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The board at West Ham United are waiting on David Moyes to clarify his January transfer targets as talks continue with agents, according to reports by Claret and Hugh.

The Lowdown: An additional centre-back is needed

West Ham will be looking to bring in a centre-back in the January transfer window following the injuries sustained by defensive duo Kurt Zouma and Angelo Ogbonna.

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The Hammers have been missing Zouma in the backline, as the Frenchman was integral in making crucial clearances for the team, leading the squad in this respect with 5.2 per game. However, it is expected that the 27-year-old will make a return from his hamstring injury in the middle of January, alleviating the pressure on current partnership Issa Diop and Craig Dawson.

An addition was made essential following the season-ending injury sustained by Ogbonna, who suffered a cruciate ligament rupture. This comes as a blow to the Italian, whose contract is set to expire in the summer – just when he is expected back from injury.

This illustrates just how vital it is that Moyes brings in additional cover at the back, as a few injuries have severely altered the team’s defensive dynamics.

The Latest: Hammers board wait on Moyes amidst talks

According to reports by West Ham insiders Claret and Hugh, the Hammers’ new board is waiting to hold its first meeting in light of the resurgence of the pandemic. This meeting is expected to cover transfer targets for the January window, but it is reported that Moyes is yet to make his final decision regarding who he wants the club to prioritise when pursuing a new centre-back.

West Ham have shortlisted Liverpool’s Nathaniel Phillips and Burnley’s James Tarkowski as potential options ahead of the transfer window. It is understood that talks are ongoing with the players’ agents, but the board meeting will need to be held first before a decision can be made on finer details such as payment.

The Verdict: Big decision for Moyes

Moyes will have a tough time considering which out of the two aforementioned options he wishes to prioritise in the club’s pursuit of a new centre-back. Stronger links have been made with the Liverpool defender, who could well be a perfect addition to the side.

Phillips has received huge praise whenever he has been thrown into action for the Reds. The £15m-valued colossus has made more clearances per game (three) than any of his team-mates in the Carabao Cup this term, while Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp has described some of his performances as ‘unbelievable’.

If the Hammers decide to pursue Phillips, the board will need to meet quickly as a variety of clubs could be interested in the player in January based on those figures and endorsements.

In other news: West Ham insider lifts lid on exciting behind-the-scenes Rush Green development

Crystal Palace have interviewed Swansea City manager Steve Cooper and are split on whether to offer him the Selhurst Park job.

And, as to be expected, a number of Palace fans have been giving their thoughts on the off-field development on social media.

According to Football Insider, who were informed by a source, the Eagles board were impressed with the 41-year-old.

However, the report adds that the Palace hierarchy are 50/50 on whether to hand the Welshman the job. Some believe he is the perfect man to take over from Roy Hodgson, however, others want a boss with Premier League experience.

Cooper has been at the Liberty Stadium since 2019 and has taken charge of over 100 games as Swansea boss, leading them to the Championship playoff final last year.

Palace fans react

@CPFCtransfersHQ shared the news on Cooper on Wednesday evening. This is what these Eagles supporters had to say in reply, with a number of fans against a deal for the Swansea boss.

“Please no anyone but him”Credit: @erictwigs”NO PLEASE NO”Credit: @Thomas01568186″Why are we going for him for why?”Credit: @cpfcjj89″Ygxchjjfdmjjcxsawhkm CXXKKZSSZ JUST DO SOMETHING PALACE”Credit: @TheEagleDC”Hopefully we never get linked with wasteman like this ever again now the penny’s dropped parish has realised there’s far better out there like Favre.”Credit: @JA9baller”Will get a Brentford season ticket if this happens”Credit: @Char_uk1

In other news: 63-year-old another Palace target, fans react, find out more here. 

If Dominic Calvert-Lewin scores one more goal this season, he will join a very elite club at Goodison Park.

In the Premier League era, only two Everton players have scored more than 20 goals in a single campaign across all competitions.

For all of you trivia experts out there, you’ll be able to name Romelu Lukaku and Yakubu as the lucky individuals to manage such an accomplishment.

Lukaku managed to rack up more than 20 strikes in three consecutive campaigns but not since 2017 have the Toffees had a consistent scorer.

Calvert-Lewin finished last term as their top marksman with 15 but this season he has played like a man possessed.

Signed for just £1.5m from Sheffield United in 2016, he spent his first campaign in the shadows of Lukaku.

After the Belgian powerhouse departed, he has been afforded plenty of opportunities but Marco Silva struggled to ever get the best out of the forward.

He scored 16 goals across the 2017/18 and 2018/19 seasons but he’s come alive under Carlo Ancelotti.

The Italian has extracted unprecedented levels from Calvert-Lewin and has helped him reach a level in his game that he probably never thought he had.

The 24-year-old has bagged 19 times this term and as a result, has seen his value rise astronomically.

He is now worth £40.5m according to Transfermarkt, a rise of £39m from when he signed five years ago. It is also an increase of £13.5m from what he was valued at just 13 months ago.

It has been quite the journey for Calvert-Lewin over the past year but it’s easy to summarise why he’s valued so highly.

The striker scores goals on a regular basis and is now a regular in the England set-up. Such is his wonderful campaign that he’s also found the net on four occasions in seven outings for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions.

He may have to usurp Harry Kane in order to become England’s main striker but the £72k-per-week earner is surely a shoo-in for a place at this summer’s European Championships.

A physical forward, Calvert-Lewin knows how to stretch defences while he can also come short and hold the ball up. The forward is also a mesmeric sight in the air, rising like a salmon to emphatically head home.

In the words of his teammate Richarlison, he is the “complete striker.”

In an interview with FIFA (via talkSPORT), the Brazilian said: “I remember when I got here he was nothing like the player he is today.

“It’s down to the work he’s put in. He’s in the gym every day, he’s always working on his finishing. And playing under [Carlo] Ancelotti he’ll keep getting better and better.”

Richarlison added: “He’s had a superb start to the season and without doubt deserved his England call-up. He must be a nightmare to play against and he has an incredible leap on him like Cristiano Ronaldo.”

To be compared to a player like that sums up how far Calvert-Lewin has come in the last few years. He’s not quite an elite striker yet but he is very quickly becoming a force to be reckoned with.

AND in other news, Everton could finally replace Idrissa Gueye by signing £27m beast who “has it all”…

A major decision has been made that will affect Rangers and Giovanni van Bronckhorst significantly in the Premiership next season.

What’s the talk?

Sky Sports have reported that VAR will be introduced in the league after the World Cup later this year, which means that it will be in use from December onwards.

41 of the 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs, including Rangers, voted in favour of the equipment being brought in, although it will only be used in the Premiership and Championship sides will not benefit from it.

It will, however, be used for the Scottish Cup semi-finals and final for any side who makes it there to experience, with the system set to cost £1.2m-per-season.

Neil Doncaster, who is the chief executive of the SPFL, said this about the introduction:

“I believe this was the right decision and that VAR will help referees to ensure tight decisions are more often the right ones and will support a higher standard and more consistent level of decision-making.”

Gio van Bronckhorst will be relieved

The Gers head coach will surely be relieved by this call as it means that his team will not drop any points due to refereeing errors.

This should, in theory, mean that the vast majority of decisions are correct and in line with the laws of the game, in terms of the major calls in matches. Therefore, this is a huge boost as Rangers will not be cursing their luck with officiating and blaming problems out of their control for results.

Van Bronckhorst will be able to go away from each and every match knowing that the result, whether it is a win, draw or loss, is down to his team’s performance and not because of a refereeing error.

Back in January, the Gers held talks with the SFA over the standard of officiating of their clash with Aberdeen as they found eight separate issues with decisions in that particular match.

There was also uproar after a clash with Dundee United earlier this year as Rangers were denied a clear penalty and both Charlie Mulgrew and Ryan Jack escaped red cards.

These decisions can have a huge influence on matches and that is why van Bronckhorst will be buzzing that VAR is being brought in.

It will be a big boost to his side as they will not be stripped of calls that should be going their way, whilst they will need to be at their best to ensure that they are not punished for it at the other end.

AND in other news, Sources: Shock Rangers transfer claim emerges that will leave Wilson excited…

By Wolves’ very high standards, they have been particularly abject this term. They haven’t scored enough goals and thus, European football is set to desert them.

Therefore, the transfer window will be incredibly important for the Old Gold.

What’s the word?

Wolves have been linked with a couple of forwards in recent weeks but arguably, none will be more appealing than Dwight McNeil.

The Burnley winger continues to catch the eye at Turf Moor and as a result, he’s someone the Molineux outfit are being urged to sign.

That’s courtesy of Wolves legend Steve Bull, someone who opened up on the winger when talking exclusively to Football FanCast last week.

“It’s very rare that talented players like that go under the radar, Leicester found one in James Maddison. So, yeah all day long I’d take him,” he began.

“Put him in a good side full of talented and skilful players like we’ve got and it might bring him on leaps and bounds,” Bull concluded.

Bye-bye Neto

Wolves were unable to convince Matt Doherty and Diogo Jota from leaving for the jaws of the Premier League’s big six last summer and they could face the same eventuality in a few months time.

Dynamic forward Pedro Neto has been linked with a massive £50m move to Manchester United and if that does happen, Nuno Santo should look no further than McNeil as his replacement.

Like Neto, the Burnley winger possesses a mesmeric left foot and has a wonderful final ball to add to that.

For the Clarets this term, the £47k-per-week earner hasn’t amassed the greatest of numbers but it’s hard to really nail down regular goal involvements when you play for a team that operates in a more defensive manner.

He has two goals and three assists to his name this term, but has 14 assists in the last three seasons, a handy number for a player who is so rampant down the left.

McNeil has averaged 1.2 key passes a match this season, a tally that puts him behind only Neto, Adama Traore and Joao Moutinho at Wolves.

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It’s hard to forget just how young he is too. The Burnley forward is still only 21 and has plenty of improvement left in his game. With that in mind, he ticks a pretty large box when Jeff Shi chooses who to sign.

Words from Harry Redknapp only add further appeal to his signature: “Dwight McNeil is such a good player, lovely left foot, doesn’t stop running,”

Redknapp added: “Every time I watch him he gets better and better, he’s got real quality and certainly a player that the top six to eight clubs will be looking at, and that’s no disrespect to Burnley because I don’t like saying that sometimes, but he is that good.”

Bearing those remarks in mind, Wolves must act quickly if they want to secure McNeil’s services.

It surely won’t be too long before he’s outgrown Burnley.

AND in other news, Wolves could find their new Goncalves with swoop for “unpredictable” 20-goal wizard…

Everton are reportedly leading a number of English clubs in a race to sign Merih Demiral in the summer transfer window.

The Lowdown: Starting centre-back needed

The Goodison Park faithful certainly need to improve on their defence if they have ambitions of qualifying for European competition in the new season, given that they conceded no fewer than 48 goals in the Premier League in the 2020/21 term.

Michael Keane, Ben Godfrey, Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina all made more than 25 appearances in the last campaign as well (Transfermarkt), and so it is not clear who the starting partnership is or should be, especially with a new manager set to come in.

Thus, it would be a wise idea for the Merseyside club to invest in a brand new central defender to come straight in and start in the heart of the backline.

The Lowdown: Demiral eyed

As per Corriere Torino (via Sport Witness), the Toffees reportedly ‘lead the pack of English teams’ in the hunt to sign Demiral, with Atalanta also eyeing up a move for the Juventus centre-half.

The Turkey international was said to be a target of Carlo Ancelotti’s when he was manager, and according to the news outlet, he still remains one for the Blues.

The Verdict: Sign

Described as an ‘outstanding’ player by Italian media after a stellar performance for the Old Lady back in February against eventual Serie A title winners Inter Milan, Demiral is certainly someone that the Blues should be looking at signing.

A man who has played at the highest level with Juve, including six appearances in the UEFA Champions League, he would certainly raise the bar of quality in the backline.

Standing at six-foot-two-inches tall, Demiral should have no problems at all in coping with the physical and aerial demands of the Premier League, and at just 23 years of age, EFC could have a starting central defender with room for improvement on their books for years to come.

In other news, find out what manager update has left Toffees fuming here!

Jack Hendry completed a permanent move from Celtic to Belgian outfit KV Oostende on Saturday.

A number of Hoops fans were quick to give their immediate replies to the news after the club posted confirmation of the deal on their official Twitter page.

Hendry joined Celtic back in 2018 for £1.5m during Brendan Rodgers’ Parkhead tenure. The 26-year-old made just 27 appearances for the Hoops and impressed out on loan with Oostende last season by being their fourth-best performer, as per WhoScored.

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They had an option to buy Hendry in that loan move, with the centre-back agreeing on a three-year deal with the Jupiler Pro League side.

Ange Postecoglou’s side will get back the £1.5m that they spent on the defender, but reports have suggested that Oostende could look to make an immediate significant profit on him this summer.

Celtic fans react

Celtic tweeted about Hendry’s exit on Saturday afternoon but didn’t attach a club statement.

These Hoops supporters weren’t exactly bothered at the exit, with on describing the deal as ‘superb’ as the Scotland international often struggled during his appearances for the club.

“Things are on the up”Credit: @ThomasJ60796311″Ange doing bits”Credit: @alysonthomsonx”Superb”Credit: @Dalycfc1″Deadwood out, nice to see keep it going”Credit: @McgregorC90″Good – utterly hopeless – another failure of a project”Credit: @Aoifes_daddy”Thank God for that, though more importantly, how much did they get for him?”Credit: @AnthonyBrogan1

In other news: Postecoglou pushing Mario Vuskovic closer to Celtic move as news emerges, find out more here. 

Fabian Schar says that he hopes to feature for Newcastle in the final games of the season after issuing a positive update on his recovery.

The 29-year-old was expected to be out for ‘several months’ after sustaining a torn knee ligament in the 3-2 win over Southampton in February (via nufc.co.uk).

A Sky Sports report at the time speculated that he’d played his last game for the club given that the Swiss international is out of contract at the end of the season.

However, it seems his recovery may have exceeded expectations – Schar initially aimed to return in time for the European Championships in June, but now hopes he can have a say in keeping Newcastle up.

Schar: ‘I will do everything’ to return before the end of the season

“I’m quite happy where I am after seven weeks since my surgery,” he said in a Q&A on Newcastle’s Twitter account.

“The last five or six weeks I was working hard in Switzerland. The only aim I had was to do as many hours for the rehab as possible.

“I think I am on the right way. Still there is a bit to do and it’s going to be tight for some games this season.

“It’s my aim to help the team at the end of the season and I will do everything to try and do that but I can’t exactly say if it is possible or not.”

Schar has made 13 Premier League appearances for the Toon this season. He has averaged 1.6 tackles, 3.1 clearances, 0.8 blocks and 3.6 accurate long balls per match (via WhoScored).

Transfer Tavern verdict

The injury outlook is finally getting brighter for Newcastle. Miguel Almiron returned at Brighton, and Allan Saint-Maximin made his comeback off the bench in the draw with Tottenham at the weekend.

Most importantly, top scorer Callum Wilson looks to be back in contention for a critical visit to Burnley on Sunday.

Schar’s return can’t come soon enough, given that Steve Bruce had to deploy Emil Krafth and Paul Dummett, full-backs by trade, in a back three at the weekend.

In other news, Alan Shearer picked out an ‘excellent’ Newcastle performer against Spurs. 

Plenty of West Ham fans have praised Pablo Fornals on social media for his display against Southampton on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes knew prior to kick-off that just a point will be enough for his side to qualify for the Europa League next season, and the Scot made two changes to the side which beat West Brom 3-1 on Wednesday evening, with Lukasz Fabianski and Jarrod Bowen coming in for Darren Randolph and Said Benrahma respectively.

However, it was Fornals‘ performance which had a number of Hammers fans talking on social media following his starring role at the London Stadium.

He was making his 31st start of the Premier League campaign and 36th appearance in all competitions. The Spaniard only scored three league goals this season prior to the final game of the season but he netted twice in the opening 45 minutes to put the Hammers on their way to the 2021/22 Europa League. He also won several tackles and duels, as well as having a high passing completion rate, to give an all-round stellar performance against the Saints.

West Ham fans react

Here is what these Hammers supporters had to say about the attacking midfielder, with one fan describing him as ‘brilliant’ and another excitedly comparing him to Barcelona legend Andres Iniesta, who was renowned as a passing maestro and had a decent scoring record.

“Pablo Fornals has turned into some player”

Credit: @joe200953

“Pablo Fornals you are something else man”

Credit: @ewansm38

“Fornals is the new Iniesta”

Credit: @FloydWHU

“FORNALS IS QUALITY WE NEED TO KEEP HIM”

Credit: @datwag1

“Fornals has been brilliant”

Credit: @1bbyWHU

“Pablo Fornals is such an intelligent player it’s always his end product that lets him down. Technically he’s terrific and that second finish was brilliant, he always has that knack of being in the right place.”

Credit: @AzamWHUFC

In other news: Hammers leading the race for Championship star, find out more here. 

Mark Douglas has claimed Hamza Choudhury is now ‘keen’ on a move to Newcastle United before the summer transfer window ends.

The Lowdown: Down to the wire

Writing in a piece for Newcastle World, Liam Kennedy has claimed that the St. James’ Park faithful’s chase for Choudhury is set to go down to the wire.

They are reportedly a long-term admirer of the Leicester City ace, and are keen to strike a deal before the deadline hits.

However, that possibility currently hangs in the balance at the moment, as the North East club would prefer a loan move, likely with an obligation to buy, while Brendan Rodgers’ team would like to sell him permanently.

The Latest: Choudhury ‘keen’

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Douglas has claimed that Choudhury is now ‘keen’ on a move to Tyneside on loan, if a deal can be struck before the window shuts on Tuesday night.

There is reportedly a ‘willingness’ from both sides to sort out the move, but ultimately it will come down to finances.

The Verdict: Sign

Given that Joe Willock is the only player to have signed for Steve Bruce’s side on a permanent deal from Arsenal, and even he was on loan at the Magpies from January onwards last season anyway, they simply must get some extra bodies through the door in the next couple of days.

Choudhury has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League, and would offer Bruce another handy option in the middle of the park.

He is a good age at 23, and being English, would help fill the homegrown quota, especially given that Matty Longstaff has recently left to join Aberdeen on loan for the rest of the campaign.

In other news, find out whose display against Southampton was criticised here!