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Leeds United will move back to third in the Championship if they can secure all three points against Swansea City at Elland Road this evening.

The Whites dropped down to fourth in the division after West Bromwich Albion's win on Tuesday night but can move straight back ahead of the Baggies tonight with a win.

Daniel Farke's side host the Swans in Yorkshire and are up against a side with one win in their last six matches, which has left the Welsh outfit 18th in the league.

Leeds will also be looking to pile the pressure on Ipswich Town, who also play this evening, as they could move to within four points of the Tractor Boys if results go their way.

The Whites come into this match off the back of a 1-1 draw away at Rotherham United last Friday night and will be looking to bounce back to winning ways this time out.

Crysencio Summerville opened the scoring with a fine finish into the far bottom corner before a strike from Hakeem Odofin secured a point for the hosts.

Leeds injury news

Farke has confirmed that Georgino Rutter is back to full fitness after an abdominal strain made him a doubt for the clash with the Millers.

The 21-year-old wizard still managed to start and register an assist in that game – his sixth of the season – and he is now back to 100% ahead of today's clash.

Rutter has created 15 'big chances' for his teammates in 15 Championship starts, to go along with three goals, so far this season and has proved himself to be an outstanding option at this level who could be the difference-maker against Swansea at the top end of the pitch.

It has also been confirmed that club captain Liam Cooper is available for selection after being withdrawn with ten minutes to play against Rotherham due to cramp.

Djed Spence has been back in training with the Whites and could be involved in the matchday squad for the first time since his debut against Sheffield Wednesday at the start of September.

Archie Gray has been deployed at right-back, despite being a central midfielder by trade, and the Tottenham Hotspur loanee's return to fitness could provide the 17-year-old talent with some strong competition for his place in the XI over the coming weeks and months.

Sam Byram and Pascal Struijk both started on the bench after their respective injury issues over the international break but Farke has revealed that they are both fit and available to feature against the Swans.

With all of this information in mind, the German head coach must now unleash Struijk from the start at Elland Road tonight and instantly ditch Cooper.

The Dutch central defender should return to the starting XI to partner Joe Rodon if he is 100% fit and able to be named in the line up as he has been a key figure at the back so far this season.

Pascal Struijk's season in numbers

After the club's relegation from the Premier League at the end of the 2022/23 campaign, Struijk was provided with the opportunity to establish himself as the go-to centre-back for Leeds as the likes of Robin Koch and Max Wober secured loan exits away from Yorkshire.

He has grasped that chance with both hands and enjoyed a terrific start to the season with his commanding and progressive performances for the Whites.

In possession, the Dutch titan has showcased his ability to play out from the back under pressure and to play through the lines to build attacks and help the team to break down stubborn defences.

Struijk ranks within the top 5% of Championship centre-backs for progressive passes (5.82) and the top 29% for progressive carries (0.73) per 90 this term.

This shows that the impressive colossus has the requisite forward-thinking mindset and technical quality to progress his side up the pitch through passes and carries, and has been one of the best in the division in his position with the former.

Struijk has not allowed his silky play on the ball to detract from his defensive actions, though, as the Dutchman has made 2.2 tackles and interceptions and 6.6 ball recoveries per match across 16 league outings, which shows that the 6 foot 3 star is able to win possession back for his side on a frequent basis.

Appearances

16

Sofascore rating

7.08

Clearances

45

Duels won

69

He has also won 59% of his duels, including 60% of his aerial battles, and this means that the giant gem has been able to dominate opposition players in physical contests more often than not.

The 24-year-old ace has also avoided making a single error that has led to a goal or a shot for an opponent and is yet to give away a penalty, which illustrates how solid his performances have been.

Liam Cooper's season in numbers

Struijk should be unleashed ahead of Cooper as the Scotland international has offered less for Leeds this season, both from an offensive and defensive perspective.

Out of possession, the 32-year-old veteran has made 1.9 tackles and interceptions and 3.2 ball recoveries per game across nine Championship appearances.

This shows that he wins the ball back far less often than his Dutch teammate, who has averaged more than twice as many ball recoveries per match. Cooper has, however, won 58% of his duels so far this season and can provide a similar level of strength in his physical battles.

The left-footed enforcer does not offer as much quality on the ball in comparison to Struijk. He ranks within the top 14% of Championship centre-backs for progressive passes (4.71) and is in the bottom 19% for progressive carries (0.20) per 90.

These statistics indicate that Cooper is not able to produce as much thrust in possession to push Leeds up the pitch and to find teammates in attacking positions to make things happen offensively.

Therefore, Struijk should return to the starting XI tonight against Swansea in place of the Scottish battler due to his superior quality on and off the ball.

Farke hailed him as a "crucial" part of his team earlier this season and the statistics back that up, which is why his inclusion this evening could be key to their chances of coming away with all three points.

He’s been an ever-present in New Zealand’s Test squad, but Southee, Boult and Wagner are set to keep him on the bench a little longer

Andrew Fidel Fernando20-Dec-2018Forever on the brink of gaining a steady run in New Zealand’s Test team, but often just kept out by the three senior seamers, Matt Henry may have to wait until the Bangladesh series in late February and March to play his next Test match.Henry may have hoped that he would have played in at least one of the five Tests scheduled across November and December, but, having carried drinks through the three-Test tour of the UAE as well as in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Wellington, Henry seems likely to miss out again in Christchurch, with coach Gary Stead confident that his three first-choice seamers will be fresh come the Boxing Day Test.”Matt’s an integral part of our squad still, and sometimes opportunities are hard to come by,” Stead said. “But we’ve got a long summer ahead of us still and in terms of the forward planning that we’ve looked at throughout the summer, there are probably chances for people to come out and freshen up with a bigger view to the World Cup down the track. I still think Matt will get a good amount of cricket over the summer.”If Henry does not make the XI of the Boxing Day Test, it willl be despite the fact that the series in the UAE and at home have run so close together that captain Kane Williamson described it as effectively a “five-match series” – the kind of undertaking that would generally require a team to use its seam-bowling depth. There is also the matter of Trent Boult and Tim Southee having bowled 52 overs apiece in the Wellington Test, and Neil Wagner having sent down 43 overs. As there are six days between the two Sri Lanka Tests, though, that trio has a good chance of remaining unchanged.”One of the things that has happened in the UAE is that two of the Test matches were over in four days, and in one of them we only bowled once as well,” Stead said. “Where we thought the number of overs for the fast bowlers would have been really, really big, we’re certainly not at that stage. I take on board though, that both Tim and Trent both bowled 50 or a bit more overs than that in this Test. I guess we will monitor how they are over the next three or four days. I think we have enough time to be able to select who we think our very best team is, because they would have recovered.”If there is an outside chance of Henry playing in Christchurch, it may be because of a mild dip in form for one of the incumbents rather than fatigue. Wagner collected figures of 0 for 100 in the second innings at Wellington, and 2 for 175 from the game in general – numbers that Stead put down to Sri Lanka’s handling of his short-pitched bowling.”Sri Lanka played Neil really well and it was probably some of the best batting I’ve seen against him in a while. I think everyone in world cricket knows the way he’s likely to bowl. I think Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews played him really well. They were gritty as well. They took a few on the body and I haven’t seen too many people do that. I don’t think on the fourth morning Neil was at his best, but in the afternoon sessions he bowled really well but got little reward.”

Tottenham Hotspur could pull off a surprise swoop for a Chelsea defender in the January transfer window, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Tottenham Hotspur hit a rough patch…

Despite making a phenomenal start to the campaign, Tottenham Hotspur have lost their last three Premier League matches, which, in turn, has left the Lilywhites outside the top four behind Aston Villa, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Nevertheless, Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was unwavering in his appraisal of his side despite their 2-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa last Sunday and indicated that his players didn't deserve their eventual fate against Unai Emery's men.

"I was really pleased with some of the football we played. In patches, that was as good as we’ve played all season. Obviously, we didn’t get the kind of rewards our play deserved, and sometimes that happens in football; it’s fine margins. From what I’m looking for from the lads and the way we played, I just thought we went out there with a real intent to play the kind of football we want to play."

Still in the infancy of his project at the north Londoners, fans will be aware that Postecoglou will need time to bring sustained success to the club, a quest that the Lilywhites' enormous injury list hasn't helped. James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Rodrigo Bentancur and more are all on the sidelines due to various concerns.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Pape Matar Sarr and Destiny Udogie are all on three bookings for the season and would have to serve a one-match suspension if they pick up two yellow cards during the festive period.

In light of their squad depth being stretched to the limit, Postecoglou could enter the market for a central defender in January and journalist Jones hasn't ruled out the possibility of Spurs making a surprise swoop for one of their rivals' men.

Spurs "definitely" a possibility for Trevoh Chalobah

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones has refused to rule out the notion of Chalobah swapping SW6 for N17 in the January window after Spurs targeted the former England Under-21 international in the summer.

Trevoh Chalobah's Chelsea statistics – all competitions (Transfermarkt)

Appearances

63

Goals

4

Assists

1

Jones told the outlet: "I still think Tottenham is definitely a potential destination for him. Tottenham were serious about him in the summer, and we've seen that they do need to bulk up their squad.

"I do think Chalobah, being a centre-back who also has the capability to play in midfield, is one to still look out for. But he is also going to have the potential to go abroad. For Trevoh Chalobah, I think that could be a really interesting opportunity if you consider what's happened recently with Ruben Loftus-Cheek going and testing himself abroad. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Chalobah were to get similar offers."

Potentially available for as little as £25 million in the New Year, according to Fabrizio Romano, Chalobah could be a viable avenue for Spurs to explore amid their defensive absences; however, you would suspect that Chelsea would reflect their rivalry with the Lilywhites in their asking price.

10 most famous players in Tottenham Hotspur history

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ByJamie Rooke Nov 16, 2023

Ruben Amorim will reportedly not succeed Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool with West Ham also set to miss out on the Sporting CP boss.

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Amorim no longer in frame for Liverpool & West Ham jobsCould potentially stay on at SportingLiverpool have De Zerbi on their shortlistWHAT HAPPENED?

According to Portuguese outlet, Amorim won't be joining either of the Premier League clubs as he seems poised to remain at Sporting beyond the current season. Both Liverpool and West Ham had expressed interest in Amorim to solve their managerial crisis. While Klopp is set to depart Anfield at the end of the season, there are lingering doubts over David Moyes' future at West Ham after an underwhelming season.

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Amorim's recent trip to London, where he reportedly held talks with West Ham, did not lead to positive outcomes. Whereas, reports that talks between Amroim and Liverpool have stalled "since last week". It is also alleged that the Hammersoffered him a more lucrative financial package than Liverpool but the manager is "keeping his options open" and could even settle for a club outside England if he chooses to leave Sporting.

DID YOU KNOW?

Sporting Lisbon, under Amorim's leadership, have enjoyed a successful season, as they currently sit seven points clear at the top of the Portuguese top flight. Additionally, the club is in contention for the Taca de Portugal, with a final match against Porto scheduled for May 26th.

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With Amorim likely to stay at Sporting Lisbon, both Liverpool and West Ham may need to explore alternative options for managerial appointments. Among the potential candidates for the Reds is Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi and Feyenoord manager Arne Slot. Meanwhile, former Roma head coach Jose Mourinho sparked speculation about his potential return to the English Premier League when he made a surprise appearance at Craven Cottage to watch Liverpool defeat Fulham.

Erik ten Hag will be scratching his head at how his side can go from such a dominant display in the week, to such a disastrous afternoon last weekend. This inconsistency has haunted Manchester United this season and they currently sit in sixth on 27 points in the Premier League table.

The Red Devils' most recent league match was an embarrassing 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford to Bournemouth. The visitors punished United on the break constantly and they could have had five if it wasn’t for two goals being ruled out.

With Raphael Varane’s unreliability, Victor Lindelof’s poor performances and Lisandro Martinez still being injured, a defender is unsurprisingly on Ten Hag’s wish list.

Man Utd transfers latest – Ronald Araujo

According to reports in Spain, Manchester United have asked about the availability of Ronald Araujo, even offering double his salary to acquire the Uruguayan.

As per Transfermarkt, Araujo has a current market value of £60m, but Barcelona would demand a much higher fee due to his importance to the Spanish side with the report stating Bayern Munich could even offer somewhere in the region of £100m.

However, Barcelona are not fazed by the transfer interest of their star defender, as he has a contract until 2026 and a mind-boggling £870m release clause. A move this winter is highly unlikely.

Why Araujo is one of the best in the world

Barcelona boss, Xavi, previously labelled Araujo as “one of the best centre backs in the world” and his statistics from this season are certainly world-class.

Due to his club dominating the ball in almost every game, the defender isn’t continuously tested defensively, but his on-the-ball ability is top-tier, as shown by the table below.

Progressive passes

5.86

Top 8%

Progressive carries

1.91

Top 6%

Passes completed

61.79

Top 15%

Passes into final third

7.17

Top 6%

Passes completed (long)

5.86

Top 11%

The potential signing of Araujo would take United to another level, both in and out of possession. His ability to step into the midfield and progress the ball via carries or passes is priceless. You only need to look at how much United have missed Martinez in that regard since his injury.

Crucially, the centre-back is extremely fast which allows him to sweep and recover quickly, the perfect profile to partner Martinez or Harry Maguire at left centre-half. He is also dynamic and athletic, quite similar to William Saliba at Arsenal.

The Uruguay international is also versatile which can help Ten Hag be more fluid with his tactics in game. This season, he has featured at right-back five times and has often become a trusty full-back against word class left-wingers, especially when Barcelona have had to deal with Vinicius Junior of Real Madrid.

Furthermore, at just 24 years old, he is a commanding individual who has recently taken on the captain’s armband in the absence of Marc-Andre ter Stegen. This leadership and character is missing at United currently and a calm, controlling centre-back would make the side much more defensively secure.

There is no doubt that Araujo is an incredible footballer, but his price tag and importance to Barcelona makes a move away unlikely. Clubs may be put off by the fee, especially considering he is slightly injury-prone, suffering 12 injuries since 2020. Either way, this has the potential to be a game-changing signing for those of a Red Devils persuasion.

Batsman suggests England could struggle against the home pace attack on a pitch that may “bounce or keep low”

George Dobell at Kensington Oval23-Jan-2019Roston Chase has warned England could face a tough challenge in the fourth innings of the Barbados Test on an “unpredictable” surface. While Chase admitted West Indies were not especially happy about their score at the end of day one, he believes England could struggle against his side’s pace attack on a pitch that may “bounce or keep low”.Chase had helped West Indies to 240 for 4 with less than an hour of play remaining. But the second new ball, and an inspired spell from James Anderson, saw West Indies lose four wickets for 24 runs in the final 38 deliveries of the day with Anderson claiming three for four runs in 14 balls at one stage.Underlining the sense that West Indies had failed to take advantage of a strong platform was the fact that Chase, who made 54, was one of five men in West Indies’ top six to reach 40 with none of them so far progressing beyond 57. Shimron Heymyer will resume unbeaten on 56 on day two, however, and provides hope of West Indies reaching 300.”We lost crucial wickets at the end,” Chase said. “We were looking better when only four wickets were down, but we lost those wickets at the end. Would we have been happy with that score at the start of the day? Probably not.”But Anderson is a quality bowler. He has 500-odd wickets and he bowled a brilliant spell. You have to give credit to him: he bowled tremendously.”Hopefully Hetmyer can take on the mantle and see if we can push on to get a good enough score. He has a heavy IPL contract and he’s showing why.”The final ball of the day also may have given West Indies some encouragement. While it saw Kemar Roach dismissed, the manner of that dismissal – with the ball appearing to spit and rear off a previously sedate surface – suggested this pitch could become ever more problematic for batsmen in the latter stages of the game. And with West Indies fielding four quick bowlers, Chase was confident they could exploit such a surface.”The wicket has been doing a bit, especially at the end, so we’ll see how it plays on the other days,” Chase said. “The first day is always slow at the Kensington Oval but it quickens up on days two and three. Days four and five are unpredictable and I can’t say if the ball will bounce or keep low.”I think if the variable bounce comes into play it will be harder to play fast bowling than spin because it’s harder to adjust with quicker bowling.”Adding a certain amount of insult to injury, Chase also said he “wasn’t really surprised” by Stuart Broad’s omission from the England side. “He wasn’t really playing in the last series, so I thought he was probably out of form a bit,” Chase said. “I thought they would give the youngster Curran the nod and so it happened.”

Juventus are reportedly considering cashing in on USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie this summer – rather than losing him for free next year.

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McKennie impressing for JuventusItalian side preparing for transfer shakeupUSMNT ace could be sold this summerWHAT HAPPENED?

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Old Lady have not reached an agreement over a new deal with the 25-year-old, therefore, they may try and sell him at the end of the season and take advantage of his impressive performances.

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After seemingly being out of favour at Juventus last season, resulting in a failed loan spell at Leeds, McKennie has drastically turned his fortunes around. The former Schalke man, who has been linked with Manchester United, has bagged 10 assists over 34 appearances for the Turin outfit and has arguably been one of their best players this season. Despite that, it seems Juve are prepared to let him go as there hasn't been a breakthrough in contract talks thus far.

DID YOU KNOW?

McKennie, who has a Harry Potter lightning bolt tattoo on his finger and his goal celebration is to wave an imaginary wand, played 20 times for Leeds last season but failed to score a goal as they finished in the bottom three of the Premier League.

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While contract talks may continue with Juventus and McKennie behind the scenes, the Italian giants host AC Milan on Saturday in a battle between third and second respectively in Serie A.

Fernando and Rajitha claimed 7 for 130 on day one in Durban, despite only having seven Tests between them

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Durban13-Feb-2019Quinton de Kock, South Africa’s best batsman on day one of the first Test, has conceded that Sri Lanka’s inexperienced quicks caught his team “off guard” at Kingsmead.There are few real surprises in top-level cricket any more, such is the preponderance of video analysis. Generally, it is also a disadvantage to field a green attack. But so fresh are three of Sri Lanka’s bowlers, that their newness may actually have helped them in Durban. Vishwa Fernando and Kasun Rajitha have played three and four Tests respectively, but claimed 7 for 130 between them.Suranga Lakmal, by far the most experienced member of the attack, took 1 for 29.”Going forward we’ll be much more alert to the bowling up front. We’ve understood that Suranga Lakmal is a serious opening bowler that we have seen a lot of, and have good plans for, but were a bit unaware of the new guys,” de Kock said. “I think they caught us off guard. Going forward we’ll plan better, and I’m sure we’ll get off to better starts.”The two new guys – we hadn’t seen much. We’ve only played one of them [Rajitha] in white-ball cricket once. The rest, it was unseen before. To understand and change our gameplan can be quite tough, especially with the pitch. They bowled really well – they didn’t miss their lengths often. We had work hard to get what we did.”While left-armer Vishwa largely seamed the ball into the right-handed batsmen, Rajitha bowled mostly outswingers, as the pair posed a variety of questions through the day. Vishwa was the more economical, going at 3.64, where Rajitha conceded 4.63 an over.”I think what surprised us was just the angle of their bowling and the skills they had,” de Kock said. “They had different actions, some skiddiness, and some bounce. But with those new guys, the batsmen have had a feel of them now, and we’ll come back and see how we are going to go about it. They are two solid bowlers and they will keep us in trouble through the series. We’ve got to keep our eyes open for them.”De Kock said a total of 235 was “a little under par”, but he expected South Africa’s bowlers to be effective on a still-green Kingsmead surface on day two.”I think early on, in the first hour or two, there definitely will be some movement in the wicket. But I think as the day goes on, it will get better. I also think Keshav Maharaj will come into play a little bit more. As you see, the wicket is spinning quite a bit.”

Manchester United have decided to sell Mason Greenwood if “there is a good offer”, says Getafe’s president, with Barcelona asking transfer questions.

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Forward enjoying La Liga loan spellLinked with clubs across EuropeRed Devils are ready to cash inWHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Devils allowed the one-cap England international to head for Spain in September 2023, with a short-term loan deal struck with Getafe. Greenwood has impressed in La Liga, registering eight goals and six assists for his current employers.

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A big decision needs to be made on his future, with there seemingly no way back for the 22-year-old at Old Trafford. Various landing spots have been mooted for Greenwood, with Serie A giants Juventus among the latest to be credited with interest.

WHAT TORRES SAID

Getafe have made no secret of the fact that they would like to keep Greenwood, if United were to trigger an extension in his contract through to 2026, but club president Angel Torres has told of where the Red Devils stand at present: “If it depends on the parents and the club, I think he will continue another year. Manchester’s idea is to sell if there is a good offer, we will have to wait. I think he will stay.”

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Atletico Madrid and Barcelona are said to be keen on keeping Greenwood in Spain if a permanent deal is done, with Torres adding on his conversations with rivals in the capital and over in Catalunya: “No one from Atleti has asked me about Greenwood. I spoke with Miguel Angel (Gil), but about other things. The only one who asked me in that sense about the player was Joan Laporta, but first you have to sell to sign – is the problem of Spanish football.”

Liverpool have their eyes on an "amazing" defensive midfielder who could be a difference-maker in the Premier League title race, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Liverpool linked with Andre Trindade

Much was made of the Reds' struggles in midfield throughout last season, with Fabinho and Jordan Henderson a far cry from the players they used to be when they sealed title glory in 2019/20. It was clear that major surgery was needed in the middle of the park, so Jurgen Klopp focused exclusively on that area, offloading dead wood and bringing in four new signings.

The difference has been immeasurable to date, with Dominik Szoboszlai the star addition to date, but Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo all providing more energy.

There have been calls from some supporters to sign a proper No.6 like Fabinho at his peak, though, with Mac Allister largely doing well in the deep-lying role, but naturally more of a No.8. Fluminense ace Andre has been talked about as an option for the Reds, but those rumours do appear to have quietened of late.

Liverpool have their eyes on Joao Palhinha

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Jones said Liverpool are interested in signing Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, claiming it could help turn them into Premier League champions:

"I'm surprised Liverpool haven't already made their move on Palhinha if they were going to do it. They've had their eye on him for the past year and it seems very clear to me that Palhinha is a player that they could do with.

"If Palhinha was playing number six for Liverpool, I think that they would have a much better chance of going on to win the league this season than they would without him. Certainly when you see Alexis Mac Allister having to play that role. There doesn't seem to be a defined person right now at Liverpool who can play that role."

There is no doubt that Palhinha is an impressive midfielder who can be so dominant in the middle of the park, standing out so often in a Fulham shirt. In fact, no Premier League player has made more tackles so far this season than Palhinha, and exactly the same applied last term, when his tally of 147 was 47 more than second-place Moises Caicedo (100). His teammate Alexsandar Mitrovic is a huge admirer, too, saying of him in the past:

"I think this year there’s been some sensational [signings] that we have made. For me personally, [Joao] Palhinha is the signing of the season so far, amazing, amazing [player]."

Appearances

14

Goals

2

Assists

1

Tackles per game

5.4

Interceptions per game

1.6

Clearances per game

1.5

That being said, Palhinha is now 28 years of age, so he could drift past his peak relatively soon after joining Liverpool, and the money that Fulham will demand could make it a risk.

Klopp isn't one to sign players of this ilk, especially midway through the season, so it feels far more likely that he will end up sticking with the midfielders already in his squad, hoping they can do enough to get over the finish line in the title race.