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According to a report by 90min, a West Ham United transfer update has come to light involving Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Adama Traore as they join the race to sign him.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing forward…

As is well known, West Ham boss David Moyes is eyeing new additions in the attacking areas as he aims to strengthen his side’s chances of a top four finish.

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An out-and-out striker is thought to be high on both his and recruitment chief Rob Newman’s agenda this month though they have also been linked with wide players and attacking midfielders.

Indeed, the likes of Anwar El Ghazi, a natural winger, and Man United ace Jesse Lingard have been mentioned as news now emerges involving Traore.

The Latest: West Ham join race…

As per 90min, West Ham are now one of the club’s eyeing a move for Traore with Wolves boss Bruno Lage now ‘sanctioning’ his exit from Molineux.

It is believed that Moyes and co are being ‘kept informed’ of the 25-year-old’s situation with it looking more and more likely he could leave in January.

The Verdict: Get it done?

There is little arguing the Spain international is a major threat going forward when at his best and we believe West Ham should certainly consider a bid, especially considering his huge price drop.

As per 90min reporter Jude Summerfield, Traore’s valuation has plummeted ‘from £50m to around £22m after failed contract talks’ – gifting West Ham a golden opportunity.

According to WhoScored, the Premier League ace has averaged a head-turning 4.5 dribbles per 90 in the top flight this campaign – far eclipsing that of any West Ham player.

He’s also been called ‘undefendable’ by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, perhaps pointing to a possible bargain at £22m.

In other news: ‘Tears in my eyes’, ‘Finally’…West Ham fans flock to ‘very exciting’ transfer development, find out more here.

Many Sheffield Wednesday fans have been blasting the performance of Barry Bannan in their 0-0 draw away at Portsmouth in League One on Tuesday night.

It was a game which very quickly turned into a ‘take a point and run’ scenario for Darren Moore and his men after Massimo Luongo was shown a straight red card just shy of the 70-minute mark at Fratton Park.

Nonetheless, Wednesday did well to hold out despite an unorthodox makeshift defence, although they could have done better in possession and when the ball was in the attacking third of the pitch.

Bannan was particularly guilty of giving the ball away far too often – 14 times in total, the fourth-most out of his teammates (SofaScore) – while some Owls supporters were critical of his set pieces.

Indeed, the midfielder misplaced six of his crosses, by far the most out of anyone on the pitch, as he also lost out on four of his duels, and failed to score with either of his shots on goal (SofaScore).

Sheff Wed fans on Bannan display

These Wednesday supporters blasted the Scot’s performance on Twitter, with one going as far as to claim that he was a ‘liability’ against Pompey:

“Bannan is a liability.”

Credit: @electricgiblets

“Barry Bannan’s set pieces are on par with mine on a Sunday. Shocking.”

Credit: @bnewton99

“Bannan has been absolutely abysmal”

Credit: @Ellsjr1992

“Bannan is genuinely the worst corner-kick taker on this planet”

Credit: @JosephO__

“Bannan is just a passenger at the moment. Terrible”

Credit: @_oswfc

“Can someone else please take the Sheffield Wednesday corners. Even the tea lady must be better than Bannan for God’s sake”

Credit: @intelligenceme2

In other news, find out whose display against Pompey was also slammed by many Owls fans

Manchester United have got back to winning ways by taking all three points from their last three games consecutively in the Premier League, but there is still a lot of work to do at Old Trafford.

Ralf Rangnick appears to have adopted a 4-2-2-2 formation for his Manchester United side, which seems to be working so far, but not as convincingly as hoped, with possession still being lost as much as it was under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and only scoring one goal in every game under their new manager so far.

Rangnick’s Red Devils lost possession 138 times in the game against Norwich, with Bruno Fernandes losing the ball on 26 occasions, closely followed by Marcus Rashford who lost the ball 20 times during the 1-0 win that saw Cristiano Ronaldo score a penalty to secure the three points at Carrow Road.

It’s fair to say that Rashford isn’t having the impact that is expected of him this season, and with Mason Greenwood in fine form, registering three goal involvements in the last five, it makes much more sense to start the 20-year-old forward in one of the two forward positions alongside Ronaldo.

Rashford’s position in the team has become a talking point since Greenwood has been putting much more impressive performances this season so far, with five goals and two assists, putting him two goals and one assist ahead of his teammate, Rashford.

Roy Keane weighed in on Rashford’s mediocrity for Manchester United in the past calling the 24-year-old “shocking” last season;

“I looked at Rashford closely today, he’s had loads of plaudits over the last few months – I know he’s still a young man – but his body language today was shocking, really shocking.

“Shrugging his shoulders when things weren’t going his way, you roll your sleeves up at Man United

The £76.5m-rated has always shown determination and promise with energetic performances where he is all over the pitch in every game under Rangnick so far.

However, his inability to finish his chances or gain a good number of assists for his teammates in the final third could cost him his place in the team very quickly and could inspire Rangnick to move on from the forward, pushing him out of the club, especially now he is linked with a move to Barcelona.

United will face Brentford in a midweek clash, it will be interesting to see if Rangnick sticks to his guns with Rashford, or leaves him on the bench in favour of either Mason Greenwood or Edinson Cavani.

In other news: Manchester United remain keen on Kieran Trippier

An update has emerged on Newcastle target Dean Henderson, regarding Manchester United’s stance on his future.

What’s the talk?

According to The Sun, the Red Devils are willing to allow the shot-stopper to leave on an 18-month loan to stop him from wasting his career on the bench at Old Trafford.

Newcastle are reportedly interested in a January swoop for the England international as they look to bolster their squad in the upcoming transfer window, with United now opening the door to a potential deal.

Get it done

Eddie Howe must sanction a Newcastle deal to sign Henderson following this update on United’s plans for him, as it could be a shrewd piece of business for the club moving forward.

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A loan for 18 months could be an ideal agreement for the Magpies given their current situation in the goalkeeping department. Freddie Woodman, Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow all remain on the books at St. James’ Park and having Henderson on loan for 18 months would provide the club with ample time to shift one or two of them on to fund a permanent move for the young Englishman.

Newcastle could sign him on a permanent deal if he impresses enough in the year-and-a-half, using money they rake in from the potential sales of Woodman, Darlow and/or Dubravka. However, if they paid for Henderson in full straight away instead of landing him on loan, they could have four permanent goalkeepers at the club at the same time.

This could cause issues both in terms of the finances and the mood on the training pitch. A loan deal means that Newcastle can pull the plug on him if they are unable to shift others on, or if his arrival brings the best out of one of the three shot-stoppers already at the club.

In terms of his quality, Toon legend Alan Shearer previously gave a glowing endorsement of the £120k-per-week beast following his spell on loan at Sheffield United, naming him in his Premier League Team of the Season. He said:

“It was tough to leave out Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, but Sheffield United’s season has been one of the best stories of the campaign and Henderson has been key to their success.

“The Manchester United loanee has kept 10 clean sheets and his bravery and confidence beyond his 23 years. He is a star in the making.”

This suggests that he could also have the quality to come in and be a success on the pitch, whilst also helping the club financially, as he impressed Shearer enough to name him as the best goalkeeper in the 2019/20 campaign. Therefore, Howe must ensure that he can seal a loan deal for Henderson when the January window opens in under two months.

AND in other news, Howe could win over NUFC fans by axing £41k-p/w dud and landing “magnificent” beast…

Manchester United are on the verge of appointing Ralf Rangnick as their interim manager after failing to prise Mauricio Pochettino away from Paris Saint-Germain.

What’s the story?

That’s according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, who claims the 63-year-old innovative tactician has reached a deal to become their interim boss.

He tweeted: “Man Utd reach agreement with Ralf Rangnick to become interim manager. 6mnth contract then 2yr consultancy.”

“Deal subject to Lokomotiv Moscow approval. Work permit process prevents 63yo leading #MUFC v Chelsea.”

Man Utd fans surely buzzing

After the likes of Luis Enrique, Julen Lopetegui and Erik ten Hag distanced themselves from the vacancy in the red half of Manchester, the club’s supporters will be buzzing to learn of this revelation.

The experienced campaigner is the forefather of the gegenpressing style that has so heavily influenced the likes of Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel and Julian Nagglsmann, and Rangnick is widely regarded as the founder of German football’s modern-day tactical approach.

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He took Schalke to the Champions League semi-finals in 2011 before moving to RB Leipzig, fulfilling the roles of both manager and sporting director, signing the likes of Joshua Kimmich, Naby Keita, Dayot Upamecano and Timo Werner throughout his tenure.

At present, Rangnick is the Head of Sports and Development at Russian outfit Lokomotiv Moscow, but is believed to be open to taking the United job on a temporary basis if certain conditions are met.

The Times report: “Rangnick is willing to leave his role as head of sports and development at Lokomotiv Moscow, but only if he is given a significant role at United beyond this season.”

Only time will tell if the United hierarchy are willing to accept the German’s terms and grant him a place in the upper echelons of the club from next season, yet much of the fanbase will be excited and encouraged by Ornstein’s latest update.

And, in other news…Big Man United manager update issued live on Sky Sports, fans will be concerned

Some Everton fans have been left raging as a revelation emerged involving Marcel Brands.

Writing in a piece for The Athletic, Patrick Boyland and Greg O’Keefe have taken an in-depth look at the Director of Football and his time at Goodison Park so far.

They claim that he has never had a ‘free hand’ at the Merseyside club, as managers are picked by the owner, and multiple people feed in with transfers, not just Brands himself.

It seems a lot of Toffees supporters agreed with them, and took a dig at the board for not including him more in important decisions, in a period where the Blues have not finished higher than seventh spot in the Premier League table since the 2014/15 season, and have still not won a major trophy since the mid-90’s.

Everton fans on Brands claim

These Blues were left raging as the claim on Brands was shared by Boyland on his official Twitter page:

“We are ran like absolute idiots and people wonder why we are in the mess we are in now”

Credit: @BT_1878

“Pathetic. Time for Kenwright out banner again?”

Credit: @latibosani

“The transfer process sounds a complete mess and probably explains the previous profligacy in the market.”

Credit: @Henryblt2

“Why is it always like this with us….?”

Credit: @Boyer316New

“Kenwright out”

Credit: @Adam_1878

“Unfortunately no employee gets a free hand to do what they want.”

Credit: @SaulB00945852

In other news, find out what Rafa Benitez update has Evertonians talking here! 

With an average squad age of 27.3, Manchester City have the eight-oldest squad in the Premier League at this moment in time, with 36-year-old Fernandinho being the joint-oldest player alongside goalkeeper Scott Carson, who is the same age as the Brazilian.

Taking this into account, and with the midfielder’s current contract at the Manchester club set to expire next summer, it seems as though the Premier League champions should be thinking about his eventual exit and who they could get to replace him.

However, we think that the club may not need to go out and spend a significant amount of money on a new player, as they have done in the past, to replace Fernandinho, and instead turn to 17-year-old defensive midfielder Romeo Lavia.

The teenager joined City’s under-18 side back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Belgian club Anderlecht for an undisclosed fee.

Since then, the midfielder – who has been described as an “aggressive” player by former City defender Vincent Kompany – has made 14 appearances for the under-18 side, as well as 25 appearances for City’s under-23s in which he has managed to score two goals and provide three assists, which we feel is quite impressive for a defensive midfielder at such a young age.

Lavia, who is currently valued at £900k by Transfermarkt, has also made one appearance for Guardiola’s first team in the 6-1 win over Wycombe Wanderers in the Carabao Cup last month, where he played the full 90 minutes.

For his performance against Wycombe, Lavia earned himself a decent overall match rating of 7/10 from the Manchester Evening News, who said that he “clearly likes a tackle, and his passes over the top and through the lines were Fernandinho-esque”. That further highlights him as a potential ideal long-term replacement for the Brazilian at the Etihad Stadium, if the veteran leaves when his current contract ends in the summer.

Moving forward, if Lavia can keep playing regularly for the under-23 side and make the most of any future chances that he gets in the first team, we believe he could well find himself becoming a significant part of Guardiola’s squad in the coming years.

In other news: 95% pass accuracy, 91 touches: £140k-p/w MCFC ace was Pep’s only shining light against West Ham

Former Everton star Michael Ball has lauded Demarai Gray after his fine start to the season at the Toffees.

The club brought the winger in during the summer transfer window, securing his signature from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen.

The deal cost around £1.7m and Gray is already providing to be one of the biggest bargains of the summer transfer window.

He has made a total of six appearances in the Premier League and has already scored three goals, while also registering one assist.

The winger is already one of the first names on the team sheet under manager Rafael Benitez and the Toffees are currently fifth in the Premier League table.

Ball has been mightily impressed with Gray’s first few appearances for the Toffees and believes that the winger operates in such a way that he is constantly trying to make things happen.

He said: “£1.7m, it seems an absolute bargain right now. There were question marks over the signing when we were first interested but he’s proved straight away why.

“It was the type of player we were missing, he’s got energy, he gets the ball, he goes forward, he tries to break the lines, he’s trying to create and scoring goals, he’s making three man runs. He’s doing everything. He looks like a guy who wants to be at the football club and wants to impress every time he’s on that pitch.”

Gray may have something of a chip on his shoulder, having previously played for Leicester City in the Premier League, making 169 appearances for the club.

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has provided a potentially concerning update on the recovery of Everton defender Ben Godfrey after he contracted the dreaded pandemic at the start of the season.

What’s the word?

Godfrey was absent from the Toffees’ first four matchday squads at the start of the current campaign after returning a positive test prior to their curtain-raiser against Southampton.

And although the highly-rated 23-year-old has started all six of Everton’s games since his return to action, it’s believed he’s still some way off being fully fit.

Boyland delivered an update on the England international’s current status after some below-par performances of late, revealing some rather frightening information about the centre-back’s symptoms.

He tweeted: “Ben Godfrey contracted Covid just before the start of the season & has not (yet) been the same since. His energy levels sapped, his heart had swollen & simple sprints took their toll. This was one of Everton’s fittest and quickest players…

“While he is being carefully monitored, this is all relatively new for sports science/medical departments. Scant data or literature. Still uncertainty in the game about best practice.”

Fans should be concerned

Although there have been some promising signs of recovery in recent weeks, in particular an impressive performance against Manchester United where he won eight of his defensive duels, Everton fans should still be worried about Godfrey’s health and fitness levels.

The most recent international break also allowed the versatile defender extra time to return to 100%, but he informed the Everton website that it’s already been a long and worrying road to near recovery.

“The first couple of games were awful — my breathing — and I found myself fatiguing really early on in games, even after a single sprint when normally I’d back myself to be up and down,” Godfrey said.

“I’d be blowing in the first few minutes — it was mad… you can’t describe it unless you’ve experienced it. It was like you had someone else’s body. I’d make a sprint, and it’d feel like I’d played 88 minutes, even though it was five minutes into a game.

“The past couple of games, I’ve felt a lot better and more or less back to myself now, which has been good.”

After a strong start to the season, Everton fans will be hoping Godfrey can play a part in a push for European football, but more importantly, they will all be hoping he makes a full recovery and returns to full fitness as soon as possible.

And, in other news…Everton could soften big Doucoure blow by unleashing “skilful” rarely-seen 18 y/o gem 

Everton have had a plethora of young players to come through the ranks and star in the senior team at Goodison Park.

Cast your minds back nearly 20 years ago and you’ll picture a baby-faced Wayne Rooney scoring a venomous strike for the Toffees.

The likes of Ross Barkley have burst onto the scene since but one of their proudest discoveries should be John Stones.

The central defender didn’t come through the Everton academy like Rooney and Barkley but he did join Goodison at a particularly young age.

In fact, he was signed from Barnsley as an 18-year-old for a fee of just £3m.

It’s not rare for a Premier League club to spend a vast amount on a teenager but that deal quickly became a bargain.

Like all budding teenager’s, Stones made his debut in the EFL Cup and it wasn’t until January that he earned his first Premier League start.

That happened to be a 1-1 draw with Stoke and since that moment, he progressed wonderfully.

The centre-back quickly became an eye-catching player, one that was known for his elegant passing and his transitional play.

This was not a classic defender, but one that bore all of the attributes you’d associate with the modern game.

A new contract was signed that should have kept him at the club until 2019. Indeed, it gave Everton protection when Chelsea lodged three bids that were ultimately rejected. Their top offer was in the region of £30m but still Everton stood firm.

However, when the might of Manchester City came calling, it was not only difficult for Stones to say no, but also tricky for Bill Kenwright to reject their massive £50m bid.

He eventually left in 2016 and since his emergence at the Etihad under Pep Guardiola, he has won countless trophies and become a pillar of the England side.

Stones played all seven matches during the recent European Championships as the Three Lions reached the final at Wembley.

Despite that, there have been significant lulls in the defender’s career. He has spent time out injured and Guardiola hasn’t always favoured him. For example, this term, the £100k-per-week earner has failed to make a single appearance.

His difficulties and inconsistency when it’s come to form has led to his transfer value decreasing dramatically by £23m.

The 27-year-old may have become a key cog for Gareth Southgate but it’s evident that Kenwright played a blinder over his sale.

To get £50m for a player who is now worth £27m in the prime of his career has to be commended.

AND in other news, Forget Keane: Everton must swoop for £22.5m-rated beast who is “one of the best ever”…