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David Moyes is aiming to boost the attacking options at West Ham with a move for Strasbourg striker Habib Diallo in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That’s according to ESPN, who have reported that the Hammers are among the clubs who are looking at signing the player from the Ligue 1 outfit.

The 26-year-old cost Strasbourg in the region of £9m in 2020 and they will surely be looking at making a profit from the striker.

The Irons face competition from Brighton and Premier League returnees Nottingham Forest for his signature.

Moyes can land the next £100m talent

Moyes relied heavily on goalscoring contributions from his wingers in 2021/22, with Jarrod Bowen (18) and Said Benrahma (11) trying to take the pressure off sole centre-forward Michail Antonio, who netted 13 times.

There is no doubt that West Ham need another attacking option, especially in the number nine role, and Diallo fits the bill perfectly.

The Senegalese striker has scored 87 goals in his club career so far and his former Metz coach Vincent Hognun described him as having “every quality going”, so he could well be the player that the Hammers need.

If Moyes does manage to land the 26-year-old, he could well secure the next £100m talent, with Diallo being compared to Victor Osimhen on FBRef’s similar player model.

While the Nigerian has had almost double the number of shots compared to Diallo (91 to 50), the Senegal international has a higher shot on target percentage compared to the Napoli frontman (44% to 30.8%).

In terms of shot-creating actions, both players have broadly similar returns, with Diallo (1.93 per 90) and Osimhen (2.59 per 90) giving their team plenty of chances to score goals.

These figures show that Diallo is statistically similar to the Nigeria international, and Moyes could well land the next £100m talent and boost West Ham’s chances of achieving success next season if he can win the race for the Strasbourg predator’s signature.

AND in other news, West Ham eyeing deal for “exceptional” £35k-p/w monster, he’s the perfect Noble heir

Manchester United have been heavily linked with a move for Villarreal defender Pau Torres in recent months and if the Spaniard were to arrive at Old Trafford, it could be the perfect chance for Erik ten Hag to axe Harry Maguire.

Recent reports say that Torres’ move to Manchester is gathering pace, as the Red Devils target defensive reinforcements following a season which saw them concede 57 goals in the Premier League, more than the likes of Brighton, Brentford and relegated Burnley.

Although it is difficult to blame one man for United’s defensive horror shows, Maguire’s mistakes were often a serious cause for concern, with data suggesting that he held the unnecessary record of most errors leading to goals in the Premier League last season.

Therefore, if ten Hag wants to turn United into contenders again, then he arguably needs to axe the England international from his starting side next season.

Reports have already claimed that the new Dutch manager plans to strip the former Leicester City man of the captaincy at Old Trafford, while further reports suggest he could be out the door altogether.

That may be seen by many United fans as a step in the right direction, but a more reliable option than Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly needs to be brought in to partner Raphael Varane.

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Torres could be the ideal man after excelling in Spain for Villarreal in recent seasons. The 25-year-old made 33 appearances in La Liga last season for Unai Emery’s side, averaging a solid 6.86 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

He was also a regular as the Spaniards reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, so has plenty of experience playing at the elite level.

Former United man Owen Hargreaves was full of praise for the centre-back last season, saying:

“He’s a fantastic player. I’m quite surprised he’s still at Villarreal. English teams were looking at him.

“I think everyone was talking about Man United and even Real Madrid, I think his potential is literally that high.

“He’s got a fabulous left foot, he’s great in possession. A fantastic player so I don’t think he’ll be at Villarreal very long.”

Torres reportedly has a £56m release clause in his Villarreal contract and if United do decide to pay it and bring him to Old Trafford then you would expect him to be a regular starter.

That could be the catalyst for the club finally getting rid of Maguire for good.

And, in other news… Ten Hag must swoop for £56.5m-rated sensation, he’s got “no weaknesses”

Celtic were in scintillating form for the majority of their recent Premiership campaign in terms of the attacking power they showed on the pitch.

In their 38 league games, the Hoops found the net on 92 occasions, which ultimately led to Ange Postecoglou’s side lifting the league title.

To further highlight how impressive the Bhoys were in an attacking sense, 18 different players managed to get their names on the scoresheet during the triumphant top-flight campaign.

One man who ended up being a useful figure for Postecoglou in terms of scoring and creating goals was David Turnbull. In 42 appearances across all competitions, the midfielder found the net 10 times and delivered eight assists.

In his 25 league games, the Scotsman scored six goals and provided five assists, leaving him with more goal contributions than the likes of Matt O’Riley, Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor.

Now that the season has ended, Celtic and Postecoglou can turn their attention to the upcoming summer transfer window and getting prepared for the 2022/23 campaign.

In terms of potential incoming transfers, one man with whom the Hoops have been linked and who could establish a formidable midfield pairing with Turnbull is Christopher Scott.

Having scored 44 goals and supplied 17 assists in 114 appearances across Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen’s youth teams, the midfielder certainly knows how to be an attacking threat on the pitch in front of goal, similar to Turnbull.

Described as a player who “generates a lot of threat from [his] finishing and creativity” by Bhoys Analytics on Twitter, Scott – who is currently valued at £1.08m by Transfermarkt – could be a great midfield partner for the 22-year-old Celtic talent and give the team an extra attacking danger.

Taking into account how the Hoops will be heading into their next campaign without Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton, this could sway Postecoglou into bringing some new midfielders to his squad over the coming weeks and months.

With that in mind and the 19-year-old being available as a free agent once his current contract at Bayern expires at the end of June, he could be a suitable transfer option for the Hoops from a footballing and financial point of view.

In other news: “Ange doesn’t like him”: Big Celtic claim emerges that’ll have supporters thrilled

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has heaped plenty of praise on Tottenham winger Dejan Kulusevski for his ‘great mentality’ during the club’s final day Premier League victory over Norwich City.

The Lowdown: Kulusevski’s brace

The Lilywhites recorded an emphatic 5-0 win over the Canaries at Carrow Road in their last game of the season on Sunday, and the 22-year-old contributed to that scoreline by bagging a brace for Antonio Conte’s side.

The Sweden international arrived in north London on an initial 18-month loan from Juventus in January, with an option to buy within his contract, something that Spurs are expected to trigger after his outstanding performances of late.

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The Latest: Robinson’s high praise for Kulusevski

Speaking to BBC Sport during a post-match interview on Sunday, Kulusevski admitted that he was ‘embarrassed’ after missing a glorious chance in the second half, just moments before netting his second goal of the match.

However, former Spurs goalkeeper Robinson seemed to be very impressed by what he saw from the Swedish star, telling Football Insider: “To score that goal after the miss just goes to show that he has a great mentality.

“We know that Son [Heung-min] and [Harry] Kane are telepathic in the way that they work and the way that they play.

“He was a bit-part player at Juventus but he has come into another big European club and become a mainstay. His mentality and ability are brilliant.

“He has taken Spurs onto another level in an attacking sense. When you look at their numbers as a trio they are up there with the best in Europe.

“Kulusevski has complimented Kane and Son. He has helped Son get the Golden Boot.”

The Verdict: Great start…more to come?

The 22-cap Sweden international has more than excelled in his time so far in N17, having provided eight assists and scored five goals for Tottenham already, as per Transfermarkt.

As Robinson said, Kulusevski has been able to create a brilliant on-field relationship with the strike partnership of Kane and Son, and his addition to that double act to make it a deadly attacking trio has certainly played a huge role in the club successfully securing Champions League football next season.

If Conte does complete the permanent signing of the £31.5m-rated ace as expected, especially given how much potential he has to offer considering his young age, it’s players like him to whom the Tottenham manager may well be looking to build the team around in years to come.

In other news… Harry Kane appears to have made a huge decision regarding his future at Spurs

According to The Daily Mirror and reporter Darren Lewis, a promising West Ham United transfer update has emerged involving Watford star Emmanuel Dennis.

The Lowdown: Moyes eyeing forward signing…

Hammers boss David Moyes, aiming to upgrade his attacking options, reportedly has forwards in his sights after failing to land the likes of Darwin Nunez (Benfica) and Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) in January.

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West Ham are still relying on Michail Antonio as their sole natural senior striker option and Moyes has spent the whole of the 2021/2022 Premier League season coping with that fact.

Star winger Jarrod Bowen’s scintillating form has helped to mask over the Irons’ real lack of depth further up the field but reports suggest GSB and head of recruitment Rob Newman are determined to fix that issue soon.

The Latest: West Ham ‘fancy their chances’ to sign Dennis…

According to The Mirror and Lewis, West Ham ‘fancy their chances’ of signing Watford forward Dennis despite interest from a ‘number’ of clubs.

While Newcastle are interested too, it’s believe Moyes’ men hold an advantage since they can offer European football in either the Europa Conference League or Europa League next season depending on results at the weekend.

The east Londoners are now planning a bid for Dennis, coming as the player’s representatives schedule imminent club talks with Watford next week.

The Verdict: Make the move…

The Nigeria international will cost around £20-30million and the Hornets are ‘expected to push’ for as much as possible, according to Lewis.

While it may not be easy for West Ham to whittle his price down, Dennis could be worth the extra investment going by his brilliant top flight form over 2021/2022.

The 24-year-old, labelled a ‘beast’ by members of the media (Declan Carr), has stood out as Watford’s star performer by some distance, averaging their highest match-rating per 90 domestically whilst bagging a brilliant ten goals and six assists (WhoScored).

He’s also attempted the joint-most shots at goal and completed the joint-most successful take-ons per 90 out of their entire squad (WhoScored), leaving little wonder West Ham are now plotting a move.

In other news; Discussions opened: West Ham make pre-summer move for ‘frightening’ 30-cap star! Find out more here.

Newcastle United return to action tonight as they host Arsenal at St. James’ Park in their penultimate Premier League match of the season.

The Magpies have already achieved safety and are five points off the top ten with two games left to play and this means that Eddie Howe’s men have little in the way of motivation when it comes to the league table.

However, the players will still be fighting for their places heading into the summer and will be desperate to prove that they deserve to be a part of the club moving forward.

One gem who must be unleashed from the start with a view to next season is Kieran Trippier. The England international returned from injury to come off the bench against Manchester City last time out and Emil Krafth must be brutally axed to bring him back into the starting XI.

In the 5-0 loss to Pep Guardiola’s side, Krafth recorded a dismal SofaScore rating of 6.3 as he failed to win a single aerial battle – losing Rodri from a corner for the third goal. Over the course of the campaign, he has lost 57% of his duels in the air as he has proven himself to be a lightweight at the back and Howe must now axe him from the team tonight.

This will then open the door for Trippier to be unleashed at right-back. The defender enjoyed a sensational start to his career on Tyneside, as he scored twice in his first four games, and he will now be hoping to end the campaign on a high by playing against the Gunners and then Burnley on the final day.

England boss Gareth Southgate previously dubbed him a “warrior” and his statistics for the Toon back that up as he has been a fierce competitor at the back.

He has made 4.8 tackles and interceptions per game and won a whopping 77% of his aerial battles in the Premier League across his five appearances, showing his ability to win the ball back for his side on a consistent basis and compete in individual duels.

The £77k-per-week gem has averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.42 for the Magpies and Bruno Guimaraes (7.16) is the only other player with a score of 7.00 or higher. Trippier is one of the club’s best players and that is why he must start this game to get some minutes in the tank and build some positive momentum heading into next season.

AND in other news, “Keeping a close eye on..”: Downie delivers big NUFC claim that’ll excite supporters…

Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side head into tonight’s Premier League meeting with Arsenal knowing that, if they are to give themselves any chance of securing a top-four finish this season, they simply must defeat their north London rivals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Indeed, despite an impressive 1-1 draw at Liverpool last time out, Spurs currently sit four points behind Mikel Arteta’s side, with a victory seeing the Italian’s outfit move to within one point of the Gunners, while a defeat would confirm Arsenal’s spot in the Champions League in 2022/23.

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As such, it is clear the 52-year-old simply must get his team selection spot on this evening, so, will Conte make any changes to the XI that lined up at Anfield on Saturday? Here’s how we at Football FanCast think the Tottenham team could look, as well as the latest team and injury news…

With Conte revealing in his pre-match press conference that Spurs have no fresh injury concerns ahead of this evening, and Sergio Reguilon, Matt Doherty, Japhet Tanganga and Oliver Skipp all remaining sidelined, we predict that the Italian will make the bold call of selecting an unchanged XI from the Liverpool fixture.

This means that, once again, Hugo Lloris starts between the Tottenham sticks, and Ben Davies, Eric Dier and Cristian Romero make up Conte’s three-man backline.

At wing-back, with Reguilon remaining sidelined, Ryan Sessegnon is handed another start on the left, while Emerson Royal retains his spot on the right.

In the middle of the park, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur make up the central midfield pairing, while Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski – who, alongside Bentancur, Sean Walsh claimed has “been huge” since joining the club in January – are once again given the nod behind Harry Kane, who leads the Tottenham line.

Indeed, while this XI is undoubtedly Conte’s strongest lineup available at present, naming an unchanged side with the knowledge that Spurs face Burnley at midday on Sunday is certainly a big call as, at this stage of the season, injuries will be extremely easy to pick up considering the fatigue of each player – something that could well see the manager’s decision backfire over the run-in.

AND in other news: Alasdair Gold drops exciting Spurs update ahead of NLD, supporters will be surprised

Leeds United have been handed a boost in their bid to bring Daichi Kamada to Elland Road next summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by German publication Kicker (via TEAMtalk), who claim that the attacking midfielder looks increasingly unlikely to put pen to paper on a new deal at Eintracht Frankfurt, with the 26-year-old’s current contract set to expire at the end of the 2022/23 campaign.

TEAMtalk go on to suggest that this will come as a boost to Victor Orta and Leeds, as the Whites’ director of football was reported to be keen on a £13m move for the Japan international in the transfer window just gone.

Indeed, should Kamada fail to agree to new terms with Eintracht prior to January, the forward will be free to discuss a deal with any overseas suitors at the turn of the year – when Kicker suggest the former Sagan Tosu star will be presented with significantly better economic offers than Frankfurt’s.

Orta must move

Considering just how impressive Kamada has been for Eintracht over the past 12 months, should the attacking midfielder become available to sign a pre-contract in January, the argument that Orta must launch a bid for the 26-year-old is an extremely easy one to make.

Indeed, over his 32 Bundesliga appearances – only 23 of which came as starts – last season, the £19.8m-rated talent scored four goals, registered three assists and created four big chances for his teammates, as well as made an average of one key pass, took 1.1 shots and completed 0.9 dribbles per game – with these metrics seeing him average a SofaScore match rating of 6.85.

The £7.2k-per-week forward also played a key role in Frankfurt’s Europa League victory last term, scoring five goals and providing one assist over 13 appearances in the competition, in addition to taking an average of 1.5 shots, making 1.4 key passes and completing 1.2 dribbles per game – with these returns seeing the 26-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 7.06.

This is form Kamada – who can operate from central midfield, on either wing and as a number 10 – has continued over his six Bundesliga fixtures in the current campaign, having already scored four goals, registered three assists and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.3 key passes and completing 0.7 dribbles per game.

These metrics have seen the player who Adi Hutter dubbed “brilliant” and has been labelled like “Messi inside the area” average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.15, not only ranking him as Eintracht’s best performer in the league but also as the joint 34th-best player in the German top flight as a whole so far this season.

As such, with Kamada quite clearly being an extremely creative and versatile option in attack, as well as one who knows how to find the back of the net, it is easy to see why Orta had targeted the Japanese sensation’s signing this summer, while it is not difficult to make the argument that the Spaniard simply must do all he can to land the 26-year-old on a pre-contract this winter.

Indeed, alongside the likes of Brenden Aaronson, Luis Sinisterra, Jack Harrison, Patrick Bamford, Rodrigo and Joe Gelhart in the Whites’ attacking arsenal, the arrival of Kamada would undoubtedly add another extremely impressive attacking string to Jesse Marsch’s already exciting attacking bow at Elland Road – surely a tantalising prospect for everyone involved with the club.

Newcastle United smashed their club-record transfer in the summer window by bringing in Alexander Isak from Real Sociedad for a reported fee of £63m.

The Sweden international has enjoyed an impressive start to life on Tyneside with two goals in three Premier League appearances for the club to date, scoring against Liverpool and Bournemouth.

He has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.97 and created three chances in total – starting to showcase why the Magpies opted to bring him in for a record fee.

His early form suggests that Dan Ashworth’s decision to sign him was a shrewd one and, hopefully, he will continue to prove that to be true in the upcoming months and years.

However, it could have been different for Newcastle as Isak was not the only centre-forward on the club’s radar throughout the summer window.

Back in July, it was reported that the Magpies were one of a number of clubs eyeing up Colombian Duvan Zapata as a potential target.

This came after Newcastle attempted to sign the striker on loan from Atalanta with an obligation to sign him permanently in the January transfer window.

In the end, Dan Ashworth avoided a swoop for the centre-forward and the Serie A club ended up keeping hold of the experienced predator for the 2022/23 season.

Since then, Zapata has endured a difficult start to the campaign as he is yet to get off the mark in front of goal in his first four Serie A appearances. The striker has averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.65 and only completed 66% of his attempted passes in the Italian top-flight, which shows that his performances have been underwhelming as well as his goal return.

This comes after he managed one goal and zero assists in his last 13 outings in the 2021/22 campaign and he has not scored in any of his last 17 matches for Colombia – dating back to 2020.

The £56k-per-week dud has scored once in 2022 for club and country and appears to be on the decline in his career, after turning 31 back in April.

His former team-mate Papu Gomez once claimed that the striker’s “shorts look like underwear” and this suggests that he has the physicality to suit playing in the Premier League, but his goalscoring record in 2022 is – quite simply – not good enough.

Therefore, signing Isak – who is nine years younger than Zapata – was a masterstroke by Ashworth as he avoided a big blunder by not bringing in the Atalanta man – whose record suggests that he would have struggled badly in the final third in the English top-flight.

Leeds United were one of the busier Premier League clubs over the course of the summer transfer window, with Victor Orta bringing in no less than eight new additions to Jesse Marsch’s first-team squad, as well as strengthening the Whites’ U23 side with the signing of Sonny Perkins on a free transfer.

However, one player Leeds’ director of football was reported to be interested in a €12m (£10m) move for and ultimately missed out on was Ajax central midfielder Mohammed Kudus, something that, considering his impressive so far this season, appears to have been a big mistake by the Spaniard.

Indeed, over his six Eredivisie appearances – only one of which has come as a start – so far this season, the £9m-rated talent has been in sensational form, scoring three goals, as well as taking an average of one shot – 0.7 of which have hit the target – completing 2.0 dribbles and winning 2.6 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

These returns have seen the £14k-per-week Ghana international average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.22, ranking him as Alfred Schreuder’s 11th-best performer in the top flight of Dutch football.

However, it was during De Godenzonen’s 4-0 Champions League demolition of Glasgow Rangers last week in which the 22-year-old proved his undoubted ability, completing five of his six attempted dribbles, being successful with all of his attempted 27 passes, winning five of his eight duels, setting Steven Berghuis up for his side’s second of the game and – putting the icing on the cake – scoring a spectacular solo goal of his own to give Ajax a 3-0 lead.

These metrics saw the player who Erik ten Hag dubbed “incredible” and Owuraku Ampofo dubbed “special” earn a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 8.2 – ranking him as the second-best performer in the fixture.

As such, considering how exciting a talent Kudus very much appears to be, in addition to the midfielder reportedly being available for an extremely reasonable £10m this summer, it would indeed appear as if Orta had something of a nightmare in not pushing overly hard for the Ghanaian’s signing – as he would very much look to be an incredible addition for the Whites.