A Happy New Year to you from all at LeedsLive !
Here are the Leeds United morning headlines on Friday 1st January.
Diego Costa tipped for Premier League return
Former Premier League striker Kevin Phillips has backed ex-Chelsea forward Diego Costa to sign for Leeds United in the coming transfer window, following the termination of his Atletico Madrid deal.
The Brazilian-born Spanish international is currently a free agent having come to an agreement to cancel his deal in Spain's capital and will be on the lookout for a new club in 2021.
Speaking to Football Insider, Kevin Phillips believes Leeds could be a tempting destination.
He cites the influence of Marcelo Bielsa and their attractive football as key pull factors.
“They might need someone like Diego Costa, he might be looking at Leeds and thinking: ‘Look at the way they play football, I could score goals in there.’”
Any deal remains some way off as Leeds would need to negotiate Costa's wage demands down; he was most recently said to be earning £250,000 per week.
Bielsa predicts tactical battle
Speaking ahead of the clash with Spurs this weekend, Marcelo Bielsa has said he anticipates an interesting tactical battle between his side and Jose Mourinho.
It will be the fifth time the two managers have met, with Mourinho triumphing over Bielsa on each previous occasion.
That does not deter Bielsa though, who intends to try and outmanoeuvre the Portuguese coach at the fifth attempt.
"They have strikers who can unbalance and they have it very clear how they want to play.
"It's a team where you can clearly see the influence of the manager and they are very competitive," he added.
Bielsa went on to infer that each new game his team faced in the top flight was a challenge they relished.
Spurs are one of a handful of teams Leeds have yet to play this season, as they approach the 19-game mark.
Budding defensive duo face toughest test yet
Luke Ayling and Pascal Struijk have performed admirably at the heart of defence since becoming willing deputies in the absence of Liam Cooper and Robin Koch.
However, this weekend pits them against the toughest attack they have faced so far.
The challenges of Burnley and West Bromwich Albion saw the budding pair equal to them, but now face the prospect of keeping Harry Kane and Son Heung-min quiet.
It will be a litmus test of Struijk and Ayling's suitability as a back-up duo against top teams.
Although, it must be stressed, if the pairing do not keep a third consecutive clean sheet, they should not be cast off as a failed partnership, because given Leeds' squad, the expectation is to compete with teams around them, not the 'Big Six' just yet.
So far, Ayling and Struijk have achieved just that.
