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West Ham United will make the short trip to west London to take on Chelsea this afternoon as the Hammers look to boost their chances of a top-six finish in the Premier League.

The Blues already look set to finish third in the league whilst the Irons’ fate is still uncertain with Wolves and Manchester United also in the hunt for sixth place.

David Moyes’ men will take confidence from the fact that they beat Thomas Tuchel’s side 3-2 in the reverse fixture with every remaining game now vital for the east London club.

With a crunch first leg of their Europa League semi-final against Frankfurt on Thursday, will the Scotsman prioritise Europe and look to make changes against Chelsea? Here is how Football FanCast expects the Hammers to line up.

West Ham XI: Fabianski, Johnson, Dawson, Alese, Cresswell, Soucek, Rice, Bowen, Lanzini, Benrahma, Antonio

As expected there’s no change in goal as Lukasz Fabianski continues his role as league goalkeeper whilst there’s a major change in the defence with Issa Diop now ruled out with an ankle injury.

With Craig Dawson the only fit senior centre-back, we expect Moyes to finally give an opportunity to exciting youngster Aji Alese.

The 6 foot 3 Nigerian has been excellent for the Hammers’ U23s this season and was described as “gold dust” by Tom Edwards on the We Are West Ham Podcast.

Moreover, the 21-year-old is a left-footed centre-back so should slot in next to Dawson perfectly as he gears up to make a potential Premier League debut.

Tomas Soucek and Declan Rice are set to continue their partnership in front of the back four whilst there is another change in the attacking midfield trio with Moyes playing his usual 4-2-3-1 set-up.

Nikola Vlasic was handed a rare league start against Burnley last weekend and failed to deliver once again, therefore we expect the Croatian to be replaced by Said Benrahma to add much-needed creativity to the side and support for striker Michail Antonio.

The £69k-per-week 24-year-old has endured a tough first season in claret and blue, scoring just one goal in all competitions.

Despite playing a London rival in Chelsea, this afternoon’s match is crucial if West Ham are serious about securing a top-six finish, with other sides in the hunt breathing down their neck.

AND in other news, Moyes can axe “superb” £50m ace with WHU swoop for “one of the most exciting talents”…

Simon Zekaria has dropped a controversial reveal involving beIN Sports and the potential takeover of Newcastle United.

The Lowdown: CAT revelations

The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) hearing between the Tyneside club and the Premier League over the stalled takeover deal with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group finally got underway on Wednesday morning.

As cited by The Daily Telegraph, the St James’ Park club were quite astonishingly threatened with expulsion from the top flight, and their separate arbitration case against the division will now take place on 3 January 2022.

The Latest: Zekaria on beIN

Journalist Zekaria has now revealed that St James Holdings Ltd (SJHL), the company owned by Mike Ashley who bought the CAT claim, have alleged that beIN Sports pressurised the Premier League to block the proposed takeover on Tyneside while discussing a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.

He said: “I have learnt that SJHL’s competition claim alleges that beIN Sports pressurised the PL to block the sale of @NUFC while negotiating a three-year broadcasting rights deal to 2025.”

The Verdict: Controversial

Given that the KSA’s issue with piracy and the illegal streaming of games in the Premier League was reportedly suggested to be key in the delay of the takeover, it is not a surprise to hear that Qatari broadcaster beIN allegedly pressurised the top flight to block the sale.

However, it does not make it any less controversial, as decisions on the takeover should not be influenced by outside parties.

It will no doubt be interesting to see what the arbitration proceedings bring in terms of the direction of where the takeover bid is now heading.

In other news, one Newcastle player’s performance against Wolves has come in for criticism

An update has emerged regarding Liverpool’s interest in Sampdoria winger Mikkel Damsgaard.

What’s the talk?

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Reds have made an initial enquiry over a deal to sign the 21-year-old from the Serie A outfit ahead of tonight’s transfer deadline.

The report claims that Jurgen Klopp’s side could come in with an offer for the Denmark international, but the Genoa-based club want to keep him.

Parting gift

Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards is reportedly due to leave the club at the end of the season and he must ensure that he seals a deal for Damsgaard as his parting gift to Klopp.

Edwards has been the architect of the Reds’ excellent transfer business in recent years, with the likes of Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk, Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah coming in under his stewardship, and Damsgaard could be his final masterstroke.

He would still have the January transfer window to complete deals before leaving in the summer of 2022, but if he can bring the Danish starlet to Anfield on deadline day, that could alleviate the need for any business in the winter and make this his final move. The mastermind must now reach an agreement with Sampdoria to tempt them into changing their minds.

Xherdan Shaqiri left the club earlier this month and Edwards could replace him by landing the Sampdoria winger in the final few hours of the window. The 21-year-old Dane has caught the eye for his country this year, with four goals and three assists in his last six starts for Denmark.

Earlier this year, Danish football expert Martin Mikkelsen hailed Damsgaard as being ‘magical’ and outlined some of the forward’s best assets.

He told TV2 Sport: “It’s the season’s assist. Isn’t that where we are? He’s magical – what a speed! It is fantastic improvisation, and he just finds Balde in the field, as they both know what is going to happen.

“It is a free space he has, as he is not so locked. He is dynamic and can go both ways. He is creative but also so mature in his decisions. Was it something we dreamed of? It’s awesome.”

In five European Championship appearances, Damsgaard scored two goals and set up one goal for his teammates as he averaged an excellent WhoScored rating of 7.28. This shows that he has the quality to step up and perform on one of the biggest stages, which suggests that he could have the potential to join Liverpool and be a success.

At the age of 21, he also has plenty of time left to develop as a player. He could improve under Klopp’s coaching and be a project on whom the German can work over the course of a number of years.

This is why he could be the perfect parting gift from Edwards to the manager, as he would be leaving Klopp with a promising player with the scope to go on and achieve great things.

In other news: Liverpool must secure 2022 agreement for “special” £36m-rated gem, fans would love him

Former Tottenham defender Graham Roberts can understand why his old side did not move for Crystal Palace striker Odsonne Edouard during the summer transfer window.

Edouard has made a bright start to life in England following his move from Celtic, scoring twice on his debut against Roberts’ former team.

However, prior to joining Palace, the 23-year-old had been linked with a move to Tottenham.

According to the Daily Record, Spurs had been keeping tabs on Edouard ahead of a potential deadline day move, though nothing obviously materialised in the end. And that comes as no surprise to Roberts, who can see why the Frenchman was not a priority for Nuno Espirito Santo.

“If you want to go to the next level, why are you going to waste… I’m not saying he’s a waste, but why are you going to pay £15m for a striker?” the Tottenham legend started explaining to TT.

“Harry Kane, ok, let’s say he does leave next year. They’ll be looking to bring in a 40, 50, 60 million pound, scores 20 goals a season, 25 goals a season striker.”

With Kane still at the club and Son Heung-min able to play up front, not signing Edouard is hardly a disaster. From a Spurs perspective, hopefully both players remain fit and the former can get back to scoring ways in the Premier League again.

Another win, another clean sheet and another Declan Rice masterclass.

West Ham United went clear at the top of Group H in the Europa League on Thursday night with another impressive victory, defeating Belgian outfit Genk 3-0 at the London Stadium.

The Irons enjoyed the bulk of the possession and their pressure was rewarded when Craig Dawson looped a header past the visiting goalkeeper right on half-time.

They came out after the break even more rampant and notched a further two goals. This time Issa Diop headed home off the crossbar from another pinpoint Aaron Cresswell delivery, before Jarrod Bowen fired home a fine solo effort just before the hour mark.

All three goalscorers would have been worthy of the ‘Man of the Match’ award but it was Rice who dropped another performance which was off the charts.

He was withdrawn after 67 minutes, with this weekend’s London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur in mind, and he had recorded 89 touches of the ball, which was the second-most of any Hammers player.

That only goes to show just how big of an influence he is to their success, and had he played for longer, then he would’ve undoubtedly ranked first ahead of midfield partner Tomas Soucek.

‘Once again looked a class above everyone else on the pitch, so calm on the ball and always seemed to have time to pick a pass,’ is how football.london reporter Tom Clark described his performance after the game.

Industrious as ever, the England international registered three tackles and one clearance and won four ground duels, via SofaScore.

Elsewhere, he was faultless with the ball at his feet, only losing possession six times from all those touches, and he also enjoyed an impressive 97% passing accuracy from 75 attempts – the best rate on the pitch, so that goes to show that he really was a touch above everyone else on the night.

Just over a week ago, former West Ham teammate Jack Wilshere lauded the 22-year-old as “a freak physically” and a player who “can do anything” to talkSPORT.

We saw exactly that once again.

Rice, who earns a reported £60k-per-week in east London, absolutely stole the show for Moyes on Thursday.

AND in other news, Newman could seal West Ham’s best signing since Soucek in £19.8m-rated “goal machine”…

Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, former Leeds United midfielder Carlton Palmer believes a deal for Ryan Kent is one that could easily get done following Rangers’ elimination from the Champions League.

As reported by The Athletic, Kent has been of interest to Leeds for a while and it could now be easier to get him out of Ibrox after his side’s Champions League setback.

The Rangers winger is yet to really take off this season but was thoroughly impressive last term as he helped Steven Gerrard’s men to the title.

He scored eight goals and produced seven assists in the Gers’ regular Scottish Premiership campaign, providing a serious threat down the left flank.

On Leeds’ chances of signing the 24-year-old winger before the transfer window closes, Palmer told FFC:

“I think the noises coming out of Rangers now… even Steven Gerrard himself has said Rangers going out of the Champions League is a huge financial loss for them. So, you know, I think he’s accepted that he may lose one or two of his better players.

“I think it’s basically the numbers game now. If Leeds can come back with the right numbers for Ryan, I think that’s a deal that could quite easily get done.”

Given their long-term interest and the predicament Rangers are in following their Champions League exit, it probably would not be a shock to see Leeds make a bid for Kent before the transfer window closes.

A number of Wolves supporters are frustrated after Bruno Lage claimed Adama Traore would stay put at the club beyond the January transfer window.

Traore has had a curious Wanderers career in many ways, sometimes threatening to produce brilliance but too often flattering to deceive.

At 25, the hope was that the winger would have pushed on by now, becoming a more complete all-round player, but he is yet to register a goal or an assist this season.

Traore has been constantly linked with a move away from Molineux this month, with Tottenham seemingly emerging as the front-runners to sign him.

Lage has played down the exit rumours, however, according to The Express & Star‘s Liam Keen [via Talking Wolves on Twitter], saying he expects the Spaniard to be a Wolves player for the rest of the season.

Wolves fans fume at Traore update

These Wanderers fans have reacted negatively to the news on Twitter, with one admitting they are ‘gutted’.

“Where’s the dislike button?”

Credit: @MiniPizza99

“This guy just can’t leave”

Credit: @Attifooty

“And then leave on a free? At least take the £15m”

Credit: @KieDowles

“The pain will never end”

Credit: @alfiemorgannn

“I’m actually gutted!!”

Credit: @Ben1988Harvey

“If he’s not going to sign a contract then we need to sell him now really”

Credit: @Cameron__b_

In other news, some Wolves fans are delighted at a fresh transfer update. Read more here.

Tottenham Hotspur face Aston Villa in this evening’s teatime kick-off, with Antonio Conte’s side looking to keep up their impressive recent run of Premier League form in a bid to secure a top-four finish.

Indeed, with Spurs having won five of their last six league outings and Steven Gerrard’s side having lost their last three Premier League fixtures, the north London outfit will certainly fancy their chances of taking all three points back to the capital tonight.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

However, with Spurs only narrowly defeating Villa 2-1 in the meeting between the two sides earlier this season, Conte will be well aware that he must get his team selection spot-on in order to give his team the best chance of victory this afternoon.

Will the 52-year-old make any changes to the side which started the 5-1 win over Newcastle United last weekend? Here’s how we think Tottenham could line up against Aston Villa, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With Antonio Conte recently revealing that both Sergio Reguilon and Ryan Sessegnon are back in contention after recovering from their respective knocks, we predict the 52-year-old will make just one change to the team which lined up against Newcastle last time out.

The back four remains intact, with Hugo Lloris starting between the Spurs sticks, while Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero make up Conte’s three-man defence.

The solitary change comes at wing-back, with Reguilon – the player who Jonathan Woodgate dubbed “horrendous” and has recently been linked with a £43m move back to Real Madrid this summer – returning to the XI on the left. Matt Doherty moves over to his preferred role on the right, with the 23-year-old Emerson Royal – who Lucas Moura claimed has a “great future” – dropping to the bench.

In the middle, with Oliver Skipp still sidelined due to injury, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur start once again, while Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski also remain unchanged in the two attacking midfield roles.

Up top, Harry Kane leads the line, with the 28-year-old undoubtedly hoping to add to his seven goals and four assists over his last eight Premier League outings.

AND in other news: Conte can form “dangerous” duo as Spurs plot bids for £156m pair who “really get along”

Everton could look to find Jonjoe Kenny a new club in the January transfer window, according to The Liverpool Echo. 

The lowdown

Kenny started both of Everton’s Carabao Cup ties – the 2-1 win at Huddersfield Town and the penalty shoot-out defeat at Queen’s Park Rangers – but has featured for just 10 minutes in the Premier League this season.

Benitez has been more inclined to use Ben Godfrey, a predominant centre-half, in the right-back position when Seamus Coleman has been unavailable.

Kenny’s £15,000-per-week contract expires in the summer, and the former Celtic and Schalke loanee has seen his estimated market value fall to £5.22m.

The latest

The Liverpool Echo journalist Adam Jones wrote that the January window can be a good opportunity to offload players who are entering the final months of their deals. Kenny is in that position, with his long-term Everton future ‘seriously under doubt’.

While the 24-year-old does ‘provide useful back-up at right-back’, according to the report, he seems to be out of favour with Rafael Benitez at this moment in time.

The verdict

It’s pretty damning that Benitez has favoured Godfrey in an unnatural position over Kenny, and it suggests that the latter should be packing his bags.

If he remains at Everton, his only real opportunities to play first team football in 2021/22 could come in the FA Cup, barring a major injury crisis in defence.

Having been labelled ‘unbelievable’ by former Toffees team-mate Aaron Lennon when he first broke into the senior team, Kenny’s failure to hold down a regular first team place since the 2017/18 season suggests that he hasn’t been able to kick on under a succession of managers at Goodison Park, so it would be no great surprise if he does cut his ties with Everton altogether for the betterment of his career.

In other news, many Everton fans fumed over this Lucas Digne revelation. 

Tottenham Hotspur are lining up a move for Mario Hermoso this summer, according to reports…

What’s the word?

The Daily Mail claim that the north London outfit are tracking the Atletico Madrid centre-back ahead of the transfer window reopening at the end of the season, with RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol and Antonio Conte’s former Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni also being monitored.

Spurs are on the lookout, specifically, for a left-sided central defender and the five-time Spain international is amongst the targets.

Having joined in a £25m deal from Espanyol in July 2019, Hermoso now finds himself down the pecking order under Diego Simeone at the Wanda Metropolitano.

Back three complete?

Signing Hermoso could hand Conte a frightening backline heading into next season as the 26-year-old colossus could sit perfectly alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero.

Regarded as an impressive ball-playing defender, Hermoso has averaged a passing accuracy of at least 84% across the last two LaLiga seasons, as well as at least three long balls per outing too.

[snack-amp-story url= “https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-spurs-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-martinez-dybala-spence-conte-2” title= “Read the latest Spurs news!”]

He also ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers for passing into the penalty box (0.68 per 90) and top 14% for progressive passes (3.89 per 90), meaning the Atletico star likes to play forward, rather than sideways or backwards, as per FBRef.

The 6-foot centre-back is also adept in terms of defensive output, having averaged 3.5 clearances, 1.7 headers won, 1.2 tackles and 1.1 interceptions per game, via WhoScored.

Now valued at €40m (£33m) by CIES Football Observatory, the centre-back wouldn’t come cheap but his passing capabilities on the left foot clearly make him an appealing candidate to fill that final spot in Conte’s current defence.

Conte is currently depending on full-back Ben Davies to partner both Dier and Romero in his back three, so Hermoso – once dubbed an “absolute beast” at Espanyol by LRT journalist Aivaras Katutis – would be a very welcome addition indeed.

Just imagine the three thwarting many a Premier League attack next term.

AND in other news, Lost the ball every 2.6 touches: “Quiet” Spurs passenger let Conte down vs Brighton…