All posts by n8rngtd.top

West Ham United have been dealt a fresh blow in their pursuit to sign Tammy Abraham this summer…

What’s the word?

According to the Evening Standard, Italian giants AC Milan are set to offer the 23-year-old striker a way out of Chelsea at the end of the season, dealing a setback towards the Hammers’ chances of securing him.

It is widely believed that the England international is David Moyes’ top target to fill that attacking void ahead of next season, as per the ever-reliable ExWHUemployee.

However, the Irons face a likely transfer tussle to secure him as Milan are not the only team keen on signing him. Aston Villa and Newcastle United have also been mooted with interest over the weekend, via ESPN.

Moyes won’t be happy

This latest development won’t come as good news to Moyes, especially if the £36m-rated forward is genuinely his top transfer target this summer.

It does seem that Abraham will be leaving Stamford Bridge in the near future, as the Evening Standard reports that Thomas Tuchel is eyeing a new striker of which Romelu Lukaku and Erling Haaland feature as targets.

That makes Abraham a very appealing target, given he’s done no wrong to warrant his recent omission from the Blues’ starting line-up.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-latest-west-ham-transfer-rumours-gossip-latest-moyes-gsb-london-stadium” title= “Read the latest West Ham news, transfer rumours, gossip and more!”]

The 6 foot 3 beast, who earns around £57k-per-week in west London, remains their joint top-goalscorer in the Premier League on six goals, whilst he has delivered 12 goals across all competitions this term, three more than any West Ham star.

Despite a lack of game time, he’s still built on his impressive 2019/20 exploits, where he found the net 18 times across 42 top-flight and Champions League appearances under Frank Lampard.

Alex McLeish even recently dubbed him a “phenomenal player” in an interview with Football Insider, so it really is a surprise to see him struggle for minutes.

It’s no secret that the Hammers desperately need attacking options, as they cannot rely on the injury-prone Michail Antonio to lead the line by himself in what is likely to be a huge season next year.

After selling Sebastien Haller in January, Moyes was left with only one senior striker and he’s only been able to feature 21 times in the Premier League this term, missing their last three games through injury.

Abraham’s experience and proven goalscoring record in England very much does make him a viable target, and quite rightly, he sits high on Moyes’ priorities.

But interest from teams of Milan’s calibre are hugely worrying. The 58-year-old Scot won’t be happy if he misses out on the 23-year-old this summer.

AND in other news, Moyes heading for West Ham transfer mistake over £9m-rated flop he once dubbed “unplayable”…

Southampton produced a sensational comeback on Sunday afternoon as they came from two goals down to beat Burnley 3-2 at St Mary’s.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side had been in awful form in the Premier League since the turn of the year and looked to be headed towards another defeat when goals from Chris Wood and Matej Vydra put Sean Dyche’s side ahead.

However, goals from Stuart Armstrong, Danny Ings and Nathan Redmond completed the turnaround and earned the Saints a vital three points which puts distance between themselves and the bottom three.

One man who impressed in the win was Jannik Vestergaard, with the Danish centre-back justifying the interest being shown in him by Tottenham Hotspur with another excellent display.

As per SofaScore, the 28-year-old defender, who reportedly earns £60k per week at Southampton, would earn a solid 7.3 match rating for his display, which was the best of any defender on the pitch from both sides.

There was not much Vestergaard could do about either of Burnley’s goals, with Kyle Walker-Peters guilty of a poor challenge in the box for Wood’s penalty, whilst Jan Bednarek was outmuscled by the New Zealand international for Vydra’s effort.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/southampton-saints-ralph-hasenhuttl-martin-semmens-st-marys” title=”Latest Southampton news, transfer rumours and more”]

During the 90 minutes, the former Borussia Monchengladbach man would make as many as 10 clearances, which was joint with Bednarek as the most of any player, as he and his Polish teammate defender superbly against Burnley’s constant long balls into the box.

He would also contribute three tackles and two interceptions during the game, which is more than the 1.6 he has averaged of both in the Premier League so far this season.

Perhaps most impressively, when you consider the aerial threat that Burnley possess, Vestergaard would win four out of five of his aerial duels during the game, and all three of his ground duels, resulting in an overall success rate of 88%.

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431″]

Therefore, whilst Southampton’s attackers might well get the credit for turning the game around, Vestergaard was arguably their unsung hero as his excellent defensive efforts ensured that Hasenhuttl’s side would hold on for the three points.

And, in other news… No goals this season: Hasenhuttl must axe 25 y/o flop, he’s stealing a living

Lucien Favre is the latest name to be linked with the vacant manager’s role at Celtic.

The Daily Mail reported on Monday night that the 63-year-old was interested in taking up the position at Parkhead.

Favre was sacked by Borussia Dortmund in December in the wake of a 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Stuttgart, the team’s third loss in five matches (via BBC Sport).

He has been ‘heavily linked’ with a move to Lyon to replace outbound coach Rudi Garcia, according to the Daily Mail, but may now have fallen down the pecking order of the French club’s favoured options.

Dortmund problems may crop up again at Celtic

Reacting to the rumour, Bundesliga journalist Stefan Bienkowski said that Favre had the CV but perhaps not the character for the Celtic job.

“Lucien Favre would be an interesting appointment for Celtic,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Undoubtedly a good coach – he’s proved that at a number of clubs – but I do wonder if his quiet, reserved demeanour would be a poor fit for Celtic, as it was at Dortmund.

“Having said that, he’s 100x better than Roy Keane.”

Derek Rae, ESPN’s lead commentator for the German top flight, added that Favre’s personality “seemed not to match the emotional nature of the club”.

According to the Daily Mail, Eddie Howe, Enzo Maresca, Roy Keane, Chris Wilder, Steve Clarke and current interim boss John Kennedy were already under consideration before Favre expressed an interest.

Transfer Tavern verdict

Celtic have given themselves plenty of time to mull over this appointment. It’s been over a month now since Neil Lennon resigned, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the decision didn’t come for another while yet.

There are no excuses for not finding the right fit. CVs are important, but they matter little if there is a clash in identity. Equally, having the right temperament only gets you so far.

These are factors which Celtic must consider before deciding whether to pursue or ignore Favre, or Keane for that matter.

In other news, Celtic are reportedly keen to secure one man’s Parkhead future.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer believes Tony Pulis has been silent following his sacking from the Yorkshire club likely because of some sort of financial agreement.

Pulis was appointed as Wednesday manager last November, brought in as a replacement for Garry Monk, but was dismissed just 10 games later as the Owls continued to struggle in the Championship.

Following his Hillsborough exit, the 63-year-old has not said too much despite all of the drama that went on during his time at the club, which included the threat of a transfer embargo.

And Palmer has suggested that the above is probably due to an agreement he made with owner Dejphon Chansiri. On Pulis’ silence, the ex-Wednesday player told FFC in an exclusive interview:

“It’s interesting that Tony’s never come out and said anything. And I’m assuming that’s due to the money that they paid him, that he’s not allowed to say anything.

“But it’d be interesting to know what he agreed with the chairman, why he went in there and why he left so quickly.”

In contrast, Monk has been very outspoken since his axing from the Hillsborough dugout, telling The Athletic (via The Star) that it was a “mistake” to join Wednesday and that he knew it was a club that had a lot of problems.

According to a report by French news outlet RMC Sport, via Get French Football News, Tottenham Hotspur are now keen to offload defender Serge Aurier this summer and could do so for as little as €10 million (£8.7 million).

The Lowdown: Aurier on the chopping block

The Ivorian has played very regularly for Spurs this season and has arguably been a mainstay in the side at points under both Jose Mourinho and interim boss Ryan Mason – starting 18 Premier League games in total, six more than summer signing Matt Doherty (WhoScored).

He was praised for his much improved form under Mourinho earlier this campaign and earned plenty of plaudits (Alasdair Gold), but the defender’s downturn since then has made Aurier a nominee for the Spurs summer sale list.

Alasdair Gold recently touted the 28-year-old as one of the names who could leave – mentioning him in a list with Erik Lamela, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Juan Foyth and Dele Alli (football.london).

The Latest: Spurs now keen to offload

Now, in an update on Aurier’s situation, RMC Sport (via GFFN) claim that the Lilywhites and chairman Daniel Levy are now keen to sell the 66-cap ace and could do so for as little as €10m (£8.7m).

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-story-roundup/” title=”Spurs story roundup!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

It is also stated in the report that Paris-Saint Germain have placed Aurier on a shortlist as former Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino weighs strengthening his right-back options.

Aurier has previously hinted he would be open to Parc des Princes return and this update claims a move would majorly interest him.

The Verdict: Big call by Levy?

Still in his prime at 28 and with plenty of experience at Premier League level, we believe that allowing him to go for just £8.7m could be a mistake.

Tottenham will need every penny they can muster given the likelihood they will adopt a sell-to-buy policy (Sky Sports) and losing Aurier for such a meagre fee arguably won’t help matters.

Aurier dominates the Spurs squad in one particular stat, making the most tackles per 90 on average out of any Lilywhites player this season – including midfield enforcer and arguable best signing of last summer Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (WhoScored).

He has also been called ‘amazing’ for his ability to get forward by ex-Spurs keeper Paul Robinson (Football Insider), and Tottenham should be aiming to recuperate much more from his possible sale.

In other news: Tottenham managerial update emerges as new name contacted, find out more here.

In an exclusive interview with Transfer Tavern, Steve Howey, who made 151 appearances for Newcastle United, has backed his former club to turn Joe Willock’s loan deal into a permanent one this summer.

Willock was Steve Bruce’s only signing in January and it took until deadline day for the Magpies to get a new face through the door, despite being in a relegation fight.

It has been reported that Arsenal may look for £20 million if Newcastle want to sign Willock permanently, as they need to raise funds for any potential deal to sign Martin Odegaard on a full-time basis.

Speaking on why Newcastle should not be overpaying for Willock and if he’s been impressed with the 20-year old, Howey told The Transfer Tavern:

“I don’t see why they shouldn’t go for him but I think it will be interesting to see how much Arsenal will be asking for him. If they ask for stupid money forget about it because the lad didn’t even play that much at Arsenal.

“He seems as though he’s enjoying his football and after having a closer look at him here I think he’s done very well.”

Willock has provided Bruce with something different in midfield with his willingness to get into the opposition’s box and his late runs into the final third have resulted in him getting three goals for the Magpies to date, including the late winner against West Ham United at the weekend.

The £20,000-per-week midfielder has found himself on the bench since the 3-0 defeat against Brighton, with Bruce opting for an extra centre back and one less centre midfielder.

West Brom will be looking to continue their rich vein of form as they aim to close the gap towards Premier League safety when they head to nearby rivals Leicester City this evening.

The Baggies have now won back-to-back games in an emphatic nature, dispatching Europe-chasing Chelsea 5-2 before dismantling Southampton with another three goals last time out.

Sam Allardyce’s side have had well over a week to recover from that too, so should be fresher than the Foxes, who too come into this on the back of a win over the Saints, knocking them out of the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday.

So, will the 66-year-old be tempted to tinker a winning formula? Well, here’s our predicted XI along with the latest team and injury news from the Hawthorns camp…

Despite a run of form that has seen the Baggies lose just once in their last four matches, Big Sam could be tempted into two changes from last week’s win.

Following the match, there were injury concerns over skipper Kyle Bartley and Arsenal loanee Ainsley Maitland-Niles, though it appears that both have come through training unscathed this week.

However, with a crucial run-in, it would not be surprised to see the latter given an extra game of rest – or at least from the off – especially as Allardyce has Conor Gallagher at his disposal too.

The Chelsea starlet could slot right in alongside Okay Yokuslu at the base of midfield, with Matheus Pereira playing slightly more advanced.

Bartley, as captain, is likely to start and he could partner Semi Ajayi at the back.

The 27-year-old was an unfortunate casualty of his system change against the Saints. They may be deployed in a back four, so there’s a big call to make on Dara O’Shea. He also doesn’t warrant an absence from the starting XI.

The versatile Irishman may slot across to right-back at the expense of Darnell Furlong whilst Conor Townsend continues on the other side.

Further up the pitch on the wings, we’re expecting the in-form Callum Robinson, who has found the net three times in the last two games, and Matty Phillips to keep their place despite the likes of Karlan Grant and Grady Diangana eager for game time.

Mbaye Diagne should continue to lead the line, too.

AND in other news, Albion dealt double injury blow this week…

Speaking to talkSPORT, former Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara has been left in awe of Antonio Conte amid the Italian’s links to the vacant manager’s job, but he admitted that he can’t see the appointment happening. 

The Lowdown: Conte linked to Spurs

Over this last week, links have emerged with former Chelsea boss Conte as a possible replacement for Jose Mourinho in N17.

Indeed, a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) even claimed that Tottenham have held ‘positive’ and ‘fruitful’ talks with the 51-year-old over taking the reins in north London.

However, the outlet also noted that ‘nothing’ has been decided yet and both parties will postpone further negotiations for a later date.

The Latest: O’Hara in awe of Conte

Even though he believes an appointment is unrealistic, talkSPORT pundit O’Hara has waxed lyrical over Conte and admits that he would be the 34-year-old’s personal preference as Spurs’ next manager.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/spurs-story-roundup/” title=”Spurs story roundup!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

“I think if Tottenham got Antonio Conte, they’d be able to keep Harry Kane – he’s a brilliant manager,” O’Hara explained to talkSPORT.

“He won the Premier League title with Chelsea and yes he got the sack, but that’s what Chelsea do. It’s their culture. He’s gone to Inter Milan and he’s won the league there, too. He’s a top manager.

“I think we should be going for Antonio Conte or Brendan Rodgers, but Spurs are living in cuckoo land at the moment… we’re pretenders! We haven’t won anything!

“Personally, I would like Antonio Conte, but I can’t see it happening.”

The Verdict: Bang on the money…

We’re inclined to agree with O’Hara’s verdict that appointing Conte at Tottenham is probably out of chairman Daniel Levy’s reach.

On a reported €20m per year (£17.3m) salary at Inter Milan, he could be a costly man to hire, not to mention that the coach with a defence-minded reputation isn’t exactly a tailor-made fit with Spurs’ desired criteria of an open, attack-minded manager (The Guardian).

Lauded as a ‘perfectionist’ by Emmanuele Giaccherini (La Gazzetta via Football Italia), Tottenham would still be better off looking elsewhere as the search for Mourinho’s successor continues.

In other news: Some Tottenham fans flock to this ‘best news’, find out more here.

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Carlton Palmer has warned that Jordan Rhodes could put off potential suitors this summer if he is unwilling to take a wage cut.

Rhodes’ contract at Hillsborough expires at the end of the season and, according to Salary Sport, the 31-year-old is earning £35,000 per week, as things stand.

For Palmer, demanding that kind of money could detract interested parties. However, on lower terms, the ex-Wednesday player is expecting advances from other Championship outfits.

Discussing Rhodes, who is currently being linked with a return to Huddersfield Town, in an exclusive interview with FFC, Palmer said:

“A lot will fall down to his wage demands. I mean, he 100% will not be going to any football club on the salary he’s on now, that is for sure. But if he falls into a category, say between eight and 10 grand a week, there’s a lot of Championship clubs, or maybe even first division clubs, who will have a bet on him.”

On Rhodes’ performances at the club specifically, the retired Premier League footballer said:

“He hasn’t done it really. And this is where he’s flattered to deceive a little bit. Wednesday are in the position they’re in and he’s scoring goals and people start looking and saying, ‘Jordan Rhodes is the real deal’. Not for me.”

After struggling for most of the campaign, Rhodes’ form has indeed picked up of late. The former Norwich City and Blackburn Rovers striker managed to net twice against Barnsley just before the international break, and he will have a chance to build on that when Wednesday welcome Watford to Hillsborough on Friday.

Former Leeds United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny has hailed Illan Meslier, tipping him to play in the biggest games in club football in the future.

The 21-year-old is proving to be a hugely successful signing for the Whites, having joined permanently from Lorient last summer, initially shining on loan during 2019/20.

Meslier played his part in Marcelo Bielsa’s side being promoted to the Premier League last season and has started 30 of his team’s 31 top-flight matches this time around.

[freshpress-quiz id=“351040″]

Kenny heaps praise on Meslier

Someone who knows a thing or two about what makes a good ‘keeper is Kenny, who enjoyed a long and successful career, having spells with Leeds and Sheffield United, among numerous others.

Speaking to Football Insider, the ex-Whites man hailed Meslier’s quality, claiming he will end up playing in the latter stages of the Champions League one day:

“I remember watching him against Sheffield United and he made some of the best saves I’ve seen all season at 0-0. The potential is there.

“He’s one who could get to that level of playing Champions League semi-finals and finals in the future.

“To be playing Premier League standard at that age is impressive. I didn’t turn pro until I was 20 and they’re playing Premier League standard at that age. I didn’t even have a goalie coach until I was 25.

“I got to where I got through natural ability. I wouldn’t have been linked with PSG though. More likely GHD now my hair’s gone curly.”

Transfer Tavern take

For Meslier to already be such a key man in the Premier League at 21, especially for a ‘keeper, says so much about his long-term potential.

He has been a vital player ever since becoming first-choice between the sticks under Bielsa – he is second in the top flight in saves behind only Sam Johnstone – and he should only get better as he matures with age.

The hope is of course that Leeds continue to build so much as a team that Meslier is playing for them in the Champions League in the future, not a giant like PSG as Kenny suggests.

In other news, Leeds have been linked with a move for one Premier League star – find out who it is here.