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Speaking to Sky Sports, via Football Daily, reporter Dharmesh Sheth has unveiled more West Ham United transfer news involving goalkeeper Paris-Saint Germain goalkeeper Alphonse Areola and another name.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Areola talks…

As per a previous update by Sky, via Football Daily, West Ham are indeed in talks to sign Areola with the terms believed to be a season-long loan including the option to buy.

The Hammers have been targeting new shot stoppers despite tying down Lukasz Fabianski with a one-year extension at the London Stadium (football.london).

Bringing more news on West Ham’s hunt for new keepers, Sheth has now made a live TV claim.

The Latest: West Ham have held ‘a couple’ of talks…

According to the reporter, Areola remains West Ham’s primary goalkeeping target with talks ongoing, but the Irons also made another bid.

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Indeed, GSB allegedly lodged a £6 million bid to sign West Bromwich Albion ace Sam Johnstone, with Moyes and co now turning to Areola.

“A couple of talks regarding potential arrivals,” he explained on Sky (via FD).

“They’ve had a bid rejected, we believe to be around £6m by West Brom for their keeper Sam Johnstone.

“I’ve been told today that West Ham’s primary target remains the PSG keeper Alphonse Areola, talks are continuing with PSG over a loan with an option to buy.

“But it is clear that West Ham United are in the market for a goalkeeper.”

The Verdict: Get it done…

As the new season looms and so to a campaign competing in the Europa League, West Ham need to strengthen in priority areas as soon as possible.

While between the sticks is arguably not as big of an issue as up front, where the depth is minimal, the club will want to wrap up this move and turn their attention to other priorities.

West Ham also want to reinforce their central defensive options after the departure of Fabian Balbuena and it is imperative that the club start getting some business done.

In other news: ‘Yes yes yes’, ‘Unreal’, ‘Come ooon’…ExWHUemployee’s news has many West Ham fans ecstatic, find out more here.

Ange Postecoglou faces the arduous task of trying to rebuild this devastated Celtic squad.

As he gears up for the biggest managerial job of his career, he heads into it knowing it won’t be easy at all.

On the chalkboard

Celtic have often had things all their own way over the last decade. They won nine league titles on the bounce before the Hoops’ fortunes came crashing back down to earth this season

The likes of Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard look set for the exit door while Postecoglou will also need to replace their loanees.

Diego Laxalt has gone back to Milan while Jonjoe Kenny is now in Merseyside again after a lacklustre stay.

The most difficult player to replace will be the enigmatic Mohamed Elyounoussi. The Norwegian was in good form throughout the 2020/21 campaign, scoring 17 goals in all competitions.

His tally was only second to Edouard but his performances dwindled towards the back end of the campaign.

Elyounoussi was found guilty of giving the ball away on a regular basis and was sloppy with his offensive play.

The winger found the back of the net only three times in his last 16 Premiership matches of the campaign.

Therefore, it feels unlikely they’ll bring him back for a third stint at Paradise.

The replacement

With Postecoglou now in the dugout, he will naturally be linked to a number of players hailing from the Southern Hemisphere and other areas of Asia.

Australian goalkeeper Mat Ryan has been linked but so have two Japanese players, one of which is Kaoru Mitoma.

The winger is one of the most electrifying players in the J-League and would go a long way to replacing the void of quality following Elyounoussi’s departure.

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Mitoma is a frantic dribbler and in the words of Juco James from the Huddle podcast, is the most “creative” player in the entire Japanese top-flight.

Compared to Jeremie Frimpong, the 24-year-old’s progression run rate per 90 minutes was ranked 12th out of 48,426 players in all senior competitions over the last 12 months.

He is ranked 27th for accelerations and in terms of creativity, Mitoma is 16th in Wyscout’s key pass metric.

The left winger has mesmerising dribbling and flair too. He records ten dribbles per 90 minutes and has the ability to score goals in abundance.

Mitoma has ten strikes to his name in 21 outings during the 2021 campaign, taking his overall tally for Kawasaki Frontale to 28.

A dazzler dribbler with an extremely productive output in the final third, Postecoglou can immediately upgrade on Elyounoussi by luring him to Scotland.

AND in other news, Postecoglou can seal instant Celtic masterstroke by axing £12k-p/w “laughing stock”…

Everton came into their clash with Manchester City on the final day needing to win in order to present themselves with the best possible opportunity of qualifying for Europe.

It was always going to be an arduous task against the new Premier League champions but few would have predicted the mess the Toffees got themselves into.

They were 2-0 down after 14 minutes and it got even worse as time went on, with them eventually losing 5-0.

It was a wretched end to the campaign but it just about summed up the inconsistencies that have plagued both Carlo Ancelotti and his players.

They were absolutely taken to the cleaners by City at the Etihad on Sunday as Sergio Aguero ended his Premier League career in supreme style by scoring twice.

Everton were hopeless defensively, ruing a mistake from Michael Keane early on and then some uncommitted work from Mason Holgate in the second period.

He was turned inside out by Aguero who then fired home expertly for their fourth goal.

However, the centre-back wouldn’t have been embarrassed in that style if Tom Davies hadn’t been dispossessed with a poor piece of play.

The midfielder was particularly abject and the way he was bullied off the ball summed up his lightweight day at the office.

He was weak and feeble in the middle of the park, winning just one of his five defensive duels during the course of the match. That meant Davies lost a whopping 80% against a rampant Manchester City midfield.

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The £32k-per-week Everton man won just a solitary tackle and was dribbled past on two separate occasions.

Davies has been inconsistent this season but this was arguably one his worst displays. Only Michael Keane (0%), lost a higher number of duels in the entire contest.

Ancelotti hasn’t selected a trio of midfielders in his starting XI very often this season but after the way they were brushed aside on Sunday, it’s unlikely he’ll try it again in 2021/22.

This was a horrendous end to the season for not only Davies, but everyone associated with the Merseyside outfit.

They will have to dust themselves off and go again next season. A few additions in the transfer market and they shouldn’t be far off the top six.

AND in other news, Brands must complete Everton swoop for £20m-rated “diamond”, he’s like a “Rolls-Royce”…

Brian Deane has told The Transfer Tavern that his former side Sheffield United should keep young defender Jayden Bogle at the club.

Just weeks after suffering relegation with the Blades, the 20-year-old is reportedly being offered an immediate return to the Premier League by new boys Norwich City.

Bogle joined from Derby County last summer but didn’t make the squad in any of Sheffield United’s opening 13 matches, only making his debut as a substitute at Brighton just before Christmas.

But having scored on his league debut in that very game, Bogle became a regular under Chris Wilder and netted his second of the campaign in February’s victory over West Brom, making 16 league appearances in total.

And Deane, who notched more than 100 times across two spells for the Yorkshire outfit, including the first ever Premier League goal, believes that selling Bogle would be pointless, knowing they’d have to buy a similar replacement.

He exclusively told The Transfer Tavern:

“I’d be surprised if Sheffield United sold him because you have to start basing how you want your squad to develop on youth, and he’s in that category.

“He did well in a short space of time. It wouldn’t make much sense to sell him, because then they would have to go out and find the next Jayden Bogle, so I would be surprised.”

Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa has been handed a major boost as some exciting news emerges from Thorp Arch about the club’s finances for the summer’s transfer window.

What’s the story?

The Whites enjoyed a superb end to the Premier League season, reeling off four wins in a row and climbing up the table and into the top ten. And that late run of form may have handed Bielsa a major boost, according to finance expert Kieran Maguire.

He said to Football Insider: “Leeds can certainly afford to spend more. They have had substantial financial developments. They finished 9th and probably budgeted to finish something like 16th.

“So realistically, they’ve got an extra £15-20m from that particular (prize money) pot. They were also chosen as the first picks for matches to be broadcast live on TV 24 times, so that’s an extra £14m. That’s because the first 10 picks are considered part of the overall deal and anything above that is an additional £1m per match.

“So we’ve automatically got around about £35m in the budget that they hadn’t originally budgeted for. The sponsors are very keen to get into bed with them too, so you’d imagine that Leeds will have a pretty good budget to work with this summer.”

Fans will be buzzing

With the Premier League’s prize money divvied up based on a team’s final finish, and scaling up for every place you end up higher, Leeds’ late flurry of victories has had a massive impact on the club’s finances for this summer.

As Maguire says, the fact they leapt up the table into ninth has given them an “extra £15-20m” based on that Premier League finish alone – after match-day 30, they were in 11th, with Crystal Palace and Southampton all within a couple of wins behind them.

Then, when you take into account the kind of money they should be getting for being selected as part of the TV coverage, things are looking very exciting for Bielsa and his plans for the summer transfer window.

Maguire himself thinks that Leeds should have around £35m more than they originally budgeted for, and when you think that sum of money is actually significantly higher than the club-record £26m they paid to sign Rodrigo, and you can see just how game-changing that could be.

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Bielsa will surely be buzzing with Maguire’s claim and insight, as will the Leeds supporters who will be keen to see their club make a splash in the transfer market this summer as the Yorkshire side look to push on from an excellent first season back in the top flight.

If Leeds do have more money available than they’d budgeted for, as Maguire suggests, then their chances of getting more transfer business completed this summer will surely have increased, and that’ll be music to the ears of the club’s loyal supporters.

Meanwhile, Marcelo Bielsa is eyeing a reunion with this Leeds United hero…

Manchester City are the latest side to be linked with a move for Southampton left-back Ryan Bertrand this summer but signing him would be a huge mistake by Pep Guardiola’s side.

According to Goal, Manchester City are one of the clubs interested in signing the 31-year-old this summer, after it was revealed that he would be leaving St Mary’s at the end of the season when his contract expires.

The likes of Arsenal, Leicester City and Crystal Palace have also been linked with a move for the former Chelsea man, who has amassed 258 Premier League appearances in his career thus far, so he would certainly add a lot of experience at the Etihad.

Whilst he is also English, so would help City add to their homegrown quota, his performances this season suggest that he would be an emergency option at best in Guardiola’s side, whilst the fact that he will turn 32 this summer means he will be a short-term solution for the Spanish manager.

Bertrand, who is currently valued at £9m by Transfermarkt, has made 29 Premier League appearances so far this season and averaged a less than impressive 6.41 rating from WhoScored, which ranks him as the 16th-best performer in Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

This immediately suggests that he is nowhere near good enough to play for City next season, who boast a number of better options at left-back including Oleksandr Zinchenko, Joao Cancelo and Nathan Ake, with even the injury and error-prone Benjamin Mendy earning a higher average rating than Bertrand this season.

Whilst Bertrand would be a cheaper option than the Frenchman as a back-up option at left-back, he clearly isn’t as good as the former AS Monaco man, and would likely be at the Etihad for two years at most, meaning City would eventually have to bring in another left-back in the near future.

Therefore, it would arguably be a huge mistake from City’s sporting director Txiki Begiristain to sign him this summer, and he should look for a better, more long-term option if Guardiola does want to add a new left-back to his squad.

And, in other news… Man City set for huge boost with “fantastic” beast, Pep surely buzzing

Many Arsenal fans have been buzzing at the news from The Telegraph that the Kroenkes could be tempted to sell the club for a bid of around £2bn.

As per the news outlet, the Gunners – one of the six English clubs who originally signed up to be part of the proposed European Super League (ESL) project – will face further fan protests after a large number of supporters gathered outside the Emirates Stadium before the 1-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League on Friday night to voice their anger at Stan Kroenke, with the hope that he will leave the north London club.

Daniel Ek, a Swedish billionaire entrepreneur and chief executive of Spotify, recently tweeted that he would ‘be happy to throw (his) name in the ring’ if Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) would like to sell Arsenal following the mass protests, and The Telegraph have now reported that he is ‘serious’ about tabling an offer.

Arsenal fans on Kroenke and Ek update

These Gooners buzzed upon reading the update on Twitter, with one supporter claiming that they are ‘excited’ while another branded the news as ‘massive’:

“Yessss”

Credit: @RobTheGoatAfc

“Omds I’ve never heard that they would be tempted at all. This is new and massive!!!!!!”

Credit: @AFCWilliam_

“What a dream this would be”

Credit: @ESR_Army_

“Not gonna get excited…..but as an Arsenal fan, I’m impossibly excited”

Credit: @Capt_Amber_jack

“This has made my evening”

Credit: @afcceee

“PLEASE. I’M ON MY KNEES…….”

Credit: @_AFCFRED

In other news, this Arsenal man’s performance against Everton was blasted by many supporters.

According to a report by Sky Sports, Tottenham Hotspur have made an inquiry to sign Southampton powerhouse Jannik Vestergaard – with Daniel Levy’s transfer priority said to be finding a new centre-half this summer. 

Spurs make Vestergaard inquiry

Indeed, as per this update, the search for new defenders who can bolster Spurs’ backline has already begun as the club make inquiries for Vestergaard as well as out-of-contract Bayern Munich star Jerome Boateng.

The Saints defender and Boateng are admired by Spurs among many others, according to Sky, and it is said that Levy and co will ultimately prioritise a new centre-half and new striker over any other position.

Depending on outgoings, with the club needing to adopt a sell-to-buy policy, they may also look to strengthen midfield, the right-back area, among the forward positions and between the sticks.

However, due to the financial impact of coronavirus, centre-half and the striker role are apparently set to be prioritised this summer.

Transfer Tavern take

Tottenham’s emerged inquiry for Vestergaard comes as especially enticing given his role for the Saints this season under Ralph Hasenhuttl.

The 28-year-old has been a formidable presence for Southampton over 2020/2021 and has averaged the most Premier League clearances per 90 out of their entire squad (WhoScored).

Standing at an imposing 6 foot 5, he also blew away former Spurs boss Tim Sherwood – with the 52-year-old calling him ‘outstanding’ on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday (30/01/21 at 1:10 pm) for his form earlier this season (via Anfield Watch).

Valued at a measly £16.2 million by Transfermarkt, he could come as a real coup for Spurs if the inquiry leads to more formal negotiations this summer.

In other news: Tottenham told to appoint this ‘demon’ boss who Guardiola loves, find out more here.

Charlie Wyke was at the centre of the drama in Sunderland’s League One play-off semi-final second leg against Lincoln City. 

Top-scorer Wyke spurned a glorious opportunity shortly after Ross Stewart had put Sunderland in front – he rounded Lincoln goalkeeper Alex Palmer and could have squared to an arriving Chris Maguire for a tap-in.

Instead, though, Wyke went for goal himself and inexplicably fired his shot straight at the covering defender.

It looked as if he had made amends when he doubled the Black Cats’ lead just after the half-hour mark, meeting Aiden McGeady’s cross with an outstretched leg and beat Palmer.

But then, 10 minutes into the second half, he came back to defend a Lincoln corner and lost his man, Tom Hopper, who headed home to restore Lincoln’s advantage on aggregate.

Wyke lost nine aerial duels in total, conceded possession 12 times times and made only 12 accurate passes in the game, fewer than Sunderland ‘keeper Lee Burge (via SofaScore).

Here’s what fans made of his display.

Wyke under fire after missing chance and losing man

“Terrible from Wyke that”

Credit: @AdamGuest

“Wyke frustrates me”

Credit: @ColeLevy5

“Awful marking by Wyke.”

Credit: @kevlennon1

“Charlie Wyke is a terrible footballer, he’s brilliant at letting a football hit him and that’s it…no other skills…”

Credit: @Dankendal93

“If we go out. It’s wyke to blame, completely.”

Credit: @Safc1879_

“Wyke had a mare”

Credit: @Stefano_Uvavu

“Wyke been horrible today. Could have had 3.”

Credit: @ciaranrace6

“Get Wyke off the pitch!”

Credit: @deanrankin

“Honestly wyke can’t kick a ball”

Credit: @aaronclasper

In other news, Black Cats fans fumed at this update. 

Kevin Phillips believes Jonson Clarke-Harris would be a good signing for Glasgow Rangers as he offers something Alfredo Morelos doesn’t.

Phillips urges Clarke-Harris move

The Gers have recently been linked with a move for Clarke-Harris, while Morelos revealed not too long ago that he is eager to move to the Premier League (Radio Caracol).

Speaking to Football Insider, Phillips has urged the Gers to move for the Peterborough striker as he offers something Morelos doesn’t. He said:

“He’s [Clarke-Harris] been phenomenal this season.

“If Morelos is to move on, him coming in gives you that different style, a plan B to have up your sleeve.

“He’s decent on the ground, he could certainly do some things better at times but he’s scoring goals. 

“He gets in good positions. He gives you that added advantage that Morelos doesn’t give you in that you can whip balls into the box. 

“He’s a big lad so he can get on the end of crosses and that just gives you a different option.”

Goals the most important

There is a slight height difference between the two – Morelos stands at 5 foot 9, while Clarke-Harris is taller at 6 foot. He is also slightly stronger, which does suggest the Ibrox outfit would be able to use him in a different way than Morelos.

However, they already have Cedric Itten, who is 6 foot 2, so a bigger striker is not the reason why Clarke-Harris should be signed. This term, he has 28 goals for Posh in all competitions (Transfermarkt) as they sit second in League One – he knows where the back of the net is. If Morelos leaves, he could well be a fantastic signing for a number of reasons.

In other news, Rangers fans disagree with these Steven Gerrard comments.