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West Ham United have made an approach in a bid to bring Leandro Trossard to the London Stadium in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by Pete O’Rourke, with the journalist revealing in a post on Twitter that West Ham have made an enquiry with Brighton & Hove Albion regarding a deal to sign the 27-year-old forward, with David Moyes desperate to bring in attacking reinforcements prior to Monday’s transfer deadline.

In his tweet, O’Rourke said: “Understand West Ham have made a shock enquiry for Brighton attacker Leandro Trossard.”

Fans will finally be pleased

While it is true that Trossard is naturally a winger, the Belgium international’s impressive positional versatility – being able to operate on either flank, in attacking midfield or at centre-forward – is undoubtedly a major reason for West Ham’s interest in the attacker.

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Furthermore, the £15.3m-rated forward is also proven in the Premier League, something that the 58-year-old Hammers manager typically prefers his signings to be – in order to reduce the amount of time it takes for a player to settle into the club.

However, not only does Trossard possess top-flight experience, the winger demonstrated over his 35 league outings last season that he has the ability to thrive in the division, scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.7 shots and making 1.5 key passes per game.

These returns saw the £35k-per-week Belgian earn a highly impressive seasonal SofaScore match rating of 7.03, ranking him as Graham Potter’s fifth-best performer in the Premier League last time out.

As such, while the 27-year-old is not an out and out centre-forward, considering his impressive returns in the final third, his versatility in attacking roles and his experience in the division, the Brighton star would very much appear to make an excellent addition to Moyes’ attacking arsenal at the London Stadium – with fans undoubtedly being delighted to hear that the 58-year-old is finally addressing a problem position in his squad.

In other news: Deal off: WHU insider reveals fresh transfer setback, Moyes can kiss top four goodbye

A number of West Ham supporters have been showing their love for a brilliant photo of youngster Sonny Perkins on his Hammers debut.

David Moyes’ side enjoyed another productive evening in the Europa League on Thursday, winning 2-0 away to Rapid Vienna in the group stage.

The win secured a place in the last 16 of the competition for West Ham, who will genuinely be dreaming of going all the way this season.

Not only did the Hammers win but it was also a proud night for Perkins, with the 17-year-old attacking midfielder making his debut as a second-half substitute.

After the game, West Ham’s official Twitter account shared a photo of Perkins and club captain Mark Noble shaking hands on the pitch, in what was a poignant image.

West Ham fans react to Perkins photo

These Hammers took to Twitter to show their appreciation for the photo, on a special evening for the teenager.

“I honestly love this club so much”

Credit: @Jordanbrown820

“This team makes me happy”

Credit: @LFabianski1

“Genuinely a very good showing considering he didn’t score, looks a very clever player”

Credit: @_ghzst

“Noble looks like he is meeting his hero”

Credit: @DomHeroEllis

“Love this picture”

Credit: @jonwnewman

“Beautiful picture”

Credit: @ZaynafamilyMary

In other news, ExWHUemployee has shared an interesting West Ham transfer update. Read more here.

Everton have received a potential injury boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Brentford over the weekend after it was revealed the club are hopeful that Yerry Mina will be able to make his return to action.

What’s the word?

The 27-year-old last featured in the 1-1 draw against Manchester United on 2nd October before picking up a hamstring injury while on international duty.

However, according to the Liverpool ECHO, Mina could be in line to make his comeback for the trip to west London after making a full recovery.

Phil Kirkbride’s report states that: “Everton are hoping Yerry Mina is passed fit to play in London at the weekend.

“The Colombian centre-half has missed the last four league matches because of a hamstring issue but it is believed he was left out as a precaution.”

Rafa Benitez will be buzzing

News that Mina could play some part against the Bees on Sunday will have Everton manager Rafa Benitez buzzing with excitement, given his importance to the first-team squad.

Prior to his fitness woes, the South American had made six Premier League appearances this season, losing on just one occasion.

In his absence, the Toffees have lost four of their five encounters, keeping just one clean sheet in the 0-0 draw against Tottenham Hotspur. And his underlying numbers indicate why.

As per WhoScored, Mina has averaged 1.5 interceptions per top-flight fixture, four clearances and 0.7 blocks, placing him in the top four amongst his teammates for each metric.

With Everton currently in desperate need of a positive result against Brentford, Benitez will be delighted to have Mina back at his disposal, providing a huge boost to their chances of securing all three points.

And, in other news…Forget Iwobi: Rafa must unleash rarely-seen 18 y/o “top-player” amid huge EFC setback

Flocking to Twitter, a number of Manchester City fans have reacted to a squad update arising from this week’s training footage, which suggests some of Pep Guardiola’s stars will not be available for Wednesday night’s game against Brentford.

Man City will head into their next game on a high following their chaotic Boxing day clash against Leicester City, which saw Guardiola’s men emerge victorious with a 6-3 score-line at the Etihad.

The Cityzens sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League table. However, second-place Liverpool have the potential to halve the points gap with a win in their upcoming fixture against the Foxes at the King Power Stadium.

Man City fans react to squad update

City Xtra recently took to Twitter to share the names of those who were not pictured in City’s training footage this week, with many noticeable omissions coming in the form of defenders.

Kyle Walker, John Stones, Rodri, Joao Cancelo, and Oleksandr Zinchenko were all seemingly missing, and while the latter duo are reportedly fit to play, the other absences could still leave the manager a little light of depth at the back.

Here’s what the fans had to say about the news:

“We don’t even have first team fullback anymore”

Credit: @CityJoul

“Brentford and arsenal winning if we have none of these players”

Credit: @TheFloatBros

“well that’s not very fun is it”

Credit: @SxrgioSZN

“no fullbacks??? what’s happening”

Credit: @mxnciteh

“Not funny”

Credit: @Keane4K

“WHOOOOO”

Credit: @trevsenpai

Gini Wijnaldum has reportedly agreed to become Barcelona’s first signing of Joan Laporta’s second stint as the club’s president this summer.

The 30-year-old has been a fantastic player for Liverpool, arriving during the summer of 2016 and being a key man almost from the moment he joined.

Wijnaldum’s understated performances in the Reds’ midfield have played a huge role in their success under Jurgen Klopp, with the Dutchman making 226 appearances to date.

The Netherlands international’s contract expires at the end of this season, however, and his failure to agree a new deal has seen him heavily linked with a move to Barca.

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Wijnaldum reportedly agrees Barcelona move

According to The Sunday Times, Wijnaldum has opted not sign a new contract and will instead join the Laporta revolution at the Nou Camp, becoming his first addition following his presidential win.

It is stated that the Liverpool superstar has agreed a pre-contract deal, having been a ‘priority target’ for Barca manager Ronald Koeman for some time.

Transfer Tavern take

Wijnaldum’s seemingly imminent exit is a huge blow for the Reds, considering what a consistently strong performer he has been over the past five seasons. Rio Ferdinand has been among those singing his praises, telling BT Sport [via TEAMtalk] back in December: “I got to be honest: I love this player. He’s very selfless, his intelligence, he’s underrated completely because he can play every single midfield position in that central area.”

That being said, Liverpool will move on from him eventually, and at 30, his peak years are unlikely to be around for too much longer.

In other news, some Reds supporters have been hailing one special talent at the club – read about who it is here.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte could make Inter Milan’s Alessandro Bastoni his top defensive target ahead of the summer transfer window, according to journalist Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Bastoni linked with Spurs

Despite his desire to bring one in during January, Tottenham failed to sign a central defender for Conte. As a result, the Italian has ended up employing left-back Ben Davies as a makeshift left-sided centre-back.

However, according to Spanish sources, Spurs are already in the process of bolstering their defensive options and have submitted a £42m bid for Bastoni.

Inter remain reluctant to sanction a sale, so the 23-year-old remains on a list with the likes of Sven Botman, Josko Gvardiol and Nico Schlotterbeck as potential additions (via The Athletic).

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The Latest: Jones’ claim on Bastoni

Jones believes that Conte will make a big push to sign Bastoni from his former club.

Speaking with GiveMeSport, the reporter claimed: “I think there’s a good chance that Bastoni will emerge as the guy.

“At this stage, I keep being told there is no order at the moment, that they’ll see at the end of the season where they’re at and they’ll go from there.

“They have a shortlist, but it’s not in any sort of ranking, as it stands.”

The Verdict: Great signing if it comes off

Described by journalist Mario Sconcerti as a “young Bonucci”, Bastoni is clearly valued quite highly in Italy. This praise is warranted by his underlying statistics – the 23-year-old ranks in the 99th percentile for progressive passes received, the 94th percentile for shot-creating actions and the 91th percentile for progressive carries (via FBRef) among positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues.

With Conte’s preferred back-three formation, Bastoni would suit playing on the left-hand side of the defence, with his ability on the ball complimenting this style of play.

Therefore, it would not be a surprise to see Conte make a big push for the Inter centre-back, who certainly seems like he would be an ideal signing in terms of what the Lilywhites boss is seeking in a defender.

In other news: One Tottenham man could lead a potential N17 mass exodus

After a torrid start to the New Year for Leeds, all Marcelo Bielsa was looking for over the past week and a half was some positive news.

A run of three straight defeats without a goal being scored sets the scene for Leeds at the moment but fortunately, they were handed a monumental boost to their chances of beating Newcastle on Monday.

In Bielsa’s pre-match press conference ahead of the clash, he confirmed that Leeds would have goalkeeper Illan Meslier back.

The news was confirmed by Adam Pope on Twitter who revealed the Leeds head coach told reporters that Meslier “has resolved his health issues.”

The French stopper hasn’t played for Leeds since the 3-0 defeat to Tottenham in their opening game of 2021.

Though, it will be a huge relief to have him back in the side this evening. That’s because they’ve been relying on the calamitous Kiko Casilla.

The Spaniard came into the team to play Crawley in the FA Cup a fortnight ago but he was absolutely disastrous between the sticks.

Casilla let Crawley’s first goal through his arms and then had an even bigger howler for the second. The shot was straight at the ‘keeper but it somehow squirmed underneath him and rolled past him into the net.

It was an error-stricken performance that cost Leeds their place in the FA Cup but given how his career at Elland Road has played out, it was hardly a surprise to see him full of mistakes.

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The Whites’ defence always looks someway short of confidence when Casilla plays so having Meslier to come back will be a huge bonus.

He has been excellent for Leeds this term and had a superb game against Burnley a few weeks ago. Meslier saved four attempts at goal and made a mighty five punches – the vast majority of which came late in the game when his team were under pressure.

The 20-year-old is one of the best young goalkeepers in the country and has made the sixth most saves of anyone in the Premier League this season.

It’s pretty evident why this change in the Leeds team will be game-changing for Bielsa. Meslier is far more assured than Casilla.

AND in other news, Leeds could end four-year-long problem with swoop for £25k-p/w beast…

The Athletic’s Derby County correspondent Ryan Conway participated in a discussion thread with Derby fans ahead of the Rams’ Championship clash with Rotherham United on Wednesday evening.

In this thread, the journalist was asked about the latest news concerning Sheikh Khaled bin Zayed Al Nehayan’s ongoing takeover attempt.

The Derby County takeover saga

This takeover received the EFL’s approval in November and two expected dates of completion for the deal have been muted, one in December and one in January, both of which have passed without the deal getting done.

Complications surrounding the takeover resulted in the Rams failing to pay some players’ wages for December on time, which in turn led to Derby being handed a transfer embargo for a portion of the January window.

Conway’s claim on the latest Rams takeover news

In response to this Rams fan who asked him for takeover news, Conway declared that: “It speaks volumes that nobody even bothered to ask about it in the last presser. I think even the journalists are starting to all believe it won’t happen now and think it’s a waste of time asking. The same answers get repeated.”

He went on to explain, with how long the deal has been dragging on for, that if there were a positive update, the club would make it known.

Transfer Tavern take

So, it may be fair to say that the journalist’s takeover comments certainly aren’t promising about the possibility that this deal will actually get over the line.

Perhaps that’s not a massive surprise, given that the takeover has failed to meet its expected date of completion twice and Sheikh Khaled has led failed takeover attempts of clubs like Liverpool and Newcastle United in the past.

The longer this deal drags on, as Conway indicated, the more likely it looks that Derby will join those two Premier League clubs as English sides who this Abu Dhabi royal family member has failed to take over.

In other news, many Derby fans were fuming over Duane Holmes’ departure.

Lee Ryder has shared some insight from sources close to the potential takeover of Newcastle United on a possible timescale for arbitration.

The Lowdown: Arbitration date set

A date has now been set for the pending arbitration case between the St. James’ Park faithful and the Premier League over the failed deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) group.

The hearing has been set for July on an expedited basis, with the top flight being granted an extension to respond to the North East club’s separate anti-competition lawsuit that has been launched against them.

The Latest: Possible arbitration timescale

Writing in his latest piece for The Chronicle, Ryder has shared that if there are no delays or roadblocks thrown down by PL chiefs, some close sources to the potential takeover feel that the arbitration case could take about three weeks.

It means that the Tyneside club will likely go into the new season with Ashley still as the owner, and the chief executive of Sports Direct will also be in charge of incomings and outgoings in the summer transfer window.

The Verdict: Timescale not ideal

If the arbitration hearing is likely to take as long as three weeks, then it is certainly not ideal going into the next campaign.

It means that the Magpies will have to be much more clever and careful with how much money that they spend in the window and how they spend it, whereas a completed takeover before the window would surely bring more freedom for Steve Bruce or any other manager.

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With fans proposed to come back into stadiums as well, there will be growing uncertainty and discontent that may translate onto the players on the pitch.

However, the Toon Army may not care how or when it happens so long as the takeover is completed.

In other news, find out what insight Mark Douglas has dropped on potential takeover investors here!

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith should urge the club to make a move for Rangers striker Alfredo Morelos amid Gabriel Agbonlahor’s claim.

What’s the story?

The Colombia international has recently suggested it would be his dream to move to the Premier League, and Agbonlahor has thrown Villa’s name into the equation about a possible landing spot for the forward.

Speaking to Football Insider, he said: “He could go to a number of clubs. I would love to see him at Aston Villa. I think he’s a great striker. Apart from the top four, five all the other clubs would have him.

“He’s quite quick, he’s a finisher, he’s aggressive, he works hard and he’d add a lot to all of those clubs.”

Gerrard called him “unplayable”

For Villa fans who perhaps may not have their eye on Scottish football as much, Morelos’ disciplinary issues may be the thing for which he’s best remembered – the 24-year-old has already picked up 43 yellow cards and seven red cards in 175 games for the Ibrox club.

While that may turn some off, the Colombian’s style of living on the edge but being a real livewire could be the kind of game-changer who really lights a fire under Villa up top.

Morelos has earned rave reviews for the way he goes about things, and there’s a discernible theme about how he can be a real “nightmare” for opposition defenders.

Former Celtic striker John Hartson said: “He divides opinion, he’s a little bit unpredictable, but he’s a nuisance and he gets you goals. He’s the type of player who backs in, he’s strong. He’d be a nightmare to play against.”

Steven Gerrard, his manager at Ibrox, has waxed lyrical about the kind of player the Colombian can be when his mind is right, saying: “When Alfredo is on his A-game, he can be unplayable and help this club to be successful. That’s what he needs to realise from a personal point of view. His A-game, on a regular basis, brings this club success.”

It’s exactly why Villa should be all over a move for the £10.8m-rated Morelos, especially when you consider that, aside from Ollie Watkins, there’s no real strength or quality in depth at centre-forward for Smith.

Meanwhile, Villa should unleash this 17 y/o who “everybody’s talking about”…