(Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)(Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)
(Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)

Leeds United transfer news: Whites plot bargain raid for ex-Chelsea starlet, 24-cap star defender eyed

Leeds United's Boxing Day plans were scrapped yesterday afternoon, after the club were forced to request a postponement of their clash against Liverpool due to a build-up of injuries, illness, and players testing positive for Covid-19.

The Whites won't have long to wait for their next game, however, with a home clash against Aston Villa set to take place on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, ex-footballer Paul Merson has likened Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa to his former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, and claimed: “Marcelo Bielsa's insistence at playing the same way is reminding me a lot of Arsene Wenger's latter years at Arsenal.

“I remember covering Manchester United versus Arsenal in 2011. Arsenal turned up at Old Trafford with a weakened team, we all said that Wenger needed to change things and that he couldn't go out and play as if all his big players were on the pitch.

“What did Wenger do? He went out, played the same, and Arsenal got beaten 8-2, I'll never forget it. This is exactly what I am seeing of Bielsa at Leeds United now.”

He added: “They went to Manchester City with no players, they played exactly the same way as they usually do, and it was embarrassing, I felt for the players. The manager has got to have another game plan to fall back on when needs must.

“Leeds have been absolutely shredded in the absence of some key players, but the manager has to change things around. He has got to accept that, without those players around, the team has to stay solid, get men behind the ball, and make it hard for the opposition to score.

“I mean, Arsenal were missing sitters at Elland Road and there was barely five minutes on the clock. That tells you all you need to know.”

Take a look at today's biggest stories from the Premier League, as the top tier sides gear up for the Boxing Day action this weekend: