Here are your Leeds United evening headlines on Friday, February 4.
Gerrard's Leeds preparations halted by fitness warning
Identities will be reset at Aston Villa during the two-and-a-half-week break they have before facing Leeds United, at least that is the aim for Steven Gerrard.
The Villa Park boss will face Marcelo Bielsa for the first time on Wednesday night in Birmingham, where the two sides will return to the field after an unusually long mid-season break.
Traditionally, international breaks have given clubs one free weekend or a two-week gap between matches, but Villa and United’s FA Cup exits mean they have even longer to prepare.
Gerrard, still less than three months into his job in the second city, has set out his stall for what he wanted to achieve ahead of the Leeds clash.
Speaking prior to Villa's winter break, Gerrard told BirminghamLive : "We need to use the next two-and-a-half weeks now because they're very important.
"From a physical point of view, we need to train hard. We also have an opportunity for unlimited physical days where we can reset our identity in and out of possession.
"We'll use this time as a mini pre-season which, hopefully, will benefit us in the short time and will have us ready for the remaining fixtures."
Read more here.
Smith's Raphinha claim
Former Leeds United striker Alan Smith has weighed in on Raphinha's future at the club ahead of a few huge potential months in their battle to avoid relegation.
Marcelo Bielsa's men currently sit 15th in the Premier League, seven points above the relegation zone where they hope to remain away from come the end of the season.
Without their star man though, they'd be in a big trouble.
Raphinha has scored eight goals and two assists in 20 games and the Brazilian is attracting attention from European clubs - with Liverpool and Bayern Munich reportedly interested.
As long as he's able to keep Leeds in the league, Smith feels that Raphinha would go with the Whites' blessing.
He told Offers Bet : "There has been talk of it and I’m not sure if other clubs are waiting for the summer, but Raphinha has done really well.
"He’s a really good player and I hope that he can make sure that he keeps us up before he does decide to move on."
Hutton makes Phillips claim
Kalvin Phillips' meteoric rise under the management of Marcelo Bielsa has seen him transform into one of the Premier League's best holding midfielders.
He is arguably Leeds' most important player and is also one of the first names on Gareth Southgate’s England team sheet. With consistently high-level performances, as well as international exposure, though, comes the inevitable transfer interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
The likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and even Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid have been linked with Phillips in recent months, while West Ham United expressed an interest in the final week of the January window.
The Hammers reportedly made a bid of around £50 million for Phillips, which was swiftly turned down by the hierarchy at Elland Road.
But even if it was accepted, it remains unclear as to whether a club such as West Ham would be able to tempt Phillips into leaving his boyhood club.
One man who doesn’t think so is Alan Hutton, who when speaking to Football Insider, claimed that Phillips would only ever depart Leeds for one of the really top sides.
He said: "Season on season, we can see the development and the player that he’s growing into.
"I mean, he’s one of the best defensive midfielders in the league at this moment in time, especially for his age.
"I think, and this is no disrespect to West Ham, he will have bigger ambitions to go to a proper top-four club. A club that’s challenging for trophies and league titles.
"He might not be there at this moment in time, but, in the summer, definitely in the next seasons, he’ll be there.
"I think his ambition would be greater than a £50million bid from West Ham in the January transfer window."
