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West Ham United insider ExWHUemployee has revealed that Declan Rice should be fit to face Brighton this coming weekend.

The Lowdown: Hammers have missed Rice

The Irons have enjoyed a fantastic season so far and are in with a chance of qualifying for the Champions League, but Sunday’s 1-0 defeat to Everton has damaged those hopes.

Rice has been unavailable for the last six matches through injury, of which the Hammers have lost three – they have also failed to keep a clean sheet in any of those games (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Back for Brighton

There is good news in regards to the £54m-valued England international, though.

ExWHUemployee was asked on Twitter whether Rice would be fit for the clash with the Seagulls on Saturday afternoon, replying “He should be, yes”.

The Verdict: Boost for Moyes

Even after the defeat to the Toffees, this will come as a huge boost to David Moyes. Rice has been captain for the majority of West Ham’s Premier League matches this term, and he is seen as a natural successor to Mark Noble moving forward.

No Hammers team-mate has averaged more than the 21-year-old’s two interceptions per game in 2020/21, while only two players have exceeded his match average of 1.9 successful tackles (WhoScored), illustrating his importance to the cause.

With him in the middle of the park, the Irons have looked like genuine contenders to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition next season.

Unfortunately, this latest defeat has made it difficult for West Ham to achieve that dream. They are now five points behind fourth-placed Leicester with just three games left to play (Sky Sports). With Rice back, though, their chances of staying in the hunt should be strengthened.

In other news, some West Ham fans slammed the performance of this man against Everton.

Daniel Levy is said to still be interested in appointing Brendan Rodgers as his next Tottenham manager…

What’s the word?

According to reliable football.london reporter Alasdair Gold, the 48-year-old is someone who Spurs “still have a keen eye on”, whilst the club’s former midfielder Scott Parker is not thought to be a candidate right now.

Two weeks ago, the Lilywhites’ managerial search hit a bump in the road as the Leicester City manager seemingly ruled himself out of the running and The Sun claimed that a £70m price tag was deterring Spurs from approaching him.

Football Insider then suggested that Parker would be holding talks with the club’s hierachy this week following Fulham’s relegation.

Encouraging news

However, Gold’s recent claims throw an interesting spanner in the works and this could delight many supporters in north London.

Spurs have seen many a managerial target emerge, only for them to swiftly quash any links – Julian Nagelsmann was confirmed as Bayern Munich’s next head coach and Erik ten Hag signed an extension at Ajax, for example.

It lessens the pool of potential candidates, in which Rodgers would surely sit top, so the fact that Gold has suggested that Levy and co will still keep tabs on him is certainly a major source of encouragement.

There were reports that Spurs could make him the second-highest paid manager in the Premier League behind Pep Guardiola and perhaps that’s a big temptation.

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The Foxes are certainly clear of Tottenham right now. After all, they have won a Premier League title, are heading for a second successive season in Europe (potentially in the Champions League) and have an FA Cup final on the horizon.

However, the prospect of £15m per year could be too good to refuse for Rodgers.

It is also an interesting project to take on, considering how far Spurs have fallen in the last two years. They have plenty of talent still on offer, as the new manager could build around the likes of Joe Rodon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and, of course, Harry Kane and Heung-min Son.

Rodgers’ reputation as a developmental coach is hugely appealing for Spurs. Players like Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and James Justin have all improved tenfold on his watch, whilst Jamie Vardy is ageing like a fine wine under his stewardship.

Perhaps none have benefitted as much as Kelechi Iheanacho, who has gone from flop to hero in just one season. The improvement has been so dramatic that Dean Windass hailed Rodgers as “unbelievable” for his role in his progression during an exclusive interview with Football FanCast.

Similarly, the former Liverpool and Celtic boss has been dubbed an “elite manager” who “could manage any team in Europe” by BT Sport’s Robbie Savage.

It’s no wonder that many Lilywhites fans appear desperate to see Rodgers appointed as Jose Mourinho’s successor and this latest development from the ever-reliable Gold will surely have them absolutely buzzing.

AND in other news, Imagine him & Rodgers: Levy can secure Spurs a dream duo with “sensational” £20m titan…

Many West Brom fans have been left to fume as WBA Report have shared a leaked image of their new home kit for next season on their Twitter page.

Given that the Hawthorns faithful know that they have been relegated from the Premier League, and so will be playing in the second tier come the 2021/22 term, rumours and images of new kits have been flying around.

In this case, the leaked home shirt abandons the traditional stripes that the Midlands club usually wear, and the shades of colour seem to be much lighter.

Baggies have not exactly has much to sing about so far in this campaign, and given that this would go away from traditions, a lot of Albion supporters have been left fuming at the potential new jersey.

West Brom fans on new kit

These WBA fans fumed as the image was shared on Twitter, with one even going as far as to claim that it was ‘awful’:

“Please tell me I am being blagged here……a day away from Twitter and my world is falling apart”

Credit: @Gornalwizza

“Stockport County comes to mind, awful if true”

Credit: @hebberts_ian

“Don’t like it…”

Credit: @BermondseyT

“Urgh”

Credit: @AstlesLeftfoot1

“Dire”

Credit: @musicmonkey1966

“I really hope this is fake that is disgusting and is not our classic stripes”

Credit: @harryjay94

“Sweet Jesus! What is this unholy mess?”

Credit: @Albionista3

In other news, find out which ‘tenacious’ West Brom ace has been linked with a summer transfer here!

Former Southampton vice-president Les Reed has told The Transfer Tavern that the club made an enquiry to sign Naby Keita before his move to Liverpool.

The Saints did business with the RB group before attempting to sign Keita, as they lured Sadio Mane to the club.

Mane arrived from Salzburg for a fee of £10m, making 75 appearances and scoring 25 goals, while registering 14 assists.

Liverpool paid £34m to sign the Senegal international from Saints and Reed says that his success ultimately inflated the price of any deal for Keita.

The Reds paid £48m to secure the signing of the midfielder when they snaffled him away from Leipzig, and Reed believes the RB group have the development and sale of players down to a fine art.

Keita has actually struggled during his time at Liverpool, making a maximum of 25 appearances in the Premier League over the past three seasons.

Speaking exclusively to TT, he said: “We made enquiries about Naby Keita after Sadio. And that then doubled, it was kind of, you blew us out of the water with Sadio and we’re not letting that happen again.

“I had quite a good relationship with Ralf Rangnick, he’s a proper negotiator, but I think Red Bull wised up. And then the Red Bull empire grew and it was like having four Ajax’s rather than one, if you like, and they really got onto the recruitment of young players, the development of young players, and selling them on for a profit really, really well, almost machine-like.

“And that put the prices up for them, so that was one area.”

Frank McAvennie has dropped an encouraging transfer claim on Tyler Roberts and whether he would fit in at Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Newcastle eyeing Roberts

As per Football Insider, the Magpies are closely monitoring the 22-year-old ahead of a potential move from Leeds United once the summer transfer window opens.

He is out of contract at Elland Road in 2022 and is yet to agree an extension, so the Whites may view a deal this summer as a good opportunity to cash in on him in order to gain some value from a transfer fee rather than risk losing him for nothing next year.

The Latest: McAvennie claims Roberts would start at Newcastle

Speaking to Football Insider, McAvennie – who is now a pundit after playing for the likes of West Ham United and Celtic – has claimed that Roberts would be a starter under Steve Bruce at St James’ Park, believing that the Toon Army would instantly warm up to him. The 61-year-old said:

“If he’s not getting a game, I think so.

“If you’re not playing you have to ask to leave. If he goes to Newcastle he’ll be a starter straight away. 

“They have great fans and they will love him up there if he hits the ground running. 

“Roberts can ask for guarantees but the manager can’t give them. He can only give them if he’s playing well. 

“You can’t tell a player he will always start because what if he starts playing badly? It’s a stupid statement.

“At his age, he’s got to be playing.”

The Verdict: Roberts would add to Newcastle squad

Roberts is certainly a player who could add something to the Magpies squad, and with the added experience of playing at Premier League level under Marcelo Bielsa, he would not have to adapt to the demands of the division were he to join Newcastle.

McAvennie’s point about his game-time is also pertinent – while the forward has played in 26 league games this season, only 14 of those have been as a starter.

Also, at just 22 years of age, Roberts should get even better over the next few years, while his added versatility is also a quality which could be very useful to have on Tyneside next season, especially with the amount of injuries the Magpies have incurred to key players such as Allan Saint-Maximin and Callum Wilson.

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The Welshman would certainly seem to be a smart buy should Newcastle look to sign him in the summer.

In other news, Lee Ryder has shared some insight from sources close to the potential takeover of NUFC on a possible timescale for arbitration.

Many West Ham United fans want the Irons to sign Villarreal striker Gerard Moreno after they were linked with a move for the 29-year-old.

The Hammers have just completed a wonderful campaign as they finished sixth in the Premier League, which earned them a place in the Europa League. As such, David Moyes and his backroom team must now look to get the squad ready for a gruelling campaign, and that is likely to include new faces joining the club.

It has been reported by Calciomercato that the Irons are interested in the £31.5m-valued Moreno (Transfermarkt), who enjoyed a fantastic campaign with the Europa League winners as he scored 30 goals and provided 11 assists in 46 games in all competitions (Transfermarkt). With Villarreal now having qualified for the Champions League thanks to their triumph in Gdansk last week, it remains to be seen whether he would be interested in a move to the London Stadium.

The news was shared on Twitter by @WestHam_Central, and it attracted plenty of attention from West Ham supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to give their views on the Irons’ links with Moreno.

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

“That would be one of the best signings ever”

Credit: @EduardoAMoreno2

“Yes please!”

Credit: @DanielLuker_

“This is the sort of signings we should be making. We won’t be his only option I’m sure, but an exciting project to join.”

Credit: @JameswhufcJones

“This guy is incredible! Would absolutely love this to be true”

Credit: @Mr_BA6

“if this is true, idk what I will do”

Credit: @WHUMatt1

“This better be true”

Credit: @WHUCiaran

In other news, many West Ham fans were livid over this man’s snub.

West Ham are under no pressure to sell Declan Rice this summer, football finance expert Kieran Maguire has told The Transfer Tavern.

Rice continues to be linked with a move to Chelsea, with The Telegraph claiming that Thomas Tuchel is a fan of the player, while Fabrizio Romano claimed on his ‘Here We Go’ podcast, via Give Me Sport, that Chelsea are in talks with his representatives.

Last year, it was reported that West Ham owed £70m from player transfers, which may sound worrying to some supporters.

However, after borrowing money over the last 12 months, Maguire is confident transfer fee issues can easily be addressed without having to sell key assets.

“No, I don’t think they have to sell,” The Price of Football author exclusively told TT. “They have borrowed money over the course of the last 12 months, so that will allow them to deal with those transfer fee issues.

“If they choose to sell, it’s because somebody comes in with a really good offer for Declan Rice. They won’t be in a firesale or liquidation sale environment, where you’re desperate to sell in order to keep the bank manager happy, so I think they’re in a strong position this summer.”

It is great news for manager David Moyes, who will not want to lose any of his star players after such a successful season.

The Hammers, of course, were able to qualify for the Europa League after finishing sixth in the Premier League table, and the Scotsman will surely be hoping to build on that and make sure it was not a one-off.

Plenty of Aston Villa fans have been sharing their delight after the club confirmed a club-record transfer for Emiliano Buendia has been completed.

Villa revealed earlier in the week that an agreement had been reached with Norwich City, and the Argentine has now completed a medical and finalised personal terms while on international duty.

The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal at Villa Park, which is thought to be worth £80,000-a-week.

Buendia has cost Villa an initial £33m with another £5m in add-ons included, while Norwich have also included a 10% sell-on clause.

The right-winger contributed to 32 Championship goals last season, scoring 15 and providing 17 assists.

Villa have got one wide forward officially through the door and seemingly want another this summer.

Villa fans react

Villa confirmed the move on their official Twitter page on Thursday evening.

As to be expected, their post got a number of Villa supporters excited, with one describing the deal as ‘brilliant’.

“I’VE COLLAPSED”Credit: @catrinedwards18″FINALLYYYY”Credit: @tom_avfc1″OMG HE’S OFFICIALLY OURS”Credit: @LukeKing_”Brilliant, now can we have the pictures please?”Credit: @HarryBatters”Pretty wild that the Euros haven’t even started yet and already Villa are picking up Ws for the new season.”Credit: @fshires”Exciting times ahead”Credit: @bnkboi”I’m late but ITS OFFICIAL EUROPE IS COMING”Credit: @Cameron_Avfc

In other news: Many AVFC fans react as club close in on second summer signing, find out more here. 

West Ham United have been linked with another Czech star this week…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, Slavia Prague centre-back David Zima is attracting interest from the east London outfit this summer, adding that he is a player the Irons have scouted this season.

The 20-year-old is under contract until 2023/24 and doesn’t have a release clause, so the Czech champions will be in no position to sell, especially as they believe he has huge potential.

That could change should he perform well at the European Championship in the next month, whilst it is also worth noting that he has the same agent as Hammers star Tomas Soucek.

Coufal 2.0

Despite his relatively young age, the 6 foot 3 colossus has been a regular presence in Prague’s starting XI. He played 35 times in all competitions last season, including some big Europa League ties against Bayer Leverkusen, Arsenal and Leicester City, having a major impact against the Foxes.

In their round of 32 knockout tie, the Czech beast silenced prolific talisman Jamie Vardy, keeping a clean sheet against him in both legs. The former England international lasted just over an hour in the first encounter before being withdrawn by Brendan Rodgers and was then thwarted by Zima again in the return leg.

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As per SofaScore, he made three tackles and three interceptions, restricting Vardy to two shots off target and a disappointing 6.5 rating.

Valued at just £6.75m by Transfermarkt, football talent scout Jacek Kulig believes that Zima is someone who could generate a lot of money for Slavia Prague in the future and has likened his potential to that of Diego Godin.

“One of the most talented U-21 centre-backs in Europe in my humble opinion,” he tweeted back in January. “Slavia will make a lot of money with his transfer.”

Also described as a “complete and dominant” defender, Zima would certainly be a nice depth option for the Irons as they head into next season, where they will be tasked with the likely test of a minimum 50-match campaign thanks to their qualification for the Europa League.

David Moyes’ success with transfers of this ilk in recent windows should also provide further encouragement. For example, few would have heard of Vladimir Coufal until he sealed a bargain £5.5m move to east London.

He has been an instant hit and was arguably one of the clear contenders for the ‘Player of the Season’ award – WhoScored ranked him as West Ham’s fifth-best performer in 2020/21.

In Zima, Moyes could repeat this masterstroke and deliver the club another Coufal-like signing.

AND in other news, Bye-bye Diop: West Ham could seal bargain swoop for £13m powerhouse who “will explode”…

Nottingham Forest have been dealt a huge blow in their bid to keep Joe Worrall at The City Ground this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Nottinghamshire Live, with Sarah Clapson claiming that Burnley are still interested in a move for the 24-year-old centre-back in the current transfer window, despite the Premier League side’s links with a move for Stoke City’s Nathan Collins.

According to Clapson, Sean Dyche is looking to add two new centre-backs to his options at Turf Moor this summer, and the expectation is that the Clarets will make a move for the £3.6m-rated Forest man in the coming months, regardless of what happened with Collins.

Hughton will be gutted

With it initially appearing as if Burnley’s summer interest in signing a centre-back was leaning solely towards the Stoke defender, the news that Worrall looks set to be targeted in addition to Collins is sure to leave Chris Hughton gutted.

Indeed, despite Forest’s below-par 17th place finish in the Championship last season, the former England U21 international nonetheless highly impressed for the Reds.

Over his 31 league appearances, the £10k-per-week centre-back helped his side keep 12 clean sheets, as well as making an average of 1.1 interceptions, 0.8 tackles, 4.2 clearances and winning 3.5 duels per game.

The Nottingham-born defender also posed a slight threat going forwards for the Garibaldi, scoring one goal, providing one assist and making an average of 0.3 key passes per game in the league last term.

These returns saw Worrall earn an impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Forest’s fifth-best performer in the second tier of English football.

As such, it would very much appear as if the 24-year-old, whom Steven Gerrard previously dubbed an “outstanding” defender, would remain a key player for the 62-year-old Forest manager next season, as he looks to improve on his team’s disappointing campaign last time out.

However, with Burnley still thought to be sniffing around the centre-back, whether or not Worrall will be wearing the red of Nottingham Forest next time around looks very uncertain at present. Hughton will rightly be gutted if he loses his star defender this summer.

In other news: Forest dealt transfer blow over “outstanding” £5k-p/w flop that’ll have Hughton fuming