forward during the January transfer window despite chasing several reported targets, one of which and arguably the most coveted was Chelsea’s 33-year-old Frenchman.

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Only their own frustrations over a new frontline addition stopped the 97-cap man making the switch across the capital, and it is something that manager Jose Mourinho must be ruing having been without the services of skipper and talisman Harry Kane.

Spurs have slipped out of all competitions and face an almighty task to get back into the top four reckoning in the Premier League.

And Gold expects the club to go back in for Giroud when the transfer market reopens this summer, he said:

“A bit like Nemanja Matic at Manchester United, Giroud has had the option taken up to add another year to his existing contract so Chelsea don’t lose him for nothing in the next transfer window and it also covers them in the scenario of the Premier League season continuing past June 30 and the end of his deal.

“I would still expect Tottenham to sniff around Giroud in the next window, with any transfer fee unlikely to be large for a player of his age.

“I also think he fits the bill perfectly at Spurs of being a good foil for Harry Kane – he was superb in the match at Stamford Bridge between the two teams – and will not block the long-term progress of Troy Parrott.”

Kane foil

It can be argued that Spurs have struggled to replace Fernando Llorente since his departure to Napoli back in September as they haven’t had a viable backup option to the Englishman up top.

Heung-min Son became their makeshift centre-forward in his absence, but only until he picked up an injury of his own, leaving Lucas Moura out of position and relatively exposed in attack.

Had Mourinho been able to call upon someone like a Llorente or a Giroud, then his fortunes would be drastically different with Kane’s void being 17 goals in just 25 appearances this campaign.

This is something that will still need to be resolved ahead of next season and another move for the experienced French ace could prove to be shrewd.

Chelsea may activate the option on him, but as Gold suggests, that won’t stop them from selling should the right fee come in.

AND in other news, Spurs’ biggest 20 biggest flops of the Premier League era

Lille director of football Luis Campos is expected to join Tottenham Hotspur imminently, according to CANAL+ via @RickSpurs. 

The Spurs target requested to leave the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Monday and is set to reunite with Jose Mourinho at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Although The Telegraph’s chief football correspondent Jason Burt has claimed that the Lilywhites are yet to reach an agreement with the transfer guru, the French media are insisting Spurs are in pole position to bring the scout to north London in a matter of weeks.

Earlier this season, The Guardian revealed the 55-year-old is at the top of Daniel Levy’s list of priorities, as he has a close relationship with Jose Mourinho. Indeed, the Portuguese duo worked together during Mourinho’s famous stint in charge at Real Madrid and Campos has previously called him the “best coach in the world” (Sky Sports).

Football journalist Ricky Sacks tweeted the news on social media, saying: “BREAKING | Lille OSC Director Of Football Luis Campos is expected to join Josè Mourinho at Tottenham Hotspur. The Spurs target made a formal request to leave the French club on Monday under his current position as Sporting Director. | [Canal +].”

Unsurprisingly, loads of Spurs fans gushed over this “huge” update, with one supporter dubbing Campos a “game changer” and another adding that the “Prem ain’t ready.”

Scroll down through some of the glowing reactions below…

Tottenham fans, do you think Daniel Levy should bring Luis Campos to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before the transfer market opens? Let us know in the comments section!

Manchester United have got their fans excited for the Premier League to return after a recent Instagram post.

The club has posted several photos of the first team in action on the training ground, including snaps of Paul Pogba and the now fit-and-firing Marcus Rashford.

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Before the league was brought to a halt back in March, United had managed to regain some ground in the table. After some tough losses and draws earlier in the season, the Reds began to reassert their dominance and they will be looking to pick up where they left off.

Their last Premier League match was a 2-0 win over rivals Manchester City, which saw them claim fifth place on 45 points. United are just three adrift of the Champions League qualification zone, which is very much in their grasp if they can kick on as they did before the break.

Many fans have responded to the club’s Instagram post and are thrilled to see the players in action ahead of the return. Red Devils supporters will no doubt be hoping to see Rashford return to scoring ways as they prepare to face off against Tottenham in their first game back on Friday week.

Who are you most excited to see back in action, United fans? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Sunderland target Josh Hawkes has rejected a new contract offer from Hartlepool United, according to Hartlepool Mail.

Wholesome changes are expected to be made this summer at the Stadium of Light after Phil Parkinson’s side failed to gain promotion to the Championship.

A second successive failure to get themselves out of the English third-tier will now put added pressure on the shoulders of Parkinson, who guided his side to an eighth-placed finish in the League One standings.

With a number of first team regulars set to leave the club on a free transfer, reports have emerged linking Hawkes with a move to the Wearside club.

Hawkes, who impressed for Hartlepool over the course of the 2019/2020 season, is also being courted by a number of Premier League sides such as Burnley and Sheffield United, whilst Middlesbrough, Huddersfield Town, Hull City and Barnsley are also said to be keen.

The 21-year-old will have a tough choice to make come July 1 after he rejected fresh terms with Hartlepool, as reported by the Hartlepool Mail.

Portuguese club Braga have also been labelled with interest in Hawkes, who has netted 13 goals in 63 games for Pool.

It seems like a no brainer for Sunderland to make a move for Hawkes, especially given the list of interested teams in his services.

A free transfer would be ideal for Black Cats’ boss Parkinson, who could then go on to spend cash elsewhere. However, they may find it difficult to clinch a deal if a club from one of the two higher divisions in England make a move.

Do you think Hawkes would be a good free transfer for Sunderland to make? Let us know in the comments section below…