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Many West Ham United fans want the club to sign Clement Lenglet after they were linked with a move for the Barcelona defender.

David Moyes deserves huge credit for leading the Hammers to a sixth-placed finish in the Premier League last term, especially as the Irons battled relegation during the 2019/20 campaign. As such, they will be competing in the Europa League this coming campaign.

However, the Irons hierarchy cannot expect him to repeat such heroics without the necessary squad improvements – West Ham are yet to make a new signing in this transfer window.

However, according to Ekrem Konur, they are in talks to sign a new centre-back, albeit on loan. That man is £22.5m-valued Lenglet (Transfermarkt), who plays for Barcelona and France – he appeared for Les Bleus at Euro 2020 was a regular in the Blaugrana’s line-up at club level in 2020/21.

News of the Irons’ interest in the 26-year-old was shared on Twitter by Konur and it attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. These took to the social media platform to share their thoughts, with one fan describing Lenglet as a “baller”.

Let’s see what these fans had to say about the Lenglet links

“85 rated on FIFA, get it done!”

Credit: @OC02_

“He was amazing for Sevilla! I’d happily take him!”

Credit: @Sam6WHU

“I’d happily have him, either with Ogbonna in a back 4 or if we do a 5/3 then Diop, Lenglet and Ogbonna. He could also help develop Diop further.”

Credit: @sam_lummis

“I hope people realise that ‘not good enough for Barcelona’ means that he’ll still be one of our best players”

Credit: @alanrzepa

“Don’t know much but if it’s a loan I would take it”

Credit: @oliver90820149

“Yeah tbf, baller!”

Credit: @SeanLiggett96

In other news, some West Ham fans were fuming over this transfer bid.

Under the new ownership of Serbian media mogul Dragan Solak and his company Sport Republic, Southampton could see some new investments being made to their squad in the near future to improve Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side.

However, it seems as though the south coast club could have a fight on their hands to keep hold of one of their star players.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from Spanish media outlet Fichajes, fellow Premier League clubs Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing James Ward-Prowse in the next summer transfer window.

As a product of Southampton’s youth system, Ward-Prowse has gone on to make a total of 344 senior appearances for the Saints across all competitions, scoring 39 goals and providing 45 assists along the way, easily cementing himself as a crucial figure for the club and prove that Hasenhuttl would not be pleased to potentially see him go to another club.

Saints calamity

His latest appearance for Hasenhuttl’s side saw the Englishman score a brilliant free-kick in their 3-1 defeat against Wolves at the weekend and although they lost, it defined the captain’s importance to the squad.

Having scored 12 Premier League free-kicks in his career, Ward-Prowse’s previous efforts have been labelled as “unbelievable” by Darren Ambrose and thus, seeing him leave would be quite the disaster.

Interest in the midfielder isn’t new either, with the Saints turning down a bid of £25m for the 27-year-old last summer from Aston Villa last summer showing just how reluctant they were to let him go even before he signed a new contract.

This suggests that it would take a massive amount of money for any club to sign Ward-Prowse, who is currently picking up a weekly wage of £100k-per-week according to Salary Sport, anytime soon but still be a worry for them if it were to happen.

With that in mind, this should ease any worries the Southampton supporters may have about the club captain’s future at St. Mary’s.

If Ward-Prowse did join another Premier League club in the future in the same way that the likes of Sadio Mane, Virgil van Dijk, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Jannik Vestergaard and Danny Ings have done in recent years, this would surely be something that would leave Hasenhuttl enraged.

It’s safe to say this would not be a good start to the Solak ownership on the south coast.

In other news: Solak could land the next Broja at Southampton with swoop for £3.6m-rated beast – opinion

Rumoured Wolves transfer target Donny van de Beek will leave Manchester United in January, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Van de Beek linked with Wolves move

The Dutchman has endured a hugely disappointing United career, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer seemingly not rating him as a player. Van de Beek has appeared in the Premier League for just 15 minutes this season and it looks as though his future lies away from Old Trafford.

Wolves have been linked with a move for the 24-year-old, with Bruno Lage seeing him as someone who could add undoubted quality to his squad.

The Latest: Romano gives significant update

Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Romano confirmed that Van de Beek is likely to leave United in January unless his current situation changes

The journalist claimed: “Donny van de Beek situation is so clear. He loves the club and he’s still super professional in training, doing his best for Man Utd – but if the situation remains the same, he will leave Manchester United in January.”

It isn’t specified whether a loan or permanent exit could be on the cards, but either way, it could alert Wolves.

The Verdict: Snap him up, Wolves

Van de Beek’s stock has understandably fallen in recent times but he is still someone who could be an excellent signing for Wolves, not least because of the attacking threat he offers. He plundered 28 goals and 21 assists in his final three Eredivisie campaigns at Ajax – by comparison, Wolves’ entire midfield registered six goals and two assists in the 2020/21 Premier League.

The Dutchman also has three goals to his name for the Netherlands and was a key part of a wonderful Ajax team which so nearly reached the Champions League final back in 2019, scoring in the semi-final first leg against Tottenham.

Van de Beek might just need an arm around his shoulder and some regular playing time – if Bruno Lage could offer that, English football may suddenly see the best of him as he adds another dimension to Wolves’ midfield.

In other news, a worrying Wolves transfer update has emerged. Read more here.

Leeds United have been handed a boost over the fitness of midfielder Adam Forshaw…

What's the story?

Speaking after the win against Watford, Leeds boss Jesse Marsch said via Leeds Live that he thinks the player might be in training this week following a little calf issue and could play against Crystal Palace.

Now, former Whites ace Noel Whelan has delivered an update on the midfielder following his own sighting of him at Thorp Arch.

Speaking to Football Insider he revealed that he saw the player at coaching last night and appeared to have a big smile on his face.

He hailed the player’s in form status and stated that Forshaw had been doing a really good job in the centre of the pitch.

Meanwhile former manager Marcelo Bielsa himself has previously admitted just how influential he can be.

He said via Yorkshire Evening Post that Forshaw is a player who has always been one of the better players on the team and defenders in a similar way to Kalvin Phillips but is also quite similar to Mateusz Klich as well.

Given the kind of injury troubles he has sadly had over the last few seasons seeing him back on the pitch has been one of the real highlight stories of a difficult campaign for Bielsa.

It’s exactly why news that he looks fit and healthy should be greeted with a huge sigh of relief.

Leeds United are expecting to receive major offers for star man Kalvin Phillips this summer, Football Insider report.

The Lowdown: Return to training

The 26-year-old has missed the last six Premier League games with a hamstring injury but has now returned to training alongside Liam Cooper.

Leeds shared images of the pair all smiles at Thorp Arch in the week, with Phillips the subject of late interest in the January transfer window.

West Ham had a £50m bid turned down by Elland Road officials for Phillips late in the winter window, but Leeds are already bracing themselves for even bigger offers.

The Latest: Source shares update

Football Insider shared a story on Saturday where pundit Alan Hutton was giving his thoughts on Phillips’ future.

The outlet added that they were informed by a Leeds source the club are expecting major bids for the midfielder in the summer which are likely to exceed West Ham’s rejected bid.

The Verdict: A worry

Phillips revealed before the January market opened that he wants a new deal at Elland Road, however, as we know, that is yet to materialise.

His current contract is thought to be worth around £25,000-a-week and he hasn’t been handed improved terms since the club’s promotion to the Premier League. That could be a worry for the Whites, especially with interest now mounting in England’s Player of the Year.

Leeds fans will be hoping that Phillips remains in Yorkshire, however, the longer it goes on without a new deal, along with the recent update regarding big summer bids, means there may well be growing concern at Elland Road going into the 2022/23 campaign.

In other news: Leeds beast who Harvey Elliott recently praised may now leave permanently in summer – journalist. 

Loads of Liverpool fans have been left furious on Twitter as reports claim a number of Reds superstars could miss as many as eight games due to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations.

Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane have been in simply blistering form so far this season, as the former became the first Reds player in history to score in nine consecutive matches thanks to his brace in Madrid on Tuesday.

The Egypt international has now bagged 12 times and added four assists in all competitions this term, while Mane has been no slouch either, chipping in with six goals.

Of course, fears have been prevalent amongst the Liverpool fan base about how many matches the pair could miss this winter, along with Naby Keita, and now The Athletic are reporting that number could be as many as eight.

According to the report from Adam Leventhal, AFCON participants will leave their Premier League clubs soon after the final whistle blows on the Boxing Day fixtures due to FIFA rules, and may not return until the second week of February.

With Harvey Elliott injured, this will leave Jurgen Klopp with few options in attack during the hectic winter fixture period, likely having to rely on the likes of Divock Origi and Takumi Minamino to deputise through January.

Reds fans erupt at AFCON update

Unsurprisingly, these Liverpool fans had plenty to say about the news as it was shared on Twitter by James Pearce, with one supporter calling it an ‘absolute joke’…

“2 games they said? Whats this 8 games rubbish, AFCON is a disgrace playing during normal leagues,every year”

Credit: @jaymgs12

“If it’s actually 8 games you might as well throw the season away”

Credit: @youraverag1

“So Salah and Mane likely to miss 6 PL games! Just concentrate on the Champions League then i guess. No way we’re coping without Salah especially for that long”

Credit: @AKayani07

“In a season where Mo is the best player in the planet and Mane isn’t far behind, them two leaving for the afcon will have the biggest negative impact on our title challenge, ever. We don’t have enough depth to lose both for over a month. But what alternative do we have ?”

Credit: @guycalledting

“What an absolute joke this is. Makes it even worse we didn’t bring in an attacker in the summer. Why on earth is this taking place in the middle of a league season”

Credit: @LFJFT96

“our season is finished we aren’t winning anything this season and will finish 4th”

Credit: @lfcd25

In other news, you won’t believe who the referee is for Liverpool vs Man United this weekend…

Aston Villa must keep hold of Frederic Guilbert in this summer transfer window despite Gabby Agbonlahor’s recent claim.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old spent last season on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg and has since then reintegrated himself back into Dean Smith’s squad, even starting in the Carabao Cup second-round clash against Barrow on Tuesday night.

Despite that, former Villa man Agbonlahor has suggested that Guilbert could be one to depart in the final few days of the transfer window.

He said: “Dean Smith will want to keep a big squad of players. With Conor Hourihane, if you look at the midfield, there’s no reason why he cannot break into the team. He’s got the quality and done it in the Premier League before. Everyone knows how good Conor is.

“Maybe Guilbert might be one that goes out. You do have Tuanzebe as cover for Matty Cash and Ashley Young can play there. But apart from that, I don’t see any other players leaving.”

Would be a big mistake from Dean Smith

The £40k-a-week earning ace was a stand-out presence in Villa’s 6-0 thrashing of Barrow in mid-week, looking a constant threat down the right-hand side, and helping himself to a goal and an assist to boot too.

And, writing in his post-match player ratings for The Birmingham Mail, Ashley Preece gave him an eight, saying: “Always keen to provide an outlet down the right, Guilbert didn’t always get it right – but when he did, the goods followed. One low cross in the first half was too close to the keeper, but his stood up ball for El Ghazi’s second goal was on the money. Took his goal superbly.”

Guilbert showed the kind of attacking instincts and energy that you wouldn’t necessarily get from someone like Tuanzebe who’s a centre-back by trade, or even a Young who at 36, is hardly going to be bombing up and down the flank.

The Frenchman seems like the most natural cover to Cash now that Ahmed Elmohamady is left, and were he to leave even on a loan deal this summer, it would leave Villa very short of quality options at right-back.

It could prove to be a costly mistake.

Meanwhile, Villa could sign their new Benteke in this star…

With 21 Championship games played so far this season, West Brom have racked up a rather mixed bag of results with 10 wins, seven draws and four defeats under Valerien Ismael, who replaced Sam Allardyce in charge of the Baggies back in June.

During his time in charge of the Midlands club, one big positive from the manager that the fans can be proud of is giving Taylor Gardner-Hickman his chance to shine in the team, which he certainly has done.

Even though the 19-year-old has only played in three Championship games so far this season, his performances in those outings have earned him an overall season rating of 7.08/10 according to WhoScored, making him West Brom’s fifth-highest rated player in the league.

This shows just how well he has done when given the chance alongside the other senior players in Albion’s squad and why former Baggies star Carlton Palmer said it was a “magnificent” decision from Ismael to give Gardner-Hickman his chance to play.

His previous appearance for the Baggies in their 2-1 win over Coventry City saw him deployed in a central midfield position rather than the right wing-back role he had occupied previously.

Against the Sky Blues, Gardner-Hickman made three clearances, four interceptions and two tackles and blocked two shots, as well as winning seven ground duels, showing off his defensive capabilities and awareness in midfield.

This performance against Coventry earned the 19-year-old a solid overall match rating of 7.3/10 from SofaScore, as well as being called “impressive” by Baggies podcaster Chris Lepkowski.

After making a total of 64 appearances with West Brom’s under-18 and under-23 sides, scoring nine goals and providing eight assists along the way, it’s great to see Gardner-Hickman not only playing in the first team but thriving, a masterstroke for which Ismael should be given a lot of credit as well.

Moving forward, if the teenager keeps making the most out of every opportunity he gets for West Brom from now until the end of the season, he could definitely help them to secure promotion to the Premier League given his versatility and defensive talents, duly ending the campaign as one of the team’s shining lights.

In other news: “Wouldn’t entirely rule out:” Journalist drops WBA claim which will have fans buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a fresh boost in their pursuit of Franck Kessie…

What’s the word?

According to Italian outlet Tuttomercatoweb, AC Milan face an uphill battle in their bid to keep their star midfielder at the San Siro as talks over a new contract extension are at a complete standstill.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte is a ‘long time admirer’ of the 24-year-old powerhouse, with journalist Rudy Galletti also reporting last month that the north Londoners had agreed on terms.

Kessie is out of contract in the summer, where he will be able to join any club for free, and teams like Spurs are able to open talks as early as January. However, as per the aforementioned report, they face fierce competition from financial heavyweights Paris Saint-Germain for the £25m-rated Ivorian.

Bye-bye Ndombele?

The Milan beast could be an ideal replacement for Tanguy Ndombele, who this week has been heavily mooted with a switch to Serie A giants Juventus ahead of the January transfer window.

Getting rid of his £200k-per-week wages would certainly help the Lilywhites in their attempts to steer Kessie out of the grasp of Mauricio Pochettino’s PSG.

Football Insider claim that Conte already has his mind set on offloading the club-record Frenchman and the player himself is attracted by the prospect of playing for a team like Juventus.

[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!”]

Kessie, who has been dubbed an “extraordinary player” by his former manager Vincenzo Montella and “devastating” by ex-Milan striker Antonio Cassano, would be a perfect successor, fit for the Italian’s system in north London.

Due to him deploying a back-three with wing-backs on either flank, Spurs’ midfielders can often be isolated in the engine room, so they must be able to get up and down the pitch to deliver in both boxes.

Last season, he provided 13 goals – a feat only bettered by legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic (15 goals) – whilst this season, as Stefano Pioli’s third-best performer, he has averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.2 key passes and 1.1 dribbles per game, via WhoScored.

It’s this level of work rate that Conte is desperate to see from Ndombele on the training pitch and those reports claiming that he’s willing to sell him suggest that he’s yet to do that in the month since the Italian was hired by sporting director Fabio Paratici and chairman Daniel Levy.

Kessie would be a solid signing for Spurs and one that won’t cost the club a penny in terms of a transfer fee, so they must look to win the wage battle to secure his signature.

AND in other news, Journalist drops Spurs update amid mounting behind-scenes crisis…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes it was always going to be difficult for his old club to sign Chelsea youngster Conor Gallagher.

As per TEAMtalk, Marcelo Bielsa was keen on bringing Gallagher to Elland Road on loan but ended up missing out on him to Crystal Palace.

Leeds were able to acquire another midfielder with Chelsea connections in Lewis Bate, signing the 18-year-old on a three-year deal, but the Whites will still be disappointed that they lost the race for Gallagher’s signature.

From Palmer’s perspective, though, it was always going to be tough to lure the England U21 international to the Yorkshire club.

“It’s a difficult one, isn’t it?” the ex-Leeds player said. “You’ve got to remember, he’s a London boy. His parent club is Chelsea, so if a club comes in for him and he hasn’t got to leave, he can stay in London, then obviously that’s going to be his first choice.

“I think he’s likely to get more first-team football at Crystal Palace because Leeds have a very, very good side. And then obviously with the opportunity to work with Patrick Vieira, who’s a legend of the game, I think it was always going to be difficult for Leeds.”

Since officially joining Palace, Gallagher has spoken about Vieira being influential in his decision to spend the season at Selhurst Park.

As long as he gets game time, it should be a good move, though it would have been interesting to see how he would have developed under a brilliant coach in Bielsa.