All posts by z3u9t.icu

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”…

Steven Gerrard would be torn about whether to leave Rangers for Aston Villa, according to The Mirror’s Chief Football Writer John Cross.

The lowdown

The 41-year-old has been identified as a potential replacement for Dean Smith, who was sacked over the weekend after a run of five straight defeats.

Villa are the second Premier League club with a managerial vacancy to run the rule over Gerrard this autumn, with Newcastle also said to be admirers.

His headline achievements in Scotland include an unbeaten romp to the 2020/21 Premeirship title – halting Celtic’s run of nine in a row – and a run to the last 16 of the Europa League.

The latest

Cross wrote in The Mirror that it is ‘far from certain’ that Gerrard would walk away from Ibrox midway through the season. Indeed, he would face a ‘major dilemma’ as to whether to abandon his Rangers project at this stage and head for the English Midlands.

Villa have other options in mind if the ex-Liverpool captain proves to be unattainable, with Denmark boss Kasper Hjumland (who has close links with sporting director Johan Lange) among them.

The verdict

Many Rangers fans will surely be pleased to hear that Gerrard would be hesitant about leaving Ibrox. In a survey conducted last month, nearly 30% of supporters said he should already be considered a club great (via The Daily Record).

In that same survey, a full 79% of fans predicted that he would remain in charge for at least two more years, so hopefully he will indeed do so.

If Gerrard does receive an approach from Aston Villa, the question is whether he feels a responsibility to see out his task in Glasgow or whether the lure of managing in the Premier League would prove too inviting to turn down.

In other news, some Gers fans slammed this man’s performance v Ross County

Lots of Everton fans have been left gushing over some news that has emerged involving Andros Townsend.

As per the official Twitter page of the Goodison Park faithful, his stunning strike from outside of the box at home to Burnley has now been nominated for September’s Goal of the Month (GOTM) award.

Supporters of the Merseyside club can now vote for Townsend’s goal on the Premier League’s website, as he is nominated alongside Bruno Fernandes, Jesse Lingard, Romelu Lukaku, Naby Keita, Matty Cash and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

The goal encapsulates a great start to life at the Toffees for Townsend, who has scored four goals in total and made a further three assists in eight games over all competitions since his arrival (Transfermarkt), and will no doubt be hoping to bag more screamers as the campaign progresses.

Everton fans on Townsend news

These Blues fans gushed as the news of Townsend’s nomination was shared on Twitter:

“Never fails to make me grin from ear to ear”

Credit: @ellieq

“We cannot understate how good @andros_townsend has been for us so far this season! Whether starting or not, he has a big role to play in the next couple of years”

Credit: @DaAlexJohnson

“Cracking goal that really should win”

Credit: @Adamefc95

“Booooooooooooom”

Credit: @Georgie_Redman

“Belter”

Credit: @Bigpoppa1878

“Was an absolutely sensational 10 minutes I thought Gwladys Street Stand was gonna collapse loved absolutely every second”

Credit: @RDW_Engineering

In other news, find out what contract talks have Evertonians buzzing here!

West Bromwich Albion have been heavily speculated to utilise strongly the upcoming winter transfer window, however, Valerien Ismael could make the most of a young player they already have developing in their youth system currently.

Reyes Cleary has been playing for the West Brom U23s in the Premier League 2, and has been putting in performances that should be catching the eye of first-team manager, Ismael, who until last weekend has been struggling to inspire his side to score in the Championship.

The 17-year-old sent a clear message to the senior management at West Brom, when he scored twice in the first 11 minutes of the U23’s fixture against Middlesbrough last weekend leading onto a hat trick by full time, with the youngster scoring a phenomenal 16 goals in just 14 appearances so far this season.

Cleary has been doubling up on his duties for West Brom, by also playing in the U18’s Premier League side too, with coach Peter Gilbery hailing the young player as “powerful” recently.

“Reyes is a powerful forward player with an eye for goal and is an excellent finisher.”

The young goal scorer is yet to secure a professional contract with the club but has reportedly already caught the eye of many big clubs who are poised to offer him his next challenge, including Newcastle United and Bayern Munich.

With the possibility of the teenager being snapped up by another club, West Brom need to act fast in offering him a contract as he continues to develop and become more attractive to clubs in positions of power to offer him the opportunity to play European football.

The Baggies are crying out for a creative goal scorer who will put them in a position to be promoted back into the Premier League next season, and Cleary could be their golden ticket right under their nose to succeeding that.

It would save Ismael not only the headache of finding a goal scorer in the upcoming transfer window but would also save the club millions in transfer fees as he strives to do so.

West Brom fans have already taken to social media to express their desire to see the youngster in the first team, with one fan tweeting;

“Can’t ignore him anymore Val. He needs to be on the bench at least!”

The Baggies have a long way to go in their Championship campaign and will be hoping to close the gap on Bournemouth and Fulham who are currently sitting the automatic promotion spots in first and second place in the league.

In other news: Jordan Hugill set for January exit

Speaking to Football Insider, former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper and Sky Sports regular Paul Robinson has touted a north London exit for Cameron Carter-Vickers at the end of the season to pave way for new signings – coming after the same outlet revealed that Daniel Levy is not planning to renew the defender’s contract.

Carter-Vickers, who made his senior debut for the Lilywhites at 18-years-old in the EFL Cup five years ago, has been sent out on loan to Swansea City, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United, Stoke City and Luton Town since then.

Bournemouth are the latest club to take him on a temporary stint away from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the USA international shining under new Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate.

Robinson touts Tottenham exit for Carter-Vickers

Despite this, Robinson expects there is no way back for the 23-year-old at Spurs – coming after it was recently revealed by Football Insider that there are no plans to offer him a contract extension.

“I think Carter-Vickers will leave Spurs this summer and I think he will be among others,” explained the ex-Lilywhite.

“The summer is fast approaching and it is a big window for Spurs. There has been a lot of upheaval over the past 12 months and I think this summer will be really important.

“Jose Mourinho has time to assess his squad and look at who he will clear out to make room for new faces. I think there will be a lot of movement in and out at Spurs in the next window.

“Yes, they have a very strong squad but there are a few he would like to move out and that will pave the way for new signings.”

Transfer Tavern take

Described as a ‘fantastic player’ by former teammate Sonny Bradley during his stint at Luton (Luton Today), an exit does seem inevitable for Carter-Vickers given his deal is up come the end of this campaign.

Jan Vertonghen also called him an ‘absolute beast’, and Tottenham fans may be left wondering what might have been if he thrives elsewhere.

In other news: talkSPORT pundit lifts the lid on this ‘amazing’ starlet in ‘good news for Spurs’, find out more here.

Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa’s performances have not gone unnoticed as he is attracting interest from some big sides and the club are hoping they can tie him down to a new deal.

The latest on Konsa

According to The Mirror, Villa are already talking to the defender about a new contract to stop the possibility of interested sides Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

A new deal is needed

Konsa has been a vital asset for the club this season, playing in 23 Premier League games, and establishing himself as Tyrone Mings’ partner at the back.

The Athletic also recently reported that Konsa is on Gareth Southgate’s radar ahead of a possible England call-up, which shows how good his performances have been. Therefore it is understandable to see why the club are desperate to fend off interest with a new contract.

The defender has been praised by fans and pundits alike, with Kevin Phillips saying: “He’s been at the heart of everything Villa have done this season. He’s been excellent with Mings, they haven’t been breached too much this year.”

The £10.8m valued ace is still only 23 years-old, so has a bright future ahead, and therefore the club need to make sure they can keep him at Villa Park for as long as possible so that they can build and progress into a consistent top half team.

In other news, fans reacted to this update on Targett!

Leeds United moved five points clear of the relegation zone with a hard-fought point at Crystal Palace on Monday evening.

Jesse Marsch’s side were far from their best down at Selhurst Park but few teams have taken anything away from the Eagles on their own patch this season, including the likes of league leaders Manchester City (0-0), Arsenal (3-0 loss) and Spurs (3-0 loss).

It was a pretty disappointing display from the Yorkshire giants, making that point all the more valuable and not to mention the fact that Premier League safety is still firmly in their grasp.

The Whites mustered up only two shots on target, in comparison to Palace’s seven, also managing nine fewer shots inside the penalty area, so you could even argue that they were lucky to return north with a point.

Dan James, Jack Harrison and Raphinha all struggled to make their mark in the attack, though there was one shining light for the American head coach in skipper Liam Cooper, who was an absolute rock at the back.

As per SofaScore, he earned the highest rating of any outfield player for Leeds (7.6) and it’s easy to see why as he won absolutely everything up against their former transfer targets Jean-Philippe Mateta and Conor Gallagher, as well as Wilfried Zaha and co too.

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The 6 foot 2 colossus, 30, won a whopping nine of his 11 duels (81%), both in their air and on the ground, and also registered a match-high seven clearances, two tackles, one interception and one block.

It seems no one was getting past the Scotland international on the day and without his leader-like presence in the backline, the Premier League’s second-worst defence may well have crumbled from the Eagles’ pressure, particularly in the second half where they managed a 56% share of the ball.

Elsewhere, Cooper was among the most active players, registering the third-highest number of touches (69), which was more than Kalvin Phillips and any of Leeds’ attack, whilst one of his 34 accurate passes resulted in a key chance created – the same as James and Rodrigo, and more than Raphinha.

Yorkshire Evening Post reporter Graham Smyth was certainly left impressed by the skipper’s display as he wrote in his post-match ratings column: ‘Solid with few mistakes, lots of full-blooded defending and aerial battles.’

Whilst young goalkeeper Illan Meslier will take plenty of the plaudits for keeping out Palace’s seven attempts on goal, it was the colossal captain in front of him that helped thwart the home side to stop there being way more chances on the night.

As such, the £35k-per-week Cooper was Marsch’s big shining light down in south-east London.

AND in other news, Victor Orta could finally replace Pablo Hernandez in summer swoop for “gorgeous” 24 G/A “top talent”…

Sam Allardyce could be about to resolve one of West Brom’s biggest problems with one fell swoop this January transfer window, according to emerging reports…

What’s the word?

The Express & Star claim that the 66-year-old is considering a loan move for Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury after he was made available by the fellow Midlands outfit.

It’s thought that Big Sam is a massive fan of Foxes ace and is desperately pursuing the addition of a new defensive midfielder this month.

Premier League rivals Southampton and Newcastle United have also been offered the 23-year-old.

Shades of Mulumbu

This is a move that the Baggies absolutely have to make.

Allardyce does not currently have a player capable of playing the holding midfield role with Sam Field still absent through injury, though it’s not as if he has bags of experience under his belt either.

Nor does Choudhury, but Brendan Rodgers has trusted him to start games in the Europa League this term – a luxury far beyond that of Albion’s relegation dogfight.

In those six appearances, the British Asian powerhouse has averaged 1.3 interceptions, one tackle and an 85.1% passing success rate, via WhoScored. Whilst it’s not much to go off, it’s rather encouraging.

The Foxes academy graduate has previously attracted praise from Gary Lineker, who dubbed Choudhury an “extremely talented young player” following his first senior goal last year.

Whilst Steve Walsh, ex-Leicester defender Steve Walsh tipped the anchorman for England recognition in the future in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast, he said:

“Yes, he can [get into the England side]. Hamza has come through the academy, and it’s great to see homegrown players. He’s a player with great tenacity, he reads the game well, and he’s an up and coming star for Leicester. He’s threatening to start every game at the moment so again it’s a good option for Brendan Rodgers.”

The Baggies have long lacked that brute enforcer in the middle, perhaps ever since the 2012/13 season when Youssouf Mulumbu played a pivotal role alongside Claudio Yacob as Steve Clarke’s side finished eighth in the Premier League.

The next campaign, the DR Congo international averaged a whopping 3.1 interceptions and 2.4 tackles per game, via WhoScored.

Choudhury has many similarities to the former Albion monster. He initially joined the club on loan before making the move permanent, and Big Sam will be hoping the same can happen here considering the lack of options.

The £7.2m-rated beast could be a bargain this January.

AND in other news, Exclusive: Big Sam urged to sign 29-year-old free-agent this January…

Rangers have been linked with Young Boys winger Nicolas Moumi Ngamaleu recently and he could prove to be an ideal heir to Ryan Kent in Steven Gerrard’s side should he arrive at Ibrox this summer.

According to teamTALK, Rangers, along with a host of Premier League clubs including Everton, Leeds United, Leicester City and Brighton are all interested in signing the 26-year-old this summer.

If he were to arrive at Ibrox, he could prove to be a replacement for Kent, who is once again being heavily linked with a move to Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United ahead of the summer transfer window.

Whilst Gerrard may believe that he already has a long-term replacement for the former Liverpool youngster in his squad in the form of Scott Wright, Ngamaleu would arguably be a better heir to the 24-year-old.

Since joining from Aberdeen earlier this year, Wright has managed just 11 appearances in Gerrard’s side, scoring one goal and providing two assists.

Whilst it was always going to be difficult for the 23-year-old to oust the likes of Kent, Ianis Hagi and Joe Aribo from Rangers’ first-team, the majority of his appearances thus far have been late cameos from the bench.

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There have been some impressive displays against Cove Rangers and St Johnstone thrown in but he is yet to replicate the sort of displays Kent has been producing since his move to Ibrox.

Therefore, if he does end up leaving Rangers this summer, Gerrard and Ross Wilson might be best served by turning to Ngamaleu as his replacement.

The Cameroon international has contributed 33 goals and 35 assists in 168 games for Young Boys so far in his career, which includes goals in both the Europa League and the Champions League in the past.

[freshpress-quiz id=“593776″]

Kent has averaged 1.9 dribbles per game in the Premiership this season and Ngamaleu has averaged 2.3 dribbles per game in the Europa League, whereas Wright only mustered 1.5 dribbles per game with Aberdeen, so it could certainly be argued that the £3.42m-rated Cameroon international would be a better, and more natural heir to Kent at Rangers this summer.

And, in other news… Rangers outcast sent Gerrard a huge message with “sensational” weekend display

After all the drama that came out of the training ground bust-up between Matt Ritchie and Steve Bruce a few weeks ago, it’s fair to say that things have worked out fairly well since then for Newcastle.

Reports back in early March suggested that the two were involved in a heated confrontation, with the Scotland international even going as far as calling the Magpies manager a “coward”.

Fast forward a couple of months later, and things on the pitch are going far more swimmingly, with Ritchie instrumental in a superb 4-2 win over Leicester in the Premier League on Friday night.

The left wing-back was his usual snarling self, bombing up and down the flank and not being afraid to dish it out either to his teammates or the opposition.

As per Sofascore, Ritchie completed two of his three attempted dribbles on the night, which was a number only bettered by Allan Saint-Maximin (five). He also had the most touches and crosses of any Newcastle player – that’s not to mention the absolutely superb delivery from the corner which Paul Dummett headed the visitors’ second goal.

The vocal leadership was also something which was clear to see, with the Magpie 24/7 fan channel tweeting that he “didn’t stop shouting all night” and that “the difference he’s made to this team since that Brighton defeat isn’t commended enough.”

Writing in his post-match player ratings for the Shields Gazette, Liam Kennedy gave him an eight, saying: “A typical all-action display down the left. And, for a change, didn’t look open defensively. Two more assists to add to his tally for the campaign.”

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While many of the plaudits will naturally go towards the goalscorers on the night, Ritchie deserves plenty of credit for the way he set the tone with his intensity and energy.

He may not have been wearing the captain’s armband, but the £45,000-a-week machine was the leader the Magpies needed, and arguably Bruce’s real hero on the night.