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West Ham United know that four points from their final two matches of the 2020/21 Premier League season will secure them a place in Europe, and there won’t be a better time to pick up three of them than this evening.

The Irons head north to face former manager Sam Allardyce and his already-relegated West Brom side at the Hawthorns.

David Moyes will certainly need to see an improvement, with his side faltering in recent weeks having won just one of their last five matches in the top-flight.

In that run, the Hammers have struggled to find the goalscoring touch that saw them mount a serious challenge at the top-four, so some changes in attack would not come as a surprise.

One name that should be facing an axe from Moyes’ starting XI is Jarrod Bowen, who hugely disappointed in the draw over Brighton and Hove Albion.

Not only did he struggle to make much of an impact, recording only ten passes in 64 minutes on the pitch but he also failed to provide an accurate cross for Michail Antonio, couldn’t manage a successful dribble and did not register a single shot, as per SofaScore.

The 24-year-old dynamo usually averages just shy of one dribble each outing, as well as 1.5 shots per game, so evidently, he was way below his best on the south coast on Saturday night.

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His replacement, Said Benrahma, came on and bagged the vital equaliser, only further proving why a switch on the wing could be an easy decision to make right now.

Bowen, who is currently valued at £27m by Transfermarkt, has now gone four straight league games without a goal contribution, which will come as a major concern considering he scored three and assisted two in the four games prior to this barren spell.

He should be doing a lot better, especially as he’s amongst Moyes’ highest-earners on a reported £60k-per-week.

Earlier in the campaign, Bowen drew glowing praise from many across football – Gabby Agbonlahor described him as “quality” and “outstanding” to Football Insider, whilst Gary Neville told Sky Sports (21st December, 19:56) that he is “brilliant to watch.”

However, there have been lingering concerns about one aspect of his game, as Kevin Phillips suggested to Football Insider.

“In possession, he’s great. But ultimately out of possession, you’ve got to know your positions, you’ve got to know when to press, you’ve got to know where to show someone and where not to show them,” he said. “If you don’t get it quite right at this level, you get punished. It’s no surprise because he’s more of an offensive player, defending’s not his main duty. But we all know that nowadays you’ve got to be able to do both.”

Bowen has underperformed in recent matches and failed to make a point during his 64 minutes against Brighton.

Moyes must show no mercy and ruthlessly axe him from his starting XI tonight.

AND in other news, Sullivan must seal bargain West Ham swoop for 11-goal beast who’s “like Didier Drogba”…

Make no mistake about it, Leeds United’s 2-1 triumph against Manchester City in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon was one of their greatest results of the modern era.

Marcelo Bielsa’s side have been involved in some eye-catching games against the Premier League’s elite this season, including the reverse fixture at Elland Road which ended 1-1.

After initially taking the lead through Stuart Dallas, and then seeing Liam Cooper sent off in controversial fashion, the Whites managed to seal all three points in the dying moments of the game thanks to their Northern Irish ace.

While Dallas will no doubt take the headlines for his match-winning brace, spare a thought for Gjanni Alioski, who put in a superb shift at left-back.

Ahead of the game, there were serious doubts about just how well he would do coming up against Pep Guardiola’s much-vaunted City side, and even here on Football FanCast, there were calls for him to be dropped from the starting line-up.

However, to his immense credit, the £15,000-a-week earning stuck to his task diligently and produced the kind of impressive display which will have sent Bielsa huge message about whether he could still be a decent performer at this level. His contract at Elland Road comes to an end this summer, and reports have even suggested that Turkish giants Galatasaray have him offered him a deal.

Alioski was at his best today, showing some defensive discipline to try and handle City’s outstanding right-flank of Ferran Torres and Joao Cancelo – the latter being one of the top full-backs of this season with two goals and five assists to his name.

Stopping them was no easy task, but Alioski was strong in the tackle and didn’t take too many unnecessary risks with the ball. As per Sofascore, his tally of three tackles were the second-most of any Leeds player on the day, while his five clearances were the highest bar none.

The left-back didn’t shirk any of the 50/50s either, winning nine of his 17 total duels – that figure was the highest of any player on both sides.

Alioski was also crucial in Dallas’ winner of course, providing a superb pass for the 29-year-old to run onto and fire home past Ederson in the City net.

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While one game certainly doesn’t make a player, Alioski’s superb performance away at the Premier League’s runaway leaders has surely given Bielsa some food for thought about his future at Elland Road.

Meanwhile, Leeds could reach a new level by signing this Premier League star…

Steve Bruce will hope he can guide Newcastle United back to winning ways and forget the dismal defeat to Brighton when Tottenham Hotspur visit St James’ Park on Sunday.

However, the Toon are set to be without Callum Wilson as their 10-goal top scorer continues his recovery from a hamstring injury, but Allan Saint-Maximin could be available after a three-game lay-off with a groin issue.

Newcastle have failed to win any of the six games that Wilson has missed since being forced off during the 3-2 win over Southampton in February to now sit just two points above the drop zone.

With that in mind, here’s a potential line-up that Bruce may field against Jose Mourinho’s Spurs, who will be striving to make ground in the race for Champions League qualification, and we anticipate two changes from the team which was thumped 3-0 at Brighton last time out.

Bruce entered the weekend with a number of minor injury concerns following the international break, but was dealt a huge blow before the pause in domestic fixtures with Isaac Hayden ruled out for the rest of the season with a significant knee injury.

Jeff Hendrick will hope he can capitalise on the Englishman’s misfortune, having replaced Hayden against Brighton to make his 19th league appearance of the campaign, but should be overlooked in favour of a recall for Matty Longstaff.

The academy graduate was omitted from the matchday squad at the Amex Stadium for the sixth time in Newcastle’s last seven games and has not played since January’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.

Bruce’s decision to overlook Longstaff has caught some of his Newcastle teammates by surprise given that the 21-year-old is fully fit, and he should look to change perceptions with a recall as the midfielder can hold his own against the best and rarely shies away from a challenge.

Bruce will be expected to recall Saint-Maximin to the starting line-up for the first time since drawing 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers in February, at the likely expense of Ryan Fraser despite the Scotland winger earning his nation a vital point against Israel recently with a neat finish.

“He [Saint-Maximin] could be, yeah,” Bruce said on Friday. “We’ve still got two days to train, today and tomorrow, but he came through a big training session 48 hours ago, so we hope he’s a bit more advanced than Callum is. We hope he can play some part.”

Bruce has previously lauded Saint-Maximin for what he brings to the United line-up, as the Toon “looked a threat” when playing on the counter-attack thanks to the Frenchman’s “blistering pace”.

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Newcastle being without Wilson will likely see Joelinton retain his place alongside Saint-Maximin in the split-striker system Bruce currently favours, given the manager’s glowing endorsement of the Brazilian’s recent efforts.

“I thought Joelinton, arguably, had his best game in a Newcastle shirt. I thought he was terrific on the night,” Bruce said, via quotes by Chronicle Live, in relation to the striker’s performance against Aston Villa last month.

“But, of course, a striker has to top it off by scoring a goal. He understands that, but his overall performance was very, very good. I thought he led the line very, very well.”

Newcastle also have concerns in goal with Martin Dubravka returning from international duty having missed two of Slovakia’s three World Cup qualifiers through illness, although Bruce doubts that the 32-year-old will miss Sunday’s clash with Spurs.

“Martin hasn’t been very well, but we expect him to be OK,” Bruce noted on Friday. “We expect him in for training today and we’ll have a chat with him to see how he feels, but we think he’ll be OK.”

Bruce will be expected to name an unchanged defence of Paul Dummett, Ciaran Clark, Jamaal Lascelles and Javier Manquillo against Mourinho’s north London natives, with Jonjo Shelvey, Joe Willock and Miguel Almiron joining whoever replaces Hayden in midfield.

AND in other news, Newcastle could save at least £8.5m by unleashing a £38k-p/w “life-saver” next season…

علق الأرجنتيني هكيتور كوبر مدرب مصر السابق والكونغو الحالي، على خروج منتخب الجزائر من بطولة كأس الأمم الإفريقية المقامة حالياً بالكاميرون.

الجزائر ودعت بطولة أمم إفريقيا، من دور المجموعات بعدما احتلت المركز الرابع في ترتيب المجموعة برصيد نقطة واحدة، بعد أن تلقت الهزيمة في غينيا الاستوائية وكوت ديفوار والتعادل مع سيراليون.

طالع | فيديو | صدمة.. أبو تريكة يعلق على خروج الجزائر من كأس أمم إفريقيا

وقال كوبر خلال تصريحات لبرنامج “اللعيب” على قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “كانت مفاجأة بالنسبة لنا كلنا خروج منتخب الجزائر من كأس أمم إفريقيا، كنت أرشحها للفوز باللقب”.

وأضاف: “منتخب الجزائر لم يعجبني، كان هناك مفاجآت في البطولة ولكن ما حدث مع الجزائر أدهشني ولا أصدق أنه ودع البطولة”.

وعن منتخب مصر، أوضح: “أعتقد أن كيروش لن يغير من طريقة لعبه عن ما شاهدته من قبل، في المباراة المقبلة أمام كوت ديفوار”.

وتابع: “هي مواجهة ستكون صعبة أمام منتخب صعب، وأتمني أن كيروش يحاول أن يحسن من طريقة لعبه بعض الشيء”.

وأتم: “إذا كنت مدربا لمنتخب مصر سألعب بطريقة 4-4-2، مع كامل احترامي لكيروش، هذه الطريقة ستكون هناك تغطية أفضل داخل الملعب لأن هناك بعض المشاكل داخل صفوف الفراعنة”.

منتخب مصر سيواجه كوت ديفوار يوم الأربعاء المقبل، في إطار دور الـ 16 من منافسات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

West Ham United had to settle for a share of the spoils after throwing away a three-goal lead against Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

David Moyes will surely be fuming with his side’s collapse in the second half and centre to all that was struggling left-back Aaron Cresswell, who was constantly exposed throughout the 90 minutes he was on the pitch.

The Hammers romped to a 3-0 lead in a 17-minute spell, with goals coming from Jesse Lingard, Jarrod Bowen and Thomas Soucek, but they had their backs against the wall for large spells as the Gunners dominated with 64% possession.

Irons forward Michail Antonio had a golden opportunity to put the game to bed at 3-2, late in the second half but he saw his close-range attempt cannon off the post. He perhaps should have done better with it, though you can forgive that moment considering he provided two assists.

Strangely, the 30-year-old took pelters on social media from some supporters – one fan labelled him a “donkey” soon after missing that chance, whilst others branded his display “terrible” and “shocking.”

He was far from the problem.

Arsenal were hugely dominant on their right flank, with right-back Calum Chambers regularly getting up the pitch to contribute. The Sky Sports ‘Man of the Match’ managed to attempt a whopping eight crosses, one of which resulted in Craig Dawson’s embarrassing own goal, and this was because Cresswell could not contain him.

Similarly, Nicolas Pepe got the better of him before providing the assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s equaliser late on.

Indeed, only Dawson (6.1) was graded worse than Cresswell (6.4) as per SofaScore ratings, and it’s easy to see why.

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The 31-year-old, now valued at €10m (£8.5m), was so weak in his battles, winning only one of his six duels (16%) up against the aforementioned visiting players.

When Cresswell did engage with them, his best option was to bring them down to concede two fouls, which would only go onto invite further pressure on the backline. An unnecessary thing to do when trying to hold out the lead.

It got so bad in the second half that Moyes brought on Ryan Fredericks so that there was another body to help out at the back though within three minutes of his arrival, the game was all-square and that was largely down to the clear weakness at left-back.

Tom Clark, football.london’s Irons reporter, thought the £55k-per-week ace was easily West Ham’s worst player. He rated him a 4/10, and claimed:

‘Difficult second half for the left-back with a lot of Arsenal play coming down his wing including all three Arsenal goals.’

As he mentions, all three of their goals came from his side and that only goes to show how poorly he struggled on the afternoon.

Cresswell badly let Moyes down with his display, and as bad a miss it was from Antonio, he had no fault to play in them conceding three goals when holding a 3-0 lead.

AND in other news, Get it done: Moyes should urge WHU move for wild card worth £14.5m less than last year…

أكد مهاجم منتخب نيجيريا تايوو أونيي أنهم لا يشعرون بأي خوف من مواجهة محمد صلاح، عند ملاقاة منتخب مصر في إطار منافسات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

ويتواجد منتخب نيجيري في المجموعة الرابعة في البطولة الإفريقية، رفقة مصر، غينيا بيساو والسودان.

ويلتقي منتخب نيجيريا يوم الثلاثاء المقبل مع منتخب مصر في إطار منافسات الجولة الأولى من دور المجموعات.

وقال تايوو أونيي في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “thisdaylive” الإنجليزية: “لدينا ويلفريد نديدي وكيليشي إيهيناتشو وأحمد موسى، لدينا لاعبين من العيار نفسه، أعتقد أن المنتخب الوطني هو فريق يجب أن نفخر به”.

وأضاف لاعب ليفربول السابق: “مع الاحترام الواجب لـ محمد صلاح، أعتقد أننا أفراد يتمتعون أيضًا بموهبة كبيرة ويجب أن نكون مستعدين لمواجهة تحدي كأس الأمم الأفريقية”.

اقرأ أيضًا | رسميًا.. كاف يعلن سعة الملاعب في كأس أمم إفريقيا

وواصل لاعب يونيون برلين: “ما يمكننا القيام به لأنفسنا هو أن نأخذ كل مباراة كما تأتي وأن نكون مستعدين للقتال من أجل بلادنا”.

المهاجم البالغ من العمر 24 عامًا، لخص انضمامه المفاجئ إلى منتخب نيجيريا في تلك البطولة باعتباره شرفًا وامتيازًا، وقال إنه يشعر بالفخر والسعادة لكونه في الفريق.

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly considering a move for Napoli centre-back Nikola Maksimovic and if he were to join the North London club, he could be an upgrade on Eric Dier.

According to Italian news outlet Spazio Napoli (via FourFourTwo), Jose Mourinho is keeping tabs on the Serbian defender, who is out of contract at the end of this season.

Spurs could even complete a cut-price deal for 29-year-old this month, although they are currently free to begin negotiations with Maksimovic with the view to signing him on a free transfer in the summer.

Mourinho’s side struggled from a defensive point of view in their defeat against Liverpool on Thursday night, with both Dier and young Joe Rodon making mistakes that led to goals, which suggests that defensive additions are necessary if the Portuguese manager does want to challenge for the title this season, or next.

Maksimovic could represent a cheap, experienced option, as he has managed 86 appearances for Napoli in his career thus far, including plenty of appearances in the Europa League and Champions League.

The Serbian’s performances in Serie A this season have earned him a 6.69 average rating, although he has been limited to just five starts, whilst Dier has averaged a 6.73 rating in the Premier League from 18 starts.

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However, when given a consistent run of games in the Europa League, the Napoli centre-back has averaged a stronger 6.89 rating for his performances.

Maksimovic also scores much higher when it comes to passing when compared with Dier, registering a 94.8% pass success rate in Italy’s top-flight, whereas Dier has managed a much lower 82.2% pass accuracy on average.

The Serbian has also managed more tackles, more interceptions and fewer fouls on average than the England international, which suggests that he would be a strong addition to Mourinho’s squad.

Therefore, if Daniel Levy can complete a bargain deal for the 6 ft 4 centre-back this month, he could be the man to replace Dier in this Tottenham side, which based on recent performances from the former Sporting Lisbon man, can only be a good thing.

And, in other news… Forget Di Maria: Levy can sign Jose a goalscoring winger and he won’t cost a penny

David Moyes could sign West Ham United’s next Jermain Defoe with a late January swoop for FC Girondins de Bordeaux striker Josh Maja amid rumoured negotiations with his Ligue 1 side.

What’s the word?

According to L’Equipe, via GFFN, the Hammers have reached out to Bordeaux chiefs to sound out the possibility of Maja leaving the Matmut Atlantique in the final days of the winter market.

The 22-year-old has fallen out of favour under Jean Louis Gasset with Hwang Ui Jo now seen as the Girondins’ undoubted first-choice, sparking a keen awareness to his situation at West Ham and West Bromwich Albion as Moyes and Sam Allardyce strive to bolster their options.

West Ham’s interest in Maja’s situation has also previously been touted by talkSPORT, who claimed the London Stadium natives turned their attention to the Sunderland product after seeing a £27m bid for Sevilla star Youssef En-Nesyri turned down.

Maja is noted to be a much cheaper option and may be keen to explore a return to England by reuniting with Moyes, after the Scot gifted the £6m-rated striker his Black Cats debut in an EFL Cup tie with Queens Park Rangers in 2016.

His cameo appearance in the 2-1 win proved to be his only outing under Moyes for the Stadium of Light natives, while going on to score 17 goals in 48 further first-team appearances before sealing a £1.5m move to Bordeaux in January 2019.

The London-born, Nigeria international has started 11 of his 17 Ligue 1 appearances this term, scoring twice, after a potential move to Rangers in the previous transfer window failed to materialise.

West Ham’s next Defoe

Moyes urging the GSB ownership to do whatever it takes to sign Maja in the final days of the January transfer window, amid his search for a Sebastien Haller replacement, could see the former Manchester United boss secure the Irons their next Defoe.

Defoe is known to be a big admirer of Maja following his time playing with the 5 ft 11 striker at Sunderland, and often offered the £13,000-per-week forward advice in training to help the Black Cats product improve his finishing and ability to deceive goalkeepers.

Defoe further backed Maja to be the future of the Stadium of Light natives beside fellow up-and-comer Joel Asoro, now owned by Swansea City, as Maja was proving to be rare breed for his ability to make an impact despite not being blessed with blistering speed.

“Josh is a quick thinker and if you’re that fast upstairs you don’t need anything else,” Defoe told SAFC.com. “When he trained with the first-team, he showed such great awareness – he knew when to pass it, had a great touch – and although he’s not got electric pace, he’s two steps ahead of everyone, which means he’s got an immediate advantage.

“Just look at [Andrea] Pirlo, has anyone ever seen him sprint? No, but he doesn’t lose the ball. The gift Josh has is rare and if he builds on it, the sky’s the limit.”

So far, Maja has been met with a ceiling to his potential at Bordeaux, scoring 11 goals in 48 games across all competitions since joining, but his untapped skill could see the one-time Nigeria international prove to be West Ham’s next Defoe.

The England icon joined West Ham in his youth, but the 5 ft 7 marksman’s tender age did not stop Defoe from scoring 10 goals in his first full Premier League season and going on to make 102 appearances for the east London outfit.

No doubt his words of wisdom helped Maja to develop, and a homecoming to the capital for the former Fulham, Crystal Palace and Manchester City trainee could provide West Ham with just what they are looking for in the January transfer window.

AND in other news, West Ham are working on a deal to sign a £13.5m-rated striker on loan…

According to a report by The Athletic, should Spurs and Dele Alli part ways in January, Jose Mourinho may want to add another attacker to his ranks. The report has tipped teenage sensation Gabriel Veron as a possible replacement for the Englishman. 

Veron, who is gaining European ‘admirers’ with his performances for Palmeiras on the South American continent, is currently touted as one of the most promising young talents in world football.

Alli is now being heavily touted with a move away, as this report claims inside sources are tipping him to move on – with Mourinho potentially wanting to find a replacement in January if that departure does come to fruition.

Veron an exciting option for Spurs

Veron is allegedly an ‘exciting option’ who could make the move mid-season, with his exploits in Brazil turning the heads of top European clubs.

Indeed, as per this update, a move for the 18-year-old could be something Spurs pursue depending on developments around Alli, with a recent report detailing just how promising the attacker could become.

Brazil Under-17 coach Guilherme Della lauded him a ‘master’, meanwhile Palmeiras Under-17 coach Artur Itiro knows his game inside and out.

Itiro, speaking to the Athletic, described the ‘unbelievable’ starlet as someone who can ‘unbalance opponents’ in the art of trickery – and Transfermarkt claim he is valued at around £22.5 million. 

Transfer Tavern take

Despite this being a heavy investment for a rising star, unproven in Europe’s toughest leagues, his potential and high ceiling tout the fee as a worthy price to pay.

Whether or not Tottenham do make a January move to replace Alli, depending on his future, remains to be seen – but Veron has emerged as an option for Spurs as the winter window looms.

In other news: Tottenham have been dealt a Son Heung-min setback, find out more here.

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo anunciou na manhã desta sexta-feira, em nota publicada em seu site oficial, a contratação do centroavante Jonathan Calleri. Ex-jogador do Boca Juniors, o atacante tem 22 anos e fica no clube até 30 de junho – com acordo para seguir até o final da Copa Libertadores da América (a decisão do torneio será em 27 de julho). Ele vinha treinando no clube desde a terça-feira.

Além da Libertadores, Calleri disputará o Campeonato Paulista com o São Paulo. Além disso, estará no clube ainda no início do Campeonato Brasileiro. O centroavante já está negociado com a Internazionale de Milão, da Itália, mas chegará ao clube italiano somente para a próxima temporada europeia.

Revelado pelo All Boys, da Argentina, Calleri estava no Boca Juniors desde 2014, conquistando um título do Campeonato Argentino e um da Copa da Argentina. Na última temporada, o centroavante marcou 15 gols, sendo o artilheiro do time.

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