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According to an update courtesy of talkSPORT, West Ham United have made Bournemouth striker Joshua King their next priority target after agreeing a deal to sign Jesse Lingard on loan for the rest of the season (Sky Sports).

Indeed, as per talkSPORT, King looks set to be top of the Hammers’ priority list following Lingard as West Ham reportedly refuse to give up on signing a new striker with deadline day looming.

Joshua King links to West Ham

The Irons have been sporadically linked with a move to sign King, with this same outlet once saying GSB were working on a deal ‘behind the scenes’ just before the window opened.

TalkSPORT journalist Alex Crook also recently claimed that the 51-cap Norwegian was ‘desperate’ for a move to the London Stadium.

It is also now believed that reports over his huge wage demands are ‘misguided’, potentially a boost for the Hammers as they eye more options.

Transfer Tavern take

King could still be a good late option for West Ham as the window draws to a close.

Noel Whelan, speaking in an interview with Football Insider, described the 29-year-old as an ‘exciting player’ – regardless of his lack of game time in the Championship this season (WhoScored).

Time will tell whether West Ham manage a late coup for him, but it could be worthwhile given their lack of depth behind Michail Antonio.

In other news: West Ham fans have gone wild for this potential ‘bargain of the year’, find out more here.

2021 has been the very definition of hot and cold for Leeds United. They have tasted defeat in four games now, but their two wins in the Premier League have been impressive.

They started the New Year in dismal fashion with three consecutive defeats – one of which came against League Two Crawley in the FA Cup. Though, in beating Newcastle and then demoralising Leicester, they bounced back tremendously.

The football Marcelo Bielsa’s men played last weekend at the King Power Stadium was relentless. Their pressing was perfect and Patrick Bamford was a constant thorn in the opposition defence.

He helped himself to a goal and two assists on Sunday but despite registering another assist in midweek, Leeds fell to a 2-1 loss at the hands of Everton.

It was a disappointing result given the performance only a few days ago but it summed up their current top-flight campaign. One minute they’re unrelenting in their play and the next, they’re being sliced open.

No player in Leeds’ squad epitomises their inconsistency quite like Jack Harrison.

The loanee is now in his third loan spell at Elland Road but each season, he has constantly put in indifferent performances. On his day, he has the first touch of a superstar, like Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. However, on others, he has the end product of Jimmy Kebe.

At times this season, Harrison has looked unstoppable. Coming into their clash with the Toffees, the winger had scored in consecutive games.

Though old habits die hard and that was typified on Wednesday evening. The 24-year-old struggled to get into the game and although it was his pressing that led to the turnover for Leeds’ goal, he struggled throughout.

In fact, both of Bielsa’s troops on the left-hand side were particularly abject. We’ve already picked bones with Gjanni Alioski’s performances this term but in committing four fouls and winning just three duels on the ground, he particularly struggled with the way Everton played.

Yet, Harrison was worse, winning just two of the seven duels he competed in. That being said, it was his attacking play that disappointed the most.

The forward lost possession of the ball on 19 occasions, a tally higher than every Leeds player on the pitch besides Luke Ayling and Raphinha. Of course, Harrison was keen to get balls into the area but only 50% of his deliveries were accurate.

Just a solitary key pass told the story of an abject day creatively. This should hardly be surprising judging by some of the form he showed last season. After all, following the opening eight games of 2019/20, he’d managed only one accurate cross from 31 attempted.

Judging by the fact Harrison has four Premier League assists this season, it shows he has improved. However, until he begins to capitalise on promising situations more often, Bielsa won’t be able to take him to the next level.

On this occasion, it was a night where the flanker let his manager down again. He needs to discover more consistency.

AND in other news, Forget QSI: £50m Leeds update could be completely game-changing for Bielsa and Radz…

Everton have landed a huge boost with Carlo Ancelotti confirming that Dominic Calvert-Lewin will make his return from injury against Liverpool in Saturday’s Merseyside Derby.

The striker, who has 18 goals to his name in 25 appearances across all competitions this season, has missed his side’s last two Premier League fixtures with a hamstring issue sustained in the FA Cup.

Calvert-Lewin was forced off the field 55 minutes into the 5-4 fifth-round victory over Tottenham Hotspur earlier this month, after scoring the Toffees’ first and assisting two strikes to mount a first-half comeback following Davinson Sanchez’s early opener.

Gylfi Sigurdsson occupied a false nine role as Everton lost 2-0 to Fulham in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, while Richarlison led the line on his own as Manchester City won 3-1 at Goodison Park last time out.

The Blues now head to Anfield striving to record their first win over Liverpool since 2010 and first away victory since 1999, with a chance to draw level on points with Jurgen Klopp’s sixth-placed defending Premier League champions.

And Ancelotti has confirmed that Calvert-Lewin will be fit enough to start on the red side of Stanley Park, along with midfielder Allan who has been out with a hamstring injury since December 16.

“Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Allan are back,” Ancelotti said on Friday.

“For the fact we have a lot of games in this period, it is important to have all the squad available. We are close to having all the players fit.

“This is important. We can rotate a little bit and keep the squad more fresh.

“Allan was out for two months. To have him back is really important for us.”

Having Calvert-Lewin back will be hugely beneficial for Everton in their hopes of recording a rare win over Liverpool on Saturday and at a time when the Reds have lost their last three fixtures held at Anfield.

While Sigurdsson and Richarlison, the Toffees’ two record signings at £45m and £50m, led the attack in Calvert-Lewin’s absence, neither offer the same presence as the England international, who was acquired from Sheffield United for just £1.5m in 2016.

Calvert-Lewin has offered a team-high 2.7 shots per game in the Premier League this season, the eight-most across the division, which is 1.7 more than Richarlison and 2.0 more than Sigurdsson when either has been fielded as a de facto centre-forward, per WhoScored.

He also offers an imperious aerial presence compared to either the Brazilian (1.3/4.7 duels won) or the Iceland international (0/0) with success in 4.6 of his 9.1 contests, only four players across the top-flight win a higher amount per game than the 23-year-old.

That’s on top of his goal output, which makes Calvert-Lewin the joint-third top-scorer in the Premier League and with the third-highest contribution rate, having netted 37% of Everton’s 35 efforts struck home to date.

So, clearly, having Calvert-Lewin back fit and available for Everton’s trip to Anfield will be hugely beneficial for Ancelotti, as he gains a colossal upgrade on his recent stand-in options.

AND in other news, Everton face a £35m asking price to land Carlo Ancelotti’s 21-year-old target…

Tottenham could land the perfect midfielder for Jose Mourinho in Inter’s Nicolo Barella.

What’s the story?

With Spurs stumbling somewhat in the Premier League – they now find themselves nine points behind fourth-placed West Ham – it’s no surprise that the club are already being linked with a number of players ahead of the summer transfer window.

According to Italian publication CalcioMercato, Inter’s Barella is attracting more and more attention from the likes of Spurs, but that the Nerazzurri are intent on tying him down to a new contract.

Perfect for Mourinho

Wherever Mourinho has been, having players who are mentally strong and tough is something the Portuguese man appears to really lean towards – you only have to look at how Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has become a firm favourite of his since his move from Southampton last summer.

And, in the £49.5m-rated Barella, Spurs could give Mourinho another player in that mould.

Italian icon Arrigo Sacchi has spoken glowingly about the kind of characteristics that Barella possesses that would surely make him an instant favourite of the Spurs boss.

He said: “He is a warrior full of determination. He is humble, he remembers his mistakes and has a desire to correct them. Nicolo had humility and passion, the two things I was looking for in my players, long before he had good feet.”

And, his former coach at Cagliari, Rolando Maran, raved about his passing abilities, saying: “He is extraordinary. I put him as a playmaker in front of the defence towards the end and he didn’t put a foot wrong. He just gets better and better.”

Having Barella alongside Ndombele could give Spurs two exciting midfield talents who are capable of getting their foot on the ball and dominating proceedings in the middle of the park.

While Ndombele has got the guile and power to skip past challenges and beat the press, Barella can help set the tempo and feed the likes of the Frenchman and those further forward with his incisive passing – his tally of five assists in Serie A is comfortably more than any Spurs midfielder (Hojbjerg with three).

Given his personality and his actual ability on the pitch, Barella seems like he’s the perfect midfield man for Mourinho.

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa will not renew Ahmed Elmohamady’s contract this summer.

What's the story?

The versatile wide player’s contract with Dean Smith’s side is nearly at its end, and it’s now being reported that Villa do not plan to offer an extension on his current deal. Football Insider claim that Smith is ready to let the defender go amid plans to use Frederic Guilbert – who is on loan in France – as Matty Cash’s back-up and competition moving forwards.

Sawiris may be relieved

The Egypt international has simply not forced his way in as a key player in the last couple of seasons, making just five appearances in the top flight until mid-February, which suggests he is nowhere near the top of the pecking order in a fully fit Villa squad.

With Cash currently injured, the 33-year-old has come back into the fold, playing 90 minutes in each of the past three games, but he has also come in for some criticism from his own manager, with Smith not impressed by his defending in the 2-1 defeat against Leicester.

Then, against Sheffield United on Wednesday night, he produced a shocking display, and one that surely would have left his manager worried. It’s no surprise then that the boss is happy to let him go, and considering he earns a decent £45k-a-week salary, owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens (NSWE) may well breathe a sigh of relief to get an unwanted player off the wage bill, allowing the pair to reinvest elsewhere in the squad.

It would be a ruthless call to get rid of a player who has played 124 times since moving to Villa Park, especially given his impact when they earned promotion, but it seems to be a wise call that simply must be made.

Meanwhile, this Villa man let Dean Smith down against Sheffield United…

Yeferson Soteldo, who was previously linked with a move to Everton back in March 2020, has recently made a transfer admission to FIFA’s official website.

Speaking to the website, the Santos ace said when being asked about his future: “Today I can say that I’m ready to take it to the next level, although I feel good here at Santos. We’ll see after the Copa America. I’ve always liked the English league.”

Everton should reignite their interest in Soteldo

The Goodison Park faithful should certainly try and reignite their previous interest in Soteldo, given his previous exploits.

The 23-year-old has scored no fewer than 30 goals and made a further 36 assists in 169 games in total over all competitions across the last seven years of his club career so far (Transfermarkt), showcasing the talent that he has starting at such a young age.

Soteldo is also a full senior international with Venezuela, in where he has been capped 17 times and scored one goal (Transfermarkt), and also has the ability to play in a wide range of different positions across the front line.

His versatility is certainly something that Carlo Ancelotti would admire, especially if the Merseyside club were to get a large number of injuries in their forward areas.

With a lot of potential still left to be fulfilled, Soteldo is definitely a player that the Toffees should at least be keeping an eye on when the upcoming summer transfer window eventually opens.

In other news, find out which Blues man’s subtle Ancelotti dig has been slammed by fans here!

Glasgow Rangers fans have been reacting in their droves to a statement from the Union Bears supporters club, and it seems they are not happy at all with the organisation’s choice of words.

The Gers are currently enjoying their status as Premiership champions. The title was confirmed when their local rivals drew 0-0 with Dundee United the Sunday before last, meaning they could no longer catch the Ibrox outfit. In the aftermath of the triumph, thousands of fans took to the streets of Glasgow to celebrate, breaking lockdown regulations along the way.

There have been worries that such scenes could be repeated around the Old Firm derby this coming weekend. However, according to the Union Bears, the police have been particularly forceful in sharing the message that fans should not gather – they even said that one supporter was visited seven times in 48 hours.

They have insinuated that they will disregard the instructions to stay at home, which has not gone down at all well with other Gers supporters, one of whom slammed the group’s stance as “immature”. The statement was shared on the Union Bears’ official Twitter account, and these fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts in response.

Let’s see what these Rangers fans had to say below

“You are now acting as a detriment to our club’s values. This isn’t support, please stop.”

Credit: @ALFEDO_MORELOS

“Nonsense”

Credit: @mothtothelamp2

“Immature. Follow manager and Captain’s advice. Put club first!”

Credit: @35Nicola35

“Our young bears look up to you. Show respect to the club and their undying support. We have to be unified and not let the club down again, as requested by the gaffer and the captain”

Credit: @Vikbic

“Union bears are fantastic and have been a credit to Glasgow Rangers, they bring so much to the football club, however, this is very bad taste lads, poor timing and an over reaction. Do the right thing.”

Credit: @Jetlagloyal

“I personally don’t like this mate. I like the UB and what they do, but not this.”

Credit: @Geeb1872

In other news, some Rangers fans were worried by this open letter.

West Ham United had to settle for a share of the spoils after throwing away a three-goal lead against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes will surely be fuming with his side’s collapse in the second half and centre to all that was struggling left-back Aaron Cresswell, who was constantly exposed throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch.

The Hammers romped to a 3-0 lead in a 17-minute spell, with goals coming from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Thomas Soucek, but they had their backs against the wall for large spells as the Gunners dominated with 64% possession.

Irons forward Michail Antonio had a golden opportunity to put the game to bed at 3-2, late in the second half but he saw his close-range attempt cannon off the post. He perhaps should have done better with it, though you can forgive that moment considering he provided two assists.

Strangely, the 30-year-old took pelters on social media from some supporters – one fan labelled him a “donkey” soon after missing that chance, whilst others branded his display “terrible” and “shocking.”

He was far from the problem.

Arsenal were hugely dominant on their right flank, with right-back Calum Chambers regularly getting up the pitch to contribute. The Sky Sports ‘Man of the Match’ managed to attempt a whopping eight crosses, one of which resulted in Craig Dawson’s embarrassing own goal, and this was because Cresswell could not contain him.

Similarly, Nicolas Pepe got the better of him before providing the assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s equaliser late on.

Indeed, only Dawson (6.1) was graded worse than Cresswell (6.4) as per SofaScore ratings, and it’s easy to see why.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-and-views” title=” The latest West Ham news and views!”]

The 31-year-old, now valued at €10m (£8.5m), was so weak in his battles, winning only one of his six duels (16%) up against the aforementioned visiting players.

When Cresswell did engage with them, his best option was to bring them down to concede two fouls, which would only go onto invite further pressure on the backline. An unnecessary thing to do when trying to hold out the lead.

It got so bad in the second half that Moyes brought on Ryan Fredericks so that there was another body to help out at the back though within three minutes of his arrival, the game was all-square and that was largely down to the clear weakness at left-back.

Tom Clark, football.london’s Irons reporter, thought the £55k-per-week ace was easily West Ham’s worst player. He rated him a 4/10, and claimed:

‘Difficult second half for the left-back with a lot of Arsenal play coming down his wing including all three Arsenal goals.’

As he mentions, all three of their goals came from his side and that only goes to show how poorly he struggled on the afternoon.

Cresswell badly let Moyes down with his display, and as bad a miss it was from Antonio, he had no fault to play in them conceding three goals when holding a 3-0 lead.

AND in other news, Get it done: Moyes should urge WHU move for wild card worth £14.5m less than last year…

With all of their horrendous injuries at centre-back this season, it was only natural that Liverpool were going to be linked with a whole host of defensive recruits.

That has indeed come to fruition, with a number of centre-backs linked with a move to Anfield – some of those names spectacular, some not so much.

One of those who has stood out is Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni.

According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Liverpool are interested in signing the Italian international in the summer and would have no problem paying €50m for his signature. It would certainly be a price worth forking out.

The 21-year-old centre-back has thrived under Antonio Conte this season as Inter continue to challenge for the Serie A title.

He has played 32 matches in all competitions this season, claiming 13 clean sheets – an impressive record for a player so young.

The £45m-rated defender has considerable experience already so bringing him to Anfield would not be too much of a gamble from Michael Edwards or Jurgen Klopp.

Even the player’s agent has been left enamoured by the youngster, stating that he has a “bright future” ahead of him.

Even when compared to Liverpool defender, Virgil van Dijk, the youngster continues to stand out.

According to WhoScored, he averages 1.1 tackles, 1.1 interceptions and 1.8 clearances per match so far throughout the season. These numbers are even higher than the statistics that the current Liverpool centre-back accumulated throughout his dominant 2019/20 campaign – the Dutchman only contributing 0.6 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per 90 minutes in the Premier League.

It goes without saying then that Bastoni is a hugely talented defender and one that could complement Van Dijk once he returns from injury.

Liverpool must make sure that they make him a Red in the summer.

AND in more news, read how the potential arrival of Sander Berge at Anfield could be a huge blow for a current Reds’ starlet…

For Sunderland’s academy, it has been a torrid few years. Stewart Donald often neglected that part of the football club and as a result, it was looking rather worse for wear at the start of the season.

The Mackems’ U23 side failed to win a single match last term, finishing rock bottom of Premier League 2.

It was unsurprising though. After all, the Black Cats have witnessed a number of their top young players walk through the exit door.

They viewed their chances of making the first-team slim as the academy continued to be forgotten about.

Sam Greenwood was one of the first to leave before the likes of Josh Maja, Logan Pye, Joe Hugill, Luke Hewitson, Bali Mumba and Morten Spencer all walked through the exit door.

However, the feeling is different now. Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has made the academy one of his priorities and together with Kristjaan Speakman, they’ve handed several talented young players trials at the club.

This comes after the arrival of Morgan Feeney, Vinnie Steel and Sam Wilding last summer. It also follows on from Josh Hawkes signing from Gateshead a few months ago.

Another player who arrived in 2020 was Will Harris, a player who hasn’t really made his mark until recent weeks.

He left Burnley to come and sign for the north-east outfit, a decision that looked easy for the 20-year-old; “Being a local lad, it’s a dream come true to sign a contract with Sunderland. I’m delighted to be here, and I can’t wait to get started,” Harris revealed after signing.

Indeed, U23 boss Elliott Dickman was keen to get him on board after a successful trial period; “We’re really pleased to get this deal done,” Dickman began. “We had Will on trial before lockdown and we liked what we saw. He has attributes that should really benefit us this season and we’re looking forward to working with him.”

The attributes Dickman speaks of are presumably his ability to find the net. Harris hasn’t always started this term but he did so against Crystal Palace U23s on Monday.

He managed to repay the manager too, scoring two goals which won Sunderland the game late on. The academy side were 1-0 down approaching the final minutes of the match. However, Harris found a little pocket of space on the edge of the area before firing a low strike beyond the ‘keeper to equalise in the 89th minute.

The young striker clearly had his tail up as he then scored again in the fourth minute of added time to make it 2-1. Harris found some space just inside the area this time before turning and finding the net.

It was a performance and show of attitude that will have left not only Dickman delighted but also Lee Johnson.

He hasn’t been afraid to hand young players an opportunity this season with Ollie Younger, Dan Neil and Jack Diamond all earning opportunities.

Though, it should be Diamond who is now looking over his shoulder. He burst onto the scene in eye-catching fashion towards the back end of 2020 but hasn’t received many starts of late.

He did play against Accrington but was hauled off at half time after completing just three passes. Clearly, the forward has some maturing to do before he’s fully unleashed.

Harris, however, may just be able to put some pressure on him.

AND in other news, £6k-p/w SAFC flop has been “hiding” since he joined, his value has plummeted by 75%…