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Said Benrahma is surely facing the axe from David Moyes’ starting XI as his West Ham United side travel across London to face Arsenal later this evening.

The Irons have hit a rough patch in their season, with their impressive win against Chelsea being their only one across their last four games in all competitions.

It has seen their place inside the Premier League’s top-four put in grave danger as the chasing pack have narrowed the gap on them.

The Gunners will be no easy test, particularly as they are one of the many teams right behind them in the standings – indeed, a win for the home side could see them leapfrog the east Londoners today.

As such, it leaves Moyes with several decisions to make in terms of team selection after the Hammers drew 0-0 to a struggling Burnley side at the weekend.

West Ham’s futile frontline could only muster up three shots on target, with there being a substantial lack of creativity in the final third and it was another game in which the Algerian winger struggled.

As per SofaScore, the 26-year-old managed only one key pass and 37 touches of the ball in the 70 minutes he was on the pitch. By comparison, substitute Nikola Vlasic took his rare opportunity and created a whopping three key chances from only 13 touches in just 20 minutes.

Benrahma’s barren run now extends to six league games without a goal or assist, whilst he’s provided only one goal and one assist in his last 14 appearances, via Transfermarkt.

In recent matches against Wolves and Man City, the £22.5m-rated attacker failed to surpass a WhoScored rating of 6.15 and has only recorded better than his 6.88 average for the season just once since the start of October, which suggests his poor form has been a problem and it could be argued that he is now holding the Irons back in the attack.

The Athletic’s Roshane Thomas claimed at the start of the month that his form was “a concern” and this week he doubled up on that by suggesting that he had “been poor lately.”

Meanwhile, club legend Tony Gale suggested that the Hammers winger was “struggling” in that aforementioned clash at Molineux during commentary duties for the Premier League’s official feed.

So as such, it would be wise for Moyes to be ruthless and bold in his team selection and to do so, he must axe the passenger-like Benrahma from the starting XI against the Gunners this evening.

AND in other news, West Ham’s “unbelievable” £18m-rated star drops 5-word hint that’ll have fans buzzing…

There is a phenomenal feeling about Nottingham Forest at the moment.

Steve Cooper has worked his magic at the City Ground and they now sit right on the cusp of a play-off place in the Championship.

What’s sparked that is a wonderful run of form throughout 2021, with Forest losing just a single game in the league this calendar year as they time their run towards a potential place at Wembley just perfectly.

To see such a historic outfit back in the top-flight would be quite the sight and it would be interesting to see whether they’d be able to keep the likes of Joe Worrall, Brennan Johnson or Djed Spence in their ranks as a result.

The trio have been outstanding this season and Spence, in particular, has finally filled the vacant area left behind by Matty Cash following his move to Aston Villa.

Yet, speaking of full-backs, it is apparent that Forest nearly had one of the brightest talents of a generation in their ranks all the way back in 2009.

That just so happens to be Gareth Bale, an individual who transitioned from a flying wing-back into a devastating and dynamic offensive weapon.

Over ten years ago now, Bale was struggling to get in the side at Tottenham and was the subject of a £2m bid from Nottingham Forest for his services.

A move came pretty close too but it unfortunately eventually fell away. Recalling negotiations in 2013, Clive Allen commented: “It did go pretty close.

“I know there were discussions between the clubs. The clubs had agreed the potential of the move, so it was something that he had to think about.”

Sadly for the Garibaldi, a move never materialised and they were left to wonder what if.

Bale eventually broke into the Tottenham team and was a revelation, scoring 72 goals and registering 61 assists for the Lilywhites.

He would then travel to Real Madrid in a then world-record move worth £85m and since that moment, his career has been nothing short of remarkable.

The Wales international has won the Champions League four times, has picked up two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and four Club World Cups too. Furthermore, the 32-year-old has found the back of the net on 106 occasions, scoring some quite magical goals in the process too.

Who could forget the moment he took Marc Bartra to the cleaners or his absurd overhead kick goal that beat Loris Karius in the Champions League final.

He has also represented his country at two major tournaments and is on the verge of securing a third following a stunning free-kick against Austria last week. It was trademark Bale who stepped up, sent the ball fizzing over the wall and then into the top corner.

The veteran has done that on countless occasions for club and country, but the Forest fans never got to see him turn out for them.

It’s enough to provoke a sense of regret with the Madrid star being hailed as “legendary” and as a “messiah” to Wales by writer Megan Feringa.

Those two words aptly describe him and although it’s unlikely Forest would have been able to keep hold of him anyway, it was a mistake not to do more in order to bring him in.

AND in other news, Cooper can finally axe Forest “bulldog” by signing “very impressive” £135k-rated gem…

According to TEAMtalk, Southampton are in pursuit of Cameroon international Jean-Pierre Nsame.

Saints eye Nsame

The Saints are believed to be interested in signing the 27-year-old, who currently plays in Switzerland for Young Boys.

They are not the only club who have him on their radar, though – fellow Premier League sides Newcastle and West Ham are also mentioned, while Celtic also appear to be keen.

Prolific

While he may not be playing in one of Europe’s major leagues, Nsame is still one of the most prolific strikers on the continent. In his last 84 games in all competitions, he has scored a massive tally of 66 goals, including 32 in as many league matches last season (Transfermarkt). He has also scored seven times in European competition this term, showing that he can also perform at a higher level than the Swiss top flight.

Southampton could well find themselves short of strikers at the start of the next season. Danny Ings has been heavily linked with the exit door – Tottenham (eurosport.co.uk) and Manchester City (Sky Sports) have been mentioned as potential suitors – while Shane Long is expected to leave St Mary’s permanently (The Athletic).

With a market value of just £6.3m according to Transfermarkt, Nsame is unlikely to cost Southampton a fortune. Should the Saints be able to capture him, he could be one of the finds of the summer – remember how they plucked Sadio Mane from the Austrian top flight in 2014?

In other news, many Southampton fans raged at this player’s comments.

Lisbon Lion John Hughes has credited Ange Postecoglou with transforming the fortunes at Celtic this season. 

The lowdown: A Green and White resurgence

Appointed in June 2021, the 56-year-old has taken Celtic back to the top of the Scottish Premiership table and to the brink of a 52nd title success.

One of the Greek-Australian’s methods towards success has been utilising smart recruitment by tapping into his experiences in previously unknown markets, namely Japan by raiding the J-League for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/key-latest-celtic-updates-3/” title=”Key latest Celtic updates!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

Now an ex-Celtic Park favourite has joined in on the praise of the manager…

The latest: Hughes impressed

Speaking with Celtic Quick News, the legendary 79-year-old, who made 255 appearances for the Hoops and was nicknamed ‘Yogi’, admitted he had been impressed with the man in the hot seat before tipping further improvements.

“It has been a joy to watch what Ange has done with the team after the wreckage of the previous campaign.

“He has brought in 17 players in both transfer windows and most of his signings have been inspired.

“However, I believe there is a piece of the jigsaw still to be put in place and I have every confidence the manager will rectify the situation in the summer.”

The verdict: More to come…

Given the impressive body of work already in place in such a short period of time, it’s hard to believe that there won’t be yet more developments in the squad following another summer transfer window.

Whilst nobody is expected a mass overhaul at Lennoxtown, the board should back Postecoglou to the hilt to oversee another successful delve into the market.

As for the mystery missing piece of the jigsaw, the Bhoys squad is arguably at its weakest in the central defensive department and even the potential permanent capture of Cameron Carter-Vickers may not suffice, given the injury hell suffered by Christopher Jullien.

Perhaps we could see a new ‘Yogi’ type colossus arrive this summer, but this time in the heart of defence.

In other news, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has been left fuming. Read more here.

Speaking exclusively to FootballFanCast, former Aston Villa midfielder Lee Hendrie has urged the club to make a summer transfer move for Josh Brownhill.

What’s the story?

Reports in recent days and weeks have suggested Dean Smith’s side are very much interested in signing the Burnley midfielder, with the club also said to be eyeing Sheffield United’s Sander Berge.

When discussing Villa’s reported interest in Brownhill in an exclusive interview with FFC, Hendrie said: “Josh Brownhill, I think he is a fabulous player, I really do. Out of (Sander) Berge and him, I’d take Brownhill all day just because Josh Brownhill reminds me of John McGinn.

“He’s very energetic, he’s very neat and tidy on the ball, he gets up and down the pitch well and you know what you’re getting when you’re getting a player from Burnley, Sean Dyche, what he expects. And, obviously, he’s proved that he can do this step up, coming from Bristol City, so I’d certainly take him all day.”

Lange’s priority

Valued at £26m by CIES, Brownhill has enjoyed an impressive debut campaign at Premier League level with Burnley this season – he has been a permanent fixture in Dyche’s starting line-up, playing 24 times in the top-flight.

As Hendrie noted, the midfielder’s energetic style of play sees him be an effective presence at both ends of the pitch, with his average of one shot per game in the Premier League only slightly below McGinn’s 1.1.

Crucially however, Brownhill outshines Villa’s Scotland international considerably when it comes to making a defensive impact, no doubt thanks to Dyche’s work on ensuring Burnley remain a solid outfit.

As per Whoscored, the 25-year-old averages an impresive 2.5 interceptions per game in the top flight, which actually ranks him as the joint-highest among all players in the division.

Not only that, he also wins 1.4 tackles per match, and both those key defensive metrics are far superior to McGinn’s measly 0.7 and 1.2 respectively.

That box-to-box presence and combination of offensive threat and defensive stability surely makes him a perfect midfield signing for Smith, and as Hendrie says, he should be someone who Villa really look to sign this summer.

Meanwhile, Villa must make a move for this Championship sensation this summer…

In an exclusive interview with The Transfer Tavern, former Wolves striker Steve Bull has hailed Burnley star Josh Brownhill as a “top-class player”.

According to TEAMtalk, Brownhill is someone who Wolves have recently scouted, though they are not alone, with the same report stating that the likes of West Ham and Aston Villa have also been monitoring the midfielder.

Brownhill had a solid season for Burnley, making 2.1 interceptions per game in the Premier League last term, more than any other Burnley player (via WhoScored).

The 25-year-old also proved to be a versatile asset for Sean Dyche, playing both in midfield and out wide.

On Brownhill, Bull told TT:

“He’s a top-class player. I think Burnley, if they want to be just below us, not in a bad way, stop where you are and you can be a big fish in a little pond.

“But if you want to come to Wolves and make yourself a big fish in [a bigger pond], he can come here all day long.”

It remains to be seen whether Wolves’ interest in Brownhill materialises into a bid this summer, but a midfield shake up at Molineux looks certain regardless.

Ruben Neves continues to be heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, with The Athletic reporting that contact has been made between the two clubs over a transfer.

Some Manchester United fans have been left to fume at an update involving Edinson Cavani.

As per Argentinian news outlet Olé, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team would like to renew the striker’s current deal at Old Trafford.

This is despite the veteran striker being 34 years of age, with much younger talents like Mason Greenwood able to play in his position, who may find their pathway for a regular starting place blocked by Cavani.

The Uruguay international has been suffering with various injury problems in recent times and has not scored for the Red Devils in over two months now (Transfermarkt), so the decision to potentially reward him with a new contract does seem a little strange.

Of course, Cavani can still be world class on his day, but maybe it is time for MUFC to head in another direction in the transfer market.

Manchester United fans on Cavani update

These Man Utd supporters fumed upon reading the update on Twitter, with one fan even going as far as to claim that it was ‘nonsense’:

“Nonsense, the game against Brighton showed why we need to give Greenwood more chance to play central. Cavani is already feeling tired. Let him go, we need young blood in that position.”

Credit: @MKJohn254

“If he is considering, then it would be shameful for us to offer him an extension”

Credit: @JecintaNwo

“This club is dead man, Mata, Jones and now Cavani”

Credit: @vybzsdante

“Worrying that we’re STILL trying to convince players to stay. And 34 years as well”

Credit: @JoeQuigleyCoach

“Noooo”

Credit: @jack10ii

“We are actually finished as a club.”

Credit: @IrishBrian24

In other news, find out what David de Gea update has left fans fuming here!

Steve Cooper has been dealt a blow in his bid to re-sign Freddie Woodman for Swansea City this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Chronicle Live, who claim that both Arsenal and Southampton are interested in a move for the Newcastle United goalkeeper in the upcoming transfer window after impressing over two loan spells at Swansea – who are also thought to be keen on re-signing the shot-stopper this summer.

The report also included a quote given by Woodman himself, who revealed that he will not return to St. James’ Park in order to play second or third fiddle to Martin Dubravka and Karl Darlow.

He said: “Currently I’m a Swansea player and that’s it. When I go back to Newcastle I’ll have the same mentality I had coming here. I’ll train and try to be No 1, and if that doesn’t happen I’ll work hard and keep trying to improve.”

Cooper will be gutted

Considering just how well the £8.1m-rated shot-stopper has performed over his two seasons at the Liberty Stadium, the news that the likes of Arsenal and Southampton are now considering a move for the 24-year-old – whom Ryan Dilks dubbed as “fantastic” – is likely to come as gutting news for Cooper.

In his first season with Swansea, Woodman kept 12 clean sheets over 43 Championship appearances, as well as making an average of 2.6 saves per game and stopping three out of the five penalties he faced – earning a seasonal SofaScore match rating of 6.89.

This term, the former England U21 international has kept a whopping 20 clean sheets over 45 Championship fixtures, in addition to making an average of 2.2 saves per game and stopping one of the three penalties he has faced, seeing the 24-year-old earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.92 – ranking him as the Swans’ 12th-best performer in the second tier.

And, with Cooper’s side just one game away from promotion via the play-off final, should the 41-year-old indeed lose the services of Woodman to either Arsenal or Southampton this summer, he will have the difficult task of sourcing a suitable replacement for his first-choice ‘keeper ahead of what may well be a top flight campaign.

Either way, the news of clubs’ interest with considerably bigger appeal and resources than the Swans would not appear to bode well for their chances of re-signing the shot-stopper this summer – although, securing promotion to the Premier League certainly wouldn’t damage their hopes.

In other news: Huge Swansea City exit claim emerges that will surely leave fans furious – opinion

Crystal Palace are targeting Swansea manager Steve Cooper and Burnley boss Sean Dyche as possible options to succeed Roy Hodgson at Selhurst Park.

What’s the story?

According to a huge update from EuroSport reporter Dean Jones, the Eagles have moved on from previous targets Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard in their pursuit of a new manager and the club’s owners now have Cooper and Dyche on their wishlist.

Hodgson announced his departure from the south London club a few weeks ago after four relatively successful years at Palace, but chairman Steve Parish is yet to appoint his replacement.

Fans will be buzzing

Although Cooper and Dyche are completely contrasting in their styles of play and managerial experience, both are likely to be appealing options to the Palace supporters.

The Swans boss has only been in charge of a senior side for two seasons, guiding the Welsh outfit to the Championship play-offs on both occasions.

He’s built an impressive reputation for developing young talent throughout his time working in Liverpool’s academy and as the England Under-17’s manager, though, guiding the young Three Lions side to World Cup glory back in 2017.

Cooper often likes his sides to build patiently from the back and play combinations in the wide positions. Although it hasn’t always been successful at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea have been lauded for their attractive style on many occasions, and the prospect of bringing in a young, exciting coach will surely have the Palace fans buzzing.

Dyche, on the other hand, is an appealing appointment for a host of different reasons. The 49-year-old has been in charge at Turf Moor for nine seasons now and has achieved unprecedented success with his Burnley side.

Despite working on a shoestring budget, the Clarets have achieved two promotions and two top-half Premier League finishes under his tutelage.

The Englishman’s name has virtually become a byword for guaranteed top-flight safety in recent seasons: something Palace will be desperate to achieve in 2021/22.

While Dyche may not win many plaudits for his back to basics approach to the beautiful game, his style is certainly effective, and the Palace fans would surely welcome someone like him with open arms to oversee this transitional period and ensure the club maintains its Premier League status throughout the process.

Parish appointing either one of these two men should be something that has Eagles fans buzzing.

And, in other news…Massive CPFC contract update emerges over £8.1m-rated “colossus”, fans will be buzzing 

The summer transfer window may have only just closed, but Manchester United are already being linked with a January move for Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Yves Bissouma.

What’s the story?

According to Metro Sports reporter Aden-Jay Wood, the Red Devils are one of three Premier League heavyweights lining up a move for the 25-year-old, with Liverpool and Arsenal also credited with an interest.

He tweeted: “I’m told there remains long-standing interest in Brighton’s Yves Bissouma from several clubs including Man United, Arsenal and Liverpool. Bissouma, who has 2yrs left on his current deal, is happy on the south coast, but one that could be revisited in January.”

He’s a big upgrade

United’s engine room has long been a problem area for the 20-time English champions, although the arrival of Bruno Fernandes and return to form of Paul Pogba has significantly strengthened it in an attacking sense.

However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer still favours a double pivot of Fred and Scott McTominay in the big games, largely due to the absence of a natural defensive midfielder capable of providing sufficient defensive cover against the toughest of opponents.

As a result, the Old Trafford outfit have been linked with a move for a holding midfielder in recent months, although no approach has been made for any potential target.

That could be about to change this winter, though, with Bissouma reportedly catching the eye of United’s hierarchy. And it’s easy to understand why.

As per fbref.com, the Mali international won an average of two tackles per 90 last season, outperforming McTominay’s total of 1.18 and Fred’s 1.81.

The £22.5m-rated beast also won 63.3% of his aerial duels and carried the ball into the final third 62 times, bettering McTominay and Fred’s tallies of 56.6% and 34.4% and 61 and 46, respectively.

Therefore, Bissouma’s arrival would offer an upgrade to Solskjaer’s current options at the base of midfield in particular areas, potentially allowing the Norwegian to play with a single pivot and have the confidence to field a more attacking lineup.

And, in other news…Ronaldo & Sancho start, £120k-p/w beast axed: Man Utd’s predicted XI post Deadline Day