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West Ham United may have another Declan Rice coming through the system at Chadwell Heath.

16-year-old defender Kaelan Casey has been named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ list for 2021, in which the 20 best up-and-coming talents at Premier League clubs are profiled.

It’s claimed that the towering centre-back has been making impressive strides in the youth set-up, leading to his inclusion in the U21 squad that defeated Ipswich Town in the EFL Trophy recently.

There are hopes that Casey will go on to forge a great career in north London and his ability on the ball has earned lofty comparisons to the England international, who can also be deployed in defence.

In fact, the young teenager is said to look up to his fellow Hammers academy graduate for inspiration, so much so that he hopes to replicate such a feat.

West Ham’s official website describes Casey as “an imposing, ball-playing” defender and at a little over 6-foot in height, he isn’t far off being a carbon copy of Rice himself.

The Irons picked up the 22-year-old from Chelsea’s academy following his release in 2014 and within three years, he had made his professional debut for the club.

A year later, Rice was named the runner up for the ‘Player of the Year’ award, only showing the sort of impact he made on the club’s staff and management.

Casey is far from breaching into Moyes’ first-team but the early signs are positive, so surely it’s only a matter of time before he’s given an opportunity. It may not be this season but certainly, in the next two to three years, we could well see the 16-year-old gem involved just like Rice was.

Whether his future lies in defence or a little further afield very much remains to be seen, though his skill set seems primed for either role.

AND in other news, Newman could get West Ham fans purring with bargain swoop for “special” 31-cap beast…

Crystal Palace take on London rivals Arsenal in an enticing Premier League clash on Monday night as both teams aim to extend their recent good runs of form.

The Eagles have lost just one of their last five top-flight fixtures under the stewardship of new manager Patrick Vieira, earning a memorable 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the process. The victory against Spurs was made even sweeter after summer signing Odsonne Edouard came off the bench to bag a brace on his debut for the south London club.

The 23-year-old Frenchman marked his arrival in English football in emphatic fashion, firing past compatriot Hugo Lloris just 28 seconds after entering the field of play before wrapping up the three points deep into injury time.

However, the former France under-21 international has come back down to reality after his dream start to life at Selhurst Park.

In his subsequent three appearances for Palace against Liverpool, Brighton and Leicester, Edouard has failed to find the back of the net or provide an assist for one of his teammates.

His lack of output has contributed to Vieira’s charges picking up just two points from a possible nine in recent weeks, and the former Nice manager may be tempted to change up his forward line against the Gunners as a result.

However, the 45-year-old must keep faith in Edouard for the trip to the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, as the striker’s underlying numbers indicate that he is still putting in some solid performances.

As per SofaScore, the former Celtic ace has produced three key passes, four shots on target and completed all three of his attempted dribbles successfully across his last three outings.

Although he is currently struggling to apply the finishing touches to Palace’s attacks, Edouard is still making a substantial contribution to the south London outfit in the final third, which suggests that he could be their game-changer against Arsenal.

In other news… “He was raving about..” – Tom Barclay drops CPFC claim which should delight Eagles fans 

West Ham have been handed new hope in their pursuit of former loan star Jesse Lingard after an encouraging update emerged this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Manchester United will look to sell the England international in a cut-price £15m deal this January, should he not sign a contract extension.

Lingard remained at Old Trafford to try and fight for his place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but that hasn’t gone to plan, despite the Red Devils hierarchy offering him a new deal in the region of £135k-per-week.

United do not want to risk losing him for nothing in the summer, so they are prepared to sell him for half of what the Irons were said to be quoted (£30m) in the summer.

The 28-year-old is open to staying, having been at the club for over 20 years, but would like to be reassured about his playing time – something he may find difficult following the arrivals of Cristiano Ronaldo and Jadon Sancho this summer.

January repeat?

It was no secret that West Ham wanted Lingard to return after a sensation loan spell last season, that much was made obvious by the management staff in the press.:

Following the final game of the season, Hammers boss David Moyes told reporters, via the Evening Standard:

“I hope Jesse’s here, we’d like to keep him, he’s done an exceptional job for us but there’s no guarantees, he’s not our player. But I hope Jesse realises we’ve been good for him as well, and that he joined a club on the up.”

That view was reinforced by his assistant Stuart Pearce right before the transfer deadline.

“We would like him to come and join us. That has been an open secret. He was wonderful last year,” he told talkSPORT before later adding: “We would like him with us, there is no doubt about that. He’s a special lad and was very good around the players – the players really like him.”

You’d imagine if there was an opportunity to sign him in the winter, the pair of them would certainly consider it, with good reason too as the English maestro contributed nine goals and five assists in just 16 appearances to help steer the east Londoners into the Europa League.

The Irons did bolster their attacking midfielder department with a considerable investment in former Everton flop Nikola Vlasic, who signed from CSKA Moscow in a €30m (£26m) deal.

But he has struggled to adapt to life back in the Premier League and looks a shadow of Lingard, in most aspects so far, having failed to contribute a single goal or assist in six outings.

Lingard would slot right back in at the London Stadium and for just £15m, it would be quite the steal and it saves the risk of him signing elsewhere, particularly abroad on a pre-contract agreement.

His game time at Old Trafford will continue to remain slim barring any major injuries or suspensions, so he would surely be open to returning to West Ham.

This latest update should leave many around east London buzzing, including Moyes and Pearce.

AND in other news, 108 touches, 82 passes: West Ham titan may be back to his best after int’l masterclass…

Flocking to Twitter, many Manchester City fans have raved over news involving AS Monaco sensation Aurelien Tchouameni as sporting director Txiki Begiristain sets one eye on the transfer market.

Pep Guardiola’s side have returned from international duty in superb fashion with their latest display seriously showcasing the very best of City.

The Sky Blues breezed past Belgian champions Club Brugge 5-1 on Tuesday evening in what was a dominant and assured Champions League outing – coming courtesy of strikes from Riyad Mahrez (2), Kyle Walker, Joao Cancelo and a first ever European goal for exciting youngster Cole Palmer.

Despite their strong start to 2021/2022, it appears Begiristain always has one eye cast towards bringing in marquee additions as news emerges on Monaco star Tchouameni.

Indeed, according to ESPN, City are now keeping tabs on the 21-year-old who has attracted attention across Europe – with the club even sending scouts to watch him in action already this season.

They are apparently holding an interest alongside Real Madrid, PSG, Manchester United, Liverpool as the ‘race hots up’ to land ‘one of Europe’s top prospects’.

However, if City wish to register their intent, Begiristain could need to weigh an offer of ‘between €50m and €60m’ (£42.1m and £50.6m) to grab Monaco’s attention.

Flocking to this claim, it’s safe to say many supporters want to see him at Eastlands – find all of their Twitter verdicts down below.

Man City fans flock to Tchouameni claim…

“Starboy. Just perfect.”

Credit: @Footballism16

“Please get it done…the only ideal replacement for dinho”

Credit: @iamshacool

“Bring him in”

Credit: @unorthodoxcam

“Yes please”

Credit: @7Mcfcmax

“omds id actually love this

absolute BALLER”

Credit: @frxoafc

“Please he was so good for france”

Credit: @MCFCnish

“Now we are talking”

Credit: @MosesOnduso5

“Him and Rodri, it’s game over”

Credit: @MichaelNana

In other news: ‘Vamoss’, ‘Best news today’, ‘Let’s goooo’ – Man City fans flock to ‘beautiful’ development, find out more here.

A journalist has claimed that Ralf Rangnick and Paulo Fonseca are both now ‘out of the picture’ for the Newcastle United manager job.

The Lowdown: Manager hunt continues

The St. James’ Park faithful have been linked with a number of different managers to take over from Steve Bruce on a permanent basis, including most recently Lucien Favre and Rafa Benitez.

Fonseca had been heavily linked with the role, with reports even suggesting he was Amanda Staveley’s preferred candidate, but Craig Hope claimed this week the former Roma boss arriving looks unlikely.

While the hunt continues, Graeme Jones will remain in temporary charge in the North East for now.

The Latest: No Rangnick or Fonseca?

Speaking to BILD (via Sport Witness), Bundesliga journalist Christian Falk has claimed that both Rangnick and Fonseca are currently ‘out of the picture’ in terms of becoming the next coach on Tyneside.

However, he also added that they are still ‘candidates’, meaning that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium could still turn to them to fill the vacancy.

The Verdict: Not much between them

There is certainly not much between Rangnick and Fonseca, with the former having eight trophies to his name with three different clubs (Transfermarkt), while the latter boasts nine major honours.

They both have an attractive playing style, as Fonseca has been described as ‘similar’ to Chelsea and UEFA Champions League winning-boss Thomas Tuchel by his former player at Roma Henrikh Mkhitaryan (Football London), while Roma chief executive Tiago Pinto believes that he is an ‘international class‘ tactician.

Rangnick is famous for his team’s gegenpressing, an attack-minded tactic based on making chances by winning the ball back high up the pitch (ESPN), while Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp claimed that he is ‘one of the best, if not the best German coach’ (ESPN), ahead of the likes of Tuchel and Julian Nagelsmann.

Nonetheless, both would be excellent choices by the new owners, should they come back into the equation.

In other news, find out what conversations Craig Hope has revealed about Fonseca and the Magpies job here!

Andy Townsend has backed John Terry to become Dean Smith’s successor at Aston Villa.

What’s been said?

In recent comments cited by talkSPORT, the former Aston Villa player stated his belief that Terry has all the makings of a Premier League manager, and that, if the 40-year-old were to be handed the job at Villa Park, he would have no complaints about the appointment.

Speaking about the former assistant manager’s links with the post, Townsend said: “I think John has all the credentials to be a proper manager. If he did want to take the job, I would not have any complaints about that whatsoever.

“I would love to see John do it, but however, I don’t think he needed to leave Aston Villa to become number one. If he genuinely felt like that, it might have been the natural progression over time anyway.”

Nightmare appointment

While Terry’s ability at the top level of the professional game is undeniable, with the former Chelsea captain winning five Premier League titles, one Champions League, one Europa League, five FA Cups and three League Cups during his time in West London, the 40-year-old’s potential in top-flight management is rather more questionable.

Indeed, while it is true that the 40-year-old who Frank Lampard dubbed an “invaluable” coach does have some history of being in the dugout, holding the position as one of Dean Smith’s assistant managers between 2018 and 2021, the fact that Terry has no experience whatsoever of being the sole manager of a football club is unavoidable.

And, considering Villa’s rather precarious position in the Premier League table, with the club currently sitting just two points above the relegation zone in 16th, the risk of appointing an unproven manager such as Terry would appear to be far too big for Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens to take.

Indeed, there is quite a clear lesson to be learned from Chelsea’s own appointment of Frank Lampard, with the Blues sacking the club legend just 18 months after his installation, as the club had slipped to midtable under the leadership of the 43-year-old.

However, upon Lampard’s appointment at Stamford Bridge, the former England international at least had some experience in professional management, having led Derby County to the Championship play-offs in 2018/19.

So, considering the fact that Terry does not boast a similar level of experience, in addition to the fact that Villa could very quickly become involved in a relegation scrap this season, the appointment of Terry would very much look to be something of a nightmare for NSWE if it happened, as the 40-year-old could well be a risk that results in relegation for Aston Villa.

In other news: “Understand”: Matt Law drops update in Villa manager search that’ll have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur could secure manager Antonio Conte his new Eden Hazard with a move for Charles De Ketelaere…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Spurs have become the latest team to enter the race to sign the Club Brugge sensation this January, with Serie A outfit AC Milan also mooted with interest.

Premier League rivals West Ham United and Everton have been linked with the 20-year-old gem.

In the summer, Football Transfers reported that the Belgian side would only be willing to sell him for a fee of around €25m (£22m).

Meanwhile, journalist Mo Messoudi claimed only last month: “For me, De Ketelaere is the most valuable player in Belgium at the moment. I am sure he will break the outgoing transfer record set by Jeremy Doku.”

Conte’s new Hazard

Valued at a similar fee of £22.5m by Transfermarkt, De Ketelaere could be the perfect solution to the Lilywhites’ creative and attacking woes in the final third.

The 6 foot 4 maestro is capable of playing nearly anywhere – striker, no.10, wide, and in deeper midfield – and that makes him a very interesting prospect under Antonio Conte, who is able to deploy numerous systems, primarily with three-at-the-back.

“His versatility is a huge asset. He is complete, with a mix of physical and technical qualities,” legendary Club Brugge midfielder Gert Verheyen explained to Het Nieuwsblad (via Goal).

Despite his towering stature, the Belgium wonderkid has been likened to Roberto Firmino in playing style, which suggests there is more a touch of flair and skill about him than being a brute force up top.

With that in mind, he could be the sort of game-changer in attack that Conte once had at Chelsea in Eden Hazard. He played wide and in the middle for the Italian and helped contribute massively towards a Premier League title and an FA Cup too.

De Ketelaere has already racked up over 100 senior appearances and that’s earned the praise of talkSPORT’s European football expert Andy Brassell.

“He’s got loads of potential,” Brassell said on Hawksbee and Jacobs. “I’m really interested to see what he can do for the rest of the Champions League. The move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs is too soon. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen, of course.”

He has continued to impress this campaign, managing to provide five goals and four assists, including a Man of the Match display against Mauricio Pochettino’s Paris Saint-Germain.

Indeed, his 7.8 rating on SofaScore was the highest of any player, including the two goalscorers in the game and Lionel Messi (7.3) as the youngster absolutely bossed the Ligue 1 giants winning 81% of his duels, creating five key passes and managing 100% of his dribbles.

Fabio Paratici and co must look to seal the Brugge wizard in January, he could well become Conte’s new Hazard at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

AND in other news, Conte given Spurs boost as major Hotspur Way development emerges, fans surely thrilled…

These Wolves fans have been left buzzing as an official post from the Midlands club emerged involving Hwang Hee-chan.

As per the official Twitter page of the Molineux faithful, the South Korea international has been voted as the Castore player of the month (POTM) for October by the supporters after his three goals last month helped to secure a win against Newcastle United and a draw against Leeds United in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).

Hwang ended up beating Raul Jimenez and Max Kilman to the award, as he received his accolade at Compton Park before jetting off to international duty.

The striker is only on loan at the Wanderers from RB Leipzig until the end of the season, but is already proving a valuable member of the team with his goals, and is currently their top scorer with four goals in total over all competitions so far this campaign (Transfermarkt).

Thus, it is no surprise at all to see so many WWFC fans behind him as he got the award.

Wolves fans on Hwang news

These Wolves supporters buzzed as the news was shared on Twitter:

“Yesss ladddddd”

Credit: @Wolves_Dan74

“Congratulations. Fosun, you know what to do”

Credit: @WolvesLads

“What a player!”

Credit: @Young_Wolves

“W”

Credit: @wwfcglover

“He deserves it.”

Credit: @POHHNE

“I like him, just needs better control of the ball when at his feet”

Credit: @DavidAr10667542

In other news, find out who some Wanderers would be happy to sell after exit links here!

Leeds United will be looking to improve their fortunes on the pitch as they return from the international break just one place above the Premier League drop zone.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side now travel to north London to face a Tottenham Hotspur side buoyed by a new manager bounce, having appointed Antonio Conte as Nuno Santo’s successor nearly three weeks ago.

The Argentine has plenty of decisions to make heading into kick-off, not at least because of the several injury woes he’s faced since the start of the season.

But what sort of lineup could we see against Spurs? Here’s what Football FanCast are predicting…

There could be just two changes from the side that drew 1-1 with Leicester City before the break.

Both Patrick Bamford and vice-captain Luke Ayling are confirmed absentees for the trip south, though Bielsa is expected to be able to welcome back Junior Firpo, who could come straight into the starting XI at left-back, replacing Pascal Struijk.

He joins the defence of Liam Cooper, Diego Llorente and Stuart Dallas, in front of goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

In midfield, we could see Adam Forshaw and Kalvin Phillips continue their impressive-looking partnership. The former made his long-awaited comeback from injury and has since had two weeks to recover. It means Mateusz Klich remains on the bench.

Further up the pitch is where Bielsa has a major conundrum as his side has looked futile in front of goal. Jack Harrison’s struggles have been evident, so despite the 25-year-old starting eight games this season and featuring in 36 league games last term, he could be axed with Dan James taking up his place on the left.

Raphinha should resume his duties on the right, with Rodrigo through the middle.

But up top, there is a rare appearance for Tyler Roberts, who could be given the nod in the absence of Bamford.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Key Leeds man “not available” this weekend, Bielsa will be gutted…

A positive update for Rangers has emerged on the make up of their backroom staff and the possibility of a new face joining Gio van Bronckhorst at Ibrox to help lead the Gers to glory again…

What’s the talk?

According to the Scottish Sun, who quote Chinese media, Guangzhou City are on the verge of going bust and that could allow the Dutchman to join the Scottish giants for free.

The report claims that Chinese authorities could step in and take the club apart after three months without being able to pay their wage bill, which would then leave van Gastel unattached and able to arrive at Rangers with no stumbling blocks.

Delight

This appears to be a big boost for van Bronckhorst and the update will surely leave Rangers fans feeling delighted as the Dutchman’s backroom staff begins to take shape. It was previously reported that the club may have to wait until January to bring him in, which means that this could save them five weeks of waiting to land him.

Five weeks is a long time in football and could see him miss 10 competitive matches for Rangers if he is unable to make the switch until the start of 2022. This is why the prospect of him leaving China for nothing in the coming days could be a seismic boost, as he could come in and have an impact in the coming matches by joining as van Bronckhorst’s assistant.

The pair worked side-by-side at Feyenoord in the Netherlands. In four years, they won five trophies together for the Dutch club and averaged 1.99 points per game across 176 matches – finishing third, first, fourth and third in the Eredivisie in that time. This shows how well they worked next to each and why van Bronckhorst will be buzzing to work with him again. On the evidence of those statistics, this news will come as a big behind-the-scenes boost to the 46-year-old.

Their success at the Rotterdam outfit is also why fans should also be delighted by this update. It shows that they have a proven track record of winning trophies as a pair in management, which means that van Gastel’s arrival could increase Rangers’ chances of achieving their goals this season – winning the Premiership crown again.

However, it is worth saying that it is never nice to see a club go through financial difficulties, as Rangers fans know more than most, and Guangzhou City’s problems are not enjoyable to read. That being said, football is ruthless and the Gers may now benefit by bringing their head coach in to assist van Bronckhorst.

AND in other news, Gio could save Wilson millions with Rangers beast who is a “winner and warrior”…