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Recent reports by Calcio Napoli 24 have claimed that Chelsea will demand €18m (£15.5m) for rumoured West Ham United target Tiemoue Bakayoko this summer, but David Sullivan must prevent David Moyes from reviving any hopes of a deal.

The Irons were heavily linked with interest in the French midfielder last summer before he sealed a last-ditch season-long loan with SSC Napoli, with Transfer20 claiming in June that the London Stadium natives were favourites after pushing hardest for a move.

West Ham ultimately did not strengthen the engine room beyond the permanent arrival of Tomas Soucek, and could again strive to add depth behind the Czech Republic star and Declan Rice this year despite Mark Noble’s recent one-year contract extension.

Bakayoko may emerge as an option for the Hammers once again at the end of the season, as Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentiis is noted to be opposed to paying Chelsea’s £15.5m asking price to purchase the 26-year-old.

The Serie A side ‘will never accept’ paying the Blues a fee in that region and could return to the negotiating table at some stage, as Bakayoko has started 17 of his 23 league games under Gennaro Gattuso this term and only failed to feature twice in 25 available fixtures.

Bakayoko’s preference would be a return to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium for the 2021/22 campaign if the option presents itself, but is not opposed to taking on a new adventure in hopes of finding a regular role.

He has not featured for Chelsea in a competitive game since his maiden year at Stamford Bridge in 2017/18, having been sent on loan to AC Milan and a temporary return to AS Monaco before joining Napoli in October.

Chelsea paid Monaco £40m to sign Bakayoko in 2017 under Antonio Conte against rival interest from Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United, and handed him a £110,000-per-week contract that is due to expire next year.

West Ham could strive to capitalise on Bakayoko entering the final 12-months of his deal in June to add depth to Moyes’ engine room, but Sullivan must block any efforts to revive the east London outfit’s previous interest.

Bakayoko flopped heavily in the Premier League when signed for more than the £30m that Chelsea paid Leicester for their title-winning hero N’Golo Kante, and has now been passed on by four managers with Thomas Tuchel seemingly opposed to offering a second chance.

It took Maurizio Sarri less than a month of seeing Bakayoko in training before he sanctioned a loan with AC Milan, and it was no wonder that the Italian’s successor Frank Lampard chose against bringing the one-time international back.

Before taking the step into management at Derby County, Lampard was highly critical of Bakayoko after seeing the Frenchman struggle in big games for his former side.

“He sleeps,” Lampard said, via quotes by the Independent, after Bakayoko lost sight of Saul Niguez as the Atletico Madrid midfielder scored in a 1-1 Champions League Group Stage draw with Chelsea in December 2017. “His concentration goes and at this level, if you sleep for a second, and it’s an easy goal for Atletico.

“I don’t know with Bakayoko. I think it’s well documented that he hasn’t settled quickly at Chelsea and English football in the Premier League as well, and he has to come to grips with that.”

Days earlier, Rio Ferdinand had also slammed Bakayoko after offering nothing to protect Chelsea’s backline in a 1-1 draw with Liverpool and instead caused problems for the Blues.

“If I was Gary Cahill out there, I would be screaming at Bakayoko,” Ferdinand said, via quotes by the Daily Star. “I think, defensively, he’s been an absolute disgrace today. He’s doing nothing, he’s letting people run off him [and] he’s leaving Gary Cahill isolated.”

With four Chelsea managers now seemingly passing on offering Bakayoko a chance to show himself in a better light than his initial efforts, it is clear that he has not proven he can improve and Sullivan must block West Ham from reviving their interest this summer.

AND in other news, a £70k-p/w dud with “wonderful feet” intends to quit West Ham this summer…

Newcastle United have landed a huge boost ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash with West Bromwich Albion as Elliot Anderson is expected to be fit.

That’s according to The Shields Gazette, who note that the 18-year-old has recovered from an ankle injury sustained during an Under 23s clash with the Baggies’ academy last week.

The blow prevented Anderson from playing any role in Steve Bruce’s plans as the Magpies drew 1-1 with Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday, along with representing Chris Hogg’s junior side as they lost 2-1 at home to Reading on Monday.

Anderson is now expected to be one of the contenders to replace Miguel Almiron at the Hawthorns on Sunday, after Bruce lost his Paraguayan playmaker due to a knee injury as one of three casualties against Wolves.

Allan Saint-Maximin sustained a groin issue during the draw, and will now join top-scorer Callum Wilson on the sidelines after the French wing wizard was ruled out until April.

Emil Krafth was also forced off with a shin injury on Saturday, but he is due to resume training ahead of facing West Brom in a crunch encounter between two relegation-threatened sides.

Having Anderson available as well will come as a huge boost for Bruce, with the academy product expected to be in the mix to replace Almiron beside the likes of Ryan Fraser, Jacob Murphy and Jeff Hendrick.

Bruce awarded Anderson his senior Newcastle debut away to Arsenal in the second half of January’s FA Cup tie, before introducing the 18-year-old to the Premier League for the final three minutes at the Emirates Stadium nine days later.

The North Shields-born prospect is yet to feature for the Toon first-team since facing the Gunners, but has seven goals and one assist in nine U23s outings after finding the back of the net against West Brom in a 3-2 PL2 win last week.

Bruce described Anderson’s debut at Arsenal as a “big positive” as the attacking midfielder’s performance instilled a sense of confidence in the United head coach.

“Big positive. I thought the kid was very, very good. He’s been with us, knocking on the door, for a while now, so it was good to see him making his way. He’s got a big future ahead of him, hopefully,” Bruce noted after the Emirates Stadium affair.

Anderson has been named as an unused substitute on three occasions since facing Arsenal, but the Scotland U19 international does not want to settle for a seat on the bench.

“I’ve played twice, come on but I want to be playing more, even if you’re playing a lot you want to be playing more,” he told NUFC TV. “As a footballer, you need to keep pushing and pushing, so I’ll continue to work hard and take my chances.

“Making my debut at the Emirates was massive but it wouldn’t be the same feeling making it at St. James’, so I’m waiting for that to come – the day that happens it will probably be the best day of my life, hopefully with the fans back. I can’t wait.”

Sunday’s clash with West Brom may not be at home so Anderson would have to wait for his St. James’ Park bow, but Bruce should see it as a boost having the Newcastle talent back fit, even if he doesn’t want to start the youngster, he could be a more than useful option coming off the bench.

AND in other news, an “absolutely awesome” titan has been tipped to quit Newcastle this summer…

Liverpool’s scramble for a centre-back in January was certainly well broadcast following injuries to Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Joel Matip.

Eventually, Michael Edwards managed to get two defenders through the door in the form of Ozan Kabak of Schalke 04 and Preston North End’s Ben Davies.

The two have had completely differing fortunes at Anfield; the former establishing himself in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI but the latter having not yet been afforded even a minute of first-team action.

Meanwhile, the club could reflect on another failed transfer bid for SC Braga’s David Carmo.

According to the Portuguese club’s President António Salvador, the 21-year-old was almost a Liverpool player, apparently having “a foot and a half in Liverpool”.

Despite the youngster having sustained serious injury in the time since, the £7.65m-rated defender could certainly have been a useful addition.

[snack-amp-story url=” https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news%2c-transfer-rumours-and-more-asensio-vlahovic-van-dijk-alberto-pedri” title=” Read the latest Liverpool news, transfer rumours and more… “]

Even in his tender years, Carmo has already managed to accumulate plenty of experience in his home country having made 40 appearances for Braga in all competitions which includes back-to-back seasons in the UEFA Europa League.

Whilst that is not comparable to Kabak’s 89 appearances in all competitions at the same age, it could be argued that the Portuguese has outperformed his opposite number so far this campaign.

According to WhoScored, Carmo has made more interceptions and blocks per game compared to Kabak this season; 1.6 and 0.6 to 1.3 and 0.3. Meanwhile, the two players are also even on clearances.

The current Liverpool defender can only just outperform Carmo in tackles, with him edging ahead on just 1.8 compared to 1.6.

Surprisingly, Reds’ stalwart Van Dijk cannot get anywhere near those numbers, only managing to overcome the Portuguese on clearances, even during his peak of the 2019/20 campaign.

So with Liverpool having had defensive issues this season, Edwards should be regretting the failed move for Carmo, he’d have surely been a better option than Davies, who hasn’t been able to even get on the field for the Reds.

Had he been signed and given time to develop, he could have had the chance to become a Liverpool stalwart like Van Dijk, but alas, that wasn’t to be and as such, the Reds missed out on a very, very good player.

AND in more news, take a look at Liverpool fans’ thoughts on the failed European Super League…

Several Crystal Palace fans have been discussing the possibility of Chris Wilder taking over from Roy Hodgson on social media.

That’s because of reports on Friday morning, suggesting Wilder is set to be sacked by Sheffield United. The Times’ Matt Lawton was one of the first to break the news just over 48 hours before the Blades’ trip to Leicester City. Sky Sports later confirmed that the 53-year-old has left the Yorkshire club.

Wilder made the move to Bramall Lane from Northampton Town in 2016 and led them from League One to the Premier League during that time.

It seems as if relegation back to the Championship is a formality, though, with United 13 points adrift of safety with 10 games of the season remaining.

The 53-year-old has taken charge of 227 matches with the Blades, averaging 1.59 points per game during that time.

With the news circulating rapidly, these Palace fans all shared their views on Wilder on Twitter, with many split on whether or not he would be a good option to potentially replace the sometimes-maligned Hodgson.

“This isn’t a call to get Wilder to Palace btw, keep him far away from Palace as possible”

Credit: @cpfc_sean

“I honestly think I’d take Wilder at Palace but I’m not certain. That squad is absolutely awful”

Credit: @liamb0117

“I would have Wilder at Palace in a heartbeat But most of the rest of our fans would get sick of his football after three months”

Credit: @The_ArmaniCode

“If Chris Wilder was genuinely wanted by some why were there no shouts to get him in before he was sacked?”

Credit: @Adam_Palace

“If all true about Chris Wilder, I would love the South Yorkshire man at Crystal Palace (if Roy leaves) and please can he bring John Egan with him. Thanking you in advance”

Credit: @Feemac20

“See a lot of people wanting Wilder at Palace. Personally, I still need another 5 years to mentally recover from the last time we played 3-5-2”

Credit: @J__CPFC

In other news: Many Palace fans buzz at the club’s links to £9m-rated midfielder, find out more here.

Leeds United player Pascal Struijk has had a decent start to life in the Premier League, and this has reportedly not gone unnoticed as he is attracting interest from Europa League sides.

The latest on Struijk

According to De Telegraaf via Sport Witness, the defensive midfielder and central defender is attracting interest from Leicester City and Italian side Napoli.

The report claims that both Brendan Rodgers’ side and the Naples outfit have inquired about Struijk, but most likely with the centre-back’s camp and not the club, about a possible acquisition.

Leeds need to stand firm

Struijk, who is valued at £2.25m, arrived from the the Ajax academy back in 2018 (Transfermarkt) and is starting to become a key player for the club. The 21 year-old has progressed from the academy to the senior side, and has now made 22 appearances under Marcelo Bielsa, including 15 in the Premier League.

Speaking to Football Insider  in the past, Noel Whelan said: “He looked very assured at the back, very competitive in the air and his ball distribution was excellent,” showing skills that serve him well in multiple positions.

Earlier this season the club also gave the defender a contract extension, which clearly highlights that they believe the young prospect is good for both the present and the future. Leeds need to do everything to make sure they keep hold of him.

In other news, Leeds are interested in a hot European prospect!

In a recent interview with Football FanCast, former Southampton striker Kevin Phillips has claimed that he expects Danny Ings to leave the Saints this summer.

Speaking exclusively to FFC, when asked if he could see the 28-year-old departing, he said:

“Yes I can, as much as Southampton fans won’t thank me for it. I think he even came out at one point and said he wants to play Champions League football, so that suggests to me he would like to move on.”

“So I possibly could see him moving on. It’s just a case of, he is a little bit injury prone. We have seen what he can do, I’m not doubting that. I think he’s a fantastic striker, scores great goals, good movement, but he is a little bit injury prone, so I think ‘who would take him who would finish in the Champions League spots?’.

“But I do think that he’ll probably be angling for a move come the summer.”

Whilst Phillips’ claim does seem to be a fair one, with the former Liverpool man having reportedly expressed an interest in playing European football again in the near future, recent injury setbacks for the England international might just put some clubs off signing him this summer.

The striker enjoyed an injury-free campaign last season and scored a superb 22 goals in 38 Premier League appearances and looked set to repeat that feat with a superb start to the 2020/21 campaign.

However, he has struggled with minor injury problems since the New Year, which has, unsurprisingly, coincided with Southampton’s awful run of form, and he has just three goals in 12 appearances in 2021.

He suffered another setback in the 2-0 win against Sheffield United recently, which will keep him sidelined for another couple of weeks, and you feel that, given his injury history, top four clubs may well feel that it is too big a risk to bring him in for the sort of money that Southampton would likely demand this summer.

His last big move to Liverpool, unfortunately, didn’t go to plan because of significant injury problems and after his recent Issues, despite being minor in comparison to those he suffered at Anfield, might just prove to be a key factor in whether or not a club playing in Europe comes knocking during the summer transfer window, which might just work in Southampton’s favour.

However, all signs suggest that Phillips is right and that Ings will push for a move this summer, which won’t go down well with Saints fans. Whether he gets his move, or not, remains to be seen.

And, in other news… Semmens must avoid VVD repeat with £13.5m-rated “role model” Hasenhuttl loves

Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League quest gets back underway this evening as they head to Hungary to face Austrian outfit Wolfsberger AC in the first-leg of their Round of 32 tie.

Jose Mourinho will surely be looking for a reaction after his side lost for a fifth time in six matches in all competitions over the weekend, being defeated by Premier League front runners Manchester City.

Spurs qualified for the knockout stages by topping Group J and are now faced with a favourable encounter in which the 58-year-old boss could look at rotating his options.

So, what sort of XI could we see at the Puskas Arena? Here’s the lineup we’re predicting tonight…

There could be as many as six changes to the team that tasted defeat in Manchester on Saturday, and that includes a rest for both Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in attack.

We could see Gareth Bale gifted a rare opportunity to impress having come off the bench with a bright cameo at the weekend, whilst back-up striker Carlos is surely in line to deputise in the absence of the England talisman.

There may even be a return for Steven Bergwijn, who takes the place of Lucas Moura on the right flank. Erik Lamela is another who is facing the chop after a disappointing outing, and perhaps surprisingly, Dele Alli could start in the no.10 role with Tanguy Ndombele also rested.

In the engine room, the industrious Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will likely remain, though he’s likely to be joined by Harry Winks, who started five of their six group games.

Further back, Hugo Lloris should continue between the sticks despite Joe Hart being a sturdy back-up option and much of the backline remains the same due to injuries and a lack of alternatives.

The only change defensively could see the £36m-rated Davinson Sanchez replaced by veteran centre-back Toby Alderweireld to partner Eric Dier with Japhet Tanganga and Ben Davies continuing on either flank.

Sergio Reguilon was confirmed to be back in training this week but as revealed by Mourinho in his pre-game press conference, he will not make the trip to Hungary as a precaution, as per the Evening Standard.

AND in other news, Spurs “weak link” could be finished under Mourinho after City humiliation…

Sunderland manager Lee Johnson will be buzzing after the club’s sporting director Kristjaan Speakman confirmed that Elliott Embleton will be part of the first-team squad next season.

What’s the talk?

Embleton spent the second-half of the 2020/21 season on loan to Blackpool in League One and earned promotion to the Championship last weekend by winning the play-offs. Sunderland failed in their play-off campaign and then watched a player on their books help Blackpool seal promotion to the second tier.

His contract at Sunderland was due to expire this summer before the club triggered an extension to keep him at the Stadium of Light until 2022. Speakman has now claimed that he will impact Sunderland’s team in League One next season, rather than seal a permanent transfer to Blackpool. He told SAFC Unfiltered, via Blackpool Gazette:

“The easiest thing with Elliot would have been to loan him to League Two, and we held out and we held out because we were desperate to get him with the right club and the right coaching staff.

“Neil and the guys at Blackpool have done excellent with him, given him that platform and he’s gone and performed.

“He’s demonstrated the ability to play at the level we need him to play at, so when he comes back here he can hopefully impact our team.”
Sunderland midfielder Max Power praised the “brilliant” Embelton earlier in the campaign. He told SAFC unfiltered:
“He’s technically one of the best players I’ve seen. A good mark of knowing someone’s technically good is he can take corners with both feet.
“I think Elliot’s at that age now where he knows that he needs to stay fit. I know it must be tough for him because I thought last season, he was brilliant in pre-season and then he done his hamstring away at Sheffield United in the [League] Cup.”

Johnson will be delighted

Johnson will be delighted that Sunderland have decided to keep Embleton at the club and integrate him back into the first-team picture for next season. Speakman could have opted to cash in on the 22-year-old after his impressive spell with Blackpool, especially given that they achieved promotion to a higher division than Sunderland, but Johnson now looks set to benefit from Embleton’s talents next term.

Embleton produced two goals and four assists in 17 starts for Blackpool. He averaged a WhoScored rating of 6.75 across 21 appearances and set up Blackpool’s equalising goal in the play-off final against Lincoln as he helped his side win 2-1 at Wembley. This shows that he has the quality to make a real impact at League One level and that he is built to perform in the biggest games, having done it in the play-off final.

The £4.3k-per-week midfielder could prove to be an upgrade on Aiden O’Brien. Johnson deployed O’Brien as an attacking midfielder and a winger during the game, as the Irishman played 33 times for Sunderland in League One, averaging a WhoScored rating of 6.61 and providing one assist for his teammates.

Embleton averaged a higher WhoScored rating and was able to create more for his teammates in the league for Blackpool, suggesting that he could improve Sunderland’s squad upon returning to the club this summer.

AND in other news, fans should be delighted as £4k-p/w beast has been backed to sign a new deal

A number of Liverpool fans have noticed that Gini Wijnaldum didn’t celebrate Alisson’s goal against West Brom as much as his teammates.

The Reds picked up their most dramatic win of the season on Sunday afternoon in a scarcely believable match. It looked as though Jurgen Klopp’s men were going to draw 1-1 with West Brom from a second time in 2020/21, but incredibly, Alisson had other ideas.

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The goalkeeper came up for a 95th-minute corner and steered home a brilliant header, sparking scenes of ecstasy at The Hawthorns.

Endless footage of the moment has been shared across social media, and if you look closely, you can see that Wijnaldum’s celebration is muted, with the Dutchman jogging towards his teammates in fairly low-key fashion.

Every player is different, of course, but it was hard not to think that the goal possibly didn’t mean as much to him because he is set to leave Anfield this summer, with no sign of his contract being renewed.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/the-latest-liverpool-transfer-news/” title=”The latest Liverpool transfer news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=“none”]

Liverpool fans react to Wijnaldum’s lack of celebration

These Liverpool fans took to Twitter to discuss the incident, with some unimpressed by Wijnaldum’s no-show of emotion.

“Maybe show that you care a bit more next time lad. But regardless best of luck in the next 2 games”

Credit: @lfcnickk

“Don’t lie, you were devastated we scored”

Credit: @viciousvirgil

“You don’t care, stop pretending”

Credit: @AllezAllezAllez

“Thing I dislike most was Gini celebration. Is it me or very subdued vs everyone else in ground tbh”

Credit: @gregdeacon

“Bit weird that non celebration from Gini”

Credit: @JotaBelieveIt

“Celebrate next time fella”

Credit: @lfcthursto

In other news, some Liverpool fans have been left fuming at an update on one player. Find out who it is here.

According to a report by TEAMtalk, via West Ham Central, GSB fancy signing Orlando City striker Daryl Dike this summer, who is currently on loan at Barnsley – prompting these Irons supporters to erupt on social media.

Dike, who has scored nine goals in 12 Championship starts since joining the club on a temporary basis in January, has also managed an impressive 5.8 aerial duels won per game (WhoScored).

The 20-year-old, as a result, is attracting interest from West Ham and GSB – with these supporters raving over the claims of their club’s interest.

As well as some supporters calling him ‘massive’, with the forward standing at an imposing 6 foot 2, a section of these Irons fans have likened him to star striker Michail Antonio.

One supporter even claimed Dike could take Antonio’s place in the side as Hammers plead for GSB to potentially sign the striker this summer from Orlando.

Find all of their best verdicts on the forward down below.

West Ham fans erupt over Dike claim

“Would be the best day of my life.”

Credit: @AndrewKane221

“Under Antonio’s tutelage this lad could be different gravy”

Credit: @Dylan_Rudisill_

“Oh my dayssssss”

Credit: @FromTheAnvilWHU

“We totally should. Think he could be a good option off the bench. Antonio style work rate. He’s massive as well”

Credit: @jordan_smith510

“MAKE THIS HAPPEN”

Credit: @joelitt78828048

“His link up play is improving & his flick ons & link up play since joining Barnsley are always improving!

I think he could bench Antonio”

Credit: @WhufcSloth

In other news: West Ham fans react as club confirm ‘great news’, find out more here.