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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Leeds United are having quite a good season so far.

While the xG league table reckons they should be running away with the Championship, you’d be hard-pressed to find many supporters who are overly discontent with their current league position.

Indeed, the Whites sit just two goals off of the automatic promotion places and just two points off the summit of the table.

Of course, a lot of Leeds’ good fortune can be credited to their defence as they’ve conceded just nine goals so far this term.

The Elland Road faithful believe that Ben White deserves plaudits for Leeds’ defensive resilience, and one of the most influential voices around the fanbase has agreed with that sentiment.

What’s been said then?

Phil Hay hosted a Q&A session with The Athletic, and one fan asked whether or not Leeds were missing Jansson’s impact from set-pieces after Leeds conceded from a corner.

Hay’s retort was an interesting one as he agreed that the Swede’s heading ability was missed, but he went on to wax lyrical about his replacement.

“It is the one area where Jansson is missing but you wouldn’t trade Jansson’s heading ability for White’s all-round defending. White has been player of the season so far – immaculate in his play.”

Player of the Season

This is a great shout from Hay.

Even though Pablo Hernandez has been the Whites’ Player of the Year for the past two seasons, surely it’s impossible to overlook one of the team’s defenders with their incredible record at the back, and the standout man has been White.

Fans have previously named him as their Player of the Season up until this point, and it’s really hard to disagree with that sentiment as he’s been at the heart of a defence that has conceded just nine goals in 16 games.

Earning the PFA Fans’ Player of the Month in August, he has taken to life in the Championship like a duck to water, winning 3.3 aerial duels per match while also possessing a ball playing ability that’s seen him complete 85.5% of his passes.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Loan Watch series, which takes a closer look at those players who are aiming to galvanise their careers away from the spotlight of their parent club.

When Eddie Nketiah signed on loan for Leeds United from Arsenal in the summer, there was no guarantee that he would be starting every week.

Patrick Bamford scored 9 goals in 16 league starts and 7 substitute appearances last season, so it would have been a huge call for Marcelo Bielsa to drop him in favour of the unproven youngster.

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However, the former Chelsea striker has scored 5 from the same number of starts this time around, yet Nketiah is still yet to start a single league game the Whites.

His only two appearances from the starting whistle have come in the Carabao Cup against Salford City and Stoke City, and the 20-year-old scored in both of those games.

In addition to those finishes, he has 3 goals in the league, despite having played just 265 minutes of Championship football this campaign – that tally including the header that rescued a point against Preston North End after coming on with just 13 minutes left.

All of this makes it difficult to understand why the England U21 international has not been trusted by Bielsa to start games yet.

It also gives Arsenal a dilemma as to whether they should leave the striker at Elland Road for the season’s entirety or recall him to send him out to a new club where opportunities will be easier to come by.

This comes after The Athletic reported that if Nketiah doesn’t hit a certain amount of game time, the Gunners have the right to recall him, with Bristol City waiting in the wings to come in and nab him for the second half of the campaign, having missed out the first time around.

There are certainly options for both Arsenal and Nketiah if Bielsa persists to not use him adequately, so there could be a big decision to be made when the January window reopens for business.

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

According to The Sun on Sunday (print version, November 17, page 67), Tony Pulis turned down the previously vacant Cardiff job as he has his eye on either the Southampton or West Ham job.

The Bluebirds recently parted ways with Neil Warnock and swiftly appointed former Millwall boss Neil Harris as his replacement, seeing as Pulis – formerly of Crystal Palace and Stoke – rejected the Welsh side’s advances.

Interestingly, the 61-year-old is playing an ambitious waiting game with his eye on the aforementioned Premier League jobs.

In Pulis’ defence, it is entirely feasible that either the Saints or the Hammers part ways with their respective managers Ralph Hasenhuttl and Manuel Pellegrini.

The south coast side have won just two of their 12 Premier League games this season, while also conceding the most goals in the division with 29.

In West Ham’s case, the Irons haven’t won a game in six league outings.

However, back to the point – what is Pulis thinking?

The Welshman hasn’t been in a job since his contract with Middlesbrough expired back in the summer, following a dramatic slip in form which saw the Teesiders drop out of the play-off positions entirely.

Having failed in the Championship, what makes Pulis think he can walk into a Premier League job – and into positions that haven’t even been made vacant yet, we might add.

Additionally, his football is prehistoric.

The St Mary’s faithful didn’t seem too happy with a boring style of play under Claude Puel, which the BBC reference as one of the main reasons for the Frenchman being handed his P45 despite a cup final and an eighth-place finish.

“Southampton struggled to score goals under Puel, with the three Leicester scored inside 38 minutes on Wednesday matching the total for his last seven Premier League matches at St Mary’s, and this stale statistic was cited as one of the main reasons for his dismissal.”

So, if some supporters weren’t happy with Puel in charge, they will presumably hate to see Pulis and his long-ball style rock up on the south coast.

It just doesn’t seem feasible at all that he would even be under consideration for the job even if the Saints part ways with Hasenhuttl, and the 61-year-old must hold himself in pretty high regard if he thinks top-flight clubs will be calling his phone in their time of need any longer.

Everton are ramping up their transfer strategy during this period without football and according to Italian outfit Sportal they are interested in bringing PSG’s Thiago Silva to Goodison Park.

The experienced centre-back is coming towards the end of his career at 35 but he has a wealth of experience to show for his efforts over the years, and he could perhaps be an astute addition for the Toffees.

Carlo Ancelotti worked with him at the French club too so will be aware of his strengths and weaknesses. He could possibly adapt the team to suit him – playing a pacier defender alongside him or using him in a back three for example.

Some fans seem to be concerned at his age and declining pace, and for some he is a reminder of a flop who was signed a few years ago to play in defence – Ashley Williams.

The careers of the two players are remarkably different, however. Silva has represented Brazil on 88 occasions and captained the national team, while also spending time at huge clubs like AC Milan – Williams, by contrast, played for Swansea for most of his career.

It is a bit of a harsh comparison to make, therefore, and some fans realise that. Many have acknowledged the leadership qualities of the PSG defender and believe he could have a tremendous influence on young players.

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That means he could have a positive impact on the club even if he fails to replicate his past form, and that possibility has encouraged some supporters.

How much do you really know about the Farhad Moshiri era? Answer 25 simple questions below…

In other transfer news, Everton fans have been reacting to another player who has recently been linked to the club…

Sky Sports commentator and columnist Martin Tyler has revealed his most notable memory of St James’ Park in an article published on the platform’s official website.

The veteran discussed many aspects of the iconic ground, including how he gets to the stadium, what it is like to commentate there, sharing a trivial fact, what he likes about the place and perhaps most interestingly, his most notable memory of the ground.

Loads of Newcastle United fans will be wondering what this is, and it has been revealed that the memory is one of the 5-0 demolition of reigning Premier League champions from the season before Manchester United in 1996 under Kevin Keegan at St James’ Park.

Goals came from Darren Peacock, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand, Alan Shearer and Philippe Albert, with the latter chipping Peter Schmeichel from 25 yards, an effort that was described as ‘delicious’ and ‘extra special’ by Tyler, as Albert was a central defender by trade.

Remembering the game, Tyler wrote: “They [Newcastle] were like men possessed, even though the first goal from defender Darren Peacock and the third – a powerful header from Les Ferdinand which twice hit the underside of the bar – only just went over the line.

“David Ginola had us reaching for superlatives with a shot that whipped past Peter Schmeichel. Alan Shearer, who carried the fire of the fans in his own heart, also got in on the act.

“It took something extra special to top it all off and Belgian defender Philippe Albert provided it by seeing Peter Schmeichel off his line and chipping the ball over him from 25 yards. A delicious goal!”

The Magpies certainly got their revenge on The Red Devils as the Mancunian club beat them to the title the year before, as Newcastle had to settle for a runners-up spot.

Tyler claims that the campaign before, as well as the 4-0 defeat to Sir Alex Ferguson’s men in the Charity Shield, were used as motivation for The Toon Army as they ran riot on a Super Sunday. As per the article, Keegan said that it was the greatest game of his career, but he was gone just a few months later.

This match lives long in the memory of Tyler and Keegan, and it probably does for many Magpies too.

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It’s a goal you can’t forget.

Darren Bent scored for Sunderland against Liverpool in 2009, sending a drive in off a beach ball that had been brought to the ground by supporter Colin Campbell.

He smacked it onto the pitch and it remained in Pepe Reina’s area, primarily in the goal itself, until it made an incredible, decisive impact.

Nobody is going to forget Bent’s strike, which hit the bottom corner, giving the Black Cats a vital win.

As Liverpool struggled to gain a foothold on the match in the absence of Xabi Alonso (sold), Steven Gerrard (injured), Fernando Torres (injured) and Javier Mascherano (benched) – the four players most pivotal to their runner-up finish the season prior – few probably noticed as the ball started to creep back out of the net and into Pepe Reina’s six-yard box.

Just five minutes into play, though, the beach ball was the centre of everybody’s attention – and the new centre of Campbell’s universe. Darren Bent, enjoying the form of his career after a move to the Stadium of Light, scuffed his connection with a Steed Malbranque cross. But as Reina leaned down in preparation for a save, Bent’s effort bounced off the beach ball, spinning it into the opposite direction and leaving the Liverpool goalkeeper in a painful combination of helplessness and confusion.

That was the only goal in a disappointing performance at the Stadium of Light, which actually saw Sunderland leapfrog Liverpool in the Premier League table, and the backlash against Campbell was huge. He recounts death threats from all over the world; some told him to leave town, others advised him to buy a coffin and one particular troller declared he’d turn him into a curry.

“I’m the one who did it. I’m the one caught on camera. I’m so, so sorry. This is my worst, worst nightmare. When I got home I went into the garden and threw up. I was physically sick – and that’s before the death threats started appearing on the internet the next day.

“When I looked closer these people were from America and Australia and all over the world – so-called fans who never come to Liverpool. So after that, I just ignored them. I knew the true fans wouldn’t threaten me like that – they would know I was more cut up about what happened than anyone else.”

But in truth, the last person at fault for the goal or the result was a Liverpool-loving teenager who’d flailed an arm at a crowd-pleasing prop that was brought to Wearside. For starters, as several leading former referees immediately protested, the goal should never have stood. The official rule is that play must stop if the ball makes contact with a foreign object and restart with a drop ball. Referee Mike Jones should have known that, and he was demoted to the Championship the following weekend.

Arguably more significantly, though, the goal glossed over a poor performance from Liverpool in a match they had little right to win. Bent also hit the post and the bar while team-mates saw efforts cleared off the line as Benitez’s attempt to curtail the early form Sunderland had shown that season by lining up Liverpool in a 5-4-1 backfired spectacularly. Bad results against theoretically lesser teams were a recurring theme throughout Liverpool’s 2009/10, which ended with them finishing in seventh place and Benitez receiving his marching orders.

The beach ball, for all its mischief, was a minute part in that. It was as if the footballing gods decided fate would deal Liverpool a cruel blow at the Stadium of Light, and accordingly prevent them recovering.

As much shame as Campbell felt at the time, as the internet produced a typically malicious backlash, he should be proud for providing the Premier League with one of its most bizarre and unforgettable moments that, in its own strange way, captured the idiosyncrasies which make English football so uniquely special.

The Chronicle journalist Lee Ryder has made an exciting claim about Newcastle’s potential transfer plans for this upcoming summer transfer window.

What did he say?

The Magpies are approaching the beginning of a new era, with Mike Ashley’s nightmare reign looking ever more likely to end sooner rather than later.

And now, Ryder has suggested that the club could be looking at some serious money to play with over the next couple of seasons, with the prospective new owners keen to give the manager their full backing in the market.

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He said: “Without doubt, whoever is in charge of Newcastle at the start of a new era would get a competitive transfer kitty – potentially as much as around £200million as new owners are prepared to push the full pot of profits the way of the first team boss.

“Financial fair play rules would become the subject of discussion at St James’ Park, but profits from TV and Premier League prize money could still be spent on new players without causing any issues.

“Under Mike Ashley, the club have held back from spending TV and merit money in certain windows which has caused unrest between the Sports Direct magnate and the fans in previous winter and summer trading periods.”

Exciting times

Make no mistake about it, Newcastle could turn into serious players in the transfer market very quickly.

Of course, having Champions League or even Europa League football to offer will be something new signings will be hoping for, but the fact the Magpies could have the sort of big money to spend on transfer fees and wages should mean they can compete for some of the very best stars on offer.

All it needs is just that one prominent superstar to walk through the door, as was the case at Manchester City when the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva first joined the Citizens’ new project. Newcastle will be hoping for something similar once this takeover is confirmed.

Meanwhile, Mark Douglas reveals what Newcastle’s new owners will focus on.

Despite arriving from Spanish side Valencia back in 2013, Pedro Chirivella has struggled to make a real impression on the Liverpool first-team in the years since.

The midfielder has made just 11 appearances in total for the senior side at Anfield, spending the majority of his time with the youth teams or out on loan to the likes of Willem II and Go Ahead Eagles.

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Reports in recent weeks had suggested that Nantes were poised to finally end his stay on Merseyside this summer, but now, it appears Jurgen Klopp’s side have had second thoughts about allowing him to go.

According to Goal, the Reds have offered Chirivella a new five-year deal after having “been by his performances and application this season” – his current contract is set to expire at the end of June.

After hearing about the update on the 22-year-old, Liverpool fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

One Liverpool fan however seemed to be a big fan of Chirivella’s talents, even suggesting that they saw the “next Xabi Alonso in him”.

At 22, Chirivella can no longer be seen as an up-and-coming prospect, and if anything, should have shown by now that he is ready to make the grade.

Giving a new five-year contract to someone who has barely played at all in his time at Anfield, simply blocks the path of a more promising academy product trying to make their way through into the senior set-up.

It certainly seems a strange decision.

Things were looking up for Everton prior to the suspension of football in March after a small renaissance under new boss Carlo Ancelotti.

Appointed in December, the Italian helped the Toffees climb away from the bottom three and up towards mid-table, just six points adrift of sixth-place and a European spot.

Since his arrival, Everton have won five of their last 11 matches and while improvements are still needed, they have picked up more points than they did in Marco Silva’s spell between August and December.

The likes of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have made notable improvements under the Italian, while Mason Holgate has seen an increase in game time.

The break will have also allowed Andre Gomes to get back to somewhere like full fitness, which should prove a huge bonus.

Here, we look back at six statistics from the season so far to refresh your memory ahead of the restart…

Fortress Goodison

While this has certainly been a tough year for the Toffees, their home record remains strong.

With 14 matches played, Everton have won seven times at Goodison Park and lost just three times, meaning that in the home league table they sit seventh.

Defensive issues

Defence has definitely been a weakness for Everton this term, with a number of their big name players failing to perform at their best.

In 29 matches, the Toffees have conceded 46 goals and have the sixth-worst defensive record in the league, something Ancelotti will be desperate to change.

Paying the penalty

Everton are one of two Premier League clubs that are yet to score a penalty this season, alongside Newcastle United.

However, what makes them even more unique is that they have not actually been awarded a penalty in the league this season.

Why this has happened is difficult to explain, but certainly compared to Manchester United, who have been awarded 10, there is a big difference.

Over Reliance

While the continued excellent form of Richarlison and the rapid development of Dominic Calvert-Lewin have been pleasing, the lack of goals from elsewhere must be a real concern.

Aside from the two forwards, no player has managed more than three league goals this term, while only two other players have scored more than once.

Of Everton’s 37 league goals, 23 have been scored by Richarlison and Calvert-Lewin.

Full-back attack

The full-back combination of Lucas Digne and Djibril Sidibe has certainly been one of the club’s strong points this season and in attack especially, they have been devastating.

So far, the two have provided nine league assists, while they are the two single most common assist providers in the squad with five and four respectively.

Aerial strength

With Calvert-Lewin and Yerry Mina leading the way, Everton have won the third most aerial duels per match this season.

Averaging 22.9 successful duels-per-match, only Burnley and Sheffield United have won more, while Calvert-Lewin and Mina have won 4.9 and 4.2 per-match respectively.

Tottenham are ‘certain’ to make a move for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer after the Southampton star was recently stripped of the captaincy by Ralph Hasenhuttl. 

Last month, Hojbjerg made it clear that he wants to play at “an even higher level than I already am” amid interest from Spurs and Everton. As a result, Hasenhuttl swiftly removed the captain’s armband from him and has promoted James Ward-Prowse ahead of the Premier League game against Norwich this evening.

Sky Sports revealed earlier this year that Jose Mourinho indicated that the Dane is at the top of his summer shortlist. The Saints will reportedly demand £35m for their former captain, according to The Times, while the Lilywhites had hoped he would be available for about £20m.

After impressing at St Mary’s Stadium, Hojbjerg has been on the coach’s radar for a number of months. The Danish international, who previously played for Bayern Munich, has made 28 appearances for Hasenhuttl’s side this season, providing one assist, winning 2.4 tackles per game, averaging 1.5 interceptions and successfully completing 1.7 clearances per game on average (via WhoScored).

According to Ekstra Bladet, as relayed by Sport Witness, Tottenham will launch a bid for the midfielder in the summer. However, the Danish tabloid confirmed that Southampton are still holding out for their original valuation. Hojbjerg is an international teammate of former White Hart Lane favourite Christian Eriksen.

Mourinho has been informed he will be restricted by a tight budget when the transfer market opens as Spurs reel from the financial repercussions of the coronavirus crisis.

Although their asking price should be more than affordable, as Daniel Levy previously signed Tanguy Ndombele for a club record fee of £53.8m, clubs are operating in uncertain times. Therefore, fans will have to wait and see what deals can be made before the start of next season.

Tottenham fans, should Levy sign Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the summer? Let us know in the comments below!