New Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri will be looking forward to getting down to business in the coming weeks as he takes over the reins from Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge.

The Italian was a big success for Napoli previously, and he will be hoping to bring that success with him to the Bridge as the Blues look to restore their place as Champions League regulars and title contenders.

Indeed it was only two seasons ago that we saw Chelsea romp to Premier League success, and the squad is not all that different to the team that lifted the trophy. However, with some of their top stars drawing interest from some of the big hitters in Europe and some of that title winning team showing signs of age, new players could well be on the horizon.

With that in mind, we here at the Transfer Tavern thinks Sarri and Chelsea need to be making some new additions to the squad, and one such player we think would be a superb addition is £40.5m-rated Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey. 

The flying Jamaican teenager has been hugely impressive for the German side over the last 12 months and has shot himself into the limelight with some scintillating performances in the Bundesliga.

With Chelsea likely to be coming under pressure to sell star man Eden Hazard, signing someone like Bailey would be a shrewd move in terms of replacing the Belgian.

Bailey has searing pace, is creative, and chips in with his fair share of goals too. While not quite at Hazard’s level, the chance for development is there, and he would surely be a superb long term signing for the Blues.

Chelsea fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Loads of Leeds fans have been reacting to the latest transfer news, as it looks like Ronaldo Vieira’s time at Elland Road has come to an end.

According to Sky Sports, Vieira is close to a £6.2m switch to Serie A side Sampdoria.

The 20 year-old is expected to complete his medical on Tuesday, after making 63 Championship appearances with Leeds.

Sampdoria were originally chasing West Ham’s Pedro Obiang, and it looks like the Hammers’ insistence on keeping their wiry midfielder has turned the Italians’ attention towards Vieira.

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The young midfielder has shown glimpses of brilliance at Elland Road, and it seems bizarre to sell a talented youngster when the club are short of quality options in midfield.

On the other hand, fans wanted a manager that puts his foot down and picks the players he wants, and it’s clear that the boss has no place for the youngster in his new look Leeds team.

Fans aren’t convinced, with some happy to back Bielsa’s call, and others bashing the decision to cash in on Vieira so soon.

Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Leeds United fans are clearly hoping to see their club bring in a new centre-back before the summer transfer window closes on August 9, and Whites fans on Twitter want to swoop for Chelsea defender Tomas Kalas, rated at £4.5m by Transfermarkt.

The Czech Republic international returned to Stamford Bridge at the end of last season following a successful loan spell with Fulham, whom he helped win promotion to the Premier League following a play-off final win against Aston Villa.

Meanwhile, the Yorkshire outfit only have Pontus Jansson, Liam Cooper and Conor Shaughnessy as their only senior and specialist options at the heart of the defence, and they have already done business with Chelsea on two occasions this summer with loan deals for Lewis Baker and Jamal Blackman.

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Leeds supporters, some of whom have been debating a potential move for another Manchester City man following Jack Harrison’s arrival, have been quick to have their say on potentially signing Kalas via social media, and while one said “Tomas Kalas would be an unreal signing”, another described him as a “Rolls Royce defender”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

Leeds United are off to a flyer in the Championship following two impressive wins over potential promotion rivals. 

Manager Marcelo Bielsa is having a big effect it seems, and at the moment, they look like they could well run away with things based on their opening two weekends.

However, despite a positive start, there is always room for improvement, and one such player we here at the Tavern think would be a superb addition is Belgium and Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata, who is valued at a relatively measley £1.8m by Transfermarkt. 

The impressive former Man City ace was a valuable member of the Belgium squad over in Russia this summer, as he played his part in cementing a third placed finish for Roberto Martinez’s men.

Boyata is a big strong defender, and his time with Celtic has been impressive, with plenty of clubs taking note of his form. His time in England with City previously never took off, and he might well be open to the challenge of proving himself in the English game again.

While Premier League clubs will no doubt also be sniffing, Leeds look to be a club on the up, and Boyata would  make what is an already talented squad, even better.

Leeds fans, what do you think? Good signing? Let us know in the comments!

Loads of Liverpool fans have been having their say on their only deadline day business, as Danny Ings joined Southampton on a one-year loan deal.According to James Pearce, Southampton came out of nowhere to make a shock swoop for Ings late on Thursday.The ex-Burnley striker has had a torrid time with injuries since switching to Anfield, and will hope to revive his career on the south coast.There’s no question about his goalscoring ability, but he’s not the type of world class player that’s going to push the Reds towards trophies, and fans are thankful to get him off the wage bill.[brid autoplay=”true” video=”276881″ player=”12034″ title=”Rafa’s Pub Facts The Kings Of Season Openers Revealed”]The deal is only a one-year loan deal, but the Saints are expected to make the deal permanent at the end of the season.The 26 year-old has scored three Premier League goals for Liverpool in three years, having played just 14 times due to consecutive knee injuries.Loads of fans have been giving their verdict on the move, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, Henri Saivet is on the verge of leaving Newcastle United. The 27-year-old made the move to St James’ Park back in 2016 but has struggled for regular football during his time in the North East, to the point that he has been shipped out on loan to both Saint-Etienne and Sivasspor in the last few seasons.

And it appears that he is set to go out on loan again this term, this time to Turkish side Bursaspor, and with the Senegal international seemingly off, £4.05 million-rated Newcastle outcast Karl Darlow (as per Transfermarkt) must seek to follow him out of the Magpies this month.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, it has been a testing few years for Saivet since his move from Bordeaux to Newcastle back in 2016, with the midfielder only mustering eight senior appearances for Rafa Benitez’s side, netting just one goal in that time.

And with his most recent appearance coming in their FA Cup fourth round exit at Chelsea seven months ago, alongside his exclusion from the Magpies squad for their opening Premier League game against Tottenham last weekend, the writing has been on the wall for Saivet for quite some time.

And Darlow’s future prospects at Newcastle also look pretty bleak, which is why he must seek to follow his teammate in leaving St James’ Park before the end of the month.

The Englishman made the move to the North East back in 2014 after beginning his career at Nottingham Forest, and while the 27-year-old then returned to the City Ground on loan in the 2014/15 season, he then became an important player at Newcastle, not least in keeping 13 clean sheets in 34 Championship appearances to help Benitez’s side win the title in the 2016/17 season.

Yet both he and Rob Elliot failed to convince between the sticks in the Premier League last term to prompt Benitez to land Martin Dubravka back in January, and with his move made permanent over the summer, first team football doesn’t look at all likely for Darlow this season.

And at the age of 27, the Englishman will surely be seeking to progress his career by accumulating as many minutes as possible in the coming years – that doesn’t seem likely at Newcastle.

He may have got the nod for the substitute’s bench over Elliot last weekend, but being next in command doesn’t mean as much to a goalkeeper as it does an outfield player, which is why he must seek to follow in Saivet’s footsteps by leaving the club this month.

Newcastle fans… what do you think? Let us know!

West Ham United suffered their second successive defeat at the start of the 2018-19 Premier League campaign when they lost at home to Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon.

The Hammers would have been looking for all three points following their 4-0 defeat at Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season, but suffered a 2-1 loss to the Cherries.

Tottenham Hotspur fans do not exactly need help when it comes to poking fun at their bitter rivals West Ham, but Hammers captain Mark Noble has provided them with some ammunition.

Indeed, Noble did not exactly cover himself in glory immediately before Bournemouth’s equaliser, with Callum Wilson allowed to run away from the midfielder far too easily.

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Wilson’s leveller was followed by a header from Steve Cook, which ensured that Bournemouth would leave the English capital with all three points.

The Tottenham fans enjoyed the clip of Noble struggling to keep up on social media, and many have taken to Twitter to poke fun at the Englishman for his recent struggles.

A selection of the reaction can be seen below:

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Arsenal’s saga concerning Aaron Ramsey shows no signs of coming to a halt as the midfielder may delay a decision on a new deal until January, The Daily Mail reports.

What’s the word?

Having entered the final 12 months of his deal at the Emirates Stadium, Aaron Ramsey is locked in talks with Arsenal regarding a contract extension but a new deal for the Wales international does not look to be agreed imminently.

The Daily Mail reports that Ramsey could follow Mesut Ozil’s lead by waiting until the New Year before deciding on a new deal after the World Cup winner delayed his own decision earlier this year until after the January transfer window – then agreeing on a new long-term deal.

Ramsey could do similar, focusing on his football rather than the soap opera well underway behind the scenes, but that will raise fear amongst Arsenal supporters after they witnessed Alexis Sanchez run down his deal last term before joining Manchester United.

While the stance in North London continues to be that Arsenal are confident the 27-year-old will eventually put pen to paper on an agreement, it could be a rollercoaster ride for the supporters in the months ahead.

What should Arsenal do?

The longer this standoff continues, the more damage Arsenal risk experiencing and the Gunners should move to end the saga one way or another immediately to stop the drama boiling over as Unai Emery looks to settle in North London.

Week after week, Emery is quizzed about Ramsey’s situation in a scenario that mimics what Arsene Wenger had to put up with last term when Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez had entered the final year of their contracts – and this sort of distraction needs to be avoided, particularly at a time when the Gunners have already undergone major changes.

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Arsenal’s priority should certainly be to tie the former Cardiff City man down to a new deal, as he has the potential to be club captain and a future legend, but they need to stop messing around in the market and come to a decision.

Either they find an agreement with Ramsey imminently, or they make it clear his time at the Emirates Stadium is up.

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Leeds United remain keen on former Newcastle United talent Yasin Ben El-Mhanni, according to Goal.

What’s the word?

After two seasons with Newcastle United, El-Mhanni is a free agent in the market after being released by the Magpies earlier this summer and the 22-year-old now faces a race against time to find a new club.

Football League clubs have until Friday to sign unattached players and Leeds have been named amongst a number of clubs who are expressing interest in El-Mhanni, Goal states, although Brentford are currently the leading side to land his services.

El-Mhanni is currently on-trial with high-flying Championship side Brentford and featured for the Bees in a friendly victory over Bournemouth on Tuesday, with the young talent remaining hopeful of earning a deal at Griffin Park.

Further competition in the market for El-Mhanni’s signature is said to come from Eredivisie side Heerenveen and French duo Amiens and Saint-Etienne.

Worth a punt?

Once widely regarded as one of the finest young prospects on the books at Newcastle, El-Mhanni has endured a fall from grace in recent campaigns but it has not been his own doing – having won a grievance case against the Magpies U23 coach Peter Beardsley prior to his exit.

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The 22-year-old is now seeking stability at a new club and first-team opportunities, earning just two senior appearances during his spell on Tyneside, and Marcelo Bielsa could be the ideal manager for the talented winger to develop under and finally unlock the potential he clearly has.

With the likes of Ezgjan Alioski, Pablo Hernandez and Jack Harrison to compete with for opportunities in the wide positions at Elland Road, El-Mhanni would face a fight to earn first-team chances but he is certainly worth a punt due to his free agent status.

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Leeds have had a great start to life under Marcelo Bielsa and they hope it continues long enough to launch a substantial promotion bid.

The Lilywhites have shown signs of a promotion-pushing team and that already has fans considering them as a threat going forward this season.

Leeds are a squad full of talent all around the pitch and with a top manager like Marcelo Bielsa in charge, no wonder feelings of hope and optimism is so high.

The January market is months away from being open but Leeds should be planning on recruiting some more talent, which can only aid their promotion bid. Having seen some eye-catching displays from this young talent, Leeds should really look into the possibility of bringing Arsenal prodigy Emile Smith-Rowe to Elland Road this winter.

The Championship is renown for being one of the hardest leagues in football considering the amount of games and the fact any team has the ability to beat anyone.

At 18, Smith-Rowe has shown the Arsenal fans what the future holds for him and the club together but Leeds could be the club to give him the opportunity now in the Championship.

The English born star can play anywhere across midfield and with a great range of passing, an eye for goal and a midfield engine, a deal to bring him to Elland Road surely can’t go wrong.

Emile Smith-Rowe produced a number of high-quality performances during pre-season for the Gunners, so much so that Leeds must consider his talents and utilise him in the Championship.

Do you agree that Smith-Rowe is a talent worth considering for Leeds… Let us know!