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West Ham United are interested in a deal to bring Aleksandr Golovin to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sport Witness, who claim that a source close to the AS Monaco attacking midfielder has revealed that both West Ham and Everton are interested in a move for the 25-year-old this month.

The report goes on to state that David Moyes’ side have made contact with the Ligue 1 side regarding a deal for the Russia international, however, it is also claimed that Monaco are unlikely to want to part with Golovin in the current transfer window – with Russian media outlet Championat suggesting the French side would demand a fee of around €50m (£41m) in order to sanction his sale.

Moyes’ next Lingard

Considering just how impressive Golovin has been for Monaco since his £27m move from CSKA Moscow back in 2018, it is easy to see why West Ham would be interested in a move for the attacking midfielder this month.

Indeed, over his 114 appearances for the Ligue 1 side, the £22.5m-rated man has scored 16 goals and registered 22 assists, with arguably his best season for the Monegasques coming over his 21 league outings last season.

In this campaign, the £78k-per-week forward scored five goals, provided nine assists and created nine big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 1.8 key passes and taking 1.3 shots per game.

These returns saw the player who Jose Mourinho dubbed a “playmaker” earn a rather astonishing seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.31, not only ranking him as Monaco’s best performer in the league, but also as the sixth-best player in the division as a whole.

Indeed, Golovin’s form in this campaign was not dissimilar from that of Jesse Lingard last season, who, over his 16 Premier League appearances while on loan at West Ham, scored nine goals, registered four assists and created three big chances for his teammates, seeing the 29-year-old earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.19.

Furthermore, both the AS Monaco attacking midfielder and the Manchester United man possess impressive positional versatility, with each player more than capable of operating from either flank or in the number 10 role.

As such, should Moyes be able to get a deal over the line for Golovin this winter, the 58-year-old Hammers manager could very much have the club’s next Lingard on his hands for the second half of the season – something that is undoubtedly an extremely exciting prospect for everyone involved with the club.

In other news: West Ham submit Jan offer for “outstanding” £70k-p/w tank, Moyes desperately needs him

With Leeds United having the second-youngest squad in the Premier League with an average age of 24.8 according to Transfermarkt, it seems as though the Yorkshire club could be looking to add a player to their squad that could offer them a lot of Premier League experience.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Calcio Mercato (via Sport Witness) Leeds are interested in signing Juventus and former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey on a loan deal in the upcoming January transfer window.

Before jetting off to Juventus back in the 2019 summer transfer window, Ramsey made a total of 371 appearances for Arsenal across all competitions, scoring 65 goals and providing 65 assists in the process.

With 262 of those appearances coming in the Premier League, this shows just how much experience the Welshman could offer Marcelo Bielsa’s side if he does leave Juventus next month and fancies a return to England with Leeds and play alongside some of his Wales teammates such as Dan James and Tyler Roberts.

Labelled as an “outstanding technician” in the past by pundit and former Arsenal star Martin Keown, Ramsey could definitely offer some creativity and goals to this Leeds side who have only managed to score 15 times in as many games so far this season.

Additionally, with Leeds only having four central-midfield options in their squad at the moment, this backs up why signing a midfielder such as Ramsey, who is currently valued at £9m according to Transfermarkt, would be a good idea for the Yorkshire club to do in January to give Bielsa that bit of extra depth in that area of his squad.

The report does claim, however, that Leeds would look for a loan deal for Ramsey whereas fellow Premier League club Everton could be willing to make a permanent deal for the 30-year-old, which might be more appealing to Juventus rather than a loan deal and therefore put the Whites on the backfoot in the chase for his signature.

Either way, with January around the corner, Leeds and Victor Orta should definitely explore the option of signing Ramsey either on a loan deal or permanent basis if they can, as it would definitely start their transfer window with a bang given his pedigree at the top level.

In other news: Huge setback: Leeds struck with double injury blow that’ll surely have Bielsa fuming – opinion

A number of West Ham supporters have been hailing a host of Hammers youngsters after they played against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League.

David Moyes’ side faced a dead rubber contest in Europe on Thursday evening, having already secured qualification into the knockout stages.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/west-ham-latest-updates/” title=”West Ham latest updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

It afforded Moyes the luxury of naming a much-changed starting lineup at the London Stadium but it was one that had more meaning to it than normal.

During the night, a total of eight academy graduates took to the field, while there were also five full debutants and two debutants, as highlighted by an official club post.

It was further proof that West Ham are going in the right direction both on and off the pitch, despite the 1-0 defeat, as the latest batch of Hammers youngsters look to mark their mark.

West Ham fans hail youngsters

These fans took to Twitter to react to their efforts.

“My club”

Credit: @darrenpasley79

“Wow what a picture!”

Credit: @jackcoyi1

“Future is bright”

Credit: @deskamiya

“Massive”

Credit: @Razek_76

“Proud of the boys, COYI”

Credit: @MarcinPochojka

“Brilliant display from majority of them tonight so proud”

Credit: @RyanHil98488904

In other news, a reliable reporter has made a transfer claim regarding one West Ham target. Find out who it is here.

Dean Smith was announced this morning as head coach at Norwich, with his assistant Craig Shakespeare, and will be looking forward to getting stuck into his first week ahead of the return of the Premier League season on Saturday.

Smith has spoken out upon his appointment, and is already impressed by the opportunity for development at the club;

“I’ve always worked to improve and develop players – with that obviously comes improved performances. I was really impressed with the idea, structure and vision that is already in place at the club.”

One player who will be thrilled with the appointment of the new manager is Todd Cantwell, who has spent the last few weeks snubbed by former manager, Daniel Farke.

Farke spoke briefly about not including Cantwell in his team; “Sadly I have to say with Todd the last couple of months I can’t remember one full training week when he was available for the full week.”

Smith will be looking to unlock the bags of young potential at Norwich City, with a host of young players including Cantwell, Billy Gilmour, Max Aarons, Adam Idah and Andrew Omobamidele.

The 50-year-old Norwich manager could instantly solve a set of instant issues, however by unleashing the player dubbed a “God-given” talent by his former youth coach, Gary Cockaday, as there seems to be a current disconnect in the link-up play in the attacking third, which has seen the side only score five goals in eleven games so far this season.

The £16k-per-week local talent has been a stand out performer and attractive prospect for the Canaries with 107 appearances, 14 goals and 12 assists, becoming a key player for them in their promotions from the Championship and Premier League campaigns so far.

Smith and his team are likely to face competition to keep Cantwell at the club, as his contract expires in the summer of 2022, and there haven’t currently been advanced talks for the midfielder to sign a new contract with the Canaries. That, it would seem, is a pretty hefty issue for the new boss to deal with upon his arrival.

Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa have all been previously linked with the Norwich star, and if Smith can get the youngster in a good run of form, there is no doubt that top-flight clubs will make more enquiries in the January transfer window and as he reaches the end of his contract.

The club’s new manager will lead Norwich City out to host Southampton at Carrow Road this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how the former Brentford boss sets up his team and if he includes youngsters like Cantwell and Gilmour in his team. Not only would playing him more regularly improve the team, but it might also boost their hopes of keeping him at the club.

That would mean two problems immediately solved by Smith and Shakespeare.

In other news: Norwich’s predicted XI under Dean Smith…

Tottenham Hotspur are left with work to do in their final Europa Conference League group game after they endured an embarrassing evening in Slovenia.

Antonio Conte’s recorded his first loss since taking over from Nuno Santo as his side were agonisingly beaten by NS Mura in the final minutes of the game.

Tommy Horvat fired in a world-class opener from long range for the home side after just 11 minutes before Spurs wing-back Ryan Sessegnon received his marching orders for two calamitous and rash yellow cards by the 31st-minute mark.

In the second half, the Italian made vast changes and it looked to have paid off when his pair of substitutes Lucas Moura and Harry Kane combined for an equaliser in the 72nd minute.

But with seconds left on the clock, Amadej Marosa powered through Spurs’ messy backline to condemn them to a shocking, shocking loss.

Sessegnon, who was massively talked up by Conte during the pre-game build-up, badly let the manager and his side down with his erratic short-lived display.

“I can’t wait to see his performance because he’s a talented player, very young with great space for improvement,” the 52-year-old told reporters in his press conference.

[snack-amp-story url = “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/tottenham-hotspur-latest-team-injury-team-news-updates-transfers-gossip-rumours-antonio-conte-thfc” title=”Read the latest Spurs news, transfer updates and much, much more!”]

There were plenty of superlatives used to describe his red card from the press, ranging from “daft” by football.london’s Alasdair Gold to “stupid” by the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick but perhaps the most accurate came from The Athletic’s Charlie Ecclesshare, who claimed it was “really needless.”

Indeed, it was. And the 21-year-old gem will have it all to do to convince his manager that he can be trusted again this campaign.

As per SofaScore, Sessegnon was graded at an abysmal 5.1 rating – comfortably the worst of any player on the pitch – and during his 36 minutes, he managed only eight passes and 16 touches, fewer than even goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini (19 passes, 25 touches).

He also lost 80% of his five duels, showing just how much he struggled with the lowly Slovenian minnows.

After being talked up so much ahead of kick-off and then named as a starter a few days in advance, the England U21 international very much let Conte down, so it would be a surprise to see him involved again anytime soon.

An absolute nightmare and disaster evening for the young lad.

AND in other news, Fabio Paratici could seal Spurs’ best signing since Son with £45m-rated “world-beater”…

Nuno Santo must turn to Tottenham Hotspur gem Bryan Gil in a bid to spoil Newcastle United’s party at St James’ Park this afternoon.

The Magpies crowd will be in full force following their long-awaited takeover by a Saudi Arabian-backed consortium and even though Steve Bruce remains in the dugout, the atmosphere is expected to be electric.

Spurs know that they need to build on their victory against Aston Villa last time out, especially as they had lost the previous three in a heavy and embarrassing fashion.

For all of the positives against the Midlands outfit, there were still problems bubbling beneath the surface. The north Londoners remain amongst the least creative teams in the top-flight and that has got to change sooner rather than later.

As per WhoScored, the Lilywhites rank second-bottom for average number of shots per game, managing only 10.4 attempts, which is lower than all of the teams currently occupying a spot in the relegation zone.

Similarly, Spurs are amongst the bottom three in the Premier League for expected goals, registering an xG of just 7.25, via Understat. Only basement boys Norwich City and Watford have recorded fewer.

Truth be told, the club haven’t really filled the void left behind by Christian Eriksen, who left N17 for Milan in January 2020.

Neither Tanguy Ndombele nor Giovani Lo Celso have stepped up in his absence, having both been signed in the previous summer, whilst Dele Alli’s struggles have been well-documented.

However, there could well be a solution already at the club, largely thanks to the transfer dealings of Italian sporting director Fabio Paratici. He secured a shrewd move for Gil in the summer, shipping the injury-prone Erik Lamela to Sevilla in return.

The 20-year-old magician is still adapting to life in England but has been touted to achieve big things in his career. After all, he’s already picked up four caps for Spain and is also valued at a whopping £27m by Transfermarkt.

Gil averaged 1.7 crosses and 1.9 key passes per 90 in La Liga last season, via WhoScored, proving to be a creative influence in attacking midfield.

“I think we’re going to see a very talented young player coming to the fore. He’s kind of got a bit of everything: he can pass, he can dribble, he’s very creative, he has clever movement,” explained football.london’s Alasdair Gold.

“They’ve just got to decide, is he a guy that can ultimately become the new Eriksen, because the more and more I watch him play, I think the ability’s there to do that. Some have even made a Modric comparison and said, maybe he could end up coming even deeper and becoming that kind of player.”

On that evidence, you can see exactly why he could be the man to usurp the likes of Ndombele and Lo Celso for the no.10 role.

Also lauded for having “unbelievable amounts of technique” by ESPNUK editor David Cartlidge, Gil’s technical ability and flair could be exactly what Nuno needs this afternoon.

The Portuguese boss must unleash the youngster, who football scout Jacek Kulig dubbed a “big talent”, at St James’ Park as he has the ability and skillset to ruin the Magpies’ afternoon.

AND in other news, Nuno Santo hints at Spurs injury blow ahead of Newcastle clash…

West Bromwich Albion should not expect to receive more than £10m for the sale of Sam Johnstone.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by The Sun journalist Tom Barclay, who stated in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that the Baggies are not likely to get anywhere near the £20m asking price they were demanding for the goalkeeper this summer if they decide to cash in on him this January.

Southampton, West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur are all reported to be monitoring the situation of the 28-year-old ahead of a potential swoop in the winter market.

Speaking about the potential fee Albion would receive for the England international, Barclay said: “You’re looking at probably less than £10m. I’m speculating there, but I imagine it’d be less than £10m.”

Fans would be devastated

Considering just how important a part of the West Brom side Johnstone has proven himself to be in recent years, should Albion receive a fee lower than £10m for the shot-stopper in the January transfer window, it would undoubtedly leave fans devastated.

Indeed, despite the club’s ultimate relegation last season, the £7.2m-rated man nevertheless impressed over his 37 Premier League appearances, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 4.5 saves per game – the most of any goalkeeper in the league.

These returns saw the £28k-per-week ‘keeper earn a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as West Brom’s second-best performer in the top flight.

And, while Johnstone has not exactly been in the best form of his career over his 14 Championship appearances this season, he has still proven to be a fundamental part of Valerien Ismael’s side, keeping six clean sheets and making an average of 1.5 saves per fixture.

These returns have seen the 28-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.81, ranking him as the Baggies’ 10th-best player in the second tier.

As such, considering his overall level of performance for the club, keeping hold of Johnstone until the end of his contract – which is due to expire at the end of the current campaign – would undoubtedly be worth much more than receiving a fee of under £10m for the shot-stopper in January.

Indeed, without the former Manchester United man between the sticks, West Brom’s chances of going on to secure an immediate return to the Premier League would take a rather substantial hit, while keeping him at the risk of losing his services on a free next summer could well be enough to get Albion over the line in the promotion race – something that would bring a windfall of cash of a much higher value than his potential sale would generate in January. Consequently, this update is likely to crush fans.

In other news: “They’ll be looking”: Journo drops claim on £15k-p/w beast, WBA fans would be fuming

Paddy Kenny says links between Everton midfielder Tom Davies and Crystal Palace are ‘really strange’.

The lowdown

Football Insider reported last week that Palace were monitoring Davies’ situation with a view to a possible move.

Davies has found first-team football hard to come by under new boss Rafael Benitez.

He’s played only 16 minutes across Everton’s first six Premier League matches.

His contract is up in less than two years’ time and there’s apparently been ‘no progress’ towards an extension.

Palace, meanwhile, may need another midfielder if Conor Gallagher returns to Chelsea at the end of his loan spell.

The latest

Kenny has urged Davies to fight for his place at Goodison Park rather than countenance a ‘big drop down’.

He reckons the Scouser has all the support he needs to succeed at his boyhood club.

“For me, that’s a big drop down anyway,” he told Football Insider. “No disrespect to Palace, but Everton are a bigger club. So it’s a really strange one, this.

“Surely he’d want to do his utmost best to try and stay at Everton and get himself into that first-team.

“He’s got the backing of the crowd and the support of all the staff there as well. That means a lot.”

The verdict

It really isn’t all that difficult to understand. Davies is struggling badly for game time at an upper mid-table outfit, so he could move to a lower mid-table side where his prospects should be significantly better.

Yes, it’s perhaps more complicated because he’s a local lad, but he shouldn’t be criticised if he chooses to put his career first, and there is also the prospect of playing under one of the greatest centre-midfielders in Premier League history at Sehurst Park.

It’s certainly hard to see him agreeing to a new deal if the current trend continues.

In other news, Palace have been linked with this Championship ace. 

Crystal Palace have received a big injury boost ahead of their Premier League game against Arsenal after manager Patrick Vieira declared he had no fresh fitness concerns.

What’s the word?

The Eagles have been without key midfielder Eberechi Eze all season after he suffered an Achilles injury towards the end of 2020/21, but the 23-year-old is now thought to be nearing a return to first-team action.

Vieira provided an update on the creative talents situation in Friday’s press conference and also confirmed that none of his players picked up any problems during the recent international break.

“We had all the players coming back from international with no issues, so they are all fit and ready to go. Eze is getting better; he started taking some part in the collective training,” the Frenchman revealed.

“But again, we don’t want to put any kind of pressure or any kind of date on when we will be ready, but he is doing well. And we just have to evaluate how he is feeling week after week, we’re not going to make any date on his return.”

Vieira will be buzzing

Last season, no Eagles player bettered or matched Eze’s tally of six Premier League assists and he also produced the most key passes and dribbles, with average totals of 1.3 and 1.9 per league game respectively, as per WhoScored.

As a result, Vieira will be delighted that the former England U21 international is nearing a return to full fitness and will also be pleased that nobody incurred any fresh injuries during their time away with their national teams.

Palace have made a solid start to life under the former Nice boss, but have still only won one of their opening seven Premier League games and will be hoping to improve on that when they travel to the Emirates Stadium tonight.

For the manager to be able to pick from what will nearly be a fully fit squad, a rarity in the modern game, it will no doubt leave him feeling elated, especially as he returns to face his former side.

And, in other news…Vieira must keep faith in “magnificent” 23y/o gem, he could be CPFC’s game changer 

Having seen his Sheffield Wednesday side get their 2021/22 League One campaign off to an impressive start, with the Owls picking up 10 points over their opening five fixtures of the season, Darren Moore would have undoubtedly been hoping for another positive performance from his team on Saturday.

However, with a challenging trip to Plymouth Argyle on the cards, with Ryan Lowe’s side remaining unbeaten in the league since the opening day, a victory was by no means guaranteed for Wednesday.

And so it turned out, with Joe Edwards 7th minute strike giving the home side the lead, which Dan Scarr doubled shortly before the break, before Ryan Law made it 3-0 for Argyle in the seventh minute of second-half stoppage time.

As such, perhaps unsurprisingly, there were a number of Sheffield Wednesday players who turned in below-par performances in the fixture, with Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Liam Palmer and Sylla Sow all having games to forget, however, it was arguably Jack Hunt who was the most disappointing on the day.

Lost 100% duels

Indeed, prior to his substitution in the 45th minute, the £1.35m-rated right-back proved highly ineffective in defence, making no interceptions, no tackles, no clearances and conceding one foul.

The 30-year-old also lost 100% of his four duels, gave away possession of the ball on seven occasions and failed with his one attempted dribble and his one attempted cross.

These returns saw the £13k-per-week defender earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.0, with no outfield player from either side receiving a lower score than the Sheffield Wednesday man.

As such, whether or not Hunt keeps his place in Moore’s backline for the visit of Shrewsbury Town next week would appear to be very much up in the air at present, although, should the right-back indeed keep his starting spot, he will undoubtedly have to up his level of performance if his side have any hope of getting back to winning ways against the Shrews.

In other news: Moore could finally unlock “huge” potential of £1.35m-rated ace, he could fire SWFC up