All posts by z3u9t.icu

Reports in Spain earlier this week claimed that West Ham United have eyes on a summer swoop for Raul de Tomas, but David Moyes may not deliver the shrewd signing he is after in the RCD Espanyol de Barcelona striker.

Moyes is understood to be plotting a move to strengthen the Irons’ offensive options in the off-season but hopes to acquire a lesser-known forward, with the intention of whoever he targets growing into an established figure.

West Ham currently have no proven striker depth behind Michail Antonio following Sebastien Haller’s £20m move to AFC Ajax in January, with Moyes opting against reinvesting the funds during the winter market.

De Tomas has emerged as a potential candidate to answer Moyes’ request, but the West Ham boss faces rival approaches from Leeds United and Leicester City as the two sides likewise seek to bring the 26-year-old to the Premier League.

Leeds are lining up a move for De Tomas as boss Marcelo Bielsa strives to add depth behind 14-goal top-scorer Patrick Bamford, amid doubt in Rodrigo Moreno’s long-term future at Elland Road.

Brendan Rodgers likewise has eyes on De Tomas as he wants to sign a new striker in the summer, with Jamie Vardy now 34 and soon entering the final two years of his £140,000-per-week contract at the King Power Stadium.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/the-latest-west-ham-news-gossip-and-views” title=”The latest West Ham news and views!”]

De Tomas is keen to test himself outside of his native Spain again after the failure of his time with SL Benfica, where the Madrid-born frontman lasted just six-months and scored three goals in 17 games across all competitions.

Espanyol signed De Tomas in January 2020 and while he was unable to help prevent the RCDE Stadium natives from being relegated from La Liga, he has since proven to be far too good to be playing second-tier football.

De Tomas boasts 16 goals in 29 Segunda Division appearances this term and has provided two assists, only Sporting de Gijon’s Uros Djurdjevic (20) has scored more to date.

But Moyes moving to offer De Tomas his second chance at continental football with a spell at West Ham may not see the Scottish coach find the shrewd signing he is alleged to be after.

The Spanish report notes that the three Premier League sides interested in De Tomas are willing to make a ‘large investment’ to sign the former Spain U19 international, who Espanyol fought to retain following their relegation by demanding that Sevilla pay his full €60m (£51m) release clause.

Espanyol deemed De Tomas to be a cornerstone of their promotion efforts, which has proven to be true with the £13k-p/w speedster’s goals firing the Catalan outfit to the top of the Segunda table and with the division’s best goal difference.

The Periquitos will be expected to maintain their contest for an automatic return to La Liga once action resumes after the international break, which would surely see De Tomas’ value rise and move away from the potential of being a shrewd buy that Moyes hopes he could be.

AND in other news, West Ham have been tipped to sign a 12-goal striker who is “Moyes’ type”…

According to a report by Italian news outlet Calciomercato, Tottenham Hotspur and Daniel Levy are really trying to sign Juventus star Paulo Dybala – coming as there is apparently no longer a problem with his infamous image rights which stopped a move in 2019.

Indeed, Dybala was close to joining Spurs nearly two years ago, but the deal was complicated by an unforeseen issue in the player’s image rights – which were previously sold to a company in Malta owned by his former agent Pierpaolo Triulzi.

Levy really trying for Dybala

Tottenham and Levy would have wanted to use the 27-year-old’s image rights to make back some money off his signing after agreeing a deal (The Times).

As a result, when the issue couldn’t be resolved, a transfer was well and truly off the cards.

However, Calciomercato have dropped a rather exciting claim – with the Italian outlet explaining that Tottenham are now ‘really trying’ to sign Dybala given his past image rights are now no longer an issue.

The Italian outlet describes Levy’s alleged desire to do a deal as a ‘crazy’ idea, but also hinted at hope, going on to say they can ‘sink the blow in a more defined way’.

Transfer Tavern take

Serie A legend Alessandro Del Piero has lauded Dybala as ‘extraordinary’ (talkSPORT), and it’s clear to see he is a very elite player despite his injury issues this season.

Despite missing 20 matches over 2020/2021, the Argentine has still averaged an impressive 2.6 shots, 1.8 key passes and 1.4 completed dribbles per 90 over eight Serie A starts (WhoScored).

The £225,000-per-week star appears to be back on Levy’s wish list after the infamous failed 2019 attempt, but only time will tell whether Spurs can seriously pull off a move this time round.

In other news: Tottenham will make a move for this ‘leader’, find out more here.

In a recent interview, Glasgow Rangers centre-back, Leon Balogun, discussed his immediate future at Gers, as well as suggesting he could be open to a move away from Ibrox.

Having signed for Steven Gerrard’s side on a free transfer last summer, Balogun has gone on to prove himself a rather crucial part of the Gers’ backline this season, with the 32-year-old making an average of 1.2 tackles, 1.4 interceptions and 1.7 clearances over his 19 Scottish Premiership appearances, as well as averaging an impressive WhoScored match rating of 7.06 – ranking him as the club’s ninth-best performer in the league.

As a result of these fine displays, with the Nigeria international’s contract at Ibrox set to expire at the end of this season, it is widely expected that Rangers will activate a year-long extension to his deal, something which, in a recent interview with SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Balogun suggested is a formality, although he also claimed that he could be tempted by a move to the Bundesliga.

When asked about the chance of his contract being extended, Balogun said: “That’s just a formality, I don’t have to worry about that – I definitely want to stay.”

However, when asked whether he could be tempted by a move to Germany, he said: “Sure! Germany is my home. I’ve sacrificed many moments with my family to pursue my career. If there was an opportunity to be closer to them again, I would listen to it.”

Transfer Tavern Take

While Balogun’s comments are somewhat contradictory, with Rangers having the option to extend his current deal at Ibrox for another year, it would indeed appear as if the centre-back will be wearing the famous light blue for at least another season.

However, should the 32-year-old receive interest from the Bundesliga come the summer of 2022, it would seem as Rangers could face something of a battle to keep the £14,00-per-week defender on their books.

In other news: ‘He wants to extend’ – One pundit dropped a hint on this ‘fantastic’ Gers star’s contract amid PL interest – find out more here!

When asked by a supporter on social media if there is any chance striker Michail Antonio could be back in contention for West Ham as they gear up to face Newcastle United this weekend, club insider ExWHUemployee dropped a bleak five-word response (Twitter).

ExWHUemployee drops damning five-word injury claim

Antonio, who is currently out injured with hamstring trouble, has been at the centre of some reports claiming he could be out for the rest of this campaign (The Guardian).

David Moyes, however, has remained cryptic surrounding his injury and has not put a timescale on his return or shared any intricate details on Antonio’s recovery in the manager’s latest press conferences.

Possibly as a result, one supporter optimistically enquired whether Antonio could be available as soon as the Newcastle game this weekend – with ExWHUemployee dropping the damning five-word message ‘I don’t think so mate’ in response.

Transfer Tavern take

West Ham managed to cope fairly well without Antonio’s presence during their last outing against Leicester City, with Jarrod Bowen proving deadly in the striker role.

The Englishman notched a goal during the nervy 3-2 win and assisted Jesse Lingard for his second of the afternoon (West Ham official).

If the 24-year-old continues to display that effectiveness going forward, Moyes will be relieved that his decision not to sign a striker in January may not come back to haunt him.

In other news: West Ham are interested in this towering colossus, find out more here.

Speaking after West Ham United’s encounter with Newcastle on Saturday afternoon, David Moyes provided a positive outlook amid injury fears for Jesse Lingard, with the Irons manager sending an encouraging message after their 3-2 defeat at St James’ Park.

The Hammers travelled to Tyneside aiming to clinch another victory on the road to unprecedented Champions League qualification, but Moyes’ men instead succumbed to a setback in the race for a top four finish.

West Ham lost 3-2 in what was another very eventful match, with the Irons coming back from 2-0 down at one point only to lose Joe Willock in the area for the home side’s eventual winner. The biggest worry from that defeat, however, appeared to be a potential injury for Lingard, who was hooked by Moyes near full-time.

Providing a positive update after the match, Moyes outlined: “I think it was just cramp, I don’t think it was anything serious” (via Jack Rosser).

Flocking to this message, many Hammers supporters were naturally relieved that the in-form 28-year-old – whose penalty against Newcastle was his ninth goal in 10 games for West Ham – hasn’t taken a serious knock. Read some of their verdicts below on this “positive news”, as one fan described it.

West Ham fans ecstatic over Moyes update

“Thank the lord”

Credit: @notorious1324

“we live to see another day”

Credit: @Whuben1

“Some positive news”

Credit: @jamiemaragakis

“I pray this is not just Moyes trying to downplay it”

Credit: @ScottieHammer1

“Phew!”

Credit: @Lawrenceee_B

“Let’s hope so”

Credit: @_samhowell

In other news: GSB still in pole position for this ‘phenomenal’ striker, find out more here.

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.”

Many Arsenal fans slammed the performance of Bukayo Saka in their 1-0 home loss to Everton in the Premier League on Friday night.

A comical own goal from Bernd Leno seriously dented Mikel Arteta’s hopes of qualifying for European competition through the league at the Emirates Stadium, as their forward line simply could not find a way to score against a stubborn Toffees defence, with Saka one of those guilty of lacking an end product.

The England international squandered a good chance in the first half and was particularly poor with his delivery from crosses, especially from corners, as he only managed one accurate cross out of seven in the entire game (Sofascore).

Saka also lost possession of the ball on 23 separate occasions, the most of any player to have set foot on the pitch, as he recorded a below-par 6.3 rating on Sofascore, the second lowest of any outfield player on the night.

Arsenal fans on Saka display

These Arsenal supporters slammed his performance on Twitter, with one Gooner even going as far as to claim that the 19-year-old was ‘woeful’:

“Saka is so overrated! He’s a LWB at best. Arteta is a fraud. Know this and know peace! His substitutions are horrible! #ARSEVE”

Credit: @FairPlayGooner

“Partey, Smith Rowe and Saka have been woeful. Leno has cost us for like the 4th time this season. He needs to be dropped for the rest of the season including the Europa League. #ARSEVE”

Credit: @ChukyUnfazed

“The protection these English players get! What have ESR, Saka, Chambers done today? Ceb has been the best, Partey the worst #ARSEVE”

Credit: @sushanthmarathe

“#Saka is not really working. #ARSEVE”

Credit: @Larry84460846

“Partey, Leno, Auba, Saka and our entire defence have been disgustingly poor since Christmas #ARSEVE”

Credit: @mannesalmir

“Saka really having a bad game. Damn. #ArsEve #KroenkeOut”

Credit: @potter_dm

In other news, find out what antagonised many Arsenal fans prior to the Everton match – and it wasn’t the ESL!

Mark Douglas has shared a promising revelation on the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

Replying to a fan of the St. James’ Park faithful in a Q and A session for The Chronicle, the journalist has claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) Public Investment Fund (PIF) have been ‘totally committed’ to their proposed deal with Mike Ashley for more than a year and he has spoken to them on this subject.

However, they do not want to be involved in the legal side of things, and would much rather leave that to Ashley and his team.

Newcastle takeover reassurance

It will certainly come as a relief to many members of the Toon Army that the PIF remain committed to the deal, given that they are currently not at the negotiating table due to the ongoing arbitration between the club and the Premier League.

A positive result for the North East club in their pending case against the top flight should be a step in the right direction, and may well clear a pathway for them to come back.

Given that the Tyneside club are almost certainly safe from being relegated from the top flight down to the EFL Championship as well, that should not be a problem either, and so there is still hope that the bid can still be revived, providing that the right pieces of the jigsaw puzzle all link together.

In other news, find out what big Jamie Reuben claim has been dropped on the potential takeover here!

Leeds have been named as one of a number of Premier League clubs interested in signing Norwich City star Emiliano Buendia this summer.

What’s the story?

With the Premier League season entering the final weeks, attention will already be turning towards the start of the summer transfer window, and it appears that Marcelo Bielsa’s side have their sights set on Buendia.

According to French publication Foot Mercato, the Canaries sensation is attracting interest from almost half the clubs in the Premier League, including Leeds.

The report added that clubs across Europe are also keeping a close eye on him, with the likes of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Villareal said to be interested in the Argentina international.

He impressed Lionel Messi

The Athletic previously claimed that Buendia is someone who Leeds’ director of football Victor Orta has “always liked”, while the £19.8m-rated ace has previously been hailed a “revelation” by Chris Sutton.

His teammate Max Aarons has hailed the kind of creativity the 24-year-old possesses, saying: “He’s not really a player who will get on the ball and take you on as a full-back. His game is more about getting into pockets, playing neat passes and creating things.

“When you’ve got someone, who wants to run at you, then it’s easier to lock them down whereas someone like him is quite intricate so it’s hard to get near him. He’s tenacious and very strong. He’s got a lot of attributes.”

In fact, Buendia has some very famous fans in his corner too. As per The Guardian, during Barcelona’s thrashing of the midfielder’s former side Getafe a few years ago, Lionel Messi came across to him at the end of the game to have a word.

Buendia revealed: “I maybe did something good to impress him. He asked: ‘What do you want to do? Do you want to play for Spain or Argentina?’ Quickly I said: ‘Of course I want to play for Argentina. I want to play with you – it is a dream.’”

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-leeds-transfer-rumours-and-news” title=”Read the latest Leeds transfer rumours and news!”]

One man who should be salivating at the prospect of playing with a creative genius like Buendia is Patrick Bamford. The Leeds striker has enjoyed a fine season in the Premier League with 14 goals to his name, but he would surely fancy his chances of bagging even more often with a playmaker like the Argentine always looking to find him in behind opposition defences.

Buendia’s ability to pick a killer pass will be music to the ears of Bamford, and something he should really enjoy if Leeds manage to pull off a sensational summer deal for him.

Meanwhile, a Leeds source has revealed some exciting plans at Thorp Arch…

Keith Downie has dropped some promising insight on Mike Ashley and the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: Ashley accuses Premier League

As per The Shields Gazette, Ashley and the St. James’ Park faithful have accused the Premier League of what they believe to be anti-competitive behaviour in their decision-making process on the proposed deal between the chief executive of Sports Direct and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) consortium.

The are looking to take the top flight to court for this, and have also taken on an anti-competition case given to them by the Newcastle Consortium Supporters Limited (NCSL), with the division given fresh legal papers as Ashley looks to force them to push through the bid.

Ben Jacobs was worried by the developments this week, believing it could be a case of Ashley seeking damages for a losing battle, but Downie has dropped what sounds like a slightly more optimistic take.

The Latest: Downie drops Ashley insight

Townie was reporting for Sky Sports (via Football Daily) with regards to Ashley, saying that “he will leave no stone unturned to try and get this takeover pushed through.”

Given that there is already an arbitration case to be held between the English tycoon and the PL over the failed takeover, on top of what is now another legal battle, Ashley is clearly more determined than ever to get his deal over the line.

The Verdict: Arbitration key to potential takeover

The pending arbitration hearing still holds the key in determining whether the potential takeover still has legs, regardless of what other pathways Ashley tries to take.

A positive result could pave a pathway for the bid to come back to the table, and if the league are found to have been anti-competitive in the takeover process, then that will only add fuel to the fire.

Nonetheless, time will tell if Ashley is successful in finally giving Toon fans what they’ve been chasing for so long.

In other news, find out what big update has been dropped on the potential takeover involving the ‘Big Six’ here!