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West Ham United have basked in a thrilling ride under the tutelage of David Moyes, navigating away from their languishing position at the pit of the Premier League and enjoying consecutive European campaigns, however, they now face adversity once more. 

What’s the word?

The Hammers finished seventh last season in the Premier League, but have failed to replicate past feats this time around, currently sitting in 16th place after 15 matches, just one point above the relegation zone.

And now transfer guru Dean Jones, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, has said that the Hammers are “looking at a few different options” ahead of the winter market, with Everton’s Michael Keane one potential target. 

Despite boasting the best defensive record of any side in the bottom half of the table, Moyes is seeking to inject new life into the backline, with Kurt Zouma recently having surgery on a knee injury and Craig Dawson possibly leaving in January. 

Avoid at all costs

Keane has slipped down the pecking order at Everton thanks to the summer signings of James Tarkowski and Conor Coady, who have formed a formidable partnership in front of Jordan Pickford’s goal, with the star now set to leave the Merseyside outfit. 

And with Jones stating that Moyes’ funds in this department of the field might be somewhat restricted, a move for Keane might be something that West Ham actively pursue in the coming weeks. 

Despite this, the East London outfit must avoid the 29-year-old Englishman at all costs, with his frequent lapses in concentration and “lack of leadership”, as mentioned by Paul Robinson, not tools fit to fix the current issues the Hammers are beset with. 

Playing a peripheral role for the Toffees this term, Keane, signed from Burnley in a deal rising to £30m, has hardly inspired confidence, or indeed staked a claim to recapture his starting spot in the team.

As per Sofascore, the centre-back has recorded a measly 6.3 rating in his only Premier League appearance, against Brentford, faring worse in the EFL Cup, putting in a solid showing against League One side Fleetwood Town before sitting at the epicentre of a damaging 4-1 defeat at the hands of AFC Bournemouth. 

In that display, Keane lost possession 14 times, winning just one of his three ground duels and making just one tackle; hardly statistics that evoke confidence for a West Ham team looking to return to the upper end of the division. 

One journalist labelled him as “pathetic” following a loss of focus that conceded defeat late on to Manchester City in the 21/22 season, where he played a regular role in a defensive line that shipped 66 goals across the league campaign. 

With Everton boss Frank Lampard eager to wipe his name from the books, it is slightly perplexing that Moyes feels making a move for the 12-cap England international is a prudent move, especially given the club’s delicate league position.

Newcastle United full-back Dan Burn may have just squandered his last chance to make England’s squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar later this month.

Gareth Southgate was in attendance to watch the English players in action for the Magpies’ clash with Southampton at St. Mary’s on Sunday, as the likes of Kieran Trippier, Callum Wilson, James Ward-Prowse and Nick Pope all featured.

The Three Lions boss is set to name his final 26-man squad for the tournament on the 10th November and it was recently reported that Burn could be a surprise contender to make the list after Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell was ruled out due to injury.

He joined Newcastle from Brighton back in January and has showcased his versatility by playing at both centre-back and left-back throughout 2022.

Whilst his positional flexibility could work in his favour, his performance against the Saints in a 4-1 win for the Toon may have cost him a place in the squad.

He put in a dismal display in front of the England manager and will now not have another Premier League match to make up for it before Thursday’s announcement.

Newcastle won the game comfortably, thanks to goals from Miguel Almiron, Chris Wood, Joe Willock, and Bruno Guimaraes, but Burn’s performance at left-back was less than impressive.

The Englishman struggled on and off the ball as he was beaten far too easily on more than one occasion and was sloppy in possession – only completing 66% of his attempted passes, losing the ball every 3.8 touches and failing to register a key pass in 90 minutes.

As per SofaScore, he lost all six of his duels on the ground and two of his five in the air, losing 73% of his battles in total. He did make seven clearances but the defender was dribbled past a whopping five times – three more than any other Magpies player on the pitch.

Burn was one of the players at fault for Romain Perraud’s consolation goal as he launched himself at the Frenchman in an attempt to make the block and that allowed the Saints man to fake the shot and then dribble past him before curling the ball beyond Nick Pope.

The £35k-per-week colossus did not cover himself in glory defensively and showed signs of weakness in possession with his low pass success rate, which appears unlikely to have left a positive impression on Southgate.

Therefore, the left-back may have squandered his last chance to make the final squad for the World Cup as he did not do enough to catch the eye, for the right reasons, against Southampton.

Sky Sports’ north-east reporter Keith Downie has claimed that Newcastle United could look to make a ‘big-money’ signing in the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Flying high

The St James’ Park outfit are currently flying high in third place in the Premier League table after a convincing 4-1 win at Southampton on Sunday afternoon.

They had a net spend of £122.4m in the summer, which included bringing in Alexander Isak as a club-record signing, and PIF could look to go again in January in order to try and cement the Magpies in the Champions League placed come the end of the season.

The Latest: ‘Big-money’ signing to come?

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Downie has claimed that Newcastle could look to make another ‘big-money’ signing in January, alongside a potential loan deal.

The Sky Sports reporter said: “I just feel that they’ll look at January, and because it’s a difficult window, I can see maybe one signing arriving in January, one sort of big-money signing arriving.

“And maybe potentially using a loan if they can, if there’s a player that’s out of favour at another club.”

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The Verdict: Exciting

These are exciting times for the Toon Army at the moment, and it could get even better for them come January if another marquee signing is secured.

They have been linked with big-money moves for the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk and Real Betis attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir in recent weeks, so it will no doubt be fascinating to see who they end up going for.

The long-term project under PIF is still at its early stages for Newcastle, but another big-money signing could accelerate their plans and help to secure Champions League football for next season.

Astle suffered a groin injury during the New Zealanders’ warm-up match against Board President’s XI on Tuesday

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017

A groin strain has ruled Todd Astle out of New Zealand’s squad for their ODI and T20I tour of India. Fellow legspinner Ish Sodhi, who was initially only named in the T20I squad, will replace Astle in the ODI squad.Astle suffered the injury during the New Zealanders’ tour game against Board President’s XI at the Brabourne Stadium on Tuesday, walking off the field after bowling just three balls. According to an NZC release, a scan confirmed Astle had suffered a tear to his right side, which would rule him out for around three weeks.The ODI series begins on Sunday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.ODI squad: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, George Worker.

Glasgow Rangers roared back from a terrible September where the Ibrox outfit lost three out of their four matches, to briefly go top of the Premiership table on Saturday afternoon.

A 4-0 away win at Hearts was an excellent way to bounce back following the international break and will give Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men confidence heading into tomorrow’s trip to Anfield to face Liverpool in the Champions League.

There are still a few problem issues, however, with constant changes to the right-wing position, despite signing Rabbi Matondo in the summer.

A former Rangers favourite and Pedro Caixinha signing would certainly help solve this ongoing problem.

Daniel Candeias would be ideal in 2022

Scott Wright has been deployed out on the right at times this season to no avail, with the 25-year-old making only one goal contribution in six matches while failing to secure himself the position permanently.

Even Matondo, with three league assists, hasn’t quite lit up Ibrox as of yet, playing just 292 minutes of league football. It is still early days for the Welshman, but Van Bronckhorst needs his wingers to be on top of their game in order to fit with his playing style.

Candeias, who signed for the Light Blues in the summer of 2017, would certainly shine in this current Rangers setup, especially with his work rate and eye for goal.

The Portuguese winger scored goals in important matches for the club, netting against Spartak Moscow in the Europa League and against Celtic domestically, proving he had that big game mentality.

Overall, he scored 14 times and grabbed a further 25 assists in just 97 matches for the club, a more than respectable record, especially from a wide position.

Former Rangers first-team coach Michael Beale, who worked with Candeias for a season, praised him when the winger left the club, saying that “he had a few big moments in a Rangers shirt” and he certainly lit up Ibrox with some wonderful pieces of wizardry in offensive areas.

It’s that kind of dynamism out on the right that hasn’t been forthcoming regularly from Wright or Matondo this term, so how they must dream of a Candeias-shaped player in that role.

He eventually left the Ibrox side to move to Turkey in 2019 and is currently playing for Alanyaspor in the Turkish top flight and still performing at 34 years of age, grabbing a goal and assist in just seven matches this season.

The winger perhaps moved on from the Gers far too soon, but his time in Glasgow was a memorable one and he could certainly fit well into Van Bronckhorst’s current system with a lack of numbers from those on the flanks.

Nottingham Forest are reportedly moving in on yet another signing…

What’s the word?

According to French publication Foot Mercato, Lyon’s highly rated attacking midfielder Houssem Aouar has been waiting for two weeks for the Tricky Trees to confirm the deal.

The Premier League outfit had supposedly reached a personal agreement with the midfielder back in mid-August, but are yet to find the right amount to convince the club. It was also thought for a period of time that Forest could move for his teammate, Lucas Paqueta, instead.

Aouar is reportedly available for just €25m (£21m).

He could be the final piece of the puzzle

With Steve Cooper having already added an astounding 17 new players to his newly-promoted side, there is certainly plenty of blending to be done to ensure that this melting pot of new faces can turn into a functioning squad.

However, with one outstanding signing in the engine room, for one of Europe’s hot prospects, they could all be tied together. Indeed, Houssem Aouar could be that man.

Having been heavily linked to Arsenal among plenty of Europe’s elite clubs for many years now, for Forest to snatch the French superstar would not only mark a huge coup, but it would be a powerful statement of intent to the rest of the Premier League.

Last season the 24-year-old featured 36 times, scoring six and assisting a further four in a poor Lyon side that slumped to an eighth-placed finish.

Despite still being very early in his career, he boasts an incredible amount of experience that could lead to him coming to the City Ground and tying everything together.

With 164 games in Ligue 1 and plenty more appearances over both the Champions League and the Europa League, he would instantly become one of the more senior members of the Forest squad in experience.

Another huge component of his game that could see him become the glue that holds Cooper’s side together is his pass mastery, as he ranks in the top 1% for his pass completion rate.

Sitting in the midfield, Aouar could become the metronome of a disjointed Forest side who are looking for something that will unite their many new signings.

The “special” qualities of the Frenchman make him the perfect final player to be added to their squad, and given his experience, pedigree and stature, he might just be the final piece of Cooper’s ever-growing puzzle.

West Ham United have joined the mix to sign Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: Moyes keeping busy…

After signing the likes of Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes, Alphonse Areola, Gianluca Scamacca, Maxwel Cornet and Thilo Kehrer, Irons manager David Moyes is reportedly keeping busy before September 1.

Bids have gone in for new targets such as Flamengo forward Lazaro, while it is believed that the east Londoners are closing in on a deal for Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri.

Other players from Stamford Bridge, like Armando Broja and Ruben Loftus-Cheek, are also of interest to the Hammers, who are also eyeing a raid on another Premier League club in their hunt for McTominay.

The Latest: talkSPORT make McTominay claim…

According to reports, the Scotland international has turned West Ham’s heads amid their search for a midfielder.

talkSPORT claim that the in-demand McTominay is wanted by Moyes, along with Everton, Leicester, Newcastle, who have all ‘registered an interest’ in the 25-year-old.

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The Verdict: Make the move?

With West Ham having failed to sign Amadou Onana from Lille, who eventually joined Everton, McTominay could be an alternative to potentially come in and provide a different option to Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.

The latter has attracted criticism for a few of his performances over 2021/22, potentially motivating Moyes to turn to the transfer market.

The 59-year-old is allegedly a ‘known fan’ of McTominay, with Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone even calling the Scotland midfielder one of ‘the best’ in world football when his team came up against the Red Devils in February.

The 6 foot 3 colossus, whilst being at the centre of recent criticism at Old Trafford himself, could benefit from a move away, and West Ham arguably need another option in front of the back four – could it be a match made in heaven?

Manchester United could be set to bolster their midfield options if reports are to be believed…

What’s the word?

That’s according to transfer insider Dean Jones, who states that Juventus’ Adrien Rabiot is available in the summer market.

He said to GIVEMESPORT: “I mean, it’s just a realistic option. Rabiot has been touted around the Premier League for the whole of the summer.

“So, United would know that he is available. He’s been touted around the rest of Europe too, and I know Monaco had a look at signing Rabiot but didn’t progress yet. But Rabiot is there, and he is available.”

The Athletic have previously claimed that United may well be getting closer to signing the Frenchman.

Time to move on from de Jong

A summer courtship that has unsurprisingly ended in tears, at last the Frenkie de Jong transfer saga seems to be drawing to a close for United.

Having spent most of their time trying to sign the Dutchman, it appears that they are now scrambling to find anyone who can upgrade a midfield that has been crying out for improvements for years now.

Although all the stats suggest he was the perfect man for Erik ten Hag, perhaps in Rabiot, a man dubbed “exceptional” by Zinedine Zidane, they could find a cheaper alternative who can do the job until they can find that world-class talent they clearly are seeking.

The Frenchman featured 45 times across all competitions last season for Juventus, outlining him as a constant presence throughout their domestic and European campaigns.

Despite standing at 6 foot 2, he remains silky with his feet, outlined in his 4.75 progressive carries per 90. Although de Jong boasts a much higher 7.08, both mark a huge improvement on Fred’s 3.01. This would be integral for ten Hag, as he is clearly desperate for a press-resistant midfielder to break the lines.

Not only this, but the 27-year-old also offers a defensive element, making him a well-balanced option in the Red Devils’ decidedly unbalanced midfield.

The £175k-per-week earner offers 3.00 tackles, 2.11 blocks and 22.87 pressures per 90, further supporting the idea that he can offer at both ends of the pitch for ten Hag, and could be a “wonderful” – in the words of Daniel Storey –  buy for them.

It is time for United to cut their losses on de Jong, and start focusing on the tangible rather than the fantasy. As Jones alludes to, this move is one with a tad more sense of realism.

West Ham United manager David Moyes has his eyes on Blackburn Rovers star Ben Brereton Diaz as The Guardian share a transfer update out of east London.

The Lowdown: West Ham busy in the transfer window…

Having entered talks for both Sassuolo striker Gianluca Scamacca and Eintracht Frankfurt star Filip Kostic, the Premier League club are seemingly determined to strengthen ahead of the upcoming season.

Moyes’ side narrowly missed out on Europa League qualification for the 2022/23 campaign, potentially highlighting their need to strengthen in key areas if they are to keep pace with England’s top teams.

West Ham have already added Nayef Aguerd, Flynn Downes and a permanent deal for Alphonse Areola to their ranks as the new season looms, with one of the Championship’s foremost players possibly joining them at the London Stadium.

The Latest: West Ham eye Brereton Diaz move…

According to The Guardian, the Irons are keen on Blackburn’s star attacker Brereton Diaz, who can play both out wide and through the middle.

It is believed that West Ham are ‘keeping a close eye’ on his situation after his impressive season in the Championship in 2021/22, which yielded a head-turning 22 goals and three assists in 37 league appearances.

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The Verdict: Keep watch…

The Chile international, who is reportedly valued at around £20m, could be a shrewd investment on behalf of Moyes and West Ham going by his form last year and plaudits from media and former coaches.

Journalist Josh Bunting of The Islington Gazette has called Brereton Diaz ‘sensational’, following on from Tony Mowbray’s glowing endorsement.

The former Blackburn manager previously lauded Rovers’ marquee attacker as a ‘beast’, which may partly explain West Ham’s keen interest in the 23-year-old, and this may well be one to watch for the Hammers faithful given that there is still more than a month remaining in the summer transfer window.

Liverpool journalist for GOAL Neil Jones has now revealed some transfer news involving Owen Beck.

The Lowdown: Rising star

Beck is one of the rising stars in Liverpool’s Academy, having played a total of 64 times at youth level over the past three seasons, scoring an impressive two goals and making a further nine assists primarily playing as a left-back (Transfermarkt).

Once dubbed a ‘super talent’ by Jurgen Klopp, the German manager handed Beck his senior debut in the Carabao Cup last term, where he made two appearances.

The Latest: Loan exit

Taking to Twitter, Jones has revealed that Beck is now ‘expected’ to join Portuguese Primeira Liga side Famalicao on loan ‘this week’:

“Young left-back Owen Beck expected to leave Liverpool on loan this week. He’s set to join Portuguese Primeira Liga outfit Famalicao for the season.”

The Verdict: Great move

Given that Klopp already has Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas at his disposal for next season, sending Beck out on loan is a great move for all parties.

The 19-year-old should be able to get more regular game time at Famalicao, a team that finished in a respectable eighth place in Portugal’s top flight last campaign.

Nonetheless, having been capped seven times for Wales at U21 level, Beck will be hoping to catch the eye so that he can be in the conversation for a potential shock call-up to the senior squad ahead of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.