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A major development has emerged on Viv Solomon-Otabo and it could impact Portsmouth’s chances of signing him.

What’s the talk?

According to the Northern Echo, Sunderland are confident that they will be able to secure a deal to sign Viv Solomon-Otabor on a free transfer next month. His contract is set to expire at Wigan and Sunderland are preparing an offer for the winger, which they believe will be successful.

Portsmouth were also said to be keen on Solomon-Otabor, along with Charlton, Blackburn and Blackpool, over the weekend. However, Sunderland now seem set to win the race for his signature after this major development.

Wigan boss Leam Richardson explained earlier this year that Solomon-Otabor has been struggling with an issue in his knee and has been playing through pain. He told Wigan Today:

“Viv’s got an issue with his knee, where he’s got a couple of floating bones in there.

“Fair credit to the kid, he wants to play through the pain, and he’s having to be injected to allow him to do that.”He’s obviously only firing at a certain percentage, but he wants to be involved in the fight and you can only respect him for that.” Bullet dodged

Portsmouth fans will be delighted that the club have seemingly managed to dodge a bullet with this deal. Solomon-Otabor failed to impress in League One for Wigan and may have been a waste of a signing for Portsmouth as he has not performed well enough to suggest that he would be a good addition to Cowley’s squad. Therefore, they could be dodging a bullet by allowing Sunderland to swoop for him.

Michael Eisner should make sure that it stays that way and not try to usurp the Black Cats in the coming days/weeks. He should watch Sunderland complete a deal for Solomon-Otabor whilst pursuing his  own targets who could provide significant improvement to Portsmouth’s squad.

The £1.5k-per-week dud averaged a dismal WhoScored rating of 6.55 in League One for Wigan. 14 Portsmouth players managed better than that last season, which suggests that he would not be a quality addition to Cowley’s team.

Portsmouth fans will be happy to read that he is set to sign for Sunderland instead of Portsmouth. Eisner and Cowley will not have to deal with the inconsistent winger at Fratton Park and his performances could actually boost Portsmouth’s chances of finishing above Sunderland next season if he is unable to improve from his Wigan displays, as two goals and four assists from 28 appearances is a disappointing return from the forward.

Hopefully, Portsmouth will be able to find a winger to bolster their squad who boasts better statistics than Solomon-Otabor, but that is down to Eisner and Cowley to pull a top player out of the bag.

AND in other news, Eisner must seal Pompey swoop for ace who’s “got everything”, Cowley would love him…

Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans has been tipped to join Liverpool during the summer transfer window, with Kevin Phillips talking up the move.

The Lowdown: Superb performer for Leicester

The Belgian has been a standout performer for the Foxes in recent years, famously scoring the winning goal in the FA Cup final against Chelsea earlier this month.

The 24-year-old has made 108 appearances for Leicester, scoring 17 goals and registering 19 assists along the way and proving to be a key player under Brendan Rodgers.

It could be that a fresh challenge appeals to Tielemans this summer, though, with Liverpool linked with snapping him up.

The Latest: Phillips talks up move

Speaking to Football Insider, former Sunderland and England striker Phillips claimed that Anfield would be an ideal move for the Belgium international. He said:

“I think everyone is available for the right price. I don’t think Brendan Rodgers would want Tielemans to go but I think when Liverpool come knocking at your door and speak to your agent, then the player is going to listen and is probably going to want to go.

“Especially now that Leicester won’t be getting Champions League football next year after just missing out while Liverpool have, that’s a big, big draw for any player.

“So if Liverpool were to make enquiries and make an offer then it could be one of those where it’s hard to stop the player going and turn the deal down, so it will be an interesting one.”

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The Verdict: Ideal Wijnaldum replacement

Tielemans is a fantastic footballer and someone who could be a perfect replacement for the departing Gini Wijnaldum at Liverpool.

Not only did the Belgian chip in with six goals and four assists in the Premier League last season, he also averaged 2.3 tackles per game.

That highlights what an impressive all-round midfielder he has been, and Liverpool should certainly considering bringing him in this summer.

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been reacting to a brilliant tweet by a former Reds player. Read more here.

Leeds United were keen on bringing Emiliano Buendia to the club before he joined Aston Villa, according to former Whites striker Noel Whelan.

The Lowdown: Buendia joins Villa

The Argentine was arguably the outstanding player in the Championship last season as Norwich City won the title and sealed a return to the Premier League.

On Monday, it was confirmed that Buendia had agreed a £33m move to Villa, with the Canaries always likely to find it tough to keep hold of him.

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The Latest: Pundit makes key claim

Leeds are also on the lookout for attacking additions in the summer transfer window and it appears as though they missed out on snapping up the 24-year-old.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan claimed that the Whites were keen on bringing Buendia to Elland Road, hailing his quality as a player. The 46-year-old said:

“I think we missed a trick there.

“Number 10 is such an important position and there is only really Rodrigo as a decent option in there. You can never have enough good creative players in your side and Buendia is certainly one of those.

“He is a player who plays in between the lines and can change a game in a moment. He is a special player who can see passes that other can’t. That little bit of magic, he has got it.

“He was the standout performer in the Championship last season and I was very impressed with him when he played in the Premier League for Norwich City. He has proved that he can do it against the best.

“Leeds were interested and there was a lot of talk about a potential move but they clearly never pursued that interest. Great players like that cost a lot of money but they are worth every penny.”

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The Verdict: Leeds missed a trick

Buendia is a superb attacking player who brings guaranteed numbers in the final third, scoring 15 goals and registering 16 assists in the Championship last season.

The idea of him linking up with Leeds’ other creative attacking players such as Raphinha and Rodrigo seemed a mouthwatering one, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Whites would likely have had to break their transfer record to sign Buendia given the £33m fee agreed with Villa, and they seemingly couldn’t justify parting with such a big sum of money. Let’s just hope he doesn’t make Leeds regret missing out on him.

In other news, one Leeds player has been tipped to excel next season – find out who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur legend Graham Roberts is not sold on the prospect of the club hiring Brighton & Hove Albion boss Graham Potter as their new manager, telling Football FanCast that he is not the kind of appointment that will keep Harry Kane at the club.

The England international has been linked away from Spurs ahead of the summer transfer window, with The Athletic reporting that he wants to take on a new challenge this summer.

Spurs sacked Jose Mourinho earlier this season after a desperately poor season that saw the club fall to ninth at one stage.

Potter has been linked as a potential appointment and Football.London have reported previously that Spurs’ players have been impressed by Brighton’s approach whenever the two sides have met.

However, Roberts thinks that a manager with a bulging trophy cabinet is required to ensure that Kane feels the club are moving in the right direction following Mourinho’s exit.

Asked about how Kane would feel if Potter, or Scott Parker who has also been linked by the same Football.London report, became the new boss, he told FFC:

“I think that would be a bad thing for us.

“If you’re Harry Kane, you’re looking for a top manager coming in now, somebody that’s won trophies and those two haven’t won trophies.

“We haven’t won any trophies so we can’t go shouting our mouths off. That’s what Harry wants to win.

“He won the London trophy (Player of the Year at the London Football Awards) the other day and it was all about ‘no, I want a team trophy, I don’t want individual ones, I’ve got them, yeah, they’re good but I want that team one’.”

Southampton’s former vice-chairman Les Reed has revealed the reason behind Wesley Hoedt’s failure at the club in an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Saints paid £15m to sign Hoedt from Serie A club Lazio in 2017, with the Netherlands international signing a five-year contract at St Mary’s.

At the time, Reed said that the defender was “one of the most promising young defenders in Europe” but he struggled to make a real impact on the south coast.

Hoedt made 45 appearances for Saints in total, making 23 appearances under Mark Hughes and 22 under Mauricio Pellegrino.

He never played a single minute under the management of Ralph Hasenhuttl and he is now back in Serie A, playing for Lazio on loan, the club from whom he joined the Saints.

Reed felt that the deal was a good one when he arrived at the club, but that a mistake early in his Saints spell ultimately destroyed his confidence.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, he said: “Wesley was on our radar in Ronald’s reign, although we bought him in Puel’s reign because Ronald wanted a left-sided centre-half and we didn’t have one. And he was playing for Lazio in the Champions League and was in the Dutch national team.

“At the day of purchase, he was a good buy.

“But having got in the building, Claude, who wanted a left-sided centre-half because of the way he wanted to play, he did make an incredible error that led to a defeat, and that was it, wiped off. Destroyed the player’s confidence and then it gets very difficult to pull that back.”

Former Premier League striker Marcus Bent has exclusively told The Transfer Tavern that Dele Alli will be “kicking himself” following his failed January loan move to PSG.

Alli had previously been one of Tottenham’s best players under Mauricio Pochettino, but has lost his way since the arrival of Jose Mourinho, who was sacked on Monday, and has started just two Premier League games all season.

Having reportedly fallen out with the ex-Spurs boss earlier in the campaign, Alli was repeatedly axed from squads in the Premier League, and has generally been a bit-part player this term.

Alli had slipped so far down the pecking order that he came close to moving to the French capital in January, although Tottenham blocked the deal after failing to find a replacement.

And Bent told The Transfer Tavern that after watching England teammate Jesse Lingard flourish at West Ham, Alli might regret not leaving himself:

Bent said: “He’s probably kicking himself because he had a whole massive career with England and his club, and PSG are a massive club, so you have to be doing something right.

“I don’t think he will get back in the England squad for a good year or so because there’s so many talented players in that midfield. He’s not scoring, he’s rarely playing.

“Hopefully he doesn’t go down the leagues and start playing in the Championship because he’s a good England player, he just needs to find himself.”

West Ham United’s surprise quest for a top-four spot was dealt a crushing blow on Saturday afternoon as they were narrowly defeated by local rivals Chelsea at the London Stadium.

The visitors moved three points clear in fourth place and now the Irons have defending champions Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur on their tail.

It was a big chance for David Moyes’ side to prove to the rest of the top-flight that they are genuine contenders for a Champions League berth and not merely a one-season wonder team that has been enjoying a purple patch.

Overall, the Hammers did give a good account of themselves but the Blues did dominate possession (56%) and they had way more chances (17 shots), so the scoreline could’ve been far greater on another day.

In the absence of a striker, the 58-year-old opted with a two-pronged attack of Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen, leaving Said Benrahma on the bench.

The duo, particularly the latter, struggled to combat Chelsea’s back three and as a result, this is what cost them on the night.

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Bowen managed to fire off just one of West Ham’s nine attempts all game, whilst he lost 12 of his duels (75%), which only emphasises how ineffective and weak he was against the likes of Thiago Silva and Antonio Rudiger.

The £27m-rated dynamo also failed on the ball, managing just one successful dribble from four attempts, further suggesting how he couldn’t get past Thomas Tuchel’s stern backline.

From just 43 touches, Bowen was wasteful too, as he lost possession 14 times – meaning he handed the ball back to the visitors once every 6.4 minutes, and once every three touches, as per SofaScore.

The 24-year-old, who earns a reported £60k-per-week, was rated pretty poorly by football.london in their post-match ratings column, Indeed, his 5/10 ranked him amongst Moyes’ worst players.

‘West Ham’s furthest player forward but the striker was way too separated from his teammates and failed to have a big impact in the first half,’ wrote Tom Clark. ‘The second half continued in the same vein for Bowen as he struggled to get into the game.’

All in all, Bowen massively let his manager and his side down and he’ll have to do a far better job in the absence of Michail Antonio if the Irons are to make it into Europe.

AND in other news, GSB could find West Ham’s next Defoe in £26m-rated “goal machine”…

Speaking to football.london, West Ham United boss David Moyes has dropped an exciting hint that club legend Mark Noble could potentially become a part of the staff after his retirement – going on to say he has ‘no doubt’ that the Englishman’s future will be somewhere with the Hammers.

Noble, who will be set for his 400th Premier League appearance if he plays against Leicester City on Sunday afternoon at the London Stadium, has been a mainstay for the Irons since making his debut in 2004.

Moyes drops exciting hint on possible Noble appointment

A product of the club’s youth academy, the 33-year-old has made 523 appearances for the club in all competitions over a near 17-year stay so far (Transfermarkt), with Noble recently announcing that next season will indeed be his last after signing a one-year extension (BBC).

Much speculation has arisen over whether he will continue at West Ham in an off field role past his retirement, with reliable club insider ExWHUemployee recently claiming ‘there is talk’ he would be given a ‘coaching role or some ambassadorial role’ (West Ham Way Podcast).

Now, Moyes has come out with his take on the situation, dropping an exciting hint that Noble could well be appointed as future West Ham staff in some capacity.

“I do see Mark [Noble] becoming part of the staff in the future,” explained the Scotsman (via football.london).

“While he is still playing well and contributing on that side of it we want him in that area.

“But I have no doubt Mark’s future career will be somewhere at West Ham, what that exactly is I don’t know but I have no doubt he will be in and around the club.”

Transfer Tavern take

Given all he has contributed over his plethora of West Ham appearances in the last decade, appointing someone with great knowledge and experience of the club seems like a no brainer.

His son is also apparently part of the Irons academy, giving him all the more reason to stay in east London and possibly become a big part of the coaching team behind the scenes.

As West Ham club staff possibly keep their eye out for another Noble-esque talent who can serve the club over a great period of longevity, hiring the beloved midfielder in a non-playing role after his retirement could be a wise decision.

The decision will rest with the player himself, however, and Hammers supporters are surely hoping he remains a servant of the club long after he hangs up his boots.

In other news: ExWHUemployee has shared another priority signing for Moyes, find out more here.

David Moyes must put his foot down and reject a rumoured swap deal involving West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice and Chelsea’s Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

What’s the word?

According to the Express, Loftus-Cheek is one of three players the Stamford Bridge outfit may look to present in exchange for Rice’s signature this summer.

Chelsea failed to sign Rice last year when West Ham held firm at an £80m valuation, and the Irons are thought to have since increased their asking price to £100m.

Frank Lampard’s sacking was expected to bring a halt to the Blues’ interest in taking Rice back to south west London, yet Thomas Tuchel has not scrubbed his predecessors’ plans.

But the German is prioritising the arrival of a new striker and has Erling Haaland and Romelu Lukaku under consideration, which would leave the Blues clutching at straws to fund a pursuit of Rice.

As such, Chelsea are tipped to potentially offer West Ham their choice of Loftus-Cheek, Andreas Christiansen or Tammy Abraham in hopes of bringing down the Hammers’ asking price.

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The London Stadium natives have been linked with a potential move for Abraham recently, while £60,000-per-week Loftus-Cheek is considered to be a direct replacement for Rice.

Should West Ham accept Loftus-Cheek for Rice?

Rice’s services are bound to be highly sought-after among the Premier League’s established elite clubs this summer, after once again proving to be a key part of West Ham’s plans and further establishing himself on the international stage.

The 22-year-old was named as the Man of the Match during England’s recent World Cup qualifying wins over Albania and Poland, despite playing the closing stages of the latter tie with a lateral knee ligament injury.

Rice’s issue meant he missed West Ham’s wins over Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester City last week, the first Premier League games that the Irons’ vice-captain had sat out since May 2019 after 68 straight starts.

He already has interest from Manchester United as well, who could use Jesse Lingard to negotiate a lower fee, but reports by The Sun claim West Ham have no interest in selling one star to retain the one they have on loan.

Rival interest will also ensure the Hammers are not in a position where they must accept a downgrade to sell Rice to Chelsea – a player Moyes claims suitors would need “the Bank of England and the Royal Bank of Scotland” to sign.

Loftus-Cheek would certainly be a step down in quality for the Irons, and send out the wrong message to the rest of the squad and potential summer targets over their aspirations of sustaining this season’s remarkable challenge for European football.

The Chelsea man – who Gary Neville claims is “a massive talent” – has struggled to impress consistently this season while on loan with relegation-threatened Fulham, having offered just a single goal and no assists in 26 Premier League games for the Cottagers.

His defensive contributions pale into insignificance beside Rice’s, too, with Loftus-Cheek trailing for tackles (1.9 to 0.9), interceptions (2 to 0.2), fouls committed (0.7 to 1.1) and clearances (1.2 to 0.5) per game in the top-flight this term, per WhoScored.

If Rice is to leave West Ham at the end of the season, they need to be earning top-dollar to sign a ready-made replacement – not accepting discounted approaches for players that will stagnate their progress as a club.

AND in other news, West Ham eye 23-year-old talent once backed to become “world-class”…

Aston Villa will reportedly listen to offers this summer for striker Wesley Moraes.

That’s according to an exclusive report from Football Insider, who claim that a permanent Villa Park exit is possible, with manager Dean Smith not convinced by the Brazilian before his devastating ACL injury last year.

A potential loan deal is also a possibility, which would then reportedly allow Villa to bolster their attack in the summer window.

Wesley’s £1m-per game Villa record

Wesley, on £35,000-a-week, has been out of action since New Year’s Day 2020 following the serious injury he picked up at Burnley, although he has returned to training in recent weeks.

He’s made 22 appearances for the club since his £22.5m move from Club Brugge back in 2019, costing the club just over £1m-per match so far.

Transfer Tavern take

With Smith not convinced prior to his long-term absence, it seems as if a summer exit could be a smart decision for all involved.

Whether that’s on a temporary basis or a full-time deal remains to be seen, but Villa, in our view, would do well to recoup the £22.5m they paid for the Brazilian due to the time he’s been on the injury table.

In other news: Villa fans hit out at transfer update on 2020 target Milot Rashica, find out more here.