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According to a report by Italian news outlet FcInterNews, via Sport Witness, West Ham United have lodged a ‘serious proposal’ to sign free agent and former Premier League striker Graziano Pelle this month – with a suggestion that GSB talks are ‘advanced’. 

Pelle, who was apparently wanted in 2016 by former Hammers boss Slaven Bilic, is able to talk to clubs over the possibility of joining them as a free agent – with the former Italy international now without a club.

Pelle talks ‘advanced’

The 6 ft 4 powerhouse has emerged as a target for David Moyes in recent days, coming as his search for a striker to bolster his attacking options continues.

Reports have indicated that an extra forward option could be GSB’s priority for this month, especially considering the over-reliance on club record signing Sebastien Haller.

Michail Antonio’s injury worries have also prompted calls for the club to swoop for a new target man, and this update explains that the Irons have lodged a ‘serious’ proposal for Pelle as the answer.

There is a suggestion that talks are ‘advanced’ in an effort to acquire his signature, and he could be a sound outside option given his free agent status.

Transfer Tavern take

Likened to former Premier League star Robin Van Persie, Pelle has also been described as an ‘excellent’ striker by Juventus coach Antonio Conte.

Time will tell whether West Ham do land the 35-year-old, but despite his accolades, Moyes and GSB could have to be patient in seeing the very best of Pelle given he hasn’t played Premier League football since leaving Southampton for China in 2016.

In other news: ExWHUemployee says West Ham could swoop for this star ‘like Luis Suarez’, find out more here.

Steve Bruce must recall Paul Dummett to the Newcastle United starting line-up against Manchester City on Boxing Day should Federico Fernandez fail his late fitness test.

Dummett earned his campaign debut in last weekend’s draw with newly-promoted Fulham, but struggled to leave a glowing rendition at left-back in his return from an 11-month injury lay off.

The Wales international could prove to be Bruce’s defensive answer this time around, however, with the Toon potentially without Fernandez after the Argentine was forced off at half-time in the Cottagers contest after showing signs of chronic fatigue.

According to The Northern Echo, Bruce linked Fernandez’s struggles to the recent outbreak of coronavirus in the Newcastle camp, but is hopeful the 31-year-old will be fit to face Pep Guardiola’s side at the Etihad Stadium.

Fernandez has started all 12 of his Premier League appearances thus far this season, and has proven a pivotal aspect of the Magpies’ backline with a team-high 64 clearances and having blocked 19 shots, per SofaScore.

Yet Bruce would be taking a vast gamble away to the Sky Blues were he to field an unfit Fernandez, and must ere on the side of caution and favour Dummett at centre-half should he have any lingering concerns over the former Swansea City star’s fitness levels.

Bruce is eager to return Isaac Hayden to his natural midfield role after calling on the Arsenal product to occasionally play at centre-half lately, which Dummett’s inclusion would allow for.

“I sincerely hope we’ll have a few back, certainly in the defensive areas, which then leads to putting midfield players in their right positions,” Bruce said. “It’s been very difficult for the last week or ten days.”

Hayden impressed in the heart of Newcastle’s back-four during their Carabao Cup loss to Championship side Brentford on Tuesday night, but would be far more influential should he return to the midfield line.

Dummett, meanwhile, made 12 of his 16 Premier League outings at centre-half last term prior to sustaining a season-ending hamstring injury in January, in which he provided 1.8 successful tackles from 2.1 attempts per game, plus 1.8 interceptions, 4.5 clearances and 2.0 aerial duels won from 3.9 contests, per WhoScored.

It remains to be seen if the £35,000-per-week defender can return to those levels, but Bruce must unleash Dummett on Manchester City over fielding Hayden at centre-half should Fernandez be unavailable.

AND in other news, an £11m-rated Newcastle star betrayed Steve Bruce with an invisible display at Brentford.

أعلن المدرب الأرجنتيني، ليونيل سكالوني، المدير الفني لمنتخب الأرجنتين، تشكيل فريقه الرسمي لمباراة أورجواي، في تصفيات قارة أمريكا الجنوبية المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2022 في قطر.

الأرجنتين تواجه أوروجواي، على ملعب “كامبيون ديل سيجلو”، وذلك ضمن لقاءات الجولة الثالثة عشر من مباريات التصفيات.

اقرأ أيضًا.. لاعب باريس سان جيرمان السابق ينتقد ميسي: لا أفهم قراره

ولم يتواجد في تشكيل التانجو، قائد منتخب الأرجنتين، ليونيل ميسي، وذلك رغم تعافيه من الإصابة التي تعرض لها مع باريس سان جيرمان.

وتدخل الأرجنتين المباراة في وصافة الترتيب برصيد 25 نقطة، خلف البرازيل، فيما تحتل أوروجواي المرتبة السادسة برصيد 16 نقطة. تشكيل الارجنتين ضد اوروجواي اليوم

حراسة المرمى: إيمي مارتينيز.

خط الدفاع: مولينا، روميرو، أوتاميندي، ماركوس أكونيا.

خط الوسط: دي ماريا، رودريجو دي بول، باريدس، لو سيلسو.

خط الهجوم: باولو ديبالا، لوتارو مارتينيز.

مقاعد بدلاء الأرجنتين

أرماني، خوان ميسو، مونتيل، نيكولاس تاجليافيكو، ليونيل ميسي، مارتينيز، بالاسيوس، لوكاس مارتينيز، أليخاندرو جوميز، ألفاريز، خواكين كوريا، آنخيل كوريا.

🏆 #Eliminatorias 📋 ¡Once inicial confirmado! ⚽

Así formará @Argentina 🇦🇷 para el encuentro ante #Uruguay 🇺🇾 pic.twitter.com/zHEXkymBwZ — Selección Argentina 🇦🇷 (@Argentina) November 12, 2021

اعترف المدير الرياضي السابق لنادي هامبورج، أوليفر كريوزر، المنافس في الوقت الحالي بدوري الدرجة الثانية في ألمانيا بأنه كان يهتم كثيرًا بضم جناح ليفربول ومنتخب مصر، محمد صلاح، في يناير 2014.

وارتبط نادي هامبورج الذي كان يلعب قبل 7 سنوات في الدوري الألماني بإمكانية التعاقد مع، محمد صلاح، في تقارير قد ظهرت عام 2018 ولكن الصفقة لم تنجح ولم يخرج أي مسئول للحديث.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تقارير: محمد صلاح الأوكراني على رادار ليفربول في يناير

لكن الآن، كسر كريوزر حاجز الصمت وعلق للمرة الأولى على الأمر وكشف أسباب فشل إتمام صفقة التعاقد مع، محمد صلاح في تصريحات لشبكة “Sport1” الألمانية: “كانت هناك محادثات مع وكيله في ذلك الوقت (ساشا أمباشر) وعبرنا عن اهتمامنا لتعاقد محتمل”.

وتابع: “جاء محمد صلاح إلى بازل من مصر في عام 2012، وهو نادٍ لطالما كنت مرتبطًا به في الماضي (كلاعب وكمدير رياضي) وما زالت علاقتي رائعة مع مسئوليه”.

وأضاف: “في ذلك الوقت، لم تكن الصفقة ممكنة لأن الوضع المالي في هامبورج لم يسمح بإتمامها ومن ناحية أخرى كانت هناك أندية منافسة أقوى منا ماليًا”.

وانتقل محمد صلاح في يناير 2014 إلى تشيلسي قادمًا من بازل بقيمة 16.5 مليون يورو ولكن لم يشارك كثيرًا مع البلوز لذلك حاول هامبورج مرة أخرى في وقت لاحق لضمه مرتين ولكن لم ينجح أيضًا من قبل خليفة كريوزر، ويدعى بيتر كنابيل.

According to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, West Ham have made an approach to sign Mykola Matvienko in this summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

The Shakhtar Donetsk defender was the subject of major interest from West Ham’s London rivals Arsenal back in January, with the Ukraine international’s agent even insisting that negotiations with the Gunners were already taking place.

The Greatest Bargains in Premier League history – How much did they cost?

World Class score: 95% | Expert score: 80% | Veteran score: 65% | Intermediate score: 45% | Amateur score: 30% | Try Again: 5%

However, that move failed to materialise, with Mikel Arteta’s side bringing in Pablo Mari from Flamengo. Now, speaking on The Ornstein and Chapman podcast, Ornstein has claimed West Ham have entered the running to sign Matvienko, and that a bid has already been made for the 24-year-old.

Shades of Rio Ferdinand

West Ham fans will know all about having one of European football’s premiere ball-playing centre-backs in their ranks, with Rio Ferdinand having come through the Hammers’ academy system.

Whilst Matvienko hasn’t reached the heights of the former Manchester United star just yet, his performances in the Champions League in particular have shown that he has got all the attributes and potential to make it very far in the game.

Despite seeing Shakhtar get knocked out early on in the Champions League last season, there was no question Matviyenko was one of the stand-out players for them. He averaged a very impressive 2.5 interceptions per game, which was only bettered by ten other players in the group stages.

Added to his fine reading of the game, the 24-year-old averaged 54.7 passes per match, boasting an accuracy of 88.7%. Matvienko proved that he hasn’t just been performing to a high level in Ukrainian football, but showing he can handle himself against some of the best strikers in Europe.

In fact, in Shakhtar’s excellent 1-1 draw away at Manchester City, the 6 foot lynch-pin essentially silenced Pep Guardiola’s side with a display of incredible composure. He made a quite remarkable six interceptions and seven clearances, whilst also creating one official big chance too. Matvienko led from the back, and made relatively light work of the likes of Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Kevin De Bruyne.

West Ham are on the right track by targeting the centre-back.

كشفت تقارير سعودية، عن اهتمام نادي أهلي جدة بالتعاقد مع التونسي حمدي النقاز، ظهر أيمن الزمالك، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

ويُعاني نادي الزمالك من أزمة قيد الصفقات الجديدة، ولذلك يبحث مسؤولو القلعة البيضاء عن تسويق اللاعبين الجدد ومن بينهم حمدي النقاز، على سبيل الإعارة خارجيًا أو داخليًا هذا الموسم حتى يتم حل المشكلة.

طالع أيضا.. بطولات يوضح.. مصير صفقات الزمالك الجديدة بعد قرار تأييد منع القيد

وأكدت صحيفة “الوطن” السعودية، أن إدارة أهلي جدة تبحث عن بديل للاعب الصربي فيجسا، مشيرة إلى أن الإدارة بالفعل تواصلت مع أكثر من لاعب خلال الفترة الماضية، ومن ضمنهم النقاز.

وأشارت الصحيفة إلى أن الظهير التونسي قد يكون بديلاً لـ فيجسا، وسيتم قيده خارج فترة التسجيل، نظرًا لتعرض اللاعب الصربي لإصابة مزمنة، ووفقا للوائح السعودية فإنه يُسمح باستبدال اللاعب المصاب الذي تطول فترة علاجه بلاعب آخر خارج فترات التسجيل، إذا أثبتت التقارير الطبية ذلك.

وتسعى إدارة أهلي جدة إلى ترميم الفريق الأول بالعناصر التي يحتاجها، وتجهيز متطلبات الفترة الشتوية التي ستشهد تغييرات عديدة، لما يحتاجه الفريق، خاصة بعدما تم تجديد الثقة في المدرب الألباني بينسيك هاسي، والمدير التنفيذي لكرة القدم، موسى المحياني، من قبل رئيس النادي ماجد النفيعي.

Manchester City have had an official bid of £41million accepted for Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake.

The former Premier League champions have already started their spending for the summer window by potentially giving the Dutchman a one-way ticket out of the Championship. However, Chelsea have the power to rain on Pep Guardiola’s parade due to a clause inserted into Ake’s deal when he left Stamford Bridge in 2017 (via talkSPORT).

According to the update, part of the defender’s move to Bournemouth included allowing Chelsea to consider re-signing him before he moved to a new club. With Man City and the Cherries agreed on a £41m deal, they must first give Frank Lampard and Co the option to match the offer.

Therefore, Ake will not officially become part of Guardiola’s squad until Chelsea decide whether they want to bring their former man back to Stamford Bridge.

There’s a good chance Lampard may see a future in West London for the Dutch international, who spent four years as a Chelsea player but spent three seasons on loan with multiple clubs (via Transfermarkt).

The Blues are looking to strengthen their defensive options ahead of next season and Ake could be an attractive target to Lampard who hasn’t settled on a centre-back partnership this term. The 42-year-old has chopped and changed the heart of his defence throughout the 2019/20 season, with no particular combination seeming to impress him.

Ake of course left Chelsea before Lampard’s tenure, so the former Blue could be interested in bringing him back to the Bridge and getting him involved in his exciting West London project.

Do you think Chelsea should re-sign Nathan Ake? Have your say in the comments below…

Manchester City are set to welcome back injury-ravaged duo Aymeric Laporte and Leroy Sane when the Premier League returns next week.

As per Manchester Evening News, the French defender, who missed several months with a knee injury earlier in the season, limped out of the Champions League win over Real Madrid in late February with a hamstring problem but is available to face Arsenal next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the German winger could be set for his first senior game in more than 10 months after overcoming an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture incurred last August – coincidentally, he made a tentative comeback in an under-23 fixture against the Gunners in the same week that Laporte got injured at the Bernabeu.

A sparsity of centre-backs in Pep Guardiola’s senior squad has seen Fernandinho moved into that role from his usual midfield position throughout the season, while neither Nicolas Otamendi nor John Stones has been overly convincing.

Laporte’s return would enable the manager to pick the player with the most interceptions per game (1.9) among the squad, as well as having an accomplished distributor of possession at the heart of Manchester City’s defence, with the 26-year-old boasting a 92.1% passing success rate. [via WhoScored]

Meanwhile, Sane’s return will allow Guardiola to call upon a player who hit 30 goals in the previous two seasons prior to his ACL injury, along with providing 37 assists. It could also inject fresh competition for fellow left winger Raheem Sterling, who began the 2019/20 campaign in scintillating fashion but has not scored this side of New Year’s Day (as per TransferMarkt).

With both Sane and Laporte in the team for the majority of last season, Manchester City were the Premier League’s highest scorers with 95 goals and had its second best defence in leaking just 23 goals (as per TransferMarkt).

This time around, with that duo missing almost all of the season, the champions have scored 68 times and conceded 31 in 28 league games so far. Preservation of those averages would see them end the season with 92 goals scored and 42 conceded.

The return of Sane should sharpen their attack, while Laporte being back certainly ought to bolster their defence ahead of the visit of Arsenal next week.

Man City fans, how big a boost will it be to have Sane and Laporte back in the squad for the Arsenal game? Comment below with your views!

Steven Gerrard has said that Filip Helander’s return from injury at Glasgow Rangers will be like a new signing.

The Sweden international was an important part of the Gers squad at the start of the previous campaign after signing from Bologna last summer for £3.5m. However, he unfortunately suffered a serious foot injury that kept him out of the action from December until the term was prematurely ended in May.

Now, he has recovered from that issue, and Gerrard has underlined how important his return will be to the side. He told Rangers TV (via The Scottish Sun):

“Filip has come back in great shape but he still needs to get football fitness.

“He is a leader in how he goes about things and that will feel like a new signing as he was sorely missed.

“From Christmas onwards, we missed his experience and leadership.

“We want to improve that area and stop individual mistakes and sloppy goals. Fil will help us.”

All in all, Helander managed 17 appearances during his first campaign at Ibrox. Impressively, the 54-time Scottish champions conceded just four goals in the eight league matches he started, compared to 15 in 21 without him. With experience at Bologna and Hellas Verona in Serie A, he should become a vital member of Gerrard’s side if he can stay fit.

Let us know what you think below!

Referees aren’t just the guys in the middle of the pitch making sure the rules are being followed anymore, now they’re almost just as talked about as the players themselves.

Nine times out of ten they’re making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Whether it’s a dodgy penalty, missed handball, a goal kick given instead of a corner, and more recently, VAR and goalline technology mishaps, referees all around the world are now well-known names amongst the fans.

As a result, many are accused of favouring certain clubs over others and some have built reputations for being either no-nonsense or just a soft touch. Whether it’s Mike Dean or Michael Oliver, fans will have their opinions on them, mostly without much substantiation other than the fact they made one or two mad decisions that went against their team once upon a time.

Judging referees is a football fans’ favourite pastime in modern football, but do the stats back up the opinions? Well, TOFFS have recently completed a very interesting referee report that will completely change some fans’ opinions on the most recognised referees in the Premier League.

Click through the gallery to see what clubs are favoured more by certain referees, and those who should always dread having a specific man in the middle the next time they play…

Arsenal

Over the last decade, Mike Jones is the referee who has overseen the highest Arsenal win percentage (80%) when refereeing games involving the Gunners, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (22.22%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Arsenal matches in the Premier League with 2.67, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Arsenal players than anyone else.

Aston Villa

Lee Probert is Aston Villa’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years with a win percentage 42.86%, while Phil Dowd only ever refereed one Aston Villa victory during his career in the middle!

Mark Clattenburg has shown more cards to Villa players in the Premier League than any other referee, while Neil Swarbrick’s average of 2.13 cards-per-game is the highest ratio where Villa matches are concerned.

Bournemouth

Bournemouth fans will be hoping to see more of Kevin Friend in the near future, with the referee officially being the Cherries’ luckiest referee.

That said, Friend also loves to show Bournemouth players cards!

Bournemouth’s unluckiest referee is Lee Mason, who has only overseen one Bournemouth victory from the 12 games involving the club in which he has refereed.

Brighton

John Moss is the referee Brighton fans will not want to see in the middle of their matches in future as the referee has never been involved in a Seagulls victory from six Premier League matches.

But Craig Pawson is Brighton’s luckiest, ref, with a 50% win percentage!

John Moss also holds the record for the highest cards-per-game average for Brighton with 2.67 while Chris Kavanagh is the referee who has shown Brighton the most cards in the Premier League – 20!

Burnley

Martin Atkinson dominates the rankings here for Burnley.

He’s not only Burnley’s luckiest ref with a win percentage of 55% from 20 matches involving the Clarets, but he’s also the man who has shown more cards to their players than any other referee over the last 10 years in the top-flight – 45 yellows and 1 red, averaging 2.3 cards-per-game.

Burnley will dread seeing Michael Oliver appear in the middle of the park for their matches in future, as the ref has only see Burnley win once from 12 games he’s been involved in.

Chelsea

Over the last decade in the Premier League, Neil Swarbrick has been Chelsea’s luckiest referee with a win percentage of 83.33% from 12 games.

While Kevin Friend is the ref who has the lowest win percentage for Chelsea – 45%.

Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Chelsea players over the last 10 years (88), while Anthony Taylor has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.23.

Crystal Palace

Lee Mason is Crystal Palace’s luckiest referee with a 50% win percentage from the 12 Eagles matches he’s refereed. Kevin Friend is their unluckiest, having been in charge of one Crystal Palace victory in 13.

John Moss is the man who seems to love showing Palace players cards, having dished out 52 to Eagles stars with an average of 2.26 per-match.

Everton

Everton’s favourite referee over the last 10 years is Paul Tierney, who has a win percentage of 60%. Then man in the middle they’ll dread seeing in future is Craig Pawson, who has reffed three Toffees victories out of a possible 15!

Michael Oliver has dished out the most cards to Everton players over the last decade with 53, but Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game average with 2.2.

Leicester City

Anthony Taylor has overseen the highest win percentage for Leicester City over the last decade, with 53.33%. Martin Atkinson is the Foxes’ unluckiest ref with a win percentage of just under 19%.

Mike Dean is the man who loves showing Leicester players a card the most, with 37 cards shown in 21 games, but Chris Kavanagh is the most card happy where Foxes players are concerned – he averages 2.27 cards-per-game.

Liverpool

Liverpool’s luckiest referee over the last 10 years is Lee Probert, who has reffed a Reds victory in almost 77% of the 13 games he’s been involved in.

Howard Webb is Liverpool’s unluckiest referee, so Reds fans will be delighted that he’s no retired.

Martin Atkinson is the man in the middle who loves giving Liverpool players cards the most – he’s handed Reds players a whopping 71 cards in the 44 games he’s been involved in.

Manchester City

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Man City win percentage (90%) when refereeing games involving City, while Mark Clattenburg has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Chris Foy has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Man City matches in the Premier League with 2.12, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Man City players than anyone else.

Manchester United

Over the last decade, Lee Probert is the referee who has overseen the highest Manchester United win percentage (75%) when refereeing games involving the Red Devils, while Michael Oliver has the lowest win percentage (39.29%).

As for cards, Mike Dean leads way for cards in Man United matches. He’s dished out 96 cards at an average of 2.34 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Newcastle United

Over the last decade, Chris Foy is the referee who has overseen the highest Newcastle win percentage (47.37%) when refereeing games involving the Magpies, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Howard Webb has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Newcastle matches in the Premier League with 2.34, although Andre Marriner has dished out more cards to Newcastle players than anyone else.

Norwich City

Over the last decade, Howard Webb is the referee who has overseen the highest Norwich win percentage (55.56%) when refereeing games involving the Canaries, while Mike Jones has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Kevin Friend leads way for cards in Norwich matches. He’s dished out 29 cards at an average of 2.23 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.

Sheffield United

Andrew Madley, Jon Moss, Peter Bankes and Robert Jones have all refereed a Sheffield United win in the one and only game they’ve overseen involving Chris Wilder’s side.

Lee Mason, Mike Dean and Simon Hooper are all among the most card-happy referees in games involving the Blades.

Southampton

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest Southampton win percentage (57.14%) when refereeing games involving the Saints, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (0%).

As for cards, Bobby Madley has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Southampton matches in the Premier League with 2.3, although John Moss has dished out more cards to Saints players than anyone else.

Tottenham

Over the last decade, Neil Swarbrick is the referee who has overseen the highest Tottenham win percentage (81.82%) when refereeing games involving Spurs, while Lee Probert has the lowest win percentage (25%).

As for cards, Craig Pawson has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Tottenham matches in the Premier League with 2.4, although Mike Dean has dished out more cards to Spurs players than anyone else.

Watford

Over the last decade, Roger East is the referee who has overseen the highest Watford win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Hornets, while Martin Atkinson has the lowest win percentage (16.67%).

As for cards, Mike Dean has the highest cards-per-game ratio for Watford matches in the Premier League with 2.64, although Anthony Taylor has dished out more cards to Watford players than anyone else.

West Ham United

Over the last decade, Martin Atkinson is the referee who has overseen the highest West Ham win percentage (41.94%) when refereeing games involving the Hammers, while Phil Dowd has the lowest win percentage (7.14%).

As for cards, Neil Swarbrick has the highest cards-per-game ratio for West Ham matches in the Premier League with 2.21, although Martin Atkinson has dished out more cards to Hammers players than anyone else – 65!

Wolves

Over the last decade, Phil Dowd is the referee who has overseen the highest Wolves win percentage (50%) when refereeing games involving the Molineux club, while Peter Walton has the lowest win percentage (11.11%).

As for cards, Stuart Attwell leads way for cards in Wolves matches. He’s dished out 38 cards at an average of 2.92 cards-per-game – more than any other referee over the last 10 years.