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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.

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“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.

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.

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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”…

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…

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.

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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%.

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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

Having been allowed to leave Aston Villa on loan in the January transfer window, it’s fair to say Conor Hourihane is doing his best to remind those at his parent club why he should have been kept.

The Republic of Ireland international had struggled to get much game-time at Villa Park in the first half of the season in the Premier League, playing just 228 minutes of top-flight football before his departure for Swansea.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of a game against West Ham earlier this season, Villa manager Dean Smith was quick to acknowledge that it was difficult for Hourihane. He said: “Conversations can be difficult but if you’re just speaking to the players with honesty then you usually find a way through that.

“We’d played two, won two and Conor had come off in both games. We signed Ross and I felt we needed to go a different way against Liverpool given who we were playing against. I explained that to Conor and, yes, he was disappointed because he had been involved in the first two games but we felt we’d brought in a real, high-calibre, different type of player.”

Now on loan at the Liberty Stadium, Hourihane is underlining just what a talented player he is on his day, already racking up five goals in just 12 games in the Championship.

It’s no surprise that Steve Cooper, his manager at Swansea, has raved about the Irishman, saying: “He’s been so impressive from the day he’s come through the door, which wasn’t that long ago. I thought his composure and quality on the ball is what we want it to be. If that’s the start of things to come then happy days.”

Last summer, Villa journalist Dan Bardell waxed lyrical about the midfielder’s ability following an impressive performance in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace towards the end of the 2019/20 season.

He said: “Whether you rate Conor (Hourihane) or whether you don’t, and obviously we’re two people that rate him highly, you can’t deny that when he’s on the pitch, we’ve looked better this season. And he’s a weapon from set pieces.

“The way he looks after the ball is very underrated as well. I think a lot of people take that for granted.”

Given how well he has performed for Swansea in the short time he has been there, and the troubles which Villa themselves have faced in recent weeks (they’ve managed just three goals in their past five games), Smith must surely be ruing letting the 1.81m-tall (5 foot 11) Hourihane leave in January.

Meanwhile, Villa are making a big mistake over signing this midfielder…

Former West Brom midfielder Carlton Palmer has identified Chris Wilder as a potential successor to Sam Allardyce at the Midlands club, in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

With West Brom facing relegation, Allardyce’s long-term future at the Hawthorns is uncertain. The 66-year-old is reported to have a break-clause in his contract that becomes active at the end of the season if the Baggies fail to avoid the drop, casting much doubt.

If Allardyce does end up departing, Wilder is one name that the West Brom board could consider following his recent exit from Sheffield United, and Palmer believes it is an opportunity that could interest the ex-Blades boss.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, the retired England international said:

“I mean, they’ve got a good squad of players now that Sam has got together. I think Chris will go back into football, for sure. He’s a footballing man, he loves football.

“Wherever he goes to work, he will want control of footballing matters, so I would say West Brom may interest him. Obviously you want to stay in the Premier League if you can, but there’s only so many jobs in the Premier League. So the next thing is in the Championship, can you take over a club and get promoted? He’s proven he can do that.”

Given Allardyce has experience managing in the Championship, winning promotion with West Ham back in the 2011/12 season, it may be worth sticking with the former England manager.

However, if action is taken and West Brom do find themselves on the lookout for a new coach, then Wilder is surely one name that they would have to consider. While things certainly did not go to plan for the 53-year-old in the current campaign, he did a great job overall at Bramall Lane, taking Sheffield United all the way from League 1 to the Premier League.

Crystal Palace slumped to a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Leeds United at Elland Road in a result which has left Roy Hodgson’s side outside the top half of the Premier League table.

Palace allowed Leeds to take an early lead through Jack Harrison, and struggled to earn a foothold in the game thereafter once Patrick Bamford put the game beyond the Eagles shortly after the break, leaving them level on points with Southampton and two adrift of Arsenal.

Unfortunately it was one of those nights for Luka Milivojevic as slack passing and poor positioning cut a bad night in the office for the club captain.

As per SofaScore ratings, the 29-year-old was graded as the worst player on the pitch with a miserable 6.0 rating – the only starter other than Nathaniel Clyne from either team to receive such a low score.

Milivojevic’s midfield pivot with Jairo Riedewald backfired as both were closed down far too easily in the first half, as evidenced by the fact he lost seven of his nine duels overall (78%).

We can’t quite get our heads around why he stayed on the pitch for as long as he did because the way he was playing wasn’t going to help them salvage a point at the very least. Despite his tall frame, the 6 ft colossus failed to win either of his two duels in the air.

Not only was he lightweight, he was badly caught out with poor passing, particularly in the first 45 minutes, as he could only provide two accurate long balls from four attempts and also lost possession ten times, the same amount as Nathaniel Clyne, which was far below his season’s average of 7.9 per 90.

This is a clear indication of just how much of a passenger Milivojevic was for Palace which could spell trouble for Hodgson given the fact the ever-reliable James McArthur was nowhere to be seen.

Milivojevic also conceded two fouls, which was more than Clyne and the most of any player on the pitch other than Jordan Ayew and Kalvin Phillips, whilst he also committed an error leading to a shot as well to sum up his frustrations on the night.

With Burnley next on the agenda, Hodgson will have to consider his midfield options carefully indeed if he wishes to avoid further embarrassment.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace suffer Wilfried Zaha injury blow before Leeds clash…

As West Brom’s struggles continue, they will surely live to regret one of their summer decisions…

What was the word?

Back in June, the Express & Star revealed that American left-back Antonee Robinson was one of the Baggies’ top transfer targets and it was claimed that they were willing to pay his £2m release clause.

Two months later, the 23-year-old opted to join Premier League and relegation rivals Fulham in a move that appears to be costing Albion by the week.

One that got away?

West Brom not only have the worst defensive record in the top-flight but also across Europe’s five elite leagues too. Sam Allardyce’s side have leaked a whopping 52 goals from their 22 outings, some 16 more than any other Premier League side.

He’s yet to settle on his first-choice backline, which has been evident in his constant chopping and changing of the full-backs.

Dara O’Shea and Darnell Furlong keep swapping in and out on the right, whilst Big Sam clearly doesn’t trust Gibbs as Conor Townsend has come straight back in on his return from a pretty lengthy layoff.

The story may have been so much different had they landed the bargain signature of Robinson.

Fulham have also struggled, but they haven’t conceded so many goals.

Indeed since December, they have only once conceded more than two goals in one game – by comparison, under Allardyce, the Baggies have leaked five twice, four and three in four of their last five home outings.

The USMNT international has played a key part as he ranks third for overall WhoScored rating (6.97) in Scott Parker’s squad. West Brom’s best full-back has been Townsend (6.81) and then O’Shea (6.42).

Robinson contributes positively at either end of the pitch, which is why he would have been a perfect addition at the Hawthorns as they struggle to score on top of being easily bypassed.

Per WhoScored, the young left-back manages 2.2 tackles per 90 at a success rate of 72.3% as well as 1.7 interceptions per 90, proving to be a hardworking beast off the ball.

Neither Townsend (1.7 tackles, 1.5 interceptions per 90) nor Gibbs (1.7 tackles per 90) can match such returns.

Similarly, Robinson’s 1.4 key passes per 90 is over double what the Baggies duo have achieved thus far in creativity up the pitch.

Indeed, his manager at Fulham, Parker, has already been left impressed by what his new signing has offered this season, saying: “He’s done incredibly well. (He’s) a boy with a big, big heart and a boy with a fearless attitude that embraces and takes things on a daily basis, same as in the games.

“He’s got quality and ability which I think we’re all seeing. (There’s) still loads to improve and loads to learn, but he has a real work ethic about him and a mentality about him that he’s willing to do that.”

The Baggies’ fortunes wouldn’t have been instantly changed had they secured the American in the summer, but certainly, the decision from sporting director Luke Dowling to not bring him in for just £2m is looking worse and worse as each game passes by.

They should have given him everything he was after.

AND in other news, 89% duels lost: West Brom ace drops disasterclass vs Sheff Utd…

Such has been the meteoric rise that Emile Smith Rowe has enjoyed over the past month or so at Arsenal, that Mikel Arteta decided he was one of the players who needed to be rested ahead of his side’s Premier League clash against Southampton.

The Gunners boss rested him completely from the squad that faced the Saints in the FA Cup at the weekend, and it was perhaps of little surprise that the north Londoners looked a shadow of their recent selves without their creative hub – they had 62% of possession but only had two shots on target in the entire game.

So when Arsenal head back to the south coast on Tuesday night to take on Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side, this time in the Premier League, Smith Rowe surely has to be one of the first names on the teamsheet.

The England youth international has been a welcome breath of fresh air for a Gunners side that were in desperation mode before he was thrust into the spotlight.

Since then, the £20k-a-week earning Smith Rowe has led the way as Arsenal rattled off four wins and a draw in the five consecutive league games that he started.

He’s picked up three assists in those games, and also scored the opener in the FA Cup third clash against Newcastle in extra-time, when Arteta brought him on to act as his game-changer.

It’s certainly a massive burden to place on someone so young – Smith Rowe doesn’t turn 21 until late July – but he’s already shown that he can handle that pressure.

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand spoke glowingly about the Arsenal prodigy, saying on Monday: “He’s come in and done unreal things. The way he’s played, he’s been a breath of fresh air at Arsenal, I’m sure the fans, if they were there, would be going crazy about him.

“He brings assists, he brings a calmness to the way Arsenal play. He’s the type of player who could have played over a number of generations at Arsenal in the way he plays football.”

And when you consider how poorly Willian has been performing for this entire season – he’s yet to score for his new club – and the fact that he failed to take his chance against Southampton when playing in the number ten role, it makes it all the more important for Smith Rowe’s immediate return to the starting line-up tonight.

Meanwhile, Arsenal can sign their next Ashley Cole in this Premier League starlet…

Steven Gerrard has said that Glasgow Rangers cannot defend Alfredo Morelos after his latest show of indiscipline.

Morelos cannot be defended

Colombia international Morelos will be missing for three Premiership games following his stamp on Hibernian’s Ryan Porteous during the Gers’ 1-0 victory (BBC).

Speaking ahead of the Ibrox outfit’s clash with St. Johnstone, Gerrard confirmed that he could not defend the actions of the 24-year-old. He said (via SportsMole):

“I have looked at the incident a lot of times and I don’t think there is a case for us to defend in this situation.

“Having said that, it doesn’t mean we are pleased with everything that happened in that game or has happened during this season or previous seasons.

“So it is something behind the scenes that myself and the board are working very hard on in terms of trying to find better solutions in terms of the disciplinary and the processes that go on.

“It is something we will continue to try to be a support to in terms of the authorities to try and make things better and more consistent.

“It is obviously disappointing from my point of view not to have Alfredo available, it is what it is and my focus is on the players that are available.”

No-one to blame but himself

You would forgive Gerrard for running out of patience with Morelos. The former Liverpool captain has already seen the striker receive his marching orders seven times under his tutelage (Transfermarkt), and he has sailed close to the wind on a number of occasions already this term – he slapped the back of Scott Brown’s head in the first Old Firm derby of the season, while he avoided a red card after elbowing Dundee United’s Mark Connolly (he was retrospectively given a two-match suspension for that incident).

He has popped up with some important goals this season – for example, he bagged a brace as the Gers defeated Aberdeen 2-1, and he netted the only goal of the game in that victory over Hibs – but he remains a player Gerrard cannot fully rely on, and you feel he may never mature enough to eradicate these moments of madness from his game.

With Kemar Roofe, Cedric Itten and Jermain Defoe all at the boss’ disposal, the absence of Morelos is no longer a huge problem.

In other news, Rangers fans were delighted with a clip of this broadcaster.