Tag Futebol

West Ham United have now been handed a boost in their pursuit of Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri.

The Lowdown: Moyes’ long-term interest

West Ham manager David Moyes has a long-standing interest in En-Nesyri, dating as far back as January 2021, when the club submitted an offer worth £22.5m to Sevilla, which was rejected as it did not reach their £40m valuation.

While Moyes was initially deterred by the Spanish club’s valuation, he again made his interest in the Moroccan clear in the summer transfer window, lodging a £34m bid, as relayed by Sport Witness, but his current employers had no interested in selling him at this point.

However, it appears that standpoint has now changed, and the door could be open for the Hammers to sign the 25-year-old in January, with journalist Dean Jones recently telling GIVEMESPORT that he is ‘someone that they still like.’

The Latest: Sevilla happy to sell

According to Spanish sources, via Football Espana, Sevilla are now looking to cash in on the forward, as they believe that his recent World Cup displays mean that there will be increased demand in his services.

Despite rejecting a £34m bid in the summer, the same outlet claim that the Rojiblancos would actually be willing to accept a lower bid, which may tempt Moyes into reigniting his interest in the 6 foot 2 finisher.

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The Verdict: Get it done

Gianluca Scamacca has failed to hit the ground running at the London Stadium since arriving for £35.5m in the summer, and although it is still early days, the striker will be disappointed by a tally of just two goals in 13 Premier League appearances.

With West Ham 16th in the standings, they could definitely do with signing some competition for the Italian, and En-Nesyri is in red-hot form, no doubt capable of firing the Irons up the league table.

The 57-time Morocco international, who has previously been lauded ‘very dangerous’ by journalist Josh Bunting, has a solid goal record for his country, netting 17 times in 57 caps, and he displayed his talents yet again at the World Cup, most notably notching the winner with a remarkable header in a 1-0 quarter-final victory against Portugal.

This aerial prowess would offer Moyes something different in the attack, with En-Nesyri averaging 3.27 aerials won per 90 over the past year, compared to just 1.98 for Scamacca.

Crystal Palace will be looking to make it three Premier League wins in a row on Saturday as they face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

Patrick Vieira’s side are within touching distance of the European spots in the top flight after back-to-back wins against Southampton and West Ham United, and another three points against the side currently bottom of the table could leave the Eagles in a very promising position ahead of the World Cup break.

The French manager made a number of changes in midweek at St James’ Park as his side were knocked out of the Carabao Cup on penalties against Newcastle United, and it seems likely that he will revert his side once again on Saturday for the trip to Nottingham.

Here is how we at Football FanCast expect Palace to line up this weekend, with six changes from the team that started in midweek.

Predicted Crystal Palace XI: Guaita; Clyne, Guehi, Andersen, Mitchell; Schlupp, Doucoure, Olise; Eze, Zaha, Ayew.

Despite a promising display in midweek, the “sensational” Sam Johnstone seems likely to be relegated to the bench once again for this Premier League tie, with Vicente Guaita returning in between the sticks.

Vieira opted for a back five against the Toon but should revert to a back four against Forest, with Joel Ward and James Tomkins dropping out, while Tyrick Mitchell and Nathaniel Clyne start as full-backs rather than wing-backs.

Joachim Andersen returns to the side to resume his partnership with Marc Guehi in the heart of the Eagles’ defence.

There are two changes in midfield, with Cheick Doucoure and Jeffrey Schlupp making a return after being rested in midweek, while Will Hughes and Luka Milivojevic drop to the bench.

Michael Olise also takes up a central midfield position after playing on the wing at St James’ Park, with Eberechi Eze returning to the starting XI in the attack.

Jordan Ayew also keeps his place in the front three, while the talismanic Wilfried Zaha is almost certain to start in place of Jean-Philippe Mateta in Vieira’s final change.

Newcastle United have been hit with a major setback over the fitness of Swedish international Alexander Isak…

What’s the latest?

Sky Sports reporter Keith Downie has confirmed that the striker is now set to be out until after the World Cup, which ends in December, due to injury.

Ahead of the club’s clash with Everton at St. James’ Park tonight, the journalist said on Twitter: 

“Big blow for Newcastle that Alexander Isak won’t play again until after the World Cup. Frustrating start for the Swede who’s only played three games since record-breaking arrival. Allan Saint-Maximin also misses visit of Everton tomorrow with hamstring set-back.”

Bad news

This news is rather bad news for the head coach and indeed the club, as losing Isak is a seismic blow for Newcastle heading into the next few weeks before the World Cup starts.

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope had reported that the striker would miss three matches ahead of the club’s clash with Manchester United but the forward is now on course to be absent for seven games in all competitions – four more than initially predicted.

This comes after he had already been watching on from the sidelines for the wins over Fulham and Brentford, with his last appearance coming in the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth last month.

Isak had enjoyed a superb start to life at St. James’ Park, with two goals in his first three Premier League outings, and Howe will now not be able to benefit from the forward’s clinical finishing until the end of December, something that represents a hefty blow to their ambitions.

Callum Wilson has scored three goals in six games this season but his injury record does not make for great reading and there is a chance that he breaks down before the World Cup break, as he has missed 43 matches since joining the Toon in the summer of 2020.

The Magpies paid a club-record fee for Isak to sign him from Real Sociedad in the summer and this suggests that they felt like he would be a difference-maker for the team on the pitch, as they were willing to splash out such a large fee to acquire his services.

Instead of winning matches in the Premier League, the 23-year-old will now be watching on from the sidelines for the rest of the first half of the season. It is evidently a big setback for Newcastle.

Everton shook off their recent three-game losing run in the Premier League to secure a convincing victory over Crystal Palace at Goodison Park on Saturday, with Frank Lampard’s side running out deserved 3-0 winners to clinch a third top-flight triumph of the campaign thus far.

Fresh from having recorded just a single shot in the defeat to Newcastle United at St James’ Park in midweek, the Toffees were much improved against Patrick Vieira’s side, taking the lead early on after Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s impressive finish for the Englishman’s first league goal of the season.

Emerging starlet Anthony Gordon then tapped home from close range just after the hour mark to extend the hosts’ lead, before summer signing Dwight McNeil finished off a delightful, well-worked move to wrap up all three points for the Merseysiders.

Amid that sparkling collective display, one man who particularly caught the eye yesterday was that of Amadou Onana, with the “class act” midfielder having produced arguably his “best game yet” for the club, in the words of The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland, since his £33m arrival from Lille.

The towering 21-year-old – who had been heavily linked with a move to West Ham United prior to his move to Goodison – simply looked a “class act” on the day, according to Boyland, having taken on a slightly deeper role to face the Eagles.

The Belgian international showcased his innate all-round quality having won an impressive seven of his 12 ground duels, as well as recording six tackles, having also laid on one key pass as a sign of his creative ability.

That impactful outing – which also saw the 6 foot 4 menace record a solid 91% pass accuracy rate – was no doubt integral to Lampard’s men claiming a vital victory to move themselves further away from the drop zone, with Onana beginning to make his mark in his new surroundings.

As Liverpool Echo’s Chris Beesley noted in his post-match player ratings, the two-cap asset had been truly ‘dominant’ in his defensive midfield berth against Palace, having ‘displayed both silk – and encouragingly – steel’ as a sign of his growing confidence.

The hope will be that such a performance becomes the norm for the Senegal-born machine moving forward, with it already becoming clear that Everton could well have something of a gem on their hands.

Sunderland have enjoyed a period of stability under Tony Mowbray, who now seems settled in his role following the departure of Alex Neil.

He has overseen three draws on the run, with the last two finishing 0-0. They have actually only lost one of their last six. These fine results have them sitting just one point outside the playoff spots.

However, they travel to face a Swansea City side that have picked up form lately, surging into those coveted spots. They have won their last three matches and will be hoping to put the Black Cats to the sword and notch up another victory.

With a game having been played in midweek, both managers will be wary with their team selections.

With that in mind, here’s the Sunderland XI we’re predicting for today’s game…

We are expecting to see three changes from the side that saw out that 0-0 draw with Blackpool.

In goal we expect Anthony Patterson to remain in place, alongside a similarly unchanged backline. Back-to-back clean sheets are not common in the Championship, so it would be foolish to now change a proven formula.

Where Mowbray will be hoping to bolster is his attacking options.

First, however, we expect a recall for Dan Neil after missing their last game. This will see Elliot Embleton drop to the bench, as Corry Evans retains his spot.

Patrick Roberts continued his disappointing spell in midweek and will likely be dropped in favour of a more direct option that could prove effective away from home.

We expect the youngster, who the former manager dubbed “exciting” and a “huge talent”, to take his place as Jewison Bennette has earned his chance to start.

Jack Clarke will likely continue on the opposite flank

Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo was handed his first start against the Tangerines but offered little, so finally, it seems like time for Leon Dajaku to make his first start of the season after five short cameos off the bench.

Despite replacing a big name, he has little to live up to in the way of matching the Ivorian’s performance.

With Ross Stewart and Ellis Simms both still injured, the German remains their only fit striker. He will likely partner the ever-present Alex Pritchard.

Steven Gerrard has been handed a big injury boost regarding Aston Villa left-back Lucas Digne.

What’s the latest?

That’s according to a report by French publication L’Equipe, who claim that, despite initial fears that the 29-year-old’s stress fracture in his ankle would keep him sidelined for between 6-7 weeks, the defender’s latest scans appear to show that his injury is not as bad as first feared.

The report goes on to state that the France international now looks set to miss just 2-3 weeks of action, potentially seeing him make a return to first-team football in mid-October – something that would provide Digne with more than enough time to regain full fitness ahead of the World Cup this winter.

Great news for Gerrard

Considering just how many injuries Aston Villa players have sustained already this season – with Boubacar Kamara suffering knee ligament damage in the 1-0 win over Southampton earlier this month, Matty Cash having been struggling with a hamstring strain in recent weeks and Diego Carlos being yet to feature for Villa due to an Achilles tendon injury – the latest update on Digne is undoubtedly great news for Gerrard.

Indeed, the £22.5m-rated full-back has been an incredibly important player for the 42-year-old manager following his appointment at Villa Park last November, featuring in all but one of the 25 fixtures in which he has been available for selection under the management of Gerrard, chipping in with one goal and registering four assists along the way.

So far this season, the £163k-per-week talent has started all seven of Villa’s Premier League fixtures, helping his side keep one clean sheet, as well as making an average of 1.4 interceptions, 2.3 tackles, 2.3 clearances and winning 6.4 duels – at a success rate of 58% – per game.

These returns have seen the 29-year-old average an impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.81, currently ranking him as Villa’s joint 11th-best performer in the top flight of English football so far this season – demonstrating his importance within Gerrard’s first-team squad.

As such, considering the severely bad luck Villa have suffered concerning injuries so far this season, the latest news on Digne will most certainly come as a big boost to the 42-year-old and his side, who now only look as if they will have to make do without the Frenchman for 2-3 weeks rather than the two months first feared.

Rangers’ ongoing dispute with Cinch is holding up the SPFL’s planned deal with Sky Sports until 2029, reports Jordan Campbell.

The Lowdown: Gers’ Cinch dispute

Earlier in the summer, it was confirmed that the Gers wouldn’t have to display league sponsor Cinch’s logo, unlike the rest of the SPFL’s clubs.

That was due to an agreement being in a place with rival car dealer Park’s of Hamilton, owned by Rangers chairman Douglas Park, with the club eventually taking the issue to court and winning.

Now, a key update has emerged regarding the situation, with the dispute factoring into a mega-money TV deal with Sky Sports.

The Latest: Campbell provides key update

Taking to Twitter, Campbell reports that Rangers are the only Scottish Premiership club not to respond to the offer of a £30million-a-year deal with Sky Sports until 2029 that will show five home games for each team instead of four:

“11/12 clubs voted in favour. Waiver letters needed from all 12 to let Sky show 5 games at each ground. Rangers intend to sign waiver but want long-awaited meeting re cinch. Could mean written resolution required.”

The Verdict: Issue hopefully resolved

While Rangers may be coming across as a pain to the rest of the division, it is an issue they will want sorting as much as anyone, given the money on offer from Sky.

Rangers will also want to focus solely on on-pitch affairs, with last weekend’s 4-0 defeat at the hands of rivals Celtic leaving them five points adrift in second place.

The hope is that the situation is sorted sooner rather than later, allowing all 12 clubs to benefit financially moving forward and progress the Scottish game – both Glasgow giants participating in the Champions League this season will certainly draw more eyes in and could be just the beginning of a new era north of the border.

Journalist and transfer insider, Dean Jones, has shared some details regarding West Ham United’s reported interest in signing Flamengo midfielder Lazaro.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Jones had this to say on the matter.

“I don’t know much about that one in particular, but there does seem to be something in it.

“I texted one person that might know and he said there was definite interest, but he didn’t know how far along the road it was.”

Moyes would love him

Although the Irons finally broke their goal drought against Villa, it had been pretty slow going up to then. Indeed, David Moyes’ side had been rather toothless in front of goal, with no goals and fewer shots on target (7) than any other side in the division prior to their clash today.

As a result, it’s easy to see why Moyes would love to have Lazaro in his ranks as he’d add a great deal of extra quality to the final third at the London Stadium.

As a product of the Brazilian club’s youth ranks, the 20-year-old has made 57 senior appearances for them across all competitions, scoring eight goals and providing an equal number of assists in the process, showing how deadly he can be going forward.

In the 20 league games he’s appeared in for Flamengo this season, the youngster has four goals and two assists to his name.

To further highlight his attacking prowess, only one man, Pedro, has a higher rate for shots (3.86 vs 3.52) and shots on target per 90 minutes (1.59 vs 1.41) than the reported Hammers target at the Brazilian club.

Described by football talent scout, Jacek Kulig, as a “quality” talent, it’s safe to say the Hammers boss would love to get his hands on such an exciting prodigy that could solve their immediate problems and give him a brighter option for the future too.

Should a move be concluded, then it would surely fill plenty of Hammers fans with excitement before the summer transfer window closes in a few days’ time.

Sky Sports journalist Anthony Joseph has had his say on the recent transfer rumours linking Celtic with a move for Chelsea midfielder Ross Barkley.

What’s the latest?

On Twitter, the journalist was asked by another user if there was any truth in the rumours linking the Englishman with a move to Parkhead. In response, Joseph replied by saying that he doesn’t believe there is anything in it as things stand.

With 319 senior appearances under his belt throughout his career, the 28-year-old has netted 46 times and delivered 41 assists in the process, which shows how useful he can be in front of goal.

Despite his talent, the midfielder has not been able to make himself a regular first-team figure under Thomas Tuchel, starting just four of the 14 games in which he appeared across all competitions last season.

Postecoglou should be gutted

Bearing in mind how the Hoops have seen midfielders such as Tom Rogic, Nir Bitton, Ismaila Soro and Luca Connell exiting the club this summer, it’s safe to say that this is an area of the squad which could do with being strengthened before the end of the summer transfer window.

Therefore, adding a player like Barkley, who has plenty of experience of playing in the Premier League, could be a smart move for the Hoops.

To further highlight what he’d be able to offer the Bhoys, in his six Premier League games last season, the midfielder took nine shots at goal in total, with four of those being on target, leaving him with the highest rate for shots (4.53) and shots on target (2.01) per 90 minutes in the Chelsea squad.

This shows that, even as a midfielder, the £100k-per-week Englishman could be a real nuisance for opposition goalkeepers in the Premiership.

Taking into account how Ange Postecoglou’s team ended their previous league campaign with the highest number of goals scored in the division (92) and more shots at goal (757) than any other top-flight side, adding an extra goal threat to the squad such as Barkley would surely boost the Hoops’ chances of not only retaining the league title but being successful in other competitions too.

With all that in mind, it will surely be disappointing for Postecoglou to not see his club launch themselves at a potential opportunity to sign the Chelsea outcast, knowing what he’d be able to offer Celtic on the pitch.

Also, with 81% of voters in a recent poll ran by Football FanCast saying that they think Barkley would be a good signing for the Bhoys, it would also make it a disappointment for the fans to hear Joseph’s update on the matter.

In the last 48 hours, a report out of Italy has shared the latest on Japhet Tanganga’s situation after a meeting between Tottenham Hotspur director Fabio Paratici and AC Milan chiefs.

The Lowdown: Spurs focus on outgoings?

After sealing a plethora of early signings in the summer transfer window, the Lilywhites are supposedly working on outgoings at the moment in order to balance the books.

Antonio Conte has been well and truly backed so far but Paratici’s mission now appears to be sealing a few exits and trimming surplus-to-requirements players from the squad in N17.

Tanguy Ndombele, Giovani Lo Celso, Sergio Reguilon and Harry Winks are not in Spurs’ plans for the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, while the likes of Bryan Gil, Matt Doherty, Emerson Royal and Tanganga could also leave.

The Latest: Report shares Tanganga exit update…

Amid Paratici’s mission to offload players, Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness) has made a claim on the latter.

They claim that Tanganga wants to leave north London in favour of more game-time and has reached an agreement in principle with Milan.

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It is believed that Rossoneri chiefs Paolo Maldini and Frederic Massara have ‘worked the most’ on signing the Spurs defender, holding a summit with Paratici to work out a move.

There are apparently some things to work out still, given that Milan want Tanganga on loan with an option to buy rather than an obligation.

The Verdict: Could be for the best…

A temporary spell at the San Siro could do wonders for the 23-year-old’s career and development, not to mention freeing up space in Conte’s squad, so agreeing a move away for Tanganga is definitely best for all parties.

His versatility has attracted praise in the past, with pundit John Wenham calling the starlet ‘valuable’ for this very reason, but for now he doesn’t appear to be part of Conte’s thinking.

Therefore, a loan exit could be for the best for Tanganga.