Roy Hodgson has rejected claims that England are gearing up to play long ball with his inclusion of Andy Carroll in the starting line-up, with Ashley Young operating behind him. Hodgson responded that by saying that Rinus Michels, the man behind the famed ‘Total Football’ philosophy, always insisted on having a big man upfront who would be utilised in a more direct style if needed during games. Hodgson insisted that even the most possession-obsessed sides mixed up their styles and if it was good enough for them it would be good enough for England.

Elsewhere in the news Roberto Martinez is set for further talks with Liverpool; Manchester City won’t be a top seed in the Champions League, while Chelsea are planning to make their move for Pep Guardiola.

Headlines

Roy Hodgson has urged his England players to prove they can cut it at top level international football – Guardian

Roberto Martinez is set to return for further talks with Liverpool in the coming week with a view of him succeeding Kenny Dalglish – Guardian

FIFA will insist that referees will also undertake drug tests to ensure they aren’t using any performance enhancing stimulants – Guardian

Chelsea are planning to make a move for Pep Guardiola after being heartened by reports that he maybe wavering over his plans to take a year-long break – Daily Telegraph

Manchester City face the prospect of a ‘group of death’ in the Champions League next season as their failure in the competition last year means they won’t be included among the top seeds – Daily Telegraph

Clint Dempsey has hinted that he may leave Fulham this summer in pursuit of Champions League football – Independent

Jan Vertonghen has warned Tottenham to move quickly to wrap up a deal to sign or risk losing him – Sun

Luis Suarez says that his ‘conscience remains clear’ with regards to his race row with Patrice Evra – Independent

Joey Barton won’t appeal his 12 match ban as QPR look set to launch an investigation into his actions and whether they will look to retain his services for next season – Daily Mail

Ray Wilkins has emerged as a rival candidate with Claudio Ranieri for the vacant job at the Hawthorns – Daily Mail

Kyle Walker believes that Tottenham can challenge for the title next season, providing they keep hold of their best players – Sun

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Newcastle United is on the trail of the highly-rated Venezuela international Roberto Rosales, according to the player’s agent – Newcastle Chronicle

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With Mark Noble’s 17-year West Ham United career coming to an end this summer, as the 34-year-old is hanging up his boots after making over 500 appearances for the Hammers, the club captain’s departure will leave a rather significant hole in the middle of David Moyes’ midfield.

Indeed, while the £900k-rated man has been far from a first-team regular in recent seasons, having so far made just four Premier League appearances in the current campaign, as well as starting eight league fixtures last term, the veteran has nevertheless played an important role for the Irons from the bench, as well as in the various domestic and European cup competitions.

As such, this role would appear to be perfect for one of the club’s up and coming central midfielders next season, allowing them to gain valuable first-team experience in the cups, while also being used as a substitute in the Premier League.

And, considering just how impressive Conor Coventry has been while out on loan at Milton Keynes Dons this term, the 21-year-old would very much appear to be the prime candidate to replace Noble this summer.

West Ham’s next Noble?

Following his January switch to Liam Manning’s MK Dons side, Coventry immediately established himself as a starter for the League One club, having played the full 90 minutes in each of his side’s last seven league fixtures.

However, not only has the £270k-rated midfielder been a near-constant presence in the middle of the park, but he has also highly impressed over his eight appearances for the Championship hopefuls, registering one assist and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 44.8 passes – 0.8 of which have been key – 0.5 interceptions, 1.6 tackles and winning 4.8 duels per game.

Arguably the West Ham loanee’s best performance for MK Dons came in the recent 2-0 win over Charlton Athletic, in which Coventry enjoyed 95 touches of the ball, completed 79 passes – at a success rate of 93%, with two being key – made two tackles, won six duels and registered one assist.

These returns saw the £5.4k-per-week midfielder earn an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.7, ranking him as the best player in the match, while the MK Dons Twitter administrator stated after the victory: “Conor Coventry is EVERYWHERE.”

Furthermore, ExWHUemployee recently revealed that the 21-year-old is extremely highly thought of by a number of Moyes’ backroom staff at the London Stadium, as well as suggesting that the youngster could be given a shot in the Hammers first team next season.

Regarding Coventry, the West Ham insider said: “I can’t understand why we signed [Alex] Kral, especially when we had Conor who had done really well in pre-season. I think the plan was to give him more games so he can come back even more experienced, but I think he would have gained as much from staying with us and getting that Europa League experience than perhaps going to MK Dons.

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“But, if MK Dons get promoted, which they’re looking like they will, either via the play-offs or via an automatic spot – now, that’s a good experience to have. And, hopefully, he can come back in the new season and prove himself, which I believe he will be given the chance. Coaches like [Kevin] Nolan and [Paul] Nevin especially, really rate him and I think they will give him a go.”

As such, should the player who Darragh MacAnthony dubbed a “wonderful talent” go on to replicate the form he has shown at MK Dons for West Ham early next season, Moyes could well already have found Noble’s long-term successor in East London.

In other news: Moyes must finally axe Pellegrini’s “aggressive” £4.2m WHU flop, he’s stealing a wage

Liverpool attacker Takumi Minamino could join up with his former Salzburg manager Jesse Marsch at Leeds United this summer, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Handy squad player

The 27-year-old hasn’t managed to establish himself as a core player at Anfield since joining the Reds from RB Salzburg two years ago, but that’s not to say he hasn’t had an impact for Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Minamino has been an influential performer in the domestic cup competitions this season, scoring four times in as many starts in the Carabao Cup.

It could be that the Japan international looks for a fresh challenge at the end of the season, though, should his first-team chances continue to be limited on Merseyside.

The Latest: Leeds move mooted for Minamino

Having been linked with a move to Leeds in January, O’Rourke has told GiveMeSport that a reunion with Marsch could come to fruition for Minamino this summer.

The journalist claimed: “Yeah, I still think it’s a position that Leeds need to strengthen. They’ve been so badly hit by Patrick Bamford’s absences this season through injury; they haven’t got much up there. Jesse Marsch knows all about him from his time at RB Salzburg.”

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The Verdict: Keep hold of him

While Minamino is unlikely to ever be one of the first attacking names on the team sheet at Liverpool, he is showing this season why he deserves to stay put.

He has brought end product from the substitutes’ bench and been crucial in the Reds already winning one trophy, scoring four times in the triumphant Carabao Cup journey, not to mention being called an ‘outstanding talent’ by Jurgen Klopp.

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Minamino combines hard work, technical ability and an apparent satisfaction to play a squad role – something he might not find elsewhere if he is sold – so retaining his services makes complete sense for Liverpool.

That being said, should a reunion with Marsch at Leeds appeal to the 27-year-old, it would be hard to begrudge him more regular playing time, with the Japanese forward yet to start a Premier League match this season.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped a key Liverpool transfer update. Read more here.

David Moyes has claimed that West Ham were “very serious” about bringing players to the club in January but admitted that his squad is short of where he wants it to be ahead of the summer window.

The Lowdown: January’s failed window

Transfer rumours were flying for the Hammers in January as the east London club were linked with a myriad of stars across Europe.

West Ham reportedly attempted to break their club transfer record fee with three different players, sadly to no avail. This included bids in excess of £50 million for Leeds United duo Kalvin Philipps and Raphinha, and also a sensational £60 million deadline day move for Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.

Over the past month, claims have been made about the squad’s fitness, suggesting that fatigue is a huge issue for Moyes’ players after failing to secure any of their winter window targets.

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The Latest: Moyes’ comments

In Moyes’ recent press conference held ahead of West Ham’s FA Cup clash against Southampton, the Scotsman seemed to admit that his squad is suffering due to a lack of depth.

However, he claims that it wasn’t for a lack of trying. As quoted by football.london, he said:

“It would be unfair [just to mention West Ham] I think a lot of clubs did not buy players in January. We were very serious about trying to bring players to the club in January but for different reasons, it did not happen. 

“We know we are a little bit short of where we would like to be, the squad I have at the moment have done a brilliant job over the last two years and I have no reason to think they will not do a brilliant job in the coming three months between now and the end of the season.”

The Verdict: Finally admitted…

Recently it has seemed like Moyes has actively tried to avoid talking about the January window, presumably in an attempt to evade criticism of the club’s transfer activity.

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Therefore, his admission that they are indeed short will come as a very thin silver lining for fans, who were left deflated with the failed attempts made to rectify the club’s issues.

Moyes’ comments could be seen as artificial, given how late the club’s moves were made with last-ditch bids, but either way it is clear to see that the players are indeed fatigued and these ‘serious’ transfer moves must become reality in the summer.

In other news: BBC Radio pundit drops Hammers FA Cup claim

In recent years, Everton’s transfer business hasn’t exactly been sensible – particularly having spent over £100m in the last few seasons in transfer fees alone despite the club lingering above the relegation zone in the Premier League.

Midfield duo Andre Gomes and Jean-Philippe Gbamin both arrived for £25m each, but with Gomes now valued at £18m and seemingly out of favour while Gbamin is worth just £8m and on-loan at CSKA Moscow, both signings make up just two of the players that Everton have got wrong in recent seasons.

In departures, Rangers ace John Lundstram was let go on a free transfer back in 2015 by the Toffees, while Ross Barkley was sold for £7m-less than he was worth at the time back in January 2018.

It hasn’t been often that the Merseyside club have got it right when it comes to transfers, but one player that they did make a great decision on was youth academy graduate Tyias Browning, who left Goodison Park in February 2019 for Guangzhou Evergrande.

Somehow, the club managed to negotiate a £4.1m fee for the centre-back, likely due to his grandfather on his mother’s side being Chinese and the demand for players of that nationality in the top flight being high due to registration rules.

At the time though, he was worth just £900k, and the deal represented great value to the Premier League club – with it being worth 16% of the total fees earned from Everton departures in the 18/19 season.

Since moving to China, the 27-year-old’s value has risen slightly to £1.08m, but the defender who was once described as “outstanding” and as a “rock” by Everton U23’s Head Coach David Unsworth, remains a successful piece of business with the decline in valuation today from the fee he was bought for standing at -73%.

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Browning has since become a “naturalised” Chinese citizen and now plays under the name Jiang Guangtai, making 11 appearances for the Chinese national team as well as appearing 19 times this season in the Chinese Super League, with his team currently sitting third in the Championship group after winning 13 out of 22 games this campaign.

In other news: Lampard could unearth a new £40.5m-rated “threat” in Everton’s never-seen 16 y/o

Former Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson has hailed Spurs forward Dejan Kulusevski after Saturday’s loss to Manchester United, making a claim over a potential permanent move for the Sweden international.

The Lowdown: Great start

The 21-year-old joined Spurs in January on an 18-month loan deal which will see him at Hotspur Way until the end of the 2022/23 season.

Whilst Juventus confirmed that Fabio Paratici paid a €10m (£8.4m) loan fee for the winger, more recently transfer insider Fabrizio Romano revealed that Spurs have a €40m (£33m) purchase clause which could potentially become mandatory.

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Having scored twice and produced three assists in his opening seven Premier League games, quickly becoming a favourite of manager Antonio Conte, Lilywhites fans will surely be happy to see such a moderate fee for a highly talented youngster.

Despite his tender age, Kulusevski made 74 appearances for the Juventus first team and a further 55 appearances for Atalanta before arriving in north London, so this could signify just how great a deal Tottenham were able to negotiate.

The Latest: Robinson’s comments…

Robinson, who regularly features as a pundit for Sky Sports, has claimed that a £33m deal could prove to be “a real bargain” for Spurs.

Speaking with Football Insider about Kulusevski, the 42-year-old said: “Oh, he’s certainly hit the ground running.

“He looks a real player. He fit the system Conte plays perfectly. Coming in off the right-hand side onto his left foot, he’s such a threat. He has an ability to pick a pass.

“It looks like he is going to be a real bargain for them. I think it was an initial loan deal because he was untried at the top level. He hadn’t played a great amount of regular football before he came to Spurs.

“He has taken his chance with both hands though. When you look at [Heung-min] Son, [Harry] Kane and Lucas Moura. Kulusevski has overtaken Moura the way he is playing.”

The Verdict: Fantastic coup

It seems clear now that Paratici is looking to the future with the signing of Kulusevski.

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Given Harry Kane’s transfer saga last summer, which saw him push for a move to Manchester City, it would not be surprising to see the England skipper leave N17 in the near future.

As a result, it is wise of the Spurs transfer chief to start planning for the exit of the England captain – something the Lilywhites should have done when they sold Gareth Bale for a then world-record £85m fee in 2013.

Either way, Kulusevski has already proven to be a fantastic signing for Tottenham, with Garth Crooks hailing him as “pure class”. Considering his age, we could hopefully see him perform in a Spurs shirt for the next decade.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Alasdair Gold drops Conte and Levy claim

West Ham United have reportedly offered former Liverpool and Southampton centre-back Dejan Lovren a two-year contract with David Moyes keen to add to his defence this summer.

What’s the story?

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, the Hammers are reportedly ready to save the current Zenit St.Petersburg defender from any serious complications following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

It’s even thought that the Irons have offered him a two-year deal to come back to the Premier League.

FIFA have opened a one-month transfer window to sign players from Ukraine and Russia which closes on 7 April, although it is believed that the Premier League could block any attempted transfers in order to maintain sporting integrity.

The East London club are currently light on options at the back and will certainly need to add to their defensive arsenal this summer.

Angelo Ogbonna was ruled out for the season in November with an ACL injury whilst Issa Diop has been unreliable at times, making Kurt Zouma and Craig Dawson the current first-choice pairing.

West Ham must avoid signing Lovren

The 32-year-old Croatian would undoubtedly add experience to the West Ham ranks, however, based on his spell at Liverpool the defender may not be the answer to the Hammers’ predicament at the back.

Lovren was subject to criticism on numerous occasions whilst at Anfield, notably from NBC Sports pundit Kyle Martino in 2017, who labelled the defender as “a serious liability.”

Former Liverpool centre-back Jamie Carragher also had strong words to say on the Croatian, highlighting him as the Reds’ weak point during a Merseyside derby against Everton, stating: “He’s too emotional, that’s always been his problem. He always feels he has to win a fight, has to win a challenge.

“I used to play that position as a centre-back and at times you have to accept someone may be stronger and quicker. You have to get yourself in positions and try and hold them up.

“I said before they were too often they were putting the ball right down Virgil van Dijk’s throat but as soon as Lovren’s come on they’ve been hitting that channel and that is the channel to hit.”

Lovren left Liverpool for Zenit in August 2020 for a fee believed to be around £10.9m and you would’ve been forgiven if you thought that would be the last time the Premier League would see the defender.

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West Ham will undoubtedly need to add to their current options at the back, however, having been linked with the likes of Sven Botman and Duje Caleta-Car, the prospect of signing a player who was certainly unpopular at Liverpool will underwhelm Hammers supporters.

With Diop, the Irons already have a defender who has been subject to criticism, particularly after his performance in the FA Cup against non-league Kidderminster Harriers, and therefore don’t want to add another calamity at the back.

Moreover, at 32 the Croatian wouldn’t be a long-term solution, with Moyes keen to build a project at the London Stadium. It would be wise for the East London club to look elsewhere.

In other news: West Ham must swoop for £75k-p/w monster who Moyes will love, he’s “the new Vidic”

Aston Villa have shown over the years that they are not shy when it comes to dipping into the transfer market to buy new players.

In more recent times, the Villans have also shown that they are capable of spending substantial amounts of money to bring new additions to their squad.

However, looking into the past, there has been one prime example of the club missing out on a very special player they could have signed if they’d been more extravagant with their spending.

According to a report from Birmingham Live, when Villa and Martin O’Neill were in the market for attacking reinforcements back in the 2008 January transfer window, the Midlands club had an offer of €15m (£12.6m) turned down from River Plate for striker Radamel Falcao.

During his time with the Argentine club, the striker scored 45 goals in 107 appearances before joining Porto in 2009.

Since then, the 36-year-old has gone on to play for clubs such as Atletico Madrid, AS Monaco, Manchester United, Chelsea, Galatasaray and Rayo Vallecano.

In 529 senior club appearances throughout his career, the Colombian has scored an impressive figure of 300 goals across all competitions, with 54 assists provided along the way, highlighting how much of a deadly attacking threat he’s been for such an extended period of time.

The veteran, who has been described as being a “charismatic” character by Thierry Henry, as well as a “leader” on the pitch, has also won numerous team titles and individual awards in what has undoubtedly been a glistening career.

Even though the man who has been dubbed a “tiger” failed to have much of an impact during his time in England with United and Chelsea by only scoring five goals in 41 games, there’s every possibility that it could have been a very different prospect for Villa had they secured his signature when they had the chance.

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Taking all of this into account and with the benefit of hindsight, it could have been a masterstroke from the Villans to splurge that little bit of extra cash to get Falcao to Villa Park, a decision that may well have sent them soaring up the table and proven game-changing in their modern history.

Sadly, it will now be seen as a big howler from O’Neill and the club’s hierarchy for letting a striker of Falcao’s calibre slip through their grasp.

In other news: AVFC can land Gerrard’s own Grealish in “super-talented” gem who won’t cost a penny 

Celtic midfielder Ben Doak is on the verge of sealing a move away from Parkhead.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by The Scottish Sun, who claim that, despite Ange Postecoglou’s best efforts to convince the 16-year-old to remain at Celtic Park, the Scotland U17 international is now set to join Liverpool in a six-figure deal.

In recent comments made regarding the youngster’s potential departure, the 56-year-old Hoops boss said: “I’ve said all along that for me, this football club is everything that a young player should want. Particularly at the moment.

“I really want to bring young players into our first team and give them an opportunity as we have already. But they’ve got to be invested in our football club. They’ve got to want to be here and they’ve got to want to be here long-term.

“If they see their futures elsewhere or they’re not certain then I have total respect for that. Everyone has the right to make their own decisions. But I’m going to invest time and opportunity into the people who want to stay at our football club.”

Postecoglou can replace Doak with Scott

While the impending departure of a player as talented as Doak will undoubtedly come as a gutting blow to Celtic, should Postecoglou go on to replace the 16-year-old with Bayern Munich’s Christopher Scott – with whom the Bhoys have been heavily linked – it would rather significantly ease the loss of the Scottish youth international.

Indeed, a recent report by the Daily Record revealed that, after the 19-year-old made it clear he would like to secure a move away from the German champions in a search for regular first-team football, Bayern are now set to trigger a one-year extension in the attacking midfielder’s contract – in order not to lose the teenager for nothing at the end of the current campaign.

According to the report, a source close to the negotiations said: “Bayern Munich has the option of extending Christopher’s contract by one more year and this is one-sided on the club’s part. Munich won’t let him go for free because he’s one of the biggest talents in Germany and it would cost around €300k to €400k (£250k to £340k) for him.

“It’s about finding the best solution for a young player. The option for his contract is at the end of May and that will be taken up by Bayern Munich. Bayern, at the moment, aren’t well known for bringing players into the first team and Christopher is looking for a new challenge.

“It’s clear that Glasgow Celtic would be a massive option for him and they have been in talks but the English Premier League is also an option for someone who is a massive talent. Celtic are serious contenders because they are a massive club and they are very serious about trying to sign him.”

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As the source suggests, the £1.08m-rated starlet is indeed an incredibly exciting prospect, something that is proven by the forward’s record in youth and reserve team football – with Scott scoring 43 goals and registering 11 assists over 103 appearances for the likes of Bayer Leverkusen U17s, Bayer Leverkusen U19s, Bayern Munich U19s and Bayern Munich II.

As such, while Doak – who Brian McLaughlin dubbed an “infectious” talent – is certainly an extremely promising young player, the 16-year-old’s move south of the border will be quickly forgotten should Postecoglou go on to seal the Germany U20 international as his replacement.

AND in other news: The Scotsman drop huge 14-word Celtic update, unforgivable error may be inbound

Things aren’t anywhere near as bleak as they were a couple of months ago, but this season is still set to be a brutal one for West Ham United.

Nuno Espírito Santo has got his team playing much better football than they were under the previous regime, and has lost just one of his last seven games in charge.

However, the East Londoners still sit in the Premier League relegation zone, three points adrift of 17th and in need of a better second half to the season.

Fortunately, if reports are to be believed, West Ham are looking to strengthen the team next month and have even been linked with someone who has shades of Declan Rice to them.

West Ham target Rice-esque star

With their Premier League survival far from guaranteed, it’s not been surprising to see West Ham linked with a host of talented players in recent weeks.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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For example, Norwich City’s American striker Josh Sargent has been touted for a move to the London Stadium, as has former Brentford star and England international Ivan Toney.

However, as talented as the two strikers are, and as much of an impact as they could have on the East Londoners, they couldn’t really be described as Rice-esque, unlike Charlie Cresswell.

Yes, according to a recent report from Hammers News, West Ham have reignited their intense interest in Charlie Cresswell.

In fact, the report has revealed that the club are so worried about their defence, that talks are already expected to take place ahead of the window opening next month.

The report does not mention how much the Toulouse centre-back might cost, but reports from earlier this year claimed that the French side wanted in excess of £18m to sell.

It could be a complicated transfer to get over the line, but given Cresswell’s ability and potential, it’s one West Ham should pursue, especially as there are shades of Rice to his game.

How Cresswell compares to Rice

Now, the first thing to make clear is that while there are similarities between the two, Cresswell is not as good a player as Rice, at least not at the moment.

It would be absurd to suggest otherwise, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t shades of the former West Ham star in the defender’s game, such as his temperament.

During his time in East London, the former Irons star was a model professional and even before he was handed the armband, a genuine leader in the team, someone who never appeared intimidated.

Fortunately, the same can be said about the Toulouse star, and in fact has, with respected analyst Ben Mattinson describing the 23-year-old as a “proper leader at the back” during his performances for England’s U-21s, who he helped win the European Championships this summer.

This ability to stand out at club and international level – albeit in the youth side – is another key similarity the former Leeds United gem shares with the now Arsenal star.

As is the fact that he’s able to combine his temperament off the ball with an ability and desire to fully commit to tackles, blocks, interceptions, and other less glamorous aspects of the game.

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This is also reflected in his underlying numbers.

Cresswell’s Scout Report

Statistics

Per 90

Percentile

Goals

0.18

Top 1%

Goals + Assists

0.24

Top 1%

npxG: Non-Penalty xG

0.12

Top 1%

Shots on Target

0.52

Top 1%

Aerials Won

3.73

Top 4%

Shots Blocked

1.12

Top 7%

Clearances

7.12

Top 11%

Assists

0.06

Top 14%

Goal-Creating Actions

0.15

Top 16%

Blocks

1.49

Top 20%

All Stats via FBref

According to FBref, he ranks in the top 7% of centre-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for shots blocked, the top 11% for clearances and the top 20% for blocks overall, all per 90.

Finally, the Preston-born monster has also shown an ability to help out in attacking situations, already scoring three goals and providing one assist in 16 league appearances this season.

Ultimately, while he might not be on Rice’s level at the moment, Cresswell certainly shares some of his characteristics.

Therefore, West Ham should be doing all they can to sign him next month.

Related West Ham star was their best signing since Bowen, now he's "shambolic"

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes